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Mr. Newton : My right hon. and noble Friend has decided that British Business magazine should cease publication in the autumn. Alternative arrangements are being made for the publication of essential regulatory information and similar announcements from the Department. Responsibility for all the economic statistical series for which the Department is at present responsible will shortly transfer to the Central Statistical Office, and I understand that the CSO is considering how to deal with the series which currently appear in British Business.
Invest in Britain Bureau
Mr. Sumberg : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster when he expects to publish the annual report of the Invest in Britain bureau ; and whether he has any plans further to improve the arrangements for attracting inward investment to the United Kingdom.
Mr. Newton : The Department's Invest in Britain bureau records in its annual report, published today, that foreign owned companies announced 330 direct investment projects into the United Kingdom during 1988.
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Based on information provided by the companies themselves, it is estimated that these projects will create or safeguard over 44,000 jobs--a 21 per cent. increase over 1987. This was the fourth successive year in which the bureau recorded over 300 investment decisions. Once again the United Kingdom received over one third of all United States of America and Japanese investment into the EC. I am arranging for a copy of the report to be placed in the House of Commons Library.This excellent performance reflects the strength of the United Kingdom economy and our success in creating a climate that encourages enterprise and initiative. But we must build on our success, and in particular take full advantage of the inward investment potential arising from the creation of the single European market.
The Invest in Britain bureau is the Government's principal inward investment agency and represents the United Kingdom as a whole. The bureau undertakes publicity abroad and responds to enquiries from potential inward investors in collaboration with the three territorial agencies representing Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and the various regional organisations and local representative bodies in England. The territorial agencies and English regional organisations also undertake publicity abroad for their own areas and these arrangements will continue.
We have, however, decided to improve the promotion of England as a location for inward investment by setting up within my Department a new unit to co- ordinate publicity for England and to encourage greater co-operation between English regional organisations, in particular by organising collaborative market research and marketing initiatives. We have also decided to increase the resources of the Invest in Britain bureau to enable it to respond to increasing demand. The costs will be met in the current financial year from within existing provision.
Palatine Graphic Arts Co. Ltd.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) if he will publish in the Official Report the date, grant or assistance, and purpose of each application for financial assistance made by Palatine Graphic Arts Company Limited, Liverpool in each year from 1980 to date ;
(2) pursuant to his reply of 4 July, Official Report, columns 110-12, concerning Palatine Graphic Arts Company Limited, Liverpool, on which dates the six jobs created under the grant approved on 15 December 1986 became vacant.
Mr. Atkins [holding answer 17 July 1989] : The financial assistance made by the DTI to Palatine Graphic Arts Co. Ltd., Liverpool in each year from 1980 to date was as follows :
Regional
Selective
Assistance
For the purchase
of new equipment
and the creation
of safeguarding
jobs
|£
------------------
1986 |6,461
Regional
Selective
Assistance
For the purchase
of new equipment
and the creation
of safeguarding
jobs
|£
------------------
1986 |6,461
Regional
Selective
Assistance
For the purchase
of new equipment
and the creation
of safeguarding
jobs
|£
------------------
1986 |6,461
Six of the jobs which comprised part of an approved project under the regional development grant II scheme became vacant, five of these became vacant on 5 May 1988 and one on 5 June 1989. It should be noted that however the period of conditions relating to these six jobs expired on 27 June 1988.
Unsolicited Telephone Calls
Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will have discussions with the British Direct Marketing Association concerning the establishment of a register of consumers not wishing to receive unsolicited telephone calls.
Mr. Atkins [holding answer 17 July 1989] : No, this is a matter for the Director General of Telecommunications, who has, indeed, held discussions with the British Direct Marketing Association and other interested parties about the establishment of such a register.
Chlorofluorocarbons
Sir Hugh Rossi : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what discussions he is having with the manufacturers of refrigeration equipment for the clear labelling of the chlorofluorocarbon contents of their products in order to assist the public to make a choice in their purchases in furtherance of Government policy for the protection of the ozone layer.
Mr. Atkins [holding answer 13 July 1989] : As my hon. Friend will be aware, this Government's policy is to encourage all industries using chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and halons to reduce their use to the maximium extent. In addition it is open to manufacturers of their own volition to label their products with such details as my hon. Friend suggests subject to the provisions of the Trade Descriptions Act.
HEALTH
Cancer Screening
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Royal Marsden hospital consulted with his Department about mobile breast cancer-screening unit leaflet advertisement campaigns to women in New Malden in April and offering screening at a cost of £50 ; if his Department gave guidance to the Royal Marsden hospital about conducting such schemes ; how many
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similar schemes are operating throughout England and Wales ; and if he will make a statement on the operation of such schemes.Mr. Kenneth Clarke : My Department was made aware of the Royal Marsden hospital special health authority's private cancer screening service earlier this year. In May, the authority was advised that the principle of offering private cancer screening as a means of income generation was being considered by my Department and that a formal view on the scheme could not be given at that time. We shall shortly be informing health authorities of the types of screening procedures which should be excluded in future from income-generation schemes. We are aware of a handful of other similar income-generation schemes in England. Any similar programmes in Wales are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
Detained Patients
Mr. Hayward : To ask the Secretary of State for Health who is responsible for providing clothing to persons transferred from the prison system to the care of the National Health Service under the provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983, as a detained patient.
Mr. Freeman : Prisoners transferred to the care of the National Health Service under the provisions of the Mental Health Act 1983 become patients. Such patients bring their private clothing with them from prison but health authorities are expected to provide clothing for those patients who are unable to provide it from their own resources and who are not obtaining it from any other source.
Self-Governing Hospitals
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what salary and other remunerated pay Sheila Masters, the director of finance for the self-governing hospital units, receives ; and on what kind of contract she is engaged.
Mr. Mellor : Sheila Masters is on a contractual appointment to the National Health Service management executive. The contract is with her employers, Peat Marwick McLintock, who pay her salary etc.
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what salary and performance-related pay Peter Griffiths, the head of the self-governing hospitals unit, receives ; and on what kind of contract he is engaged.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : Mr. Peter Griffiths is presently employed as general manager by South East Thames RHA on the normal terms and conditions of service for such appointments. He is made available to the NHS management executive by the RHA on a part-time basis. This arrangement will become full-time in September ; the details are still under discussion.
Benzodiazepines
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what adverse reports have been received by the Committee on Safety of Medicines about the effect of benzodiazepines on patients.
Mr. Mellor : To date the Committee on Safety of Medicines has received over 750 reports of adverse
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reactions which may be associated with benzodiazepines. These reports describe over 300 different kinds of reactions. A report of a suspected adverse drug reaction does not necessarily mean a causal relationship. The committee carefully monitors all issues of drug safety and where necessary issues advice by means of its bulletin "Current Problems" to doctors, dentists and pharmacists. In the case of benzodiazepines, "Current Problems" has drawn attention to various adverse reactions in February 1978 (No. 3), February 1981 (No. 5) and January 1988 (No. 21). Copies are in the Library.Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department has as to the most widely accepted medical assessment of the average withdrawal period from benzodiazepines.
Mr. Freeman : The hon. Member may wish to refer to the Departmental publication "Guidelines of Good Clinical Practice in the Treatment of Drug misuse" which includes advice on withdrawal from
benzodiazepines. A copy of this publication is in the Library.
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of how many children under the age of 16 years are addicted to benzodiazepines.
Mr. Mellor : We do not have this information.
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will discuss with the leaders of the pharmaceutical industry the setting up of a compensation scheme for those people whose lives have been ruined or damaged by benzodiazepine addiction.
Mr. Mellor : We have no plans to do so.
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will take steps to reduce benzodiazepine prescriptions in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Mellor : The Government have made every effort to ensure that doctors are aware of the problems which can arise from prolonged treatment with benzodiazepines and to encourage good prescribing habits. We have no plans to introduce restrictions.
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has sought to encourage the development of guidelines for the maximum recommended period for children under the age of 16 years to be prescribed benzodiazepines ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Mellor : No. It is up to doctors to prescribe the drugs properly in accordance with the guidance available to them.
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the price of benzodiazepines is the on cost by pharmacists.
Mr. Mellor : When pharmacists dispense a medicine, they are paid, in addition to the appropriate dispensing fee and container allowance, the basic price of the medicine, less a discount deduction, averaging 8.3 per cent. of the basic price, plus on cost of 5 per cent. of the basic price.
Social Charter
Dr. Goodson-Wickes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the Government support all the health provisions contained within the social charter.
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Mr. Freeman : The preliminary draft Community charter of fundamental social rights refers to :
-- the enjoyment by every worker of satisfactory health conditions, more especially in his working environment ;
-- the provision for the elderly of medical assistance specifically suited to their needs and as wide an access as possible to that assistance ;
Health and safety in the workplace is the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment ; in other respects, these requirements are met within the National Health Service.
Patient Throughput, Mersey Region
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the patient throughput per available bed in the Mersey region in the latest available year.
Mr. Freeman : During 1987-88, the number of in-patient cases treated per available bed in Mersey regional health authority was 20.8.
EC Social Security Regulations
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has any plans to make medical treatment in the European Community more widely available to British nationals after 1992 under the European Community social security regulations.
NHS Staffing
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give for each special health authority, district health authority and regional health authority for England the numbers of (a) medical and dental staff, (b) nursing and midwifery staff, (c) administration and clerical staff, (d) ancillary staff, (e) others and (f) total employees, expressed (i) as total numbers and (ii) as whole-time equivalents for 30 December 1988.
Mr. Mellor : We do not at present have information to this level of detail.
When September 1988 information becomes available a copy will be placed in the Library.
Student Nurses
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health authorities have not been able, or will not be able, to offer their student registered general nurses full-time jobs at the end of their training contracts in 1989.
Mr. Mellor : We do not hold such information centrally.
Supply Nurses
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many supply nurses are currently being used by Gateshead health authority ;
(2) how many jobs are currently available in Gateshead health authority for qualified registered general nurses.
Mr. Mellor : We do not hold this information centrally. The hon. Member may wish to write to the chairman of Gateshead health authority for the information.
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Drug Dependency
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent in 1988, or the latest year for which figures are available to assist (a) hard drug addicts and (b) people dependent on benzodiazepines.
Mr. Freeman : In 1988-89, the Government allocated nearly £5.5 million to regional health authorities specifically for the development of drug misuse services, including services for those dependent on benzodiazepines. A further £4 million was to be used to help prevent the spread of HIV among drug users and from them to the wider population. The total sum allocated to regional health authorities for all drug services has been increased to almost £15 million in 1989-90.
The following grants were made in 1988-89 under the central drugs initiative to services specifically for those dependent on benzodiazepines :
|£
-----------------------------------------------
North East Council on Addictions |21,144
West Cumbria Mind (Copeland) |14,117
In addition, over £2.5 million was allocated to 63 other projects some of which also provided a service for those dependent on benzodiazepines.
The Department also made a grant of £25,000 to the National Association of Mental Health (MIND) to produce a national directory of services for this group as well as public information material on benzodiazepines and a grant of £10,000 to Tranx(UK) Ltd.
Opticians
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Southport of 4 July, Official Report, column 150, why ophthalmic opticians receive a larger fee than ophthalmic medical practitioners for a National Health Service sight test ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Mellor : The fee for ophthalmic opticians includes an allowance towards the overhead costs of running their practices. Ophthalmic medical practitioners on the other hand, usually work on a peripatetic basis. The overheads they incur are therefore that much lower and this is reflected in their fee.
Eye Tests
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has any plans to reduce the incentive for general practitioners to refer patients to National Health Service hospitals for eye tests ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Mellor : We do not accept that general practitioners will seek to refer their patients to hospital for routine sight tests when a normal sight test by an ophthalmic optician would meet the patient's needs. It is also unlikely that the hospital eye service would accept such patients.
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he yet has sufficient statistical information available to assess how eye test charges have contributed to preventive health care.
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Mr. Mellor : No. Information on the number of people receiving sight tests since 1 April is not yet available. We intend to carry out a survey into numbers when the market has had time to become more stable.
Mr. Graham Gaskin
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes to social work practice, in particular a client's right to access to a file, he intends to make following the successful appeal of Mr. Graham Gaskin to the European Court of Human Rights.
Mr. Mellor : In the light of the court's judgment in this case, we are taking a careful look at the present general arrangements for social arrangements for social services clients to have access to their files to see whether any changes are needed.
Infection Control
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many district control of infection officers have been employed in the National Health Service for the most recent year for which figures are available ;
(2) what has been the cost to the National Health Service of employing district infection control officers for 1989 ;
(3) when the role of district control of infection officers was established within the National Health Service ; and on what authority.
Mr. Mellor : We announced last July that we accepted the principle of a greater commitment to the public health advanced by the Chief Medical Officer's report on "Public Health in England" and that we would be taking a number of steps to carry forward its
recommendations. These include issuing in December 1988 a circular to health authorities based on the report's conclusions about their responsibilities to improve the health of the population, including the prevention, surveillance and control of communicable disease. Health authorities have been asked to report by 31 December 1989 on the action that they have taken to implement the circular and to move towards management arrangements which assign executive responsibility for surveillance, prevention and control of communicable disease and infection, in their districts to a named medical practitioner of consultant status.
These consultants will be known as consultants in communicable disease control and will exercise comparable functions to those recommended for district control of infection officers whose appointment was recommended in "Public Health in England". Further guidance was issued to health authorities in February 1988 on the role of consultants in communicable disease control and in June on procedures for their appointment.
It will not be possible to provide detailed figures on the number of such consultants appointed until health authority reports are received at the end of the year. The redeployment of consultant manpower resulting from their appointment is not expected to increase costs to the National Health Service.
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people acquired infection, other than through food poisoning, in National Health Service hospitals during 1988 ; how many died as result of those infections ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Freeman : The latest available data held centrally is for 1985, when the estimated number of cases of post-operative infection was 15,540. The number of deaths with underlying cause of post operative infection in 1988 was 15.
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list any independent organisations, other than the National Health Service, charged with monitoring and reporting infectious disease levels within the National Health Service ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Mellor : The organisation charged with monitoring infectious disease levels throughout England and Wales is the Communicable Disease Surveillance centre of the Public Health Laboratory service which is part of the National Health Service. The centre produces a weekly communicable disease report and an annual report on infectious disease levels. The annual report is produced jointly wth the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys.
Also within the National Health Service, registered medical practitioners are statutorily required to notify cases of certain infectious disease to local authority proper officers who are required statutorily to pass data on to other bodies including district health authorities and the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. Serious outbreaks of disease and individual cases of particular diseases must also be reported to the chief medical officer.
Abortion
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the conceptions in 1987 which (a) led to maternities and (b) were terminated under the terms of the Abortion Act 1967, among residents of England and Wales aged under 16 years, 16 to 19 years, 20 to 24 years, 25 to 29 years, 30 to 34 years, 35 to 39 years and 40 years and over.
Mr. Freeman : The information requested is given in the table. All pregnancies of women usually resident in England and Wales which led to a maternity or termination by abortion under the 1967 Act are included (and those which led to a spontaneous abortion are excluded). The figures are provisional.
England and Wales
Number of conceptions
in 1987
Age of woman at |Total conceptions |Conceptions leading to |Conceptions terminated by
conception |maternities |abortion
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total |850,400 |689,452 |160,948
Under 16 |9,135 |4,185 |4,950
16-19 |114,017 |76,355 |37,662
20-24 |261,876 |211,444 |50,432
25-29 |264,646 |233,178 |31,468
30-34 |139,041 |120,131 |18,910
35-39 |50,787 |38,186 |12,601
40 and over |10,898 |5,973 |4,925
Note: Data are provisional.
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the numbers of conceptions in 1987 which (a) led to maternities and (b) were terminated under the terms of the Abortion Act 1967, among residents of England and Wales aged under 14 years, 14 years, 15 years, 16 years, 17 years, 18 years and 19 years, giving in each case the rate per 1,000 population in each age group.
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Mr. Freeman : The information requested is given in the table. All pregnancies of women usually resident in England and Wales which led to a maternity or termination by abortion under the 1967 Act are included (and those which led to a spontaneous abortion are excluded). The figures are provisional.
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Numbers and rates of conceptions leading to maternities and abortions 1987
England and Wales
Age of woman at Number of conceptions Conception rate per
conception in 1987 1,000 woman in age group
|Total conceptions |Conceptions leading to |Conceptions terminated by|Total conceptions |Conceptions leading to |Conceptions terminated by
|maternities |abortion |maternities |abortion
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Under 14<1> |346 |145 |201 |1.1 |0.5 |0.7
14 |1,899 |736 |1,163 |5.8 |2.2 |3.5
15 |6,890 |3,304 |3,586 |19.7 |9.4 |10.2
16 |16,512 |9,415 |7,097 |44.1 |25.1 |19.0
17 |24,809 |15,915 |8,894 |67.1 |43.0 |24.1
18 |33,648 |23,114 |10,534 |87.7 |60.3 |27.5
19 |39,048 |27,911 |11,137 |101.1 |72.2 |28.8
Note: Data are provisional.
<1> Rate per 1,000 women aged 13.
Abortion
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions were performed in 1988 on residents and non-residents at each of the following gestational ages ; les than nine weeks, nine to 12 weeks, 13
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to 16 weeks, 17 to 20 weeks, 21 to 24 weeks and 25 weeks and over on each of the following grounds : one with other, two alone, three with or without two, four alone, four with any other except one and five and six.Mr. Freeman : The information requested is shown in the table :
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Abortions performed on residents and non-residents of England and Wales, 1988<1> by gestation period and statutory grounds
Gestation period
(weeks)
Statutory grounds |Less than 9 |9-12 |13-16 |17-20 |21-24 |25<2> |NS<2>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 (with any other) |99 |314 |41 |20 |8 |3 |1
2 (alone) |55,892 |82,024 |14,879 |8,000 |2,819 |1 |9
3 (with or without 2) |5,138 |10,609 |1,560 |500 |94 |- |1
4 (alone) |83 |191 |210 |566 |147 |18 |-
4 (with an other except 1) |158 |270 |55 |56 |21 |- |-
5 or 6 |1 |5 |1 |1 |1 |1 |1
<1>Provisional date.
<2>Not stated.
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions were performed in 1988 on residents and non-residents at each of the following gestational ages : less than nine weeks, nine to 12 weeks, 13 to 16 weeks, 17 to 20 weeks, 21 to 24 weeks and 25 weeks
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and over, on women in each of the following age groups : under 15 years, 15 years, 16 to 19 years, 20 to 24 years, 25 to 29 years, 30 to 34 years, 35 to 39 years, 40 to 44 years and 45 years and over.Mr. Freeman : The information is shown in the table :
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Abortions performed on residents and non-residents of England and Wales, 1988<1> by gestation period and age
of mother.
Age Gestation period
(weeks)
|less than 9|9-12 |13-16 |17-20 |21-24 |25+ |NS<2>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Less than 15 |205 |403 |146 |98 |69 |- |-
15 |624 |1,477 |425 |266 |90 |- |1
16-19 |10,398 |21,637 |4,837 |2,901 |1,021 |4 |6
20-24 |19,458 |30,097 |5,665 |3,065 |963 |7 |2
25-29 |14,148 |18,968 |2,854 |1,423 |490 |5 |3
30-34 |8,751 |10,852 |1,461 |704 |235 |5 |-
35-39 |5,490 |6,964 |883 |453 |130 |2 |-
40-44 |2,116 |2,804 |396 |199 |83 |- |-
45+ |178 |204 |41 |33 |9 |- |-
Not stated |3 |7 |2 |1 |- |- |-
<1> Provisional data.
<2> Not stated.
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