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My Department has supported the EC Commission's initiative in proposing measures to deal with a range of zoonoses, including salmonella, on a Communitywide basis, and is contributing constructively to ensure that progress is as rapid as possible.Siemens Printers
Ms. Walley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many Siemens ND3 printers are used by his Department, either in-house or through a private contract ; and what is the location of each.
Mr. Donald Thompson : My Department does not use any of the printers specified.
Potato Marketing Board
Mr. Cox : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to review the working of the Potato Marketing Board ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to make an announcement on the result of the Potato Marketing Board review.
Mr. Ryder : I refer the hon. Members to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Ludlow (Mr. Gill) on 19 April at column 175 .
Pesticides
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish in the Official Report the pesticides for which there are international safety limits ; and if he will indicate in each case whether the safety limit is accepted by his Department and what action is taken to see that the limit is invariably observed.
Mr. Ryder : International acceptable daily intakes for pesticide residues are published by the codex alimentarius commission of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Health Organisation. The United Kingdom accepts these unless there are sound scientific reasons for not doing so. Our approval procedures take ADIs into account ; we have a range of maximum residue levels which, while they are not themselves safety limits, must be toxicologically acceptable ; and regular monitoring of pesticide residues in food provides a check that MRLs --and hence ADIs--are not being exceeded.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of the pesticides used on food are used in order to (a) preserve the food or prolong the shelf life, (b) improve the appearance and (c) increase the yield of the crop.
Mr. Ryder : It is not possible to provide the information requested. All agricultural pesticides, including herbicides are used with the ultimate aim of producing good quality marketable produce with minimal crop losses.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when his Department was informed by his United States counterpart of the concern in the United States of America, about the apple spray Alar ; what action he took following the receipt of information ; and when he did so.
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Mr. Ryder : Officials in my Department received information about the United States Environmental Protection Agency's action on daminozide (marketed as Alar) on 9 February 1989. On 10 February they requested all available data from the manufacturer and supplier, including the studies submitted to the EPA, in order to carry out an emergency review. The data have been supplied and have been considered by independent experts on the advisory committee on pesticides, whose conclusions will shortly be made public.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what evidence of safety was considered by the advisory committee on pesticides when, in 1980, it approved the apple spray Alar.
Mr. Ryder : The advisory committee on pesticides considered an application for clearance of daminozide, the active ingredient of Alar products, in 1967. The application was supported by a full toxicological, residue and environmental data package according to the standards of the time.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the response of his Department to the European Economic Community directive which would compel retailers to inform customers of the pesticides used on the fruit and vegetables they sell.
Mr. Ryder : While I am in favour of informative labelling of food there are a number of technical problems that will arise if the European Commission's proposal is implemented. The United Kingdom delegation has therefore expressed some reservations in the discussions which have taken place to date.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will take steps to prevent retailers from selling fruit and vegetables which have pesticide residues which are above international safety limits.
Mr. Ryder : I am not aware of any international safety limits for pesticide residues on fruit and vegetables. However the Government brought into force on 1 January this year a wide range of maximum residue levels for pesticides in foodstuffs. These take account of acceptable daily intakes for individual chemicals published by the codex alimentarius commission as described in my reply earlier today.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many pesticides are known to be used on food ; and which of these are thought to be the most dangerous if excessive residues remain.
Mr. Ryder : Of the 400 or so active ingredients currently approved for use in the United Kingdom, some two thirds do not leave detectable residues. Ministers in six Government Departments must be satisfied that usage will not result in residue levels likely to pose a hazard to health before any pesticide is approved for use.
Consumer Pressure Groups
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has on the number of consumer pressure groups which have an interest in food and on how they are financed ; and if the Government make a financial contribution to any of these groups.
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Mr. Ryder : Because of our statutory requirement to consult on proposals for regulations under the Food Act 1984, I am aware of up to 100 organisations which broadly represent consumer interests and have an interest in food matters. I have no detailed information on how they are financed.
The Government wholly fund the National Consumer Council, the Welsh Consumer Council, the Scottish Consumer Council, the Consumers in the European Community Group and the headquarters organisations of the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux and Citizens Advice Scotland. It also makes a contribution to the funding of the National Federation of Consumer Groups. All this funding is for consumer interests in general and is not specifically related to food issues.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will consider providing financial resources to recognised food consumer groups to permit them to carry out independent food testing similar to that carried out in the United States of America by the Natural Resources Defence Council.
Mr. Ryder : My Ministry already carries out an extensive programme of food surveillance and I am satisfied that this, together with local authority enforcement of legislative requirements, is entirely adequate to protect the interests of the consumer.
Apple Juice
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish in the Official Report the names of the processed apple juices on sale in the United Kingdom that have been made from apples sprayed with Alar.
Mr. Ryder : This information is not held by my Department.
Surplus Food
Mr. Michael Brown : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when there is to be a further distribution of European Community surplus food ; if applications will be invited from old people's welfare groups, charities and similar bodies to distribute the food ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ryder : When the EC surplus food scheme was introduced in 1988 certain charitable and non-profit making organisations were designated to operate the scheme both in 1988 and in 1989. My officials have recently consulted these organisations about the quantities of beef and butter they wish to distribute in 1989 and are currently considering each bid against the United Kingdom's budget of about £14.8 million to operate the scheme in 1989. We expect to be contacting designated organisations again shortly with details of their allocations. Once tendering, processing and packaging arrangements have then been made, produce will be made available for distribution.
Salmonella
Mr. Allen McKay : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will give, by each local authority area, the number of poultry keepers who have had hens culled because of salmonella and the number of hens culled in each case.
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Mr. Donald Thompson : It is not my Department's policy to divulge information which could be used to deduce the identity of individual flock owners who have had hens culled or whose flocks have been compulsorily slaughtered because of salmonella. This risk would be inherent if the information were supplied by each local authority area as requested.
The following tables set out the information for the United Kingdom as a whole.
|c|Hen Culling Scheme (closing date for applications 5 January 1989)|c| Number of applications<1> |Number of hens culled ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 44 |372,120 <1>Each from a separate establishment.
Compulsory Slaughter of Flocks infected with
Invasive Salmonella organisms (with effect from 1 March 1989 in Great Britain)
Number of birds in each
flock slaughtered
4,263
35,369
489
20,227
65,249
419
53
49,279
16,537
2,300
6,580
14,226
51
17,743
80,000
Total 312,785
SOCIAL SECURITY
Benefits
Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will take steps to exclude from the calculation of entitlement to family credit and income support, the receipt of child benefit ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : No. Provision is already made in income support for children's requirements. In family credit the support for children is the total of child benefit and the child credit rates. Thus in both schemes to ignore child benefit would mean double provision.
Transitional Additions (Dumbarton)
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many claimants were awarded a transitional addition in the Dumbarton social security region in April 1988 ; and how many will as a result receive in April (a) reduced uprating and (b) no uprating ;
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(2) how many claimants in Dumbarton constituency were awarded a transitional addition in April 1988 ; and how many of these will as a result receive in April 1989 (a) reduced uprating and (b) no uprating ;(3) what percentage of (a) pensioners, (b) persons in receipt of a disability premium, (c) single parents, (d) unemployed married, (e) unemployed single, (f) unemployed with children and (g) others in receipt of income support in Dumbarton constituency will receive no increase in their benefit payments as a result of the current year's uprating because of the effect of transitional additions.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson) on 6 March, at column 445 .
Vaccine Damage Payments
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many vaccine damage payments were made in 1986 ; and if he will categorise these according to the age of the child, when vaccination took place, the year of the vaccination and the nature of the vaccination.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Fifteen payments were awarded in 1986 under the provisions of the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979. Details are in the table.
|c|Vaccine damage payments scheme|c|
|c|Awards made in 1986 by age of child at date of vaccination, year of|c|
|c|vaccination and type of vaccination
|Age at date of |Year vaccination was |Type of vaccination cited
|vaccination (months) |given |on claim form
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. |3-6 |1973 |Triple/polio
2. |6-9 |1974 |Triple
3. |6-9 |1978 |Pertussis
4. |3-6 |1982 |Triple/polio
5. |3-6 |1962 |Triple
6. |0-3 |1984 |Triple
7. |3-6 |1967 |Pertussis
8. |9-12 |1981 |Triple/polio
9. |9-12 |1973 |Pertussis
10. |3-6 |1983 |Pertussis
11. |3-6 |1982 |Pertussis
12. |6-9 |1965 |Triple/polio
13. |0-3 |1983 |Pertussis
14. |6-9 |1974 |Pertussis
15. |15-18 |1949 |Diptheria
Social Fund
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what percentage of (a) budgeting loans and (b) community care grants were awarded to each of the 15 client groups defined by his Department for (i) Great Britain as a whole, (ii) the north-east region and (iii) each of the four offices serving the Bradford metropolitan area, for the financial year 1988-89.
Mr. Peter Lloyd [holding answer 20 April 1989] : The information available is shown in the table.
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|c|Table|c|
|c|Budgeting Loans and Community Care Grants: Percentage Awards by Client Groups for Year 1988-89|c|
Budgeting Loans
Client Group (See key) |00 |01 |02 |03 |04 |05 |06 |07 |08 |09 |10 |11 |12 |13 |14 |15
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Great Britain |0.3 |0.4 |0.6 |4.1 |0.5 |5.2 |3.5 |41.8 |0.9 |2.1 |16.0 |18.9 |0.9 |4.8 |0.0 |0.1
North East Region |0.2 |0.3 |0.7 |4.1 |0.4 |4.5 |2.9 |40.5 |0.9 |2.2 |19.8 |18.1 |0.9 |4.3 |0.0 |0.1
Bradford East |0.1 |0.3 |0.2 |3.6 |0.5 |4.4 |2.4 |42.9 |0.4 |2.0 |18.1 |18.8 |1.9 |4.3 |0.0 |0.1
Bradford South |0.1 |0.3 |0.6 |2.9 |0.3 |3.7 |2.2 |49.3 |1.0 |3.0 |13.8 |17.3 |0.9 |4.2 |0.0 |0.0
Bradford West |0.3 |0.5 |0.6 |2.9 |0.3 |3.7 |2.2 |35.9 |1.8 |5.3 |10.1 |25.0 |1.0 |6.7 |0.0 |0.3
Keighley |0.0 |0.3 |0.7 |5.7 |0.6 |6.5 |3.8 |40.0 |1.0 |2.8 |13.4 |18.3 |0.3 |6.2 |0.0 |0.2
Community Care Grants
Great Britain |0.4 |4.5 |3.6 |14.2 |1.0 |4.3 |9.7 |24.3 |0.9 |1.7 |9.2 |16.5 |1.9 |7.0 |0.0 |1.0
North East Region |0.4 |3.6 |3.7 |14.3 |1.1 |4.2 |9.0 |25.2 |0.9 |1.5 |11.2 |16.3 |1.9 |5.9 |0.0 |0.8
Bradford East |0.0 |1.0 |1.2 |10.9 |0.8 |3.8 |5.9 |30.1 |0.4 |0.6 |8.3 |28.7 |0.6 |4.8 |0.0 |2.8
Bradford South |0.2 |0.2 |2.0 |7.6 |1.7 |2.7 |8.1 |31.8 |1.2 |1.0 |8.1 |23.9 |2.0 |7.6 |0.0 |1.7
Bradford West |0.9 |2.8 |1.8 |9.4 |1.4 |1.8 |7.1 |20.5 |0.5 |3.7 |4.6 |28.3 |3.0 |12.0 |0.0 |2.3
Keighley |0.0 |1.5 |1.1 |5.2 |0.0 |4.4 |4.4 |35.9 |0.4 |2.2 |8.5 |20.0 |2.2 |9.6 |0.0 |4.4
Key
Code Meaning
00 Unallocated (by default).
Applicant or partner aged 60 or over
01 over 80-with income support higher pensioner premium.
02 aged 60-79-disabled with higher pensioner premium.
03 aged 60-79-with ordinary pensioner premium, or over 60 without pensioner premium.
Applicant and partner aged under 60
04 lone parent with income support disability premium.
05 family with disability premium.
06 other with disability premium.
07 lone parent without disability premium.
08 signs at UBO quarterly with income support family premium.
09 signs at UBO quarterly without family premium.
10 signing unemployed or with training allowance with family premium.
11 signing unemployed or with training allowance without family premium.
12 others with family premium.
13 others without family premium.
14 involved in trade dispute.
15 applicant not in receipt of income support.
HEALTH
NHS Reform
13. Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from general practitioners in Bolton and other areas in the north-west about proposals for reform of the National Health Service ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : We have received a number of representations from GPs from Bolton and the north-west, including some passed on to me by my hon. Friend.
14. Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider withdrawing the proposals on self-governing trusts contained within "Working for Patients."
15. Sir David Price : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals within the National Health Service are currently in a position to provide a complete price list of all their treatments, operations and investigatory services ; and how many will be required to do so by April 1991 in order to fulfil the terms of the Government's White Paper "Working for Patients."
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Mr. Roger Freeman : The current level of information about costs varies from hospital to hospital. A key element of our programme of reform is to provide all 260 major acute hopitals with the computerised systems they need to manage their resources more effectively. By April 1991 significant progress in implementing these new systems will have been made at a number of sites. However, the timetable for reform set out in the White Paper will not require any hospital to be in a position then to cost each of its services at the level of detail suggested by my hon. Friend's question.
Mr. Stern : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from overprescribing doctors in connection with the National Health Service review.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : We have received many representations from many doctors. I regret to say that it is not possible to distinguish between those from doctors who overprescribe and those from doctors who do not. The review will ensure that all doctors will always be able to prescribe all necessary medicines to patients.
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many letters his Department has received since 1
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January concerning the Government's approach to the National Health Service ; and what proportion of these letters has been congratulatory.Mr. Kenneth Clarke : We have received 3,500 representations about our proposals in "Working For Patients", expressing a wide range of questions and views which I shall take into account as part of the process of implementation. Many are broadly supportive, but it would not be possible, except at disproportionate cost, to establish the proportion which are congratulatory and those which are not. I am more interested in constructive comments than in congratulations or political opposition.
66. Mr. Sumberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations he has received from general practitioners following the publication of his White Paper "Working for Patients ;" and of these, how many contained requests for further details on the proposals contained therein.
Mr. Mellor : We have received some 1,200 representations from general practitioners, many asking questions. Information on the numbers requesting further details rather than expressing views is not available.
59. Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider introducing a pilot scheme for indicative drug budgets before going ahead with the proposals in "Working for Patients."
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Southend, East (Mr. Taylor) on 21 March, at column 562.
45. Mr. Colvin : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what further representations he has received from general practitioners about the proposals for practice management in the National Health Service review.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : We continue to receive representations from general practitioners expressing a wide range of views. We shall take these carefully into account as the implementation process goes forward.
41. Mr. Tim Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contribution general practitioners are making in explaining to patients the National Health Service review proposals.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : Some general practitioners are giving their patients a fair description of the benefits which will result from the White Paper proposals. I have also received representations from some GPs who are plainly misleading their patients particularly by use of BMA leaflets and causing unnecessary anxieties to old and sick people. I regret this and I am taking all possible steps to correct it. I have written to all general practitioners to set the record straight and to refute the inaccuracies contained in the BMA leaflet. I hope that all responsible general practitioners will respond by entering into constructive discussion of my proposals and by ceasing to cause unnecessary concern to their patients.
35. Mr. Hind : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has any plans to meet representatives of the British Medical Association to discuss the White Paper "Working for Patients" ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : I have had three meetings with the general medical services committee on the remuneration of
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general practitioners and I will have another meeting if it requests one. I will be meeting the joint consultants committee, which includes representatives of the BMA, tomorrow. I look forward to hearing that committee's views on the review proposals. The British Medical Association has not formally put any views on the review to me, although I have read its leaflets and pamphlets.33. Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from the south-west concerning the proposed changes for general practitioners contained in the "Working for Patients" document.
Mr. Mellor : We have received a number of representations from the south-west, as from the rest of the country. Many are supportive of the proposals.
22. Mr. Ron Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has received recent representations from the Medical Practitioners' Union about reform of the National Health Service.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : I am not aware of any such representations.
20. Mr. Tredinnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received recently from doctors and other medical professions concerning his White Paper on the Health Service ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : I have received a wide range of comments from doctors and other medical staff and shall take them carefully into account as the process of implementation goes forward.
18. Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the recent representations he has received from family practitioners about his White Paper.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : I have received a wide range of comments from family practitioners and shall take them carefully into account as the process of implementation goes forward.
British Medical Association
16. Mr. McLoughlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he last met representatives of the British Medical Association ; and what matters were discussed.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : I met members of the general medical services committee on 20 March to discuss the proposed new contract for general practitioners.
Mr. John Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he last met the chairman of the British Medical Association ; and what was discussed.
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