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Drug and Alcohol Addiction
Mr. Cummings : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to extend drug and alcohol addiction advice centres.
Mr. Dorrell : The provision of local services to advise drug and alcohol misusers is a local responsibility. The Government's objective is to ensure that a comprehensive and integrated network of appropriate services is established to help these clients, and to this end has provided the following assistance to local agencies active in this field :
since 1986-87, regional health authorities have received additional allocations rising to nearly £16.5 million in 1991-92 for the expansion of services for drug misusers including HIV prevention aspects. This builds upon the network of local services set up by the central funding initiative which made available £17.5 million for 188 local drug projects between 1983 and 1989 ;
£4 million has been allocated to the national voluntary organisation Alcohol Concern for the three years starting in 1990-91, for disbursement to local voluntary organisations to support the improvement and expansion of alcohol advisory and counselling services ;
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awards totalling £1.4 million have been made to local authorities under the alcohol and drugs specific grant introduced by the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990. This grant will support expenditure of £2 million in 1991-92. The specific grant is available to local authorities to support voluntary sector organisations providing services for alcohol and drug misusers. This grant should help local authorities prepare for the new responsibilities placed upon them by the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 ;grants are made to help meet the national headquarters expenses of Alcohol Concern, the Standing Conference on Drug Abuse and Turning Point, all of which support local agencies providing advice for alcohol and/or drug misusers.
Prestwich Hospital, Manchester
Mr. Sumberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the patients of Pinfold, Troy and Tottington wards at Prestwich hospital, Manchester, will be evacuated as advised by the health advisory service/social services inspectorate in its report dated October 1990 No. (90) M1/E.12.
Mr. Dorrell : I understand that Clifton house at Prestwich hospital, Manchester, will close by August 1991. Troy ward will close in May, Pinfold in June and Tottington in July.
The Gulf
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by each regional health authority the amount of money that was made available to meet the costs of receiving casualties from the Gulf dispute ; and how much was actually spent by each regional health authority.
Mr. Dorrell Regional health authorities have incurred only minimal treatment costs, but did incur costs making preparations to treat casualties. Provisional cash limit adjustments were made at the end of 1990 -91 based on regions' estimates of their expenditure and are given in the table. Adjustments cannot be finalised until the Department has received and validated final figures.
|£
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |546,000
Yorkshire |542,000
Trent |597,000
East Anglia |479,000
North West Thames |1,249,000
North East Thames |325,000
South East Thames |670,000
Wessex |868,000
Oxford |478,000
South Western |733,000
West Midlands |1,336,000
Mersey |739,000
|North Western
National Blood Transfusion Service |75,000
London postgraduate hospitals (SHAs) |104,000
|-----
Total |9,504,000
St. John Ambulance Brigade
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what facilities he has made available to staff in his Department to contribute to the appeal that has been launched for people with the name of John to help raise £5 million for the St. John Ambulance Brigade.
Mr. Dorrell : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State was informed of the "Over to you, John" appeal at a meeting with national representatives of St. John Ambulance in March, and wished it well. The Department would consider how best to involve its staff in the appeal on receipt of a formal request to participate.
Chemical Agents
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines his Department has given to doctors on defence against chemical agents.
Mr. Dorrell : Specific guidance on the treatment of patients affected by chemical agents was issued to the health service on 28 December 1990, in the context of the Gulf crisis. The same advice was also given to the national poisons information service to ensure a consistent response to inquiries from the health service. In addition various publications on the subject are available.
Dentists
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (i) how many dentists in each regional health authority had registered no adult or child patients under the new contract by the end of February ;
(2) how many dentists for each regional health authority had registered adult or child patients under the new contract by the end of February in the ranges (a) less than 100, (b) between 101 and 500, (c) between 501 and 1,000 and (d) over 1,001 ;
(3) how many dentists had registered patients under 18 years of age only, in total and in respect of each regional health authority, as at the end of February.
Mr. Dorrell : Information is not available in the form requested. The table gives information regarding dentists' contracts, rather than individual dentists, as of 31 March 1991. Many dentists have more than one contract.
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Region
-------------------------------
Northern
Yorkshire
Trent
East Anglian
North West Thames
North East Thames
South East Thames
South West Thames
Wessex
Oxford
South Western
West Midlands
Mersey
North Western
Total
Source: Dental Practice Board.
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists had registered adults who were exempt from charges by the end of February.
Mr. Dorrell : The precise number of dentists who are accepting adults exempt from charges into continuing care arrangements under the new general dental services contract is not known. Recent information from family health services authorities suggests that the vast majority of dentists are doing so.
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of estimates scheduled to dentists in respect of the categories (a) adults over 18 years and (b) children under 18 years for each of the five months from October 1990 to the end of February 1991.
Mr. Dorrell : Information is not available in the form requested. Most treatment of children is now covered by capitation fees paid to dentists, and is not claimed by submitting estimates. The table sets out the total number of claims for remuneration for item-of-service treatment of adults. It does not include claims for continuing care payments where no item-of-service treatment has been provided.
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" Total number of adult item-of-service claims Date |Total ---------------------------------- October 1990 |2,120,042 November 1990 |1,880,791 December 1990 |1,896,491 January 1991 |2,001,663 February 1991 |1,841,982 Source: Dental Practice Board.
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of estimates scheduled to dentists in respect of the categories (i) under the old contract, (a) adults and (b) children under 18 years and (ii) under the new contract (1) adults for registration only and excluding treatment, (2) adults with both registration and treatment, (3) adults for occasional treatment only, (4) children with entry payment claimed and (5) children with no entry payments claimed for each of the five months from October 1990 until the end of February 1991.
Mr. Dorrell : Information is not available in the form requested. The table gives information on estimates under the old contract and claims for remuneration under the new contract, for England and Wales. It is not possible to give separate figures relating to the following categories under the new contract : (i) claims for continuing care payments for adult patients where no treatment fees are claimed ; and (ii) claims for occasional treatment.
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Date scheduled Old contract New contract
for payment |Adult |Child |Adults |Adult Item |Entry |Child Item |Total
|Estimates |Estimates |accepted |of Service |payments |of Service |number of
|(Item of |(Item of |into |for children |children
|Service) |Service) |continuing |before |accepted
|care |acceptance |into
|into |capitation
|capitation
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
October 1990 |2,061,768 |895,837 |- |58,274 |16,233 |3,965 |-
November 1990 |892,818 |298,824 |2,878,836 |987,973 |164,080 |44,899 |842,628
December 1990 |411,261 |122,800 |2,267,407 |1,485,230 |250,962 |69,185 |938,317
January 1991 |226,596 |69,582 |1,736,821 |1,775,067 |216,178 |77,189 |633,040
February 1991 |140,816 |47,911 |1,617,834 |1,701,166 |227,495 |88,374 |713,169
Source: Dental Practice Board
NHS Internal Market
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether tertiary referrals will be treated in the same way as emergencies for the purpose of payment in the national health service internal market ;
(2) what are the arrangements for paying for tertiary referrals.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Tertiary referrals will normally be paid for in the same way as referrals by a GP : district health authorities will contract directly with the units receiving tertiary referrals. The same arrangements
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as for other kinds of referrals will apply to emergency and non-emergency tertiary referrals not covered in advance by a contract.Harrogate Hospitals
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new beds have been provided in the Harrogate district and general hospitals since 1979.
Mr. Dorrell : This information is not collected centrally. My hon. Friend may wish to contact Mr. I. Lester, the chairman of the Harrogate health authority, for details.
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Stillbirth
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 30 November 1990, Official Report, column 507, to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Mossley Hill (Mr. Alton), what consideration has now been given to revising the definition of stillbirth.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Liverpool, Mossley Hill (Mr. Alton) on 1 March at columns 632-33.
Wheelchair Patients
Sir David Price : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that all doctors' surgeries and all doctors' consulting rooms are accessible to patients in wheelchairs, (a) in private sector surgeries and consulting rooms in London to which NHS patients are referred and (b) elsewhere.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 15 April 1991] : It is the Department's policy to ensure that facilities are accessible to patients in wheelchairs. Building regulations require reasonable provision to be made for the access of disabled people into and within buildings. These regulations are legally enforceable on both the National Health Service and the private sector. In 1989 the Department published "Health Building Note 40, Common Activity Spaces Volume 4--Designing for Disabled People", a copy of which is available in the Library. The building note gives guidance on designing health care facilities to meet the needs of disabled people. The Department is about to publish building guidance on general medical practice premises which includes specific recommendations on designing for wheelchair access.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Cricket Coaching
13. Mr. John Carlisle : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is considering further initiatives to promote the coaching of cricket in schools.
Mr. Atkins : I am very keen to encourage cricket in schools both within the curriculum and as part of extra-curricular sport. I am today holding a conference on "Sport and Young People" to which a wide range of physical education and sporting organisations have been invited. Many useful and interesting issues are being raised and I will be considering these further as part of my current review of sports policy.
Grammar Schools
14. Mr. Roger King : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will give consideration to an expansion of grammar school provision.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : The organisation of school provision is a matter for individual local education authorities. I will consider any proposals by LEAs to reorganise schools, including proposals for introducing grammar schools, on their merits.
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School Playing Fields
15. Mr. George Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether his Department intends to carry out a survey of the availability of school playing fields ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : The provision of school playing fields is the responsibility of LEAs and others in charge of the schools in the light of the standards in the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1981. However, the Sports Council will begin to draw up a register of playing fields during the course of this year. The register will include details of school playing fields.
Grant-maintained Schools
16. Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what proposals he is considering regarding change of character of schools when approving grant-maintained status.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : Schools may not propose a significant change of character in applying for GM status. Inevitably, however, they will wish in the course of time to assess whether their provision reflects local parent demand and changing circumstances. Where they decide to publish change of character proposals I will consider them and any objections on the merits of each case.
17. Mr. Gill : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many schools in Shropshire have applied for grant-maintained status.
Mr. Eggar : Three. Shropshire has one grant-maintained school. A further two schools have submitted applications which will reach my right hon. and learned Friend for decision shortly.
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will estimate the number of grant-maintained status schools he expects to be operating from 18 September 1991 and 1992 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar : The future number of grant-maintained schools in operation cannot be accurately predicted, but there are more schools seeking grant-maintained status now than ever before. For example, there are currently 80 schools with grant-maintained ballots pending. This time last year there were seven. In the last three months alone, 48 schools have voted to seek grant-maintained status.
Reading
18. Mr. Nicholls : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he last received an Her Majesty's inspectorate report on the training of students in teacher training colleges in the methods of teaching reading ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Fallon : Ministers receive regular advice from Her Majesty's inspectorate on teacher training as on other aspects of the education system. Her Majesty's inspectorate will be providing advice to Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education in connection with the inquiry we have asked the council to conduct, and this will be included in their report at the end of the year.
21. Mr. Jacques Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the teaching of reading skills in schools.
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Mr. Eggar : It must be a priority of every primary school to enable children to read. Advice on good practice was offered in the report on reading by Her Majesty's inspectorate which was circulated to all primary schools in January. The main message was that reading has to be taught, in a structured way, and the most effective teachers used a mix of methods to teach initial reading, invariably including phonics. School reading policies, well organised classrooms, good teaching and regular testing and recording were other important factors in fostering reading skills. The national curriculum for English provides an effective framework for the teaching and assessment of reading skills.Swimming Lessons
19. Mrs. Currie : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received about Derbyshire county council's proposals to cut swimming lessons in the county's schools ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins : My right hon. Friend has received a number of representations from pupils, parents and schools in Derbyshire about the effect of budget reductions on the education service in the county, including provision of swimming.
The education element of Derbyshire's standard spending assessment has risen by nearly 15 per cent. between 1990-91 and 1991-92. That is a substantial increase which should enable the authority to finance an education service of high quality if it manages its affairs well.
Education, South Cumbria
20. Mr. Franks : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received regarding higher and further education in south Cumbria.
Mr. Alan Howarth : My right hon. and learned Friend has received no representations in recent months regarding higher and further education in south Cumbria.
Citizenship
22. Dr. Goodson-Wickes : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he has reviewed the effectiveness of the teaching of citizenship within the curriculum.
Mr. Eggar : The National Curriculum Council issued guidance on education for citizenship last November. Her Majesty's inspectorate will report on the effectiveness of the teaching of citizenship to my right hon. and learned Friend in the course of their inspections.
Pupil Assessment
23. Mr. Anthony Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statment on the introduction of pupil assessment in conjunction with the national curriculum in schools.
Mr. Eggar : The first national assessments of seven-year-olds in English, mathematics and science will take place this summer. The statutory arrangements for assessing seven-year-olds in other subjects at key stage 1 and for assessing other age groups will be phased in over the coming years.
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Seven-year-olds (Testing)
24. Mr. Illsley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what decisions he has made about the publication of the tests of seven-year-olds this summer.
Mr. Eggar : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Heeley (Mr. Michie).
Teachers (Career Changes)
25. Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what provision exists for retraining and redeployment within the education service for teachers or lecturers who (a) wish or (b) are required through redundancy, to change careers.
Mr. Fallon : The deployment and redeployment of teachers are matters for individual LEAs and schools, as is responsibility for in-service training. The Department is providing substantial support through grants for education support and training for in-service training, including retraining to teach new phases and subjects.
Science and Engineering Research Council
26. Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he next proposes to meet the chairman of the Science and Engineering Research Council ; and whether he proposes to discuss the funding of pay awards.
Mr. Alan Howarth : My right hon. and learned Friend meets the chairman of the Science and Engineering Research Council from time to time ; he has no plans at present for a further meeting.
Sport
27. Mr. Favell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on Saturday sport in schools.
Mr. Atkins : I am currently considering ways of encouraging more Saturday sport in schools, including greater partnerships between local sports clubs and schools. The Department is also revising its proposed guidance booklet on the community use of school sports facilities to reflect the recently identified need to amend section 42 of the Education (No. 2) Act 1986.
St. John Ambulance Brigade
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what facilities he is making available to staff in his Department to contribute to the appeal that has been launched for people with the name of John to help raise £5 million for the St. John Ambulance Brigade.
Mr. Eggar : None. Staff are encouraged to join the give-as-you-earn scheme which enables them to support the charity of their choice through regular deductions from salary.
Religious Education
Mr. Roger King : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects the National Curriculum Council to publish guidelines for the teaching of religious education in schools.
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Mr. Eggar : There are no plans to issue guidance as to the content of individual agreed syllabuses for religious education. This is a matter for each local education authority to determine in the light of the statutory requirements. The National Curriculum Council has, however, a remit to advise at local request on the mechanics of constructing a syllabus taking account of the national curriculum approach of setting clear learning objectives through attainment targets and programmes of study. I understand that the National Curriculum Council is considering the issue of some collated advice of this nature for local education authorities. The timing would be a matter for the National Curriculum Council.Graduate Teacher Training Registry
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will now publish the telephone numbers of his Department's graduate teacher training registry.
Mr. Fallon : The graduate teacher training registry is neither funded nor controlled by the Department of Education and Science.
Oil Fires
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on oil fire-related research in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Alan Howarth : The Science and Engineering Council is currently supporting 17 projects concerned with the controlled combustion of oil, at a total cost of some£2 million. In addition, the Natural Environment Research Council is undertaking much work on atmospheric pollution, a significant percentage of which is on pollutants resulting from fossil fuel combustion and their effects on the environment.
Truancy
Miss Lestor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what recent consultations he has had with local authorities about truancy from schools ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Fallon : My right hon. and learned Friend, in conjunction with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales, last week issued to local education authorities and others a consultative circular and draft regulations on school attendance. Consultees have been invited to comment on the proposals by 17 June.
Primary Schools (Administration)
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to reduce the burden of administration within primary schools.
Mr. Fallon : My right hon. and learned Friend has already taken a number of steps to make the Government's reforms manageable for primary schools and to minimise paper work. We shall continue to look for opportunities further to reduce administration.
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Pupil-Teacher Ratio, Harrogate
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the pupil-to-teacher ratio of Harrogate schools in 1979 and the latest date for which figures are available.
Mr. Fallon : Information on Harrogate schools is not available centrally. The pupil-teacher ratio for North Yorkshire local education authority, which includes Harrogate schools, was 19 in January 1979 and 17.3 in January 1990 the latest date for which figures are available.
School Inspections, Tower Hamlets
Mr. Shore : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will place a copy of the recent Her Majesty's inspectorate report on Culloden primary school, Tower Hamlets, in the Library.
Mr. Fallon : Copies of all Her Majesty's inspectorate reports are sent to the Libraries of both Houses on the Friday of the week in which they are published. A copy of the report on Culloden school was sent on 19 April.
Mr. Shore : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science on which date he ordered Her Majesty's inspectorate to investigate standards of reading by pupils at Culloden primary school, Tower Hamlets ; by what date the report was completed ; on what date he first received the completed report ; on what date the principal and chairman of governors at the school were first informed of the findings of the report (a) orally and (b) in writing ; and on what date the media were first informed by his Department of the findings.
Mr. Fallon : On 6 March 1991, my right hon. and learned Friend asked the senior chief inspector--SCI--for information about the standards of reading in Culloden primary school, Tower Hamlets. Since no recent and relevant information was available the SCI took the decision to inspect the school.
The school was inspected on 18 to 22 March 1991. The report was completed on 10 April and my right hon. and learned Friend received it on the same day. It was printed on 12 April 1991.
The headteacher was informed orally of the findings of the inspection on the last day of the inspection as is customary. Copies of the report were sent to the headteacher and chairman of governors early on 16 April prior to its release to the press on the same day. HMI met the chairman and governors' body to discuss the report on the evening of 18 April 1991.
Mr. Shore : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will detail the extent of Her Majesty's inspectorate's investigation at Culloden school, Tower Hamlets, enumerating the number of Her Majesty's inspectorate visiting the school, the duration of the investigation and the total cost of the inquiries.
Mr. Fallon : Her Majesty's inspectorate inspected Culloden primary school in the week 18 to 22 March 1991. Five inspectors each spent four and a half days in the school and were joined for one and a half days by one other inspector. The total cost of the inspection was £5, 760. In addition to the actual inspection, HMI made preliminary visits, attended meetings of the governing
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body and were involved in preparing and writing the report. The total cost was, therefore, approximately £7,680.Mr. Shore : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will provide details of all Her Majesty's inspectorate inspections of primary and secondary schools in Tower Hamlets since 1 April 1990, and a list of all subsequent reports that have been published.
Mr. Fallon : During the year in question, 23 inspection visits have been made to primary schools in Tower Hamlets and three to secondary schools ; a further three were visited in February 1990. Three special schools were also visited. Although there was feedback to the schools in question during the visits themselves, none of the inspection visits to secondary or special schools were reporting inspections. Consequently they did not lead to published reports. The report on one of those inspection visits to primary schools, Culloden, was published on 16 April 1991. Since 1 April 1990 a report has also been published on Hague primary school, which was inspected prior to that date.
London Hospital Schools
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received in respect of the Hospital Schools in London Bill.
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