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A1
18. Mr. Home Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will designate the A1 trunk road as a core national route. [56119]
Mr. Macdonald: The term "core national route" relates to nationally important routes in England. Decisions on priorities for trunk road investment in Scotland will be taken in the light of the current Strategic Roads Review.
Residential and Nursing Homes
19. Dr. Godman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to modify the regulations covering the ownership, management and inspection of private residential homes and nursing homes for the elderly. [56121]
3 Nov 1998 : Column: 479
Mr. Galbraith:
I refer my hon. Friend to the replies I gave him on 4 November 1997, Official Report, column 156, and 17 March 1998, Official Report, column 569. These indicated that legislation on the regulation and inspection of residential and nursing home care and domiciliary care will follow when a suitable opportunity presents.
20. Mr. Gorrie:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has to implement Lord Cullen's recommendations on the introduction of a national system to ensure that there are adequate checks on the suitability of youth leaders and workers. [56123]
Mr. Galbraith:
We are discussing across Government a package of measures aimed at preventing unsuitable persons from obtaining access to children. We expect to announce our conclusions on this shortly.
22. Mr. Nigel Griffiths:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what steps he is taking to improve the quality of Scotland's housing stock. [56125]
Mr. Macdonald:
Almost £500 million of public money has been allocated for housing in Scotland in 1998/99 and an additional £300 million has been made available over the next three years linked, in particular, to the development of the New Housing Partnership initiative. These resources, together with the private finance which they will attract will provide new and improved stock in all housing tenures across Scotland. We are also improving housing quality by investing in home energy efficiency, linked to the New Deal, by the introduction of barrier free standards in new housing funded by Scottish Homes and by bringing empty houses back into use through the Empty Homes Initiative.
23. Mr. Welsh:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met representatives of the higher and further education sector in Scotland to discuss funding levels. [56126]
Mrs. Liddell:
On 26 October I met representatives of the Association of Scottish Colleges. We discussed funding for the further education sector, and the Association told me they welcomed the Government's announcement that we are to invest an additional £214 million into further education over the next three years, to support further increases in student numbers, enhance quality in delivery and stabilise the financial position of the sector.
On 30 October, I addressed a Forum of the Committee of Scottish Higher Education Principals at which, among other topics, funding was discussed. At the Forum I announced a further funding boost of £15 million for Scotland's Higher Education sector; this is in addition to the extra £230 million we are investing in Scottish higher education over the next three years. This additional funding will be vital in meeting the Government's objectives of widening access to higher education and modernising teaching and research to support a knowledge economy. It was, I believe, strongly welcomed by the higher education sector.
3 Nov 1998 : Column: 480
24. Mr. David Stewart:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to review the procedure for selection of boards of management of colleges of further and higher education in Scotland. [56127]
Mrs. Liddell:
Schedule 2 to the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992 sets out the requirements regarding the composition of the Boards of Management of further education colleges, and eligibility criteria for their appointment. Beyond these statutory requirements, however, appointments to the boards of management are for individual institutions themselves to determine and I have no plans to review that procedure.
With assistance from the Department, the Association of Scottish Colleges (ASC) established a working group on college governance in 1997. Guidance was then issued by the ASC to the sector on issues such as written public appointment procedures and the operation of search and nomination committees. The guidance reflects the recommendations on public appointments set out in the second report of the Committee on Standards in Public Life. The ASC are presently surveying the extent to which Boards of Management have taken this guidance on board.
I expect Board procedures for the appointment of members to comply with the provisions of Schedule 2 to the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992 and have regard to the advice and recommendations of the Committee on Standards in Public Life.
25. Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what representations he has received from Scottish local authorities regarding the level of public expenditure per head in 1998-99. [56128]
Mr. McLeish:
My right hon. Friend meets the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities regularly to discuss a wide range of financial and other matters.
26. Mr. Salmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met Scottish Enterprise to discuss developments in the Scottish manufacturing sector. [56129]
Mr. Macdonald:
I, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and my noble Friend Lord Macdonald of Tradeston have regular meetings with Scottish Enterprise to discuss a range of issues affecting the Scottish economy including developments in the Scottish manufacturing sector.
Mr. Gill:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take measures to assist young people entering the Scottish fishing industry as skipper-owners. [56110]
Mr. Macdonald:
There is help available for young fishermen wanting to become skippers through training programmes operated by the Sea Fish Industry Authority and by Local Enterprise Companies.
3 Nov 1998 : Column: 481
Mr. Sarwar:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the use of closed circuit television for combating crime in Scotland. [56124]
Mr. McLeish:
In January 1996, The Scottish Office published an evaluation report into the effectiveness of closed circuit television in combating crime and the fear of crime in Airdrie, where twelve open street CCTV cameras had been operating since 1992. A separate evaluation was subsequently undertaken on the Glasgow
3 Nov 1998 : Column: 482
city centre CCTV scheme. A final report has been submitted by the researcher and is currently being prepared for publication.
Mr. Gorrie:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list (a) actual and (b) real increases in pay in (a) 1995-96, (b) 1996-97, (c) 1997-98 and (d) 1998-99 of public sector employees in Scotland. [56954]
Mr. Dewar:
The information is as follows:
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| Percentage | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employ | 1995 | Real terms | 1996 | Real terms | 1997 | Real terms | 1998 | Real terms |
| Doctors and dentists | 2.5 to 3.0 | -0.9 to 0.4 | 3.6 to 5.8 | 1.2 to 3.4 | 3.4 | 0.3 | 5.2 | 1.6 |
| Nurses, midwives and professions allied to medicine | (5)3.0 | -0.4 | (5)3.0 | (5)0.6 | 3.3 | 0.2 | 3.8 | 0.2 |
| NHS non review body | (5)3.0 | -0.4 | (5)3.0 | 0.6 | 3.3 | 0.2 | 3.8 | 0.2 |
| Police | 3.0 | -0.4 | 3.5 | 1.1 | 3.5 | 0.4 | 4.0 | 0.4 |
| Fire | 3.5 | 0.1 | 4.4 | 2.0 | 4.8 | 1.7 | (6)-- | (6)-- |
| Local government | 2.2 | -1.2 | 2.9 | 0.5 | 2.5 | -0.6 | 3.0 | -0.6 |
| Scottish teachers | 2.0 | -1.4 | 3.0 | 0.6 | 2.5 | -0.6 | 3.0 | -0.6 |
(5) In 1995 and 1996 national NHS pay awards of 1 per cent. and 2 per cent. respectively were supplemented by locally negotiated pay additions
(6) Due in November
Notes:
1. The above public sector pay groups account for around 90 per cent. of Scottish public sector pay
2. As pay negotiations have been delegated to individual Civil Service Departments and to many NDPBs it is not possible to give a single meaningful figure for this sector
3. In 1997 the local government settlement was underpinned by a minimum rate of £4 per hour
4. The real term estimates of increases in pay have been made using the average "headline" RPI rate for the calendar years in question. For 1998 the deflator used is the average for the year to date
3 Nov 1998 : Column: 481
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