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SCOTLAND
Scottish Constituencies (Voter Numbers)
15. Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the average electorate in Scottish constituencies. [2343]
Mr. Henry McLeish:
I refer the hon. Member to the oral answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Macclesfield (Mr. Winterton).
17 Jun 1997 : Column: 130
16. Mr. Whittingdale:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the Government expenditure per head in Scotland in the current financial year; and if he will make a statement. [2344]
Mr. Dewar:
Identifiable General Government Expenditure per head in Scotland was £4,614 in 1995-96, the last year for which complete figures are available.
17. Mr. Davidson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he intends to take to reduce tobacco-related deaths in Scotland. [2345]
Mr. Galbraith:
We will publish later this year a White Paper which will set out our strategy for tackling smoking, together with draft legislation to give effect to our Manifesto commitment to ban tobacco advertising. The development of our strategy will be informed by an anti-smoking summit in London in July, which I shall be attending and which will bring together British and International experts in the field of smoking reduction.
18. Ms McKenna:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received regarding measures to reduce long-term and youth unemployment in Scotland using receipts from the windfall tax. [2346]
Mr. Wilson:
My right hon. Friend has received representations from a wide range of interests supporting our proposals for Welfare to Work. Many organisations wish to become involved in furthering our initiative.
19. Mr. David Stewart:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he will take to promote the economy of the highlands and islands in the next year. [2347]
Mr. Wilson:
My right hon. Friend will pursue a range of policies aimed at diversifying the economy of the Highlands and Islands so that people living in the area can play their part in the economic and social development of the entire country.
20. Miss Anne Begg:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the postponement of Higher Still. [2348]
Mr. Wilson:
Higher Still will bring important improvements to school and college education in Scotland. The full benefit to our young people can be only be achieved if lecturers and teachers in the classroom are fully prepared. The revised start date of 1999 with the Advanced Higher following on in 2000 will allow time for the necessary preparation. It will also allow planning of the implementation of Higher Still in close consultation and partnership with all those involved.
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21. Mr. Ian Bruce:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the cost of running a separate parliament in Scotland; and if he intends this sum to be raised exclusively from Scottish tax payers. [2349]
Mr. McLeish:
It is not possible to provide an estimate of the annual running cost of a Scottish Parliament as a number of decisions on the Parliament have yet to be made. The White Paper to be published before the Summer Recess will set out our detailed proposals.
Under Government accounting arrangements it is not possible to identify separately those services funded by particular groups of tax payers.
22. Mr. Russell Brown:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to improve food standards in Scotland. [2351]
Mr. Galbraith:
The Government consider food safety to be of paramount importance. That is why we have accepted all the recommendations of the Pennington Report. We are also committed to establishing an independent Food Standards Agency.
23. Mr. Canavan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to make the membership of public bodies more representative and publicly accountable. [2352]
Mr. Dewar:
We are committed to fully implementing the Nolan recommendations. I am considering with colleagues how this might best be taken forward.
24. Mr. Clifton-Brown:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will include a restriction on the rights of Scottish Members of Parliament to vote on English policy matters in his Devolution Bill for Scotland. [2353]
Mr. McLeish:
As Scottish Members of Parliament will continue to retain a major interest in proceedings to be decided at Westminster I have no plans to restrict their voting rights.
26. Mr. Desmond Browne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to phase out the use of nursery vouchers. [2355]
Mr. Wilson:
We are doing away with vouchers as soon as possible. Our first concern has been to protect parents who are relying on funding at quality centres for the coming school year, and whose arrangements need to be in place by the time schools close for the summer, the week after next. For their sake, having looked carefully at all the options, I issued vouchers on a once-only basis last week, as a basis for grant payments over the 1997-98 school session. No further voucher issues will be made. And I have simplified procedures radically--for example, getting rid of the need for nearly 1,000,000 signatures on vouchers by pre-school staff.
17 Jun 1997 : Column: 132
We are now moving on to put in place by August 1998 a new funding system, characterised by partnership and planning, which will provide a quality pre-school place by the winter after next for every child in the pre-school year in Scotland. I shall launch a major consultation on proposals in the autumn. In the meantime I intend during the summer to announce a number of interim measures to support expansion and quality improvement in the pre-school sector.
27. Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will establish an inquiry into the practice of tenants selling council houses which they have purchased from local authorities, applying for another council house, purchasing that house from the local authority, and repeating the self-same actions for profit; and if he will make a statement. [2356]
Mr. Chisholm:
My right hon. Friend has not received any correspondence on the practice of recurring purchases of council houses under the right-to-buy legislation and subsequent resales on the open market. He will, however, examine carefully any evidence which the hon. Member holds.
28. Mr. Savidge:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to meet the Low Pay Commission to discuss low pay in Scotland. [2358]
Mr. Wilson:
None at present. The independent Low Pay Commission will be consulting on issues relating to the introduction of the minimum wage, including low pay, with employers, employees and other interested parties, and will then make recommendations to Government.
Mrs. Ray Michie:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his plans to amalgamate Scottish health trusts. [2354]
Mr. Galbraith:
I announced to Trust Chairmen on 30 May that I intend to take early action to reduce the number of Trusts where the opportunity arises. I also said that I would expect any reconfiguration of the network of Trusts in Scotland to be founded on the development of clinical links between hospitals, and between hospitals and primary care.
Discussions are taking place amongst some Trusts about the possibilities for merger and I await the outcome of those discussions with interest.
Mr. Doran:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on how many occasions inspectors from his Department stopped and checked overland consignments of fish from other ports to the fish market at Aberdeen and Peterhead, in the last year for which figures are available; and on how many occasions charges were brought for breaches of quota legislation. [3654]
Mr. Chisholm:
The subject of this question relates to matters undertaken by the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency. I have asked the Agency's Chief Executive, Mr. Paul Du Vivier, to arrange for a reply to be given.
17 Jun 1997 : Column: 133
Letter from P. E. Du Vivier to Mr. Frank Doran, dated 17 June 1997:
CHECKING OF OVERLAND CONSIGNMENTS OF FISH
TO THE FISHMARKETS AT ABERDEEN AND PETERHEAD
Mr. Malcolm Chisholm has asked me to reply to your question about the checking of overland consignments of fish to the fishmarkets at Aberdeen and Peterhead.
In the 12 month period to 31 May 1997, the Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency's Sea Fisheries Inspectorate staff stopped vehicles and checked overland consignments of white fish which were being transported to the fishmarkets of Aberdeen and Peterhead on 1670 occasions.
No reports were made to the Procurator Fiscal as a consequence of these checks.
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