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Electric Shock Weaponry
Mr. Tony Lloyd: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the current level of international trade in electric shock weaponry. [36484]
Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 10 July 1996]: None.
Scotch Whisky
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what regulations govern the labelling and selling of Scotch whisky. [35972]
Mrs. Browning: I have been asked to reply.
The Food Safety Act 1990, and regulations made under it, govern the sale of all food in Great Britain. Detailed labelling rules applicable to foods generally, including drink, are contained in the Food Labelling Regulations 1996 and the Food (Lot Marking) Regulations 1996, which implement EC requirements. In addition, EC regulation 1576/89 and the Scotch Whisky Act 1988 contain specific controls on the composition and marketing of Scotch whisky.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Occupational Health and Safety Agency
Mr. Spring: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what performance targets he has set for the Occupational Health and Safety Agency for the current financial year. [37416]
Mr. Freeman: My primary objective for the Occupational Health and Safety Agency is to secure its privatisation this summer. Until then it will be managed within the public sector on the basis of achieving the following annual key performance targets:
Financial:
to break even in accrual accounting terms;
Quality of Service:
(a) to turn round within 11 working days of receipt, 85 per cent. of case referrals on which no additional medical reports are required;
(b) to turn round within 40 working days of receipt, 70 per cent. of case referrals on which additional medical information is required;
(c) to earn client satisfaction ratings on training courses, comprehensive medical examinations and health screening programmes of 95 per cent. in the top two categories on a six point post-service questionnaire;
(d) to issue at lease 97 per cent. of invoices error free.
Recruitment and Assessment Services
Mr. Spring: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what performance targets he has set for the Recruitment and Assessment Services executive agency for the current financial year. [37417]
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Mr. Freeman: My primary objective for the Recruitment and Assessment Services for the current year is to achieve its privatisation this summer. Until then it will be managed within the public sector on the basis of achieving the following targets in 1996-97:
- 1. a financial surplus of £200,000 in accrual accounting terms;
2. at least a 4 per cent. increase in efficiency over 1996-97 performance;
3. customer evaluation ratings for overall service of 97 per cent. satisfied or better with the service they have received and 81 per cent. more than satisfied or better.
Mr. Freeman: The House was informed on 23 November last year that it was the Government's intention to sell Recruitment and Assessment Services as a single viable business in a way which would ensure that it retained its reputation for the provision of high-quality recruitment services to Government Departments and the wider public sector while allowing it to benefit from the freedom and opportunities for attracting new customers to be gained outside the constraints of operating within government.
A large number of expressions of interest were received following the advertisement of the sale in January this year. A final short-list of three has now been selected. Those being invited to submit final bids are:
I believe that this short-list will lead to final bids which maximise the prospects of securing good long-term value for money for the Government, the taxpayer and customers while meeting the objectives set for the sale of the business.
The Capita Group plc
NFER-NELSON Publishing Company Ltd.
Saville and Holdsworth Ltd.
SCOTLAND
Taxi Fares
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much his Department spent in meeting the costs of taxi cab fares in the 1995-96 financial year. [36013]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The Scottish Office spent £40,940.81 on taxi fares in Edinburgh in 1995-96 under a central contract which provides significant discounts on normal fares. Expenditure on taxi costs incurred outside Edinburgh is not maintained centrally and could be identified only at disproportionate cost.
Social Services Inspectors
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many social services inspectors were employed in each year since 1991 in Scotland. [36509]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: In Scotland social work services inspectors are employed by local authorities and by the Scottish Office. The number of social work
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services inspectors in local authorities is not routinely collected. The information on social work services inspectors employed by the Scottish Office is set out in the table.
| Year | Social Work Services Inspectors Inspecting Social Work Services in the Criminal Justice System(13) | Total Social Work Services Inspectors Employed by The Scottish Office |
|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 4 | 18 |
| 1993 | 4 | 18 |
| 1994 | 4 | 19 |
| 1995 | 4 | 17 |
| 1996 | 3 | 16 |
(13) The function of the Social Work Services Inspectorate in Scotland is wider than that of the Social Services Inspectorate in Wales and includes the inspection of social work services in the criminal justice system. This function is performed by the Home Office Probation Inspectorate in Wales. Consequently the figures are shown separately.
Common Services Agency
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the salary and benefit package payable to the chief executive of the Common Services Agency in (a) 1992 and (b) 1996. [36614]
Lord James Douglas Hamilton: The salary payable to the Common Services Agency board general manager in 1992 was in the range of £48,300 to £62,790 and in 1996 the range £60,855 to £76,068. The benefits package for both years includes NHS terms and conditions, Crown car and eligibility of entry to the NHS pension scheme.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff were employed by the Common Services Agency on a (a) permanent and (b) a temporary basis for (i) 1992 and (ii) 1996; and how many vacancies there were in the Common Services Agency in (i) and (ii). [36618]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The number of whole-time equivalent staff employed by the Common Services Agency in 1992 was 5,262; in 1995, the latest year for which figures are available, it was 2,360. The 1995 data exclude the Scottish Ambulance Service, which is now a trust containing 2,722 staff. Identification of permanent and temporary staff is not possible from data held centrally. Vacancy information is available only for medical, dental and nursing staff.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was spent on running the board of the Common Services Agency; how much was spent on the remuneration of the members of the board of the CSA including the remuneration of expenses; and what was the overall budget administered by the Common Services Agency in (a) 1992 and (b) 1996. [36619]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The board is an integral part of the administrative structure of the Common Services Agency and its running costs are not identified separately.
| 1991-92 | 1995-96 | |
|---|---|---|
| Remuneration of Board Members | £141.753 | (14)£164.164 |
| Overall budget | £126 million | £143 million |
(14) Figures for 1995-96 still to be audited.
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many members there were on the board of the Common Services Agency; and if he will list the members of the board in (a) 1992 and (b) 1996. [36620]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The board of the Common Services Agency had 11 board members in 1992 and nine board members in 1996. The board members for these years are listed as follows:
1992 Chairman
Mr. Don Cruikshank
Non-executive Board Members
Mr. Ian Mullen
Dr. Rowland Mitchell
Mr. George Mackie
Mr. John Blanche
Mr. Victor Wood
Mrs. Fiona Stephenson
Executive Board Members
Mr. Jim Donald (General Manager)
Mr. Gavin Anderson (NHS in Scotland Management Executive)
Mr. George Tucker (NHS in Scotland Management Executive)
Mr. Trevor Callaway (Director of Finance)
1996
Chairman
Mr. Geoff Scaife
Non-executive Board Members
Mrs. Fiona Stephenson
Mrs. Jane Jolly
Mrs. Christine Lenihan
Mr. Sandy Barrie
Mrs. Linda McPherson
Mr. Gordon Lounsbach
Executive Members
Mr. Francis Gibb (General Manager)
Mr. Eric Harper Gow (Director of Finance)
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: My right hon. Friend has powers under the National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1972 to delegate to the Common Services Agency a range of statutory and other functions.
Responsibility for the national services division passed from the NHS management executive to the Common Services Agency in 1993. The national services division purchases a range of clinical and other services on behalf of the NHS in Scotland as a whole. The Common Services Agency also now performs a small number of administrative functions formerly carried out by the Scottish Office Department of Health. These include the provision of oxygen concentrators for domiciliary oxygen
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therapy and the processing of advertisements placed in the EC Journal by NHS bodies in Scotland. These activities are regulated and funded by service level contracts between the Common Services Agency and the NHS management executive.
The Common Services Agency is no longer responsible for the Scottish Ambulance Service, which became an NHS trust on 1 April 1995. Following a tendering exercise, the agency's building division was sold to a private sector buyer on 1 November 1995. The services formerly provided by the agency's data centre are now supplied by a private sector company, the Computer Sciences Corporation.
Mr. Donohoe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what reviews his Department has undertaken of the role and responsibilities of the Common Services Agency during the last five years. [36639]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
The role and responsibilities of the Common Services Agency are kept under review by the Scottish Office Department of Health. As part of this process, accountability reviews took place in June 1992 and November 1993.
In addition, since 1994, the following divisions of the agency have been subjected to specific internal reviews:
The overall effect of these changes has been to reduce the running costs of the agency and to provide more effective and efficient support for the national health service in Scotland.
Mr. Donohoe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what changes have occurred in the areas of responsibility of the Common Services Agency between 1992 and 1996 with particular reference to changes in the status of (a) the ambulance service, (b) the building division and (c) dental service payments; and what assessment he has made of the impact of these changes. [36640]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
During the past few years the CSA has undergone a period of significant change in its structure and activities.
As a result of these reviews, the building division was sold to the private sector and the central legal office and the supplies division became fee earning.
Building Division
Central Services
Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service
Supplies Division
Pharmacy Practice Division
Dental Practice Division
Central Legal Office
Scottish Antibody Production Unit
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