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HEALTH
Hearing Aids
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make provision to ensure that the needs of spectacle wearers are taken into account when decisions are taken on the type and design of hearing aids provided under the national health service.
Mr. Dorrell : A range of hearing aid models are already available which can be adapted in a variety of ways to meet the needs of users who also wear spectacles.
Life Insurance Proposal Forms
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has now obtained an undertaking from life insurance companies that they will no longer ask questions of proposers that have the effect of putting people off taking the HIV test.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : People who believe themselves to be at risk of HIV infection should not be deterred from having a test because of the questions asked by insurance companies. Discussions with the Association of British Insurers are continuing with the aim of finding ways in which the insurance industry can obtain the information they require for risk assessment, but which do not deter people from coming forward for testing or help.
Perinatal Mortality and Handicap
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the decline in perinatal mortality in the last 10 years for which figures are available ; what is his estimate of the decline in the number of babies surviving with a significant handicap during the same period ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The rates of perinatal mortality per 1, 000 total live and still births in England and Wales from 1981 to 1990 are as follows :
Year |Rate --------------- 1981 |11.8 1982 |11.3 1983 |10.4 1984 |10.1 1985 |9.8 1986 |9.6 1987 |8.9 1988 |8.7 1989 |8.3 1990 |8.1
We welcome the steady decline in the perinatal mortality rate over this period.
Information on the number of babies surviving with a significant handicap is not collected centrally.
North East Thames Regional Health Authority
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on waiting lists in the North East Thames regional health authority broken down by area ; and what proposals there are to reduce the waiting lists.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The information for each district in the region is given in the table. It is waiting time that matters and numbers of long wait patients continue to fall in North East Thames. Since March 1991, provisional figures show that the number waiting over one year in the region has fallen by 11 per cent. to 16,836 and the number waiting over two years has fallen by 16 per cent. to 5, 586. North East Thames regional health authority have plans that, by March 1992, there will be no patients waiting over two years and no more than 10,800 waiting over one year for in -patient and day case treatment.
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Waiting lists/times for in-patient and day case admission to NHS hospitals in North East Thames RHA at 31 March 1991
In-patients plus day-March 1991 Inpatients plus day cases-
Percentage change M90-M91
|Gross |Gross less |Number |Percentage |Number |Percentage |Gross |Gross less |Number |Number
|demand |self-def |> a year |> a year |> 2 years |> 2 years |demand |self-def |> a year |> 2 years
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
F01 Basildon and Thurrock |5,514 |4,362 |1,417 |25.7 |805 |14.6 |-26.0 |-38.1 |-54.1 |-62.1
F02 Mid Essex |6,196 |5,715 |1,588 |25.6 |556 |9.0 |-6.7 |-4.1 |-7.7 |-14.6
F03 North East Essex |4,231 |4,159 |1,111 |26.3 |521 |12.3 |-31.7 |-31.6 |-44.9 |-48.5
F04 West Essex |6,099 |5,675 |1,555 |25.5 |462 |7.6 |13.3 |9.3 |-13.4 |-49.9
F05 Southend |6,001 |5,372 |670 |11.2 |129 |2.1 |14.0 |11.6 |-17.7 |-61.7
F06 Barking and Havering |8,138 |7,885 |1,767 |21.7 |629 |7.7 |-13.3 |-15.6 |-43.1 |-50.4
F07 Hampstead |4,118 |4,110 |1,032 |25.1 |245 |5.9 |21.3 |22.0 |77.0 |1.2
F08 Bloomsbury |10,702 |10,051 |2,147 |20.1 |895 |8.4 |-16.3 |-15.2 |-44.9 |-52.6
F09 Islington |2,582 |2,306 |558 |21.6 |211 |8.2 |-29.1 |-31.0 |-62.4 |-72.3
F10 City and Hackney |7,880 |5,344 |2,374 |30.1 |787 |10.0 |-3.3 |-12.4 |-1.5 |-9.6
F11 Newham |1,794 |1,440 |77 |4.3 |12 |0.7 |-9.4 |-6.7 |-51.3 |-81.0
F12 Tower Hamlets |5,324 |4,261 |1,421 |26.7 |668 |12.5 |-35.0 |-34.9 |-53.3 |-63.9
F13 Enfield |3,159 |3,159 |606 |19.2 |106 |3.4 |-12.6 |-12.5 |-33.3 |-67.9
F14 Haringey |2,819 |2,819 |616 |21.9 |172 |6.1 |0.7 |0.7 |-6.9 |52.2
F15 Redbridge |2,193 |2,001 |252 |11.5 |70 |3.2 |4.7 |4.8 |-36.4 |-39.7
F16 Waltham Forest |6,910 |6,897 |1,681 |24.3 |375 |5.4 |8.4 |9.0 |-4.5 |-42.1
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
North East Thames |83,660 |75,556 |18,872 |22.6 |6,643 |7.9 |-10.4 |-12.0 |-32.2 |-49.7
Martin House Hospice
Mr. Rooney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding was available from his Department to the Martin House hospice in Boston Spa in the years 1989-90, 1990-91 and 1991-92 ; and what the sum will be for 1992-93.
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Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Support from national health service funds was as follows :
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|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92
|£ |£ |£
------------------------------------------------------------------
From local health authorities |40,000 |50,765 |55,000
From a central allocation for
services for the terminally ill |- |40,000 |40,000
|-------|-------|-------
Total |40,000 |90,765 |95,000
Note: Arrangements for 1992-93 have yet to be decided.
NHS Trusts
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will publish the estimated asset value of each of the first wave NHS trusts ;
(2) whether agreement has been reached between his Department and each of the first wave NHS trusts on the value of their originating debt.
Mr. Dorrell : Health authorities and NHS trusts are responsible for agreeing the transfer of such property, rights and liabilities as are necessary for trusts to perform their functions. Agreement has now been reached in the majority of cases. We shall publish the originating capital debt for each first wave NHS trust when figures have been finalised.
Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the cost nationally of lunches and dinners provided by trust hospitals and those who have applied for trust status with general practitioners who have applied for or obtained control of their own budgets.
Mr. Dorrell : This information is not collected centrally.
Capital Charging
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the operation of capital charging.
Mr. Dorrell : The capital charging arrangements came into operation on 1 April 1991. For the first time, the full costs of capital in the national health service are being taken into account when setting contract prices and making decisions on use of assets.
Correspondence
Mr. Rooney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to reply to the letter dated 20 November from Nasrullah Khan Niazi of Folkestone street, Bradford 3.
Mr. Dorrell : The letter addressed to my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has been transferred to the Department of Health and we shall be replying shortly.
Hospital Closures
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list by national health service region for each of the last five years (a) the number and (b) the names of national health service maternity hospitals which have been approved for closure by him ; (2) if he will list by national health service region for each of the last five years the hospitals which have been approved for closure by him and if he will list for each (a) the total number of beds involved and (b) the number of maternity beds involved.
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Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 5 November 1991] : It has not proved possible to produce a reliable picture from the data available centrally.
RNIB Needs Survey
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has given to the report "Blind and Partially Sighted Adults in Britain--The RNIB Needs Survey" ; what action he will be taking in relation to its findings ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 12 November 1991] : The report of the RNIB survey is being considered. It provides a very useful supplement to the information contained in the surveys of disability published in 1988 by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. We anticipate that agencies in both the statutory and voluntary sectors will find it a useful additional resource in planning and developing services for blind and partially sighted people.
NHS Operations
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total number of operations carried out under the NHS in 1978 and in the latest year for which figures are available.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 2 December 1991] : The available information is given in the table.
All non-maternity operations
and procedures
|Number
-------------------------------
1978 |2,263,756
<1>1989-90 |3,256,300
<1> Provisional.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Teachers' Superannuation Scheme
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether the equal retirement age of 65 years for the teachers' superannuation scheme applies to female teachers for service after 5 April 1988 or for service between 1 April 1972 and 5 April 1988 ; and whether male and female contributor contributions to the teachers' superannuation scheme were equal during the period 1 April 1972 to 5 April 1988.
Mr. Fallon : The Teachers' Superannuation Regulations provide for retirement on the ground of age at or at any time after age 60 for both male and female teachers irrespective of the periods when they were in pensionable employment. Male and female members of the scheme have paid the same rate of ordinary contributions since 1 April 1972. These were 6.75 per cent. of contributable salary between 1 April 1972 and 1 December 1973 and 6 per cent. for the remainder of the period.
Dyslexia
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what training teachers receive in (a) recognising symptoms of dyslexia in pupils and (b) how to assist children who show symptoms of dyslexia.
Mr. Fallon : All initial teacher training--ITT--courses must include a general introduction to special educational
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needs issues. The Secretary of State's criteria for the approval of courses of ITT require that, on completion of their course, students should have developed the capacity to identify pupils with special educational needs or with learning difficulties ; and to understand the ways in which the potential of such pupils can be developed. More extensive specialist support is available through in- service teacher training courses, some of which specialise in dyslexia.Some of the more common teaching methods used to help dyslexic pupils learn to read include phonics, or multi-sensory techniques which involve touch and other stimuli. Such specialist teaching provision is often
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provided on a peripatetic basis. This minimises the disruption to the child's normal school programme which may be caused when he or she is withdrawn for extra help.School Meals (Durham)
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give the results of the January 1991 school meals census for the Durham area and the 1990 statistics.
Mr. Fallon : The table shows school meals information for maintained schools within Durham local education authority, as at the census dates in January 1990 and 1991--provisional.
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School meal arrangements
Durham LEA |Paid meals |Free meals |Own food |Other |Total
|arrangements
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1990
Primary |28,222 |10,115 |10,020 |9,005 |57,362
Secondary |11,392 |3,672 |4,325 |17,030 |36,419
Special |422 |323 |50 |103 |898
-------
Total |40,036 |14,110 |14,395 |26,138 |94,679
1991
Primary |26,814 |10,276 |10,681 |9,607 |57,378
Secondary |11,987 |3,556 |4,661 |16,182 |36,386
Special |388 |352 |50 |127 |917
-------
Total |39,189 |14,184 |15,392 |25,916 |94,681
Education Expenditure
Mrs. Heal : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of gross national product is spent on education ; and what are the comparable figures for other European countries.
Mr. Eggar : International comparisons of educational expenditure are complex, because the ways in which this expenditure is allocated to the different sectors varies both between countries and within countries over time.
The readily available information is as follows :
Total Public Expenditure<1> on
education as a Percentage of Gross
National product, Calendar year
1988.
|Per cent.
-----------------------------------
Belgium<2> |4.9
Denmark |7.8
France<3> |5.3
Germany |4.2
Greece |<4>2.7
Ireland |<4>7.0
Italy |<4>4.8
Luxembourg |4.6
Netherlands |6.8
Portugal |4.8
Spain |4.3
United Kingdom |4.6
Sources:
UNESCO Statistical Yearbook, 1991
Education Statistics for the
United Kingdom 1990
<1> Includes subsidies to the
private sector.
<2> Ministry of Education
expenditure only.
<3> Metropolitan France
<4> 1987 data
Higher Education
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish figures showing the proportion of people aged between 16 and 19 years in
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part-time and full-time education or training in the United Kingdom and comparable figures for other countries in the European Community ; if he will make a statement outlining his plans for increasing the levels of participation in all areas of post-16 years education and training ; and what representations he has received from the British Youth Council on this subject.Mr. Alan Howarth : The available information is given in the table.
Participation Rates in Education and Training<1> of 16 to
18-year-olds
Percentages
Country |Full-time|Part- |All
|time
----------------------------------------------------------
Belgium |82 |4 |87
Denmark |73 |6 |79
France |69 |8 |77
Germany<3> |49 |43 |92
Italy<2> |47 |18 |65
Netherlands<3> |77 |9 |86
Spain<4> |50 |- |50
United Kingdom<5>
1988 |35 |34 |69
1989 |36 |33 |69
Notes:
<1>Includes apprenticeships, YTS and similar schemes
<2>1985 for Sweden and 1982 for Italy
<3>Includes compulsory part-time participation for 16 and
17-year-olds in Germany and Netherlands
<4>Excludes estimates for 18-year-olds in universities
<5>Includes estimates for those studying only in the
evening and for private sector further and higher
education, including training courses with employers.
Source: Table BB from draft
"Education Statistics for the United Kingdom 1991"
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Fine Art Courses
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many places in higher education in England were available on degree courses in fine art (painting) and fine art (sculpture), respectively, in each of the years from 1979 to date ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Howarth : Information is not held centrally on the number of places which, within the total resources at their disposal, institutions decide to make available.
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proportion of undergraduate places in degree courses in fine art (painting) and fine art (sculpture) were taken up by fee-paying students from overseas in each academic year since 1983 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Howarth : Information is not held centrally on the number of places which, within the total resources at their disposal, institutions divide to make available to fee-paying students from overseas.
Zidovudine
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many participants are now enrolled in the Medical Research Council/INSERM trial of zidovudine ; and if he will make a statement on the progress of the trial.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The number of participants enrolled in the Medical Research Council/INSERM trial of zidovudine is 833 in the United Kingdom, 60 in the Republic of Ireland, and 848 in France. Recruitment has now closed, and the follow-up is continuing with a view to further analysis of the data in the summer of 1992.
School Examinations
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether agencies associated with publishers are eligible to tender for the development, piloting and writing of tests for 14-year-olds in history and geography at key stage 3 as advertised by the Schools Examinations Assessment Council ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : Any competent agency may tender for this work, including agencies associated with publishers. The tests, which form part of the statutory assessment arrangements, will however be published on behalf of the Secretary of State by HMSO.
Science and Technology
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when the Government will respond to the Advisory Council on Science and Technology's report "Science and Technology : Education and Employment".
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : The Government's response has now been sent to ACOST. It is being published today and copies have been placed in the Library.
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NORTHERN IRELAND
Pensions
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what would be (a) the first year and (b) the full year cost of raising the retirement pension by £5 per week for a single person and by £8 per week for a married person (i) in 1991-92 and (ii) 1992-93, including increases in means-tested and national insurance benefits for Northern Ireland.
Mr. Hanley : I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as possible and place a copy of my letter in the Library.
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the statutory instrument which links benefits to the category A basic retirement pension ; and what would be (a) the first year and (b) the full year cost, net of tax, of raising by £5 per week for a single person and by £8 per week for a married person the retirement pension and (i) each linked benefit, (ii) each linked and means-tested benefit so that all of the people on linked benefits receive the increase, (iii) each of the linked benefits at the same level as the retirement pension, (iv) each of the linked benefits at the same level as the retirement pension and means-tested benefits to that all of the people on these linked benefits receive the increase, (1) for 1991-92, and (2) 1992-93, in each case including and excluding those below retirement age.
Mr. Hanley : I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as possible and place a copy of my letter in the Library.
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what would be the numbers of people affected above and below retirement age by raising by £5 per week for a single person and by £8 per week for a married person the retirement pension and (a) each benefit linked by statute to the category A basic retirement pension, (b) each linked and means-tested benefit so that all of the people on linked benefits receive the increase, (c) each of the linked benefits at the same level as the retirement pension, and (d) each of the linked benefits at the same level as the retirement pension and means-tested benefits so that all of the people on these linked benefits receive the increase, for Northern Ireland in 1991-92, listing separately the numbers on each benefit, including and excluding those below the retirement age.
Mr. Hanley [holding answer 3 December 1991] : I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as possible and place a copy of my letter in the Library.
Water Fowl
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information he has as to the number of (a) herons and (b) cormorants there are in Northern Ireland or in the coastal waters of Northern Ireland ; and what the figures were five and 10 years ago.
Mr. Needham : No information on the heron population in Northern Ireland is available for the years in question.
A winter survey of the cormorant carried out at main locations in 1989-90 indicated that the wintering population was at least 2,150 individuals. A full survey in 1985-86 estimated the wintering population at 2,600. Data for 1980-81 are not available.
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Comprehensive figures for the breeding population of cormorant have never been collected. In 1991, however, there were 299 pairs on Sheep Island, Co. Antrim, the main colony, where in 1977 there had been 340.Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information he has as to the number of fish-eating ducks there are in Northern Ireland ; and what the numbers were five and 10 years ago, respectively.
Mr. Needham : The only regularly occurring species of duck in Northern Ireland which is mainly fish eating is the red-breasted merganser.
The wintering population of this species in 1989-90 was estimated at 875 individuals and in 1985-86 at 845 individuals. Data for 1980-81 is not available.
No comprehensive breeding data have ever been assembled.
Maydown Incinerator
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information he has regarding pyrolysis experiments carried out by Du Pont on the waste to be incinerated at the proposed hazardous waste incinerator at Maydown, Londonderry to determine the products ; at what temperature these experiments were carried out ; and what products resulted.
Mr. Needham : The Government have no information on any such experiments.
Education Expenditure
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will review the ceiling levels imposed on secondary and grammar schools in each of the education and library boards in Northern Ireland in relation to intake numbers.
Dr. Mawhinney : Intake numbers are based on the assessed capacity of each secondary intermediate and grammar school and are reviewed only on request or when there is any change in a school's accommodation.
Fine Art Courses
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many places in higher education in Northern Ireland were available on degree courses in fine art (painting) and fine art (sculpture), respectively, in each of the years from 1979 to date ; and if he will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : Separate degree courses in painting and sculpture are not provided in Northern Ireland, but both subjects are included in a full-time fine art degree course at the University of Ulster. A full-time masters degree course is also available. The number of places provided is as follows
Academic |Primary |Masters Year |Degree |Degree -------------------------------------- <1>1979-80 |86 |5 <1>1980-81 |93 |4 <1>1981-82 |89 |6 <1>1982-83 |91 |6 <1>1983-84 |88 |6 1984-85 |90 |6 1985-86 |92 |7 1986-87 |101 |8 1987-88 |103 |10 1988-89 |113 |9 1989-90 |102 |9 1990-91 |108 |11 1991-92 |<2>114 |<2>9 <1> Prior to the creation of the University of Ulster in October 1984 the course was run by the Ulster Polytechnic. <2> Provisional figures
RUC
Mr. McNamara : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) if he will give the number of authorised posts and the number of posts filled in the press and public relations office of the RUC in each year since 1979 ;
(2) if he will give the total cost incurred by the force control and information centre of the Royal Ulster Constabulary in each year since 1979 ;
(3) if he will give the total amount spent by the Royal Ulster Constabulary on (a) press and public relations and (b) advertising for each year since 1979 ;
(4) if he will give the number of authorised posts, and the number of posts filled in the force control and information centre of the Royal Ulster Constabulary for each year since 1979.
Dr. Mawhinney [holding answer 9 December 1991] : The RUC press office and the RUC force control centre were amalgamated on 4 October 1982 to form the force control and information centre. Press functions and other services provided by the centre are interrelated, with many of the staff performing duties relating to both functions. Details of the number of authorised posts and of the number of posts filled, prior to 1985, are no longer available. However, since 1985, the staffing levels in the RUC force control and information centre are as follows :
|Authorised |Posts |Authorised |Posts
|posts |filled |posts |filled
|(RUC) |(RUC) |Civilian staff |Civilian staff
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1985 |59 |58 |7 |7
1986 |58 |55 |7 |7
1987 |58 |58 |7 |7
1988 |58 |63 |7 |7
1989 |56 |61 |<1>7.5 |<1>7.5
1990 |56 |61 |<1>7.5 |<1>7.5
1991<2> 46 51 13.5 13.5
<1> Includes one part-time staff.
<2> 3 November 1991.
Financial information is not readily available in the form requested because expenditure on the force control and information centre is subsumed in overall central costs. However, the estimated costs incurred by the force control and information centre, since 1985, are as follows :
Year |Estimated
|Total Costs
|Incurred
------------------------------------------------------
1985 |1,500,000
1986 |1,550,000
1987 |1,840,000
1988 |2,230,000
1989 |2,380,000
1990 |2,630,000
1991 |not yet available
<1>Prepared in accordance with established ready
reckoner figures.
Details of the amount spent by the RUC on advertising are not available prior to the financial year 1987-88. However, since then the amount spent by the RUC, on advertising during the period 1987-88 to 1990-91 is as follows :
Year |Amount
|Spent on
|Advertising
------------------------------------
1987-88 |47,000
1988-89 |37,000
1989-90 |22,000
1990-91 |49,000
SCOTLAND
Parliamentary Seats
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans there are to review the number of parliamentary seats in Scotland.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : My right hon. Friend has no present plans to review the number of parliamentary seats in Scotland, which are set by the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986.
Manufacturing Output
21. Mr. Cran : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the increase in manufacturing output in Scotland since 1978.
Mr. Allan Stewart : Manufacturing output in Scotland has increased by over 11.5 per cent. in the 12 years between 1978 and 1990.
Voluntary Organisations
22. Mr. Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the value of grants from his Department to voluntary organisations in each of the past three years.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The value of direct grants made by the Scottish Office to voluntary organisations in each of the last three years for which figures are published are as follows :
|£
---------------------------------
1987-88 |9,790,137
1988-89 |14,771,542
1989-90 |16,339,277
In addition to grants made directly, the Scottish Office gives grants to local authorities under the urban programme. Some local authorities in turn giving grants to urban programme projects involve voluntary organisations. Non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the
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Scottish Office departments also give grants to voluntary organisations. Further details were given in answers by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and his predecessor on 16 May 1989, 11 May 1990 and 22 March 1991, columns 122-23, 254-56 and 235-36 respectively.Sites of Special Scientific Interest
23. Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with Scottish Natural Heritage on the subject of sites of special scientific interest.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : My officials are in regular contact with the Nature Conservancy Council for Scotland and various issues relating to SSSIs are discussed.
Land Conservation
24. Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has to finance land conservation measures in Caithness and Sutherland.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : It is for the Nature Conservancy Council for Scotland to finance such measures as it considers appropriate from within the resources made available to it.
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