§ Mr. SalmondTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many Scottish Office files were destroyed last year; and what general subject matter, by category, was contained in them.
Mr. LandA total of 155,097 files—out of a total of over 1.5 million—were destroyed during 1993 following consultation with the Scottish Record Office. The subject matter covered the full range of Scottish Office functions. The split among Departments is:
Number Agriculture and Fisheries 7,904 Environment 15,509 Education 148,002 Industry 5,660 Home and Health 270,616 Central Services 7,406 1 Includes case files relating to student awards. 2 Includes case files relating to teacher and NHS pensions.