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Felling Licence (Balblair)
Mr. McFall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what advice the Forestry Commission received from the local authority and Scottish Natural Heritage prior to approving a felling licence for woodland at Balblair; and if he will publish the advice; [17487]
- (2) when he was consulted by the Forestry Commission prior to the issue of a licence to fell woodlands at Balblair.[17488]
Mr. Kynoch:
The Forestry Commission has not approved any felling at Balblair and so it has not issued a felling licence. The commission did receive an application for the woodland grant scheme which included proposals for felling, but this was withdrawn by the applicant before the commission had concluded its consultations with Scottish Natural Heritage and the local authority.
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Mrs. Ray Michie:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the Scottish prison population by type of offence numerically and in percentage terms.[17696]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
The subject of this 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 Mrs. Ray Michie, dated 5 March 1997:
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton has asked me to reply to your Question about providing information on the Scottish prison population by type of offence.
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Information by offence type is not currently available in relation to the average daily prison population. However, the table attached provides reception information by main offence for the year 1995.
(15) Denotes less than 0.5 per cent.
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Mr. Kirkwood:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) for what reasons the community councils abolished on 31 March 1997 will not re-convene until July; [18006]
(3) what guidance has been given to community councils about their (i) planning functions, (ii) representation on external bodies, (iii) financial and other contractual commitments and (iv) funding for local projects during the period between 31 March and July 1997; [18008]
(4) what notice was given to existing community councils about their period of non-existence; and what legal advice has been given about continuing duties and responsibilities of existing members while the community councils are disbanded. [18009]
Mr. Kynoch
[holding answer 3 March 1997]: The operation of community council schemes is entirely the responsibility of the relevant local authority. I understand that Scottish Borders council has decided to revoke the existing community council schemes within its area on 31 March and subsequently to adopt a new scheme. It is for Scottish Borders council to justify to the people it serves the length of any period of interregnum between the dissolution of community councils under its existing schemes and the election of new community councils under its proposed new scheme. It is also for the council to consider any interim arrangements for seeking the views of the community.
I hope that Scottish Borders council will very carefully re-examine whether the length of interregnum that it proposes is really necessary.
Mrs. Fyfe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list those health boards and local authorities which have agreed nutritional specifications and standards of quality for contracts. [17373]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
This information is not collected centrally.
Mrs. Fyfe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what assessment he has made of the extent to which food provided in child care facilities for under-fives meets his Department's dietary targets; [17374]
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Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
Responsibility for the provision of food in schools and in child care facilities for the under-fives rests with local authorities. It is for these authorities to determine and review the nature of the food to be provided and its nutritional value.
Scottish health service trusts are responsible for the provision of food in hospitals. Each trust is required to have in place food and dietary policies which offer patients a choice of food of a high quality and nutritional value and which meets, as appropriate, the specific cultural and religious requirements of patients.
The Scottish diet action plan, "Eating for Health", which was published by the Government in July 1996, contains a set of model nutritional guidelines for catering specifications for the public sector in Scotland. The plan recommends that the guidelines should be taken into account by all public sector bodies in determining the specification and standards in their catering contracts. The action plan and the guidelines have been distributed widely, and all directors of education and Scottish health service boards and trust hospitals received copies.
Mrs. Fyfe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will estimate the minimum weekly cost of the good required for a healthy diet for (a) an adult male and (b) an adult female; [17375]
(3) if he will make a statement on the (a) role of and (b) resources allocated to the national project officer charged with implementing the diet action plan for Scotland. [17418]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
"Eating for Health - A Diet Action Plan for Scotland", which I launched in July 1996, set a framework for action to improve the Scottish diet over the next 10 years.
Among its 71 recommendations was the appointment of a national project officer to facilitate a strategic approach to dietary improvement in low income communities, including the development of new initiatives in both urban and rural areas to aid access to healthy foods. The officer was appointed last October, under the auspices of the Scottish Consumer Council, with funding from the Scottish Office. Resources totalling more than £1 million are being made available over this and the next two financial years to take forward initiatives flowing from the action plan. Of this amount, £115,000
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has been specifically earmarked in the current year to find the national project officer post and initiatives associated with it.
The Scottish Office is also continuing to support local initiatives through the urban programme, and three projects promoting healthy eating in urban areas are currently being funded. Dietary issues in low-income communities are also being addressed under programmes for partnership, the current urban regeneration policy framework. This work is complemented by the activities of health alliances, now established in every health board area, for which the action plan envisaged an expanding role in stimulating and supporting community activity.
The weekly cost of a healthy diet will vary according to individual choice and circumstance; but healthy eating does not necessarily mean a more expensive food bill. The action plan recommends that supermarkets should examine, in consultation with the national project officer, the feasibility of measures to improve the availability of healthy products to low income communities. This is a point my right hon. Friend and I will be discussing with senior representatives of the major retailers at a meeting later this month.
Mrs. Fyfe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action his Department has taken, since the publication of a diet action plan for Scotland, to stimulate consumer demand for fruit and vegetables; and what progress has been made towards the targets for consumption of fruit and vegetables. [17376]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
As recommended in the Scottish diet action plan, "Eating for Health", the Health Education Board for Scotland is currently distributing a maildrop on healthy eating to every household in Scotland. This stresses the positive benefits of fruit and vegetables in protecting against a number of serious diseases, and encourages increased consumption in line with the dietary targets.
The Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Environment Department has also recently adjusted the criteria pertinent to its food processing and marketing grant schemes so that preference is given to initiatives which produce healthy foods, including fruit and vegetables.
Progress towards the dietary targets set in 1994 will be measured primarily through the recently introduced Scottish health survey. The first data from the survey will be available in the spring and will provide a baseline against which changes in the populations's dietary behaviour, including consumption of fruit and vegetables, can be measured.
Mrs. Fyfe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the health boards and local authorities who have indicated their commitment to implement the recommendations contained in the diet action plan for Scotland and nutrition targets. [17377]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton:
"Eating for Health--A Diet Action Plan for Scotland" was issued to all health boards and local authorities on publication last July. It has been widely welcomed by the Scottish health service. A conference organised jointly by The Scottish Office, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities and the Health Education Board for Scotland on public health in
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September 1996 indicated a high degree of commitment and support among local authorities for the recommendations in the plan.
(2) what arrangements he is making for the discharge of the functions of the community councils in Scotland in the period between 31 March and July 1997; [18007]
(2) what assessment he has made of the extent to which food provided in (a) schools and (b) hospitals (i) provides adequate nutrition and (ii) takes account of cultural and religious requirements. [17416]
(2) what steps his Department takes to encourage local initiatives to improve access to a range of healthy food at reasonable prices in low income areas; [17417]
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