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Nurses

Mr. Chisholm: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many nurses (a) entered the profession as students, (b) completed their training and (c) have left the profession or ceased to practice in each year since 1990. [2426]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The information requested in parts (a) and (b) is shown in the table. The information requested in part (c) is not held centrally and would have to be obtained from individual employers both within and outwith the NHS.

Fiscal year	(a) Number entering training during specified year	(b) Number completing training during specified year
1990-91	2,983	2,641
1991-92	2,230	2,522
1992-93	2,380	2,492
1993-94	2,404	2,356
1994-95	2,196	2,069
1995-96	2,213	1,808

Source: NBS annual reports 1990-91 to 1992-93. NBS statistical supplement to annual report 1993-94 to 1995-96.

Value Added Tax

Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what will be the impact on local authority contracted-out

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services of the restrictions placed by Customs and Excise on the ability of organisations to recover VAT retrospectively; and if he will make a statement. [2621]

Mr. Kynoch: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave him yesterday.

Rough Sleepers Initiative

Mr. Chisholm: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when the Scottish Office research on a rough sleepers initiative will be published; and when he will initiate measures arising from the conclusions of the research. [2474]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: The report on this research study, which was commissioned by the Scottish Office and Scottish Homes from the university of Wales to investigate the prevalence of rooflessness, is currently being finalised. The results of the research will be given careful consideration.

Primary Pupils

Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many and what percentage of children aged five, six and seven years were in classes of 31 or more in 1995 and provisionally for 1996 (a) per authority and (b) in Scotland as a whole. [2476]

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Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: Statistics on class size are collected biennially. The available information, which relates to pupils in P1, P2 and P3 single stage classes and P1/P2 and P2/P3 composite stage classes, as at September 1995, is given below.

P1 to P3 pupils in classes of 31 or more, as at September (15)1995

Education authority(16)	Number of pupils	Percentage of pupils
Scotland	31,019	17.7
Borders	254	8.0
Central	1,991	21.2
Dumfries and Galloway	731	17.0
Fife	1,366	11.0
Grampian	2,568	14.6
Highland	409	6.6
Lothian	6,372	25.0
Strathclyde	14,698	17.9
Tayside	2,568	20.3
Orkney	--	--
Shetland	31	4.1
Western Isles	31	6.0

(15) Excludes pupils in P3/P4 composite classes and multi-stage classes.

(16) Includes grant-aided and self-governing schools.

Mr. Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many and what percentage of primary school children were in classes of 31 or more for each year since 1990 (a) per authority and (b) in Scotland. [2477]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: Statistics on class size are collected biennially. The available information is given in the table.

6 Nov 1996 : Column: 575

Primary pupils in classes of 31 or more, as at September 1991, 1993 and (17)1995

		As at September
		1991			1993			1995
Education authority(18)	Number of pupils	Percentage of pupils	Number of pupils	Percentage of pupils	Number of pupils	Percentage of pupils
Scotland	72,638	16.5	75,286	17.2	79,655	18.1
Borders	448	5.3	544	6.3	857	9.8
Central	3,954	16.9	3,972	17.1	4,612	19.8
Dumfries and Galloway	2,137	16.8	2,052	16.0	2,016	15.6
Fife	4,944	15.9	5,387	17.3	4,704	15.2
Grampian	6,900	15.6	6,556	14.6	7,138	15.8
Highland	1,503	7.7	1,996	10.4	1,795	9.4
Lothian	11,318	20.1	11,885	20.7	13,909	23.4
Strathclyde	34,697	16.8	35,104	17.4	37,403	18.6
Tayside	6,580	20.3	7,536	23.1	7,032	21.5
Orkney	157	8.7	64	3.5	33	1.8
Shetland	--	--	--	--	31	1.4
Western isles	--	--	190	7.2	125	4.8

(17) Excludes pupils in P3/P4 composite classes and multi-stage classes.

(18) Includes grant aided and self-governing schools.

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Health Capital Expenditure

Mr. Chisholm: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland from which budget he took the £30 million of health capital expenditure announced on 9 October 1996. [2479]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The distribution of £30 million to enable NHS trusts in Scotland to carry out

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a number of capital projects will be funded from the capital budget.

Dounreay Nuclear Plant

Mr. Maclennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what revisions have taken place to official publications of health and safety reports covering the activities of the Dounreay nuclear plant since 1975; and if he will make a statement. [2364]

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Mr. Page [holding answer 4 November 1996]: I have been asked to reply.

I am assured by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority that, apart from updating the contents, the only revisions made to Dounreay health and safety reports prior to their formal issue were to remove commercially sensitive data and information that could compromise the security of nuclear materials.

Landed Estates

Mr. Welsh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to monitor the market in the sale of landed estates, and if he will make a statement. [530]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: The Government do not monitor the market in the sale of landed estates. Information on sales of agricultural land in Scotland over 5 hectares is obtained for statistical purposes to allow estimates to be made of the overall value of land and buildings used for agriculture in Scotland.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Organic Food

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what quantity of organic food has been imported into the United Kingdom for each year since 1992; what percentage these imports constitute of the total amount of organic produce sold each year in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [2356]

Mr. Boswell: Specific figures for imports of organic food are not collected. Estimates made several years ago with the co-operation of several large supermarket chains indicated that about three-quarters of organic food on sale in those shops was imported.

Mr. Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list for each year since 1994 (a) the estimated number of organic farms or holdings in England, (b) what administrative procedures are required for the acquisition of money under the organic aid scheme, (c) how much money was earmarked for the organic aid scheme and (d) what percentage of the money annually earmarked has now been received by farmers for that year; and if he will make a statement. [2327]

Mr. Boswell: (a) The total area on which organic methods were practised in England as at February 1995 was 21,896 hectares. This had increased to 24,543 hectares by the end of December 1995. Currently there are 688 registered organic holdings in England representing an area of 25,993 hectares. Details of the number of organic farms/holdings in England--as opposed to the UK--are not available for earlier years.

(b) To obtain organic aid a farmer must register the land in a conversion with the UK Register of Organic Food Standards, (UKROFS), or a body approved by UKROFS, and undertake to convert to organic agriculture in accordance with the rules of the scheme and UKROFS organic production standards.

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(c) At the time of its launch in August 1994, budgetary provision for the organic aid scheme in England was set at £0.8 million for 1994-95 rising to £1.5 million in 1995-96 and 1996-97. Scheme budgets are constantly revised in the light of scheme uptake and provision for 1996-97 is now £455,000.

(d) For 1994-95 and 1995-96, 3.3 per cent. and 17.4 per cent. respectively of the original budgets were actually paid to farmers. For 1996-97, our current forecast show that about 89 per cent. of the revised budget will be paid to farmers by the end of this financial year.

Our research shows that the organic aid available should be sufficient to attract a greater number of applicants, but it is apparent that aid rates are not the only factor which determines whether a farmer will go organic. We believe lack of knowledge is a major reason and I was therefore pleased to launch the organic conversion information service last July. The service provides a telephone helpline and a free advisory visits to would be organic farmers. Interest has been strong and we hope that more farmers will be encouraged to convert as a result of this initiative.

Mr. Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the countries from which the United Kingdom imports organic food stating for each the (a) tonnage and (b) relative percentage of overall organic food imports that it constitutes; and if he will make a sttaement. [2351]

Mr. Boswell: Specific figures for imports of organic food are not collected. The UK Register of Organic Food Standards grants authorisations for the sale, as organic, of food from countries outside the European Community. In the past 12 months, authorisations have been granted with respect to the following countries: Chile, two authorisations; Egypt; Ghana; Slovakia; South Africa; Turkey; and USA, four authorisations.

Authorisations are not required for countries of the European Community and for the following countries deemed to operate standards equivalent to those of the EC: Argentina, Australia, Hungary, Israel, Switzerland.

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