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Appeal Court
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many cases have been referred back to the Appeal Court by the Scottish Secretary since 1966; and in how many such cases conviction was quashed. [14528]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Since 1966, my right hon. Friend has referred nine cases to the High Court of Justiciary under section 263(1) of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1975. Of these cases, five convictions were quashed and in one case a verdict of culpable homicide was substituted for that of murder.
Spare Computer Capacity
Mr. Miller:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list all cases where spare computer capacity has
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been sold to other Departments since 1987, giving the Department and value of each contract. [14079]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
The Scottish Office has provided computer bureau and related services to a number of other Departments and public bodies. Charges for these services for the years since 1989-90 are as follows:
| Department | Amount £ |
|---|---|
| National Gallery of Scotland | 39,6000 |
| National Library of Scotland | 55,500 |
| National Museums of Scotland | 27,600 |
| HM Customs and Excise | 11,800 |
Holyrood Palace
Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the cost to his Department for the upkeep and maintenance of the palace of Holyrood house in each of the last three financial years. [14811]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: My right hon. Friend is responsible for the cost of the upkeep and maintenance of the fabric of the palace, for security and for the costs of utilities such as fuel and telephones. All other costs are met by the royal household.
The information for the last three financial years is:
| Programme expenditure | Historic Scotland employee costs | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| £ | |||
| 1992-93 | 696,600 | 338,530 | 1,035,130 |
| 1993-94 | 693,215 | 337,852 | 1,031,067 |
| 1994-95 | 809,153 | 345,124 | 1,154,277 |
These costs include all expenditure directly attributable to the palace but not professional and central administration.
Mobile Communications Network
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if the mobile communication, network supported by the Scottish Office in the highlands and islands will be capable of handling both digital and analogue calls. [14919]
Mr. Kynoch:
The £46 million mobile telecommunications investment programme in the highlands and islands will extend coverage to some 95 per cent. of the region's population, including covering almost all major arterial transport routes. The networks will use global system for mobile communications--GSM--technology, which is the European-led standard for digital cellular networks now operating in more than 40 countries worldwide. GSM gives users improved speech quality and greater security over the older analogue technology and access to a range of added value services similar to those available on the digital fixed network. The new GSM networks will complement the highlands and islands fixed network, which is already substantially digital as a result of upgrading by BT in the early 1990s.
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The existing analogue networks offered by Cellnet and Vodaphone in the highlands and islands will be maintained, but will not be extended further.
Mr. Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the annual average cost per patient of prescriptions prescribed by (a) general practitioner fundholders and (b) non-fundholding general practitioners
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for each year since the introduction of fundholding for which statistics are available for (i) Scotland and (ii) each health board. [14966]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
The information by health board and Scotland for the financial years 1992-93 to 1994-95 is set out in the table. The costs shown are the average cost per patient on GP lists and are based on the value of ingredients before the addition of dispensing fees or deduction of any discount or patient charges.
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Mr. Salmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what impact his initiative on crofting will have on the crofters of the Knoydart estate; and if he will make a statement. [15076]
Mr. Raymond S. Robertson:
The recently launched consultation paper is specifically concerned with the disposal of the crofting estates owned by my right hon. Friend. However, the issues it raises may be of interest to crofters and landlords elsewhere.
Mr. Alex Carlile:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list those courts that have been closed in each county in Scotland since 1990; and if he will make a statement. [14274]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
[holding answer 12 February 1996]: There have been no closures of district courts or sheriff courts during the period in question.
Mr. Malcolm Bruce:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the absenteeism rates in days per annum for staff in his Department for each of the years (a) 1979-80, (b) 1989-90, (c) 1991-92, (d) 1993-94, (e) 1994-95 and (f) 1995-96. [11357]
Mr. Michael Forsyth
[holding answer 25 January 1996]: The average number of working days lost per staff year due to sickness in the Scottish Office is in the table.
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| Calender year | The Scottish Office | Scottish Prison Service |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 8.9 | 12.6 |
| 1993 | 10.3 | 15.3 |
| 1994 | 8.2 | 12.9 |
Figures prior to 1992 are not available.
Drug Reduction Programmes
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many prisoners were waiting for a place on the Edinburgh and Glenochil drug reduction programmes on (a) 1 February 1995 and (b) 1 February 1996. [14589]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 12 February 1996]: The subject of the question relates to matters undertaken by the Scottish Prison Service. I have asked its chief executive, Mr. E. W. Frizzell, to arrange for a reply to be given.