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Mr. Fallon : The Department does not maintain a record of the age of school buildings but the "Study of School Building" published in 1977, which was based on a sample survey of primary and secondary schools, reported that, of the then 23,000 primary schools in England and Wales, 8,000 were built before 1903.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales is responsible for schools in Wales.
Institut Laue-Langevin
Mr. Anthony Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what conclusions the Science and Engineering Research Council has reached in its review of neutron facilities at the Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble and the ISIS source at its Rutherford-Appleton laboratory ; how those conclusions relate to the present problems with the ILL reactor ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Howarth : Following its review of neutron beam requirements earlier this year, the Science and Engineering Research Council concluded that its expenditure in this area of science should be reduced by some £5 million a year from the previously planned level with effect from 1994-95.
The council further concluded that its financial support for the ISIS facility should remain broadly in line with currently planned levels. It is therefore seeking a reduction in the level of the United Kingdom's contribution to the Institut Laue-Lagevin (ILL) beyond 1993.
The council's aim is to reach a satisfactory agreement with our French and German partners in the ILL both on the question of the future level of United Kingdom participation and on the related question of a repair plan for the reactor. To achieve this the United Kingdom is proposing that the present ILL convention should be
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superseded from 1 January 1994 ; formal notice to this effect, as required under the convention, will be given before the end of 1991. The United Kingdom delegation will be making a statement on the United Kingdom's position to the ILL council, now meeting in Grenoble, later today. A copy of that statement is being placed in the Library.HEALTH
NHS Expenditure
Sir Michael Neubert : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the expenditure on the national health service in each of the years from 1978-79 to date ; what allocations have been made in those years to the Barking, Havering and Brentwood health authority ; and what variations respectively these represent in relation to the increases in national expenditure.
Mr. Dorrell : The table shows changes in gross NHS expenditure in England and in expenditure--as far as it can be identified--in the area covered by Barking, Havering and Brentwood health authority. The latter figures include all revenue and capital expenditure by the district health authority ; the cost of capital schemes within the district borne by the North East Thames regional health authority ; and expenditure on family health services, which is not strictly attributable to particular districts. Revenue expenditure incurred by North East Thames for the region as a whole and expenditure met nationally by the Department of Health and organisations providing central services to the NHS are excluded.
Capital expenditure for particular localities tends to vary year on year, mostly reflecting changes in the pattern of capital investment throughout the country--for example, in the case of Barking, Havering and Brentwood, completion of the redevelopment of Harold Wood hospital in 1987-88, and the construction of a school of nursing and an extension at High Wood hospital in 1988-89.
NHS expenditure, England Barking, Havering and
Brentwood health
authority<1> expenditure
|Gross total |Percentage |Total |Percentage
|(£ million) |cash change |(£ thousand)|cash change
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1978-79 |6,525 |- |46,318 |-
1979-80 |7,755 |18.9 |54,516 |17.7
1980-81 |10,103 |30.3 |71,771 |31.7
1981-82 |11,329 |12.1 |78,848 |9.9
1982-83 |12,353 |9.0 |85,471 |8.4
1983-84 |13,114 |6.2 |89,621 |4.9
1984-85 |14,102 |7.5 |97,246 |8.5
1985-86 |14,923 |5.8 |102,935 |5.9
1986-87 |16,043 |7.5 |108,522 |5.4
1987-88 |17,642 |10.0 |121,899 |12.3
1988-89 |19,587 |11.0 |132,211 |8.5
1989-90 |89-90 |21,089 |7.7 |134,984
1990-91 |23,637 |12.1 |<2>- |<2>-
1991-92<3> |26,618 |12.6 |<2>- |<2>-
<1> Source:
Annual accounts of the Barking, Havering and Brentwood health authority and
its predecessor area health authority and those of the North East Thames
regional health authority (RHA).
Annual accounts of the Barking and Havering family health services authority.
<2> Not yet available.
<3> Estimated outturn.
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Magnetic Resonance Imaging Assessment
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average waiting list, region by region, for magnetic resonance imaging assessment/treatment.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Waiting list information is not collected centrally by intended diagnostic procedure or treatment.
Patients Charter
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role he envisages for community health councils in the implementation of the patients charter.
Mr. Dorrell : Community health councils continue to have an important role to play in identifying issues of local concern and in acting as a communication channel between authorities and the people they serve.
Asthma
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the latest information he has on the morbidity associated with asthma in terms of lost schooling and sickness absence.
Mr. Dorrell : There is significant morbidity associated with asthma in terms of lost schooling and sickness absence. More than 5.5 million days of certified sickness absence were recorded in Britain in 1987-88, representing about 7 million actual days lost. Information is not available centrally on absences from school associated with asthma.
Mr. Butler : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will designate the effective treatment and care of asthma as one of the first set of key areas for targeting ;
(2) what responses he has received relating to asthma in response to his White Paper "The Health of the Nation" Cm. 1523.
Mr. Dorrell : No decision has yet been made on which key areas will be included in the White Paper. We have received 2,050 responses to the Green Paper. Many of these welcomed the suggestion that asthma should be a priority area for the White Paper.
Abortion
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received about Medway health authority's decision to restrict the abortion service available on the national health service to certain groups ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : We have received one representation on abortion services in Medway district health authority. The level of NHS terminations in the Medway authority were just below the national average-- 42 per cent.--in 1990 and are likely to be above it at the end of 1991.
Health of the Nation"
Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many responses his Department has received to the "Health of the Nation" Green Paper ; and how many of these called for a ban on tobacco advertising.
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Mr. Dorrell : Of the 2,050 replies sent to the Department from organisations and individuals, over 75 per cent. have discussed smoking-related issues. Many have called for a ban on the advertising of tobacco.Homeless People
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will collate and publish information from the national health service, coroners courts and police services on the cost of providing emergency health care to homeless people.
Health Expenditure
Mr. Moate : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish a table listing United Kingdom public expenditure on health as a percentage of gross national product together with comparable figures in other European Community countries.
Mr. Dorrell : It is estimated that total United Kingdom spending on the NHS in 1991-92 will amount to 5.6 per cent. of GDP, rising to 5.7 per cent. in 1992-93. This compares with a figure of 4.7 per cent. in 1978-79. We do not have comparable figures for other European Community countries.
Vehicle Disinfection
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that commercial vehicles used for bulk transport of meat and bonemeal are properly disinfected before subsequently being used for the transport of food for human consumption.
Mr. Dorrell : The Food Hygiene (Market Stalls and Delivery Vehicles) Regulations 1966, as amended, already make it an offence to use insanitary vehicles to transport food. They also require food businesses to keep delivery vehicles clean and in good repair and order.
Information Technology
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued to family health service authorities on the allocation of money for information technology to general practitioner practices.
Mr. Dorrell : This is contained in "Family Health Services Letter (91)57", a copy of which is available in the Library.
Hospitals (European Patients)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his practice to maintain lists of health authorities in England and Wales offering operations and convalescent holidays to patients from European countries ; and if he will make a statement.
Hospital Wards
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital wards in each health region have been converted for administrative use during each year since 1979.
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Mr. Dorrell : This information is not collected centrally.
Project 2000
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects all nursing students to be within the Project 2000 scheme in England.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Implementation of Project 2000 began in 1989. By the end of the current financial year, nearly 60 per cent. of the colleges and schools of nursing in England will have received approval to run Project 2000 and £109 million will have been made available centrally towards the cost of implementation. Our aim is to complete implementation as soon as possible ; the precise completion date will depend on the funding which can be made available given other competing priorities.
Counterfeit Medicines
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessments his Department has undertaken of the sales and production of counterfeit medicines in the United Kingdom.
Mrs. Virgina Bottomley : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Huddersfield (Mr. Sheerman) on 18 November, Official Report, column 40.
NHS Statistics (Sunderland)
Mr. Mullin : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will call for a report from the chairman of the Northern regional health authority regarding (a) the number of administrative jobs and (b) the cost of administration in the Sunderland district for each of the last three years and the projected figures for 1992.
Mr. Dorrell : Responsibility for administrative costs in local health services rests with the local district health authority. The hon. Member may wish to write to Mr. Frank Cronin, the chairman of Sunderland health authority, for details.
Traffic Casualties
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list for each year since 1979 the amount of money collected by the national health service in respect of payment for ambulance services to traffic casualties ;
(2) if he will list for each year since 1979 the amount of money collected by the national health service in respect of payment for hospital treatment of traffic casualties.
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 25 November 1991] : There is no charge for the NHS emergency ambulance service. When patients are treated by medical practitioners following a road traffic accident, two separate charges may be payable. An emergency treatment fee may be claimed at a flat rate, currently £19.30, when any qualified medical practitioner provides immediate medical treatment following a road traffic accident. Health authorities and NHS trusts may collect this fee if the initial treatment is provided at an NHS hospital. The fee is payable by vehicle users and must be covered by motor insurance policies.
In addition, hospitals can collect charges for any subsequent in or out- patient treatment up to maximum
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levels, currently £2,667 and £267 respectively. These charges can normally be claimed only from motor insurers, and only if the insurer has made a payment in respect of death or bodily injury arising from the road traffic accident.The total income to health authorities in England from these charges has been as follows :
|£ million
------------------------------
1979-80 |1.438
1980-81 |2.723
1981-82 |4.198
1982-83 |5.894
1983-84 |6.950
1984-85 |7.324
1985-86 |7.916
1986-87 |7.871
1987-88 |8.687
1988-89 |8.748
1989-90 |9.256
Information relating to 1990-91 is not yet available.
Attendance Allowance
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will issue guidance requiring local authorities to disregard attendance allowance when determining charges for personal social services.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley [holding answer 26 November 1991] : Local authorities have discretionary powers to charge for domiciliary and day-care services. If charges are made authorities must take into account what it is reasonably practicable for an individual to pay. It is proposed to issue guidance to authorities about the use of these powers.
The Government's view is that the full economic cost of providing a service should be recovered where this can be done without causing hardship to the service user.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Benefit Downgrade
Mr. Illsley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security for what reasons it was decided to downgrade social security benefits of a claimant after a period of hospital in-patient care of six weeks but to allow benefits to remain unchanged for up to 12 months for those claimants admitted to residential or nursing care.
Miss Widdecombe : Most social security benefits are reduced after six weeks of free in-patient treatment in hospital. These arrangements are based on the view that state funds should not make double provision for the same need. As the national health service provides free maintenance as well as free treatment, it has always been the policy that maintenance benefits paid from state funds should not continue to be paid in full indefinitely.
By contrast, people who enter residential care homes or nursing homes do not receive free maintenance from public funds, but have to pay for the services provided by the home. For this reason, most benefits other than income support are not affected by admission to such homes. Because income support provides assistance with the fees for residential or nursing care, the amount of benefit that can be paid is normally amended as soon as the claimant
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incurs such fees. However, the temporary admission of one partner to residential or nursing care may have no effect on the amount of benefit that can be paid if to pay for each partner as separate individuals would result in the couple's benefit entitlement being reduced. This arrangement can last for up to 12 months, after which time the couple are assessed separately.Benefit Deductions
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the total amount of poll tax collected in 1990-91 from direct deductions in benefit from offices covering the Nottingham, North constituency ; and if he will make a statement.
Miss Widdecombe : The administration of income support is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and copies will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.
EC Meetings
Mr. Sillars : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will list the EC Ministerial Council meetings at which his Department has or will be represented during November and December.
Mr. Jack : The Department attended the Labour and Social Affairs Council meeting on 6 November and is planning to attend the next meeting on 3 December.
Carer's Premium
Mr. Illsley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security whether he has any proposals to remove the anomaly whereby people aged over 65 years are not entitled to carer's premium due to retirement benefit being counted as an overlapping benefit, but people who reach the age of 65 years with an underlying entitlement such as invalidity pension will be allowed to continue receiving carer's premium if they are already in receipt of it.
Miss Widdecombe : The carer premium was introduced in October 1990 in the relevant income-related benefits on top of all other premiums primarily to provide extra benefit to people of working age who are unable to work or whose employment is restricted because they care for a severely disabled person. As such it goes to carers who can establish entitlement to invalid care allowance. A person over the age of 65 years would not be able to establish entitlement to that benefit if caring starts after that age. But a carer who has established entitlement to invalid care allowance and the carer premium before reaching 65 years may retain those entitlements beyond that age to recognise the former limitations on employment through the caring role. We have no plans to change these arrangements.
Family Credit
Sir Ian Gilmour : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will publish figures showing the proposed family credit ceilings in 1992-93 for each of (a) a married couple with one child aged under five years, (b) a married couple with two children aged under 11 years, (c) a married couple with two children aged over 11 years, (d) a married couple with three children aged under 11 years,
Column 591
(e) a married couple with three children aged over 11 years and (f) a married couple with two children aged under 11 years and two children over 11 years.Miss Widdecombe : At the new benefit levels proposed for April 1992 the family credit ceiling represented by the highest amount of net earnings and other relevant income a family can have and still qualify for family credit at the minimum payment of 50p will be as follows :
|£
---------------------------------------------------------------
Married couple with one child under 5 years |139.32
Married couple with two children aged under 11 |154.18
Married couple with two children aged over 11
(but under 16) |173.75
Married couple with three children aged under 11 |169.03
Married couple with three children aged over 11
(but under 16) |198.39
Married couple with two children aged under 11
and two children over 11 years (but under 16) |203.46
Child Benefit
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what was the rate of child benefit in 1987 for (a) first children and (b) other children, in current prices.
Miss Widdecombe : In April 1987 the rate of child benefit was £7.25 a week for each child, which is equivalent to £9.62 at October 1991 prices. From April 1992 we are increasing the rate for the eldest qualifying child to £9.65.
Disablement Benefit
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, further to his answer to the hon. Member for Greenock and Port Glasgow, Official Report, 18 November, column 7, (a) how many of the 1,367 claims for disablement benefit were successful, (b) how many went to appeal at a tribunal, (c) what was the average amount paid out to successful claimants, (d) what was the total amount paid out in respect of these claims and (e) how many are awaiting hearings at appeal tribunals.
Miss Widdecombe : The administration of disablement benefit is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and copies will be placed in the Library and the Public Information Office.
Student Nurses
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security which social security benefits are potentially available to a single nursing student assuming that the student is not pursuing a Project 2000 course of nursing, is under 25, single and able-bodied.
Miss Widdecombe : Nursing students who are not pursuing a Project 2000 course have access to the normal range of social security benefits, provided the appropriate qualifying conditions are met.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many nursing students claimed community charge benefit in 1990-91.
Column 592
Miss Widdecombe : The information requested is not available.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what minimum level of community charge would be required for a nursing student to be able to claim community charge benefit in the current financial year, assuming that (a) the student is aged under 25 years, single, is not pursuing a Project 2000 course of nursing and has a net weekly income of £96.83 and (b) the student is aged over 25 years, single, is not pursuing a Project 2000 course of nursing and has a net weekly income of £96.83.
Miss Widdecombe : The information requested is as follows : (a) The personal community charge would need to be nearly £595 or higher before any community charge benefit would be payable. (b) The personal community charge would need to be about £511 or higher before any community charge benefit would be payable. Notes :
The exemplifications assume that the single student nurse is not a lone parent or disabled. In these circumstances student nurses would be entitled to some benefit at lower charge levels.
Most student nurses will have benefited in full from the £140 reduction in community charges under the Community Charges (General Reduction) Act 1991.
Reduced Earning Allowance
Dr. Godman : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many claims were made for payments of backdated reduced earning allowance in each of the past four years in (a) Strathclyde and (b) Greenock and Port Glasgow ; how many of these applications were successful ; what was the average payment made ; and what was the total amount paid in each of the past three years in (i) Strathclyde and (ii) Greenock and Port Glasgow.
Mr. Scott : I understand from Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency, that the information is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Community Charge Benefit
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people with a net weekly income of £96.83 claimed community charge benefit in 1990-91.
Miss Widdecombe : It is estimated that about 25,000 claimants with a net income of between £96 and £97 were in receipt of community charge benefit in May 1990.
Source :
The Housing Benefit/Community Charge Benefit Management Information System annual 1 per cent. sample inquiry for May 1990. However, data for May 1990 underestimates the number of recipients of Community Charge Benefit because some people who were entitled to benefit had not had their benefit claims assessed by then.
Note :
The figures exclude those in receipt of Income Support and in cases involving couples, the income specified is for the couple and not an individual person.
Council Tax
Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will outline the benefit arrangements that will apply under the new council tax ; and if he will make a statement.
Column 593
Mr. Newton : Under provisions in the Local Government Finance Bill currently before the House, council tax benefit will replace community charge benefit from April 1993. People on income support or equivalent levels of income will be entitled to maximum rebates of up to 100 per cent. of their council tax liability, rather than the 80 per cent. maximum under community charge benefit.Amounts are currently included in the income-related benefit levels to help towards the 20 per cent. contribution to the community charge that everyone has to pay. From next April, these will amount, in total, to an estimated £680 million a year.
Following the statement I made to the House on 21 October, in which I indicated that the Government did not propose to make a reduction in benefit rates corresponding to this year's £140 reduction in community charge, I am glad to be able to announce also that there will be no reduction in the value of income-related benefit levels on the introduction of the new council tax to reflect the fact that benefit recipients will no longer be expected to meet their 20 per cent. liability for the community charge. This will mean that from April 1993, income support levels will be at least £1.40 a week higher for single people, and £2.80 a week higher for couples, than they might otherwise have been.
Generally speaking, the detailed arrangements for the new council tax benefit will follow the rules that currently apply to all other income- related benefits, including the same structure of personal allowances and premiums, the treatment of capital and the defintions of earnings and income. For those with income above their appropriate applicable amount we propose that council tax benefit will be reduced by 20p for every £1 of excess income, compared with a reduction of 15p for every £1 of excess income under community charge benefit. However, those on the lowest levels of income will gain from the introduction of 100 per cent. maximum rebates and the decision not to adjust benefit levels on the introduction of the new tax and, overall, benefit entitlement will extend to claimants with broadly the same levels of income as those currently helped by community charge benefit.
It is reasonable to assume that non-dependant adults sharing the household on a non-commercial basis with a benefit claimant should be expected to make some contribution to the council tax bill. There will, therefore, be a system of non-dependant deductions in the new council tax benefit scheme, as there is for housing benefit. For those non-dependants who are not in full-time work or whose income is below a prescribed level (£100 a week in 1992-93 terms) the deduction will be £1 a week. For those in full-time work on higher incomes the deduction will be £2 a week. There will be no deduction where the non-dependant is on income support or would otherwise attract a discount.
The new council tax benefit will be uprated each year along with the other income-related benefits. As part of my uprating statement on 21 October, columns 639-45, I announced that the Rossi index had been revised this year to align more exactly with those costs which people are expected to meet from their benefit, thus bringing within it 20 per cent. of community charge, water rates, and certain miscellaneous housing costs not previously included. This
Column 594
approach, which has been widely supported, will naturally entail a further adjustment to the calculation of the index for the April 1993 uprating, to reflect the fact that there will be no minimum contribution to the council tax. Water rates and miscellaneous housing costs will of course continue to be taken into account. The new council tax benefit scheme will also provide help in respect of non- dependants on low incomes living as the second adult in households where the person liable for the new tax is not receiving a rebate on the basis of his own income. In response to the concerns of the local authority associations to minimise the administrative complexity of the new scheme, rebates for second adults will be assessed on a similar basis to non- dependant deductions. A maximum 25 per cent. rebate will be awarded in respect of a second adult or adults on income support. Lower levels of rebate will apply in respect of second adults with gross incomes above prescribed levels. In relation to 1992-93 income levels, the rebates would be as follows :
C
|Percentage
|rebate
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Second adults with combined income less than
£100 a week |15
Second adults with combined income between
£100 and £130 a week |7"
Second adults with combined income of £130 a
week or more |<1>
<1> No rebate.
The detailed arrangements for the new council tax benefit scheme will be set out in draft regulations on which we will be consulting with the local authority associations in due course. The draft regulations will also be referred to the Social Security Advisory Committee and will be subject to approval by resolution of each House of Parliament.
Overall it is expected that the new council tax benefit scheme will bring help to some 5 million claimants (between one in four and one in five of all council tax payers). At current benefit and estimated council tax levels the cost of the scheme would be around £1.1 billion a year.
WALES
Hospital Statistics
Mr. Gwilym Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the hospital bed percentage occupancy rate for each district health authority in Wales in 1974 to 1979 and 1979 to the latest available date ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Nicholas Bennett : Prior to 1981, Pembrokeshire and East Dyfed DHAs existed as one authority (Dyfed DHA) and, therefore, it is not possible to give figures in the form requested. The available information is given in the following table.
Performance targets will be set for bed occupancy rates in the shortly to be published updated version of "NHS Wales : Agenda for Action".
Our target is for the percentage for NHS non-psychiatric hospital beds occupied to increase from 73.6 per cent. in 1990-91 to 78 per cent. by 1994 -95.
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