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Butterflies and Moths

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what new proposals he has to strengthen and enlarge the work of butterfly conservation through nature reserves and butterfly and moth conservation areas. [9301]

Mr. Kynoch: Following publication of the UK biodiversity action plan steering group report last December, my right hon. Friend is currently considering proposals to enhance the conservation of butterfly and moth species occurring in Scotland. Requirements for habitat creation and specific conservation areas will be taken forward in the context of the Government's commitment to the UN convention on biological diversity.

Cairngorms

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent on commissioning the report of the working party on the future of the Cairngorms; and how long it took to produce its report. [9569]

Mr. Kynoch: Spending on the Cairngorms working party, including the cost of working party meetings, publication of a consultation paper by the working party in May 1992, all consultancy fees and the costs of producing the working party's final report and associated documents, totalled £127.650. The working party was set up in March 1991 and its report was published on 26 March 1993.

Irvine Development Corporation

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to announce the names of the landlords who will be allowed onto the ballots for the properties currently owned by Irvine development corporation. [9843]

Mr. Kynoch: I refer to the answer given to the hon. Member on 19 December 1995, Official Report, column 1067.

Housing

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what sums Scottish Homes has spent since its establishment on the development of housing associations; and if he will list those associations which have received funding from Scottish Homes and the amounts paid to each of them; [9844]

(2) if he will list the result of each ballot undertaken by Scottish Homes as part of its programme of stock transfers; and if he will indicate for each ballot (i) the

17 Jan 1996 : Column: 639

number of tenants voting (a) in favour of and (b) against the stock transfer, (ii) the total number of tenants eligible to vote in each ballot, (iii) the percentage of tenants voting in favour of transferring to another landlord and (iv) the name of the successful bidding organisation in each case. [9846]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: The information requested is a matter for Scottish Homes. I have asked the chairman, Sir James Mellon, to write to the hon. Member with the relevant information.

Commercial Properties (Revaluations Appeals)

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many appeals were lodged against the recent revaluations of commercial properties by each regional and island council; what was the number and percentage of appeals which have been dealt with; how many and what percentage of appeals have been successful; and what is the average amount of time taken to deal with an appeal. [9845]

Mr. Kynoch: The following table gives a provisional count, by assessors, of the number of appeals lodged against the 1995 revaluation of rateable values of all non-domestic subjects throughout Scotland. The information was gathered as at 15 December 1995, the date by which such appeals must be lodged. No information is available on the number of appeals by type of subject.

It is too early in the process to gather meaningful information about the progress of appeals. Regular, quarterly, information on the number and progress of appeals will be gathered from the end of March 1996.

	Number of appeals(10) lodged against the 1995 revaluation
Scotland	103,049
Borders	1,938
Central	5,494
Dumfries and Galloway	3,025
Fife	6,196
Grampian	10,286
Highland	5,589
Lothian	13,328
Strathclyde	48,436
Tayside	7,978
Orkney	174
Shetland	285
Western Isles	320

Note:

(10) It is possible for both owner and tenant to appeal in relation to the same property. The analysis shows the total number of appeals. Assessors estimate that these appeals relate to just over 94,000 separate properties.

Source:

Information supplied by Assessors.

Local Government Reform

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the circulars his Department had issued up until 1 January 1996 in respect of current local government reforms in Scotland. [9847]

17 Jan 1996 : Column: 640

Mr. Kynoch: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 23 November 1995, Official Report, columns 68-70. Since then, the following seven circulars related to reorganisation of local government have been issued.

Local Government Finance Finance Circular 24/1995: 1996-97 Capping Regime: Report specifying notional amounts.
Circular Letter: The Local Government (Application of Enactments) (No. 2) Order 1995.
Planning SODD Circular No. 25/1995: Designation of Structure Plan Areas (Scotland) Order 1995.
Industry SOEID Circular No. 14/1995: Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994--Economic Development Powers.
Social Work SWSG 21/1995: Community Care Planning: Joint Planning Structures.
Police Circular on Police Amalgamation Schemes.
Fire Circular on Fire Administration Schemes.

Health Boards (Competitive Tendering)

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what safeguards exist to ensure that contracts for goods or services are awarded in a proper way by health boards or NHS trusts in Scotland when these contracts are not awarded by competitive tendering. [9848]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: There is a statutory requirement on all health boards and national health service trusts to undergo an end-year audit by external auditors to ensure that the trust's standing financial instructions, and any other financial instructions determined by the management executive of the national health service in Scotland, have been complied with.

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland at what level (a) local authorities and (b) health boards and NHS trusts in Scotland are obliged to enter into a competitive tendering exercise before agreeing a contract for goods or services. [9849]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Local authorities make their own standing orders covering financial probity in the handling of contracts and other matters. They are required to submit certain services to compulsory competitive tendering. As a result of local government reform, most of the compulsory competitive tendering requirements have been temporarily suspended, with the exception of construction contracts over £500,000.

Health boards and NHS trusts are required to include in their standing financial instructions detailed procedures on the procurement of goods, services and works by competitive tendering or other means. These instructions include the setting of locally agreed thresholds above which quotations or formal tenders must be obtained.

Local authorities and health boards and NHS trusts must also have regard to EC procurement directives, including the thresholds for the advertising of contracts.

Intensive Care Beds

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what was (a) the number of intensive care beds within each health board area, (b) the number of

17 Jan 1996 : Column: 641

people living within each board area and (c) the ratio of patients to intensive care beds in each financial year since 1979-80; [9841]

(2) what steps his Department has taken to increase the number of intensive care beds available in Scotland and the effectiveness of the intensive care system with particular reference to rural areas. [9842]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The tables show the number of intensive care beds by health board area of treatment, the estimated population resident in each health board area and the average number of patients discharged per available staffed beds by health board area of treatment.

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It is for individual health boards and NHS trusts to ensure an appropriate level of intensive care bed provision to meet the needs of their population. The clinical resource and audit group and the Scottish management efficiency group produced a report in 1991 which made a number of recommendations relating to the effectiveness of adult intensive care such as the staffing of intensive care units and the piloting of guidelines for admission and discharge. A survey of intensive care facilities in all Scottish health board areas, which was carried out by the Scottish Office in August 1995, showed that health boards keep the need for intensive care services in their areas under review. I have asked general managers of health boards to continue to monitor the provision and use of intensive care facilities.

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NHSiS--Intensive care beds(11): by health board area of treatment: Years ending 31 March

	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987
Scotland	135	137	142	159	166	168	166	166
Argyll and Clyde	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	3
Ayrshire and Arran	5	5	5	7	10	8	6	8
Borders	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Dumfries and Galloway	--	--	2	8	8	8	8	8
Fife	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Forth Valley	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4
Grampian	6	6	6	6	10	11	11	11
Greater Glasgow	72	72	74	80	81	81	81	80
Highland	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	6
Lanarkshire	15	15	16	19	19	20	19	18
Lothian	12	12	12	12	11	12	12	14
Orkney	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Shetland	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Tayside	13	14	14	14	15	15	16	15
Western Isles	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--

17 Jan 1996 : Column: 641

	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995
Scotland	166	182	188	198	219	230	250	247
Argyll and Clyde	1	--	--	--	4	7	12	13
Ayrshire and Arran	6	6	6	6	7	8	8	8
Borders	--	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Dumfries and Galloway	8	8	8	8	8	8	16	14
Fife	--	--	--	--	--	--	5	6
Forth Valley	4	4	9	9	9	9	9	9
Grampian	11	10	10	10	10	11	10	11
Greater Glasgow	75	76	78	77	77	77	75	75
Highland	6	6	6	6	6	6	6	6
Lanarkshire	19	24	31	35	37	37	37	37
Lothian	21	30	25	28	38	41	41	40
Orkney	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Shetland	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Tayside	15	15	15	15	20	24	28	25
Western Isles	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--

Note:

(11) Average available staffed beds in the speciality of intensive therapy unit.

Source:

ISD(S)1.

17 Jan 1996 : Column: 641

NHSIS--Estimated Population resident in Health boards in Scotland: As at 30 June

	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986
Scotland	5,167,000	5,153,300	5,180,200	5,166,800	5,152,600	5,145,602	5,136,900	5,123,000
Argyll and Clyde	480,653	459,282	455,045	452,700	450,700	448,000	447,200	445,300
Ayrshire and Arran	376,027	375,759	377,854	377,000	376,600	376,700	376,200	376,200
Borders	99,938	99,510	101,256	101,100	101,100	101,300	101,700	101,700
Dumfries and Galloway	142,547	142,465	145,502	145,400	145,400	145,500	145,600	145,400
Fife	340,170	340,341	341,589	342,500	344,200	345,900	346,200	346,600
Forth Valley	271,177	271,210	273,515	273,300	273,100	273,200	272,900	272,500
Grampian	469,168	471,944	464,899	490,400	494,500	498,000	501,600	504,500
Greater Glasgow	1,023,083	1,012,041	1,007,325	996,700	986,600	978,200	968,600	960,500
Highland	190,507	191,188	194,903	195,000	195,700	196,702	197,800	199,000
Lanarkshire	571,338	571,737	574,589	573,100	571,800	570,700	568,500	565,300
Lothian	750,728	748,603	749,591	749,100	745,900	746,400	745,900	743,100
Orkney	16,134	18,030	19,182	19,100	19,200	19,200	19,200	19,100
Shetland	22,111	22,309	26,347	24,100	22,300	22,200	22,300	22,400
Tayside	401,661	399,191	397,055	395,800	394,100	392,400	392,100	390,500
Western Isles	29,758	29,681	31,548	31,600	31,400	31,200	31,100	31,000

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	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994
Scotland	5,112,604	5,093,414	5,096,628	5,102,296	5,107,000	5,111,200	5,120,200	5,132,400
Argyll and Clyde	442,700	441,300	440,000	439,518	437,400	434,300	432,800	433,000
Ayrshire and Arran	376,400	376,000	376,400	376,700	376,900	376,600	376,800	377,000
Borders	102,000	102,304	102,810	103,616	104,100	104,800	105,300	105,700
Dumfries and Galloway	145,504	145,700	147,100	147,630	147,700	147,900	147,900	147,800
Fife	346,700	346,600	347,600	348,800	349,400	349,900	351,200	352,100
Forth Valley	272,800	272,200	272,104	273,020	272,900	272,700	272,900	273,400
Grampian	504,600	503,500	507,600	510,200	515,600	522,400	528,100	532,500
Greater Glasgow	952,200	940,400	932,700	924,500	922,600	918,200	915,700	916,600
Highland	198,700	199,510	200,614	202,612	204,100	205,900	206,900	207,500
Lanarkshire	564,200	561,900	562,200	562,700	561,300	561,600	561,400	561,200
Lothian	744,600	742,900	747,100	750,300	751,000	750,600	753,900	758,600
Orkney	19,100	19,200	19,300	19,400	19,560	19,710	19,760	19,810
Shetland	22,400	22,300	22,200	22,400	22,540	22,640	22,830	22,880
Tayside	390,200	389,300	388,900	391,100	392,500	394,600	395,200	395,000
Western Isles	30,500	30,300	30,000	29,800	29,400	29,350	29,410	29,310

Source:

Registrar General for Scotland.

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NHSIS--Intensive care units(12)--average number of patients discharged per available staffed bed; By health board area of treatment: Years ending 31 March

	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987
Scotland	66	68	71	72	69	72	75	77
Argyll and Clyde	96	106	113	103	101	100	111	119
Ayrshire and Arran	145	146	138	70	32	42	57	44
Borders	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Dumfries and Galloway	--	--	90	94	100	102	107	107
Fife	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Forth Valley	122	116	116	113	115	127	116	128
Grampian	13	12	18	7	28	28	31	32
Greater Glasgow	57	58	60	65	67	66	67	68
Highland	88	92	100	97	93	94	100	102
Lanarkshire	57	62	65	62	64	64	67	73
Lothian	92	104	107	117	101	111	123	123
Orkney	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Shetland	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Tayside	61	62	64	70	71	74	82	79
Western Isles	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--

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	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995
Scotland	(13)77	80	86	94	(13)98	99	92	94
Argyll and Clyde	n/s	--	--	--	n/s	135	101	83
Ayrshire and Arran	68	81	72	93	85	91	88	84
Borders	--	43	69	65	83	95	97	93
Dumfries and Galloway	125	148	141	150	181	180	105	116
Fife	--	--	--	--	--	--	59	64
Forth Valley	129	115	82	97	97	97	85	81
Grampian	29	42	57	66	72	65	44	43
Greater Glasgow	78	81	81	84	84	83	84	80
Highland	111	113	113	119	111	122	116	135
Lanarkshire	70	77	77	95	96	98	90	92
Lothian	64	70	102	118	108	103	106	107
Orkney	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Shetland	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Tayside	82	82	88	97	128	119	112	112
Western Isles	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--

Notes:

(12) Activity in the speciality of intensive therapy unit.

(13) Excludes Argyll and Clyde.

n/s = Not shown--the figures for 1988 and 1992 are not shown because of concern over the accuracy of available data.

Source:

ISD(S)1.

17 Jan 1996 : Column: 645

17 Jan 1996 : Column: 645

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