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Mr. Sainsbury : Companies in all regions have access to a variety of sources of capital for investment. In certain areas, including parts of the west midlands but not the North Staffordshire travel-to-work areas, certain regional industrial incentives, are available from my Department, notably regional selective assistance.
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Fuel Cell Technology
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) what consideration he is giving to a combination of combined heat and power technology, and solid oxide fuel cells ;
(2) what support he is giving to research on solid oxide fuel cells ;
(3) if he will make a statement on the work of the energy support unit at Harwell in relation to fuel cell technology ;
(4) what action he is taking to promote the use of existing skills in the United Kingdom to promote the development of solid polymer fuel cell technology.
Mr. Eggar : On 11 March this year, the then Parliamentary Under- Secretary of State announced a research programme to accelerate the development of fuel cell systems for early application in the United Kingdom. He also announced the appointment of a fuel cell advisory panel with members who are experts from industry, to advise and provide guidance on the content of the programme.
In forming this programme, the Department of Energy, now the DTI, consulted with researchers and industry and commissioned studies which indicate that the United Kingdom has technical skills and industrial interests needed to advance the development of two fuel cell types, the solid oxide and solid polymer. While this programme is likely to concentrate on the development of the technologies, it will be guided by potential applications such as combined heat and power.
The energy technology support unit at Harwell will act as the DTI's agent for managing the programme.
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will institute a study of legislation in the state of California relating to zero pollution emissions, and the use of fuel cells in hydrogen.
Mr. Eggar : My Department has already undertaken a number of studies on fuel cells and I refer the hon. Member to my answers to his other questions today. On the matter of californian state emissions regulations, these are well documented in technical publications and are available to the public.
Steel Production
Mr. Hardy : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the volume of steel production in the United Kingdom in the first quarter of this year and in each of the last five years.
Mr. Sainsbury : Information on steel production is regularly published in "Economic Trends" which is available in the Library of the House.
Government Departments (Payment of Bills)
Sir Michael Marshall : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what is the outcome of the survey of prompt payment by Government Departments.
Mr. Leigh : During the financial year 1991-92, major purchasing Government Departments and agencies undertook sample surveys to determine the percentage of invoices paid within the agreed credit period, or within 30 days where no credit period had been set. All but two departments reported results in the range 70 to 100 per cent.
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The full details are :
Department |Invoices paid
|within contract
|terms or
|30 days
|percentage
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food |77.0
Customs and Excise |83.0
Defence |89.3
Education and Science |83.2
Employment Service |83.0
Energy |91.8
Foreign and Commonwealth |86.0
Health |85.0
Health and Safety Executive |86.6
Inland Revenue |99.0
Lord Chancellors Department |82.5
National Savings |93.0
Northern Ireland Office |74.0
Overseas Development Administration |87.6
Property Services Agency
Building Management |41.6
Projects |80.6
Scottish Office |82.0
Social Security |90.4
Trade and Industry |80.0
Transport |83.0
Welsh Office |65.0
I have asked that Departments continue to monitor their payment performance and that individual Departments report that performance on request.
Regional Financial Assistance Mr. Milburn : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what estimate he has made of the public sector cost per additional permanent job created as a result of regional financial assistance schemes, excluding multiplier effects.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 6 July 1992] : I refer the hon. Member to the report published in 1990 by HMSO, "Regional Selective Assistance an evaluation by DTI, IDS and WOID", a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
National Economic Development Office Mr. Adley : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what initiatives he intends to take following the decision to wind up the National Economic Development Office.
Mr. Heseltine [holding answer 8 July 1992] : I announced on 3 July my plans to reorganise the Department of Trade and Industry to enable it to concentrate more on promoting the competitiveness of British industry and commerce, and to relate more closely to industry, sector by sector. The new organisation will encourage the establishment of a flexible and direct dialogue with industry. The Department is inviting inward secondees from industry to join civil servants in the new sectorial divisions, and I also expect to fill a small number of posts with staff drawn from the National Economic Development Office.
RETEX
Mr. Simpson : To ask the President of the Board of Trade for what reasons (a) he has decided not to forward the Nottinghamshire county council's bid for funding
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under the RETEX programme and (b) he has not offered Nottinghamshire country council and explanation of his decision ; and how many such bids so far have met the EC's criteria for the programme, indicating which bids.Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 8 July 1992] : No decisions have yet been taken about any requests for RETEX funding. The RETEX scheme of European Community grants was announced on 4 June 1992. The UK and other member states have until 4 December to present operational programmes to the Commission. The Commission will have six months to consider them. When it has approved them, applications for funding can be considered.
Mr. Straw : To ask the President of the Board of Trade which travel- to-work areas in Lancashire are eligible for consideration under the EC RETEX initiative ; what representations he has received in respect of Blackburn's eligibility ; and by what dates decisions have to be made by Her Majesty's Government, and by the EC Commission.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 10 July 1992] : The European Commission has decided that RETEX grants for textile dependent areas will not be available outside areas designated under structural funds objectives 1, 2 and 5(b). The travel to work areas of Accrington and Rossendale, Blackburn, Bolton and Bury, Burnley, Liverpool, Pendle, Rochdale and Wigan and St. Helens, which lie wholly or partly in Lancashire, are so designated.
Representations about Blackburn have been received from a number of local interests.
The United Kingdom and other member states have until 4 December 1992 to present operational programmes to the European Commission. Pursuant to article 14(3) of Council regulation EEC 4253/88, the European Commission wil have six months from the receipt of the programmes to decide on the assistance.
Timeshare Act 1992
Mr. Onslow : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he now expects to lay the necessary orders to bring the Timeshare Act 1992 into effect.
Mr. Leigh [holding answer 10 July 1992] : I expect to lay the printed notices orders required under the Act within the next two to three weeks. It is intended that the Act should enter into force two months after the laying of these orders.
Coal Industry
Mr. Patchett : To ask the President of the Board of Trade when the European Energy Council last discussed the British coal industry ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 10 July 1992] : Prospects for the coal industry were last discussed by the Energy Council in 1986 in the context of the current state aids decision which commenced the following year.
HEALTH
NHS Statistics
Mr. Ralph Howell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the numbers of (a) general practitioners, (b) hospital doctors and dentists and (c) nurses and midwives have changed since 1979.
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Dr. Mawhinney : The information requested at 30 September for England is shown in the table.
|1979 |1990 |Per cent.
|change
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
General Practitioners |21,357{fig sp}|25,622{fig sp}|20.0
Hospital Doctors
and Dentists |32,749.1 |40,576.2 |23.9
Nurses and Midwives:
Including agency staff |358,446.5 |402,066.4 |12.2
Excluding agency staff |354,421.5 |395,361.0 |11.6
<1> All figures are in whole-time equivalents except for general practitioners, where
whole-time equivalents are not available for 1979; actual numbers are used instead
for both years. 30 September is the latest date for which this information is
available.
Psychologists
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is her Department's target figure for training places for clinical psychologists ; what assessment her Department has made of the projected demand from (a) the NHS and (b) local authorities for clinical psychologists ; and if she will make a statement ; (2) what assessment she has made of the demand for clinical psychologists (a) currently and (b) in 1991 ; and what estimate she has made of the extent to which the demand was met in each of these periods.
Mr. Yeo : It is for national health service employers to determine the work force they require and the training staff they need, in the light of the services they are contracted to provide. Regional health authorities, in consultation with employers, which include family health services authorities and local authority social services departments, calculate the overall demand for training and purchase the required number of training places from the educational and training institutions on behalf of the employers.
Regional health authorities purchased 178 training places for clinical psychologists in 1991 and have signed contracts to purchase 215 places in 1992.
Brain Damage
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is currently taking to assist individual districts and units to provide an adequate service to meet the needs of long-term brain-damaged people ; if she will provide central funding in each region above and beyond normal allocations for such patients ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : We have recently launched an initiative to improve national health service services for the rehabilitation and long-term support of people with brain injury. Central funding of £1 million per year is being provided to 12 sites around the country to develop model services. The selected sites, with funding for 1992-93, are : Regional rehabilitation centre, Hunters Moor hospital, Newcastle-upon-Tyne (£40,000) ;
Leeds general infirmary and Leeds community services (£80,000) ; Derbyshire royal infirmary and Derby city hospital (£75,000) ; Nottingham health authority (£75,000) ;
Central Sheffield university hospitals (£70,000) ;
Regional Neurological rehabilitation unit, Homerton hospital, London (£150,000) ;
Rivermead rehabilitation centre, Oxford (£70,000) ;
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Rayners Hedge physical rehabilitation service, Aylesbury (£40, 000);Stroke and rehabilitation unit, Royal Cornwall hospital (City), Truro (£65,000) ;
Frenchay healthcare services, Bristol (£200,000) ;
Neurobehavioural rehabilitation unit, St. Edward's hospital, Cheddleton, and Neurological rehabilita- tion unit, Haywood hospital, Burslem (£90,000) ;
Community unit, Worcester district health authority (£90,000).
Out-patient Treatment
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will consider including as a further national charter standard in the patients charter to ensure continuity of care that health authorities should require that when a patient has a series of out-patient appointments, then whenever possible the same doctor should attend the patient ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : Patients attending hospital out-patient clinics are under the care of a named consultant who provides continuity of care. The consultant oversees a team of doctors, including junior doctors on rotation, and is responsible for ensuring that they undertake work within their competence.
Service Committee Decisions
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will take steps to ensure that family health service authorities give reasons to the patient for decisions reached when cases are disposed of by service committees without an oral hearing ; and if she will make a statement ;
(2) if she will ensure that when an appeal from a family health service authority service committee is heard by her, the patient is given reasons for the decision reached by her ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : The National Health Service (Service Committees and Tribunal) Regulations 1992 govern the investigation of complaints against family practitioners. These require service committees, whether or not an oral hearing is held, to give reasons for their findings in their reports to family health services authorities which are sent to the patients involved. Similarly, the regulations require my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to give reasons for her decisions on appeals and it is standard practice to do so.
Community Health Councils
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will ensure that where district health authorities are merged there is (a) an adequate period for consultations between the regional health authority and community health councils involved in any possible merger and (b) a formal appeals machinery independent of the regional health authority to handle any appeals from community health councils with the appeals panel having powers to impose its judgment which would be binding on both parties ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : Regional health authorities which propose to merge district health authorities should allow an adequate period for consultation with interested parties, including community health councils.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will not approve a proposal for merger unless she is satisfied that
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it commands a broad measure of support locally. In these circumstances, we do not see a need for a separate appeals panel.Regional Secure Units
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will introduce legislation, in the light of the Reed committee's recommendations on regional provision for seriously mentally disordered offenders placed in regional secure units, (a) to separate these units from the purchaser or provider system, (b) to arrange their funding through regional health authorities and (c) to arrange for the monitoring of agreed standards of provision ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : We expect the steering committee for the review of services for mentally disordered offenders to submit its final report at the end of July. We will announce decisions when we have considered both the final report and the responses to consultation on the recommendations the committee has already made.
The performance of health authorities in achieving any standards adopted or objectives set in the light of the review will be monitored through the existing accountability arrangements.
Diabetes Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the Novopen syringe tips can be provided to diabetics free of charge under the national health service.
Mr. Sackville : Syringe tips, which incorporate needles, may be provided free of charge through hospital consultants if they are judged to be clinically necessary and the health authority, having regard to its other priorities, is able to meet the cost. We are considering authorising general practitioners to prescribe both injection pens and needles free of charge providing resources allow.
Relocation Mr. Betts : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the number of civil servants in her Department who could be relocated to provincial centres as part of the policy of devolving and decentralising Government Departments.
Mr. Sackville : The relocation of the national health service management executive and the National Health Service Estates agency to Leeds has started. Some 1,000 posts up to the highest management levels are involved. The first moves from London took place on 6 July as planned. By October this year, over 500 posts will have relocated, with the remainder following next spring. The whole move is expected to have been completed by the summer of 1993.
Growth Hormone Miss Joan Lestor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she has any plans to compensate the families of victims of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease contracted from growth hormone injections extracted from cadavers.
Mr. Yeo : We have no plans for specific compensation but the full range of support services and benefits appropriate to people with disabilities and their families is available.
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Tobacco Advertising Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the breaches of the voluntary agreements on tobacco advertising reported in the third and fourth annual reports of the committee for monitoring the agreements on tobacco advertising and sponsorship occurred in Oxford.
Dr Mawhinney : The proportion reported in the third annual report was 35 per cent.--seven out of a total of 20. In the fourth report, this proportion was 77 per cent.--21 out of 27.
Community Care
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of NHS patients had written community care plans at the time of their discharge from hospital in 1991-92.
Mr. Yeo : This information is not held centrally.
Accident and Emergency Services
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average waiting time for initial assessment in accident and emergency departments in 1991-92 ; and what proportion of people attending accident and emergency departments had to wait (a) five minutes or more, (b) 15 minutes or more and (c) 30 minutes or more.
Mr. Sackville : This information is not collected centrally.
Health Authority Amalgamations
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her policy towards the amalgamation of district health authorities with family health service authorities ; whether consultation with the medical profession is required before proposals are submitted to her ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : Merger between district health authorities and family health services authorities was identified in "Working for Patients" as a possible long-term option. However, this would require changes to primary legislation, and we have no immediate plans for taking this forward. Primary and secondary care have complementary roles in implementing the "Health of the Nation" strategy. District health authorities and family health services authorities will need to work closely together to improve health. There is substantial scope for this within the current arrangements, for example joint strategies, health investment plans, managerial and public health appointments.
Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her policy towards the amalgamation of district health authorities in the North West Thames region ; what evidence she has that larger purchasing authorities are more effective in obtaining services from NHS trust hospitals ; what consideration she is giving to the need for co-terminosity in a borough such as Hillingdon ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : North West Thames regional health authority has been consulting locally on proposals for
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changing district health authorities boundaries to match those of family health services authorities and social services. A public meeting was held on 9 June 1992. We expect any proposals for changing the boundaries of district health authorities to have local support and to demonstrate clear benefits for patients.Waiting Lists
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1)what proportion of NHS hospitals and trusts had published on or before 1 April their current maximum admission times for each specialty ; and which hospital or trust had the longest and which one had the shortest waiting time at 1 April in each specialty ;
(2) if she will list the health authorities in England which at 1 April (a) had and (b) had not published detailed information on local health services including quality standards and maximum waiting times.
Mr. Sackville : This information is not available centrally. From 1 April, under the patients charter, patients have a right to be given detailed information on local health services. Health authorities are required to publish information about local health services including national and local charter standards and maximum waiting times. From 1 April 1993, health authorities will also have to publish information about their performance in relation to national and local charter standards.
The national health service management executive will be asking regional health authorities to notify them of any instances where information as set out in the patients charter is not made freely available to the public.
Complaints Procedure
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of NHS complaints received between 1 April 1991 and 31 March 1992 were dealt with within (a) one week, (b) one month, (c) three months and (d) more than three months.
Mr. Sackville : This information is not collected centrally.
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the health authorities and NHS trusts in England which at 1 April (a) had and (b) had not published a complaints procedure allowing members of the public to have any complaint investigated and to receive a prompt written reply from the chief executive or general manager ; and which authorities had, at 1 April, published the number of complaints received and the time taken to deal with them.
Mr. Sackville : This information is not collected centrally. However, all health authorities are required, by directions issued under the Hospital Complaints Procedure Act 1985, to make formal arrangements for dealing with complaints and for publishing these. The proper investigation of complaints is very important to patients and the national health service, and is one of the three new rights given in the patients charter. From 1 April 1992, under the patients charter, health authorities and NHS hospitals will have to publish details of the numbers of complaints received and the time taken to deal with them.
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Wheelchair Accessibility
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the floor space of NHS buildings was accessible to people in wheelchairs as at 1 April.
Mr. Sackville : This information is not held centrally.
Surgery Cancellations
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients had their operations cancelled on the day they were due to arrive in hospital in 1991-92.
Mr. Sackville : This information is not collected centrally.
Ambulance Service
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what proportion of cases an emergency ambulance arrived within 14 minutes in an urban area and within 19 minutes in a rural area in 1991-92.
Mr. Sackville : The latest available figures for England for 1990-91 are given in the table.
|percentage
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Emergency calls: Response times: Metropolitan
authorities |-
Percentage of calls where response within 14 minutes |83.2
Emergency calls: Response times: Non-metropolitan
authorities
Percentage of calls where response within 20 minutes |94.8
Before 1991-92, ambulance services in England were categorised as metropolitan and non-metropolitan. Figures were collected for the number of emergency ambulances arriving within 14 and 20 minutes repsectively.
Appointment System
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of NHS out-patients were given specific appointment times in 1991-92 ; and what proportion were seen within 30 minutes of their appointment time.
Mr. Sackville : This information is not collected centrally.
Abortion
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the country of residence of women listed as overseas residents in the abortion statistics for the last year in which the information is available.
Mr. Sackville : In the publication of abortion statistics, a distinction is made between those abortions carried out on women resident in England and Wales and those on women not resident in England and Wales. Of the latter, the statistics are classified by three main areas of residence : British Isles, other European, and rest of the world. Within each of these three categories, individual countries of residence are shown where the number of abortions to residents of that country exceeds 24. Countries listed in this way are shown in table 25 of the publication "Abortion Statistics 1990", a copy of which is held in the library.
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Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average charge approved by his Department for a non -NHS abortion in 1990.Mr. Sackville : This information is not available in the form requested. The Department approves scales of charges.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what dates in the year preceding 15 November 1991, the South Manchester abortion clinic, Stockport was inspected by her Department ; and if she will list the recommendations that were made regarding the clinic in the report produced by her inspectors.
Mr. Sackville : The South Manchester private clinic was inspected by the Department's officers on 13 March 1991, and 30 October 1991. The contents of inspection reports are not made public as they contain information which relates or could be related to individual patients.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what scale of charges she has approved for an abortion conducted in a private clinic through the use of RU486.
Mr. Sackville : Information required from places seeking approval under section 1(3) of the Abortion Act 1967 is supplied to the Department on an "in confidence" basis.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what regulations regarding care of the mother she has made concerning abortions conducted with RU486.
Mr. Sackville : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Barking (Ms. Richardson), on 3 July at column 746 .
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made by her Department in investigating the state of the South Manchester Abortion Clinic Stockport, following the presentation of the report by Stockport health authority dated 15 November 1991 by the hon. Members for Congleton (Mrs. Winterton) and for Liverpool, Mossley Hill to her predecessor.
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