| Previous Section | Home Page |
Mr. Alan Clark : At 1 April 1991, the Ministry of Defence employed 140,199 full-time equivalent United Kingdom-based civilian staff--49, 866 industrial and 90,333 non-industrial--and 28,936 locally employed civilians overseas--19,080 industrial and 9,856 non-industrial.
Nuclear-powered Warships Safety Committee
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what rules of confidentiality cover the disclosure of information by members of the Nuclear-powered Warships Safety Committee.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : Members of the Nuclear-powered Warships Safety Committee are subject to the Official Secrets Act.
Nuclear Fleet, Murmansk
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has received any request from his Soviet counterpart or the Russian Federation Government for assistance in monitoring and clean-up of radioactive contamination at the dockyards for the nuclear fleet in Murmansk.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Mr. Reg Farmer sought clearance to reveal details
Column 64
of the Nuclear-powered Warships Safety Committee findings on radioactive risks posed by Polaris nuclear propulsion reactors to the Thames Television programme broadcast on 19 September.EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the level of financial support from his Department in 1988-89, 1989-90 and 1990-91 for the Grant Maintained Schools Trust.
Mr. Eggar : Payments of central Government grant in each financial year have been as follows :
|(£)
------------------------
1988-89 |25,000
1989-90 |250,000
1990-91 |448,000
Mr. Alan Williams : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the total number of opt-out ballots which have taken place since the introduction of the scheme ; and how many (a) were for, (b) were against' and (c) had a majority either way of less than 5 per cent. of parents eligible to vote.
Mr. Eggar : There have been 311 ballots of parents on GM status since the introduction of the policy. Of these 242 have been votes for and 69 have been votes against. The answer to the last part of the question could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science in considering applications for grant-maintained status for schools in Bromley, what consideration is given to the statutory obligation to educate all in-borough children who present themselves to the local education authority and the statutory obligation not to discriminate in favour of in- borough children.
Mr. Eggar : We take careful account of all relevant factors relating to school admissions when considering proposals for grant-maintained status published by Bromley schools. This includes statutory objections made to the proposals by Bromley LEA in relation to its statutory obligations and the impact approval would have on admissions to maintain schools in its area.
City Technology Colleges
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will set the number of full-time and part-time teachers in each city technology college, and the number of pupils.
Mr. Eggar : The funding agreement signed with each city technology college sets a profile for the agreed pupil build up. The table shows the number of pupils once the college reaches full capacity. It is for each college to determine its own staff complement.
College |Pupils ----------------------------- Kingshurst |1,100 Djanogly |1,000 Macmillan |1,100 Dixons |980 Harris |1,100 Leigh |1,250 Emmanuel |900 ADT |1,000 Bacons |1,100 Britschool |720 Brooke |900 Haberdashers |1,100 Telford |1,000 Derby<1> |900 Bristol<1> |<2>825 <1> Denotes that the College has not yet opened. <2> Provisional figure. Pupil numbers include post-16 pupils.
Education Psychology
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science, further to his answers of 25 June, Official Report, column 444, and 16 July, Official Report, column 158, whether he intends that schools should be free to buy in education psychology services from the national health service hospital services.
Mr. Fallon : Schools with delegated budgets may buy whatever services they need from wherever they wish, including from NHS sources if such are available and appropriate. It is for the schools to ensure that the services that they purchase fully meet their requirements and offer value for money.
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what consideration he has given to the consequences for children of schools seeking the services of inappropriate or inadequately qualified psychologists.
Mr. Fallon : Local education authorities and school governors have the statutory duty to ensure that the provision of children's special educational needs, including the services of psychologists, is appropriate. Parents have the statutory right to make a formal complaint to my right hon. and learned Friend where they have reason to believe that a local authority or governors are failing in their duty.
Performance Criteria
Mr. Lawrence : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) measured against established performance criteria, if he will list in rank order the achievement of schools in each county in England and Wales ;
(2) measured against established performance criteria, what was the achievement of schools in Staffordshire in 1990-91 and in each of the five preceding years.
Mr. Eggar : Reliable and precisely comparable information on the performance of individual schools is not currently available either centrally or locally. However, in 1989-90, in Staffordshire LEA as a whole 28 per cent. of school leavers achieved five or more GCSEs at grades A-C, compared with 31.4 per cent. for all maintained schools in England, placing it 61st out of 95 English LEAs ; the proportion of school leavers in Staffordshire gaining two or more A level passes was 15.6 per cent. compared with 15.8 per cent. for all maintained schools in England.
Column 66
School level data will however soon be available. From this autumn, all maintained schools are required to publish their examination results in their prospectuses in a common and consistent form. Under the parents charter, that information will, as soon as is practical, be widely available in comparative tables covering all schools in a local area.English Schools
Mr. Rowlands : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will list those English schools which have been approved by the Business and Technician Education Council to run courses ; and what proportion these schools are of the total number of schools which (a) could qualify and (b) applied to run such courses.
Mr. Eggar : A total of 118 maintained schools in England have received approval from the Business and Technician Education Council to offer from September 1991 courses leading to BTEC first diplomas. This represents 6 per cent. of maintained schools with sixth form pupils in England, and 80 per cent. of schools which applied to offer the courses. Nearly 800 schools plan to seek accreditation to offer BTEC firsts from September 1992.
A number of maintained schools in England have been approved by BTEC to offer courses leading to BTEC national diplomas, but details are not available in the form requested.
Probationer Teachers
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what evidence he requested from Her Majesty's inspectorate of schools concerning the objectives of the statutory probationary year for teachers, prior to his decision to abandon the requirement ; what replies he received ; and if he will place them in the Library ;
(2) what observations he has received from Her Majesty's inspectors of schools concerning aspects of the teachers' probationary year ; and what consequent actions he has taken ;
(3) what have been the common criteria by which Her Majesty's inspectors assess the success of teachers in their probationary year ; what means he proposes to ensure similar criteria are applied in future training ; and by whom such criteria will be applied.
Mr. Eggar : Her Majesty's inspectorate gives my right hon. and learned Friend independent advice on all matters relating to teachers and their work. Under the current statutory arrangements HMI does not itself assess probationary teachers, or decide whether they have completed the probationary period satisfactorily. This is a matter for LEAs and for the governing bodies of grant-maintained schools.
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what representations he has received concerning the desirability of abandoning the statutory probationary year for new teachers ; and if he will place copies of any such representations in the Library ;
(2) what consultations he has had concerning the significance and efficacy of the statutory probationary year required before qualification as a registered school teacher, prior to his decision to abandon this requirement ;
Column 67
(3) what statutory obligation he intends to introduce concerning the obligations of school heads and their staff to teachers joining their schools immediately subsequent to completion of training courses ;(4) what are the steps he intends to take to put into effect his proposal to abandon the one-year probationary period of new teachers in schools prior to their full qualification.
Mr. Eggar : My right hon. and learned Friend intends to improve the present arrangements for the transition of teachers from students to experienced professionals. Initial teacher training will be made more responsive to the needs of schools, and a new specific grant will be available in 1992-93 to stimulate initiatives in induction of new teachers. Regular cycles of appraisal for school teachers are already statutory requirements, and the delegation of staffing powers to individual schools gives governors a greater incentive, in the last resort, to take action under normal employment law where performance is plainly unsatisfactory.
Against this background, my right hon. and learned Friend has concluded that statutory arrangements for school teacher probation are unnecessary, and has proposed that they should come to an end with effect from 1 September 1992. He is currently consulting all those with an interest, including the employers, the teacher unions and the initial teacher training institutions. Copies of the Department's letter, which invites comments by 22 November, have been placed in the Library.
Education Choice
Mr. French : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has received about the funding of choice in education.
Mr. Eggar : Ministers have received a number of representations from grant-maintained schools and local education authorities. My right hon. Friend wrote to all education authority chairmen on 3 October with proposals for the funding arrangements in 1992-93. I am sending the hon. Member a copy of that letter.
Post-graduate Awards
Mr. John D. Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many post-graduate awards were allocated for the academic year 1991-92 ; how many were related to (a) sciences and (b) social sciences and humanities ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Howarth : A total of 8,446 awards have been offered to new students undertaking higher degrees in the United Kingdom in the academic year 1991-92 of which 6,596 were in the sciences and 1,850 in the fields of social sciences and humanities. Actual allocations are not yet known.
Column 68
Telford CTC
Mr. Grocott : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the estimated average expenditure per pupil during the first year of the operation of the Telford city technology college.
Mr. Eggar : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Ms. Ruddock) on 19 July 1991 at columns 299-300. It is for Telford city technology college to determine its expenditure plans within the resources available to the college.
School Meals
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has on the take-up of school meals nationally in numbers and percentage terms for (a) 1980-81 and (b) 1990-91 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Fallon : The numbers of children in maintained schools in England taking free and paid for school meals on the census dates in October 1980 and January 1991 were 3,535,000 and 2,975,000 (provisionally) respectively. These figures represent 48 per cent. and 42 per cent. of the total day pupils on roll for each year. Since the Education Act 1980, as amended by the Social Security Act 1986, it has been the responsibility of each education authority to decide what school meals service to offer in its schools.
Dr. David Clark : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has on the number of local authorities that have put school meals to compulsory competitive tendering ; how many of these contracts have been awarded to in house contractors ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Fallon : I understand from the Local Government Management Board that so far 82 authorities have put out 174 catering (education and welfare) contracts to tender. A total of 166 have been won by direct service organisations and eight by other contractors.
Schools Budgets
Mr. Norris : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list local education authorities in rank order by the proportion of the potential schools budget held back in 1991-92, showing in each case the proportion held back in 1990-91.
Mr. Fallon [pursuant to his reply, 17 July, c. 177] : The information requested is contained in the tables which follow. Also included is a list of local education authorities showing the proportion of their schools budgets which is allocated with reference to the number and ages of pupils at the schools.
Column 67
Table: The extent of LEA's delegation to schools (1991-92)
(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)
Local Education AuthoriPSB delegated to PSB not Central administration Schools with
schools delegated per as proportion of PSB delegated
|1991-92 |(1990-91) |Pupil 1991-92 |1991-92 |(1990-91) |budgets 1991-92
|percentage |percentage |£ |percentage |percentage |percentage
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Stockport |88.69 |( - ) |200 |3.15 |( - ) |0
2 Rochdale |88.46 |(85.74) |180 |2.37 |(2.55) |44
3 Sunderland |88.40 |(86.86) |190 |2.15 |(3.10) |57
4 Bolton |88.31 |(89.10) |200 |2.06 |(2.02) |100
5 Northumberland |88.16 |(86.54) |170 |2.37 |(3.10) |45
6 Manchester |88.03 |( - ) |210 |3.54 |( - ) |95
7 Sefton |87.86 |(87.44) |210 |2.71 |(4.45) |44
8 Berkshire |87.68 |(87.68) |210 |2.78 |(2.71) |43
9 West Sussex |87.67 |(87.49) |190 |2.09 |(1.95) |60
10 Suffolk |87.56 |(85.66) |220 |.78 |(2.75) |47
11 Cambridge |87.45 |(80.75) |200 |2.03 |(4.82) |15
12 Cheshire |87.35 |(84.31) |210 |1.71 |(5.15) |47
13 Devon |87.14 |(83.11) |210 |2.53 |(3.06) |34
14 Warwickshire |86.72 |(85.24) |210 |3.19 |(3.90) |26
15 Bradford |86.68 |(86.04) |230 |3.55 |(3.87) |100
16 Buckinghamshire |86.58 |(84.88) |220 |3.55 |(4.58) |37
17 Bromley |86.27 |(80.70) |260 |4.39 |(4.49) |67
18 Leeds |86.26 |(86.12) |250 |4.22 |(3.87) |0
19 Hertfordshire |86.19 |( - ) |240 |3.81 |( - ) |0
20 Hampshire |86.11 |(85.78) |240 |3.16 |(3.34) |57
21 Shropshire |86.09 |(84.60) |250 |2.00 |(2.48) |17
22 Salford |86.03 |(84.37) |230 |2.64 |(3.19) |54
23 Northamptonshire |86.01 |(84.74) |240 |2.23 |(3.69) |37
24 South Tyneside |85.94 |(83.76) |230 |2.06 |(4.20) |35
25 Sheffield |85.92 |(82.61) |250 |3.26 |(3.49) |32
26 Barnsley |85.91 |(83.38) |220 |2.88 |(2.86) |12
27 Kent |85.84 |(84.87) |230 |4.61 |(3.79) |100
28 Wirral |85.73 |( - ) |230 |2.59 |( - ) |54
29 Solihull |85.59 |(85.31) |250 |1.93 |(2.49) |99
30 Walsall |85.50 |(85.72) |250 |3.40 |(3.37) |0
31 Somerset |85.48 |(82.91) |260 |2.69 |(3.58) |34
32 Calderdale |85.46 |(81.86) |230 |2.39 |(4.84) |0
33 Lincolnshire |85.46 |(85.13) |250 |2.21 |(2.68) |47
34 Rotherham |85.43 |(86.13) |250 |3.76 |(3.74) |10
35 Cumbria |85.41 |(82.53) |250 |3.02 |(4.04) |62
36 East Sussex |85.37 |(84.09) |240 |2.20 |(2.42) |24
37 Bury |85.31 |(81.92) |250 |2.00 |(4.70) |22
38 Barking |85.20 |(87.01) |270 |3.27 |(3.34) |50
39 Dorset |85.16 |(81.85) |240 |3.72 |(4.71) |45
40 Sutton |85.15 |(83.44) |260 |3.84 |(4.05) |52
41 Havering |85.09 |(83.87) |280 |1.93 |(2.28) |69
42 Essex |85.08 |(84.03) |250 |3.52 |(4.11) |37
see Footnote 2
43 Kirklees |84.96 |(83.38) |250 |3.65 |(3.98) |0
44 Westminster |84.88 |(77.96) |370 |5.59 |(8.20) |100
45 Merton |84.86 |(79.79) |300 |3.33 |(7.86) |100
46 Staffordshire |84.84 |(84.61) |250 |4.10 |(4.51) |19
47 Enfield |84.68 |(81.50) |290 |3.69 |(5.56) |54
48 Oxfordshire |84.68 |(81.37) |290 |2.85 |(5.46) |63
49 Surrey |84.61 |(85.57) |270 |4.85 |(6.17) |68
50 Humberside |84.60 |(81.71) |270 |3.01 |(3.57) |48
51 North Tyneside |84.55 |(82.30) |270 |3.99 |(5.03) |35
52 St. Helens |84.53 |(83.27) |260 |3.65 |(3.69) |0
53 Gloucestershire |84.47 |(86.78) |240 |3.37 |(3.65) |13
54 Dudley |84.47 |(83.98) |260 |3.64 |(3.62) |0
55 Norfolk |84.37 |(83.62) |270 |3.35 |(4.05) |29
56 Kingston |84.35 |(78.46) |310 |4.11 |(7.09) |61
57 Wakefield |84.28 |(82.87) |260 |1.49 |(2.98) |20
58 Leicestershire |84.28 |(-) |280 |2.89 |(-) |35
59 North Yorkshire |84.16 |(82.62) |270 |2.37 |(4.15) |31
60 Doncaster |84.00 |(85.45) |280 |2.29 |(2.29) |30
61 Hereford/Worcester |83.99 |(-) |270 |3.18 |(-) |13
62 Derbyshire |83.97 |(83.37) |270 |3.04 |(2.96) |8
63 Nottinghamshire |83.96 |(82.72) |270 |3.41 |(5.24) |27
64 Cornwall |83.95 |(83.57) |240 |3.52 |(3.72) |44
65 Trafford |83.94 |(84.38) |250 |3.68 |(3.49) |58
66 Gateshead |83.92 |(83.29) |280 |2.99 |(3.01) |69
67 Hillingdon |83.91 |(-) |290 |6.17 |(-) |100
68 Tameside |83.80 |(84.40) |270 |2.16 |(2.47) |0
69 Haringey |83.77 |(79.36) |350 |4.78 |(6.04) |34
70 Isle of Wight |83.75 |(82.48) |280 |1.92 |(4.68) |33
71 Barnet |83.68 |(84.36) |310 |4.96 |(5.07) |70
72 Brent |83.52 |(83.63) |370 |4.32 |(4.82) |100
73 Birmingham |83.41 |(83.04) |280 |3.85 |(4.36) |35
74 Cleveland |83.37 |(83.63) |280 |4.64 |(5.56) |55
75 Bedfordshire |83.29 |(84.02) |300 |3.66 |(3.91) |82
76 Wiltshire |83.26 |(82.35) |280 |3.18 |(3.92) |23
77 Hounslow |83.26 |(81.59) |330 |4.46 |(5.19) |97
78 Knowsley |83.24 |(81.91) |300 |4.99 |(5.07) |51
79 Isles of Scilly |83.17 |(-) |550 |6.41 |(-) |20
80 Oldham |83.14 |(81.64) |280 |4.53 |(4.98) |0
81 Redbridge |83.13 |(82.71) |280 |5.10 |(4.91) |37
82 Wigan |83.03 |(83.28) |300 |4.18 |(3.70) |46
83 Ealing |82.92 |(81.66) |340 |5.86 |(6.33) |38
84 Liverpool |82.92 |(84.91) |320 |4.65 |(4.07) |0
85 Avon |82.78 |(82.30) |300 |3.87 |(3.40) |36
86 Coventry |82.76 |(80.93) |300 |4.37 |(6.00) |100
87 Sandwell |82.74 |(83.24) |320 |4.51 |(3.75) |24
88 Lancashire |82.74 |(82.66) |300 |3.46 |(3.65) |19
89 Richmond |82.58 |(79.98) |330 |4.82 |(6.91) |100
90 Harrow |82.45 |(81.52) |320 |5.05 |(5.76) |100
91 Newcastle |82.38 |(79.76) |320 |5.09 |(6.12) |0
92 Durham |82.16 |(83.13) |310 |4.79 |(4.35) |34
93 Wolverhampton |81.55 |(81.77) |350 |5.35 |(5.26) |49
94 Bexley |81.32 |(81.33) |330 |5.06 |(4.61) |30
95 Croydon |81.00 |(-) |380 |4.15 |(-) |63
96 Waltham Forest |80.22 |(79.65) |400 |6.60 |(7.02) |53
97 Newham |79.46 |(-) |450 |5.94 |(-) |55
National Averages |84.89 |(83.76) |260 |3.43 |(4.06) |40
Footnotes to table showing the extent of delegation.
1. 97 local education authorities (LEAs) currently have LMS schemes in operation, and are required to publish budget statements under
Section 42 of the Education Reform Act. The LEAs are ranked according to the percentage of funds delegated to schools, with those
delegating more at the top of the ranking order. Schemes for 12 inner London LEAs other than Westminster are due to be submitted by
30 September and are due to come into operation on 1 April 1992.
2. The potential schools budget (PSB) consists of the major part of the general schools budget (GSB)-ie the GSB less expenditure on
certain excepted items: capital expenditure; expenditure supported by central government grants; and expenditure on school meals,
home to school transport and transitional exceptions (eg grounds maintenance). The amount which the schools themselves decide how to
spend, as a proportion of the PSB, is a percentage used as an indicator of the extent to which LEAs have delegated resources to their
schools. A new requirement from 1993 (1995 for inner London authorities) is that this percentage should be a minimum of 85. The
percentage for last year 1990-91 is given in brackets. Where a figure is not given in brackets the LMS scheme was not in operation
last year.
3. The proportion of the PSB held back by each LEA (ie not delegated to schools) expressed as a cash amount per pupil-rounded to the
nearest £10. Pupil numbers have in most cases been taken from LEAs' Section 42 statements. Where pupil numbers are not provided in
the Section 42 statement they are taken from the latest statistical information available to the Department, ie the January 1990 Form
7 returns.
4. Expenditure on central administration-one of the discretionary exceptions included in the PSB-expressed as a percentage of the
PSB. Last year's percentage is given in brackets.
5. The percentage of each LEA's schools which have fully delegated management of their budget and associated staffing powers.
Note: The percentages stated may differ from the percentages calculated by individual LEAs because of the effects of rounding.
Table: Percentage of Aggregated Schools Budget (ASB) Based on
Pupil Numbers and Ages (1991-92)
(1) (2)
Local Education Authority Pupil-Led Funding as a
Percentage of ASB
|1991-92 |(1990-91)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 Isles of Scilly |93.21 |( - )
2 Dudley |90.00 |(85.72)
3 Lincolnshire |88.51 |(87.25)
4 Barking |88.36 |(86.73)
5 South Tyneside |88.33 |(86.93)
6 Gateshead |87.04 |(84.36)
7 Wigan |86.40 |(84.35)
8 Bolton |86.16 |(85.73)
9 Northumberland |86.07 |(85.49)
10 Brent |86.01 |(77.81)
11 Bexley |85.39 |(84.40)
12 Tameside |85.33 |(85.57)
13 Kent |84.93 |(83.72)
14 Oldham |84.69 |(84.77)
15 Trafford |84.40 |(83.28)
16 Redbridge |84.00 |(89.30)
17 Sefton |83.79 |(83.33)
18 Cornwall |83.75 |(80.93)
19 Coventry |83.57 |(83.52)
20 Knowsley |83.50 |(75.00)
21 Harrow |83.49 |(83.83)
22 Westminster |83.32 |(84.20)
23 Leicestershire |83.19 |( - )
24 Calderdale |83.19 |(82.17)
25 Avon |82.91 |(82.30)
26 Bromley |82.83 |(84.99)
27 Devon |82.78 |(82.64)
28 Northamptonshire |82.62 |(82.19)
29 Rotherham |82.57 |(81.79)
30 Suffolk |82.29 |(82.57)
31 West Sussex |82.29 |(82.13)
32 Sunderland |82.25 |(80.69)
33 Manchester |82.14 |( - )
34 Salford |82.02 |(81.69)
35 North Yorkshire |82.02 |(85.51)
36 Barnsley |81.98 |(82.80)
37 Hereford/Worcester |81.95 |( - )
38 Isle of Wight |81.85 |(81.62)
39 Solihull |81.70 |(82.29)
40 Newcastle |81.66 |(80.66)
41 Waltham Forest |81.66 |(81.99)
42 Wiltshire |81.56 |(81.00)
43 Bury |81.42 |(81.45)
44 Cambridgeshire |81.00 |(82.34)
45 Gloucestershire |80.64 |(83.22)
46 Sutton |80.53 |(80.29)
47 Ealing |80.53 |(80.62)
48 Humberside |80.42 |(81.97)
49 Enfield |80.40 |(79.21)
50 Cleveland |80.33 |(81.43)
51 Stockport |80.31 |(-)
52 Leeds |80.26 |(78.90)
53 Croydon |80.22 |(-)
54 Durham |80.20 |(80.40)
55 Cheshire |80.16 |(77.78)
56 Liverpool |80.00 |(75.00)
57 Rochdale |80.00 |(75.00)
See footnote 2
58 Dorset |79.94 |(79.03)
59 Newham |79.85 |(-)
60 Richmond |79.79 |(77.26)
61 Lancashire |79.60 |(-)
62 Wirral |79.55 |(-)
63 Staffordshire |79.34 |(84.00)
64 Berkshire |79.31 |(79.68)
65 Somerset |79.09 |(79.99)
66 Buckinghamshire |79.06 |(79.73)
67 Sandwell |79.03 |(74.94)
68 Warwickshire |79.02 |(79.89)
69 Cumbria |78.83 |(75.62)
70 Birmingham |78.69 |(78.63)
71 Bedfordshire |78.50 |(77.00)
72 North Tyneside |78.00 |(78.00)
73 Merton |77.99 |(78.36)
74 Hillingdon |77.93 |(-)
75 Walsall |77.87 |(78.19)
76 Shropshire |77.86 |(77.91)
77 Hounslow |77.82 |(81.42)
78 Bradford |77.66 |(78.51)
79 Oxfordshire |77.60 |(75.61)
80 Haringey |77.37 |(78.25)
81 Sheffield |77.30 |(77.19)
82 Kirklees |77.27 |(78.17)
83 Barnet |76.86 |(75.19)
84 Kingston |76.67 |(76.84)
85 Doncaster |76.66 |(75.38)
86 Surrey |76.58 |(74.91)
87 Essex |76.56 |(77.05)
88 St. Helens |76.50 |(75.00)
89 Hampshire |76.35 |(76.63)
90 Nottinghamshire |76.34 |(-)
91 East Sussex |76.29 |(77.41)
92 Wakefield |75.76 |(75.29)
93 Hertfordshire |75.33 |(-)
94 Derbyshire |75.32 |(76.04)
95 Norfolk |75.31 |(75.99)
96 Havering |75.09 |(75.36)
97 Wolverhampton |74.88 |(75.00)
National averages |80.16
Mrs. Gwyneth Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how the amount of the budget for repairs in state schools is determined.
Mr. Fallon : It is the responsibility of LEAs and, under local management of schools, their schools, to determine the pattern of their recurrent spending, including the level of expenditure on repairs. LEAs are also responsible for deciding on the level of capital spending for county and voluntary controlled schools. In the case of voluntary aided and special agreement schools, the Secretary of State determines a level of provision for repairs from within central government grant, based on anticipated expenditure by governors on repairs. Grant maintained schools themselves determine the level of expenditure on repairs within their recurrent budgets. Grant maintained schools also receive a formla allocation for minor capital projects including repairs. In addition grant maintained schools may bid to the Department for major repair projects.
HEALTH
West Midlands RHA
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment the NHS Management Executive has made of the adequacy of the management of the West Midlands regional health authority's supplies organisation.
Mr. Dorrell : In common with other NHS supplies organisations, the West Midlands regional health authority supplies organisation has achieved some notable improvements in performance in recent years, but there remains room for improvement. The management executive has now established a new National Supplies Authority which will take over from regional and district health authorities the responsibility for providing comprehensive and value for money supplies services to all NHS units, including those in the West Midlands. The transfer is planned to take place in October 1992.
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the chairmanship of the West Midlands regional health authority.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Sir James Ackers will continue as chairman of the West Midlands regional health authority. His appointment is next due for review at the end of July 1994.
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions the NHS Management Executive has had with the West Midlands regional health authority about the operation of its supplies organisation.
Mr. Dorrell : The acting national director of NHS procurement has regular discussions with each regional health authority, including West Midlands, about the operation of its supplies organisation.
Column 75
Operation Costs
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average NHS cost for (1) coronary artery vein graft, (2) appendectomy, (3) breast biopsy, (4) hysterectomy, (5) cataract extraction, (6) hip replacement and (7) cholycystectomy.
Mr. Dorrell : According to figures provided by a number of studies the average national health service costs requested are :
|Study date |Approximate
|cost per case
|£
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Coronary artery bypass graft |1987 |4,600
Hysterectomy |1982 |1,610
Cataract extraction |1988 |966
Hip replacement |1988 |2,990
Cholycystectomy |1982 |1,725
Figures for the average cost of an appendectomy and breast biopsy are not available.
The figures shown are at 1990-91 prices but do not take account of changes in clinical practice since the individual studies were carried out.
Health Authorities (Purchasing Plans)
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance the NHS Management Executive has issued to health authorities on their purchasing plans for 1992-93.
Column 76
Mr. Dorrell : Executive letter, EL(91)103, "Priorities and planning guidance for the National Health Service for 1992-93" issued by the NHS management executive in July 1991, included guidance on purchasing plans. In addition, the management executive's district health authorities project has published a number of papers on different aspects of the district health authority purchasing function. Copies of these documents are available in the Library.
Waiting Lists
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients had been on the waiting list for 24 months or longer at (i) September 1987, (ii) 30 September 1988, (iii) 30 September 1989, (iv) 30 March 1990 and (v) 30 September 1990 in total and for each specialty.
Mr. Waldegrave : The information requested is given in the table. Figures have been added for March 1991. Between September 1987 and March 1991, the number of patients waiting over two years for in-patient and day case treatment reduced by 44 per cent. Between 1987-88 and 1989-90 the number of in-patients and day cases treated increased by 6 per cent.
Column 75
England: In-patient Waiting List
by specialty: showing those waiting 24 months or over
September 1987-September 1989, March 1990, September 1990 and March 1991
In-patient waiting list September 1987-March 1991
Specialty |September|September|September|March |September|March
|1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 |1990 |1991
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
General Surgery |16,535 |16,370 |16,175 |14,097 |13,297 |9,569
Urology |4,594 |4,730 |5,270 |4,593 |3,974 |3,683
Trauma & Orthopaedics |20,372 |18,146 |15,313 |13,616 |12,329 |8,468
ENT |10,755 |9,944 |8,402 |7,372 |6,104 |3,674
Ophthalmology |2,794 |2,509 |2,825 |2,411 |2,497 |1,436
Oral Surgery |6,912 |7,241 |6,315 |6,126 |5,392 |3,009
Restorative Dentistry |1 |2 |0 |0 |0 |1
Paediatric Dentistry |1 |3 |7 |7 |8 |8
Orthodontics |0 |27 |0 |0 |0 |4
Neurosurgery |496 |409 |433 |429 |346 |188
Plastic Surgery |11,169 |15,620 |15,219 |14,242 |12,162 |10,081
Cardiothoracic Surgery |278 |229 |303 |443 |351 |298
Paediatric Surgery |203 |198 |204 |145 |106 |79
Accident and Emergency |10 |6 |10 |36 |5 |3
Anaesthetics |11 |13 |20 |33 |38 |43
Obs & Gyn (Gynaecology) |4,309 |3,787 |3,953 |3,473 |3,009 |2,119
General Medicine |105 |183 |255 |319 |348 |262
Gastroenterology |1 |6 |24 |49 |23 |22
Endocrinology |5 |9 |35 |25 |21 |17
Clinical Haematology |0 |1 |1 |1 |4 |0
Clinical Physiology |- |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Clinical Pharmacology |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Audiological Medicine |0 |0 |0 |2 |0 |0
Clinical Genetics |- |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Palliative Medicine |- |- |0 |0 |0 |0
Cardiology |157 |180 |310 |245 |266 |233
Dermatology |5 |9 |28 |16 |24 |2
Thoracic Medicine |23 |16 |8 |10 |11 |9
Infectious Diseases |0 |0 |0 |0 |2 |1
Genito-urinary Medicine |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |2
Nephrology |5 |13 |13 |59 |25 |8
Medical Oncology |0 |4 |4 |7 |8 |6
Nuclear Medicine |- |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Neurology |43 |57 |128 |164 |227 |0
Clinical Neuro-physiology |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Rheumatology |36 |56 |61 |101 |77 |51
Paediatrics |6 |7 |7 |15 |26 |10
Paediatric Neurology |0 |0 |1 |2 |5 |6
Geriatric Medicine |4 |21 |22 |29 |36 |12
Mental Handicap |33 |92 |66 |82 |25 |54
Mental Illness |172 |162 |186 |205 |199 |125
Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry |0 |0 |23 |2 |1 |5
Forensic Psychiatry |1 |8 |1 |2 |2 |3
Psychotherapy |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Old Age Psychiatry |- |- |- |- |0 |6
Radiotherapy |11 |7 |0 |1 |2 |0
Radiology |1 |0 |1 |1 |0 |1
General Pathology |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Blood Transfusion |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Chemical Pathology |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Haematology |2 |2 |0 |0 |0 |0
Histopathology |- |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Immunopathology |1 |6 |3 |6 |4 |2
Medical Microbiology |- |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Neuropathology |- |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
GP (Non Maternity) |75 |2 |8 |1 |3 |2
Community Medicine |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Occupational Medicine |- |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Totals |79,126 |80,075 |75,613 |68,367 |60,957 |43,632
England: Day Case Waiting List
by specialty: showing those waiting 24 months or over
September 1987-September 1989, March 1990, September 1990 and March 1991
Day Case waiting list September 1987-March 1991
Specialty |September|September|September|March |September|March
|1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 |1990 |1991
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
General Surgery |1,986 |2,130 |2,550 |2,579 |2,016 |1,408
Urology |343 |393 |640 |587 |520 |375
Trauma & Orthopaedics |1,539 |1,317 |1,541 |1,669 |1,432 |875
ENT |270 |293 |186 |189 |189 |117
Ophthalmology |68 |73 |113 |62 |94 |101
Oral Surgery |592 |854 |506 |634 |704 |424
Restorative Dentistry |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Paediatric Dentistry |0 |0 |5 |14 |18 |31
Orthodontics |0 |0 |0 |0 |2 |2
Neurosurgery |5 |0 |0 |1 |1 |1
Plastic Surgery |6,141 |6,328 |6,579 |6,139 |4,322 |3,497
Cardiothoracic Surgery |1 |1 |0 |8 |3 |1
Paediatric Surgery |3 |21 |12 |78 |29 |14
Accident and Emergency |1 |2 |11 |42 |17 |18
Anaesthetics |1 |1 |1 |5 |17 |18
Obs & Gyn (Gynaecology) |336 |319 |280 |405 |563 |392
General Medicine |53 |11 |32 |64 |83 |55
Gastroenterology |1 |2 |1 |1 |13 |0
Endocrinology |0 |0 |2 |4 |12 |3
Clinical Haematology |0 |0 |10 |1 |4 |1
Clinical Physiology |- |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Clinical Pharmacology |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Audiological Medicine |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Clinical Genetics |- |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Palliative Medicine |- |- |0 |0 |0 |0
Cardiology |0 |0 |1 |9 |27 |6
Dermatology |2 |19 |25 |29 |23 |41
Thoracic Medicine |1 |3 |1 |3 |6 |4
Infectious Diseases |0 |0 |0 |0 |1 |0
Genito-urinary Medicine |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Nephrology |0 |0 |0 |1 |1 |2
Medical Oncology |0 |2 |1 |2 |12 |0
Nuclear Medicine |- |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Neurology |0 |1 |1 |2 |3 |1
Clinical Neuro-physiology |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Rheumatology |0 |0 |0 |6 |17 |23
Paediatrics |0 |0 |7 |6 |8 |10
Paediatric Neurology |0 |4 |0 |2 |3 |0
Geriatric Medicine |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Mental Handicap |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Mental Illness |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Forensic Psychiatry |- |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Psychotherapy |- |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Radiotherapy |0 |0 |0 |0 |1 |0
Radiology |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
General Pathology |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Blood Transfusion |- |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Chemical Pathology |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Haematology |0 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Histopathology |- |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Immunopathology |0 |6 |1 |0 |0 |1
Medical Microbiology |- |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Neuropathology |- |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
GP (Non Maternity) |1 |4 |5 |0 |10 |0
Community Medicine |- |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Occupational Medicine |- |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Totals |11,344 |11,784 |12,511 |12,542 |10,151 |7,421
Table file CW911014.049 not available
Operation Purchases
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the health authorities in England and Wales who are buying operations for their patients from hospitals in European countries ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell : Health authorities in England and Wales do not have legal powers to contract directly with overseas providers for treatment of United Kingdom residents. Under the European Community social security regulations, individual patients may be referred elsewhere in the EC specifically for treatment, but only with the prior authorisation of the Department of Health. We are not aware of any health authorities entering into such contracts.
Cigarette Packets (Warnings)
Mr. Cummings : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he has on the respective size requirements of labelling regulations for cigarette manufacturers to print warnings on cigarette packs in other EC countries.
Mr. Dorrell : Details of legislation to implement the EC directive on tobacco products labelling have been received from six member states. The size requirements for labels on the main faces of cigarette packets can be summarised as follows :
Belgium
A minimum of 4 per cent., 6 per cent. or 8 per cent. of the relevant face must be covered depending on whether one, two or three of the official languages are used.
Denmark
A minimum of 4 per cent.
Germany
A minimum of 4 per cent.
Italy
A minimum of 4 per cent. pending a judgment from the European Court of Justice on whether the Italian Government can require two health warnings on the back face of a packet together covering 8 per cent. of the surface.
Portugal
A minimum of 4 per cent.
Column 80
SpainA minimum of 4 per cent. except in autonomous regions where there are two official languages where the minimum will be 6 per cent. Copies of the laws and regulations in force in the other member states have not yet been received.
Health Authorities
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list in the Official Report the names and addresses of the chairmen of (a) regional health authorities, (b) district health authorities, (c) special health authorities, (d) established NHS trusts and (e) NHS trusts which have been approved, but which have not yet commenced operation.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I have arranged for my hon. Friend to be given the information she requires. Copies of the information have been placed in the Library.
Sudden Infant Deaths
Mr. John Browne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the reasons for the presence of antimony as reported in the Turner report into sudden infant death, page 54, "Results of Analysis of test papers, paragraph 4.6.2." ; what gas gave rise to the deposits of antimony ; and how toxic was that gas.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Antimony is present in plastic cot mattress covers as a filler and as a fire retardant. This single case of apparent mobilisation of antimony theoretically could have been due to that or more likely to contamination. It is of significance that no other samples produced measurable amounts of stibine. The human toxicity of stibine, the gas produced from antimony, is dependent on the quantity present and the exposure of any individual to the gas.
The independent experts who produced the report on the hypothesis that toxic gases evolved from cot mattresses by fungal action are a cause of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) found no evidence that there is a link between SIDS incidence, the presence of antimony, and associated low levels of arsenic impurity, or phosphorus additives in cot mattresses and their covers, microbial contamination of those mattresses and covers, and the generation of toxic volatile gases.
Column 81
Operations (European Patients)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the health authorities in England and Wales of which he is aware which are offering operations and convalescent holidays to patients from European countries ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell : This information is not collected centrally.
AIDS
Mr. Darling : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what considerations underlay his decision to issue new instructions to immigration officers and port medical officers about dealing with people who are suspected of being HIV positive or having developed AIDS ;
(2) what instructions have been issued to (a) immigration officers and (b) medical inspectors at ports about dealing with applications for leave to enter from people who are suspected of being HIV positive or living with AIDS ; and whether he will publish these instructions.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Department of Health guidance to port medical inspectors of health is issued in the form of executive letters. These letters have a limited lifespan to ensure that they are regularly updated or destroyed if they no longer apply. Guidance was issued to port medical inspectors of health in May 1991 (PL/CMO(91)6) a copy of which is available in the Library, because the previous executive letter had expired.
The guidance provides information for port medical inspectors of health on the action to take should the immigration service ask for a report upon a passenger seeking entry to the United Kingdom who has, or is suspected to have, AIDS or other illnesses associated with HIV infection.
The guidance informs port medical inspectors of health that HIV infection, including AIDS, should not in itself be considered justification for a recommendation on public health grounds to refuse leave to enter the United Kingdom. It provides information on how the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Amendment Regulations 1988 apply to HIV and AIDS services, and provides guidance to ensure that confidentiality is maintained where a passenger with HIV infection is referred to a port medical inspector.
To avoid any confusion arising from recent misleading press coverage of the letter the Department of Health will issue a further executive letter amended to make its purpose more clear.
| Next Section
| Home Page |