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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The information is set out in the table.
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31 December 1979 31 December 1994 Force |Police |Civilians<2>|Police<1> |<2>Civilians --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Central |509 |104 |654 |155 Dumfries and Galloway |311 |60 |390 |124 Fife |671 |111 |789 |219 Grampian |932 |191 |1,191 |385 Lothian and Borders |2,342 |640 |2,556 |902 Northern |603 |135 |643 |243 Strathclyde |6,905 |1,334 |7,003 |1,553 Tayside |941 |208 |1,087 |320 Total |13,214 |2,783 |14,313 |3,901 <1> Includes officers on secondment to Central Services and Scottish Crime Squad. <2> Includes Traffic Wardens, Clerical and Technical Staff, but not Cleaning or Domestic Staff, or Cadets.
Dr. Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions the activities of sheriff officers have been investigated under section 79 of the Debtors (Scotland) Act 1987 in (a) the Sheriffdom of North Strathclyde and (b) other sheriffdoms in each of the past five years; if any of these investigations led to individuals losing the status of sheriff officer; and if he will make a statement. [13543]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Figures for the number of investigations carried out under section 79 of the Debtors (Scotland) from 1990 to 1994 are set out by Sheriffdom in the table. No sheriff officer has been deprived of his commission as a result of such an investigation.
Sheriffdom |1990 |1991 |1992 |1993 |1994 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- North Strathclyde |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 Glasgow and Strathkelvin |0 |1 |0 |0 |0 Lothian and Borders |0 |0 |0 |0 |1 South Strathclyde, Dumfries and Galloway |0 |0 |0 |1 |1 Tayside, Central and Fife |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 Grampian, Highland and Islands |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps his Department has taken to encourage the recruitment of more speech therapists by Scottish health boards. [14537]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: My Department has asked those higher education institutes where speech therapists train to increase their intake of students.
It is worthy of note that the number of whole-time equivalent speech therapists employed in the NHS in Scotland grew from 255.1 to 550.6 between 1979 and 1994, an increase of 116 per cent.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from Scottish education authorities in relation to the numbers of speech therapists employed within the NHS. [14539]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: None.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many speech therapists have been employed by each health board in Scotland in each of the last five financial years. [14536]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The information for 1994 is shown in the table. Date for 1990 93 are published in "Scottish Health Statistics", copies of which are available in the House of Commons Library.
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Qualified speech therapists by health board: as at 30 September 1994 (provisional) |Whole time |Number |equivalent ------------------------------------------------------- Scotland |659 |550.6 Argyll and Clyde |50 |39.7 Ayrshire and Arran |34 |31.2 Borders |18 |13.9 Dumfries and Galloway |24 |21.8 Fife |50 |44.8 Forth Valley |28 |22.6 Grampian |71 |59.2 Greater Glasgow |119 |99.3 Highland |29 |24.7 Lanarkshire |69 |58.6 Lothian |99 |79.6 Orkney |5 |2.7 Shetland |2 |2.0 Tayside |55 |45.0 Western Isles |6 |5.7
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidelines have been issued to the staff of Scottish Homes to prevent conflicts of interest in the establishment of housing associations by employees of Scottish Homes; and what safeguards have been established in order to protect the public interest when transfers of housing stock take place to housing associations involving the staff of Scottish Homes. [14576]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: My right hon. Friend issued guidance to Scottish Homes on the sale of assets and the letting of contracts, including those circumstances where groups of former staff are involved, which covered issues of propriety, value for money and quality of service. Scottish Homes took this guidance into account in determining its procedures for the disposal of its houses which includes a code of conduct for staff.
Transfer of Scottish Homes stock is subject to my right hon. Friend's approval and he will be concerned to ensure that such transfers will not take place unless he is satisfied that tenants are in favour and that their interests have been fully considered.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what guidance Scottish Homes has given to its staff in order to promote their involvement in the establishment of housing associations; [14546]
(2) what measures Scottish Homes have implemented to support their employees in establishing housing associations; [14547]
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(3) how much revenue Scottish Homes has raised from the transfer of its housing stock to other landlords; [14550](4) how much revenue has been received by Scottish Homes for each transfer of housing stock by Scottish Homes; [14551]
(5) which housing associations have been established by staff employed by Scottish Homes. [14552]
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.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many NHS prescriptions have been issued (a) paid for by patients and (b) in respect of which the patients were exempt from payment in each health board area in Scotland in each year since 1968. [14540]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: As the information requested, which is only available from the financial year 1979 80, is rather lengthy, I have arranged for copies of the tables to be placed in the Library of the House. The number of prescriptions for which no charge was made at the point of dispensing includes items dispensed on presentation of pre-payment certificates.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions his Department had with Ayrshire and Arran health board and the South Ayrshire hospitals trust prior to its reaching an agreement with Ayrshire Medical Support Ltd. for the provision of a scanner; and whether the Scottish Office acceded to this agreement. [14542]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: My right hon. Friend is aware of the proposal for the provision of a fixed magnetic resonance imager at Ayr hospital by Ayrshire Medical Support Limited. This is a matter for the South Ayrshire NHS trust and the company. However, officials are in contact with Ayrshire and Arran health board and the trust with a view to continuing to be fully informed about the project.
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many people have been deregistered by their dentist since 1992 in each health board area in Scotland. [14819]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Information supplied by health boards about patient de-registrations since financial year 1991 92 is contained in the table.
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Patients de-registered by dentists in Scotland |April 1991-March |April 1992-March |April 1993-March |April 1994-January |1992 |1993 |1994 |1995 |Number of patients|Number of patients|Number of patients|Number of patients Health board |de- registered<1> |de-registered |de-registered |de-registered ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Argyll and Clyde |25 |2,241 |42 |- Ayrshire and Arran |14 |1,309 |400 |72 Borders |11 |1,432 |683 |41 Dumfries and Galloway |11 |4,518 |1,388 |825 Fife |- |295 |417 |492 Forth Valley |42 |201 |63 |196 Grampian |9 |257 |179 |205 Greater Glasgow |41 |579 |339 |946 Highland |19 |210 |73 |68 Lanarkshire |70 |252 |145 |56 Lothian |101 |483 |1,625 |1,009 Orkney |- |- |- |- Shetland |- |- |- |- Tayside |n/a |<2>106 |57 |437 Western Isles |- |37 |16 |- n/a-Not available. <1> Patients de-registered by their dentist without their consent. Figures may not include NHS registrations ended either to enter private contract by agreement between patient and dentists, or where a dentist leaves the practice. <2> From July 1992.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of staff within the NHS in Scotland is currently covered by performance-related pay. [14548]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: This information is not held centrally.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proportion of employees within the NHS in Scotland he estimates will be covered by performance-related pay at the end of (a) the current and (b) the next financial year. [14549]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The taking forward of local pay arrangements whereby pay is related to performance, whether individual or team-based or otherwise, is a matter for the individual employing authorities.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidance the Scottish Office has issued to Scottish health boards relating to the closure of staffed beds for the treatment of mental health and psycho-geriatric patients. [14526]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: My right hon. Friend has issued no such guidance. Guidance has been issued on the role and responsibilities of the NHS in continuing care and on the arrangements to apply for the transfer of resources to local authorities where patients have transferred from the NHS to more appropriate forms of care. The organisation and provision of all mental health services is determined by clinical assessment and local need. It is for the individual health boards to assess the needs for their population and to purchase mental health services accordingly. In so doing they are expected to have due regard for the Government's community care objectives and what is best for individuals.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much Ayrshire and Arran health board and the South Ayrshire hospitals trust spent on upgrading Ballochmyle hospital during the last five years. [14527]
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: A total of £2.1 million.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many wards are currently lying empty within Ballochmyle hospital; and if he will give a reason for these closures. [14528]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Five wards are currently vacant. The organisation of health provision is a matter for the health board and NHS trust to agree in accordance with their shared assessment health needs for the area.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much it cost the Scottish Office to prepare, publish and distribute its recent information leaflet on the impact of local government reform. [14529]
Mr. Kynoch: The total cost for the printing and distribution of the explanatory leaflet "Local Government in Scotland: The New Councils" was £138,660. This works out at less than 7p per household.
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has to introduce and develop a code of conduct for civil servants.
Mr. David Hunt: In "The Civil Service--Taking Forward Continuity and Change", CM 2748, published on 26 January, the Government accepted the recommendation of the Treasury and Civil Service Committee for a new civil service code, to set out with greater clarity and brevity than existing documents the constitutional framework within which all civil servants work and the values which they are expected to uphold. The Government have published a draft code based on the Select Committee's proposal and aims to settle the text of the code after consultation with the Select Committee, civil servants, the civil service unions, and others.
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Ms Hodge: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many vacancies in the civil service or its agencies have occurred since the publication of the civil service White Paper in July 1994; and how many of these vacancies have been (a) filled by internal candidates, (b) not been filled and (c) filled by external candidates. [14690]
Mr. Horam: Since the publication of the civil service White Paper in July 1994 there have been 36 vacancies in the civil service and its agencies at grade 3 level and above:
(a) 22 were filled by internal candidates
(b) 4 have not yet been filled (competitions are in train) (c) 7 were filled by external candidates
(d) 3 were filled by candidates holding fixed term appointments to which they were recruited from outside the Service.
Information is not held centrally about all appointments to vacancies in Departments and agencies below grade 3 level.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the total expenditure on (a) all forms of publicity and (b) all publications and pamphlets produced for his Department and for all the agencies and public bodies for which his Department is responsible for each year since 1979, including the budgeted figure for 1995 96, (i) including and (ii) excluding privatisation-related expenditures and expressed in 1994 prices; and if he will supply information for the period from 1 April 1993 to 1
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March 1995 showing (1) the nature and (2) the purpose of each publicity campaign and of each publication involving the expenditure of more than £50,000. [14597]Mr. Horam: Total expenditure information on publicity, publications and pamphlets and details of individual publicity campaigns is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list all the visits he has made since the start of the current parliamentary Session to the constituencies of other hon. Members without prior warning to these hon. Members for any purpose connected with his departmental responsibilities. [15019]
Mr. David Hunt: I always do my best to give prior warning to hon. Members when I visit their constituencies in an official capacity.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how much each Government Department has spent on the employment of polling or public survey organisations during the current and previous financial years in connection with the citizens charter. [15192]
Mr. Horam: The table shows a breakdown of the charter unit's expenditure on the employment of polling or public survey organisations since its creation in 1991. Information on similar expenditure by other Government departments is not held centrally.
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Table 1: Citizens charter unit-expenditure incurred on employment of polling or public survey organisations Project |Organisation and |Financial year |Cost |reason for payment |£ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Charterline |Research International (RI): quantitative stage |1992-93 |9,953.00 | development, set up and pilot |RI: questionnaire design and testing for Citizen's Charter survey|1992-93 |2,126.00 |RI: fieldwork stage |1992-93 |35,796.00 |RI: processing and computing. |1992-93 |5,000.00 |RI: delivery of data tables. |1992-93 |5,000.00 |COI (on behalf of RSGB) Pilot Tracking Research |1993-94 |43,200.00 |COI (on behalf of Cragg Ross and Dawson) qualitative review |1993-94 |12,980.00 |COI (on behalf of Cragg Ross and Dawson) Charterline Groups |1993-94 |17,800.00 | 93-94; assistance with planning of campaign and part of | assessment of campaign Complaints Task Force |MORI: public's views on how public services handle complaints |1994-95 |60,720.00 Customer Survey |ICM: evaluation of public reactions to Charter |1993-94 |75,000.00 Miscellaneous research |MORI: survey of surveys |1994-95 |1,350.00 Charter Mark |COI (on behalf of Duckworth Finn Grubb Waters/MORI)- research on success of Customer Nomination Scheme.1994- 956,943.00 |MORI: review of 1993 Charter Mark scheme |1993-94 |29,595.00 |COI: tracking effects of Charter Mark advertising campaign |1994-95 |9,600.00 |MORI: review of 1994 Charter Mark scheme |1994-95 |35,485.00 |Total expenditure |350,548.00 Note: All figures exclude VAT.
Ms. Lynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what will be the level of social fund expenditure; and how much will be spent administering the social fund in the 1994 95 financial year. [14685]
Mr. Roger Evans: Details on the estimated outturn on the social fund for the current financial year are in figure 25 of the departmental report: "The Government's Expenditure Plans 1995/96 to 1997/98 (Cm 2813)", a copy of which is in the Library.
Information on the administration costs of the social fund for 1994 95 is not yet available.
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what changes he intends to make to the discretionary social fund; and if he will make a statement. [15580]
Mr. Roger Evans: As in previous years, we have identified from our routine monitoring of the social fund scope for some minor improvements to the Secretary of State's directions and guidance. Details of the amendments and a revised copy of the Secretary of State's directions and guidance to take effect from April 1995 will be placed in the Library. A revised print of the social fund guide will be available from 27 March.
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security when the application for severe disability premium by Miss J. Ellis of Willenhall will be decided by the social security commissioner local ref. ASB/9209: and if he will make a statement on the reason for the delay involved in this case. [14412]
Mr. Roger Evans: Miss Ellis's application is not yet with the social security commissioners. The adjudication officer has sought leave to appeal to the social security commissioners against the decision of the Wolverhampton tribunal dated 13 December 1994. The application is being considered by the tribunal chairman. I understand that if the application is refused the adjudication officer will seek leave directly from the commissioners.
The delays in hearing appeals in this case, and others like it, have been caused by various court decisions on the interpretation of the regulations.
Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many recipients of unemployment benefit are excluded from national insurance credits. [14921]
Mr. Roger Evans: The information requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. National insurance credits are generally available to all recipients of unemployment benefit except for those people who work in excess of eight hours in a week. The Government announced in the White Paper on the jobseeker's allowance their intention to extend national insurance credits to those people who are unemployed but work for more than eight but fewer than 16 hours a week.
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Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list all the visits he has made since the start of the current parliamentary Session to the constituencies of other hon. Members without prior warning to these hon. Members for any purpose connected with his departmental responsibilities. [15020]
Mr. Lilley: I make every effort to inform hon. Members when I visit their constituencies on departmental business. Unfortunately, this courtesy was overlooked on the occasions of my recent visits to the Benefits Agency offices in Tottenham and Woolwich.
Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people have (a) applied for and (b) been granted the child care allowance; of those granted the allowance, how many were already in work and receiving family credit before they applied for or received the allowance how many (ii) applied for and received family and child care allowance on moving from unemployment into a job; and when he expects take- up of the child care allowance to reach 150,000 families. [14884]
Mr. Roger Evans: In the five-month period to 28 February 1995, the latest date for which information is available, there were 24,600 claims for help with child care charges. Of these, 12,900 families are now receiving higher family credit awards as a result of the new help. Of those families receiving the extra help, 8,800 families were previously receiving family credit and 4,100 are new recipients of the benefit. It will take some time before the new help takes full effect as existing family credit recipients can claim the child care help only when their current 26-week award expires, while many potential beneficiaries need to find work of 16 hours or more and to make appropriate child care arrangements. We therefore expect that it will be several years before the help reaches its full potential. Source: Five per cent. sample of Family Credit awards made between 1 October 1994 and 28 February 1995. These figures do not include claims made by 28 February but decided after that date.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the total expenditure on (a) all forms of publicity and (b) all publications and pamphlets produced for his Department and for all the agencies and public bodies for which his Department is responsible, for each year since 1979, including the budgeted figure for 1995 96, (i) including and (ii) excluding privatisation-related expenditures and expressed in 1994 prices; and if he will supply information for the period from 1 April 1993 to 1 March 1995 showing (1) the nature and (2) the purpose of each publicity campaign and of each publication involving the expenditure of more than £50,000. [14603]
Mr. Hague [holding answer 17 March 1995]: This Department was established in 1988. The information for years prior to April 1993 is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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I refer the hon. Member to the replies given to the hon. Member for Truro (Mr. Taylor) on 15 February 1994, Official Report, columns 692-96 and on 1 March 1994, Official Report, column 694, which lists the budget and costs of each of these campaigns in excess of £10,000 conducted by this Department.The following figures refer to publicity for external audiences.
Anticipated total expenditures for 1994-95 |£ --------------------------------------------------------------- Department of Social Security Headquarters |5,050,000 Benefits Agency |8,544,000 Child Support Agency |418,000 Contributions Agency |4,135,000 War Pensions Agency |19,000
There was no significant expenditure on privatisation over this period.
Anticipated publicity budgets at 1994 prices for 1995-96 |£ --------------------------------------------------------------- Department of Social Security Headquarters |7,532,530 Benefits Agency |6,924,340 Child Support Agency |3,710,843 Contributions Agency |3,848,675 War Pensions Agency |24,096
All publications over £50,000 related to a mixed media campaign. Campaigns listed here included advertising, direct mailing, exhibitions, publications of literature, tapes, braille, and video.
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April 1994-95 purpose and nature of each campaign HQ/Agency |Campaign |Purpose |Nature --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DSS/HQ |Disability |To increase awareness of discrimination against |Mixed media | disabled people |Working with Benefits |To provide information about in-work benefits |Mixed media |Child Support |To inform public of changes to child support |Mixed media |Pensions |Reminding people of pensions choices |Mixed media |Family Credit |To maintain awareness among advisers and public |Mixed media |Incapacity Benefit |Inform advisers and public prior to implementation|Mixed media | of new policy |Disability Working Allowance |To raise awareness and take-up of DWA |Mixed media Benefits Agency |Disability |To support the Year of Disabled People |Mixed media |Year of the Family |Supporting the International Year of the Family |Mixed media |Incapacity Benefit |To advise customers and interested parties of the |Mixed media | new Incapacity Benefit |Adviser newsletter |To advise intermediaries of current developments |Publication | and publicity initiatives |BBC Select |To advise staff and interested groups of current |TV programme | developments and initiatives | BA Today Contributions Agency |Direct Debit |Encourage cost efficient direct debit practices |Mixed media | among self-employed |Contributions compliance |Information to employers to facilitate their |Mixed media | compliance Child Support Agency |Lone Parents |Guide to Employment |Publications in a | variety of | formats
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement indicating for each financial year since the introduction of the cold weather payments scheme (a) the total number of payments which have been authorised under the scheme, (b) the number of payments which have been authorised within each parliamentary constituency in Scotland under the scheme, (c) the total value of payments made under the scheme for each parliamentary constituency in Scotland and (d) the value of payments made under the scheme for each parliamentary constituency in Scotland. [14498]
Mr. Roger Evans: The administration of the cold weather payments scheme is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available.
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Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. Brian Donohoe, dated 20 March 1995:The Secretary of State for Social Security has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about Cold Weather Payments. The new Cold Weather Payments Scheme was introduced in December 1986. Prior to that, payments for cold weather were made at local discretion under Regulation 26 of the Single Payments Regulations and records pertaining to payments made on that basis are not available. Statistics are currently collated on the basis of Cold Weather Payments made in the areas covered by each Benefits Agency District Office. Information is not held for Cold Weather payments made in Parliamentary constituencies.
Details of the total number of Cold Weather Payments made on a national basis since 1986 87, together with the total number of payments made in Scotland during the period 1 November 1993 to 31 March 1994 are held by the Statistical Holdings Section in the Library.
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The Library also holds information on Cold Weather Payments made on the basis of Regional Areas in the years 1988/89, 1989/90, and by Benefit/District Office for the years 1986/87 and 1990/91 to 1993/94.The totals for the current year will not be available until after 31 March 1995.
I hope you find this reply helpful.
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will place in the Library copies of his correspondence with the hon. Member for Tatton (Mr. Hamilton) concerning the Al Fayeds. [14424]
Mr. Heseltine: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave on 9 March 1995, Official Report, column 286.
Mr. Cohen: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer of 11 January, Official Report, column 152, regarding public subsidy to the sale of armaments, in what form information on the breakdown of support is collected. [14906]
Mr. Ian Taylor: Information on the support provided is maintained on a basis which enables the annual totals to be broken down by the currency of finance and, since the terms of support are periodically revised, by reference to the amount paid or received under each of the several extant support schemes.
Mr. Darling: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the number of insider dealing cases for each year since 1980 that have been (a) reported, and (b) prosecuted; and how many resulted in convictions. [14879]
Mr. Jonathan Evans: Information on cases referred to my Department by the London stock exchange and prosecutions for insider dealing are included in the Companies Annual Reports--Companies in 1993 94--and those for previous years. Copies are available in the Library of the House.
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list all the visits he has made since the start of the current parliamentary Session to the constituencies of other hon. Members, without prior warning to those hon. Members for any purpose connected with his departmental responsibilities. [15012]
Mr. Heseltine: I always try to give prior warning to hon. Members when I visit their constituencies in an official capacity.
Sir John Stanley: To ask the President of the Board of Trade, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Mr. Winterton) of 13 March, Official Report , column 395 , if he will place in the Library the guidance issued to all United Kingdom insurers in December 1994. [15415]
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Mr. Jonathan Evans: I have placed in the Library of the House a copy of this guidance note together with others which my Department issued in 1994 to insurers on unrelated topics.
Mr. John D. Taylor: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many small businesses have received assistance in Northern Ireland under his Department's small firms loan guarantee scheme in each of the last 12 months [14835]
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