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Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to monitor the damage done to crops by geese in the Solway firth; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Hector Monro: The Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department makes inspections at approximately fortnightly intervals of the farm on the Solway firth where a licence is in operation. The department also inspects other farms where numerous geese have been reported and which might be the subject of future applications for a licence.
Health Care International
Mr. McAllion: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which Scottish health boards have contracted with the Health Care International hospital at Clydebank to treat patients from their area; how many patients were treated from each health board area; and what was the cost of the contracts to each of the health boards.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: There have been six such contracts, the details of which are as follows:
|Patients
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lothian Health Board |17 (Cardiac)
Grampian Health Board |7 (Oral Surgery)
Grampian GP Fundholders |5 (Orthapaedics)
Shetland Islands Health Board |13 (Ophthalmic)
Ayrshire and Arran Health Board |3 (Cardiac) 1 (Vascular)
National Specialism Contract |10 (Cardiac)
Cost is a matter between the receivers and the health boards. However, in each case the contracts represented a saving to the national health service.
Homelessness
Mr. Chisholm: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what assessment he has made of the London rough sleepers initiative in forming Scottish Office policy for the homeless;
(2) what action he is proposing to meet the needs of homeless 16 and 17- year-olds;
(3) how much money the Scottish Office has spent in each of the last three years on its rooflessness initiative.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Scottish office policy on homelessness draws on a wide range of sources, including not only experience of initiatives elsewhere in the United Kingdom but reports directly prepared or commissioned in Scotland, for example, the 1993 Donnison report, "Young Homeless People in Scotland", and the 1994 report on the operation of the code of guidance on homelessness. During the years 1991 92 to 1993 94, £50,000 per annum was made available to voluntary bodies under the rooflessness initiative. This programme has been followed by initiatives undertaken through voluntary bodies and by Scottish Office support for continuing projects.
Our main response to homelessness, including rooflessness, is made through support for local housing authorities, which have the primary statutory responsibility for tackling homelessness. A total of £29 million extra capital allocations were made available to housing authorities throughout Scotland during the period 1991 to 1994 for homelessness projects, many of which were for young homeless people, including those who were at risk of becoming roofless. We are also providing grants amounting to over £300,000 in 1994 95 for voluntary bodies that support homeless and roofless people, for example, the Bridges one door initiative in Edinburgh. The 1991 code of guidance on homelessness already advises that 16 to 17- year-olds may be vulnerable and hence in priority need.
Care in the Community
Mr. McAllion: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will direct Scottish health boards (a) to ensure that every patient discharged from psychiatric units in their area has a care plan capable of being implemented and (b) to retain an adequate number of rehabilitation and long -stay psychiatric beds in their areas.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: It is for the clinicians to assess the individual needs of patients and for those assessed as likely to benefit from care in the community, to decide with the local authorities how that care and accommodation are to be organised. Where social care and health care needs have been identified, discharge from a psychiatric unit only occurs following a full multi-disciplinary assessment and the pre-placement of a comprehensive package of support services to meet the person's assessed needs.
As regards national health service long stay provision, it is for individual health boards to determine the care needs for this population and to purchase accordingly.
School Annexes
Mr. McAllion: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what incentives or support his Department has offered to local authorities since 1977 to reduce and eventually eliminate the use of school annexes.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: There has been no specific programme of support to local authorities for the elimination of the use of school annexes. However, the capital allocations for educational building have enabled
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authorities to undertake the extension or adaptation of main buildings to allow the withdrawal of annexes where they have considered that a priority.Sex Abuse Crimes
Mr. McFall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many crimes involving sex abuse involving young
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people under 21 years of age were recorded by each of the police forces in Scotland in each of the past five years; and how many people were found guilty of such offences.Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The information is not available in the form requested. The tables give the number of sexual offences which by definition involve persons aged under 16 and, separately, those offences involving sexual abuse where the age of the victim is unknown.
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Crimes involving sexual abuse recorded by the police and persons with charges proved<1>, Scotland, 1989-1993<2>
Crimes of indecency recorded by the police and persons with charge proved where victim was aged under 16<3>
1989 1990 1991 1992 1993
|Crimes |Persons |Crimes |Persons |Crimes |Persons |Crimes |Persons |Crimes |Persons
|recorded|with |recorded|with |recorded|with |recorded|with |recorded|with
|by the |charge |by the |charge |by the |charge |by the |charge |by the |charge
|police |proved |police |proved |police |proved |police |proved |police |proved
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Central |109 |19 |136 |22 |92 |24 |92 |23 |113 |22
Dumfries and Galloway |33 |13 |29 |6 |45 |9 |49 |13 |69 |12
Fife |79 |23 |115 |19 |128 |27 |102 |20 |159 |21
Grampian |163 |23 |245 |44 |166 |39 |180 |35 |240 |21
Lothian and Borders |236 |54 |187 |39 |212 |46 |270 |36 |278 |39
Northern |102 |22 |82 |17 |77 |14 |91 |12 |67 |8
Strathclyde |450 |97 |512 |94 |512 |73 |515 |63 |625 |76
Tayside |161 |31 |144 |39 |142 |22 |143 |17 |199 |21
|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------
Scotland |1,333 |282 |1,450 |280 |1,374 |254 |1,442 |219 |1,750 |220
Notes:
<1> Persons with charge proved where the main offence was as stated. This includes persons who plead guilty or were
found guilty.
<2> For crimes recorded by the police the year relates to the year when the crime was recorded. For persons with charge
proved the year relates to the year when the accused was sentenced.
<3> Includes lewd and libidinous practices, defilement of girls aged under 16 and causing the seduction, prostitution
etc. of girl.
Other crimes of indecency recorded and persons with charge proved where victim's age is unknown<1>
1989 1990 1991 1992 1993
|Crimes |Persons |Crimes |Persons |Crimes |Persons |Crimes |Persons |Crimes |Persons
|recorded|with |recorded|with |recorded|with |recorded|with |recorded|with
|by the |charge |by the |charge |by the |charge |by the |charge |by the |charge
|police |proved |police |proved |police |proved |police |proved |police |proved
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Central |93 |10 |86 |13 |66 |8 |67 |5 |83 |6
Dumfries and Galloway |45 |11 |27 |0 |44 |2 |52 |3 |30 |3
Fife |85 |10 |88 |19 |96 |18 |94 |14 |94 |17
Grampian |195 |17 |177 |21 |178 |16 |148 |22 |189 |20
Lothian and Borders |340 |50 |320 |33 |352 |35 |358 |35 |359 |52
Northern |76 |15 |105 |22 |79 |10 |89 |6 |85 |6
Strathclyde |662 |85 |624 |93 |590 |74 |756 |100 |758 |105
Tayside |104 |17 |116 |15 |113 |8 |132 |13 |134 |16
|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------
Scotland |1,600 |215 |1,543 |216 |1,518 |171 |1,696 |198 |1,732 |225
Notes:
<1> Includes incest, rape, assault with intent to ravish, indecent assault, carnal knowledge of-or householder
permitting carnal knowledge of- mentally defective, lunatic person or girl, abduction of girl under 18 with the intent
to have sexual intercourse and clandestine injury.
Mr. McFall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) teachers, (b) social workers, (c) nurses, (d) doctors, (e) community education workers and (f) other professionals working with children have been found guilty of crimes of indecency or of lewd and libidinous behaviour against persons under 21 years of age in each of the past five years.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The information requested is not available.
Lothian Health Board
Mr. Chisholm: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the revenue and capital allocation to Lothian health board during each of the last three years.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Details of Lothian health board's revenue and capital allocations for 1992 93, 1993 94 and 1994 95 are set out in the table.
£ million Year |Revenue allocation|Capital allocation ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1992-93 |357.081 |24.186 1993-94 |363.716 |11.879 1994-95 |372.493 |3.877
The basic revenue allocation shown is supplemented by funds to meet other services and costs, such as provision for AIDS, artificial limbs and appliance centres, breast cancer screening and, the additional cost of teaching.
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NHS Expenditure
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the level of spending per head of population on family health service services in Scotland; and if his answer of 7 December, Official Report , columns 278-79 , included such expenditure.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Family health services expenditure was included in my answer of 7 December to the hon. Gentleman. The information requested on family health services expenditure is set out in the table.
|Family health
Health board area |£
----------------------------------------------------------------
Argyll and Clyde |178.60
Ayrshire and Arran |176.31
Borders |168.11
Dumfries and Galloway |177.72
Fife |157.20
Forth Valley |173.36
Grampian |157.82
Greater Glasgow |182.71
Highland |182.26
Lanarkshire |164.89
Lothian |166.77
Orkney |180.97
Shetland |161.50
Tayside |181.89
Western Isles |196.91
Total Health Board |172.25
Truancy
Mr. McAllion: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what initiatives his Department has taken since 1990 to tackle school truancy.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: A number of initiatives have been taken aimed at focusing the attention of education authorities, schools and parents on the problem of truancy. These are:
A consultation paper "Action on Truancy in Scotland" issued in April 1991.
Two surveys of truancy in schools in June and November 1991, commissioned from the Scottish Council for Research in Education and published in 1992.
A study on "Links Between Truancy and Delinquency" commissioned from the MVA Consultancy and published in 1992.
Regulations made in July 1993 requiring the collection and publication of information on attendance, authorised absence and unauthorised absence by stage for Scottish schools.
A report by the Audit Unit of HM Inspectorate "Attendance, Truancy & Performance" issued in October 1993.
In the new year an audit unit report containing school-based information on attendance, and authorised and unauthorised absence will be issued. The Scottish Council for Research in Education has also been commissioned to investigate and report on the links between truancy and performance in primary and secondary schools and it will report in 1995. To assist schools in dealing with truancy a support pack called "The Truancy File" will be sent free to all Scottish schools.
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School Sizes
Mr. McAllion: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what research the Scottish Office Education Department has funded arising out of the Pack report's recommendation that the topic of best sizes of schools should be further studied.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: None.
Housing List Applications
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many applicants were waiting on the housing lists of each district council in each financial year since 1979.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Reliable information is not held centrally.
Trans-European Road Network
Mr. Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to enable access to European funding for the Skye bridge approach roads following his decision to include the route from Glasgow to Uig, Isle of Skye, in the trans-European road network; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: A decision by the European Commission and the Council of Ministers on proposed additions to the trans-European road network--TERN--including the route from Glasgow to Uig, Isle of Skye is expected early in 1995. Although a draft financial regulation, detailing the funding of TERN schemes, has yet to be approved, it is not intended to cover the retrospective funding of schemes.
Rents
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the average rent charged for (a) private sector tenancies, (b) district council tenancies, (c) development corporation tenancies and (d) Scottish Homes tenancies in each financial year since 1979.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The following table shows the average weekly unrebated rents for local authorities, new town development corporations and Scottish Homes and its predecessor, the Scottish Special Housing Association, since 1979 80. Comparable information on private sector rents is not held centrally.
Average Weekly Rents
|New town
|development |SSHA Scottish
|Local authority|corporations |homes
Year |£ |£ |£
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |4.92 |6.40 |5.43
1980-81 |5.88 |7.89 |7.21
1981-82 |7.69 |9.81 |9.15
1982-83 |9.02 |11.90 |11.26
1983-84 |9.86 |12.76 |11.96
1984-85 |10.46 |14.36 |13.06
1985-86 |11.55 |15.61 |14.23
1986-87 |12.99 |16.81 |15.79
1987-88 |14.58 |18.29 |17.28
1988-89 |16.29 |19.79 |19.02
1989-90 |18.85 |21.81 |20.88
1990-91 |20.93 |23.29 |23.81
1991-92 |23.12 |25.62 |26.73
1992-93 |24.65 |27.72 |29.14
1993-94 |26.39 |29.87 |31.76
1994-95 |27.79 |31.36 |33.83
Housing Waiting Lists
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many applicants were waiting on the housing lists of Scottish Homes in each financial year since 1979.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The information requested is a matter for Scottish Homes. I have asked its chairman, Sir James Mellon, to write to the hon. Member.
Disabled People
Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is now in a position to respond to the recommendations of the committee of inquiry into housing in Scotland for people with physical disabilities.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: I have written to Lord Ewing of Kirkford, welcoming the Ewing committee's report as a valuable contribution to the debate on housing in Scotland for disabled people, and setting out the Scottish Office's formal response to the committee's recommendations. The response is being placed in the Commons and Lords Libraries, and will be sent to all MPs sitting for Scottish constituencies, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, housing authorities, Scottish Homes and interested voluntary bodies, and the media. The main points of the response are as follows: The Scottish Office will consult over 300 organisations early in the new year on amendments to building regulations governing access to new dwellings, including costs. This consultation paper will build on the comments received earlier this year on the topics to be covered in the amendments. New regulations have already been made on access to non-domestic buildings.
Scottish Homes has been asked to review the Scottish housing handbooks on housing for disabled people, and for elderly people. These will take account of barrier-free housing, which Scottish Homes is already encouraging.
Over £2.8 billion will be made available for housing investment over the next three years and there have been substantial increases in provision of specialist housing for physically disabled people since 1979.
Community care, including provision for physically disabled people, is now one of only four national priorities which housing authorities have been asked to address in their housing plans and output targets. It is also a priority for Scottish Homes, including grants to the voluntary and private sectors, and the care and repair scheme which helps disabled and elderly people to carry out repairs and adaptations to enable them to remain in their own home.
More generally, the circular entitled "Community Care--The Housing Dimension", which was issued by the Scottish Office on 9 August, emphasised the importance
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of co-operation between housing, social work and health bodies in planning, assessment of need, and housing management for physically disabled people and other community care client groups. This guidance and the introduction of housing plans and housing management plans, encompass and go beyond the committee's recommendations on co-ordination of provision for disabled people by housing authorities. The circular also sets out the respectiveresponsibilities of health, social work and housing for adaptations, aids and equipment.
It is not possible to give absolute housing rights to disabled people, since their needs have to be considered in the light of costs, available resources and the priorities given to other groups. However, we will take account of their needs and aspirations in our plans, and will continue to support important particular rights, such as the right to be consulted on individual community care assessments. Scottish Homes is preparing a policy statement on housing action for disabled people which we hope will serve as an example for other providers.
Finally, we recognise the importance of information and advice for disabled people on housing issues. Scottish Homes' Homepoint has made grants of about £17,000 for the disabled persons housing service and for a handbook on disabled persons' housing rights being produced by the Margaret Blackwood housing association.
Agricultural Wages Board
Mr. Kynoch: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is in a position to announce the Government's decision on the future of the Scottish agricultural wages board.
Sir Hector Monro: Following the Government's review of the Scottish agricultural wages board initiated last year, and taking account of the views expressed during the consultation period, we have concluded that the board should continue to operate within the existing statutory framework. A further review of the board will take place in 1998.
Recycled Liquid Fuel
Mr. Home Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the use of recycled liquid fuel at the Blue Circle cement works at Dunbar; and what assessment he has made of (a) the safety of the transport and storage of this fuel and (b) the level and nature of any pollution arising from the use of this fuel.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 14 December 1994]: During the determination of the application for an authorisation under integrated pollution control in respect of the Blue Circle cement works at Dunbar, Her Majesty's industrial pollution inspectorate gave careful consideration to the environmental implications of burning recycled liquid fuels in part replacement of the normal kiln fuels. In terms of emissions of sulphur dioxide the use was beneficial, but in order to ensure that the impact of burning chlorinated material was negligible, the authorisation included conditions that placed stringent limits on the content of chlorine, polychlorinated biphenyls and pentachlorophenol in all recovered fuels. A series of tests were undertaken by the company to a protocol agreed with HMIPI and emissions of dioxins and furans, the principal concern, were shown to be below the 1 ngm limit set in the draft European Union directive on the incineration of hazardous waste.
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Monitoring of incoming fuel has shown that all batches comply with the conditions of authorisation and relevant data have been placed on the public register. Current usage corresponds to no more than 3 per cent. of the total thermal input to the kiln.HMIPI has work in hand to ensure that test protocols for the estimation of dioxins and furans in environmental media are optimised and Blue Circle is included in the inspectorate's audit programme for 1995 96.
As regards the safety of these materials during transport and storage, the responsibility for these issues lies with the Department of Transport and the Health and Safety Executive. I have asked both the Department and the Executive to write to the hon. Member in due course.
Respiratory Illnesses
Mrs. Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many hospital admissions there were for each month in 1991, 1992 and 1993 for (a) acute respiratory complaints and (b) bronchitis by local health authority and trust.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Information on hospital discharges is set out in the tables.
Table 1: Discharges for acute respiratory complaints
and
bronchitis by month and year of admission, 1991 to
1993
|1991 |1992 |1993
------------------------------------------------------
Acute respiratory
January |3,606 |4,590 |3,980
February |3,548 |3,850 |3,886
March |3,749 |3,221 |4,529
April |3,054 |3,112 |3,399
May |3,031 |3,026 |3,330
June |2,695 |3,076 |3,318
July |2,545 |2,694 |2,920
August |2,430 |2,530 |2,905
September |3,143 |3,073 |3,537
October |3,502 |3,085 |4,762
November |3,662 |3,374 |5,922
December |4,651 |3,830 |5,404
|--------|--------|--------
Total |39,616 |39,461 |47,892
Bronchitis
January |366 |799 |655
February |465 |552 |614
March |599 |316 |501
April |338 |279 |306
May |222 |217 |270
June |193 |200 |247
July |163 |177 |220
August |149 |150 |177
September |158 |161 |206
October |226 |196 |367
November |336 |267 |639
December |814 |474 |940
|--------|--------|--------
Total |4,029 |3,788 |5,142
Notes:
1. Discharges include only emergency admissions.
2. The bronchitis discharges are also included in
acute respiratory complaints.
3. Data are collected on a discharge basis.
Table 2: Discharges for acute respiratory complaints and
bronchitis by year of admission and health board of residence, 1991 to 1993
Acute Respiratory Bronchitis
Health board of |1991 |1992 |1993 |1991 |1992 |1993
residence
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Argyll and Clyde |3,101 |3,069 |3,670 |271 |202 |325
Ayrshire and Arran |2,937 |2,819 |3,677 |204 |167 |236
Borders |802 |796 |926 |88 |120 |83
Dumfries and Galloway |1,071 |1,029 |1,339 |105 |61 |113
Fife |2,278 |2,306 |2,640 |215 |250 |336
Forth Valley |1,634 |1,789 |2,369 |98 |73 |201
Grampian |3,721 |3,782 |4,453 |231 |241 |332
Greater Glasgow |7,471 |7,769 |9,775 |642 |706 |1,402
Highland |1,419 |1,281 |1,609 |288 |291 |300
Larnarkshire |4,366 |4,111 |4,960 |830 |710 |694
Lothian |6,361 |6,271 |7,224 |801 |692 |776
Orkney |110 |90 |123 |10 |3 |1
Shetland |69 |95 |116 |8 |15 |7
Tayside |3,721 |3,667 |4,337 |204 |215 |273
Western Isles |167 |164 |187 |8 |13 |24
All Health Boards |39,228 |39,038 |47,405 |4,003 |3,759 |5,103
Outside Scotland/NK/NFA |388 |423 |487 |26 |29 |39
Scotland |39,616 |39,461 |47,892 |4,029 |3,788 |5,142
Notes:
1. Discharges include only emergency admissions.
2. The bronchitis discharges are also included in acute respiratory complaints.
3. Data are collected on a discharge basis.
Table 3: Discharges for acute respiratory complaints and bronchitis by year of admission and NHS trust 1991
to 1993
Acute respiratory Bronchitis
|1991 |1992 |1993 |1991 |1992 |1993
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South Ayrshire Hospitals NHS Trust |397 |1,149 |1,473 |10 |40 |68
Northern Ayr and Arran NHS Trust |1,513 |1,482 |1,975 |131 |112 |159
A and A Community Health Care NHS Trust |183 |157 |190 |15 |10 |14
Borders General Hospital Acute |625 |662 |721 |78 |110 |79
Borders Community Health Services |133 |100 |168 |11 |5 |8
Dumbarton Unit |237 |311 |318 |2 |2 |-
Argyll and Bute Unit |479 |484 |525 |44 |37 |22
Royal Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust |1,264 |1,303 |1,682 |97 |96 |122
Inverclyde Royal NHS Trust |924 |786 |854 |85 |40 |69
Renfrewshire H-care NHS Trust |52 |52 |58 |2 |3 |1
Queen Margaret Hospital NHS Trust |6 |1 |213 |- |- |5
Fife Healthcare NHS Trust |1,211 |1,216 |1,171 |96 |115 |152
Kirkcaldy Acute Hospital NHS Trust |870 |835 |959 |116 |121 |161
Care for the Elderly Unit, GGHB |134 |7 |11 |2 |- |-
South General Hospital NHS Trust |825 |893 |1,061 |61 |194 |337
Yorkhill NHS Trust |2,565 |2,501 |3,268 |554 |371 |970
Victoria Infirmary NHS Trust |945 |1,002 |1,296 |33 |108 |148
West Glasgow Hospital University NHS Trust |1,206 |1,347 |1,600 |16 |27 |55
Glasgow Royal Infirmary University NHS Trust |1,035 |1,284 |1,591 |17 |25 |12
Stobhill NHS Trust |1,268 |1,261 |1,746 |45 |39 |69
Raigmore Hospital NHS Trust |1,286 |1,135 |1,449 |304 |303 |329
Caithness/Sutherland NHS Trust |109 |134 |161 |3 |7 |12
Highland Communities NHS Trust |155 |136 |168 |7 |8 |4
Comm/Prior Services, Lanark HB |103 |101 |109 |32 |34 |33
Monklands/Bellshill NHS Trust |1,729 |1,545 |1,784 |369 |321 |421
Law Hospital NHS Trust |1,352 |1,325 |1,601 |271 |217 |163
Hairmyres/Stonehouse NHS Trust |921 |926 |1,143 |115 |116 |11
Aberdeen Royal Hospitals NHS Trust |2,505 |2,438 |2,798 |152 |149 |226
Grampian Healthcare NHS Trust |978 |1,078 |1,342 |42 |52 |59
Moray Health Service NHS Trust |188 |223 |220 |17 |20 |16
Orkney Health Board Unit |103 |82 |110 |8 |3 |1
West Lothian NHS Trust |1,113 |971 |1,192 |238 |188 |131
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh NHS Trust |2,229 |2,458 |2,588 |182 |251 |325
Edinburgh Sick Children's NHS Trust |1,723 |1,628 |1,796 |294 |184 |258
Western General Hospitals NHS Trust |616 |795 |1,028 |48 |34 |35
East and Midlothian NHS Trust |458 |599 |801 |21 |57 |34
Edinburgh Healthcare NHS Trust |315 |- |- |26 |- |-
St. Columbus Hospice |1 |1 |1 |- |- |-
Dundee Teaching Hospital NHS Trust |2,621 |2,532 |2,876 |112 |145 |193
Perth/Kinross H-care NHS Trust |872 |959 |1,189 |78 |71 |89
Dundee Healthcare NHS Trust |62 |57 |48 |- |2 |3
Angus NHS Trust |422 |406 |557 |23 |12 |6
Stirling Royal Infirmary NHS Trust |852 |887 |1,190 |63 |47 |116
Falkirk and District Royal Infirmary NHS Trust |805 |908 |1,200 |33 |26 |83
Western Isles Health Unit |145 |148 |179 |9 |12 |22
Community Services Unit D and G HB |83 |69 |94 |5 |1 |12
D & G Acute and Mat NHS Trust |1,013 |995 |1,274 |101 |60 |102
Shetland Hospitals and Community Unit |69 |83 |114 |7 |12 |7
Other |916 |9 |- |54 |1 |-
|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------|--------
Total |39,616 |39,461 |47,892 |4,029 |3,788 |5,142
Notes:
1. Discharges include only emergency admissions.
2. Trusts are defined to include those units and hospitals as at 1 April 1993.
3. The bronchitis discharges are also included in acute respiratory complaints.
4. Discharges which fall into the "other" category are the following:
Ayr County Hospital
Healthfield Hospital
Seafield Hospital
Kelso Cottage Hospital
Duntocher Hospital
Longmore Hospital
Bangour General Hospital
County Hospital, Stornoway
5. Data are collected on a discharge basis.
Labour Statistics
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) males and (b) females were in full-time employment in the latest month for which figures are available and in the same month in each of the last 10 years; and if he will indicate in each case and for each year the proportion of this figure as a percentage of the total population.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 14 December 1994]: The information can be obtained from the NOMIS database which is accessible from the House of Commons Library. However, full-time and part-time breakdown for males should not be used prior to June 1991.
Black Isle
Mr. Charles Kennedy: To ask the secretary of State for Scotland if he will list (a) the reasons for the announcement that he required more time to consider the revised Black Isle local plan, (b) the likely length of additional time involved and (c) the extent to which he will give full consideration both to Highland regional council's handling of the matter and the volume of objections from the Black Isle itself; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Stewart [holding answer 15 December 1994]: Legislation requires my right hon. Friend to consider a proposal by a planning authority for the adoption of a local plan within 28 days of it being received by him. He may extend this period if he considers it necessary. In the case of the revised Black Isle local plan, the period has been extended to allow more time to consider whether the plan's policies and proposals raise issues of more than local importance.
I cannot say, at this stage, when a final decision will be announced, but every effort will be made to do so at the earliest opportunity. I can also assure the hon. Member that full and careful consideration will be given to the manner in which this matter has been handled by Highland regional council, and the objections received, before a decision is reached.
Eye Tests
Mr Chisholm: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many eye tests were carried out in (a) Lothian and (b) Scotland as a whole in each of the last seven years for which figures are available.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 19 December 1994]: The number of national health service sight tests paid for by health boards in each of the financial years since 1987 is shown in the table. No information is collected on private sight tests.
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Number of NHS sight tests<1> in Scotland and Lothian Health Board
|1987-88 |1988-89 |<2>1989-90|1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93 |1993-94
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lothian |162,353 |176,902 |74,531 |56,682 |66,297 |71,554 |77,065
Scotland |1,098,145 |1,168,610 |475,479 |432,885 |496,598 |538,683 |579,671
<1> One person may have more than one sight test in the period.
<2> Since 1 April 1989 free NHS sight tests have been available only to children, full-time
students under 19, those in receipt of income support or family credit, the registered blind or
partially sighted, complex lens users, those who hold an AG2 exemption certificate from the health
benefits division, diagnosed diabetic or glaucoma sufferers, and close relatives aged 40 or over
of glaucoma sufferers.
Teacher Qualifications
Mrs. Fyfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will ensure that teachers of higher national certificates courses in schools and further education colleges will be similarly qualified.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 19 December 1994]: Higher national certificate courses are not currently available in schools in Scotland.
Skillstart
Mrs. Fyfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had on the proposal that Skillstart will be assessed only internally.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 17 December 1994]: My right hon. Friend has had no such discussions.
Public Servants
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library copies of the compensation and redundancy terms for (a) Scottish Office civil servants and (b) staff for the Scottish councils.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 19 December 1994]: The compensation and redundancy terms applying to civil servants, including those of the Scottish Office, are set out in section 10 of the "Rules of the Principal Civil
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Service Pension Scheme," a copy of which is in the Library. A copy of the Local Government (Compensation for Premature Retirement) (Scotland) Regulations 1979 and subsequent amending instruments are already in the Library. A copy of the Local Government (Compensation for Redundancy) (Scotland) Regulations 1994 and a draft of the Government's proposals for compensation for loss of employment arising from local government reorganisation were lodged with the Library on 5 December. The proposals, in the form of a draft of the Local Government (Compensation for Redundancy) (Scotland) Regulations 1995, have been issued for comment.TREASURY
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many parliamentary questions tabled in the last Session of Parliament were answered on the grounds that the information sought was not held centrally by the Department.
Mr. Nelson: From the information available on POLIS, eight written questions were not answered because the information sought was not held centrally.
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Money Laundering
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will list each of the 40 recommendations of the financial action task force to control money laundering together with the action taken by the United Kingdom on each one.
Mr. Nelson: The Government fully endorsed the 40 recommendations of the financial action task force on money laundering when they were published in 1990. I have arranged for a paper setting out the United Kingdom's response to each of the FATF recommendations to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Tobacco Duties
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has on the proportion of revenue raised through tobacco duties which is paid by different income groups.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: I refer the hon. Lady to table 3, appendix 1, of the Central Statistical Office article "The Effects of Taxes and Benefits on Household Income, 1992" in "Economic Trends," January 1994.
VAT (Fuel)
Mr. Bowden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect of VAT on fuel at 8 per cent. on the annual rate of inflation in the year to September 1995.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: VAT on fuel at 8 per cent. was introduced in April 1994, so any price increases as a result will have fed through to the retail prices index prior to the year to September 1995, meaning that VAT on fuel and power will have no effect on the annual rate of inflation over that period.
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his estimate of the amount of revenue forgone by exemption from value added tax of sums paid in advance to power-generating companies.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: It is estimated that the VAT cost of prepayment of electricity by domestic consumers is £55 million.
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what representations he has received on VAT being charged on fuel standing charges.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: Treasury Ministers have received a number of representations on this issue. Both the fixed standing charges and the variable consumption charges for domestic electricity and gas are payment for the one service--the supply of gas and electricity--and so liable to VAT at the 8 per cent. reduced rate, even though they are shown separately on the bill. VAT is normally chargeable on the whole price of any taxable goods or services, regardless of the way in which the supplier chooses to structure the price.
Income Tax
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what was the (a) upper and (b) decile income for tax purposes in 1963 64, 1973 74, 1978 79 and 1993 94 and forecast 1995 96; what was the percentage of the income in each case of the amount payable in (i) direct and (ii) indirect tax, including
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national insurance, health, public sector rents and all other charges less child benefit, by a (iii) two-person household with no dependants and (iv) a two-person household with two dependent children; and what are his estimates for 1994 95;(2) what was the median income for tax purposes in 1963 64, 1973 74, 1978 79, 1993 94 and forecast 1995 96; what was the percentage of the income in each case of the amount payable in (a) direct and (b) indirect tax, including national insurance, health, public sector rents and all other charges less child benefit, by a (i) two-person household with no dependants and (ii) a two-person household with two dependent children; and what are his estimates for 1994 95.
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