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Forestry Commission
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his current policy in respect of the sale of Forestry Commission assets.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 22 June 1993] : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. and learned Friend the Member for Edinburgh,
Column 203
Pentlands (Mr. Rifkind), the then Secretary of State for Scotland, on 16 June 1989, Official Report, columns 544-45 . This policy has not changed.Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list camp sites, nature trails, cabin sites, picnic areas and other recreational facilities provided by the Forestry Commission, on a country or regional basis.
Sir Hector Monro : The Forestry Commission is prepairing a list of its recreation facilities and I shall arrange for the hon. Member to receive a copy as soon as possible and for further copies to be placed in the Library.
Trees
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the acreage of tree cover per 1,000 head of population in the United Kingdom ; and what comparative information he has for other European Community countries.
Sir Hector Monro : The areas of woodland, in hectares, per 1,000 head of population are as follows :
|Hectares
-------------------------------------
United Kingdom |40
Belgium/Luxembourg |90
Denmark |100
France |260
Germany |130
Greece |260
Ireland |100
Italy |120
Netherlands |20
Portugal |290
Spain |400
EC Average |170
Nursery Places
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the ratio of nursery places to population in each of the regional council and local authorities for the most recent years for which figures are available.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information requested is as follows :
Education authority nursery pupils as a percentage of the
total
population in each education authority area: September 1992.
Education Authority |Number of pupils as
|a percentage of
|total population<1>
---------------------------------------------------------------
Scotland |0.9
Borders |0.5
Central |1.0
Dumfries and Galloway |0.8
Fife |1.3
Grampian |0.9
Highland |0.4
Lothian |1.2
Strathclyde |0.8
Tayside |0.9
Orkney |1.0
Shetland |1.2
Western Isles |-
Strathclyde Divisions:
Argyll and Bute |-
Ayr |0.7
Dunbarton |0.6
Glasgow |1.3
Lanark |0.5
Renfrew |0.8
<1>The most recently available.
Local Government (Mileage Rates)
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the value of the mileage rates for each engine capacity payable to local government representatives ; and when the rates were originally set, together with the value these represent at current prices.
Mr. Stewart : The information is shown in pence per mile in the following table :
V
|Up to 999cc |1000cc-1199cc|Over 1199cc
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rate at 6 February 1970 (last
change to travel and
subsistence regulations) |4.7 |5.3 |5.9
Rate at 6 February 1970
uprated by GDP deflator to
1 January 1993 |32.6 |40.2 |44.7
Current rates from 1 January
1993 |22.0 |23.9 |26.6
Hospitals (Promotion and Publicity)
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to give guidance to health boards and trusts concerning the promotion and publicity of medical treatment within their hospitals.
Mr. Stewart : The patients charter, published in September 1991, makes it clear that patients are entitled to accurate, relevant and understandable explanations about their condition and treatment. Hospitals discharge this in a variety of ways--for example, by patient information leaflets provided to patients prior to or at the start of their treatment.
The first survey of users of the NHS in Scotland, published on 5 April 1993, indicates that overwhelmingly people are satisfied with the amount of information and explanation they receive.
We have therefore no plans to issue further guidance on this at present.
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to give guidance to health boards and trusts concerning the duty of confidentiality when dealing with publicity and promotion related to individual patients.
Mr. Stewart : A code of practice setting out principles to ensure the confidentiality of personal health information was distributed throughout the NHS in Scotland in June 1990. This supplemented earlier guidance on procedure for dealing with press, radio and television inquiries about patients. The situation is being kept under review.
Column 205
Renewables Order
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the progress of his Department in establishing a renewables order for Scotland.
Mr. Stewart : I have nothing to add to the answer given to the hon. Member for East Kilbride (Mr. Ingram) on 21 April 1993, Official Report, column 113.
Consultants
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the mean age at which doctors achieve consultant status in Scotland.
Mr. Stewart : The mean age is 36 years as at 30 September 1992, the latest date for which information is available centrally.
Cocaine Seizures
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many seizures of cocaine by (a) police and (b) customs in Scotland were recorded in each year since 1980.
Mr. Stewart : Information on the number of cocaine seizures by the police and Her Majesty's Customs and Excise since 1981 is published in "Statistics of drug seizures and offenders dealt with, United Kingdom, 1991 --Scotland tables", a copy of which is in the Library. Details of seizures for 1980 are given in the corresponding publication for 1990.
Pain Relief Clinics
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the current waiting times for appointments at pain relief clinics in those hospitals offering this service.
Column 206
Mr. Stewart : The information, which relates to the average waiting time for first appointments, is set out in the table.
New outpatient attendances at pain relief clinics-mean wait over
period 1 October 1992 to 31 March 1993
Hospital |Mean wait (days)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Crosshouse hospital |53
Ayr hospital |48
Inverclyde Royal hospital |45
Victoria hospital |78
Dunfermline and West Fife hospital |93
Glasgow Royal infirmary |65
Stobhill hospital |91
Victoria infirmary |77
Southern general hospital |35
Gartnavel general hospital |143
Caithness general hospital |29
Monklands district general hospital |66
Law hospital |22
Aberdeen Royal infirmary |51
Royal infirmary, Edinburgh |95
Dundee Royal infirmary |127
Falkirk and District Royal infirmary |48
Dumfries and Galloway Royal infirmary |65
|--
All clinics |78
Drug Overdoses
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has on the number of hospital treatments for overdoses, listed by each type of drug involved, since 1988.
Mr. Stewart : The number of inpatient hospital episodes in Scotland for drug overdose listed by type of drug or agent for the years 1988-1992 is shown in the table. Information on out-patient treatments is not available.
Column 205
Emergency inpatient admissions to acute general hospitals with a diagnosis of poisoning by drugs or drug dependence or abuse, 1988-1992
Year of discharge
Principal diagnosis |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Poisoning by Antibiotics |170 |117 |152 |157 |153
Poisoning by Other Anti-Infectives |49 |50 |46 |54 |53
Poisoning by Hormones and Synthetic Substitutes |132 |118 |133 |130 |152
Poisoning by Primarily Systemic Agents |87 |103 |121 |109 |120
Poisoning by Agents Primarily Affecting Blood Constituents |113 |92 |110 |118 |113
Poisoning by Analgesics, Antipyretics and Antirheumatics |4,138 |4,316 |5,094 |5,788 |6,578
Poisoning by Anticonvulsants and Anti-Parkinsonism Drugs |320 |299 |335 |363 |375
Poisoning by Sedatives and Hypnotics |486 |453 |433 |481 |465
Poisoning by Other Central Nervous System Depressants |14 |9 |13 |12 |20
Poisoning by Psychotropic Agents |3,803 |3,630 |3,746 |3,694 |4,077
Poisoning by Central Nervous System Stimulants |2 |2 |2 |6 |27
Poisoning by Drugs Primarily Affecting the Autonomic Nervous
System |93 |84 |80 |111 |148
Poisoning by Agents Primarily Affecting the Cardiovascular System |250 |194 |231 |238 |275
Poisoning by Agents Primarily Affecting the Gastrointestinal System |59 |67 |63 |65 |80
Poisoning by Water, Mineral and Uric Acid Metabolism Drugs |109 |86 |83 |101 |64
Poisoning by Agents Primarily Acting on Smooth/Skeletal Muscles.
Respiration System |172 |160 |192 |204 |228
Poisoning by Agents Primarily Affecting Skin Mucous Membrane:
Ophth. Otorhin. Dental Drug |120 |125 |119 |124 |108
Poisoning by Other and Unspecified Drugs and Medicaments |1,684 |1,375 |1,525 |1,477 |1,664
Poisoning by Bacterial Vaccines |0 |1 |1 |2 |0
Poisoning by Other Vaccines and Biological Substances |6 |0 |2 |2 |1
|------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |11,807 |11,281 |12,481 |13,236 |14,701
|------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Drug Dependence (See Note 2) |31 |26 |31 |41 |35
Nondependent Drug Abuse (See Note 2) |1,161 |1,137 |1,334 |1,444 |1,555
Notes:
1. Cases included in the table were admitted to acute general hospitals as an emergency with poisoning by drugs and medicaments coming within the groups defined in the international
Classification of Diseases codes 960-979.
The figures include patients with accidental overdose and deliberate self poisoning but exclude any cases where poisoning was due to drugs in therapeutic use.
2. Also shown are figures for patients who were admitted as an emergency with a primary diagnosis of drug dependence or nondependent drug abuse and these can include overdoses and
abnormal reactions to a variety of drugs.
Drugs Seizures
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the number of police seizures of (a) MDMA, (b) LSD, (c) tranquillisers, (d) cannabis and (e) solvents in Scotland in each year since 1988.
Mr. Stewart : Information on police seizures of MDMA, LSD, and cannabis since 1988 is published in "Statistics of drug seizures and offenders dealt with, United Kingdom, 1991--Scotland tables", a copy of which is in the Library. Tranquillisers, along with hypnotics, although not separately identified in the tables, comprise the main drugs in class C, for which the number of seizures is shown. Solvents are neither illegal substances nor subject to the kind of controls placed on pharmaceutical products ; and the question of police seizures does not, therefore, arise.
Drug Misuse
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will carry out an annual survey on the extent of drug misuse in Scotland.
Mr. Stewart : Because the unauthorised possession and supply of many addictive drugs is an illicit activity, there are obvious difficulties in producing accurate figures of the number of drug misusers in Scotland on a recurring basis. Among other indicators, however, the Scottish drug misuse database, which was established in 1990, is contributing increasingly to current knowledge of drug misuse prevalence, and the scope for its further development is kept under review. Research also has an important role and relevant projects are commissioned and funded as appropriate.
Nuclear Industry
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with Scottishlocal authorities concerning the nuclear industry in Scotland.
Mr. Stewart : My right hon. Friend has had no recent discussions with local authorities about the general question of the nuclear industry in Scotland.
Jury Trials
Mr. George Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) guilty, (b) not guilty and (c) not proven verdicts were handed down in jury trials in Scottish courts in each of the last five years.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The available information is given in the table.
Column 208
Persons called to solemn procedure courts by outcome 1987-1991
Scotland
Year |PNGA<1> of deserted |Acquitted not guilty|Acquitted not proven|Charge proved |Total
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
High Courts
1987 |36 |147 |72 |858 |1,113
1988 |51 |95 |77 |801 |1,024
1989 |50 |96 |73 |746 |965
1990 |61 |111 |70 |757 |999
1991 |81 |94 |78 |743 |996
Sheriff Court
1987 |88 |426 |140 |2,789 |3,443
1988 |149 |272 |135 |2,686 |3,242
1989 |247 |310 |166 |2,613 |3,336
1990 |323 |354 |172 |2,749 |3,598
1991 |361 |281 |130 |2,619 |3,391
<1>Plea of not guilty accepted.
Courts (Decrees and Extracts)
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will institute an inquiry into the procedures to be followed and the factors to be taken into account when a change in the rate of interest in decrees and extracts of the Scottish courts takes place.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : I have no plans to bring forward amendments to the existing statutory provisions which place responsibility on the Lord President of the Court of Session for changes in the rate of interest on decrees and extract decrees of the Scottish courts.
Act of Sederunt
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he had with the Lord President of the Court of Session before the Act of Sederunt (Interest in Sheriff Court Decrees and Extracts) 1993 and the Act of Sederunt (Rules of the Court of Session Amendment) (Interest in Decrees and Extracts) 1993 both became law.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : None.
Education Authorities
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the annual expenditure on administration by each local education authority in each of the last three years.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 22 June 1993] : Based on information provided by local authorities in local financial returns, the figures set out in the table detail net expenditure--excluding loans and leasing charges and revenue contributions to capital--on administration by individual local authority education departments for the years 1990-91 and 1991-92. Information for 1992-93 is not yet available.
Column 209
£000's
|1990-91|1991-92
----------------------------------------------
Borders |2,576 |2,958
Central |5,427 |5,583
Dumfries and Galloway |3,437 |3,844
Fife |6,726 |7,823
Grampian |7,765 |5,416
Highland |4,056 |3,939
Lothian |17,130 |18,147
Strathclyde |31,517 |22,803
Tayside |11,022 |5,562
Orkney |577 |445
Shetland |757 |1,083
Western Isles |1,087 |2,097
|-------
Scotland |92,077 |79,700
Health Board Salaries
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total cost of salaries for all (a) general managers and chief executives, (b) directors of finance or equivalent, (c) directors of human resources, personnel or equivalent, (d) directors of nursing services or equivalent and (e) chief medical officers or equivalent in January 1992 for all Scottish health boards prior to reorganisation of the NHS ; and what is the current cost in each category for all health boards and NHS trusts in Scotland.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 22 June 1993] : The information requested is not available centrally.
Water and Sewerage
Mr. Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a detailed breakdown of his estimate of the costs associated with upgrading the Scottish water and sewerage system to meet EC standards ; what improvements to the system were assumed ; what assumptions were made of the sources from which capital would be raised ; and if he will make a statement.
st significant financial implications for capital expenditure are the drinking water directive and the urban waste water treatment directive which are estimated at £1.2 billion and £1.3 billion respectively over the next 15 years.
The estimates are based on improvements to water mains, water treatment works, sewerage, and sewage treatment and disposal works, and are unaffected by the source of capital.
Column 210
SOCIAL SECURITY
War Widows (Pensions)
Mr. Butcher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the net cost, allowing for a reduction in income support, of topping up the pensions of British widows of New Zealand soldiers currently residing in the United Kingdom to the same level as the widows' pension received by British war widows.
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what estimate he has made of the net cost of increasing the pensions of British widows of New Zealand service men now residing in the United Kingdom to the level of the widows' pension received by British war widows.
Mr. Hague : The information to enable us to estimate costs accurately is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, on the basis that there are 38 such widows, it is estimated that the gross cost would be in the region of £200,000 per year.
New Age Travellers
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what measures he has taken to ensure that benefit payment officers will operate all relevant rules, including the genuinely seeking work rule, on new age travellers claiming benefits this summer.
Mr. Burt : I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Wansdyke (Mr. Aspinwall) on 18 June at column 751.
Disability Living Allowance
Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people in (a) Fife and (b) North East Fife are in receipt of the mobility component of the disability living allowance.
Mr. Scott : I understand from Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency, that the information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Water Charges
Mrs. Helen Jackson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many requests nationally, and by region, for direct payments from a recipient's income support were made last year and the year before for help paying water debt ; and how many were refused.
Mr. Burt : Regions were replaced by territories in April 1990. The information requested in respect of each of the Benefits Agency's three territories for the years April 1991 to March 1992 and April 1992 to March 1993 is in the table.
Column 209
|Scotland<1> and |Wales and Central |Southern Territory|National total
|North Territory |England Territory
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1991-92
Number of applications made |28,328 |69,665 |34,239 |132,232
Number of applications rejected |5,439 |12,812 |7,288 |25,539
1992-93
Number of applications made |34,657 |77,691 |56,694 |169,042
Number of applications rejected |5,584 |11,347 |10,566 |27,497
<1>Figures refer to North Territory only as different arrangements for payment of water charges apply in Scotland.
Note: The figures used are based on Management Information Statistics collected by the Benefits Agency in the two 12, month
periods ending March 1992 and March 1993. These figures are provisional and may be subject to amendment.
Attendance Allowance
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many attendance allowance claims have been refused, broken down by the reasons for refusal, in each month since May 1992 at each disability benefit centre and for the country as a whole.
Mr. Scott : The administration of attendance allowance is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 22 June 1993 :
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to the points raised in your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many attendance allowance claims have been refused, broken down by the reasons for refusal, in each month since May 1992 at each disability benefit centre and for the country as a whole. The information you requested is shown in the attached appendix. I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.
Appendix
Refusals for claims to attendance
allowance by month
and by disability benefit centre
May 1992
|Medical|Others |Total
-------------------------------------------
Edinburgh |297 |0 |297
Newcastle |592 |0 |592
Leeds |653 |0 |653
Manchester |648 |0 |648
Bootle |373 |0 |373
Birmingham |1,462 |0 |1,462
Bristol |316 |0 |316
Cardiff |147 |0 |147
Wembley |1,393 |1 |1,394
Sutton |584 |1 |585
Glasgow |- |- |-
|-------|-------|-------
Totals |6,465 |2 |6,467
June 1992
|Medical|Others |Total
-------------------------------------------
Edinburgh |1,261 |0 |1,261
Newcastle |423 |0 |423
Leeds |449 |0 |449
Manchester |560 |0 |560
Bootle |342 |0 |342
Birmingham |1,189 |0 |1,189
Bristol |311 |0 |311
Cardiff |590 |0 |590
Wembley |1,034 |1 |1,035
Sutton |798 |0 |798
Glasgow |- |- |-
|-------|-------|-------
Totals |6,957 |1 |6,958
Column 212
July 1992
|Medical|Others |Total
-------------------------------------------
Edinburgh |796 |0 |796
Newcastle |532 |1 |533
Leeds |526 |0 |526
Manchester |900 |0 |900
Bootle |586 |0 |586
Birmingham |961 |0 |961
Bristol |566 |0 |566
Cardiff |2,406 |0 |2,406
Wembley |801 |0 |801
Sutton |1,320 |0 |1,320
Glasgow |- |- |-
|-------|-------|-------
Totals |9,394 |1 |9,395
August 1992
|Medical|Others |Total
-------------------------------------------
Edinburgh |622 |0 |622
Newcastle |565 |0 |565
Leeds |660 |0 |660
Manchester |1,106 |0 |1,106
Bootle |468 |0 |468
Birmingham |1,388 |0 |1,388
Bristol |539 |0 |539
Cardiff |1,372 |0 |1,372
Wembley |446 |0 |446
Sutton |1,029 |2 |1,031
Glasgow |- |- |-
|-------|-------|-------
Totals |8,195 |2 |8,197
September 1992
|Medical|Others |Total
-------------------------------------------
Edinburgh |1,905 |0 |1,905
Newcastle |922 |0 |922
Leeds |1,070 |1 |1,071
Manchester |1,230 |1 |1,231
Bootle |959 |0 |959
Birmingham |2,674 |1 |2,675
Bristol |791 |0 |791
Cardiff |1,338 |0 |1,338
Wembley |1,219 |1 |1,220
Sutton |2,288 |0 |2,288
Glasgow |- |- |-
|-------|-------|-------
Totals |14,396 |4 |14,400
October 1992
|Medical|Others |Total
-------------------------------------------
Edinburgh |3,194 |0 |3,194
Newcastle |689 |0 |689
Leeds |1,163 |0 |1,163
Manchester |1,110 |3 |1,113
Bootle |912 |0 |912
Birmingham |3,527 |2 |3,529
Bristol |884 |5 |889
Cardiff |1,086 |0 |1,086
Wembley |1,544 |2 |1,546
Sutton |1,405 |1 |1,406
Glasgow |- |- |-
|-------|-------|-------
Totals |15,514 |13 |15,527
Column 213
November 1992
|Medical|Others |Total
-------------------------------------------
Edinburgh |1,836 |0 |1,836
Newcastle |666 |0 |666
Leeds |828 |2 |830
Manchester |1,018 |3 |1,021
Bootle |718 |0 |718
Birmingham |1,709 |2 |1,711
Bristol |423 |5 |428
Cardiff |554 |0 |554
Wembley |945 |4 |949
Sutton |719 |0 |719
Glasgow |- |- |-
|-------|-------|-------
Totals |9,416 |16 |9,432
December 1992
|Medical|Others |Total
-------------------------------------------
Edinburgh |1,175 |0 |1,175
Newcastle |524 |2 |526
Leeds |772 |0 |772
Manchester |557 |4 |561
Bootle |430 |1 |431
Birmingham |1,435 |1 |1,436
Bristol |442 |1 |443
Cardiff |792 |0 |792
Wembley |657 |1 |658
Sutton |760 |1 |761
Glasgow |- |- |-
|-------|-------|-------
Totals |7,544 |11 |7,555
January 1993
|Medical|Others |Total
-------------------------------------------
Edinburgh |1,441 |0 |1,441
Newcastle |464 |1 |465
Leeds |1,114 |0 |1,114
Manchester |966 |2 |968
Bootle |747 |0 |747
Birmingham |2,173 |1 |2,174
Bristol |583 |0 |584
Cardiff |1,043 |0 |1,043
Wembley |760 |0 |760
Sutton |1,584 |1 |1,585
Glasgow |- |- |-
|-------|-------|-------
Totals |10,875 |5 |10,880
February 1993
|Medical|Others |Total
-------------------------------------------
Edinburgh |1,279 |0 |1,279
Newcastle |516 |1 |517
Leeds |1,093 |1 |1,094
Manchester |1,155 |0 |1,155
Bootle |726 |0 |726
Birmingham |1,452 |0 |1,452
Bristol |551 |1 |552
Cardiff |903 |0 |903
Wembley |695 |1 |695
Sutton |1,840 |0 |1,840
Glasgow |- |- |-
|-------|-------|-------
Totals |10,210 |4 |10,214
March 1993
|Medical|Others |Total
-------------------------------------------
Edinburgh |758 |0 |758
Newcastle |643 |0 |643
Leeds |1,533 |7 |1,540
Manchester |1,612 |1 |1,613
Bootle |923 |0 |923
Birmingham |2,173 |3 |2,176
Bristol |863 |0 |863
Cardiff |1,306 |0 |1,306
Wembley |1,328 |3 |1,331
Sutton |2,274 |4 |2,278
Glasgow |1,101 |0
|-------|-------|-------
Totals |14,514 |18 |14,532
April 1993
|Medical|Others |Total
-------------------------------------------
Edinburgh |526 |0 |526
Newcastle |514 |0 |514
Leeds |1,448 |0 |1,448
Manchester |1,200 |3 |1,203
Bootle |725 |0 |725
Birmingham |1,953 |7 |1,960
Bristol |783 |0 |783
Cardiff |936 |1 |937
Wembley |1,371 |2 |1,373
Sutton |1,881 |5 |1,886
Glasgow |1,540 |0 |1,540
|-------|-------|-------
Totals |12,877 |18 |12,895
May 1993
|Medical|Others |Total
-------------------------------------------
Edinburgh |472 |0 |472
Newcastle |515 |0 |515
Leeds |1,351 |5 |1,356
Manchester |880 |2 |882
Bootle |663 |0 |663
Birmingham |1,472 |1 |1,473
Bristol |764 |1 |765
Cardiff |591 |0 |591
Wembley |1,183 |4 |1,187
Sutton |2,548 |2 |2,550
Glasgow |892 |0 |892
|-------|-------|-------
Totals |11,331 |15 |11,346
Cumulative 1993
|Medical|Others |Total
-------------------------------------------
Edinburgh |15,562 |0 |15,562
Newcastle |7,565 |5 |7,560
Leeds |12,660 |16 |12,676
Manchester |12,942 |19 |12,961
Bootle |8,572 |1 |8,573
Birmingham |23,568 |18 |23,586
Bristol |7,816 |13 |7,829
Cardiff |13,064 |1 |13,065
Wembley |13,376 |20 |13,396
Sutton |19,030 |17 |19,047
Glasgow |3,533 |0 |3,533
|-------|-------|-------
Totals |137,688|110 |137,798
Notes:
1. These figures exclude a small and
unknown number of claims decided at the
Attendance Allowance Unit.
2. The other reasons for refusal are on
the grounds of residence or presence
conditions not being satisfied or because
of overlapping with Constant Attendance
Allowance.
3. The term "medical" used in the table
heading means rejection on the grounds of
the effect of any given medical condition
as opposed to rejection because of the
type of condition.
Column 215
Resettlement Units
Mr. Raynsford : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people have been accommodated in the course of the last two years in the resettlement units managed by the resettlement units executive agency.
Mr. Hague : The management of the Resettlement Agency is a matter for Mr. Tony Ward, the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Tony Ward to Mr. Nick Raynsford, dated 22 June 1993 :
As the Resettlement Agency is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to write to you directly to respond to your Parliamentary Question to him, about the numbers of people that have been accommodated in the course of the last two years in resettlement units. This is something which falls within the responsibilities he has delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
Before the dates of 1 June 1991-31 May 1993, 827,090 bed spaces were occupied in resettlement units managed by the Resettlement Units Executive Agency. You will appreciate that the number of beds occupied masks a complex situation. Some customers stay for one night, and others for considerably longer, whilst some customers have presented themselves for admissions at different units over the two year period. If you would like any further information, please let me know.
Pensions (Payment)
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many senior citizens in the Durham city area collect their state retirement pensions from post offices and sub-post offices.
Mr. Hague : The administration of retirement pension is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Gerry Steinberg, dated 22 June 1993 :
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many senior citizens in the Durham city area collect their state retirement pensions from post offices and sub-post offices.
As at 02/05/93, approximately 10,650 customers in the Durham city area were receiving state retirement pensions from post offices and sub-post offices.
I hope you will find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Market Testing
Ms Mowlam : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if she will list all the market tests that have taken place in her Department since November 1992 and indicate, in each case, whether the result was the maintenance of in-house provision, or whether the service was contracted out.
Mr. Jack : Since November 1992 the following market tests have taken place :
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Free Advice on Farm DiversificationFree Advice on Farm Woodlands
Building Estates Management (Part)
General Recruitment (Up to Grade 7)
Library Services (Books and Journals)
Royal Navy Surface Surveillance (Fisheries Protection Contract) Relocation Work (Central Science Laboratories)
In the cases of free advice on farm diversification, and farm woodlands the provision in question is being ended as part of public expenditure decisions.
In all the other cases the services listed in the table have been contracted out.
Fallen Animals
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations she has had on the cost and inconvenience to farmers arising from new regulations for slaughtering injured or fallen animals ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Soames : The Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1992 require that if a "casualty" animal slaughtered outside an abattoir is to go for human consumption, it must receive an ante-mortem inspection from a veterinarian who should then observe the correct bleeding of the animal and certify the carcase. There has been some concern about the logistical problems of getting the slaughterman and vet together on the farm at the same time and the associated costs of a failure to do so. We are considering the problem in the context of the review of the regulatory burdens which my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has commissioned. In the meantime, I cannot advise anyone to ignore the law.
The welfare of the animal must be paramount. If it is necessary to prevent suffering, animals should be slaughtered on the spot even if this means that the carcase cannot be sold for human consumption.
Lindane
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations she has received concerning the sale in the United Kingdom of chocolate containing traces of the pesticide Lindane ; and what information she has as to which countries ban the use of Lindane.
Mr. Soames : I have not received any representations concerning the traces of Lindane found in samples of chocolate in the United Kingdom. Within the European Community, Lindane is authorised for use in all member states. We understand from data supplied to UNEP's international register for potentially toxic chemicals that Lindane is banned for use in Argentina, the former Soviet Union and Sweden.
Hydrocarbons (Coastal Waters)
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what regular monitoring her Department carries out of background levels of hydrocarbons in United Kingdom coastal waters.
Mr. Jack : This Ministry's Directorate of Fisheries Research has monitored hydrocarbon concentrations in United Kingdom coastal waters since the 1970s. The results are published regularly in the directorate's aquatic environment monitoring report series. The latest relevant reports, numbered 26 and 30, are available in the Library.
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Agriculture Council (Voting)
Mr. Barnes : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Kincardine and Deeside (Mr. Kynoch) on 15 June, Official Report, column 483, what were the voting figures for each decision taken at the European Community's Agriculture Council held on 14 June ; and if she will make it her policy to include in future statements on Council meetings information on whether formal votes were taken.
Mr. Jack : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on 21 June, at columns 70-71.
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