| Previous Section | Home Page |
Column 369
Medical Laboratory and Scientific Officers
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the duties and responsibilities of medical laboratory and scientific officers in each of the bands of salaries from £7,897 to £20,244.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The duties and responsibilities of each grade are for employing authorities to determine within the guidance agreed by the Whitley council.
Mr. Wray : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the number of medical laboratory and scientific officers in each band of salaries from £7,897 to £20,244 a year.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The information is shown in the table.
Qualified medical laboratory and scientific officers on each pay
scale<1>
England-30 September 1989
Grade |Pay scale<2> |Whole time
|£ |equivalents<2><3>
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MLSO 1 |7,897 to 12,158 |4,940
MLSO 2 |11,241 to 16,639 |2,810
MLSO 3 |15,383 to 19,465 |1,650
MLSO 4 |17,996 to 22,771 |540
|-------
Total |9,940
Grading unknown<4> |1,480
|------- |Grand total |11,420
<1> The scales quoted are basic rates of pay.
<2> Pay scales include the three additional points by which scales may be advanced to recognise special skills and additional responsibilities.
Approximately 23 per cent. of medical laboratory and scientific officers are on advanced scale positions.
<3> All figures rounded to nearest ten whole time equivalents.
<4> Medical laboratory and scientific officers who, at the time figures were collected, had not been assigned to a grade in the new structure,
which was introduced in 1988-89.
Health Visiting, Greenwich
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what actions his Department has undertaken following the discussions about health visiting in Greenwich which were held on 26 April between the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and a delegation led by the hon. Member for Woolwich.
Mr. Dorrell : A nursing officer from the Department has visited Greenwich health authority and we have received information from a limited comparative study of Greenwich and some other London health districts. Greenwich health authority had set up a working party to consider the health visiting service, and the Department has this week received a copy of its report.
Residential Care Allowances
Mr. Tom Clarke : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total budgeted figure to be transferred from the residential care allowances budget to local authorities in 1990 by departmental region ; and for what purposes.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : No transfer will be made this year. The amount to be transferred from the Department
Column 370
of Social Security to local authorities in 1991-92 to enable them to discharge new responsibilities arising from the White Paper "Caring for People" (Cm 849) has not yet finally been determined.Cadaver Kidney Transplants
Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the total number of cadaver kidney transplants carried out in the latest year for which figures are available at each of the health districts of Riverside, Bloomsbury, Hampstead, City and Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Lewisham and Southwark, Camberwell, West Lambeth and the Hammersmith special health authority.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 26 June 1990] : According to information provided by the United Kingdom Transplant Service, the number of cadaveric kidney transplants carried out in 1989 in the district health authorities specified was as follows :
Health Authority |Number ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Riverside |25 Bloomsbury |23 Hampstead |33 City and Hackney |48 Tower Hamlets |54 Lewisham and North Southwark |70 Camberwell |32 West Lambeth |22 Hammersmith and Queen Charlotte's special health authority |35
We are pleased to announce that the number of cadaveric kidney transplants carried out in the United Kingdom in 1989 was a record. The total of 1,732 transplants represents a 10 per cent. increase on the achievement of the previous year.
Drug Safety
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the Medicines Commission on the Committee on Safety of Medicines carries out independent checking of manufacturers' data on drug safety.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley [holding answer 27 June 1990] : The Medicines Commission and the Committee on Safety of Medicines are themselves independent advisory bodies set up under the Medicines Act 1968. It is not their practice to commission separate independent checking of manufacturers' data.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been (a) the expenditure in real terms on evaluating the safety of pharmaceutical drugs and (b) the number of specialised staff working on drug safety in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley [holding answer 27 June 1990] : Evaluation of safety is one integral component of the process of licensing medicinal products and monitoring them after marketing. This evaluation is carried out by expert toxicologists, pharmacists and physicians within the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) who are further advised by a number of expert committees. Separate costings are not available in the form requested. The MCA has recently been reorganised into a number of specialised businesses. The pharmacovigilance unit has responsibility for monitoring adverse reactions to drugs and there are currently 27 staff employed on this work.
Column 371
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what data the Medicines Commission and the Committee on Safety of Medicines rely for their assessment of a drug's safety before recommending a product licence.Mrs. Virginia Bottomley [holding answer 27 June 1990] : Every product licence application is considered individually and must satisfy the licensing authority as to safety, quality and efficacy before a licence can be granted. The EC publication "The Rules Governing Medicinal Products in the EC" volumes I-V and the Department of Health's publication, "Guidance Notes on Applications for Product Licences" (Revised MAL 2) provide comprehensive guidance on requirements for safety data. Copies will be placed in the Library shortly.
WALES
Andrew Jones
Mr. Gwilym Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what were the extra costs of keeping Andrew Jones in Whitchurch hospital ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : Arrangements for the care of Mr. Jones are a matter for South Glamorgan health authority. However, I am told that some £33, 000 a year has been allocated to the ward on which Mr. Jones is accommodated to improve the overall level of care of patients, including Mr. Jones.
Civil Servants (Workplaces)
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessments under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations have been undertaken at workplaces used by civil servants in his Department.
Mr. David Hunt : Each division of the Welsh Office has assessed the risk to the health of staff arising from hazardous substances in the workplace and the action needed to comply with the regulations. Similar information has also been obtained from contractors using buildings occupied by the Department's staff.
Perinatal and Paediatric Pathologists
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which of the regional health authorities in Wales have appointed a perinatal or paediatric pathologist.
Mr. Grist : There is one consultant paediatrician in South Glamorgan health authority who has an interest in pathology.
Mental Illness
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total cost to his Department of the recent study undertaken by the university of Manchester on matters relating to the development of the all- Wales strategy for mental illness.
Mr. Ian Grist : It was £24,108.45.
NHS Reform
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all working papers, implementation documents, departmental circulars and other publications, whether in
Column 372
draft or final form, that have been issued to date by organisations other than his own Department, which have application in Wales in whole or in part arising from the National Health Service and Community Care Bill, "Working for Patients", "Caring for People" and associated Government initiatives.Mr. Grist : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave him on 28 June 1990.
DHAs (Capital Assets)
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of any income realised by the sale of any capital assets it is currently his policy to allow any district health authority in Wales to use in respect of revenue expenditure (a) in the financial year in which the sale occurs and (b) in any subsequent financial year.
Mr. Grist : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave him on 18 April which set out the virement limits applying to transfers of funds by health authorities between their revenue and capital cash limits. In the event that an authority wishes to exceed its virement limits, it must seek Welsh Office approval and agreement is subject to the authority's excess requirements being contained within the all-Wales virement limits. Receipts from the sale of capital assets form part of an authority's capital allocation and authorities may therefore vire such receipts to revenue in accordance with these arrangements.
Authorities also have a degree of flexibility to carry forward revenue and capital funds into a subsequent financial year. Each may carry forward 1 per cent. of its final net revenue cash limit and up to 10 per cent. of its final capital cash limit. In planning to carry forward funds, an authority may also seek the help of other authorities by entering into brokerage arrangements. In such cases the authority will lend the funds it wishes to carry forward, on the understanding that the loan will be repaid in the next or a subsequent financial year.
Singleton Hospital
Mr. Alan Williams : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if the review of the operation of the minor casualty unit at Singleton hospital has been completed ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : Officials are currently considering additional information recently provided by West Glamorgan health authority and Swansea and Lliw Valley community health council. I will announce the results of the review as soon as all the relevant factors have been examined.
Algae
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the location of blue-green algae reported on four public supply reservoirs in Wales ; what is the scientific description of such algae ; and what assessment he has made of its potential effect if ingested by humans.
Mr. Grist : The four public supply reservoirs where blue-green algae have been detected are :
Reservoir |Type of algae ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dolwen, Clwyd |Microcystis Plas Uchaf, Clwyd |Anabaena, Microcystis Cefni, Anglesey, Gwynedd |Anabaena Llandegfedd, Gwent |Aphanizomenon, Anabaena
Column 373
Algae have also been found at four locations not used for public supply : Llyn Coron reservoir on Anglesey (anabaena detected), Henson hospital lake in Mid Glamorgan (anabaena, microcystis and aphanizomenon), Talley lake in Dyfed (gleostrichia and microcystis) and Eglwys Nunydd, West Glamorgan (aphanizomenon).Blue-green algae (Myxophyta or Cynanophyta) are a large and diverse group of micro-organisms. Their basic structure and genetic organisation are bacterial in nature, but like green plants, they are able to produce carbohydrates by photosynthesis. The coloration is derived from the blue and green pigments used in photosynthesis. Unlike most plants, many blue- green algae do not need nitrogenous nutrients, having the ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some, but by no means all, blue-green algae are toxic ; several species which commonly occur in the aquatic environment can produce toxins. Toxic algae can result in illnesses, including skin rashes, eye irritation, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and pains in muscles and joints, in some recreational users of water who swallow or swim through the algal scums. There have been no reports of long-term effects or deaths in humans, but in some cases the illnesses were severe.
There is no evidence of illness resulting from drinking treated water supplied from the reservoirs affected by blue-green algae. In the four public supply reservoirs listed above where the algae have been detected, the algal scums have been limited to small areas on the water surface and have not adversely affected the water abstracted from deeper in the reservoirs for the purpose of water supply.
Furthermore, the normal processes of water treatment used are effective in removing algae from abstracted water or any organic compounds associated with the algal blooms.
SCOTLAND
National Health Service Reform
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the hospitals that have expressed an interest in obtaining self- governing status.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Expressions of interest have been received in respect of hospitals at Forfar, the Royal Scottish national hospital at Larbert, the unit at the Foresterhill site in Aberdeen comprising the royal infirmary, maternity hospital and children's hospital, and the South Ayrshire unit comprising the hospitals at Ayr and Ballochmyle.
General Practitioner Budgets
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the number of general practitioner practices eligible for budget holding, the number which have applied, the health boards in which they are situated and the names of each practice.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Ross, Cromarty and Skye (Mr. Kennedy) on 20 June, Official Report, column 622.
Column 374
Scottish Constituencies
Mr. Hind : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the current average number of voters in a Scottish constituency ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The average number of voters in a constituency in Scotland on publication of the 1990 electoral registers in February was 54,677.
National Stadium
Mr. Norman Hogg : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what progress has been made towards the construction of a national stadium for Scotland ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 28 June 1990] : It is for Scottish sports bodies, rather than the Government, to decide what action is required to provide better sports facilities.
Nurses
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to ensure that no newly qualified nurse in Scotland is unable to find a job.
Mr. Michael Forsyth [holding answer 28 June 1990] : While most newly qualified nurses find employment on completion of their training, it is impossible to guarantee the employment of all such nurses and students are made aware of this when they enrol. The number of nurses qualifying each year will seldom, if ever, match the number of posts immediately available in the national health service, but it should be noted that the number of qualified nurses employed in the national health service in Scotland has increased by 34.5 per cent. between 1979 and 1989. In addition, there are a growing number of employment opportunities for nurses elsewhere in both the public and private sectors.
SOCIAL SECURITY
National Insurance
Miss Emma Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people would be affected by the removal of the upper earnings limit for national insurance contributions.
Mrs. Gillian Shephard : If the upper earnings limit for employees' national insurance contributions were removed, it is currently estimated that about 3.3 million people would pay more contributions. If the corresponding upper profits limit for self-employed people were also removed, it is estimated that about another 0.5 million people would pay more contributions.
Industrial Deafness
Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is his estimate of the number of people affected by regulation 25, industrial deafness, ruled ultra vires by the Court of Appeal.
Mr. Scott : Since October 1974 when occupational deafness was added to the list of prescribed diseases, we
Column 375
estimate that about 25,000 claims for disablement benefit have failed to satisfy the requirements of regulation 25 of the Industrial Injuries (Prescribed Diseases) Regulation 1985 or similar preceding provisions. They were not therefore referred for audiometric testing to establish whether they satisfied the necessary level of hearing loss.Mr. John Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on his Department's estimate of the cost of implementing the Court of Appeal ruling on October 1989 regarding regulation 25--industrial deafness prescribed diseases.
Mr. Scott : As a result of the Court of Appeal judgment of 26 October 1989 in the case of McKiernon, the law on occupational deafness reflects neither this Government's intentions nor those of any previous Government. The original proposals for a scheme for paying disablement benefit for occupational deafness were made by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC) in 1973. Claims were first invited in October 1974 and awards were made from February 1975. The provisions included a rule that a claim had to be made within one year of leaving the relevant occupation. The IIAC considered this to be a pre-requisite of a provision for those made occupationally deaf. Subsequently, in 1983, this restriction was eased so that a claim could be made within five years of leaving a relevant occupation. (Regulation 25 of the Industrial Injuries Prescribed Diseases Regulations 1985). The court's judgment means that this regulation and regulations 6(2) (c) and 36 of the same regulations and preceding provisions are considered to be ultra vires because they do not specifically modify section 165(A) of the 1975 Social Security Act which deals with time limits for claiming social security benefits generally. If we did not seek to validate these provisions to correct this technical legal defect and restore the policy intention of successive Governments, past claims decided under these rules would need to be reviewed, and future claims decided on the basis of the Court of Appeal judgment. The benefit costs could exceed £100 million and there would be substantial administrative costs in reviewing past cases.
DEFENCE
Electronic Cockpit Displays
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research has been carried out by his Department on the effects of the introduction of high technology electronic cockpit displays on RAF aircrew standards of visual lookout in combat aircraft.
Mr. Neubert : Before any new electronic displays are introduced into RAF combat aircraft, an extensive and rigorous research and development programme is undertaken at the Royal Aerospace Establishment and in British industry. The primary objectives are to present information to the pilot in a clear and unambiguous manner to meet the requirements of the mission, and to reduce pilot workload. Particular emphasis has been placed on developing new cockpit technologies that aid the pilot's lookout.
Before an aircraft is accepted into RAF service, the cockpit layout and its displays are formally assessed by test aircrew for suitability for the mission, and compatibility with the visual flying task.
Column 376
Military Aircraft (Jamming Equipment)
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the regulations governing the operation of radar or radio jamming equipment by military aircraft while operating inside civil airport control zones.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Military aircraft are prohibited from using radio or radar jamming techniques while operating inside civil airport control zones.
Hydrazine Vapour
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what are the maximum safe exposure limits to hydrazine vapour for Royal Air Force personnel, expressed in parts per million.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Were the RAF to use hydrazine, which at present it does not, it would follow Health and Safety Executive recommendations ; currently the executive recommends that a limit of 0.1 parts per million is used as a guidance for the control of exposure to inhalation of hydrazine vapour.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what training in the hazards of hydrazine, the cleaning up of hydrazine spills and the treatment of personnel exposed to hydrazine vapour is given to fire service and rescue personnel (1) at military emergency diversion aerodromes in the United Kingdom and (2) at other military airfields in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Neubert : Hydrazine is not used within the RAF and there are no United States aircraft currently based in the United Kingdom in which it is employed. However, instructions for the handling of hydrazine, and responding to accidents in which it is present, are set out in standing Air Force department fire service regulations and in engineering safety instructions issued to all operational RAF airfields. Basic training courses include instruction in hazardous substances, including hydrazine, and regular training is carried out at RAF airfields where NATO aircraft which use hydrazine may visit.
Galloway Training Area
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many training man-days were carried out in the Galloway training area in 1989 ; and if he will list the dates on which the training area was in use.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : In 1989, personnel from Regular and Territorial Army units conducted 6,828 man-days of training in the Galloway forest area. Military use took place on the following dates :
27 and 29 January
25 and 26 February
21 March to 2 April
8 April
20 and 21 May
23 to 25 June
7 to 9 July
3 to 5 August
11 to 24 September
9 to 15 October
20 to 23 October
4 and 5 November
Column 377
Foreign War Medals
Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the countries which have issued foreign war medals to British service men or ex-service men.
Mr. Neubert : My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Armed Forces will write to my hon. Friend.
Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make representations to the Governments in Greece, Norway, Holland and France on the issue of war medals to British service men and ex-service men.
Mr. Neubert : It would not be appropriate to make representations to the Governments of Greece, Norway, Holland and France for the issue of war medals to British service men and ex-service men.
Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action he has taken to obtain the issue of Soviet war medals to British service men and ex-service men.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : During his visit to the Soviet Union earlier this year, my right hon. Friend discussed with the Soviet Defence Minister the possibility of a further issue by the Soviets of the medal struck by them in 1985 to mark the 40th anniversary of the end of the war. As a result of these discussions, the Soviet authorities have agreed to make a further 400 medals available.
Nuclear Weapons
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the oral reply to the hon. Member for Dorset, South (Mr. Bruce), 15 May, Official Report, column 733, which other nations are trying to develop nuclear capability ; and what verification problems there are outstanding in threshold nuclear weapons states.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Member for Bristol, West (Mr. Waldegrave) on 8 June 1990, Official Report, column 738.
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is NATO's policy on seeking full or partial reductions in the number of land- based, short-range nuclear weapons in the forthcoming arms negotiations on those weapons.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Arms control remains an integral part of alliance security policy ; NATO has therefore made clear that it endorses the United States intention to begin negotiations with the Soviet Union on short-range nuclear forces after the conclusion of a treaty limiting conventional forces in Europe.
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is his Department's latest assessment as to when NATO's existing short-range, land-based nuclear weapons will become unserviceable and obsolete.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : On current estimates it is believed that the Lance missile will be unsustainable much beyond the mid-1990s. Our dual capable artillery guns will be modernised with the introduction of the AS90 self-propelled 155 mm howitzer. However, the serviceability of the United States-owned nuclear warheads and shells for use with these systems is a matter for the United States Government.
Column 378
Main Battle Tank
Mr. Rogers : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) whether the submissions for the M1 Abrams main battle tank fully satisfy the requirements, as defined in the draft memorandum of understanding between the United Kingdom and United States Governments, in so far as existing and proposed projectiles for its main armament are concerned ;
(2) what steps have been taken to ensure that the submissions relating to the M1 Abrams main battle tank fully satisfy its requirements for structural armour.
Mr Alan Clark : The information sought on armour and main armament ammunition is sufficiently comprehensive fully to satisfy our requirements for a proper evaluation of the M1 Abrams MBT against the staff requirement for Chieftain replacement.
| Next Section
| Home Page |