| Previous Section | Home Page |
Column 322
Prescriptions
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the total expenditure on (a) family practitioner services and (b) general practitioner prescribed prescriptions in England in cash terms and real terms for each year since 1980, and also expressing both as an index based upon 1980.
Mr. Mellor : Gross expenditure on family practitioner services, and on the pharmaceutical services, including remuneration costs, in England since 1980-81 is given in the tables in cash and in real terms.
Table 2: Gross expenditure on the Pharmaceutical Services. England
| Cash | Real terms at 1987-88
| | prices (a)
£ million Index £ million
|1981=100 |1980-81=100
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1980-81 |974 |100.0 |1,443 |100.0
1981-82 |1,125 |115.5 |1,518 |105.2
1982-83 |1,290 |132.4 |1,625 |112.6
1983-84 |1,431 |146.9 |1,723 |119.4
1984-85 |1,551 |159.2 |1,778 |123.2
1985-86 |1,657 |170.1 |1,803 |124.9
1986-87 |1,787 |183.5 |1,881 |130.3
1987-88 |1,975 |202.8 |1,975 |136.9
Table 2: Gross expenditure on the Pharmaceutical Services. England
| Cash | Real terms at 1987-88
| | prices (a)
£ million Index £ million
|1981=100 |1980-81=100
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1980-81 |974 |100.0 |1,443 |100.0
1981-82 |1,125 |115.5 |1,518 |105.2
1982-83 |1,290 |132.4 |1,625 |112.6
1983-84 |1,431 |146.9 |1,723 |119.4
1984-85 |1,551 |159.2 |1,778 |123.2
1985-86 |1,657 |170.1 |1,803 |124.9
1986-87 |1,787 |183.5 |1,881 |130.3
1987-88 |1,975 |202.8 |1,975 |136.9
(a) adjusted in line with the GDP deflator at market prices.
Special Hospitals
Miss Fookes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in special hospitals are currently awaiting transfer to other National Health Service hospitals ; and how many of these have been waiting for (a) one to two years, (b) two to three years, (c) three to four years, and (d) over four years.
Mr. Freeman : There are 47 patients in the special hospitals who have been recommended for a move to another hospital on trial leave or transfer and who are currently awaiting a vacancy in an identified hospital. Of these, four patients have been waiting for one to two years, and two patients for two to three years ; none have been waiting for longer than three years. The length of wait has been calculated :
(i) in the case of patients subject to restrictions under the Mental Health Act, from the date on which the Home Secretary's consent to transfer was obtained, and
(ii) in the case of unrestricted patients, from the date on which a placement was agreed between the special hospital and the receiving hospital.
Column 323
Hepatitis B
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health authorities are making free vaccination available against hepatitis B to their staff ; and what percentage of those at risk this covers.
Mr. Mellor : I regret that we do not hold this information centrally.
Midwives
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultations he initiated or engaged in with the Royal College of Midwives, or any qualified midwife, concerning the content of the management guidance document distributed to general managers of Health Service units in May ; and what specific guidance was contained in this document in respect of the duties and grading of midwives.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : The management guidance on implementation of the new clinical grading structure was the subject of extensive consultation with senior nurses and midwives and other managers in the National Health Service. It was managements' guidance to management about the implementation of a grading structure negotiated with the trades unions and I see no sensible reason why such guidance should have been the subject of consultation with staff side organisations. The guidance as a whole relates equally to nursing and midwifery posts because the grading structure as negotiated with the trades unions and endorsed by the independent review body relates equally to both.
Breast Cancer (Screening)
Mr. Lofthouse : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women are likely to be screened for breast cancer in the Pontefract district health authority in (a) 1989, (b) 1990 and (c) 1991.
Mr. Freeman : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson) on 14 December at column 605.
Retired People
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department have carried out into the attitudes of retired people towards (a) an increase in the number of centres offering them help and advice and (b) investment in pioneer surgery ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : We have not commissioned any research that is specifically directed to these topics.
Young Drinkers
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has as to the percentage of 17 to 18-year-olds drinking three or more times a week ; to what social factors he attributes excessive drinking among young people ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : The most recently available information is contained in two reports on surveys conducted by OPCS. These are "Adolescent Drinking --1984" and "Drinking in England and Wales in 1987". Copies are in the Library.
Column 324
In the adolescent drinking survey about a third of 17-year-old boys and a quarter of 17-year-old girls reported drinking on three or more days a week. Separate information on drinking by 18-year-olds is not readily available. The causes of excessive drinking among young people are many and varied and, inter-relate in ways which are not fully understood. The ministerial group on alcohol misuse, which co- ordinates Government action in this field, have identified the need for further research into young people's attitudes to alcohol and drinking behaviour ; the group is currently taking steps to see how this might best be undertaken.Cervical Cytology Screening
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of health authorities is failing to comply with Government cervical cytology screening guidelines ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : We issued guidelines covering many aspects of cervical cancer screening to health authorities in January 1988. All health authorities have now implemented computerised call and recall systems. Approximately 25 per cent. of health authorities are currently not meeting the Government's target of reporting the result of a smear within one month to the doctor who submitted it. Health authorities' performance is monitored and those not meeting this target are asked to explain what remedial action they are taking.
Abortions
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the estimated average cost of a National Health Service abortion broken down into (a) revenue cost, and (b) total cost, and whether he can estimate average cost by method of operation for the latest available year.
Mr. Freeman : The estimated revenue cost of an abortion in NHS hospitals is £190. We do not have available information on the total cost and average cost by method of operation.
Adoption
Mr. Gale : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he proposes to lay an order under section 57(8) of the Adoption Act 1976 to enable adoption agencies to continue to operate adoption allowance schemes approved by him beyond 15 February 1989, when the experimental period introduced in 1982 under section 32 of the Children Act 1975 will end.
Mr. Mellor : We have published, in accordance with the requirements of section 57(6) of the Adoption Act 1976, a report of a research project commissioned by the Department from the National Children's Bureau into the operation of adoption allowance schemes in England and Wales. The research findings show that adoption allowance schemes have succeeded in their objective of enabling adoption agencies to find suitable adoptive families for children who could not otherwise enjoy the benefits and security of adoption. We intend, therefore, to lay an order under section 57(8) which, subject to the agreement of both Houses, allows adoption agencies to continue to submit schemes for approval by the Secretary of State and to operate approved schemes.
Column 325
Research Priorities
Mr. Hind : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are his Department's priorities for research in the fields of health and personal social services ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : The research programmes directly supported by the Department are designed to contribute to the efficiency of the health and social services by promoting improvements in organisation, operation and management.
Bearing in mind the primary responsibility of the Medical Research Council for biomedical and clinical research, we have concluded that the health and personal social services programme should now concentrate on the following areas :
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) ;
professional manpower ;
primary health care ;
the demands on, and effectiveness of, acute sector
services ;
the transition to, and maintenance of, community care ; consumer attitudes to the health and personal social
services ;
the influencing of lifestyles, for example in relation to drug abuse ;
child abuse.
The Department will also be contributing to a programme of breast cancer screening research in follow-up to the research
recommendations of the Forrest report.
EMPLOYMENT
Unemployment Benefit (Adjudication)
Mr. Lofthouse To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) how many cases are currently being dealt with by unemployment benefit adjudication officers in Pontefract and Castleford ;
(2) how many unemployment benefit adjudication officers are available to the constituency of Pontefract and Castleford ; (3) what is the current waiting time for adjudication officers to adjudicate on cases currently being dealt with by unemployment benefit adjudication officers in Pontefract and Castleford.
Mr. Cope : Information is not available in the precise form requested, as adjudication officers are not attached to individual unemployment benefit offices or constituencies. They work in groups which cover a number of offices.
On 9 December 1988, adjudication officers were currently considering 2,138 cases arising on claims for unemployment benefit in the adjudication office area of York, which includes the constituency of Pontefract and Castleford. The number of adjudication officers serving the York adjudication office is nine.
No figures are held on the waiting time for an adjudication officer's decision, but the speed with which adjudication officers make decisions-- the time taken between their receiving a case and reaching a decision after making all the necessary inquiries--is monitored in a 5 per cent. sample of cases.
The sample for the York adjudication office shows that, for the three-month period ending 30 June 1988, a total of 93 per cent. of cases were decided within four weeks of referral to an adjudication officer.
Column 326
Environment and Safety Information Act
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what provision has been made to ensure the implementation of the Environment and Safety Information Act.
Mr. Nicholls : Arrangements are being made to ensure that all authorities with enforcement responsibilities under statutes listed in the schedule of the Act will make the required information available to the public by 1 April 1989.
Tourism
Sir John Farr : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when the European Community document 8794/88 (proposal for action programme for European Tourism Year 1990) will be ratified by Her Majesty's Government ; and when the proposals contained therein will become effective.
Mr. Lee : At the Tourism Council on 14 December 1988, European Community Ministers agreed the proposal on an action programme for the European Tourism Year in 1990. The Commission in consultation with representatives of member states will take appropriate measures to implement the programme. Preparatory work will begin early in the new year.
Work Permits
Mr. Aspinwall : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether a decision has yet been made to continue after 1988 the special annual quota of work permits for workers from the dependent territories whose level of skill is below that required by the general work permit scheme.
Mr. Lee : Yes. It has been decided that the quota for 1989 will be 200--the same as this year. Within the figure of 200, no more than 150 permits will be allowed for any one territory.
Skills Training Agency
Mr. Quentin Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how he is taking professional advice on the feasibility of moving the Skills Training Agency into the private sector, as indicated in chapter 4 of the White Paper, "Employment in the 1990s".
Mr. Fowler : I am appointing Deloitte, Haskins and Sells, a leading accountancy and management consultancy firm, to advise me on the feasibility of such a move. I expect to receive its advice in the new year.
Rehabilitation Centres
Mr. Strang : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many clients passed through the employment rehabilitation centres in 1978, 1979, 1986, 1987 and 1988 ; and how many staff were employed in the employment rehabilitation centres in those years.
Mr. Lee [holding answer 20 December 1988] : The information requested is as follows :
Column 327
Year |Number of clients helped|Number of staff employed ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1978-79 |15,670 |824 1979-80 |16,000 |895 1986-87 |14,790 |686 1987-88 |16,000 |671.5 1988-89 |<1>26,000 |<2>664.5 <1> Estimate. <2> As at 30 November 1988.
From 1985 the employment rehabilitation service has been delivered through assistance towards employment centres as well as employment rehabilitation centres. The information given includes both types of centre.
Employment Training
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what organisations have been granted employment training agent contracts ; what are the planned volumes of trainees in the first six months ; and
Column 328
what numbers of trainees have been through at the most recently available date for each Department of employment training agency area ;(2) what are the numbers of approved places allocated under employment training ; what are the area budgets for the programme ; and what are the allocations of supplementary grant for each Department of Employment Training Agency area for each area.
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 12 December 1988] : Information on the types of organisations which have been granted training agency contracts in employment training is given in table 1.
Information on the actual training agent throughput in September and October 1988, the allocation of filled places (allocations are made on the basis of filled places not approved places, which do not exist in ET), total planned expenditure and supplementary grant allocation is given in table 2.
Information on the profiles of training agent volumes is for internal management only.
Column 327
Table 2
ET: Area allocations
|Column 1 |Column 2 |Column 3 |Column 4
Area office |Filled places allocation|Total planned ET |Supplementary grant |Actual training agent
|(March 1989) |expenditure (September |allocation (included in |throughput (September
|1988 to March 1989) |column 2) |1988 to October 1988)
|(£ million) |(£ million)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South East Region
Berkshire and Oxfordshire |1,833 |1.605 |0.618 |1,007
Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire |2,553 |2.040 |0.764 |829
Essex |3,595 |3.059 |1.358 |750
Hampshire and Isle of Wight |3,221 |2.334 |0.721 |898
Kent |3,791 |2.679 |1.098 |1,186
Surrey |1,155 |0.861 |0.449 |343
Sussex |3,020 |1.963 |0.927 |940
London Region
Inner London North |7,316 |5.900 |2.300 |1,804
Inner London South |4,745 |4.400 |2.000 |1,143
London East |2,890 |3.400 |1.500 |1,528
London North |4,141 |3.600 |1.800 |1,589
London South |1,729 |1.400 |0.700 |600
London West |1,467 |1.200 |0.600 |755
South West Region
Avon |3,873 |3.217 |1.386 |599
Devon and Cornwall |7,090 |6.565 |2.867 |1,357
Dorset and Somerset |2,983 |2.524 |1.172 |896
Gloucester and Wiltshire |2,927 |2.591 |1.137 |903
West Midlands Region
Birmingham and Solihull |10,797 |8.700 |4.100 |1,925
Coventry and Warwickshire |4,653 |3.900 |1.600 |980
Dudley and Sandwell |4,936 |3.900 |1.300 |1,587
Staffordshire |4,939 |4.100 |1.800 |1,285
The Marches, Hereford/Worcester |4,195 |3.600 |1.500 |981
Wolverhampton and Walsall |5,410 |4.300 |2.000 |1,829
East Midlands and Eastern Region
Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire |2,055 |1.809 |0.769 |986
Derbyshire |4,401 |3.175 |1.400 |1,446
Leicestershire and Northamptonshire |4,408 |3.854 |1.585 |1,106
Lincolnshire |2,032 |1.649 |0.700 |443
Norfolk and Suffolk |4,125 |3.630 |1.462 |1,211
Nottinghamshire |5,453 |4.988 |1.784 |1,511
Yorkshire and Humberside Region
Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees |6,300 |6.018 |2.300 |1,702
Humberside |5,787 |5.281 |2.210 |1,679
North Yorkshire and Leeds |6,655 |5.911 |2.777 |1,447
Sheffield and Rotherham |8,118 |7.340 |2.856 |2,465
Wakefield, Doncaster and Barnsley |6,882 |6.103 |2.749 |2,015
North West Region
Cheshire |5,048 |3.571 |1.412 |1,635
Cumbria |2,170 |1.943 |0.879 |547
Lancashire |7,179 |6.172 |2.456 |1,987
Central Manchester |9,257 |7.035 |2.954 |1,282
Greater Manchester North |6,480 |5.901 |2.575 |1,094
Greater Manchester East |3,901 |3.467 |1.350 |1,388
Merseyside |16,551 |15.853 |7.086 |2,016
Northern Region
Cleveland |9,583 |8.647 |3.614 |1,220
County Durham |7,120 |6.744 |3.028 |1,708
Northumberland,
North Tyneside and Newcastle |7,511 |7.080 |3.133 |1,771
Sunderland,
South Tyneside and Gateshead |9,856 |8.937 |3.835 |2,845
Wales
Dyfed and West Glamorgan |6,329 |5.514 |2.618 |1,283
Gwent |3,902 |3.775 |1.834 |616
Gwynned, Clwyd and Powys |5,426 |4.899 |2.455 |767
Mid and South Glamorgan |8,202 |6.737 |3.505 |1,761
Scotland
Ayrshire, Dumfries & Galloway |4,664 |4.568 |1.802 |1,256
Central and Fife |4,856 |4.285 |1.965 |1,007
Glasgow City |9,854 |8.455 |3.586 |1,786
Grampian and Tayside |4,397 |3.519 |1.583 |1,754
Highlands and Islands |1,700 |1.291 |0.542 |365
Lanarkshire |4,730 |3.964 |1.790 |950
Lothian and Borders |5,258 |4.563 |1.912 |1,370
Renfrew, Dunbarton and Argyll |6,014 |4.921 |2.256 |736
Table 2
ET: Area allocations
|Column 1 |Column 2 |Column 3 |Column 4
Area office |Filled places allocation|Total planned ET |Supplementary grant |Actual training agent
|(March 1989) |expenditure (September |allocation (included in |throughput (September
|1988 to March 1989) |column 2) |1988 to October 1988)
|(£ million) |(£ million)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South East Region
Berkshire and Oxfordshire |1,833 |1.605 |0.618 |1,007
Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire |2,553 |2.040 |0.764 |829
Essex |3,595 |3.059 |1.358 |750
Hampshire and Isle of Wight |3,221 |2.334 |0.721 |898
Kent |3,791 |2.679 |1.098 |1,186
Surrey |1,155 |0.861 |0.449 |343
Sussex |3,020 |1.963 |0.927 |940
London Region
Inner London North |7,316 |5.900 |2.300 |1,804
Inner London South |4,745 |4.400 |2.000 |1,143
London East |2,890 |3.400 |1.500 |1,528
London North |4,141 |3.600 |1.800 |1,589
London South |1,729 |1.400 |0.700 |600
London West |1,467 |1.200 |0.600 |755
South West Region
Avon |3,873 |3.217 |1.386 |599
Devon and Cornwall |7,090 |6.565 |2.867 |1,357
Dorset and Somerset |2,983 |2.524 |1.172 |896
Gloucester and Wiltshire |2,927 |2.591 |1.137 |903
West Midlands Region
Birmingham and Solihull |10,797 |8.700 |4.100 |1,925
Coventry and Warwickshire |4,653 |3.900 |1.600 |980
Dudley and Sandwell |4,936 |3.900 |1.300 |1,587
Staffordshire |4,939 |4.100 |1.800 |1,285
The Marches, Hereford/Worcester |4,195 |3.600 |1.500 |981
Wolverhampton and Walsall |5,410 |4.300 |2.000 |1,829
East Midlands and Eastern Region
Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire |2,055 |1.809 |0.769 |986
Derbyshire |4,401 |3.175 |1.400 |1,446
Leicestershire and Northamptonshire |4,408 |3.854 |1.585 |1,106
Lincolnshire |2,032 |1.649 |0.700 |443
Norfolk and Suffolk |4,125 |3.630 |1.462 |1,211
Nottinghamshire |5,453 |4.988 |1.784 |1,511
Yorkshire and Humberside Region
Bradford, Calderdale and Kirklees |6,300 |6.018 |2.300 |1,702
Humberside |5,787 |5.281 |2.210 |1,679
North Yorkshire and Leeds |6,655 |5.911 |2.777 |1,447
Sheffield and Rotherham |8,118 |7.340 |2.856 |2,465
Wakefield, Doncaster and Barnsley |6,882 |6.103 |2.749 |2,015
North West Region
Cheshire |5,048 |3.571 |1.412 |1,635
Cumbria |2,170 |1.943 |0.879 |547
Lancashire |7,179 |6.172 |2.456 |1,987
Central Manchester |9,257 |7.035 |2.954 |1,282
Greater Manchester North |6,480 |5.901 |2.575 |1,094
Greater Manchester East |3,901 |3.467 |1.350 |1,388
Merseyside |16,551 |15.853 |7.086 |2,016
Northern Region
Cleveland |9,583 |8.647 |3.614 |1,220
County Durham |7,120 |6.744 |3.028 |1,708
Northumberland,
North Tyneside and Newcastle |7,511 |7.080 |3.133 |1,771
Sunderland,
South Tyneside and Gateshead |9,856 |8.937 |3.835 |2,845
Wales
Dyfed and West Glamorgan |6,329 |5.514 |2.618 |1,283
Gwent |3,902 |3.775 |1.834 |616
Gwynned, Clwyd and Powys |5,426 |4.899 |2.455 |767
Mid and South Glamorgan |8,202 |6.737 |3.505 |1,761
Scotland
Ayrshire, Dumfries & Galloway |4,664 |4.568 |1.802 |1,256
Central and Fife |4,856 |4.285 |1.965 |1,007
Glasgow City |9,854 |8.455 |3.586 |1,786
Grampian and Tayside |4,397 |3.519 |1.583 |1,754
Highlands and Islands |1,700 |1.291 |0.542 |365
Lanarkshire |4,730 |3.964 |1.790 |950
Lothian and Borders |5,258 |4.563 |1.912 |1,370
Renfrew, Dunbarton and Argyll |6,014 |4.921 |2.256 |736
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what criteria have been used by the Department of Employment Training Agency area offices to assess bids for approved training agents and approved training managers' contracts ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 12 December 1988] : Contracts for training agents and training managers were negotiated on the basis of written proposals submitted to Training Agency area offices. The Training Agency considered the quality of the training offered ; the ways in which the proposed training related to the needs of the local labour market ; the previous experience and financial viability of the organisations concerned ; and the cost-effective use of the available resources. Contracts were awarded on the basis that every organisation would have to meet the criteria for approved status by March 1990. My right hon. Friend is satisfied that the right criteria were used.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are the profiles of the number of
Column 332
expected starts, excluding conversion from other programmes, on employment training for the months of September, October and November for each Department of Employment Training Agency area.Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 12 December 1988] : Profiles of starts with training managers are for internal management purposes only.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many bids had been (a) received for ATA and ATM contracts, (b) accepted and (c) refused for each Department of Employment Training Agency area, at the most recent available date.
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 12 December 1988] : The information requested is given in the following table :
Column 333
Bids for training agent and training manager contracts
(up to and including 31 October 1988)
Training agent Training manager
Area office |Number of bids received|Number of bids accepted|Number of bids received|Number of bids accepted
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
South East Region
Berkshire and
Oxfordshire |11 |4 |20 |9
Buckinghamshire
and
Hertfordshire |10 |4 |29 |12
Essex |10 |4 |40 |15
Hampshire and Isle
of Wight |15 |5 |36 |11
Kent |7 |3 |32 |10
Surrey |4 |1 |24 |7
Sussex |12 |4 |32 |12
London Region
Inner London North |20 |6 |65 |38
Inner London South |6 |3 |28 |21
London East |7 |3 |35 |17
London North |11 |5 |22 |13
London South |6 |2 |27 |12
London West |9 |4 |33 |9
South West Region
Avon |6 |1 |45 |25
Devon and Cornwall |7 |3 |53 |21
Dorset and Somerset |5 |2 |60 |13
Gloucester and Wiltshire |2 |2 |32 |11
West Midlands Region
Birmingham and
Solihull |20 |3 |72 |13
Coventry and
Warwickshire |11 |2 |58 |9
Dudley and
Sandwell |9 |2 |48 |19
Staffordshire |9 |4 |47 |17
The Marches,
Hereford and
Worcester |16 |2 |71 |14
Wolverhampton and
Walsall |5 |2 |39 |18
East Midlands and Eastern Region
Bedfordshire and
Cambridgeshire |15 |4 |31 |13
Derbyshire |10 |3 |43 |22
Leicestershire and
Northampton-
shire |12 |2 |50 |21
Lincolnshire |6 |1 |25 |10
Norfolk and Suffolk |10 |3 |26 |15
Nottinghamshire |6 |1 |56 |23
Yorkshire and Humberside Region
Bradford, Calderdale
and Kirklees |8 |3 |50 |18
Humberside |5 |3 |56 |38
North Yorkshire and
Leeds |13 |3 |62 |29
Sheffield and
Rotherham |8 |3 |61 |24
Wakefield,
Doncaster and
Barnsley |14 |3 |60 |24
North West Region
Cheshire |13 |7 |49 |25
Cumbria |7 |2 |26 |11
Lancashire |2 |1 |51 |33
Central Manchester |12 |4 |62 |36
Greater Manchester
North |7 |3 |47 |21
Greater Manchester
East |14 |3 |38 |16
Merseyside |13 |5 |92 |54
Northern Region
Cleveland |9 |1 |64 |43
County Durham |8 |5 |45 |26
Northumberland,
North Tyneside
and Newcastle |12 |3 |61 |40
Sunderland, South
Tyneside and
Gateshead |6 |6 |56 |42
Wales
Dyfed and West
Glamorgan |14 |3 |67 |45
Gwent |5 |2 |48 |25
Gwynned, Clwyd
and Powys |9 |4 |91 |24
Mid and South
Glamorgan |12 |4 |76 |40
Sctland
Ayrshire, Dumfries
and Galloway |9 |3 |36 |17
Central and Fife |9 |2 |48 |19
Glasgow City |7 |3 |64 |40
Grampian and
Tayside |7 |2 |35 |27
Highlands and
Islands |11 |5 |27 |17
Lanarkshire |5 |1 |40 |29
Lothian and Borders |8 |3 |38 |26
Refrew, Dunbarton
and Argyll |13 |3 |33 |18
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Identity Cards
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether his Department has investigated, or is currently studying, the usefulness of a national identity card to his departmental responsibilities ; and whether he will make a statement.
Mr. Donald Thompson : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Central (Mr. Darling) by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department on 15 December at column 1080. This subject is kept under review but my Department has no responsibilities at present requiring the issue of identity cards.
Egg Inspectors
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the present establishment of egg inspectors among (a) Ministry of Agriculture veterinarians, (b) Health and Safety Executive agriculture inspectors, (c) the general egg marketing inspectorate (Ministry of Agriculture), (d) environmental health officers and (e) trading standards officers ; by what percentage each of these inspectorates are below establishment ; what is the average frequency of
Column 335
inspections carried out by each individual inspectorate ; and if he will make a statement as to the function of each inspectorate.Mr. Donald Thompson : The only one of these groups with an establishment of egg inspectors is the Ministry's egg marketing inspectorate. This comprises 32 inspectors. It is currently 3 per cent. (one inspector) below complement. The average frequency of inspections is two and a half per day per inspector.
The function of the inspectorate is to enforce the EC's regulations on egg marketing and hatching eggs at all marketing stages up to but excluding retail level. It is also required to undertake visits to retailers at the request of trading standards officers who have responsibility for enforcing these regulations at retail level.
Deer (Tuberculosis)
Sir John Farr : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why his Department's tests on deer imported from Hungary failed to spot the presence of tuberculosis ; and what steps he is taking to improve the animal health evaluation techniques of his Department.
Mr. Donald Thompson : Some deer imported into this country in 1985 under Hungarian certification were subsequently found to be infected with tuberculosis and all were traced. Our import requirements at that time included pre-export testing by the country of origin and quarantine but not testing on arrival. Following the 1985 incident, the import controls were strengthened to require more stringent pre-export isolation and testing and post-import tuberculosis testing. No case of tuberculosis has been detected in deer which have been imported since January 1986.
The only validated test currently available for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in deer is the tuberculin test. It is recognised that this test is not as sensitive in deer as in cattle and, in consequence ; its interpretation has been amended. When used at suitable intervals and interpreted in accordance with the revised guidelines, it remains the best method of detecting the disease in deer.
Research into an Elisa test has been carried out at the central veterinary laboratory while the Morodum research institute is looking at a lymphocyte transformation test, but it is too early to say if either could be used in the field.
ITB Pension Fund
Mr. Stern : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to allow pensioners of the ITB pension fund's closed fund to have their pensions paid into a building society account.
Mr. Donald Thompson : In conjunction with the Department of Employment, approval for such an amendment to the rules of the ITB pension funds's closed fund has recently been given. The pension fund's trustees were advised of this on 6 December 1988.
Food Poisoning
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the research known to his Department which is relevant to food poisoning and has been (a) ongoing and (b) commissioned in each of the last five years ; and if he will state the source of funding in each case.
Column 336
Mr. Ryder : The following list of research projects covers most of the publicly funded research relevant to microbial food poisoning ongoing and newly commissioned over the past two years. A fuller reply could be prepared only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what funding has been provided by his Department for the salmonella research being carried out by Dr. Geoffrey Mead at the Institute of Food Research in Bristol ; what were the objectives of the research ; what information has been obtained from it ; when the funding is to cease ; if a request has been made for it to continue ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ryder : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Bradford, South (Bob Cryer) on 8 December.
SCOTLAND
Tourism
15. Mr. Gregory : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he has on the administrative costs of promoting Scottish tourism ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang : It is estimated that STB's administration costs will amount to £957,000 in the current financial year. Expenditure on administration is 14 per cent. of the board's grant-in-aid provision of £6.8 million.
Rating Reform
16. Mr. Greg Knight : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress is being made towards the implementation of the community charge in Scotland.
Mr. Lang : Arrangements for the introduction of the community charge in April next year are proceeding well. All the necessary regulations are now in place or will shortly be in place. Registration officers and levying authorities are making good progress in discharging their responsibilities.
19. Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the proposed combined region and district contribution which community charge payers living in Caithness district and in Sutherland district will be expected to make to the revenue support grant safety net.
Mr. Lang : Without the safety net, revenue support grant per adult would be £12 or 1.5 per cent. higher for Caithness and £45 or 5.5 per cent. higher for Sutherland. Even allowing for this, grant for next year, taking into account also the grant for Highland region, is being increased by £74 or 10.5 per cent. per adult in Caithness and by £95 or 13.3 per cent. per adult in Sutherland.
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his latest estimate of the number of second homes liable for the standard community charge.
Mr. Lang : It is estimated that as at 30 June 1986 there were 19, 446 second homes in Scotland. This figure is derived from information supplied by local authorities.
| Next Section
| Home Page |