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Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many civil servants are working on processing applications of Somalians wishing to join their families in Britain.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : There are 18 civil servants employed in the asylum division engaged among other duties in
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processing Somali family reunion cases. There are also a small number of entry clearance officers at posts outside Somalia who give some time to this work.Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average time it takes for applications to be processed for Somalians wishing to enter Britain to be reunited with their families ; and what is the longest time for any one case.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : At present, because of conditions in the Horn of Africa, Somali family reunion applicants may, if they wish, lodge an application through a sponsor in the United Kingdom direct to the Home Office, rather than at a post abroad, as would normally be required. The average time between receipt of an application in the asylum division and a decision is 14 months. The oldest unresolved Somali family reunion application was received on 30 November 1989.
Channel Islands
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from Mr. Geoffrey Cooper about the maladministration of justice in the Channel Island of Jersey under his responsibility for the good government of those islands.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Between 1982 and 1987, we received from Mr. Cooper or from two hon. Members on his behalf representations that the United Kingdom Government should intervene in the administration of justice in Jersey, particularly in light of the conduct and outcome of civil litigation there involving Mr. Cooper. As was explained in reply to each such representation, we have found no reason so to intervene.
Parking Offences
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many parking tickets have been received and paid by his Department in each year since 1988 in respect of official vehicles.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : Most fixed penalty notices are served direct on the driver of a vehicle, for payment by the driver in accordance with departmental rules ; no record is kept of these. The number of fixed penalty notices to owner in respect of parking offences served on the Home Office was :
1988 -- 91989 -- 81990 -- 6
These were forwarded to the drivers of the vehicles for them to pay.
In exceptional circumstances, drivers may be reimbursed from official funds ; details of such payments are not recorded separately and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Immigration
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the application for British citizenship submitted by Ms. Farhat Yasmin on 16 May 1989, Ref. F190117/2, will be considered ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Consideration of the case has now started and a decison will be taken when the necessary inquiries have been completed.
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Forensic Science
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Association of Chief Constables concerning the impact of the impending new charging system for Home Office forensic science laboratory work on the efficiency of large scale murder inquiries using (a) DNA testing and (b) other exhaustive advanced forensic technology.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Discussions have taken place between senior managers in the forensic science service and representatives of the Association of Chief Police Officers about the impact of the new charging systems on the full range of services provided for the police by the service. Discussions on specific requests take place locally.
HEALTH
GP Budgets
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the names and addresses of the general practices that will be budget holding from 1 April.
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Mr. Waldegrave : This information is not available centrally. Regional health authorities are announcing details of fund-holding practices in their regions as they approve them.
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many practices received the payment of £16,000 to help them prepare for general practitioner fund-holding status ;
(2) what has been the total level of grant payments for expenditure by his Department for prospective general practioner fund holders ; and what was the amount, if any, paid to practices not becoming fund holders in April.
Mr. Waldegrave [holding answer 19 March 1991] : The information, based upon estimates available at 25 March, on payments of preparatory allowance to prospective GP fund-holders is provided in the table. These payments have been used by the practices concerned to improve the quality of their management systems, which will be of benefit to patients. A number of those receiving payments in 1990-91 have chosen not to become fundholders from 1 April 1991 but continue to prepare themselves for fund-holding status from April 1992. Information on other payments made to potential fundholders in respect of computer systems is not available as it is not separately identifiable.
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GP fundholding preparatory allowance
Region |Estimated total ex- |Number of fundhold- |Estimated total ex- |Number of practices
|penditure 1990-91 |ing units<1> |penditure 1990-91-
|practices withdraw-
|ing during preparat-
|ory year
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |464,000 |28 |16,000 |1
Yorkshire |558,481 |34 |14,481 |3
Trent |438,518 |28 |26,442 |2
East Anglia |157,353 |9 |41,291 |5
North West Thames |396,640 |22 |44,640 |5
North East Thames |186,317 |13 |Nil |Nil
South East Thames |254,000 |15 |14,000 |1
South West Thames |347,417 |21 |11,417 |2
Wessex |233,200 |17 |12,412 |1
Oxford |401,480 |25 |68,990 |5
South-Western |300,228 |20 |Nil |Nil
West Midlands |450,000 |26 |34,000 |13
Mersey |335,999 |21 |Nil |Nil
North-Western |312,754 |16 |56,754 |4
|------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |4,372,387 |295 |324,427 |41
<1> Includes practices grouping together to meet list size criteria.
Annual Accounts
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if (a) general practitioner fund holders and (b) national health service trusts will be obliged to publish annual accounts.
Mr. Waldegrave : General practitioner fund holders are required to submit annual accounts to the family health services authority (FHSA) within six weeks of the end of the financial year. These are included in the FHSA's accounts in summary form, which will be audited by the Audit Commission. The FHSA's accounts, including the summary, are submitted to me. There has never been a requirement that these should be published and I do not propose to introduce such a change. There is similarly no requirement for national health service trusts to publish annual accounts. However, each national health service trust is required to present its
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annual report, audited accounts and any report on those accounts made by the auditor at a public meeting which the trust is required to hold in every calendar year except the year in which it becomes operational.Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what regulations cover publication of the annual accounts of general practitioner fund holders and national health service trusts.
Mr. Waldegrave : Section 98(2)c of the National Health Service Act 1977 inserted by section 20(2)b of the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 requires fund-holding practices to submit their annual accounts to the family health services authority. There is no requirement to publish these accounts.
Similarly, national health service trusts are not required to publish annual accounts. However, under schedule 2, paragraph 7 of the Act and National Health Service Trusts
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(Public Meetings) Regulations 1991, SI No. 482, each national health service trust is required to hold a public meeting every year except the one in which it becomes operational, at which it is required to present its annual report, audited accounts and any report on those accounts made by the auditor.Child Guidance
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what response has been made to his Department to a request from the Brixton child guidance unit of Camberwell health authority for support for the Brixton child guidance team.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : We have made it clear to health and social services authorities in the White Paper "Caring for People" that provision for children with psychological problems is a key component of a proper locally based service for people with a mental illness. There are also important links to be made to the education service. It must be for these authorities to judge what priority they can give to such services in the context of overall local pressure and resources.
I will be responding to the request in similar terms.
Prescription Charges
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people with rheumatoid arthritis pay prescription charges ; and what would be the annual cost of exempting this group.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not available.
Bio Products Laboratory
Mr. Bellotti : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the reply of 14 February, Official Report, columns 553-54, if he will list the reasons why the Bio Products Laboratory, as a special health authority, is not being made fully accountable for its income and expenditure ; and whether these will be reported.
Mr. Dorrell : The Bio Products Laboratory (BPL) is the manufacturing arm of the Central Blood Laboratory Authority (CBLA). The CBLA is a special health authority which does account for the performance of all parts of the organisation and produces an annual report.
Exhibitions
Sir Michael McNair-Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department has considered an application for an exhibition relating to organ transplantation to be displayed in the Upper Waiting Hall.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Under procedures agreed by the Services Committee, I understand that arrangements have been made with the authorities of the House for the exhibition to be held in the Upper Waiting Hall from 22 to 26 April.
Speech Therapists
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average (a) length of service and (b) age of speech therapists employed by the health service ; and what is the percentage of female speech therapists.
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Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The precise information requested is not available centrally. The table shows the largest number of speech therapists employed by the health service in England were in the 25 to 29 age band at 30 September 1989. A total of 98 per cent. of speech therapists in England at 30 September 1989 were female.
Qualified speech therapists in
post by age at 30 September 1989
Whole-time equivalents<1> (
England)
Age band |Speech
|therapists
---------------------------------
18-20 |2
21-24 |463
25-29 |811
30-34 |502
35-39 |294
40-44 |267
45-49 |202
50-54 |154
55-59 |95
60-64 |18
Unknown |4
|---
Total |2,811
Source: Department of Health (
SM13) Annual Census of NHS
Non-Medical Manpower.
<1> All figures are
independently rounded to the
nearest whole-time equivalent.
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of speech therapists employed by the health service left their employment in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The only centrally available figures are for the year ended 31 March 1989 when there were 480 leavers in England. Of these 301 left the national health service ; the remainder moved to other health authorities.
Ambulance Service
Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines have been issued by the Government regarding the disciplinary procedures to be taken when members of the ambulance service are accused of misconduct ; and what provisions exist to ensure that management follow these procedures correctly.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Procedures for dealing with individual disciplinary cases are entirely a matter for the employing authority. Serious matters are handled in accordance with an agreement of the General Whitley Council.
Census
Mr. Beith : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has any plans for either a statement advertising or a statement on the census form to assure members of the public that information provided in their answers to census questions will not be used to compile registers for any local government tax.
Mr. Dorrell : Personal information from the completed census forms will not be made available to anyone outside the census offices, including those compiling registers for the community charge or any other local charge. It would be against the law to do so. The following message is included in the information leaflet which will be delivered to every household with the census form :
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"The information you put on your census form is used only to produce statistics. The Census Offices and their staff are bound by law to make sure that the information you give on your form remains secret and safe. The completed forms will be kept confidential and only used to produce information about the population in general. The Census Offices will not give any information about identified people or households to anyone else, in central government or elsewhere." Further, each census form contains a personal assurance from the Registrar-General that the answers will be treated in strict confidence and used only to produce statistics.The census offices are also publicising the message elsewhere, for example, in background leaflets, posters and advertisements.
Southampton General Hospital
Mr. Atkinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Deparment is to compensate Southampton general hospital for the value added tax required to be paid on the cost of the construction of the children's cancer ward and development unit raised by the Piam Brown Child Cancer Fund ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell : The arrangements whereby the NHS could in some circumstances reclaim VAT on construction work ceased in April 1990 and health authorities' resources have been increased to compensate. I understand that the allocations of compensation made by Wessex region included an element to Southampton health authority.
Iraqi Hospitals
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from the World Health Organisation, UNICEF or the Red Cross about sewage pipes burst under Iraqi hospitals.
Mr. Dorrell : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Newport, West (Mr. Flynn) on 27 March.
Access to Health Records Act
Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has any plans to give publicity to the coming into force of the Access to Health Records Act on 1 November.
Mr. Dorrell : We have no plans for publicity beyond guidance which the Department will issue to the national health service. This guidance will explain the provisions of the Act and the steps which should be taken to ensure compliance.
Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has implemented a training programme relating to the coming into force of the Access to Health Records Act 1990.
Mr. Dorrell : No. The Department will issue guidance to the national health service. It will be a matter for individual health authorities to bring this guidance to the attention of their staff and to ensure that it is followed.
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Community Care
Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the implications for community care policy of the statement of 21 March by the Secretary of State for the Environment on the funding and structure of local government.
Mr. Waldegrave : Responsibility for managing social services, including the phased introduction of community care between 1 April 1991 and 1 April 1993, will continue to rest with local government.
Middle East
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from medical experts and doctors about the trend in the scale of the epidemic in the middle east.
Mr. Dorrell : None. However, the Department is in touch with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the question of humanitarian assistance to the middle east and Iraq and Kuwait in particular.
Services for the Deaf
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many psychiatric consultants can communicate in sign language with deaf patients ; and where they practice.
Mr. Dorrell : This information is not available centrally.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the services for which there is supra-regional funding and indicate those which provide services specifically related to deafness.
Mr. Dorrell : The following services will be designated and funded as supra-regional services in 1991-92 :
Choriocarcinoma services
Craniofacial services
Heart, heart-lung and lung transplantation
Liver transplantation
Specialised liver services
Neonatal and infant cardiac surgery
Services for primary bone tumours
Spinal injury units
Treatment of retinoblastoma
Treatment of arterio-venous malformations by stereotactic radiosurgery
Psychiatric services for deaf people
The last-named service is the only one which is related specifically to deafness.
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the future provision of psychiatric services for the deaf presently provided at Whittingham hospital ; (2) what steps he is taking to resolve the financial position of psychiatric services for the deaf planned for Prestwich hospital.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the representations he has received regarding the re-location of the department of psychiatry for the deaf at Whittingham hospital ; and what response he has made.
Mr. Dorrell : I refer the right hon. and hon. Members to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Birmingham, Erdington (Mr. Corbett) on 26 March at column 370.
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We have received 10 letters from hon. Members. Officials have also received correspondence from the consultant psychiatrist involved in the provision of the service, and from the principal national organisation representing deaf people.Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many psychiatric departments there are in the United Kingdom which specifically provide for profoundly deaf people and where specialists can communicate with deaf patients in sign language.
Mr. Dorrell : There are psychiatric units which specifically provide for the needs of profoundly deaf people at Whittingham hospital near Preston and Springfield hospital in Wandsworth. It is open to psychiatric units to obtain sign language services where they are needed to communicate with deaf patients.
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaf people, reliant on sign language for communication, are (a) in-patients and (b) out-patients in psychiatric hospitals ; and how many psychiatric hospitals have patients who are reliant on sign language.
Mr. Dorrell : This information is not available centrally.
Residential Care
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice he has given to local authorities as to the amount of direct provision of residential care for the elderly they should retain in order to meet their obligations under the National Assistance Act 1948.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The policy guidance "Community Care in the Next Decade and Beyond", issued to local authorities in November, made it clear that direct provision of services by local authorities is expected to continue to play an important part in the new mixed economy of care. It also stated that authorities should introduce changes in their service provision at a pace appropriate to their organisation and plans. The extent of direct provision of services is for local authorities to determine having regard to local factors.
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has undertaken into the comparative life expectancy of elderly persons in residential establishments as against those living independently in the community.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 15 March at column 707. The Department has not undertaken research bearing directly on this subject.
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he gives to local authorities in respect of the placement of (a) elderly persons who have been assessed as financially able to pay the full costs of care provided and (b) persons eligible for social security benefits, as between part III accommodation and care home trusts or private homes.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Decisions about residential placements should follow assessment of the individual's needs and consideration of the range of residential care available, not the financial resources of the individual. As explained in the White Paper "Caring for People",
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individuals should be able to exercise the maximum possible choice about the home they enter. They should be able to look for a place in a more expensive home if they or their relatives and friends wish and are able to make a contribution towards the cost of care. Social services authorities will be expected to make maximum possible use of independent providers when arranging placements.Children's Hospital, Manchester
Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what decision has been made by the North Western regional health authority as to whether the new children's hospital planned for Greater Manchester will be allowed to opt out ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The North Western regional health authority has agreed in principle to proceed with a children's tertiary referral centre with St. Mary's hospital, central Manchester, as the preferred location. No firm decision on the timing of the development has been made.
If this goes ahead, there are a number of possibilities : the centre may form part of Manchester central Hospitals and Community Care National Health Service Trust ; remain a directly managed unit ; or seek to become a trust in its own right.
Eye Operations
Sir Michael McNair-Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many eye cataract operations were carried out within the national health service in the years 1978-79 and 1989-90 ; and what was the success rate for each year.
Mr. Dorrell : Health authorities in England reported that 92,244 cataract operations were carried out in the year 1989-90. The figure for 1979 was 39,700. Information on the outcome of cataract operations is not held centrally.
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