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Ophthalmic Services
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects figures to be available for new out-patient attendances at ophthalmic clinics in (a) South Glamorgan and (b) Wales for the quarter ending June in the current year.
Mr. Grist : The figures should become available during the autumn of 1990.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Hip Replacements
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patients are on current waiting lists for hip replacement operations in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the present average waiting period for patients requiring hip replacement operations at Musgrave Park hospital, Belfast.
Mr. Needham : It is 9.5 months.
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has any proposals to reduce the waiting period for patients requiring hip replacement operations.
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Mr. Needham : My noble Friend Lord Skelmersdale recently announced substantial additional funding for the Northern Ireland orthopaedic service, in 1990-91. A sum of £270,000 has been allocated to the Eastern health and social services board to enable it to provide an extra 230 operations at Musgrave Park hospital, including an additional 70 hip operations. A further £100,000 has been made available to the Western board to increase the number of orthopaedic and opthalmology operations carried out at Altnagelvin hospital. The Department of Health and Social Services believes that better management of waiting lists will also help to reduce both the length of the lists and time patients are having to wait and consequently supports initiatives by the clinical resource efficiency support team (CREST) aimed at improving waiting list management.
Whiteabbey Hospital (Orthopaedic Clinic)
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how often the orthopaedic clinic at Whiteabbey hospital, Newtownabbey, operates.
Life Sentences
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners serving life sentences have been granted parole or released on licence during the past 20 years in Northern Ireland.
Mr. Cope : A total of 122 life sentence prisoners have been released on licence since 1 January 1970. Forty-nine prisoners detained at the Secretary of State's pleasure were released on licence in the same period.
There is no system of parole for prisoners in Northern Ireland but there is provision for granting a few hours' compassionate home leave in the event of the death or critical illness of a member of the prisoner's immediate family. In addition, prisoners who have served a substantial period of their sentences may be eligible for short periods of summer and Christmas home leave.
Mortality Rates
Mr. Alexander : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the amount of (a) perinatal and (b) neonatal mortality in each health and social services board in Northern Ireland in each of the years 1986 to 1989.
Mr. Needham : The information requested is in the table :
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|c|Health and Social Services Board|c|
Eastern Northern Southern Western Northern
Ireland
|Number|Rate |Number|Rate |Number|Rate |Number|Rate |Number|Rate
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Perinatal mortality
1986 |106 |9.9 |59 |8.9 |48 |8.7 |55 |10.1 |268 |9.5
1987 |113 |10.8 |46 |6.9 |65 |11.6 |52 |9.8 |276 |9.8
1988 |91 |8.5 |56 |8.7 |48 |8.7 |64 |12.2 |259 |9.3
1989 |84 |8.5 |55 |8.8 |30 |5.8 |45 |9.2 |214 |8.2
Neonatal Mortality
1986 |57 |5.4 |46 |7.0 |33 |6.0 |33 |6.1 |169 |6.0
1987 |53 |5.1 |17 |2.6 |34 |6.1 |31 |5.9 |135 |4.8
1988 |.53 |5.0 |32 |5.0 |24 |4.4 |40 |7.7 |149 |5.4
1989 |.35 |3.6 |32 |5.2 |15 |2.9 |22 |4.5 |104 |4.0
Notes:
1. Perinatal mortality rate is the number of stillbirths and deaths during the first week of the
life per 1,000 total births.
2. Neonatal mortality rate is the number of deaths during the first four weeks of life per 1,000
live births.
3. 1989 data is provisional.
Kincora Boys Home
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether, in the light of the transcript which has been sent to him of the BBC 2 film on Kincora, and the statements by James, he will set up another inquiry into Kincora.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 7 June 1990] : I have studied the transcript and am satisfied that it contains no material about Kincora not available at the time to Sir George Terry's inquiry. I understand that the individual identified as "James" was in fact interviewed in 1982 by the Royal Ulster Constabulary as part of the inquiry superintended by Sir George Terry.
As I pointed out in my reply of 19 April at column 987, rumours about the homosexual tendencies of one member of the staff at Kincora were in circulation in the 1970's ; these were known to the police but did not amount, as the programme made clear, to substantive evidence of homosexual abuse of boys at the hostel. In these circumstances I do not believe that a further inquiry into the events at Kincora could be justified. However, if anyone has substantive new evidence which is relevant he should give it to the police.
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Energy Consumption
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, pursuant to his answer of 21 May, Official Report, column 30, if he will give the figures for energy consumption in kWh for electricity, litres for oil, therms for gas and tonnes for coal.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 6 June 1990] : The amount of energy consumed in 1988-89 in the buildings occupied by Northern Ireland Departments and the Northern Ireland Office is as follows :
|Energy consumed
----------------------------------------------------------------
Electricity |94,055,748 |kWh
Oil |20,149,234 |Litres
Gas |1,485,202 |Therms
Coal |196 |Tonnes
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give the number of energy audits carried out in his Department in the past five years and for each audit a statement of its main conclusions.
Mr. Cope [holding answer 5 June 1990] : A total of 284 energy audits were carried out over the past five years in the Northern Ireland and Government Office estate.
A statement of main conclusions for each audit could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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CIVIL SERVICE
Pay and Conditions
98. Mr. Beith : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what consideration he has given to the report of the Treasury and Civil Service Select Committee on the civil service pay and conditions of service code.
Mr. Luce : The Committee's recommendations are being considered and the Government will be publishing its response in due course.
Agencies
101. Mr. Andy Stewart : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what proportion of the civil service is now covered either by established agencies or agency candidates.
Mr. Luce : There are at present 31 established agencies, employing some 69,000 staff, and a further 125,000 staff in the 25 announced agency candidates. Together these account for about a third of the civil service.
DEFENCE
Low Flying
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which countries the United Kingdom has agreements to hold low-flying exercises.
Mr. Neubert : Under long-standing arrangements, the Royal Air Force carries out low flying training in the United States and Canada (including a significant proportion of training under 250 ft). RAF aircraft stationed in the Federal Republic of Germany also carry out a high proportion of their training in the FRG. Small amounts of low flying may also be carried out in other NATO countries and elsewhere by mutual agreement.
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the cost to his Department for low flying facilities used by the Royal Air Force in Labrador and Quebec.
Mr. Neubert : Payments to Canada for Royal Air Force low flying facilities over Labrador and Quebec in the year 1988-89, the latest year for which final bills have been presented, were £5.5993 million.
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many farmers have received compensation in respect of damage to livestock caused by the activities of low-flying helicopters from 1 April 1989 to 31 March 90 and from 1 April 1990 to 30 April 1990 ; (2) how many farmers have claimed compensation in respect of damage to livestock caused by the activities of low-flying helicopters from 1 April 1989 to 31 March 1990 and from 1 April 1990 to 30 April 1990.
Mr. Neubert : Information is not available in the precise form requested and could not be established without disproportionate cost. However, during the period 1 April 1989 to 31 March 1990, 731 claims arising from the activities of low flying helicopters were settled. The figure for 1 April 1990 was 72.
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of low-flying military aircraft over rural areas in South Down.
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Mr. Neubert : There are currently no fixed wing military aircraft undertaking low flying in the South Down area for either operational or training purposes. Flights by military helicopters are carried out for operational reasons, in order to support the RUC in the fight against terrorism. Helicopters are an essential part of the security forces effort to counter the terrorists threat, which in South Down has resulted in the murder of seven soldiers in recent months. Helicopters may need to fly low for operational or weather reasons. I regret the inconvenience that this may cause some of the hon. Member's constituents but I can assure him that low flying is kept to a minimum.
Nuclear Waste
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if the proposed intermediate-level radioactive waste dump at Rosyth is designed to accommodate waste requirements of nuclear refitting at places other than Rosyth.
Mr. Neubert : The intermediate-level radioactive waste store at Rosyth is being designed to accommodate only the anticipated arisings from processes undertaken by Rosyth royal dockyard.
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the proposed new intermediate-level radioactive waste store at Rosyth has been designed to permit expansion of the storage facilities.
Mr. Neubert : The intermediate-level radio-active waste store at Rosyth is not being designed specifically to permit expansion of the storage facilities.
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what facilities currently exist at (a) Rosyth and (b) Devonport for the storage of intermediate-level radioactive waste arising from the decommissioning of nuclear-powered submarines.
Mr. Neubert : No special facilities currently exist at Rosyth and Devonport for storage of intermediate level radio-active waste arising from the decommissioning of nuclear powered submarines.
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his policy on the transport by (a) rail, (b) road and (c) sea of intermediate- level radioactive waste arising from nuclear-powered submarine operations.
Mr. Neubert : Ministry of Defence policy for transport of all radioactive waste by rail, road or sea is to apply standards no less stringent than those required by International Atomic Energy Agency regulations.
Chemical Weapons
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what monitoring has taken place of sites used for sea dumping of British chemical warfare stocks, and what have been the results of any such monitoring.
Mr. Neubert : There has been no systematic monitoring of sites where chemical warfare stocks were sea dumped. However, there are no indications of leakage or of any identified hazard to health were that to happen.
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the locations and depths of all sites at sea where British chemical warfare stocks have been dumped.
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Mr. Neubert : The United Kingdom abandoned its offensive capability in chemical warfare in the late 1950s. United Kingdom chemical weapons were disposed of over a lengthy period and it would require disproportionate effort to research old records for precise locations. However, I can confirm that all known stocks were disposed of, although from time to time there are discoveries of buried items dating back to the two world wars, which are taken to the chemical defence establishment at Porton Down for safe disposal.Defence Establishments, Wales
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence at which land-based defence establishments in Wales he proposes (a) cuts in establishment numbers, (b) closures and (c) privatisation of services by civilians ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Clark : The Ministry of Defence continues to pursue economies and increased efficiency throughout the Department, including regular audits of establishments. There are currently no plans for significant reductions in establishment numbers, closures, or market testing in Wales.
Soldiers (Offences)
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many serving soldiers have been convicted within the last 12 months of offences involving violence ;
(2) how many soldiers have been convicted within the last 12 months of offences involving dishonesty ; and how many have been discharged from the Army ;
(3) how many soldiers have been discharged from the Army within the last 12 months following convictions for offences involving violence.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State for the Armed Forces will write to the hon. Member.
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers are currently serving sentences at Colchester military correction and training centre ; of what offences they were convicted ; and what are their sentences.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There are 142 soldiers currently serving sentences at the military corrective training centre for desertion/AWOL, dishonesty, violence, drug and sex offences. Their sentences range from 28 days to two years, with just over 100 sentences of six months or more.
Cadet Forces (Armouries)
Mr. Straw : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armouries of service cadet forces are based in (a) maintained and (b) independent schools ; and what standing arrangements exist for their security and for the custody of live ammunition.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : There are approximately 265 detachments of the Combined Cadet Force (CCF), Army Cadet Force (ACF) and Air Training Corps (ATC) based in maintained schools, and 200 CCF detachments in independent schools. Most of these have armouries, but it would not be possible to give exact figures without
disproportionate cost.
Security of cadet force weapons is strictly governed by service regulations. These require arms to be kept securely
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in appropriate containers or armouries, while ammunition must be stored separately, again under appropriate, secure conditions. It would not be appropriate to give details of these regulations, which, in general, require a higher level of security than the equivalent civil standards for rifle clubs or licenced individual firearms holders. All weapon storage facilities are strictly controlled by the Ministry of Defence and are periodically inspected to ensure that proper standards are being maintained.Mr. Colin Wallace
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expected Mr. Calcutt to report on the case of Colin Wallace when he set up the inquiry ; and when he now expects Mr. Calcutt to report.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Mr. Calcutt is conducting an independent inquiry and it is for him to determine how long the work will take. No firm date has yet been set for its completion.
Royal Ordnance Factory, Bishopton
Mr. McFall : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the action at royal ordnance factory, Bishopton, taken in relation to Graeme Stewart and Allan Milligan of The Scotsman newspaper.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : I have been asked to reply. On 1 June at the royal ordnance factory, Bishopton, Graeme Stewart and John Allan Milligan were charged by officers of Strathclyde police with contravening section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1911. A report was subsequently submitted to the procurator fiscal at Paisley. The matter was referred to Crown Office and Crown counsel have instructed that there be no proceedings.
HEALTH
Hospital Beds (North Wiltshire)
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total of hospital beds in each of the past five years within the constituency of Wiltshire, North.
Mr. Dorrell : Information about hospital beds is collected centrally by district health authority and is not available for individual parliamentary constituencies. Figures for Swindon and Bath district health authorities are given in the table.
|c|Average daily available beds and in-patient cases treated
Swindon|c|
|c|and Bath district health authorities, 1984-1988-89|c|
Year |Available |In-patient |In-patient
|beds |cases treated|cases treated
|per available
|bed
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Swindon
DHA
1984 |1,377 |27,731 |20.1
1985 |1,311 |28,458 |21.7
1986 |1,280 |29,072 |22.7
1987-88 |1,142 |33,396 |29.2
1988-89 |1,123 |31,187 |27.8
Bath
DHA
1984 |2,737 |48,023 |17.5
1985 |2,681 |49,135 |18.3
1986 |2,645 |50,213 |19.0
1987-88 |2,360 |54,521 |23.1
1988-89 |2,226 |49,552 |22.3
Source: SH3 return, 1984-1986
KHO3 & SH3a returns, 1987-88 onwards
Tampons
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 5 April, Official Report, column 745, whether he has yet obtained the information regarding the numbers of deaths in the United Kingdom from toxic shock syndrome ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Dorrell : The information requested is not yet available. I will write to the hon. Member as soon as it is available.
Electorate, Hampshire
Sir David Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 26 March, Official Report, columns 40-41, if he will now list the number of 1990 electors by which each Hampshire constituency exceeds the electoral quota for an average English seat and the number of additional seats, or part thereof, which would be required to bring the number of Hampshire constituencies up to the English average.
Mr. Dorrell : The information is as follows :
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|c|Amount by which constituency differs from the electoral quota based|c|
|c|on the 1990 Register|c|
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Transplants
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the management of the United Kingdom transplant service.
Mr. Dorrell : The United Kingdom transplant service (UKTS) is at present a non-statutory body funded by the health departments via the South Western regional health authority. Its functions have grown in recent years and a more formal management arrangement is needed. My right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State has decided in principle that a special health authority should be set up to manage the UKTS. The next step will be an independent implementation study by Dr. John Evans to advise on the structure and operation of the authority. Establishing a special health authority for the UKTS should provide a sound basis for the management of the UKTS for the next few years and pending decisions on any more permanent arrangements.
Alcoholism
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that, under the new community care system, adequate funding reaches post-detoxification residential care units for people recovering from severe alcohol problems.
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Mr. Dorrell : We shall be directing local authorities to include provision for alcohol misusers in their community care plans. This will ensure that those agencies that provide residential care for alcohol misusers will have access to the funds that are available via local authorities.
Hip Replacements
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what resources will be made available to the South West health authority to expedite hip replacement operations for those patients aged over 75 years.
Mr. Dorrell : The provision of treatment services in the south west using these and other resources is a matter for the regional health authority.
The initial revenue allocation to the South Western regional health authority for 1990-91 is £919,011,000, 9 per cent. more than the initial allocation for 1989-90.
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list in the Official Report the health authorities which have waiting lists of under 12 months for hip replacement operations ;
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(2) if he will list the average waiting time in the South West district health authorities for patients needing hip replacement surgery ; and what steps are being taken to reduce this delay.Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Information on waiting lists is collected centrally by specialty but not for specific operations or procedures. The six-monthly publication of hospital waiting list statistics, which is placed in the Library, provides information about waiting time for admission for each specialty.
The latest information held centrally about the time waited, by operation, relates to patients admitted in 1985 and is published in "1985 Hospital In- patients Enquiry main tables for England series number 27", a copy of which is also available in the Library. Information on the time waited for specific types of operation in 1988-89 is expected to be available shortly.
We are committed to reducing excessive waiting and have invested a total of £119 million over four years from the waiting list fund for this purpose. In 1989-90 £8.7 million was allocated to the specialty of trauma and orthopaedics of which at least £441,000 was specifically used for hip operations.
Funding, Wirral
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason funding for the Wirral family practitioner committee has been cut by £400,000 in the current year ; and if he will detail his estimate of the number of reception and support staff local general practitioners will cease to employ as a result of the new budget arrangements.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The preliminary allocation of £1,979,000 to Wirral family practitioner committee for practice staff and premises improvements this year is an increase of over 13 per cent. on its expenditure of £1,745,000 in 1989-90. We shall make any necessary adjustment to this record allocation when we know from family practitioner committees the full year cost of their commitments at the end of March. This will enable family practitioner committees to honour our undertaking to continue full support for existing practice staff.
Waiting Lists
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will establish a clearing house in his Department to facilitate a more efficient use of hospital resources so that general practitioners and consultants can be directed to those hospitals with the shortest waiting list for each particular category of operation.
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Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Government believe that central direction is not the most effective way of managing the National Health Service. The reforms set out in the White Paper "Working for Patients", and embodied in the National Health Service and Community Care Bill, will create both the incentives, and the means, for the more efficient use of resources and improved quality of service to patients.
Under the new arrangements there will be better information for general practitioners on the waiting times each hospital will be expected to achieve, and greater flexibility to choose the most appropriate package of care overall, taking account of such information.
Battered Women
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has on the number of refuges for battered women ; and how many places they provide in each local authority in England and Wales.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not held centrally. Data held by the National Voluntary Organisation Women's Aid Federation (England) Ltd. indicate that there are 200 such refuges in England. I will write to the hon. Member about numbers of places in each local authority. Refuges in Wales are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
Tuberculosis
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether enough supplies of tuberculosis vaccine are now available for routine school vaccinations.
Mr. Dorrell : Supplies of BCG vaccine for routine school vaccinations were restored in May 1990. We have been assured by the supplier that adequate stocks are now available to maintain a continuing supply for this purpose.
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