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Column 256
Permanent Secretary's Handbook"
Mr. Gunnell : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will place a copy of the "Permanent Secretary's Handbook" in the Library.
Mr. Waldegrave : No. The handbook referred to is a compendium of guidance and other documents which heads of departments and others with similar responsibilities find useful to have collected together. Much of the material in it is already in the public domain--for example, "Questions of Procedure for Ministers",the "Armstrong Memorandum" on the duties and responsibilities of civil servants,the memorandum of guidance for officials appearing before Select Committees, guidance on Government publicity and advertising, the "Radcliffe Rules" on ministerial memoirs, and guidance on access by Ministers to documents of a previous Administration. Other material, for example on security and vetting procedures, is justifiably confidential.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Fair Employment (Health Boards)
Dr. Hendron : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total amount of legal costs incurred by each of the Northern Ireland health boards in defending cases involving sexual and religious discrimination.
Mr. Ancram : The total amount of legal costs incurred by each of the Northern Ireland health and social services boards in defending cases involving sexual and religious discrimination is not known since the majority of cases are still on-going and the costs incurred have not yet been established. The figures in the table represent only those legal fees which have actually been paid during the last three years.
Column 255
|Sex |Religious |Joint sex/
|discrimination|discrimination|religious
|discrimination
|£ |£ |£
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern |16,950 |11,991 |<1>13,585
Northern |Nil |17,603 |-
Southern |Nil |Nil |-
Western |1,292 |1,907 |-
<1>For period April 1993 to date.
Dr. Hendron : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what co-ordination exists between each of the Northern Ireland health boards and the Fair Employment Commission.
Mr. Ancram : Health and social services boards each have an equal opportunities unit which is in regular contact with the FEC for advice and guidance on employment matters. Each board also has contact in relation to the monitoring of the composition of its work force.
Dr. Hendron : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money in total has been spent by each of the Northern Ireland health boards in settling legal cases taken against the board involving sexual discrimination.
Column 256
Mr. Ancram : The total money spent by each of the Northern Ireland health and social services boards in settling legal cases taken against the board involving sexual discrimination is shown in the table.
|£
------------------------------
Eastern |<1>73,085
Northern |Nil
Southern |Nil
Western |12,150
<1> Includes £49,468 on joint
gender/religious
discrimination cases.
Dr. Hendron : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if the Department of Health will order an investigation into the employment policies of the Northern Ireland health boards.
Column 257
Mr. Ancram : Health and social services boards are subject to selection and appointment procedures which were issued by the Department of Health and Social Services in June 1991. The HSS boards then have detailed policies to supplement and clarify for their staff the application of the selection and appointment procedures. The Department is satisfied these purposes are fair to all staff. The health and social services boards also have comprehensive policies in respect of other aspects of employment including equal opportunities, sexual harassment, job sharing, career breaks and employment of disabled people. These policies take into account guidance from other agencies such as the FEC and the EOC. The Management Executive instituted a review of the selection and appointment procedures in November 1993 and all interested organisations--health and social services boards,health and social services trusts, staff, professional interests, the Fair Employment Commission and the Equal Opportunities Commission were invited to contribute to the review.
The Department has looked carefully at existing practice. It is conscious that isolated problems have arisen in respect of the implementation of this policy but is confident that the procedures remain valid and therefore sees no requirement for an investigation.
Dr. Hendron : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money in total has been spent by each of the last Northern Ireland health boards in settling legal cases taken against the board involving religious discrimination.
Mr. Ancram : The total money spent by each of the Northern Ireland health and social services boards in settling legal cases taken against the board involving religious discrimination is shown in the table.
Column 258
|£
---------------------------------
Eastern |<1>121,991
Northern |52,500
Southern |Nil
Western |19,646
<1> Includes £49,468 on joint
gender/religious discrimination
cases.
Mr. Ancram : The number of religious discrimination cases currently pending against each of the Northern Ireland health and social services boards is as follows :
|Number
-----------------------
Eastern |14
Northern |7
Southern |4
Western |6
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish tables showing for each health and social services board in Northern Ireland the (a) number of complaints made in each of the last three years about discrimination on the grounds of (i) gender and (ii) religion, (b) the number of each category (1) withdrawn, (2) settled out of court and (3) settled at a court hearing, and the (x) costs and (y) compensation paid in respect of each category in each such year.
Mr. Ancram : The information is as follows :
The majority of the cases are still on-going and consequently the legal costs incurred have not yet been established. The figures in the tables showing legal costs represent only those legal fees which have actually been paid over the last three years.
Column 257
Year lodged |Number |Settled out of|Settled in |Pending |Total |Legal costs |Compensation
|withdrawn |court |court
|£ |£
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern Board
(1) Gender cases
1991 |- |9 |- |1 |10 |1,762 |10,000
1992 |6 |4 |- |1 |11 |4,188 |10,750
1993 |1 |3 |- |6 |10 |10,999 |11,768
(2) Religious cases
1991 |3 |3 |- |1 |7 |6,081 |25,000
1992 |8 |5 |- |7 |20 |5,734 |65,000
1993 |5 |- |- |6 |11 |176 |20,000
Northern Board
(1) Gender cases
1991 |- |- |- |1 |1 |- |-
1992 |1 |- |- |2 |3 |- |-
1993 |1 |- |<1>1 |3 |5 |- |-
(2) Religious cases
1991 |2 |- |- |1 |3 |- |-
1992 |- |- |- |2 |2 |7,050 |5,000
1993 |1 |- |- |1 |2 |10,553 |47,500
Southern Board
(1) Gender cases
1991 |- |- |- |- |0 |- |-
1992 |- |- |- |- |0 |- |-
1993 |- |- |- |3 |3 |- |-
(2) Religious cases
1991 |3 |- |- |- |3 |- |-
1992 |1 |- |- |2 |3 |- |-
1993 |1 |- |- |2 |3 |- |-
Western Board
(1) Gender cases
1991 |1 |3 |- |4 |8 |- |1,950
1992 |- |1 |1 |1 |3 |1,292 |3,200
1993 |1 |- |- |2 |3 |- |7,000
(2) Religious cases
1991 |8 |1 |- |1 |10 |585 |-
1992 |1 |- |- |2 |3 |- |-
1993 |- |- |- |2 |2 |1,322 |7,000
<1>Board dismissed.
Dr. Hendron : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps the Eastern health board took to implement the recommendations laid down by the Fair Employment Commission in the remedies judgment following the Duffy case.
Mr. Ancram : The FEC did not make any recommendations in the remedies judgment following the Duffy case. However, the board's internal inquiry made a series of recommendations which were subsequently adopted by the board.
Bovine Tuberculosis
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland,pursuant to his answer of 21 February, Official Report, column 58, for what period the field study for bovine tuberculosis was intended to run ; whether that period has been extended ; and when he now expects it to be completed.
Mr. Ancram : The sampling of herds to assist with the possible development of a blood test for bovine TB was completed as planned by December 1993. Arrangements for the purchase of all the animals which it was considered necessary to examine have now been completed. It is necessary to analyse and interpret the data before an assessment can be made of the effectiveness of a blood test and whether a fully substantiated case can be made to the European Community to obtain agreement to its use. This is expected to continue until late 1994.
Illegal Fishing
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether it was established by the RUC that Fishery Conservancy Board bailiffs and a scientist had been involved in the stripping of eggs from salmon on the Grillagh river in County Londonderry during the salmon seasons 1987-88, 1988-89 and 1989-90.
Sir John Wheeler : At the request of the Fishery Conservancy Board, the Royal Ulster Constabulary carried out an investigation into this matter in 1989. Following the police investigation a file was sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions who subsequently directed no prosecution.
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Campaigns
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland,pursuant to his answer of 18 February, Official Report, column 1034, if he will publish the number of calls made to the freephones for the organ donor card and Keep Warm Keep Well winter warmth campaigns and the results from monitoring customer awareness and attitudes in relation to the innovation in research and development campaigns.
Sir John Wheeler : There have been 379 calls made to the freephone for the organ donor card and 88 freephone calls for the Keep Warm Keep Well winter warmth campaign.
Monitoring in relation to the innovation in research and development campaigns indicates that improved customer awareness, attitudes and actions are reflected in a 13 per cent. increase in the number of applications for, and a 70 per cent. increase in the numbers of companies participating in, the product and process development scheme in 1993-94 compared with the previous year. The figures also reflect a 79 per cent. increase in the number of first-time users of the scheme. Under the science and technology programme industrial participation has risen from 50 per cent. in 1992-93 to 100 per cent. in 1993-94.
Road Deaths Statistics
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the number of road deaths in crashes where a driver or rider was above the legal alcohol limit.
Sir John Wheeler : The information is as follows :
Road deaths in accidents where driver or rider was estimated by the RUC to be above the legal alcohol limit Year |Total deaths --------------------------------------- 1984 |25 1985 |19 1986 |38 1987 |33 1988 |22 1989 |27 1990 |41 1991 |26 1992 |30 1993 |25
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Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the road casualty fatalities and serious injuries in each year since 1984.
Sir John Wheeler : The information is set out in the table :
Road traffic accident casualties
Year |Total killed |Total seriously
|injured
----------------------------------------------------------------
1984 |189 |2,465
1985 |177 |1,148
1986 |236 |1,825
1987 |214 |1,885
1988 |178 |1,969
1989 |181 |2,014
1990 |185 |1,993
1991 |185 |1,648
1992 |150 |1,841
1993 |143 |1,725
Prison Service (Costs)
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the average cost to the prison service in Northern Ireland of admitting a male person to prison ; and what is the difference in the cost of admitting a person who has been sentenced to a long period of imprisonment and a person who has been sentenced to seven days.
Sir John Wheeler : The information requested is not available.
Prison Sentences
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many persons were given a prison sentence in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years for which figures are available for stealing cars and joyriding in such vehicles ; what was the average sentence in each year ; and how many cars were stolen in each of those years.
Sir John Wheeler : The number of cases where prison sentences were given for the theft and for the unauthorised taking of vehicles in 1990, 1991 and 1992 were respectively 72, 66 and 123. The average prison sentence in each of those years for those sentenced to immediate custody was 5.3, 5.1 and 5.2 months respectively. The number of vehicles reported stolen or otherwise taken and driven away without authority was 7,042 in 1990, 8,455 in 1991 and 9,376 in 1992.
SCOTLAND
Salmon Farming
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the Ernst and Young report on subsidies to the Norwegian salmon farming industry ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Hector Monro : I have encouraged Scottish salmon producers to provide the European Commission with such information as is available on alleged unfair support for Norwegian salmon farmers. I have read the Ernst and Young report with interest,and I understand that the report
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is now in the hands of the European Commission which must decide whether it warrants full and formal investigation.Limb Defects
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) when Ayrshire and Arran health board expects to be able to produce the 1993 statistics relating to limb defects within the health board's area ; and for what reasons there has been a delay in collating the information ;
(2) what procedures are used by Ayrshire and Arran health board to collate information relating to the incidence of limb defects in children within the health board's area.
Mr. Lang : Statistics on the incidence of limb defects and other congenital anomalies are produced for all health board areas by the information and statistics division of the Common Services Agency. The data are compiled using three sources : the neonatal discharge record--form SMR11--the information on which is provided by each health board, the Scottish stillbirth and neonatal mortality study, and admissions to hospital in the first year of life--form SMR1. Information on all congenital anomalies, including limb defects, is published on each calendar year's birth cohort. A provisional data set based on the first two sources is published in the summer following the calendar year, and a final data set on the same birth cohort a year later, when all hospital admissions have been added to the provisional data.
The provisional data for 1993 on reduction deformities of limbs by area of residence are as follows :
Board area of |Upper limb |Lower limb |Unspecified
residence
|limb
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Argyll and Clyde |- |- |-
Ayrshire and Arran |3 |- |-
Borders |- |- |-
Dumfries and Galloway |- |- |-
Fife |3 |- |-
Forth Valley |- |- |-
Grampian |2 |- |-
Greater Glasgow |1 |- |-
Highland |- |- |-
Lanarkshire |1 |- |-
Lothian |1 |1 |-
Orkney |- |- |-
Shetland |- |- |-
Tayside |2 |2 |1
Western Isles |- |- |-
Scotland |13 |3 |1
Source: SMR11 neonatal record.
Prison Visiting Committees
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to alter the composition and membership of prison visiting committees ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The draft revised Prisons and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules issued for consultation last September included proposals to change the size of, and local authority representation on, the visiting committees for Scottish adult penal establishments. We are still considering all the comments received,but new rules will be laid before Parliament in the next few months.
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Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what was the cost to Grampian, Tayside, Highland and Strathclyde regions in 1979, 1989 and 1992 and the latest available date for police involved in mountain area search and rescue activity ; (2) what is the cost per hour of police in Grampian, Tayside, Highland and Strathclyde regions when engaged in mountain search and rescue duty.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Information relating to the cost of police involvement in mountain search and rescue is not recorded by Tayside, Highland and Strathclyde regional councils. The approximate, estimated costs for this activity in Grampiam are not available for 1979 and 1989. Those for 1992 and 1993 are estimated at £3,000--cost per hour £10.71--and £2,500--cost per hour £11.36--respectively.
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the members of the prison visiting committees, the names of the appointing authorities and tenure of appointments.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information is set out in the table. Tenure of appointment to the visiting committee is four years.
Establishment and |Appointing authority
name
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Aberdeen
J. A. Proctor |Moray District
Ms Y. Allan |Aberdeen District
A. Dow |Aberdeen District
M. Burnett |Grampian Region
K. A. Forbes |Grampian Region
Miss M. Urquhart, OBE |Grampian Region
J. K. A. Thomanek, FRSA, JP |Grampian Region
A. Dunlop |Highland Region
I. M. Frain |Kincardine and Deeside District
W. Johnston, MBE, JP |Tayside Region
J. Lawrence |Gordon District
J. Mair |Banff and Buchan District
Barlinnie
G. McElroy, BA, JP |Strathclyde Region
R. Campbell |Strathclyde Region
Ms C. Lyon |Strathclyde Region
R. McGerty |Strathclyde Region
J. McGuire, JP |Strathclyde Region
K. Murray |Strathclyde Region
A. McGhee |Strathclyde Region
E. Torrance |Cumnock and Doon Valley District
Ms Y. Anderson |Glasgow District
A. McCartney |Glasgow District
C. McDonach |Glasgow District
Baillie D. Murphy |Glasgow District
J. Baker |Strathkelvin District
M. Bissett |Falkirk District
Provost E. Cairns, MA, JP |Monklands District
Provost Mrs. J. Cameron, JP |Bearsden and Milngavie District
G. Steven |Cunninghame District
T. Craig, JP |Clydesdale District
Ms A. Dickson |Stirling District
W. Hanlon |Lothian Region
W. McAdam |Clackmannan District
J. McAllister, JP |Clydebank District
Ms C. Lawson |Renfrew District
E. Griffin |Cumbernauld and Kilsyth District
D. Morrison |Inverclyde District
M. Rooney |Hamilton District
I. Simpson |Eastwood District
J. Thomson, JP |Argyll and Bute District
Mrs. S. M. Duke |Central Region
J. Docherty |East Kilbride District
Ms B. Campbell |Kyle and Carrick District
S. McCallum |Dumbarton District
Mrs. M. Scanlon |Tayside Region
W. Graham |Motherwell District
J. Anderson, JP |Kilmarnock and Louden District
Cornton Vale
Mrs. H. Wright |Dundee District
Vacant |Dundee District
Mrs. B. D. Baker |Borders Region
P. Fishbourne |Borders Region
J. Davidson |Falkirk District
Mrs. F. E. Duncan |Tayside Region
A. W. Shand |Tayside Region
Mrs. L. Graham |Tayside Region
Mrs. M. J. Fitzpatrick |Central Region
W. R. McAdam |Central Region
Mrs. H. Livingstone |Central Region
T. S. Sinclair |Central Region
Mrs. V. Gemmell |Fife Region
Mrs. E. Riches |Fife Region
Mrs. H. Graham |Lothian Region
Ms J. Mitchell |Lothian Region
J. Stephenson |Lothian Region
Ms B. Holliday |Stirling Region
Mrs. M. Brisley |Stirling Region
A. McGarrity |Glasgow District
Ms J. Andrews |Glasgow District
D. Bowman |Glasgow District
Mrs. B. McGeechan |Strathclyde Region
Mrs. Y. Robertson |Strathclyde Region
J. McGuire, JP |Strathclyde Region
Mrs. M. Smith |Strathclyde Region
Ms T. McNally |Clackmannan District
Ms S. Dalgety |Edinburgh District
E. T. McLaughlin, JP |Edinburgh District
Dumfries
E. Gray |Strathclyde Region
B. Caldow |Stewartry District
W. Carmichael, JP |Nithsdale District
Mrs. H. Cross |Nithsdale District
J. M. Dowson |Dumfries and Galloway Region
P. B. Walker |Wigtown District
Mrs. S. M. Howat |Dumfries and Galloway Region
Mrs. C. M. Hyslop |Dumfries and Galloway Region
Mrs. J. M. McMurdo |Dumfries and Galloway Region
I. A. Pennie |Dumfries and Galloway Region
T. G. A. Russell |Annandale and Eskdale District
Dungavel
G. McKillop |East Kilbride District
Mrs. A. Reid |East Kilbride District
J. Baillie |Strathclyde Region
A. McGhee |Strathclyde Region
P. Watters |Strathclyde Region
J. McGuigan |Strathclyde Region
F. McAveety |Glasgow District
Baillie J. Moynes |Glasgow District
R. McFarlane |Tayside District
E. Read |Fife Region
J. Wesley |Lothian Region
C. W. Davidson |Lothian Region
Mrs. E. D. Kennedy |Central Region
Edinburgh
D. K. Swan, JP |Berwickshire District
Ms A. D. Burnett |Borders Region
A.J.C. Hewat |Borders Region
W. Lamb |Borders Region
J.A.R. Scott, JP |Borders Region
J. Culliven |Tayside Region
W. Drummond, JP |Lothian Region
B. Fallon |Lothian Region
H. D. Fraser, MBE |Lothian Region
Ms J. M. Mitchell |Lothian Region
T. V. Ponton |Lothian Region
J. Sibbald |West Lothian District
Mrs. H. Livingstone |Central Region
M. Moore |Midlothian District
Mrs. E. J. McFee |Fife Region
Ms A. Smith |Fife Region
C. Stanfield |Fife Region
J. McGuire |Strathclyde Region
P. O'Donnell |East Lothian District
A. J. H. Squair |Roxburgh District
P. Schofield |Tweeddale District
Mrs. N. J. R. Bryson |Ettrick and Lauderdale District
Ms I. Kitson |Edinburgh District
D. Cruickshanks |Edinburgh District
D. H. Brown, JP |Edinburgh District
Glenochil
G. MacDiarmid |Glasgow Central
J. Cameron |Dunfermline District
D. Stewart |Clackmannan District
Vacant |Clackmannan District
W. Dunn |Edinburgh District
J. Johnston |Falkirk District
Mrs. H. Wright |Dundee District
Mrs. F. E. M. Davidson |Central Region
W. T. Dickson |Central Region
I. S. Millar |Central Region
Mrs. C. M. Organ |Central Region
D. Bryson |Central Region
I. Martin |Stirling District
W. Clarke |Fife Region
M. E. Read |Fife Region
W. Hanlon |Lothian Region
T. K. Kinder |Lothian Region
J. McGuigan, JP |Strathclyde Region
E. Gray, JP |Strathclyde Region
J. Whittet |Tayside Region
J. Mathers |Tayside Region
W. S. Courts |Perth and Kinross District
Inverness
L. Fraser |Nairn District
P. Fulton |Skye and Lochalsh District
Mrs. C. A. Hutchison |Badenoch and Strathspey District
A. I. MacDonald |Caithness District
I. Thorner, DL, JP |Lochaber District
D. I. MacRae |Sutherland District
Mrs. M. C. Doyle |Inverness District
Mrs. J. Wyatt |Inverness District
W. A. Smith |Ross and Cromarty District
R. J. Laing, JP |Grampian Region
Mrs. I. C. Rhind |Highland Region
N. J. O. Graham |Highland Region
J. S. Munro |Highland Region
A. Murray |Highland Region
Low Moss
E. Devine |Glasgow District
Baillie C. Robertson |Glasgow District
Vacant |Glasgow District
J. Barker |Strathkelvin District
W. Hendry |Strathkelvin District
Ms A. Jarvis |Strathkelvin District
S. Gilmore |Strathclyde Region
K. Moody |Strathclyde Region
T. Rae |Strathclyde Region
J. McMurdo |Fife Region
W. Drummond |Lothian Region
Noranside
C. Hebenton, JP |Strathclyde Region
J. Collins |Strathclyde Region
R. G. S. McFarlane |Tayside Region
W. McCormack |Tayside Region
H. S. Arbuthnot |Tayside Region
W. A. West |Tayside Region
Mrs. D. Pattulo |Tayside Region
D. McGrouther |Lothian Region
C. S. Meldrum |Angus District
D. Myles |Angus District
B. R. Balcombe |Grampian Region
D. Bryson |Central Region
Penninghame
W. G. Carmichael, JP |Nithsdale District
B. Caldow |Stewarty District
H. Lawson |Annandale/Eskdale District
R. J. Higgins |Dumfries and Galloway District
D. Fulton |Dumfries and Galloway District
A. Nisbet |Dumfries and Galloway District
N. M. Parker |Dumfries and Galloway District
Mrs. C. M. Hyslop |Dumfries and Galloway District
W. Service |Wigtown District
The Countess of Stair |Wigtown District
C. King |Grampian Region
R. Muir |Lothian Region
J. Taylor |Strathclyde Region
Mrs. F. Duncan |Tayside Region
Perth
R. Hall |Tayside Region
Mrs. M. Lennie |Tayside Region
A. H. Brown |Tayside Region
S. Butcher |Tayside Region
Mrs. F. E. Duncan |Tayside Region
J. E. Mathers |Tayside Region
W. West |Tayside Region
Mrs. M. Martin |Tayside Region
C. S. B. Meldrum |Angus District
J. G. Lewis, JP |Kirkcaldy District
P. G. Hughes |Dunfermline District
P. C. Douglas |North East Fife District
G. Mason |Dundee District
D. Cowan |Dundee District
J. McNicoll |Perth and Kinross District
D. Scott |Perth and Kinross District
F. Saunders |Central Region
P. Tempest |Fife Region
S. Baker |Fife Region
L. B. Lindsay |Lothian Region
J. Reddin |Strathclyde Region
A. McGowan, BEM |Strathclyde Region
Peterhead
A. P. McLean |Aberdeen District
I. M. Frain |Kincardine and Deeside District
J. Wilson |Moray District
W. Stuart |Lothian Region
G. G. Lumsden |Gordon District
K. Benzie |Grampian Region
Mrs. M. Morrell |Grampian Region
M. C. Howe |Grampian Region
J. R. Lamond |Grampian Region
A. McGowan, BEM |Strathclyde Region
G. McElroy, JP |Strathclyde Region
N. Cowie, OBE |Banff and Buchan District
Mrs. N. Godsman |Banff and Buchan District
W. Johnston, MBE, JP |Tayside Region
Shotts
M. Adam |Glasgow District
S. MacQuarrie |Glasgow District
P. McCafferty |Central Region
F. Gormill |Motherwell District
J. Robertson |Motherwell District
Mrs. A. Smith |Fife Region
W. Drummond, JP |Lothian Region
J. W. Wasley |Lothian Region
C. B. Hebenton, JP |Strathclyde Region
R. Marshall |Strathclyde Region
G. McElroy, JP |Strathclyde Region
K. Murray |Strathclyde Region
H. Connelly |Tayside Region
Column 267
Cornton Vale Prison
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to relocate women prisoners from Cornton Vale to mixed sex prisons nearer their own homes.
Lord James Douglas Hamilton [holding answer 21 February 1994] : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Scottish Prison Service under its chief executive, Mr. E. W. Frizzell. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter fromn E. W. Frizzell to Mrs. Maria Fyfe, dated 9 March 1994 :
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton has asked me to reply to your Question about what plans there are to relocate women prisoners from Cornton Vale to mixed sex prisons nearer their homes.
There are no plans to relocate women prisoners from Cornton Vale. Some consideration has been given to the possibility of providing open prison opportunities for women prisoners elsewhere but the practical difficulties are such that it is not in prospect at present.
Public Bodies
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many public bodies, appointed by himself, provide health care (a) at the present date and (d) in 1984 ; and what was the total bill for payment to their chairmen and members in 1993 and 1983.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 25 February 1994] : In 1984,15 health boards were responsible for the provision of health care in Scotland. In order to increase responsiveness to patients' needs, health boards are now increasingly responsible for planning and purchasing health care and NHS trusts are responsible for its provision. There are currently 17 NHS trusts.
In 1984, only the chairmen of the 15 health boards received remuneration at a total cost of £88,163. Since 1991 non-executive directors have also received remuneration and the total cost for 208 chairmen and non-executive members of health boards and NHS trusts in 1993 amounted to £1,417,125.
Care of the Elderly
Dr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what instructions he has given to the Management Executive of the Scottish health service requiring the health service purchasers to change the arrangements for provision of care to the elderly.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 8 March 1994] : My right hon. Friend has issued no such instructions. It remains for individual health boards to determine the care needs for their elderly client group and to purchase accordingly. In so doing, they are expected to have due regard to the Government's community care policy objective of seeking a move away from institutional to community-based care. However, patients who require specialist medical and nursing supervision will continue to be the responsibility of the NHS. This means the NHS will continue to be responsible for providing assessment and rehabilitation facilities, and for retaining long-stay facilities for those whose medical needs or patterns of behaviour would be difficult to manage in a community-based setting.
Those not requiring such hospital services will increasingly have their health needs met within the
Column 268
community, through general practitioners and other members of the primary health care team. Any other care needs will be a local authority responsibility. But in any event we expect shifting the balance of care, from hospitals to community, to be a matter for local discussion and agreement with the emphasis on joint working and joint assessments of needs.New Local Authorities
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the new local authorities in schedule 1 to the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Bill as amended in the Standing Committee, giving the (a) population, (b) electorate, (c) area and (d) number of (i) secondary and (ii) primary schools for each of those authorities.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 28 February 1994] : Information on population, electorate and area of the proposed new single-tier authorities is set out in the table. The information requested in relation to schools is not held centrally.
New local authority |Population<1> |Electorate<2> |Area
area |(rounded to |(rounded to |(square km)
|nearest 000) |nearest 000)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
City of Aberdeen |217 |172 |180
Aberdeenshire |221 |169 |5,870
Angus |112 |88 |2,640
Argyll and Bute |91 |69 |7,020
North Ayrshire |139 |106 |890
East Ayrshire |124 |96 |1,270
South Ayrshire |114 |89 |1,230
The Borders |105 |85 |4,730
Clackmannan and Falkirk |195 |150 |470
Dumbarton and Clydebank |98 |73 |180
Dumfries and Galloway |148 |117 |6,450
East Dunbartonshire |110 |83 |180
City of Dundee |155 |118 |50
City of Edinburgh |440 |352 |260
Fife |346 |269 |1,320
City of Glasgow |627 |475 |170
Highland |206 |161 |25,390
Inverclyde |91 |69 |170
North Lanarkshire |328 |245 |480
South Lanarkshire |307 |235 |1,780
East and Midlothian |165 |129 |1,010
West Lothian |146 |111 |430
Moray |85 |65 |2,240
Orkney Islands |20 |16 |1,020
Perthshire and Kinross |128 |100 |5,390
East Renfrewshire |88 |68 |170
Renfrewshire |174 |133 |260
Shetland Islands |23 |17 |1,470
Stirling |81 |64 |2,240
Western Isles |29 |23 |3,070
<1> Source: GRO(S) Based on mid-1992 population estimates.
<2> Source: GRO(S) Based on 1994 electoral registers.
TRANSPORT
British Rail Stations
Mr. Dowd : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many British Rail stations within the Greater London regional passenger committee area are totally unstaffed.
Mr. Freeman : Of the 462 stations which fall within the boundaries of the London regional passenger committees, 62 are unstaffed.
Mr. Dowd : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many British Rail stations in the Greater London
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regional passenger committee area staffed on the basis of less than two full shifts on any (a) week day, (b) Saturday and (c) Sunday.Mr. Freeman : The information is not readily available in the form required and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Cunninghame, North (Mr. Wilson) on 15 July 1993, Official Report, columns 583-84, which showed that of the 2,551 stations on the British Rail network, 977 were wholly unstaffed.
Mr. Dowd : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what are the timings of the shift rota for British Rail station staff in the Greater London regional passenger committee area.
Mr. Freeman : Comprehensive information cannot be obtained except at disproportionate cost. The timings of the shift rota for British Rail station staff vary depending on the requirements of the station concerned.
Central Line
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what travelling assistance his Department is offering to the communities living on or near the Epping-Ongar section of the Central line should London Transport decide to close this section of its operations in March ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : The decision on this closure proposal is for the Secretary of State for Transport and I cannot comment further while closure procedures are under way.
Registration Plates
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement as to what the current requirements are for Q registration plates to be issued.
Mr. Key : Q prefix registration marks are allocated to vehicles whose age cannot be established. Typically they are allocated to imported vehicles for which registration documents are not available--vehicles that have been extensively rebuilt and vehicles assembled from a kit, using parts from more than one donor vehicle.
Oil Discharges
Mr. Elletson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the annual volume of oil entering the Irish sea from shipping for each of the last three years ; and in each year what proportion of that was intentionally discharged.
Mr. Norris : The annual volume of oil entering the Irish sea from shipping in each of the last three years--1991-93--is estimated as follows :
1991--1,500 tonnes--one incident involving a spill of approximately 1,450 tonnes vegetable oil and 50 tonnes engine oil.
1992--eight tonnes.
1993--figures not yet available.
These figures are based upon information extracted from the annual publication "Oil Pollution Survey Around the Coasts of the UK" produced by the Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea. The 1993 figures are still being compiled.
There are no recorded figures for the legal operational discharges of oil from shipping traversing the Irish sea.
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Railtrack
Mr. Spellar : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many bids were received for the contract for legal work for Railtrack ;
(2) whether British Rail was invited to bid for the legal work for Railtrack ;
(3) what estimate he has as to the number of staff who will be made redundant as a result of the decision of Railtrack to outsource its legal work.
Mr. Freeman : While Railtrack remains a division of British Rail, these are matters for the British Railways Board.
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if, in the illustrative chart, "Financial Flows in the New Railway Industry", published by his Department, there is any statutory connection between the flow from Railtrack entering the box marked, "Public Expenditure Provision for Railways", and the flow which links that box with "Franchising Director".
Mr. Freeman : There is no statutory connection. The external finance limits for BR and for Railtrack and the resources available for passenger rail subsidy in 1994-95 will be published on 10 March. The prospective cash surplus of Railtrack is being taken into account in setting the franchising director's vote. The Government have said that the franchising director will have sufficient resources to meet the costs of existing passenger services.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will publish the formula for the charges to be levied by Railtrack for access to the rail network.
Mr. Freeman : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport on 15 February, Official Report, column 716, which set out the basis on which Railtrack has calculated its charges.
Franchised and BR passenger operators will pay the direct costs that their services impose on Railtrack. Common costs will be specific sections of track, and those which can only be identified to a geographic area, will be recovered from operators in proportion to the number of passenger-vehicle miles they run in each area. Network costs--the core overheads of providing the network which cannot be broken down more specifically--will be recovered in proportion to operators' revenue from fares.
Charges to freight operators and non-franchised passenger operators will be subject to commercial negotiation, but must at least cover direct costs.
The application of these methods is a matter for Railtrack. The rail regulator will consider and approve all access agreements entered into after 1 April 1994.
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