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Sir Hector Monro: Official records on the number of sheep scab cases in Scotland are not available for the period following the deregulation of compulsory controls in 1992. The number of confirmed cases in the preceding three years were as follows:
1990: 4
1991: 5
1992 (to 30 June): 17
In the early part of last year, industry reports suggested a growing incidence of sheep scab throughout Great Britain and a surveillance exercise was carried out at sales and markets during the spring of 1994. In Scotland, this showed that sheep scab was present throughout the country, although the incidence related to flock numbers was relatively low.
The Government carried out an extensive poster and leaflet campaign in the autumn of 1994 to urge farmers to dip their sheep and to remind them of their welfare responsibilities. Surveillance at markets was also stepped up and a further survey of the incidence of the disease will be made in spring 1995.
Energy Recycling, Airdrie
Mrs. Liddell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will outline the criteria used to approve the energy recycling scheme proposed by Shanks and McEwan Ltd. for the generation of energy from methane gas from the Greengairs landfill site near Airdrie; (2) if he will outline the criteria used to turn down the energy recycling scheme proposed by Monklands district council for the generation of energy from methane gas from the Dalmacoulter landfill site in Airdrie.
Mr. Steward: In setting the size of the waste-to-energy band within the Scottish renewables obligation, my right hon. Friend accepted the advice of the Director General of Electricity Supply that only those projects bidding at less than 4.2p per unit generated should be supported.
Dental Services
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much additional expenditure each health board has incurred as a result of dentists de-registering patients following the changes in their pay structure implemented by the Scottish Office in October 1990; and how much of this expenditure has been reimbursed to them by the Scottish Office.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 26 January 1995, Official Report, columns 346 48 , giving expenditure on general dental services over the past five years by each health board. It is not possible to to attribute changes in expenditure to specific causes. All legitimate costs incurred in providing general dental services are met from central funds.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which health boards have emergency dental services; when these dental services were established; how much it has cost to provide these services; and how many patients have received treatment from this
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emergency dental service in each of the last five financial years.Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Since 1990, general dental practitioners have been responsible for providing emergency dental treatment for their own registered patients. Health boards may also set up emergency dental services to provide treatment out of hours, at weekends and on public holidays where necessary, using general dental practitioners and/or community dental staff. The table shows which Scottish health boards operate formal emergency dental services and when these services were established. It is not possible to identify separately the cost of providing emergency dental services from the overall costs of the general dental service. Information is not held centrally on the number of patients who receive treatment under emergency dental services.
|Emergency dental |When services
|services available|established
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Argyll and Clyde |- |-
Ayrshire and Arran |yes |1982
Borders |yes |October 1990
Dumfries and Galloway |- |-
Fife |yes |1989
Forth Valley |yes |1986
Grampian |yes |1982
Greater Glasgow |yes |1982
Highland |- |-
Lanarkshire |- |-
Lothian |yes |1977
Orkney |yes |Pre-October 1990
Shetland |yes |Pre-October 1990
Tayside |yes |1982
Western Isles |- |-
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many patients were de-registered by their dentists in the financial year 1993 94; how many patients have been de-registered by their dentists in the financial year 1994 95 so far; and how many dental practices were involved in these de-registrations in each health board area in Scotland;
(2) how many patients have been de-registered by their dentists; and how many patients in each of these years were still in receipt of dental treatment, in each of the last five years.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Formal arrangements for patients to be registered with a dentist were introduced in October 1990. Information supplied by health boards about de-registrations since that date is contained in the table. It is not possible to identify individual patients de-registered or to establish whether each subsequently received treatment from another dentist.
October
1990-March 1991
|Number of patients|<1>Number of
|dentists
Health Board |de-registered |involved
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Argyll and Clyde |3 |1
Ayrshire and Arran |- |-
Borders |1 |1
Dumfries and Galloway |- |-
Fife |1 |1
Forth Valley |- |-
Grampian |- |-
Greater Glasgow |7 |5
Highland |4 |3
Lanarkshire |4 |4
Lothian |18 |2
Orkney |- |-
Shetland |- |-
Tayside |n/a |n/a
Western Isles |- |-
n/a-not available.
Notes:<1> Number of dentists involved in de-registration in a particular year.
April 1991-March
1992
|Number of patients|<1>Number of
|dentists
Health Board |de-registered |involved
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Argyll and Clyde |25 |2
Ayrshire and Arran |14 |10
Borders |11 |4
Dumfries and Galloway |11 |2
Fife |- |-
Forth Valley |42 |12
Grampian |9 |5
Greater Glasgow |41 |36
Highland |19 |12
Lanarkshire |70 |10
Lothian |101 |21
Orkney |- |-
Shetland |- |-
Tayside |n/a |n/a
Western Isles |- |-
n/a-not available.
Notes:<1> Number of dentists involved in de-registration in a particular year.
April 1992-March
1993
|Number of patients|<1>Number of
|dentists
Health Board |de-registered |involved
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Argyll and Clyde |2,241 |14
Ayrshire and Arran |1,309 |11
Borders |1,432 |4
Dumfries and Galloway |4,518 |10
Fife |295 |32
Forth Valley |201 |23
Grampian |257 |21
Greater Glasgow |579 |45
Highland |210 |24
Lanarkshire |252 |29
Lothian |483 |23
Orkney |- |-
Shetland |- |-
Tayside |<2>206 |<2>29
Western Isles |37 |4
Notes:<1>Number of dentists involved in de-registration in a particular year.
<2>From July 1992.
April 1993-March
1994
|Number of patients|<1>Number of
|dentists
Health Board |de-registered |involved
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Argyll and Clyde |42 |7
Ayrshire and Arran |400 |13
Borders |683 |4
Dumfries and Galloway |1,388 |10
Fife |417 |21
Forth Valley |63 |18
Grampian |179 |18
Greater Glasgow |339 |49
Highland |73 |24
Lanarkshire |145 |25
Lothian |1,625 |17
Orkney |- |-
Shetland |- |-
Tayside |57 |11
Western Isles |16 |4
Notes<1> Number of dentists involved in de-registration in a particular year.
April
1994-December 1994
|Number of patients|<1>Number of
|dentists
Health Board |de-registered |involved
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Argyll and Clyde |- |16
Ayrshire and Arran |65 |17
Borders |41 |4
Dumfries and Galloway |724 |16
Fife |439 |24
Forth Valley |184 |-
Grampian |140 |35
Greater Glasgow |893 |87
Highland |67 |32
Lanarkshire |47 |57
Lothian |650 |22
Orkney |- |-
Shetland |- |-
Tayside |361 |48
Western Isles |- |-
Notes:<1> For 1994-95 the figures show the running total of dentists involved
in de-registration from July 1992 to December 1994.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment the Scottish Office has made of the impact of de-registration of patients on the dental health of the overall population.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The number of patients registered with general dental practitioners has decreased by less than 1 per cent. over the last 12 months from 2,650,925 to 2,632,878. Patients can be de- registered by their dentists for a variety of reasons. It is not possible to relate this information directly to the level of dental health in Scotland.
NHS Helpline
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 17 January, Official Report, column 466 , how many (a) interactive and (b) non-interactive phone calls were made to the NHS helpline up until 12 January.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The total number of interactive and non -interactive calls received by the NHS helpline between 29 October 1992 and 12 January 1995 is listed in the table.
|Interactive |Non-interactive|Total
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
29 October-20 November 1992 |573 |186 |759
21 November-18 December 1992 |315 |395 |710
19 December-15 January 1993 |383 |291 |674
16 January-12 February 1993 |973 |330 |1,303
13 February-12 March 1993 |621 |519 |1,140
13 March-9 April 1993 |714 |500 |1,214
10 April-7 May 1993 |472 |362 |834
8 May-4 June 1993 |539 |436 |975
5 June -2 July 1993 |579 |549 |1,128
3 July-30 July 1993 |647 |589 |1,236
31 July-27 August 1993 |366 |495 |861
28 August-24 September 1993 |323 |478 |801
25 September-22 October 1993 |420 |639 |1,059
23 October-19 November 1993 |319 |446 |765
20 November-17 December 1993 |285 |359 |644
18 December-14 January 1994 |256 |305 |561
15 January-11 February 1994 |543 |413 |956
12 February-11 March 1994 |524 |515 |1,039
12 March-8 April 1994 |346 |444 |790
9 April-6 May 1994 |653 |512 |1,165
7 May-3 June 1994 |398 |426 |824
4 June-1 July 1994 |566 |714 |1,280
2 July-29 July 1994 |360 |844 |1,204
30 July-26 August 1994 |430 |626 |1,056
27 August-23 September 1994 |734 |398 |1,132
24 September-21 October 1994 |4,031 |337 |4,368<1>
22 October-18 November 1994 |5,090 |1,554 |6,644<1>
19 November-16 December 1994 |2,003 |428 |2,431
17 December-12 January 1995 |514 |566 |1,080
Total |23,977 |14,656 |38,633
<1> Corrected and updated figures.
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Local Enterprise Companies
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidelines exist for the declaration of business interests by the directors of local enterprise companies in Scotland; what interests they are required to declare; and what scrutiny procedure exists for these declared interests.
Mr. Stewart: The local enterprise companies are required by their operating contracts with Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise to maintain a register of directors' interests; to make that register open for public inspection; and to have in place procedures designed to avoid potential conflicts of interest. The approval and monitoring of the local enterprise companies' conflict of interest procedures is an operational matter for the enterprise bodies and I have asked their chairmen to write to the hon. Member.
Long-term Care
Ms Rachel Squire: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many NHS continuing care beds each health board in Scotland plans to close from 1 April 1994 in (a) learning disabilities, (b) psychiatric, (c) geriatric, (d) psycho-geriatric and (e) physical disabilities; over what timescales the closures will take place; and if he will make a statement on Government targets in these areas.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: There are no centrally imposed targets for long-stay bed provision in the NHS. The pace of change is directed by patient needs. The organisation of long-stay care and care services in the community are determined by continuous joint assessment of local needs involving health boards and local authorities. The aim is to secure the most effective package of services, both in hospital and the community, that meet the specific needs of patients and carers.
Ms Rachel Squire: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much money has been transferred from each health board in Scotland to local authorities under resource transfer arrangements in respect of reductions in NHS continuing care beds in (a) learning disabilities, (b) psychiatric, (c) geriatric, (d) psycho-geriatric and (e) physical disabilities in each year since 1991; what is his assessment of the adequacy of the level of resource transfer to local authorities; and what proportion of the money saved by health boards will be transferred to local authorities.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Information on money transferred from health boards in Scotland to local authorities has only recently been collected centrally and is available for the period 1993 94 onwards. The data provided do not include an analysis of the different categories requested. The latest information available is given in the table:
|Estimated
|Resource transfer|resource transfer
|1993-94 |1994-95
Health board |£000 |£000
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Argyll and Clyde |- |1,465
Ayrshire and Arran |642 |1,529
Borders |- |608
Dumfries and Galloway |119 |857
Fife |1,018 |1,822
Forth Valley |987 |2,129
Grampian |2,404 |3,216
Greater Glasgow |399 |466
Highland |549 |1,519
Lanarkshire |778 |2,105
Lothian |590 |3,926
Tayside |604 |1,401
Orkney |- |163
Shetland |- |101
Western Isles |144 |147
Total |8,234 |21,454
In addition to the above, health boards paid £10.3 million to other agencies in 1993 94 for non-NHS care services, and are estimating £9.6 million for 1994 95.
Resource transfers are to be regarded as a contribution towards the cost of alternative care services in the community. Health boards' contributions will reflect what can be afforded from the savings achieved through contractions in long-stay bed provision after any necessary reinvestment in alternative health care services. The level of reinvestment is very much dependent on local circumstances and need. It is not possible, therefore, to draw ready conclusions about either the adequacy or proportion of savings eventually transferred. I am, nevertheless, encouraged with the expected level of increase for 1993 94 to 1994 95.
Development Corporations
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 17 January, Official Report , column 467, if he will list for each development corporation of Scotland (a) how many of their properties are currently leased to housing associations and (b) the name of the housing association in each case.
Mr. Stewart: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to his question on 17 January, Official Report, columns 467-68 .
Footpaths
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much has been spent or grant aided in each of the last three years for which figures are available by Scottish National Heritage on the repair of eroded footpaths.
Sir Hector Monro: Expenditure on footpath repairs in each of the last three years has been:
1991 92: £277,655--Countryside Commission for Scotland
1992 93: £292,024--Scottish Natural Heritage
1993 94: £272,566--Scottish Natural Heritage
These figures exclude some expenditure on paths which is aggregated with other works to improve a recreation site or facility. They are grant costs at rates varying from 50 per cent. to 85 per cent. according to location of site and the range of organisations which are contributing to the costs.
SNH also runs a footpath management project with aims of promoting more action on path management and encouraging high standards of work. This project is funded through SNH's research budget at around £20,000 per annum. In addition, SNH has undertaken surveys of the need for path management to establish better the scale
Column 659
of the problem. Surveys of this kind have been undertaken in Wester Ross and are under way in the Cairngorms.Listed Buildings
Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what is the number of buildings currently listed in category A and in category B;
(2) how many applications have been received from the owners of listed buildings for financial assistance towards the cost of repairs and maintenance in each of the last five financial years; and what has been the total value of the grants awarded.
Sir Hector Monro: The subjects of the questions relate to matters undertaken by Historic Scotland. I have asked its director and chief executive, Mr. Graeme Munro, to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from Graeme N. Munro to Mr. Robert Maclennan, dated 31 January 1995:
You have tabled two Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Scotland for Written Answer on 31 January. As these Questions relate to operational matters undertaken by Historic Scotland, I have been asked to provide the information you are seeking. The terms of this letter will be reproduced in the Official Report and a copy of it will also be deposited in the Library of the House.
I shall answer each Question in the order in which it appears on the Order Paper.
Question: What is the number of buildings currently listed in category A and in category B.
As at 25 January 1995, the number of buildings listed at category A was 2,987 and the number of buildings listed at category B was 25,093.
Question: How many applications have been received from the owners of listed buildings for financial assistance towards the cost of repairs and maintenance in each of the last five financial years; and what has been the total value of the grants awarded.
The total number of historic building repair grant applications received from owners of listed buildings and buildings situated within outstanding conservation areas over the past five financial years is as follows:
1989 90 116
1990 91 103
1991 92 62
1992 93 54
1993 94 97
Total 432
The total value of historic building repair grants awarded for the last five complete financial years is as follows:
1989 90 £8,848,360
1990 91 £11,371,775
1991 92 £12,317,845
1992 93 £9,836,580
1993 94 £14,644,413
Total £57,018,973
The relationship between the figures in the above tables warrants some further explanation. The award of a grant can take place in the same financial year in which the application was received, but that is unusual given the importance of a careful evaluation by the owner, his professional adviser and Historic Scotland of the building and its needs so that a comprehensive specification for repairs can be agreed. What is more, the amount of grant awarded for what are usually significant capital projects normally is paid over two or more
Column 660
financial years and payments do not flow until recognised phases of the work have been completed.The actual grant payments in each of the last five complete financial years were:
1989 90 £8,358,655
1990 91 £8,954,716
1991 92 £9,219,458
1992 93 £10,291,158
1993 94 £11,140,000
Total £47,963,987
I hope this information is helpful.
Reversal of Status Forms
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many patients in each health board area are recorded as having signed reversal of status forms from (a) private to NHS and (b) NHS to private in each of the past three years.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The information requested is not centrally available.
Scottish Homes
Mr. Michael J. Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many Glasgow houses Scottish Homes intends to transfer to new landlords or housing associations;
(2) if the ballot papers issued to Scottish Homes tenants will have an option for the tenants concerned to vote (a) to remain with Scottish Homes or (b) to be transferred to the local authority; (3) what guidelines he has issued or plans to issue to housing associations with regard to which organisation they can borrow from in order to acquire the property which Scottish Homes wishes to transfer;
(4) what housing estates in Glasgow Scottish Homes will be seeking to transfer to new landlords or housing associations;
(5) what is the current value of the houses that Gemini housing association has expressed an interest in buying from Scottish Homes; (6) what restrictions on borrowing have been placed on Gemini housing association by Scottish Homes; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The information requested is a matter for Scottish Homes. I have asked the chairman of Scottish Homes, Sir James Mellon, to write to the hon. Member with the relevant information.
A74-M74
Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many miles of the A74-M74 upgrading being financed by his Department is in England; what is the estimated cost of the work involved; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: None of the A74 upgrading being financed by the Scottish Office is in England.
Column 661
The Kirkpatrick Fleming to Gretna contract, administered by my Department and opened in December 1992, incorporated a 1 km length of motorway in England, including an interchange at Guardsmill. This short section was necessary to enable the new road to be opened as a motorway and was financed by the Department of Transport. The Scottish Office and the Department of Transport are exploring the possibility of completing the remaining sections of route using a design, build, finance and operate solution. Should this proceed as a single joint contract, the costs would again be apportioned to each Department.Public Bodies
Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department (i) hold open meetings, (ii) conduct public consultation exercises, (iii) conduct consultation exercises with outside commercial interest, (iv) publish a register of members' interests, (v) publish agendas for meetings and (vi) publish the minutes of meetings; and whether this is in each case (a) under a statutory requirement or (b) voluntary.
Mr. Lang [holding answer 16 December 1994]: The information requested by the hon. Member is as follows:
(i) In the case of children's panel advisory committees, the meetings are open to the public but discussions relating to confidential matters affecting children's panels or individual panel members or candidates are taken in private.
(ii) The Boundary Commission for Scotland conducts public consultation exercises by publicising proposed changes to electoral boundaries and holds inquiries under the Parliamentary Constituency Act 1986. The Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland also publicises its proposals and holds local inquiries under section 19 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. Local inquiries usually take place where there are major differences of opinion about the commission's proposals.
(iii) No consultation exercises are held by any advisory non-departmental public body sponsored by my Department with outside commercial interests.
(iv) No advisory non-departmental public body sponsored by my Department holds a register of members' interests.
(v) Agendas of meetings of children's panel advisory committees are available to the public if required.
(vi) Minutes of meeting of children's panel advisory committees are available to the public if required. Subject to confidential matters concerning individuals not being available, the boundary commission would be willing to consider making minutes of meetings available to interested parties.
The requirement for children's panel advisory committees to make available the information recorded above is not statutory. The requirement
Column 662
for the Boundary Commission for Scotland and the Local Government Boundary Commission for Scotland to publicise their proposals is statutory.New Zealand Flatworm
Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what studies he has carried out into the numbers of areas in Scotland where the New Zealand flatworm has been found; if it is increasing in numbers and areas affected; and what assessment he has made of its impact on native earthworms and soil structure.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 26 January 1995]: In 1992 research was commissioned by the Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department into the distribution of New Zealand flatworm in Scotland and also its impact on agriculture and horticulture. The flatworm was found to be widely distributed, mainly in private gardens and allotments. There is evidence to show that it has not become widely established in agricultural land. The research was thus unable to assess fully the impact on earthworm populations and soil in an agricultural background.
There has been an increase in sightings reported by the public. These are recorded by the Scottish Crop Research Institute, which monitors the position in conjunction with the Department. The need for further research into the impact of the New Zealand flatworm and methods of control is kept under review.
Electro-shock Weapons
Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has on the manufacture and supply of (a) electro-shock weapons and (b) instruments of torture by Scottish-based companies; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 30 January 1995]: I have no such information.
Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has on the acquisition of electro-shock weapons by police forces in Scotland, the use for which they are acquired and the guidelines which govern such acquisitions.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 30 January 1995]: No police force in Scotland has acquired electro-shock weapons, nor has any force intimated an intention to acquire such weapons.
Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what financial assistance has been given by his Department to United Kingdom companies actively involved in the manufacture, marketing and supply of electro-shock weapons; and if he will make a statement; (2) what is the policy of his Department in providing financial assistance to firms involved in the manufacture, marketing or supply of electro-shock weapons; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart [holding answer 30 January 1995]: My right hon. Friend is not aware of any financial assistance having ever been provided to support the manufacture, marketing or supply of electro-shock weapons. Prior to 1989, regional development grants amounting to less than £5,000 were paid to ICL Plastics Ltd., but these grants did not relate to electro-shock weapons.
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