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Electoral Registers
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has any plans to introduce regulations that allow voters to opt out or opt in to the sale of their name and address from electoral registers ; whether he has discussions with the Data Protection Registrar concerning the sale of the names and addresses from the electoral register ; and whether he will make a statement.
Mr. Cope : No. The operation of the electoral registration system requires that the information in the register should be freely available. The provisions of the Representation of the People (NI) Regulations 1986 governing the publication and supply of the register reflect this fact and the conclusion that its use for other purposes could not effectively be prevented. The Data Protection Registrar was consulted before the provisions governing the sale of the electoral register in data form were introduced.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has any plans to introduce regulations to alert voters to the fact that their name and address are routinely disclosed from the electoral register for other purposes ; and whether he will make a statement.
Mr. Cope : We have no such plans. The electoral register is a public document.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has any plans to introduce regulations to protect voters who may be vulnerable to attack if their name and address appeared on an electoral register that is available for sale or inspection by the public ; and whether he will make a statement.
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Mr. Cope : We have no plans to do so at present, but we shall continue to keep the matter under careful review.ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Marchioness
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Attorney-General when the Director of Public Prosecutions expects to complete his consideration of whether to bring criminal proceedings in connection with the sinking of the Marchioness.
The Attorney-General : The police investigation into the sinking of the Marchioness commenced immediately after the incident and is continuing. A number of reports have been submitted to the director (the most recent on 20 February 1990) which he is now considering with the benefit of advice from Treasury counsel.
The director recognises the degree of public interest which attaches to the case and will ensure that it is dealt with as expeditiously as is consistent with thorough investigation and proper consideration of the evidence.
HEALTH
Doncaster Health Authority
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he proposes to take in response to the decision taken by the Doncaster health authority regarding the expression of interest ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : None. The decision on whether to submit a formal application for NHS trust status, when Parliament has approved the necessary legislation, is a matter for the sponsors of the expression of interest in the unit concerned. When formal applications are prepared, RHAs will ensure that they are given local publicity and will seek the views of those with an interest including the health authorities concerned. My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State will consider these views alongside the application, before deciding whether to approve it.
British Medical Association
Dr. Hampson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to carry through assurances covered in his letter to the British Medical Association on 10 October 1989 into legislative proposals to Parliament.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : My letter of 10 October 1989 to the British Medical Association reiterated assurances that firm budgets for drugs will not operate as cash limits and that the management arrangements proposed for operating the indicative prescribing budget scheme will not infringe in any way the right of a general practitioner to prescribe all those medicines which individual patients might need. This has always been Government policy and the proposals in the NHS and Community Care Bill are consistent with these assurances.
General Practitioners
Mr. Callaghan : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average number of patients on general practitioner lists for England and Wales and the Rochdale health authority area.
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Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The figures requested for England and Wales and the Rochdale health authority area are 1,990 and 2,124 respectively, in 1988. In 1979 the average number of patients on general practitioner lists for England and Wales was 2,277, in the Rochdale health authority area the figure was 2,664.
Charter for Children
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received concerning the charter for children, and the recommendations of the National Association for the Welfare of Children in Hospital ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : For many years the Department has provided grant aid to the National Association for the Welfare of Children in Hospital. We welcomed production of the charter. Recently we have received representations suggesting that district health authorities should refer to the charter in framing contracts for the provision of children's health services following implementation of the National Health Service review. We will commend this suggestion to health authorities.
NHS Expenditure
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will supply information on the achievement of the resource allocation working party target, for each year since its inception, in relation to all districts in the Mersey region.
Mr. Freeman : This information is not held centrally.
Disabled People (Services)
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if, in view of the evidence in the social services inspectorate report "Developing Services for Disabled People" that there is widespread failure by local authorities to fulfil their duties under section 4 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 and section 2 of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970, he will use his powers under section 36 of the National Assistance Act 1948 to take urgent action in all individual cases brought to his attention ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : While the report revealed differences in the extent to which social services departments have agreed new policies and introduced new operational plans in the light of section 4 of the Act, it did not reveal evidence of widespread failure to comply with that section. Requests to invoke section 36 of the National Assistance Act 1948 are considered on their merits. The Department takes up serious cases directly with the authority concerned.
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if, in view of the evidence in the social services inspectorate report "Developing Services for Disabled People" that money allocated through rate support grant for the implementation of sections 5 and 6 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 gets lost elsewhere, he will reconsider his decision not to ring-fence funds transferred from the social scurity budget for community care in 1991 ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Freeman : No. We believe that Government support for community care expenditure, as with other important local authority functions, is best provided through the revenue support grant. This will ensure maximum local accountability and encourage value for money by enabling local authorities to make decisions about community care based on local factors. A large specific grant under direct control of central Government would weaken the improved accountability of local authorities to those who will be providing funds through the community charge scheme.Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Health in view of the evidence in the social services inspectorate report "Developing Services for Disabled People" that his Department's circulars on the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 have been widely ignored or misunderstood, what action he will take to ensure that there is greater compliance with the guidance he will issue on the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : While the report indicated that with some sections of the Act, some authorities had still to translate intention into action, and some were confused about how section 10 of the Act should be interpreted, it did not produce evidence that departmental guidance on the Act had been widely ignored or misunderstood. The guidance we intend to issue to help local authorities implement our proposals for community care will be drawn up in close consultation with them and will be linked to the statutory requirements outlined in the National Health Service and Community Care Bill. The social services inspectorate will closely monitor compliance with the guidance.
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Health in view of the evidence in the social services inspectorate report "Developing Services for Disabled People" concerning the implementation of section 8 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986, what action he intends to take to ensure that his policies in the White Paper "Caring for People" in relation to support for informal carers are put into practice ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : We will be requiring local authorities to publish community care plans, setting out information to be provided to service users and their carers about the social care services available to them. We intend local authorities to involve other interested agencies including carers in drawing up their plans. The social services inspectorate will play an active part in inspecting these plans, monitoring performance and offering advice and guidance to authorities and to my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Health. Where necessary we will not hesitate to intervene in order to stimulate improvements.
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if, in view of the evidence in the social services inspectorate report "Developing Services for Disabled People" concerning the implementations of section 9 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 he will now produce, in conjunction with the local authority associations and
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voluntary organisations, model guidelines on the provision of information to people with disabilities ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Freeman : The report showed that local authorities are aware of the need to improve their information services and many are planning to produce booklets and leaflets. We will be monitoring further progress in this area. In view of the differences in local circumstances, we do not think model guidelines would be helpful.
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if, in view of the evidence in the social services inspectorate report "Developing Services for Disabled People" concerning the implementations of section 10 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 he will now seek information from local authorities in England about persons co-opted on to social services committees under that section and the procedures for selecting them ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : We have no plans to extend detailed inquiries about the operation of section 10 to all local authorities. A copy of the report has been sent to all directors of social services. The implications of the findings in respect of this and other sections will be discussed at a seminar on 6 March arranged by the social services inspectorate to explore ways of developing services to disabled people in the light of the report. The seminar will be attended by managers of social services departments, representatives from voluntary organisations concerned with disability, and disabled people and their carers.
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he intends to take on the recommendation in the social services inspectorate report "Developing Services for Disabled People" that the problems with London in respect of implementing the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 warrant further investigation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : The seminar to which I referred in my replies to the right hon. Member today is expected to take particular note of the problems highlighted by the report concerning implementation of the Act in London, and to consider the steps which might be taken to tackle them.
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he will take in relation to local authorities which fail to fulfil their duties under sections 5 and 6 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 in respect of disabled young people leaving full-time education at the end of next summer term ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : While the report highlighted the difficulties some authorities may face in setting up arrangements for disabled school leavers next summer it would not be right to assume from this that there will be failure to comply with these sections. A follow-up report on the operation of these sections last summer is in preparation and will be published shortly. There will be further discussions of these issues at the seminar on 6 March which can be expected to give a clearer indication of the position across a wide range of local authorities.
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Health Authorities (Computer Processing)
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health which regional health authorities have transferred their computer processing to which commercial organisations ; and in each case what has happened to those who were employed by the authorities in work related to computer processing.
Mr. Freeman : Details of those regional health authorities that have transferred their computer processing to commercial organisations are as follows :
WESSEX--Have transferred all computer processing to the private sector. Two centres exist containing former RHA computer staff covering both IBM and ICL installations. One is run by ISTEL and the other by Wessex Integrated Systems, a subsidiary of CIPFA Facilities Management Ltd. The staff are all working in the private sector except for a small core organisation responsible for strategic advice, overall monitoring and contract compliance.
TRENT--Have transferred their RHA computer centre to ISTEL. The computer centre employed 88 staff and 83 of these have transferred to ISTEL's payroll ; the remaining five will remain on the RHA payroll but are contracted to work for the new organisation.
WEST MIDLANDS--A management buyout of the RHA's Management Service Division was concluded on 20 December. The new company is called QA Business Services and all staff have transferred to it.
Four other Regions--Yorkshire, Mersey, Northern and East Anglian are at varying stages of negotiation with commercial organisations.
Abortions
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the procedures for abortion included within the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys statistics under the terms (a) other surgical, (b) other medical and (c) other and combined methods.
Mr. Freeman : This information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to ensure that all selective reductions of pregnancy are being registered under the terms of the Abortion Act 1967.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I am advised that doctors should perform selective reduction of pregnancy only if the requirements of the Abortion Act 1967 are fulfilled. All operating practitioners are required to notify the Chief Medical Officer, within seven days, of each abortion they perform.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Mossley Hill, on 20 February, if his Department has sought or received information from the Humana hospital regarding the selective reductions of pregnancy carried out there.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Department does not release information of a confidential nature about treatment given to patients in hospitals or elsewhere.
Powered Wheelchairs
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to receive the reports on the powered wheelchair study being carried out by the Disablement Services Authority.
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Mr. Freeman : This is a matter for the Disablement Services Authority, which established the study and will, no doubt, act on its results.
Hospital Optometrists
Mrs. Wise : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has issued any instructions altering the pay rates of hospital optometrists ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : A new pay and grading structure for hospital optometrists had been agreed and the new pay rates were promulgated in "Advance Letter (OP) 1/90" issued on 19 January 1990, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. The agreement gives an increase on all pay scales of 6.5 per cent. from 1 April 1989, assimilation to a new pay spine from 1 December 1989 and regrading under the new structures to be completed by 1 July 1990. The new spine gives salaries in the following ranges :
Grade A -- £9,239to£12,158
Grade B --£12,644to£23,682
Grade C --£22,771to£31,164 (or £37,915 with full use of five discretionary points available to employing authorities under the agreement).
Ambulance Dispute
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total paid, or liabilities entered into, by the West Midlands ambulance service in respect of support and services supplied by the police, the Army and other organisations from the start of the ambulance dispute to the latest available date.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The cost of military assistance to individual health authorities has not yet been assessed. The costs of assistance by police and other organisations are met directly by the health authorities concerned and information is not available centrally.
Organ Donations
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to instruct area health authorities to include questions regarding donation of organs on hospital admissions forms ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : We have no plans to issue such instructions.
Milk Tokens
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what publicity he intends to give to the possibility of exchanging the devalued milk token for a giro for the full cost of a pint of milk at local Department of Social Security offices.
Mr. Freeman : There does not appear to be any need for publicity on this particular aspect of the milk token scheme. Local social security offices will continue, as before, to exchange a milk token for a giro where, exceptionally, a beneficiary has been unable to obtain milk. Local offices will continue to offer advice on all benefits when needed.
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what safeguards he has included to ensure that the value of the token can be spent only on milk when a milk token is exchanged for a giro ;
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(2) whether recipients of milk tokens are able to claim their statutory right to a free pint of milk a day by exchanging their tokens for a giro for the actual cost of a pint of milk at their Department of Social Security offices.Mr. Freeman : Cash is given in lieu of milk tokens when beneficiaries, exceptionally, cannot obtain milk with the token. This is done only when local social security offices are satisfied that the token cannot be used to obtain milk and beneficiaries are advised that the cash is intended for milk.
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what staffing provisions he has made within the Department of Social Security to cope with the expected number of potential claimants who will wish to exchange their milk tokens for giro.
Mr. Freeman : Staffing provisions already take account of this practice which has been carried out by social security local offices for a number of years.
Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will restore the value of the milk token to a level sufficient to cover the cost of a pint of milk delivered to the doorstep or purchased in a neighbourhood shop.
Mr. Freeman : The reimbursement price system brought into effect on 28 January 1990 reflects the size and value to
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the dairy industry of the welfare milk scheme, which enables liquid milk to be obtained on the doorstep or from any shop.NHS Trusts
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what basis people were invited to attend the meetings on National Health Service trusts held on 23 and 24 October 1989, 14 and 15 December 1989, and 22 and 23 January.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : People were invited to these meetings on the basis that they represented units which have indicated that they were considering preparing applications to become NHS trusts in April 1991, if Parliament approves the necessary legislation. A representative from each regional health authority was also invited.
North Western RHA
Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) inpatients, (b) outpatients and (c) day patients were treated by the North Western regional health authority and South Manchester health authority in 1988 and 1989 ; and how many were treated in 1978 and 1979.
Mr. Freeman [holding answer 19 February 1990] : The information requested is given in the table.
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Patients treated in NHS hospitals, North Western and South Manchester health authorities, 1978,
1979 and 1988-89
|increase 1978
|-1988-89
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
North Western Regional Health Authority
In-patient cases treated |511,674 |509,049 |640,548 |25.2
Day case admissions |68,080 |70,608 |126,486 |85.8
New out-patients |707,676 |699,717 |779,346 |10.1
Total out patient attendances |3,149,423 |3,156,219 |3,512,983 |11.5
South Manchester District Health Authority
In-patient cases treated |57,545 |57,110 |72,389 |25.8
Day case admissions |5,502 |6,975 |18,940 |244.2
New out-patients |68,354 |69,137 |75,183 |10.0
Total out patient attendances |354,740 |361,288 |379,472 |7.0
Source: 1978, 1979; SH3 return. 1988-89; SH3a, KH09, KH18 and KP70 returns.
EMPLOYMENT
Training and Enterprise Councils
Mr. Blair : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give the amount of funding other than Government funding for each training and enterprise council.
Mr. Eggar : It will be for each training and enterprise council to decide how it will generate income from sources other than Government funding.
Mr. Blair : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will give, in respect of each training and enterprise council appointed, the number of competitive bidders there were.
Mr. Eggar : I have not received any competing bids to set up a training and enterprise council (TEC) from different groups covering the same area.
Mr. Blair : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list all the training and enterprise councils together with their likely operational date.
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Mr. Eggar : Fifty-five employer-led groups have been given development funding to establish training and enterprise councils (TECs). The areas involved are listed in my written answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Dorset, South (Mr. Bruce) Official Report, 13 February 1990, columns 207-08. These groups are now preparing their proposed corporate and business plans for consideration by the national training task force.
We expect the first TECs to become operational in spring 1990 and others will follow.
Mr. Blair : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the board members of each training and enterprise council together with their occupation.
Mr. Eggar : Employer-led groups are currently drawing up corporate and business plans for training and enterprise councils (TECs). These plans will include the proposed board of directors of each TEC. A full list of board members is not therefore currently available.
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Mr. Blair : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what representations have been made to him by training and enterprise councils about funding.
Mr. Eggar : I have received a number of representations on funding from training and enterprise councils as they prepare their corporate and business plans.
Mr. Blair : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether training and enterprise councils will be required to publish an annual analysis of their activities or other means of public information.
Mr. Eggar : Each training and enterprise council (TEC) will be required to publish a summary of its corporate and business plan. In addition each TEC will be required to publish an annual report and a statement of audited accounts.
Visually Handicapped People
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what assessment he has made of the training needs of workers with visually handicapped people ;
(2) what discussions have been held with the Association of Directors of Social Services on the resourcing of training of specialist workers with visually handicapped people ;
(3) what steps he is taking to ensure that there are adequate numbers of specialist workers with visually handicapped people ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I have been asked to reply.
The number of specialists employed by local authority social service departments to work with visually handicapped people is a matter for individual authorities to decide in the light of their assessment of local need. In 1985, the Department commissioned the National Foundation for Educational Research to carry out a comprehensive review of the training and work of specialist workers with visually handicapped people. This was followed, in 1988, by an external management and financial review of the three specialist training bodies concerned. Officials have held discussions based on the recommendations in the reports of these reviews with a
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variety of interests, including representatives of local authorities, voluntary organisations and the relevant specialist training bodies. The recommendations in the reports have also been drawn to the attention of the Association of Directors of Social Services.Action Credit
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether it is the policy of his Department to treat action credit participants as employees in the same way as employment training and YTS participants for the purposes of (a) the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, (b) the Sex Discrimination Act 1986 and (c) the Race Relations Act 1976 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholls : Participants in the action credit pilot scheme have the same rights under (a) the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, (b) the Sex Discrimination Act 1986 and (c) the Race Relations Act 1976, as other employees.
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