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.
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.
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.
[holding answer 17 June 1993]: