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Dr. Mawhinney : The policy on firearms for controlling red foxes has developed over many years. From time to time expert advice has been sought from the Northern Ireland Departments of Agriculture and Environment as well as from the chief constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary. Most recently representations have been received from the British Association for Shooting and Conservation and the Joint Shooting Committee of Northern Ireland.
Fishing Quotas
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he will take to protect the fishing industry in Northern Ireland in connection with proposals being considered by the European Community involving the imposition of quotas on cod and whiting.
Mr. Hanley : The Commission's proposals for 1991 total allowable catches (TACs) and quotas were considered at the Fisheries Council held on 19 and 20 December. Ministerial colleagues from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Scottish Office represented the United Kingdom at Council and were fully briefed, by a senior Department of Agriculture for Northern Ireland official who accompanied them, on the importance of Irish sea cod and whiting (and other important stocks) to the Northern Ireland fishing industry. At Council they were successful in achieving increases in the Commission's original proposals from 6,000 tonnes to 10,000 tonnes in the cod TAC and from 6,400 tonnes to 10,000 tonnes in the whiting TAC which gave the United Kingdom 1991 quotas of 3,355 tonnes for cod and 3,865 tonnes for whiting. In addition quota swaps of 410 tonnes of cod and 320 tonnes of whiting from other member states have been agreed. This outcome represents a reasonable balance between the more immediate requirements of fishermen and the need to conserve stocks in the longer term interests of the industry.
School Traffic Patrols
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the vacancies for school traffic patrols in Northern Ireland, by education board.
Dr. Mawhinney [holding answer 20 December 1991] : The numbers of vacancies at 1 December 1990 for school traffic patrols in Northern Ireland, by education board were as follows :
|Number
--------------------------------------------------------
Belfast Education and Library Board |4
North-Eastern Education and Library Board |2
South-Eastern Education and Library Board |1
Southern Education and Library Board |0
Western Education and Library Board |4
EMPLOYMENT
Training and Enterprise Councils
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether training and enterprise councils are public bodies ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) are private companies operating under a performance contract with my Department. A network of 82 TECs in England and Wales is now in place, with 46 TECs already operational and the remainder in development. The full network will be operational in the summer, some two years ahead of schedule.
EC Support Framework
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the full amount of assistance received from the Commission of the European Community for the 1990 allocation support framework for operational programmes 3 and 4.
Mr. Forth : The full amount of assistance approved to date by the European Commission for operational programmes under objectives 3 and 4 in 1990 is £229,229,551. Under the fund's rules, the Commission actually releases the money in the three stages.
The first advance of £114.6 million was received last October. My Department applied for the second advance at the earliest opportunity allowed by the fund, and payment from the Commission is expected by the end of January. My Department will similarly submit the final claim as quickly as possible.
Association of Accounting Technicians
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if his Department has considered an application for an exhibition relating to the work of the Association of Accounting Technicians to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.
Mr. Howard : I understand that, under procedures agreed by the Services Committee, arrangements have been made with the Authorities of the House for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from 28 January 1991 to 1 February 1991.
European Social Charter
Mr. Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment for what reasons Her Majesty's Government agreed at the European Council on 15 December 1990, to press ahead more actively with the action programme for the implementation of the social charter ; and if he will make a statement summerising the proposals of this action programme.
Mr. Forth : The conclusions of the European Council on 15 December 1990 on the social action programme apply in particular to health and safety. The Council took the
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view that proposals on health and safety at work should be adopted without delay. The Government fully support this view. We have always made clear that we were prepared to accept the health and safety aspects of the social action programme.As to the other proposals in the social action programme, the European Council asked that in speeding up proceedings, the Community should start with the matters on which rapid progress was possible. The Council set out quite clearly that they should meet the three criteria of creating and developing employment, respect for the principle of subsidiarity and respect for the diversity of tradition and custom across the Community.
The United Kingdom has consistently advocated these principles during negotiations on the social action programme and will support proposals which satisfy these criteria.
The European Commission's social action programme covers a wide range of proposals in the labour and social field. The proposals were summarised in the explanatory memoranda submitted by the Department of Employment on 6 January 1990 and 15 March 1990 (numbers 9978-89 and 9778-89).
Disability
Rev. Ian Paisley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what grants are available to employers to enable handicapped people to operate machinery.
Mr. Jackson : Questions on operational matters in the Employment Service Executive Agency are the responsibility of Mike Fogden, the agency's chief executive, to whom I have referred this question for reply.
HEALTH
Abortion
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the percentage for the latest year available for the number of certificates concerning abortions lodged late with his Department in breach of the regulations governing the Abortion Act 1967 ; and if he will give the percentage of these cases in which his Department took action, broken down by the form of action taken.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : In 1989, 54 per cent. of the notification forms (HSA4) sent to the chief medical officer for abortions performed in England and Wales were received more than seven days after the date of termination. The great majority of notifications are received within 28 days. Follow up action was taken by letter in respect of 150 notifications (0.15 per cent.) where no reasonable explanation for the delay was received. We shall continue to remind doctors about the time limit and the penalty for failure to comply with it.
Marriage Guidance
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his policy on the employment of counsellors in group general practices to deal with marriage guidance.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Employment of such staff by practices is a matter for GPs themselves to decide in the light of the needs of their patients and of the circumstances of their practices.
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Waiting Lists
Mr. Leighton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give a list of regional health authorities showing how many patients in each had been waiting (a) for one year and (b) for two years for operations.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The information requested is given in the table. For England as a whole the number of in-patients waiting over a year for operations has fallen by 17,086 (9 per cent.) and for those waiting over two years by 10,737 (14 per cent.) in the 12 months to March 1990. Since March 1979 the number of patients treated has increased by 24.9 per cent.
Waiting list for in-patient surgical acute treatment
at 31 March 1990-England
RHA |Total<1>|Over 1 |Over 2
|year |years
------------------------------------------------------
Northern |31,912 |6,931 |2,536
Yorkshire |41,898 |7,827 |2,667
Trent |50,216 |10,440 |3,386
East Anglian |29,967 |7,587 |2,960
North West Thames |40,701 |11,876 |5,339
North East Thames |60,146 |21,146 |10,404
South East Thames |53,551 |17,196 |8,320
South West Thames |34,827 |11,610 |4,244
Wessex |37,645 |9,450 |3,591
Oxford |29,325 |8,457 |3,107
South Western |43,666 |11,838 |4,398
West Midlands |61,883 |16,264 |6,507
Mersey |22,605 |2,329 |16
North Western |57,321 |19,718 |5,485
Special HAs |7,389 |1,891 |590
|--- |--- |---
England (total) |603,052 |164,560 |63,550
Source: KHO6, KHO7, KHO7A.
<1> Figures relate to those waiting less
self-deferred cases.
Hearing Aids
Sir John Farr : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the waiting times for hearing aids in the Trent regional health authority ; and what steps are being taken to substantially reduce the waiting time for those seeking hearing aids.
Mr. Dorrell : The information about waiting times is not held centrally. My hon. Friend may wish to write to Sir Michael Carlisle, the chairman of Trent regional health authority for this information. My hon. Friend will welcome the Department's commitment to fund 12 pilot projects aimed at reducing waiting times for hearing aid services. Two hospitals in the Trent region are participating in this initiative. Also, Leicestershire health authority has received £50, 000 from the waiting list fund in 1990-91 specifically for hearing aid services. This is expected to treat an additional 1,000 outpatients.
Fostering
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will order an inquiry into the circumstances of a coloured child removed from white foster parents by Lancashire county council ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if he will review the guidelines for transracial adoptions, so as to avoid the removal of children from foster parents of different racial origin to their children ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : All directors of social services in England on 29 January 1990 received guidance on the issues of race and culture in the placement of children for fostering and adoption. It makes clear that usually placements with a family of similar ethnic origin and religion will be most likely to meet a child's needs and safeguard his or her welfare. In some cases, however, placement with a family of a different ethnic origin may be the best choice for a particular child. All factors relevant to a child's welfare should be considered when decisions are made. Copies of the guidance (CI(90)2), which is still current, have been placed in the Library.The social services inspectorate has made inquiries into the case in question. It has been assured that in reaching its decision to remove the child and place him for adoption with another white family, Lancashire county council gave first consideration to the child's welfare. The ethnic origins of the child were considered but were not the principal reason for the removal.
Benzodiazepines
Mr. Wells : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are estimated to be taking benzodiazepines on a long-term basis.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : There are no such estimates held centrally.
Mr. Wells : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether he has carried out any research into the efficiency and comparative cost of Temazepam Planpak, in aiding the withdrawal of patients from benzodiazepines ;
(2) what withdrawal strategies are referred to by the Advisory Committee on National Health Service Drugs in its reference to all clinical needs in respect of withdrawal from benzodiazepines being able to be met equally effectively and at less cost by standard products in the contect of less rigid, individually structured withdrawal programmes.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Department has not funded research into the use of Temazepam Planpak, but is aware that some research has been carried out. Guidance on benzodiazepine withdrawal strategies is provided in part 4.1 of the British National Formulary. A suggested protocol for patients unable to reduce dosage using their existing drug is to transfer to diazepam, and then to reduce dosage gradually. Diazepam is available in low-dosage tablets, and allows withdrawal to be tailored flexibly to the needs of individual patients. It is also significantly less expensive than Temazepam Planpak.
Temazepam
Mr. Wells : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has on the general availability of a gel-filled form of tablets and on their producers.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I assume that the hon. Member is referring to temazepam gel-filled capsules, which are marketed by several different pharmaceutical companies. Temazepam is also available in tablet form. As medicines, all marketed forms of temazepam require licences under the Medicines Act 1968. Manufacturers of temazepam capsules and tablets have provided sufficient information to the Medicines Control Agency to satisfy the provisions of the Act.
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Mr. Wells : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what were the reasons behind the Advisory Committee on National Health Service Drugs refusal to allow any increase in price to recover the costs incurred in the development of Temazepam gel-filled capsules for the prevention of drug abuse ; and why they have proposed that the benefit of brand-name prescribing should not be available to their originator ;
(2) what is his policy on financial recognition of the cost of research and development by the pharmaceutical industry of products in categories covered by the limited list.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : One of the principles underlying the operation of the selected list scheme since its introduction in 1985 has been that, in order to achieve maximum economy, the drugs retained for NHS prescription should where possible be specified and prescribed by a non- proprietary name. The recent recommendation of the Advisory Committee on NHS Drugs that temazepam capsules should not be prescribable by the relatively new proprietary name Gelthix, but only by the non-proprietary name, is in accordance with this principle.
Interleukin II
Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether all patients receiving chemotherapy cancer treatment at a self-governing trust hospital or a directly managed hospital, will have the drug Interleukin II available to them it if is prescribed by the senior medical doctor in charge of their treatment.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Interleukin II is not licensed under the Medicines Act for general use in this country but, at a doctor's discretion may be recommended on a specific named patient basis or for a patient as part of a clinical trial.
Child Abuse
Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Health to what extent his Department collects and collates statistics from local authority social services departments covering child abuse cases referred to them, including such detail as mode of referral and nature of abuse ; whether he has plans to institute the compilation and production of such statistics ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The information collected centrally about child abuse relates to the number of children and young persons on child protection registers and the number of names added to and removed from the registers. The most recent information relates to the year ending 31 March 1990. This is published in the provisional feedback "Children and Young Persons on Child Protection Registers England 1990" and is available in the Library.
Information is not collected centrally about the number of child abuse case referrals and there are no plans to institute collection of such statistics.
Breast Cancer
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will break down the total numbers of deaths caused by breast cancer in England and Wales for each
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year since 1979 into ages 16 to 24 years, 25 to 34 years, 35 to 44 years, 45 to 54 years, 55 to 64 years, and 65 years and over.Column 412
Mr. Dorrell : The number of deaths from underlying cause of breast cancer by sex in each of the age groups 15-24, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, and 65 in England and Wales from 1979 to 1989 is as follows :
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Year and Sex |All ages |15-24 |25-34 |35-44 |45-54 |55-64 |65+
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979
Males<1> |83 |- |1 |4 |12 |20 |46
Females<1> |12,091 |2 |161 |653 |1,812 |2,799 |6,664
1980
Males |78 |- |- |- |6 |19 |53
Females |12,167 |2 |136 |679 |1,873 |2,802 |6,675
1981
Males |84 |- |- |3 |8 |10 |63
Females |12,513 |3 |158 |679 |1,863 |2,886 |6,924
1982
Males |87 |- |- |1 |7 |20 |59
Females |12,405 |6 |142 |694 |1,841 |2,862 |6,860
1983
Males |87 |- |1 |1 |4 |19 |62
Females |12,672 |3 |127 |688 |1,783 |2,948 |7,123
1984
Males |99 |- |- |5 |7 |21 |66
Females |13,310 |6 |143 |708 |1,779 |3,010 |7,664
1985
Males |79 |- |- |1 |7 |10 |61
Females |13,513 |5 |126 |722 |1,669 |3,073 |7,918
1986
Males |105 |1 |- |4 |4 |28 |68
Females |13,641 |6 |136 |742 |1,792 |2,866 |8,099
1987
Males |89 |- |- |5 |2 |15 |67
Females |13,751 |3 |148 |715 |1,724 |2,838 |8,323
1988
Males |73 |- |- |1 |3 |13 |56
Females |13,723 |5 |141 |816 |1,684 |2,726 |8,351
1989
Males |76 |- |- |- |10 |10 |56
Females |14,008 |5 |137 |817 |1,742 |2,690 |8,617
<1>International Classification of Disease Code 9th revision.
174 malignant neoplasm of female breast.
175 malignant neoplasm of male breast.
Hospitals
Mr. Bradley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines he has issued to general practitioners about the degree of freedom they have to refer patients to whichever hospital they, or their patient, choose, whether the hospital is directly managed or a national health service trust.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : GPs will have the same freedom as now to refer patients to the hospital of their choice for the appropriate treatment. A key advantage of the NHS reforms will be improved arrangements to give practical effect to this freedom.
"Contracts for Health Services : Operational Principles"--a copy of which is in the Library--provides guidance to health authorities. It emphasises the need to consult GPs on their preferred patterns of referral.
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AIDS
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his written reply of 12 December, Official Report, columns 364- 65, to the hon. Member for Peckham (Ms. Harman), when he will publish further details of the proposed settlement of the dispute between the Government and people with haemophilia who were infected with the AIDS virus by contaminated blood products supplied by the national health service ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The detailed provisions of the proposed settlement are under discussion with the lawyers representing the plaintiffs. It would be inappropriate to publish further details until all plaintiffs and the court have had an opportunity to consider the full terms of the settlement and to approve them.
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Neurosciences
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what he knew to be the cost of moving neurosciences from Shooters hill to Denmark hill when he announced approval for the proposal in 1989.
Mr. Dorrell : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave him on 27 November 1990 at c. 363.
Chiropractic
Mr. Speller : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has given to the experience of Denmark in the provision of chiropractic within its national health service ; and if he will make it his policy to include this discipline in the national health service.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : We are aware that in Denmark chiropractic is available under the state health scheme. However, all medical treatment under the NHS must, by law, be given or presented by a registered medical practitioner or by certain state registered professions who practice in their own right. There are no plans to change that long established principle.
NHS Staff (Conscription)
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has as to the number of NHS staff, broken down into doctors, nurses, ancillary staff, etc., who would be liable were the call-up of reserve forces to become compulsory ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not available centrally.
Mylograms
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate, region by region, the number of patients who were given a mylogram procedure with the use of myodil contrast medium, and who have subsequently requested from their district health authority full details and confirmation that the myodil contrast medium was administered ; how many of the total number of those requesting information and confirmation have been provided with the information as requested ; and how many requests are outstanding.
Mr. Dorrell : This information is not held centrally.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to advise district health authorities that they should allow no more than three months when dealing with individual requests from patients seeking confirmation that they were subjected to a myodil contrast medium.
Mr. Dorrell : We have not issued any guidelines as to the timescale within which health authorities should process requests for access to personal medical records. We have, however, encouraged them to deal with such requests as quickly as possible.
Management Consultants
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give for each district health authority, Scottish health authority, regional health authority and England as a whole the amount spent on management consultants' fees during each of the last three years.
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Mr. Dorrell : The employment of management consultants is a matter for individual health authorities in England and information on any expenditure incurred is not collected centrally.
Questions concerning Scottish health authorities are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.
Soviet Union
Sir Dudley Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has any proposals to assist the USSR to overcome the current shortage of anti-cancer drugs.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The United Kingdom has not received any specific requests for unilateral aid from the USSR, but is participating in the programme of European Community humanitarian aid to the USSR agreed at the European Council in December 1990. This aid will include medical supplies and some 250 tonnes have been despatched. We do not have details of the contents of these consignments.
Food Safety
Sir Anthony Grant : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when part II of the report of the Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food will be published.
Mr. Dorrell : Sir Mark Richmond submitted part II of his Committee's report to my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Health, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. It is being published today. In this, the final part, the Committee has examined arrangements in Scotland and Northern Ireland for red meat production, milk and milk products, fish and shellfish, transport, retailing and wholesaling, catering, the consumer and the home, education and training, and research. Part II together with part I, surveys authoritatively a wide range of microbiological safety issues and recommends technical, scientific, legal and educational measures to reduce the risk of microbiological food poisoning. In this context my colleagues and I welcome the report as a useful and constructive document. It makes many useful recommendations which we shall follow up in a positive way ; and as with part I of the Committee's report, we trust that others to whom the recommendations are addressed, in particular the food industry and environmental health authorities, will similarly examine it to see how the level of food safety in this country can be further improved. We shall certainly draw it to the attention of interested bodies.
As with part I of the Committee's report, the Government have decided to publish its immediate response to the Committee's recommendations. This is set out in a paper which is being put into the Libraries.
The Government and I are most grateful to the Committee for the hard work it has put into producing both parts of the report. The report is addressed to the Secretary of State for Health, the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the Secretary of State for Scotland, the Secretary of State for Wales and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
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Nurses
Mr. Ralph Howell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what was the average number of nurses employed by Norwich health authority who attended training courses in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available ;
(2) what was the average number of (a) holidays and (b) sickness days taken by nurses employed by Norwich health authority, in each of the years 1961, 1971, 1981 and 1989.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not held centrally. My hon. Friend may wish to contact Mr. Michael Falcon the chairman of Norwich health authority for details.
Adoption
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will announce the date when he will issue the discussion paper on the review of inter-country adoption law ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : We intend to issue the discussion paper on inter-country adoption, which will be a paper in the Adoption Law Review series, by Easter.
Junior Doctors
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what he expects the effect on the recently negotiated reduction in junior doctors' hours of the call-up for Gulf or other military service of reserve medical personnel to be ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The agreement on junior doctors' hours sets out a programme of action to be implemented over the next year and beyond. It is not therefore anticipated that the call-up for military service of reserve medical personnel will have a measurable effect on this programme.
Disabled People
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria, relating to people with disabilities, will be used in the formula for calculating payments made to social service authorities for services under the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley [holding answer 20 December 1990] : A major element of Government grants to local authorities is the revenue support grant, which is distributed using standard spending assessments (SSAs). These take account of each authority's social, demographic and economic characteristics, and the functions for which it is responsible. However, revenue support grant is unhypothecated and it is for local authorities to determine their own priorities. Separate components are included in the personal social services SSA for services to people over 65 years old, to children, and to clients aged under 65 including mentally ill, mentally handicapped and physically handicapped people. Details of the criteria involved are given in "Standard Spending Assessments, Background and Underlying Methodology" published by the Department of the Environment in 1990 and available in
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the Library. When data from the 1991 census become available the use of a new indicator relating to long standing illness or disabilities will be considered.Mr. John Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Health which National Health Service trusts he intends to establish ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Waldegrave [pursuant to his reply, 4 December 1990, c. 77-82] : I am pleased to announce that I have agreed that a further 12 units who have expressed interest in trust status can proceed to work up applications to become trusts on 1 April 1992. This brings the total number of units working on second wave trust status to 123. The 12 units are :
Kendal Hospitals Unit
Eastbourne Acute Services
Parkside Community Services
Staffordshire Ambulance Services
Waltham Forest Health Services
Frenchay Acute and Community Services
Southmead Acute and Community Services
Royal United Hospital Bath
East Berkshire Mental Handicap Unit
Dudley Priority Unit
Liverpool Community, Mental Illness and Mental Handicap Services Mersey Metropolitan Ambulance Service
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