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The Prime Minister : This morning I returned from a meeting of the economic summit in Houston, I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.
Energy Efficiency
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Prime Minister what assessment is made of the energy efficiency of equipment and light bulbs procured for use at No. 10 Downing street.
The Prime Minister : Energy efficiency is not a significant factor in determining the selection of computer equipment for use in 10 Downing street. Other office machinery is normally obtained through Her Majesty's Stationery Office and includes the manufacturers' assessment of power consumption. On light bulbs, the aim is to use the most cost-effective and energy-efficient form appropriate to the circumstances.
Expenditure
Mr. Battle : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to her oral reply of 3 July, Official Report , column 875, to the right hon. Member for Islwyn (Mr. Kinnock) on
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expenditure by families on the national health service, if she will provide the figure on a comparable basis for expenditure by families on the Trident programme in the current financial year.The Prime Minister : In this financial year, one of the peak spending years on Trident procurement, the expenditure per family on a comparable basis is assessed to be less than £1.40 per week.
Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Prime Minister how it is proposed to introduce a parliamentary dimension based on the Council of Europe into the CSCE process under the proposals contained in the concluding statement of the recent NATO summit ; and if she will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : The NATO summit recommended an "Assembly of Europe" to include representatives of all CSCE member states. The details of this proposal, together with all other proposals for new CSCE institutions, will be negotiated during the preparatory committee in the run-up to the CSCE summit in November.
Science Policy
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Prime Minister if she will outline her responsibilities in relation to the co-ordination of science policy.
The Prime Minister [holding answer 11 July 1990] : Collective ministerial consideration of science and technology priorities takes place under my leadership and I provide co-ordination in appropriate cases.
WALES
Housing
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many houses are available for rent in (a) the public sector and (b) the private sector in each district authority area in Wales ; and what were the corresponding figures for each year since 1979.
Mr. Grist : The numbers of vacant local authority dwellings available for letting are given for 1987 to 1990 in the table. Similar information is not available in respect of housing association or private sector dwellings. For the corresponding figures for years 1979 to 1986, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave him on 22 July 1987.
Local authority dwellings available for rent
Local authority dwellings vacant
|and available for letting, at 1 April
|<1>1987 |1988 |1989 |<2>1990
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aberconwy |6 |16 |7 |20
Alyn and Deeside |8 |7 |- |12
Arfon |- |27 |20 |-
Blaenau Gwent |- |12 |6 |8
Brecknock |12 |- |- |-
Cardiff |85 |116 |91 |115
Carmarthen |4 |5 |4 |2
Ceredigion |9 |5 |2 |7
Colwyn |- |7 |6 |15
Cynon Valley |19 |20 |32 |10
Delyn |15 |- |3 |4
Dinefwr |- |- |- |13
Dwyfor |- |6 |4 |3
Glyndwr |8 |10 |12 |14
Islwyn |16 |21 |3 |8
Llanelli |10 |71 |49 |55
Lliw Valley |6 |3 |4 |3
Meirionnydd |2 |3 |- |-
Merthyr Tydfil |10 |15 |10 |20
Monmouth |20 |17 |23 |36
Montgomeryshire |24 |22 |40 |26
Neath |22 |20 |28 |24
Newport |130 |78 |50 |48
Ogwr |32 |24 |31 |3
Port Talbot |25 |19 |10 |50
Preseli Pembrokeshire |14 |7 |5 |4
Radnorshire |9 |1 |6 |9
Rhondda |20 |21 |23 |22
Rhuddlan |15 |15 |9 |28
Rhymney Valley |14 |84 |11 |14
South Pembrokeshire |4 |4 |4 |-
Swansea |47 |91 |100 |110
Taff-Ely |8 |4 |5 |7
Torfaen |39 |44 |23 |48
Vale of Glamorgan |1 |2 |4 |-
Wrexham Maelor |49 |93 |93 |32
Ynys Mon |7 |26 |50 |24
Wales |690 |916 |768 |794
<1> Revised.
<2> Provisional.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what funds he has allocated for 1990-91, and what allocations have been earmarked for future years, towards new housing and refurbishment of existing houses, by county and for Wales as a whole.
Mr. Grist : For 1990-91, my right hon. Friend announced housing capital distribution for individual local authorities on 29 November 1989. The distribution is not hypothecated to individual housing services, and it is for local authorities themselves to formulate their spending plans within the total resources available to them. Additional resources will however be made available, if necessary this financial year, to meet all expenditure by Welsh local authorities on mandatory home renovation grants.
My right hon. Friend also announced at that time an allocation to Housing for Wales to support housing association activity in 1990-91. The actual distribution of these resources is a matter entirely for Housing for Wales.
For future years, my right hon. Friend has set out in the Welsh Office commentary "Public Expenditure in Wales, 1990-91 to 1992-93", planned provision for local authority housing and Housing for Wales. This is subject to review in the current PES round.
Non-departmental Public Bodies
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidelines he has issued for the procedures for the appointment of chief executives of the non-departmental public bodies in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : No formal guidance has been issued. The appointment procedures for chief executives in the bodies for which I have responsibility vary in accordance with the body's constitution.
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Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he last convened a meeting of the chief executives of the non-departmental public bodies in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : The last meeting was on 13 February 1989. This year's meeting is to be held on 14 November 1990.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the public expenditure budget of each of the non-departmental public bodies in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : This information is contained in the Welsh Office commentary, a copy of which had been placed in the Library of the House.
National Curriculum
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will call a conference of local education authorities in Wales to discuss the impact of the national curriculum upon educational practice in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : I have no plans to do so. A national curriculum implementation working group was established last year under Welsh Office chairmanship. The group includes representatives from each local education authority and meets on a regular basis to discuss practical issues arising from implementation of the national curriculum in Wales.
Local Education Authorities
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which local education authorities he has met in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : I refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply of 10 July 1990.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will visit (a) Clwyd, (b) Gwynedd, (c) Powys, (d) Gwent, (e) Mid Glamorgan, (f) South Glamorgan, (g) West Glamorgan and (h) Dyfed local authorities.
Sir Wyn Roberts : My right hon. Friend expects to visit all local education authorities in Wales in due course.
Teacher Morale
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will meet teachers' unions in Wales to discuss the morale of teachers ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : We are always prepared to consider requests from teachers' unions for meetings to discuss educational issues in Wales.
Schools
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy for the improvement of the fabric of schools in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to him on 9 May 1990.
Councils and Health Authorities (Costs)
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list, for the financial years 1985-86 to 1989-90, the level of inflation in costs falling on (a) district councils, (b) county councils and (c) health authorities in Wales.
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Mr. David Hunt : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave him on 9 July 1990.Rivers
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the rivers in Wales whose classification according to the National Water Council grading system changed between 1987 and 1988 together with details of the change in each case.
Mr. Grist : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave him on 11 July 1990.
Rain Samples (Acidity)
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the reasons for the reduction in the number of samples taken each year to measure the acidity of rain in Wales between 1982 and 1988 as shown in table 3.21 of "Environmental Digest for Wales" No. 4 1988-89.
Mr. Grist : The number of samples used to provide the data on the acidity of rainfall in table 3.21 of the "Environmental Deigest for Wales" was decided by the local authorities that provided the information.
A national monitoring programme is now carried out by the Warren Spring laboratory and the results of this
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survey are given in table 3.22 of that publication. It is intended that this series only will be published for future years.Civil Servants
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many civil servants in his Department of the rank of principal or equivalent and above are graduates of Oxford and Cambridge ; and how many are graduates of other universities.
Mr. David Hunt : There are 321 Welsh Office staff at principal grade or equivalent and above. Ten are graduates of Oxford, 15 of Cambridge and 212 of other universities.
Health Authorities (Capital Expenditure)
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a table showing, for each health authority in Wales, the capital expenditure for each year since 1960 that is taken into account in compiling the equalisation of capital stock element within the capital expenditure allocation formula which was used for the current financial year.
Mr. Grist [holding answer 4 July 1990] : The information requested is set out in the table :
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Capital expenditure from 1960 taken into account in compiling the formula for the allocation of capital within the NHS
in Wales in 1990-91
Year |Clwyd |East |Gwent |Gwynedd |Mid |Pembs |Powys |South |West
|Dyfed |Glamorgan |Glamorgan|Glamorgan
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1960-61 |0.747 |3.343 |3.466 |0.739 |3.994 |0.478 |0.616 |1.402 |1.533
1961-62 |1.427 |1.260 |3.718 |0.668 |2.634 |0.182 |1.169 |1.898 |1.230
1962-63 |1.054 |1.456 |3.822 |0.982 |2.574 |0.208 |1.104 |0.889 |2.481
1963-64 |1.033 |3.530 |6.182 |1.123 |3.684 |0.502 |0.384 |1.130 |4.835
1964-65 |1.766 |4.443 |6.753 |0.883 |3.845 |0.632 |0.340 |9.437 |5.082
1965-66 |1.498 |7.396 |6.866 |1.763 |7.899 |1.047 |0.371 |5.653 |5.447
1966-67 |1.155 |4.213 |7.340 |0.855 |7.430 |0.594 |0.134 |5.955 |1.545
1967-68 |1.128 |3.514 |8.300 |2.119 |6.511 |0.498 |0.791 |14.456 |2.143
1968-69 |1.607 |2.443 |5.367 |4.832 |2.846 |0.349 |0.752 |23.105 |2.870
1969-70 |2.856 |1.661 |2.740 |6.375 |4.090 |0.237 |0.790 |22.563 |3.698
1970-71 |4.178 |1.448 |3.281 |3.854 |4.123 |0.204 |1.773 |25.818 |3.837
1971-72 |4.474 |1.980 |5.301 |1.650 |4.783 |0.279 |1.046 |11.811 |2.798
1972-73 |5.918 |2.403 |7.668 |1.431 |7.363 |0.343 |0.558 |8.828 |3.309
1973-74 |7.272 |0.598 |6.534 |2.955 |10.604 |3.906 |0.762 |8.604 |2.603
1974-75 |7.348 |1.568 |5.183 |2.758 |12.887 |5.661 |0.778 |8.073 |4.017
1975-76 |8.636 |1.857 |8.346 |3.817 |12.938 |6.073 |1.055 |7.715 |4.486
1976-77 |6.137 |0.890 |7.050 |4.758 |6.858 |4.407 |0.994 |3.875 |3.515
1977-78 |4.711 |0.505 |6.449 |9.630 |4.285 |2.188 |1.232 |5.152 |2.978
1978-79 |4.228 |1.487 |4.902 |11.314 |5.144 |1.157 |1.434 |5.521 |4.417
1979-80 |6.203 |1.493 |5.512 |8.042 |2.939 |0.635 |0.863 |4.019 |3.706
1980-81 |6.027 |1.667 |5.214 |6.062 |2.909 |0.342 |0.727 |7.276 |4.170
1981-82 |5.913 |1.835 |6.353 |4.462 |3.894 |0.155 |0.830 |7.122 |8.321
1982-83 |9.326 |3.757 |5.225 |4.956 |8.825 |0.386 |0.620 |7.290 |9.184
1983-84 |7.824 |5.159 |4.392 |5.933 |11.617 |0.893 |0.701 |6.064 |8.827
1984-85<1> |4.961 |2.562 |2.255 |4.341 |8.698 |0.483 |1.711 |4.798 |7.322
1985-86<1> |5.494 |2.087 |3.225 |2.105 |10.437 |0.655 |2.778 |3.731 |8.141
1986-87<1> |4.118 |21.139 |3.550 |2.886 |5.383 |1.116 |0.871 |9.809 |6.629
Teaching Allowance |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |34.830 |-
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |117.039 |85.694 |145.057 |101.293 |169.144 |33.610 |25.184 |187.164 |119.124
Per Cent. Share |11.9 |8.7 |14.8 |10.3 |17.2 |3.4 |2.6 |19.0 |12.1
<1>Provisional and prospective outturn expenditure figures at the time the formula update was calculated in 1985-86.
Note: All figures at 1985-86 prices.
It should be noted, however, that the equalisation component of the capital formula takes account of capital expenditure since 1948. The figures in the table therefore
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do not represent all the capital expenditure that was taken into account when calculating the capital formula shares that were used for the current financial year.It should also be noted that the capital formula shares used in this year's allocations to authorities were
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determined in 1985-86 when the original capital formula was first updated. This reflects a decision taken prior to the introduction of the present capital allocation arrangements in 1984-85- -on the recommendation of the working party which devised the new arrangements with the endorsement of health authority chairmen--that the initial capital formula shares should be "frozen" for a period of five years in the interests of stability in capital programme planning. Authorities thus have five years' notice of prospective changes in their shares of discretionary capital provision as a result of the annual capital formula updates which have been calculated each year since 1984-85 and can revise their capital programmes accordingly.Finally, it should be noted that these capital allocation arrangements will need to be revised as a consequence of
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the "Working for Patients" reforms. Authorities will be consulted on proposals for new arrangements in the near future.NORTHERN IRELAND
Social Fund
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what reasons were given for disallowing applications in respect of the social fund from 1 April 1989 to 31 March 1990 at each of the social security offices in South Down.
Mr. Needham : The information is as follows :
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Social fund budgeting and crisis loans and community care grants (CCGs)
Reasons for refusal as percentage of total applications processed (3 April 1989-30 March 1990)
Reasons for refusal BallynahinchNewry Newcastle Kilkeel Downpatrick Banbridge
|Loans|CCGs |Loans|CCGs |Loans|CCGs |Loans|CCGs |Loans|CCGs |Loans|CCGs
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Savings over £500 sufficient
to meet cost |- |1.09 |0.03 |0.19 |- |1.63 |- |- |0.06 |0.49 |- |0.27
Not in receipt of Income
Support (IS) |1.35 |- |1.64 |- |1.42 |- |0.31 |- |2.63 |- |2.09 |-
Not in receipt of IS for 26
weeks |5.98 |- |6.49 |- |9.31 |- |7.79 |- |7.89 |- |7.17 |-
Not in receipt of IS at
present and unlikely to qualify |- |2.92 |- |2.84 |- |4.90 |- |1.20 |- |3.35 |- |5.21
Excluded items |1.74 |0.73 |0.55 |0.80 |2.46 |3.81 |0.93 |0.80 |1.12 |0.87 |1.04 |1.23
Excluded persons |0.58 |- |0.03 |- |0.13 |0.54 |- |0.40 |2.57 |20.27|- |0.41
Amount less than £30, not
travelling expenses |- |0.73 |0.14 |0.19 |0.13 |1.09 |0.31 |0.40 |0.37 |0.12 |0.48 |0.68
Adjusted amount less than
£30, not travelling
expenses |0.19 |1.09 |0.03 |- |0.65 |0.82 |- |- |0.62 |0.12 |0.16 |0.27
Total debt of £1,000 |0.19 |- |0.08 |- |- |- |- |- |0.06 |- |- |-
Previous application and
SFO decision for this
item |1.35 |1.82 |2.03 |3.17 |2.20 |1.63 |0.62 |0.40 |0.68 |1.61 |1.53 |2.74
No serious damage or risk to
health or safety |4.44 |- |0.52 |- |0.78 |- |- |- |1.75 |- |2.25 |-
Inability to repay |1.93 |- |2.66 |- |1.03 |- |1.25 |- |2.19 |- |2.65 |-
Help available from another
source |- |0.36 |0.25 |0.52 |0.39 |0.27 |- |1.20 |0.62 |0.62 |0.16 |0.82
Priority too low to meet
from the budget |8.11 |20.07|0.79 |5.73 |5.95 |19.62|5.61 |11.24|8.77 |10.19|4.19 |20.60
Suitable alternative available |- |- |0.16 |0.14 |- |0.27 |- |- |0.12 |0.87 |- |-
Loan refused-CCG
awarded |0.39 |- |0.96 |- |0.13 |- |0.62 |- |0.37 |- |1.85 |-
Others |1.93 |26.64|0.74 |21.97|0.65 |3.00 |0.62 |4.42 |0.62 |3.60 |0.88 |3.84
Enough money available to
meet Crisis |- |- |0.03 |- |- |- |- |- |0.06 |- |0.40 |-
Direction 4 not satisfied
(CCG only) |- |8.76 |- |8.85 |- |6.54 |- |2.81 |- |11.69|- |7.82
Savings over £1,000:
Applicant or partner
aged 60 years or over |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Road Safety, Comber
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of road safety precautions at High street, Comber ; whether he will consider the provision of no waiting cones in the vicinity of the First Comber Presbyterian church ; why he has rejected double yellow lines on this section of the High street ; what is the present programme for the Comber bypass ; and if he will make a statement about traffic conditions in Comber.
Mr. Peter Bottomley : Roads service proposes to introduce double yellow lines along both sides of High
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street, Comber in the vicinity of the First Comber Presbyterian church. Enforcement of these restrictions and the 30 mph speed limit is by the RUC.The second stage of the Comber bypass is scheduled to start in 1992-93. It will help alleviate the current traffic congestion in Comber.
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT
Malaysia
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 8 May, Official Report, columns 15-16, if he will break down
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the figures of United Kingdom bilateral aid to Malaysia for the years 1985 to 1988, including details of individual projects funded, amounts and dates of contracts and negotiations.Column 292
Mrs. Chalker : United Kingdom bilateral aid to Malaysia for the years requested was as follows :
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Project |Allocation (to|Expenditure |Expenditure |Expenditure |Expenditure
|31 December |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988
|1988)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The breakdown of expenditure under the Aid and Trade
provision by project for the same period was:
1984 Sungei Ahning dam |2,349 |1,660 |314 |375 |-
1986 Cross-braced bogies |1,205 |- |1,205 |- |-
1986 Rural water schemes |59,461 |- |48,610 |5,426 |1,944
Commonwealth Development Corporation expenditure by
project was as follows:
Palong cocoa |99 |99 |- |- |-
Cold rolling mill complex |2,500 |2,032 |468 |- |-
Aluminium industries |1,026 |1,026 |- |- |-
Darabif cattle ranch |75 |75 |- |- |-
Palong cocoa |600 |- |- |500 |100
Sarawak oil palms |305 |- |- |305 |-
Ladang Baturong oil palm estate |1,500 |- |1,300 |- |-
Beef cattle ranch and pastures |2,000 |- |1,500 |500 |-
Sabah tea plantation rehabilitation and development |975 |- |- |- |975
Desa tea Estate |717 |- |- |- |717
Technical co-operation expenditure by type of activity was
as follows:
Personnel overseas |- |345 |332 |359 |364
Students and trainees |- |1,031 |814 |887 |1,531
Consultancies |- |351 |20 |64 |33
Equipment and supplies |- |130 |(-86) |29 |36
Pensions |- |691 |1,002 |911 |2,752
The personnel covered sectors such as geological surveys, demography, industrial development and English language teaching. The main fields covered
by training were artificial limbs technology, road engineering, business management, foreign investment, demography and English language teaching.
Project |Allocation (to|Expenditure |Expenditure |Expenditure |Expenditure
|31 December |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988
|1988)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The breakdown of expenditure under the Aid and Trade
provision by project for the same period was:
1984 Sungei Ahning dam |2,349 |1,660 |314 |375 |-
1986 Cross-braced bogies |1,205 |- |1,205 |- |-
1986 Rural water schemes |59,461 |- |48,610 |5,426 |1,944
Commonwealth Development Corporation expenditure by
project was as follows:
Palong cocoa |99 |99 |- |- |-
Cold rolling mill complex |2,500 |2,032 |468 |- |-
Aluminium industries |1,026 |1,026 |- |- |-
Darabif cattle ranch |75 |75 |- |- |-
Palong cocoa |600 |- |- |500 |100
Sarawak oil palms |305 |- |- |305 |-
Ladang Baturong oil palm estate |1,500 |- |1,300 |- |-
Beef cattle ranch and pastures |2,000 |- |1,500 |500 |-
Sabah tea plantation rehabilitation and development |975 |- |- |- |975
Desa tea Estate |717 |- |- |- |717
Technical co-operation expenditure by type of activity was
as follows:
Personnel overseas |- |345 |332 |359 |364
Students and trainees |- |1,031 |814 |887 |1,531
Consultancies |- |351 |20 |64 |33
Equipment and supplies |- |130 |(-86) |29 |36
Pensions |- |691 |1,002 |911 |2,752
The personnel covered sectors such as geological surveys, demography, industrial development and English language teaching. The main fields covered
by training were artificial limbs technology, road engineering, business management, foreign investment, demography and English language teaching.
Commonwealth Development Corporation
Mr. Bowen Wells : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if his Department has considered an application for an exhibition relating to the Commonwealth Development Corporation to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.
Mrs. Chalker : I understand that, under procedures agree by the Services Committee, arrangements have been made with the authorities of the House for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from 29 October to 2 November 1990.
ENERGY
Electricity Privatisation
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy whether he has anything to add to the reply his Parliamentary Under-Secretary made to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras in the debate of 25 June, Official Report, column 68 about the appointment of advisers on privatisation ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Wakeham : My hon. Friend has written to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras making clear that in every case the appointment of advisers on privatisation followed a competitive process unless there were substantial and compelling reasons for departing from that norm.
Civil Servants
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy how many civil servants in his Department of the rank of principal or equivalent and above are graduates of Oxford and Cambridge ; and how many are graduates of other universities.
Mr. Wakeham : I regret the information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
SCOTLAND
Trees
Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his policy in respect of the Scottish hardwood charter--Trees for 2000.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : We support the Scottish hardwood charter in principle. I have written to the promoter of the charter giving support on the basis of our commitment to the concept of sustainable use of natural resources, but cautioning against the replacement of natural rain forests with plantations.Health Boards (Competitive Tendering)
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland under what circumstances a health board may omit competitive tendering when undertaking contracts with the private sector.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Boards may decide not to proceed to competitive tendering where only one contractor is identified with the ability to provide the required service.
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list for each health board for the last three years those contracts with the private sector which have not gone out to competitive tender.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : This information is not held centrally.
Duvets, Hospitals
Mr. Eadie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he has taken to assure himself, and what information is available to him, that the replacement of blankets and sheets with duvets in hospitals would not increase the risk of infectious diseases.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The choice of bedding used in hospitals is a matter primarily for health boards. It is for the boards to satisfy themselves that the material is suitable to be cleaned or laundered to prevent the risk of any infection. Ayrshire and Arran health board has been using duvets for some time and has subjected them to regular microbiological testing over a five-year period. To date, these tests have shown that the duvets are clear of infection.
Roads, Greenock
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the estimated cost and period of construction of the Baker street bypass in Greenock ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The question of the construction of a bypass at Baker street, Greenock is a matter for Strathclyde regional council as local roads authority. My Department has no information regarding its possible cost or period of construction.
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the estimated cost of the construction of the proposed road roundabouts in Greenock (a) at the entrance to the James Watt dock, (b) at the eastern end of Cartsburn and (c) at the western end of Charing Cross ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang : These proposed works will be funded by the Scottish Development Agency at an estimated cost of £1 million and will provide access to a 39-acre site at Cartsburn which forms part of the Inverclyde enterprise zone.
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Toxic Waste Sites
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has on cases of toxic waste sites being in close proximity to underground water supplies.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : My Department has no information on cases of toxic waste sites being in close proximity to underground water supplies. The quality of groundwater is safeguarded by the statutory requirement for any proposal to use land for the disposal of controlled waste to be referred to the river purification authority for the area concerned.
NHS Reform
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will make it his policy that information circulated to citizens concerning the implementation of the National Health Service and Community Care Act should include information and advice on problems that may arise in the course of its implementation.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : A booklet called "The NHS Reforms and You" will be distributed shortly to every household in Scotland, describing the changes in the NHS in Scotland following the introduction of the new contract for family doctors and the National Health Service and Community Care Act which received Royal Assent on 29 June. It contains a three-page section giving information about help which is available to citizens, and how to make complaints about the treatment provided by the NHS.
Elderly Citizens (Bus Passes)
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many local authorities (a) issue free bus passes, (b) issue some form of assisted bus passes and (c) do not provide free or assisted travel for their elderly citizens.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : I understand that all regional and islands authorities in Scotland offer concessionary travel to the elderly, although in the case of Orkney islands council the concessions relate to inter-island ferry services only. My information is that Lothian and Fife regional councils and Shetland islands council provide free travel for the elderly.
Residential Homes
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he has taken to ensure that private nursing homes and residential care homes include medical requisites and all necessary services in their fees.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The responsibility for ensuring that nursing homes and residential care homes provide the required level of services rests with the registration authorities, health boards and local authorities respectively. The level of fee is a private matter between the individual home and its clients.
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether elderly people in private residential care are entitled to receive free national health service prescriptions.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : All people over retirement age are entitled to free NHS prescriptions regardless of their residential arrangements.
Column 295
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any proposals to initiate an inquiry into the level of fees charged by private nursing homes and residential care homes ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Michael Forsyth : The level of fees charged is a private matter between the individual home and its clients.
Single European Market
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the impact of the completion of the single European market on economic growth and employment ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang : I am chairing the single market committee of the Scottish Economic Council which is examining the impact of the single market on Scotland, and which has commissioned and published a number of reports. Further research into its possible effects are currently being undertaken.
Fire Risk Areas
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many A category fire risk areas there are in each fire brigade area ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information requested is not held centrally, but at 1 January 1990 the number of stations serving predominantly category A fire risk areas was as follows :
[TITER] -------------------------- Central |2 Dumfries and Galloway |- Fife |- Grampian |2 Highlands and Islands |1 Lothian and Borders |3 Strathclyde |8 Tayside |2
Following the issue of a report in 1985 containing guidance on the standards of fire cover, all fire brigades in Scotland have reviewed the categorisation of fire risks in their area.
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