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British Broadcasting Corporation
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage by what mechanism she ensures that the BBC meets the requirements of its charter with particular reference to political impartiality; and if she will make a statement. [16957]
Mr. Sproat:
Under the terms of the new charter and agreement, it is for the BBC board of governors to ensure that the corporation is meeting its obligations to the public. Under the agreement, the BBC is required to treat controversial subjects with due accuracy and impartiality, both in the corporation's news services and in the more general field of programmes dealing with matters of public policy or of political or industrial
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controversy. Central to this obligation is the duty on the corporation to draw up a new code of guidance on how it is to meet its obligations of due accuracy and impartiality. The governors have a specific duty to ensure compliance with this code by all BBC employees and programme makers. The code was published on 13 November 1996 as part of the corporation's revised "Producers' Guidelines", copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
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Mr. Harry Greenway:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when she will be announcing the further shortlist for the British Academy of Sport.[16663]
Mr. Sproat:
I will be announcing the final shortlist on the morning of 25 February and copies of the announcement will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
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Mr. Donohoe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what has been the cost to public funds of the attendance of (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department at meetings of the Scottish Grand Committee in Scotland since December 1994; and if he will list the meetings of the Committee which (a) and (b) have attended, indicating the cost of attendance and the names of those who attended. [16579]
Mr. Michael Forsyth:
Ministers attend Scottish Grand Committee meetings as part of their normal parliamentary duties and officials attend as necessary as part of their normal departmental duties. Expenditure falling to my Department has been limited to travelling costs. The names of Scottish Office Ministers who have attended meetings of the Scottish Grand Committee held in Scotland since December 1994 can be found in the Official Report of each of these meetings.
Mr. Canavan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many staff employed by NHS trusts or health boards are on local contracts outwith Whitley agreements. [16744]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
The information is not held centrally.
Ms Rachel Squire:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of housing stock in each local authority was designated as unfit for habitation in each year since 1990. [17232]
Mr. Raymond S. Robertson:
The term "unfit for habitation" is not used in Scotland. The Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 sets out the criteria for a dwelling to meet the tolerable standard, which is the relevant standard in Scotland. Local authority estimates of the number of dwellings which fall below the tolerable standard are published annually in the Scottish Office statistical bulletin housing series, bulletins HSG/1992/4, HSG/1992/7, HSG/1994/6, HSG/1994/8 and HSG/1996/2. These bulletins are available in the House Library. The most recent estimates, for April 1996, are due to be published on 27 February 1997. A copy of the relevant bulletin (HSG/1997/1) will also be placed in the House Library.
Mr. Kirkwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list the Pesca-funded schemes agreed by the EU for projects located in the Berwickshire area over the past 12 months indicating the title of the project, the amount of funding, the starting date for the scheme, and the date when the funds were made available to the organisers carrying out the schemes; [16986]
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(3) what factors have led to the delay in payment of Pesca funding from the EU for projects agreed in the Berwickshire area over the past 12 months; [16988]
(4) what steps he proposes to take to ensure payment of outstanding funds to organisations in Berwickshire undertaking Pesca-funded projects. [16989]
Mr. Kynoch:
Pesca is delivered in eligible areas in Scotland through local Pesca groups--LPGs. The Scottish Office has approved a business plan for each LPG detailing the budget and criteria for selecting individual projects at local level. Each LPG has begun to implement its business plan and approve projects. Detailed lists of projects will be provided in annual reports from the LPGs for collation by the Scottish Office and transmission to the European Commission in June 1997.
The need to establish administrative arrangements which achieved the greatest delegation of responsibility to local areas while ensuring proper accountability delayed the operation of Pesca in Scotland. It is to the credit of all concerned that we now have an acceptable balance. The Scottish sub-programmes are now operating ahead of most of the rest of the UK. By the end of this financial year, the Scottish Office will have disbursed all due Pesca funds.
The Borders LPG, which incorporates Berwickshire, has a programme allocation of 1.34 mecu--£1,047 million approximately--for the period 1995-99. On receipt of a first claim from the group for expenditure defrayed in 1996, Scottish Office officials will visit the group to ensure that suitable administrative systems are in place, and a first advance of Pesca funds will be released.
Mr. Welsh:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what were total capital receipts in respect of the right to buy from (a) council tenants, (b) Scottish Homes tenants, (c) new town tenants and (d) other public sector tenants in Scotland in each year from 1979-80 to 1995-96. [17226]
Mr. Raymond S. Robertson:
The available information is set out in the table.
(2) how many Pesca-funded schemes agreed by the EU for projects located in the Berwickshire area over the past 12 months are awaiting payment for work completed; [16987]
(10) Eight local authorities have not yet provided figures for all or part of the year.
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Farm Holdings
Mrs. Ray Michie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many individual farm units in Scotland outside environmentally sensitive areas are (a) under 40, (b) 41 to 50, (c) 61 to 70, (d) 71 to 80 and (e) over 80 hectares; and what is the total area of farmland outside the ESAs. [17255]
Mr. Raymond S. Robertson: The estimated data are shown in the table:
| Size group (ha) | Farm units | Area (ha) |
|---|---|---|
| Under 40 | 30,288 | |
| 40-49.9 | 1,581 | |
| 50-59.9 | 1,358 | |
| 60-69.9 | 1,256 | |
| 70-79.9 | 1,042 | |
| Over 80 | 9,651 | |
| Total | 45,176 | 4,508,048 |
Hospital Beds
Ms Rachel Squire: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the average daily number of hospital beds in general and acute specialties in each health authority in Scotland in (a) 1982, (b) 1990-91, (c) 1991-92 and (d) 1995-96. [17246]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The information is set out in the table.
(11) Includes acute, supra-area and special categories specialty groups. Excludes obstetrics.
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