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Mr. Jackson : Grant-in-aid to the agricultural and food research Council in 1989-90 is expected to be £74.563 million. The figure for 1990-91 will be decided by my right hon. Friend after he has considered the advice of the Advisory Board for the Research Councils later this year. The council will also receive in 1989-90 approximately £45.6 million in commissioned research from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and a further £16 million from other sources.

Youth Service

Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list (a) central Government and (b) local government expenditure on the youth service in (i) 1979-80, (ii) 1984-85, (iii) 1985- 86, (iv) 1986-87, (v) 1987-88 and (vi) 1988-89 in 1989 prices.

Mr. Alan Howarth : The information requested is given in the table.


Column 730


Expenditure on the Youth Service-England (1988-89 Real Terms)               

Financial Year     |Central Government|Local Government                     

                   |£ million         |£ million                            

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

1979-80            |14                |132                                  

1984-85            |11                |159                                  

1985-86            |12                |159                                  

1986-87            |13                |171                                  

1987-88            |14                |197                                  

1988-89            |13                |<1>171                               

<1>Estimated                                                                

Notes                                                                       

(1) The figures given for central Government expenditure reflect direct     

expenditure by the Department to voluntary organisations and specific grant 

payments to local authorities in support of youth service activities as     

recorded by local authorities in their annual returns.                      

(2) The figures given for local government expenditure reflect outturn as   

recorded by local authorities in their annual returns. This expenditure     

will not only have been supported by central Government specific grant      

payments, but also by unhypothecated rate support grant.                    

(3) The cash figures for the earlier years have been repriced to 1988-89    

prices using the gross domestic product (market prices) deflator. They      

include recurrent and capital expenditure on the youth service.             

Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list by local education authority (a) 1988-1989 expenditure on the youth service and (b) the related grant-related expenditure allocation for each local education authority.

Mr. Alan Howarth : Figures for the expenditure of local authorities in 1988-89 are not yet available. Table 1 shows the actual recurrent expenditure of each local education authority on youth and community services in 1987-88, with the exception of four authorities which failed to make a return. Table 2 shows the grant related expenditure assessment for the youth and related services for each local education authority in 1987- 88 and 1988-89.


Table 1                                    

Expenditure by local authorities on the    

youth service<1>                           

LEA                    |£ million          

-------------------------------------------

Barking                |0.6277             

Barnet                 |0.9704             

Bexley                 |0.7829             

Brent                  |3.6245             

Bromley                |0.8248             

Croydon                |0.8399             

Ealing                 |n.a.               

Enfield                |0.6866             

Haringey               |n.a.               

Harrow                 |0.6207             

Havering               |0.7041             

Hillingdon             |0.7136             

Hounslow               |0.7270             

Kingston-upon-Thames   |0.5724             

Merton                 |0.3763             

Newham                 |0.9110             

Redbridge              |0.8766             

Richmond-upon-Thames   |0.3872             

Sutton                 |0.4786             

Waltham Forest         |1.2862             

ILEA                   |30.5352            

Birmingham             |4.1965             

Coventry               |0.9061             

Dudley                 |0.8359             

Sandwell               |0.6573             

Solihull               |0.3864             

Walsall                |1.9555             

Wolverhampton          |0.8758             

Knowsley               |0.4879             

Liverpool              |2.1011             

St. Helens             |Nil                

Sefton                 |0.6090             

Wirral                 |1.0252             

Bolton                 |0.9214             

Bury                   |0.8718             

Manchester             |2.2352             

Oldham                 |0.6295             

Rochdale               |1.3196             

Salford                |0.5164             

Stockport              |0.7861             

Tameside               |1.0388             

Trafford               |0.5685             

Wigan                  |0.8193             

Barnsley               |0.5193             

Doncaster              |1.3659             

Rotherham              |0.8892             

Sheffield              |n.a.               

Bradford               |2.8268             

Calderdale             |0.9297             

Kirklees               |1.3253             

Leeds                  |2.5921             

Wakefield              |0.6777             

Gateshead              |0.7946             

Newcastle-upon-Tyne    |1.1552             

North Tyneside         |0.5115             

South Tyneside         |1.5489             

Sunderland             |0.7333             

Isles of Scilly        |0.0014             

Avon                   |4.0172             

Bedfordshire           |1.0577             

Berkshire              |n.a.               

Buckinghamshire        |2.1876             

Cambridgeshire         |1.6258             

Cheshire               |1.7389             

Cleveland              |2.3472             

Cornwall               |0.5328             

Cumbria                |1.2557             

Derbyshire             |4.5220             

Devon                  |2.6109             

Dorset                 |1.4586             

Durham                 |1.1045             

East Sussex            |0.9809             

Essex                  |3.3893             

Gloucestershire        |1.6986             

Hampshire              |2.8567             

Hereford and Worcester |1.1929             

Hertfordshire          |2.4412             

Humberside             |3.1777             

Isle of Wight          |0.4175             

Kent                   |2.2912             

Lancashire             |4.0522             

Leicestershire         |2.6153             

Lincolnshire           |1.0138             

Norfolk                |1.6031             

North Yorkshire        |1.4100             

Northamptonshire       |1.6093             

Northumberland         |0.6983             

Nottinghamshire        |4.6301             

Oxfordshire            |1.1005             

Shropshire             |1.5869             

Somerset               |1.9266             

Staffordshire          |2.4209             

Suffolk                |1.9660             

Surrey                 |2.0726             

Warwickshire           |1.4359             

West Sussex            |1.3936             

Wiltshire              |1.4994             

Note:                                      

(1) The figures are based on LEA           

Expenditure Returns to the Department of   

the Environment.                           


Column 732


Table 2                                             

Grant related expenditure assessment for the Youth  

Service                                             

£ million                                           

                            |1987-88|1988-89        

----------------------------------------------------

Barking                     |0.6466 |0.7247         

Barnet                      |1.3569 |1.5983         

Bexley                      |0.7781 |0.8854         

Brent                       |1.704  |1.9525         

Bromley                     |1.0066 |1.1557         

Croydon                     |1.4463 |1.6359         

Ealing                      |1.7228 |2.0186         

Enfield                     |1.1923 |1.3698         

Haringey                    |1.3051 |1.4829         

Harrow                      |0.8502 |0.9768         

Havering                    |0.8152 |0.9217         

Hillingdon                  |0.8795 |1.0217         

Hounslow                    |0.9910 |1.1627         

Kingston                    |0.4396 |0.5051         

Merton                      |0.664  |0.7675         

Newham                      |1.5136 |1.7016         

Redbridge                   |0.9299 |1.0807         

Richmond                    |0.5254 |0.6010         

Sutton                      |0.5622 |0.6358         

Waltham Forest              |1.1910 |1.3575         

ILEA                        |13.5539|15.7985        

Birmingham                  |6.2099 |7.0554         

Coventry                    |1.6513 |1.8607         

Dudley                      |1.1429 |1.2853         

Sandwell                    |1.6993 |1.9088         

Solihull                    |0.7872 |0.8916         

Walsall                     |1.2700 |1.4426         

Wolverhampton               |1.5820 |1.7882         

Knowsley                    |0.9341 |1.0535         

Liverpool                   |2.3518 |2.6738         

St. Helens                  |0.7321 |0.8300         

Sefton                      |1.1197 |1.2468         

Wirall                      |1.3205 |1.5001         

Bolton                      |1.2094 |1.3808         

Bury                        |0.6528 |0.7389         

Manchester                  |2.5769 |2.9052         

Oldham                      |1.0371 |1.1889         

Rochdale                    |0.9877 |1.1241         

Salford                     |1.0763 |1.2145         

Stockport                   |0.9997 |1.1194         

Tameside                    |0.8632 |0.9825         

Trafford                    |0.8517 |0.9529         

Wigan                       |1.1906 |1.3396         

Barnsley                    |0.8553 |0.9632         

Doncaster                   |1.169  |1.3386         

Rotherham                   |1.0344 |1.1806         

Sheffield                   |2.1371 |2.4256         

Bradford                    |2.6083 |2.998          

Calderdale                  |0.8201 |0.9244         

Kirklees                    |1.8524 |2.1149         

Leeds                       |2.9679 |3.3513         

Wakefield                   |1.1943 |1.3342         

Gateshead                   |0.7803 |0.8785         

Newcastle                   |1.1234 |1.2864         

North Tyne                  |0.6706 |0.7416         

South Tyne                  |0.6393 |0.7045         

Sunderland                  |1.2265 |1.3969         

Isle of Scilly              |0.0082 |0.0086         

Avon                        |3.2428 |3.7704         

Bedfordshire                |2.2661 |2.5803         

Berkshire                   |2.9080 |3.3858         

Bucks                       |2.3102 |2.6987         

Cambridge                   |2.3576 |2.7287         

Cheshire                    |3.5269 |4.0092         

Cleveland                   |2.5817 |2.9118         

Cornwall                    |1.4396 |1.6487         

Cumbria                     |1.6178 |1.8312         

Derbyshire                  |3.3976 |3.9118         

Devon                       |3.1875 |3.6755         

Dorset                      |1.9263 |2.2293         

Durham                      |2.2334 |2.5561         

East Sussex                 |2.0816 |2.4702         

Essex                       |5.0704 |5.8156         

Gloucestershire             |1.8349 |2.0656         

Hampshire                   |5.5135 |6.3066         

Hereford and Worcestershire |2.3375 |2.6699         

Hertfordshire               |3.4851 |3.9546         

Humberside                  |3.4163 |3.8735         

Isle of Wight               |0.3722 |0.4282         

Kent                        |5.4128 |6.1952         

Lancashire                  |5.6399 |6.4836         

Leicester                   |3.7412 |4.2788         

Lincolnshire                |1.9696 |2.3038         

Norfolk                     |2.4064 |2.7636         

North Yorkshire             |2.2754 |2.6432         

Northants                   |2.1373 |2.4591         

Northumberland              |0.9865 |1.1280         

Nottinghamshire             |4.0506 |4.6292         

Oxfordshire                 |2.1233 |2.4258         

Shropshire                  |1.5405 |1.7807         

Somerset                    |1.5133 |1.7320         

Staffordshire               |3.6713 |4.1617         

Suffolk                     |2.1397 |2.4045         

Surrey                      |3.3897 |3.8675         

Warwickshire                |1.8544 |2.0837         

West Sussex                 |2.0874 |2.4099         

Wiltshire                   |2.0462 |2.3429         

PE Teachers

Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list, in the latest available figures, the number and percentage of vacancies for physical education teachers.

Mr. Alan Howarth : LEA returns to the Department's regular collection of vacancy data showed 162 vacancies for teachers of physical education in England in January 1989. This suggests a vacancy rate of 1.2 per cent.

Physical Education

Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to announce a working party on physical education under the provisions of the national curriculum.

Mrs. Rumbold : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms. Walley) on 7 November at columns 579-80.

Research Councils

Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any proposals to reverse the decline in the number of researchers employed by (a) the agricultural and food research council, (b) the natural environment research council and (c) other research councils ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Jackson : My right hon. Friend has no plans to suggest to the councils how many researchers they should employ. The numbers of researchers employed by the agricultural and food research council, natural environment research council and the three other research councils are matters for the councils themselves to determine within the resources available to them.

School Governors

Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has had about the deselection of school governors by the Isle of Wight county council ; and what advice he has given London education authorities about deselection of school governors on political grounds.


Column 734

Mrs. Rumbold : We have received a number of representations concerning the removal from office of school governors appointed by local education authorities, including the Isle of Wight. These matters are currently being investigated.

We have not issued advice to local education authorities generally on this subject. We are considering whether it would be appropriate to do so, following the recent judgment of the House of Lords in the case involving the Haberdashers' Aske's schools.

Civil Service Dispersal

Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has any plans to relocate his Department's offices to the north-east of England ; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs. Rumbold : Not at present. My Department is proposing to relocate a further 50 posts from London to its Darlington office during 1990. In addition, a senior official of the Department is about to undertake a study of the long-term location requirements of the Department in the light of the Government's policy on relocation. The study will consider various possibilities, including the handling of some functions regionally.

Student Rents (London)

Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average student rent in London ; and how much the average student in London will receive in housing benefit during term time.

Mr. Jackson : Data from a survey of undergraduate income and expenditure conducted by Research Services Limited in 1988-89 indicate that average rent payments for single students living in privately rented accommodation in London totalled £1,531 per student over the 1988-89 academic year. The average amount of housing benefit received by such students in the same period was £324.

Teachers' Pay

Mr. Knapman : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the comparable average teachers' pay in 1979 and 1988.

Mrs. Rumbold : The average salary of teachers in primary and secondary schools in April 1988 was £13,670. The equivalent figure in 1979 (at 1988 prices) was £10,493.

State Schools (Nottingham)

Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last visited a state school in Nottingham.

Mr. Alan Howarth : My right hon. Friend has not yet visited a state school in Nottingham.

Church Aided and Voluntary Schools

Mr. Baldry : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to announce the allocation of funds for capital projects for church aided and voluntary schools for 1990.

Mr. Alan Howarth : My right hon. Friend expects to be able to announce the 1990-91 allocation for capital projects for voluntary aided and special agreement schools shortly before Christmas.


Column 735

Hampshire (Capital Expenditure)

Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will allocate additional resources to Hampshire's county education budget for the capital expenditure programme outlined in its 1989 strategic planning document ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Alan Howarth : My right hon. Friend is currently considering submissions from all local education authorities, including Hampshire, covering their planned capital expenditure programmes for 1990-91. He expects to announce each authority's annual capital guidelines for that year shortly before Christmas.

Japan (Ministerial Visit)

Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what lessons were learnt for the research work of British universities from the recent official visit to Japan of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Wantage (Mr. Jackson).

Mr. Jackson : My recent visit to Japan, accompanied by the biological secretary to the Royal Society, was extremely valuable. Comparisons between the United Kingdom and Japanese systems for support of university research and for science were fascinating. My view was reinforced that British public funding of university research has sustained high quality and creative work. Our system, with autonomous universities and a Universities Funding Council separate from the Government, delivers a high quality and quantity of research. Equally interesting is the way in which Japanese business is succeeding in the development of "strategic" science and in harnessing scientific insights to the production of commercial products.

School Visits

Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the schools which he has visited in his official capacity since becoming Secretary of State, with dates, the purpose of each visit and whether the school is private or maintained.

Mr. MacGregor : I visited three LEA maintained schools in Norfolk to meet local teachers--Costessey high (19 September), Redenhall Dove first (25 September), and St. Augustine's county primary (3 November). I accompanied my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the opening of the Djanogly city technology college in Nottingham on 29 September, and met teachers at Hinchingbrooke school, Huntingdon on 2 October.

I have also had many other meetings with teachers and shall be visiting further LEA and grant-maintained schools in Manchester, Kent, Norfolk and London shortly.

Capital Allocations

Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish a table for each local education authority with a total for England of the amount of the bid made to him for capital allocation for (a) county and voluntary-controlled schools, (b) voluntary-aided schools and (c) all maintained schools for the financial year 1990-91.


Column 736

Mr. MacGregor : It is not possible to provide the information sought, since not all LEAs have yet submitted their bids.

Teaching Posts

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list all the local education authorities in England showing (a) the established teaching posts and (b) the current vacancies for such posts ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Alan Howarth : The numbers of full-time teachers employed by each local education authority in England, together with the number of vacancies, are given in the table.

The figures relate to January 1989, the last date for which complete information for all authorities is available.


Full-Time Permanent Teacher Vacancies and Teachers in Post in                    

maintained Nursery, Primary and Secondary Schools-England                        

January 1989                                                                     

                     |Number of Vacancies|Teachers in Post                       

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gateshead            |31                 |1,709                                  

Newcastle Upon Tyne  |50                 |2,199                                  

North Tyneside       |0                  |1,817                                  

South Tyneside       |0                  |1,452                                  

Sunderland           |13                 |2,686                                  

Cleveland            |12                 |5,119                                  

Cumbria              |22                 |3,846                                  

Durham               |15                 |4,706                                  

Northumberland       |11                 |2,494                                  

                                                                                 

North                |154                |26,028                                 

                                                                                 

Barnsley             |5                  |1,837                                  

Doncaster            |22                 |2,635                                  

Rotherham            |32                 |2,274                                  

Sheffield            |12                 |3,795                                  

Bradford             |28                 |4,578                                  

Calderdale           |20                 |1,689                                  

Kirklees             |30                 |3,429                                  

Leeds                |61                 |6,110                                  

Wakefield            |70                 |2,643                                  

Humberside           |29                 |7,031                                  

North Yorks          |46                 |5,106                                  

                                                                                 

York & Humberside    |355                |41,127                                 

                                                                                 

Knowsley             |10                 |1,543                                  

Liverpool            |20                 |4,464                                  

St Helens            |9                  |1,727                                  

Sefton               |3                  |2,254                                  

Wirral               |19                 |2,748                                  

Bolton               |11                 |2,398                                  

Bury                 |14                 |1,406                                  

Manchester           |55                 |3,971                                  

Oldham               |7                  |2,076                                  

Rochdale             |33                 |1,995                                  

Salford              |58                 |2,086                                  

Stockport            |14                 |2,239                                  

Thameside            |38                 |1,811                                  

Trafford             |9                  |1,508                                  

Wigan                |9                  |2,869                                  

Cheshire             |24                 |7,562                                  

Lancashire           |193                |10,679                                 

                                                                                 

North West           |526                |53,336                                 

                                                                                 

Derbyshire           |76                 |7,685                                  

Leicestershire       |44                 |7,046                                  

Lincolnshire         |52                 |4,232                                  

Northamptonshire     |10                 |4,668                                  

Nottinghamshire      |108                |8,168                                  

                                                                                 

East Midlands        |290                |31,799                                 

                                                                                 

Birmingham           |188                |8,615                                  

Coventry             |24                 |2,594                                  

Dudley               |48                 |2,559                                  

Sandwell             |25                 |2,810                                  

Solihull             |27                 |1,686                                  

Walsall              |4                  |2,637                                  

Wolverhampton        |24                 |2,438                                  

Hereford & Worcester |50                 |4,886                                  

Shropshire           |13                 |3,214                                  

Staffordshire        |50                 |8,044                                  

Warwickshire         |31                 |3,677                                  

                                                                                 

West Midlands        |484                |43,160                                 

                                                                                 

Cambridgeshire       |39                 |4,830                                  

Norfolk              |31                 |5,218                                  

Suffolk              |36                 |4,585                                  

                                                                                 

East Anglia          |106                |14,633                                 

                                                                                 

Barking              |51                 |1,264                                  

Barnet               |85                 |2,197                                  

Bexley               |31                 |1,610                                  

Brent                |32                 |2,011                                  

Bromley              |10                 |1,805                                  

Croydon              |39                 |2,290                                  

Ealing               |116                |2,119                                  

Enfield              |72                 |2,001                                  

Haringey             |128                |1,509                                  

Harrow               |16                 |1,321                                  

Havering             |51                 |1,885                                  

Hillingdon           |58                 |1,665                                  

Hounslow             |24                 |1,639                                  

Kingston             |9                  |966                                    

Merton               |47                 |1,159                                  

Newham               |194                |2,365                                  

Redbridge            |36                 |1,558                                  

Richmond             |1                  |872                                    

Sutton               |21                 |1,110                                  

Waltham Forest       |75                 |1,790                                  

Ilea                 |1,028              |15,703                                 

                                                                                 

S E Greater London   |2,124              |48,839                                 

                                                                                 

Bedfordshire         |117                |4,247                                  

Berkshire            |91                 |5,231                                  

Buckinghamshire      |73                 |4,531                                  

East Sussex          |74                 |3,907                                  

Essex                |123                |10,969                                 

Hampshire            |134                |10,569                                 

Hertfordshire        |109                |7,664                                  

Isle of Wight        |0                  |890                                    

Kent                 |224                |10,840                                 

Oxfordshire          |9                  |3,565                                  

Surrey               |131                |6,001                                  

West Sussex          |74                 |4,476                                  

                                                                                 

Other South East     |1,159              |72,890                                 

                                                                                 

Avon                 |21                 |6,405                                  

Cornwall             |47                 |3,464                                  

Devon                |122                |6,429                                  

Dorset               |11                 |4,182                                  

Gloucestershire      |0                  |3,797                                  

Somerset             |73                 |3,095                                  

Wiltshire            |68                 |4,017                                  

                                                                                 

South West           |342                |31,389                                 

                                                                                 

Total England        |5,540              |363,201                                

GCSE changes

Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the necessary changes to be made to GCSE in order to meet the requirements of the national curriculum.

Mrs. Rumbold : The future development of the GCSE examination was the subject to a report from the School Examinations and Assessment Council sent to my right


Column 738

hon. Friend on 13 July. Copies of the report, together with my right hon. Friend's reply, have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Long-serving Teachers

Mr. Jack : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what assessment his Department has made of the availability of special allowances to long-serving teachers in small special needs schools.

Mrs. Rumbold : The interim advisory committee on school teachers' pay and conditions has been asked to advise on what further increase should be made in the number of incentive allowances, and in their value relative to the main professional grade. All teachers in special schools, other than heads and deputies, receive at least a B incentive allowance. The Department's present plans assume that the proportion of special schools teachers receiving higher value allowances will progressively increase until 1990.

Supply Teachers

Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals he has to encourage an increase in the number of supply teachers.

Mr. Alan Howarth : Our education support grant programme to assist teacher recruitment urges local education authorities to encourage flexible working practices, including part-time working. This should stimulate the employment of supply teachers. However, the employment and deployment of teachers is a matter for local education authorities and schools. It is for them to decide how many supply teachers to appoint. They also have discretion to pay teacher on short-notice contracts at rates they consider appropriate in order to recruit and retain the teachers they need.

SCOTLAND

Fish Farms

74. Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the effect of (a) deliberate release of fish from fish farms and (b) accidental escape of fish from fish farms on the habits and genetic coding of North Atlantic salmon.

Mr. Lang : A study of "genetic protein variation in farmed Atlantic salmon in Scotland : comparison of farmed strains with their wild source of populations" was published in August in "Scottish Fisheries Research Report No. 42". Further studies on both wild and farmed populations of salmon have been completed or are in progress. At this stage it is too early to predict what scientific conclusions might emerge. The recently published work does show that there are genetic differences between farmed strains of salmon and the wild populations from which they are drawn. The genetic consequences of interaction between farmed fish and a wild stock are unknown but are thought likely to be complex. So far there is no direct evidence of adverse effects of actual damage to any wild stocks in Scotland.

A Report "The Genetic Impact of Farmed Atlantic Salmon on Wild Populations" was published by the


Column 739

Nature Conservancy Council in August. This made a number of recommendations about further research and about mangement of wild and farmed stocks of salmon. We support the view that further studies are required and that great care is needed to ensure that deliberate restocking of rivers is carried out in the right way and that releases of farmed fish are prevented or reduced as far as possible.

Land Acidity

Mr. Andrew Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what evidence his Department has about deterioration in terms of acidity of Scottish agricultural land over the past 10 years ; and whether he will re- introduce a lime subsidy for Scottish agriculture.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The farming industry is well aware that regular liming is an essential and cost-effective element of land husbandry and I understand that lime usage is currently at about the same level as it was when a general lime subsidy was available. We have no plans to reintroduce a lime subsidy, but grant assistance is available for the application of lime for certain grassland improvement operations under the farm and conservation grant scheme (EC).

Oilseed Rape

Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many hectares of oilseed rape were harvested in 1989 ; what tonnage was produced ; what was the value of the crop ; and what subsidy was paid from public funds for its production or processing.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Latest estimates show that in 1989 some 36,000 hectares of oilseed rape were harvested in Scotland producing some 122,600 tonnes. The value of the 1989 crop in the United Kingdom as a whole is still being assessed. An estimate of the value will be included in "Agriculture in the United Kingdom" due to be published early in 1990. Production aid for oilseed rape under the EC oilseeds scheme is being paid on the 1989 crop ; final estimates of the total amount will not be known until at least the end of the 1989-90 marketing year.

Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the presence of pollen and other airborne material derived from flowering crops of oilseed rape giving the concentration in the atmosphere above the crop and the maximum extent of detectable contamination ; and if he will give comparable information for other agricultural crops.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : I have no information on concentrations of airborne material from oilseed rape in the atmosphere above the crop nor comparable information on other crops. I am aware that some experiments have been carried out by individuals to detect the presence of oilseed rape pollen in the atmosphere in the vicinity of crops.

Legal Profession

Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he intends to introduce a separate Scottish Bill dealing with proposed reforms to the legal profession ; and if he will make a statement.


Column 740

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : My right hon. and learned Friend is currently considering what legislative provision may be necessary to implement the conclusions to his review of the legal profession which were set out in "The Scottish Legal Profession--The Way Forward" which he issued on 10 October.

Radioactive Waste

Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on progress in site evaluation in terms of geology, transportation routes and effects on local economies, of prospective sites for the disposal of (a) low level, (b) intermediate level and (c) high level radioactive wastes in Scotland.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : In relation to low and

intermediate-level wastes it is for the Nuclear Industry Radioactive Waste Executive (Nirex) to evaluate these factors in relation to sites in the United Kingdom which it wishes to investigate. As regards possible geological investigations at Dounreay, I would refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms. Walley) on 6 November, at column 495 . If Nirex were subsequently to propose the construction of a repository it would be required to present a full safety case and environmental impact assessment, and a public inquiry would be held.

It is Government policy to store high-level radioactive wastes at the sites where they arise for at least 50 years. No current site evaluation is taking place for the disposal of this category of waste.

Health Service (Contracts)

Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what instructions he has given to Lothian health board about awarding Health Service catering contracts to outside contractors.

Mr. Michael Forsyth : None in relation to any specific contract.

Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his policy towards sending in auditors to examine the workings of health boards which have awarded in-house contracts.

Mr. Michael Forsyth : As with any area of health board expenditure, the procedures governing the award of contracts may be the subject of examination at any time by the statutory auditor.

Housing

Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report , by district council area, the average time taken by each district council in processing applications by sitting tenants for purchasing their council houses ; and if he will also list for each district council their total housing stock.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information requested is set out in the table.


Column 741


Average processing time for houses sold in the quarter ended 30 June                              

1989 and Local Authority stock at 31 March 1989                                                   

                          |Average processing time|Stock at 31 March 1989                         

                          |(months)                                                               

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Local authorities         |9.6                    |797,315                                        

                                                                                                  

Borders                                                                                           

  Berwickshire            |6.0                    |2,379                                          

  Ettrick and Lauderdale  |7.4                    |3,956                                          

  Roxburgh                |6.0                    |5,179                                          

  Tweeddale<1>            |9.8                    |1,479                                          

                                                                                                  

Central                                                                                           

  Clackmannan             |7.0                    |8,442                                          

  Falkirk                 |7.6                    |28,787                                         

  Stirling<1>             |9.2                    |11,825                                         

                                                                                                  

Dumfries and Galloway                                                                             

  Annandale and Eskdale   |8.9                    |4,718                                          

  Nithsdale               |6.8                    |7,074                                          

  Stewartry               |5.1                    |2,263                                          

  Wigtown                 |7.9                    |4,216                                          

                                                                                                  

Fife                                                                                              

  Dunfermline<2>          |7.8                    |18,793                                         

  Kirkcaldy               |9.3                    |22,767                                         

  North East Fife         |9.3                    |6,522                                          

                                                                                                  

Grampian                                                                                          

  Aberdeen                |10.8                   |37,088                                         

  Banff and Buchan<2>     |9.3                    |11,370                                         

  Gordon                  |8.5                    |5,432                                          

  Kincardine and Deeside  |7.1                    |3,547                                          

  Moray                   |6.1                    |9,881                                          

                                                                                                  

Highland                                                                                          

  Badenoch and Strathspey |5.3                    |1.028                                          

  Caithness               |5.2                    |3,746                                          

  Inverness               |9.0                    |6,357                                          

  Lochaber                |7.7                    |2,844                                          

  Nairn                   |5.0                    |1,051                                          

  Ross and Cromarty       |5.0                    |6,034                                          

  Skye and Lochalsh       |7.0                    |775                                            

  Sutherland              |11.0                   |1,725                                          

                                                                                                  

Lothian                                                                                           

  East Lothian            |8.3                    |13,649                                         

  Edinburgh               |11.8                   |45,931                                         

  Midlothian              |9.9                    |10,516                                         

  West Lothian            |10.9                   |19,636                                         

                                                                                                  

Strathclyde                                                                                       

  Argyll and Bute         |12.1                   |7,840                                          

  Bearsden and Milngavie  |11.5                   |1,714                                          

  Clydebank               |11.0                   |10,787                                         

  Clydesdale              |10.3                   |8,890                                          

  Cumbernauld and Kilsyth |10.1                   |3,907                                          

  Cumnock and Doon Valley |8.9                    |9,263                                          

  Cunninghame<2>          |9.2                    |20,876                                         

  Dumbarton               |11.3                   |11,621                                         

  East Kilbride           |6.7                    |1,268                                          

  Eastwood                |8.4                    |1,728                                          

  Glasgow                 |12.7                   |161,019                                        

  Hamilton                |7.0                    |21,041                                         

  Inverclyde<2>           |9.6                    |17,832                                         

  Kilmarnock and Loudoun  |9.0                    |15,687                                         

  Kyle and Carrick<1>     |9.0                    |16,011                                         

  Monklands<2>            |10.4                   |26,741                                         

  Motherwell<2>           |9.0                    |36,511                                         

  Renfrew                 |9.7                    |35,000                                         

  Strathkelvin            |6.1                    |9,224                                          

                                                                                                  

Tayside                                                                                           

  Angus                   |6.7                    |12,490                                         

  Dundee                  |13.3                   |36,845                                         

  Perth and Kinross       |9.2                    |14,073                                         

                                                                                                  

Orkney Islands<1>         |5.6                    |1,406                                          

                                                                                                  

Shetland Islands          |10.8                   |2,601                                          

                                                                                                  

Western Isles<1>          |7.6                    |2,411                                          

<1>Latest stock figure available 30 September 1988.                                               

<2>Average processing time for quarter 1 1989.                                                    

Storm Damage

Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, which local authorities will benefit from the Bellwin scheme invoked after the severe storms in February of the current year ; and by how much.

Mr. Rifkind : The claims have now been assessed and I can announce that a quarter of a million pounds in grant will be made available for those authorities which, in terms of the scheme of special financial assistance which I announced on 27 April, suffered an undue financial burden in responding to the storms and floods of February. The details of the grant are :


                              |£              

----------------------------------------------

Highland Regional Council     |207,975        

Inverness District Council    |29,250         

Western Isles Islands Council |14,058         

                              |----           

                              |251,283        

Subject to parliamentary approval of a supplementary estimate which will be presented shortly payments will be issued to those authorities as soon as possible.

Roads

Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the total number and location of proposed improvements to the A96 which require SDD funding.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 1 November 1989] : The following programme of improvements on the A96, to be funded by the Scottish Development Department, has been developed in line with the strategic six-point plan for the route which I announced last December :--

1. Major Schemes (over £1 million)

There are 7 major schemes programmed.

Bucksburn Diversion

Blackburn Bypass

Kintore Bypass

Inveramsey-Waterside

Keith Bypass

Lhanbryde Bypass

Nairn Railway Bridge

In addition, the Scottish Development Department is considering the justification and possible options for bypassing Fochabers. If a satisfactory scheme can be worked out it will be added to the trunk road programme.

2. Minor Schemes (less than £1 million)

Three improvement schemes are planned to start this financial year. These are the Dramlachs climbing lane at Fochabers, the Tearie junction at Brodie and the Drumine to Gollanfield scheme. In addition, a report has been commissioned from Grampian regional council which is expected to identify at least another 5 minor schemes for early implementation which will provide overtaking opportunities along the route. In parallel with this, a specialist consultant


Column 743

has been appointed to develop a computer based simulation model for the whole of the A96 to assist in the identification of the optimum locations for further overtaking opportunity schemes.

3. Accident Remedial Schemes

Good progress has already been made on accident remedial schemes on the A96, and Grampian and Highland regional councils will in the near future be recommending a further programme of schemes for the next financial year. These schemes will be implemented quickly in line with departmental policy.

Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the total number and location of SDD funded improvements which are currently being undertaken on the A96.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 1 November 1989] : One major scheme, the Inverurie bypass, is currently under construction. In addition, seven accident remedial schemes involving measures such as signing and surface dressing are under way or recently completed at a number of locations along the route. This work has also included a thorough overhaul of all road markings on the route with highly reflective, long-lasting materials to the most recent specification.

EMPLOYMENT

Agricultural Equipment (Safety)

73. Mr. Lord : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what initiatives to improve safety of agricultural equipment are currently being funded by his Department.

Mr. Nicholls : The Health and Safety Commission are currently funding seven research projects in the area of safety of agricultural equipment :-- (1) Seat belts in agricultural tractors ;

(2) Interlocking devices for component guards on agricultural machinery ;

(3) Tractor driven equipment--noise test procedures ;

(4) Practical application of noise reduction methods in agriculture ;

(5) Power take-off shafts--alternative power supply systems ; (6) Integrity of safety cabs fitted to tractors ;

(7) Dynamic and static test methods for tractor mechanical coupling components.


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