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Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what measures are taken to monitor the time taken by agencies with special reference to the School Curriculum Assessment Authority, the Funding Agency for Schools and the Office for Standards

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in Education, to answer parliamentary questions; and if she will make a statement. [13963]

Mr. Robin Squire: The Department keeps a record of all instances when chairmen of non-executive agencies of non-departmental public bodies such as SCAA, the FAS and Ofsted are asked to reply on a Minister's behalf. These records are updated and monitored to ensure that a reply is sent in answer to such a question, usually within one week of the matter being referred to the relevant agency.

Executive agencies reply to questions referred to them within the usual parliamentary timetable for answering written questions.

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SCOTLAND

Agriculture Department

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what reductions he estimates will take place in respect of current staffing levels within the agriculture group of the Scottish Office in 1996-97. [12303]

Mr. Michael Forsyth: A reduction in the staffing levels across the Scottish Office is anticipated as a consequence of cuts of around 5 per cent. running costs for 1996-97. There will be reductions within the agriculture group, but the details have not yet been determined.

School Transport

Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which local authorities in Scotland provide free transport

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to schools and colleges for pupils beyond the compulsory school leaving age. [12896]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: The information requested is not collected centrally.

School Boards

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many teachers of school boards have been appointed; how many have been subject to election by parents; and what the average turn-out was in these elections for each academic year since the boards' establishment in each authority in Scotland. [12503]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: The information held centrally for education authority primary, secondary and special schools is as follows:

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		School year 1989-90				School year 1991--92			School year 1993-94
Education authority	Estimated parent complement on boards at March 1990	Vacant parent places filled after a contested election(10)	Average turnout in contested parental elections	Estimated parent complement on boards at May 1992	Vacant parent places filled after a contested election(10)	Estimated parent complement on boards at May 1994	Vacant parent places filled after a contested election(10)
Scotland	9,824	5,411	51.4	9,317	1,356	8,924	1,367
Borders	250	148	54.3	255	20	224	22
Central	460	242	41.0	451	95	447	65
Dumfries and Galloway	389	189	56.9	401	71	411	54
Fife	591	322	41.9	487	72	501	110
Grampian	960	562	42.6	915	123	896	194
Highland	669	318	36.8	672	125	651	97
Lothian	1,025	696	41.2	929	155	868	177
Strathclyde	4,421	2,312	60.5	4,205	539	3,974	476
Tayside	658	403	42.9	646	110	616	109
Orkney	89	82	62.5	85	16	77	11
Shetland	117	77	65.5	121	14	117	30
Western Isles	195	60	76.6	150	16	142	22

(10) Only half of parent places on existing school boards fell due for re-election in each of the 1991-92 and 1993-94 rounds of biennial elections. By definition, all parent places were vacant in the initial round of school board elections in 1989-90. Information on the average turnout in contested parental elections is not available for 1991-92 and 1993-94.

1. Information on the 1995-96 round of elections is not yet available.

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Scottish Homes (Transfers)

Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many properties have been transferred to other landlords as part of Scottish Homes' stock transfer programme where there was a ballot of tenants; how many and what percentage of tenants voted in favour of the transfers; and how many voted against the transfers. [13251]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: At 31 January 1996 Scottish Homes had transferred 15,324 properties to other landlords as part of its stock transfer programme. I understand that the chairman of Scottish Homes has

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written to the hon. Member providing details of the ballots relating to these transfers.

Hypothermia

Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many deaths where hypothermia was mentioned on the death certificate took place among (a) men aged 65 years and over and (b) women aged 60 years and over (i) for each month of 1994 by region and (ii) for each month of 1995 by region. [13265]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The information requested is given in the table:

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Deaths where hypothermia(11) was mentioned on the death certificate, by month and region in 1994 and 1995(12)

Region	January	February	March	April	May	June	July	August	September	October	November	December	Total
Females aged 60 years and over--1994:
Borders	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Central	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	3
Dumfries and Galloway	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Fife	0	2	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	6
Grampian	2	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	7
Highland	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Lothian	4	2	1	2	3	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	15
Strathclyde	6	4	1	3	0	1	0	2	1	2	1	4	25
Tayside	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	3
Orkney	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Shetland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Western Isles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	14	9	5	7	5	3	0	2	1	5	2	9	62
Males aged 65 years and over--1994:
Borders	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Central	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3
Dumfries and Galloway	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Fife	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2
Grampian	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Highland	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
Lothian	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	5
Strathclyde	3	2	2	1	1	0	1	1	1	1	1	2	16
Tayside	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Orkney	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Shetland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Western Isles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	9	6	4	2	2	0	1	1	1	1	2	5	34
Females aged 60 years and over--1995(12)
Borders	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Central	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	3	0	5
Dumfries and Galloway	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Fife	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Grampian	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3
Highland	1	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	4
Lothian	0	2	1	1	1	0	1	0	1	0	0	4	11
Strathclyde	2	6	4	3	2	3	0	0	1	0	1	5	27
Tayside	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	5
Orkney	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Shetland	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Western Isles	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	6	10	7	8	4	3	1	0	4	0	4	11	58
Males aged 65 years and over--1995(12)
Borders	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2
Central	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1
Dumfries and Galloway	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Fife	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Grampian	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Highland	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	4
Lothian	2	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	5
Strathclyde	4	4	2	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	16
Tayside	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3
Orkney	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Shetland	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Western Isles	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Total	9	6	5	4	1	2	0	0	0	1	2	5	35

(11) World Health Organisation International Classification of Diseases (Ninth Revision) codes E901 (primary cause), 780.8,780.9, E901 (secondary cause).

(12) 1995 figures are still provisional.

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