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Mr. Trippier : It is too soon for these cost totals to be known. The full costs of the flotation of the water industry will be reported to Parliament in due course in the normal way.
WALES
Local Government Finance
24. Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assumptions he has made with regard to those domestic rates being paid by second home owners in Wales, in preference to personal community charge ; and upon what basis such non-domestic rate income will be distributed between district councils in Wales.
Mr. Peter Walker : I have made no such assumptions. Domestic rates will not be payable by second-home owners from April 1990, whether in preference to personal community charge or otherwise. Standard community charges will be payable on domestic properties that do not constitute any person's sole or main residence ; the income from these charges will accrue to the local authorities in the areas where the properties are situated--it will not be distributed between district councils in Wales.
Income from non-domestic properties will be pooled and redistributed between district and county councils as an amount per head of population in each receiving authority's area.
Farm Woodlands Scheme
Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement about the operation of the farm woodlands scheme in Wales ; and what is the current uptake.
Mr. Peter Walker : My Department has received 38 applications for planting on 286 hectares of land. Twenty-two applications in respect of 188 hectares have already been approved, three applications for 12 hectares have either been withdrawn or rejected and those remaining are being processed.
Eggs
Mr. Geraint Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will undertake a review of the overall effectiveness of recent legislation affecting the egg-producing industry in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Walker : It is too early at this stage to gauge the effectiveness of the various measures to control salmonella, since the legislation has been introduced only recently. It will be reviewed in due course.
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Works of Art
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will list (a) German expressionist, (b) 20th century Welsh, (c) Piccassos, (d) Dutch 17th century, (e) Italian renaissance and (f) French impressionist works of art in Wales, owned by the state ; how much money each cost the state ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if he will list the works of art produced in (a) 1945 to 1964, (b) 1965 to 1977, (c) 1978-87 and (d) 1988 to 1989 owned by the state ; if he will indicate which of those were produced either partly or wholly by public funding ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : We have no direct responsibility for any works of art within the categories listed. Information on items held by non- departmental public bodies is not held centrally. Items from the Government art collection are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Arts.
HEALTH
Medical Equipment
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken to act on the recommendations of the 1986 Advisory Council for Applied Research and Development report on medical equipment.
Mr. Freeman : The Government's response to the report, summarising action then being taken or planned on the report's recommendations, was published in February 1987. A wide programme of improvements has been implemented and further developments in the fields of research, evaluation and equipment management are being vigorously pursued. Inter alia the research and development coordinating committee of the Department of Health, Department of Trade and Industry, Medical Research Council and the Science and Engineering Council, which meets quarterly, has made considerable progress in identifying and eliminating gaps and overlaps in the research and development medical equipment field to ensure that available resources are used as effectively as possible.
Nurses
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what instruction he has as to how many (a) trained and (b) untrained nursing staff were employed in (i) the private sector and (ii) the public sector, for each of the years 1978 to 1989 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : The available information is given in the tables.
Table 2
Nursing staff (whole time equivalents), Independant sector
hospitals,
Nursing homes and Clinics, England
Year<1> Nursing staff Total
|<2>Trained |<3>Untrained
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1982 |12,208 |10,416 |22,623
1983 |13,754 |11,918 |25,672
1984 |15,446 |13,986 |29,432
1985 |18,354 |17,730 |36,084
1986 |21,683 |23,266 |44,949
1988 |25,836 |30,611 |56,447
Table 2
Nursing staff (whole time equivalents), Independant sector
hospitals,
Nursing homes and Clinics, England
Year<1> Nursing staff Total
|<2>Trained |<3>Untrained
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1982 |12,208 |10,416 |22,623
1983 |13,754 |11,918 |25,672
1984 |15,446 |13,986 |29,432
1985 |18,354 |17,730 |36,084
1986 |21,683 |23,266 |44,949
1988 |25,836 |30,611 |56,447
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give for each year since 1959 the number of nurses employed by the National Health Service, with each year also expressed as a percentage change of the previous year.
Mr. Freeman : The information requested is given in the table.
National Health Service nursing and midwifery staff in post
(including agency) at 30 September each year
Whole-time equivalent<1>
Years |England |Percentage |England |Percentage
|and Wales<2>|change |change
|from |from
|previous |previous
|year<3> |year<3>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1959 |196,000 |n/a |- |-
1960 |197,900 |1.0 |- |-
1961 |198,900 |0.5 |- |-
1962 |205,300 |3.2 |- |-
1963 |207,700 |1.2 |- |-
1964 |212,400 |2.2 |- |-
1965 |222,400 |4.7 |- |-
1966 |231,500 |4.1 |- |-
1967 |239,300 |3.4 |- |-
1968 |241,300 |0.8 |- |-
1969 |245,900 |1.9 |- |-
1970 |252,800 |2.8 |- |-
1971 |263,500 |4.2 |285,400 |n/a
1972 |- |- |303,200 |6.2
1973 |- |- |308,500 |1.8
1974 |- |- |314,100 |1.8
1975 |- |- |336,600 |7.2
1976 |- |- |341,700 |1.5
1977 |- |- |343,200 |0.4
1978 |- |- |351,000 |2.3
1979 |- |- |358,400 |2.1
1980 |- |- |370,100 |3.2
1981 |- |- |391,800 |5.9
1982 |- |- |397,100 |1.4
1983 |- |- |397,100 |*
1984 |- |- |397,500 |0.1
1985 |- |- |401,200 |0.9
1986 |- |- |402,700 |0.4
1987 |- |- |404,000 |0.3
1988 |- |- |403,900 |*
Source: Department of Health (SM13) Annual Census of National Health Service
Non-Medical Manpower.
<1> The manpower figures are independently rounded to the nearest hundred (
100) wholetime equivalents. Percentage changes calculated on unrounded
figures. * indicates less than 0.1 per cent.
<2> England and Wales figures are for hospital based staff only whereas
England figures related to total nursing and midwifery staff. In addition,
because of changes and improvements in the collection and processing of the
data between 1959 and 1988 the information is not strictly comparable.
Figures for England only are not available prior to 1971.
<3> Includes qualified nurses and midwives, learners and unqualified nursing
staff.
<4> The figures have not been adjusted for changes in the working week
introduced over the period shown.
Milk Discount Tokens
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage he intends to introduce on milk discount tokens : what discussions he has had with self-employed milk-round persons : and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : The Government currently pay the full retail price for liquid milk they buy for the welfare milk scheme at an annual cost of approximately £80 million. In view of the size and value of the Department's purchase detailed commercial negotiations have taken place with the dairy trade. Following these negotiations we intend to implement a new pricing structure that will represent a reduction of approximately 10 per cent. of the current average price paid to welfare milk suppliers.
This decision has been arrived at after an extensive period of negotiation, consultation and consideration. There will be provision to enable this reduction to be shared between all sectors of the trade on a voluntary basis.
People entitled to liquid welfare milk will continue to receive seven pints of milk per week entirely free of any charge.
Hypertension
Mr. Butcher : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what increase in the number of reported cases of hypertension there has been arising directly from the growing incidence of health scares.
Mr. Freeman : We have no statistics on any such increase.
Campylobacter
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Caerphilly of 19 December 1989 concerning campylobacter, cryptosporiduim and leptospira ; whether the number of incidents of campylobacter infection represents outbreaks or individual cases.
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Mr. Freeman : The figures given represent numbers of cases, not outbreaks.
Cancer Screening
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the shortfall in cancer screening services available to women in high risk groups in Staffordshire ; and what steps are being taken to provide a full service.
Mr. Freeman : The provision of cancer screening services in Staffordshire is a matter for the three Staffordshire district health authorities and for Staffordshire family practitioner committee. However, I understand that computerised call and recall programmes have been or are being introduced for cervical and breast cancer screening in line with national guidance.
Dental Treatment
Mr. Sean Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what are the monthly breakdown figures for courses of dental treatment completed since charges for dental examinations came into operation ;
(2) what are the monthly breakdown figures for courses of dental treatment, on the most convenient regional basis, since charges for dental examination came into operation.
Mr. Freeman : I refer the hon. Member to my reply on 12 December 1989 at column 628.
Mr. Sean Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the monthly breakdown figures of courses of treatment of (a) those under 18 years of age, (b) those who are over 18 years but are fully exempt from dental charges, (c) those over 18 years who are partially exempt from dental charges and (d) those who are over 18 years but are fully liable for dental charges, in the period since dental charges for examinations came into operation.
Mr. Freeman : I refer the hon. Member to my reply on 12 December 1989 at column 627.
Mr. Sean Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has any additional dental educational programmes in mind to promote awareness of the proposed capitation arrangements for children and continuing care contracts for adults, under the current dental contract being negotiated.
Mr. Freeman : If, as the Government hope, the proposals for a new dental contract are accepted by the profession and implemented in October 1990, there will be an important role for postgraduate education in promoting awareness of the matters mentioned by the hon. Member. Postgraduate dental Deans and others concerned with the supply of education to dentists are aware of this potential need, and are taking it into account in their planning.
Dental Caries
Mr. Sean Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what current statistical inquiries are in train, to gain a more accurate picture of dental caries among children in particular localities, especially in inner city areas.
Column 505
Mr. Freeman : It is the responsibility of district health authorities to monitor the dental health of all age groups in the population of their areas and to plan jointly with family practitioner committees the provision of local dental services. Information about local inquiries currently in train is not held centrally.The Department commissioned national surveys of children's dental health in 1973 and 1983, and it is expected that a further survey will be conducted in 1993.
Mr. Sean Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provisions there are in the contract currently being negotiated with the dental profession to adjust capitation payments to the differing workloads which will arise from varying rates of dental caries in particular localities.
Mr. Freeman : Under the proposals for a new contract for general dental practitioners, the initial fee paid to a dentist for treating a child entering capitation will be greater if the child has large numbers of decayed teeth. This will greatly benefit dentists in localities with high incidence of dental caries. There are no proposals to adjust capitation payments to take account of regional variations in work loads.
Dental Forms
Mr. Sean Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when a new and correctly drafted supply of orthodontic dental forms FP17(O) will be generally available to the dental profession ; and what steps have been taken to inform dental practitioners of the current situation with regard to consequential matters.
Mr. Freeman : Family practitioner committees were notified of a delay in the printing of the revised form FP17(O), and were asked to inform individual general dental practitioners. The Dental Practice Board and FPCs have dealt with questions arising from the delay. We expect the new form to be available towards the end of January 1990.
Intensive Care Cots
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by district and by region the number of paediatric intensive care cots and the percentage change since 1980.
Column 506
Mr. Freeman : Information on paediatric as opposed to neonatal intensive care cots is not collected centrally.
General Practitioners
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will monitor the reasons in all the cases where patients have been taken off their general practitioner's list at their general practitioner's initiative ; and if he will make a statement ; (2) if he will specify for each family practitioner committee how many people in each of the last three years were removed from their general practitioner's list on the initiative of the general practitioner ; and what percentage of them were over 65 years.
Mr. Freeman : Information on the removal of patients from general medical practitioners' lists is not routinely collected and none is held centrally.
Respite Care
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will say how many beds are made available for the purposes of respite care, for each regional health authority in England and Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : The information requested is not held centrally. The Government consider respite nursing care services to be an integral part of NHS provision for those groups of patients who require it. However, the actual level of service to be provided by a health authority is a matter for that authority to decide for itself.
Health Authorities
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number and percentage of (a) women and (b) men members on each (i) district health authority and (ii) regional health authority.
Mr. Freeman : Details of the membership of district health authorities are not held centrally. The figures for regional health authorities are given in the table :
Column 505
Number and percentage of men and women members of regional health
authorities
Region |Male |Percentage|Female |Percentage
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |9 |60 |6 |40
Yorkshire |10 |62 |6 |38
Trent |11 |61 |7 |39
East Anglian |11 |73 |4 |27
North West Thames |10 |56 |8 |44
North East Thames |10 |71 |4 |29
South East Thames |9 |56 |7 |44
South West Thames |12 |75 |4 |25
Wessex |11 |69 |5 |31
Oxford |10 |67 |5 |33
South Western |11 |65 |6 |35
West Midlands |12 |75 |4 |25
Mersey |9 |60 |6 |40
North Western |9 |64 |5 |36
|---- |---- |---- |----
Total |144 |65 |77 |35
Column 507
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number and percentage of women chairs of (a) district health authorities and (b) regional health authorities.
Mr. Freeman : Thirty-two women (18 per cent.) are chairmen of district health authorities, and one woman (7 per cent.) is chairman of a regional health authority.
Hospital Accommodation
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals routinely make accommodation available for the parents of children detained overnight in hospital.
Mr. Freeman : This information is not available centrally. Statistical return KHO4 includes, at district health authority level, the numbers of parents accommodated and the numbers of bed days used by parents in respect of babies up to the age of 28 days detained in hospital, but the information for the first year of this new return, in 1988-89, is incomplete.
AIDS
Sir David Price : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are known to be suffering from AIDS, and how many to be HIV positive, as a result of receiving a transfusion of whole blood before screening was introduced in October 1985 ; how many such infected people have already died ; and whether the Government's compensation scheme for haemophiliacs will be extended to cover such people.
Mr. Freeman : The position at the end of September 1989, as reported to the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, is that in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, there have been 15 cases of AIDS in people known to have been transfused in the United Kingdom, of whom 13 are known to be dead. Fourteen of the 15 are known to have been transfused before October1985, the remaining person was transfused in 1985 but the month is unknown. Of 17 known HIV seropositives transfused in the United Kingdom, 13 were transfused before October 1985, and 4 at a date as yet unknown. There are also 45 known seropositives whose country of transfusion is still under investigation.
The Government grants to provide financial assistance for haemophiliacs with HIV infection are ex-gratia payments and not compensation. These payments recognise the wholly exceptional combination of circumstances affecting those haemophiliacs. We have no plans to extend the remit of the MacFarlane Trust to include those who are now HIV positive as a result of "whole" blood transfusions.
Spinal Units
Sir David Price : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what extra monies have been allocated to supra-regional spinal units consequent upon his announcement of 14 December 1989 of a cash increase for the National Health Service in 1990-91.
Mr. Freeman : Spinal injury services will receive a total revenue allocation of £15.4 million in 1990-91, compared with an allocation of £14.4 million in 1989-90.
Column 508
I am arranging for copies of the detailed announcement on supra-regional services, which I made on 3 January on behalf of my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Health, to be placed in the Library.Nursing Officers
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of nursing officer posts are held by (a) men and (b) women.
Mr. Freeman [holding answer 20 December 1989] : In the NHS in England at 30 September 1988, 18 per cent. of the posts of Sister I and above (ie Nursing Officer posts) were held by men and 82 per cent. women.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
NATO
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for the Western Isles, of 11 December, Official Report, column 497, what other military functions, apart from training, versions and variants of NATO combat aircraft have been modified to perform.
Mr. Waldegrave : NATO combat aircraft have been modified to perform a variety of functions. In the case of the United Kingdom, roles of various RAF squadrons are set out in annex C of the statements on the defence Estimates of 1989 (CM 675/1).
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for the Western Isles, of 14 December, Official Report, column 762, when the United Kingdom will provide information on the types of each of the main categories of weapon equipment holdings to the conventional forces in Europe negotiations ; and if he will make this information available to Parliament.
Mr. Waldegrave : The proposals that NATO has tabled in the CFE negotiations in Vienna envisage an exchange of information on national holdings between parties on signature of a treaty. The information provided by the United Kingdom will be made available to the House.
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any of the aircraft in storage that are included in the current NATO total of 6,700 combat aircraft are in addition to those mentioned in footnote 4, page 27 of Conventional Forces in Europe : The Facts.
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether any of the combat-capable training aircraft included in the current NATO total of 6,700 combat aircraft are in addition to those mentioned in footnote 5 of page 27 of Conventional Forces in Europe : The Facts.
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will list
Column 509
the specific types of combat aircraft that have been included in the overall total of 6,700 NATO combat aircraft that are in addition to those itemised in page 27 of Conventional Forces in Europe : The Facts.Mr. Waldegrave : As explained in footnotes 4 and 5 on page 27 of Conventional Forces in Europe : The Facts, the figures for NATO combat aircraft do not include combat-capable trainers and aircraft in storage. Those aircraft, together with versions and variants of types listed in footnote 1 which have another military function between them, raise the NATO total to 6,600. The definition of such aircraft was given in my reply to the hon. Member for Western Isles on 11 December.
Hong Kong
Mr. David Young : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will make it his policy that statements taken by Hong Kong immigration officers from boat people are read back to or read by the appellant and that the appellant is allowed to amend the statements and sign them.
Mr. Maude : Any statements taken by Hong Kong immigration officers which require clarification are read back to the interviewees to ensure accuracy. The UNHCR and its designated agency have access to the questionnaire completed for all boat people at the start of the screening procedure so that they can assist the asylum seeker to make any further representations at the review stage.
Mr. Tony Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the further difficult decisions concerning Hong Kong referred to in his statement of 20 December, column 363.
Mr. Maude : As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made clear in his statement on 20 December, our continuing responsibility for Hong Kong over the next eight years will involve us in a variety of complex and difficult decisions. Those decisions span the whole range of Hong Kong issues related to the effective administration of the territory and the implementation of the joint declaration. One such decision involves steps to be taken to develop democracy further in Hong Kong.
Takrouna Monument
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action he is taking to protect and preserve the monument at Takrouna, Tunisia, which commemorates the relief of that strongpoint by the Eighth Army and the Free French Forces in April 1943.
Mr. Waldegrave : We have no responsibility for this monument, which is threatened by mining operations. But our embassy in Tunis is monitoring the situation and is ready to find an appropriate alternative site if necessary for the commemorative plaque.
Panama
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if any humanitarian assistance has been offered to authorities in Panama following the invasion of that country by United States forces.
Column 510
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place with European Economic Community governments since the United States of America invasion of Panama ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury : EC Foreign Ministers discussed Panama in Paris on 22 December.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reasons were given by the President of the United States of America for the invasion of Panama when he sought endorsement for his actions from Her Majesty's Government.
Mr. Sainsbury : President Bush has stated that the United States military intervention in Panama had four objectives : to safeguard the lives of American citizens, to help restore democracy, to protect the integrity of the Panama canal treaties, and to bring General Noriega to justice.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps were taken by Her Majesty's Government to establish the legality of the United States invasion of Panama before endorsement of such action was given.
Mr. Sainsbury : The American action was undertaken with the agreement of the leaders who clearly won the elections held last May. We had no hesitation in welcoming the establishment of democratic government in Panama and giving full support to the action that led to this. General Noriega's arbitrary rule was maintained by force. There can be no suggestion that he represented legality.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a British Minister last visited Panama.
Mr. Sainsbury : My noble Friend Baroness Young, the then Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, visited Panama in November 1983.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which European Economic Community countries, other than the United Kingdom, have expressed official support for the United States invasion of Panama ; which of them have recognised the regime of Mr. Guillermo Endara ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury : Several EC member states made statements on 20 December. Italy, Germany and the Netherlands expressed understanding of the United States action. EC Foreign Ministers issued a joint statement on 22 December. It is the practice of the United Kingdom and other EC countries to recognise states rather than Governments, so the question of formal recognition does not arise. Heads of mission of the five EC member states with resident representation in Panama--United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain--called on Sr. Linares, the Foreign Minister of President Endara's new Government, on 4 January.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs why the United
Column 511
Kingdom exercised a veto in the United Nations Security Council on the motion condemning the United States invasion of Panama ; and if he will list each occasion in the past three years when Her Majesty's Government's representative at the United Nations has exercised a veto.Mr. Sainsbury : Together with the United States and France, we exercised our veto on the draft resolution on the situation in Panama because it was seriously unbalanced. Canada also voted against. Finland abstained.
The United Kingdom has exercised a veto in the United Nations Security Council on four other occasions since January 1987 :
Date --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20 February 1987 |South Africa 9 April 1987 |Question of Namibia 8 March 1988 |Sanctions against South Africa 11 January 1989 |Shooting down of Libyan jet
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