| Previous Section | Home Page |
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he will place in the Library copies of the 11 papers listed in the Energy Committee report, "The Cost of Nuclear Power," volume II, page 27, sent by his Department to the Committee.
Mr. Baldry : No. The papers are confidential.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy if he has made an assessment of the possible economies in respect of the storage of advanced gas-cooled reactor fuel in dry conditions, as referred to in the Energy Committee report, "The Cost of Nuclear Power", Volume II, page 77 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : Disposal of spent fuel is a matter for the owners who will take into account safety, economic and technical considerations. The possible economies referred to by the hon. Member were mentioned in evidence submitted by the South of Scotland electricity board.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what was the average price per unit of electricity from the advanced gas-cooled reactor stations in England and Wales in April 1990.
Mr. Baldry : The price of electricity for the nuclear power stations is determined by Nuclear Electric's contracts with the public electricity suppliers. The terms of these contracts are a commercial matter for Nuclear Electric plc.
Energy Efficiency
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy what initiatives he intends to introduce to increase the use of low energy electric light bulbs (a) in his Department (b) in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Peter Morrison : In the case of the Department of Energy headquarters, 1 Palace street, I have ensured that the developer installed low-energy light bulbs wherever it
Column 155
was economic to do so. In the wider context of the United Kingdom, I have received a consultant's report on the efficiency of domestic electrical appliances, including lights ; the report is now being prepared for publication.I am now considering the report with a view to deciding how best the increased use of low energy light bulbs can be encouraged. I have also had discussions with the manufacturers of the bulbs.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy when he expects to publish the report on the energy efficiency of electrical appliances commissioned by his Department in 1989.
Mr. Peter Morrison : I expect to publish the report before the autumn.
Non-fossil Fuel Levy
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy on what calculations and information he bases his statement that the non-fossil fuel levy will decrease between now and 1998.
Mr. Baldry : The rate of the levy depends predominantly on the difference between the market price for electricity and the cost of electricity under the terms of the nuclear contracts which contain incentives for Nuclear Electric to improve efficiency. This difference is expected to get smaller over the period of the contracts. The rate of the fossil fuel levy is therefore expected to decline significantly during the eight-year period of the nuclear contracts.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Department of Education Staff
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proposals there are to relocate staff from the offices of the Department of Education for Northern Ireland at Rathgael to Londonderry ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Cope : It is intended that the teachers' administration and superannuation branches of the Department of Education, involving some 95 posts, will move from Rathgael to Londonderry. The extent to which staff will transfer with the posts has not yet been determined.
Terrorism
Mr. George : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Royal Ulster Constabulary officers were killed or injured, for each year since 1969, as a result of a terrorist incident.
Mr. Cope : The information requested is as follows :
Year |Royal Ulster |Royal Ulster
|Constabulary |Constabulary
|deaths |injuries
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1969 |1 |711
1970 |2 |191
1971 |11 |315
1972 |17 |485
1973 |13 |291
1974 |15 |235
1975 |11 |263
1976 |23 |303
1977 |14 |183
1978 |10 |302
1979 |14 |165
1980 |9 |194
1981 |21 |332
1982 |12 |99
1983 |18 |142
1984 |9 |267
1985 |23 |415
1986 |12 |622
1987 |16 |246
1988 |6 |218
1989 |9 |163
1990 |<1>4 |<2>96
Inner City Trust, Londonderry
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether any public investigations are under way into the allegations made about the inner city trust, Londonderry in a recent "Spotlight" programme.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 3 July 1990] : There are no investigations under way in regard to any allegations made in the programme.
Fair Employment
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will request the Fair Employment Commission to carry out an investigation into the Londonderry inner city trust.
Mr. Needham : The Fair Employment Commission is a statutory body which is entirely independent of Government. As such, the commission determines its own investigation policy without any participation by the Government.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish in the Official Report a table to show for each year since it was set up the sums paid to the North West Centre for Learning and Development ; which body or bodies provided such monies and the amounts ; for what purposes they were provided and used ; and if the Fair Employment Agency or its successor has carried out or is considering carrying out any investigation into this body.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 3 July 1990] : The Department of Economic Development under the Action for Community Employment (ACE) programme paid the following sums of money to the North West Centre for Learning and Development for the purpose of providing temporary employment for long-term unemployed adults. The work carried out by the centre, under the ACE programme, includes environmental work, community development activity and research associated with a genealogical centre.
Financial |ACE financial
year |assistance
|(£)
------------------------------------------
1983-84 |49,888
1984-85 |65,596
1985-86 |202,161
1986-87 |1,036,182
1987-88 |984,974
1988-89 |812,698
1989-90 |690,429
The North West Centre for Learning and Development has not been investigated by the Fair Employment Agency or its successor body the Fair Employment Commission. As an independent body the Fair Employment Commission determines its own investigation policy and the Department plays no part in this.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table in the Official Report to show how many trainees have been taken on by the Inner City Trust, Londonderry since its inception ; and how many of these were (a) Protestants, (b) Roman Catholics and (c) others in each year and in total, or as much of such information as is currently available to him.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 3 July 1990] : The Inner City Trust does not have any trainees. However, since August 1988 it has sponsored an ACE project providing temporary employment places as follows : --
Year |Average
|number of
|places
------------------------------
1988 |131
1989 |131
1990 |135
The religious affiliations of the employees are not known.
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish a table in the Official Report to show, from its inception, the sums paid from public funds and by whom to the Inner City Trust, Londonderry, the purposes for which those sums were given and used, or as much of such information as is currently available to him.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 3 July 1990] : The information is as follows :
Source of assistance/
Financial year |DOE |DED |LEDU |ERDF |ESF
year |(NI)
|£ |£ |£ |£ |£
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1983-84 |3,500 |- |- |- |-
1986-87 |50,00 |- |- |- |-
1987-88 |53,050 |- |- |327,689 |85,786
1988-89 |12,500 |233,437 |- |327,689 |40,147
1989-90 |82,500 |596,453 |44,100 |- |-
|------ |------ |------ |------ |------
Totals |201,550 |829,890 |44,100 |655,378 |125,933
Department of the Environment (DOE(NI))
Funds paid towards regeneration work under the Urban Development Grant and the Social Need Order.
Department of Economic Development (DED)
These funds have been paid under the Action for
Column 158
Community Employment (ACE) programme for the purpose of providing temporary employment for long-term unemployed adults. The work carried out by the Trust under the ACE programme commenced in 1988 and is related to the redevelopment of a large area of the city including the building of a craft village, heritage library and offices for local community groups.Local Enterprise Development Unit (LEDU)
Funds paid towards the construction of a craft village as part of LEDU's contribution to the Making Londonderry Work Initiative. European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)
Funds paid in respect of the creation of a craft village within Londonderry City walls.
European Social Funds (ESF)
Funds paid in respect of vocational training provided.
Foyle Co-op
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what sums have been paid from public funds to the Foyle Co-op ; and for what purposes.
Mr. Needham [holding answer 3 July 1990] : A review of available records reveals that no moneys have been paid to the Foyle Co-op from public funds.
HEALTH
Data Systems
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list, for each regional health authority, the number of (a) coding clerks, (b) data entry clerks, (c) other medical records staff, (d) information staff, (e) computer programmers and systems analysts, (f) statisticians, (g) operations research staff and (h) health economists employed by the hospital and community health services ;
(2) if he will list, for each family practitioner committee in England and Wales, the total number of (a) coding clerks, (b) data entry clerks, (c) other medical records staff, (d) information staff, (e) computer programmers, (e) statisticians and systems analysts, (g) operations research staff and (h) health economists employed in the family practitioner services.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The precise information requested is not available centrally. The numbers of NHS administrative and clerical staff shown as working in computing, medical records, statistics and information, and operational research in each regional health authority at September 1988 are given in the table. These figures will include the staff detailed in the question with the exception of health economists ; those for computing staff include additional categories. 1988 is the latest date for which information to this level of detail is available.
Similar information for each family practitioner committee is not collected centrally. Comparisons between regions need to be interpreted with caution. Health authorities will have regard to a number of different factors in setting staffing levels, including the size of the area, population, throughput of patients and current and future levels of service provision.
Column 159
NHS administrative and clerical staff in post by regional health authorities at 30 September
1988
Whole-time equivalents<1>
Region |Computing |Medical |Statistics and|Operational
|Records |information |Research
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |108 |853 |38 |3
Yorkshire |110 |1,109 |66 |3
Trent |99 |1,552 |62 |13
East Anglian |66 |575 |32 |5
North West Thames |80 |981 |52 |2
North East Thames |138 |1,243 |61 |17
South East Thames |136 |1,075 |73 |4
South West Thames |90 |914 |43 |-
Wessex |71 |1,098 |74 |2
Oxford |96 |674 |68 |2
South Western |154 |842 |74 |3
West Midlands |230 |1,628 |147 |12
Mersey |79 |949 |47 |7
North Western |163 |1,635 |67 |1
|------- |------- |------- |-------
England Total |2,119 |15,451 |955 |75
Source:
Department of Health (SM13) annual census of NHS non-medical manpower.
<1> All figures are independently rounded to the nearest one whole-time equivalent.
Note:
Includes staff at the Dental Estimate Board, Prescription Pricing Authority, London
Post-Graduate Special Health Authorities, Family Practitioner Committees and other Statutory
Authorities (eg Public Health Laboratory service and the Health Education Authority).
Hospital Beds
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average number of beds in use in national health service hospitals in January and February ; and what was the average number of medical nursing and auxiliary staff employed to care for the patients using them.
Mr. Dorrell : Data is not available yet for January and February. The latest centrally-available figures are as follows :
NHS hospital staff at 30 September 1988
|Whole time equivalent<1>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Medical and dental (includes locums)<2> |40,600
Nursing and midwifery staff<3> |344,800
Auxiliary staff<4> |79,800
<1> All figures are rounded to the nearest hundred whole-time equivalent.
<2> The figure is for all hospital medical and dental staff.
<3> Includes agency staff. Excludes nurses and midwives working in out-patients or
accident and emergency departments.
<4> Defined as professional and technical staff.
Note: For medical and dental, and professional and technical staff it is not possible to
separate the services they provide to in-patients from those for others, eg,
out-patients.
Source: DH annual census of NHS medical and non-medical manpower.
NHS hospital staff at 30 September 1988
|Whole time equivalent<1>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Medical and dental (includes locums)<2> |40,600
Nursing and midwifery staff<3> |344,800
Auxiliary staff<4> |79,800
<1> All figures are rounded to the nearest hundred whole-time equivalent.
<2> The figure is for all hospital medical and dental staff.
<3> Includes agency staff. Excludes nurses and midwives working in out-patients or
accident and emergency departments.
<4> Defined as professional and technical staff.
Note: For medical and dental, and professional and technical staff it is not possible to
separate the services they provide to in-patients from those for others, eg,
out-patients.
Source: DH annual census of NHS medical and non-medical manpower.
Smoking (Children)
Mr. Bright : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the MORI social research unit's report to the health education authority on smoking by children between the ages of nine and 15 years.
Mr. Dorrell : We welcome the report which was undertaken as part of the Health Education Authority and
Column 160
Department of Health's joint teenage smoking programme. It should prove valuable both in managing the programme and in planning its future direction. The report confirms the evidence that smoking among schoolchildren has fallen since 1984. However, the figures remain disturbingly high, and the aim of the teenage smoking programme, to which the Government have committed over £2 million a year, is to achieve further significant reductions.Cervical Cancer
Dame Jill Knight : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action the Government are taking to reduce deaths from cervical cancer.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The cervical screening programme forms an important part of our strategy to promote women's health. The improvements that have been introduced over recent years--we were the first country in the EC to introduce nationwide computerised call and recall systems--should further increase the effectiveness of the programme. Five-yearly cervical screening can reduce deaths among women screened by approximately 80 per cent. By March 1993, we expect all women aged 20 to 64 years to have been brought into the scope of the programme and to have received their first invitation for a cervical smear.
Speech Therapists
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects new salary and regrading arrangements to be made for speech therapists.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Any changes arising from the forthcoming review of pay rates and the 1988 grade restructuring agreement will be effective from 1 October 1990.
Maternity Services
Dame Jill Knight : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much increased spending on maternity services has taken place in the last 11 years.
Column 161
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Between 1977-78 and 1988-89 total expenditure on National Health Service maternity services --community and hospital--increased from £235 million to £736 million--an increase in real terms of 27.1 per cent.Mrs. Maureen Hicks : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the changes made to maternity services in the last 10 years.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : There has been a concerted programme of action aimed at reducing maternal, perinatal and infant mortality, and developing a partnership between health service professionals and mothers and their families in the delivery of a more personal standard of maternity care. There has also been a major expansion in neonatal intensive care.
As a result mortality rates have been reduced to the lowest levels so far achieved, it is general practice for a partner to remain with the mother during delivery and schemes are being introduced for early discharge from hospital into the care of a community midwife. Since 1980-81, real-term expenditure on the maternity services has increased by 16 per cent., the number of midwives by 17 per cent., and the number of nursing and midwifery staff employed in special and neonatal intensive care by 136 per cent.
Chiropody
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to provide statutory protection to the new title of its profession adopted by the Society of Chiropodists ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell : The Department has not been notified by the Society of Chiropodists that it has adopted a new title for its profession.
Speech Therapists
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage increase there has been in the total establishment of speech therapists since 1979 ; how many posts are currently filled and how many vacancies exist ; and how many speech therapists have left the profession in the past 11 years.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Information about the establishment and the number of speech therapists leaving the profession for the periods requested is not collected centrally. At 30 September 1979, there were 1,510 speech therapists in post ; by 30 September 1989, this number had risen to 2,830, an increase of over 87 per cent. At 31 March 1989 there were 178 funded posts vacant for over three months.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the local authorities which use their discretionary powers to supplement health authority provision of speech therapy.
Mr. Dorrell : This information is not available centrally.
General Practitioners
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements have been made to pay general practitioners under the new contract ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 162
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : All general practitioners were paid promptly at the end of the first quarter of 1990-91. Doctors in contract with 75 of the 90 family practitioner committees were paid in full at the end of June either by computer, manual methods or by a combination of the two. The remaining 15 family practitioner committees made an advance payment based on the previous quarter's earnings. All family practitioner committees used either the new quarterly payments software issued earlier this year or made local arrangements based on assessment of entitlement. Family practitioner committees have discretion to make advance payments, so there is no reason why any general practitioner should be in financial difficulties due to the new arrangements. Family practitioner committees are dealing promptly with any queries from general practitioners who believe they have been underpaid.
Statements from the British Medical Association on this subject are seriously misleading. It is nonsense for the British Medical Association to claim that the Government forced through the changes without proper consultation with the profession. Detailed discussions with the British Medical Association's general medical services committee--GMSC--took place over a period of 18 months involving over 100 hours of discussion including meetings with Ministers. Every single detailed change to the general practitioners' terms of service and their statement of fees and allowances was sent to the general medical services committee for its comments and the general medical services committee was given every opportunity to respond.
Midwives
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what salary is presently paid, and will be offered in the next pay round to (a) a senior nurse sixth grade and (b) clinical midwives on grade 1 ; and what are the reasons for the difference ;
(2) what factors account for the delay in making an offer of a new pay and grading structure for midwifery managers ;
(3) when he will make an offer of a new pay and grading structure for midwifery managers ; and when he expects to reach agreement with the staff side.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Government take decisions on pay levels for midwives in the light of recommendations from the Review Body for Nursing Staff, Midwives and Health Visitors and the Professions Allied to Medicine. Pay structures are a matter for negotiation in the nursing and midwifery staffs negotiating council. The basic pay for a nurse or midwife on grade I from 1 April 1990 is £16,990 to £19,240--from 1 January 1991 £17,305 to £19,600. The existing senior nurse/midwife structure has been under review by the negotiating council, which reached agreement last month on a new structure, to come into effect from 1 January 1991. The review body is expected shortly to make recommendations on the pay of staff in the senior nurse 6 grade with effect from 1 April 1990, and on the pay levels to be attached to the new structure from 1 January 1991.
Column 163
Heart Valves
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures are in place to co-ordinate warnings to (a) cardiac specialists, (b) district general hospitals, (c) general practitioners and (d) patients fitted with suspect valves in cases where a fault is identified in a specific make of valve.
Mr. Dorrell : Hospitals and manufacturers of such devices are required to report incidents involving defective or potentially defective devices to the Department's national defect reporting centre for investigation by appropriate technical experts. Where a risk to patients or staff is identified, appropriate advice is issued and other action taken if required. The basis of circulation of such advice is considered in each particular case, on its merits.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what controls there are over the range of heart valves which may be purchased by the National Health Service.
Mr. Dorrell : This is a matter for the health authority concerned. The Department advises authorities to purchase from manufacturers registered under its manufacturer registration scheme or equivalent scheme of manufacturing quality assurance.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many companies supply artificial heart valves to the National Health Service ; and in which countries these companies are based.
Mr. Dorrell : Currently nine companies supply heart valves to the United Kingdom National Health Service. Their manufacturing sites are based in the USA, Switzerland, Puerto Rico, Canada, Italy and the United Kingdom.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will request the Medicines Commission urgently to establish a licensing system for artificial heart valves and other specialised devices used for medical purposes ;
(2) if the Medicines Commission has considered the need to license and monitor the use of artificial heart valves.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Use of heart valves in the United Kingdom is monitored since 1986 by the national heart valve registry at Hammersmith hospital. The Medicines Commission has expressed concern about certain products, including critical medical devices such as heart valves, but accepts that adequate provision for the necessary controls should be pursued through the current European Commission initiatives for the harmonisation of regulation of these devices.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if any heart valves which have been refused licences in the United States of America have been used by the national health service.
Mr. Dorrell : We are aware of two United States manufactured heart valves used in the National Health Service where marketing approval in the United States of America was withheld, pending receipt of further clinical data.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health in the last year for which figures are available how many yellow cards were received reporting failures of artificial heart valves.
Column 164
Mr. Dorrell : Medical devices such as heart valves are not included in the "yellow card" reporting system. However, the Department's national defect reporting centre for medical device incidents has received four reports of mechanical failure of heart valves in the last 12 months.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many British heart patients died because of a faulty artificial heart valve in the last five years for which figures are available.
Mr. Dorrell : We are aware of 15 deaths in the United Kingdom in the last five years due to mechanical failure of implanted valves. All were implanted prior to the setting up of the United Kingdom heart valve registry in January 1986.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the European Economic community has put forward any proposals to control the use of artificial heart valves.
Mr. Dorrell : An EC working document is in preparation which is intended to lead to a directive to harmonise the regulation of all non- powered medical devices, including heart valves.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health approximately how many artificial heart valves are fitted annually ; and what is the estimated percentage that are successful.
Mr. Dorrell : About 5,000 artificial heart valves are implanted annually in the United Kingdom, 94 per cent. of these patients survive surgery and leave hospital.
Exhaust Fumes
Ms. Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies are being carried out by his Department to assess the effects on human health of inhalation of exhaust fumes ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell : No studies are being carried out by the Department. The concentrations of pollutants in the United Kingdom associated with traffic sources are, in most circumstances, below those assessed by the World Health Organisation and other advisory groups to have detectable effects on health. The effects of airborne emissions of pollutants at levels currently experienced cannot be isolated from many other factors unrelated to air contaminants which may contribute to health problems.
GP Contracts
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there are any outstanding payments under the new general practice service contracts not completed as due from 1 April ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : All Family practitioner Committees made payments to the GPs on the due date. Most FPCs made payments calculated in detail ; the remainder made estimated payments only, to be adjusted shortly when the detailed calculations have been completed.
| Next Section
| Home Page |