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Sir George Young: Provisional estimates at 1995 96 income levels based on a projection of the 1992 93 survey of personal incomes and other survey data in line with assumptions in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1995 96" are given in the table. The estimates do not take account of certain tax reliefs for which detailed distributional information is not available, including personal equity plans, tax-exempt special savings accounts, profit-related pay and national savings.
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Values of allowances and reliefs averaged over all taxpayers, 1995-96
|Income tax reliefs |Income tax |Income tax reliefs |Income tax
|allowances |allowances
|claimed at |claimed at |claimed at a rate |claimed at a rate
|other |other
Gross Incomes above |marginal rate |marginal rate |than marginal rate |than marginal rate
£ |£ |£ |£ |£
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
70,000 |2,490 |1,410 |290 |200
80,000 |2,810 |1,410 |290 |200
100,000 |3,570 |1,410 |300 |200
EDUCATION
Departmental Budget
Mr. Quentin Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what changes she has to announce to cash limits and running costs on votes within her responsibility for 1995 96. [27444]
Mrs. Gillian Shephard: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary revised estimate, the cash limit for class X, vote 2, higher and further education and student support will be amended as follows:
|Current cash |Revised cash
Class and Vote |limit |Change |limit
|£ |£ |£
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
X.2 |5,909,345,000 |-1,008,000 |5,908,337,000
Notes:
The reduction in the cash limit is made up as follows:
(a) £240,000 represents a transfer to the Welsh Office for payment to the
Higher Education Funding Council for Wales to cover the costs of students
attending diploma in social work courses in Wales;
(b) £246,000 is to offset increased expenditure on postgraduate
awards-non-cash limited; and
(c) £522,000 transfers from the Higher Education Funding Council for
England: grant in aid subhead to student loans non-cash limited to
contribute to the expected cost of loans to students attending diploma in
social work courses.
The opportunity has been taken to provide for the Department to meet outstanding insurance claims from the Royal College of Arts totalling £20,000 by making a new sub-head C2. Grant in aid to the Further Education Funding Council is to be increased by £175,000 to allow for work to commence on colleges to allow for access for students with disabilities. Savings have been identified in sub-head B2--grants and bursaries for teacher training--to offset the cost of this expenditure. There is no increase in net provision as a result.
Teachers' Pensions
Lady Olga Maitland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will make a statement on the future administration of teachers' pensions in England and Wales. [27443]
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Mr. Robin Squire: My right hon. Friend has decided to invite expressions of interest for a contract to administer the teachers' superannuation scheme.
The report that we commissioned from the consultants KPMG concluded that a contract with a private sector company would offer the prospect of substantial savings for the taxpayer. We owe it to the taxpayer to find out whether such savings are indeed available. Inviting expressions of interest for a contract will help to establish this. We shall let a contract only if it would provide better value for money than keeping the administration of the teachers' superannuation scheme in the public sector. We expect that any contract would start in the latter part of 1996.
The contract would require a standard of service and performance that was at least as high as that which the Teachers Pensions Agency would provide. We would monitor the contractor's performance to ensure that he met those standards. A contractor would not be allowed to use data on teachers for purposes other than administering the scheme.
Any contract would concern only the administration of the scheme. Whether or not the administration is contractorised, the scheme itself will stay in the public sector, on its current statutory basis; my right hon. Friend will remain responsible to Parliament for the scheme; and officials in the Department for Education will be responsible for advising Ministers on policy on teachers' pensions. Letting a contract would not affect the size or safety of teachers' pensions in any way.
The Government are absolutely committed to ensuring that the scheme continues to operate smoothly and without interruption. Any contractor would therefore have to be a well-established company with a proven track record and a reputation for sound relations between staff and management. The crucial importance of continuity would give a natural advantage to potential contractors who proposed to continue to operate from the TPA's current site in Darlington.
We are advised that DFE staff who transferred to a new employer would have the protection offered by the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981. If we transferred the administration of
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the scheme to the private sector, the contracts of employment of those civil servants employed on the work concerned immediately before the transfer would therefore automatically transfer to the contractor.We are grateful to all those who submitted comments during recent consultations on the TPA's future. I have placed a summary of those comments--and the Government's responses to them--in the Library. The comments showed a widespread view that the TPA provides a good service to teachers. That reflects credit on the staff of the TPA and on its chief executive, Denyse Metcalfe. We now want to build on the TPA's success. We believe that the best way to do so is to invite
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expressions of interest for a contract to administer the scheme.School Catering Service
Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list in ascending order the difference between income and expenditure for school meal services for all counties over the last seven years. [27305]
Mr. Robin Squire: The table gives the total net expenditure on the school catering service for all counties from 1987 88 to 1993 94, the latest year for which figures are available. The figures are not necessarily comparable because over the seven years returns were not received from all authorities.
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School catering services
£000
|Net
|expenditure
1987-88 to 1993-94 |1987-88 |1988-89 |1989-90 |1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93 |1993-94 |Total
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Berkshire |n/a |n/a |1,825 |1,145 |1,522 |1,938 |2,281 |9,614
Lincolnshire |2,002 |1,935 |1,971 |1,982 |785 |914 |875 |11,389
Hereford and Worcester |1,645 |1,383 |1,393 |1,372 |1,772 |1,886 |1,809 |12,178
Dorset |1,570 |1,553 |1,624 |1,322 |1,599 |1,998 |1,873 |12,451
Buckinghamshire |2,118 |1,577 |2,109 |1,519 |1,611 |1,980 |1,659 |13,477
Gloucestershire |2,715 |2,366 |2,835 |2,758 |2,790 |1,959 |1,586 |17,925
Somerset |4,122 |3,038 |3,082 |3,117 |2,311 |1,706 |1,775 |20,084
Cornwall |2,679 |2,394 |2,312 |2,759 |3,269 |3,394 |2,751 |20,466
Shropshire |3,899 |2,670 |3,080 |1,881 |2,501 |3,071 |2,643 |20,677
West Sussex |2,857 |2,427 |2,491 |2,345 |2,993 |3,355 |3,720 |21,126
Suffolk |4,641 |2,702 |n/a |430 |3,624 |6,773 |2,307 |21,412
Northamptonshire |5,575 |2,553 |3,903 |3,535 |1,715 |2,156 |1,883 |22,248
Wiltshire |3,210 |3,090 |3,583 |2,985 |2,779 |2,862 |3,039 |22,487
Oxfordshire |2,926 |2,893 |2,445 |2,933 |2,978 |3,303 |4,182 |22,591
Warwickshire |3,969 |3,929 |3,284 |3,057 |3,489 |3,722 |3,429 |25,816
Northumberland |3,786 |3,443 |3,552 |3,513 |3,906 |3,776 |3,150 |26,055
Cumbria |4,388 |3,544 |3,148 |3,960 |3,826 |2,837 |3,505 |26,117
Cambridgeshire |3,125 |2,875 |2,679 |3,833 |3,935 |4,707 |4,448 |26,507
North Yorkshire |6,145 |2,884 |4,538 |3,385 |3,201 |3,376 |3,667 |28,123
Bedfordshire |2,995 |3,274 |3,918 |3,795 |4,001 |5,184 |4,786 |28,855
Surrey |6,046 |2,,508 |2,689 |3,610 |4,400 |5,695 |3,709 |29,593
East Sussex |3,837 |3,803 |4,464 |3,964 |5,120 |5,950 |3,975 |32,027
Norfolk |3,655 |3,463 |3,072 |3,917 |4,887 |6,623 |6,169 |32,712
Kent |6,281 |4,968 |6,327 |3,302 |8,049 |5,323 |6,055 |41,228
Cheshire |8,208 |7,356 |6,065 |4,279 |5,079 |5,685 |5,539 |43,117
Devon |6,935 |6,766 |7,548 |4,832 |5,537 |6,466 |6,539 |45,534
Hertfordshire |5,746 |4,405 |4,561 |6,319 |9,508 |9,243 |5,396 |46,097
Staffordshire |7,154 |6,735 |4,887 |5,211 |7,232 |7,294 |7,526 |46,973
Leicestershire |9,156 |5,749 |5,561 |7,041 |7,541 |6,707 |6,633 |49,312
Durham |7,458 |6,416 |7,390 |7,331 |8,453 |9,866 |2,158 |49,985
Essex |12,462 |8,315 |6,579 |5,366 |5,898 |6,605 |6,235 |52,375
Hampshire |6,040 |5,719 |6,779 |7,931 |10.333 |10,745 |11,590 |60,054
Nottinghamshire |12,821 |12,382 |9,960 |7,518 |n/a |12,045 |11,593 |67,249
Cleveland |10,073 |7,948 |8,827 |10,158 |10,910 |10,914 |10,258 |69,995
Avon |8,789 |8,066 |7,834 |11,484 |11,328 |11,878 |10,599 |70,879
Humberside |12,321 |9,750 |9,396 |11,580 |14,693 |14,992 |17,121 |90,773
Lancashire |13,987 |11,710 |12,795 |11,266 |13,424 |14,830 |15,074 |94,009
Derbyshire |15,723 |16,975 |14,111 |15,336 |18,679 |19,381 |13,908 |115,023
n/a not available.
EMPLOYMENT
Labour Statistics
Sir Ralph Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what were the terms of reference of the report of the working party on the measurement of unemployment in the United Kingdom of the Royal Statistical Society; what was the cost to public funds; and who called for or commissioned the report. [25724]
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Mr. Oppenheim: The working party on the measurement of unemployment in the UK, set up by the Royal Statistical Society in June 1994, was commissioned by the council of the RSS to investigate the validity of the methods by which unemployment is measured in the UK, and to report back to the RSS. The working party received the support of both my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and Her Majesty's Opposition. The only cost to public funds involved the
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time devoted by Ministers and officials to providing the RSS with information.Skills Shortage
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on estimates of skills shortages recorded in surveys conducted by private or public bodies which he has evaluated for each standard region; and if he will make a statement. [25766]
Miss Widdecombe: The 1994 "Skills Needs in Britain" survey found that 11 per cent. of medium and large firms were experiencing recruitment difficulties; the 1994 95 "Skills Needs of Small Firms in Britain" survey found that 8 per cent. of small firms were experiencing them.
The following table shows the percentage of employers experiencing recruitment difficulties in each of the two surveys by Training Enterprise and Education Directorate region:
Per cent.
|Skill needs in|Skill needs of
|Britain 1994 |small firms in
|(medium and |Britain
TEED region |large firms) |1994-95
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
South-east |16 |7
London |11 |13
South-west |6 |5
West midlands |13 |6
East midlands |17
Eastern |7 |10
Yorkshire and Humberside |8 |9
North-west (excluding Greater |10
Manchester)
Greater Manchester |13 |4
Northern |8 |4
Scotland |7 |11
Wales |3 |10
Recruitment difficulties are not necessarily due to skill shortages. Employers may not be able to fill posts because job seekers are looking for better pay or conditions, or employers are too selective.
Departmental Budget
Mr. Brandreth: To ask the Secretary of Statefor Employment what changes will be made to cash limits or running costs limits of his Department for 1995 96. [27429]
Mr. Portillo: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimates, the following changes will be made: the case limit or class V, vote 1--Department of Employment: programmes and central services--will be increased by £9,465,000 from £2,112,246,000 to £2,121,711,000;
the gross running cost limit for the Department of
Employment--class V, vote 1--will be reduced by £35,000 from £1,363,739,000 to £1,363,704,000.
The cash limit increase on class V, vote 1 is to provide for ex gratia payments to sponsors of European social fund projects which have been approved by the Department, but which have not been accepted by the European Commission.
The increase will be charged to the reserve and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.
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The running costs limit reduction is the result of a transfer of administrative costs to the Scottish Office contingent on the transfer to it of ESF provision.Young People
Mr. Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people in the United Kingdom have either education or training places and what were the figures in 1979.
Mr. Paice [pursuant to his reply, 7 March 1995, c. 132]: I regret that the figure for the percentage of 16 and 17-year-olds in education or training in the UK in 1984 given in my oral reply was incorrect. The incorrect figure given was that 54 per cent. of 16 and 17- year-olds in the UK in 1984 had education or training places. The correct figure for 1984 is 70 per cent. This represented 1.3 million young people in 1984. The figures for spring 1994 remain unchanged at 84 per cent. of 16 and 17-year-olds, representing 1.1 million young people.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Housing
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what new measures he will adopt to meet housing need. [25934]
Mr. Moss: Under the Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 1981, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive is required to assess housing need and to develop programmes for meeting that need. The executive and housing associations have effective programmes to meet need both by direct provision and by facilitating or enabling other individuals or agencies to do so. The housing policy review and on-going research will help determine any future proposals for meeting housing need.
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the research project commissioned by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive into waiting lists, allocations and urgent housing rent will be completed. [25942]
Mr. Moss: The initial report on the research project is expected to be with the executive by 26 January 1996.
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the review into the housing selection scheme will be completed. [25941]
Mr. Moss: The review of the housing selection scheme is expected to be completed by March 1996.
Special Advisers
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the professional qualifications of the special advisers appointed by his Department; and whom they advise. [25956]
Sir Patrick Mayhew: I have appointed one special adviser who works directly to me. It is not my practice to comment on the qualifications of my special advisers.
Fixed Penalty Notices
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many fixed penalty notices have been issued by the Royal Ulster Constabulary in each of the police divisions in Belfast since 31 August 1994. [25939]
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Sir John Wheeler: The number of fixed penalty notices issued by the RUC in each of the Belfast police divisions, from 1 September 1994 to 31 March 1995, is as follows:
A Division: 17,360
B Division: 2,404
D Division: 3,249
E Division: 2,943
Health Boards (Staff)
Mr. Soley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes have taken place to terms and conditions of employment for staff transferred to private contractors under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 in support services in the health boards since 1990. [26002]
Mr. Moss: For each contract awarded to a private contractor under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981, the staff transferred with their existing terms and conditions. It is not known what changes, if any, have taken place subsequent to transfer as this is properly a matter for the employers and employees concerned. Any changes resulting from a transfer have, of course, to be the subject of negotiation and agreement between the relevant parties.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Live Animal Transport
Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how the requirement in article 3.1(a) of EC directive 91/628, that member states shall ensure that no animal shall be transported unless suitable provisions have been made for its care on arrival at the place of destination, has been transposed into United Kingdom law; [24733]
(2) what arrangements he has made to fulfil Her Majesty's obligation under article 3.1(a) of EC directive 91/628, to ensure that no animal is transported unless suitable provisions have been made for its care on arrival at the place of destination, and if he will make a statement. [24734]
Mrs. Browning [holding answer 16 May 1995]: When transposing directive 91/628, we took the view that the provisions of British domestic legislation on the treatment of animals on agricultural land gave the assurance required under Article 3.1(b) of the directive.
Fisheries Policy
Mr. Butcher: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will argue for the repatriation of fisheries policy at the forthcoming IGC. [25445]
Mr. Jack: My right hon. Friend has no plans to raise this issue at the next IGC.
Healthy Eating
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list his Department's projects aimed at promoting healthy eating, indicating the cost of each project to his Department. [26303]
Mrs. Browning: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply being given to him by my right hon. Friend the Secretary
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of State for Health, which covers my Department's joint involvement in the work of the nutrition task force.In addition to the initiatives being taken forward under the nutrition task force programme, my Department is involved in a number of projects to promote healthy eating through education and information. The costs of these are as follows:
|Total cost up to
|end 1994-95
|financial year
|£
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Foodsense Healthy Eating booklet |178,800
Foodsense Healthy Eating for Older People
booklet |20,300
Foodsense Healthy Eating video for the deaf |23,000
Eight Guidelines for a Healthy Diet (booklet
and poster) |23,300
Substantial funding of the British Nutrition
Foundation's School Resource Pack "Food a
Fact of Life" |1,046,000
Healthy Eating for Toddlers ((a booklet for
mothers) in the course of development). A
comic for children, based on the Food Sense
booklet for adults (in the course of |Costs yet to be
development) | determined
The British Nutrition Foundation schools pack
and the proposed comic for children cover |Costs yet to be
food safety issues as well as healthy eating. | determined
Live Animal Exports
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on how many occasions calves have been returned from Baginton airport to their premises of origin; and flow long they remained there before being re-transported. [26425]
Mrs. Browning: I am advised that in 1994 and 1995, there were five occasions when calves were returned to premises of origin from Baginton airport. On two occasions calves that had been so returned were re-exported through Baginton airport where they were subject to welfare checks by officials. The calves had remained at the respective premises of origin for periods of two days and three days before restarting their journey.
SCOTLAND
A78
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement indicating the latest position as regards proposals for the Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston bypass. [25334]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 23 May 1995]: I wrote to the hon. Member on 31 January to let him know that I had accepted that a more northerly alignment than that previously proposed should be adopted. Design for this new alignment is progressing to enable publication of new draft statutory orders in 1996.
Zetland Primary School
Mr. Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if the Government intend to approve the closure of Zetland primary school in Grangemouth in central region. [26872]
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: My right hon. Friend's consent to the closure of a non-denominational primary school is required only in the circumstances prescribed in schedule 2 to the Education (Public and Consultation etc.) (Scotland) Regulations 1981, namely, where the number of pupils at the school is greater than 80 per cent. of its pupil capacity, or where pupils would have to attend a different school five or more miles from the school proposed for closure. My right hon. Friend understands that neither of these criteria applies in the case of Zetland primary school, Grangemouth and any decision to close it would, therefore, be entirely a matter for the education authority.
Mr. Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what procedure applies to the Central regional council to close Zetland primary school in Grangemouth. [26850]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Any education authority which makes a proposal to close a school is required to consult in accordance with the detailed provisions of the Education (Publication and Consultation etc.) (Scotland) Regulations 1981, and to have regard to any representations made to it by persons it is required to consult.
Tourism
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the estimated annual value of wildlife tourism in Shetland. [27121]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: This information is not collected. Shetland Islands Tourism estimates, however, that around 20 per cent. of visitors to the islands come primarily to watch the wildlife. The estimated annual value of tourism to Shetland is around £10 million.
Primary Schools
Mr. Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what guidance he issues about the minimum number of pupils for a primary school. [26857]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: My right hon. Friend has issued no guidance on this subject. The detailed organisation of school provision is a matter for education authorities, having regard to local circumstances and their statutory duty to secure that there is made for their area adequate and efficient provision of school education.
Civil Servants
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the number of civil service posts, including positions in executive agencies but excluding technical appointments at grades 1 to 6 which have been advertised, together with the number of applicants, interviewees and appointees broken down to show (a) civil servants and (b) non-civil servants for each year from 1 January 1990 to 31 December as a whole in Scotland. [26942]
Mr. Lang: The information is not available in the form requested, but I would refer the hon. Member to the answer given yesterday by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
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Brent Spar Platform
Mr. Soley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to intervene in the proposed dumping at sea by the Shell oil company of the Brent Spar platform. [26691]
Sir Hector Monro: The deep sea disposal of the Brent Spar buoy in the north-east Atlantic at a depth in excess of 2,000 m will not present a hazard to the environment or to other users of the sea including fishermen. Disposal in this way complies fully with our obligations under international conventions. Accordingly, Shell UK has received the necessary approval for this disposal.
Scottish Nuclear
Mr. Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list those aspects of the proposed privatisation of Scottish Nuclear which will require parliamentary approval. [27252]
Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 6 June 1995]: The Government's White Paper "The Prospects for Nuclear Power in the UK", Cm 2860, stated-- paragraph 7.30--that no primary legislation is required to privatise the nuclear generators.
Mr. Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which areas of land in the constituency of Cunninghame, North he intends to dispose of as part of the proposed privatisation of Scottish Nuclear. [27250]
Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 6 June 1995]: Scottish Nuclear Ltd. has already disposed of most of the land belonging to the company in the Hunterston area for which it has no foreseeable need. No decision has yet been taken about how much land belonging to Scottish Nuclear Ltd. will be privatised with the company.
Dental Services
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the percentage of people aged five to 18 years with permanent teeth which are actively decayed, filled or missing due to decay. [27200]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The information requested is contained in the table.
Proportion of people in Scotland with permanent teeth which are actively decayed, filled or missing Age |Percentage of people --------------------------------------------------------------- 5 |1 6 |6 7 |18 8 |29 9 |41 10 |46 11 |56 12 |61 13 |65 14 |71 15 |79 16 |n/a 17 |n/a 18 |n/a Note: n/a = not available. Source: OPCS Survey-"Children's dental health in the United Kingdom 1993".
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the (a) number of adult courses of treatment, (b) total national health service gross expenditure, (c) total cost borne by the Exchequer and (d) total cost borne by patients, for the general dental service for each year between 1990 and 1994.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The information requested is contained in the table.
General dental services in Scotland
|Cost borne
|Number of |Gross |by |Patient
Financial |courses of |expenditure<2>|exchequer<2> |charges<2>
year |treatment<1> |(£000s) |(£000s) |(£000s)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1990-91 |<3>1,037,633<>|118,470 |82,456 |36,014
1991-92 |2,321,853 |142,828 |99,754 |43,074
1992-93 |2,384,442 |141,285 |101,368 |39,917
1993-94 |2,440,745 |134,204 |93,756 |40,448
1994-95 |2,500,826 |n/a |n/a |n/a
<1> Dental practice division of the Common Services Agency.
<2> Annual accounts of the 15 Scottish health boards.
<3> These figures are counted from the beginning of the current dental contract
introduced on 1 October 1990.
n/a = not available.
Youth Training
Mr. Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many 16 and 17-year-olds were seeking training places in each division of Ayrshire at 1 May; and what were the numbers of vacancies. [27253]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 6 June]: On 30 April, 424 young people under 18 years of age in Ayrshire were seeking training places. Information is not available to split this figure by smaller areas within Ayrshire. I understand from Scottish Enterprise that on 30 April there were 407 youth training and skillseeker vacancies in the Enterprise Ayrshire area. Both these figures are subject to daily fluctuation as young people move into and out of youth training.
British Steel
Mr. Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has on the proposed removal of steel-making equipment from Hunterston; what implications for public funds are involved; and if he will make a statement. [27248]
Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 6 June 1995]: Decisions about British Steel plc's assets at Hunterston are a matter for that company to take in the light of commercial considerations. There would, therefore, be no implications for public funds.
Charitable Schools
Mrs. Fyfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list those schools in Scotland which have charitable status; and if he will estimate the total sum gained by such schools through (a) rebates on local council taxes, (b) tax reductions in connection with gifts and covenants, (c) tax reductions on bank deposits and (d) provision of cheap butter. [27313]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 6 June 1995]: The information is not available.
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Gourock Ropeworks
Dr. Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the development of the designated Gourock ropeworks site within the Inverclyde enterprise zone. [26158]
Mr. Kynoch: Renfrewshire Enterprise is discussing the options for the development of the Gourock ropeworks site with the site owner. These options will need to take account of the listed building status of the ropeworks.
Parklea Site
Dr. Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the development of the designated Parklea site within the Inverclyde enterprise zone. [26160]
Mr. Kynoch: The options for the development of the Parklea site in the Inverclyde enterprise zone are constrained by its inclusion in a potential special protection area in terms of the EC directive on the conservation of wild birds. This is likely to preclude any development of the site which would adversely affect conservation interests.
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