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The amendment would also give my right hon. Friend the power to act in the event of failure to achieve the specified financial objective. The obligations and powers sought would have retrospective effect, from 1 April 1994, but would not differ from those which currently apply.Local authorities will be informed of the detail of the Government's proposal.
Health Authorities (Restructuring)
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will publish his proposals to restructure health authorities in Wales.
Mr. Redwood : I have today written to Welsh Members enclosing a copy of a consultation paper which I have published, setting out a range of proposals, including my preferred option. I have also arranged for copies to be placed in the Library of the House. Comments on the proposals have been invited from a wide range of interested bodies.
Ancient Monuments Board
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he intends to publish the next report of the Ancient Monuments Board for Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The 39th annual report of the Ancient Monuments Board for Wales has been published today. The report covers the financial year 1992-93 and copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
SCOTLAND
Appointments
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the organisations and individuals who have been asked, since June 1992, to submit names of individuals to be considered for appointments to paid and unpaid posts for which a Minister has to approve the person or shortlist for the appointment.
Mr. Lang : This information can be obtained only at
disproportionate cost.
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Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the organisations and individuals outside his Department who are sent information on, or consulted about, individuals who are, or may be, proposed to the Minister for appointment to posts for which a Minister has to approve the person appointed or the shortlist for the appointment.
Mr. Lang : There is no set list of organisations or individuals that are consulted about appointments to bodies which are sponsored by my Department, although there may be specific legislative requirements regarding consultation in relation to appointments to a particular body.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information his Department holds or obtains relating to individuals who have been appointed, or may be considered for appointment, to paid or unpaid posts for which a Minister has to approve the person or shortlist for the appointment, in particular relating to active involvement in (a) extreme left-wing organisations, (b) extreme right-wing organisations and (c) involvement in any of the political parties represented in the House of Commons.
Mr. Lang : Appointments are made on the basis of aptitude and merit. No central record is kept of the political affiliation of those appointed to public bodies.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what procedures his Department has to prevent the possible appointment of individuals with extreme political views to posts for which a Minister has to approve the person or shortlist for the appointment.
Mr. Lang : There are no formal procedures. Given the qualities required of the holders of such posts however it is in practice unlikely that an individual with extreme political views would be appointed where his or her views would be relevant to the responsibilities of the post.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list each appointment for which a Minister has to approve the appointment or shortlist for the appointment, showing for each appointment (a) which Minister exercises the responsibility, (b) the salary, if any, attached to the post, (c) the term of the appointment and (d) the person currently appointed to the post.
Mr. Lang : The Cabinet Office publication "Public Bodies" lists those public bodies sponsored by my Department at 1 April each year and indicates the number of appointments which I make to each body at 1 September. This publication also shows the level of remuneration, if any. Copies of the latest edition of this publication are available in the Library of the House. Information about the current appointees to these bodies is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
NHS Trusts
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take action to prevent national health service trusts reducing the take-home pay of their work forces.
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Mr. Stewart : Trusts are free to negotiate terms and conditions with their employees. Take-home pay of the staff of an NHS trust is a matter between the staff concerned and the trust as an employer.
Training
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has about the specific skills being learnt by people on Government training schemes for young people or the unemployed ; and what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which these meet Scotland's training needs.
Mr. Stewart : Information about the specific skills being learnt by people on Government training schemes for young people or the unemployed is not available. It is the responsibility of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise to deliver, through their respective networks of local enterprise companies, Government training schemes, with the aim of providing young people and unemployed adults with the skills, vocational qualifications and work experience to meet the needs of local labour markets.
Schools (Opting Out)
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many current applications he has before him from schools seeking to opt out of local authority control.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : One, namely the application from St. Mary's episcopal primary school, Dunblane, on which additional information from the St. Mary's school board has been requested in order that its application can be further considered.
Royal Scottish National Hospital
Mr. Canavan : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what assessment he made of the financial viability of the Royal Scottish national hospital management application for trust status before giving it approval ;
(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of a detailed statement of the financial accounts of the Royal Scottish national hospital trust since its inception ;
(3) if he will conduct a thorough investigation into the finances of the Royal Scottish national hospital before deciding on the application for merger with Forth Valley Healthcare ;
(4) if he will arrange for an independent inquiry into the finances of the Royal Scottish national hospital trust.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 28 March 1994] : A thorough assessment of the finances of the Royal Scottish national NHS trust involving financial consultants was made during the public consultation period on the hospital's trust application. Trust status would not have been granted if the hospital had been considered not to be financially viable. The trust is required to make monthly financial monitoring returns to the management executive and these show that the trust is on course to meet its year end financial targets for the first year of its operation. The trust must also produce an annual report including accounts in respect of its first year of operation by September 1994. This is a public document which will be obtainable from the trust.
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In order to inform my noble and learned Friend's decision on the merger application, a thorough assessment of the finances of the Royal Scottish national hospital and Forth Valley Healthcare will be conducted by independent financial consultants in conjunction with the management executive. There are no reasons for any further investigation or independent inquiry.Trade Descriptions
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many prosecutions there have been in the past 10 years under section 14 of the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 for knowingly or recklessly making a false statement about the provision of business ; and what was the penalty in each case of guilt being established.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 28 March 1994] : The information requested is not separately identifiable within the Scottish Home Office and Health Department's classification of crimes and offences.
Hospital Staff
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the numbers of nurses, doctors, administrative staff, senior managers and domestic staff employed in each hospital (a) at the nearest available date and (b) three years ago.
Mr. Stewart : The information requested is not collected as part of the workforce data set submitted centrally by the NHS in Scotland. Limited statistics are available in section 2A of "Scottish Health Service Costs" for the years 1991-92 and 1992-93, copies of which are held in the House of Commons Library. Data for earlier years are not published in SHSC in the exact form required.
Coastal Quarries
Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will publish the national planning guidelines on coastal quarries ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 29 March 1994] : My right hon. Friend intends to publish a national planning policy guideline on land for mineral working as soon as possible. This will include guidance on coastal quarries.
Patients Charter
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has to extend patients charter maximum waiting times guarantees to include the waiting time for the first out-patient appointment ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 29 March 1994] : Maximum waiting times guarantees covering the time from GP referral to first out-patient appointment were introduced in Scotland in April 1993.
Greater Glasgow Health Board
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what steps the Greater Glasgow health board took to satisfy itself that Executive Healthcare was not dependent on financial support from related companies before allocating contracts to the company ;
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(2) if he will investigate the time taken for Greater Glasgow health board's evaluation of tenders for contracts at Glasgow royal infirmary and Glasgow royal maternity hospitals ;(3) what steps the Greater Glasgow health board has taken to satisfy itself about the past history of Executive Healthcare and its parent company or any associated companies.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 29 March 1994] : I refer the hon. Member to the replies which I gave her on 29 March, Official Report, column 715.
Executive Health Care
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will carry out a study of the pay and conditions of the staff employed on contracts currently held by Executive Healthcare at Carstairs in comparison with their previous employment.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 29 March 1994] : No. Pay and conditions of service are matters entirely between Executive Healthcare and its employees.
Family Mediation and Conciliation Services
Mrs. Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to give financial support to family mediation and conciliation services in the next financial year ; and if he will make a statement on his office's attitude to such services.
Mr. Stewart : Family Mediation Scotland will receive a grant of over £56,000 in 1994-95 as part of a three-year award under section 10 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968. In addition, four local services-- Borders, Central, Tayside and Western Isles--will receive grant in 1994-95 as part of three-year awards. The precise amounts are still being worked out with the organisations concerned. We have received letters of support for the mediation services from throughout Scotland and the award of grants is an indication of how we value their worthwhile work of mediation.
Child Care Law
Mrs. Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to introduce legislation relating to child care law and policy in the present parliamentary session.
Mr. Stewart : My right hon. Friend has no plans to promote legislation this Session beyond that already indicated in the Queen's Speech.
Adoption
Mr. David Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what future arrangements he plans for adoption agencies and prospective adopters ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what specific proposals he has to ensure that adoption services are part of the full range of child care services which will require to be provided by each of the new local authorities ;
(3) what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the arrangements for adoption following local government re-organisation ; what co-ordination there will be ; who will provide funding ; and if he will make a statement ;
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(4) what arrangements he intends making to ensure that children have the opportunity of adoption in each of the new local authority areas.Mr. Stewart : Adoption is, and will continue to be, an important part of the range of services available for the care of children. Adoption law has been subject to extensive review and consultation in Scotland over the last few years and we propose to publish a policy statement shortly.
Reorganisation of local government will clearly involve some restructuring of services and every care will be taken to ensure that services available now will be maintained, including those provided by adoption agencies. The strategic child care plans which are to be developed from the proposals in the White Paper "Scotland's Children" are of direct relevance in this context. Scottish Office officials have had preliminary discussions about reorganisation with the British Agencies for Adoption and Fostering which are grant aided by the Government and which have an important national role to play in the development of adoption services.
Record Office
Mr. Raymond S. Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the targets he expects the Scottish Record Office to achieve in 1994-95.
Mr. Lang : I have set the Scottish Record Office the following key targets for 1994-95 :
to reduce the unit cost of preserving and making available the records of Scotland by 7 per cent. (omitting the start up costs of the new repository building) ;
to increase the number of catalogue entries available for public scrutiny on the electronic system from 116,000 in 1993-94 to 119,000 ;
to maintain the standards of reader services ;
material in some building produced for readers in 30 minutes or less in 90 per cent. of cases ;
90 per cent. of photocopying for legal customers produced in 24 hours ;
95 per cent. of correspondence dealt with in 10 days ;
while absorbing an expected 2 per cent. increase in demand ; and to complete and occupy the new repository building within budget by 31 March 1995.
Forestry Commission
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many Forestry Commission woods have been sold off since 1981 ; and in how many of those sold all prior public access have been preserved.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 25 March 1994] : Between July 1981 and 31 December 1993 the Forestry Commission sold over 2,000 individual areas of forestry land.
Access along public rights of way is not, of course, affected by a change of ownership and so any rights of way through these woodlands are still freely available. In addition, the commission offers to make access agreements with local authorities before woodlands are sold ; these agreements ensure that full public access is maintained.
Local Government Reform
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are his latest estimates of the transition cost of local government reform.
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Mr. Stewart [holding answer 23 March 1994] : The transitional cost of reorganisation of local government is estimated at between £120 million and £194 million for a 30-council structure.
Purchasing Health Boards
Mr. Watson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list for each purchasing health board in Scotland, the figures for revenue funding in 1992-93, 1993-94 and 1994-95, and the estimated figures for 1995 -96 and 1996-97 ; and if he will identify the changes for each health board's revenue budget resulting from the replacement of the resource allocation working party system of determining funding allocation.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 23 March 1994] : Revenue funding is as follows :
Health Board |1992-93 |1993-94 |1994-95
|£ million |£ million |£ million
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Argyll and Clyde |220,019 |231,224 |242,301
Ayrshire and Arran |172,159 |183,530 |193,226
Borders |54,717 |58,374 |62,855
Dumfries and Galloway |78,616 |81,524 |86,965
Fife |158,314 |171,020 |178,766
Forth Valley |127,242 |138,154 |142,756
Grampian |254,470 |271,938 |277,805
Greater Glasgow |562,296 |586,662 |577,370
Highland |108,666 |112,182 |120,336
Lanarkshire |239,761 |258,272 |262,876
Lothian |405,413 |405,131 |418,193
Orkney |11,209 |12,525 |12,731
Shetland |12,898 |14,494 |14,789
Tayside |241,455 |242,979 |243,375
Western Isles |20,929 |23,012 |25,525
(Note:
1. The allocations for 1993-94 and 1994-95 are exclusive of the provision
for AIDS, artifical limbs and appliance centres and breast cancer
screening services which are now funded as national services.
2. The 1994-95 allocation excludes funding for doctors in training, which
is now funded through the Scottish Council for Post-graduate Medical and
Dental Education, and includes funding for ambulance services which were
previously funded through the Common Services Agency.
3. Initial allocations for 1994-95 are shown. Further allocations will be
distributed to Health Boards later in the year for a number of specific
services.)
Estimated figures for 1995-96 and 1996-97 are not available.
Details of allocations based on the resource allocation working party
system are not available. It is not therefore possible to identify the
changes to Health Board Revenue budgets resulting from the replacement of
the system of determining funding allocation.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Policing Structures
Mr. Maginnis : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will issue his consultation document on policing structures.
Sir John Wheeler : I am today issuing a paper entitled "Policing in the Community" which examines policing structures in the light of the considerable changes which have occurred in the Province since the present system was established a quarter of a century ago. The existing structures have stood under the most difficult circumstances, but it is now time to examine the best means of further improving the effectiveness of the police service, while ensuring that it is properly accountable to the whole community. The paper proposes
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a strengthened framework for policing in Northern Ireland, by clarifying responsibilities and lines of accountability between the Secretary of State, the Police Authority and the Chief Constable. I believe that these changes will secure substantial improvements in the effectiveness and responsiveness of the arrangements for policing in Northern Ireland.I have invited comments on the paper by 31 May 1994.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many, and what percentage of officers in each of grades 1 to 7 and overall in his Department are (a) women, (b) from ethnic minorities and (c) disabled, respectively.
Sir John Wheeler : At 1 January 1993, there were 12,989 female staff in Northern Ireland civil service, which is 43 per cent. of the service. There were 1,282 staff--4.3 per cent. of the service--who self-reported a disability and, of these, 463--1.5 per cent. of the service--were, or had been, registered as disabled. The Northern Ireland civil service does not monitor the ethnic origin of its staff.
The number and percentage of female staff and staff with disabilities in each grade--1 to 7--was :
Grade |Number of |Per cent. |Number |Per cent. |Number |Per cent.
|Females |Females |who |SRD |registered |(RD)
|self- |as disabled
|reported |(RD)
|a disability
|(SED)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 |- |- |- |- |- |-
2 |- |- |- |- |- |-
3 |1 |2.5 |1 |2.5 |1 |2.5
4 |- |- |- |- |- |-
5 |15 |7.5 |8 |4.0 |- |-
6 |61 |17.3 |11 |3.1 |3 |0.9
7 |100 |11.4 |20 |2.3 |3 |0.3
In addition, 77 civil registered disabled people are currently working in the Northern Ireland civil service under the sheltered placement scheme.
At 1 March 1994 there were 108 female staff in the Northern Ireland Office, HCS, which represents 52 per cent. of the Department. The number in grades 1 to 7 was as follows :
, Percentage of Women in Grades 1 to 7 Grade |Number |Percentage -------------------------------------------- 1 |0 |- 2 |0 |- 3 |0 |- 4 |0 |- 5 |0 |- 6 |0 |- 7 |5 |20
Some 16 per cent. of the Department are from the ethnic minorities, London only, and none of the staff are registered disabled.
Institute of Irish Studies
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the hon. Members who have written to him asking for the funding of a chair at the institute of Irish Studies at the University of Liverpool ; and if he will make a statement.
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Sir Patrick Mayhew : I have received only one such letter on this subject, from the hon. Gentleman himself. I hope to be in a position to reply to that letter very shortly.
Fisheries Policy
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he last discussed fisheries policy with (a) the Republic of Ireland and (b) the Scottish Office ; and if he will make a statement about co-operation on fisheries policy with both the Republic and Scotland.
Mr. Ancram : The last occasion on which fisheries policy was discussed with the Republic of Ireland by Northern Ireland Office Ministers was at the Anglo-Irish conference held in Dublin on 28 January 1994 when inland fisheries was the economic and social item on the agenda. United Kingdom sea fisheries policy is co-ordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the last occasion when all EC Fisheries Ministers met was at the 20 to 21 December Fisheries Council when the Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food led the United Kingdom delegation on behalf of the whole of the United Kingdom including Northern Ireland. The next meeting of the Council will be on 12 April. Officials of the Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland are in constant dialogue with their colleagues in the other United Kingdom Fisheries Departments including the Scottish Office and as necessary with the Department of the Marine in Dublin. My noble Friend, Baroness Denton, has as recently as 23 March written to United Kingdom colleagues about aspects of fishery policy as they affect the Northern Ireland industry.
University Students
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Northern Ireland students are receiving university education in (a) Scotland and (b) the Republic of Ireland.
Mr. Ancram : In 1992-93, the latest year for which information is available, the numbers of Northern Ireland students receiving university education were 2,401 in Scotland and 761 in the Republic of Ireland.
Water and Sewerage
Mr. Wolfson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has for attracting private sector finance into the water and sewerage capital works programme in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Tim Smith : The purpose of the Government's private finance initiative is to encourage the involvement of the private sector in the provision of high quality, good value public services. As such it offers real benefits to the public by promoting efficiency and improving services by harnessing the private sector's expertise. As part of the initiative, the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland has appointed Price Waterhouse to carry out a study into the scope for attracting private sector finance to the Department's water and sewerage construction and improvement programme. The study, which is expected to take three months to complete, will begin in early April 1994. The consultants have been asked to advise on the most appropriate mechanisms for securing and utilising
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private finance, to identify schemes where private finance could play a part and to identify the detailed requirements for taking forward any particular projects.Mr. Thomas Francis Doheny
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the basis of the prosecution against Mr. Thomas Francis Doheny in March 1993 ; on what basis his home was raided by police officers acting on a warrant granted to the Royal Ulster Constabulary ; what was the source of authorisation for the issue of warrants against him (a) in Ulster and (b) in the United Kingdom ; and who gave backing for the warrant for execution in the United Kingdom.
Sir John Wheeler [holding answer 29 March 1994] : A warrant was sought and issued for Mr. Doheny's arrest based on a complaint about the theft of a vehicle. This warrant was duly executed in England by virtue of section 38 of the Criminal Law Act 1977.
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects the investigation into the case of Mr. Thomas Francis Doheny referred to in the letter of 9 March from the Northern Ireland Office to Mr. M. O'Brien of the Committee on the Administration of Justice to be completed ; if the report of the investigation of the case will be made available on publication ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir John Wheeler [holding answer 29 March 1994] : The investigation of Mr. Doheny's case has been completed and a file is currently with the Director of Public Prosecutions. Reports of such investigations are not published.
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his customary practice for Northern Ireland in suspending the issue of warrants for imprisonment upon convicted persons for a number of hours following such convictions ; what is the purpose of such delays in issue ; what is the frequency of instances where the issue of warrants upon convicted persons is
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delayed ; and if he will make a statement on the operation of those principles in the case of Mr. Thomas Francis Doheny, convicted in the petty sessions district of Omagh on 12 March 1993.Sir John Wheeler [holding answer 29 March 1994] : The decision to delay the issue of a warrant in any particular case is a matter within the discretion of the resident magistrate and it would not therefore be appropriate for me to comment. The frequency of instances where such delays are applied is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Lord Chancellor to answer. However, I understand that the information is not available in the form requested and to extract it would incur disproportionate cost.
Terrorism
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will provide a table showing the number of cases dealt with by (a) magistrates courts (b) trial by jury and (c) judges sitting alone under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Acts in each year since 1983 ; and how many and what percentage in each category were recorded as (i) guilty pleas, (ii) convictions after not guilty plea and (iii) acquittal.
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