---

Metropolitan Police (Civilian Officers)

Mr. Boateng: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if the transfer of civilian enforcement officers from the Metropolitan police service to the inner and outer London magistrates courts will be covered by the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 and the acquired rights directive. [23445]

Mr. Jonathan Evans: I have received legal advice stating that, in general, transfers of civilian enforcement staff from the police to magistrates courts committees are likely to be subject to these regulations. Whether the regulations apply in any particular situation depends on all the facts of the case, which will be different from one area to the next. Each magistrates courts committee or police authority involved in a transfer of staff must

3 Apr 1996 : Column: 270

therefore determine for itself whether the regulations will apply to it, obtaining its own legal advice on the matter if necessary.

Mr. Boateng: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department which interested parties or bodies were consulted about the decision to transfer the posts and duties of civilian enforcement officers from the Metropolitan police service to the inner and outer London magistrates courts. [23443]

Mr. Evans: The following organisations were consulted either by my Department or by the Home Office about the decision to transfer the responsibility for enforcement duties from the police throughout England and Wales to magistrates courts committees, every MCC, including the inner London magistrates courts service and all outer London MCCs; the Central Council of MCCs; the Magistrates Association, the Justices' Clerks' Society; the Standing Conference of Justices' Chief Executives and Clerks to MCCs; the Association of Magisterial Officers; the Association of Chief Police Officers. Decisions on the transfer of individual posts will be for the Metropolitan police and the relevant MCCs to resolve jointly. So far as I am aware, no such decisions have yet been made by those bodies.

Mr. Boateng: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if legislation will be required to enable civilian enforcement officers to carry out their duties when they are no longer employed as the direct agents of the commissioner for the Metropolitan police. [23446]

Mr. Evans: No legislation will be required to enable civilian enforcement officers to carry out their duties if, instead of being employed by the Metropolitan police, they are employed and duly authorised by a magistrates courts committee, by a local authority or by another police authority. We are currently clarifying whether legislation would be required to enable civilian enforcement officers to carry out enforcement duties in other circumstances.

SCOTLAND

Bovine Spongiform Encephalophy

Mrs. Liddell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what total level of compensation has been given to farmers for the destruction of cattle infected with bovine spongiform encephalopathy in each year since 1990 in Scotland. [22935]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: The information requested is held centrally on the basis of Great Britain as a whole, and a breakdown by country could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The total level of compensation paid to farmers on a Great Britain basis in each year since 1990 was:

1990: £12.3 million
1991: £28.1 million
1992: £56.3 million
1993: £92.6 million
1994: £116.2 million
1995: £126.6 million

3 Apr 1996 : Column: 271

Mrs. Ray Michie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many cattle have been identified as suffering from BSE in Scotland by (a) breed and (b) number for each year since 1993. [23792]

Mr. Robertson: The information requested is as shown in the following tables:

Breed	Cases confirmed at 1 March 1996
Aberdeen Angus	28
Aberdeen Angus crosses	489
Ayrshire	391
Ayrshire crosses	29
Charolais	38
Charolais crosses	50
Friesian	3,042
Friesian crosses	565
Galloway	3
Galloway crosses	9
Hereford	34
Hereford crosses	1,416
Highland	5
Highland crosses	1
Holstein	180
Holstein crosses	26
Jersey	20
Jersey crosses	2
Limousin	45
Limousin crosses	434
Luing	0
Luing crosses	4
Murray Grey	2
Murray Grey crosses	2
Romagnola	1
Romagnola crosses	4
Simmental	61
Simmental crosses	498
Other breeds (including crosses)	127
Total	7,506

Year	Number of confirmed cases
1993	2,208
1994	1,326
1995	659
1996 (15 March 1996)	48

Mrs. Michie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which inhabited Scottish islands have had no recorded cases of BSE since 1989 [23793]

Mr. Robertson: Information on incidence of BSE is collected on a regional basis and a breakdown of the detail requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Countryside Premium Scheme

Mrs. Ray Michie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much money will be available from the countryside premium scheme for 1996-97 and 1997-98; and if he will make a statement. [23794]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: Around £2 million is available for the countryside premium scheme in 1996-1997 although the timetable for bringing the scheme into operation means that it is difficult to predict how much of

3 Apr 1996 : Column: 272

this amount will be required. My noble Friend will decide later this year on the funding requirements for the scheme in 1997-98.

Further Education Colleges

Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which further education colleges in Scotland will have their grant in aid reduced in 1996-97; by how much; for what reasons; and which of these will be required to educate more students than the current year. [24038]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: The information is set out in the table.

College	Variation from 1995-96 grant
	£
Ayr	-84,300
Barony	-22,500
Bell	-265,200
Clackmannan	-14,100
Clydebank	-291,300
Coatbridge	-188,400
Dumfries and Galloway	-135,900
Dundee	-525,100
Falkirk	-60,600
Fife	-371,900
Glasgow College of Building and Printing	-241,600
Glasgow College of Food Technology	-168,700
Glasgow College of Nautical Studies	-191,100
Glenrothes	-136,700
Inverness	-314,400
Jewel and Esk Valley	-369,800
Lews Castle	-103,200
Oatridge	-94,400
Stevenson	-131,900
Thurso	-133,000
West Lothian	-241,300

Grant levels of these colleges are reducing as a result of the implementation of a new funding formula, which rewards colleges which have been most successful in reducing unit costs and attracting and retaining students. No specific targets for student growth have been set for these colleges.

Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what efficiency savings have been required of the further education colleges in each year since incorporation; and what is the total amount of money saved since incorporation. [24039]

Mr. Robertson: Colleges were expected to achieve an efficiency saving of 3 per cent. 1993-94 and 1994-95 and 4 per cent. in 1995-96. Because financial information pre and post incorporation cannot be meaningfully compared, it is not possible to quantify the amounts of money saved. Between 1993-94 and 1994-95 colleges delivered efficiency gains of 4 per cent. on student activity which was 6 per cent. higher.

Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what research has been conducted by his Department in Scotland on the consequences of incorporation of further education colleges. [24040]

3 Apr 1996 : Column: 273

Mr. Robertson: A research study into the operation of further education college boards of management, funded by the Scottish Office, was published in June 1995. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the number of (a) administrative and (b) management staff employed at colleges (i) on the date of incorporation and (ii) at present. [24041]

Mr. Robertson: Information on the number of administrative and management staff employed at colleges on the date of incorporation is not held centrally. The total full-time equivalent number of support staff, on a disaggregated basis, in academic year 1994-95, the latest for which information is available, was 4,517.

Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many lecturing staff were employed in further education colleges (a) at the date of incorporation and (b) at present; and how many were (i) full time and (ii) part time. [24031]

Mr. Robertson: The information is set out in the table.

	Number
October 1992	5,562
Full-time	4,960
Part-time	6,850
Full-time equivalent
Academic year 1994-95
Full-time	5,606
Part-time	7,448
Full-time equivalent	6,903

Information on staff numbers at 1 April 1993 is not held centrally. The October 1992 figure is the information collated prior to incorporation. Academic staff numbers are now collated on an academic year basis.

Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which colleges of further education were in deficit at the end of the last financial year; by how much; and which colleges his Department assesses to be in deficit in the current financial year. [24032]

Mr. Robertson: At 31 March 1995 the audited accounts showed that the deficit on total reserves, after making provision for the future cost of pension enhancements given for early retirement, for the following colleges was as shown in the table.

College	£000
Aberdeen	-565
Anniesland	-153
Central College of Commerce	-59
Clydebank	-305
Coatbridge	-239
Falkirk	-346
James Watt	-309
John Wheatley	-56
Langside	-134
Moray	-543
North Glasgow	-1,129
Stevenson	-593
Thurso	-101
West Lothian	-96

3 Apr 1996 : Column: 274

Information regarding financial outturns at 31 March 1996 is not yet available.

Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make it his policy that no (a) closures and (b) amalgamations of further education colleges will occur in the next financial year. [24033]

Mr. Robertson: My right hon. Friend has presently no plans to close or amalgamate colleges.

---