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Electoral Registers

Mr. Home Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list, per constituency (1) the number of overseas voters on the current Scottish electoral registers; [33050]

(2) the number of electors attaining the age of 18 years on the current Scottish electoral registers. [33061]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Electoral statistics collected from the 1996 electoral registers are based upon the new parliamentary constituencies which take effect at the next general election. The information on the numbers of overseas voters and of those attaining the age of 18 years is as follows:

	Attainers	Overseas electors
	1996	1996
Scotland	44,873	1,055
Aberdeen Central	366	16
Aberdeen North	735	4
Aberdeen South	555	42
Airdrie and Shotts	656	5
Angus	712	12
Argyll and Bute	616	10
Ayr	800	17
Banff and Buchan	797	9
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross	468	15
Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley	1,009	18
Central Fife	641	2
Clydebank and Milngavie	692	11
Clydesdale	702	7
Coatbridge and Chryston	625	5
Cumbernauld and Kilsyth	773	12
Cunninghame North	787	15
Cunninghame South	772	3
Dumbarton	74	16
Dumfries	673	12
Dundee East	541	17
Dundee West	504	6
Dunfermline East	568	19
Dunfermline West	675	11
East Kilbride	751	7
East Lothian	638	11
Eastwood	1,022	25
Edinburgh Central	296	43
Edinburgh East and Musselburgh	486	20
Edinburgh North and Leith	343	40
Edinburgh Pentlands	744	39
Edinburgh South	562	74
Edinburgh West	669	30
Falkirk East	678	13
Falkirk West	618	5
Glasgow and Upper Nithsdale	553	23
Glasgow Anniesland	423	9
Glasgow Baillieston	501	1
Glasgow Cathcart	453	11
Glasgow Govan	345	13
Glasgow Kelvin	300	32
Glasgow Maryhill	384	10
Glasgow Pollok	466	5
Glasgow Rutherglen	528	7
Glasgow Shettleston	279	1
Glasgow Springburn	357	2
Gordon	834	11
Greenock and Inverclyde	634	8
Hamilton North and Bellshill	635	1
Hamilton South	522	1
Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber	718	27
Kilmarnock and Loudoun	872	8
Kirkcaldy	599	10
Linlithgow	669	11
Livingston	781	3
Midlothian	534	7
Moray	800	11
Motherwell and Wishaw	529	4
North East Fife	669	40
North Tayside	689	23
Ochil	791	14
Orkney and Shetland	464	7
Paisley North	598	5
Paisley South	629	9
Perth	685	18
Ross, Skye and Inverness West	611	15
Roxburgh and Berwickshire	557	6
Stirling	636	33
Strathkelvin and Bearsden	910	6
Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale	684	25
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine	934	29
West Renfrewshire	815	16
Western Isles	269	2

20 Jun 1996 : Column: 588

Shotgun and Firearm Licences

Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many revocations and cancellations there

20 Jun 1996 : Column: 589

were for (i) shotgun and (ii) firearm licences for each police force in Scotland, for each of the last five years for which figures are available; what were the reasons for such actions; how many appeals there were in each year and police force area; and how many were successful. [32955]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The number of shotgun and firearms licences revoked or cancelled in Scotland in each of the last five years, for which statistics are available, is set out in the table. The reasons for such actions are not recorded centrally nor is the number of appeals.

Force	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994
Shotgun certificates revoked
Central	5	3	5	2	4
Dumfries and Galloway	4	11	12	1	2
Fife	6	12	3	6	4
Grampian	22	11	12	28	16
Lothian and Borders	28	13	5	9	3
Northern	9	8	3	10	10
Strathclyde	20	23	28	23	17
Tayside	11	14	20	15	5
All forces	105	95	88	94	61
Firearms certificates revoked
Central	2	2	1	1	1
Dumfries and Galloway	3	4	1	0	0
Fife	2	1	2	1	2
Grampian	10	3	4	9	5
Lothian and Borders	7	4	2	5	1
Northern	9	6	8	10	6
Strathclyde	7	6	4	2	4
Tayside	5	6	12	5	4
All forces	45	32	34	33	23
Shotgun certificates cancelled
Central	564	467	310	225	246
Dumfries and Galloway	649	717	422	295	224
Fife	1,243	610	413	215	275
Grampian	1,521	1,275	997	717	714
Lothian and Borders	1,100	1,312	976	586	583
Northern	1,208	997	957	593	547
Strathclyde	2,707	2,555	2,007	995	966
Tayside	789	708	546	431	428
All forces	9,781	8,641	6,628	4,057	3,983
Firearms certificates cancelled
Central	105	85	51	63	63
Dumfries and Galloway	375	218	197	113	106
Fife	334	133	111	88	88
Grampian	693	697	382	283	281
Lothian and Borders	529	314	328	246	205
Northern	594	578	430	379	300
Strathclyde	516	456	383	273	250
Tayside	266	134	215	157	160
All forces	3,412	2,615	2,097	1,602	1,453

Statistics

Mr. Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which statistics his Department has discontinued (a) the collection and (b) the publication of since 1989. [32863]

Mr. Michael Forsyth: (a) The following regular statistical surveys have been discontinued since 1989:

Survey of initial police action against children involved in crimes and offences: (discontinued from 1989).
Survey of detailed information from district courts on non-payment of police fixed penalties and non-payment of fiscal fines: (discontinued from 1990).

20 Jun 1996 : Column: 590

Survey of non-vocational further education in certain small centres: (discontinued from 1992).
Survey of foreign and Commonwealth students in teacher training colleges: (discontinued from 1993).
Survey of excesses and deficits in teacher supply: (discontinued from 1995).
Survey of applications for teaching posts: (discontinued from 1995).
Survey of number of cases dealt with by social work departments: (discontinued from 1995).
Survey of housing owned by regional authorities: (discontinued from 1996).

(b) Available information is that the publication of no other major statistical series has been discontinued since 1989: changes in the basis of publication of statistical series are made from time to time in response to requirements for information.

Offshore Installations (Solway Firth)

Dr. Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his Department's role in respect of (a) consultations on the siting of the Esso exploration rig west of the Solway firth at the "Cod Hole" and (b) safeguarding the interests of commercial fishermen who currently fish there. [32373]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: Esso is currently carrying out exploration drilling in block 112/15 to the west of the Solway firth which was awarded in the 14th round of offshore oil and gas licensing. This block is subject to strict conditions--agreed with, among others, the Scottish Office Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department--to restrict the timing and scope of certain activities carried out under the licence. In accordance with these conditions, the company has kept SOAEFD fully informed in advance of each stage of its exploration work in the area. Esso also consulted a number of fishermen's associations--including the Scottish Fishermen's Federation, the Clyde Fishermen's Association and the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations--prior to deciding the location and timing of its exploration drilling.

Arrangements regarding the specific siting of drilling rigs are required by SOAEFD only when species that spawn in the sediment may be adversely affected by drilling activities. No specific arrangements of this nature were required in this case.

Next Steps Agencies

Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total number of people employed by each of the next steps agencies under his Department's control; how many of those employees are women; and at what civil service or equivalent grades they are employed. [32738]

Mr. Michael Forsyth: The numbers of males and females employed in each of the agencies, expressed in full time equivalent terms, are shown in the tables.

Permanent staff in executive agencies of the Scottish Office at 1 April 1996 (full-time equivalent)

	Scottish Office Pensions Agency			Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency			Student Awards Agency Scotland
Grade equivalent	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total
Senior CS	--	--	--	1.0	--	1.0	1.0	--	1.0
Grade 6	1.0	--	1.0	4.0	--	4.0	--	--	--
Grade 7	3.0	--	3.0	17.0	--	17.0	--	--	--
SEO	2.0	--	2.0	39.0	--	39.0	2.0	1.0	3.0
HEO	11.0	3.0	14.0	41.0	1.0	42.0	5.0	1.6	6.6
EO	17.0	15.1	32.1	41.0	3.0	44.0	9.0	10.6	19.6
AO	32.0	37.5	69.5	7.0	3.0	10.0	30.0	41.6	71.6
AA	27.0	21.0	48.0	3.3	20.4	23.7	8.0	13.5	21.5
Industrials	--	--	--	59.0	--	59.0	--	--	--
Total	93.0	76.6	169.6	212.3	27.4	239.7	55.0	68.3	123.3

20 Jun 1996 : Column: 591

20 Jun 1996 : Column: 591

	Scottish Agricultural Science Agency			Historic Scotland			Total (excluding SPS)
Grade equivalent	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total	Male	Female	Total
Senior CS	1.0	--	1.0	2.7	--	2.7	5.7	--	5.7
Grade 6	2.0	--	2.0	5.0	-	5.0	12.0	--	12.0
Grade 7	10.0	1.6	11.6	17.0	5.4	22.4	47.0	7.0	54.0
SEO	7.0	1.5	8.5	31.0	11.0	42.0	81.0	13.5	94.5
HEO	17.0	12.3	29.3	27.0	6.0	33.0	101.0	23.9	124.9
EO	9.0	12.3	21.3	46.6	24.0	70.6	122.6	65.0	187.6
AO	5.0	26.6	31.6	26.6	37.6	64.2	100.6	146.3	246.9
AA	7.0	8.0	13.0	51.9	58.9	110.8	97.2	119.8	217.0
Industrials	15.0	1.0	16.0	219.0	2.0	221.0	293.0	3.0	296.0
Total	73.0	61.3	134.3	426.8	144.9	571.7	860.1	378.5	1,238.6

20 Jun 1996 : Column: 591

20 Jun 1996 : Column: 591

Scottish Prison Service ¹
Male: 3,838.8
Female: 600.2
Total: 4,439.0
¹ Due to a pay and grading review, Scottish Prison Service staff are no longer classified by the standard civil service grades and are now split into paybands. Consequently, no breakdown along the lines requested is possible for SPS.

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