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Mr. Cope : Appointment of private sector training consultants is made on the basis of competitive tender within the guidelines applicable to Civil Service departments generally.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many claims for unemployment benefit have been received, since the increase in the maximum number of weeks' suspension of unemployment benefit from 13 weeks to 26 weeks, at unemployment benefit
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offices in (a) Doncaster, and (b) Mexborough ; and what were the comparable figures for the period April 1987 to April 1988.Mr. Lee : The table shows the total inflow to the claimant count at unemployment benefit offices in Doncaster and Mexborough in the 11 months to March 1989. Figures for the year to April 1988 are not currently available analysed according to unemployment benefit office, as suitable computer programmes have only recently been developed.
Inflow of unemployed claimants at Doncaster and Mexborough unemployment benefit offices UBO |May 1988 to March 1989 --------------------------------------------------------------------- Doncaster A |5,949 Doncaster B |5,454 Doncaster C |5,242 Mexborough |4,226
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress has been made with the development of the optical scattering instantaneous respirable dust indicating system to reduce coal dust pollution in mines.
Mr. Nicholls : The laboratory development of the optical scattering instantaneous respirable dust indicating system (OSIRIS) by the Health and Safety Executive is complete. The technology has been transferred to industry through the British Technology Group and the system is now available commercially. The only continuing HSE involvement is provision of technical advice to licensees.
Mr. Knox : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses and midwives were employed in National Health Service hospitals in each year since 1959, expressed in terms of whole-time equivalents.
Mr. Mellor : The information requested is given in the table.
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National Health Service hospital nursing and midwifery staff at 30 September each year Whole-time equivalents Year |England and Wales|England ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1959 |196,000 |- 1960 |197,900 |- 1961 |198,900 |- 1962 |205,300 |- 1963 |207,700 |- 1964 |212,400 |- 1965 |222,400 |- 1966 |231,500 |- 1967 |239,300 |- 1968 |241,300 |- 1969 |245,900 |- 1970 |252,800 |- 1971 |263,500 |256,100 1972 |- |272,500 1973 |- |276,400 1974 |- |281,300 1975 |- |304,600 1976 |- |306,200 1977 |- |306,300 1978 |- |313,000 1979 |- |319,300 1980 |- |330,200 1981 |- |347,700 1982 |- |351,900 1983 |- |350,500 1984 |- |350,400 1985 |- |352,500 1986 |- |354,700 1987 |- |356,100 Source: Department of Health (SM13) annual census of National Health Service non-medical manpower. Notes: 1. Includes qualified nurses and midwives, learners and unqualified nursing staff. 2. The England and Wales figures are based on a slightly different definition to those for England. In addition, because of changes and improvements in the collection and processing of the data between 1959 and 1987 the information is not strictly comparable. England only figures are not available prior to 1971. 3. The figures have not been adjusted for changes in the working week introduced over the period shown. 4. Figures rounded to the nearest 100 whole-time equivalents.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give, for the latest available year, the total number of hospital beds in each district health authority in England for each of the following service : (a) general medical services, (b) general surgical services, (c) all non- psychiatric acute services, (d) geriatrics, (e) maternity, (f) mental illness, (g) mental handicap and (h) all hospital beds.
Mr. Mellor : The available information for England is given in the table.
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Average daily available beds by ward type, by District Health Authority, 1987-88 District Health Authority |<1>Acute |General patients elderly |Maternity |Mental illness |<2>Mental handicap |<2>Total ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Northern Hartlepool |342 |158 |58 |84 |0 |642 North Tees |429 |183 |76 |142 |39 |869 South Tees |1,019 |320 |116 |314 |0 |1,768 East Cumbria |540 |276 |58 |590 |0 |1,465 South Cumbria |390 |291 |59 |65 |5 |810 West Cumbria |312 |207 |53 |118 |246 |935 Darlington |413 |163 |46 |17 |380 |1,019 Durham |447 |235 |52 |77 |265 |1,075 North West Durham |339 |171 |35 |51 |0 |596 South West Durham |308 |216 |63 |1,005 |22 |1,614 Northumberland |654 |341 |97 |751 |1,533 |3,376 Gateshead |467 |236 |64 |528 |0 |1,295 Newcastle |1,935 |489 |142 |629 |0 |3,195 North Tyneside |398 |209 |60 |14 |0 |680 South Tyneside |378 |173 |58 |138 |69 |816 Sunderland |1,082 |408 |116 |681 |27 |2,315 Yorkshire Hull |1,012 |264 |68 |11 |473 |1,827 East Yorkshire |481 |236 |66 |673 |0 |1,455 Grimsby |450 |224 |65 |43 |132 |914 Scunthorpe |399 |235 |58 |53 |115 |859 Northallerton |260 |81 |32 |0 |36 |408 York |691 |324 |82 |750 |218 |2,066 Scarborough |351 |177 |45 |49 |0 |621 Harrogate |501 |210 |59 |47 |94 |910 Bradford |1,129 |436 |185 |218 |363 |2,330 Airedale |425 |226 |72 |449 |78 |1,250 Calderdale |472 |310 |92 |179 |91 |1,144 Huddersfield |445 |339 |52 |813 |45 |1,693 Dewsbury |394 |230 |84 |0 |0 |708 Leeds Western |1,338 |507 |112 |852 |0 |2,809 Leeds Eastern |1,235 |412 |142 |155 |460 |2,404 Wakefield |584 |170 |56 |741 |259 |1,810 Pontefract |373 |241 |59 |154 |0 |827 Trent North Derbyshire |579 |390 |82 |232 |372 |1,655 Southern Derbyshire |1,080 |548 |138 |1,057 |398 |3,221 Leicestershire |1,865 |844 |299 |1,149 |640 |4,796 North Lincolnshire |763 |293 |68 |459 |195 |1,778 South Lincolnshire |638 |315 |95 |414 |211 |1,672 Bassetlaw |217 |131 |30 |82 |20 |480 Central Nottinghamshire |757 |315 |89 |149 |257 |1,567 Nottingham |1,729 |609 |271 |965 |98 |3,671 Barnsley |524 |269 |56 |202 |60 |1,110 Doncaster |738 |310 |103 |290 |239 |1,681 Rotherham |567 |265 |67 |207 |152 |1,258 Sheffield |2,279 |827 |218 |966 |389 |4,679 East Anglian Cambridge |769 |324 |94 |409 |185 |1,781 Peterborough |633 |230 |106 |115 |64 |1,148 West Suffolk |551 |310 |86 |128 |153 |1,227 East Suffolk |785 |539 |96 |691 |154 |2,265 Norwich |1,350 |560 |107 |847 |544 |3,408 Great Yarmouth and Waveney |509 |214 |56 |168 |77 |1,024 West Norfolk and Wisbech |380 |253 |59 |137 |42 |871 Huntingdon |295 |108 |40 |15 |0 |458 North West Thames North Bedfordshire |493 |245 |45 |68 |298 |1,149 South Bedfordshire |484 |196 |92 |733 |26 |1,531 North Hertfordshire |411 |228 |76 |71 |0 |786 East Hertfordshire |366 |194 |54 |95 |0 |709 North West Hertfordshire |437 |256 |54 |397 |2,686 |3,830 South West Hertfordshire |362 |229 |75 |53 |0 |719 Barnet |672 |552 |103 |840 |0 |2,167 Harrow |487 |158 |89 |86 |0 |819 Hillingdon |830 |266 |71 |54 |0 |1,221 Hounslow and Spelthorne |759 |219 |118 |157 |0 |1,254 Ealing |353 |163 |55 |835 |0 |1,405 Brent |378 |270 |56 |846 |89 |1,639 Paddington and North Kensington |749 |139 |55 |108 |11 |1,062 Riverside |1,220 |272 |82 |1,255 |0 |2,829 North East Thames Basildon and Thurrock |642 |270 |120 |134 |637 |1,802 Mid Essex |628 |356 |92 |55 |247 |1,377 North East Essex |579 |352 |82 |628 |529 |2,170 West Essex |575 |283 |73 |154 |81 |1,167 Southend |592 |302 |86 |620 |0 |1,600 Barking, Havering and Brentwood |1,206 |516 |98 |767 |132 |2,719 Hampstead |599 |129 |60 |878 |0 |1,666 Bloomsbury |1,468 |102 |85 |157 |0 |1,812 Islington |458 |224 |77 |81 |0 |839 City and Hackney |1,161 |72 |105 |148 |0 |1,485 Newham |474 |280 |87 |6 |29 |877 Tower Hamlets |767 |231 |88 |156 |0 |1,242 Enfield |432 |271 |86 |128 |73 |990 Haringey |581 |242 |102 |68 |7 |1,001 Redbridge |391 |258 |78 |705 |14 |1,446 Waltham Forest |626 |372 |67 |888 |223 |2,176 South East Thames Brighton |919 |334 |61 |164 |43 |1,521 Eastbourne |518 |273 |52 |321 |99 |1,262 Hastings |380 |270 |62 |46 |101 |859 South East Kent |606 |319 |79 |50 |29 |1,083 Canterbury and Thanet |774 |301 |99 |644 |156 |1,975 Dartford and Gravesham |548 |188 |88 |394 |391 |1,608 Maidstone |355 |158 |116 |686 |32 |1,346 Medway |575 |238 |107 |55 |20 |996 Tunbridge Wells |717 |246 |64 |79 |584 |1,689 Bexley |302 |177 |82 |738 |0 |1,299 Greenwich |797 |244 |90 |69 |49 |1,249 Bromley |570 |234 |64 |691 |119 |1,677 West Lambeth |744 |135 |89 |747 |0 |1,715 Camberwell |862 |189 |93 |98 |0 |1,242 Lewisham and North Southwark |1,092 |230 |103 |155 |138 |1,718 South West Thames North West Surrey |478 |167 |75 |192 |620 |1,532 West Surrey and North East Hants |398 |235 |35 |80 |172 |920 South West Surrey |580 |170 |27 |710 |0 |1,487 Mid Surrey |395 |150 |55 |716 |740 |2,054 East Surrey |375 |209 |39 |557 |617 |1,797 Chichester |435 |92 |47 |461 |54 |1,088 Mid Downs |457 |242 |77 |497 |282 |1,554 Worthing |477 |420 |33 |29 |44 |1,003 Croydon |660 |298 |74 |447 |878 |2,356 Kingston and Esher |454 |154 |26 |708 |0 |1,342 Richmond, Twickenham and Roehampton |385 |224 |37 |15 |172 |834 Wandsworth |954 |188 |65 |832 |37 |2,075 Merton and Sutton |710 |284 |105 |174 |825 |2,098 Wessex East Dorset |1,085 |658 |153 |235 |0 |2,132 West Dorset |405 |249 |96 |252 |166 |1,168 Portsmouth and South East Hampshire |1,023 |440 |146 |370 |354 |2,332 Southampton and South West Hampshire |1,246 |318 |150 |599 |400 |2,712 Winchester |399 |233 |66 |55 |0 |753 Basingstoke and North Hampshire |472 |182 |44 |554 |0 |1,251 Salisbury |455 |174 |47 |223 |0 |899 Swindon |501 |229 |79 |58 |275 |1,143 Bath |1,015 |578 |139 |596 |32 |2,360 Isle of Wight |296 |143 |36 |105 |11 |591 Oxford East Berkshire |690 |235 |107 |149 |315 |1,495 West Berkshire |897 |290 |129 |436 |451 |2,203 Aylesbury Vale |548 |132 |47 |372 |184 |1,283 Wycombe |400 |237 |65 |34 |3 |738 Milton Keynes |253 |88 |65 |42 |0 |448 Kettering |431 |294 |61 |129 |11 |925 Northampton |669 |302 |76 |398 |297 |1,742 Oxfordshire |1,390 |478 |196 |441 |247 |2,751 South Western Bristol and Weston |1,137 |193 |135 |304 |244 |2,012 Frenchay |533 |406 |12 |475 |867 |2,293 Southmead |573 |89 |110 |55 |651 |1,477 Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |793 |454 |113 |746 |217 |2,322 Exeter |1,050 |398 |80 |450 |259 |2,236 North Devon |335 |201 |41 |109 |26 |712 Plymouth |1,125 |451 |133 |348 |30 |2,087 Torbay |675 |270 |54 |166 |14 |1,179 Cheltenham |515 |301 |45 |4 |34 |899 Gloucester |817 |285 |119 |627 |130 |1,978 Somerset |1,151 |440 |128 |909 |323 |2,951 West Midlands Bromsgrove and Redditch |388 |108 |51 |351 |0 |898 Herefordshire |450 |180 |44 |186 |75 |935 Kidderminster and District |225 |138 |24 |77 |368 |832 Worcester and District |492 |246 |65 |331 |0 |1,134 Shropshire |1,096 |492 |145 |409 |2 |2,144 Mid Staffordshire |440 |239 |66 |445 |0 |1,189 North Staffordshire |1,181 |656 |179 |778 |490 |3,283 South East Staffordshire |500 |391 |68 |735 |0 |1,694 Rugby |142 |49 |23 |0 |0 |213 North Warwickshire |313 |119 |71 |30 |557 |1,090 South Warwickshire |592 |277 |54 |438 |255 |1,615 Central Birmingham |1,072 |224 |125 |199 |0 |1,619 East Birmingham |668 |194 |0 |0 |0 |862 North Birmingham |350 |137 |88 |476 |0 |1,050 South Birmingham |879 |388 |73 |361 |363 |2,063 West Birmingham |760 |494 |90 |540 |0 |1,884 Coventry |881 |343 |125 |277 |0 |1,626 Dudley |803 |327 |89 |153 |155 |1,527 Sandwell |521 |260 |73 |17 |0 |871 Solihull |248 |97 |117 |329 |134 |925 Walsall |420 |313 |66 |14 |649 |1,463 Wolverhampton |760 |335 |126 |208 |0 |1,429 Mersey Chester |438 |265 |90 |667 |89 |1,548 Crewe |435 |310 |75 |231 |427 |1,479 Walton |142 |132 |0 |70 |42 |386 Macclesfield |259 |274 |35 |609 |222 |1,399 Warrington |473 |186 |70 |1,066 |385 |2,180 Liverpool |1,878 |525 |202 |321 |134 |3,060 St. Helens and Knowsley |615 |281 |102 |1,075 |0 |2,073 Southport and Formby |334 |209 |33 |137 |289 |1,002 South Sefton |1,079 |296 |90 |181 |0 |1,647 Wirral |1,000 |432 |109 |288 |52 |1,880 North Western Lancaster |414 |201 |49 |658 |499 |1,821 Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde |844 |351 |89 |346 |0 |1,630 Preston |975 |130 |94 |881 |0 |2,079 Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley |691 |318 |124 |183 |0 |1,315 Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale |612 |286 |70 |262 |1,986 |3,216 West Lancashire |464 |133 |34 |93 |10 |735 Chorley and South Ribble |59 |159 |26 |78 |1 |323 Bolton |562 |354 |108 |230 |0 |1,254 Bury |401 |203 |67 |117 |0 |788 North Manchester |923 |285 |89 |351 |0 |1,648 Central Manchester |872 |162 |119 |85 |0 |1,238 South Manchester |1,327 |403 |140 |243 |0 |2,112 Oldham |452 |248 |86 |208 |0 |993 Rochdale |404 |193 |48 |120 |0 |765 Salford |899 |325 |81 |1,115 |85 |2,506 Stockport |735 |474 |100 |279 |105 |1,693 Tameside and Glossop |431 |307 |81 |162 |0 |982 Trafford |324 |219 |39 |173 |0 |755 Wigan |697 |379 |103 |291 |0 |1,469 Special Health Authorities The Hospitals for Sick Children |409 |0 |0 |6 |0 |415 The National Hospitals for Nervous Diseases |264 |0 |0 |8 |0 |272 Moorfields Eye Hospital |149 |0 |0 |0 |0 |149 Bethlem Royal and Maudsley Hospitals |52 |0 |0 |411 |21 |484 The National Heart and Chest Hospitals |413 |0 |0 |0 |0 |413 The Royal Marsden Hospital |327 |0 |0 |0 |0 |327 Hammersmith and Queen Charlotte's |518 |128 |154 |0 |0 |800 The Eastman Dental Hospital |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 <1> Wards for general patients, excluding elderly, younger physically disabled, neonate cots not in maternity units. <2> Excludes mental handicap community units.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reviews he is planning to ensure that all private hospitals have an expert ethical and oversight committee ; and if he will ensure that there is no malpractice in respect of donor operations ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Mellor : It is for the medical profession itself, and in particular the General Medical Council to lay down ethical guidance and to ensure that it is followed. Such guidance applies equally to private practice as to the National Health Service. Under the recently introduced Human Organ Transplants Bill, regulations will specify conditions which must be satisfied before transplantation can take place of an organ from a living person who is not a close natural relative of the recipient.
Mrs. Golding : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money was allocated by his Department in respect of health education in relation to drug abuse in 1986-87, 1987-88 and 1988-89.
Mr. Mellor : Expenditure by the Department on drug misuse was as follows :
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|£'000s --------------------------- 1986-87 |1,707 1987-88 |<1>5,419 1988-89 |1,918 <1> Includes major joint drugs misuse/AIDS anti-injecting campaign
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by standard region the research institutes operated for or on behalf of his Department and the total employment thereat ; if he will give for each region the total number of such institutes and the employment therein ; and if he will express the regional totals as a percentage of the national totals.
Mr. Freeman : The information is not readily available in the form requested, but I will write to the hon. Member when it has been assembled.
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the rate of patients receiving (a) hip replacements and (b) cataract operations (i) nationally and (ii) in Halton district health authority.
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Mr. Freeman : The estimated numbers of (a) total hip replacements and other arthroplasy of hip and (b) eye lens operations per 10,000 population in England in 1986 (the latest year for which the information is available centrally) were 8.7 and 13.5 respectively. We do not yet have available centrally the rates of these operations for individual authorities. Such operations for residents of the Halton district health authority are available only in proximate districts.
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the elderly (a) nationally and (b) in Halton district health authority are seen by a district nurse on a regular basis.
Mr. Mellor : We do not have the information precisely in the form requested. Information is available centrally on the proportion of the elderly treated at all by a district nurse and is given in the table. We do not have information centrally on what proportion are seen by a district nurse on a regular basis.
District nursing: 1987-88 Persons treated (first treatment) during the year Percentage of elderly population treated |England |Halton district health |authority ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Persons aged 65 and over |22.1 |31.0
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on trends in death and discharges per bed in general medicine and general surgery and urology in the Halton district health authority area.
Mr. Freeman : The available information is given in the table.
Discharges and deaths per available bed, Halton district health authority Specialty |1985 |1986 ----------------------------------------------- General medicine |25.0 |35.6 General surgery |29.8 |45.0 Neurology |n/a |n/a n/a=Not applicable.
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on neonatal mortality and perinatal mortality rates in the area of Halton district health authority.
Mr. Freeman : The latest available annual rates are shown in the table.
Perinatal<1> and neonatal<2> mortality rates, Halton DHA, 1987 |Persons -------------------------- Perinatal |10.7 Neonatal |5.4 <1> Deaths in the first week of life plus stillbirths per 1,000 live and stillbirths <2> Deaths at ages 0-27 completed days of life per 1,000 livebirths.
Mr. Gerald Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether screening for pregnant women is to be introduced for toxoplasmosis.
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Mr. Mellor : I have nothing to add to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Torridge and Devon, West (Miss Nicholson) on 21 March at column 576.
Mr. Hind : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were treated in National Health Service hospitals as in-patient, out-patient and day patient in the north-west in the most recent year for which figures are available ; and what were the comparable figures for 1978.
Mr. Freeman : The available information is given in the table.
National Health Service Hospitals activity, North Western Regional Health Authority, 1978, 1986 and financial year 1987-88 |1978 |1987-88 |Percentage change between |1978-1987-88 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In-patient cases treated |511,674 |644,540 |26.0 Day case treated |68,080 |120,400 |76.9 New out patients |707,676 |780,283 |10.3 Total out-patient attendances |3,149,423 |3,605,422 |14.5 Ward attenders<1> |n/a |42,548 |- <1> This new category of patient was introduced in 1987-88. Some patients previously classified as out-patients or day cases may now be classified as ward attenders.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will update the figures on the number of eye tests and dental examinations in the Nottingham health authority area, provided in his answer of 12 April 1988, Official Report, column 115.
Mr. Mellor : I assume that as before, the hon. Member is referring to eye tests which have been carried out under the general ophthalmic services and dental examinations under the general dental service. These are the responsibility of the family practitioner committee. The table gives the latest figures available for Nottingham family practitioner committee which includes the area covered by Nottingham health authority.
Nottingham Family Practitioner Committee Year |Number of eye tests<1>|Number of den-tal |examinations -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1979 |n.a |500,900 1980 |n.a |538,660 1981 |n.a |570,690 1982 |n.a |591,490 1983 |180,578 |591,810 1984 |195,150 |618,580 1985 |199,724 |635,560 1986 |206,524 |<2>652,660 1987 |221,955 |<2>651,480 1988 |<3>254,825 |n.a <1> Information is not available on eye tests before 1983. <2> The Dental Estimates Board altered its collection of statistics from calendar year to financial year as from 1986-87 and these figures relate to the financial years 1986-87 and 1987-88 respectively. <3> The Ophthalmic Section of the Department of Health's Statistics and Management Information Division altered its collection of statistics from calendar year to financial year as from 1988-89 and this figure relates to the financial year 1988-89.
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Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there has been any change in his Department's guidelines to doctors concerning the National Health Service prescription of gluten-free products for coeliacs and people with dermatitis herpeti-formis ; and what measures he is taking to correct misleading impressions resulting from a circular from his Department stating that gluten-free products should be available on National Health Service prescription for exceptional cases only.
Mr. Mellor : There has been no change in the Department's guidelines to doctors about the prescription of gluten-free products on the National Health Service. The guidance recently provided to general practitioners in a leaflet entitled "Guidelines for Prescribing Borderline Substances" incorporates the Department's long-standing policy on this matter.
It is not the function of the NHS to provide food for people in the community, even for those who have to follow special diets for medical reasons. However, we do recognise that in some cases it may be necessary for doctors to prescribe foods in order to enable their patients to maintain their diet. A range of specially manufactured gluten-free foods is therefore available on prescription for patients with coeliac disease or dermatitis herpetiformis where the doctor considers that his active intervention is needed to help the patient keep to a suitable diet. We have always considered that such cases would be the exception rather than the rule.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to environmental health officers concerning the need for safeguards arising out of baby food contamination.
Mr. Freeman : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Peckham (Ms. Harman) on 2 May. The public advice issued was copied to chief environmental health officers of local authorities who were asked to draw this to the attention of those in charge of homes and other establishments caring for children locally.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many regional health authorities have submitted their plans for integration of the Disablement Services Authority to his Department ; and what steps he is taking to encourage prompt submission of such plans.
Mr. Mellor : We have received plans for the integration of the Disablement Services Authority from 13 of the 14 regional health authorities. I understand that the remaining plan is at an advanced stage of preparation and will be submitted as soon as it is finalised.
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings are planned between experts from various European Economic Community countries, including the United Kingdom, to discuss European Economic Community parallel importing schemes of
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pharmaceutical products, and the problem of counterfeiting ; when these are to take place ; who will represent Her Majesty's Government ; and what proposals Her Majesty's Government have to meet these problems.Mr. Mellor : We have written to the Commission and to our EC colleagues suggesting that a meeting of experts would be helpful to discuss whether any changes to parallel importing arrangements might be needed in the light of the recent incident involving counterfeit Zantac tablets. We are in touch with the Commission about how best to follow this up.
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the arrangements for determining the number of trainee general practitioners each year ; what cash limits are set which would govern the number of trainees ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Mellor : There are no manpower nor budgetary controls which determine the number of doctors training for general practice.
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether Her Majesty's Government have any plans to reduce the number of general practitioner trainees in England and Wales or to alter arrangements regarding duly appointed trainers' recruitment of trainees ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Mellor : No. We have no plans to put controls on the number of doctors training for general practice, or to prescribe the standards by which trainers in general practice select their trainees.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider the merits of the proposals on measuring clinical effectiveness contained in the COHSE response to the National Health Service White Paper.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will be responding positively to the request that he meet representatives from COHSE to discuss the proposals on measuring clinical effectiveness contained in that union's response to the National Health Service White Paper.
Mr. David Mellor : I will be writing to the general secretary of COHSE shortly about his request for the meeting on his union's response to "Working for Patients".
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will (a) list by standard region the research institutes operated for or on behalf of his Department and the total employment thereat, (b) list for each region the total number of such institutes and the employment therein and (c) express the regional totals as a percentage of the national totals.
Mr. Michael Spicer : My Department operates no research establishments of its own. All research work is
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contracted out to a variety of institutions, including private sector companies, none of which is run on the Department's behalf.Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy (1) if the staff to be employed at the main office of the electricity regulator will be drawn from seconded or transferred civil servants ; (2) if all the posts within the office of the regulator, including those which will serve the consumer organisation, will be offered to the staff of existing consumer councils ;
(3) what action has been taken to identify or to secure offices or locations for officers within OFFER ; and if options on leases have been taken up or offers made for the purchase of premises.
Mr. Michael Spicer : The Office of Electricity Regulation (OFFER), like the existing regulatory offices, will be a non-ministerial Government Department. Its staff will therefore be classed as civil servants. It is too early to say what proportion of these may be seconded or transferred from other Departments. The staff of the existing electricity consultative councils will be able to apply for posts in OFFER.
No final decisions have been taken on the locations of offices.
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what communications his Department has received from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, since 1 January, in connection with the Hinkley Point C public inquiry ; and whether he has assessed the content of the CND proofs of evidence presented to the Hinkley inquiry, in so far as they refer to matters for which his Department has responsibility.
Mr. Michael Spicer : Since 1 January my Department has received one letter from CND in connection with the Hinkley Point C public inquiry. The assessment of evidence submitted to the inquiry is a matter for the inspector. I shall consider the inspector's report most carefully in reaching my decision on the CEGB's application.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what is the current import cost of timber and wood products ; what was the comparable cost in the years before the 1988 Budget ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Alan Clark : The available information on the value of imports of timber and wood products for 1984-88 is given in the table :
United Kingdom imports of timber and wood products 1984-1988 £ million |Timber |Wood products -------------------------------------------------------- 1984 |1,008.3 |968.2 1985 |893.8 |1,012.0 1986 |999.3 |1,137.9 1987 |1,197.2 |1,253.8 1988 |1,354.5 |1,490.9 Source: Overseas Trade Statistics. Notes: 1. Timber defined as Standard International Trade Classification Revisions 2 and 3 Division 24 less Item 244. 2. Wood products defined as SITC R3 Division 63 less Item 633, and Items 821.16 and 821.5 in 1988; and SITC R2 Division 63 less 633 and Items 821.11 (pt), 821.19 ( pt) and 821.92 for the previous years. 3. 1988 figures provisional.
Mr. Illsley : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many responses he has received to his Department's proposals to amend the Consumer Credit Act 1974 ; and whether he will supply details of the nature of the responses.
Mr. Maude : The Department has recently undertaken several consultation exercises on proposed amendments to consumer credit legislation covering areas such as secured lending, advertising of credit, inclusion of broker's fees in calculation of the APR, licensing and EC proposals for a directive on a harmonised method of calculating the APR. The White Paper "Releasing Enterprise" Cm. 512 also lists proposed amendments to consumer credit legislation. About half the bodies consulted about such proposals normally respond. The majority of the proposed amendments are to simplify and clarify the legislation, to reflect the current practices of the credit industry or to remove onerous requirements from lenders or borrowers. Many of the changes have been suggested by lenders or borrowers and the proposed changes have been generally supported by consultees.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the output of, employment in, balance of trade for, and extent of import penetration in, the optical precision instrument industry (SIC order 3732) for each year since 1983 ; if he will provide an estimate for 1988 ; and if he will express the figures in each case as an index with the latest available year as the base.
Mr. Alan Clark : The information is shown in the table :
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Optical precision instruments SIC Activity 3732 |1983|1984|1985|1986|1987 -------------------------------------------------------------- Employment '000s<1> |- |- |- |5 |5 Trade Balance £ million<2> |-156|-187|-274|-319|-243 Import Penetration per cent.<2> |49 |52 |65 |56 |50 Series expressed as index numbers referenced to 1987=100<3> Employment |- |- |- |100 |100 Import Penetration |98 |104 |130 |112 |100 Source: <1> Department of Employment. <2> Department of Trade and Industry. <3> No index numbers have been provided for the trade balance as it is not suitable for treatment in this way.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the output of, employment in, balance of trade for, and extent of import penetration in, the pharmaceuticals industry (SIC order 257) for each year
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since 1983 ; if he will provide an estimate for 1988 ; and if he will express the figures in each case as an index with the latest available year as the base.Mr. Alan Clark : The information is shown in the table :
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Pharmaceuticals SIC Group 257 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |<4>1988 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Index of production 1985=100<1> |91 |95 |100 |105 |112 |121 Employment '000s <2> |68 |68 |67 |68 |71 |- Trade Balance £ million<3> |+591 |+664 |+823 |+840 |+829 |+867 Import Penetration per cent.<3> |22 |25 |25 |25 |25 |24 Series expressed as index numbers referenced to 1987=100<5> Index of production<6> |81 |85 |89 |93 |100 |108 Employment |95 |95 |94 |96 |100 |- Import Penetration |88 |100 |100 |100 |100 |96 Source: <1> Central Statistical Office. <2> Department of Employment. <3> Department of Trade and Industry. <4> Provisional <5> No index numbers have been provided for the trade balance as it is not suitable for treatment in this way. <6> Index of production re-referenced to 1987=100.
Mr. Cousins : to ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the output of, employment in, balance of trade for, and extent of import penetration in, the medical equipment manufacture industry (SIC order 372)
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for each year since 1983 ; if he will provide an estimate for 1988 ; and if he will express the figures in each case as an index with the latest available year as the base.Mr. Alan Clark : The information available is shown in the table :
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Medical equipment manufacturing industry SIC Group 372 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |<4>1988 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Index of production 1985=100<1> |90 |100 |100 |101 |108 |122 Employment '000s <2> |- |- |- |2 |22 |- Trade Balance £ million<3> |+52 |+52 |+88 |+105 |+99 |- Import Penetration per cent.<3> |64 |69 |84 |84 |82 |- Series expressed as index numbers referenced to 1987=100<5> Index of production<6> |83 |93 |93 |94 |100 |113 Employment |- |- |- |100 |100 |- Import Penetration |78 |84 |102 |102 |100 |- Source: <1> Central Statistical Office. <2> Department of Employment. <3> Department of Trade and Industry. <4> Provisional <5> No index numbers have been provided for the trade balance as it is not suitable for treatment in this way. <6> Index of production re-referenced to 1987=100.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the output of, employment in, balance of trade for, and extent of import penetration in, the measuring instrument manufacture industry (SIC order
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371) for each year since 1983 ; if he will provide an estimate for 1988 ; and if he will express the figures in each case as an index with the latest available year as the base.Mr. Alan Clark : The information available is shown in the table :
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Measuring Etc. Instrument Manufacture SIC Group 371 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |<4>1988 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Index of production 1985=100<1> |84 |87 |100 |101 |110 |118 Employment '000s <2> |- |- |- |56 |55 |- Trade Balance £ million<3> |+88 |+67 |+80 |+120 |+94 |- Import Penetration per cent.<3> |21 |21 |19 |18 |19 |- Series expressed as index numbers referenced to 1987=100<5> Index of production<6> |76 |79 |91 |92 |100 |107 Employment |- |- |- |102 |100 |- Import Penetration |111 |111 |100 |95 |100 |- Source: <1> Central Statistical Office. <2> Department of Employment. <3> Department of Trade and Industry. <4> Provisional <5> No index numbers have been provided for the trade balance as it is not suitable for treatment in this way. <6> Index of production re-referenced to 1987=100.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the output of, employment in, balance of trade for, and extent of import penetration in, the instrument engineering industry (SIC order 37) for each
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year since 1983 ; if he will provide an estimate for 1988 ; and if he will express the figures in each case as an index with the latest available year as the base.Mr. Alan Clark : The information available is shown in the table :
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Instrument engineering industry SIC group 37 |1983|1984|1985|1986|1987 -------------------------------------------------------------- Employment '000s<1> |104 |104 |105 |105 |103 Trade balance £ million<2> |-182|-268|-309|-387|-350 Import penetration per cent.<2> |55 |58 |57 |56 |58 Series expressed as index numbers referenced to 1987=100<3> Employment |101 |101 |102 |102 |100 Import penetration |95 |100 |98 |96 |100 Source: <1> Department of Employment. <2> Department of Trade and Industry. <3> No index numbers have been provided for the trade balance as it is not suitable for treatment in this way.
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was the output of, employment in, balance of trade for, and extent of import penetration in, the shipbuilding and shiprepairing industry (SIC order 361)
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for each year since 1983 ; if he will provide an estimate for 1988 ; and if he will express the figures in each case as an index with the latest available year as the base.Mr. Alan Clark : The information available is shown in the table :
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Shipbuilding and shiprepairing industrySIC group 361
1983 1984 1985 1986 1987
Index of production 1985=100 124 113 100 86 87
Employment '000s -- -- -- 83 76
Trade balance £ million 195 326 158 69 122
Import penetration per cent. 11 34 11 48 31
Series expressed as index numbers referenced to 1987=100 Index of production 143 130 115 99 100
Employment -- -- -- 109 100
Import penetration 36 110 36 155 100
Source :
Central Statistical Office.
Department of Employment.
Department of Trade and Industry.
Provisional.
No index numbers have been provided for the trade balance as it is not suitable for treatment in this way.
Index of production re-referenced to 1987=100.
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