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Social Development Summit
Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps the Scottish Office has taken to implement the agreements signed by the Government at the world summit on social development in Copenhagen in 1995; and if he will make a statement. [37339]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The documents arising from the summit were not binding on the participating states. However, in keeping with the rest of the United Kingdom, Scotland will continue to benefit from the Government's comprehensive national policies and programmes to improve living standards, reduce unemployment and promote social integration.
Bible John Case
Mr. McFall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will itemise the costs of the Strathclyde police inquiry into the Bible John case in respect of forensic tests conducted in (a) Scotland, (b) England and (c) Germany. [37199]
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The information in the table has been obtained from Strathclyde police. No charge was levied for the costs, as such, of carrying out the forensic tests in England and Germany, but there were associated costs. The figure for Scotland is calculated on the basis of the time taken by forensic scientists to carry out the tests, charged at the standard commercial rate used by Strathclyde police for undertaking all DNA analyses.
Scotland: £1,420
England: £1,600
Germany: £250
Energy Action Scotland
Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made by the Scottish Office working party considering the eight-point action plan produced by Energy Action Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [37341]
Mr. Kynoch: The action plan put forward by Energy Action Scotland was carefully considered by the severe weather working party in its review of the issues arising from the events at new year 1996. The working party's report was placed in the Library of the House in June. Several of its recommendations benefited from the action plan. All the recommendations are being pursued.
Information Technology
Mr. Chisholm: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what organisations during the last 10 years have undertaken information technology functions which are similar to those undertaken by the information management group in England; and what is the total expenditure of those organisations over this period. [37376]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: No one organisation in Scotland has mirrored the range of activities carried out by the information management group of the Department of Health. In Scotland, information technology issues have, since 1988, been managed successively by the directorate of health service information systems, health systems division, within the Common Services Agency and currently by the computing and IT strategy division of the Scottish Office Department of Health, management executive.
Expenditure figures are available from 1991-92. The table lists the expenditure directly managed by these organisations and shows a steady reduction in the retention of centrally managed funds for information technology projects, and an increase in the release of funds to health boards to make their own decisions about funding priorities in the light of the needs of patients.
1991-92: £13.1 million
1992-93: £11.8 million
1993-94: £9.1 million
1994-95: £7.7 million
1995-96: £6.0 million
1996-97: £4.3 million
Fraud
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what inquiries to detect fraud by cross-checking his Department's payroll with details of those claiming
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benefit he has undertaken; when these exercises took place; and how many staff were (a) suspended, (b) dismissed and (c) prosecuted as a result. [37708]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: None.
Fire Safety
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many large single-storey buildings in Scotland have been damaged by fire in the last year for which figures are available. [37803]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: This information is not held centrally.
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps have been taken to secure harmonisation of Scottish building standards with regulations for England and Wales; and if he will make a statement on the evidence his Department has evaluated into the effectiveness of Scottish standards in respect of fire safety. [37804]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Harmonisation of the technical requirements in the Scottish building standards and the building regulations for England and Wales is proceeding as parts of the regulations are updated and where judged appropriate. Given the differences in legal backgrounds, compliance checking systems, existing circumstances, and traditions in construction, complete harmonisation is not always possible. Close rapport is maintained between officials from England and Wales and from Scotland during the revision of both sets of regulations. In Scotland, the Building Standards Advisory Committee recently recommended the adoption of amended standards dealing with fire safety, which will include further harmonised requirements and which, with other amendments, are expected to come into force next year.
Drink Driving
Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list the number of (a) deaths and (b) injuries from accidents caused by drink driving in Scotland in each year since 1990; [35671]
- (2) if he will list the number of (a) children and (b) adults in Scotland who have been (i) killed or (ii) injured in accidents caused by drink driving in each year since 1990. [35672]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 4 July 1996]: The number of reported casualties resulting from road accidents where one or more drivers failed or refused the breath test is set out in the following table. Estimates of total casualties in drink drive accidents, including those where the driver cannot be breath tested, are not available.
| Year | Fatalities | Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0-15 years) | ||
| 1990 | 1 | 49 |
| 1991 | 2 | 60 |
| 1992 | 2 | 48 |
| 1993 | 2 | 42 |
| 1994 | 0 | 45 |
| 1995 | 0 | 36 |
| Adults | ||
| 1990 | 21 | 1,049 |
| 1991 | 13 | 983 |
| 1992 | 9 | 823 |
| 1993 | 10 | 873 |
| 1994 | 8 | 765 |
| 1995 | 9 | 811 |
| All | ||
| 1990 | 22 | 1,098 |
| 1991 | 15 | 1,043 |
| 1992 | 11 | 87143 |
| 1993 | 12 | 915 |
| 1994 | 82 | 810 |
| 1995 | 9 | 847 |
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Cairn Gorm Funicular Railway
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 29 April, Official Report, column 375, if he will take account of the opinion of the director of Landmark Centre, concerning the project's economic viability, in considering the application by Highlands and Islands Enterprise to incur expenditure on the proposed funicular railway on Cairn Gorm. [37517]
Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 15 July 1996]: Yes. The director of the Landmark Centre has made direct representations to me about the project. I have assured him that my right hon. Friend will bear these in mind in reaching his decision.
Mr. Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 18 March, Official Report, column 56, how many further representations he has since received about the proposed funicular railway on Cairn Gorm; and how many of these have been in opposition to the proposal. [37516]
Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 15 July 1996]: To date, my right hon. Friend has received a further 774 letters about the Cairn Gorm funicular railway. Of these, 83 support the proposal and 691 oppose the development.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Rabies
Sir David Steel: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what research including risk assessment and full economic audit his Department has (a) carried out or (b) commissioned, on alternatives to the quarantine-based rabies control procedure; and what conclusions he has drawn. [35765]
Mrs. Browning: The Government made it clear, in their response to the Agriculture Select Committee report on health controls on the importation of live animals, that they did not believe that the time was yet right for any changes to be introduced to the current quarantine arrangements for pet animals coming into this country.
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