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SCOTLAND

Sheep Dips

Sir Cranley Onslow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will ensure that farmers and landowners in Scotland are informed of the danger to the environment involved in the use of sheep dips based on synthetic pyrethroids. [6255]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given yesterday by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary of State, the Minister for Food, Official Report, column 526.

The Scottish code of good practice for the prevention of environmental pollution from agricultural activity is currently being revised by the Scottish agricultural pollution group. We will draw the hon. Member's concern to the attention of that group.

Women

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many women are currently employed by his Department at each civil service grade. [6444]

3 Dec 1996 : Column: 619

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 28 November 1996]: A breakdown of women in each civil service grade, excluding those in the Scottish Prison Service, is set out in the table. Due to a pay and grading review, the Scottish Prison Service staff are no longer classified by the standard civil service grades and are now split into pay bands. Consequently no breakdown by grade is possible for SPS.

Grade equivalent	Total
SCS	21
Grade 6	34
Grade 7	84
SEO	48
HEO	226
EO	374
AO	778
AA	631
Industrial staff	4
Total	2,200
Scottish Prison Service	615

Electricity Transmission Lines

Mr. Home Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the significant differences between his proposed conditions for the construction of electricity transmission lines in Ayrshire and the recommendations of the reporter at the public inquiry; and if he will make a statement. [6675]

Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 28 November 1996]: The reporter considered that the undergrounding of any part of the proposed line was unnecessary. My right hon. Friend has taken a different view and is minded to decide

3 Dec 1996 : Column: 620

that undergrounding is appropriate in four sections of the proposed route. These sections are Water of Girvan, Nick of the Balloch, Duisk Valley, and Water of Tig/Dunnach Burn.

A1 Dualling

Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if it is his policy to dual the A1 between Haddington and the Borders. [7172]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood) on 27 November 1996, Official Report, column 281.

Mr. Home Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his policy for dualling the remaining single carriageway sections of the A1 trunk road. [6997]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 2 December 1996]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire (Mr. Kirkwood) on 27 November 1996, Official Report, column 281.

Food Poisoning

Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total incidence of (a) E. coli 0157 and (b) campylobacter in (i) humans and (ii) animals in (1) Scotland and (2) each region of Scotland in each year since 1990, and from 1 January to date. [7205]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson [holding answer 2 December 1996]: The information requested is available only at health board level for humans and for animals only a Scottish figure is available, the details of which are set out in the tables.

3 Dec 1996 : Column: 619

Report of isolations of campylobacter SPT found in humans in Scotland 1990 to 1996 (to week 47)

Year	Ayrshire and Arran	Argyll and Clyde	Borders	Dumfries and Galloway	Fife	Forth Valley	Greater Glasgow	Grampian
1990	173	209	112	151	156	196	360	748
1991	139	216	108	140	203	218	285	781
1991	139	216	108	140	203	218	285	781
1992	238	360	145	218	233	312	424	1,025
1993	209	291	126	184	251	228	303	676
1994	237	324	108	175	247	244	424	582
1995	237	379	100	186	275	195	488	656
1996	206	395	121	185	285	194	498	689

3 Dec 1996 : Column: 619

Year	Highland	Lanarkshire	Lothian	Orkney	Shetland	Tayside	Western Isles	Scotland
1990	148	286	772	7	9	265	25	3,617
1991	142	296	669	9	13	198	8	3,425
1992	186	451	981	22	18	282	20	4,915
1993	197	424	800	20	12	269	9	3,999
1994	146	485	869	3	7	280	15	4,146
1995	178	524	865	19	4	251	20	4,377
1996	169	493	1,122	2	3	312	21	4,655

3 Dec 1996 : Column: 619

3 Dec 1996 : Column: 619

Report of isolations of E.coli 0157 found in humans in Scotland 1990-96 (to week 47)

Year	Ayrshire and Arran	Argyll and Clyde	Borders	Dumfries and Galloway	Fife	Forth Valley	Greater Glasgow	Grampian
1990	1	6	3	5	15	9	14	46
1991	3	7	23	2	13	9	8	67
1992	8	1	10	4	9	4	9	38
1993	5	7	1	2	9	2	11	42
1994	6	5	0	3	20	7	21	61
1995	4	5	14	15	23	1	(27)21	92
1996	16	10	20	10	14	2	28	42

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3 Dec 1996 : Column: 621

Year	Highland	Lanarkshire	Lothian	Orkney	Shetland	Tayside	Western Isles	Scotland
1990	0	11	41	1	0	12	1	165
1991	0	9	36	1	0	24	0	202
1992	0	10	13	0	0	9	0	115
1993	0	11	18	1	0	10	0	119
1994	9	10	90	0	0	9	1	242
1995	15	8	41	0	0	14	4	247
1996	12	11	55	0	0	9	0	229

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3 Dec 1996 : Column: 621

Campylobacter and E.Coli found in animals in Scotland 1990-1996 (to week 47)

Year	Campylobacter	E.coli 0157
1990	5	--
1991	107	--
1992	65	12
1993	36	13
1994	32	(27)114
1995	39	1
1996	55	38

(27) High level found due to research survey.

Mr. Canavan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will conduct an urgent investigation into the recent outbreak of E. coli in Scotland. [7194]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson [holding answer 2 December 1996]: My right hon. Friend has decided to appoint an expert group under the chairmanship of Professor Hugh Pennington, Professor of Microbiology at Aberdeen royal hospital NHS trust, to examine the circumstances which led to the outbreak in the central belt of Scotland and to advise on the implications for food safety and the general lessons to be learned.

East Ayrshire Community Hospital

Mr. Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects to make a decision about the funding of East Ayrshire community hospital; what has caused the delay in making the decision; and if he will make a statement. [7311]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: A decision about the funding of the East Ayrshire community hospital will be made shortly. The detailed financial information provided by the Ayrshire and Arran community health trust is still being considered and an announcement will be made once a decision has been reached.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Beef Consumption

Mr. Davidson: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Wakefield (Mr. Hinchliffe), of 6 November, Official Report, column 583, how much beef was held in

3 Dec 1996 : Column: 622

interventions on 27 March; how much of this has been incinerated; and how much of that which (a) has and (b) has not been incinerated originated in Scotland. [6592]

Mr. Baldry: A total of 5,341 tonnes of UK beef was held in intervention on 27 March 1996. None of these stocks have been incinerated.

Three hundred and sixty-six tonnes of the above total was offered into intervention by offerers located in Scotland although this does not necessarily mean that the beef itself originated from Scottish herds.

Live Animal Exports

Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what measures he has taken to ensure that vehicles carrying live animal exports do not exceed the journey plans; and if he will make a statement; [6610]

(2) how many United Kingdom vehicles carrying live animal exports have been delayed by the French lorry drivers' blockades; [6609]

(3) what advice he has issued to live animal exporters in respect of the French lorry drivers' blockades. [6611]

Mrs. Browning [holding answer 28 November 1996]: The Government have advised commercial vehicle operators not to travel through France. The Ministry is maintaining a close watch on the situation and we have not received any reports of British livestock trapped on French roads.

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