---

District and Sheriff Courts

Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) on what grounds he proposes to transfer the jurisdiction of Bearsden district court to Glasgow; [13474]

(2) what procedure will govern the closure of Bearsden and Milngavie district court. [13469]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: There is no proposal to transfer the Bearsden and Milngavie commission area to Glasgow. From 1 April 1996 it will form part of the new East Dunbartonshire commission area. East Dunbartonshire council will then assume responsibility

7 Feb 1996 : Column: 222

for the district court for that commission area. It is for local authorities to determine where district courts sit within commission areas.

Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will extend the consultation period on his proposal to change the jurisdiction of Dumbarton sheriff court in order to allow local hon. Members and others to see the consultation paper on this subject; [13466]

(2) what statistical analysis he has carried out to assess how much civil work is carried out from Bearsden and Milngavie in Dumbarton sheriff court; and what would be

7 Feb 1996 : Column: 223

the impact on Glasgow sheriff court if the proposals in his consultation paper were enacted; [13470]

(3) what are the financial consequences of the proposals contained in the consultation paper on the jurisdiction of Dumbarton sheriff court; [13472]

(4) with which bodies he has consulted on his proposals to change the jurisdiction of Dumbarton sheriff court; for what reasons local hon. Members were not consulted; and what is his policy in this respect on the removal of Bearsden and Milngavie from the jurisdiction; [13473]

(5) how many courts he proposes to construct in the new Dumbarton sheriff court; what area they will serve; and what changes he has made to his plans in this respect in the last six months; [13475]

(6) what will be the change in the number of sheriffs at Dumbarton sheriff court arising from moving Bearsden and Milngavie out of the sheriffdom. [13471]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: A consultation paper on proposals to adjust sheriffdom and sheriff court district boundaries following the introduction of the new local authorities was issued by the Scottish courts administration on 29 December 1995 in order to provide information to allow officials to put forward advice to Scottish Office Ministers.

The paper went to sheriffs principal, the Sheriffs' Association, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the new local authorities, police forces, the Crown Office, the Scottish Court Service and interested bodies and organisations such as the Law Society of Scotland and the Scottish Consumer Council. Responses were invited by 2 February 1996. Copies of the paper and the full list of consultees have been placed in the House of Commons Library.

The proposals in the consultation paper cover the whole of Scotland. In respect of the current jurisdictions of Glasgow and other sheriff courts in the area, views were sought on the prospect of transferring Bearsden and Milngavie to Glasgow's jurisdiction and transferring the area around Rutherglen from Glasgow's jurisdiction to that of Hamilton sheriff court. The net effect would be a small reduction in the workload of Glasgow sheriff court and a small reduction in the workload of Dumbarton sheriff court. No immediate change to the permanent shrieval complement at either court would be required. Any change to requirements for the proposed new sheriff court at Dumbarton will be considered during the detailed planning process.

No ministerial decisions have yet been made in terms of the Sheriff Courts (Scotland) Act 1971, and change to sheriff court districts or to the boundaries of sheriffdoms required to be made by statutory instrument. Changes to the boundaries of sheriffdoms require an affirmative resolution in both Houses.

Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what inspection service exists to assess the quality of service at Glasgow and Dumbarton sheriff courts; [13468]

(2) if he will make a statement on the (a) relative workloads, (b) waiting times and (c) quality of service of Glasgow and Dumbarton sheriff courts. [13467]

7 Feb 1996 : Column: 224

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Waiting periods for summary criminal and civil business for Glasgow and Dumbarton sheriff courts and performance of these courts against the quality of service target set for the Scottish Court Service as at 31 December 1995 are shown in the following table:

	Summary criminal waiting period	Ordinary civil waiting period (proofs/debates)	Percentage of quality targets achieved(13)
Glasgow Sheriff Court	21 weeks	12 weeks/8 weeks	97.2
Dumbarton Sheriff Court	10 weeks	12 weeks/6 weeks	100

(13) 24 individual quality of service targets are set for staff in the sheriff court. They are detailed in the framework document of the Scottish Court Service which is available in the Library.

Children's Hospices

Dr. Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what studies he has (a) commissioned and (b) analysed and evaluated on health services for children with terminal illnesses; and if he will make a statement. [12581]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The Government acknowledge that there is sufficient demand to justify the establishment of a children's hospice in Scotland. Information is not collected centrally which would make it possible to establish the exact number of children with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition who would benefit from access to a children's hospice. The opening of Rachel house, Kinross, should enable a more accurate estimate to be made of the need for such a facility.

Dr. Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if it is his policy that children's hospices be eligible for matching funding from the national health service. [12582]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Access to public funding for the health care work of the children's hospice in Scotland should be through the mechanism of contracts with health boards, based on each board's assessment of need.

Dr. Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many children were cared for in each of the past five years in children's hospices; and if he will make a statement. [12584]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: There has not been a children's hospice in Scotland during the last five years. Information about the number of children from Scotland cared for in children's hospices in England during that period is not collected centrally.

Dr. Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many hospices for children are registered; and what financial assistance they have received in each of the past three years. [12583]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: None, although it is expected that Rachel house, Kinross, will be registered shortly.

The Scottish Office has contributed £250,000 in this and the two previous financial years to the Children's Hospice Association Scotland in respect of Rachel house,

7 Feb 1996 : Column: 225

Kinross. In addition, my right hon. Friend recently announced a further contribution of £500,000 over the next two financial years.

Scottish Enterprise and Highlands

and Islands Enterprise

Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the forthcoming policy and financial management reviews of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. [14553]

Mr. Michael Forsyth: As part of the Government's rolling programme of five-yearly policy and financial management reviews of non-departmental public bodies, my Department will conduct a thorough review of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise during 1996. The first stage of the review will take the form of a prior options study. In accordance with normal practice on such reviews, this will include an examination of the scope for discontinuing, privatising, contracting out or transferring to another body some or all of the functions carried out by Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise. This study is now under way and I would welcome comments from interested parties. Comments should be sent by 31 March 1996 to:

Mr. J. Irvine
The Scottish Office Education and Industry Department
Room 3F-53
Victoria Quay
Edinburgh
EH6 6QQ

Cold Weather (Public Information)

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list all public information films relating to the effects of cold weather on plumbing; and if he will list the names of the films, who produced them and when they were shown. [12706]

Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 30 January 1996]: Two short public information films entitled "Pipe Bursts" and "Frost Warning" were made by the Central Office of Information in 1969. Both were withdrawn from circulation in the early 1980s. A television commercial was produced by the Scottish Office in 1984 and broadcast that year. No other details are now available.

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the levels of public expenditure for public information materials on the effects of cold weather on plumbing (a) in each five-year period since 1966 and (b) for each year in the last five years; and if he will make a statement on the nature of the materials on which the moneys were spent. [12708]

Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 30 January 1996]: There has been no Scottish Office expenditure on public information material in the past five years. The last expenditure on this subject was in 1984 when a television

7 Feb 1996 : Column: 226

commercial was produced by the Scottish Office. No records exist for previous years. Details of local authority expenditure in this area are not held centrally.

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when a public information film on the effects of cold weather was last shown in Scotland; what was the name of this film; and who produced it. [12707]

Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 30 January 1996]: A television commercial was produced by the Scottish Office in 1984 but no records of it now exist. The Scottish Office is currently in discussion with the Central Office of Information regarding production of a new public information film on the effects of cold weather on domestic plumbing.

---