Correspondence

HC Deb 18 June 1993 vol 226 c753W

Mr. Thurnham

To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will make a statement on the reasons behind current delays in his Department's correspondence.

Mr. Brooke

The volume of correspondence, concentrated in one or two areas of particular interest, has been such that there have been unacceptable delays in replies in some cases. But now that my Department is in two locations instead of seven, with the benefits this should bring in terms of information technology and greater ease of communication, I hope that it will be possible to avoid backlogs and quicken the pace at which my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and I reply to letters.

Charge for a fixed price school meal at January census in cash terms and real terms
Pence
Region or Island authority	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992
Borders	30 (84)	35 (84)	35 (71)	40 (74)	42 (72)	44 (72)	46 (72)	48 (71)	50 (72)	50 (68)	50 (64)	50 (60)	55 (61)	60 (62)
Central	30 (84)	35 (84)	35 (71)	35 (65)	40 (69)	45 (74)	45 (70)	50 (74)	55 (79)	58 (79)	60 (76)	62 (74)	68 (75)	72 (75)
Dumfries	30 (84)	35 (84)	40 (81)	45 (83)	50 (86)	50 (82)	52 (81)	55 (82)	58 (83)	61 (83)	60 (76)	60 (72)	165 (72)	165 (67)
													255 (61)	255 (57)
Fife	30 (84)	35 (84)	35 (71)	40 (74)	45 (77)	48 (79)	50 (78)	52 (77)	55 (79)	50 (68)	50 (64)	50 (60)	50 (55)	60 (62)
Grampian	30 (84)	35 (84)	42 (85)	342 (77)	342 (72)	345 (74)	350 (78)	355 (82)	358 (83)	360 (82)	363 (80)	Not	Not	Not
				445 (83)	445 (77)	455 (90)	460 (94)	465 (96)	468 (98)	470 (95)	473 (93)	available	available	available
Highland	30 (84)	35 (84)	41 (81)	50 (92)	50(86)	50 (82)	55 (86)	55 (82)	65 (93)	65 (89)	70 (89)	74 (88)	80 (88)	85 (88)
Lothian	30 (84)	35 (84)	35 (71)	35 (65)	45 (77)	45 (74)	350 (78)	350 (74)	350 (72)	350 (68)	355 (70)	355 (66)	360 (66)	370 (72)
							455 (86)	455 (82)	455 (79)	455 (75)	460 (76)	460 (72)	465 (72)	475 (78)
Strathclyde	30 (84)	35 (84)	40 (81)	45 (83)	50 (86)	53 (87)	55 (86)	58 (86)	61 (88)	63 (86)	64 (81)	67 (80)	79 (87)	Not available
Tayside	30 (84)	35 (84)	40 (81)	45 (83)	50 (86)	345 (74)	50 (78)	55 (82)	60 (86)	60 (82)	65 (83)	65 (78)	65 (72)	65 (67)
						450 (82)
Orkney	30 (84)	35 (84)	35 (71)	40 (74)	50 (86)	50 (82)	50 (78)	55 (82)	60 (86)	60 (82)	60 (76)	70 (83)	70 (77)	370 (72)
														475 (78)
Shetland	30 (84)	35 (84)	35 (71)	35 (65)	35 (60)	45 (74)	50 (78)	50 (74)	55 (79)	60 (82)	60 (76)	65 (78)	75 (83)	75 (78)
Western Isles	30 (84)	35 (84)	35 (71)	40 (74)	45 (77)	60 (99)	60 (94)	65 (96)	65 (93)	65 (89)	70 (89)	70 (83)	70 (77)	75 (78)
1 Standard meal.
2 Mini meal.
3 Primary.
4 Secondary.

Notes:

1. Except where indicated otherwise the same charge applied to both primary and secondary schools.

2.Prior to 1981 charges for a fixed price meal were set by statutory regulation on national basis.

3.Price in real terms at 1992–93 prices are shown in brackets.

Mr. Wicks

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the level of public expenditure on the school meal service in each year since 1979 in cash and real terms.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton

[holding answer 17 June 1993]: