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Ambulances
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average age of the ambulance vehicles of the London ambulance service ; and how many vehicles are (a) between three and five years old and (b) five years or more.
Mr. Dorrell : This information is not collected centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. Jim Harris, the chairman of the London Ambulance Service, for details.
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued on the expected working life of ambulance vehicles ; and what information his Department has on the actual average working life of ambulance vehicles.
Mr. Dorrell : Information on vehicle life is not collected centrally.
Current guidance relates to capital provision for routine replacement programmes, based on glass-reinforced plastic-bodied ambulances. Under normal standards of high maintenance, such provision should be based on an assumed vehicle life of seven years or 140,000 miles. The guidance is not necessarily appropriate to all coach-built vehicles or to other types of ambulance vehicle, and health authorities are free to modify the guidelines to take account of local conditions and other relevant factors, such as maintenance costs and frequency of use.
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Hospitals (Crime)
Mr. Martyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many incidents of reported crime against patients and staff have taken place in national health service hospitals in the past 12 months.
Mr. Dorrell : This information is not collected centrally. General managers are responsible for arrangements for security of patients and staff at NHS hospitals.
Mental Illness
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many crisis intervention centres for the mentally ill are available at present ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell : This information is not collected centrally.
Inquests
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many inquests were held into deaths at the workplace in the last five years.
Mr. Dorrell: The information is not held in the form requested. The number of inquests held as a result of deaths from accidents at the workplace and registered in each of the latest five years is shown in the table.
Year |Number of
|inquests
------------------------------
1986 |338
1987 |299
1988 |280
1989 |339
1990 |355
Youth Treatment Service
Mr. Paice : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish a policy and management specification for the youth treatment service ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Details of the new structure of the youth treatment service were given in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. McCrindle) on 21 November 1991 at columns 311-12. This will come into effect on 1 April 1992. A copy of the policy and management specification for the youth treatment service is today being placed in the Library.
1991 Census
Mr. Brandon-Bravo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how work is progressing on analysing the 1991 census ; and when results from the computer-processed data will be published.
Mr. Dorrell : Work on the clerical processing has progressed well and many tasks have been completed before their target dates. However, there has been some delay in the computer processing, caused by the need to amend the original system to cope with a particular form of ambiguity in the way some census forms had been completed. A routine data quality audit showed that some
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400,000 people, who were apparently not students, had completed the question on term time address as though they were students. The correction of this misclassification is in hand, but it is causing some delay to the publication of census results.The monitors for each county and Scottish region containing key results for each local authority area are now expected to be published between April and September 1992. Part 1 of the full reports for each county and Scottish region--containing results from all the census questions for which 100 per cent. of answers are processed--are expected to be published between June and December 1992, and part 1 of the national reports for England and Wales and for Scotland by February 1993. These dates are dependent on smooth running of the processing systems. There will also be delay to part 2 of the county, regional and national reports and the topic volumes. A provisional revised timetable for the county and regional monitors and part 1 of the county, regional reports, and for the associated statistical products is given in issue 19 of the "Census Newsletter", a copy of which is in the Library. A revised timetable for the remaining statistics will be issued as soon as possible.
Departmental Properties
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residential properties owned by his Department are (a) empty, (b) for sale on the open market, (c) intended for sale on the open market and (d) for sale to housing associations, in terms of numbers and percentage of stock.
Mr. Dorrell : A survey in 1990 indicated that about 14,000 NHS residential units--15 per cent. of the stock--were unoccupied. Of these 11,500 units were "bedsits" and about 1,000 were shared flats. The reasons for unoccupancy range from the need for accommodation to be available for new staff, to accommodation being empty whilst being refurbished or awaiting demolition or sale.
Health authorities and NHS trusts are responsible for the management of NHS residential accommodation and the sale of property which becomes surplus. The disposal of surplus property is within guidelines issued by the Department. Details of sales are not held centrally.
Children Act 1989
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to assist voluntary organisations in connection with implementation of the Children Act 1989.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : We made available £250,000 in 1991-92 specifically for training in the Children Act for the voluntary sector.
Copies of the nine volumes of the Children Act guidance and regulations and the other Children Act publications were issued free of charge to the voluntary sector.
Children Act training materials commissioned by the Department were also supplied to voluntary organisations.
Our centrally funded child abuse training initiative grant, almost £1 million this financial year, has helped a range of organisations to assess the impact of the Children Act and to bring some of their own material up to date in the light of it.
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Voluntary organisations also have an important part to play in local authorities' review of day care services in their area. The Department is currently funding in its under-fives initiative for development officers, based in different parts of the country, who have a remit to improve relationships between the relevant local authority and the voluntary sector. These posts will help the success of the review process.Under section 17 of the Children Act 1989, local authorities have a new duty to provide a range of services for children in need to promote their upbringing within their families. They will need to collaborate with the voluntary sector in the provision of such services. To help with this, the Department it to provide funding to voluntary organisations for three years, starting in 1992-93, under the family support initiative--total funding, £500,000 per annum. The Government also provide support to a wide range of voluntary organisations in the child care field under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968.
Liverpool Family Service Unit
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received from the Liverpool family service unit concerning its possible closure ; and what reply has been sent.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Liverpool, West Derby (Mr. Wareing) on 20 February, at column 272.
Northern Regional Health Authority
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the level of spending by the Northern regional health authority in 1979, 1987 and the latest year for which figures are available ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell : The information requested, which is derived from the annual accounts of the health authorities comprising the Northern region for the financial years 1979-80, 1987-88 and 1990-91--the latest available- -is shown in the table.
The figures--when expressed at 1991-92 prices--represent real terms increases of 26.8 per cent. for revenue expenditure and 35.3 per cent. for capital expenditure between 1979-80 and 1990-91.
Northern region-Total expenditure on hospital and
community health services (HCHS)
Revenue Capital
|£000 |£000 |£000 |£000
|(cash) |(at 1991-92|(cash) |(at 1991-92
|prices) |prices)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |337,996 |785,842 |27,590 |64,146
1987-88 |726,424 |962,367 |52,432 |69,462
1990-91 |931,400 |996,598 |81,122 |86,800
Source:
Annual accounts of the Northern regional health authority (RHA)
and the district (formerly area) health authorities comprising the
Northern region.
Notes:
1. Expenditure on the HCHS covers services directly managed
and/or accounted for by the health authorities (at the relevant time)
including hospital, community health, patient transport (i.e.
ambulance), blood transfusion and other services.
2. The figures for 1990-91 are as yet subject to audit. All figures
have been expressed at 1991-92 prices by the use of gross domestic
product deflators.
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Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors and nurses were employed by the Northern regional health authority in 1979, 1987 and the latest year for which figures are available ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The information is given in the table.
Year at |Medical and |Nursing and 30 September |Dental<1> |Midwifery<2> ---------------------------------------------------- 1979 |2,530 |<3>23,940 1987 |2,810 |27,540 1990 |2,990 |<4>27,310 Note: The slight fall in the figures of nursing and midwifery staff in post between 1987 and 1990 relates to three separate factors: the transfer of senior nurses in management jobs from the senior nurse pay structure to the senior management pay structure; the inclusion of Project 2000 nursing students in staff-in-post returns; and the cessation of enrolled nurse training. Source: Department of Health medical and non-medical censuses. <1> Includes permanent paid, honorary and locum staff. <2> Includes agency staff. <3> Not adjusted for reduction in nurses' working hours during 1980-81 (from 40 to 37.5 hours per week). <4> Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 whole-time equivalents.
Mr. Amos : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the number of people on and the duration of waiting lists in the Northern regional health authority in 1979, 1987 and the latest year for which figures are available ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The information requested is given in the table. Provisional figures show that since 1987 the number of patients waiting over two years has fallen by more than 83 per cent. and the number waiting over one year by 36 per cent. The region expects to have no patient waiting over two years by 31 March.
Waiting lists
|<1>1979|1987 |<2>1991
--------------------------------------------------------------
In-patients
Number waiting over one year |9,526 |6,853 |4,213
Number waiting over two years |- |2,525 |488
|-------|-------|-------
Total number waiting |47,642 |37,420 |39,749
Day cases
Number waiting over one year |- |1,290 |990
Number waiting over two years |- |1,004 |100
|-------|-------|-------
Total number waiting |- |10,059 |16,904
|-------|-------|-------
Total all cases |n.a. |47,479 |56,653
<1>Day case waiting lists and over two years waiters were
first
collected in 1987.
<2>Provisional figures for December 1991.
Infertility Treatment
Mr. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the national health service budget has been dedicated to infertility treatment in each of the last five years.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not held centrally.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are waiting for infertility treatment by region, for each of the last five years.
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Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Information about waiting lists for the treatment of specific conditions is not held centrally.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will give by region details of the regional facilities providing infertility treatment ;
(2) how many people in the west midlands region received infertility treatment in (a) the national health service and (b) privately in each of the last five years.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not available centrally.
Private Health Insurance
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will state (a) for each year since 1978 and (b) for each region (i) the number and (ii) the percentage of the population covered by private health insurance.
Mr. Dorrell : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave her on 28 February at columns 659-60. The information is not collected regionally.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Attendance Allowance
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many awards of attendance allowance were backdated in each of the years 1988-89, 1989-90, 1990-91 and 1991-92 under regulation 9 of the Social Security (Claims and Payments) Regulations, where a claim for income support has been treated as a claim for attendance allowance.
Mr. Scott : The information requested is not available.
Cold Weather Payments
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people living in the London borough of Wandsworth have received the cold weather heating payments during the last four months.
Mr. Scott : The information is not available in the form requested. Such information as is available is in the Library.
Departmental Properties
Mr. Soley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many residential properties owned by his Department are (a) empty, (b) for sale on the open market, (c) intended for sale on the open market and (d) for sale to housing associations, in terms of numbers and percentage of stock.
Mr. Jack : Of the 45 properties on the Department's estate, only the 20 resettlement units could be described as residential property. Of these, one--5 per cent.--is empty and is for sale on the open market. By April 1992 a further four--20 per cent.--will be released for sale ; one to a housing association and three on the open market.
Claimant Statistics
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give the number of persons in receipt of supplementary benefit or income support in each year
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since 1979, both in total and by type of claimant, including (a) the unemployed, (b) lone parents, (c) the sick and disabled, (d) pensioners, and (e) other groups, stating in each case the percentage increase each year.Column 274
Miss Widdecombe : The information requested is shown in the table.
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1979 |2,855,000|- |566,000 |- |306,000 |- |207,000 |- |1,723,000|- |52,000 |- 1980 |3,118,000|9.25 |854,000 |50.88 |316,000 |3.27 |205,000 |-1.00 |1,694,000|-1.68 |49,000 |-5.77 1981 |3,723,000|19.40 |1,318,000|54.33 |369,000 |16.77 |221,000 |7.80 |1,738,000|2.60 |77,000 |57.14 1982 |4,267,000|14.61 |1,722,000|30.65 |415,000 |12.47 |240,000 |8.60 |1,781,000|2.47 |109,000 |41.56 1983 |4,349,000|1.92 |1,826,000|6.04 |449,000 |8.19 |241,000 |0.42 |1,651,000|-7.30 |182.000 |66.97 1984 |4,609,000|5.98 |1,953,000|6.96 |492,000 |9.58 |273,000 |13.28 |1,683,000|1.94 |208,000 |14.29 1986 |4,938,000|7.14 |2,121,000|8.60 |575,000 |16.87 |301,000 |10.26 |1,717,000|2.02 |224,000 |7.69 1987 |4,896,000|-0.85 |1,957,000|-7.73 |629,000 |9.39 |352,000 |16.94 |1,727,000|0.58 |231,000 |3.12 1988 |4,352,000|-11.13 |1,511,000|-22.79 |694,000 |10.33 |247,000 |-29.83 |1,719,000|-0.46 |180,000 |-22.08 1989 |4,161,000|-4.34 |1,216,000|-19.52 |756,000 |8.93 |290,000 |17.41 |1,607,000|-6.52 |293,000 |62.78 1990 |4,180,000|0.43 |1,063,000|-12.58 |793,000 |4.89 |330,000 |13.79 |1,675,000|4.23 |319,000 |8.87 Sources: Supplementary Benefit/Income Support Annual Statistical Enquiries 1979-1990. Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest thousand. 2. There was no annual statistical inquiry in 1985; the one due in December of that year was deferred until February 1986.
Pensioners
Mr. Nicholas Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many pensioners there are over the age of 75 years divided into males and females ; and what is (a) their average income from all sources and (b) the income distribution of such pensioners, in Great Britain.
Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 24 February 1992] : In mid- 1990 the estimated number, in thousands, of people aged 75 or over in Great Britain was men, 1,331, and women, 2,568.
The average net weekly income in 1988 from all sources for non-married men and women aged 75 years or over and married couples where either one or both of the partners are 75 or over was :
|£
--------------------------------
Non-married men |86.10
Non-married women |70.50
Married couples |132.80
The weekly net incomes of these people are distributed in the following way :
Figures are in thousands of individuals or couples.
Weekly net incomes |Non-married |Non-married |Married
|men |women |couples
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
up to £60 |140 |800 |0
£60 up to £80 |180 |780 |140
£80 up to £100 |70 |130 |330
£100 up to £120 |40 |130 |150
£120 and over |50 |110 |300
|------- |------- |-------
Total |480 |1,950 |920
Notes:
1. Population data is from the 1990 OPCS mid-year estimates.
2. Income data is from the 1988 family expenditure survey (FES).
3. It is not possible accurately to apportion some income sources
between husband and wife-for example, income support/
supplementary benefit-from the FES. It is therefore not possible to
provide sensible estimates of the separate total incomes of all men and
women by sex.
Income Support
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the number of couples with children and lone parent households, respectively, who for the period April 1992 to March 1993 will come on to
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family credit and who, but for the change in definition of full-time work from 24 to 16 hours for income support recipients, would have been eligible for income support ; if he will give an estimate of how much his Department will save as a result ; and if he will estimate the number of childless households no longer eligible for such help because they will no longer be eligible for income support.Mr. Jack [holding answer 27 February 1992] : About 45,000 families with children currently claiming income support and working between 16 and 24 hours a week up to 7 April 1992 will be eligible to claim family credit, if they so choose, because of the change in the hours rule from 24 to 16 hours a week. Of these, 30,000 families--including 25,000 lone parents--are expected to be better off on family credit, and some 15,000 families with children are likely to have their family credit topped up with income support to maintain the level of their income. In addition, about 15,000 people without children, who are working 16 to 24 hours a week at the point of change will be able to remain on income support as at present. It is not possible to estimate how many new potential claimants would have been entitled to income support during 1992-93 if the remunerative work rule had remained at 24 hours a week, because the effect of behavioural changes cannot be predicted. However, it is expected that the substantial majority of families with children will be better off on family credit because of the more generous rules for treating earnings and, from 7 April, the introduction of a disregard of the first £15 a week of any maintenance received in family credit, housing benefit and community charge benefit.
We also expect that up to 35,000 families with children--30,000 of them lone parents--who are already working between 16 and 24 hours a week but earning too much to get income support will qualify for family credit. In the longer term, we expect that the lower hours threshold will encourage many others to take up work of at least 16 hours or increase their hours so as to qualify for family credit. As a result of these changes more benefit rather than less will be paid. Together with the increasing numbers claiming family credit, the changes will lead to an increase in family credit expenditure, from an expected outturn of £617 million in 1991- 92 to an estimated £850 million in 1992-93.
Column 275
Departmental Staff
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will give, by social security region and by standard economic planning region, for the latest year available, including executive agency staff the number of civil servants, whole-time equivalent broken down by grade levels one to four, five, six, seven, SEO, HEO, EO, AO and AA, indicating the salary bands and indicating the percentage at each grade who are women, giving the percentage at each grade who are part time and the percentage of part-timers who are women.
Miss Widdecombe [holding answer 27 February 1992] : The information available for the Department of Social Security, including its agencies, as at 31 January 1992 is shown in the table. To give the breakdown by social security region and standard economic planning region could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. A copy of the "Civil Service Pay and Conditions of Service Code" which gives salary bands is available in the Library.
Grade<1> |Total full |Per cent. |Per cent. |Per cent.
|time equi- |who are |who are |part-timers
|valents |women |part-time |who are
|women
------------------------------------------------------------------------
1-4 |26.5 |28 |2 |100
5 |53 |30 |2 |0
6 |88 |18 |3 |100
7 |520 |17 |1 |83
SEO |1,458.5 |20 |0.5 |87
HEO<2> |4,983 |37 |2 |97
EO |21,346 |57 |7 |97
AO |35,436 |75 |9 |98
AA |11,857.5 |74 |6 |96
<1> For each grade we have included equivalent professional grades.
<2> Includes HEO(D) and administrative trainee.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Turkeys
13. Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the health of turkeys.
Mr. Maclean : The national turkey flock is in robust health, like my hon. Friend.
Food Prices
14. Mr. Jessel : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how food prices have moved over the past year.
Mr. Curry : The annual rate of food price inflation fell from 5.9 per cent. in January 1991 to 4.5 per cent. in January 1992.
Food Products
15. Mr. Summerson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion of those food products grown in temperate climates which are consumed in the United Kingdom are produced in the United Kingdom ; and what was the proportion in 1979.
Column 276
Mr. Curry : It is estimated that self-sufficiency in food products which can be produced in the United Kingdom was 74 per cent. in 1991, compared with 68 per cent. in 1979.
Farm Incomes
16. Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the effect a 2 per cent. increase in interest rates would have on farm incomes.
Mr. Gummer : No such assessment has been made, but it would inevitably have a negative effect on farm incomes. This would be extremely bad news for farmers as it would for everyone else. That is why the Government will bring down interest rates as quickly as it can.
19. Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he will make a statement on the level of farm incomes in real terms in the last two years for which figures are available.
Mr. Gummer : The index for total income from farming, which gives the returns to farmers, partners, directors and their spouses, and family members working on the farm, was 102.1 in real terms for 1990 and is forecast to be 90.8 in 1991. Both figures relate to a base of 100 in 1985.
24. Mr. Robert Hicks : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the level of farm incomes in the south-west ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : The results of the farm business survey for the sample of 176 farms in the region have recently been published by the agricultural economics unit of Exeter university in "Farm Incomes in South-West England 1990-91". These show that on average the level of net farm income for all types of farm in the south-west fell by about one third between 1989-90 and 1990-91. Since that time, increases in cattle prices, the higher rates of hill livestock compensatory allowances and sheep subsidies in 1991 and increases in cereal yields and prices are expected to bring improvements for most farm types.
Set-aside Scheme
17. Mr. Ted Garrett : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he last discussed the future of the set-aside scheme outlined in the MacSharry proposals with other EC Agriculture Ministers ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : I last discussed the Commission proposals for reform of the common agricultural policy, including set-aside, with my EC colleagues on 2 and 3 March.
Common Agricultural Policy
18. Mr. Alan W. Williams : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the progress being made in discussions for reform of the common agricultural policy.
Mr. Gummer : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave yesterday to my hon. Friend the Member for Sherwood (Mr. Stewart).
Column 277
25. Mr. Lewis : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has received regarding the reform of the common agricultural policy ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Gummer : I have received representations on this subject from a wide range of organisations covering not only all sectors of the food and agriculture industries but environmental, consumer and other interests. I and my officials regularly meet representatives of these organisations.
Mr. Riddick : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the latest efforts being made to reform the common agricultural policy.
Mr. Gummer : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Carmarthen (Mr. Williams).
Fishery Decommissioning
20. Mrs. Margaret Ewing : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he next intends to meet representatives of the fishing industry to discuss decommissioning.
Mr. Curry : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Great Grimsby (Mr. Mitchell).
Confectionery
21. Mr. Gregory : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he has any plans to make an official visit to York to discuss confectionery issues.
Mr. Curry : I am always open to invitations to visit this industry which makes a strong contribution to United Kingdom exports.
Dioxin, Bolsover
22. Mr. Skinner : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether he is now able to identify the cause of the dioxin in the Bolsover area ; and what steps he intends to take.
Mr. Maclean : The available evidence does not allow for conclusions to be drawn on the cause of the dioxin contamination.
As my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Environment has already made clear, Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution has investigated the emissions from the chemical incinerator at the coalite works near Bolsover. The concentrations measured in the emissions form only a part of the dioxins which have been found in the milk on the affected farms.
Citizens Charter
26. Mr. Illsley : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about his Ministry's contribution to the citizens charter.
Mr. Gummer : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Pontypridd (Dr. Howells).
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