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Number of places in residential care homes for the elderly, by social
services inspectorate region, as at 31 March 1987<1>
Percentage of total
places in:
Region |Total number of places|Local authority homes |Voluntary homes |Private homes
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |14,533 |63.0 |5.9 |31.1
Yorkshire and
Humberside |25,348 |56.2 |5.0 |38.8
North Western |35,698 |47.8 |9.3 |42.9
West Midlands |22,851 |50.4 |8.6 |40.9
East Midlands |17,076 |52.9 |8.2 |38.9
Thames/Anglia |30,083 |47.4 |13.7 |39.0
Inner London |9,610 |69.1 |21.8 |9.1
Outer London |17,880 |50.5 |23.4 |26.0
Southern |46,440 |29.0 |13.7 |57.3
South Western |26,629 |29.8 |9.2 |61.0
|------- |------- |------- |-------
England |246,148 |45.6 |11.4 |43.0
<1> Provisional.
Continuing Care
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what safeguards his Department is considering to ensure that not all continuing care facilities will be provided by the private sector.
Mr. Mellor [holding answer 2 February 1989] : Our view is that a mixture of statutory, voluntary and private facilities is the best way of meeting the wide range of care needs of dependent people of all ages. We are considering the future organisation of care provision in the light of Sir Roy Griffiths' report.
Listeria Monocytogenes
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if, in view of the fact that the infectious dose of listeria monocytogenes for vulnerable people is not known, he will prohibit the consumption of food that contains listeria by those people known to be particularly at risk.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke [holding answer 2 February 1989] : Listeria monocytogenes is known to be widely distributed in the environment, and the World Health Organisation working group on foodborne listeriosis has said that its total elimination from all food is impracticable and may be impossible. It is important to reduce the risks as much as possible, and both the Government and the food industry are working together to consider optimal production methods which will achieve this.
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SCOTLAND
Projects (EC Grants)
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the total value of European Community grants to Scottish projects in the period 1978 to 1988.
Mr. Lang : We estimate some £1.3 billion in European Community grants has gone to Scottish projects in this period, not including European social fund grants to national schemes.
Regional Aid
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the total value of United Kingdom Government regional aid in the period 1978 to 1988.
Mr. Lang : Gross expenditure on regional preferential assistance in Scotland in the period 1 April 1978 to 31 March 1988 was just over £2.1 billion.
Lennox Castle Hospital
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many visits were made to Lennox Castle hospital over the past two years by the general manager of Greater Glasgow health board and individual members of the board.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Greater Glasgow health board has a programme of visits which takes members round all its hospitals. Although the programme was disrupted in 1988 by the consequences of industrial action, there has been one visit to Lennox Castle hospital in the last two years. No records are kept of informal visits by individual board members. The board general manager has visited Lennox Castle hospital on seven occasions in the last two years. I have visited the hospital on three occasions with the health board chairman and general manager, most recently on 23 January.
Legal Services
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will make a statement on the publication and preparation of the Green Paper on Scottish legal services ;
(2) on what date the Green Paper on Scottish legal services was originally due to be published.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : As my right hon. and learned Friend informed the hon. Member for Dumfries (Sir H. Monro) on 26 October 1988, he intends to seek views early this year on his further proposals on the future work and organisation of the legal profession in Scotland.
Nurses
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give (a) the total money allocated to the Greater Glasgow health board for nurses' wages for the year 1988-89 and (b) the projected expenditure for 1988-89 for nurses' wages based on the actual regrading.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Greater Glasgow health board has been given an additional £24.177 million, over and above its initial allocation for 1988-89 to meet the cost of
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the pay awards to nurses and other staff covered by the review bodies. Information on the actual cost of nurses wages in 1988-89 for individual boards will not be available centrally until boards submit their annual accounts in June.Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many agency nurses, in whole-time equivalents, have been used in the Greater Glasgow health board from 1 October 1988 to 31 December 1988.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The information requested is given in the table.
Greater Glasgow Health Board
|Agency Nurses W.T.E.
---------------------------------------------------------------
1988
October |96.73
November |105.39
December |114.73
|-------
Average for period |105.62
Benzodiazepines
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many prescriptions for benzodiazepines were dispensed by community pharmacists in Scotland in 1987.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : It is estimated that some 3 million NHS prescriptions for benzodiazepines were dispensed by community pharmacists in Scotland in 1987.
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has on the number of people in Scotland dependent on benzodiazepines.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : This information is not available. It is very difficult to define clinical dependency objectively in a way which would enable such information to be collected.
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many working days were lost for the last year for which figures are available, resulting from people withdrawing from benzodiazepines.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : This information is not available.
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what facilities are available in Scotland for those wishing to withdraw from benzodiazepines ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what funds are currently available to assist those wishing to withdraw from benzodiazepines ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The provision and funding of services for those dependent on benzodiazepines is primarily the responsibility of health boards and local authorities. NHS services are provided by the usual range of primary care and hospital-based services. In addition, many of the local statutory and voluntary sector projects concerned with the treatment and rehabilitation of drug misusers include a service for benzodiazepine dependants. Last month I announced that an additional £1 million per annum will be made available to health boards for 1989-90 for the development of services for drug misusers.
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Cervical Cytology
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the reason for Argyll and Clyde health board employing private contractors for cervical cytology ; what information he has on the qualifications and training of the staff of the private company ; and whether the health board will be liable for any errors of the private company.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Argyll and Clyde health board engaged the services of a private firm to screen a number of cervical cytology smears during the period January to March 1988 in order to deal with a temporary backlog in cervical smears reporting which had developed in one of the board's laboratories. The board rightly wished to avoid any lengthy delay in informing women of the results of their smears--delay which could cause unnecessary anxiety in those women concerned.
Officers of the board satisfied themselves that the firm concerned employed suitably qualified staff and operated a proper quality control system. The board accepts liability for any errors resulting from the arrangement on the same basis as it accepts liability for smears reported by its own laboratories.
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give for each year since 1986 the amount of money spent by each health board on training laboratory staff for cervical cytology screening ; what assistance his Department has given ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The training of laboratory staff is a matter for individual health boards to determine and this information is not held centrally.
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans to provide additional funding to health boards for cervical cytology.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The Government are providing additional funds- -about £5 million in the current year--to assist all health boards to improve their computer facilities. This will enable boards to establish a fully computerised call and recall system for cervical cancer screening. Computer software is also being provided to boards free of charge.
Greater Glasgow Health Board
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if Greater Glasgow health board operates a system of performance review of persons occupying senior management, medical and senior nursing posts.
Rating Reform
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what advice his Department will give to community charge officers if they discover a person is copying the extract of the community charge register available for public inspection for purposes wholly unconnected with the community charge.
Mr. Lang : The rules which apply to the inspection of the community charges register are clearly set out in
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section 20 of the Abolition of Domestic Rates Etc (Scotland) Act 1987, as amended, and in the Community Charges (Registration) (Scotland) (No. 2) Regulations 1988. I do not consider that specific advice on the application of these rules is required.Pre-school
Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the number of three and four-year-old children, expressed numerically and as a percentage of the age group (a) in nursery classes, (b) in primary classes and (c) attending pre-school playgroups in each of the local education authority areas in 1977, 1982 and 1987.
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Mr. Michael Forsyth : The numbers of three and four-year-old children in education authority nursery schools or departments and education authority primary schools or departments in 1977, 1982 and 1987 are shown in the table. The numbers of children attending education authority and registered pre-school playgroups in 1977 and the numbers of places available in 1982 and 1987 are also shown. These numbers have been expressed as rates per hundred of the three and four year old child population. Information about the ages of children attending pre-school playgroups in 1977 and the numbers attending in 1982 and 1987 are not available.
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Number Rate
Playgroups |1977 |1982 |1987 |1977 |1982 |1987
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Borders |1,350 |990 |1,590 |54.3 |44.6 |67.8
Central |2,310 |2,120 |2,150 |31.2 |31.6 |32.6
Dumfries and Galloway |1,530 |1,360 |1,780 |41.2 |40.7 |52.9
Fife |3,510 |2,290 |2,320 |37.7 |27.1 |26.8
Grampian |4,850 |5,160 |4,910 |38.5 |42.3 |38
Highland |2,250 |2,770 |2,960 |41.8 |52.1 |55.8
Lothian |7,100 |5,110 |5,220 |35.5 |31.4 |31.4
Strathclyde |23,270 |17,090 |16,820 |33.5 |29.6 |28.3
Tayside |2,810 |2,760 |2,920 |26.6 |30.9 |31.3
Orkney |340 |410 |580 |75.5 |79.0 |128.4
Shetland |500 |570 |530 |76.3 |80.7 |84.7
Western Isles |240 |310 |1,640 |29.9 |36.1 |221.7
|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Scotland total |50,050 |40,920 |43,430 |35.1 |33.2 |34.5
Number Rate
Playgroups |1977 |1982 |1987 |1977 |1982 |1987
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Borders |1,350 |990 |1,590 |54.3 |44.6 |67.8
Central |2,310 |2,120 |2,150 |31.2 |31.6 |32.6
Dumfries and Galloway |1,530 |1,360 |1,780 |41.2 |40.7 |52.9
Fife |3,510 |2,290 |2,320 |37.7 |27.1 |26.8
Grampian |4,850 |5,160 |4,910 |38.5 |42.3 |38
Highland |2,250 |2,770 |2,960 |41.8 |52.1 |55.8
Lothian |7,100 |5,110 |5,220 |35.5 |31.4 |31.4
Strathclyde |23,270 |17,090 |16,820 |33.5 |29.6 |28.3
Tayside |2,810 |2,760 |2,920 |26.6 |30.9 |31.3
Orkney |340 |410 |580 |75.5 |79.0 |128.4
Shetland |500 |570 |530 |76.3 |80.7 |84.7
Western Isles |240 |310 |1,640 |29.9 |36.1 |221.7
|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Scotland total |50,050 |40,920 |43,430 |35.1 |33.2 |34.5
Number Rate
Playgroups |1977 |1982 |1987 |1977 |1982 |1987
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Borders |1,350 |990 |1,590 |54.3 |44.6 |67.8
Central |2,310 |2,120 |2,150 |31.2 |31.6 |32.6
Dumfries and Galloway |1,530 |1,360 |1,780 |41.2 |40.7 |52.9
Fife |3,510 |2,290 |2,320 |37.7 |27.1 |26.8
Grampian |4,850 |5,160 |4,910 |38.5 |42.3 |38
Highland |2,250 |2,770 |2,960 |41.8 |52.1 |55.8
Lothian |7,100 |5,110 |5,220 |35.5 |31.4 |31.4
Strathclyde |23,270 |17,090 |16,820 |33.5 |29.6 |28.3
Tayside |2,810 |2,760 |2,920 |26.6 |30.9 |31.3
Orkney |340 |410 |580 |75.5 |79.0 |128.4
Shetland |500 |570 |530 |76.3 |80.7 |84.7
Western Isles |240 |310 |1,640 |29.9 |36.1 |221.7
|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Scotland total |50,050 |40,920 |43,430 |35.1 |33.2 |34.5
Football Matches (Arrests)
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many arrests took place at Celtic v Rangers and Rangers v Celtic football matches in 1988.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : A total of 269 arrests were made at these matches.
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Ecology
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place a consultancy research contract with the countryside interpretation unit, presently based at the Open university, Milton Keynes, as part of his Departmental programme to increase public environmental awareness of Scotland's natural ecology.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The Scottish Office has no immediate intentions of placing a consultancy contract with the countryside interpretation unit. Research contracts are commissioned in keeping with the Department's research priorties and on the basis of competitive tenders, unless there are special reasons for inviting a single contractor. The Department will consider proposals for research relevant to its responsibilities in line with its established contractual procedures.
Further Education
Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many fifth-form pupils have moved into full-time further education in each of the last three academic years giving the figures in numerical and percentage terms and for each standard planning region ;
(2) how many 18-year-old students have progressed into higher education in each of the last three academic years, giving figures in numerical and percentage terms and for each standard planning region.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Information at the level of detail requested is not readily available. The most recent information from the biennial Scottish young people's survey relating to the destination of school leavers was published in December 1988 in Scottish Education department statistical bulletin "School Leavers' Destinations (No. 12/E1/1988)" which is available in the Library.
Single European Market
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the grants available to small businesses preparing for the single European market of 1992.
Mr. Lang : An extensive range of assistance is available to firms in Scotland to help them meet the challenge of the single market. The enterprise initiative assists companies to improve their competitiveness by developing skills in six key areas of managment practice. Substantial help is available to assist firms break into export markets or to develop their existing overseas business, and regional enterprise grants for innovation and investment have been designed specifically for small firms with fewer than 25 employees. In addition, a range of assistance is available to small businesses from the Scottish development agency.
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he has taken in the past 12 months to prepare Scottish businesses for the single European market of 1992.
Mr. Lang : In addition to the Government's "Europe Open for Business" campaign which covers the whole of the United Kingdom, my Department is working closely with the Scottish development agency, enterprise trusts,
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chambers of commerce, and other organisations in Scotland, and both Ministers and officials have taken part in an extensive series of seminars and business meetings held throughout Scotland. My right hon. and learned Friend has also established the single market committee of the Scottish Economic Council to examine the impact of the single market on the economy of Scotland and to submit proposals to encourage those concerned to prepare for it. Our aim is to ensure that every sector of industry and commerce in Scotland is fully prepared for the challenges and opportunities which the single market will present.Conservation
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give for each year since its introduction (a) the total amount of conservation grants paid in Scotland under the enviromentally sensitive areas scheme and (b) the total amount of funding received from the European Economic Community for conservation grants in Scotland under the environmentally sensitive areas scheme.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : My right hon. and learned Friend has made the following payments under the environmentally sensitive areas scheme :
|£
------------------------
1987 |16,300
1988 |186,800
Information on the amount of European Community reimbursement is not yet available.
Radio Forth
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what instructions the Lord Advocate gave to officers of Strathclyde police to interview Mr. David Johnston a reporter working for Radio Forth.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : None. Mr. Johnston was interviewed by police officers on the proper instruction of the Lockerbie disaster senior investigating officer.
School Buildings
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give an expenditure estimate of the outstanding backlog of building work in primary and secondary schools in (a) repairs and maintenance, (b) modernisation, (c) other capital works and (d) new build.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Local authorities are themselves responsible for estimating the detailed expenditure needs of their education buildings. They have substantial resources, both current and capital at their disposal for necessary building works.
Her Majesty's Inspectors
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the total number of Her Majesty's inspectors' school reports published in each of the years 1979-80 to 1987-88 inclusive for Scotland and each local education authority.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The publication of Her Majesty's Inspectors' reports on schools was instituted from the
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beginning of the 1983-84 session. The number of reports produced for each of the school sessions since then are set out in the table below :Column 651
|1983-84|1984-85|1985-86|1986-87|1987-88
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Borders |3 |5 |5 |5 |4
Central |8 |7 |9 |10 |9
Dumfries & Galloway |5 |6 |5 |7 |6
Fife |9 |10 |11 |11 |12
Grampian |17 |15 |17 |17 |15
Highland |13 |10 |17 |14 |10
Lothian |19 |14 |20 |21 |19
Strathclyde |52 |62 |51 |51 |54
Tayside |13 |11 |16 |13 |12
Orkney Islands |2 |2 |1 |2 |1
Shetland Islands |1 |4 |1 |3 |1
Western Isles |1 |6 |5 |4 |3
|--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Scotland |143 |152 |158 |158 |146
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the total number of Her Majesty's inspectors in each of the years 1979 -80 to 1987-88, inclusive.
Mr. Rifkind : The total number of Her Majesty's inspectors of schools in post at 1 September in each of the years 1979 to 1988 inclusive is as follows :
|Number
-------------------------------
1 September 1979 |119
1 September 1980 |109
1 September 1981 |99
1 September 1982 |93
1 September 1983 |105
1 September 1984 |109
1 September 1985 |114
1 September 1986 |116
1 September 1987 |113
1 September 1988 |<1>105
<1> At this date there were
seven Her Majesty's Inspector
vacancies, for which open
recruitment competitions had
been advertised.
Curriculum Development
Mr. McLeish : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has received any representations from independent/non-maintained schools about curriculum development.
Sites of Special Scientific Interest
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total amount of public money spent on compensation to owners of sites of special scientific interest in Scotland for each year since 1982 ; and where each one of those sites is located.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 6 February 1989] : The Nature Conservancy Council is empowered to enter into management agreements with owners or occupiers of land designated as a site of special scientific interest, or within a national nature reserve. Details of individual payments are confidential, but data on the numbers and costs of such payments are published in the Nature Conservancy Council's annual reports, copies of which are in the Library.
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Forestry
Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the total new plantings of private forestry in Scotland during the current planting season ; and what estimate he has as to how this has been affected by the changes in the tax regime.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 6 February 1989] : The main planting season extends to the end of May and it is therefore not possible at this stage to provide a meaningful estimate of the amount of new planting that is likely to take place.
Training
Mr. Hood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of the numbers of training places taken up in Scotland since the new training scheme was introduced and of the numbers who have refused or left the training scheme.
Mr. Ian Lang [holding answer 1 February 1989] : By 20 January 1989, almost 16,000 people had entered Employment Training. At 30 December 1988, the latest date for which information on leavers is available, 5,016 people had left employment training, mainly due to completing the balance of their training under previous programmes. No figures are kept of those who decide not to participate in employment training.
DEFENCE
Gulf (Visit)
13. Mr. Ian Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when next he intends to visit the Gulf.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for defence hopes to visit the Gulf again later this year. I was there in Dubai and Qatar last week.
Defence Industry (Ownership)
14. Mr. David Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is Her Majesty's Government's policy toward the possible increase of foreign ownership or part-ownership of vital British defence industries.
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Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is Her Majesty's Government's policy towards the possible increase of foreign ownership or part-ownership of vital British defence industries.
Mr. Lofthouse : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is Her Majesty's Government's policy toward the possible increase of foreign ownership or part-ownership of vital British defence industries.
Mr. Sainsbury : My Department monitors proposals for increased foreign ownership, or part ownership of United Kingdom defence industries and assesses on a case by case basis the implications for national security and our ability to secure value for money in procurement.
Value for Money
15. Mr. David Martin : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will outline his future policy towards achieving value for money.
Mr. Sainsbury : We have introduced a range of initiatives including the planned introduction of the new management strategy ; the pursuit of a more commercial approach in the area of defence procurement, and the extension of competiton in defence support services. We shall continue to pursue these efficiency measures energetically.
Conventional Stability Talks
16. Mr. David Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will outline the Government's policy for the conventional stability talks.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The United Kingdom and its NATO allies are currently finalising proposals for tabling at the negotiation on conventional armed forces in Europe, previously known as the conventional stability talks, which is due to begin in Vienna in March. The objective will be to eliminate capabilities for surprise attack and large-scale offensive action by measures which include the elimination, by reductions, of the current imbalances in key equipments such as tanks and artillery. A total ceiling on tanks of about 40,000, shared equally between the countries of NATO and the Warsaw pact is envisaged. Such measures will require heavily asymmetrical reductions by the Warsaw pact to reflect its higher force levels, even if the reductions in its forces announced recently are implemented.
US Bases
17. Mr. Bill Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultation took place between the United States Administration and Her Majesty's Government prior to the submission of the addendum to the United States defence budget submitted to Congress proposing to double United states spending on British bases.
31. Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultation took place between the United States Administration and Her Majesty's Government prior to the submission of the addendum to the United States defence budget submitted to Congress proposing to double United States spending on British bases.
75. Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultation took place between the United
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States Administration and Her Majesty's Government prior to the submission of the addendum to the United States defence budget submitted to Congress proposing to double United States spending on British bases.133. Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultation took place between the United States Administration and Her Majesty's Government prior to the submission of the addendum to the United States defence budget submitted to Congress proposing to double United States spending on British bases.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Details of the United States' budget plans are a matter for the United States Government, but my Department maintains close liaison with the United States authorities on their proposals for the bases made available to them in the United Kingdom. All military construction projects at these bases require the approval of her Majesty's Government before they can proceed.
25. Mr. Cummings : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he had at NATO's (i) planning group and (ii) high level group about United States proposals to enhance its military bases in the United Kingdom.
50. Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he had at NATO's (i) nuclear planning group and (ii) high level group about United States proposals to enhance their military bases in the United Kingdom.
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