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Copenhagen Conference
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether his Department was invited to participate in the conference on ecologically sustainable industrial development in Copenhagen on 14 to 18 October 1991.
Mr. Lilley : Yes, my Department was represented. I will place a copy of the conference's report in the House Library as soon as possible.
UN Environment Conference
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will make it his policy to put forward proposals for the promotion of hand tools as part of a strategy for appropriate technological support to the United Nations conference on environment and development to be held in June 1992 ;
(2) what preparations have been made by his Department to make an input on business, trade and technology issues for the United Nations conference on environment and development in June 1992.
Mr. Lilley : I draw the hon. Member's attention to the report "Global Climate Change : the Role of Technology Transfer" which was prepared for UNCED by Touche Ross and funded jointly by my Department and the Overseas Development Administration. A copy is available in the Library of the House.
This report aimed to offer a constructive contribution to UNCED's discussions on technology transfer in the context of climate change. I am pleased to say it has been well received by delegates to the preparatory meetings for UNCED and has helped focus on this subject in a positive way.
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One of the findings of the report emphasises the importance of appropriate technologies reflecting the different technological needs, abilities and circumstances of developing countries.Officials in my Department have also established contact with the Business Council for Sustainable Development--BCSD--the body set up by Mr. Maurice Strong, secretary-general to UNCED, to provide the business input to UNCED. Links have also been established between BCSD and the Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment set up by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for the Environment, and myself.
Post Offices
Mr. Hain : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, further to his answer of 5 November, Official Report, column 61, how many Post Office Crown branch offices in (a) Great Britain and (b) South Wales are currently in each of the three categories A, B and C specified by Post Office Counters.
Mr. Lilley [holding answer 18 November 1991] : The numbers of Crown post offices currently in categories A, B and C in (a) Britain and (b) South Wales Counters district are as follows :
|A |B |C
------------------------
Britain |484|430|161
South Wal20 -------12--
The categories A, B and C referred to represent very broad sizing guidelines indicating large, medium-sized and small offices respectively. As such, the number in each category should not be regarded as hard and fast.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Single European Act
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will arrange for copies of the Single European Act to be available at the Vote Office ahead of the debate on 20 November.
Mr. MacGregor : Copies of the Single European Act were placed in the House Library on a Command Paper basis--Cm 372--in 1988. I understand that copies will also be placed in the Vote Office in advance of the debate. Members can, of course, also order a copy from HMSO on a "green form" basis.
Empty Offices
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Lord President of the Council how many offices are currently empty in the Palace of Westminster.
Members' Offices
Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Lord President of the Council how many hon. and right hon. Members now have a single office ; and when he expects that all hon. and right hon. Members will be so provided for.
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Mr. MacGregor : As a result of the occupation of No. 1 Parliament street, 334 Members now have single offices either in the Palace of Westminster or one of the parliamentary outbuildings. A small number of additional offices will become available next year following the conversion of accommodation in Speaker's Court. The objective of providing a single office for each Member who wants one will be fulfilled on completion of phase 2 of the new parliamentary building. It is impossible to predict with any accuracy at this stage when this will be achieved, since to a large extent progress on this building is dependent on progress in the construction of London Underground's new Westminster station. The new parliamentary building will certainly not be ready for occupation before 1996.Contracts of Employment
Mr. Allen : To ask the Lord President of the Council if he will make it his policy to publish the names of those hon. Members who have not issued a contract of employment to any of their staff paid from the office costs allowance.
Medical Facilities
Mr. Wareing : To ask the Lord President of the Council what plans he has to increase medical facilities within Parliament for the benefit of hon. Members and their staffs.
Mr. MacGregor [holding answer 18 November 1991] : The Houses of Parliament occupational health service was established on 1 March 1991. It is being run by a full-time occupational health manager with assistance from a full-time nurse. The manager is qualified in occupational health and St. Thomas's hospital are providing medical back-up and the services of a part-time occupational health physician.
The aim of the service is to provide general health care and to promote and maintain the highest attainable standards of occupational health in the two Houses. The Members' medical surveillance scheme, which has operated for a number of years, continues unchanged. There are at present no plans to increase on these arrangements, which have only recently been introduced.
EMPLOYMENT
Skills Training
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what meetings he has had with staff of the former skills training agencies sold to TICC Ltd. and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : I met representatives of the staff and trade unions on 30 September 1991.
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what action his Department proposes to take with regard to the former employees of TICC Skill Centres Ltd. and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : With the completion of the sale of the Skills Training Agency in May 1990, all the operating
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businesses passed to the private sector and their subsequent activities have not been a matter for the Government. However, we are aware of the position of former civil servants employed by TICC Ltd. and am currently considering the representations made to the Department by TICC's staff and their trade union.Unemployment
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the 10 constituencies with the lowest level of unemployment in England, Scotland and Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : For areas with different sized work forces, such as parliamentary constituencies, the only meaningful comparisons are based on unemployment rates. These are not available at the level of parliamentary constituencies.
Health and Safety Inspectors
Mr. Bill Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the up-to-date figures of recruitment of health and safety inspectors over the last 12 months.
Mr. Jackson : In the year ended 1 November 1991 a total of 171 inspectors were recruited by the Health and Safety Executive. A further 63 joined the organisation with the transfers of responsibility for offshore and railway safety.
Job Losses
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what assessment has been made of the number of jobs lost to the United Kingdom by outward divestment or the export of British jobs to overseas countries, in each of the last five years.
Mr. Jackson : I am not aware of any such assessment.
Co-operatives (Aid)
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the organisations which have received or are to receive pump- priming cash or other grant aid from his Department in order to help develop co-operatives.
Mr. Jackson : The Department has agreed to provide pump priming support for the United Kingdom Co-operative Council. A number of other proposals are under consideration at present for development funding.
Co-operative ventures and other organisations involved with the co- operative sector can also receive assistance indirectly from the Department through the training and enterprise councils or local enterprise companies, bodies such as the Prince's Youth Business Trust and a range of Government initiatives available for small businesses.
Tourism
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make it his policy to reintroduce section 4 grants in England to fund tourism-related projects ; how many representations he has had over the withdrawal of section 4 grants ; what consultations he has had with the British Tourist Authority regarding section 4 grants ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Jackson : No. Funding for the section 4 scheme in England was withdrawn in 1989 because of doubts about its value and effectiveness. Nothing since the scheme's suspension has given cause to believe that its reintroduction in England would be justified. The Department has on occasions, received representations in support of reintroducing some form of financial assistance for tourism projects. The British Tourist Authority has not offered any comment on the withdrawal of funding for the section 4 scheme in England.Shoe Repairing
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to provide and encourage improved training provision for the shoe repairing industry.
Mr. Jackson : Provision of training is primarily the responsibility of employers, but Employment Department funding is being provided to support youth training and employment training in the shoe repairing industry. The Department is also helping the industry to define and meet its training needs by promoting more effective industry training organisation arrangements. Funding is also being provided for the development of vocational qualifications in shoe repair.
Wages Inspectorate
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will expand the wages inspectorate.
Mr. Jackson : No. The wages inspectorate has adequate resources to enforce wages council orders effectively.
THE ARTS
Items in Lieu of Tax
Mr. Wolfson : To ask the Minister for the Arts, whether any items have been accepted in lieu of tax and allocated so far in the present Session.
Mr. Renton : Since my announcement on 25 July, at column 794 , in response to a question from the hon. Member for Warley, East (Mr. Faulds), I am pleased to inform the House that an offer of English porcelain has been accepted in lieu of £77,000 tax. The porcelain was offered on condition that it be allocated to the Fitzwilliam museum, Cambridge and it has, therefore, been allocated to that institution.
HEALTH
AIDS
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what funds are currently being paid to the Health Education Authority for AIDS awareness campaigns ;
(2) how much expenditure on AIDS awareness is targeted at ethnic minorities ;
(3) how much money is paid yearly by the Health Education Authority to the National AIDS Trust and upon what conditions as to the following of an equal opportunities policy by the National AIDS Trust.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : In the current financial year the Health Education Authority (HEA) has been allocated
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£9.5 million to carry forward AIDS mass media campaigns in the United Kingdom and for supporting AIDS educational work in England. Of this sum £640,000 has been allocated to media, project and research work directed at ethnic minorities. In addition, health authorities have been asked to give priority attention to the HIV educational needs of ethnic minorities in developing local HIV prevention work.Funding to the National AIDS Trust (NAT) is for specific projects, as follows :
|£
----------------------------------------------------------
1990-92 NAT young people's initiative and |46,000
publication of a report
1991-93 Funding over three years for the |105,000
NAT HIV/AIDS women's project
The HEA has also provided £3,139 in the current year to assist the NAT in co-ordinating the United Kingdom response to world AIDS day on 1 December.
The hon. Member may wish to contact the HEA direct for information about equal opportunities policy.
Manual Lifting Injuries
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many employees in the NHS suffered manual lifting injuries in 1988-89 ; and how many suffered manual lifting injuries in 1989-90.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not held centrally by the Department.
Under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1986, all employers, including the national health service, are required to report certain types of industrial injuries to the Health and Safety Executive. Data of a limited and broadly classified nature are maintained by the executive in respect of those manual handling injuries reported to them.
Census
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many breaches of security occurred in collecting the 1991 census data ; how many of these were by individual census numerators ; how many were after the individual enumerator had passed on this information to the district co -ordinators ; and how many individuals' census files were subject to security failures.
Mr. Dorrell : In the 109,700 enumeration districts in England and Wales, in which some 20 million forms were collected, 24 incidents have been reported where there were actual or potential breaches of confidentiality of census documents. In eight of these incidents forms were stolen from enumerators or collected by people impersonating enumerators. Fourteen incidents were due to errors made by field staff. One incident occurred as forms were in transit between the local census officer and the census office, as a result of which two forms are missing, believed destroyed. In the remaining incident one enumeration record book containing addresses for an enumeration district was lost in the post. The total number of census forms involved was 253, of which 121 were recovered. Of the remainder, 117 were stolen or fraudulently collected and 15 are unaccounted for.
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There have been no breaches of confidentiality of census documents since the forms were delivered to the census office.Two further incidents are under investigation, involving the alleged passing by census staff of details on other census staff to third parties.
Disablement Services Authorities
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if his Department will reimburse health authorities for their expenditure in meeting the unpaid bills passed to them from the Disablement Services Authority when it was disbanded in April 1991 ;
(2) how much of its unspent budget for the year 1990-91 the Disablement Services Authority returned for the year 1990-91 to the Department ; when the Disablement Services Authority requested the money to be returned ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell : The Disablement Services Authority notified the Department in February 1991 of a forecast cash underspend of some £5 million on its income and expenditure account for 1990-91. That sum was transferred from class XIII, vote 3--Department of Health, administration, miscellaneous health services and personal social services, England--which included provision for the authority, to class XIII, vote 1--hospital and community health services, family health services (part) and other services (England)--in the revised spring supplementary estimates presented on 28 February 1991. In late March 1991, the authority notified the Department that it had received invoices which it wished to settle prior to its dissolution. The sum of £1 million was made available to the authority to assist it to settle some of those accounts.
In August 1991 health authorities were allocated some £3 million to meet unpaid bills inherited from the authority that extended beyond the normal period of credit. This is in addition to the £111 million revenue resources allocated to health authorities in 1991-92 for disablement services.
Kidney Dialysis
Mr. Quentin Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many national health service patients were receiving kidney dialysis at the latest date for which figures are available ; what proportion of these are aged 70 years or over ; and what are the comparable figures for the private sector.
Mr. Dorrell : Information in the form requested is not collected centrally. According to information provided by the European Dialysis and Transplant Association the total number of people receiving dialysis in the United Kingdom as at 31 December 1990 was 8,857. At the end of 1989 there was one such patient over the age of 70 years for every 13 under that age.
Back Pain and Injury
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is the number of working days lost to the national health service each year through back pain or back injury ;
(2) what is the total amount paid out in terms of damages by the national health service to staff who have suffered back pain or back injury ;
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(3) what are the sickness absence costs to the national health service of back pain or back injury to staff in terms of (a) sick pay and (b) additional staffing costs to cover for sickness absence ;(4) what percentage of sickness absence in the national health service is due to back pain or back injury ;
(5) what is the cost to the national health service of treating national health service staff who are off work temporarily or permanently due to back pain or back injury.
(6) how many staff leave the national health service each year due to back pain or back injury.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not held centrally.
Dental Services
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department is taking to reduce the incidence of cross-infection in general dental surgeries.
Mr. Dorrell : The Department has issued guidance on various occasions since the publication of the report of the Expert Advisory Group on Hepatitis in Dentistry in 1979. The chief dental officer wrote to all general dental practitioners on the subject in April 1986 and May 1988. In addition, the general principles of cross-infection control have been outlined in the publication "Guidance for Clinical Health Care Workers", a copy of which is available in the Library. The Department also contributed to the British Dental Association's revised guidance on cross-infection control. The Department regularly considers the question of further guidance on cross-infection control in the light of circumstances prevailing at the time.
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that the regulation to empower family health service authorities to inspect general dental surgeries will include the provision for financial penalties and disciplinary action when such surgeries expose their patients to unacceptable risks from cross-infection.
Mr. Dorrell : The terms of service under which dental practitioners provide general dental services under the NHS already make it clear that they must employ proper skill and attention, provide suitable equipment, and provide treatment with suitable instruments for their patients. A dentist found to have acted in breach of his terms of service is vulnerable to sanctions which may be imposed by the family health service authority.
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish a list of those hospitals providing paediatric emergency dental services staffed by the community dental service.
Mr. Dorrell : This information is not held centrally.
Fluoridation
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been carried out by his Department into the effect of the fluoridation of drinking water on the level of morbidity in human populations.
Mr. Dorrell : A number of studies have been undertaken on behalf of the Department into major causes of morbidity in relation to fluoridation of drinking water.
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These include tuberculosis, cancers, cardiovascular diseases, pulmonary diseases, peptic ulcers, renal disease, congenital malformations, thyroid disease and musculo-skeletal disorders. These, and other authoritative reviews of the extensive worldwide scientific literature, have found no evidence to show that fluoridation has any adverse effect on health.Column 128
St. Paul's Eye Hospital
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the number of patients from Wales treated at Liverpool's St. Paul's eye hospital in each of the last four years ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell : This information is not held centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. Michael Emberton, the chairman of Liverpool health authority, for details.
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Rehabilitation Consultants
Mr. Martyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultants in rehabilitation medicine were appointed, and salaries ring- fenced, by the Disablement Services Authority ; how many are still in post ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The latest figures available show that, by 30 September 1990, 11 consultants in rehabilitation medicine had been appointed and are still in post. The remainder of these 40 newly created posts were expected to be filled by the middle of 1991, mainly by medical officers working within disablement services. Resources for disablement services are ring-fenced within total health authority cash limits for the two years, 1991-92 to 1992-93 ; salary costs for consultants in rehabilitation medicine are included within these ring-fenced allocations.
Hospital Social Work
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will issue guidelines to local authorities about appropriate levels of service for hospital social work.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Responsibility for providing social work services to hospitals rests with local authorities under arrangements established in 1974. Local authority circular LAC(91)14 and NHS executive letter EL(91)122 issued in October clarified the position. Copies are available in the Library.
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the progress of the social services inspectorate's inspection of social care to NHS patients.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The inspection process is underway. Fieldwork in five local authorities in England is due to be completed in February 1992 and a report subsequently prepared.
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he is making on establishing agreements about funding hospital social work services in London.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Department has completed a pilot exercise to provide information about the provision of health-related social work services by local authorities to non-residents. The outcome will be discussed with the Local Authority Associations at the end of November.
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that high-quality hospital social work services are part of the community care plans currently being drawn up by local authorities.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : An integral part of local authorities community care plans will be their plans for health-related social work. This was made clear in local authority circular LAC(91)14, a copy of which is available in the Library.
Hospital Appointments
Sir Patrick McNair-Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish figures setting out the number of patients who failed to attend national health service hospitals after being granted firm appointments region by region for the year to March 1991.
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Mr. Dorrell : The available information is given in the table.
Number of patients who did not attend for appointment at consultant
out-patient and general practitioner maternity clinics in 1990-91
(provisional), national health service hospitals
England
Regional health authority |Referral |Consultant |Total
|attendances |initiated
|attendances
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |65,910 |286,097 |352,007
Yorkshire |75,375 |317,241 |392,616
Trent |89,454 |372,723 |462,177
East Anglian |28,180 |103,063 |131,243
North West Thames |96,052 |317,434 |413,486
North East Thames |129,985 |434,484 |564,469
South East Thames |106,784 |337,209 |443,993
South West Thames |52,202 |178,227 |230,429
Wessex |45,156 |158,850 |204,006
Oxford |40,024 |144,700 |184,724
South Western |47,067 |164,700 |211,767
West Midlands |109,552 |449,860 |559,412
Mersey |69,520 |261,015 |330,535
North Western |120,796 |452,390 |573,186
Special health authorities |18,854 |94,184 |113,038
|------- |------- |-------
Total |1,094,911 |4,072,177 |5,167,088
Radiotherapy
Mr. Ted Garrett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the length of time that patients have to wait for radiotherapy at (a) Newcastle general hospital and (b) other parts of the United Kingdom ; and if he will outline the steps he intends to take to improve the position for patients who urgently need treatment in the area served by this hospital.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Information on waiting times for individual hospitals is not held centrally. Information for regional health authorities can be obtained from the "Hospital In-patient Waiting Lists England at 31 March 1991", a copy of which is available in the Library.
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