asked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) why he is awaiting the recommendations of the Health Services Board regarding the reinstitution of pay beds in National Health hospitals in Scotland before implementing the stated policy of Her Majesty's Government to bring in legislation to revoke the legislation of the previous Administration in 1976;(2) if he has studied the report on the withdrawal of authorisation for the use by private patients of National Health Service hospitals presented by the Health Services Board as a seventh set of proposals under section 60 of the National Health Services (Scotland) Act 1978; and if he will make a statement on these proposals.
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given on 26 October 1979 by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of
| Police Area | Number of new certificates | Number of certificates cancelled | Number of applications refused | Number of certificates in force at the end of 1978* | ||||
| Central Scotland | … | … | Firearms | … | 132 | 125 | 4 | 1,594 |
| Shotguns | … | 269 | 299 | 19 | 4,867 | |||
| Dumfries and Galloway | … | Firearms | … | 226 | 187 | — | 2,842 | |
| Shotguns | … | 434 | 372 | 3 | 6,713 | |||
| Fife | … | … | Firearms | … | 109 | 95 | 1 | 1,808 |
| Shotguns | … | 280 | 303 | 3 | 5,793 | |||
| Grampian | … | … | Firearms | … | 522 | 554 | 7 | 6,178 |
| Shotguns | … | 874 | 1,719 | 11 | 10,795 | |||
| Lothian and Borders | … | … | Firearms | … | 266 | 405 | — | 4,840 |
| Shotguns | … | 623 | 650 | 12 | 11,249 | |||
| Northern | … | … | Firearms | … | 953 | 867 | 1 | 9,660 |
| Shotguns | … | 784 | 1,164 | 8 | 12,605 | |||
| Strathclyde | … | … | Firearms | … | 634 | 682 | 6 | 7,270 |
| Shotguns | … | 1,713 | 1,842 | 20 | 21,004 | |||
| Tayside | … | … | Firearms | … | 438 | 381 | 1 | 4,857 |
| … | … | Shotguns | … | 517 | 470 | 10 | 10,223 | |
| * These figures take account of transfers of certificates between areas. | ||||||||
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish in the Official Report the number of firearms registered or the total of certificates for firearms in force at the end of the year in each police area for the years 1976, 1977 and 1978.
The number of certificates for firearms, other than shotguns, in force at the end of the year in each police area for the years 1976, 1977 and 1978 are set out in the table below:
| Police Area | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 |
| Central Scotland | 1,572 | 1,605 | 1,594 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 2,776 | 2,804 | 2,842 |
| Fife | 1,780 | 1,777 | 1,808 |
| Grampian | 6,151 | 6,215 | 6,178 |
| Lothian and Borders | 5,160 | 5,004 | 4,840 |
State for Social Services to my hon. Friend the Member for Somerset, North (Mr. Dean).—[Vol 972, c. 350–51.]