| Previous Section | Home Page |
Bathgate Fossil
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will make a statement on his latest discussions with Dr. Robert Anderson and Dr. Ian Rolfe of the Scottish Museum on the issue of the 340-million-year old reptile found in the constituency of the hon. Member for Linlithgow.
Column 1038
Mr. Luce : I have had no discussions with either Dr. Robert Anderson or Dr. Ian Rolfe of the National museum for Scotland, on the issue of the Bathgate fossil, but as the hon. Gentleman knows the question of bringing natural heritage items under existing controls has been referred by me to the reviewing committee on the export of works of art for advice.
Lieu of Tax
Sir Hal Miller : To ask the Minister for the Arts if there have been any items accepted in lieu of tax or allocated since he last made an announcement on the subject to the House.
Mr. Luce : Since my announcement on 29 March, Official Report, col 264, I am very pleased to announce the acceptance of three further offers in lieu of tax : a portrait of the children of Henry Herbert, first Lord Porchester, by William Beechey in lieu of £151, 489 tax ; a painting by Lucas de Heere, entitled "The Family of Henry VIII : An Allegory of the Tudor Succession", in satisfaction of £527, 898 tax, and a group of four paintings in satisfaction of £6,650,000 tax ; two portraits by Thomas Gainsborough, a portrait of Peirre Pecquis by Sir Peter Paul Rubens and "View of Wageningen" by Hercules Seghers. The acceptance of the Lucas de Heere and the group of four paintings was made possible by the arrangements for a call on the Reserve first announced by Lord Gowrie in 1985 and brings the total call on the Reserve for 1989-90 to £9,977,898 and total expenditure on the acceptance in lieu scheme for that year to over £11.5 million. This is a record amount for a single financial year and demonstrates beyond doubt the investment and vital role of the scheme, and its benefits to individual estates.
In accordance with the conditions on which they were offered, the Beechey and de Heere paintings will remain in situ at Highclere castle, Berkshire, and Sudeley castle, Gloucestershire, respectively while the group of four paintings from the estate of the late Mrs. Eva Borthwick-Norton will be allocated in consultation with my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland in a manner consonant with the testator's wishes as expressed in her will. The Secretary of State for Scotland will make an announcement about this in due course.
CIVIL SERVICE
Health Hazards
Dr. Marek : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service whether assessments under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations have been undertaken for all workplaces used by civil servants within the civil service.
Mr. Luce [holding answer 18 April 1990] : The civil service is a multi-departmental organisation and in common with other major employers assessments under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations are the responsibility of individual Departments. There is no requirement to record these assessments centrally and it is not possible to confirm that all assessments have been carried out.
In the period leading to enactment of the regulations representatives of many Departments attended training and information courses within the civil service and externally.
Column 1039
In October 1988 representatives of the civil service occupational health service (CSOHS) discussed the requirements of the regulations with departmental establishment officers. The CSOHS issued a detailed briefing note in January 1989 to assist Departments in meeting their statutory obligations. CSOHS health advisers and hygienists have provided information and advice on the regulations during routine visits and on request.Departments which require professional support on assessments can obtain those on request from CSOHS who continue to provide advice, guidance and specialist input as required.
SCOTLAND
Vacant Accommodation
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list those local authorities known to him which have allowed in 1989-90 an extension of beyond three months to the period when a poll tax is not payable in respect of empty and unfurnished accommodation.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : I understand that in 1989-90, all levying authorities made use of the powers given to them under section 10(8) of the Abolition of Domestic Rates Etc. (Scotland) Act 1987 to determine different periods from the statutory minimum of three months during which the standard community charge is not payable in respect of unoccupied and unfurnished premises. Some authorities determined a longer period in respect of all unoccupied and unfurnished premises in their area, while others restricted the use of their discretionary power to certain classes of premises.
Tourism
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement concerning the provision of accommodation within the tourist industry following the implementation of the poll tax.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : As a consequence of the Abolition of Domestic Rates Etc. (Scotland) Act 1987, property which was previously valued as a dwellinghouse will have been removed from rating as from 1 April 1989, but if the assessor considers that the degree to which a particular property is used for commercial purposes is such that it should fall within the non-domestic sector, he will enter it in the valuation roll. There remains a valuation judgment for the assessor to make.
However, to ensure a consistent approach throughout Scotland, my right hon. and learned Friend recently decided to clarify the boundary between the domestic and non-domestic sectors for self-catering properties and bed-and- breakfast establishments. The Abolition of Domestic Rates (Domestic and Part Residential Subjects) (Scotland) Regulations 1990 accordingly provide that dwellinghouses made available for letting, commercially, as self- catering accommodation for short periods amounting to at least 140 days per year are to be treated from 1 April 1990 as non-domestic, thus rendering them liable to non-domestic rates.
In the case of bed-and-breakfast establishments, we have been consulting interested parties on a proposal to include within the statutory definition of domestic subjects
Column 1040
any dwellinghouse which is made available for the provision of bed-and-breakfast accommodation for at least 100 days per year or which provides such accommodation for no more than six guests. My right hon. and learned Friend is likely to bring forward appropriate regulations on this before long.Engineering Apprenticeships
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what were the numbers of engineering apprenticeships available in (a) Greenock and Port Glasgow, (b) Strathclyde and (c) Scotland as a whole in (i) 1979, (ii) 1984 and (c) the latest year for which figures are available.
Mr. Lang : Statistics are not collected about the number of available engineering apprentices. However, the engineering industry training board compiles a register of those completing the first stage of engineering craft training. For the Strathclyde area the figures are 1,071 in 1978-79, 418 in 1983-84 and 360 in 1988-89. For Scotland the figures are 1,694 for 1978-79, 686 for 1983-84 and 769 for 1988-89. No separate figures are available for the Greenock and Port Glasgow area.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Eastern Health and Social Services Board
Mr. Kilfedder : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the managerial relationship between the newly appointed director of public health in the Eastern health and social services board and (a) environmental health officers and (b) the area board chief medical officer.
Mr. Needham : The title of chief administrative medical officer (that is, the area board's chief medical officer) changed to director of public health on 1 September 1989. Environmental health officers are employed by local councils and have no managerial relationship with the Eastern health and social services board.
Accountancy Firms
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list accountancy firms used by his Department.
Mr. Cope : During 1989-90 the information requested is as follows :
Binder Hamlyn
Capita Muir and Addy
John Compton Associates
Coopers and Lybrand
CSL Group Ltd--formerly known as CIPFA Services Ltd
Deloitte Haskins and Sells
F.M. Donaghy and Company
Ernst and Young
Hanna Thompson
KPMG Peat, Marwick, McClintock
D. J. MacRitchie
B. R. McGuire and Company
John McVeigh and Company
Muir and Addy
Price Waterhouse
Brendan Quinn and Company
Stoy Hayward
Touche Ross and Company
Witt Thornton
Column 1041
Fair Employment
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a list of types of employment in each church-based society or organisation in Northern Ireland for which the Fair Employment Agency and/or Commission has advised that the successful applicant must belong to the same religious denomination as the church-based society or organisation which is inviting applications to fill vacancies.
Mr. Needham : Neither the Fair Employment Agency nor the Fair Employment Commission has ever advised any organisation that a successful applicant for employment must belong to a particular religious denomination. The agency/commission has, however, taken the view that in the case of staff of organisations with a religious basis who had to act in a "in loco parentis" role, the organisations could take religion into account when making such appointments. An individual has the right to challenge the organisation's view of the nature of a particular job and the onus is on the organisation to show that the "essential nature of the job" requires it to be done by a person holding, or not holding, a particular religious belief or political opinion as permitted under section 37 of the Fair Employment (Northern Ireland) Act 1976.
The Sunday Times
Mr. McNamara : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what requests were received from The Sunday Times for assistance in defence of the libel action brought by Mr. T. Murphy and Mr. P. Murphy ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 18 April 1990] : The Government received a number of requests from members of the staff and representatives of The Sunday Times for assistance in defence of the libel action brought against the newspaper in the Irish High Court by Thomas and Patrick Murphy. After careful consideration it was decided that there was no direct help which the Government could usefully or properly provide in the Irish courts.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Cotton Goods
Mr. Henderson : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the current output of cotton goods in north-east Lancashire.
Mr. Douglas Hogg [holding answer 18 April 1990] : Sectoral output statistics are not readily available at sub-regional level. However, in the north-west standard region (Lancashire, Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire) latest figures (1988) show that the net output from the cotton and silk industries amounted to £263.1 million (or 54.7 per cent. of United Kingdom net output). (Source : Central Statistical Office).
Paper Production
Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information he has on progress within the paper and pulp industry for the increased use of straw as a resource.
Column 1042
Mr. Douglas Hogg [holding answer 18 April 1990] : I am aware of a commercial venture which Berisford Bristar is investigating for the production of pulp from straw on a site near Immingham. In addition I am aware of an application for support of collaborative research and development on the use of United Kingdom-grown crops for industrial use under the LINK initiative. This programme, which is receiving consideration, will be able to cover the necessary research to enhance the potential use of straw.
HEALTH
Leukaemia
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham) of 2 April, Official Report, columns 430-34, he will list the other studies currently under way on leukaemia clusters referred to in column 430 and state who is funding them ; if he will list the other studies of workers receiving high radiation doses referred to in column 431 and state who is funding them ; which Government Departments are involved in the co-ordination of research and what arrangements have been made ; and if he will list the related research proposals into the offspring of radiation workers referred to in column 431.
Mr. Freeman : In respect of the studies currently under way on leukaemia clusters, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham) on 15 February at columns 397-98. The studies are being funded by the Scottish Office (Dounreay studies) and the Department of Health.
The studies referred to in my earlier reply comprise those referred to previously and, in addition, a number of proposals for research submitted to the Department and to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), as well as research commissioned independently of Government. The HSE has drawn up a protocol investigation at Sellafield. This investigation will be in two parts : the first will consist of an epidemiological case-control study comparing the occupational records of the case fathers with those of matched controls ; the second is a case-only study into the particular operational histories of the fathers of the leukaemic children.
The lead Government Department involved in co-ordination of research is the Department of Health, in collaboration with HSE, and a co-ordination group has been established for the purpose of expediting progress on existing and proposed research. Other Government Departments and the Medical Research Council will provide representation as appropriate.
In relation to the proposed studies of the health of the offspring of radiation workers, I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond) on 7 March at columns 646-47.
Scanner Unit (North Devon)
Mr. Speller : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received about the need for a scanner unit within the North Devon health authority area.
Mr. Freeman : We have received one representation, from the mayor of Barnstaple.
Column 1043
Hospital Doctors
Mr. Alexander : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the change in the pay and conditions of hospital doctors in the National Health Service since 1979.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Between April 1979 and April 1990 the pay of hospital doctors in the National Health Service has increased in real terms by 37.2 per cent. From April 1990 they will receive a further 7 per cent. rise in their pay and subsequently a further 2.5 per cent. from 1 January 1991.
The terms and conditions of service for hospital doctors are frequently amended following negotiations between the Health Departments and the medical and dental professions. Copies of the current version of the handbook of terms and conditions of service for medical and dental staff have been placed in the Library.
Hospital Incinerators
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library details of all hospital incinerators in England, by health authority area, specifying for each incinerator (a) the date commissioned, (b) the name of the manufacturer, (c) the temperature in the main chamber, (d) the temperature in the after-burner, (e) the type of temperature control used and (f) the monitoring regime for air pollution.
Mr. Freeman : This information is not available centrally and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.
Constituencies
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the constituencies of (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland in order of size based on the 1990 register, indicating in each case the extent to which the electorate is above or below the electoral quota.
Mr. Freeman : Information about the 1990 electoral registers has now been collected by OPCS from electoral registration officers. The number of electors in each local authority area will be published in "OPCS Monitor EL 90/1" on 26 April, before the local elections. The figures are still being reassembled by parliamentary constituency. They will be published in the latter form in "Electoral Statistics 1990 (Series EL No. 17)" in July.
Human Spermatozoa
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the reply to the question from the hon. Member for Linlithgow of 2 April, Official Report, column 982, if he will make a statement on the use of the hamster test in the study of chromosomal abnormalities of human spermatozoa.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : To achieve penetration by a human sperm the hamster egg must first have had its zona pellucida removed by a chemical. The normality of chromosomes derived from the human sperm can be assessed by examining them within the product of fusion of a human sperm and a hamster egg. The test is completed about 24 hours after fusion begins and at that point the
Column 1044
material is destroyed. Normally it will not have divided into two cells. Schedule 2 to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill would require that if two cells did appear they must be destroyed.Microbiology
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the future of the centre for applied microbiology and research.
Mr. Freeman : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Salisbury (Mr. Key) on 19 April.
Nurses
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will review the current levels of nurse staffing.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Bridgend (Mr. Griffiths) on 18 April at column 875.
Eye Tests
Mr. Harry Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his Department's latest estimate of the reduction in the number of eye tests since the introduction of charges.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : We have commissioned an independent survey into the number of sight tests carried out during the first quarter of 1990. The figures collected will be compared with earlier periods ; results should be available by the early summer.
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether figures are collected nationally to show whether the detection of illnesses such as diabetes has been influenced by the introduction of charges for eye tests on 1 April 1989.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Information is not collected centrally on the number of patients referred by their optometrist or ophthalmic medical practitioner to a doctor for further medical investigation and diagnosis following a sight test. The number of cases seen by the hospital eye departments since April 1989 is unlikely to be available before the end of the year.
General Practitioners
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what modification he is proposing for screening targets in the new contract for general medical practitioners ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : A modification to the operation of screening targets was announced on 10 April. This change means that entitlement to target payments will be based on partnership lists rather than individual practitioner's lists. No further modifications are planned.
Indicative Drug Budgets
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he intends to issue guidelines on the operation of indicative drug budgets ; and whether he has any modifications to propose to the proposals originally outlined in the White Paper.
Column 1045
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : We intend to publish in May a further working paper on the operation of indicative prescribing budgets. The working paper will set out details of the development of our proposals since the White Paper was published.Mental Hospitals
Mr. Gould : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will update information given in the answer to the hon. Member for Dagenham on 20 March 1987, Official Report, column 669.
Mr. Freeman [pursuant to his reply, 4 April 1990, c. 650-52.] : I regret that due to a typing error there was an omission in the answer given. Table 2 should have ended after the sixth entry and been followed by a third table. The correct information is contained in the following tables.
Table 2 Mental illness hospitals closed between 1987 and 1989 . Yorkshire
Naburn Hospital, Near York
Trent
Saxondale Hospital
St. John's Hospital, Lincolnshire
South Western
Horton Road Hospital
Digby Hospital, Exeter
West Midlands
Powick Hospital, Worcester
Table 3
Mental Illness Hospitals which have, or have had, over 200 beds,
which Regional Health Authorities have indicated they plan to close,
subject to consultation and to suitable alternative provision being
made, by about 1995.
|Latest
|numbers of
|inpatients
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Yorkshire
Storthes Hall Hospital, Near Huddersfield |389
Trent
Rauceby Hospital, South Lincs. |304
Pastures Hospital, Southern Derbyshire |454
Carlton Hayes Hospital, Leicestershire |470
Mapperley Hospital, Nottingham |305
Middlewood Hospital, Sheffield |606
Towers Hospital, Leicestershire |394
Kingsway Hospital, Southern Derbyshire |363
East Anglian
St. Audry's Hospital, Woodbridge |372
St. Nicholas' Hospital, Great Yarmouth and
Waverney |131
St. Andrews, Norwich |335
North East Thames
Friern Hospital<1> |673
Claybury Hospital |722
South East Thames
Cane Hill Hospital |343
Tooting Bec Hospital |420
Hellingly Hospital |154
St. Augustines Hospital |235
South West Thames
Long Grove Hospital, Epsom |404
Brookwood Hospital |489
Wessex
Whitecroft Hospital |75
Herrison Hospital, Dorchester |263
Old Manor Hospital<1> |216
Oxford
St. John's Hospital, Aylesbury |282
St. Crispin's Hospital, Northampton |263
Littlemore Hospital, Oxford |226
West Midlands
Barnsley Hall Hospital, Bromsgrove and Redditch |169
Rubery Hill Hospital, South Birmingham |211
Central Hospital, South Warwickshire |298
Hollymoor Hospital, Solihull |279
Mersey
Rainhill Hospital |487
Parkside Hospital |485
Winwick Hospital |815
North Western
North Manchester (Springfield) Hospital<1> |145
Northern
St. Mary's, Stannington |495
South Western
Mendip Hospital |96
Moorhaven Hospital |157
<1> With some facilities remaining on site.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Soviet Union
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations have been made to the Soviet authorities about Mr. Adolf Borisovich Gorvitz.
Mr. Waldegrave : We have made numerous representations to the Soviet authorities about this case--most recently during my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs' visit to the USSR from 9 to 12 April. We shall continue to raise it until there is a satisfactory outcome.
Hong Kong
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many seizures of illegally imported endangered species were made by the Hong Kong authorities in the second six months of 1989 ; how many seizures were made of similar categories intended for export ; and if he will make a statement giving details of all seizures made, including country of origin.
Mr. Waldegrave [holding answer 29 March 1990] : The Hong Kong authorities made 60 seizures of illegally imported endangered species during the period July to December 1989 :
The following illegal imports were seized :
| Next Section
| Home Page |