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Departmental Staff (Members' Letters)
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many officials he employed (a) full time and (b) part time in his Department in each of the last three years to answer letters sent to him from hon. Members; and what was the estimated overall cost of replying to them in each of the last three years. [5608]
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 18 December 1995]: Any letters from hon. Members are passed to the appropriate Department for reply and this is regarded as part of the normal duties of staff in the Scottish Office. It is not possible to say how many staff have been engaged in answering letters or to provide an estimated overall cost.
NHS Advertising
Mr. George Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what sums have been spent on advertising by each NHS trust and health board in each year since 1990. [7168]
Mr. Michael Forsyth: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Scottish Homes Development Programme
Mr. McAllion: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much Scottish Homes has spent through its development programme in each of the past five years, in cash terms and at 1995-96 prices. [6687]
Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: The information requested is set out in the table:
| Year | Cash terms | 1995-96 prices |
|---|---|---|
| 1990-91 | 203.0 | 241.8 |
| 1991-92 | 235.0 | 263.5 |
| 1992-93 | 282.7 | 304.5 |
| 1993-94 | 306.6 | 320.9 |
| 1994-95 | 319.5 | 328.1 |
Young Homeless (London)
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent representations he has received from Shelter Scotland about young homeless in London. [7152]
Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: On its publication in November, Shelter sent me a copy of the Shelter/Borderline report, "When the Bright Lights Go Out: Young Homeless Scots in London 1995". I shall arrange for a copy of my reply to be placed in the Library.
Hospital Patients
Mr. George Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the average number of patients per hospital bed in Scotland in each major speciality in each year since 1989-90; and what was the percentage change over the entire period. [7170]
Mr. Michael Forsyth: The information requested is shown in the table:
| 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | Percentage change 1990-95 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accident and emergency | 106.7 | 111.3 | 110.7 | 131.9 | 161.8 | 151.9 | 42.4 |
| Cardiothoracic surgery | 33.1 | 31.6 | 32.9 | 33.0 | 33.7 | 35.6 | 7.6 |
| Communicable diseases | 26.8 | 31.7 | 30.2 | 29.6 | 31.5 | 34.2 | 27.6 |
| Ear, nose and throat surgery | 67.7 | 68.6 | 69.3 | 76.0 | 80.9 | 82.6 | 22.0 |
| General medicine(48) | 36.4 | 37.7 | 39.9 | 42.5 | 45.9 | 48.5 | 33.2 |
| General practice | 17.4 | 18.2 | 19.1 | 18.0 | 17.7 | 18.8 | 8.0 |
| General surgery | 39.4 | 40.5 | 43.0 | 45.0 | 47.6 | 50.0 | 26.9 |
| Geriatric assessment | 9.8 | 10.2 | 10.8 | 11.3 | 11.9 | 12.0 | 22.4 |
| Gynaecology | 60.3 | 61.1 | 62.6 | 63.4 | 63.7 | 66.6 | 10.4 |
| Intensive therapy unit | 85.9 | 94.7 | 99.7 | 99.1 | 92.3 | 93.9 | 9.3 |
| Mental illness | 2.7 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 3.8 | 4.1 | 4.4 | 63.0 |
| Neurology | 28.8 | 37.9 | 41.7 | 42.7 | 43.0 | 47.3 | 64.2 |
| Neurosurgery | 31.5 | 32.5 | 32.4 | 32.8 | 35.1 | 36.6 | 16.2 |
| Ophthalmology | 43.1 | 45.7 | 50.5 | 57.3 | 61.8 | 63.3 | 46.9 |
| Oral surgery and medicine | 91.4 | 88.5 | 90.3 | 99.6 | 103.1 | 99.9 | 9.3 |
| Orthopaedic surgery | 25.4 | 27.4 | 28.1 | 30.6 | 32.3 | 33.3 | 31.1 |
| Paediatric medicine | 60.7 | 65.2 | 68.2 | 69.4 | 77.7 | 77.7 | 28.0 |
| Paediatric surgery | 57.0 | 60.0 | 58.9 | 58.8 | 61.8 | 66.8 | 17.2 |
| Plastic surgery | 34.8 | 36.6 | 40.1 | 44.8 | 46.9 | 47.8 | 37.4 |
| Radiotherapy | 29.9 | 31.0 | 32.1 | 34.7 | 31.9 | 33.3 | 11.4 |
| Respiratory medicine | 24.5 | 25.7 | 30.8 | 31.0 | 35.0 | 37.7 | 53.9 |
| Special care baby unit | 23.6 | 23.3 | 21.0 | 21.5 | 20.9 | 21.5 | -8.9 |
| Specialist obstetrics | 52.5 | 56.6 | 58.1 | 60.4 | 64.1 | 65.9 | 25.5 |
| Urology | 50.4 | 51.0 | 53.7 | 55.3 | 58.6 | 61.2 | 21.4 |
(48) Comprises specialities of general medicine, cardiology, metabolic diseases, gastroenterology, poisons, nephrology, rheumatology, genito-urinary medicine, medical oncology, haematology, homeopathy and tuberculosis non-respiratory.
9 Jan 1996 : Column: 137
9 Jan 1996 : Column: 137
Mr. Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the average length of in-patient hospital stay for each specialty in each year since 1989-90. [7171]
Mr. Forsyth: The information requested is shown in the table:
| 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accident and emergency | 2.1 | 2.0 | 1.9 | 1.7 | 1.3 | 1.2 |
| Acute mixed | 36.6 | 0.7 | -- | 4.0 | -- | -- |
| Adolescent psychiatry | 109.4 | 63.2 | 59.9 | 69.9 | 70.8 | 63.7 |
| Cardiothoracic surgery | 8.4 | 8.7 | 8.0 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 7.5 |
| Child psychiatry | 112.1 | 102.6 | 106.4 | 125.5 | 79.4 | 72.4 |
| Communicable diseases | 7.0 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.3 | 5.9 | 5.7 |
| Dermatology | 14.5 | 14.1 | 15.4 | 14.7 | 14.6 | 14.1 |
| Ear, nose and throat surgery | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 2.5 |
| General medicine(49) | 8.4 | 7.9 | 7.5 | 7.1 | 6.6 | 6.2 |
| General practice | 16.2 | 15.1 | 14.7 | 14.9 | 15.4 | 14.7 |
| General surgery | 6.6 | 6.4 | 6.1 | 5.9 | 5.6 | 5.4 |
| Geriatric assessment | 33.4 | 31.4 | 29.3 | 28.2 | 27.0 | 26.8 |
| GP obstetrics | 3.5 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 3.0 | 2.6 |
| Gynaecology | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 3.3 |
| Intensive therapy unit | 2.8 | 2.6 | 2.5 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 2.7 |
| Mental illness | 113.4 | 106.1 | 90.6 | 83.0 | 77.4 | 72.2 |
| Neurology | 8.2 | 7.4 | 6.8 | 6.5 | 6.5 | 5.6 |
| Neurosurgery | 8.4 | 8.3 | 8.3 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 7.8 |
| Ophthalmology | 5.1 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 2.7 |
| Oral surgery and medicine | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| Orthodontics and paediatric dentistry | 1.0 | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.0 | 1.2 | 0.9 |
| Orthopaedic surgery | 10.2 | 9.5 | 9.2 | 8.4 | 8.0 | 7.6 |
| Other | 11.3 | 11.5 | 11.0 | 11.8 | 11.1 | 6.0 |
| Paediatric medicine | 3.9 | 3.7 | 3.5 | 3.3 | 3.0 | 2.8 |
| Paediatric surgery | 3.7 | 3.6 | 3.6 | 3.4 | 3.2 | 3.4 |
| Plastic surgery | 6.7 | 6.3 | 5.8 | 5.4 | 5.2 | 5.0 |
| Radiotherapy | 9.5 | 9.3 | 9.1 | 8.4 | 9.0 | 8.7 |
| Rehabilitation medicine | 24.9 | 31.3 | 24.3 | 24.6 | 28.3 | 27.6 |
| Respiratory medicine | 11.3 | 10.5 | 9.2 | 9.1 | 8.3 | 8.0 |
| Special care baby unit | 7.8 | 8.3 | 9.2 | 8.8 | 9.1 | 9.4 |
| Specialist obstetrics | 4.4 | 4.1 | 3.9 | 3.6 | 3.5 | 3.4 |
| Spinal paralysis | 54.6 | 50.6 | 48.7 | 46.1 | 38.2 | 41.2 |
| Urology | 5.5 | 5.3 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 4.6 | 4.4 |
| Young chronic sick | 137.8 | 120.9 | 97.7 | 97.4 | 82.6 | 62.1 |
(49) Comprises specialties of general medicine, cardiology, metabolic diseases, gastroenterology, poisons, nephrology, rheumatology, genito-urinary medicine, medical oncology, haematology, homeopathy and tuberculosis non-respiratory.
9 Jan 1996 : Column: 138
Skye Bridge
Mr. Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library the full terms of the contractual agreement between Her Majesty's Government and the Skye Bridge Company, or its parent company. [7234]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The contractual agreements between the Secretary of State and Skye Bridge Limited which set out the terms for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the Skye bridge project are commercial agreements. It is therefore not appropriate that they be treated in the way requested by the hon. Member. However, the key terms of the agreement are set out in the assignation statement made under the Assignation Statement (Prescribed Information) (Scotland) Regulations 1991, which was placed in the Library in December 1992 following an earlier request from the hon. Member.
9 Jan 1996 : Column: 139
Mr. Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will arrange for advance signs to be placed on the trunk road approaches to the Skye Bridge, indicating the level of tolls. [7236]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The levels of tolls for the Skye bridge are clearly displayed in the immediate approaches to the bridge. Signs more remote from the bridge area make it clear that the bridge is tolled. There is no reason for additional information on these signs which also convey a range of other route information.
Mr. Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the annual loss to the Treasury over (a) 15 years and (b) 25 years, of compensating the Skye Bridge Company, or its parent company, for removal of tolls from the Skye bridge, while retaining its maintenance responsibilities. [7235]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: No such estimates have been made. The Skye bridge was planned and promoted as a privately financed and operated toll bridge and it will continue on that basis.
Mr. Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the single crossing charge for cars on all toll bridges in Scotland. [7237]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The single crossing charges on all toll bridges in Scotland are as follows:
| Single car toll | Regular user concession/discount | |
|---|---|---|
| Forth road bridge | 40p | 36p--available on purchase of 100 vouchers |
| Erskine bridge | 60p | 54p--available on purchase of 50 vouchers |
| Tay road bridge | (50)80p | n/a |
| Skye bridge | £5.20 (high season) £4.30 (low season) | £2.44--available on purchase of 10 tickets |
(50) Applies for travel north to south only; travel in other direction is untolled.
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