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Income Support
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give figures for the Durham area showing how many (a) families with children are living on income support and (b) how many children are living on income support ; and what were the figures in 1979.
Mr. Burt : The information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Supplementary Benefit
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish the numbers of people receiving supplementary benefit in Wales for each year since 1979.
Mr. Burt : The available information is in the table. Income support replaced supplementary benefit in April 1988.
Year |Recipents in
|Wales (000s)
---------------------------------------
1979 |172
1980 |186
1981 |221
1982 |253
1983 |260
1984 |275
1986 |291
1987 |287
1988 |259
1989 |246
1990 |248
1991 |257
1992 |287
1993 |309
Notes:
1. Sources: Supplementary benefit
statistics annual inquiries 1979 to
1987
Income support statistics annual
inquiries, May 1988 to
May 1992
Income support statistics quarterly
inquiry, February
1993
2. The figures have been rounded to
the nearest thousand.
3. Information for 1985 is not
available.
Child Support Act 1991
Miss Lestor : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many reduced benefit directives have been issued to lone parents since the Child Support Act 1991 came into operation.
Mr. Burt : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for East Kilbride (Mr. Ingram) on 27 January at column 363.
Compensation Recovery Unit
Dr. John Cunningham : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much money the compensation recovery unit recovered in the financial year 1992-93 by recoupment of benefits from awards of damages in personal injury claims ; and how much money the compensation recovery unit estimated in the same year it would recover by recoupment of benefit.
Mr. Hague : The administration of the compensation recovery unit is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the right hon. Member.
Letter from M. Bichard to Dr. John Cunningham, dated 27 January 1994 :
Column 453
The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking about the performance of the Compensation Recovery Unit.In the 1992-93 financial year the Compensation Recovery Unit recovered over £51 million from awards of damages in personal injury claims. The estimated recovery for the same period was almost £49 million.
I hope you will find my reply helpful.
Benefit Overpayments
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when instructions were first issued to local offices of his Department regarding the right to recover overpayments of benefits under common law in cases not covered by statutory provisions for recovery of overpayments.
Mr. Burt : The administration of benefits is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available. Letter from M. Bichard to Mr. Paul Flynn, dated 27 January 1994. The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking about the instructions issued to the Department's Local Offices about the recovery of overpayments under common law.
The Benefits Agency (BA) seeks recovery under Section 71 and Section 74 of the Social Security Administration Act 1992. Under Section 71 the recovery is sought if the overpayment has been the result of "misrepresentation" or "failure to disclose" a material fact by the beneficiary. Section 74 applies where there has been a duplicaiton of Income Support and another benefit.
Recoveries under Sections 71 and 74 are dependant on determinations made by the independent adjudicating authorities. Under Section 71 they decide whether benefit is overpaid and the amount. For Section 74 they decide the amount that is recoverable.
There may be occasions where neither Section 71 nor Section 74 applies but benefit has been paid incorrectly and on the facts of the particular case the beneficiary ought to have realised that too much benefit was being paid. As there has been no misrepresentation or failure to disclose a material fact, and other considerations of Section 74 do not apply, there is no basis for the adjudication officer to decide on the overpayment. Nevertheless the BA is entitled to seek repayment of the money overpaid in such circumstances under the established principle of common law that where a person has received money to which he is not entitled, then he should repay it. This arrangement has existed for many years and has always been contained in instructions issued to Local Offices. No recent changes in instructions have therefore been necessary.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
WALES
Smoking
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what action he has taken and what further action he plans to discourage smoking among (a) children of school age and (b) adults ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Particular campaigns aimed at children of school age include the highly successful life education centres and the anti- smoking club Smokebusters Wales. A number of new projects aimed specifically at children are also being planned.
Column 454
In relation to other groups, Health Promotion Wales' future plans include action to reduce the incidence of smoking by teenage girls, a pilot project to help smokers aged 15 to 19 to give up, and the development of materials for use in youth settings. These initiatives are the direct result of needs identified through research activity. In addition, the Welsh Office continues to support local health promotion units ; each of which are carrying out their own local smoking cessation projects.The Government have set and are determined to meet the challenging targets set out in Health Promotion Wales' document "Plans for Action 3--The Agenda for 1992-94".
National Curriculum (Changes)
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to publish guidelines for education authorities in Wales regarding changes to the national curriculum in primary schools.
Sir Wyn Roberts : I announced on 5 January that the national curriculum in Wales would be slimmed down to allow schools more time to use at their discretion. Proposals for national curriculum orders, setting out the new requirements, will be issued for consultation around Easter. Schools and local education authorities in Wales will receive details of the revised national curriculum requirements at each key stage during the spring term in 1995. The revised curriculum will come into force for the 1995-96 school year.
Modern Apprenticeships Scheme
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are his objectives for the modern apprenticeships scheme in Wales.
Mr. Redwood : The aim of modern apprenticeships in Wales is to increase our economic competitiveness by increasing the number of young people qualifying to the key technician and supervisor levels. The main emphasis in 1994-95 will be on manufacturing engineering in order to support Wales' growing reputation as a manufacturing centre. Modern apprenticeships will be extended to other sectors in 1995-96.
Arable Area Payments Scheme
Mr. Tipping : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give (a) the maximum, (b) the minimum and (c) the average amount paid out under the arable area payments scheme in Wales in the latest available year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : Amounts paid under the 1992-93 scheme are in the order of :
|£
------------------------------------
Maximum payment |34,300.00
Minimum payment |70.00
Average payment |1,700.00
These figures do not include payments for oilseeds because the final instalment is not due to be paid until early 1994.
Column 455
NATIONAL FINANCE
Insurance Premium Tax
Mrs. Beckett : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will give a full breakdown of the 35p weekly increase in tax for the average family which will result from the introduction of the insurance premium tax which he identified in his autumn Budget ; and if he will outline the assumptions on which it was based.
Sir John Cope : The 35p figure can be broken down as follows :
|Pence per
|week
------------------------------
Motor |20
Building |10
Contents |5
|---
Total |35
These figures are based on the 1991 family expenditure survey, uprated to 1994-95. The figures cover expenditure by those households which have some insurance in each of the three main types of insurance.
Interest Charges
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures he proposes to relieve small businesses and farms from paying interest charges considerably in excess of base rates.
Mr. Nelson : The Government have reduced base rates by 6.5 per cent. over the last 16 months and are committed to maintaining a competitive market for lending. The particular rates paid by individual borrowers is a matter for negotiation between them and their lenders.
Land
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many landowners and estates in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland have made unsuccessful applications to benefit under the tax procedures by which tax liability is reduced on condition that there is an undertaking to manage and protect the land from development and allow reasonable public access.
Mr. Dorrell : Information is not available in the form requested. Under 5 per cent. of applications for conditional exemption from inheritance tax or capital transfer tax are wholly rejected or withdrawn. Applications may relate to a number of properties and some of the applications which have been accepted will have been accepted only in part.
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many landowners and estates in (a) England, (b) Wales and (c) Scotland have benefited under the tax procedures by which tax liability is reduced on condition that there is an undertaking to manage and protect the land from development and allow reasonable public access.
Mr. Dorrell : There have been 126 designations of land for conditional exemption from inheritance tax or capital transfer tax in England ; five designations in Wales ; and 26
Column 456
designations in Scotland. In addition, there have been 106 designations of historic buildings in England ; five designations in Wales ; and 39 designations in Scotland. Some of the designations of historic buildings will have extended to surrounding land. Some designations of historic buildings have been for the purposes of the tax exemptions for maintenance funds rather than for exemption of the buildings themselves.Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the approximate value of the tax forgone in each year since 1976 in the cases where landowners and estates have benefited under the tax procedures by which tax liability is reduced on condition that there is an undertaking to manage and protect the land from development and allow reasonable public access.
Mr. Dorrell : The annual average cost of inheritance tax conditional exemption for land and buildings is estimated to have been between £5 million and £10 million over the period 1983-84 to 1992-93. Figures for earlier years are not available.
Works of Art
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that estates claiming exemption from inheritance tax make available to the public details of the works of art to which they have a right of access.
Mr. Dorrell : Public access to works of art granted exemption from inheritance tax may be provided in a number of ways. The publicity arrangements will differ depending on the way chosen.
The owner may arrange to exhibit the object in a house or room which is open to the public for an agreed number of days each year ; appropriate publicity for the opening of the house would be required. The owner may lend the object to a public collection for display on a long-term basis ; publicity would then be the responsibility of the curator of this collection.
Alternatively, the owner may arrange viewing by appointment provided he is also willing to lend the object on request to a public collection. All objects which can be viewed by appointment are publicised by means of an entry in the computerised register of conditionally exempt property held by the national art library in the Victoria and Albert museum in London. Copies of the register are also available for consultation in the national library of Scotland in Edinburgh, the national museum of Wales in Cardiff and the Ulster museum in Belfast. Copies of the register on computer disc can be purchased from the capital taxes office at a price of £10 each. The register is updated quarterly and the Inland Revenue issues quarterly press releases giving details of recent additions to the register.
Unicorn Heritage
Mr. Enright : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what total tax relief was given to investors in Unicorn Heritage plc under Treasury business expansion schemes when that company went bankrupt ; and under what guidelines it was given.
Mr. Dorrell : For reasons of taxpayer confidentiality, details of tax relief, if any, given to individuals in any particular instance are not disclosed.
Column 457
Income Tax
Ms Harman : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update table 2.3 of Inland Revenue Statistics 1993 with data for 1994-95 on the basis of his budget proposals for income tax.
Column 458
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 27 January 1994] : The information is given in the table. Estimates for 1992-93 onwards are based on a projection of the 1991-92 survey of personal incomes.
Column 457
Shares of total income tax liability<1> (percentages) Quantile groups of |1978-79 |1981-82 |1986-87 |1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93 |1993-94 |1994-95 taxpayers ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Top 1 per cent. |11 |11 |14 |15 |16 |17 |17 |17 Top 5 per cent. |24 |25 |29 |32 |33 |33 |34 |34 Top 10 per cent. |35 |35 |39 |42 |43 |45 |45 |45 Next 40 per cent. |47 |46 |43 |43 |42 |42 |42 |42 Lower 50 per cent. |18 |19 |16 |15 |15 |13 |13 |13 All taxpayers (=100 per cent.) (£ billion) |20.3 |30.5 |42.8 |60.2 |63.4 |63.1 |64.9 |70.6 <1> Independent taxation was introduced from 6 April 1990. For years up to and including 1986-87, married couples are counted as one taxpayer and their incomes are combined. For 1990-91 onwards, husbands and wives are counted separately.
SCOTLAND
Teacher Training Costs
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has of the total cost involved in training (a) a secondary and (b) a primary school teacher in Scotland.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information set out in the table is based upon returns from teacher training institutions, other than the university of Stirling, detailing course costs in 1991-92. The figures include also an estimate of student support costs, assuming entitlement to full maintenance grant and loan at the "home" rates.
Course |Estimated cost
|per student
|1991-92
|£
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
BEd primary four-year course |26,200
PGCE Primary one-year postgraduate course |7,220
BEd Secondary four-year course |26,390
PGCE Secondary one-year postgraduate course |7,290
Procurators Fiscal
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many cases were reported to each procurator fiscal by the police in each year since 1990.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Procurators fiscal receive reports from over 50 reporting agencies including the police. The total numbers of such reports for each year since 1990 are given in the table. Separate statistics are not kept of the number of reports submitted by the police, but their reports will account for approximately 90 per cent. of the totals given.
1990
|CRIM
|reports
------------------------------
Aberdeen |14,740
Airdrie |9,254
Alloa |3,341
Arbroath |3,104
Ayr |11,059
Banff |1,311
Campbeltown |665
Cupar |2,800
Dingwall |1,931
Dornoch |546
Dumbarton |9,198
Dumfries |7,928
Dundee |15,016
Dunfermline |7,623
Dunoon |1,444
Duns |1,854
Edinburgh |37,028
Elgin |4,931
Falkirk |10,057
Forfar |3,624
Fort William |1,515
Glasgow |79,538
Greenock |7,080
Haddington |3,974
Hamilton |26,757
Inverness |6,946
Jedburgh |1,887
Kilmarnock |12,903
Kirkcaldy |8,130
Kirkcudbright |1,606
Kirkwall |616
Lanark |4,767
Lerwick |1,140
Linlithgow |9,566
Lochmaddy |199
Oban |1,141
Paisley |10,476
Peebles |1,029
Perth |11,392
Peterhead |2,959
Portree |574
Rothesay |289
Selkirk |2,411
Stirling |6,788
Stonehaven |3,637
Stornoway |1,030
Stranraer |2,124
Tain |1,542
Wick |1,426
|---
Totals |360,896
1991
|CRIM
|reports
------------------------------
Aberdeen |16,556
Airdrie |9,334
Alloa |3,526
Arbroath |3,151
Ayr |11,285
Banff |1,719
Campbeltown |875
Cupar |2,602
Dingwall |1,873
Dornoch |535
Dumbarton |9,757
Dumfries |8,620
Dundee |14,202
Dunfermline |8,058
Dunoon |1,433
Duns |1,963
Edinburgh |33,805
Elgin |5,261
Falkirk |10,897
Forfar |4,003
Fort William |1,562
Glasgow |81,564
Greenock |6,984
Haddington |3,595
Hamilton |25,519
Inverness |7,836
Jedburgh |2,255
Kilmarnock |12,650
Kirkcaldy |8,502
Kirkcudbright |1,826
Kirkwall |593
Lanark |6,539
Lerwick |950
Linlithgow |8,741
Lochmaddy |211
Oban |1,105
Paisley |11,799
Peebles |1,093
Perth |10,475
Peterhead |3,126
Portree |789
Rothesay |339
Selkirk |2,302
Stirling |7,218
Stonehaven |4,777
Stornoway |1,078
Stranraer |3,365
Tain |1,520
Wick |1,206
|---
Totals |368,974
1992
|CRIM
|reports
------------------------------
Aberdeen |15,846
Airdrie |8,907
Alloa |3,650
Arbroath |3,693
Ayr |10,552
Banff |1,542
Campbeltown |786
Cupar |3,020
Dingwall |1,827
Dornoch |542
Dumbarton |8,759
Dumfries |9,430
Dundee |13,225
Dunfermline |8,404
Dunoon |1,381
Duns |2,134
Edinburgh |34,487
Elgin |4,568
Falkirk |10,983
Forfar |3,800
Fort William |1,693
Glasgow |81,977
Greenock |7,129
Haddington |4,338
Hamilton |24,548
Inverness |8,059
Jedburgh |2,311
Kilmarnock |12,149
Kirkcaldy |8,915
Kirkcudbright |1,946
Kirkwall |627
Lanark |6,531
Lerwick |807
Linlithgow |8,655
Lochmaddy |236
Oban |1,113
Paisley |14,266
Peebles |1,423
Perth |9,833
Peterhead |3,188
Portree |494
Rothesay |307
Selkirk |2,043
Stirling |6,786
Stonehaven |3,346
Stornoway |785
Stranraer |3,196
Tain |1,500
Wick |1,326
|---
Totals |367,063
1993
|CRIM
|reports
------------------------------
Aberdeen |13,371
Airdrie |7,141
Alloa |2,933
Arbroath |2,879
Ayr |8,093
Banff |1,205
Campbeltown |652
Cupar |2,109
Dingwall |1,375
Dornoch |493
Dumbarton |7,573
Dumfries |6,411
Dundee |10,520
Dunfermline |6,508
Dunoon |1,068
Duns |1,211
Edinburgh |29,977
Elgin |3,669
Falkirk |7,832
Forfar |2,387
Fort William |1,556
Glasgow |72,638
Greenock |5,170
Haddington |3,766
Hamilton |17,296
Inverness |7,190
Jedburgh |1,727
Kilmarnock |9,811
Kirkcaldy |6,881
Kirkcudbright |1,155
Kirkwall |616
Lanark |4,716
Lerwick |789
Linlithgow |7,236
Lochmaddy |234
Oban |1,042
Paisley |11,734
Peebles |868
Perth |7,759
Peterhead |2,691
Portree |429
Rothesay |232
Selkirk |1,526
Stirling |5,202
Stonehaven |2,163
Stornoway |761
Stranraer |2,129
Tain |1,252
Wick |1,065
|---
Totals |297,041
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what procedures are in operation to monitor the way in which procurators fiscal deal with cases reported to them by the police ; and what account is taken of the results of such monitoring in the rewarding or career patterns of procurators fiscal and in the allocation of financial resources.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Procurators fiscal prepare monthly reports of workload and performance. The information is analysed centrally in Crown Office for senior management. The work of local offices is monitored regularly by regional procurators fiscal and by the management services group in the Crown Office, which is engaged in a continuing programme of review. Procurators fiscal are subject to the directions of my noble and learned Friend, the Lord Advocate and must report serious cases for the instructions of his Deputes. Financial resources are allocated on the basis of the workload of each office and the allocation takes account of the demands made by different types of case. A procurator fiscal is a civil servant. His competence is systematically appraised each year and he has the opportunity to earn performance pay. His performance is not measured in terms of results in court or by the number of convictions he obtains. The development of a procurate fiscal's career depends on how well he carries out a wide range of duties, and to advance he must be successful at promotion boards, which form part of the service's rigorous selection process.
Nurses
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many nurses were employed in national health service hospitals in each of the last five years for which figures are available ; and what are the figures for nurses employed in the community alongside family doctors.
Mr. Stewart : The numbers of qualified nursing staff employed in hospitals and directly employed by GP practices are shown in the table. This also gives data for qualified staff working in the community who are employed by health boards and NHS trusts ; these include those who work closely with GPs, like health visitors and district nurses, and others who may not, such as clinic or school nurses.
Numbers of qualified nurses, WTE, working in the NHS in Scotland.<1>
|Hospital Staff|Community<2> |Staff employed
|Staff |in GP
|practices
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1989 |29,412.0 |5,210.7 |295.3
1990 |29,478.0 |5,261.1 |583.5
1991 |29,731.6 |<3>5,525.7 |646.8
1992 |29,714.6 |5,432.8 |695.3
1993 |<4>29,510.4 |<4>5,392.9 |735.5
<1> Includes midwives and only staff who are registered or enrolled. Bank
nurses, staff in training or staff who are unqualified such as auxiliaries
or
nursery nurses are not included. Data for hospital and community staff are
at 30 September and for GP practice staff at 1 April.
<2> Includes both staff who work closely with GPs and those who may not.
<3> The increase in community staff between 1990 and 1991 is the result of
a reclassification of staff previously classified as hospital staff.
<4> Provisional.
Scottish Power (Fraud)
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the Serious Fraud Squad has concluded its investigation into alleged complaints of fraud in the supply of coal to Scottish Power, and with what results.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The investigation by Fife constabulary is not yet concluded.
Scottish Legal Aid Board
Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total cost incurred by the Scottish Legal Aid Board in connection with market testing of its operations ; if these costs have been met from the board's current budget ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : In common with other non-departmental public bodies, the Scottish Legal Aid Board is undertaking a programme of market testing of certain of its activities. Separately identifiable costs to date amount to £30,000. These have been met from within the board's adminstrative budget of £7.862 million for 1993-94.
Director of Information
Mr. Norman Hogg : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the salary grading and scale attaching to the post of director of information at the Scottish Office ; what are the duties and responsibilities of the office ; and to whom the office holder is responsible.
Mr. Lang : The post of director of the Scottish Office information directorate is graded at unified grade 5 within the civil service grading structure. At present the national rate of pay for the grade is within the range £36,019-£53,740 progression being dependent on performance.
The director is responsible for the provision of advice to Ministers and all departments of the Scottish Office on the public presentation, through press, radio and television, of Government policy and the work of the Ministers and the departments of the Scottish Office.
The post also carries responsibility for paid publicity, including advertising and publications, media arrangements for royal visits to Scotland, organising programmes and providing escorts for Foreign and Commonwealth Office-sponsored VIP visitors to Scotland, and the provision of news and radio tapes for overseas markets on behalf of the Central Office of Information.
The director is directly responsible to Ministers as regards the professional advice provided by the information directorate. Management oversight of the directorate is exercised by the deputy secretary in charge of central services within the Scottish Office.
Forestry
Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to publish a strategy for woodlands and forestry to implement his policy objectives.
Column 463
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 24 January 1994] : We published on Tuesday 25 January "Sustainable Forestry : The UK Programme" which explains how the forest principles will be implemented in the United Kingdom under our existing forestry policy.
NHS (Non-executive Directors)
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the number of attendances, and the maximum possible of attendances, of non-executive directors at (1) national health service trust board meetings, and (2) health boards, in the latest 12 months or part thereof for which information is available.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 27 January 1994] : The information requested is not recorded centrally.
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he has taken to ensure that non-executive members of national health service boards (a) visit a representative sample of the units under their control to observe service delivery in action, (b) take part in joint training and development with executive members and (c) receive training in how the national health service is financed.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 27 January 1994] : All members of health boards and national health service trusts are invited on appointment to attend national conferences to develop their understanding of the strategy, structure and finance of the national health service in Scotland. Boards are also strongly encouraged to provide induction programmes covering all local issues, including site visits to a range of facilities. The management development group also actively promotes joint training and development locally for non-executive and executive members, and they are given the opportunity to participate in a range of training programmes, including corporate management and financial responsibility.
Paediatric Care
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will make it his policy to increase the number and availability of paediatric intensive care unit beds ;
(2) if he will order a review in each health board area of the provision of children's intensive care ; and if he will consider designating sites as area paediatric intensive care units ; (3) what is his policy on the ratio of paediatric intensive care unit beds to the population of children aged under 14 years ; (4) if he will require purchasers and providers to meet agreed standards for the provision of paediatric intensive care beds.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 27 January 1994] : It is a matter for health boards to purchase paediatric intensive care based on their assessment of local needs.
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the extent of the shortfall of paediatric intensive care unit beds.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 27 January 1994] : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 10 December 1993, Official Report, column 353.
Column 464
Council Housing
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much from (a) grants, (b) consent to borrow and (c) capital receipts was spent in 1991-92 and 1992-93 on (i) council housing stock, (ii) owner-occupied stock, (iii) housing associations' stock and (iv) Scottish Homes stock ; and how much of these sums, in each category of financial contribution and type of stock, was devoted to eradication of dampness and condensation.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 27 January 1994] : Information in the form requested is not held centrally. Decisions on whether particular expenditure is financed from grants, borrowing, capital receipts or from other revenue is a matter for individual housing authorities. Similarly housing resource allocations are not generally earmarked for specific purposes and it is up to individual housing authorities to decide on the balance of investment in specific areas, including tackling dampness and condensation. Local authorities and Scottish Homes have, however, been asked to give priority to eliminating dampness and condensation in preparing their capital programmes for future years.
Development Corporations (Rent Increases)
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the rent increases announced by Irvine development corporation.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 27 January 1994] : The house rent increases announced by Irvine development corporation, which will come into effect on 28 March, provide for a rise in management and maintenance costs above the rate of inflation and are expected to be broadly in line with the average set by other private sector landlords.
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what rent increases have been announced by Irvine, Cumbernauld, Livingston, East Kilbride and Glenrothes development corporations ; and what guidelines the Scottish Office issued to the development corporations prior to a decision being taken on the level of rent increase.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 27 January 1994] : Irvine, Livingston and East Kilbride development corporations have each announced a 5 per cent. increase in house rents from the beginning of 1994-95. Glenrothes and Cumbernauld have yet to announce the level of rent increase which will apply. These increases are in line with my right hon. Friend's advice to corporations that present house rents should, on average, be increased by between 5 per cent. and 7 per cent. from the beginning of the new financial year.
Inquiry Line
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of the cost of setting up the Scottish Office inquiry line and the cost to date, the cost of administering the service, the number of staff employed and the salary of the head of the Scottish Office inquiry line.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 27 January 1994] : The set-up costs for the Scottish Office inquiry line amount to
Column 465
£176,871. This includes initial publicity costs of £150,000 necessarily incurred to make the new arrangements known to the public. The estimated annual cost of operating the information line is £28,500 ; the costs to date are approximately £7,125.The Scottish Office central inquiry unit has responsibility for the new information line and the unit was augmented by one to handle the new initiative. The unit is currently headed by a senior librarian whose annual salary is in the range of £19,215 to £24,780.
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the number of calls received from each region between 1 October and 13 December 1993 to the Scottish Office inquiry line.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 27 January 1994] : Statistics on the number of Scottish callers to the inquiry line are divided into three catchment areas plus a fourth covering England and Wales. The number of calls received for the period 1 October to 13 December 1993 were :
|Number
---------------------------------
Aberdeen |297
Edinburgh |579
Glasgow |864
England and Wales-
various locations |98
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the number of calls received between1 October and 13 December 1993 to the Scottish Office inquiry line.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 27 January 1994] : The Scottish Office inquiry line received 1,838 calls between1 October and 13 December 1993.
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give details of the subject matter of calls received by the Scottish Office inquiry line ; and which of his departments has been involved in each case.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 27 January 1994] : No specific record is kept of the subject matter of each call received through the Scottish Office inquiry line but topics of inquiry have included trust hospitals, the opting out of schools, road building programmes, social services provision, planning and environmental issues.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Yugoslavia
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has regarding the country of manufacture of guns obtained by Serbian forces since July 1992 which have been used against (a) British service men and (b) Bosnian civilians in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
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