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Mr. Maclean : Directive 91/628 EEC on the protection of animals during transport provides for the Commission to propose maximum journey times for certain types of animal. This is to ensure that they do not travel for long periods without proper care including food and water. The hon. Member will be aware that our national arrangements provide for a maximum 12 to 15 hour interval between feeding and watering livestock during transport. In the Government's view this rule should be adopted throughout the Community.

Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any proposal to improve the standard of legislation, observance and enforcement of animal welfare between member states.

Mr. Maclean : The Government will continue to press for the high British standards of animal welfare to apply throughout the European Community. We have given full support to Commission proposals for establishing a Community inspectorate to ensure proper application of the legislation in all member states.

Feeding Stuffs

Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken to improve surveillance of the animal feeding stuffs industry in the

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light of the proposed amendment to directive 74/63/EEC ; and what is his estimate of the financial impact of this change on his Department and the industry.

Mr. Maclean : An independent expert group, appointed by the Government, is currently reviewing the regulatory framework covering the animal feedingstuffs industry, with particular reference to food safety aspects. The proposed amendment to directive 74/63/EEC is not expected to have a financial impact on the Department or directly on animal feedingstuffs manufacturers, who should receive additional safeguards regarding their raw materials.

Eggs

Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on how many occasions, and in respect of how many eggs, action has been taken by his Department to refuse consignments of foreign produced eggs on the grounds of (a) salmonella infection and (b) either quality or health grounds.

Mr. Dorrell : I have been asked to reply.

This information is not collected centrally.

ENERGY

Uranium

Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Energy, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Wyre (Mr. Mans) Official Report, 23 January, columns 284-85, where the outstanding three kilogrammes of enriched uranium, not accounted for by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority's investigation, is thought to be ; and if he will set out the areas where managerial improvements at Dounreay are recommended.

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory : The conclusions and recommendations of the report are confidential to my Department and Euratom. However, the Atomic Energy Authority has accepted all the recommendations made in the investigation report and has taken action to implement them. Furthermore, I have asked my officials to monitor implementation of the report's recommendations by the Atomic Energy Authority.

HEALTH

Hormone Therapy

Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average cost per week of a course of growth hormone therapy.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The average cost per week of a course of growth hormone therapy varies because dosage is related to the patient's weight. The estimated cost per week in September 1991 of treating a child weighing 40kg was between £183 and £192 per week, depending on the brand of hormone used.

European Year of Elderly People

Mr. Andrew Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department is making for the European year of elderly people and solidarity between the generations in 1993.

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Mr. Dorrell : We are well advanced with our plans for the European year, in co-operation with the Department of Social Security. Following consultation with a wide range of national voluntary and professional bodies, statutory authorities and other relevant Government Departments, we have set up a group to advise on the conduct, promotion and evaluation of the programme in the United Kingdom. The group involves representatives of a wide range of organisations reflecting the interests of older people, including the National Pensioners Convention, and will take direct account wherever possible of the views and preferences of older people themselves. The programme in the United Kingdom will focus on four major themes : Combating "agism" and promoting positive images of ageing ; Volunteering ;

Health promotion and active leisure, including remaining mentally active ;

Social integration, including problems of isolation and loneliness, information needs, and housing issues.

Four task groups are being set up to examine each of these themes. Their remit will outline the aims and activities to be achieved over the 12 months, with particular reference wherever appropriate to intergenerational and multicultural aspects.

Age Concern England--the National Council on Ageing will be responsible for the overall co-ordination of the official programme and the dissemination of news and information. The Department is providing funds for the costs of a secretariat for this purpose and has already committed £25,000 in the current year.

Magnetic Resonance Imagers

Mr. Knapman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Gower (Mr. Wardell), 3 December 1991, Official Report, column 128, if he will set out the terms of his letter in the Official Report.

Mr. Waldegrave : The text of my letter is as follows :

"During Health Questions on 3 December I said I would write with details of the number of magnetic resonance imagers available in England and Wales.

At present there are 45 magnetic resonance scanners in use in England and Wales, 13 of these are in the private sector but all can be used for NHS patients if the health authority and the owner' agree. That, of course, was never feasible under the old funding system of the NHS.

There was a grand total of two machines in England and Wales in 1979 ; both in experimental stage and not available for routine NHS use. I think you have helped me to draw attention to yet another area of rapid growth in the NHS under this Government!"

Homoeopathic Hospitals

Mr. Tredinnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average waiting time at national health service homoeopathic hospitals for (a) in-patients and (b) out-patients in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Waiting time information on individual hospitals is not collected centrally.

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Trent Regional Health Authority (Contracts)

Mr. Patchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultants employed by Trent regional health authority are (a) on full- time contracts and (b) on maximum part-time contracts ; and what plans he has to end part-time contracts.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : There are currently 753 full-time and 411 part-time consultants--medical and dental--employed by Trent regional health authority. There are no plans to end part-time contracts.

Regional Alcohol Co-ordinators

Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when he decided to create or support the creation of the post of regional alcohol co-ordinator for each regional health authority in England ; (2) how much money has been (a) allocated and (b) spent by his Department to fund the appointment of regional alcohol co-ordinators in each regional health authority in 1990-91, 1991-92 and 1992-93, respectively ;

(3) to date, how many regional alcohol co-ordinator posts have been (a) approved and (b) appointed for regional health authority areas in England ; and if he will list the regional health authorities where a regional alcohol co-ordinator has been appointed and the date of first appointment in each case.

Mr. Dorrell : The Government's intention to fund a regional alcohol misuse co-ordinator post in each regional health authority in England was announced in the interdepartmental circular HN(89)4, a copy of which is available in the Library, on "Alcohol Misuse" issued in February 1989. Co- ordinators were appointed in all 14 regions between October 1989 and February 1990. The amount of money allocated to each regional health authority in 1990-91 was £16,000. Two regions, Northern and North West Thames, received half their 1990-91 allocation because during that year alcohol misuse was only a part of their co-ordinators' responsibilities. All the money allocated was spent. From 1991-92 onwards funding for regional alcohol misuse co-ordinator posts has been built into health authorities' baselines and is not therefore identified separately. It does, however, attract annual uplifting for inflation.

Abortion

Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list, by regional health authority area, the places approved by him under section 1(3) of the Abortion Act 1967, indicating which of these places has been approved (a) to provide early medical abortion using Mifegyne and (b) to carry out terminations after the 20th week of pregnancy.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The table provides the information requested. Clinics approved to provide early medical abortion are marked (A) and those approved to carry out late termination up to 24 weeks are marked (B).

Places approved under section --1(3) of The Abortion Act 1967--by Regional Health Authority--

Region and Approved Places

Northern

Cleveland and Nuffield Hospital, Junction Road, Norton, Stockton-on-Tees TS20 1QB.

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Newcastle Nuffield, Clayton Road, Newcastle- upon-Tyne NU2 1JP Yorkshire

BUPA Belvedere Hospital, Belvedere Road, Scarborough YO11 2UT BUPA Hospital Hull and East Riding, Lowfield Road, Anlaby, Hull HU10 7AZ

Duchy House Nuffield, Queen's Road, Harrogate, Yorkshire HG2 0HF Fallodon Private Surgical Hospital, 4 Allerton Park, Leeds LS7 4ND Fulford Grange Hospital, Micklefield Lane, Rawdon, Leeds LS19 6BA Hull Nuffield Hospital, Westbourne Avenue, Hull, Humberside HU5 3HP

Yorkshire Clinic, Bradford Road, Bingley, West Yorkshire BD16 1TW Trent

AMI Park Hospital, Sherwood Lodge Drive, Arnold, Nottingham NG5 8RX

Bromhead Hospital, Nettleham Road, Lincoln LN2 1QU

BUPA Hospital, Leicester, Gartree Road, Oadby, Leicester LE2 2FF Danum Lodge Nursing Home, 123 Thorne Road, Doncaster DN2 5BQ (A) Doncaster Independent Hospital, 51 Bawtry Road, Bessacarr, Doncaster DN4 7AA

Leicester Nuffield Clinic, Scraptoft Lane, Leicester LE5 1HY Parkfield Private Hospital, Parkfield Road, Rotherham, South Yorkshire S65 2AJ

Tapton Cliffe Clinic, 276 Fulwood Road, Sheffield S10 3BN East Anglia

BUPA Hospital Norwich, Old Watton Road, Colney, Norwich NR4 7TD Christchurch Park Hospital, 57 Fonnereau Road, Ipswich, Suffolk IP1 3JN

Evelyn Hospital, Trumpington Road, Cambridge CB2 2AF

Fitzwilliam Hospital, Milton Way, South Bretton, Peterborough PE3 8YQ

Sandringham Private Hospital, Gayton Road, Kings Lynn, Norfolk PE30 4HU

North West Thames

BUPA Hospital Bushey, Heathbourne Road, Bushey, Watford, Hertfordshire WD2 7RD

Chatsworth Clinic, 76-78 Park Road, New Barnet, Hertfordshire EN4 9QT

Clementine Churchill Hospital, Sudbury Hill, Harrow, Middlesex HA1 3RX

Garden Hospital, 46-50 Sunny Gardens Road, Hendon, London NW4 7RX Park View Clinic, 87 Mattock Lane, Ealing, London W5 5BJ (A) (B) Royal Masonic Hospital, Ravenscourt Park, London W6

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OTN

North East Thames

AMI Portland Hospital, 209 Great Portland Street, London W1N 6AH BPAS St. Anns, St. Anns Hospital, St. Anns Road, London N15 3TH (A)

Fairfield Nursing Home, 88 Russell Road, Buckhurst Hill, Essex IG9 5BQ

Humana Hospital Wellington, Wellington Place, London NW8 Marie Stopes Nursing Home, 10 Manstone Road, London NW2 3XG (A) South East Thames

AMI Blackheath Hospital, 40-42 Lee Terrace, London SE3 9UD AMI Chaucer Hospital, Nackington Road, Canterbury, Kent CT4 7AR Avenue Clinic, 14 New Church Road, Hove, Sussex BN3 4FE BUPA Alexandra Hospital, Impton Lane, Walderslade, Kent ME5 9PG Leigham Private Clinic, 76 Leigham Court Road, London SW16 2QA (B) Raleigh Nursing Home, 1A Raleigh Gardens, Brixton Hill, London, SW2 6AB (A) (B)

Wistons Nursing Home, 138 Dyke Road, Brighton, East Sussex BN1 5PA (A) (B)

South West Thames

BUPA Hospital Clare Park, Crondall Lane, Crondall, Farnham, Surrey GU10 5DT

New Victoria Hospital, 184 Coombe Lane West, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey KT2 7EG

Rosslyn Nursing Home, 15-17 Rosslyn Road, East Twickenham, Middlesex TW1 2AR (A) (B)

Woking Nuffield Hospital, Shores Road, Woking, Surrey GU21 4BY Wessex

Bath Clinic, Claverton Down Road, Coombe Down, Bath BA2 7BE BUPA Chalybeate Hospital, Chalybeate Close, Tremona Road, Southampton, Hants SO9 4AX

BUPA Hospital Portsmouth, Bartons Road, Havant, Hants PO9 5NP Dean Park Nursing Home, 23-25 Ophir Road, Bournemouth, Dorset BH8 8LS (A)

Hampshire Clinic, Basing Road, Basingstoke, Hants RG24 0AL New Hall Hospital, Bodenham, Salisbury, Wiltshire SP5 4EY Sarum Road Private Hospital, Sarum Road, Winchester, Hants SO22 5HA

Winterbourne Hospital, Herrington Road, Dorchester, Dorset DT1 2DR Oxford

The Acland Nuffield Hospital, Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 6PD

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Foscote Private Hospital, Foscote Rise, Banbury, OX16 9XP South Western

BUPA Hospital Bristol, Redland Hill, Durdham Downs, Bristol, BS6 7JJ

Chesterfield Nuffield Hospital, Clifton Hill, Bristol, BS8 1BP Duchy Hospital, Penventinnie Lane, Treliske, Truro, TR1 3UP Exeter Nuffield Hospital, Wonford Road, Exeter EX2 4UG

Plymouth Nuffield Hospital, Derriford Road, Derriford, Plymouth PL6 8BG

Somerset Nuffield Hospital, Staplegrave Elm, Taunton, Somerset TA2 6AN

West Midlands

Blackdown Nursing Home, Old Milverton Lane, Blackdown, Leamington Spa CV32 6RW (A)

BUPA South Bank Hospital, 139 Bath Road, Worcester WR5 3AG Calthorpe Nursing Home, 4 Arthur Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2UL (A)

Droitwich Private Hospital, St. Andrews Road, Droitwich, Worcestershire WR9 8EA

Robert Nursing Home, 162 Station Road, Kings Norton, Birmingham B30 1DB (A) (B)

Salop Nuffield Hospital, Longden Road, Shrewsbury SY3 9DP Wye Valley Nuffield Hospital, Venns Lane, Hereford HR1 1DF Mersey

BUPA Murrayfield Hospital, Holmwood Drive, Thingwall, Wirral, Merseyside L61 1AU

BUPA North Cheshire Hospital, Fir Tree Close, Stretton, Warrington, Cheshire WA4 4LU

Merseyside Nursing Home, 32 Parkfield Road, Liverpool L17 8UJ (A) North Western

AMI Alexandra Hospital, Mill Lane, Cheadle, Cheshire SK8 2PX Gisburn Park Private Hospital, Gisburn, Clitheroe, Lancashire BB7 4HX

Highfield Private Hospital, Manchester Road, Rochdale OL11 4LX South Manchester Private Clinic, 136 Chester Road, Hazel Grove, Stockport SK7 6HE (A)

(A)--Approved to provide early medical abortion.

(B)--Approved to carry out late terminations up to 24 weeks.

Cervical Screening

Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will state the total amount of expenditure on his Department's cervical screening programme for the most recent available year and outline the various elements, such as general practitioner remuneration, concerned.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : General practitioners receive payments for achieving specific targets for cervical cancer screening ; the total expenditure on these in 1990-91 was

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£40 million. No central estimate is made of the cost of the other main elements of the cervical screening programme : the laboratory examination of smears, or the administration of the arrangements for inviting women for screening.

Hospital Car Service

Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the cost to the health service of the hospital car service in each of the last three years ; and what is the estimated cost of running an alternative transport service.

Mr. Dorrell : The total cost to the NHS of the hospital car service in each of the last three years is given in the table.

No cost estimate is possible for an alternative service for which no plans exist.

Expenditure on        

Hospital Car Service  

        |£,000        

----------------------

1988-89 |9,659        

1989-90 |10,279       

1990-91 |11,332       

Health Promotion Clinics

Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the total level of payments to general practitioners for running health promotion clinics since the introduction of the new contract.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The total amount paid to general practitioners for running health promotion clinics between 1 April 1990 and 30 September 1991 was £63 million.

Psychiatric Prisons

Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many long -stay prisoners in psychiatric prisons were discharged into the care of either (a) the NHS, (b) the local authority or (c) voluntary or private care in each year since 1980 ; and how many of these prisoners were subsequently re-admitted.

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