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Lothian Health Board
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on expenditure by Lothian Health on (a) the refurbishment of its headquarters building and (b) the appointment of waiting list managers, contracts managers and any other administrative staff in connection with recent reorganisations.
Mr. Stewart : The refurbishment of Lothian health board's headquarters building will cost approximately £950,000, the bulk of which is expected to fall in the current financial year.
The appointment of staff is a matter for the board and the trust in Lothian.
Apprentices
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many 16 to 18-year-olds were undergoing apprenticeship training in Scotland in the 12-month period ended (a) December 1990, (b) December 1991, (c) December 1992 and (d) December 1993 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart : This information is not available in the form requested. However, information from the labour force survey shows the numbers of 16 to 18-year-olds involved in apprenticeships in Scotland in the spring of each year from 1990 to 1993 as set out in the table :
Numbers of 16 to 18-year-olds involved in apprenticeships Period |Number --------------------- Spring 1990 |23,824 1991 |26,825 1992 |25,996 1993 |19,495
Private Nursing Homes
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many elderly persons were living long term in private nursing homes in Scotland in the 12-month period ended (a) December 1992 and (b) December 1993 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart : Information is not available centrally on persons in private nursing homes. The number of beds in private nursing homes in Scotland, as at 31 March 1993, was 16,477. It is estimated that over 85 per cent. of nursing home residents are persons over the age of 65.
Youth Training
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the trend in the numbers of persons in Scotland availing themselves of youth training including credits and training for work schemes ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart : Youth training is demand-led. There is a downward trend in the number of young people in training due in part to the effect of demography. In addition more young people leaving school are moving into further or higher education, which has the effect of further reducing the potential client group. This can be seen when comparing those who entered youth training for the first time between April and September in 1992 and 1993 respectively. In 1992 over 15, 000 joined youth training for the first time while in the same period in 1993 only around 12,500 did so.
The number of persons in training under training for work has also decreased since the programme started in April 1993. The introduction of the programme took place at the same time as the launch of an increased range of opportunities available to unemployed people through the Employment Service.
Sheltered Housing
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will release additional funds to Scottish local authorities to enable them to increase their sheltered housing facilities ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Substantial resources totalling some £405 million have been made available to local authorities for capital investment in public sector housing in 1993-94. For 1994-95 additional resources will be made available to enable local authorities to contribute to the care in the community policy including the provision of sheltered housing. I will announce these allocations shortly.
Nursery Education
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many children received pre-five education in state schools in Scotland in the academic years 1991-92 and 1992-93 ; and if he will make a statement.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The number of children attending education authority nursery schools and Departments in Scotland in 1991-92 was 45,238 and in 1992-93, 46,992. This confirms that the year on year rise in children receiving nursery education since 1979 is continuing.
Elderly People (Day Care)
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will release additional funding to Scottish health boards to enable them to increase the numbers of day care places they provide for the elderly ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart : Health boards receive generous financial resources to allow them to purchase all health services for which they are responsible. It is for health boards themselves to set priorities for spend in accordance with the needs of their area. Other agencies, principally social work departments, have a part to play in the provision of day care.
Health boards and social work departments are aware that day care is one of the priorities set out in the White Paper, "Caring for People".
Nurse to Patient Ratio
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the average nurse to patient ratio in Scottish NHS hospitals in the 12- month periods ended (a) December 1992 and (b) December 1993 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart : The ratio of qualified nurses working in hospitals to 1,000 weighted patients was 10.9 in 1992 and 10.7 in 1993. The change reflects improvements in the deployment of staff, improvements in the management of patient care in hospitals and increases in day case surgery.
Heart Surgery
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many persons aged 65 years and over received major heart surgery in Scottish hospitals in the 12-month period ended December 1990 and in the 12-month period ended December 1993 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart : The number of cardiac procedures performed in Scottish hospitals on people aged 65 and over in 1990 and in 1993 is set out in the table.
Number of cardiac procedures in Scottish hospitals by age (65 and
over)
and procedure 1990 and 1993
Year procedure |Total
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
1990
Valve Surgery Procedures |216
Coronary Bypass Procedures |446
Other Ischaemic Heart Disease Procedures |18
Other Cardiac Procedures |12
|---
Total Procedures |692
1993<1>
Valve Surgery Procedures |210
Coronary Bypass Procedures |615
Other Ischaemic Heart Disease Procedures |5
Other Cardiac Procedures |18
|---
Total Procedures |848
<1>1993 Totals are provisional.
The figures show an increase of 22.5 per cent. in the total number of procedures performed in this age group.
Nurse to Carer Ratio
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the ratio of trained nurses to carers working within Scottish NHS hospitals in the 12 months ended December 1992 and in the 12 months ended December 1993 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart : The number of carers working in the NHS in Scotland cannot be identified centrally. The ratio of qualified nurses, including midwives but excluding teachers and senior nurse managers, to unqualified nurses was 1.78 :1 on 30 September 1992 and 1.76 :1 on 30 September 1993, the most recent dates for which information is available.
Care in the Community
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what additional support facilities have been given to the elderly in Scotland who are cared for under Her Majesty's Government's community care provisions ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart : Older people form one of a number of client groups to benefit from our community care arrangements. These include involving users and carers in planning services, individual assessment of needs, greater choice of services and, where appropriate, the appointment of a care manager to ensure that appropriate packages of care are developed to meet the individual's assessed needs.
To date we have made available to local authorities over £80 million to implement our reforms. This will enable local authorities to provide and develop a wide range of services for elderly people including residential care, day and domiciliary services, aids and adaptations to houses. It is, however, for individual local authorities to decide for themselves the particular services which they provide in response to their assessment of local needs. I believe that elderly people will be among the principal beneficiaries of our reforms.
Geriatric Patients
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will increase funding to Scottish health boards for the dedicated purpose of providing physiotherapy treatment to long-stay geriatric patients in NHS hospitals ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart : It is for health boards themselves to organise physiotherapy services in accordance with the assessed needs of their area.
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to ensure that all Scottish health boards guarantee to retain a minimum number of long-stay geriatric beds within hospitals which currently have a geriatric facility ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart : The distribution of NHS facilities is a matter for health boards to decide in the light of their assessment of needs. The national health service will continue to provide long-stay care for patients who need continuing consultant
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led medical and nursing care. People whose needs are primarily for social care and whose health needs can be met by the primary care services will be the responsibility of the local authority and resources will transfer to them from the national health service. Health boards and social work authorities are developing joint strategies which fully reflect this policy.Health Centres
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will release to Scottish health boards additional funding to be used for redecorating local health centres ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart : Capital and revenue allocations for 1994-95 to Scottish trusts and health boards were announced in December 1993. For small-scale expenditure, priorities are determined locally.
School Boards
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools within each Scottish education authority area currently have school boards ; and what were the figures for 1993.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Information on the current number of school boards is not available. The most recent information relates to May 1992, based on the 1991-92 round of biennial parental elections. The figures for 1992 are taken from statistical returns made to the Scottish Office Education Department by education authorities :
Education Authority |Number of Primary |Number of
|School Boards |Secondary School
|Boards
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Borders |52 |9
Central |90 |16
Dumfries and Galloway |81 |16
Fife |95 |17
Grampian |182 |31
Highland |138 |25
Lothian |163 |47
Strathclyde |770 |169
Tayside |120 |31
Orkney |15 |6
Shetland |21 |9
Western Isles |24 |13
Strathclyde Divisions
Argyll and Bute |63 |9
Ayr |133 |30
Dumbarton |104 |23
Glasgow |186 |42
Lanark |183 |36
Renfrew |101 |29
Assisted Places
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which private schools in Ayrshire have pupils under the assisted places scheme ; how many pupils are supported at each institution ; and what is the cost to the Scottish Office of this support.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information for school year 1992- 93 is as follows :
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School |Number of assisted|Total cost
|pupils |£
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Drumley House |3 |10,790
Wellington School |55 |183,265
Departmental Information Points
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement outlining progress in establishing the Scottish Office's information points ; and what costs have been incurred so far.
Mr. Lang : Twenty information points have been established in existing Department offices throughout Scotland. Two have been set up in citizens advice bureaux offices in Airdrie and Kirkaldy, and four more information points will be opened shortly. Estimated set up operational costs amount to some £26,000. This sum was included in the figure of £175,000 quoted in my reply of 24 January, Official Report , columns 71-2 .
NHS Trusts
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many secretarial staff employed by agencies are presently doing work at those hospitals which have been granted trust status but where the changeover has not yet come into effect.
Mr. Stewart : This information is not held centrally.
NHS (Staff Cars)
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will ensure that when official cars are provided for senior executives in the NHS the recipients will be required to pay for their private motoring.
Mr. Stewart : NHS senior executives on NHS Whitley Council conditions of service are required to pay for the private use of officially supplied cars in accordance with these conditions of service. For those on NHS trust conditions of service, arrangements for the use of cars will be determined by the trust remuneration committee.
SSSIs
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many times he has granted nature conservation orders for the protection of sites of special scientific interest under section 29 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 ; how many are still in operation ; how many he has refused in Scotland since 1982 ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Hector Monro : My right hon. Friend has made 14 nature conservation orders under section 29 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and 11 are still in force. On no occasion has he refused a request from the Nature Conservancy Council, the Nature Conservancy Council for Scotland or Scottish Natural Heritage to make such an order.
Tourist Boards
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what study he has made of the costs of tourist boards between local authorities in the last two decades ; and what is his future estimate of the cost of tourist boards.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The network of area tourist boards was extended throughout Scotland from 1983 onwards. Their funding position has been as follows :
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Non-Commercial Income
Year STB/HIE Grant LA Grant Commercial Income Total
|£ |per cent |£ |per cent |£ |per cent |£
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1983-84 |<1>n/a |<1>n/a |<1>n/a |<1>n/a
1984-85 |1,218,247 |27 |1,974,932 |44 |1,280,958 |29 |4,474,137
1985-86 |1,328,925 |26 |2,168,955 |42 |1,642,070 |32 |5,139,950
1986-87 |1,423,850 |25 |2,361,628 |41 |1,947,374 |34 |5,732,852
1987-88 |1,470,972 |22 |2,682,548 |40 |2,609,998 |39 |6,763,518
1988-89 |1,513,739 |19 |3,182,322 |40 |3,216,361 |41 |7,912,422
1989-90 |1,957,940 |21 |3,942,270 |42 |3,532,980 |37 |9,433,190
1990-91 |2,227,720 |17 |5,706,580 |43 |5,365,490 |40 |13,299,790
1991-92 |2,185,090 |14 |6,901,290 |45 |6,290,160 |41 |15,376,540
1992-93 |2,443,000 |14 |7,329,000 |44 |7,063,000 |42 |16,835,000
1993-94 |n/a |n/a |n/a |n/a
<1>Figures not compiled for first year of operation.
I expect funding arrangements to continue to follow roughly the same pattern.
Enterprise Companies
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the public relations companies employed by each of Scotland's local enterprise companies ; and what is the annual cost of these services to each of the companies.
Mr. Stewart : Services contracted for by the local enterprise companies are an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. I will ask the chairmen of those bodies to write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which agency is employed by Scottish Enterprise to handle its public relations ; and what is the annual cost of these services to Scottish Enterprise.
Mr. Stewart : This is an operational matter for Scottish Enterprise. I will ask its chairman to write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the set-up costs of each of Scotland's enterprise companies.
Mr. Stewart : On 1 April 1991 Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise took over the resources, including staff and buildings, formerly administered by the Scottish development agency, the Highlands and Islands development board and the Training Agency in Scotland. Set-up costs were subsumed within the overall running costs of the new networks and cannot be identified separately. No additional provision was made available to take account of the set-up costs of the new bodies.
Telephone Information Line
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 24 January, Official Report, columns 71-72, what assessment has been made of the inquiries received by the Scottish Office's information line ; what was the nature of the inquiries raised ; what were the main subjects raised ; and what percentage of calls related to these main subject areas.
Mr. Lang : Calls received on the Scottish Office enquiry line form a small proportion of the 8,000 or so calls
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per week dealt with by the Scottish Office central enquiry unit. Calls relate to a wide variety of the subjects for which the Scottish Office is responsible. No central record is kept of the details of individual calls received since the central enquiry unit's task is to put the caller in touch as quickly as possible with the person in the Department who can best deal with the subject of the enquiry.Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 24 January, Official Report, column 71, how many calls have been received by the Scottish Office's information line in each month since its establishment.
Mr. Lang : The number of calls to the Scottish Office enquiry line each month since its introduction has been :
|Number
------------------------------
October 1993 |797
November 1993 |740
December 1993 |452
<1>January 1994 |155
<1> 1st to 21st.
Statutory Sick Pay
Mr. Ingram : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will provide figures for the amount his Department has been reimbursed by the Department of Social Security in respect of statutory sick pay provision for each of the past three years.
Mr. Lang : The information is set out in the table, which covers the Scottish Office--excluding the Scottish Prison Service--and the associated departments :
1990-91 |1991-92|1992-93 £ |£ |£ -------------------------------- 328,374 |256,418|291,390
Diabetics
Mr. Connarty : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is (a) the total budget for diabetic care, (b) the budget for education work among diabetics and (c) the expenditure for each health board in these categories.
Column 919
Mr. Stewart : This information is not collected centrally.
Universities (Academic Staff)
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a profile of academic staff at Scottish universities in terms of age and department.
Column 920
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Figures for full-time non-clinical academic staff whose salaries are wholly met from general university funds are given for the eight traditional universities in the following table. Figures for the four new universities are given for full-time academic staff by age only as a departmental breakdown is not available.
Column 919
Full-time non-clinical academic wholly university funded staff in the eight traditional Scottish universities, 1992-93
Cost centre |Age |25-29 |30-34 |35-39 |40-44 |45-49 |50-54 |55-59 |60 and |Total
|under 25 |over
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Education |- |2 |7 |13 |21 |25 |17 |19 |3 |107
Medicine, dentistry and |4 |28 |28 |59 |62 |70 |45 |40 |8 |344
health
Engineering and |3 |22 |64 |58 |81 |94 |95 |48 |27 |492
Technology
Agriculture, forestry |4 |25 |24 |26 |27 |35 |20 |13 |11 |185
and veterinary science
Biological, mathematical |3 |48 |101 |138 |180 |272 |258 |168 |67 |1,235
and physical sciences
Administrative, business |12 |71 |109 |147 |165 |221 |149 |66 |32 |972
and social studies
Achitecture and planning |- |5 |6 |7 |5 |10 |13 |9 |3 |58
Language, literature and |6 |34 |42 |35 |45 |102 |116 |30 |27 |437
area studies
Other Arts |1 |11 |29 |36 |56 |78 |78 |54 |26 |369
Other |- |- |4 |- |2 |3 |3 |2 |- |14
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |33 |246 |414 |519 |644 |910 |794 |449 |204 |4,213
Column 919
Full-time academic staff in the four new Scottish universities, 1992-93
Age |Under 30|30-34 |35-39 |40-44 |45-49 |50-54 |55-59 |60 |Total
|and over
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|98 |177 |252 |295 |334 |231 |145 |61 |1,593
Local Authority Boundary Changes
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish representations received regarding local authority boundary changes for Dumbarton district.
Mr. Stewart : It is not normal practice to publish correspondence received by Government Departments unless the correspondent has agreed to this. Since publication of the White Paper, "Shaping the Future--The New Councils", a number of representations have been received in relation to the Government's proposals as they effect Dumbarton district. Most of these have been in support of the proposed inclusion of Helensburgh and Cardross withn Argyll and Bute. Some letters have also requested that the Luss and Arden area be included within Argyll and Bute.
Paintings and Photographs
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to buy or borrow photographs; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) paintings and (b) photographs there are on the walls of his rooms.
Mr. Lang : There are six paintings on the walls of my room in Dover house, London, none in my room in St Andrew's house, Edinburgh, and one in my room at the House of Commons. I have no photographs on the walls.
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Ambulances (Response Times)
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the latest figures for response times by ambulances to 999 calls for each of the health authorities or trust areas within Scotland; and what is the average for Scotland as a whole.
Mr. Stewart : The response times for the latest period available are as follows :
Responses
(1 April 1993 to
30 November 1993)
Health Board Area |0-8 minutes |14-21 minutes
|per cent. |per cent.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Argyll and Clyde |55 |95
Ayr and Arran |45 |92
Borders |58 |94
Dumfries and Galloway |62 |89
Fife |61 |97
Forth Valley |56 |96
Grampian |63 |90
Greater Glasgow |47 |86
Highland |61 |96
Lanarkshire |46 |95
Lothian |62 |96
Tayside |66 |95
Orkney |49 |82
Shetland |44 |72
Western Isles |59 |84
Scotland Average |56 |91
Target |(50) |(95)
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Queensferry (Second Road Bridge)
Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to publish the results of the feasibility study ready into a second road bridge at Queensferry ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 28 January 1994] : Feasibility studies into aspects of the proposals for a second Forth road bridge at Queensferry and associated road links are nearing completion. The findings will be made available to interested parties, subsequently we will consider whether or not to proceed with the proposals in due course.
European Affairs (Responsibility)
Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many engagements he has carried out in his role as Minister responsible for European affairs ; and what engagements he has planned for the next six months ;
(2) what additional resources were made available in terms of staff and finance to his Department upon a Minister being appointed to be responsible for European affairs ; how often this Minister has travelled abroad to discharge his responsibilities ; which countries have been visited ; and for what purpose.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 28 January 1994] : In view of the importance of the European Union and of European Community policies to Scotland and to Scottish interests, in May of last year I invited my noble Friend the Minister of State to take responsibility for general European issues within the Scottish Office. In addition, all Ministers in the Scottish Office continue to look after European affairs within their own areas of responsibility, and I myself continue to be actively involved in European issues.
In the course of their responsibilities all Scottish Office Ministers have undertaken engagements with European dimensions and will continue to do so as the opportunity arises. For example, in November last year I addressed the annual general meeting of the Scottish Council of the European Movement and in December opened the Europartenariat in Glasgow and my noble Friend the Minister of State attended a meeting in December held by the Local Government International Bureau for the United Kingdom members of the Committee of the Regions.
In addition to domestic engagements, Ministers have also visited other member states to further Scottish interests in the European context. Last year, I visited Brussels in January and September to attend meetings of the joint Environment and Transport Council, of the joint Foreign Affairs and Agriculture Council and of the Agriculture Council and to undertake other engagements relating to Scotland's interests in Europe including meetings with Commissioners Millan and Brittan and with the Scottish European Association and Scotland Europa.
In November last year my noble Friend the Minister of State visited Brussels to attend a meeting of Justice and Interior Ministers, to meet Scottish MEPs and to undertake other engagements relating to his responsibilities for general European issues ; and in December he visited Strasbourg to participate in Scottish Week at the European Parliament. My hon. Friend the Minister for Fisheries in Scotland visited Brussels or Luxembourg on four occasions in 1993 to attend meetings of the Fisheries Council ; in addition he visited Cologne to promote
Column 922
Scottish exports at the ANUGA food fair and in January this year visited Brussels for a meeting with Commissioner Paleokrassas. My hon. Friend the Minister for Tourism in Scotland visited Bavaria in February last year to promote Scotland as a tourist destination. My hon. Friend the Minister for Industry in Scotland visited Lille in June last year to support the Scottish presence at theEuropartenariat event and Munich in December to participate in discussions about employment issues.
In response to the growing importance of the European dimension, the Scottish Office undertook a thorough review in 1991 of the way in which it conducts its European business. This resulted in the establishment of a European central support unit within the Scottish Office, currently staffed by one official at grade 7 level, one at higher executive officer level and one at executive officer level with clerical support. The unit is responsible for advising Ministers on general European issues of concern to Scotland.
Lockerbie
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland from which legally qualified persons he has had requests to see the evidence which he alleges he has in respect of two Libyans alleged to be involved in the crash of Pan Am 103.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 28 January 1994] : My noble and learned Friend, the Lord Advocate, has received requests from one Justice Zawi of the Libyan Supreme Court and from the noble Lord, Lord Macaulay of Bragar QC and Mr Alistair Duff, solicitor, acting on behalf of the two Libyan accused. My noble and learned Friend Lord Fraser of Carmyllie, the then Lord Advocate, made a full statement of facts available to the Libyan authorities when the arrest warrants were issued in November 1991. That statement contained more detail than would be required for extradition in most European countries.
The Lord Advocate has received a number of private requests from lawyers representing different interests, in the main civil, for information concerning the case and he has, in accordance with normal practice, declined to make evidence relating to the case against the two Libyans available to third parties.
Old People's Homes
Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the number of old people's homes, and the number of nursing homes in the Blairgowrie cottage hospital and Meigle cottage hospital catchment areas.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 31 January 1994] : The information is not available in the form requested. However, the number of old people's homes and nursing homes in Tayside at 31 March 1993 is as follows :
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