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Student Grants

Mrs. Liddell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many postgraduate social work students have received grants at the discretion of the Secretary of State for Scotland in each of the years 1990 to 1995. [10775]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: None. The responsibility for providing student support for Scottish domiciled students undertaking postgraduate studies in social work was transferred to the Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work with effect from academic year 1990-91. This enabled the council to operate a uniform UK-wide policy in its area of responsibility.

Mrs. Liddell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the regulations on the award of student grants in Scotland. [10777]

Mr. Robertson: Grants to Scottish domiciled students undertaking full-time courses of higher education are offered under the Students' Allowances (Scotland) Regulations 1991 (SI 1991 No. 1522), as amended. The regulations are made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State under powers contained in the Education (Scotland) Act 1980.

Mrs. Liddell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans there are to bring the criteria for award of student grants for postgraduate students in Scotland in line with the provisions for England and Wales. [10778]

Mr. Robertson: For subjects where awards for postgraduate study in England and Wales are subject to national criteria, the arrangements in Scotland are already broadly in line, subject to minor variations to meet Scottish circumstances. Where the award in England and Wales is at the discretion of the local education authority, arrangements can vary and alignment is not possible.

Mrs. Liddell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what financial assistance is available to postgraduate students in Scotland; and what plans there are to extend the availability of the student loans scheme to postgraduate students. [10776]

Mr. Robertson: The standard rates of means-tested maintenance allowance for non-loan-bearing postgraduate courses in the academic year 1995-96 are:


Additional weeks' allowances are payable for attendance exceeding 30 weeks and three days. Tuition fees are also payable without means testing.

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There are no plans to extend the availability of loans to postgraduate students other than those undertaking PGCE courses who already qualify, and receive the lower undergraduate maintenance rates. Unlike those at undergraduate level, postgraduate rates of maintenance grant have been uprated annually in line with inflation in recent years.

Mrs. Liddell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the criteria for the award of student grants in Scotland relating to postgraduate students. [10779]

Mr. Robertson: To be eligible for an award a student must generally have been ordinarily resident in the British islands for at least three years preceding 31 August of the year in which the course, or continuous series of courses, starts and also be ordinarily resident in Scotland on 30 June of that year.

Under the postgraduate students' allowances scheme, an award may be offered to an eligible student who has completed a first degree or comparable course and who then wishes to take a short, usually one-year, course of professional or vocational training. Not all postgraduate diploma courses are covered by the scheme and, outwith the fields of science and technology, engineering and teacher training, the numbers of awards available are limited by quota and eligible students compete for assistance. There are also restrictions related to previous study at postgraduate level.

Under the Scottish studentship scheme, support is offered to a limited number of eligible students who wish to undertake postgraduate higher degree study in the arts and humanities. Applicants must hold either a first class or a very good second class honours degree. The number of applications received significantly exceeds the studentship awards available each year and the successful candidates are selected on merit by a committee of academics appointed from Scottish universities.

These arrangements are set out more fully in the booklet "Student Grants in Scotland--A Guide to Postgraduate Allowances." I am sending a copy to the hon. Member and copies have been placed in the Library.

Mobile Phones

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many of the mobile telephones which have been supplied to his Department in each of the last eight years have been cloned; and on what dates. [11006]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The information is set out in the table:

YearInstances of cloningDates
19944(15) December
02 December
(16) 20 December
199514(15), (16) January 1995
01 May
03 May
(16) 06 May
10 May
13 May
16 May
19 May
(15) June
(15)September
06 September
14 December

(15) Day unrecorded.

(16) Two clonings on same date.

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There were no instances of cloning in the previous six years.

Rural Scotland White Paper

Mr. Charles Kennedy: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will invite representatives of the Scottish Crofters Union to join the Scottish National Rural Partnership to discuss his White Paper "Rural Scotland: People, Prosperity and Partnership"; and if he will make a statement. [10685]

Mr. Kynoch: To date, invitations to serve on the Scottish National Rural Partnership have been limited to organisations with a national remit or, in the case of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise, to the two bodies which, taken together, have the national remit. However, my right hon. Friend would be prepared to consider any request from the Scottish Crofters Union to join the Scottish National Rural Partnership.

Forth Road Bridge

Mr. Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on which date the capital cost of the Forth road bridge is expected to be paid off; and if he will make a statement on (a) his intentions for tolling thereafter and (b) the future allocation of toll revenues. [11517]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The Forth Road Bridge Order Confirmation Act 1958 provides for income from bridge tolls to be used to service and repay loans, including those in respect of the capital cost of the bridge, and to pay for its operation, maintenance and repair. It also provides for tolling to continue until adequate provision is made for the latter. The capital cost of the bridge has been fully paid off.

The tolling period was extended in 1993 to 28 May 1998 to provide for essential strengthening and other maintenance works. The Forth transport working group, comprising representatives of the Forth Road Bridge joint board, Fife and Lothian regional councils and the Scottish Office, is examining future tolling arrangements as part of a wider consideration of transport issues across the Forth. The group will report to the Secretary of State and the convenors of the regional councils in due course.

NHS (Public Relations Officers)

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many public relations officers are employed by the NHS management executive in Scotland; and what was the annual expenditure by the NHS management executive for each financial year since 1987 on (a) public relations, (b) communications and (c) marketing. [11164]

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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: There are no public relations officers employed by or in the NHS management executive in Scotland. A team of three whole-time equivalent information officers in the Scottish Office's information directorate reporting to a chief press officer provide advice and support to Ministers, the management executive and the remainder of the Scottish Office Department of Health on issues relating to health and to the national health service. There is no identifiable expenditure by the NHSME since 1987 which is readily attributable to (a) public relations, (b) communications and (c) marketing.

Monofilament Nets

Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the areas he has identified as unsuitable for the use of monofilament nets for (a) conservation reasons and (b) because the area is used for sports diving. [11159]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: No such areas have been identified.

Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many responses to the recent consultation on the carriage of monofilament gill nets recommended that the use of such nets should be monitored to assess their impact on marine wildlife. [11156]

Mr. Robertson: Five respondents made such a recommendation.

Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consultations he has had with representatives of scuba divers in relation to ending the ban on the carriage and use of monofilament nets. [11158]

Mr. Robertson: Since announcing the outcome of consultations on the proposed ending of the ban on large mesh monofilament gill nets, I have received representations from diving interests, whose views have been noted.

Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which organisations and individuals were consulted prior to changing the Inshore Fishing (Prohibition of the Carriage of Monofilament Gill Nets) (Scotland) Order 1986; and how many responses were (a) in favour of and (b) against changing the legislation. [11160]

Mr. Robertson: The following organisations and individuals were consulted on the proposed derogation to the Inshore Fishing (Prohibition of the Carriage of Monofilament Gill Nets) (Scotland) Order 1986:


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23 Jan 1996 : Column: 195

Twenty-seven responses were received, of which 16 were in favour of the proposed change, five were not opposed to it but had some qualifications, and four were opposed to it in varying degrees. Two respondents offered no view.

Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what measures he has instigated to prevent large-mesh monofilament nets presenting a threat to marine wildlife; [11163]

Mr. Robertson: Arrangements for monitoring the by-catch of cetaceans in fishing nets are already in place and these will be extended to any large-mesh monofilament gill nets.

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