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Erskine Bridge (Collision)

Mr. Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects the report on the Erskine bridge collision to be published. [12964]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: I will issue a full statement on the findings of the report shortly.

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Housing Capital Provision

Mr. Chisholm: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list for each local authority in Scotland its gross housing capital provision in 1996-97 and 1997-98, broken down in each case by (a) borrowing consent and (b) estimated sale receipts. [13039]

Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: The information is contained in the table. For 1997-98, the estimate of useable capital receipts is based on information provided by local authorities; the Scottish Office no longer issues receipts estimates to individual authorities. The final outturn will vary from the figures shown in accordance with the actual receipts achieved by each council.

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Housing revenue account allocations and receipts for 1996-97 to 1997-98

						£ million
	(14)1996-97			(15)1997-98
Authority	Net allocation	Estimated useable receipts	Estimated gross provision	Net allocation	Estimated useable(16) receipts	Estimated gross provision
Aberdeen city council	1.691	11.409	13.100	5.210	3.305	8.515
Aberdeenshire council	3.901	6.399	10.300	4.424	2.271	6.695
Angus council	1.048	3.052	4.100	1.513	1.152	2.665
Argyll and Bute council	0.984	2.716	3.700	1.582	0.823	2.405
Clackmannanshire council	0.926	2.374	3.300	1.573	0.572	2.145
Dunfries and Galloway council	3.892	5.408	9.300	4.186	1.859	6.045
Dundee city council	10.012	4.488	14.500	8.305	1.120	9.425
East Ayrshire council	2.888	4.512	7.400	3.435	1.375	4.810
East Dunbartonshire council	2.571	2.029	4.600	2.351	0.639	2.990
East Lothian council	1.911	3.289	5.200	2.472	0.908	3.380
East Renfrewshire council	0.693	1.207	1.900	0.949	0.286	1.235
City of Edinburgh council	16.512	9.488	26.000	14.686	2.214	16.900
Falkirk council	4.750	6.050	10.800	5.286	1.734	7.020
Fife council	1.963	13.538	15.501	6.900	3.176	10.076
City of Glasgow council	58.001	16.999	75.000	43.074	5.676	48.750
Highland council	7.269	7.431	14.700	7.119	2.436	9.555
Inverclyde council	4.072	3.328	7.400	3.904	0.906	4.810
Midlothian council	2.144	2.256	4.400	2.090	0.770	2.860
Moray council	0.537	3.363	3.900	1.819	0.716	2.535
North Ayrshire council	2.943	3.757	6.700	2.915	1.440	4.355
North Lanarkshire council	11.925	14.775	26.700	12.139	5.216	17.355
Orkney council	0.000	0.636	0.636	0.220	0.205	0.425
Perth and Kinross council	1.813	3.387	5.200	2.076	1.304	3.380
Renfrewshire council	8.832	6.068	14.900	8.434	1.251	9.685
Scottish Borders council	2.231	2.669	4.900	2.362	0.823	3.185
Shetland council	2.217	1.183	3.400	1.951	0.259	2.210
South Ayrshire council	1.499	4.101	5.600	2.862	0.778	3.640
South Lanarkshire council	1.222	12.377	13.599	5.767	3.103	8.870
Stirling council	2.756	3.344	6.100	3.002	0.963	3.965
West Dunbartonshire council	6.078	3.222	9.300	5.569	0.476	6.045
West Lothian council	1.496	4.704	6.200	2.065	1.965	4.030
Comhairle nan Eilean (WIIC)	2.223	0.577	2.800	1.675	0.145	1.820
Scotland	171.000	170.136	341.136	171.915	49.866	221.781

(14) Net allocations and receipt estimates notified to authorities on 28 March 1996.

(15) Net allocations notified to authorities on 23 December 1996.

(16) Derived from local authority estimates.

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National Galleries

Mr. Eric Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will place copies of the reports commissioned by his Department in the last five years concerning the financial management of the national galleries of Scotland in the Library; and if he will make a statement on the action taken as a result of those reports. [12876]

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: A policy and financial management review of the national galleries of Scotland was announced to the House on 10 May 1995

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and was completed on 28 September 1995. The report of the review will be published along with an action plan to implement recommendations when these have been considered and agreed. A copy will then be placed in the Library.

Agricultural and Biological Institutes

Mr. Gallie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what decisions have been made about the Scottish agricultural and biological institutes following the prior options review. [13860]

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Mr. Michael Forsyth: The Government announced on 22 May 1996 that we were satisfied that the functions of two Scottish agricultural and biological research institutes--the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute and the Scottish Crop Research Institute--were needed and that the institutes should retain their separate existence, but that the possibility of a move of the institutes from the public to the private sector merited further consideration.

In the light of this further consideration, the Government have concluded that these establishments should remain in the public sector and should each retain their separate existence. The same conclusions apply to the two animal science institutes--the Hannah Research Institute and the Moredun Research Institute--which were included in the second tranche of prior options reviews, completed at the end of July 1996; and to the Rowett Research Institute, the review of which was completed in December 1996.

The Scottish Office has been developing with the institutes measures designed to improve the value for money obtained from our funding of these establishments, and we will examine the scope for improving their efficiency and effectiveness still further. In particular, we will develop further the institutes' mechanisms for corporate planning and target setting. Details will be published in due course.

My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has made a statement today on the broad outcome of the programme of prior options reviews of public sector research establishments which refers to the general policy on the timing of prior options reviews.

TRANSPORT

Channel Tunnel (Safety)

Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to receive reports of (a) the judicial inquiry by the French authorities into the channel tunnel fire, (b) Eurotunnel's inquiry and (c) the investigation by the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority; and if each will be published in full. [13258]

Mr. Watts: It is for the French authorities to decide to what extent the findings of the judicial inquiry into the channel tunnel fire are made public. Eurotunnel's own inquiry is a matter for the company, but I understand Eurotunnel has said it will publish its findings. The findings of the inquiry by the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority will be made public.

NATIONAL HERITAGE

Tourism (Bexley)

Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what assessment she has made of the impact of the Government's tourism policy on the London borough of Bexley. [11667]

Mr. Sproat: While we have not made any specific assessment of the impact of our tourism policy on Bexley alone, Bexley is a London borough and as such is part of Britain's greatest assets in attracting overseas visitors.

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In 1995, over 23 million people visited the capital--an increase of nearly 1.5 million over 1994--and they contributed over £7 billion to the capital's economy. The "Focus London" initiative aims to enhance London's position as one of the world's leading tourist destinations and as international gateway to the rest of Britain. The London tourist board/London first hotel development initiative aims to identify sites for hotel development in outer-London boroughs which will help develop and spread the benefits of tourism outside the capital centre. Locally they are various initiatives which ultimately aim to maximise the benefits of tourism right across the capital. A 40-mile network of green walks spanning south-east London has been awarded the prestigious "seal of approval" by the London Walking Forum. The walk links together more than 300 public and private open spaces passing through four London boroughs including Bexley. Bexley has been praised for the colour and attractiveness of its gardens, and has been awarded the London borough Trophy as a result. I am pleased to see that Bexley council's priorities for the next five years include a drive to promote culture, heritage and the arts, play a leading role in "Thames gateway" initiatives and activities, and to improve employment prospects by exploiting tourism and heritage opportunities.

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