---

Vandalism

Mr. Thurnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the annual cost of vandalism in the Bolton area, in each of the last 10 years; of that what amount can be attributed to arson; how many incidents of arson there have been in each year; and if he will make a statement. [31160]

Mr. Robin Squire: This information is not held centrally.

Performance Bonds

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer of 20 May, Official Report, column 11, how many (a) unconditional on-demand bonds, (b) performance bonds, (c) parent company guarantees, (d) advance payment bonds and (e) retention bonds were required by her Department in the last five years. [31234]

Mr. Robin Squire: According to existing databases the Department has required one performance bond (b) and one parent company guarantee (c).

Computers in Schools

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans she has to promote an increase in the availability of computers in schools before the next general election. [31057]

Mr. Robin Squire: The Department is continuing to promote the availability of computers in schools through its programme of grants for education support and training and by other means.

Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what schemes have been put in place since 1992 to ensure that each child (a) has had access to a computer and (b) is computer literate by the time he or she leaves school. [31059]

Mr. Squire: The Department has continued to support the development of pupils' information technology skills in a number of ways. These include the establishment of IT as a separate subject within the national curriculum; the programme of grants for education support and training which supports the purchase of computer

4 Jun 1996 : Column: 399

hardware, software and teacher training in IT; and support for the work of the National Council for Educational Technology.

Internet

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what schemes she has established to promote access to the Internet in schools. [31058]

Mr. Robin Squire: The Government published in November 1995 their statement of policy on the development of networked communications in education. "Superhighways for Education: The Way Forward", a copy of which is in the Library, identifies the national priorities and sets out the action to which the Government are committed. This includes support and encouragement for the piloting of new communications technologies in education, and ensuring that advice on the use of these technologies is made available through appropriate bodies. The paper announced an innovative programme of pilot projects, including several piloting the use of the Internet, which the Department is evaluating. The Department is also supporting two parallel projects. One will evaluate the benefit of educational Internet services; the other will assess the development of a virtual languages centre on the Internet. Advice and guidance for schools on networking and the use of the Internet is available from the National Council for Educational Technology.

SCOTLAND

Ministerial Visits

Sir David Steel: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the cost to public funds of the visit by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State to Innerleithen, Tweeddale, on 26 April; what was the purpose of the visit; and what is the policy of Scottish Office Ministers in respect of notifying right hon. and hon. Members of visits to their constituencies. [28063]

Mr. Michael Forsyth: My hon. Friend the Minister with responsibility for industry and local government visited Peebles and Innerleithen in the right hon. Member's constituency on 25 April, not 26 April. He visited Clough Mill Ltd., Waverley Mills, Innerleithen with the chairman of Scottish Borders Enterprise as one of a number of engagements in the area. The cost of this element of the day's programme cannot be separately identified. My hon. Friend wrote to the right hon. Member on 26 March, as is the normal practice, to inform him that he would be carrying out ministerial engagements in his constituency; this particular engagement was added to the original programme at a late stage.

Victoria Infirmary, Glasgow

Mr. McAllion: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what meetings outside trust premises have been held between private companies tendering for the support services at the Victoria infirmary in Glasgow and staff who work for the Victoria infirmary trust; if the trust board was informed of such meetings; and what action the board has taken about them. [30132]

4 Jun 1996 : Column: 400

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The question concerns specific operational matters on which the chief executive of the trust is best placed to provide answers. Accordingly the hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. Small for details.

Mr. McAllion: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what opportunity was available to staff at the Victoria infirmary in Glasgow to make an in-house bid for the support services recently put out to competitive tender; if he will list those in attendance at the meeting where staff were informed of that opportunity; and if he will place in the Library (a) a copy of the minutes of the meeting and (b) all correspondence between the trust board and those private companies which indicated an interest in tendering for the services. [30131]

Lord James Douglas Hamilton: I understand from the Victoria Infirmary NHS trust that, in addition to placing an advertisement in the Official Journal of the European Communities, a number of open meetings were held with staff to announce the trust's intention to invite tenders for specific contracts and to confirm that there was a potential for making an in-house bid. No record of staff who attended these open meetings was made, nor were minutes or notes taken. Correspondence between the trust and the private organisations expressing interest in this tender exercise is a matter of commercial confidence.

Market Testing

Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list, for each of his Department's agencies, what market testing has been carried out into the services they provide and what were the results. [30121]

Mr. Michael Forsyth: For the period 1 April 1992 to 31 March 1996, the activities listed below have been reviewed under my competing for quality programme. Market testing is one of three main outcomes from competing for quality reviews. The others--strategic contracting out and internal restructuring--are also listed.

Activity	Outcome
Scottish Prison Service
Capital building	Strategic Contracting Out: on a project basis
Central store	Market Test: won in-house
Maintenance and minor works (phase 1) at four establishments	Market Test: three won in-house and one to an external contractor
Maintenance and minor works (phase 2) at six establishments	Market Test: all won in-house
Maintenance and minor works (phase 3) at remaining nine establishments	Strategic Contracting Out
Education services	Market Test: won by various contractors
Historic Scotland
Monument conservation unit	Internal restructuring
Gardeners at Holyrood palace and park	Market Test: won in-house
HQ office support staff	Internal restructuring
Patrolmen at Edinburgh castle	Strategic Contracting Out
Scottish Agricultural and Science Agency
Animal house	Market Test: won by external contractor
Security	Market Test: won by external contractor
Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency
Marine surveillance	Internal restructuring
Internal audit	Strategic Contracting Out
Scottish Office Pensions Agency
Information technology	Strategic Contracting Out
Messengers	Market Test: won in-house
Registers of Scotland
Messengers/telephonist services	Market Test: won in-house
Reprographic services	Market Test: won in-house
Typing/proof reading	Market Test: won in-house
Workflow functions	Market Test: won in-house
Scottish Court Service
Capital works programme	Strategic Contracting Out
Estate management services	Strategic Contracting Out
Managing agents services: north, west and east regions	Strategic Contracting Out
Security	Strategic Contracting Out
Cleaning	Strategic Contracting Out
Catering	Strategic Contracting Out
Payroll services	Strategic Contracting Out
IT hardware and software support	Strategic Contracting Out
Scottish Record Office
Cleaning	Market Test: won in-house
Reprographics	Market Test: won in-house

4 Jun 1996 : Column: 401

Local Government Reorganisation

Mr. Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 2 April, Official Report, column 158, what were the electorates of each of the existing parliamentary constituencies in Scotland, as at 16 February. [30238]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The information is as follows:

	Electorate
Aberdeen, North	48,667
Aberdeen, South	60,829
Angus, East	64,826
Argyll and Bute	49,869
Ayr	67,485
Banff and Buchan	67,105
Caithness and Sutherland	31,346
Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley	55,404
Central Fife	57,674
Clackmannan	50,405
Clydebank and Milngavie	48,581
Clydesdale	63,338
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth	48,112
Cunninghame, North	56,137
Cunninghame, South	49,961
Dumbarton	56,858
Dumfries	61,697
Dundee, East	57,550
Dundee, West	56,629
Dunfermline, East	52,147
Dunfermline, West	52,764
East Kilbride	66,796
East Lothian	69,171
Eastwood	65,508
Edinburgh, Central	59,826
Edinburgh, East	46,137
Edinburgh, Leith	57,679
Edinburgh, Pentlands	56,476
Edinburgh, South	63,286
Edinburgh, West	59,394
Falkirk, East	52,364
Falkirk, West	49,628
Galloway and Upper Nithsdale	54,942
Glasgow, Cathcart	43,418
Glasgow, Central	48,975
Glasgow, Garscadden	40,726
Glasgow, Govan	43,873
Glasgow, Hillhead	59,784
Glasgow, Maryhill	48,491
Glasgow, Pollok	44,433
Glasgow, Provan	34,501
Glasgow, Rutherglen	51,764
Glasgow, Shettleston	51,680
Glasgow, Springburn	45,098
Gordon	85,435
Greenock and Port Glasgow	50,377
Hamilton	62,846
Inverness, Nairn and Lochaber	72,918
Kilmarnock and Loudoun	62,359
Kincardine and Deeside	70,308
Kirkcaldy	53,507
Linlithgow	63,299
Livingston	64,204
Midlothian	60,978
Monklands, East	48,849
Monklands, West	49,881
Moray	65,216
Motherwell, North	58,129
Motherwell, South	49,904
North-East Fife	58,495
North Tayside	58,447
Orkney and Shetland	32,635
Paisley, North	47,105
Paisley, South	48,402
Perth and Kinross	68,317
Renfrew, West and Inverclyde	60,995
Ross, Cromarty and Skye	58,626
Roxburgh and Berwickshire	44,371
Stirling	59,979
Strathkelvin and Bearsden	62,038
Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale	40,910
Western Isles	23,208

4 Jun 1996 : Column: 402

---