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Compulsory Competitive Tendering

Mr. Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has taken legal advice on the Local Government Act 1988 (Competition) (Scotland) Regulations 1997, S.I. 1997, No. 197, following the reporting of these Regulations by the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments on the ground that they may be ultra vires (16th Report, HC29-xvi, Session 1996-97); and if he will make a statement. [15481]

Mr. Chisholm [holding answer 13 November 1997]: The Local Government Act 1988 (Competition) (Scotland) Regulations 1997, S.I. 1997, No. 197, which were made by the previous Secretary of State, have no practical effect at present. Amendments were made to them by S.I. 1997/1436. This is part of the continuing moratorium on Compulsory Competitive Tendering in Scotland while a Best Value regime is being developed. The Government will re-examine these regulations if CCT under the Local Government Act 1988 has to be reimposed on any Scottish council.

Trunk Roads

Mr. Home Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what public consultations he is undertaking about future investment in trunk roads in Scotland; and if he will issue a consultation document. [15951]

Mr. Chisholm [holding answer 14 November 1997]: As part of the strategic review of Trunk Roads in Scotland we shall issue a consultation document in spring 1998 on the new trunk road appraisal system. This system will fulfil our manifesto commitment to assess road proposals against the criteria of integration, accessibility, economy, safety and environmental impact.

Student Fees

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if the Scottish Office plans to fund all four years of study by students from England, Wales or Northern Ireland at

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Scottish Universities; how many students from England, Wales or Northern Ireland are currently in the fourth year of a degree course at a Scottish University; and what assessment he has made of the cost of funding this fourth year. [16094]

Mr. Wilson [holding answer 14 November 1997]: The Scottish Office provides a block grant for teaching in higher education to the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council. SHEFC funding supports about 118,000 full-time equivalent places in Scottish higher education institutions. These places are filled by students from any part of the European Union, including Scotland, England, Northern Ireland and Wales, and the provision includes among other things all years of the Scottish first degree courses, including the fourth year of Scottish Honours courses. Broadly speaking, the funding from the Scottish Office for the fourth year of English, Welsh and Northern Irish students is about £15 million.

Current figures on student numbers are not yet available. Students in Scottish higher education institutions in the fourth year of a degree programme in December 1996 included around 3,400 domiciled in England, around 100 domiciled in Wales and around 900 domiciled in Northern Ireland.

The Scottish Office also provides student support to Scottish domiciled students for higher education courses no matter where in the UK they study.

Land Policy

Ms Roseanna Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the members of the Scottish Office Committee to investigate land policy in Scotland, and the grade, department and relevant area of expertise of the civil servant members; and if he will make a statement. [15735]

Mr. Dewar [holding answer 17 November 1997]: The Land Reform Policy Group is chaired by my noble Friend the Minister for Agriculture, the Environment and Fisheries; the Minister for Education and Industry and my special adviser Murray Elder also attend when available. In other core membership comprises the following officials of The Scottish Office and the Forestry Commission:

	Grade	Department	Area
Isabelle Low	Senior Civil Service	Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department	Land Use Division
Alan Fraser	Senior Civil Service	Education and Industry Department	Enterprise and Tourism Division
John Randall	Senior Civil Service	Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department	Rural Affairs and Natural Heritage Unit
Douglas Greig	Senior Civil Service/Chief Economist	Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department	Economics and Statistics Division
Hugh MacDiarmid	Senior Civil Service	Home Department	Solicitor's Office
Joyce Lugton	Grade 7	Home Department	Civil Law and Legal Aid Division
David Henderson-Howat	Chief Conservator	Forestry Commission
Angela Saunders (Secretariat)	Senior Executive Office	Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department	Land Use Division

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Professor John Bryden of Aberdeen University, who has long experience of land tenure issues, acts as external assessor. The group also draws upon the relevant expertise of other officials as required, and upon the useful body of knowledge and literature produced by organisations that have devoted considerable time and effort to these issues.

Scottish Environment Protection Agency

Ms Roseanna Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what submission he has received from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency for the 1998-99 Public Expenditure Survey; [16096]

(2) what level of grant-in-aid the Scottish Environment Protection Agency sought for 1998-99; what the grant-in-aid provision was for 1998-99 in the previous Public Expenditure Survey; and what assessment he has made of the level of grant-in-aid requested by the agency to fulfil its responsibilities. [16097]

Mr. Chisholm: My officials have met SEPA on several recent occasions, and funding for 1998-99 has been among the subjects discussed. My right hon. Friend will announce his detailed spending plans for 1998-99 in due course. SEPA's baseline for 1998-99 from last year's survey is £18.3 million.

DEFENCE

Defence Conversion

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) if he will make a statement on progress made on Defence Conversion; [14477]

(2) when the Green Paper on the proposed Defence Diversification Agency will be published. [14478]

Mr. Spellar: My Department has no plans to promote defence conversion. However, we will shortly be bringing forward proposals on defence diversification. We said in our election manifesto that

"we support a strong UK defence industry which is a strategic part of our industrial base as well as our defence effort. We believe that part of its expertise can be extended to civilian use through a defence diversification agency".

We will publish a Green Paper on Defence Diversification before Christmas.

Mustard Gas

Mr. Livingstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what evaluation the Chemical Defence

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Establishment has made of whether short-term exposure to mustard gas causes (a) skin cancer, (b) leukaemia and (c) recurrent corneal ulcerative disease. [15554]

Mr. Spellar: This is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency. I have asked the Chief Executive to write to my hon. Friend.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Ken Livingstone, dated 18 November 1997:

I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence about the evaluation of the effects of mustard gas as this matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA).

The Chemical and Biological Defence Sector at Porton Down has not conducted any practical evaluation into the long term effects of short term exposure to mustard gas. However, DERA is aware of some reports that suggest a casual relationship between mustard gas exposure and respiratory and skin cancer, and possibly leukaemia. In particular, I refer you to the "Veterans at Risk" reports, details of which are given below.

You will recall from my reply to your earlier question about the ocular effects of mustard gas that case reports from the United States suggest that doses of between 400 and 800 milligrams per cubic metre per minute of mustard vapour result in corneal damage with ulceration and scarring of the conjunctiva. As far as recurrent corneal ulcerative disease is concerned, it has been reported that some individuals who experience acute eye injuries following exposure to high doses of mustard gas, particularly with liquid contamination of the eye, may exhibit clinical eye problems after their initial injuries have subsided. Sometimes recurrent and persistent corneal ulceration may occur after latent periods.

I hope this is helpful.

References:

1. C. M. Pechura and D. P. Rall (Editors). Veterans at Risk. The Health Effects of Mustard Gas and Lewisite. National Academy Press, Washington. 1993. ISBN 0-309-04832-X.

2. W. F. Hughes. Mustard gas injuries to the eyes. Archives of Ophthalmology. 27: 582-601, 1942.

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