| Previous Section | Home Page |
Mr. Redwood : No. My Department will, however, continue to respond to specific complaints about non-compliance with statutory requirements relating to company accounts. In addition, the review panel to be established under the new Financial Reporting Council will consider instances of material departures by large companies from accounting standards.
Insider Dealing
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he has any plans to increase the resources available for the investigation of insider dealing ; and if he proposes any structural changes within his Department to increase its effectiveness in this area.
Mr. Redwood : Inspectors appointed under section 177 of the Financial Services Act 1986 to investigate possible insider dealing offences have normally been from outside my Department. However, members of the companies
Column 170
investigations branches of the Department have been appointed in two recent cases, and my right hon. Friend will continue to make such appointments in appropriate cases. Responsibility within the investigations division of my Department for appointment of and liaison with section 177 inspectors has recently been brought under the inspector of companies. I shall continue to keep the organisation of the work under review with a view to ensuring efficient operation.The Companies Act 1989 contains provisions enabling the Secretary of State to consent to the bringing of prosecutions, for example by the stock exchange, for insider dealing offences ; and also to enable him to investigate on behalf of overseas regulators. These provisions came into force on 21 February.
Stamps
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will discuss with the chairman of the Post Office (a) matters relating to the possible forgery and fraudulent use of the 20p commemorative penny black stamp and (b) the question of the illegal reuse of stamps made possible because of unsatisfactory franking ink ; what investigation has been undertaken into possible fraud by such means ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : The Post Office naturally keeps such issues under constant review. It does not consider stamp forgery to be a major problem or that the penny black anniversary issue is any more vulnerable than other stamps. It believes that the information obtained from a major fraud investigation last year has enabled it to tighten measures to prevent fraud.
Mailing List Brokers
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will introduce statutory regulation of the activities of mailing list brokers.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I have no plans to do so. Those who own and supply mailing lists which are processed electronically will be subject to the relevant provisions of the Data Protection Act 1984. The Advertising Association also operates a code of practice on the use of personal data for advertising and direct marketing purposes.
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has received any representations about the activities of mailing list brokers.
Mr. Douglas Hogg : I have received no specific representations, although my Department receives some letters from members of the public who dislike receiving unsolicited mail from sources with which they have had no previous dealings.
Package Travel
Mr. McCrindle : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with his European counterparts with regard to the application of the European directive on package travel to business travel packages ; whether agreement has been reached on its application to business trips the elements of which are booked separately ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 171
Mr. Forth : The common position on the draft package travel directive reached by EC Ministers at the 21 and 22 December Council was formally agreed on 22 February this year. The directive will normally apply to a pre-arranged package for business purposes. However, a statement in the minutes records the agreement of the Council and the Commission that when a business trip involves separate bookings of transport and accommodation which do not constitute elements of a pre- arranged package, this will not constitute a package for the purposes of the directive. This is the position even though they are invoiced simultaneously by the travel agent.Credit Cards
Mr. Gale : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made in seeking undertakings from credit card companies on restrictions on merchant acquisition and the no-discrimination rule following the Monopolies and Mergers Commission's report on credit card services.
Mr. Redwood : On 22 August 1989 my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State published the MMC report on credit card services. The MMC made two recommendations applicable to both the Visa and Mastercard organisations :
the "No Discrimination" rule, under which traders are required to charge the same price for purchases made with credit cards as those paid for by cash or other means, should not apply within the UK ; certain rules restricting the freedom of issuers of Visa and Mastercard cards to act as merchant acquirers should not apply in the UK.
He announced last year that he had accepted the recommendations and decided then that the Director General of Fair Trading should seek voluntary undertakings from the companies concerned to implement these recommendations.
On 27 November 1989 Visa was granted leave to apply for judicial review of certain aspects of the MMC report, and certain of the subsequent actions of both the Secretary of State and the Director General of Fair Trading. Visa has subsequently confirmed that it is unwilling to enter into voluntary undertakings on merchant acquisition until after the outcome of the judicial review is known. In view of this and the delays in implementing the recommendations of the MMC which might result, the Secretary of State has decided to ask the Director General of Fair Trading not to proceed with the negotiation of undertakings.
Instead the Secretary of State will begin the process of statutory consultation preliminary to the making of orders under section 56 of the Fair Trading Act. No decision has yet been taken on when these orders should come into force.
The Secretary of State announced in December that credit card companies will have to provide the Director General of Fair Trading with information on their charges to retailers and on interchange fees, and to publish certain information. We are now considering representations made to us before initiating the statutory consultation procedure preliminary to the enactment of an order.
Public Relations
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are the latest figures for the number of staff presently employed, and the full complement of staff,
Column 172
including vacant posts in the press and public relations office of his Department ; and what is the proposed complement for 1990-91.Mr. Forth [holding answer 12 March 1990] : There are 39 posts in the Department's press office ; two are currently vacant. The total includes 15 clerical and support posts. The complement for 1990-91 will be broadly similar.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the total expenditure by his Department on press and public relations in 1979-80 and in each following year ; and what is his latest estimate for the current year and budget for 1990-91.
Mr. Forth [holding answer 12 March 1990] : Separate figures for expenditure on press and public relations before 1987-88 are not readily available. Expenditure in that year and subsequently was :
|£ thousands
------------------------------------
1987-88 |1,155
1988-89 |1,633
<1>1989-90 |1,847
<1>estimated.
The figures include regional press officer and other support services. I expect expenditure in 1990-91 to be broadly the same as in the current year.
Privatisation
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what was the total sum paid out in fees to outside organisations in the furtherance of privatisation by his Department in 1979-80 and in each subsequent year ; and what is his estimate for 1990-91.
Mr. Forth [holding answer 12 March 1990] : The answer given in reply to a similar question last year on 13 March 1989, Official Report, columns 102-03, gave actual figures for expenditure on expenses associated with privatisations to 1987-88. The following table, based on published information, shows gross expenditure incurred in connection with the sale of shares in British Steel, British Telecom, Rolls-Royce, and Rover Group plc since then, together with an estimate of expenditure in 1990-91. The figures exclude subscriptions for new shares and injections of funds for restructuring, but include commission and some items (such as stamp duty) which were not paid as fees to outside organisations. The Department also incurred expenses in 1988-89 and 1989-90 under individual contracts for advice to the Department in connection with the sales by the Post Office of Girobank plc and by British Shipbuilders of individual businesses and assets : figures for these are excluded on the grounds of commercial confidentiality.
(£000s)
Company |Year |Amount
-------------------------------------------------
Rolls-Royce |1988-89 |<1>1,155
|1989-90 |<2>1
Rover |1988-89 |<1>1,655
British Steel |1988-89 |<1>58,262
|1989-90 |<2>3,000
British Telecom |<3>1988-89|<1>21
|1989-90 |<2>12
<1> Actual.
<2>Provisional.
<3>Only an aggregated figure for a variety of
expenses was shown in
the Appropriation Accounts.
Estimated costs for residual expenditure
associated with the sale of
shares in Rolls-Royce, British Steel and British
Telecom in 1990-91
are £15,000.
Advertising Expenditure
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what were the figures for the spending by his Department on (a) television advertising, (b) radio
Column 174
advertising, (c) newspaper advertising and (d) other promotional material in 1979-80 and in each following year ; and what is his latest estimate for the current year and budget for 1990-91.Mr. Forth [holding answer 12 March 1990] : Expenditure from the Department's central publicity budget was as follows :
Column 173
£ 000<1>
|Television |Radio |Press |Other
|advertising |advertising |advertising |promotional
|materials<2>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |- |5 |249 |599
1980-81 |- |9 |528 |920
1981-82 |- |30 |800 |1,366
1982-83 |730 |71 |1,341 |1,101
1983-84 |192 |- |1,198 |1,325
1984-85 |32 |- |2,081 |1,445
1985-86 |- |- |1,216 |877
1986-87 |- |3 |987 |1,008
1987-88 |5,664 |57 |3,417 |1,501
1988-89 |13,500 |75 |4,300 |4,800
1989-90<3> |5,400 |500 |3,700 |4,600
<1> Figures include expenditure through the Central Office of Information and,
where appropriate, expenditure by the former Departments of
Industry and Trade.
<2> Publications, audio-visual materials and posters.
<3> Estimated.
Media allocations for 1990-91 have not yet been made, but I expect
expenditure to be within the present year's total.
Management Consultants
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what were the total fees paid out by his Department to management consultants in 1979-80 and in each following year ; and what is his latest estimate for the current year and budget for 1990-91.
Mr. Forth [holding answer 12 March 1990] : The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the fees paid by the Department of Trade and Industry for general consultancies from 1984-85 to 1988-89 and the latest estimate for the current year and budget for 1990-91 are given in the table. The apparent decrease from 1986- 87 indicates a shift of consultancy expenditure from general to programme- related consultancies for which separate consolidated records are not kept. The allocation for 1990-91 will be set shortly in the light of the Department's annual activity and resource management review.
£000s --------------------------- 1984-85 |6,104 1985-86 |6,417 1986-87 |4,650 1987-88 |3,050 1988-89 |2,516 1989-90 |<1>3,000 <1> Forecast outturn.
HEALTH
Children (Illegal Employment)
81. Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has of the number of illegally employed children in Great Britain ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 174
82. Dr. Reid : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the official estimate of the number of children illegally employed in Great Britain ; and if he will make a statement.
83. Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has any estimate available of children employed illegally ; and if he will make a statement.
84. Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the number of children illegally employed in Great Britain ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I refer the hon. Members to the reply I gave the hon. Members for Glasgow, Pollok (Mr. Dunnachie) and for Sunderland, South (Mr. Mullin) on 9 March at columns 893-94.
Mental Patients
Mr. Gould : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will update the information given in the answer to the question from the hon. Member for Dagenham on 21 January 1987, Official Report, columns 614-16.
Mr. Freeman : The figures for 1986 are given in the table and exclude deaths. Figures on duration of stay at discharge are not centrally collected at unit level after 1986.
Discharges from hospitals with mental illness beds only of patients
having a length of stay of five years or more England 1986
District Health Authority |Hospital |1986
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern Regional Health Authority
South Tees |St. Lukes |7
East Cumbria |Garlands |12
South West Durham |Holywood Hall |13
|Winterton |19
Northumberland |St. Georges Morpeth |4
Gateshead |St. Mary's |5
Newcastle |St. Nicholas |2
Sunderland |Cherry Knowle |13
Yorkshire Regional Health Authority
East Yorkshire |Broadgate |26
Scunthorpe |Thorpe Road, Howden |0
|Clifton |16
|Naburn |1
Bradford |Lynfield Mount |2
Airedale |Scalebor Park |6
Leeds Western |High Royds |34
Wakefield |Stanley Royd |28
Trent Regional Health Authority
Southern Derbyshire |The Pastures |23
|Kingsway |11
Leicestershire |The Towers, Regional
| Secure Unit |5
|Carlton Hayes |11
North Lincolnshire |St. John's Lincoln |10
South Lincolnshire |Rauceby |9
Nottingham |Mapperley |5
|St. Francis |0
|Saxondale |60
Barnsley |Kendray |5
Doncaster |Loversall |6
Sheffield |Sheffield Mental Illness
| Unit |20
East Anglian Regional Health Authority
Cambridge |Fulbourn |16
East Suffolk |St. Audry's |37
Norwich |Hellesdon |2
|St. Andrew's |6
Great Yarmouth and
| Waveney |St. Nicholas
North West Thames Regional Health Authority
North West Hertfordshire |Hill End |14
Barnet |Napsbury |11
Ealing |St. Bernard's Wing, Ealing|18
Brent |Shenley |23
Riverside |Horton |12
|Banstead |245
North East Thames Regional Health Authority
Southend |Runwell |32
Barking, Havering and
Brentwood |Warley |14
Hampstead |Friern |6
City and Hackney |German |2
Tower Hamlets |The London Hospital St.
| Clement's |4
Redbridge |Goodmayes |28
Waltham Forest |Thorpe Coombe |0
|Claybury |25
South East Thames Regional Health Authority
Eastbourne |Hellingly |22
Dartford and Gravesham |Stone House |3
Maidstone |Maidstone |11
Tunbridge Wells |Sundridge |0
Bexley |Bexley |6
Bromley |Cane Hill |21
West Lambeth |Tooting Bec |12
South West Thames Regional Health Authority
North West Surrey |Ottershaw |1
West Surrey and North
East Hants |Brookwood |23
Mid Surrey |West Park |4
East Surrey |Netherne and Fairdene |29
Chichester |Graylingwell |12
Mid Downs |St. Francis, Haywards
| Heath |9
Croydon |Warlingham Park |6
Kingston and Esher |Long Grove |12
Wandsworth |Springfield |8
Wessex Regional Health Authority
East Dorset |St. Ann's Poole |1
West Dorset |Herrison |19
Portsmouth and South East
Hampshire |St. James's Portsmouth |20
Basingstoke and North |Basingstoke District Park
Hampshire | Prewett |29
Salisbury |The Old Manor |2
Bath District |Roundway |33
Oxford Regional Health Authority
West Berkshire |Hungerford |1
|Fair Mile |15
Aylesbury Vale |St. John's Stone |25
Northampton |St. Crispin |9
Oxfordshire |Littlemore |7
|Warneford |3
South Western Regional Health Authority
Bristol and Weston |Barrow |3
Frenchay |Glenside |12
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |Trevillis House |0
Exeter |Exe Vale-Digby and
| Wonford |10
|Ex Vale Exminster Branch |21
Plymouth |Moorhaven |12
Gloucester |Horton Road |18
Somerset |Tone Vale |10
|Mendip |9
West Midlands Regional Health Authority
Bromsgrove and Redditch |Barnsley Hall |15
Worcester and District |Powick |6
|St. Wulstans |38
Shropshire |Royal Shrewsbury
| (Shelton) |7
Mid Stafford |St. George's Stafford |10
North Staffordshire |St. Edwards |41
Rugby |Central, Warwick |10
North Birmingham |Highcroft |7
West Birmingham |All Saints |5
Solihull |Hollymoor |7
Mersey Regional Health Authority
Chester |Countess of Chester
| (Psych. Wing) |23
Warrington |Winwick |22
St. Helens and Knowsley |Rainhill |46
North Western Regional Health Authority
Preston |Whittingham |1
Bolton |Fall Birch |0
Salford |Peel Hall |0
|Prestwich |24
Stockport |Ollersett View |1
|England Total |1,550
NHS (Competitive Tendering)
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 22 February to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell), Official Report, column 874, if he will make a statement on his decision not to promote any further central initiatives for additional specific NHS services to be subject to mandatory competitive tendering.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : NHS accounts show that more than 40 per cent. of support services in the NHS, other than those involved in direct provision of patient care, are already routinely subject to competitive tendering or other forms of regular market testing. The White Paper
Column 177
"Working for Patients" provides a framework within which health authorities can widen the scope for competition across an even wider range of support services in future to ensure value for money and release of resources for improved patient care. The selection and grouping of services for testing, and the specification of requirements are matters best left to local decision.Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many orthopaedic patients from the Crewe and Nantwich constituency are receiving continuing care from the Agnes Hunt orthopaedic hospital ;
(2) how many patients received specialist care from the Agnes Hunt orthopaedic hospital in 1989-90 ; and how many were from outside the Shropshire area.
Mr. Freeman : In the year ending 31 March 1989 there were 5,956 completed patient stays on wards in the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt orthopaedic hospital. Data for 1989-90 are not yet available. Information about the districts of residence of those patients is not held centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman of Shropshire health authority, who may be able to provide more detailed information.
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what talks he is having with the relevant health authorities in relation to the future of the Agnes Hunt orthopaedic hospital, in order to ensure continuing access to its specialist skills for patients.
Immunisation
Mr. Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide an up-to-date table of immunisation rates, district by district for each vaccination, completed
Column 178
course by two years ; and how many districts still fall below the target set by the European region of the World Health Organisation.Mr. Freeman : The two-year uptake for diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio and measles in England, for the financial year 1988-89, is given in the table.
Vaccination and
Immunisation 2 year
uptakes 1988-89
|Number
-------------------------
Diphtheria |87
Tetanus |87
Pertussis |75
Polio |87
Measles |80
A summary of district uptake levels has been placed in the Library. The World Health Organisation's European region target is 90 per cent. by 1990, and our aim is to reach that target in the year 1990-91. In 1988-89 no district had yet reached the target for pertussis, but 20 had done so for measles and 85 for diphtheria.
Medical Errors
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by regional health authority and by year for the last five years, the amounts of money that have been paid in damages for medical errors.
Mr. Freeman : The information is not available in the form requested.
The information held centrally is given in the table which shows compensation payments made by health authorities as recorded in their annual accounts. However, this information does not distinguish between compensation payments in respect of medical accidents and other compensation payments, for example, those in respect of damage to property or for unfair dismissal.
Column 177
Region |1984-85 |1985-86 |1986-87 |1987-88 |1988-89
|£ |£ |£ |£ |£
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |141,399 |266,357 |360,445 |458,943 |617,159
Yorkshire |322,560 |526,650 |975,346 |835,753 |695,139
Trent |318,972 |480,459 |636,355 |504,911 |841,404
East Anglia |222,633 |220,737 |212,037 |367,993 |485,669
North West Thames |534,736 |340,419 |401,463 |558,198 |910,754
North East Thames |766,875 |474,501 |1,218,109 |1,565,496 |1,651,786
South East Thames |469,300 |594,659 |481,922 |378,382 |681,444
South West Thames |320,771 |785,099 |551,560 |413,723 |629,904
Wessex |181,534 |558,254 |508,791 |346,078 |409,377
Oxford |133,937 |204,803 |395,219 |292,236 |752,363
South Western |305,779 |208,190 |411,820 |596,217 |661,387
West Midlands |371,489 |1,666,715 |1,356,637 |1,855,308 |2,143,084
Mersey |266,350 |316,312 |477,401 |625,944 |845,970
North Western |545,479 |750,188 |1,190,563 |1,253,774 |1,697,476
SHA's for the London
Postgraduate Hospitals |156,776 |41,474 |53,376 |88,686 |111,574
|------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |5,058,590 |7,434,817 |9,231,044 |10,141,642|13,134,490
Nurses and Midwives (Training)
Mr. Franks : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision has been made for the training of nurses and midwives since 1978-79.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Gedling (Mr. Mitchell) on 20 February at column 701.
Column 178
NHS and Community Care Bill
Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent so far in Greater Manchester by (i) his Department, (ii) district health authorities and (iii) family practitioner committees to prepare for the implementation of the National Health Service and Community Care Bill.
Column 179
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 19 February at column 543.Cervical Cancer
Mr. Leadbitter : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the arrangements in the Hartlepool health authority area for the detection, monitoring, and follow-up procedures in respect of cervical cancer.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The main strategy for dealing with cervical cancer is through a programme of early detection based on population screening programmes. In Hartlepool, a computerised call and recall system was implemented on schedule to meet the Department's target date of 31 March 1988. I understand that the district is meeting the Department's target for reporting results of cervical smears to the smear- taker within one month. The district recalls women on a three-yearly basis and has implemented a failsafe system to ensure that women with abnormalities are followed up. In addition, the necessary surgical and pathological facilities are in place to facilitate the further investigation and treatment of such women. The Northern region is making good progress on quality assurance in the laboratories.
Health Standards
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the recommendations he has received but not implemented from (a) the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy and (b) the National Advisory Committee on Nutritional Education concerning the improvement of health standards by dietary influence.
Mr. Freeman : Since 1987 the chief medical officer's Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy (COMA) has published five reports, four of which contained recommendations :
"The Use of Very Low Calorie Diets in Obesity"--1987
"Present Day Practice in Infant Feeding--Third Report"--1988 "Third Report of the Sub-committee on Nutritional
Surveillance"--1988
"The Diets Of British Schoolchildren"--1989 (no recommendations) "Dietary Sugars and Human Disease"--1989
All the recommendations to this Department have either been implemented or are in the process of being implemented.
The National Advisory Committee on Nutrition Education (NACNE) has an ad hoc working group which, before its dissolution in 1983 produced a discussion document which did not contain specific recommendations for Government.
Inner City Health Practices
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received concerning the impact of the National Health Service and Community Care Bill on inner city health practices.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : No representations solely concerning the effects of our proposals on inner city health practices have been identified.
Column 180
District Health Authorities
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many district health authorities expect to be in deficit at the end of the current financial year.
Mr. Freeman : I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. and learned Friend gave the hon. Members for Wigan (Mr. Stott), for Normanton (Mr. O'Brien), for Sunderland, North (Mr. Clay) and for Wolverhampton, South-East (Mr. Turner) on 23 January at columns 670-71.
Abortifacient Drugs
Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those abortifacient drugs which are currently licensed for use in the United Kingdom.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The information requested is as follows :
1. Cervagem Pessary 1 mg.
2. Prostin E2 Sterile Solution 1 mg/ml.
3. Prostin E2 Sterile Solution 10 mg/ml.
4. Prostin F2 Alpha Sterile Solution 5 mg/ml extra Amniotic for TH abortion.
5. Prostin F2 Alpha Sterile Solution 5 mg/ml for Therapeutic Abortion I/V.
6. Prostin F2 Alpha Sterile Solution 5 mg/ml (Intra Amniotic Pack).
7. Sterile Solution Prostin/15 m (0.25 mg/ml).
8. Syntocinon Ampoules 2 I.V. per 2 ml (Parenteral Solution). 9. Syntocinon Ampoules 5 I.V. per 1 ml.
10. Syntocinon Ampoules 10 I.V. per 1 ml (Parenteral Solution). 11. Syntocinon Ampoules 50 I.V. per 5 ml (Parenteral Solution). 12. Syntometrine Ampoules.
13. Prostin E2 Sterile Solution.
Consultants
Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on the establishment of new consultants' posts.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The number of consultants in hospital medicine in England increased by an average of 2.4 per cent. per annum over the five years 1983 to 1988.
Regional health authorities continue to plan for expansion of the consultant grade of 2 per cent. per annum. In addition to this, between 1988 and 1990 the Government funded the appointment of 100 new consultants under a pump-priming exercise. A further 100 consultants are to be appointed over the three years 1989-90 to 1991-92 under a scheme announced in the White Paper "Working for Patients". I announced the allocation of the last 65 of these posts on 27 February at columns 125-26.
Complementary Medicine
Mr. Tredinnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he proposes to discuss with EEC representatives the different legal arrangements for United Kingdom practitioners of complementary medicine and those of Community countries which have legislated for treatment under Napoleonic laws ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : No. Practitioners of complementary medicine are able to practice in the United Kingdom
Column 181
subject only to those provisions of statute and civil law which apply. Legislation enacted by other Community countries will not affect the right to practise complementary therapy in this country.GPs (Training)
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many applications were made for places on training courses for general practitioners in each year from 1984 to 1989.
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many places have gone unfilled on general practitioner training courses during 1989-90 ; and in which areas of the United Kingdom courses were undersubscribed this year.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not held centrally for England. Information relating to other parts of the United Kingdom is the responsibility of my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales and Northern Ireland and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.
Special Hospitals
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the recorded number of hours spent by women in seclusion at Rampton, Broadmoor and Moss Side special hospitals during the 12 months from December 1988 to December 1989.
| Next Section
| Home Page |