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Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many (a) cases of and (b) deaths from the malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphoma have been recorded in Scotland in each of the last five years, and if he will make a statement. [6226]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The numbers of cases registered of and deaths from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma recorded in Scotland for each year since 1990 are set out.
| Year | Registrations | Deaths |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 714 | 377 |
| 1991 | 674 | 354 |
| 1992 | 717 | 383 |
| 1993 | 782 | 395 |
| 1994 | 712 | 383 |
| 1995 | 715 | (20)397 |
(20) Provisional.
Terrorist Prisoners
Dr. Godman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many prisoners are serving sentences following conviction for terrorist activities; how many such prisoners have been (a) released from prison, (b) transferred to prisons in Northern Ireland, (c) repatriated to the Republic of Ireland to complete their sentences and (d) granted compassionate leave in Northern Ireland or the Irish Republic since 1983; and if he will make a statement. [4746]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 25 November 1996]: The subject of the question relates to matters undertaken by the Scottish Prison Service. I have asked its chief executive, Mr. E. W. Frizzell, to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from E. W. Frizzell to Dr. Norman A. Godman, dated 27 November 1996:
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton has asked me to reply to your question relating to the number of prisoners serving sentences following conviction for terrorist activities and their release or transfer to Northern Ireland and The Republic of Ireland.
Currently there are no prisoners held in Scottish prisons convicted of offences under the prevention of Terrorism Act. Two prisoners convicted under this legislation were permanently transferred to Northern Ireland, one in 1991 and the other 1993. The question of whether these prisoners were granted compassionate leave following transfer is a matter for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. The information you requested on how many such prisoners have been released from prison is not held centrally.
The Republic of Ireland ratified The Council of Europe Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons on 1 November 1995. Since that time no prisoners convicted under the Prevention of Terrorism Act have been repatriated to that country from Scotland.
Firearms
Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place in the Library a copy of the thematic report by Her Majesty's inspectorate of constabulary, Scotland relating to the administration of the firearms licensing system in Scotland in 1995 submitted to the Cullen inquiry. [5533]
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 25 November 1996]: The inspectorate of constabulary's report was never completed, although a draft of it was made available to Lord Cullen to help his inquiry. The content of the report, which related to the administrative efficiency of the police operation of the present licensing system, is overtaken by the changes to the licensing system announced by the Government in their response, Cm 3392, to the inquiry.
A1 Dualling
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list all dual carriageway schemes approved on the A1 between Edinburgh and the Scottish border since 1992, indicating the location, the estimated start and completion dates and the value of the contract involved. [5539]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 26 November 1996]: Design work has been authorised on the following dual carriageway schemes:
| Scheme | Estimated start | Estimated completion | Expected value of contract |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Lothian | |||
| Haddington to Dunbar | (21)-- | (21)-- | 35 |
| Thistly Cross to Bowerhouse | (21)-- | (21)-- | 1.35 |
| Bowerhouse to Spott Road | (21)-- | (21)-- | 2.8 |
| Spott Road to Oswald Dean | (21)-- | (21)-- | 2.8 |
| Oswald Dean to Innerwick | Early 1997 | Late 1997 | 4.5 |
| Scottish Borders | |||
| Lemington to Howburn | Early 1997 | Late 1997 | 2.2 |
| Howburn to Houndwood | (21)-- | (21)-- | 2.8 |
(21) Construction will depend on progress with statutory procedures and/or the availability of finance.
| Scheme | Estimated actual completion date | Value £ million |
|---|---|---|
| East Lothian | ||
| Tranent to Haddington | November 1996 | 30.3 |
| Scottish Borders | ||
| Tower Farm to Penmanshiel | Late November 1996 | 1.5 |
| Marshall Meadows Extension | August 1993 | 2.0 |
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his current policy on the proposed upgrading of the A1 to dual carriageway standard between Edinburgh and the Scottish border; when he estimates the work will be completed; and what other improvement schemes are currently under consideration in respect of the A1 between Edinburgh and the Scottish border. [5540]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 27 November 1996]: The A1 is Scotland's second most important cross-border route. I attach a high priority to upgrading the road and announced in 1992 the desirability to plan in the longer term for dualling. It is not possible to say when this work will be completed. Approximately 15.5 km of new dualling has been completed since 1992 and a further 25 km of dualling is being planned, but progress will depend upon the success of statutory
27 Nov 1996 : Column: 282
procedures and/or the availability of finance. Scottish borders council has been invited to undertake further analysis of the road to identify the sequencing of design work on further schemes at this time.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
BSE
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the assistance available to beef farms which have been affected by the BSE crisis. [2582]
Mr. Baldry: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Wentworth (Mr. Hardy) on 16 October 1996, Official Report, columns 934-35.
The Government have also:
In all, nearly £250 million of additional aid has now been committed for direct support for UK beef producers. This is in addition to the considerable sums spent on market support measures, such as the expanded intervention arrangements and the calf processing scheme, which have protected producers' incomes.
announced that an additional £60 million will be made available to eligible cattle producers under the 1997 hill livestock compensatory allowances scheme;
allocated some £29 million of national funds to a second beef marketing payments scheme, covering cattle sold for slaughter for human consumption during the period 1 July to 30 September 1996. Claim forms and guidance notes will be issued in early December;
secured a further £50 million of EU funds. It is our intention that as much as possible of this extra assistance will benefit suckler producers. Further details will be announced once a Commission proposal is available and discussions have taken place with the farming unions.
Computers
Mr. Hoon: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many separate computer programmes his Department operates. [5517]
Mr. Boswell: There is no universal definition of what constitutes a computer programme. However, my Department is at present responsible for approximately 500 software systems--in core MAFF and its executive agencies--comprising an estimated 30,000 programmes. "Packaged" systems are excluded from these estimates.
Mr. Hoon: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many lines of computer code there are in his Department's computer systems. [5516]
Mr. Boswell: It is estimated that there are approximately 20,000,000 lines of code in the Ministry's computer systems. This excludes "packaged" systems purchased from external suppliers where such information is known only to the supplier.
My Department is carrying out an inventory of systems that are likely to still be in use in 2000 as part of our strategy for dealing with the year 2000 date change issue.
North Sea Cod
Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture,
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Fisheries and Food what is his response to the latest advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea on levels of North sea cod; and what action he intends to take to combat the stock depletion. [6326]
Mr. Baldry: The advisory committee on fishery management of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea has recommended a reduction in fishing mortality in order to bring the North sea cod stock within safe biological limits in the medium term. In order to contribute to restoring this stock, the Government will seek a 1997 total allowable catch consistent with advice from the ICES.
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