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Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : We have no such plans. Only children over the age of 13 may be employed in the delivery of newspapers as provided in the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 and local authority byelaws made under that Act.
Sugared Medicines
7. Miss Lestor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he has any plans to prohibit or reduce the use of sugared medicines for children ;
(2) what steps the Government are taking to overcome the dangers of tooth decay inherent in the use of sugared medicines for children.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The danger of tooth decay in children from the use of sugared medicines is small in comparison with that arising from their consumption of confectionery. Although sugared liquid medicines which have to be taken by children for long periods are undesirable, sugar may be useful in a formulation, to improve palatability or as a natural preservative. Nevertheless, a move towards sugar-free medicines has been accelerated by the recent report on dietary sugars and human disease by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy. New sugar-free medicinal products are emerging and, in addition, a briefing paper prepared for health professionals by the Health Education Authority, based on the report, recommends that when medicines are needed, particularly in the long term, parents and medical practitioners should select sugar-free formulations.
Non-milk Extrinsic Sugars
Miss Lestor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce the consumption of non-milk extrinsic sugars.
Mr. Dorrell : The steps are twofold. First, we sought and have published COMA's authoritative advice on the relationship between dietary sugars and human disease. Secondly, we are acting on the report's recommendations. One of the main recommendations was that the population as a whole reduce its consumption of non-milk extrinsic sugars. The recommendations for action in support of this aim were mainly directed at health education. I am pleased to say, therefore, that the need to reduce the consumption of non-milk extrinsic sugars is now an integral part of the Health Education Authority's major new programme of nutrition and dental health education. The HEA has already produced a well-received briefing paper for health professionals based on the COMA report. In addition new guidelines on all aspects of diet, including sugars consumption, are being prepared jointly by this Department, the HEA and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. These will be published shortly.
Other Government action includes encouragement for more sugar-free medicinal products and for manufacturers to adopt current MAFF guidelines that suggest inclusion of sugar content as part of nutrition declarations on food labels.
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Child Protection Teams
Miss Lestor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the number of child protection teams allocated to each health board within the United Kingdom ; and what is the number of people in each team.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : It is for local agencies in England to decide in the light of local needs and circumstances on the allocation of staff to child protection work. Information on the number of staff working specifically in this field is not collected centrally.
Arrangements for the rest of the United Kingdom are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.
Miss Lestor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of cases reported to child protection teams in the United Kingdom in the last 12 months ; and what was the number of cases actively pursued.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Information is not collected centrally about the number of cases reported to child protection teams or the number of cases actively pursued. For England, information is collected centrally about the number of names added to child protection registers. The most recent information relates to the year ending 31 March 1989 and is published in the provisional feedback "Children and Young Persons on Child Protection Registers England 1989". Copies are available in the Library.
Statistics for the rest of the United Kingdom are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.
Child Psychologists
Miss Lestor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many child psychologists were employed in National Health Service clinics in (a) 1989, (b) 1984 and (c) 1970.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The information requested is not available. However, the hon. Member may like to know that there were 291 (whole-time equivalent) clinical psychologists working with children and adolescents in England in 1989. This is the first year for which such data have been collected.
Child Abuse
Miss Lestor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he intends to meet representatives of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, the Association of Directors of Social Services, the Children's Society and Childline to discuss the co-ordination of information relating to ritual child abuse and child abuse networks.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Officials from the Department of Health and the Home Office held a meeting on 3 May 1990 with representatives of the NSPCC, the Children's Society, Childline, the National Children's Home, local authorities and the police. It was agreed that the Department of Health would continue to meet individuals and groups during the summer further to explore the issues involved.
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Cerebral Palsy
Miss Lestor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the current cost of treatment being offered to children suffering from cerebral palsy.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not available centrally.
Minor Surgery
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether the new guidelines on the minor surgery list will preclude general practitioners from conducting minor surgery in which they are totally competent on the basis that they are not competent in all the areas of minor surgery which are listed on the revised claim forms ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what effect upon waiting lists for minor surgery he expects the revised provisions for payment and competence to have.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : No changes have been made to the criteria for admission to the list of doctos providing minor surgical services or to the remuneration arrangements for these services. To be admitted to the minor surgery list a doctor must display competence in all the approved procedures. This is to encourage GPs to extend their skills and provide additional services to their patients. By this means patients will be saved the inconvenience of attending an out-patients department and waiting lists should be relieved.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health for how many minor surgical procedures claims may be made in an appropriate period by general practitioners ; and who will be responsible for such minor surgery once these limits have been reached.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : General practitioners on the minor surgery list receive payment on a sessional basis. A session consists of at least five procedures. A GP is allowed to claim three sessional payments a quarter. Where a GP is a member of a partnership or group practice he or she may claim a higher number of payments in a quarter up to a maximum of three times the number of partners or members of the group. There is of course nothing to stop a GP doing more procedures if he or she wishes, but they will not generate any further income.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Passports
Mr. Walden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons are for renewing passports after 10 years.
Mr. John Patten : The validity of the United Kingdom passport is normally limited to 10 years in line with international passport practice. As a document of nationality and identity, a passport must reflect the changes that can occur over time in a person's appearance and national status. There is also the problem of wear and tear.
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Police Remand Prisoners
Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are being held in custody at police stations (a) in the Metropolitan area and (b) outside the London area, as of 1 June ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Mellor : The number of prisoners held in police cells in the Metropolitan police area and elsewhere in England and Wales from 1 June were as follows :
Date |Metropolitan
|police area |England and
|Wales
----------------------------------------------------
1 June |245 |809
2 June |245 |809
3 June |245 |809
4 June |216 |864
5 June |218 |893
6 June |177 |900
7 June |143 |951
We very much regret the current situation which has resulted in part from industrial action by prison officers in the London area--now over--and from difficulties we are facing in getting prisoners into prison establishments following the recent prison disturbances. My right hon. and learned Friend is determined to return to the situation where it is no longer necessary to resort to the use of police cells, and I am sure the great majority of responsible prison officers will wish to do likewise.
Crime Figures
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next plans to meet the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis to discuss crime figures.
Mr. John Patten : My right hon. and learned Friend meets the Commissioner on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of policing matters, including crime in London.
Concessionary Television Licences
Mr. Canavan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many representations he has received over the past 12 months about concessionary television licences.
Mr. Mellor : In the year ended 31 May 1990 we received four petitions and 1,463 letters about free or reduced price licences for pensioners. One thousand two hundred and two of the letters were cyclostyled and clearly sent as part of a local campaign. Of the rest, 123 were from hon. Members.
Police Cells
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women were being held in police cells in England and Wales on 21 May.
Mr. Mellor : On 21 May there were 1,047 male and no female prisoners held in police cells in England and Wales.
Crime Figures
Mr. Meale : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next plans to meet the chief constable of Nottinghamshire to discuss crime figures.
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Mr. John P. Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next plans to meet the chief constable of South Wales to discuss crime figures.
Mr. John Patten : My right hon. and learned Friend meets chief officers of police on a regular basis to discuss a wide range of policing matters, but he has no present plans for meetings to discuss crime figures in particular.
Burglaries
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the number of burglaries reported in each of the last three years.
Mr. John Patten : The information requested is published in table 1 of the Home Office statistical bulletin 10/90, a copy of which is available in the Library.
Court Users Committees
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many court users committees are now operating in England and Wales.
Mr. John Patten : Up-to-date information is not at present available, but it should become available by the end of the year as part of the returns for the magistrates courts management information system.
Women's Issues
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has any plans to appoint a women Minister as chairman of the ministerial group on women's issues.
Mr. John Patten : Ministers attend the ministerial group on women's issues on the basis of their departmental responsibilities for matters within the remit of the group. The group is chaired by myself, as the Home Office Minister of State with special responsibility for equal opportunities. The vice-chairman is my hon. Friend the Member for Mitcham and Morden (Mrs. Rumbold) who is also co-chairman of the Women's National Commission.
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what policy initiatives have been undertaken as a result of discussions by the ministerial group on women's issues.
Mr. John Patten : The ministerial group was established in 1986 to provide a co-ordinated examination of policy issues of special concern to women, and with a particular duty to consider the Government's response to the forward looking strategies for the advancement of women (adopted during the UN Decade for Women). The main initiatives taken as a result of the group's discussions have been :
(i) A review of the Government's policy in areas covered by the Forward Looking Strategies (published in April 1987) ;
(ii) the issue of guidance designed to ensure that civil servants recognise the equal opportunities implications of policy proposals ; (
(iii) the agreement of initiatives aimed at increasing the number of women appointed to public bodies ;
(iv) the agreement in April 1989 of a five-point plan designed to improve the range and quality of childcare options, followed by a second five-point plan on childcare agreed in February 1990 ; and (
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(v) a package of initiatives drawn up in July 1989 to tackle domestic violence.Copies of the group's report on the forward looking strategies were placed in the Library in 1987. Further details of the initiatives on equal opportunity "proofing", child care and domestic violence are given in the press releases that were issued after the group's meetings in October 1988, April 1989, July 1989, October 1989 and February 1990 (copies of which have been placed in the Library).
WALES
Health Authorities
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to appoint as chairpersons and new members of health authorities in Wales persons resident within the district which their authority serves.
Mr. Grist : Persons appointed will usually live, work or have connections with the area served but it would be unnecessarily prescriptive to adopt the policy requested.
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has any plans to introduce any change in the salary of the chairpersons of health authorities, or in the terms of reference of the appointment of members of the authorities, following their reconstitution during 1990 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : We expect to introduce changes in chairmen's current remuneration levels which will reflect their greater responsibilities accruing from our planned programme of NHS reforms. The terms of reference of members will remain substantially as at present.
Training Credits
Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many training and enterprise councils in Wales have made a bid for the introduction of training credits for young people.
Mr. Roberts : Two TECs in Wales submitted outline bids. The North- East Wales TEC has been invited to develop its bid further.
Youth Training
Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the budget for the Training Agency in Wales was in 1988-89, and 1989-90 for youth training schemes ; and what his estimate is of the budget 1990-91.
Mr. Roberts : The budgets for 1988-89 and 1989-90 were £55.278 million and £50.884 million respectively. For 1990-91 the budget is £45.750 million. This is a reflection of the decline in youth unemployment and demographic change.
Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment his Department has made of the contribution made by the Training Agency and the managing agents of youth training schemes in 1988-89 and 1989-90 to the finances of each technical college in Mid Glamorgan.
Mr. Roberts : The contribution has been significant but no formal assessment of it has been made.
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Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 16 May, Official Report, columns 479-80, if he will list the occasions since the introduction of service planning paper 5 when a health authority in Wales has failed to follow the consultation provisions of that document ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : I will write to the hon. Gentleman and place a copy of my reply in the Library of the House.
Community Hospital Beds
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 21 May, Official Report, column 62, (1) on what date he asked district health authorities to submit new local strategies for health ; what guidance he gave on local public consultation ; and if he is taking any steps to monitor the progress in developing these strategies ;
(2) what is his Department's guidance to health authorities in Wales on publishing strategic options which are currently being developed ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : In November 1989 the Department launched a wide-ranging consultation exercise on the Welsh Health Planning Forum's proposals for developing a better basis for long-term strategic planning in the NHS in Wales. The planning forum recommended that district health authorities and family practitioner committees should submit their long-term response strategies to the Welsh Office by December 1991. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will shortly announce his response to the consultation exercise. Health authorities will then be given advice on a range of related issues, including timetabling and arrangements for monitoring the progress of the planning exercise.
Advice on district health authorities' short-term "pathfinder" procurement and unit business plans was contained in Welsh Office circular WHC(90)19, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. No advice has been given on the framework for publishing these plans, as this is a matter for individual health authorities.
Gwynedd Health Authority
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 21 May, Official Report, column 58, whether any consultative bodies in Gwynedd will be allowed to comment on the proposed list of chairman and five members of the Gwynedd health authority, as reconstituted under the provisions of the National Health Service and Community Care Bill ; and by what date he hopes to publish these names.
Mr. Grist : No shortlist of names will be published for consultation.
District Health Authorities
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what directives he has issued to district health authorities in Wales during the past 12 months on the need to reduce administrative and clerical spending ; and what assessment he has made of the performance of each health authority in Wales in this regard.
Mr. Grist : No such directives have been issued in the last 12 months. Management costs of health authorities
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are the subject of monitoring and assessment by the Welsh Office as part of the process of annual review of performance. Authorities are reminded of the need to subject such costs to the most rigorous scrutiny and to keep them to the minimum.Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will state how much expenditure has been increased by his Department in each of the past five years on consultants, investigations and reports relating to district health authorities in Wales ; and if he will list those district health authorities which are currently being helped by financial consultants in respect of their strategic options and business plans for the period from 1 April 1991, and for which his Department is meeting either part, or the whole, of the consultancy costs, noting in each instance the Department-borne part of the costs.
Mr. Grist : The expenditure incurred directly by the Department in each of the past five years on consultants, investigations and reports relating to district health authorities in Wales was as follows :
|£
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1985-86 |Nil
1986-87
C. Squares Ltd.-Data envelopment analysis |1,150
Taylor Nelson Group-Welsh inter-censal study |17,250
1987-88
Deloitte, Haskins and Sells-Gwynedd DHA-
Financial review and development of action plan |173,650
University of Birmingham-Inter authority comparisons |5,000
1988-89
Deloitte, Haskins and Sells-Oncology study |40,250
Cancer treatment study |40,030
Touche Ross-Report on paymaster function |13,141
Deloitte, Haskins and Sells-Gwynedd DHA-
Assistance in implementing action plan |6,326
1989-90
Deloitte, Haskins and Sells-Cancer service study |67,930
Cancer treatment services |7,370
Price Waterhouse-Project 2000 |79,922
The Department's contributions towards the cost of preparing pathfinder district procurement and unit business plans for 1990-91 are as follows :
|£
------------------------------
Clwyd |20,000
East Dyfed |9,000
Gwent |27,500
Gwynedd |26,500
Mid Glamorgan |12,000
Pembrokeshire |20,000
Powys |44,000
South Glamorgan |35,000
West Glamorgan |2,034
The pathfinder plans will inform district health authorities for 1991-92.
With the exception of the funding provided to Gwynedd health authority, which represented 50 per cent. of the costs of a management consultancy to assist with the determination of strategic options and the production of a pathfinder business plan, it is not possible to say how much of the money made available to individual district health authorities will be used to engage the services of
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management consultants. This is a matter for individual district health authorities to decide in the light of their own local management arrangements.Beef
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the state of the beef industry in Wales.
Mr. David Hunt : The December 1989 sample census figures showed that the Welsh beef breeding herd had increased by 6 per cent. compared with December 1988. Specialist beef producers have also benefited from last year's 42 per cent. increase in the rate of suckler cow premium which was worth some £8 million to producers in Wales in the 1989-90 scheme year ; and hill livestock compensatory allowance payments on cattle in 1989 amounted to more than £8 million.
Following the devaluation of the green pound agreed at the 1990 price fixing, support prices have increased by 8.5 per cent. with the rate of beef special premium increasing from £29.19 to £31.80 a head from May 1990.
Although market prices are currently depressed, the beef intervention system can now be managed very flexibly to provide support where it is most needed.
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will estimate the effect on beef production in Wales of France's continuing ban on British beef ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. David Hunt : It is not possible to separate the effects of the illegal French ban from other factors which affect the beef market.
Local Management of Schools
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he expects there to be any cuts in the staffing of schools of less than 200 pupils in Wales as a result of the implementation of local management of schools ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Roberts : There is no evidence that the introduction of local management of schools will lead to a reduction in the number of teaching jobs. Local management of schools of itself in no way affects the overall amount of money available within authorities for school education. It simply represents a more open way of distributing the same resources to secure better educational value for money.
SCOTLAND
Press Releases
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many press releases have been issued by himself, his Minister of State and each of his Parliamentary Under-Secretaries, from May 1989 to the present date.
Mr. Rifkind : The total number of news releases issued by the Scottish Information Office in the period 1 May 1989 to 31 May 1990 covering the activities of myself and my ministerial colleagues was 1,286. The number issued on behalf of each Minister was as follows :
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|Number
------------------------------------------------------------
Secretary of State for Scotland |307
Minister of State (Commons) |336
Minister of State (Lords) |118
Minister for Home Affairs and the Environment |284
Minister for Health and Sport |241
Life Sentences
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many prisoners serving life sentences have been granted parole or released on licence during the past 20 years in Scotland.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : A total of 335 prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment or detained during Her Majesty's pleasure or without limit of time were released on licence in the 20 years to 31 December 1989. Separate figures are not maintained for life sentence prisoners alone, nor are such prisoners eligible for the grant of parole.
Land Registration
Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list (a) the areas in respect of which the provisions of the Land Registration (Scotland) Act 1979 relating to registration have come into operation and (b) those areas in respect of which said provisions have not yet come into operation showing when it is estimated that provisions will come into operation.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : As regards (a) , I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave her on 19 December 1989 at columns 145-46. By definition, the remaining areas of Scotland are not yet operational. No new areas are currently planned to become operational before 31 March 1993. My right hon. and learned Friend has asked the Keeper of the Registers of Scotland to present to him, this financial year, a phased programme for extending the Land Register to the remaining two thirds of Scotland.
Farm Pollution
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what action he is taking to stop the increase in farm pollution cases in Scotland.
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