§ Mr. McLeishTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the award to Professor Mapstone, the adviser to the inquiry into child care policy in Fife, of a Government grant in her role as director of the centre for child care and protection studies to examine the relationship between local authorities and the children's hearing system.
§ Mr. Michael Forsyth[holding answer 13 November 1990]: Professor Mapstone was awarded a research grant for a project as a result of a process of competitive tendering. The research is concerned with an examination of the factors that promote the development of an integrated child care strategy linking residential and non-residential resources. There is no conflict between her research work and her activities as adviser to the Fife inquiry under the chairmanship of Sheriff Kearney.