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Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 30 January, Official Report, column 668, what proportion of the general practitioner fund holders' budget for hospital services is spent outside the NHS.
Mr. Dorrell : This information is not collected centrally.
Organ Retrievals
29. Sir Michael McNair-Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the United Kingdom transplant authority and regional health authorities about improving organ retrieval rates.
Mr. Dorrell : We are constantly looking at ways to improve organ retrieval rates through our regular contacts with people from a wide range of interested bodies including health authorities and the United Kingdom Transplant Support Service Authority. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State discussed this issue during a recent visit to the UKTSSA.
Waiting Lists
28. Mr. Hunter : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what actions have been announced under the waiting list initiative.
Mr. Waldegrave : I have made four announcements which have given fresh impetus to our continued drive to reduce long waiting time. First, at the start of the financial year, I announced a waiting list fund of £35 million to be used to help health authorities reduce long waiting times. A proportion of this money has been targeted at the 80 worst lists.
Secondly, in October last year, I announced publication of the patients charter, which, for the first time, gives patients a guarantee that, from 1 April 1992, they will not wait more than two years for treatment.
Thirdly, on 3 December, I announced the appointment of an experienced NHS general manager, backed by an additional £2 million, to help health authorities eliminate over two year waiters. Since then we have been able to provide a further £2 million, bringing the total waiting list fund this year to £39 million.
Finally, on 10 February, I announced that we would be providing a further £39 million waiting list fund for next year, taking the total which the Government will have provided between 1987-88 and 1992-93 to nearly £200 million.
30. Ms. Quin : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about hospital waiting lists in the northern area.
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Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Waiting times in the northern region continue to fall. The latest provisional figures show that since March 1991 the number of patients waiting over two years has fallen by 60 per cent. and the number waiting over one year by 15 per cent. In line with the patients charter, the region expects to have no patient waiting over two years by 31 March 1992.
Disabled People (Legislation)
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the progress in implementing the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Most of the major provisions of the Act have now been implemented, bringing substantial benefits to disabled people and their carers.
Northern General Hospital (Red Alerts)
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health in how many cases during the month of January was there a red alert in the Northern general hospital.
Mr. Dorrell : This information is not collected centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. Beverley Stokes, the chairman of the Northern general hospital national health service trust, for details.
National Health Service
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what are the existing requirements to provide evidence of entitlement to hospital treatment under the national health service to prevent fraudulent applications by foreign nationals and others who have not contributed financially by means of national health insurance payments ; if he will review the effectiveness and fairness of the present arrangements ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what information is a prospective patient required to supply when seeking hospital treatment under the national health service to satisfy the admission staff that he or she is entitled to treatment free at the point of delivery.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Eligibility to free hospital treatment is based on residence in the United Kingdom, not on the payment of national insurance contributions or taxes. Anyone not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom has to pay for national health service hospital treatment unless he or she is covered by one of a number of specific exemptions.
Guidance issued by the Department makes it clear that, when there is doubt about eligibility, hospital staff should ask for evidence to support a claim to exemption from charging. The information prospective patients are required to supply will vary according to the type of exemption that applies.
Health Authorities (Non-executive Directors)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many chairmen and non-executive directors of district health authorities and family health service authorities do not reside within the boundaries of the authorities to which they have been appointed ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not held centrally. We seek to appoint all chairmen of district
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health authorities and family health services authorities who live or work in the area covered by the authority to which they have been appointed.Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what payments may be made to non-executive directors of health authorities, family health services authorities and hospital trusts in addition to the annual remuneration of £5,000 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The non-executives of NHS authorities and trusts are entitled to travelling and subsistence expenses in addition to annual remuneration of £5,000.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the differences between the responsibilities of the members of district health authorities and family health service authorities prior to appointment of the non-executive directors and those who currently hold office ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Non-executives of the new, streamlined authorities are part of a smaller management board which focuses on issues of overall strategy, policy and direction.
Cervical Smears
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average time taken by laboratories to process cervical smears ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Information is not available in the form requested. Health authorities must aim to return the results of cervical smear tests to the doctor who undertook them within one month. In December 1990 about two thirds of health authorities were meeting the one month target. As at December 1991, the latest available date, more than 96 per cent. of health authorities were meeting this target. The average processing time in those districts which were failing to meet this target was six weeks.
Childhood Vaccination
Mr. Ashley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many yellow card reports of an adverse reaction to childhood vaccination or immunisation were received in the last year for which figures are available ; and how many children died.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : In 1991 there were 483 reports of suspected adverse reactions in association with immunisation of children up to the age of 16. A report of a suspected adverse reaction does not necessarily imply a causal association between the reaction, the outcome and the vaccine. Nine of those reports were deaths : research from several recent studies has shown such deaths to be temporally but not causally related to immunisation.
Cervical Cancer
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the estimated annual cost of the cervical cancer screening programme.
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Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : There is no reliable current estimate of the annual cost of the cervical screening programme. The cervical screening programme is an integral part of NHS disease prevention activity and the time and resources used to take and process smears cannot be separately identified. Payments made to GPs in connection with the target payment scheme for cervical screening are provisionally estimated to be £48.9 million in England in 1990-91.
Breast Cancer
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the estimated annual cost of the breast screening programme.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Government allocated £55 million for England--£70 million for the United Kingdom--between 1987-88 and 1990-91 to establish the breast screening programme and to contribute towards ongoing costs. In 1990-91 running costs for the breast screening programme amounted to £24 million in England. In 1991-92 the running costs are estimated to be £24.5 million in England.
NHS Expenditure
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish figures for each district health authority showing their revenue and capital allocations for NHS review expenditure in 1990-91 and 1991-92.
Mr. Dorrell : This information is not held centrally.
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish table 3 of Cm 1913 adjusted for input unit costs.
Mr. Dorrell : The information requested for the hospital and community health services--HCHS--family health services and for the health service as a whole for the years 1986-87 and 1990-91 is given in the table. Information is not available in this form for other parts of the programme or for later years.
This information measures changes in total inputs at constant factor cost but ignores the continuing success of the national health service in increasing the efficiency with which it uses resources. Therefore, in order to give a complete picture, figures adjusted by the GDP deflator have also been included.
Since it has not been possible to adjust these figures for certain review- related changes, figures for 1991-92 onwards are not directly comparable with those for earlier years. The main points are : i. Sums provided for trust debt remuneration are included in HCHS current in 1991-92 and 1992-93 ;
ii. Trusts' capital financed via health authorities' payments for services is included in HCHS current for 1991-92 and 1992-93 ; iii. GP fund holders' expenditure on drugs is included in HCHS current in 1991-92 only.
Further explanation is given in paragraph 3.4 of the departmental report and other tables, for example, table 9 which gives the full picture of HCHS capital spending.
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Expenditure figures as they appear in table 3 of Cm 1913 adjusted for changes in input unit costs and
by the GDP deflator
(all at 1990-91 prices)
£ million
|1986-87|1987-88|1988-89|1989-90|1990-91|1991-92|1992-93
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NHS hospital, community health, family health (cash
limited) and related services:
Current expenditure
Adjusted for change in input unit cost
Gross |14,977 |15,251 |15,311 |15,329 |16,081 |<1>- |<1>-
Net |14,540 |14,818 |14,876 |14,873 |15,590 |<1>- |<1>-
Adjusted by GDP deflator
Gross |14,178 |14,857 |15,377 |15,483 |16,081 |17,098 |18,091
Net |13,764 |14,434 |14,940 |15,022 |15,590 |16,643 |17,678
Capital expenditure
Adjusted for change in input unit cost
Gross |1,423 |1,425 |1,450 |1,591 |1,555 |<1>- |<1>-
Net |1,221 |1,166 |1,110 |1,332 |1,377 |<1>- |<1>-
Adjusted by the GDP deflator
Gross |1,372 |1,369 |1,376 |1,548 |1,555 |1,536 |1,368
Net |1,178 |1,121 |1,054 |1,296 |1,377 |1,338 |1,189
NHS family health services (non cash limited)
current/total expenditure
Adjusted for change in input unit cost
Gross |5,146 |5,323 |5,489 |5,470 |5,304 |<1>- |<1>-
Net |4,593 |4,763 |4,891 |4,807 |4,690 |<1>- |<1>-
Adjusted by the GDP deflator
Gross |4,740 |4,976 |5,261 |5,219 |5,304 |5,424 |5,567
Net |4,231 |4,452 |4,688 |4,587 |4,690 |4,805 |4,930
Total health services
Current expenditure
Adjusted for change in input unit cost
Gross |20,777 |21,223 |21,400 |21,436 |22,017 |<1>- |<1>-
Net |19,774 |20,218 |20,364 |20,317 |20,889 |<1>- |<1>-
Adjusted by the GDP deflator
Gross |19,524 |20,446 |21,216 |21,314 |22,017 |23,239 |24,395
Net |18,581 |19,477 |20,189 |20,201 |20,889 |22,136 |23,313
Capital expenditure
Adjusted for change in input unit cost
Gross |1,474 |1,454 |1,487 |1,621 |1,603 |<1>- |<1>-
Net |1,273 |1,193 |1,121 |1,361 |1,425 |<1>- |<1>-
Adjusted by the GDP deflator
Gross |1,422 |1,398 |1,411 |1,577 |1,603 |1,621 |1,529
Net |1,227 |1,147 |1,064 |1,325 |1,425 |1,423 |1,350
Total expenditure
Adjusted for change in input unit cost
Gross |22,271 |22,696 |22,908 |23,064 |23,620 |<1>- |<1>-
Net |21,061 |21,429 |21,517 |21,688 |22,314 |<1>- |<1>-
Adjusted by the GDP deflator
Gross |20,945 |21,843 |22,628 |22,891 |23,620 |24,860 |25,924
Net |19,808 |20,624 |21,253 |21,526 |22,314 |23,559 |24,663
<1>- Estimates are not made for changes in input unit cost until the financial year has ended.
Dentistry
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total number of courses of treatment for adults by the general dental services in each year since 1978-79.
Mr. Dorrell : The information requested is shown in the table.
Number of adult courses of treatment in the
general dental services
1978 to 1991-92<1>
England
Year |Adult courses of
|treatment
---------------------------------------------------
1978 |17,021,610
1979 |17,351,250
1980 |18,599,830
1981 |18,975,130
1982 |19,724,540
1983 |20,316,210
1984 |20,864,560
1985-86 |21,338,100
1986-87 |21,961,680
1987-88 |22,394,600
1988-89 |24,026,520
1989-90 |22,809,160
1990-91 |22,539,686
1991-92<2> |23,400,000
<1>Prior to 1985-86 information was held by
calendar year.
<2>Forecast for the year based on data up to the
end of January 1992.
Prescription Charges
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase national health service prescription charges.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Mr. Evans) on 13 February, at columns 603-4.
Private Care Homes
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what instructions were given to health authority inspection and registration officers with regard to their role in (a) monitoring whether residents in private nursing homes require such care and are also receiving it, and (b) liaison with Benefits Agency staff concerning the circumstances of those residents in receipt of income support payments towards their care home fee.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Under the Registered Homes Act 1984, health authorities have a general duty to ensure that the level of care provided is sufficient to meet the needs of individual patients.
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Geriatric Patients
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the latest estimate for the average weekly cost per patient of geriatric in -patient care.
Mr. Dorrell : Financial returns submitted to the Department by district health authorities in England for 1990-91 indicate the average treatment cost per geriatric in-patient to be £53 per day. This figure excludes the cost of support services and accommodation, and is provisional at this stage.
School Nurses and Health Visitors
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each of the last five years for each NHS region the number of (a ) school nurses and (b) health visitors.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley [holding answer 7 February 1992] : The information requested is shown in the tables. The fluctuations in numbers reflects the substantial growth in family practitioner services. The number of general practitioners has increased by 20 per cent. since 1979. The wider range of primary care services available to children and their parents has led many health authorities to review the role of their community child health services and redirect resources towards children with special needs.
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National Health Service health visitors<1><4> as at 30 September for each year
England by regional health authorities
Whole-time equivalent<2>
Region |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern Regional Health Authority |690 |680 |700 |690 |690
Yorkshire Regional Health Authority |740 |800 |810 |840 |820
Trent Regional Health Authority |960 |960 |950 |990 |1,010
East Anglia Regional Health Authority |370 |380 |380 |390 |360
North West Thames Regional Health Authority |810 |810 |790 |800 |790
North East Thames Regional Health Authority |740 |770 |720 |740 |770
South East Thames Regional Health Authority |830 |760 |770 |<3>340 |750
South West Thames Regional Health Authority |640 |640 |650 |650 |650
Wessex Regional Health Authority |610 |590 |600 |610 |640
Oxford Regional Health Authority |560 |570 |560 |570 |560
South Western Regional Health Authority |680 |700 |680 |640 |690
West Midlands Regional Health Authority |1,120 |1,110 |1,070 |1,130 |1,100
Mersey Regional Health Authority |500 |500 |520 |550 |520
North Western Regional Health Authority |1,170 |1,100 |1,120 |1,120 |1,120
|------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
England total |10,430 |10,360 |10,340 |<3>10,050|10,470
Source: Department of Health (SM13) annual census of National Health Service non-medical manpower.
<1> Excludes senior nurses grades 1 to 8 in Health Visiting service, including Health Visitors, Health
Visitor field work teachers, school Health
Visitors, TB Visitors with Health Visitor certificates, Bank Health Visitors and dual/triple posts (
HV/DN/MID). From 1989 includes clinical
grades G to I in Health Visiting. Excludes Health Visitor students.
<2> All figures are independently rounded to the nearest ten (10) whole-time equivalent.
<3> Understated figures due to errors in occupation coding at South East Thames region.
<4> Health Visitors are defined by occupation code. Apparent changes in staffing levels may well be the
result of changes in coding accuracy.
National Health Service school nurses<1><3> as at 30 September for each year
England by regional health authorities
Whole-time equivalent<2>
Region |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern Regional Health Authority |220 |220 |220 |210 |200
Yorkshire Regional Health Authority |190 |200 |200 |200 |190
Trent Regional Health Authority |340 |320 |300 |310 |290
East Anglia Regional Health Authority |70 |80 |80 |90 |90
North West Thames Regional Health Authority |200 |200 |210 |210 |210
North East Thames Regional Health Authority |170 |210 |230 |230 |230
South East Thames Regional Health Authority |210 |190 |140 |<4>120 |200
South West Thames Regional Health Authority |150 |140 |140 |130 |120
Wessex Regional Health Authority |120 |120 |120 |120 |120
Oxford Regional Health Authority |100 |110 |110 |120 |120
South Western Regional Health Authority |140 |150 |140 |120 |120
West Midlands Regional Health Authority |310 |320 |320 |330 |330
Mersey Regional Health Authority |210 |210 |200 |190 |190
North Western Regional Health Authority |300 |250 |260 |230 |240
|------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
England total |2,730 |2,720 |2,650 |<4>2,590|2,660
Source: Department of Health (SM13) annual census of National Health Service non-medical
manpower.
<1> Excludes special school and school Health Visitors.
<2> All figures are independently rounded to the nearest ten (10) whole-time equivalent.
<3> School nurses are defined by occupation code. Apparent changes in staffing levels may well be
the result of changes in coding accuracy.
<4> Understated figures due to errors in occupation coding at South East Thames region.
SOCIAL SECURITY
HIV
Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how payments for persons infected with HIV as a result of an NHS blood transfusion or tissue transfer will be treated for the purposes of social security benefits ; and if he will make a statement.
Miss Widdecombe : They will be treated in the same way as payments made to haemophiliacs under the Macfarlane Trusts. That is to say, they will be fully disregarded in the income-related benefits and exempted from the scheme to recover sums equivalent to the value of social security benefits from compensation payments. The confidentiality of beneficiaries will also be protected by making it unnecessary for them to report the receipt of any payment to a social security office or a local authority.
We will introduce the necessary amending regulations as soon as possible.
EDUCATION AND SCIENCE
Assisted Places
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average annual cost of maintaining a pupil in a private school under the assisted places scheme.
Mr. Fallon : The average cost to the Exchequer of an assisted place in the school year 1990-91, the latest year for which complete information is available, was £2,691.
Secondary Education
Mr. Hardy : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his estimate of the 1991-92 cost to public funds of the education of a pupil in a local authority secondary school and in a secondary school which has opted out of local authority control.
Mr. Eggar : The funding of grant-maintained schools comprises a number of elements. The largest element, annual maintenance grant (AMG), broadly reflects the recurrent funds which the former maintaining local education authority of the school would have deployed in support of the school had it remained local education authority-maintained. Other grants to grant-maintained schools reflect the types of provision which local education authority schools receive in cash or in kind.
Student Loans
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will indicate the reasons for the variation in the provision for access funds in 1993-94
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and 1994-95, relative to 1992-93, in table 1 of his departmental report on the Government's expenditure plans, Cm 1911.Mr. Alan Howarth : The figures in the departmental report are based on the initial planned GB provision for access funds of some £15 million each year. Provision for the years 1990-91 to 1992-93 was subsequently increased. Provision for 1993-94 and 1994-95 will be reviewed in this year's public expenditure survey.
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the assumptions on which the projected expenditure on student loans for 1992-93, 1993-94 and 1994-95 are based in table 1 of his departmental report on the Government's expenditure plans, Cm 1911.
Mr. Alan Howarth : As the departmental report makes clear, student loans will continue to be available for all eligible students who apply for them. The level of expenditure on loans will depend on the level of demand and the rates and conditions of loans prescribed in the statutory regulations for each year.
Table 1 in Cm 1911 sets out planned public expenditure provision for the years 1992-93, 1993-94 and 1994-95. The plans for future years will be reviewed in successive public expenditure surveys. The assumptions underlying the figures in table 1 include the following :
(i) Average student support from basic maintenance grant (disregarding any parental contribution) and loan will rise in line with the GDP deflator assumptions for the years in question ; (
(ii) The number of students eligible for loans will rise in line with the projected increase in the number of mandatory award holders, as shown in table 20 of the departmental report ;
(iii) Take-up of the available loan facility will be 35 per cent. in each of the academic years 1991-92 and 1992-93, 45 per cent. in the academic year 1993-94 and 55 per cent. in the academic year 1994-95. Take-up in the academic year 1990-91 was some 28 per cent. ;
(iv) 10 per cent. of borrowers will not have to repay their loans, because their income will never reach the deferment threshold ; and (
(v) 10 per cent. of the remaining 90 per cent. of borrowers will not repay their loans because they default or because their liability is cancelled on death. This is a cautious planning assumption. The Student Loans Company will pursue defaulters vigorously.
Experience in the academic year 1990-91 demonstrated how difficult it is to predict exactly what the ultimate level of take-up will be. If the above assumptions over-estimate demand, any excess provision will be surrendered to the Consolidated Fund. If, on the other hand, demand exceeds the level of provision, additional funds will be provided from the reserve. The reserve is the amount within the planning total which provides a margin for uncertainties or--as in this case--for revised estimates of demand.
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Key Stage 1 Assessment
Ms. Armstrong : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the cost of the two-year evaluation of key stage 1 assessment, undertaken by the university of Leeds ; and if he will publish the reports of the evaluation.
Mr. Eggar : The cost of this work has been £512,000 to December 1991. The School Examinations and Assessment Council will publish a final report shortly.
Teachers' Pensions Agency
Mr. Pawsey : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has made a decision on the establishment of the teachers' pensions agency under the "next steps" initiative.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : I have decided to establish the teachers' pensions agency with effect from 1 April 1992. The agency will be located in Darlington.
A framework document setting out the organisational, financial and management structure under which the agency will operate will be published at that time. The performance targets which I will set the agency will also be published.
Circular 22/89
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he plans to issue the addendum to circular 22/89.
Mr. Fallon : My right hon. and learned Friend expects to issue the addendum to circular 22/89 in the near future.
Teaching Staff, Northumberland
Mr. Ronnie Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the number of (a) teachers, (b) non-teaching and staff and (c) administrative staff employed in Northumberland county council.
Mr. Fallon : The number of teachers employed in nursery, primary and secondary schools in Northumberland education authority in January 1991 was 2,736. Data on education support staff and administrative staff employed in schools were collected for the first time in January 1991 but are not yet available for publication. Information on other categories of non-teaching staff in schools is not collected centrally. The Department does not collect data on administrative staff employed in Northumberland county council.
Basic Need Criteria
Mr. William Powell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish the Department's criteria which (a) a secondary school and (b) a primary school has to meet in order to qualify as a basic need case.
Mr. Fallon : Basic need is defined as the net deficit of places after account is taken of demand for, and places available, in all maintained primary schools within two miles and all maintained secondary schools within three miles, of the school at which it is intended that new places be added.
This was set out in full in my Department's letter of 30 May 1991, which invited LEAs to bid for annual capital
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guidelines and voluntary school capital allocations. That letter and a subsequent letter of 19 August 1991 made clear that basic need bids in 1992-93 should be for deficits of places in 1994-95 in primary schools and 1995-96 in secondary schools. It was also made clear that in assessing the availability of places in neighbouring schools, LEAs' calculations should be based on whichever was the higher of the schools' capacity or their numbers on roll in September 1992.We are currently reviewing our basic need definitions, as we do each year in advance of the publication of the capital bidding letter. We shall take account of representations received on our methodology from LEAs and others. We have also announced that we are consulting local authority associations, voluntary bodies and grant-maintained schools on a change in our capital allocations methodology which would allow popular schools to expand notwithstanding the existence of spare places in other maintained schools in the area.
DNA Research
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will provide not less than an extra £2 million per year for the Medical Research Council to cover the British contribution to the second stage of sequencing the DNA of the nematode Caenorhabditis Elegas.
Mr. Alan Howarth : My right hon. and learned Friend and I are in touch with the chairman and secretary of the council on this issue. In this financial year the allocation to the council from this Department's science budget will total almost £203 million. The 1992-93 allocations announced in December will raise that sum to almost £219 million, excluding money transferred from the universities following changes in the dual support arrangements. This represents a 4 per cent. real terms increase on this year's funding and a 32 per cent. increase since 1979-80. It is for the council to decide on the deployment of these funds.
EMPLOYMENT
Unemployment
Mr. Alexander : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were registered as unemployed on (a) 1 January 1987 and (b) 1 January in the current year.
Mr. Jackson : In January 1987, on the consistent seasonally adjusted basis, there were 3,042,600 unemployed claimants in the United Kingdom, compared with 2,604,100 in January 1992--a fall of 438,500, or 14 per cent.
Training Costs
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has (a) to extend his proposals for new employers to obtain redress in respect of training investment by employees' previous employers to situations where companies are purchased by companies owned by foreign governments and (b) to apply the proposals retrospectively.
Mr. Jackson : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Maryhill (Mrs. Fyfe) on 14 February 1992 at column 652-53.
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Jobs and Benefits Centre, Thornaby
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress is being made with the provision of a new integrated jobs and benefits centre in Thornaby ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jackson : Questions on operational matters in the Employment Service executive agency are the responsibility of Mike Fogden, the agency's chief executive, to whom I have referred this question for reply.
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