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Firearms
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether a separate audit is carried out into the costs of the firearms section of Royal Ulster Constabulary headquarters.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 23 January 1990] : No, but the firearms section records and associated accounts are open to audit by the National Audit Office in the same way as other accounting records maintained by the Police Authority for Northern Ireland.
SCOTLAND
Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received on the future levels of hill livestock compensatory allowances ; and if he will make a statement.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to him by my hon. Friend the ParliamentaryUnder-Secretary of State of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on 23 January, column 641-42.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the expenditure each year since 1986 on hill livestock compensatory allowances.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The total expenditure in Scotland on hill livestock compensatory allowances in each year since 1986 was as follows :
|£ million
------------------------------
1986 |43
1987 |43
1988 |44
1989 |<1>45
<1> Provisional.
Local Authority Spending
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the average increase in local authority spending in Scotland in each of the past two years ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Local authority spending in Scotland showed an average increase of 8.3 per cent. in 1988-89 and a budgeted increase of 10.9 per cent. in 1989-90.
Local authorities have been warned that they cannot expect such increases to be endorsed through corresponding increases in central Government support. If they persist with such overspending it will lead inevitably to higher community charges for which they will be responsible and answerable to their local electorates.
Environmental Protection
Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make funds available to local authorities for recycling and other environmental protection measures.
Mr. Rifkind : I support expenditure by local authorities through aggregate external finance, which assists the
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provision of the full range of local authority services. Within their environmental services recycling can become largely self-financing.Marine Fish Farms
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many consents have been granted by each of the water authorities in the regions and islands for marine fish farms in each of the past five years ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : In Scotland, responsibility for aquatic pollution control and issuing consents for discharges to water lies with the river purification authorities, the seven mainland river purification boards and the three islands councils. The information requested by the hon. Member is not held centrally, but is recorded in the public registers maintained by the RPAs under the Control of Pollution Act 1974.
Labour Statistics
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list the number of people who were classified as long-term unemployed in (a) Greenock and Port Glasgow, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland as a whole in January 1980, January 1983, January 1989 and for the most recent date for which figures are available ; (2) how many and what percentage of claimants in (a) Greenock and Port Glasgow, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland as a whole were classified as long-term unemployed people at the most recent date for which figures are available.
Mr. Lang : The available information is given in the table. Unemployment is analysed by duration quarterly and October 1989 is the latest date for which information is available on the number of long-term unemployed. Direct comparisons of unemployment by duration since 1979 are not possible because of the changes in October 1982 from a count of registrants at jobcentres to a count based on unemployed claimants and because of other changes in the coverage of the count.
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Long-term unemployed<1>
Claimants
|January 1980 |January 1983 |January 1989 |October 1989 |October 1989 as a
|Registrants |percentage of all
|claimants
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Scotland |46,915 |119,874 |106,190 |86,192 |40
Strathclyde |29,393 |75,242 |63,515 |53,266 |52
Greenock and Port Glasgow<2> |29,393 |75,242 |3,123 |2,498 |49
Source: Department of Employment.
<1> Unemployed for more than 52 weeks.
<2> Figures on the number unemployed analysed by Parliamentary Constituency are available only from June 1983.
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will provide a breakdown of the unemployment statistics for Greenock and Port Glasgow by district electoral division, or on another convenient basis ; and what were the comparable figures for 1988.
Mr. Lang : The table gives a breakdown of the number unemployed in each ward in Inverclyde district in December 1988 and 1989.
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Ward Name |1988 |1989 ---------------------------------------------------- Kilmacolm |125 |90 Port Glasgow East |568 |424 Port Glasgow South |470 |377 Clune Brae |449 |353 Port Glasgow West |307 |254 Gibshill |623 |458 Blairmore |339 |284 Bellville |388 |330 Greenock East Central |685 |554 Broomhill |269 |204 Gateside |259 |243 Bow |444 |374 Larkfield |392 |311 Upper Larkfield |429 |314 Greenock South |386 |261 Greenock West Central |244 |165 Greenock West End |175 |108 Cardwell Bay |224 |157 Gourock |249 |207 Firth |206 |159
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the level of unemployment expressed as a percentage, according to the latest available figures for (a) the Greenock travel-to-work area, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland as a whole ; and what were the comparable figures 10 years ago.
Mr. Lang : The table shows the level of unemployment expressed as a percentage for the Greenock travel-to-work area, Strathclyde and Scotland as a whole, calculated on the narrow base, for December 1979 and 1989.
The figures are affected by the changes in the compilation of the counts and are not directly comparable.
|December 1979|December 1989
--------------------------------------------------------
|per cent. |per cent.
Greenock |10.8 |15.1
Strathclyde |9.5 |12.1
Scotland |8.0 |9.7
Council House Sales
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many council properties have been sold to council house tenants in (a) Inverclyde, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland as a whole in each of the past five years ; and what proportion of the total stock of council properties in (a) , (b) and (c) these sales represent in each of the past five years.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 13 March 1989, Official Report, volume 149, column 36.
Updated information for 1988 and for 1989 is given in the table :
Sales to council house tenants in Inverclyde, Strathclyde and
Scotland 1988-89
|Number of sales|Percentage of
|stock sold<1>
------------------------------------------------------------------
1988
Inverclyde |281 |1.5
Strathclyde |10,963 |2.5
Scotland |22,622 |2.7
1989
January-September
Inverclyde |223 |1.2
Strathclyde<2> |9,415 |2.2
Scotland<2> |21,125 |2.6
Source: SDD S3 and Rent Returns
<1>Stock at 30 September of previous year used in calculation.
<2>Cumnock & Doon Valley and Monklands returns outstanding for
July-September 1989.
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Inverclyde Initiative
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many jobs have been created by the Inverclyde initiative in the Inverclyde area ; and, of these, how many are filled by women in full-time employment.
Mr. Lang : The Inverclyde initiative aims to stimulate local economic activity and create opportunities for employment. It does not itself directly create new jobs. Information is not therefore available in the form requested.
However, total jobs created by projects which have been assisted by the Inverclyde initiative between March 1985 and March 1989 are approximately 3,100.
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the total amount spent by the Scottish Development Agency, by way of the Inverclyde initiative ; and if he will break down the expenditure on the Inverclyde initiative, showing on what it has been spent.
Mr. Lang : Expenditure by the Scottish Development Agency from March 1985 to December 1989 is set out in the table.
|£ million
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Environmental improvements |4.5
Acquisition and preparation of sites for industrial/
commercial development |10.7
Acquisition/development of industrial/premises |1.8
|--
Total |17.0
Social Work Training
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many social workers have successfully undertaken training programmes, approved by the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work, in order to qualify as mental health officers under the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984 in each of the regional and islands' councils' social work departments ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang : Detailed information in the form requested is not yet available. The following social work staff are estimated by the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work to have completed a training programme approved, or accepted as comparable to a programme approved, by the council in relation to the requirements of the Mental Health (Scotland) Act 1984, as at 31 December 1989.
|Numbers
--------------------------------------------------------
Lothian and Borders Training Consortium
Borders Regional Council |}
Dumfries and Galloway Regional Council |}
Lothian Regional Council |}
Northern Training Consortium
Grampian Regional Council |}
Highland Regional Council |}
Orkney Islands Council |}
Shetland Islands Council |}
Western Islands Council |}
Tayforth Training Consortium
Central Regional Council |}
Fife Regional Council |}
Tayside Regional Council |}
West of Scotland Training Consortium
Strathclyde Regional Council |212
Pesticide Research
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he has now received the findings of the research into the effects of Nuvan 500 EC undertaken by members of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries marine laboratory in Aberdeen ; if he will place any publications or reports concerning this research in the Library ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if he has received the findings of the research into less-toxic or non- toxic alternatives to the pesticide Nuvan 500 EC ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang : A wide range of studies is being undertaken by DAFS, and other organisations, on the use and effects of Aquagard (formerly Nuvan 500 EC) and on possible alternative treatments for sea lice infestation of farmed salmon.
A report on the toxicity of Aquagard for other species has been prepared by DAFS scientists and will be published shortly. A copy of this report and any subsequent publications of work by DAFS scientists will be placed in the Library.
Work is in progress on identification and assessment of possible chemical alternatives to Aquagard. The work which is being partly funded by the salmon farming industry is not yet complete. I gave details of other work on other alternatives in my written replies to the hon. Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell) on 22 November.
Urban Aid Programme
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report (a) the total allocation for the financial year 1990-91 under the urban aid
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programme, (b) the amount awarded to voluntary associations within that figure and (c) the proportion of the overall amount which is allocated for voluntary associations in respect of (i) Inverclyde, (ii) Strathclyde and (iii) Scotland as a whole.Mr. Lang : The Government's public expenditure decisions, recently announced, will enable approved urban programme expenditure in Scotland in 1990-91 to rise to a total of £68.989 million. This represents a considerable increase over the 1989-90 programme. Some £39.6 million of this will be taken up by existing projects. The balance will be taken up partly by adjustments to the costs and expenditure phasing of projects already approved, but mainly by new approvals arising from the 1990-91 competition, currently in progress.
Of the £39.6 million already allocated for 1990-91 some £23.1 million, 58.3 per cent. is for projects managed by community and voluntary groups. Approximately 64.7 per cent. of this amount is for projects in Strathclyde and 2.7 per cent. for projects in Inverclyde.
Argyll and Clyde Health Board
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the names of the chairman and members of the Argyll and Clyde health board, their periods of office and the organisations from which they were recruited, selected and appointed.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Health board members are appointed as individuals on the basis of their skills and experience. The table gives the names of the chairman and members of Argyll and Clyde health board, their period of appointment and information on any nominating organisation or individual.
Column 835
Name |Date of First |Nominated by
|Appointment
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Appointed to 31 March 1991
Mr. J. D. Ryan CBE (Chairman) |1 April 1979
Mr. J. D. Barnett |1 April 1987 |Scottish Episcopal Church, Diocese
|of Argyll and the Isles.
Mr. A. H. Brabender |1 April 1983 |Scottish Conservative Party
Mr. J. Campbell |1 April 1983 |Paisley and District Branch of
|Confederation of Health Service Employees
Mr. L. Capaldi |12 January 1978 |Mr. H. Ewing MP
Mr. G. M. Deuchars |1 April 1987 |Bank of Scotland
Dr. S. G. McAlpine |1 April 1983 |Royal College of Physicians and
|Surgeons
Mrs. L. C. McKichan |1 April 1987 |British Red Cross Society: Health
|Board
Mr. G. McMillan |1 April 1987 |Regional Council
Mr. R. R. Reid |1 April 1983 |Argyll and Bute District council and
|Argyll and Bute Local Health
|Council
Appointed to 31 March 1993
Mr. N. M. Faccenda |1 April 1980 |Mr. John Mackay
Mrs. M. A. Foggie |1 April 1985 |Inverclyde Local Health Council
Dr. A. M. Kelly |1 April 1985 |Association of Clinical Biochemists
Mrs. J. C. Le Roux |1 April 1981 |Cancer Research Committee
Dr. J. Moffat |1 April 1981 |Royal College of Psychiatrists
General Manager
Mr. I. C. Smith |1 April 1989
Column 837
Scottish Development Agency
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the names of the chairman and directors of the Scottish Development
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Agency, their periods of office, their annual remuneration and the organisations and associations from which they were recruited, selected and appointed.Mr. Lang : The information is set out in the table.
Column 837
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sir David Nickson |Chairman |1 January 1989 |31 December 1990|35,870
(Member, 1 July 1988 to 31 December 1988)
Sir Douglas Hardie CBE JP |Deputy Chairman |3 February 1981 |31 December 1990|18,550
(Member, 15 December 1978 to 2 February 1981)
Iain Robertson |Chief Executive |1 September 1987|31 August 1992 |57,000
James S. Gordon CBE |Member |1 January 1981 |30 June 1990 |5,065
Sir Robert Cowan |Member |1 February 1982 |31 July 1992 |Nil
Ian C. Wood CBE |Member |1 April 1984 |30 June 1990 |5,065
Sir Peter Main |Member |1 January 1986 |31 December 1990|5,065
George F. Robertson FRICS |Member |1 January 1987 |31 December 1990|5,065
Gavin H Laird CBE |Member |1 January 1987 |31 December 1990|5,065
Sir Graham Hills FRSC, FRSE |Member |1 January 1988 |31 December 1991|5,065
Jean McFadden JP, DL |Member |1 January 1989 |31 December 1990|5,065
Individuals are appointed to the agency board in recognition of the personal contribution they can make to the work of the agency and not as representatives of particular bodies. They do, of course, bring to bear experience in relevant fields of activity, including industry, property, small businesses, higher education, local government and trades unions, and appointments are made with a view to having an appropriate balance of experience and interests.
Housing Tenure
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report the proportion of different forms of housing tenure in Scotland in each of the past 10 years.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The available information is published in Housing and Construction Statistics, part 2, table 2.22--which is available in the House Library.
Sea Bed Monitoring
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement concerning the monitoring of the sea bed immediately adjacent to the wreckage of Piper Alpha and the surrounding area.
Mr. Lang : As I indicated in my previous reply to the hon. Member on 25 July last year (volume 157, columns 645-46 ) the results of initial monitoring work by DAFS scientists were published and copies of the reports placed in the Library.
In addition, as part of the abandonment programme approved by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy under the Petroleum Act 1987, Occidental Petroleum (Caledonia) Ltd. and its co-venturers have been required to carry out surveys to determine the disposition of the debris, to examine the remains of the installation for petroleum leakage and to sample water sediment and fish for the presence of PCBs and radioactivity. The results of these surveys have been received and views on them will shortly be invited from representatives of the fishing industry and the Nature Conservancy Council. It will then be for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Energy to decide what further action may be necessary under the abandonment programme in the light of the
Column 838
results of the survey, the views of interested parties and expert advice, including that of Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland marine laboratory, Aberdeen and Her Majesty's industrial pollution inspectorate.DAFS will continue to monitor the area around Piper Alpha as part of its general monitoring of the environmental quality of sea waters around Scotland.
Victim Support Schemes
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on Scottish Office funding for victim support schemes in (a) Strathclyde and (b) Scotland as a whole.
Mr. Lang : The Scottish Office has assisted the Scottish Association of Victim Support Schemes for the past five years through a grant under section 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968. Scottish Office funding for the victim support movement is in line with the Government's policy to improve services to victims of crime generally. Funding has risen from £600 in 1984-85 to £286,000 in 1989-90. In Strathclyde 10 co- ordinator posts in local schemes have been funded by this means.
Apart from a special grant of £13,000 in March 1989 to meet a specific financial difficulty, no central Government grant has been paid to the Strathclyde association (a regional body representing local schemes in Strathclyde). Strathclyde regional council provides significant funding to the Strathclyde association and actively supports the objectives of the Scottish association.
Prison Building Programme
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the current prison building programme and renovations to prisons.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The current prison building programme is, at nearly £14 million for 1989-90, the largest to date. The projects included in the programme are carefully prioritised to ensure that the most urgent work is carried out first. This includes, in particular, work relating to security, health and safety, hygiene, medical provision and the improvement of inmate and staff accommodation.
Column 839
Manufacturing Investment
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table, taking 1979 as 100, of investment in real terms in manufacturing in each of the past 10 years.
Mr. Lang : The table gives estimated gross domestic fixed capital formation in £ million at current prices by manufacturing industry in Scotland in each year between 1977 and 1987, the latest year for which figures are available. It is not possible to provide estimates in real terms.
Gross domestic fixed capital
formation by
manufacturing industry in
Scotland
|£ millions
---------------------------------
1977 |491
1978 |523
1979 |561
1980 |645
1981 |586
1982 |541
1983 |470
1984 |597
1985 |861
1986 |788
1987 |738
Source: Central Statistical
Office.
Ambulance Dispute
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the costs to date to each of Scotland's police forces caused by the industrial dispute in the ambulance service.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Police forces in Scotland have responded to over 6,700 calls for assistance since the current dispute in the Scottish ambulance service began.
No claims for reimbursement of the costs incurred have yet been submitted by the police forces concerned to the Common Services Agency.
School Meals
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the change in the take-up of school meals, since 1986, in (a) Inverclyde, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland as a whole.
Mr. Lang : Information about school meals in Strathclyde region is collected on an education division basis and is not available separately for Inverclyde. Details on the take-up of meals in Strathclyde and Scotland during the period 1986-89 can be found in the annual reports of the school meal census, copies of which are in the Library.
Crack
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the number of prosecutions concerned with the trafficking in or possession of the drug crack in each of the past two years ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : There have been no seizures of "crack" recorded by the police in Scotland. The available information on prosecutions relating to cocaine, of which "crack" is a derivative, are published in "Statistics of the misuse of drugs : seizures and offenders
Column 840
dealt with, United Kingdom, 1988--Scotland Tables", a copy of which will shortly be placed in the House of Commons Library.Mr. Manouchehr Tehrani
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations he has received regarding the dismissal of Mr. Manouchehr Tehrani from his employment as a consultant-surgeon at the Inverclyde royal hospital, by the Argyll and Clyde health board ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : None. Mr. Tehrani's law agents have, however, intimated that they are taking their client's instructions concerning future action relating to his appeal against dismissal. A decision is awaited.
Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering Industry
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the number of people employed in the shipbuilding and marine engineering industry in Scotland in each year from 1979.
Mr. Lang : The table gives the available information, from the censuses of employment in 1981, 1984 and 1987, showing the total number of people employed in the shipbuilding and repairing industry in Scotland in September of each year. There is no comparable information available for 1979.
Employees in employment in Shipbuilding and Repairing<1> in Scotland Source: Censuses of employment. <1> Activity heading 3610 of the 1980 Standard Industrial Classification.
Offshore Fabrication Yards
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the number of people employed in the offshore fabrication yards in each of the past 10 years.
Mr. Lang : The table shows estimates of employment in the major offshore fabrication yards in Scotland in June each year from 1980 to 1989.
June |Employment --------------------------------- 1980 1981 |8,036 1982 |9,392 1983 1984 |6,684 1985 |4,941 1986 |6,817 1987 |4,719 1988 |2,426 1989 |4,052 Source: Training agency.
Kelvin Central plc
Mr. Ingram : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will provide details of the criteria used in selecting the in-house bid for Kelvin Central plc to receive financial assistance from the Scottish Transport Group ;
Column 841
(2) pursuant to his answer of 22 January, why the Scottish Transport Group decided not to provide financial assistance to the employee-led bid for Kelvin Central plc.Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Financial assistance was made available by the Scottish Transport Group to the management-employee team led by the managing director of the company in the light of information supplied by the team about the shareholding structure and financing arrangements proposed for their bid. No request for assistance has been received for any other employee-based group.
White Fish Quota Allocation
Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will detail both the white fish quota allocation, by species and areas, and the final catch for the non-sector fishing boats, by species and area, for 1989.
Mr. Lang : The table shows the final allocations made and provisional figures for landings by non-sector vessels for the eight white fish stocks for which there were sectoral allocations in 1989.
|Non-sector|Non-sector
|allocation|landings
|for 1989 |in 1989<1>
-------------------------------------------------------------------
North Sea [IIa(EC), IV]
Cod |7,901 |6,843
Haddock |6,892 |6,672
Whiting |5,361 |2,849
Saithe |982 |853
West of Scotland [Vb(EC), VI(EC)]
Cod |799 |816
Haddock |3,590 |2,674
Whiting |1,498 |704
Saithe |351 |239
<1> Provisional.
Fisheries Conservation
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the implications of the Aberdeen sheriff court judgment of 19 January for fisheries conservation policy.
Mr. Lang : The Government are still studying the text of the judgment. Changes may be necessary in the wording of fishing vessel licences and in the basis on which prosecutions for certain categories of offence are brought before the courts. However, alleged breaches of the quotas made to individual vessels by fisheries departments will still be reported for prosecution.
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consideration he is giving to the ruling by Sheriff Douglas Risk at Aberdeen sheriff court on 19 January that overfishing charges are not a criminal offence under the Sea Fish Conservation Act 1967 as amended by the Sea Fish Licensing Order 1983 ; what action he intends to take to amend current legislation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang : The sheriff found that exceeding the allocation made in respect of an individual vessel should be regarded as a contravention of the limitations of fishing vessel licences under section 4(5) of the Sea Fish Conservation Act 1967, rather than a contravention of the
Column 842
conditions included in fishing vessel licences under section 4(6) of the above Act. He further found that section 4(6) of the Act could not be regarded as subsuming section 4(5). This judgment has implications for the wording of fishing vessel licences and for the basis on which certain kinds of prosecutions are brought, and the Government are considering these urgently. However, alleged breaches of the quotas made to individual vessels by fisheries departments will still be reported for prosecution. In his judgment, the sheriff acknowledged that prosecutions might be brought under different subsections of the Act or that other steps might be taken to ensure that allocations are adhered to.Hospital Beds
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give for each health board and for Scotland as a whole the number of (a) acute beds and (b) non-acute beds for each year since 1979.
Mr. Rifkind : The information is not readily available. I will write to the hon. Member in due course.
Bathing Waters
Sir Hector Monro : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will announce the results of the survey of bathing water quality made in 1989 ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The results of the monitoring carried out by river purification boards in 1989 showed that 16 of the 23 identified Scottish waters met the mandatory standards for coliform bacteria set by the European Community bathing water directive, as compared with 12 in the 1988 bathing season.
While this improvement is encouraging, the effects of the better weather in 1989 are likely to have been a factor in the results. In the longer term, progress will be founded on the capital works programme for which my right hon. and learned Friend announced increased provision in December 1989, with the specific objective of enabling water authorities to accelerate their spending on water and sewerage projects, and in particular to meet the target of compliance with the directive's standards at 95 per cent. of bathing waters by the mid-1990s and full compliance within 10 years.
The 1989 results for Scotland are set out in the table. A more detailed summary of the results is being placed in the Library, and the results will also be made known to the Commission of the European Communities.
|Result
------------------------------------------------
Nairn (East beach) |Pass
Cullen |Pass
Fraserburgh |Pass
Aberdeen |Pass
Montrose |Pass
Arbroath |Fail
Carnoustie |Fail
St. Andrew's (West Sands) |Pass
Kinghorn (Pettycur) |Pass
Aberdour (Silversands) |Pass
Gullane |Pass
North Berwick (Milsey Bay) |Pass
Yelowcraigs |Pass
Dunbar (Belhaven) |Pass
Pease Bay |Pass
Sandyhills |Pass
Girvan |Pass
Turnberry |Fail
Ayr (South beach) |Fail
Prestwick |Fail
Troon (South beach) |Pass
Irvine-Gailes (New Town) |Fail
Saltcoats/Ardrossan (South beach) |Fail
Illegal Dumping
Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he takes to monitor the dumping of asbestos in the river Clyde off Cloch point ; and what information he has on what other dangerous waste or products have been dumped there.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 24 January 1990] : The dumping of waste at sea is subject to licences, under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985, issued by the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland. No licences have been issued for disposal of asbestos at sea. Licences are issued by DAFS, however, for the disposal at sea of dredge spoil from Clyde navigation channels.
For the dump site near Cloch point, licence holders are required to submit details of the material they intend to dump and to carry out sampling and analysis of individual consignments for contaminants including asbestos. This process has revealed only trace amounts of asbestos contamination at the Cloch point site and the levels recorded are not thought to present any threat to human or marine life.
Scrutiny of applications and monitoring of dumping operations are carried out in accordance with international obligations of the United Kingdom under the Oslo convention on dumping of material at sea and the Government's commitment to apply to all United Kingdom waters principles laid down in the ministerial declaration of the second North sea conference. Annual reports on dumping operations are submitted to the commission of the Oslo convention.
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