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(i)public expenditure (sub) programme and (ii) the functional classification used in the identifiable expenditure figures, appendix E of Cm 1920.Mr. Lang : I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the latest figures available, stating whether they are final outturns, provisional outturns or budget figures, for 1988-89 to 1992-93 on the statistical basis of table 2 (summary analysis of general fund services revenue account), table 3 (summary analysis of housing, trading and special revenue accounts), table 4 (summary analysis of capital accounts) and table 5 (general fund services revenue account : total expenditure) of Scottish local government financial statistics.
Mr. Lang : The information requested will take a little time to assemble and I shall therefore write to the hon. Member as soon as possible.
Fish Processors
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) when he expects to be able to provide application forms to enable small scale fish processors to make applications for the derogation under article 14 of directive 91/493 ;
(2) if he will make a statement outlining the Government's position on the provisions of article 14 of EC directive 91/493 dealing with temporary relief from officially set health requirements as they affect small-scale fish processors until January 1996 ;
(3) whether member states are required to amend the existing provision of the Food Safety Acts to enable the derogation scheme under article 14 of directive 91/493 to proceed ;
(4) what form of guidance his Department intends to provide to local environmental health officers to enable them to advise prospective applicants for derogations under article 14 of directive 91/493 ; and how soon he hopes to be able to provide it.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Under article 14 of directive 91/493/EEC, the Commission is to submit a report to the Council on the minimum structural and equipment requirements to be met by small establishments which distribute on the local market and are situated in regions subject to particular supply constraints. It will be necessary to consider the Government's position on such matters once the Commission's proposals are seen. Meanwhile we have sought the views of the industry. It should not be necessary to amend existing United Kingdom legilsation to enable derogations under article 14 to be put in place should such derogations be agreed.
Careers Service
Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish guidelines to encourage careers service partnerships between education authorities and local enterprise companies.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Guidelines on the formation of careers service partnerships are being issued today. Quality careers guidance is vital if young people are to achieve their potential and take full advantage of the numerous
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opportunities in education and training. It is also vital that employers play an active and increasing role in the careers service to ensure that the best possible information and advice are available.Careers service partnerships are a significant move in that direction. The active involvement of local employers will enable the careers service to offer a valuable and flexible service to its clients and one which is fully attuned to local needs and opportunities to help promote partnerships.
Education authorities are being invited to submit applications for finance to assist them in meeting initial development costs of partnerships during 1992-93. Support is likely to range from £5,000 in the smallest authorities to £30,000 in the largest.
The Government are determined to give young people the best possible deal in education and training and in getting themselves a job. The issue of these guidelines is another step towards achieving that goal.
Assisted Places
Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any information about the examination performance of assisted places pupils.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The aim of the assisted places scheme, which was set up by the Government in 1981, is to allow children to attend Scottish independent schools which would otherwise be beyond the financial means of their parents.
Some 2,900 children now benefit from the scheme in Scotland and I expect that number to rise to 3,000 in the 1992-93 session. The examination performance of children on the scheme has also demonstrated once and for all that children from families with low incomes and from a wide social background can, and do, perform just as well as children from better-off families when they are given the same opportunity.
A survey, which has been commissioned by the Scottish Council of Independent Schools, will I am sure, shortly provide further evidence to confound those who have questioned the merit of the scheme. Final results from the survey are expected in July. The scheme is working well. I look forward with interest to the results of the survey.
Set-aside Schemes
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the amount of payments under the set-aside scheme in Scotland which have been recovered or withheld in each region since 1988 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 10 March 1992] : The information is set out in the table. It takes account of developments since my earlier answers on 20 December 1991 and 13 February 1992 which contained some provisional figures.
Set-aside Scheme: Scotland
Payments recovered/withheld
|1988-89 |1989-90 |1990-91
Region |£ |£ |£
--------------------------------------------------
Borders |- |- |2,608.80
Central |692.00 |4,894.20 |-
Fife |- |1,662.00 |51.00
Grampian |23,814.74|13,123.33|7,926.80
Highland |- |1,031.33 |2,238.00
Lothian |2,687.40 |408.00 |-
Tayside |4,884.60 |9,754.70 |7,064.50
Others |- |- |-
|---- |---- |----
Total |32,078.74|30,873.56|19,889.10
Infertility Service
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when the National Medical Advisory Committee's report on an infertility service for Scotland will be published ; and when he expects its recommendations to be implemented.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 11 March 1992] : There are a number of matters about the provision of an assisted reproduction service which call for further investigation and I have sought supplementary advice from the NMAC. When these matters have been resolved, the NMAC report will be published and the issues surrounding implementation addressed.
Planning (Guidelines)
Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will give details of guidelines pertaining to notification times given to third parties in planning matters when a reporter is due to inspect a site ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what representations he has had regarding the adequacy of guidelines pertaining to notification times given to third parties in planning matters when a reporter is due to inspect a site ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 11 March 1992] : There is no statutory obligation for a reporter to notify third parties when he is due to inspect a site and there are therefore no guidelines. But the Scottish Office inquiry reporters unit normally informs third parties as a matter of courtesy. Site inspections can be arranged at short notice, but the unit normally gives parties two weeks' notice.
The Scottish Office inquiry reporters unit has had representations on a site inspection which was arranged at short notice at Memsie in Banff and Buchan. The two days' notice given to third parties in this case was shorter than normal and arose from the cancellation of another case.
Council Tax
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his best estimate of the numbers of single people with incomes of over £40,000 per annum who will qualify for a 25 per cent. discount under his council tax proposals.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 12 March 1992] : This information is not available.
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Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish his estimate of the total number of discounts for (a) single person households and (b) other eligible groups he expects to be available under his council tax proposals, shown in aggregate and by region.
Mr. Allan Stewart [holding answer 12 March 1992] : For the illustrative calculations published in 1991, it was estimated that 30.4 per cent. of households were one adult households. My right hon. Friend is not yet in a position to estimate the incidence of other discounts under the council tax.
Ambulance Service
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give for each ambulance authority, and for each year since 1987, the number of complaints lodged.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 12 March 1992] : The information is not held centrally in the form requested.
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give, for 1987 and 1991, and for each ambulance service in Scotland, the percentage of emergency calls responded to within (a) 7 to 8 minutes and (b) 14 to 20 minutes.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 12 March 1992] : The information is not held centrally in the form requested.
Health Service Staff
Mr. Stephen : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will detail the numbers of national health service front-line staff for the national health service in Scotland in 1979, 1983, 1987 and the latest available year ; and if he will list the percentage change in these figures between each of those years.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 12 March 1992] : The information requested is shown in the table.
Direct care staff in the NHS in Scotland:
Whole-time equivalent (WTE) as at 30 September
Total<1> Percentage change
Year |WTE |Period |Percentage
|change
-------------------------------------------------------
1979 |72,320.3 |- |-
1983 |79,928.4 |1979-83 |<2>5.1
1987 |81,588.7 |1983-87 |2.1
<3>1991 |82,550.8 |1987-91 |1.2
Notes:
<1>Direct care staff include doctors and dentists,
nursing and
midwifery staff, scientific and PAMs staff, technical
staff, hospital
pharmacists and opticians, ambulance staff. The
figures include some
staff who are not involved in direct patient care-for
example, those
in teaching, administration or public health medicine.
Staff in the
state hospital are excluded.
<2>Numbers have been adjusted to reflect the change
for nursing
staff from a 40-hour week in 1979 to a 37.5-hour week
in subsequent
years.
<3> Provisional
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