| Previous Section | Home Page |
Education (Administration)
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in respect of each local education authority area in Scotland in each year since 1986 the number of people who are (a) wholly engaged in administration, (b) engaged in administration and teaching and (c) wholly engaged in teaching.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 1 December 1993] : The table details the full-time equivalent number of lecturers and teachers employed in Scottish local education authority areas as at March in the respective years. No information is held centrally on the number of lecturers, teachers and other staff who, either wholly or partly, carry out an administrative role. The information is taken from the joint staffing watch, a survey run jointly by the Scottish Office and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. Specific information on the numbers of school teachers can be found in the statistical bulletin "Pupils and Teachers in Education Authority Primary and Secondary Schools".
Column 275
Lecturers and teachers, by local education authority area in Scotland
March 1986 to March 1993
Full-time equivalents
|1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992 |1993
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Borders |1,202 |1,187 |1,190 |1,178 |1,189 |1,225 |1,252 |1,281
Central |3,358 |3,301 |3,310 |3,307 |3,208 |2,956 |2,959 |2,951
Dumfries and Galloway |1,753 |1,748 |1,748 |1,722 |1,696 |1,713 |1,713 |1,713
Fife |4,287 |4,228 |4,248 |4,259 |4,247 |4,264 |4,215 |4,443
Grampian |5,888 |5,871 |5,827 |5,571 |5,898 |5,878 |6,205 |6,015
Highland |2,396 |2,632 |2,657 |2,644 |2,703 |2,786 |2,859 |2,892
Lothian |7,787 |7,970 |7,856 |7,868 |7,855 |7,887 |7,705 |7,912
Strathclyde |27,643|27,746|27,396|27,286|28,102|27,442|27,389|27,351
Tayside |4,609 |4,580 |4,634 |4,711 |4,820 |4,733 |4,618 |4,630
Orkney |260 |267 |263 |281 |287 |286 |291 |302
Shetland |398 |398 |400 |409 |421 |442 |451 |481
Western Isles |501 |513 |517 |488 |495 |472 |476 |444
Scotland |60,083|60,441|60,045|59,724|60,919|60,085|60,133|60,415
Health Care (Glasgow)
17. Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will meet the chairman of the Greater Glasgow health board to discuss health issues in the Glasgow area.
Mr. Lang : I refer the Gentleman to the reply I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Hillhead (Mr. Galloway).
22. Mr. David Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next intends to meet the chairman and the board of Greater Glasgow health board to discuss health matters in Glasgow ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 276
Mr. Lang : I would be happy to meet the chairman of Greater Glasgow health board on a mutually convenient date to discuss health matters in Glasgow.
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh
18. Mr. Eric Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the starting date of the proposed new Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh.
Mr. Stewart : Lothian health board's acute services strategy, which includes proposals for a new Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, is currently out to public consultation. My right hon. Friend looks forward to
Column 277
considering the proposals in detail once public consultation is complete and the board has submitted its final plans to him for approval.Jetstream Factory, Prestwick
19. Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with other Departments concerning the future of the Jetstream factory at Prestwick ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart : The Scottish Office has been in close touch with colleagues in other Departments, in particular the Department of Trade and Industry, about Jetstream Aircraft. The Government's commitment to the future development of the Prestwick manufacturing factory is evidenced by a substantial offer of regional selective assistance--one of the largest offers ever made in Scotland.
Structural Plans
20. Sir David Steel : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his policy on accepting or amending draft structural plans from regional councils.
Mr. Lang : Policy guidance on structure plans is set out in SDD circular 32/1983 and planning advice note 37, a copy of which is available in the Library.
European Regional Development Fund
21. Sir David Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total value of grants that Scotland has received from the European regional development fund since its inception.
Mr. Stewart : Since the inception of the European regional development fund in 1975, Scotland has benefited from awards totalling almost £1.2 billion.
Scottish Enterprise
23. Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the budget of Scottish Enterprise.
Mr. Stewart : Scottish Enterprise's budget for 1993-94 stands at £451.3 million. My right hon. Friend shall be announcing shortly Scottish Enterprise's budget for 1994-95 in his statement on public expenditure in Scotland.
Drugs-related Deaths (Glasgow)
24. Mr. Watson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will establish a full public inquiry into drugs-related deaths in Glasgow.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : No. A conjoined fatal accident inquiry was held into four of these deaths on 1 and 2 November. To enable consideration to be given to the wider policy issues, the Crown Office has made available to the Scottish Office information collected by the procurator fiscal about these four and other similar deaths during the past two years. This information is being studied by the drugs task force under the chairmanship of my noble and learned Friend the Minister of State which is currently reviewing policies to tackle drug misuse in Scotland.
Column 278
Salmon
25. Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what further measures he proposes to take to assist the Scottish salmon farming industry.
Sir Hector Monro : The minimum import price for Atlantic salmon introduced by the European Commission with effect from 20 November provides a temporary floor to the EC market. I hope that the industry will respond quickly to the Commission's invitation to update the information it submitted in 1991 in support of allegations of dumping on to the EC market by Norwegian exporters, so as to allow a further investigation to proceed. In addition, Scottish Office officials have met the Commission Services about the introduction from 1 January 1994 of a reference price for salmon to provide a basis for any future safeguard action, as well as discussing with the industry the possible establishment of producer organisations and other measures to reduce cyclical fluctuations and market imbalance for salmon.
34. Mr. Kynoch : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the number of rod-caught Salmon on Scottish east coast rivers in the last recorded year and five years ago.
Sir Hector Monro : My Department's catch statistics show that 64, 124 salmon and grisle were caught by rod and line on Scottish east coast rivers in 1992 as compared with 69,439 in 1988.
Set-aside
26. Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received about the European Union set-aside rules and payments for Scotland.
Sir Hector Monro : Since the introduction of the arable area payments scheme my right hon. Friend and I have received representations about the set-aside rules and about payments from a number of organisations and individuals.
32. Mr. Menzies Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the arable set-aside scheme.
Sir Hector Monro : The main purpose of the set-aside element of the arable area payments scheme is to reduce arable production in all member states. It therefore has an important role to play in meeting the objectives of reform of the common agricultural policy.
River Clyde (Dredging)
27. Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when his officials last met representatives of Clydeport Ltd. to discuss the dredging of the River Clyde.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Scottish Office officials meet Clydeport Ltd. from time to time. Such contacts cover a range of topics.
Local Government (Monklands)
28. Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last discussed the standard and quality of local government in the Monklands area of Scotland.
Mr. Stewart : My colleagues and I continue to take a close interest in the provision of local government in the Monklands area, as elsewhere in Scotland.
Column 279
Howie Report
29. Mr. Raymond S. Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress is being made with regard to the consideration of the Howie report in view of the representations which have been received.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : I am still considering the Howie committee's proposals for the reform of upper secondary school awards in Scotland in the light of the representations which have been received. Decisions will be announced as soon as possible.
House Building
30. Mr. Chisholm : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many public sector houses were built in Scotland last year.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information requested is contained in table 5 of the Scottish Office Statistical Bulletin (Housing Series) No. HSG/1993/8--"Housing Trends in Scotland"--which is available in the House Library.
Industrial Waste
31. Mr. McAvoy : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has for making safe sites contaminated by industrial waste ; and what will be the cost to the Exchequer.
Sir Hector Monro : Responsibility for dealing with contaminated sites rests with the site owners. Any Government contribution towards the cost of decontamination is likely to come mainly through the Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise networks, which have between them £95 million to devote to environmental activity, including decontamination work. The level of priority and resources to be allocated to such work is a matter for the local enterprise companies to decide.
As far as local authorities are concerned, the capital allocation to their general services budget is not targeted and it is for each council to determine its own priorities for expenditure on any such work.
Homelessness
33. Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what further steps he is taking to tackle homelessness in Scotland.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Housing authorities have the statutory responsibility for dealing with homelessness. On 1 December I announced £4.35 million extra resources for expenditure on 36 homelessness projects by housing authorities in 1993-94.
This is in addition to the £513 million allocated to housing authorities in March for investment in public and private housing in 1993- 94. Homelessness is one of the three priorities which housing authorities have been asked to address in their housing strategies and output targets.
Agriculture
35. Mr. Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met the National Farmers Union to discuss current financial problems in Scottish agriculture.
Column 280
Sir Hector Monro : I have regular meetings with the National Farmers Union of Scotland at which we discuss current issues and prospects for the farming industry. The last such meeting took place on 13 October. My right hon. Friend last met the SNFU on 24 November.
Fatal Accident Inquiries (Payment)
36. Mr. Robert Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will now review the regulations and rules governing eligibility for payment from public funds to those represented at fatal accident inquiries.
Mr. Lang : I have no plans to do so.
Irvine Development Corporation
37. Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what further consideration he has given to the wind-up programme for Irvine development corporation.
Mr. Stewart : The consultation exercise on the making of wind-up orders for Irvine, Cumbernauld and Livingston development corporations has now been completed. After giving careful consideration to the responses received, I have now made wind-up orders for all three corporations. These orders will come into effect on 1 January 1994 and will provide for the wind-up of the corporations to commence on 1 January 1994 and be completed by 31 December 1996. They also include provision for the revocation of the corporations' special development orders on 31 March 1996 with protection to preserve the effect of any certificate of authorised development for a further period of five years.
Firth of Forth (Road Bridge)
Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what public consultation he proposes to hold on whether a second road bridge should be built across the Firth of Forth at Queensferry ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The proposal for a new bridge across the Firth of Forth is part of a package of proposals which includes improvements to road, bus and rail services in the cross-Forth and west of Edinburgh areas.
Other proposals were identified in the Government's paper "Setting Forth" which was the subject of wide-ranging public consultation in 1992. A scheme to build a new bridge would be subject to the usual statutory procedures, which would include formal consultation before a possible public inquiry.
Forestry Commission Land
Mr. Tipping : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland in respect of which areas of Forestry Commission land assurances have been issued that they will not be privatised ; and according to what criteria these decisions are made.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 25 November 1993] : Ministers will await the advice of the Forestry Review Group before considering what action, if any, should be taken in respect of the ownership and management of Forestry Commission woodlands.
Column 281
Mr. Laurence Peterken
Mr. George Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what conditions were attached to the appointment of Mr. Laurence Peterken to the NHS executive.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 2 December 1993] : A condition of Mr. Laurence Peterken's appointment as special projects director was that he agreed not to pursue any action against Greater Glasgow health board.
DEFENCE
Eurofighter 2000
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what stage of development has been reached in the Eurofighter 2000 project ; and if he will make a statement with particular reference to the partnership between the Government and the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany.
Mr. Aitken : I met my German opposite number, State Secretary Scho"nbohm, in Munich last month. We reviewed the progress of the EF 2000 development programme with the senior management of the German and United Kingdom partner companies in the Eurofighter consortium, and were assured that first flight would occur in April 1994 and that there are no major technical problems affecting this or other aspects of the development programme. We agreed on the importance of the project to both countries.
Information Security
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has incorporated the code of practice for information security management, published by the British Standards Institution, into relevant contracts with information technology suppliers.
Mr. Aitken : The code of practice for information security management has been developed by, and established for use by, commercial organisations ; it does not specifically address the requirements for the protection of official information. The security requirements for IT systems and services used by central Government Departments have been developed specifically for use within Government, and are reviewed regularly to ensure best practice.
Defence Radiological Protection Service
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the unclassified reports produced by the Defence Radiological Protection Service since January 1992 ; and if he will place copies of each unclassified report in the Library.
Mr. Hanley : The list of reports is given :
Title |Report number
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marine Environmental Radioactivity Surveys at
Nuclear Submarine Berths in United Kingdom-
1991.
ISBN 0 11 772746 6
(Available from HMSO at £10.50)
Survey of the Garden at 1 and 2 Repository Road,
Woolwich |1/92
DRPS Compendium of PQs and Answers for 1990
and 1991 |2/92
Marine Environmental Radioactivity Survey-Hong
Kong |3/92
HMNB Chatham-Dose Statistics 1970-1989 |4/92
Marine Environmental Radioactivity Survey of the
Falkland Islands |5/92
Determination of the Neutron Sensitivity of
Thermoluminescent Detectors |6/92
Response of the MD 3 Radiac Instrument |7/92
Marine Environmental Radioactivity Survey-
Gibraltar 1992 |12/92
MOD Tritium Inventory |13/92
DRPS RADON Dosimetry Service-Investment
Appraisal |14/92
Acceptance Testing of Temperature Controlled Baths |15/92
Laboratory Support to RAF St. Athan |16/92
RPA Group Performance Indicators |17/92
Laboratory Support to RAF Carlisle-12/92 |1/93
RAF Carlisle Clearance Survey |2/93
Laboratory Support to RAF Carlisle-1/93 |3/93
Laboratory Support to RAF Brize Norton 2/93 |4/93
Generic and Inherited Effects of Radiation |5/93
Marine Environmental Radioactivity Survey-
Bermuda 10/92 |6/93
Radiofrequency Survey of Little Content Farm |7/93
Laboratory Support to RAF Carlisle-3/93 |8/93
Marine Environmental Radioactivity Survey of Holy
Loch 1992.
ISBN 0 11 772764 4
(Available from HMSO at £8.50)
Marine Environmental Radioactivity Survey-Diego
Garcia 11/92 |10/93
Dose Statistics 1992 |11/93
Training of Health Physics at DRPS |12/93
Investigation to Determine Background Levels of
Radon in DRPS Radon Dosimetry Laboratory |14/93
Laboratory Support to RAF Carlisle-8/93 |15/93
Etch Envelope Investigation for Radon CR-39
Elements |16/93
Ditton Park Surveys |17/93
|18/93
|19/93
Laboratory Support to INM Training |20/93
Flushing of CR-39 Storage Cabinets |21/93
Marine Environmental Radioactivity Surveys at
Nuclear Submarine Berths in United Kingdom-
1992 |<1>-
<1>To be published by HMSO at end of 1993.
I will arrange for copies to be placed in the Library.
Radioactivity Surveys
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statment on the findings of (a) the marine environmental radioactivity survey of Gibraltar, DRPS report 12/92, (b) the marine environmental radioactivity survey of Hong Kong, DRPS report 3/92, (c) the marine environmental radioactivity survey of Bermuda, DRPS report 10/92 and (d) the marine environmental radioactivity survey of Diego Garcia DRPS report 11/92.
Mr. Hanley : The reports referred to are part of a routine programme of environmental radioactivity surveys which is carried out by the Defence Radiological Protection Service around all berths in the United Kingdom and dependent territories that are used by nuclear powered warships. In each case, the findings demonstrate that there has been no radiological hazard to any member of the public as a result of nuclear powered warship operation.
Sea Harrier Squadrons
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for Royal Navy Sea Harrier squadrons to request participation in flag exercises in north America.
Mr. Hanley : There are no plans to request participation by Royal Navy Sea Harriers in flag exercises in north America.
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for Royal Navy Sea Harrier squadrons to conduct training at Canadian forces base Goose Bay.
Mr. Hanley : There are plans for Royal Navy Sea Harriers to conduct training at Goose Bay.
RAF Aircraft (Goose Bay)
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many weapons, and of what types, were dropped by Royal Air Force aircraft during training from Canadian forces base Goose bay in each year since 1989.
Mr. Hanley : Numbers of practice weapons dropped in the southern low -level training area weapons range are as follows :
|1992|1993
------------------------------------------
Inert 1,000 lb bombs |285 |100
Inert 28 lb practice bombs |315 |180
There is no regulatory requirement to hold records of weapons expended for more than one year ; details of weapons dropped in the years before 1992 are therefore not available.
Column 284
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the requirements of (a) Royal Air Force Tornado GR1 units and (b) Royal Air Force Tornado F3 units for use of medium level airspace for training at Canadian forces base Goose bay.
Mr. Hanley : The RAF's principal requirement for training at Goose bay is to enable Tornado GR1s to practice operational low flying and to conduct day/night, all-weather, terrain-following radar operations. There is, therefore, no requirement for Tornado GR1s to operate in medium-level airspace other than on the rare occasions when aircraft require an air test. Tornado F3s deployed to Goose bay would not plan to operate regularly at medium level, although they may do so from time to time in support of the low-level training sorties of other aircraft.
Military Aircraft (Practice Interceptions)
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what are the minimum horizontal ranges to which a military aircraft carrying out a practice interception on a non-co-operating civil aircraft is permitted to approach its target ;
(2) if he will make a statement on the changes made to procedures for practice interceptions of civil airliners, following the aircraft proximity hazard incident off Fife on 22 October 1992 ;
(3) what instructions are contained in the group air staff orders of No. 11 Group Royal Air Force, concerning the procedures to be followed by RAF aircraft conducting practice interceptions of non-co-operating civil aircraft.
Mr. Hanley : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood) on 29 November 1993, Official Report, column 369.
Armed Forces (Commitment)
Lady Olga Maitland : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made on the ability of the armed forces, on the completion of "Options for Change", to meet all the commitments in NATO, Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Falklands, Cyprus and emergency duties ; what areas will have priority ; and which areas will have to be reassessed.
Mr. Hanley : The Government's plans for force restructuring are set out in "Defending Our Future", the 1993 Statement on the Defence Estimates. They are kept under constant review to ensure that Britain's armed forces remain well placed to meet our commitments at home and overseas. We have demonstrated our readiness to make adjustments to our plans to ensure that this remains the case.
Fife (Aircraft Proximity Hazard Incidents)
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what access the joint airmiss working group had to the recordings of radio communication between the RAF Buchan air defence radar unit and the RAF Tornado involved in an aircraft proximity hazard incident with an Air UK BAe 146 aircraft off Fife on 22 October 1992, for the purposes of their investigation into that incident.
Mr. Hanley : The joint airmiss working group did not investigate this incident, which was reported under the
Column 285
parallel aircraft proximity hazard--APHAZ-- scheme. APHAZ reports are investigated initially by the Civil Aviation Authority and analysed by an independent body of aviation, civil and military specialists known as the joint APHAZ assessment panel--JAAP. In this case, the JAAP had no access to the radio recordings or transcripts from RAF Buchan since these were classified. The JAAP did, however, receive reports from RAF Buchan and RAF Leuchars, the home base of the Tornado aircraft involved in the incident.Information Security
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement about the operation of his Department's sensitive documents unit ; how many staff are employed in its operation ; and approximately how many documents per annum come within its purview.
Mr. Hanley : MOD records are reviewed for continuing sensitivity in accordance with the guidelines set out in the open government White Paper-- Cm 2290.
There are 27 mostly part-time reviewers--equivalent to 15 full time--five of which--three full time--are employed on sensitivity review. Records reviewed are accounted for in linear footage. In the 12 months to 31 October 1993, some 340 linear feet of records were examined by the sensitivity reviewers.
Nitro-cellulose and Nitro-glycerine
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there is a strategic requirement for the United Kingdom to retain the capability to produce nitro-cellulose and nitro-glycerine for small arms ammunition ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Aitken : We do not regard the maintenance of this capability in the United Kingdom as a strategic necessity. As with all elements of the defence industrial base, however, we monitor developments in the industry carefully.
Bosnia
Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many vehicles are currently in use by British forces in Bosnia ; how many offer full armoured protection to the occupants ; and how many are soft skinned.
Mr. Hanley : There are currently 917 vehicles of all types deployed in the United Kingdom within the former Yugoslavia. Of that number 190, including 65 Warriors, are armoured, giving all-round protection. The remaining 727 vehicles consist of trucks, bulk fuel vehicles, Land Rovers, engineers' plant and mechanical handling equipment. Not all of those vehicles will be in use at any one time.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what requests he has received to provide assistance in the investigation of alleged war crimes in Bosnia ; and if he ed Nations investigators of alleged war crimes. They gave similar assistance to Dame
Column 286
Anne Warburton during her investigation earlier this year into the treatment of Muslim women in the former Yugoslavia.Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy regarding the provision of assistance by British forces in the investigation of allegations of war crimes in Bosnia ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : British forces in Bosnia provide assistance where possible to the United Nations or other official investigators of alleged war crimes on request.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which units have been identified to replace United Kingdom forces currently serving in Bosnia when their tours of duty expire ; and if he will make a statement.
| Next Section
| Home Page |