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Public Bodies

Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what advice has been issued to his Department by the Commissioner for Public Appointments on the need to identify political activity by persons (a) appointed and (b) re-appointed to executive non-departmental public bodies; and what guidelines his Department currently follows in this area. [28597]

Mr. Hague: Guidance on new procedures is being prepared which will take full account of the First Report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, Cm 2850-1, and the principles and guidance published in April 1996 by the Commissioner for Public Appointments on appointments to executive non-departmental public bodies and NHS bodies. It will take effect by the target date of 1 July 1996.

Council of Agriculture Ministers

Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the participation of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Cardiff, North (Mr. Jones), at the Council of Agricultural Ministers on 29 to 30 April; and what formal representations were made to the council on behalf of Welsh farmers. [28617]

Mr. Hague: As a member of the UK ministerial delegation at Luxembourg, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State participated fully in developing the UK's negotiating position as events unfolded.

Closed Circuit Television

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which towns in Wales currently have closed circuit television to assist with crime prevention; and if he will make a statement. [28652]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: The Government have funded closed circuit television schemes in the following towns in Wales: Aberdare, Barry, Bridgend, Cardiff, Caerphilly, Colwyn Bay, Cwmbran, Haverfordwest, Holyhead,

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Maesteg, Merthyr Tydfil, Mountain Ash, Neath, Newport, Pontypool, Porthcawl, Rhyl, Swansea, Wrexham and Ystrad Rhondda.

Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his Department's policy regarding the further expansion of closed circuit television schemes in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [28698]

Mr. Jones: The Government are convinced that closed circuit television has a crucial part to play in the fight against crime, and will continue to encourage its expansion in Wales.

Independent Schools

Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list, by education authority area, the independent schools which have not yet received full recognition, indicating the reasons for this and the action being taken to deal with each school affected. [29288]

Mr. Richards: Independent schools are placed on the provisional register of independent schools in Wales when they are providing full-time education to five or more pupils of statutory school age and when they have provided specified information about the school, such as details about staff, to the Welsh Office. Full registration is considered by the Welsh Office in the light of advice provided by the Office of Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools who visit all provisionally registered schools at least annually. Of the 62 independent schools in Wales, eight are provisionally registered. These are as follows:

School	Local education authority
Bethany Christian School	Neath Port Talbot
Emmanuel Christian School	Caerphilly
Frontline Christian School	Bridgend
Mayflower Christian School	Torfaen
Hendre House	Pembrokeshire
Prospects Centre for Young People	Wrexham
Thaibah Muslim School	Cardiff
Welsh Centre for Conductive Education	Cardiff

The reasons why full registration has not yet been granted varies between the schools but can include concern about the breadth and balance of the curriculum, school structures and organisation or that the school has recently started and needs time to become established. In all cases, where the inspectors have identified shortcomings, the Welsh Office has written to the school concerned asking for these matters to be addressed.

If my right hon. Friend is satisfied that an independent school, whether provisionally or fully registered, is objectionable on certain grounds, including the suitability of the accommodation or instruction, the fitness of staff or the proprietor or concern about the welfare of children, he may issue a notice of complaint seeking remedies to the concerns.

SCOTLAND

Damp Housing

Mr. Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the number of houses in

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Scotland suffering from (a) dampness and (b) condensation, in (i) the publicly rented, (ii) the privately rented and (iii) the owner-occupied sectors. [27557]

Mr. Michael Forsyth: The available information is set out in the table. It is taken from the 1991 Scottish house condition survey. It should be noted that where a dwelling suffers from both dampness and condensation it is counted in both tables. More up-to-date information will become available when the results of the 1996 Scottish house condition survey are published in the autumn of next year.

Estimated number of dwellings in Scotland with dampness or condensation (by tenure, 1991)

Tenure	Number (thousands)
(a) Dwellings with rising or penetrating damp
Local authority, New Town, other public sector	122
Scottish Homes	6
Privately rented	35
Owner-occupied	100
Housing associations	4
All tenures	267
(b) Dwellings with condensation
Local authority, New Town, other public sector	202
Scottish Homes	15
Privately rented	33
Owner-occupied	138
Housing associations	4
All tenures	392

Approximately 110 thousand dwellings included in both the above tables had both damp and condensation.

Source:

1991 Scottish House Condition Survey.

Cockenzie Power Station

Mr. Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has made an assessment of the consequences for the Scottish economy of the closure of Cockenzie power station; and if he will make a statement. [27843]

Mr. Michael Forsyth: The future of Cockenzie power station is a matter for its owner, Scottish Power. I understand that the company currently plans to operate the power station until its working life expires in 2010.

Electricity Prices

Mr. Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the current level of electricity prices to industrial and commercial customers in Scotland; what it was in 1990; and if he will make a statement. [27842]

Mr. Forsyth: Since privatisation, electricity prices charged to industrial and commercial consumers with an annual consumption of over 100 KW have been a commercial matter for the electricity supply companies and their customers. Smaller industrial and commercial customers who use less than 100 KW are normally charged under published maxium demand tariffs. Such charges have fallen by about 10 per cent. in real terms since 1989-90.

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Health Service (Acute Bed Strategy)

Mr. Galbraith: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to publish the review of the acute bed strategy; and if he will make a statement. [28173]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: My right hon. Friend has received the report prepared by the review group. He will make an announcement in due course.

Crofting

Mr. Macdonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he next plans to review the level of grant and loan available under the crofter building grant and loan scheme; and if he will make it his policy that no major changes to the structure of the scheme will be introduced without full and lengthy public consultation. [28274]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: My noble Friend the Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and the Environment, had a number of discussions with crofting interests earlier in the year about a possible shift to a grant-only scheme with increased levels of grant. The views expressed were considered carefully and are reflected in the statement made by my right hon. Friend at the Scottish Grand Committee meeting on Monday 13 May.

Mrs. Ray Michie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what measures he is taking to provide support to crofters for (a) controlling and maintaining bracken, hedges and dykes and (b) the provision or improvement of water supplies. [28195]

Mr. Robertson: Assistance for crofters is currently available through a number of schemes. The crofting counties agricultural grants scheme provides grants to crofters towards the costs of controlling and maintaining bracken, hedges and dykes, and the provision or improvement of water supplies. The agricultural business improvement scheme offers grants towards the eradication of bracken to encourage heather regeneration; the provision of dykes to exclude livestock in association with conservation management; and the provision, replacement or improvement of water supplies. The Argyll and Shetland islands environment sensitive area schemes include support for provision of dykes: the Argyll islands scheme also includes support for control of bracken in certain situations.

Mrs. Michie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the budget allocation is planned to be for the crofter building grants and loans scheme in each of the next three years. [28198]

Mr. Robertson: The supply estimate provision for 1996-97 is £5.002 million. Ministers will take decisions on the level of provision for future years in the context of the forthcoming public expenditure survey.

Mr. Macdonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the total payments made under the crofting agricultural grants scheme 1995-96; and if he will publish the representations he has received regarding the proposed ending of the scheme. [28275]

Mr. Robertson: The provisional outturn for payments made in 1995-96 under the crofting counties agricultural grants scheme is £3.181 million. Unless specifically requested otherwise by the consultee, responses to the

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consultation on proposals for a Scottish countryside premium scheme are available for public view in the Library in St. Andrew's house, Edinburgh.

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