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Mr. P. StreaterMr. M. Lipsey
Mrs. E. Aughey
Mr. A. Law
Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland who are the members currently appointed to the Advisory Committee on Medical Establishments.
Mr. Stewart : The current members are :
Dr. A. B. Young, Chairman
Mr. M. D. Cook
Dr. C. A. Cormie
Dr. A. Cremona
Professor G. W. Fenton
Dr. J. A. Ford
Dr. H. P. McEwan
Mr. A. B. MacGregor
Mr. P. McNally
Dr. S. B. M. Reith
Dr. M. A. Roberts
Dr. I. S. Ruthven
Professor A. A. Spence
Professor F. Walker
Professor J. Weir
Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland who are the members currently appointed to the board of Scottish Enterprise.
Mr. Stewart : The members currently appointed to the board of Scottish Enterprise are as follows :
Professor Donald Iain MacKay, MA, FRSE, Chairman
Ronald Garrick, CBE, Deputy Chairman
Dr. James Adamson, OBE
Professor Andrew Bain
Tom Farmer, CBE
Michael Gray, OBE
Barbara Kelly, CBE
Rosemary McKenna
Cameron McLatchie, OBE
Professor John Shaw, CBE
Yvonne Strachan
In addition the chief executive of Scottish Enterprise is an ex-officio member of the board.
Mr. Kilfoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland who are the members currently appointed to the Scottish Legal Aid Board.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The present membership of the Scottish Legal Aid Board is as follows :
Mrs. Christine Davis, Chairman
George Barrie, Esq
Mrs. Patricia A. M. Bolton
Mrs. Pamela Bowman
Miss M. Lynda Clark, QC
Archibald Gilchrist, Esq
Professor Peter H. Grinyer
George D. Holmes, Esq CB FRSE
David A. Leitch, Esq
Robert J. Livingstone, Esq
Mrs. Isobel G. McColl
Colin N. McEachran, Esq QC
Sheriff Robin G. McEwan, QC
Mrs. Gillian M. Peebles
Mrs. Margaret Tait
Supplies (Quality)
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action his Department takes if the quality of supplies from one of its contractors does not meet the specification.
Mr. Lang : Should the quality of supplies from a contractor fail to meet the specification, the contractor will immediately be invited to discuss with the Department
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what measures the supplier intends to implement to rectify the problem. If the problem with the quality of supplies is not rectified, the Scottish Office will consider exercising its rights under the terms and conditions of the contract.Contracting Out (Pension Rights)
Mr. Henderson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidance he has issued about the effect of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 and the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 on the transfer of pension rights in services in his Department which are subject to contracting out.
Mr. Lang : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 18 February, at column 1010.
EC Structural Funds
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has as to what proportion of EC structural funds for industrial and urban areas in decline--objective 2 areas--will be apportioned to (a) Greenock and Port Glasgow, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland as a whole ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 7 February 1994] : The European Commission recently announced indicative allocations to member states. The United Kingdom share of objective 2 funds for the period 1994-96 has been set at 2,142 mecu at 1994 prices.
Allocations to individual objective 2 areas will be linked to the submission of satisfactory regional development plans to the European Commission and the establishment of Community support frameworks for the respective objective 2 areas. The Commission has indicated that use within the United Kingdom of the same criteria for internal allocation as were used to set the United Kingdom total would result in the allocation of 19 per cent. of the available resources to Scotland, as follows :
Eastern Scotland 118 mecus
Western Scotland 289 mecus
The Western Scotland area includes Strathclyde region outside objective 1 and a small part of the Glasgow travel-to-work area in central region.
Funds are not normally earmarked for specific parts within designated objective 2 areas. Individual areas benefit through projects competing successfully for funds by demonstrating value for money and lasting economic benefit.
Local Authorities (Applicants)
Mr. Norman Hogg : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what advice he has given to local authorities on the appointment of chief executives ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 7 February 1994] : My right hon. Friend has no locus in the employment practices of local authorities and has therefore offered no advice on the subject.
Court of Session
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he intends to consult interested parties before the next revision of fees for actions in the Court of Session.
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Mr. Lang : Officials have asked the Law Society of Scotland for views on proposals for the attribution of costs to different items of business in the Court of Session in preparation for revision of the Court of Session fees.
AIDS
Mr. Chisholm : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much money will be given to each health board in Scotland in 1994-95 for (a) HIV/AIDS and (b) drugs services.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 18 February 1994] : Discussions are currently taking place with Scottish health boards to consider the proposals which each has submitted for the funding of HIV/AIDS and drug misuse services in 1994-95.
Planning Guidelines
Mr. Charles Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to be able to issue draft planning/mineral guidelines ; if he proposes to make these open to consultation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 18 February 1994 ] : Draft national planning policy guidelines on land for mineral working were issued for public consultation in July 1992. We do not propose further consultation, and intend to issue the final guidelines soon.
Cancer Clusters
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what surveys have been undertaken by the Scottish Office into cancer clusters in the west of Scotland ; and what conclusions they have reached.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 18 February 1994] : Over the last three years, the information and statistics division of the NHS in Scotland has carried out four studies of cancer incidence in the west of Scotland, as follows : cancer incidence in the Port Glasgow area ; childhood leukaemia in Largs and Millport ; cancer incidence in the Cumbernauld and Muirhead areas ; and childhood cancer in the Ayrshire and Arran health board area. Each study concluded that there was no evidence of abnormally high rates of cancer in the area studied.
Hearing Aids (Children)
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) which agency monitors the provision of insurance on hearing aids for children and young people ; and what plans there are to change the present arrangement ;
(2) if he will list the conditions under which children and young people are entitled to be provided with the most appropriate hearing aid whether or not this is part of the national health service range of hearing aids ;
(3) which agency is responsible for monitoring the provision and maintenance of hearing aids for (a)
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pre-school children, (b) children at school and (c) young people aged 16 years and above who are in full-time education ; and what plans there are to change the present arrangement.Mr. Stewart [holding answer 21 February 1994] : Hearing aids are available under the national health service for anyone who needs one. It is for the clinician concerned to decide which aid is most appropriate in each case, whether it is from the standard range or purchased by hearing aid centres from a commercial source. As hearing aids are provided on loan there is no requirement for the patient, or in the case of a child under 16 the child's parent, to insure the device. We have no plans to change these arrangements.
Voluntary Organisations
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the number of voluntary organisations in Scotland receiving funding from regional social work departments in Scotland.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 22 February 1994] : The information requested is not held centrally.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many representations his Department has received from voluntary organisations expressing concern that (a) the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Bill has no statutory requirement for the new councils to establish a social work committee, or a director of social work and (b) that there is no requirement for a director of social work, if appointed, to hold a professional qualification in social work.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 22 February 1994] : As at 16 February representations have been received from 27 voluntary organisations, four housing associations and five individuals expressing concern that the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Bill has no statutory requirement for the new councils to establish a social work committee or a director of social work. Those same correspondents have also expressed concern that there is no requirement for a director of social work, if appointed, to hold a professional qualification in social work.
Dental Treatment
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many dentists have been recruited by each of Scotland's health boards in each of the last three years ; and how many dentists are currently employed by each of Scotland's health boards.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 16 February 1994] : The information requested is shown in table 1. General dental practitioners are not employed by health boards but are independent contractors who join a health board's dental list and undertake to provide NHS dental services. The number of general dental practitioners on health board dental lists is contained in table 2.
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Table 1
Hospital, community and salaried dentists; by health board:
at 30 September
Recruits in year ending Number in post
|1991 |1992 |1993 |1993<1>
--------------------------------------------------------------
Scotland |62 |60 |29 |462
Argyll and Clyde |5 |5 |3 |30
Ayrshire and Arran |3 |2 |1 |21
Borders |1 |- |- |9
Dumfries and Galloway |1 |- |1 |13
Fife |2 |4 |2 |26
Forth Valley |3 |1 |1 |15
Grampian |6 |6 |- |31
Greater Glasgow |17 |10 |7 |112
Highland |4 |2 |5 |25
Lanarkshire |4 |1 |6 |36
Lothian |11 |26 |2 |98
Orkney |- |1 |- |3
Shetland |- |2 |- |5
Tayside |4 |- |3 |53
Western Isles |1 |2 |1 |8
<1> Some dentists may hold contracts in more than one health
board and are therefore double counted.
Table 2
Number of general dental practitioners on
health board dental lists as at
30 September 1993
Health Board |Number
------------------------------------------------
Argyll and Clyde |163
Ayrshire and Arran |126
Borders |34
Dumfries and Galloway |40
Fife |116
Forth Valley |81
Grampian |160
Greater Glasgow |356
Highland |67
Lanarkshire |142
Lothian |283
Orkney |3
Shetland |6
Tayside |139
Western Isles |10
|---
Total |1,726
Ministerial Visits
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the date, purpose and itinerary of official visits made to each Scottish parliamentary constituency by himself and each Minister in his Department since January 1993.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 10 February 1994] : The information is not held in the form requested and its compilation would involve disproportionate costs. Scottish Office Ministers have paid around 450 official visits to many parts of Scotland since January 1993.
CHURCH COMMISSIONERS
Pension Fund
Mr. Clifton-Brown : To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners what plans the Commissioners have for a separate pension fund to be set up with independent trustees; and if it will be the Commissioners' policy for the size of the fund to be
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actuarially sound to meet all committed pension payments even to the extent of funding it out of income for a number of years.Mr. Alison : It is the Commissioners' intention to ensure that the arrangements for the funding of clergy pensions should be placed on an actuarially sound basis. A leading firm of actuaries has been appointed to offer independent advice and discussions are being held with the Church of England Pensions Board and others about the best way forward. The Commissioners' assets comfortably exceed the pensions liabilities which have accrued to date.
Investment Advisers
Mr. Clifton-Brown : To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners, pursuant to his answer of 7 February, Official Report, column 9, what consideration the Church Commissioners gave to dismissing any of their commercial property investment advisers in the last three years.
Mr. Alison : The Commissioners regularly review the performance of their commercial property advisers. None has been dismissed but, following competitive tendering, the day-to-day management of their American properties has passed from Chesterton to Aldrich, Eastman and Waltch of Boston, Massachusetts.
Mr. Clifton-Brown : To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners what plans the Church Commissioners have to contract out to independent professional advisers any investment advice currently obtained in house.
Mr. Alison : The Commissioners already have the benefit of a wide range of professional investment advice through the use of external managers for their property portfolio and from brokers in relation to their stock exchange investments. The independent actuaries, to whom I referred in my previous answer will, in addition to expenditure liabilities, also advise on investment strategy and management.
Mr. Clifton-Brown : To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners if he will list which recommendations outlined in the Lambeth Group report and Coopers and Lybrand report to the
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Archbishop of Canterbury last year have now been implemented, with particular reference to (a) the recommended alternations in the investment strategy and (b) regarding pensions as a first charge on the Commissioners' assets.Mr. Alison : I have arranged for a copy of GS1093 to be placed in the Library. This note was prepared by the Commissioners to inform the General Synod debate last
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November about the Lambeth report and lists action taken in response to the report s recommendations. The outstanding recommendations are being actively pursued, although the reduction of the Commissioners' dependence on property investment has to be sensibly managed against market conditions and may take several years to achieve. As regards pensions, I refer the hon. Member to my previous answer.
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