| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Dunblane
Mr. Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) when the Bishopbriggs social work department contacted the parent whom Lord Cullen cited in his report, page 51, paragraphs 5.22, as having made complaints about Thomas Hamilton's relationship with her son; and for what reasons that contact was not made by telephone on the date of receipt by the social work department of the letter providing details of that complaint; [3017]
- (2) when the Bishopbriggs social work department received the letter cited in his report by Lord Cullen, page 51, paragraph 5.22, relating to complaints about Thomas Hamilton in connection with the Bishopbriggs boys club; and what factors accounted for the delay between the date of receipt of that letter and the related telephone call made by the social work department on 12 March. [3016]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: At the relevant time, the Bishopbriggs area office was the responsibility of the social work department of Strathclyde regional council. Following local government reorganisation, it transferred to East Dunbartonshire council, and I have asked the director of social work to write to the hon. Member.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total cost of (a) setting up the community charge and (b) setting up the council tax in Scotland. [1529]
Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 31 October 1996]: Costs incurred by local authorities in setting up the community charge and the council tax, which were reimbursed by the Scottish Office development department through grant schemes and capital allocations, are set out in table 1. Known costs for administering local taxation collection are shown in table 2.
7 Nov 1996 : Column: 667
| £ thousand | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (26)1987-88 | (26)1988-89 | (26)1989-90 | (26)1990-91 | (26)1991-92 | (26)1992-93 | (26)1993-94 | (26)1994-95 | (27)1995-96 | |
| Capital allocation for introduction of community charge | 6,000 | 15,000 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Community charge grant | -- | -- | -- | -- | 437,000 | 16,000 | 9,000 | 7,445 | 3,780 |
| Community charge transitional relief | -- | -- | -- | 24,000 | 2,000 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Community charge reduction scheme | -- | -- | -- | -- | 140,000 | 107,000 | 3,050 | 86 | -- |
| Community charge rebilling grant | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4,000 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Council tax transitional relief | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 17,000 | 3,137 | 216 |
| Council tax valuation grant | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1,000 | 7,000 | 1,600 | -- | -- |
Source:
(26) Scottish Office Development Report.
(27) Scottish Office Outturn figures (Branch files).
| £ thousand | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989-90 | 1990-91 | 1991-92 | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | |
| Community charge registration | 9,645 | 11,709 | 14,048 | 11,342 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Council tax valuation | -- | -- | -- | 4,908 | 13,798 | 14,236 | 9,999 | 10,243 |
| Community charge collection | 10,426 | 25,817 | 25,618 | 29,595 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| Local tax collection | -- | -- | -- | 8,903 | 40,338 | 28,722 | 26,621 | 30,630 |
| Council tax preparation costs | -- | -- | -- | (28)7,523 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
Figures obtained from information returned to The Scottish Office by local authorities.
(1989-90 to 1994-95 are Final Outturns.
1995-96 are Provisional Outturns.
1996-97 are Budget Estimates).
(28) Is a budget estimate as final outturn figures were not collected.
7 Nov 1996 : Column: 669
7 Nov 1996 : Column: 669
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
BSE
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the desirability of providing financial aid and incentives to encourage rural local authorities to set up specific local exchange trading schemes to help farmers during the BSE crisis; and if he will make a statement. [2313]
Mr. Boswell: Although we recognise that many farmers may be suffering cash flow problems as a result of the current state of markets for cattle, farming unions have made no representations to us to suggest that local exchange trade schemes would be of use to them. If they were to do so, we would suggest that those currently engaged in auctioneering and valuation in the farming sector would be better placed than rural local authorities to set up such schemes.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the change in the level of beef imports to the United Kingdom since the onset of the BSE crisis. [2452]
Mr. Boswell: Imports of beef 1 as recorded in the overseas trade statistics are given. Imports will fluctuate for many reasons, and it is not possible to identify separately a change linked specifically to the introduction of the BSE measures.
| 000s tonnes | £ millions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 |
| January | 14 | 15 | 16 | 32 | 34 | 38 |
| February | 15 | 15 | 13 | 29 | 35 | 31 |
| March | 18 | 20 | 14 | 39 | 43 | 34 |
| April | 19 | 17 | 20 | 40 | 42 | 43 |
| May | 18 | 24 | 20 | 39 | 54 | 44 |
| June | 24 | 28 | 20 | 49 | 68 | 44 |
| July | 19 | 26 | -- | 45 | 62 | -- |
| August | 20 | 22 | -- | 44 | 55 | -- |
| September | 19 | 26 | -- | 41 | 69 | -- |
| October | 19 | 24 | -- | 36 | 60 | -- |
| November | 18 | 19 | -- | 39 | 44 | -- |
| December | 16 | 17 | -- | 37 | 39 | -- |
| Total | 221 | 254 | 103 | 472 | 607 | 235 |
All data are provisional.
1Beef includes the following; bovine carcase meat, bovine offal and preparations of bovine meat and bovine offal.
Mr. Tyler: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what percentage and total amount of BSE eradication and compensation scheme expenditure
7 Nov 1996 : Column: 670
has been received by (a) farmers, (b) slaughterers, (c) renderers and (d) other recipients; and if he will make a statement. [2159]
Mrs. Browning [holding answer 6 November 1996]: My right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the estimated cost of BSE measures for each financial year from 1996-97 to 1998-99 on 24 July 1996, Official Report, column 532.
| £ Million | (Per cent.) | |
|---|---|---|
| (a) Farmers | 477.3 | (68) |
| (b) Slaughterers(29) | 96.8 | (14) |
| (c) Renderers | 77.5 | (11) |
| (d) Other recipients | 48.2 | (7) |
| 699.8 |
(29) Expenditure between April and the end of October on the calf processing scheme amounted to £24.5 million. Of this, we estimate that £19.6 million will have been passed on to farmers by the slaughterers.
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the research funding for BSE, project by project, for each of the past eight years. [682]
Mrs. Browning [holding answer 6 November 1996]: The total amount spent on research and development by the Government during 1988-89 to 1991-1992 financial years was £16.4 million, of which around £5 million was spent on MAFF-related transmissible spongiform encephalopathy research.
A table listing the MAFF research projects undertaken on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies, including BSE, which have been held on computer record since 1992 has been placed in the Library. This table includes all the projects which were current in 1992 and every programme we have introduced since then.
Prior to 1992, MAFF research project records were not computerised and details of projects which began and ended before that year are not readily available.
7 Nov 1996 : Column: 671
Mr. Tyler:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the total expenditure to date on the BSE eradication and compensation schemes; and if he will make a statement. [2164]
Mrs. Browning
[holding answer 6 November 1996]: My right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced the estimated cost of BSE measures for each financial year from 1996-97 to 1998-99 on 24 July 1996, Official Report, column 532.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |