| Previous Section | Home Page |
Column 459
HEALTH
Air Ambulances
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many successful missions have been carried out by the London Air Ambulance.
Mr. Freeman : The information requested is not held centrally.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if any of his Department's Ministers have met representatives of the Daily Express concerning the London Air Ambulance ;
(2) what representations his Department has received from the Daily Express and its management concerning the London Air Ambulance.
Mr. Freeman : My right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State met representatives of Express Newspapers plc in February 1988 to discuss the helicopter emergency medical service.
The Department has met regularly with representatives of Express Newspapers plc and all other parties involved in the helicopter emergency medical service since March 1988.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if Ministers will now arrange a visit to the Cornwall First Air Ambulance.
Mr. Freeman : There are no present plans to do so, but we will bear in mind the hon. Gentleman's suggestion should a suitable opportunity arise.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the total monthly running costs for the London Air Ambulance.
Mr. Freeman : The information requested is not held centrally.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial contribution the Daily Express has committed to the London Air Ambulance ; and over what period.
Mr. Freeman : Express Newspapers plc has agreed to meet all costs directly associated with the aircraft used by the helicopter emergency medical service, including purchase, maintenance and salaries, for the period 1 January 1989 to 31 December 1991.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been provided through his Department's capital support for the London Air Ambulance.
Mr. Freeman : Capital funding in respect of the helicopter emergency medical service is to provide a helipad and lift at the London hospital, Whitechapel and to contribute towards the cost of resuscitation bays at the same hospital.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the breakdown of the cost supported through the Department's revenue funding of the London Air Ambulance.
Mr. Freeman : Central funding has been agreed as follows in respect of day-to-day revenue costs of the helicopter emergency medical service :
Column 460
|£ 000s
-------------------------------
1989-90
ITU beds |46
Medical salaries |11
1990-91
ITU beds |274
Medical salaries |63
1991-92
ITU beds |205.5
Medical salaries |47.25
The figures are at 1989-90 prices.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has any plans to review the resources committed to the London Air Ambulance for the three years from January 1989 before the funding is exhausted.
Mr. Freeman : The helicopter emergency medical service is to be independently academically evaluated during the period of the agreed funding.
Welfare Milk
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received concerning his proposal to reduce the value of welfare milk tokens ; and if he will make a statement on the reasons for the proposal.
Mr. Freeman : I refer my hon. Friend to the replies I gave the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms. Walley) on 8 January at column 505 and to the hon. Member for St. Helens, South (Mr. Bermingham) on 16 January at columns 201-202.
Ambulance Dispute
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number of (a) Army, (b) St. John Ambulance and (c) Red Cross vehicles deployed in(i) each health authority and (ii) in total.
Mr. Freeman [holding answer 8 January 1990] : On 15 January 1990 the numbers of military vehicles deployed, by regional health authority, were :
|Number
----------------------------------------------------------
Trent regional health authority |17
North West Thames regional health authority |15
North East Thames regional health authority |10
South West Thames regional health authority |<1>67
Wessex regional health authority |8
Oxford regional health authority |9
West Midlands regional health authority |51
|----
Total |177
<1> Including the London Ambulance Service.
St. John and Red Cross vehicles assist health authorities from time to time depending on local operational conditions. Information about numbers of vehicles deployed is not held centrally.
Health Information Systems
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health which health authorities are engaged in a pilot study of health information systems, stating in each case (a) the
Column 461
additional costs of undertaking the study and (b) how those costs are shared between the Department and the health authority.Mr. Freeman [holding answer 15 January 1990] : Various pilot studies into health information systems are in progress. These include :
1. Hospital Information Support Systems (HISS)
There are three pilot sites. The districts involved are : Nottingham, Darlington, Greenwich
Expenditure by the Department in the current financial year is £2.94 million. Information on health authority expenditure on these projects is not held centrally.
2. Resource Management Initiative (RMI)
Hospitals in six district health authorities are pilot sites for the resource management initiative. The districts are :
Huddersfield, Lewisham and North Southwark, Newcastle, South Lincolnshire, Winchester, Wirral
The costs of these projects are shared by the Department and the health authorities concerned. Information on health authority expenditure on these projects is not held centrally. Expenditure by the Department so far in this financial year is £1.1 million.
Regional Allocations
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give for 1990-91 the cash sums added or deducted from each National Health Service region's allocation in respect of cross-boundary flows of patients and in the case of the Northern region, identify the sum in respect of inflows of patients from Scotland.
Mr. Freeman [holding answer 17 January 1990] : The information requested is shown in the table. In the case of Northern region the sum of £1,361,000 added for cross-boundary flows represents an addition of £1,383,000 for net inflow from Scotland less £22,000 for net inflow to Wales.
Cross-boundary flows for 1990-91
£000's
|+/- |+/-
|English cross- |Wales and
|boundary flows | Scotland (net)
|(net) |flows
------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |-7,054 |1,361
Yorkshire |-3,593 |-53
Trent |-24,784 |-233
East Anglian |14,551 |58
North West Thames |-20,566 |394
North East Thames |55,896 |212
South East Thames |13,232 |462
South West Thames |-37,094 |-2
Wessex |-4,944 |81
Oxford |-6,865 |-6
South Western |3,459 |572
West Midlands |4,252 |6,184
Mersey |-14,663 |11,429
North Western |28,173 |586
|------- |-------
Total |0 |21,045
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central on 10 January, Official Report, column 663, he will list (a) amounts paid to each regional health authority in respect of patients served from outside England under the resource allocation working party formula, (b) express those payments in standard
Column 462
prices with the current year as the base and (c) express such payments as a cash figure per 1,000 population of the region in standard prices with a similar base.Mr. Freeman [holding answer 17 January 1990] : No specific allocation was made to English regions in respect of the flow of patients from outside England. Cross-boundary patient flows from outside England were only taken into account under the resource allocation working party (RAWP) formula in assessing the relative needs of English regions.
EMPLOYMENT
Genetically Manipulated Organisms
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the 15 planned genetically manipulated organisms that have been released since 1986 ; and what was their purpose.
Mr. Nicholls : The 15 releases that have been notified to the Health and Safety Executive since 1986 are as follows :
----------------------- 1986 Baculovirus |1 1987 Baculovirus Bacterium Potato |3 1988 Baculovirus (x2) Potato (x4) |6 1989 Baculovirus Potato (x2) Tobacco plant (x2) |5
All the releases were small-scale field trials for agricultural research and development purposes.
Productivity Gains
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the Government's policy on passing on productivity gains to the workers in the form of pay increases in (a) British-owned firms and (b) foreign-owned firms.
Mr. Nicholls : Productivity is a vital influence on the costs and competitiveness of all businesses, irrespective of ownership. Pay increases should not automatically absorb all of the productivity gains made. Resource must be available for improvement of price competitiveness, future investment, increased output and jobs.
Child Care
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what amenities for child care are available to single parents taking up employment training.
Mr. Nicholls : Lone parents on employment training (ET) can get help towards the cost of childcare facilities. Training providers are encouraged to set up creche facilities and training on ET can often be arranged to take account of individual domestic circumstances.
Column 463
Company Annual Reports
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any plans to ensure that companies produce, as part of their annual report to shareholders, a section of the report detailing their health and safety activities.
Mr. Nicholls : My right hon. Friend has no present plans to do so.
Trade Union Members
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the trade unions that have applied to the Commissioner for the Rights of Trade Union Members for copies of the booklet "Guide for Trade Union Members", or the "Short Guide for Trade Union Members" ; and how many copies were supplied to each trade union.
Mr. Nicholls : I am advised by the independent Commissioner for the Rights of Trade Union Members, that the trade unions or associations in the following table have applied for copies of the booklets "Guide for Trade Union Members" or the "Short Guide for Trade Union Members" :
Trade Union/Association |Number of |Number of
| guides |short guides
|provided | provided
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
National Communications Union |3 |3
Federated Union of Managerial and
Professional Officers |12 |950
Electrical, Electronic
Telecommunication and Plumbing
Union |3 |2
Civil and Public Services Association |1 |-
National Union of Public Employees |- |100
British Cement Staff Association |4 |-
Retail Book, Stationery and Allied
Trades Employees Association |1 |-
Barclay Group Staff Association |10 |25
Institute of Professional Civil Servants |1 |-
Society of Telecommunications
Executives |1 |1
National Union of Journalists |1 |1
Broadcasting and Entertainments
Trades Alliance |2 |-
Transport and General Workers Union |1 |1
National Union of Tailors and
Garment Workers |2 |1
Society of Radiographers |1 |1
National Association of Teachers in
Further and Higher Education |1 |1
National Graphical Association |1 |1
Building Trades Union |3 |3
Noise at Work
Mr. Flannery : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many prosecutions, improvement notices, or prohibition notices relating to the control of noise at work in the years 1981 to 1989 have been initiated by the railway inspectorate ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : I refer the hon. Member to the answers given to him on 26 October 1989 at columns 597-99.
Column 464
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what measures are being taken to monitor the application of the Noise at Work Regulations 1989 in respect of recording studios ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : Inspectors of the Health and Safety Executive enforce compliance with the Noise at Work Regulations in the course of preventive inspection visits to recording studios.
Hearing Defects
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what research has been carried out to establish whether musical sounds cause hearing defects to the same degree as industrial noise ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : Available evidence is inconclusive and does not justify treating the hazard created by high levels of musical sounds as different from that created by industrial noise at the same levels.
Disabled People (Training)
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking in his plans for training and enterprise councils to safeguard national provision of training for disabled people by the voluntary sector.
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 10 January 1990] : I am currently considering future arrangements for voluntary sector training providers who offer training for people with disabilities on a national basis.
Earnings
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the percentage increase in average earnings of full-time manual workers in the motor vehicle industry in the year to April 1989 and the increase for non-manuals in banking and business services.
Mr. Nicholls : The increases were 9.9 per cent. for manual employees in the manufacture of motor vehicles and parts, and 10.3 per cent. for non- manual employees in banking and business services.
YTS
Ms. Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the number of (a) contracted YTS places and (b) YTS trainees in training, for each region and for Great Britain as a whole for March and September for each year since 1986.
Mr. Nicholls : The table shows the number of YTS contracted places and the number of young people in training on YTS as at March and September of each year since 1986, for each Training Agency region and for Great Britain :
Column 465
Number of contracted places and number of young people in training on YTS
Figures rounded to nearest 100
|South |London |South |West |East |Yorkshire |North |Northern |Wales |Scotland |Great
|East |West |Midlands |Midlands |and |West |Britain
|and |Humberside
|Eastern
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
31 March 1986
Contraced places |46,300 |17,000 |24,600 |58,600 |- |31,900 |45,800 |20,400 |18,300 |34,300 |297,300
Number of YPs in training |41,500 |16,000 |20,900 |53,700 |- |28,200 |39,400 |17,800 |16,400 |31,500 |265,200
30 September 1986
Contracted places |47,900 |27,200 |32,700 |59,600 |48,800 |44,200 |62,600 |31,900 |26,400 |46,500 |427,900
Number of YPs in training |38,000 |19,300 |28,700 |48,700 |42,600 |38,900 |56,400 |27,300 |21,700 |38,800 |360,400
31 March 1987
Contracted places |52,400 |34,100 |34,700 |61,000 |52,300 |46,400 |67,400 |33,400 |28,400 |47,600 |457,700
Number of YPs in training |33,300 |17,300 |24,500 |41,400 |36,300 |34,100 |49,100 |28,300 |20,500 |37,700 |318,200
30 September 1987
Contracted places |66,000 |37,400 |46,600 |77,100 |68,200 |59,800 |90,400 |43,700 |32,200 |59,300 |580,700
Number of YPs in training |46,000 |20,300 |35,400 |55,100 |51,700 |49,900 |67,100 |31,400 |25,400 |45,700 |428,000
31 March 1988
Contracted places |63,600 |32,500 |44,300 |69,900 |65,800 |54,900 |82,300 |38,200 |28,500 |58,800 |538,800
Number of YPs in training |42,200 |20,700 |31,300 |46,500 |46,700 |43,800 |60,200 |28,500 |23,100 |46,100 |389,100
30 September 1988
Contracted places |62,500 |33,400 |45,300 |71,600 |65,900 |60,200 |81,800 |39,800 |29,400 |62,400 |552,300
Number of YPs in training |45,800 |22,200 |34,500 |51,700 |52,200 |52,000 |67,900 |33,200 |25,900 |50,300 |435,500
31 March 1989
Contracted places |58,900 |30,300 |43,400 |69,100 |63,500 |61,400 |80,500 |39,600 |29,000 |62,000 |537,700
Number of YPs in training |40,000 |21,200 |30,500 |43,600 |46,600 |45,200 |60,700 |30,500 |23,800 |49,800 |391,900
30 September 1989
Contracted places |60,500 |32,000 |40,500 |64,100 |60,700 |59,600 |78,000 |38,600 |28,500 |60,900 |523,500
Number of YPs in training |41,300 |21,500 |32,200 |46,500 |49,400 |49,200 |63,700 |32,000 |25,200 |50,700 |411,600
Note: Due to independent rounding, regional totals may not correspond to Great Britain total.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what are his best estimates of the numbers of (a) YTS employed trainees and (b) YTS non-employed trainees who will be liable to pay the poll tax in 1990-91.
Mr. Nicholls [holding answer 16 January 1990] : Young people become liable to pay the community charge at age 18. The following shows the number of young people aged 18 and above by status at the end of November 1989 :
|18 and over
----------------------------------------------
Non-employed trainees |48,470
Employed trainees |24,782
|------
Total |73,252
Principal Wages Inspector
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment why the principal wages inspector refuses to make available to hon. Members the guidance notes issued to inspectors for use when deciding whether or not to prosecute an employer who is paying below wages council levels.
Mr. Nicholls : The principle on which consideration of prosecution action is based, which is that the offence should be deliberate or repeated and the evidence judged sufficient, has always been made clear to hon. Members. The detailed procedural notes issued to inspectors assume a knowledge on the part of the user which can be gained only after training and experience and are, in any event, for internal use only.
Column 466
HOME DEPARTMENT
Appeals
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases referred to the Court of Appeal under section 17 (1)(a) of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968 were heard before a jury.
Mr. John Patten : In all cases referred by the Home Secretary to the Court of Appeal under section 17(1)(a) of the Criminal Appeal Act 1968, there will have been a hearing before a jury at the original trial. Once a case has been referred under this section, it is for the Court of Appeal to decide how the matter should proceed, but I understand that in one such case a re-trial was ordered by the Court of Appeal and that this was heard before a jury.
Vagrants
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many persons have been convicted for begging or related offences since the beginning of 1989 in England and Wales ; (2) how many persons have been prosecuted under the Vagrancy Act 1824 since the beginning of 1988, in England and Wales.
Mr. John Patten : The number of people prosecuted under the Vagrancy Act 1824 (as amended) in England and Wales for 1988 was 2, 810. Of these, 1,461 were for indecent exposure, 573 were for begging and 594 were for being on enclosed premises for an unlawful purpose. Information on prosecutions and convictions for 1989 will not be available until autumn 1990.
Column 467
Legal Advice
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether police officers are obliged to inform suspects of their right to receive free legal advice ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Under section 58 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 police officers are obliged to inform suspects of their right to legal advice, but not obliged to inform them that the advice is free. The revised code of practice for the detention, treatment and questioning of persons by police officers, which my right hon. and learned Friend hopes to lay before the House shortly, will require the police to advise suspects that legal advice is free.
Criminal Injuries Compensation Board
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to clear the backlog of cases at the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board.
Mr. John Patten : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Westminster, North (Sir J. Wheeler) on Friday 8 December 1989 at columns 409-17. Since then we have approved the board's request for 10 additional staff who are now in post.
We understand that the board will shortly submit its detailed request for a further increase in staff, which we will consider urgently.
Broadcast Frequencies
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is taking to ensure that consumers are made fully aware of the full implications of the broadcast frequencies reshuffle in respect of receiving equipment ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waddington : The Green Paper on Radio in 1987 and the White Paper on Broadcasting in 1988 alerted viewers and listeners to our plans for the future of broadcasting. The changes proposed will not affect the frequencies used by existing independent local radio stations. But two medium wave networks will be reassigned from the BBC to facilitate the introduction of national commercial radio. The BBC is accordingly planning to place greater reliance on VHF/FM, and has increased the rate of building new FM transmitters.
BBC Radio has started informing listeners of its plans, including information about a new national sports and education network, Radio 5, which will be launched on 27 August 1990 on the AM frequencies currently used by Radio 2. It is understood that the BBC intends to increase its promotional efforts during the year as the changes draw nearer, and has formulated plans to ensure that listeners are fully advised on the new arrangements.
Correspondence received both at the Home Office and at the BBC indicates that there is already considerable public awareness of the changing situation, and we shall continue to have regard to listeners' needs as frequency planning proceeds.
As for television, we believe most viewers realise that they will require new receiving equipment if they wish to see the new services which are being introduced. The White Paper also pointed out that most video cassette recorders
Column 468
and some home computers would need to be retuned in areas in which Channel 5 was receivable, irrespective of whether their owners chose to receive the new service. But it added that any costs incurred might be met by Channel 5 licensees.Dr. Zakaria Erzinclioglu
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) on how many occasions since 1979 his Department has utilised the expertise of the forensic entomologist Dr. Zakaria Erzinclioglu ; whether the assistance provided by Dr. Erzinclioglu could have been supplied by anyone employed by his Department ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what alternative facilities are to be available for forensic entomology to assist police investigations, following the non-renewal of the research grant for Dr. Zakaria Erzinclioglu ; and if he will make a statement ;
(3) if he will make it his policy to provide funding for the research of the forensic entomologist Dr. Zakaria Erzinclioglu in the department of zoology at Cambridge university ; and if he will make a statement ;
(4) if his Department's forensic science service employs any persons with specialist knowledge of forensic entomology ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Dr. Erzinclioglu's position is at present under consideration and I will write to the hon. and learned Member.
Juvenile Offenders
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what contact his Department has had with the Belgian Government in implementing a similar scheme in the United Kingdom as their Oikoten scheme, as an alternative to custody for persistent juvenile offenders ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waddington : The Government have encouraged the development of schemes offering constructive and demanding community-based facilities for dealing with juvenile offenders at risk of receiving custodial sentences in England and Wales. These schemes have made an important contribution to the reduction by nearly 60 per cent. in the number of juvenile offenders given custodial sentences in 1988 compared with 1981. I am aware that other countries operate similar schemes but we are not familiar with the details of the Oikoten scheme.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Set-Aside
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received over the desirability of placing an upper limit on the amount of land which an individual farmer may set aside, or on the amount of compensation for set-aside which an individual farmer can receive.
Mr. Curry : I have received no recent representations about such limits, which would not in any case be consistent with the Community set- aside rules.
Column 469
Dairy Export Refunds
Sir Richard Body : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food why EEC spending on dairy export refunds has increased in the past three years ; and what steps were taken to ensure that the increase is compatible with the EEC agreement with New Zealand on orderly marketing of dairy surpluses.
Mr. Curry : Increased expenditure on dairy export refunds in 1988 and 1989 resulted from an increased volume of sales in response to a strenthening of demand on world markets at a time when the Community was rightly concerned to give priority to exports over sales into intervention. All EC dairy exports have complied with the rules of the GATT international dairy arrangement, of which both New Zealand and the Community are members. This includes the low-priced EC butter exports which took place in 1987 and 1988 under derogations agreed by all parties to the arrangement.
| Next Section
| Home Page |