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DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Departmental Officials (Interests)
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the officials in his Department who have declared a current interest; what requirements are placed on officials to declare relevant interests; in what form records of such declarations are kept; and if he will establish a central register of officials' interests. [16888]
Mr. Willetts: Staff in the Departments and agencies for which my right hon. Friend is responsible, and in other areas which fall to the Cabinet Office vote, are required to declare any business interests which might conflict with their official duties and to comply with any subsequent instructions regarding the retention, disposal and management of such interests. Records are kept at operational level. I have no plans to publish the names of those concerned or to establish a central register.
EDS Ltd.
Ms Eagle: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list those contracts his Department currently holds with EDS, indicating for each the (a) date of inception, (b) value and (c) duration. [17448]
Citizens Charter
Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans he has to increase understanding overseas of the workings of the citizens charter. [15547]
Mr. Willetts: UK success in public sector reform is recognised internationally. In particular, the citizens charter is an idea that has been adopted, and adapted, in many countries. Australia, Canada, USA, France, Belgium, Portugal, Spain, Israel, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore all have programmes which resemble in substance, though not always in name, the citizens charter initiative.
Interests is still growing as more and more countries, like Argentina, Hungary, South Africa and Kuwait, seek our advice as they develop their own programmes. On current plans, over the next four months, officials will
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be providing briefings to representatives of 10 different countries, and will be speaking at four international conferences.
Dr. Wright:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department publish (a) annual reports, (b) annual accounts, (c) the minutes of meetings, (d) the agendas of meetings and (e) a register of members' interests, indicating in each case if this is (i) under a statutory requirement or (ii) voluntary. [16815]
Mr. Willetts:
No executive non-departmental bodies are sponsored by the Office of Public Service.
Algrade Trust
Mr. Home Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the police investigation of property acquisitions by the Algrade Trust. [15549]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The police are inquiring into the circumstances surrounding the making of a will. The general heritable property acquisitions of the former trustees are being examined by the Scottish Charities Office in the course of its investigation into the financial affairs of the Algrade Trust.
Mr. Home Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects the Scottish Charities Office to complete its investigation of the affairs of the Algrade Trust; and if he will make a statement. [15550]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
The investigation is making good progress. The intervention of the Scottish Charities Office has brought about the resignations of the former trustees and their replacement by the present trustees who have backgrounds in teaching, accountancy and medicine. The new trustees are responsible for the management of the Algrade Trust. The issues giving rise to the past concerns about Algrade developed over the many years during which the former trustees had charge of the administration under the supervision and registration of the local social work department. Some
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new matters have emerged in the course of the investigation and further work requires to be done on points arising from the accountancy report and into aspects of the property transactions. The investigation is not likely to be concluded before the end of June of this year.
Mr. McFall:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many summary trials there were in the sheriff court during 1995; and if he will indicate the total number of adjournments of summary trials in the sheriff court, the reason for these adjournments and if they were at the instance of the prosecution or the defence. [15861]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
The information requested is held by the Scottish Court Service and I have asked the chief executive to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Michael Ewart to Mr. John McFall, dated 27 February 1996:
(27) Miscellaneous includes a variety of causes each of which occurs relatively infrequently, including the absence of a defence agent, Procurator Fiscal or Sheriff due to ill health, change of defence agent, difficulties with productions, adverse weather conditions and for further investigation.
These figures do not include adjournments for reasons stated after the conclusion of a trail, for example, in those cases where the Sheriff defers sentence for the accused to demonstrate good behaviour.
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him today by the chief executive of the Scottish Court Service.
Mr. Donohoe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many independent sector schools have (a) more than 25 per cent.; (b) more than 50 per cent.; and (c) less than 5 per cent. of their school rolls made up of pupils covered by the assisted places scheme in the academic year 1995-96. [16328]
Mr. Raymond S. Robertson:
The information requested is set out in the table.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton has asked me to reply to your Parliamentary Question about Sheriff Court trials and adjournments during 1995.
The figures you seek are as follows:
1. During the period 1 January 1995 to 31 December 1995 there were 59,299 diets of trial called which involved 43,552 summary cases.
2. Of the 59,299 diets, 15,747 were adjourned trial diets. The reasons recorded for these adjournments were:
Reason Number of adjournments
(a) Availability/absence of Crown witness 3,207
(b) Lack of Court time 2,835
(c) Lateness of the hour/completion of evidence 1,158
(d) Availability/absence of Defence witness 1,155
(e) Inadequate time to prepare for trial 1,016
(f) Adjourned to notional trail diet 945
(g) Miscellaneous(27) 5,431
15,745
Mr. McFall:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what was the total number of summary trials in the sheriff courts during 1995; [16732]
(2) what was the total number of adjournments of summary trials in the sheriff courts and the reason for these adjournments during 1995; and whether they were at the instance of the prosecution or the defence. [16733]
| School session | 1995-96 |
|---|---|
| Assisted pupils over 25 per cent. but not more than 50 per cent. of school roll | 4 |
| Assisted pupils more than 50 per cent. of school roll | Nil |
| Assisted pupils less than 5 per cent. of school roll | 9 |
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list for the financial year 1995-96 in descending order the proportions of the school rolls at independent schools made up of pupils covered by the assisted places scheme; what is the total number of pupils covered by the assisted places scheme at each school; what is the total number of pupils on the roll of each school; what proportion of the school roll at each school is covered by the assisted places scheme; what is the level of fees charged for pupils under the assisted place scheme at each school; and what are the amounts received by each school under the assisted places scheme. [16332]
Mr. Robertson:
The information requested is detailed in the table. The assisted places scheme is administered, and statistical information collected, in respect of each school session and not by reference to financial years. The information provided relates to fee remission grant allocations for the 1995-96 school session and to pupil numbers in the schools at the spring term of that school session.
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Mr. Donohoe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which independent sector schools charged (a) the highest and (b) the lowest level of fees to pupils covered by the assisted places scheme in the academic year 1995-96; and what charges were levied. [16330]
Mr. Robertson:
The highest tuition fee charged to pupils covered by the assisted places scheme in academic year 1995-96 was at Glenalmond college at £7,802 per annum. The lowest fees were charged at Hamilton college--£2,341 per annum for pupils aged 12 to 18 years.
Mr. Donohoe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department has spent on the operation of the assisted places scheme in the academic year 1995-96; how many pupils are covered by the scheme in this period; what is the number of institutions
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covered by the scheme in this period; and what was the overspend on the budget allocated to the scheme in this period. [16329]
Mr. Robertson:
The information requested is set out in the table. Expenditure on the assisted places scheme is cash limited each year and there have been no overspends on the budget allocated in any year since the scheme commenced.
| Assisted places scheme | |
|---|---|
| School session | (28)1995-96 |
| Total expenditure | £10,941,700 |
| Pupils covered | 3,050 |
| Schools covered | 55 |
(28) Provisional.
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Mr. Donohoe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list for each school covered by the assisted places scheme in descending order the amounts which the school received from the scheme for the academic year 1995-96; what is the number of pupils covered by the scheme in each school; what is the total number of pupils on the school's roll and the proportion
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of the school's roll made up of pupils covered by the assisted places scheme; and what is the level of fees charged for pupils covered by the assisted places scheme at each school. [16331]
Mr. Robertson:
The information requested is detailed in the table:
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| School | Fee remission grant allocation 1995-96 (£) | Number of pupils covered by scheme 1995-96 | Total roll 1995-96 | Proportion of total roll covered by scheme 1995-96 (spring term) (Percentage) | Fees charged for assisted pupils 1995-96 (£ per annum) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stewart's Melville College and the Mary Erskine School | 975,000 | 300 | 2,573 | 11.66 | 2,934-4,029 |
| George Watson's College | 775,000 | 246 | 2,073 | 11.87 | 2,886-3,993 |
| George Heriot's School | 680,000 | 244 | 1,504 | 16.22 | 2,787-3,732 |
| High School of Dundee | 595,000 | 199 | 1,126 | 17.67 | 2,608-3,716 |
| Hutchesons' Grammar School | 488,000 | 157 | 1,866 | 8.41 | 3,491 |
| St. Aloysius College | 450,000 | 167 | 1,088 | 15.35 | 3,068 |
| Morrison's Academy | 395,000 | 133 | 522 | 25.48 | 3,258-3,453 |
| Kelvinside Academy | 350,000 | 94 | 520 | 18.08 | 3,414-4,259 |
| Merchiston Castle School | 327,000 | 65 | 399 | 16.29 | 4,665-6,675 |
| Glasgow Academy | 300,000 | 82 | 989 | 8.29 | 3,850-4,134 |
| Strathallan School | 299,000 | 41 | 492 | 8.33 | 6,345-7,710 |
| St. Margaret's School, Edinburgh | 268,000 | 72 | 650 | 11.08 | 3,028-4,012 |
| Glenalmond College | 266,000 | 43 | 291 | 14.78 | 5,858-7,802 |
| Edinburgh Academy | 245,000 | 56 | 795 | 7.04 | 5,013-5,082 |
| The Park School | 245,000 | 65 | 259 | 25.10 | 3,432-3,822 |
| Keil School | 234,000 | 64 | 210 | 30.48 | 3,909-4,614 |
| Dollar Academy | 228,000 | 76 | 1,093 | 6.95 | 3,349-3,831 |
| Laurel Bank School | 228,000 | 64 | 335 | 19.10 | 3,492-4,131 |
| Fettes College | 220,000 | 39 | 486 | 8.02 | 4,722-7,524 |
| Robert Gordon's College | 210,000 | 70 | 1,354 | 5.17 | 3,654 |
| Loretto School | 205,000 | 31 | 378 | 8.20 | 5,759-7,451 |
| Wellington School | 200,000 | 51 | 360 | 14.17 | 4,068-4,419 |
| Lomond School | 194,000 | 54 | 461 | 11.71 | 4,134-4,242 |
| Kilgraston School | 192,000 | 55 | 241 | 22.82 | 3,840-4,287 |
| St. George's School | 184,000 | 55 | 901 | 6.10 | 3,842-4,221 |
| Rudolf Steiner School, Edinburgh | 183,000 | 54 | 260 | 20.77 | 2,796-3,702 |
| Rannoch School | 173,000 | 39 | 235 | 16.60 | 5,490 |
| Gordonstoun School | 171,000 | 30 | 418 | 7.18 | 6,756 |
| St. Leonard's School | 157,000 | 31 | 329 | 9.42 | 4,488-5,853 |
| High School of Glasgow | 144,000 | 51 | 986 | 5.17 | 3,564-4,104 |
| Craigholme School | 137,000 | 46 | 477 | 9.64 | 3,213-3,429 |
| St. Denis and Cranley School | 125,000 | 27 | 130 | 20.77 | 4,330 |
| St. Columba's School | 115,000 | 32 | 544 | 5.88 | 3,525-3,801 |
| Belmont House School | 101,000 | 30 | 366 | 8.20 | 3,215-3,628 |
| Fernhill School | 90,000 | 30 | 345 | 8.70 | 2,735-2,851 |
| Albyn School | 73,000 | 24 | 429 | 5.59 | 3,534-3,642 |
| Beaconhurst School | 50,000 | 15 | 267 | 5.62 | 4,116-4,245 |
| St. Margaret's School, Aberdeen | 50,000 | 16 | 420 | 3.81 | 3,141-3,454 |
| Hamilton College | 47,000 | 24 | 762 | 3.15 | 2,341 |
| Aberlour School | 37,000 | 8 | 107 | 7.48 | 4,923 |
| Croftinloan School | 35,000 | 8 | 79 | 10.13 | 5,639 |
| Kilquhanity School | 30,000 | 12 | 32 | 37.50 | 2,503 |
| Lathallan School | 28,000 | 6 | 146 | 4.11 | 4.760 |
| Clifton Hall School | 27,000 | 6 | 103 | 5.83 | 4,965 |
| Craigclowan School | 27,000 | 9 | 240 | 3.75 | 3,600 |
| Butterstone School | 26,000 | 5 | 58 | 8.62 | 5,076 |
| Ardvreck School | 23,000 | 3 | 119 | 2.52 | 4,725 |
| Cargilfield School | 23,000 | 3 | 196 | 1.53 | 5,865 |
| New Park School | 19,000 | 6 | 114 | 5.26 | 4,071 |
| St. Mary's School, Melrose | 18,000 | 5 | 93 | 5.38 | 4,761 |
| Belhaven Hill School | 13,000 | 3 | 70 | 4.29 | 5,190 |
| Park Lodge School | 10,000 | 3 | 54 | 5.56 | 2,829 |
| Cademuir International School | 5,000 | 0 | 86 | -- | 5,460 |
| Drumley House | 5,000 | 1 | 100 | 1.00 | 4,545 |
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