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Mr. Grist : This information is not collected centrally.
Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total annual cost of community health councils.
Mr. Grist : The total health funding for community health councils in Wales in 1989-90 amounts to £666,086.
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if measures are to be taken to prevent the further despoilation of the remaining areas of hillside, woodlands and crags which lie between heavily urbanised valleys of the southern Welsh coalfield.
Mr. Grist : Sufficient powers are available to local planning authorities to control development in the open countryside.
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what funds are to be made available to local authorities, Welsh Water plc and the Welsh division of the National Rivers Authority to clean up the material pollution and debris in and alongside the rivers of the southern Welsh coalfield.
Mr. Grist : It is for the National Rivers Authority (NRA) and the local authorities concerned to determine their own expenditure priorities. The NRA has stated as its central aim the achievement of a significant and sustainable improvement of the water quality of the rivers, estuaries and coastal waters of England and Wales and it has been allocated substantial funds for this work. Provision has also been made for local government's environmental protection responsibilities in the 1990-91 local authority revenue settlement and this has been reflected in standard spending assessments for revenue support grant purposes.
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With regard to Welsh Water, sewage-related material is only part of the litter problem, but Welsh Water is committed to an investment programme on an unprecedented scale which includes improvements to a large number of its sewage treatment works. This will make a major contribution to improving the quality of our rivers including those in the south Wales coalfield.The NRA has conducted a survey of litter in and on the banks of the River Taff. In its conclusions the report said that because of the diversity of the litter tackling the problem requires the collaboration of all the responsible bodies including the local authorities and voluntary organisations. Disscussions are proceeding with the intention of taking forward the initiative.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the number of disabled people employed by (a) his Department, (b) the Welsh Development Agency, (c) the Development Board for Rural Wales, (d) Wales Tourist Board and (e) Tai Cymru and, for each, the number employed (i) in total and as a percentage of all employees, (ii) by grade and as a percentage of all employees in that grade and (iii) by the severity of their disability.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : The Department employs 27 people who have notified me that they are registered disabled. They make up 1.2 per cent. of the total work force. In addition, four disabled people are employed under the sheltered placement scheme.
Grade |No. of Registered|Per cent of Grade |Disabled People ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6 |2 |3.0 SPTO |1 |2.7 HEO |2 |1.0 EO |5 |1.4 AO |7 |1.7 AA |3 |1.0 Typist |1 |0.8 Support Grades |5 |4.5 Industrial |1 |0.9 Staff who are registered disabled are not classified in terms of the severity of their disablement.
The information requested relating to the non-departmental public bodies listed is not held centrally and the hon. Gentleman should approach the organisation direct.
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what provision is built into his allocation of finance to health authorities in Wales for 1990-91 to allow for inflation.
Mr. Grist : The allocations to health authorities in Wales for 1990- 91 which my right hon. Friend announced on 11 January take account of the 5 per cent. forecast of general inflation which was given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer in his Autumn Statement. However, it is for each authority to make its own assessment of the prospective effect of pay and price rises on its own mix of staff and non-staff expenditure in the light of this forecast when planning its budget. This process will be assisted by the recent determination of pay
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increases for staff covered by the review bodies' arrangements as announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 1 February and by the additional £11 million provision which is being made available to authorities in Wales in recognition of the excess costs of these awards over the provision for forecast general inflation within authorities' original allocations for 1990-91.Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will direct the Welsh Development Agency to offer sitting tenants in their factories first refusal when industrial estates are being offered for sale ;
(2) if he will issue guidelines to the Welsh Development Agency regarding consultation with its tenants of industrial units when those units are being offered for sale ;
(3) if he will direct the Welsh Development Agency to offer first refusal to the relevant local authority when its industrial estates are being offered for sale.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidance he has given the Welsh Development Agency on the sale of industrial sites to sitting tenants.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : The Welsh Development Agency's policy for the disposal of individual sites and units is established on the basis of guidelines issued by the Department. These state that the agency shall at all times seek to obtain the best possible consideration and whenever reasonably practicable to seek competitive bids for the asset, whether land or buildings. Whenever it is practical to do so, the agency considers the possibility of sales to industrial tenants.
Dr. Kim Howells : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures are being taken to limit the physical damage to vulnerable natural landscapes in the National Park areas of the Brecon Beacons, Snowdonia, Pembrokeshire and Gower.
Mr. Wyn Roberts : The relevant national parks authorities have the general responsibility for identifying and taking steps to limit physical damage to vulnerable landscapes in those areas for which they are responsible, in accordance with their statutory powers and wider management interest.
All three parks are preparing maps and related management strategies for these areas as required under section 3 of the Wildlife and Countryside (Amendment) Act 1985. Within these areas the national parks have additional powers to make management agreements with landowners where developments threaten landscape quality. In addition, all parks have consultation procedures to protect against inappropriate forestry development and management programmes to repair damage caused by recreational pressures. They also seek to influence farmers, landowners and the general public by education and persuasion. As planning authorities the national parks also control development. Where appropriate, national parks have acquired land which they manage directly to ensure the maintenance of quality. The Countryside Commission has also recently established a review panel under the chairmanship of
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Professor Ron Edwards, which will address the issue of vulnerable landscapes, among other matters. It is expected to report early in the new year.Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many inquiries have been undertaken under section 36 of the National Assistance Act 1948 in each of the past 10 years ; what was the average length of time taken ; and if he will make a statement ; (2) how many requests to conduct an inquiry under section 36 of the National Assistance Act 1948 he has received in each of the last 10 years ; what action was taken in each case ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : In the last 10 years a large number of requests has been received for inquiries into matters concerning local social services authorities. One inquiry under section 36 of the National Assistance Act 1948 was held. It took place over a two-month period in 1988. It was decided not to declare the authority in default as the authority took steps to deal with the cause of complaints.
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what advice his Department has given to health authorities in Wales on the use of myodil ; when this most recent advice was given ; and on what dates advice was previously given on the use of myodil prior to x-ray treatment.
Mr. Grist : I shall write to the hon. Gentleman and place a copy of my reply in the Library of the House.
76. Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs in which activities of UNESCO British scientists still participate ; and what funding he provides to support these activities.
Mr. Sainsbury : British scientists play an active role in a number of UNESCO projects. In particular they are involved with the intergovernmental oceanographic organisation, of which we remain a member ; the international hydrological programme ; man and the biosphere programme ; and the international geological correlation programme.
Financial support from ODA available to these projects from the money saved by our withdrawal from UNESCO totalled £296,000 in 1988-89. United Kingdom scientific consultants have also been involved in a number of UNESCO programmes.
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has concerning the threat to wildlife on South Georgia, especially penguins and seals, resulting from the depletion of stocks of krill and ice fish following intensive fishing by Soviet and east European fishing fleets ; and if he will extend the present 12-mile limit to 200 miles.
Mr. Sainsbury : We are concerned that the present level of fishing activity round South Georgia is threatening the
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conservation of fish stocks. We are also concerned about the possible consequences of this for wildlife in the area, particularly the wandering albatross.We are tackling these problems through the multilateral convention for the conservation of antarctic marine living resources (CCAMLR), in which we play a leading role.
The commissioner for South Georgia commissioned a research cruise in January 1989 and another in January this year, and we are in touch with the Soviet authorities at both diplomatic and scientific levels.
We have no plans at present to impose a 200-mile exclusive economic zone unilaterally round South Georgia.
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what are the current totals of staff employed by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics embassy in London and the United Kingdom embassy in Moscow ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Sainsbury : Soviet staff currently employed at the embassy of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in London--77.
British staff currently employed at the British embassy in Moscow--78.
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom's current relations with Cuba.
Mr. Sainsbury : We have normal relations with Cuba.
Mr. Livingstone : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in the Official Report the text of the letter from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Enfield, North (Mr. Eggar), to the hon. Member for Brent, East on 3 May 1988 about the Information Research Department.
Mr. Sainsbury : No. A copy of the letter was placed in the Library of the House, as indicated in the answer given to the hon. Member on 23 May 1988 by my hon. Friend the then Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Vol. 134, c. 26.
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action Her Majesty's Government are proposing to the European Commission for the study of the effect of 1992 on developing countries and of measures to limit any damaging effects.
Mr. Maude : We believe that the single market process will bring significant gains not just to the European Community, but to the entire international trading system, including the developing world. To this end we have consistently pressed for greater openness in trade to ensure that full benefits are achieved. We recently commissioned a study by the Overseas Development Institute, which confirmed that the single market should have a limited positive impact on developing countries, with particular opportunities for trade.
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Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received concerning the effects of 1992 on developing countries.
Mr. Maude : The single market will bring significant gains to the international trading system and in particular should be of overall net benefit to developing countries. We have stressed the widespread advantages in discussing 1992 with Members of this House, members of the public, and with representatives of other Governments.
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about relations between Britain and Israel.
Mr. Sainsbury : I have nothing to add to the reply given to my hon. Friend on 7 February by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Vol. 166, col. 688.
Mr. Anthony Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government are making to the Government of the Soviet Union regarding the recent declaration of independence by the Republic of Lithuania.
Mr. Sainsbury : In our recent contacts with the Soviet authorities we have stressed the importance of continued dialogue between Moscow and the Lithuanian people. We have made clear our view that all involved should exercise the maximum restraint.
Mr. Anthony Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what requests have been made by the Governments of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia for assistance in exercising their self- determination in terms of political education and financial assistance.
Mr. Sainsbury : I refer the hon. Member to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office gave to the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 19 March, Vol. 169, col. 447-48. We have not received requests of the sort described from Baltic groups.
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a further statement about (a) the product Simplesse and (b) its possible nutritional implications.
Mr. Freeman : Simplesse is a microparticulated egg and milk protein product which is intended to replace fat in the diet in uncooked food such as mayonnaise and frozen desserts. The Food and Drug Administration in the USA has recently affirmed as "generally recognised as safe" a microparticulated protein product (Simplesse) for use in frozen desserts (pp 6383-6391 of the "Federal Register" of Friday 23 February).
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Since the main use of Simplesse is likely to be in high-value specialist products its effect on the fat intake of the population as a whole is unlikely to be very significant. However, for some population groups--for example, children consuming large quantities of ice cream--it may affect fat intake.Although the possible nutritional implications of the use of this product will become clear only when data on intakes become available, the Department of Health is considering the available information on the likely nutritional effects of Simplesse.
In addition, the Food Advisory Committee will be considering fat replacers as a general issue in the near future.
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if any current study commissioned by his Department into the survival of viruses in sea water includes the AIDS virus.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Department has not commissioned any studies into the survival of HIV or other viruses in sea water.
Mr. Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations his Department has received concerning full implementation of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986.
Mr. Freeman : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley) on 20 March at columns 563-65.
Mr. Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations his Department has received concerning the need for a statutory duty for local authorities to consult disabled people and their carers on their community care plans.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : We have received representations from several groups about the need for local authorities to consult on their community care plans. The White Paper "Caring for People" makes it clear that we expect local authorities to consult and take account of the views of service users and carers in drawing up these plans.
Mr. Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department is taking to examine the adequacy of the law relating to guardianship, mental incapacity, and abuse of mentally handicapped adults ;
(2) whether his Department has any evidence concerning the abuse of mentally handicapped adults in the community and in institutions ; (3) whether his Department has carried out consultations concerning the need to amend existing legislation to enable guardianship to be used to protect people with a mental handicap ;
(4) whether his Department has received any representations concerning the need to amend existing legislation to enable guardianship to be used to protect people with a mental handicap.
Mr. Freeman : We have received representations from hon. Members, SENSE and members of the public and the report on the extent of abuse from Dr. Leila Cooke.
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We will consider the need for future statutory provision in the light of the outcome of the review the Law Commission is currently undertaking of the law relating to mentally incapacitated adults and will consult widely on any proposals.Mr. Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to increase representation and advocacy opportunities for people with mental handicap ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : Planning guidelines issued to health authorities in health circular (88)43, a copy of which is in the Library, state that every district should consult mentally handicapped people and their families, as well as the statutory and other agencies concerned, in preparing policy statements and action plans for meeting the health needs of mentally handicapped people. The Department has also grant-aided National Citizen Advocacy by £15,000 a year in 1987-88 and 1988-89 and by £20,000 in 1989-90 towards the cost of its national resource centre and advisory service for locally based advocacy projects.
Mr. Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has commissioned any independent research into the abuse of mentally handicapped adults in the community and in institutions.
Mr. Freeman : The Department is not currently carrying out any research into the abuse of mentally handicapped people.
Mr. Hannam : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has issued any guidance to professionals working with mentally handicapped people regarding training and effective procedures for dealing with suspected abuse.
Mr. Freeman : No specific guidance has been issued. We would expect the local statutory bodies as part of their general responsibility for the provision of mental handicap services to ensure that professionals are aware of the procedures for dealing with cases of suspected abuse in their area.
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will detail the timetable proposed and the consultation procedure to be undertaken for each of his Department's project groups on aspects of implementation of the community care proposals.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Department intends to issue drafts of guidance by the end of May with the aim of producing guidance in final form by the end of September. We shall seek views from representative bodies and other organisations involved in implementing the proposals of the White Paper "Caring for People".
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Health which voluntary organisations he will consult on the draft guidance drawn up by his Department on the Government's community care proposals.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Department will consult formally the main "umbrella" associations representing voluntary organisations. Within this process all voluntary organisations are welcome to make their comments.
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Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from Dr. P. V. Barber of Wythenshawe hospital, Manchester, and fellow consultants at the hospital in regard to rationalisation and the deferment of decisions ; what reply he is sending to their letter of 15 March ; if there is any action he will be taking ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : I have replied to the letter of 15 March from Dr. P. V. Barber and other doctors at Wythenshawe hospital, south Manchester, in which they express concern about the delay in reaching a decision on proposals for rationalising district hospital services currently provided at the Wythenshawe and Withington hospitals. Responsibility for establishing how south Manchester's health needs are to be met in the future is a matter to be decided by that district health authority in conjunction with the North Western regional health authority and taking account of the record level of resources for 1990-91 made available to them by the Government and recently announced. We have no reason to interfere in the local
decision-making process, which must clearly take account of the views expressed by all interested parties, including medical opinion at Wythenshawe and Withington hospitals.
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children and adults have (a) cerebral palsy and (b) other speech/language/communication disorders ; and how many of these people have received speech therapy in the past or are currently receiving it.
Mr. Freeman : Information about the number of children and adults with cerebral palsy is not available centrally. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the right hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, South (Mr. Ashley) on 26 March for estimates of the numbers of people with speech and language disorders. Not all those with speech and language disorders necessarily need or would benefit from speech therapy, and it is not known how many of them have received speech therapy in the past. Estimates of the number of people receiving speech therapy in England in 1988-89 are not yet available.
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money his Department has spent on research during the most recent five years for which figures are available ; how much money his Department has spent on research into disorders of human communication and appropriate service provision to deal with such disorders during these five years ; and if he will provide details on each research project undertaken into this subject during the most recent year for which this information is available.
Mr. Freeman : Expenditure on research and development work in the field of health and personal social services commissioned over the last five years is as follows :
|£ million ------------------------------ 1985 |11.2 1986 |11.5 1987 |12.6 1988 |12.9 1989 |<1>15.3 <1>Approx.
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In 1989 approximately £434,000 was spent on research into speech therapy, visual and hearing impairments. Figures for the preceding four years are not readily available. Details of the research programme are published in the Department of Health yearbook of research and development and for earlier years in the annual DHSS handbooks of research and development, copies of which are available in the Library.Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide information relating to the demand for and take-up of devices for assisting communication, such as speech synthesisers and portable communication aids, and if he will provide specific figures, where possible, for particular devices.
Mr. Freeman : Information is not available in the form requested. A 1984 research report "Communication Aids Provision", commissioned by the Department from the rheumatology and research unit of the university of Leeds indicated that 1,214 communication aids had been prescribed to adults by 82 per cent. of speech therapy departments in the United Kingdom.
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has any plans to investigate the need for alternative communication systems for the communication-handicapped population.
Mr. Freeman : Officials at the Department of Health, together with officials from the Department of Education and Science, have been examining whether the current arrangements for the assessment of children who require aids to communication meet the needs of those children in the most efficient and cost-effective way. We will consider in the light of their work whether any specific steps by the two Departments will be appropriate.
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department is considering making it possible for
communication-impaired people of all ages to have access to appropriate communication aids.
Mr. Freeman : It is for individual authorities and their professional staff to determine whether a communication aid is appropriate for a communication impaired person. Health authorities can seek advice from the specialist communication aids centres to enable them to make a judgment.
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many physiotherapists, occupational therapists, clinical psychologists and pharmacists are employed in each district in England.
Mr. Freeman : The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total staff pay bills were for speech therapy, physiopherapy, occupational therapy, clinical psychology and pharmacy for 1986-87, 1987-88, 1988-89 and 1989-90 ; and if he will provide the latest figures on staff pay bills for speech therapy in each district in England.
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