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Mr. Archie Hamilton : The information requested can be found in figure 15 of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1986" (Cmnd. 9763-I), figure 16 of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1987" (Cm. 101-I), and figure 19 of the "Statement on the Defence Estimates 1988" (Cm. 344-I).
Launchers
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many launchers of each type the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation had in its nuclear systems (a) in 1979 and (b) at the latest available date.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Details of launchers for NATO's theatre nuclear forces have been given in successive Statements on the Defence Estimates.
Cyprus (Accommodation)
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on accommodation for service personnel and their families in Cyprus and plans for its improvement.
Mr. Neubert : The standards of accommodation for service personnel and their families serving overseas are kept under regular review and a major study into both single and married accommodation is currently under way in Cyprus.
In the eastern sovereign base area a £3.5 million Army project of new build married quarters and single living accommodation, together with the upgrading of some existing single accommodation, was started in March 1988 and is due for completion in 1991. In the western sovereign
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base area a first phase of new build of 48 soldiers' married quarters began this year and will be completed in 1990 with further phases to follow. Extensive refurbishment of single accommodation is planned. At Akrotiri the RAF have a substantial refurbishment programme underway for both single and married accommodation and plans have been agreed for the construction of up to 100 airmen's married quarters over the next three years.Publicity Campaigns
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all current publicity campaigns being conducted by or for his Department or ones planned for the first three months of 1989-90, indicating those which involve television advertising and the starting and finishing dates of each campaign.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The following publicity campaigns are currently under way or will be undertaken during the periods shown : (a) NATO 40th anniversary postal slogan in April 1989, which appeared on approximately 46 million items of mail.
(b) NATO briefing tour in April 1989, which will visit six major towns and cities in the United Kingdom.
(c) NATO exhibitions from April until late in 1989, which is an annual exhibition, but which will be enhanced this year to reflect the 40th anniversary of NATO, and will visit 15 venues throughout the United Kingdom.
(d) National Employer Liaison Committee campaign, which started in September 1988 and will last for five years, and whose aim is to enhance the image of the Reserve services with employers.
(e) A regular recruitment campaign for Royal Navy and Royal Marines officers and other ranks, which will continue throughout the year, together with some smaller scale recruitment campaigns for specialist trades and reservists.
(f) A recruitment campaign for the Army which will run throughout the year as usual, aimed at officers, other ranks, and territorial reservists. This year the campaign will include limited television advertising from 31 March to 22 April, with a parallel campaign on Capital Radio. The television commercial will also be screened at 246 cinemas in London from 14 April to 22 June.
(g) A regular recruitment campaign for RAF officers and airmen, which will run throughout the year.
HEALTH
Select Committee Recommendations
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Select Committee recommendations have been made about, and how many accepted by, his Department since June 1987.
Mr. Mellor : In the four Departmental Select Committee reports completed since June 1987 which relate to what is now the Department of Health, and to which the Government have already responded, a total of 30 recommendations were made, of which four have been accepted by the Government in whole or in part. A further nine recommendations have been noted. Most of these reflected proposals in the recent White Paper, "Working for Patients" [CM 555]. Copies of Government replies to all four reports have been placed in the Library.
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Staffing Costs
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the level of expenditure by each regional health authority on administrative and clerical agency staff in 1987-88.
Mr. Mellor : Following is the information for each health region derived from annual accounts submitted to the Department for 1987-88 :
|c|Expenditure on non-National Health
Service (agency, etc.)|c|
|c|administrative and clerical staff|c|
|£000
--------------------------------------------
Regions<1>
Northern |137
Yorkshire |853
Trent |1,421
East Anglian |1,317
North-West Thames |9,613
North-East Thames |9,754
South-East Thames |6,680
South-West Thames |4,607
Wessex |1,346
Oxford |980
South Western |1,181
West Midlands |2,029
Mersey |184
North Western |518
|----
Regions total |39,620
Special health authorities<2> |3,463
|----
Total |43,083
<1> Regional and district health
authorities.
<2> Special health authorities for the
London postgraduate teaching hospitals.
Note:-The figures include costs relevant to
typing, secretarial and all other
administrative and clerical staff.
Midwives
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by sex how many midwives there are in the Trent regional health authority ; what the figure was five and 10 years ago ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Mellor : The information requested is in the table.
|c|NHS Midwives in post at 30 September of each
year Trent Region|c|
Whole-time equivalent<1>
|1979 |1984 |1987
---------------------------------------------------
Total Midwives |1,827 |21,211 |<2>2,172
Male Staff |n/a |2 |-
Female Staff |n/a |2,119 |2,172
Source: Department of Health (SM13) annual census
of NHS non-medical manpower.
<1> All figures are independently rounded to the
nearest whole-time equivalent.
<2> Latest available.
n/a =Not available.
Mental Illness
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence he has as to the reasons for the disproportionate rate of mental illness among ethnic minorities Mr. Freeman : None, but we are taking a close interest in research in this area which hopefully will suggest reasons for what seems to be a higher incidence of some forms of mental illness.
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Pharmacists
Mr. Anderson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the amounts due to pharmacists in England and Wales for each year from 1978 to 1988 for the provision of pharmaceutical services ; and what were the amounts paid and the profits earned for the same period.
Mr. Mellor : The amounts for England and Wales as shown in the balance sheets prepared with representatives of the profession are as follows ; the basis of calculation change in 1985 from calendar years to financial years :
Year |£ million|£ million --------------------------------------------------------- Overpayment outstanding at beginning of 1978 |8.0 1978 |142.0 |147.0 1979 |170.9 |155.4 1980 |215.2 |205.5 1981 |238.9 |246.7 1982 |280.0 |283.7 1983 |324.8 |301.3 1984 |350.3 |359.6 1 January 1985-31 March 1985 |96.6 |89.5 1985-86 |383.7 |390.1 1986-87 |415.0 |427.8 1987.88 |485.8 |443.2 Arrears payments: 1 July 1988 and 1 May 1989 |45.3 Information for 1988-89 is not yet available. No information is held on profits earned by pharmacists.
Private Hospitals
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will institute an inspectorate of private hospitals with the responsibility of inspecting hospitals in the private sector and of providing a report annually to him which evaluates the level of patient care ;
(2) if he will order an immediate investigation into the allegations of patient abuse at the private hospital at London bridge ;
(3) if he will discuss with the chairman of the relevant district health authority the conduct of experimental treatment at the London Bridge hospital and its effect upon patient care.
Mr. Mellor : Registration and inspection of private hospitals is the responsibility of district health authorities. The authority concerned has already initiated inquiries into the allegations and is continuing discussions with London Bridge hospital. The treatment to which the hon. Member refers in fact had ceased by the time the allegations were made.
Heart Disease
Mr. Sayeed : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been conducted into how much vigorous exercise is required by the age groups (a) under 14 years, (b) 14 to 23 years, (c) 23 to 50 years and (d) 50-plus years in order to significantly reduce the threat of heart disease ; and what measures are being taken to encourage people to achieve these levels.
Mr. Mellor : The appropriate amount of exercise to help reduce the threat of heart disease will vary not only according to age but also according to each individual's physical and medical condition. It is not possible to quantify the amount of exercise that would be beneficial simply by broad age bands. The Sports Council
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encourages participation in physical exercise and has published, jointly with the Health Education Authority, booklets on exercise which give "rule of thumb" guidelines on "testing" levels of fitness and measuring improvements in those who start to exercise regularly. These reflect the broad consensus of medical opinion that everyone would benefit from physical exercise and that 20 to 30 minutes exercise, on two or three occasions a week, is beneficial against coronary heart disease and brings many other benefits. I understand that the Sports Council hopes to carry out a national fitness survey in 1989-91.AIDS
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received regarding Health Service provision for AIDS.
Mr. Mellor : I have received three such representations. Two from the network of voluntary organisations in AIDS/HIV and one from the British Medical Association foundation for AIDS.
Unpasteurised Milk
Mr. Riddick : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations have been made to his Department concerning the possible banning of unpasteurised green top milk ; what would be the health repercussions of such a ban ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : The Department has received a number of letters from members of the public about a possible ban on the sale of unpasteurised milk.
The proposed ban would reduce the risks to consumers of salmonella and campylobacter infections. Other infections will also be made less likely, for example, streptococcus zoepidemicus, which in 1984 caused the deaths of eight people who had been drinking untreated milk.
Nurse Grading
Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many successful nurses' grading appeals have been heard to date ; (2) how many nurses' grading appeals have been heard to date.
Mr. Mellor : We do not hold this information centrally.
Mr. Hague : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses are currently fully qualified but have not yet received their PIN numbers.
Mr. Mellor : The issue of PIN numbers to qualified nurses, midwives and health visitors is a matter for the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting. My hon. Friend may wish to contact Dame Audrey Emerton, DBE, chairman of the council if he is aware of any problems in this matter.
Radioactivity (Accidents)
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those district health authorities, which do not have designated medical physics departments for the purposes of his Department's circulars HC(89) and HN (FP) (89) 8 on arrangements for dealing with accidents involving radioactivity.
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Mr. Mellor : The relevant circular requires regional health authorities to let the Department have details of designated medical physics departments by 31 July 1989. I shall write to the right hon. Member when this information has been received and collated.
Hospital Sites (Sales)
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department lays down any guidelines to regional health authorities about the advertising for sale of hospital sites on which no closure decision or consultation has taken place.
Mr. Freeman : This is a matter for local management.
Rural GPs
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average list size of a general practitioner in rural practice in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.
Mr. Mellor : The average list size of general practitioners in receipt of rural practice allowance (payable if 10 per cent. or more patients live in rural areas) in England at 1 October 1987 was 2,020. Figures for previous years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average general practitioner salary for doctors in rural practices in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available.
Mr. Mellor : The information is not available.
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the payments for child immunisation targets and cervical cytology targets for doctors in dispersed rural areas under the proposed general practitioner contracts.
Mr. Mellor : Our proposals for target payments to general practitioners who achieve the target levels of coverage for childhood immunisation and cervical cytology will apply equally to rural and non- rural doctors.
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will define the concept of rurality to be used as a basis for providing supplementary capitation allowances under the proposed general practitioner contracts.
Mr. Mellor : We propose that a rural capitation supplement to basic practice allowance should be related to population density in future ; areas of greatest sparsity attracting the highest level of supplement.
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the level of estimated payments to be made to general practitioners in rural practices for health promotion work and under the proposed practitioner contracts ;
(2) if he will make a statement on the provision for elderly patients in rural areas under the proposed general practitioner contracts.
Mr. Mellor : The proposals set out in "A New Contract" make clear that the provision of health promotion, including the offer of three-yearly check-ups,
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and annual check-ups for patients aged 75 and over, will be made specific requirements in general medical practitioners' terms of service. We intend to introduce a new sessional fee for health promotion clinics, and to raise significantly the level of the capitation fee for patients aged 75 and over. These proposals will apply equally to general practitioners in rural and non-rural areas. The amounts of these payments have not been decided.Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the level of night fees which may be paid to doctors other than from the patient's own practice in sparsely populated rural areas.
Mr. Mellor : Under the Government's proposals a higher level of night visit fee will be payable if the visit is made by the patient's own doctor or by a partner or another member of the group practice. A lower fee will be payable if another doctor sees the patient. The same arrangements are proposed for both rural and urban areas. The amounts of the fees have not been decided.
Publicity Campaigns
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list all current publicity campaigns being conducted by or for his Department or the Health Education Authority, respectively, or planned for the first three months of 1989-90, indicating those which involve television advertising and the starting and finishing dates of each campaign.
Mr. Mellor : There are no publicity campaigns being conducted by my Department or planned for the first three months of 1989-90 involving television advertising.
The following publicity campaigns are current or planned :
|Start |Finish
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Nurse recruitment
Youth audience magazines |June only
Adult audience national press |June |September
Drugs misuse
Centrally funded regional
campaigns in Wessex, Trent
and South East Thames |March |May
National Health Service recruitment
Mailing of recruitment materials
to careers officers |April
In addition to the above the Department maintains information and awareness campaigns which run throughout the year which include the following :
National blood transfusion service--donor recruitment.
Organ donation--promotion of donor cards ; awareness amongst National Health Service professional staff.
Overseas travel--information for those travelling abroad. Services for the disabled--information.
Free or subsidised National Health Service services for low income groups-- information
The Health Education Authority's current and planned publicity campaigns include :
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|Start |Finish
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
AIDS
Encourage condom use-
Women's magazines |March |June
Travellers abroad-Poster |June |End of summer
Skin cancer
Those travelling abroad on
holiday-Women's
magazines |June |End of summer
"Less Fat Fortnight"
Consumption of lower fat
products-Press |June only
Alcohol abuse
National drinkwise day-
sensible approach to
alcohol consumption |June 20
None of these publicity campaigns involve television advertising.
Griffiths Report
Mr. Evennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish his Department's response to the Griffiths report ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Mellor : I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Livingston (Mr. Cook) on 6 April at column 291.
Public Service Broadcasts
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the likely implications for the transmission of Channel 4 of public service broadcasts emanating from his Department of the White Paper "Broadcasting in the 90s : Competition Choice and Quality".
Mr. Mellor : I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to him on 17 March at column 383. I am not aware that the arrangements will be any different for Channel 4.
Family Practitioners
Mr. Favell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has as to the average number of hours per week spent by full -time family practitioner (a) National Health Service work and (b) other medical work on and the amounts earned in respect of each ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Mellor [holding answer 17 April 1989] : The survey of general medical practitioners' workload carried out in 1985-86 showed that the average GMP worked about 38 hours a week on general medical services duties. In addition a further 30 hours a week was spent on call during which time no duties were performed. Over and above his general medical services commitments the average GMP who undertakes non-general medical services work spent six hours a week on that work.
The review body on doctors' and dentists' remuneration recommends the level of GMPs' income each year. In 1989-90 GMPs' average gross income will be £60,000. This figure reflects the review body's recommendation in respect of GMPs net income and indirectly reimbursed expenses which the Government have accepted in full, plus
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estimated directly reimbursed expenses. Information about the average amount earned on non-general medical services work by GMPs undertaking such work is not known.Accountants
Sir David Price : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many qualified accountants are currently employed in the National Health Service and how many extra will be required by April 1991 to implement the Government's White Paper, "Working for Patients."
Mr. Mellor [holding answer 18 April 1989] : Information on the numbers of qualified accountants employed by health authorities is not routinely collected. The latest available information relates to 31 December 1987, when a survey showed that there were about 1,100 qualified accountants in post in England, Scotland and Wales. We will be working with health authorities to establish the need for additional qualified accountantsto implement the proposals in "Working for Patients" (Cm. 555).
Health Education
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has any plans to introduce incentives for health authorities to invest money in health education.
Mr. Mellor [holding answer 18 April 1989] : Prevention of ill health and the promotion of good health is a Government priority. Health education is a key part of that, especially given the relationship between so many diseases and personal behaviour such as smoking, alcohol, sexual behaviour, diet and exercise. However, it is for health authorities to determine how the resources allocated to them are apportioned between all the services for which they are responsible, including health education. Authorities' work is monitored and health education has featured in ministerial reviews of English health authorities for the past two years. The importance the Government give to health education was reflected in the establishment of the Health Education Authority in 1987. One of the authority's functions is to plan and carry out work in co-operation with health authorities and act as a national centre of information and advice on health education. In addition the recommendation in the chief medical officer's report "Public Health in England" that directors of public health be appointed in each district and produce an annual report on the health of the population they serve is being implemented. The annual reports will be public documents and will draw attention to local health education issues, providing an additional incentive to action.
Factor 8
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what controls on imported factor 8 are being applied to the factor 8 currently being supplied in the United Kingdom on named product basis by the German- based company Octapharnna Gmbh ; and what implications such controls have for the health of British haemophiliacs.
Mr. Mellor [holding answer 18 April 1989] : Factor 8 is being supplied by Octapharnna Gmbh for use in a clinical
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trial under the terms of the Medicines (Exemption from Licences) (Clinical Trial) Order 1981 (SI 1981/164). This states that this product can only be used in accordance with the conditions of the trial and with the informed consent of the patient.In addition, any physician, on his own responsibility, can order this factor 8 for use on a named patient basis.
The Department is satisfied that the blood meets the requirements of both EC and WHO guidelines and the requirements specified in the BP (Addendum 1386) monograph for factor 8.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Teacher Training
Mr. McCusker : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland why the Department of Education (NI) has introduced an annual bursary of £1,300 per annum for postgraduate teacher training courses in physis, chemistry and mathematics.
Dr. Mawhinney : In order to increase the supply of teachers in England and Wales trained to teach physics, chemistry, mathematics and craft, design and technology, a bursary scheme was introduced there in 1986 for all students studying for postgraduate certificates in education in these disciplines. This coincided with this year's relaxation of the embargo on awards to Northern Ireland students undertaking PGCE courses in Great Britain. There are no teacher shortages in Northern Ireland, but in the light of subsequent experience with the number and quality of applicants wishing to pursue these disciplines in local institutions, it became clear that there was a requirement for parity of incentive and it was therefore decided to introduce a parallel bursary scheme in Northern Ireland, thus ensuring the supply of appropriately trained teachers.
Mr. McCusker : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications for postgraduate certificate of education courses were received by Queen's university, Belfast, for courses commencing in 1986, 1987 and 1988 ; and how many of the places available were for teacher training courses in physics, chemistry and mathematics.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information is as follows :--
=
|1986-87|1987-88|1988-89
-------------------------------------------------------------
Total applications for PGCE
courses |672 |640 |625
Places available for teacher
training courses in:
Physics |10 |12 |10
Chemistry |10 |12 |10
Mathematics |14 |16 |15
Young People
Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many 16 and 17-year-olds were in receipt of bridging allowance at the end of October 1988, November 1988, December 1988, January 1989, February 1989 and March 1989.
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Mr. Viggers : It is estimated that the following numbers were in receipt of bridging allowance in each relevant month :
|Number
----------------------------
October 1988 |914
November 1988 |808
December 1988 |807
January 1989 |895
February 1989 |458
March 1989 |344
Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many 16 and 17-year-olds currently receive income support and bridging allowance.
Mr. Viggers : At the end of March 344 persons were receiving bridging allowance and there are currently three claimants receiving income support under the severe hardship provisions. No figures are available for those receiving income support under the normal rules.
Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many 16 and 17-year-olds who previously received income support were transferred to bridging allowance after new benefit rules were introduced in September.
Mr. Viggers : A total of 986 young people were transferred to bridging allowance from income support.
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