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Poverty

Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to bring together and publish all information held by his Department about poverty in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [37340]

Mr. Kynoch: There is no simple or meaningful way to define poverty. The principal current sources of information on the incomes of households are "Households Below Average Income 1979 to 1992-93" and the "Family Expenditure Survey 1994-95. The latter includes information specifically on Scottish households. Both publications are available in the Library.

Scottish Homes

Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list, in (a) real and (b) constant prices the resources available to Scottish Homes for construction work in each year since 1990 projected forward to 1997-98; [37445]

(2) what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the resources of Scottish Homes to fund the preparation of plans by (a) housing associations and (b) co-operatives for construction works to commence at the start of 1997-98; and if he will make a statement on trends in the level of support for such projects over the last three years; [37444]

(3) which Scottish Homes construction projects for 1996-97 have been (a) deferred and (b) cancelled because of resource constraints; what was their value; and what was the nature of the constraints. [37446]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: Scottish Homes development programme represents the total available each year for investment in projects undertaken by housing associations and co-operatives, private developers and others. The annual development programme in the period to 1996-97 and the amount estimated by Scottish Homes for 1997-98, based on its currently planned resources, are given in the table at cash and constant, or real, 1996-97 prices.

£ million

	Cash prices	Constant 1996-97 prices
1990-91	203.0	248.4
1991-92	235.0	270.9
1992-93	282.6	312.9
1993-94	306.6	329.7
1994-95	319.5	337.4
1995-96	320.6	329.3
1996-97	280.0	280.0
1997-98 (estimated)	260.0	253.7

Within the total level of resources available to it, Scottish Homes continually makes decisions on priorities to be given to individual projects. As a result, if more funding assistance is sought than can be accommodated within the overall programme, certain projects may be deferred. However, such decisions are a matter for Scottish Homes.

Scottish Homes supplements its grant-in-aid from receipts and other sources. I am satisfied that, given the

16 Jul 1996 : Column: 481

overall need to restrain public expenditure in order to ensure the maintenance of economic growth, Scottish Homes has sufficient resources at its disposal to support substantial investment work in 1997-98. These resources will also lever in significant sums of private finance for housing development.

Statistical Forms

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the statistical forms issued to businesses by his Department and the number sent out of each. [37465]

Mr. Kynoch: The information is as follows:

Title of survey	Number of responses requested per year
Scottish Register of Employment	500
Oil Related Employment Survey	1,000
Accommodation Occupancy Survey	13,680
Network Customer Survey	500
Manufacturing Trade Flow Survey	412
Pay Conditions in Major Scottish Manufacturing Companies	153
Socio Economic Impact of the Skye Bridge	400
Survey of Small and Medium Sized Enterprises in the Oil and Gas Industry	500
Skill Needs and Shortages in Electronics	180
Appraisal of Economic Impact of Scottish Delegations Attendance at Europartneria	120
The Economic Potential of Yachting in the Highlands and Islands	90
Sound of Barra Ferry Study	90
Competitive Locations Business Survey	1,500
Residential Care Homes	1,300
Facilities for the Daycare and Education of Children and Support to Families	833
Day Care Centres	500
Residential Establishments for Children/Young People	154
Waste Reduction Re Use and Recycling in the Scottish Islands	384
Gyle Impact Study--Gyle Retailers Survey	480
Sawmill Survey	443
Round Fencing Manufacturers Survey	67
Private Sector Softwood Timber Removals Survey	33
Farmers Attitudes Toward Tree Planting and Management	190
Economics of Farm Forestry	721
Employers' Views on Education	1,000
Evaluation of the National Record of Achievement	60
The Use of Nomination Arrangements by Scottish Local Authorities	244
Measuring the Effectiveness of the Special Needs Allowance Package	48
Supporting Voluntary Committee Members of Scottish Housing Associations and Coops	200
Review of the Crofting Counties Agricultural Grants Scheme	570
Evaluation of the Farm Woodland Premium Scheme	1,600
CAP Reform and Land Management Policy Measures	307
Main Agricultural and Horticultural Census	32,700
Agricultural and Horticultural Census	12,500
Minor Agricultural Census	6,000
Costs and Earnings of Fishing Vessels in Scotland	1,200
Farm Economic Survey	2,000
Surveys of Farm Accounts	620
Horticultural Yields and Prices Survey (soft fruit)	141
Cabbage and Cauliflower Survey	84
Combine Crops Production Survey	640
Production and Marketing of Hatching Eggs and Chicks Return	120
Poultry Packing Station Throughputs	60
Store Market Reporting	478
Hay and Straw Prices	212
Autumn Store Sales Return	9
Bank Survey	21
Deer Survey	71
Survey of Fertiliser Practice	250
Pesticide Usage in Farm and Commercial Grain Stores	500
Pesticide Usage on Vegetables for Human Consumption	25
Pesticide Usage on Protected Crops	10
Utilisation of Milk	1,440
Survey of Milk Prices	480

16 Jul 1996 : Column: 482

Nuclear Reactor

Mr. Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he plans to provide funding assistance to meet the decommissioning costs of the experimental nuclear reactor at the Scottish universities reactor centre, East Kilbride; and if he will make a statement. [37400]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson [holding answer 15 July 1996]: I am aware that the consortium of universities which run the Scottish universities reactor centre will need to incur expenditure on decommissioning the reactor over the next three years. We shall be considering this pressure on the higher education sector during the survey alongside others which have been drawn to our attention.

Public Appointments

Mr Chisholm: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland to which public offices in Scotland the Lord Advocate makes (a) appointments and (b) recommendations of appointments. [32287]

Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 17 June 1996]:

(a) The Lord Advocate is responsible for the appointment of:

Advocate Deputes;
Procurators Fiscal;
the Chairman and Members of the Scottish Law Commission;
the Chairman and Members of the Scottish Committee of the Council on Tribunals;
the Chairman of any Building Societies Appeals Tribunal in Scotland.

(b) The Lord Advocate is consulted about or makes nominations in respect of a wide range of public appointments.

16 Jul 1996 : Column: 483

DEFENCE

Precision Guided Missiles

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when approaches were made to Her Majesty's Government in relation to the (a) resale and (b) transfer of precision guided missiles supplied to the United Arab Emirates by (i) ISC-Ferranti and (ii) GEC-Marconi; what was the outcome of these approaches; and if he will list the (1) resales and (2) transfers which have subsequently taken place indicating the country concerned. [36831]

Mr. Arbuthnot: This is a commercially confidential matter.

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his officials reviewed the ISC-Ferranti precision guided missile for compliance with the missile technology control regime; and what was the outcome of that review. [36605]

Mr. Arbuthnot: It is not normal practice to reveal advice on individual export licence applications, but all applications relating to missiles are reviewed against our obligations under the missile technology control regime, as well as other considerations.

Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which section of his Department was responsible for expressing the concern referred to on page 865, sub-paragraph vi of the Scott inquiry report in relation to ISC-Ferranti contracts for precision guided missiles. [36606]

Mr. Arbuthnot: It is not normal practice to disclose the source of advice, nor did Sir Richard Scott see the need in this particular case.

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