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Column 248
Mr. Maude : In 1988 the Office of Fair Trading considered 306 merger situations qualifying under the terms of the Fair Trading Act 1973 for reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many takeover bids were recommended for referral to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in 1988.
Mr. Maude : Ten qualifying merger situations were recommended for reference to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in 1988.
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many takeover bids were referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in 1988.
Mr. Maude : Ten qualifying merger situations were referred to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission in 1988.
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many letters he received from hon. Members on takeover bids in 1988.
Mr. Maude : During 1988 hon. Members sent in a considerable number of letters on this subject, but a precise count is not feasible.
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many parliamentary questions he answered on takeover bids in 1988.
Mr. Maude : In 1988 more than 50 parliamentary questions were answered on mergers and related issues.
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list in order of priority the factors he takes into account in reaching decisions to refer takeover bids to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission.
Mr. Maude : In making his decision on whether or not to refer a merger situation to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission my right hon. and noble Friend the Secretary of State takes account of all aspects of a merger which might have a bearing on the public interest.
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many letters were sent by hon. Members to the Director General of Fair Trading on takeover bids in 1988.
Mr. Maude : The Director General of Fair Trading received a considerable number of letters from hon. Members in 1988 about takeover bids. A precise count is not feasible.
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many deputations of hon. Members the Director General of Fair Trading saw on takeover bids in 1988.
Mr. Maude : The Director General received three deputations of hon. Members on takeover bids and also met other hon. Members during 1988.
Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what consideration he gives to early-day motions on takeover bids.
Mr. Maude : I give due consideration to all such early-day motions.
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Regional Assistance
Mr. Gordon Brown : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether he will publish in the Official Report data for regional preferential assistance in 1987-88 on the
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same basis as in table 12.9 in "Regional Trends 1988" ; and whether he will also state the total assistance to each standard region since 1978-79 at both current and 1987-88 prices.Mr. Atkins : The information requested is as follows :
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|c|Government expenditure on regional preferential assistance to industry<1> 1987-88|c|
|Great Britain |North |York and Humberside|East Midlands |South West |West Midlands |North West |England |Wales |Scotland
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Regional development grants |118.7 |29.0 |6.4 |0.7 |2.4 |- |22.6 |61.1 |22.8 |34.8
Old special development area |78.9 |22.8 |- |- |0.4 |- |16.7 |39.9 |13.0 |26.1
Old development areas |39.8 |6.2 |6.4 |0.7 |2.0 |- |5.9 |21.2 |9.8 |8.7
Old intermediate areas |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
New regional development grants |151.9 |32.7 |11.4 |6.4 |4.6 |- |23.1 |78.2 |30.6 |43.2
New development areas |151.9 |32.7 |11.4 |6.4 |4.6 |- |23.1 |78.2 |30.6 |43.2
New intermediate areas |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
Selective financial assistance<2> |148.5 |24.4 |14.1 |2.2 |4.3 |18.3 |19.4 |82.7 |28.1 |37.6
Old special development area |27.2 |6.7 |- |- |0.4 |- |2.4 |9.5 |3.5 |14.2
Old development areas |23.3 |0.4 |3.8 |0.9 |1.0 |- |0.3 |6.4 |13.3 |3.6
Old intermediate areas |3.6 |- |0.7 |0.0 |0.2 |- |1.2 |2.1 |0.4 |1.1
New development areas |49.2 |15.2 |1.8 |0.7 |0.5 |- |9.7 |27.9 |5.2 |16.2
New intermediate areas |45.2 |2.1 |7.8 |0.6 |2.2 |18.3 |5.8 |36.8 |5.7 |2.7
Expenditure by English estates on
land and building |46.7 |22.6 |6.7 |- |3.4 |0.5 |13.5 |46.7 |- |-
New development areas |38.1 |21.1 |3.4 |- |2.4 |- |11.3 |38.1 |- |-
New intermediate areas |8.5 |1.5 |3.3 |- |1.0 |0.5 |2.2 |8.5 |- |-
Expenditure by Scottish and Welsh
development agencies<3> on land and
factories |64.3 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |44.2 |20.1
Development board for rural Wales |6.5 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |6.5 |-
Highlands and Islands development
board |16.4 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |16.4
|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Total |552.9 |108.7 |38.6 |9.3 |14.7 |18.8 |78.6 |268.7 |132.2 |152.1
<1> All figures are gross and include payments to nationalised industries. Data are presented in terms of the old definitions of Assisted Areas for those payments resulting from applications made up to 28 November 1984, and in terms of the new definitions
for the payments resulting from applications after 28 November 1984.
<2> Under Section 7 of the Industrial Development Act 1982.
<3> It has not been possible to provide a split by Assisted Area status for expenditure by the WDA. The comparable expenditure figures of £20.1 million for the SDA comprised £16.9 million in new development areas and £2.5 million in new intermediate areas.
|c|Government expenditure on regional preferential assistance to industry at current prices<1>|c| £ million Region |1978-79 |1979-80 |1980-81 |1981-82 |1982-83 |1983-84 |1984-85 |1985-86 |1986-87 |1987-88 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Northern |158.9 |147.8 |145.4 |175.1 |158.5 |124.7 |122.2 |94.4 |137.1 |108.7 Yorkshire and Humberside |37.4 |32.1 |52.2 |61.6 |52.9 |35.5 |41.9 |34.3 |41.4 |38.6 East Midlands<3> |3.4 |4.1 |4.6 |8.6 |13.7 |17.6 |10.1 |8.3 |10.5 |9.3 South West |9.6 |10.7 |11.5 |14.8 |16.4 |11.9 |13.7 |11.8 |22.2 |14.7 West Midlands<4> |0.4 |0.1 |- |- |- |- |- |5.5 |10.0 |18.8 North West |<6>114.0|<6>86.7 |<6>130.2|<6>174.8|<6>123.8|<6>104.2|<6>101.6|85.9 |128.5 |78.6 England |323.7 |281.5 |343.9 |434.9 |365.3 |293.9 |289.5 |240.2 |349.8 |268.7 Wales |132.1 |100.2 |171.3 |198.1 |182.2 |116.8 |146.0 |137.7 |150.4 |132.2 Scotland |153.6 |130.5 |192.8 |231.9 |369.4 |227.8 |179.2 |204.7 |241.6 |152.1 Great Britain<2> |609.4 |512.2 |708.0 |864.9 |917.0 |638.5 |614.6 |582.6 |741.8 |552.9 <1>All figures are gross and include payments to nationalised industries. <2>The Great Britain total does not always equal the sum of the component parts due to the inclusion of expenditure which cannot be allocated to regions and because of rounding. <3>Includes some minor expenditure in west midlands in respect of Oswestry TTWA which ceased to be an assisted area in 1982-83. <4>Certain TTWAs in the west midlands were designated as Assisted Areas on 29 November 1984. <5>Expenditure on a 1987-88 price basis for each year is calculated by applying the appropriate deflator to expenditure at current prices. <6>Includes expenditure in Cumbria, otherwise shown within the totals for the northern region.
|c|Government expenditure on regional preferential assistance to industry at 1987-88 prices<1><5>|c| £ million Region |1978-79 |1979-80 |1980-81 |1981-82 |1982-83 |1983-84 |1984-85 |1985-86 |1986-87 |1987-88 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Northern |325.5 |259.3 |215.3 |236.3 |199.5 |150.2 |140.0 |102.7 |144.3 |108.7 Yorkshire and Humberside |76.6 |56.3 |77.3 |83.1 |66.6 |42.8 |48.0 |37.3 |43.6 |38.6 East Midlands<3> |7.0 |7.2 |6.8 |11.6 |17.2 |21.2 |11.6 |9.0 |11.1 |9.3 South West |19.7 |18.8 |17.0 |20.0 |20.6 |14.3 |15.7 |12.8 |23.4 |14.7 West Midlands<4> |0.8 |0.2 |- |- |- |- |- |6.0 |10.5 |18.8 North West |<6>233.5|<6>152.1|<6>192.8|<6>235.9|<6>155.8|<6>125.5|116.4 |93.5 |135.3 |78.6 England |663.1 |493.9 |509.1 |587.0 |459.8 |354.1 |331.7 |261.3 |368.2 |268.7 Wales |270.6 |175.8 |253.6 |267.4 |229.3 |140.7 |167.3 |149.8 |158.3 |132.2 Scotland |314.6 |228.9 |285.4 |313.0 |464.9 |274.5 |205.3 |222.7 |254.3 |152.1 Great Britain<2> |1,248.3 |898.6 |1,048.2 |1,167.3 |1,154.1 |769.3 |704.2 |633.9 |780.8 |552.9 <1>All figures are gross and include payments to nationalised industries. <2>The Great Britain total does not always equal the sum of the component parts due to the inclusion of expenditure which cannot be allocated to regions and because of rounding. <3>Includes some minor expenditure in west midlands in respect of Oswestry TTWA which ceased to be an assisted area in 1982-83. <4>Certain TTWAs in the west midlands were designated as Assisted Areas on 29 November 1984. <5>Expenditure on a 1987-88 price basis for each year is calculated by applying the appropriate deflator to expenditure at current prices. <6>Includes expenditure in Cumbria, otherwise shown within the totals for the northern region.
The items included in the expenditure are regional development grants and regional selective assistance, expenditure on land and factories by the English Industrial Estates Corporation, the Scottish and Welsh Development Agencies, the Development Board for Rural Wales, and the Highlands and Islands Development Board.
Inward Investment
Mr. Jack : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what proportion of inward investment to the United Kingdom has come from Japan in 1979, 1983 and 1988.
Mr. Atkins : The available information relates to direct investment. Net direct investment by Japanese companies in the United Kingdom was £51 million in 1979, £170 million in 1983 and £15 million in 1986, the latest year for which figures are available. Japanese direct investment accounted for 3 per cent., 8 per cent. and per cent. respectively, of total net inward direct investment in those years.
Industrial Investment
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development member countries have shown a greater increase in industrial investment since 1979 than the United Kingdom.
Mr. Atkins : Comparable statistics for industrial investment are available only up to 1986 and do not cover all Organisation for Economic Co -operation and Development countries. Of the countries for which comparisons are available, the following have shown a greater increase between 1979 and 1986 than the United Kingdom :
United States of America
Denmark
Finland
Iceland
Netherlands
Norway
Sweden
Franchising Companies
Mr. Speller : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many franchising companies he estimates there are in the United Kingdom retail sales and service sector ; how many of these have been the subject of any investigation by his Department ; and if he will make a statement upon the growth of the franchisor and franchisee business in the past 10 years.
Mr. Forth : There are no official statistics. Private studies estimate that there are some 230 business format franchisors with some 16,000 franchisees. Separate records
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are not kept of the number of franchise businesses investigated by the Department. A properly constructed franchise business operation can encourage enterprise.Research and Development
Mr. Straw : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will publish tables showing the percentage of gross domestic product accounted for by (a) Government expenditure and (b) all expenditure on civil research and development for each Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development country, for the years 1974, 1979, 1983, 1986, 1987 and 1988.
Mr. Forth [holding answer 14 February 1989] : The available information relates to gross expenditure on research and development (R and D) in the fields of science, technology, social science and humanities and Government financing of it, as a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP). It is given in the following tables :
|c|Gross expenditure on R & D as a percentage of GDP|c|
|1974 |1979 |1983 |1986
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Australia |<2><5>1.2
Austria |<2>1.3 |<2>1.3
Belgium |1.3 |<2>1.5 |1.6
Canada |1.1 |1.1 |1.3 |1.4
Denmark |1.0 |1.0 |1.2 |1.3
Finland |1.1 |1.3 |<2>1.6
France |1.8 |1.8 |2.1 |2.3
Germany |2.1 |<1>2.4 |2.5
Greece |0.2 |<1><2>0.3|0.3
Iceland |0.7 |0.7 |<2>0.7
Ireland |0.8 |<1>0.7 |0.7 |0.9
Italy |0.7 |0.7 |1.0 |1.1
Japan<4> |2.0 |2.1 |2.6 |2.8
Luxembourg
Netherlands |2.0 |1.9 |2.0 |2.2
New Zealand |0.9 |0.9 |<2>0.9
Norway |1.3 |1.3 |1.4 |<2>1.8
Portugal |<5>0.5
Spain |0.3 |0.4 |0.5 |<5>0.6
Sweden<3> |1.9 |2.5
Switzerland |2.3 |2.4 |<1>2.3 |<1>2.9
Turkey |0.8 |0.6
United Kingdom |2.3 |2.4
United States |2.3 |2.3 |2.6 |2.7
Yugoslavia |0.9 |0.9 |0.9
Source: OECD.
not available.
<1> break in the series.
<2> national estimate adjusted to meet OECD norms.
<3> excludes R & D in social sciences and humanities.
<4> based on overestimated data.
provisional.
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|c|Gross expenditure on R and D, financed by
Government as|c|
|c|percentage of GDP|c|
|1983 |1979 |1983 |1986
--------------------------------------------------
Australia
Austria<2> |0.6 |0.6
Belgium |0.4 |0.5
Canada |0.7 |0.6 |0.7 |0.7
Denmark |0.6 |0.5 |0.6
Finland |0.5 |0.6
France |1.0 |0.9 |1.1 |1.2
Germany |1.1 |<1>1.0|1.0
Greece |0.2 |<2>0.2|0.2
Iceland |0.5 |0.5
Ireland |0.5 |<1>0.4|0.4 |0.4
Italy |0.3 |0.3 |0.5 |0.6
Japan<4> |0.6 |0.6 |0.6 |0.6
Luxembourg
Netherlands |0.8 |0.9 |1.0
New Zealand |0.7 |<2>0.8|0.8
Norway |0.8 |0.8 |0.7 |<2>0.8
Portugal |<5>0.3
Spain |0.1 |0.2 |0.2 |<5>0.3
Sweden<3> |0.7 |0.9
Switzerland |0.4 |0.6 |<1>0.5|<1>0.6
Turkey
United Kingdom |1.2 |1.0
United States |1.3 |1.2 |1.3 |1.4
Yugoslavia |0.3 |0.4 |0.4
Source: OECD.
Not available.
<1>Break in the series.
<2>National estimate adjusted to meet OECD norms.
<3>Excludes R and D in social science and
humanities.
<4>Based on overestimated data.
<5>Provisional.
HEALTH
Hospitals (Northern Region)
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the hospitals in the Northern regional health authority he expects to become self-governing under the proposals in the White Paper, "Working for Patients".
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : It is too early even to estimate numbers. Over time, I expect that as many hospitals as are willing and able to do so will become self-governing.
Child Care Workers
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of his Department's appropriate grant aid budget has been allocated to the training of child care workers over the last five years to date.
Mr. Freeman : Training for child care workers is primarily the responsibility of local authorities, and information on the proportion of rate support grant used for such purposes is not held centrally. The Department introduced in 1986 a central training initiative on child abuse to fund a range of projects aimed at developing training for workers from a number of disciplines and professions concerned with child abuse. Expenditure on that initiative was £10,000 in 1986-87, £205,000 in 1987-88 and is expected to be £375,000 in 1988-89 ; and that programme is continuing.
In addition, my right hon. Friend, the then Minister for Health announced on 6 July 1988 at column 1062 the introduction of additional grants of £7 million in support of expenditure of £10 million for social services child care staff in 1989-90.
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Hip Operations (Stockport)
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the scale of hip operations by Stockport district health authority.
Mr. Freeman : Stockport health authority's record on the waiting list for hip replacement operations is one of the best in the country. Any income it obtains from the sale of hip replacement operations will be used to further improve services for National Health Service patients locally.
Out-patients
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many out-patients were treated by the National Health Service in 1987-88 ; and what was the figure in 1978-79.
Mr. Freeman : The information is given in the table.
|c|New out-patient attendances,
NHS hospitals, England.
1987-88 and|c|
|c|1978.|c|
|Number
-------------------------------
<1>1987-88 |8,529,759
<2>1978 |7,711,912
Source: SH3: 1978, KH09 and
KH18: 1987-88.
<1> Patients not seen by a
doctor are no longer counted.
The figure for 1987-88 is for
the financial year.
<2> The figure for 1978 is for
the calendar year.
Doctors
Mr. Jack : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of doctors in the National Health Service in 1979 and in the latest available year.
Mr. Freeman : The information requested is set out in the table.
|c|Table: Doctors in the NHS hospital and community
health services<1>|c|
|c|and family practitioner services: England,
number.|c|
|1979 |1987
--------------------------------------------------------
Hospital<2> |32,607 |36,212
Community Health Services<3> |5,095 |5,542
Family Practitioner Services<4> |23,062 |27,023
|-------|-------
Total |60,764 |68,777
<1> Includes permanent paid and honorary staff as at 30
September each year.
<2> Excludes hospital practitioners and those employed
under para 94 of the Terms and Conditions of Service (
"clinical assistants") to avoid double counting of
staff who are also family practitioners.
<3> Excludes Community Medicine and all occasional
sessional staff.
<4> As at 1 October each year.
Mr. Sean Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether, in the light of paragraph 3.12 of the White Paper, "Working for Patients", Cm 555, it is his intention to extend local settlements of pay and conditions to those employed in the general dental service ;
(2) whether he envisages setting up an audit system for general dental practitioners similar to that proposed for general medical practitioners, with a role for dental practice advisers.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : The Government's policy for the General Dental Service was set out in chapter 4 of the White Paper on primary care (Cm 249) "Promoting Better Health". This included proposals to introduce part time
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practice advisers in a number of FPC areas as a means of improving quality control procedures and to begin discussions with the profession on changes to the dental practitioners' contract including new arrangements to assist dentists with the costs of setting up practices in area where there are too few dentists.Doctors' and Dentists' Pay
Mr. Sean Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether, in the light of the proposed local settlement of pay and conditions as outlined in paragraph 3.12 of the White Paper, "Working for Patients", it is his intention to terminate the operation of the doctors and dentists review board machinery.
Cockroaches
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will make a statement about the role of cockroaches in the spread of human disease.
Mr. Freeman : In the terminology of communicable disease, a "carrier" is a person or animal that harbours a specific infectious agent in the absence of discernable clinical disease and serves as a potential source of infection. Cockroaches may become carriers and can be deleterious to human health by mechanically transmitting infection. For example, a cockroach that has been in contact with infected material and then comes into contact with food can contaminate food. The Department is sponsoring research into the effectiveness of hydromethylnon in eradicating cockroaches and the development of juvenile hormone analogue which would aim to prevent the development of cockroaches to the adult stage. The results of this work are expected by the end of 1989.
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Central Health Monitoring Unit
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his reply of 16 January, Official Report, column 34, if he will list the numbers, grades and hours of staff working in the unit set up to monitor the health of the nation ; and if any additional resources are planned to collect new forms of morbidity data.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : The central health monitoring unit is in the process of being established. A full-time director has been appointed at senior medical officer level but the final staffing arrangements have not yet been completed. The need for the collection of new forms of morbidity data is one of the issues the unit will address during the course of its work. The question of resources for any new data collection will be dealt with as issues arise.
NHS Funding
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central on 6 February, Official Report, column 495, if he will publish a table showing (a) the actual allocations made to regional health authorities in 1988-89, (b) the notional allocation to regional health authorities if the 1988-89 distribution had applied to the 1989-90 total, (c) the notional percentage cash increase to each region, (d) the actual allocation to each region made for 1989-90, (e) the actual percentage cash increase to each region and (f) a table showing the percentage cash increases in (c) and (e) adjusted for the effects of inflation between 1988-89 and 1989-90.
Mr. Freeman : The information requested is given in the table.
Column 255
Increase adjusted for
inflation<4> percentage
Region |1988-89 main provision<1>|Notional distribution of |Difference percentage |Actual 1989-90 main |Percentage cash increase |Column 3 |Column 5
|1989-90 main |column 1 and 2 |provision<3> |over 1988-89
|provision<2> in line
|with 1988-89 allocations
|£ million |£ million |£ million.
|(1) |(2) |(3) |(4) |(5) |(6) |(7)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |735.3 |832.6 |13.2 |832.4 |7.7 |7.8 |2.5
Yorkshire |829.7 |939.5 |13.2 |937.4 |7.7 |7.8 |2.5
Trent |1,010.1 |1,143.9 |13.2 |1,147.2 |8.0 |7.8 |2.9
East Anglian |437.7 |495.6 |13.2 |497.1 |8.3 |7.8 |3.1
North West Thames |811.1 |918.5 |13.2 |912.9 |7.7 |7.8 |2.5
North East Thames |1,013.1 |1,147.3 |13.2 |1,137.0 |7.7 |7.8 |2.5
South East Thames |899.9 |1,019.1 |13.2 |1,018.3 |7.7 |7.8 |2.5
South Western Thames |747.1 |846.0 |13.2 |843.7 |7.7 |7.8 |2.5
Wessex |614.6 |695.9 |13.2 |699.1 |7.7 |7.8 |2.5
Oxford |482.4 |546.3 |13.2 |557.6 |9.0 |7.8 |3.8
South Western |731.6 |828.4 |13.2 |832.4 |7.7 |7.8 |2.5
West Midlands |1,185.6 |1,342.5 |13.2 |1,340.1 |7.7 |7.8 |2.6
Mersey |586.3 |663.9 |13.2 |663.8 |7.7 |7.8 |2.5
North Western |1,006.4 |1,139.6 |13.2 |1,140.1 |7.7 |7.8 |2.5
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |11,090.7 |12,559.1 |13.2 |12,559.1 |7.8 |7.8 |2.7
<1> 1988-89 initial cash limit main provision. Excludes earmarked sums but includes special fund of £15 million allocated to regions which received lowest increases under RAWP. Excludes additional funding for 1988 review body pay
awards.
<2> Excludes sums earmarked eg supra-regional services, AIDS, breast cancer screening.
<3> Includes savings resulting from reduction in employers' superannuation costs.
<4> Gross domestic product deflator.
Note:
Figures may not sum due to roundings.
Hip Fractures
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number of people aged 65 years or more admitted to hospital suffering from hip fractures in 1988 in each regional health authority area in England who were operated on within (a) 24 hours of admittance, (b) 25 to 48 hours of admittance, (c) 49 to 72 hours of admittance, and (d) over 72 hours of admittance.
Mr. Freeman : We do not currently hold this information centrally. From 1990, information supplied by regional health authorities will include duration of stay in hospital both on a pre and post-operation basis.
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number of people aged 65 years or more admitted to hospital suffering from hip fractures in 1988 in each regional health authority area in England.
Mr. Freeman : The information requested for 1985 (the latest year for which data is available centrally) is given in the table :
|c|Estimated number of in-patients aged 65 and over with main|c|
|c|diagnosis as shown discharged from NHS non-psychiatric hospitals,|c|
|c|by region of treatment, England 1985|c|
County |Fracture of femur |Fracture of other parts
|of femur
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ICD Code<1> (3 Digit) |820 |821
Northern |2,390 |380
Yorkshire |3,390 |380
Trent |3,720 |390
East Anglia |1,730 |130
North West Thames |1,970 |260
North East Thames |3,030 |280
South East Thames |3,350 |550
South West Thames |2,510 |230
Wessex |2,340 |430
Oxford |1,270 |200
South Western |3,270 |290
West Midlands |4,560 |630
Mersey |1,960 |390
North Western |3,320 |370
SHA's |(20) |0
England |38,840 |4,890
<1> ICD-International Classification of Diseases; 9th revision.
Figures in brackets should be treated with caution as they are based on small sample numbers.
The England total may not equal to the sum of the regions due to roundings.
Mental Handicap Services
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what specific measures he proposes to encourage general practitioners to act as gatekeepers to social services, social security and housing for their patients with mental handicaps.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : It is the Government's aim that all the statutory authorities concerned with the provision of services for mentally handicapped people should co-operate in providing access to a comprehensive and integrated range of services to meet the individual needs of mentally handicapped people and their families. I am sure general practitioners will continue to help to achieve this aim.
Column 258
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to provide earmarked additional funding for the development of mental handicap services ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : No. The development of mental handicap services is already one of the priorities for the statutory authorities responsible for their provision. The statistical bulletin "Personal Social Services : Provision for Mentally Handicapped People in England 1976-86" a copy of which is in the Library and which was issued last year, describes the progress that has been made in increasing residential and day provision in the community.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish a paper setting out the short and long term implications of "Working for Patients" for (i) the National Health Service contribution to mental handicap services, (ii) the National Health Service partnership with other statutory services, and (iii) voluntary sector mental handicap services.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : We are examining the future organisation and management of services for mentally handicapped people as part of our wider consideration of community care policy, following Sir Roy Griffiths' report and taking into account the implications of "Working for Patients". We are also looking at ways of strengthening collaboration between the NHS and other statutory and voluntary agencies in the provision of those services.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will invite the Audit Commission to work closely with the national development team in monitoring the quality and quantity of health and local authority mental handicap services.
Mr. Freeman : The Audit Commission remains a wholly independent body but does, of course, have access to the published reports of the national development team as part of the body of knowledge to be taken into account when approaching value for money exercises on mental handicap services. The two bodies already have informal links.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether mental handicap hospitals will be eligible to form themselves into National Heath Service hospital trusts ; if such trusts would have responsibility for community mental handicap services ; and whether they would be authorised to charge for non-hospital residential care.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : Any hospital which meets the criteria in chapter 3 of the White Paper "Working for Patients" would be eligible to become an NHS hospital trust, and trusts will be able to run community services, where this is sensible. NHS hospital trusts will be subject to the provisions on charging for residential care which apply to the NHS generally.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the National Health Service White Paper proposals for greater flexibility across health authority boundaries, and their effects on the Department's policy for comprehensive and integrated local services for people with mental handicap.
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Mr. Kenneth Clarke : It remains my Department's policy to encourage the development of comprehensive and integrated local services for people with a mental handicap. The greater flexibility and other proposals in the White Paper "Working for Patients" will further assist the implementation of this policy.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if, as a result of "Working for Patients", there will be any substantial extension of the role of the private health sector in catering for the general or special needs of people with mental handicap.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : The private and voluntary sectors in collaboration with the statutory services play an essential role in provision for mentally handicapped people, and I hope this will continue to expand when its is for the benefit of mentally handicapped people and their families.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the revised funding arrangements proposed in "Working for Patients" will take account of the transitional and long-term costs of funding higher quality mental handicap services.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : The White Paper proposals will fund health authorities for the populations they serve rather than for particular services they provide. By providing greater choice and flexibility the new arrangements will promote access to better standards of service.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will issue up-to-date guidance to health authorities on the positive use, for the individual's own benefit, of accumulated funds held by health authorities on behalf of patients in mental handicap hospitals.
Mr. Freeman : We know that many hospitals are devising imaginative schemes within the existing guidelines to use patients' own money for their personal benefit and to enhance their quality of life. There are no plans to issue new national guidelines.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will extend the requirement for peer group review and professional audit to those parts of the mental handicap service which are led by psychologists, nurses or social workers.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : Not at present, although I would expect all professional staff providing services to mentally handicapped people to keep the quality and effectiveness of those services under continuous review.
Working for Patients"
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he proposes to improve liaison between health authorities and local authorities, following changes in the composition of health authorities and the abolition of some district health authorities, as proposed in "Working for Patients".
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : Health authorities and local authorities are statutorily obliged to collaborate in the development of services, and mechanisms exist for encouraging liaison between them. Ways in which those
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mechanisms can be made to work more effectively are being examined as part of our consideration of the Sir Roy Griffiths report "Community Care : Agenda for Action", and we shall be taking account of "Working for Patients" in those deliberations.Prescription Charges
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what instructions he has issued to determine when the charges for a doctor's prescription are to be at a single or multiple rate.
Mr. Freeman : Part XVI of the drug tariff sets out the circumstances where more than one prescription charge is payable. The drug tariff is issued monthly to all National Health Service general medical practitioners and pharmacy and appliance contractors.
Pharmaceutical Prices
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has any proposals to review the pharmaceutical price regulation scheme ; and if he will make a statement.
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