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Week ending |Planned vehicles |Unmanned vehicles |<1>Single-manned vehicles ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 January 1989 |2,864 |146 |63 15 January 1989 |2,864 |151 |50 22 January 1989 |2,864 |112 |49 29 January 1989 |2,864 |124 |43 5 February 1989 |2,864 |153 |56 12 February 1989 |2,864 |140 |66 19 February 1989 |2,864 |158 |52 26 February 1989 |2,864 |180 |60 5 March 1989 |2,905 |181 |52 12 March 1989 |2,905 |196 |66 19 March 1989 |2,905 |191 |66 26 March |2,905 |169 |47 2 April 1989 |2,905 |217 |69 9 April 1989 |2,905 |158 |65 16 April 1989 |2,905 |120 |57 23 April 1989 |2,905 |188 |53 30 April 1989 |2,905 |183 |45 7 May 1989 |2,905 |157 |69 14 May 1989 |2,905 |181 |45 21 May 1989 |2,905 |196 |60 28 May 1989 |2,905 |158 |57 4 June 1989 |2,905 |248 |76 11 June 1989 |2,905 |211 |49 18 June 1989 |2,905 |300 |63 25 June 1989 |2,905 |273 |88 2 July 1989 |2,905 |267 |76 9 July 1989 |2,905 |228 |66 16 July 1989 |2,905 |228 |58 23 July 1989 |2,905 |221 |70 <1> The single-manned vehicles can be used if a fully-manned vehicle is not available.
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will state the number of occasions, and the dates
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concerned, when the London ambulance service was ouside the 14-minute Department of Health guideline for emergency responses since January 1989.Mr. Freeman : The information is not available in the format requested. However, the table shows the performance by month from January 1989 :
Month |Percentage responded to|Number of minutes to
|within 14 minutes |respond to 95 per cent.
|of calls
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
January |80 |20
February |77 |20
March |77 |20
April |77 |21
May |80 |19
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he has taken following the ACAS report on the London ambulance service staffing ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : The ACAS report on stress in the London ambulance service (LAS) was welcomed by LAS management. Working groups comprising LAS managers, staff representatives and representatives of ACAS have been considering how best to implement the recommendations and have been making excellent progress. The working groups are expected to complete their work in September 1989.
Cochlear Implants
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research funding has been made available to University College hospital for research into cochlear implants ; what plans he has to increase it ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : University College hospital has received some £300, 000 for a five-year research programme on cochlear implants (due to end in April 1990) from the Sir Jules Thorn charitable trust and others. Further technical support has been provided by the Royal National Institute for the Deaf. The NHS meets the surgical costs and those of patients' stay in hospital.
Birmingham Children's Hospital
Mr. John Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many babies annually are not receiving life-saving heart surgery under the Birmingham health authority policy of restricting open-heart operations to 28 per month.
Mr. Freeman : I understand that no urgent cases of life-saving heart surgery have been turned away from the Birmingham children's hospital.
Indeed the planned number of open heart operations in 1989-90, at 320, is more than twice the number performed in 1987-88.
Mr. John Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients other than with heart problems were turned away from the Birmingham children's hospital's intensive care unit during the period 1 January to 30 June ; how many children patients with heart problems were turned away in the same period ; and how many cardiac by-pass operations were carried out in the same period.
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Mr. Freeman : I understand that all emergency cases requiring intensive care during the period 1 January--30 June were admitted to the intensive care unit. The total number of open heart operations in this period was 191.
Mr. John Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health over what periods of time the Birmingham children's hospital's records show that intensive care unit beds stood unused since surgeons have worked to the 28- monthly restriction to date.
Mr. Freeman : The hospital attempts to keep one intensive care bed free for emergencies, including casualties. Apart from that the intensive care beds which are for the use of the hospital as a whole have never stood unused.
Mr. John Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when all the eight intensive care unit beds at Birmingham children's hospital will be available ; what steps the hospital management are taking to increase the number of staffed beds on the intensive care unit ; and what steps are being taken to provide additional intensive care unit beds.
Mr. Freeman : I understand that the number of intensive care beds occupied in the last three months fluctuated between six and eight, depending on the availability of staff and the dependency of patients. Nurse recruitment continues to improve in the intensive care unit following successful training initiatives and the hospital hopes to have eight intensive care beds available with increasing frequency. A project team is currently looking at options for further increasing the number of intensive care beds.
North West Hertfordshire DHA (Dr. Sage)
Mr. Robert B. Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings of the North West Hertfordshire district health authority have taken place since the appointment to it of Dr. Sage ; on how many occasions Dr. Sage has attended meetings ; and on how many occasions he has sent an apology for non-attendance.
Mr. Freeman : This information is not available centrally. My hon. Friend may however wish to contact the chairman of North West Hertfordshire district health authority for further details.
Hearing Aids
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health(1) if his Department intends to review the training of audiology staff with a view to creating a specialism in hearing aid fitting ;
(2) whether he will introduce a training course for general practitioners to increase their knowledge of hearing loss.
Mr. Freeman : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Devon, West and Torridge (Miss Nicholson) on 27 July.
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has as to different local arrangements for the delivery of hearing aid services within the National Health Service.
Mr. Freeman : We are aware that some health authorities are already operating various schemes
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involving alternative methods of delivery of hearing aid services, including direct referral to audiology services. We propose to set in train a programme of action to increase the number of such direct referral schemes, together with appropriate methods of monitoring and evaluating them. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Devon, West and Torridge (Miss Nicholson) on 27 July.Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has as to the usage of hearing aids after being dispensed.
Mr. Freeman : Precise information is not held centrally. A national study of hearing by the Medical Research Council indicates that about one fifth of those who have hearing aids do not use them.
Mental Patients (Discharge)
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has about the lengths of time mentally ill people discharged from hospital are able to stay in residential homes run or supported by local authorities.
Mr. Freeman : Information is not readily available centrally on the lengths of time mentally ill people stay in residential homes. It is for the local authority, in consultation with whoever is caring for the resident, to determine the appropriate length of stay in each case.
NHS Funding
Mr. Terry Lewis : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the intended increase in National Health Service funding, in percentage terms, in the next three years.
Mr. Freeman : The planned level of funding for the National Health Service for the next three financial years is subject to review in the current public expenditure survey, the results of which will be announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Autumn Statement.
Infant Mortality
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give (a) the infant mortality rate for the Glanford and Scunthorpe constituency for each of the years 1986 to 1989 and (b) the comparable national and regional rates.
Mr. Freeman : The information is shown in the table.
Infant mortality<1> rates for 1986-88 Area of usual residence |1986 |1987 |1988<3> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- England and Wales |9.6 |9.2 |9.0 Yorkshire and Humberside region |10.5 |9.9 |9.3 Glanford and Scunthorpe parliamentary constituency<2> |12.5 |11.7 |9.4 <1> Deaths under one year of age per 1,000 livebirths. <2> Comprising Scunthorpe county district together with the following wards of Glanford county district: North West, Winterton, Darton upon Stather, Gunness, Meassingham, Bottesford West, Broughton, Bottesford Central, Bottesford East, and Trentside. <3> Provisional.
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Health Care
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for health whether Her Majesty's Government have considered the reasons for the difference in the proportion of gross domestic product spent on health care in the United Kingdom and in other developed countries.
Mr. Mellor : I refer the hon. Member to the reply which I gave him on 16 May at column 146.
ading Bills Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish in the Official Report a list of Bills sponsored by his Department in each Session since 1979.
Mr. Freeman : The information is in the table. For sessions earlier than 1988-89 the Bills shown are those which relate to health matters and exclude social security.
Session |Health
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |Health Services Bill
|National Health Services (Invalid Direction) Bill
1980-81 |-
1981-82 |-
1982-83 |-
1983-84 |Health and Social Security Bill
1984-85 |Surrogacy Arrangements Bill
1985-86 |National Health Service (Amendment) Bill
1986-87 |-
1987-88 |Health and Medicines Bill
1988-89 |Human Organ Transplants Bill
1988-89 |Children Bill
Eye Tests
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether he has any plans to instigate a further advertising campaign to encourage people to have eye tests following the introduction of eye test charges ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) whether he has any plans to instigate an advertising campaign on exemption from eye test charges.
Mr. Mellor : We have no current plans for instigating any new advertising campaign either to encourage people to visit their optician for a sight test or to further publicise the groups entitled to free sight tests under the NHS. Information on entitlement for NHS sight tests is clearly given in poster SB54 and leaflet G11, issued by this Department and updated on an annual basis.
Mental Health
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what are his plans for continuing research into mental health problems seen by general practitioners following the closure of the general practice research unit ;
(2) what funding is planned in the area of research into investigating psychiatric disorders over the next financial year following the closure of the general practice research unit ; (3) what steps he is taking to ensure multidisciplinary research into mental health problems in primary care following the closure of the general practice research unit.
Mr. Freeman : Following the retirement of the director of the general practice research unit (GPRU), Professor
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Shepherd, we reviewed our arrangements for social and community mental health research. We decided that we could best meet our likely needs through more responsive arrangements that would be possible by continuing long-term support for the GPRU and we therefore did not renew its contract.The Department is committed to maintaining its support for social and community mental health research up to the present level of available funding of £250,000 per annum. Indeed community care is one of the priority themes for our current research programme. The commissioning of appropriate projects will, of course, be driven by the requirement for research to assist the Government's policy objectives. When these requirements for 1990-91 and beyond have been worked into our research programme later this year, we shall be approaching researchers. We expect to discuss with the new MRC social and community psychiatry unit whether some of our research needs can be met by it. An undertaking has been given that those members of the core staff of GPRU who would have become employed in the new MRC unit had Department of Health commissions been added to its core programme and have not found further employment by the time their present contract ends, will be offered grant support at the Maudsley until 30 April 1990.
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the total costs of general practice in the United Kingdom the proposed funding of investigations into psychiatric disorders would amount to after the closure of the general practice research unit.
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Mr. Freeman : Our precise requirements for future research on mental health issues are still being developed.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the amount spent by each region on services for the mentally ill (a) in cash terms at constant prices and (b) as a proportion of their total budgets, for each year from 1979 to the latest available date.
Mr. Freeman [holding answer 18 April 1989] : For costing purposes prior to 1987-88 all hospitals were classified into one or other of a series of standard types which reflected the principal use to which their beds were allocated and costing returns in respect of community health services showed expenditure relating to major areas of activity only.
The following table, derived from hospital costing returns for 1979-80 to 1986-87 gives figures of regional and national revenue expenditure (expressed at 1986-87 prices) on hospitals categorised as "mental illness" and those figures as percentages of total revenue expenditure on all hospital and community health services (HCHS). However, the expenditure figures exclude the growing volume of activity in psychiatric units within acute and other hospitals and services provided within the community health services. Such expenditure is not separately identifiable centrally.
Information on the financial year 1987-88 is to be published shortly, but, because of the adoption of changes recommended in the reports of the steering group on NHS information (the Ko"rner committee), it will not be in a directly comparable form.
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Revenue expenditure on hospitals categorised as "Mental Illness" at 1986-87 prices
1979-80 1980-81 1981-82 1982-83
Regions |Revenue expenditure|Percentage of total|Revenue expenditure|Percentage of total|Revenue expenditure|Percentage of total|Revenue expenditure|Percentage of total
|revenue expenditure |revenue expenditure |revenue expenditure |revenue expenditure
|(£ thousand) |(£ thousand) |(£ thousand) |(£ thousand)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |52,186 |9.25 |57,267 |9.31 |57,317 |9.26 |57,854 |9.27
Yorkshire |63,822 |10.05 |70,621 |10.15 |69,461 |9.89 |69,979 |9.73
Trent |72,929 |9.73 |78,825 |9.57 |77,766 |9.37 |77,872 |9.33
East Anglian |31,110 |9.87 |34,213 |9.94 |33,871 |9.81 |33,086 |9.56
North West Thames |75,519 |10.04 |81,890 |10.03 |80,479 |9.65 |76,677 |10.11
North East Thames |68,592 |8.42 |76,773 |8.58 |75,999 |8.46 |75,678 |7.89
South East Thames |69,514 |8.84 |75,444 |8.89 |74,880 |8.81 |72,086 |8.59
South West Thames |74,822 |12.41 |78,919 |12.05 |78,363 |11.87 |76,666 |12.07
Wessex |51,691 |11.42 |55,383 |11.26 |55,350 |11.09 |54,870 |10.95
Oxford |28,849 |7.73 |30,755 |7.66 |32,916 |8.20 |29,477 |7.35
South Western |58,845 |10.62 |63,821 |10.62 |63,590 |10.45 |63,773 |10.50
West Midlands |81,979 |9.23 |87,996 |9.17 |88,460 |9.18 |87,440 |9.02
Mersey |50,575 |10.54 |53,966 |10.39 |52,817 |10.11 |51,472 |9.85
North Western |31,424 |4.06 |33,407 |3.93 |33,323 |3.82 |35,091 |4.01
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |811,857 |9.29 |879,280 |9.24 |874,592 |9.10 |860,021 |8.99
Revenue expenditure on hospitals categorised as "Mental Illness" at 1986-87 prices
1983-84 1984-85 1985-86 1986-87
Regions |Revenue expenditure|Percentage of total|Revenue expenditure|Percentage of total|Revenue expenditure|Percentage of total|Revenue expenditure|Percentage of total
|revenue expenditure |revenue expenditure |revenue expenditure |revenue expenditure
|(£ thousand) |(£ thousand) |(£ thousand) |(£ thousand)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |57,160 |9.01 |57,946 |9.05 |57,200 |8.92 |57,780 |8.69
Yorkshire |65,674 |9.26 |65,606 |9.15 |64,421 |8.91 |63,883 |8.54
Trent |76,924 |9.05 |74,744 |8.62 |76,767 |8.81 |78,973 |8.64
East Anglian |33,777 |9.44 |34,329 |9.39 |35,425 |9.57 |36,333 |9.33
North West Thames |76,827 |10.09 |74,693 |9.77 |76,453 |10.15 |74,047 |9.52
North East Thames |76,021 |7.89 |76,202 |7.93 |73,617 |7.79 |75,608 |7.75
South East Thames |71,767 |8.48 |81,255 |9.65 |67,409 |8.08 |76,136 |8.88
South West Thames |76,633 |11.98 |76,283 |11.93 |75,114 |11.95 |74,067 |11.39
Wessex |54,031 |10.51 |54,490 |10.35 |52,850 |10.09 |55,041 |10.02
Oxford |28,716 |7.11 |29,067 |6.98 |28,479 |6.85 |29,431 |6.78
South Western |62,038 |10.03 |61,071 |9.80 |59,422 |9.53 |57,891 |8.91
West Midlands |90,151 |9.14 |89,998 |8.97 |88,760 |8.82 |89,801 |8.55
Mersey |51,664 |9.89 |50,392 |9.56 |48,556 |9.25 |47,681 |8.78
North Western |34,872 |3.96 |33,936 |3.82 |34,360 |3.86 |35,215 |3.82
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |856,255 |8.84 |860,012 |8.79 |838,833 |8.60 |851,887 |8.41
Notes:
1. The figures have been expressed at 1986-87 prices by the use of the Gross Domestic Product deflator.
2. Figures include expenditure on in-patients, out-patients, day patients etc.
3. "HCHS" includes hospital, community, patient transport (ie ambulance), blood transfusion and other services.
Environmental Health Officers
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many training places are or were available to those wishing to qualify as environmental health officers in each of the last five years ; and how many there will be for each of the next three years.
Mr. Mellor : Decisions on the training of environmental health officers are matters for local authorities, and we do not normally collect information centrally on the number of training places available. The table shows the number of student EHOs entering training in each of the last four years, according to information supplied by the Institution of Environmental Health Officers.
Total intakes |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 year diploma course |65 |63 |71 |74 4 year degree course |142 |152 |184 |185
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the current shortage of environmental health officers ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Mellor : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the right hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South (Mr. Ashley) on 27 February at columns 64- 65.
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Management and Administration Costs
Sir David Price : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his most up-to-date estimate of the proportion of hospital and community health services' expenditure spent on management and administration, including internal hospital management costs as well as management costs of regional and district health authorities ; and what he expects the proportion to be when the proposals in the White Paper "Working for Patients" have been implemented.
Mr. Mellor [holding answer 18 April 1989] : Information relating to hospital and community health services (HCHS) and derived from the 1987-88 summarised accounts of health authorities in England is shown in the table. Equivalent information for the financial year 1988-89 will be available in the autumn.
It is not possible to forecast the proportion of total expenditure which health authorities will incur on management and administration after the proposals in the White Paper "Working for Patients" have been implemented. However, since those proposals are designed to increase efficiency and to provide greater incentives to health authorities by encouraging both competition and cost consciousness we do not expect the proportion to increase significantly and moreover any increase in cash or in proportional terms should result in a more effective use of total resources for the benefit of patients.
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Expenditure on hospital and community health services (HCHS)
1987-88
|Cash |As a proportion of total|As a proportion of total
|current expenditure |expenditure (current and
|capital)
|(£ thousand) |(per cent.) |(per cent.)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Expenditure on headquarters administration |492,776 |4.37 |4.01
Expenditure on general management and
administrative offices etc. at operational levels |443,226 |3.93 |3.61
Source: 1987-88 annual accounts of regional and district health authorities in England and those of the special health authorities for the London
postgraduate teaching hospitals.
Notes:
1. "HCHS" includes hospital, community health, patient transport (ie ambulance), blood transfusion and other services.
2. Expenditure on headquarters administration includes all current expenditure on the pay and pay related costs of staff of all disciplines (including
general managers) employed at regional and district headquarters levels and their office costs and overheads.
3. Expenditure on general management and administrative offices etc. at operational levels includes all current expenditure on the pay and pay related
costs of staff engaged on providing administrative services at hospital sites and units together with expenditure on printing, stationery and office
sundries which cannot be specifically identified to other departments.
4. The cost of medical records departments (£135 million in 1987-88) is excluded.
Agency Nursing
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give for each district health authority and for each regional health authority the spending in 1988-89 or the latest available year on agency nursing in absolute terms and also as a percentage of total spending on nursing.
Mr. Mellor [holding answer 10 July 1989] : The information derivable from 1987-88 annual accounts submitted to the Department have been placed in the Library. Equivalent information for 1988-89 will be available in the autumn.
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NHS (Meals)
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average cost of production, by region of (a) staff and (b) patient meals in the National Health Service ; and what are the comparable figures for 1979, 1983 and 1988.
Mr. Freeman [holding answer 13 July 1989] : The information is not available in the form requested. Information for England is however available as follows :
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Table A
Analysis of catering costs nationally for both patients and staff meals for each of the years 1983-84 to 1986-87. Figures for 1979 are not
readily available.
|Total expenditure |Cost per person fed per|Total expenditure |Cost per person fed per
|day |day
|£ |£ |£ |£
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1983-84 1984-85
Patient meals
Cost of food |131,230,768 |1.26 |133,482,131 |1.32
Cost of staff |129,751,878 |1.24 |129,582,427 |1.28
Total service cost (net of
receipts) |269,781,664 |2.59 |272,266,181 |2.70
Staff meals
Cost of food |37,542,627 |- |38,770,039 |-
Cost of staff |84,745,231 |- |82,074,742 |-
Total service cost (net of
receipts) |76,399,525 |- |73,371,327 |-
1985-86 1986-87
Patient meals
Cost of food |133,560,652 |1.36 |134,721,529 |1.41
Cost of staff |127,816,200 |1.30 |130,509,430 |1.37
Total service cost (net of
receipts) |272,355,217 |2.78 |280,365,094 |2.94
Staff meals
Cost of food |39,336,250 |- |41,394,976 |-
Cost of staff |80,464,975 |- |78,821,583 |-
Total service cost (net of
receipts) |71,650,488 |- |71,077,574 |-
Note: Cost per member of staff fed per day is not applicable.
Source: Costing returns submitted to the Department by health authorities.
Table B
Regional information for the net daily cost per patient fed for 1979-80 and
each of the years 1983-84 to 1986-87<1>
|1979-80 |1983-84 |1984-85 |1985-86 |1986-87
Region |£ |£ |£ |£ |£
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |1.84 |2.55 |2.66 |2.74 |2.84
Yorkshire |1.89 |2.60 |2.69 |2.77 |2.96
Trent |2.05 |2.71 |2.78 |2.81 |2.98
East Anglia |2.56 |2.78 |2.89 |2.94 |3.07
North West Thames |1.96 |2.58 |2.69 |2.83 |3.02
North East Thames |1.85 |2.54 |2.60 |2.70 |2.89
South East Thames |2.06 |2.55 |2.68 |2.91 |3.11
South West Thames |1.91 |2.39 |2.55 |2.66 |2.90
Wessex |2.00 |2.60 |2.81 |2.90 |3.02
Oxford |1.95 |2.63 |2.70 |2.76 |3.04
South Western |1.94 |2.58 |2.72 |2.74 |2.86
West Midlands |1.97 |2.61 |2.70 |2.75 |2.86
Mersey |1.81 |2.38 |2.49 |2.56 |2.63
North Western |1.96 |2.64 |2.76 |2.79 |2.94
Board of Governors/SHAs |2.81 |3.56 |3.72 |3.93 |4.33
|--- |--- |--- |--- |---
England |1.97 |2.59 |2.70 |2.78 |2.94
Source: Costing returns submitted to the Department by health authorities.
<1>Figures for 1987-88 are not yet available.
Similar information for staff is not available centrally.
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Abortions
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions at 25 weeks, 26 weeks and 27 weeks were performed during 1988 because of a substantial risk that if the child were born it would be seriously handicapped.
Mr. Freeman : The data for 1988, which are provisional, are shown in the table.
Number of abortions performed under ground 4<1> of the 1967 Abortion Act by week of gestation, England and Wales 1988 Gestation week |Number --------------------------------------------- 25 |5 26 |7 27 |6 <1> There is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped.
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Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of legal abortions under nine weeks, nine to 12 weeks, 13 to 16 weeks and over 16 weeks since last menstrual period, performed on women resident in each regional health authority and in each district health authority in England and Wales in 1988.
Mr. Freeman : The information has been placed in the Library.
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of National Health Service abortions under nine weeks and nine to 12 weeks since last menstrual period, and the respective numbers of these abortions involving admission and discharge on the same day, performed on women resident in each regional health authority and in each district health authority in England and Wales in 1988.
Mr. Freeman : The information requested cannot be released at district health authority level on the grounds of confidentiality. Data for usual residents of regional health authorities are shown in the table.
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National health service abortions on usual residents of regional health authorities (RHAs). (a) total number and (b) day cases. Selected
gestation periods, 1988
Gestation under 9 Gestation 9 to 12
weeks weeks
Area of usual residence |(a) |(b) |(a) |(b)
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
England and Wales |15,064 |9,663 |45,974 |25,103
England |14,476 |9,495 |42,958 |24,704
Wales |588 |168 |3,016 |399
Northern RHA |1,459 |939 |3,884 |2,239
Yorkshire RHA |660 |246 |2,178 |872
Trent RHA |1,109 |579 |4,172 |2,086
East Anglian RHA |735 |421 |2,572 |1,216
North West Thames RHA |1,505 |1,014 |3,324 |2,052
North East Thames RHA |2,297 |1,915 |6,408 |5,030
South East Thames RHA |1,357 |1,029 |3,559 |2,225
South West Thames RHA |990 |774 |2,147 |1,419
Wessex RHA |474 |241 |2,018 |907
Oxford RHA |1,012 |873 |2,001 |1,412
South Western RHA |784 |479 |3,683 |2,228
West Midlands RHA |537 |267 |1,740 |625
Mersey RHA |507 |355 |2,226 |1,627
North Western RHA |1,050 |363 |3,046 |816
Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions were performed in 1987 and 1988 on residents aged 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 years 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 24 weeks and over on each of the seven grounds.
Mr. Freeman [holding answer 25 July 1989] : The exact information requested cannot be released on grounds of confidentiality ; the tables show such data as can be released.
Number of abortions performed on residents aged 10, 11, 12, 13, 14,
15 and 16 years by gestation weeks in 1988, by statutory grounds<1>
Age of mother Gestation weeks Statutory grounds
|All grounds (mentions)|2 |All others
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 |Under 9 |4 |3 |1
|9-12 |4 |4 |0
|13-16 |1 |1 |0
|17-20 |1 |1 |0
|21-24 |0 |0 |0
|24+ |0 |0 |0
|Not stated |0 |0 |0
11 |Under 9 |0 |0 |0
|9-12 |0 |0 |0
|13-16 |0 |0 |0
|17-20 |0 |0 |0
|21-24 |0 |0 |0
|24+ |0 |0 |0
|Not stated |0 |0 |0
12 |Under 9 |2 |2 |0
|9-12 |2 |2 |0
|13-16 |0 |0 |0
|17-20 |1 |1 |0
|21-24 |2 |2 |0
|24+ |0 |0 |0
|Not stated |0 |0 |0
13 |Under 9 |18 |18 |0
|9-12 |44 |43 |1
|13-16 |15 |15 |0
|17-20 |8 |8 |0
|21-24 |4 |4 |0
|24+ |0 |0 |0
|Not stated |0 |0 |0
14 |Under 9 |185 |182 |3
|9-12 |355 |354 |1
|13-16 |129 |125 |4
|17-20 |66 |65 |1
|21-24 |37 |37 |0
|24+ |0 |0 |0
|Not stated |0 |0 |0
15 |Under 9 |611 |605 |6
|9-12 |1,465 |1446 |19
|13-16 |382 |375 |7
|17-20 |217 |214 |3
|21-24 |58 |57 |1
|24+ |0 |0 |0
|Not stated |1 |1 |0
16 |Under 9 |1,536 |1,522 |14
|9-12 |3,724 |3,657 |67
|13-16 |787 |779 |8
|17-20 |414 |407 |7
|21-24 |136 |132 |4
|24+ |0 |0 |0
|Not stated |1 |1 |0
Number of abortions performed on residents aged 10, 11, 12, 13, 14,
15 and 16 years by gestation weeks in 1987, by statutory grounds<1>
Statutory grounds
Age of mother |Gestation weeks |All grounds (mentions)|2 |All others
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10 |Under 9 |8 |7 |1
|9-12 |5 |4 |1
|13-16 |1 |1 |0
|17-20 |2 |1 |1
|21-24 |0 |0 |0
|24+ |0 |0 |0
|Not stated |0 |0 |0
11 |Under 9 |0 |0 |0
|9-12 |1 |1 |0
|13-16 |0 |0 |0
|17-20 |0 |0 |0
|21-24 |0 |0 |0
|24+ |0 |0 |0
|Not stated |0 |0 |0
12 |Under 9 |3 |3 |0
|9-12 |4 |4 |0
|13-16 |3 |3 |0
|17-20 |0 |0 |0
|21-24 |0 |0 |0
|24+ |0 |0 |0
|Not stated |0 |0 |0
13 |Under 9 |26 |25 |1
|9-12 |55 |55 |0
|13-16 |16 |15 |1
|17-20 |12 |11 |1
|21-24 |6 |6 |0
|24+ |0 |0 |0
|Not stated |0 |0 |0
14 |Under 9 |171 |167 |4
|9-12 |398 |393 |5
|13-16 |126 |126 |0
|17-20 |61 |58 |3
|21-24 |34 |34 |0
|24+ |0 |0 |0
|Not stated |0 |0 |0
15 |Under 9 |639 |630 |9
|9-12 |1,560 |1,534 |26
|13-16 |398 |391 |7
|17-20 |225 |221 |4
|21-24 |66 |66 |0
|24+ |0 |0 |0
|Not stated |0 |0 |0
16 |Under 9 |1,506 |1,487 |19
|9-12 |3,553 |3,489 |64
|13-16 |780 |767 |13
|17-20 |394 |381 |13
|21-24 |107 |103 |4
|24+ |1 |0 |1
|Not stated |2 |2 |0
Column 999
Number of abortions performed on residents aged 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 years by gestation weeks
Statutory grounds<1>
Age of mother |Gestation weeks |All grounds (mentions)|1 |2 |3 |4 |5 |6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987
10 to 16 |Under 9 |2,353 |10 |2,319 |23 |1 |0 |0
| 9 to 12 |5,576 |21 |5,480 |69 |6 |0 |0
|13 to 16 |1,324 |1 |1,303 |16 |4 |0 |0
|17 to 20 |694 |2 |672 |10 |10 |0 |0
|21 to 24 |213 |0 |209 |2 |2 |0 |0
|24+ |1 |0 |0 |0 |1 |0 |0
|Not stated |2 |0 |2 |0 |0 |0 |0
1988
10 to 16 |Under 9 |2,356 |4 |2,332 |16 |4 |0 |0
| 9 to 12 |5,594 |14 |5,506 |71 |3 |0 |0
|13 to 16 |1,314 |0 |1,295 |15 |4 |0 |0
|17 to 20 |707 |1 |696 |5 |5 |0 |0
|21 to 24 |237 |0 |232 |3 |2 |0 |0
|24+ |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
|Not stated |2 |0 |2 |0 |0 |0 |0
<1>Conditions of the statutory grounds are:
1. The continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant woman greater than if the pregnancy were terminated.
2. The continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman greater that if the pregnancy were terminated.
3. The continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk or injury to the physical or mental health of any existing child(ren) in the family of the pregnant woman greater than if the pregnancy were terminated.
4. There is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be handicapped.
5. To save the life of the pregnant woman.
6. To prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.
Column 1001
Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish in the Official Report a breakdown of the reasons for abortions performed under grounds (a) one, (b) three, (c) four, (d) five, (e) six and (f) seven of the Abortion Act 1967 for 1987 and 1988.
Mr. Freeman [holding answer 25 July 1989] : The information requested is shown in the tables.
Abortions performed under ground 1<1> (with any other) of the 1967
Abortion Act: numbers by principal medical condition, England and
Wales, 1987-1988.
Number
ICD<2> |Condition |1987
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|All legal abortions |480
641 |Antepartum haemorrhage, abruptio
placentae and placenta praevia |2 |3
642 |Hypertension complicating pregnancy,
childbirth and puerperium |73 |145
643 |Excessive vomiting in pregnancy |10
646-648 |Other complications of pregnancy |227
654 |Abnormality of organs and soft tissue
of pelvis |8 |5
655 |Known or suspected foetal abnormality
affecting management of mother |30 |24
656-659.9 Other foetal complications -
| Without mention of specific medical
condition |98 |27
<1> The continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk to the life of the pregnant women greater than if the pregnancy were terminated.
<2> International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code, 9th revision.
Abortions performed under ground 3<1> (with or without 2) of
the
Abortion Act: numbers by principal medical condition, England
and
Wales, 1987-1988.
ICD<2> Condition Number
|1987 |1988
---------------------------------------------------------------
All legal abortions |17,247|17,902
642 Hypertension complicating pregnancy,
childbirth and puerperium |15 |14
643 Excessive vomiting in pregnancy |4 |3
646-648 Other complications of pregnancy |13,573|14,787
654 Abnormality of organs and soft tissue
of pelvis |8 |12
655 Known or suspected foetal abnormality
affecting management of mother |32 |8
656-659.9 Other foetal complications |3 |2
Without mention of specific medical
condition |3,597 |3,060
<1> The continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk or
injury to the physical or mental health of any existing child(
ren) in the family of the pregnant woman greater than if the
pregnancy were terminated.
<2> International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code, 9th
revision.
Abortions performed under ground 4<1> (alone) of the 1967 Abortion
Act; numbers by principal medical condition-England and Wales,
1987-88
ICD<2> Condition Number
|1987 |1988
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|All legal abortions |1,233 |1,215
646-648 Other complications of pregnancy 20 6
655 Known or suspected foetal abnormality
affecting management of mother 1,192 1,197
656-659.9 |Other foetal complications|20 |10
Without mention of specific medical condition 1 2
<1> There is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be
seriously handicapped.
<2> International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code, 9th revision.
Column 1002
Abortions performed under ground 4<1> (with any other except 1 and
excluding 4 alone) of the 1967 Abortion Act; numbers by principal
medical condition-England and Wales, 1987-88
ICD<2> Condition Number
|1987 |1988
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|All legal abortions |682 |560
640 |Haemorrhage in early pregnancy|1 |-
646-648 Other complications of pregnancy 49 24
654 |Abnormality of organs and soft
| tissue of pelvis |1 |1
655 Known or suspected foetal abnormality
affecting management of mother 611 519
656-659.9 |Other foetal complications |10 |10
Without mention of specific medical condition 9 5
<1> There is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped.
<2> International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code, 9th revision.
Abortions performed under grounds 5 or 6<1> of the 1967 Abortion Act: numbers by principal medical condition, England and Wales, 1987-1988. ICD<2> Condition |1987-88 Total --------------------------------------------------------- All legal abortions |18 Maternal complications |13 Foetal complications |1 Other |4 <1>(5) to save the life of the pregnant woman, or (6) to prevent grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman. <2>International Classification of Diseases (ICD) code, 9th revision.
Child Immunisation
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library copies of the data available to him of rates for child immunisation and cervical screening by district health authority.
Mr. Mellor [holding answer 26 July 1989] : Copies of the Department's "Summary of Vaccination and Immunisation 1977 to 1987-88" (which gives district health authority uptake rates for diphtheria, tetanus, polio, whooping cough and measles) were placed in the Library when it was published. I have sent the hon. Member a copy. Immunisation uptake rates for 1988-89 are not yet available. Information on cervical screening is not yet available because statistics to date have concentrated on numbers of smear tests performed rather than the number of women screened. We expect information for 1988-89 to become available later this year when health authority returns on Ko"rner form KC53 ("Adult Screening Programme-- Cervical Cytology") are received and analysed by the Department.
Food Poisoning
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library data listing the number of cases of notified food poisoning in each of the last 10 years, by each environmental health authority, on the same basis as the data on Southwark provided in his reply to the hon. Member for Peckham (Ms. Harman) of 29 June, Official Report, column 545.
Mr. Freeman [holding answer 26 July 1989] : The information requested for the years 1979-86 can be found in the OPCS publication "Communicable Diseases
Column 1003
Statistics", Series MB2, table 5, which can be found in the Library. A proof copy of table 5 for 1987, and provisional data for 1988 have been placed in the Library.District Health Authorities (Assets)
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give details of assets disposed of by each district health authority during 1987-88 ; and what was the total value of those assets.
Mr. Freeman [pursuant to his reply, 24 April 1989, c. 380] : Details of the assets disposed of by each district health authority are not routinely collected centrally.
However, all health authorities are encouraged to dispose of surplus assets and in many regions it is usual for the relevant regional health authority (RHA) to be involved in the major transactions and to account for the resultant income.
Information derivable from the 1987-88 annual accounts of regional and district health authorities in England and the special health authorities for the London postgraduate teaching hospitals have been placed in the Library.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Pensioners (Home Owners)
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he has any plans to help house-owning pensioners to gain access to the money they have tied up in their homes.
Mr. Chope : I have been asked to reply.
Home-owning pensioners are already able to raise capital on the equity of their homes by means of schemes often known as home income plans, which are offered by a number of financial institutions. Under a home income plan, an older home owner offers his or her home as security for a mortgage loan which is used to purchase an annuity. The loan is usually repaid when the person sells the house or dies. The Government welcome the availability of such schemes, but I would strongly recommend elderly people to take independent financial advice before committing themselves.
Unemployment Benefit
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many unemployed adult male and females of working age have exhausted their entitlement to unemployment benefit ; what is his estimate of the gross cost of removing the time limit in the case of (a) males and (b) females ; and what would be the saving in each case in (i) other benefits and (ii) increased tax.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : In February 1989 there were approximately 542,000 men and 107,000 women claiming benefit who had exhausted their entitlement to unemployment benefit. The table sets out the estimated costs and benefit savings of removing the time limits.
Benefit costs and savings of removing unemployment benefit duration
limit
|Cost to UB |Savings on other benefits
|(£ million) |(£ million)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Men |1,100 |800
Women |200 |100
Notes:
1. This table assumes current levels of unemployment; costs and savings are calculated at 1989-90
benefit levels.
2. It is not possible to make a reliable estimate of the effect on tax receipts of such a change.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he will publish in the Official Report a table on the same basis as that given in the written answer dated 20 March 1987 showing the total benefits paid out to the unemployed in 1987-88, 1988-89 and his forecast for 1989-90, together with payments from the redundancy fund, the percentage both represent of gross domestic product and the revenue from North sea oil.
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