| Previous Section | Home Page |
Column 504
Women's Safety
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will issue guidelines to local authorities concerning the improvement of street lighting and the use of resident caretakers on housing estates in the interests of the safety of women ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Michael Spicer [holding answer 16 July 1990] : Street lighting is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport, but I understand that recommendations for local authorities are covered in British standard 5489 part 3, relating to lighting of subsidiary streets, which my right hon. Friend reissued last year after extensive consultation.
Guidance on the use of resident caretakers on housing estates can be found in the priority estates project guide to local housing management issued by my Department in April 1987. In addition, the estate action programme encourages a local management presence and the use of concierges, where appropriate, for the benefit of all residents.
My right hon. Friend has no plans to issue further guidelines.
Heathrow Airport
Mr. Wilshire : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what services are provided on behalf of the Government by local authorities at Heathrow airport.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory [pursuant to his reply, 13 July 1990, c. 350] : No local authority acts as agent for the Government in providing services at Heathrow airport : such functions as they discharge there are their own responsibility.
I understand, however, that staff of the London borough of Hillingdon are employed in support of medical inspectors of immigrants at Heathrow airport. The council also negotiates the rental of the health control unit premises at the airport.
WALES
Maternity Services
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what research his Department has funded to assess the safety or comparative costs of delivery in (a) district general hospitals, (b) general practitioner maternity units and (c) at home ; and if he will give the conclusions of each project funded.
Mr. Grist : No research directly assessing the safety and comparative costs of delivery has been funded by the Department. The hon. Lady may, however, wish to note the conclusions of the Wales perinatal mortality initiative 1984-86 and the report on perinatal intensive care services in Wales. Copies are available in the Library.
Column 505
Teachers
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information he has on education authorities in Wales seeking to limit the number of applicants for teaching posts by stipulating a criterion that applicants should have been educated at some stage within that county.
Sir Wyn Roberts : None. The employment and deployment of teachers is a matter for local education authorities and schools.
Schools
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many local education authority schools in Wales have voted to opt out of local education authority control.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many local education authority (a) nursery schools, (b) infant schools, (c) primary schools and (d) secondary schools there are in each of the counties of Wales ;
(2) how many private (a) nursery schools, (b) infants schools, (c) primary schools and (d) secondary schools there are in each of the counties of Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The information requested is available in "Statistics of Education in Wales : Schools No. 3", table 1.02. Independent schools are not classified by sector.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many local education authority (a) nursery schools, (b) infant schools, (c) primary schools and (d) secondary schools he has visited in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : As the Minister with direct responsibility to my right hon. Friend for education matters in Wales I am a frequent visitor to schools throughout the Principality.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the impact of recent legislation on school governing bodies in Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Recent education legislation provides governors with the statutory powers to make decisions about school priorities, and about the needs of individual children. The governing bodies of schools with delegation under local management of schools are now directly responsible for their budget spending and for taking decisions about staff appointments.
River Pollution
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the causes of the decrease in the percentage of consented discharges achieving a minimum of 80 per cent. compliance with conditions for discharge into rivers in the Welsh Water Authority area as reported in table 2.10 of Environmental Digest for Wales No. 4 for 1988-89 ; and what action his Department has taken to tackle this trend.
Mr. Grist : One of the general duties of the National Rivers Authority, which was established last year, is to
Column 506
monitor and improve the quality of rivers and other controlled waters. Since its establishment, the authority has increased monitoring of rivers and effluents, is applying stricter conditions and prosecuting a greater proportion of offenders for consent failures. In 1989-90 the performance recorded reversed the trend suggested in 1988-89 and continued the improvements shown in the preceding years. The reasons why the performance overall of discharges of trade effluent should deteriorate in any particular year are unknown.EC-Gulf Trade
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if his Department will make any assessment of the effects on the petrochemical and allied industries in Wales of a free trade agreement between the European Community and the states of the Gulf Co-operation Council ;
(2) if his Department will make any assessment of the effects on employment in the petrochemical and allied industries in Wales of a free trade agreement between the European Community and the states of the Gulf Co- operation Council.
Mr. David Hunt : I have no plans to do so. The Government have already consulted widely interested industries.
Health Authorities
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will make it his policy that public access to the information and documents of health authorities in Wales should be on the same basis as for local authorities in Wales.
Mr. Grist : No. There is already considerable openness in health authority affairs. They continue to be subject to the Public Bodies (Admission to Meetings) Act 1960.
Non-departmental Public Bodies
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 10 July, Official Report, column 147, if he will list how many collective meetings his Department had with the non-departmental public bodies in Wales in each year since 1979.
Mr. David Hunt : The available information is as follows :-
Year |Number of
|meetings
-----------------------------------
1984 |3
1985 |2
1986 |0
1987 |1
1988 |2
1989 |2
1990 (to date) |1
Reliable information on the number of meetings held in the earlier years is not available.
Column 507
Community Health Councils
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consideration he has given to each community health council in Wales covering the area of one district council with a mechanism for all the community health councils in a health authority's area to meet on a representative basis.
Mr. Grist : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, North (Mr. Jones) on 13 July by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
National Health Service
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he has made any announcement in the past week on the financial resources available to the national health service in Wales.
Mr. Grist : At a meeting of district health authority and family practitioner committee chairmen my right hon. Friend was delighted to be able to announce his endorsement of the strategic intent which will provide the management target for the National Health Service in Wales into the next century.
In so doing my right hon. Friend drew attention to the record level of funding being provided by the Government for the service in Wales : over £1.5 billion this year--£500 million more in real terms than in 1979-80.
My right hon. Friend was also pleased to announce separately his decision to make available the necessary resources to enable Project 2000 courses to be introduced in south-east Wales from spring 1992, at the same time as in west Wales.
General Practitioner Budgets
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his reply of 9 July, Official Report, column 69, if he will make it his policy to ensure that the necessary software will be available to enable those general practitioners who wish to be responsible for their budgets, and the practice funding scheme, to start on 1 April 1991.
Mr. Grist : I refer the hon. Gentleman to my reply of 9 July 1990.
Bypasses
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when the bypasses planned for Llanymynech Pant and Welshpool will be completed.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The A483 Pant/Llanymynech scheme is in Shropshire ; its timing is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport. The A483 Welshpool relief road scheme is included in the "Roads in Wales" short-term programme to start before April 1991, and will take about two years to complete.
Unfit Housing
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his Department's latest estimate of the total cost that would be involved in bringing all unfit housing (a) in Cardiff and (b) in Wales as a whole up to a fit standard.
Mr. Grist : Information in the form requested is not available centrally.
Column 508
Myodil
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether he will undertake a review of problems which have arisen for patients in Wales as a result of the use of Myodil ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Grist : I refer the hon. Gentleman to my letter of 27 April, a copy of which is in the Library of the House, to which there is nothing I can usefully add.
Renewal Areas Scheme
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much money has been provided to local authorities in order to develop the renewal areas scheme for older housing in Wales (a) so far this financial year and (b) prior to April 1990 ; and for what purposes this money was provided.
Mr. Grist : Renewal areas were introduced under the provisions of part VII of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 with effect from 1 April 1990. Credit approvals of £1 million are being held by the Department to meet local authorities' proposals for renewal areas in the current financial year.
North-south Dual Carriageway
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has for a dual carriageway road link between north and south Wales.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Our proposals for selective improvements are clearly set out in "Roads in Wales : Progress and Plans for the 1990s".
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has made any estimate of what the effect on tourism of a dual carriageway road link between north and south Wales would be.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The selective improvements planned, together with improvements to the motorway and trunk road network throughout Wales, will greatly improve the potential for growth in tourism and leisure-based industries.
A55
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when the final improvements to the A55 between St. Asaph and Holywell will be completed.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Work on the Rhuallt Hill scheme started in May and is expected to take two years to complete.
A470 and A483
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the current traffic flow figures for the A470 and the A483 ; and what estimates there are of the future traffic flow on these roads.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Annual average daily traffic flows on the A470 range between 42,300 north of Cardiff and 2,500 in mid-Wales ; and on the A483 between 19,800 in Clwyd and 2,000 in mid-Wales.
The latest national road traffic forecasts indicate that between 1988 and 2025 traffic is expected to grow by between 83 per cent. and 142 per cent.
Column 509
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what improvements have been made to the A470 and A483 during the last 10 years.Sir Wyn Roberts : Since 1979, 21 schemes on the A470 and nine schemes on the A483 have been completed, at a cost of over £100 million and £52 million respectively.
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what improvements are currently under way on the A470 and the A483 ; and what future improvements are planned.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Twenty-eight schemes are under construction or planned on the A470, at a cost of over £73 million ; six schemes are under construction or planned on the A483 at a cost of some £30 million.
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has for accelerating planned improvements to the A470 and the A483.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The timing of schemes is determined by the satisfactory completion of engineering and statutory procedures, and the availability of finance.
Bangor-Cardiff Road
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has for having improvements to sections of road with bad bends and steep hills between Bangor and Cardiff added to the roads programme.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Our policy is to continue to undertake schemes to improve safety and reduce journey times. Schemes will be added to the programme as the need for them is identified.
A487
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to improve the conditions on the Caernarfon-Maentwrog section of the A487.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The case for improving the A487 between Caernarfon and Maentwrog is under consideration. It is too soon to say what proposals will emerge.
Heads of the Valleys Road
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what stage of development has been reached in the provision of a dual carriageway on the heads of the valleys road.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The case for upgrading the A465 is being reviewed as part of the South Wales traffic study which is scheduled for completion later this year.
Bypasses
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to add bypasses to settlements not currently planned for bypassing to the road programme.
Sir Wyn Roberts : Work is continuing to identify towns and villages where bypasses are desirable and the cost can be justified. Schemes will be added to the programme as appropriate.
Column 510
Alzheimer's Disease
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what level of funding his Department has provided to the Alzheimer's Disease Society (a) in Wales and (b) in each country of Wales in each of the past five years ; and what level of finance he intends to provide (i) to maintain and develop the present work of the society and (ii) to provide facilities and support to carers following the transition to care in the community.
Mr. Grist [holding answer 9 July 1990] : No funding was provided by the Department to the Alzheimer's Disease Society before 1987- 88. The following amounts have been given for local and national purposes since that year :
[TITRE} ------------------------------ 1987-88 |5,741 1999-89 |24,607 1989-90 |91,009 1990-91 |124,641 1991-92 |<1>30,025 1992-93 |<1>30,025 1993-94 |<1>22,525 <1> Projected allocations.
The county breakdown of central funding for local projects is :
|Gwent |South
(£)
|(£)
----------------------------------------
1987-88 |5,741 |-
1988-89 |11,936 |12,671
1989-90 |13,096 |77,913
1990-91 |16,800 |95,341
Any bid for additional resources in future years would be considered on its merits.
The development of facilities and services for users and carers is a matter for the local health and social services authorities and other organisations working within the framework of the White Papers "Working for Patients" (Cmnd. 555) and "Caring for People" (Cmnd. 845) and other policy guidance, including the all-Wales mental illness strategy.
Forests (Recreational Activities)
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what are the factors which led to a drop in public recreational activities provided by the Forestry Commission between 1986 and 1989 as reflected in table 1.4 of the environmental digest for Wales No. 4 1988-1989.
Mr. David Hunt [holding answer 10 July 1990] : The fall in the numbers of listed picnic places, forest walks and forest nature trails is a reflection of the Forestry Commission's policy of channelling resources into improving those facilities most used by the public. The Commission's objective is to attract more visitors and to offer them better value.
Consultants
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each of the financial years from 1985-86 to 1989-90, how much was spent on the work of outside
Column 511
consultants by (a) his Department, (b) each district health authority in Wales, (c) each family practitioner committee in Wales and (d) any other public body or assisted body in respect of the work of the national health service.Mr. Grist [holding answer 10 July 1990] : (a) I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply which I gave to the hon. Member for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley) on 8 June for expenditure in respect of district health authorities. Additional expenditure by the Department in each of the past five years on the work of outside consultants relating to other aspects of the work of the national health service was as follows :
Year |Number ------------------------ 1985-86 |15,000 1986-87 |31,441 1987-88 |Nil 1988-89 |93,662 1989-90 |148,222
(b) and (c) Comprehensive information in respect of expenditure by health authorities and family practitioner committees in Wales is not held centrally.
(d) Expenditure was incurred by one outside body directly responsible to the Department as follows :
Welsh National Board for Nursing Midwifery and Health Visiting Year |Number ---------------------- 1985-86 |Nil 1986-87 |Nil 1987-88 |2,128 1988-89 |Nil 1989-90 |14,447
HEALTH
Elderly People
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the organisations providing for elderly people to which his Department makes grants under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968.
Mr. Dorrell : The Department provides funding under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 to a large number of voluntary bodies, many of which undertake provision for elderly people as part of their overall role. I refer my hon. Friend to the the reply my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Billericay (Mrs. Gorman) on 24 April 1990 at columns 160-64. Voluntary organisations working wholly or predominantly with and for elderly people, which are receiving funding under section 64 in 1990-91, are as follows : Age Concern England
National Osteoporosis Society
Extend
Column 512
Age Exchange Theatre CompanyNew Horizons Trust
Contact
Jewish Welfare Board
British Association for Services to the Elderly
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the programmes run by the Health Education Authority which make express provision for the health education needs of elderly people.
Mr. Dorrell : Express provision is made in the "Look After Your Heart" campaign. Relevant advice is also given in other programmes, including those on smoking, alcohol, nutrition and cancer.
Persons Needing Care and Attention
Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) on how many occasions section 47 of the National Assistance Act 1948 was invoked by each local authority in England and Wales in each of the last five years for which figures are available ;
(2) what steps his Department is taking to monitor the use by local authorities of section 47 of the National Assistance Act 1948 ; (3) what guidance he issues to local authorities in respect of their responsibilities under section 47 of the National Assistance Act 1948.
| Next Section
| Home Page |