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Deaths (Unemployed)
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information her Department has on the number of unemployed people who (a) committed suicide, (b) died prematurely or (c) suffered clinical depression in each year since 1979.
Mr. Sackville : The information requested is not available centrally.
Family Breakdown
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will outline her policy on the prevention of family breakdown.
Mr. Yeo : The Department's view is that the family is the best place for a child to be brought up. This is reflected in the provisions of the Children Act 1989 which, among other requirements, gives local authorities the duty to provide such services for children in need to enable them to be brought up by their family, wherever possible.
NHS Trusts
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of hospitals in the north-west of England are, or have applied to be, self-governing trusts.
Dr. Mawhinney : Fifty-three per cent. of hospital and community service revenue allocated to North Western regional health authority is currently spent in national health service trusts, or units which have applied to be trusts. From April 1993 there will be eight NHS trusts in the region which provide acute hospital services. The proportion this represents depends on the management configuration of the remaining units, but it is likely that the vast majority will apply to become operational trusts from April 1994.
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what forecasts she has made for the future ratio in the number of self-governing national health service trust hospitals to district health authority hospitals ; and if she will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : It is for local managers and clinicians to decide whether to seek NHS trust status, but we anticipate that all providers of NHS services--hospitals, community units and ambulance services--will become NHS trusts. From next April the proportion of hospital and community services revenue spent in NHS trusts will be 63 per cent. or more, depending on the decisions on outstanding third wave trust applications and deferred London teaching hospital trusts. We expect the vast majority of the remaining directly managed units to apply to become NHS trusts in April 1994.
Kidney Dialysis
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) males and (b) females (i) under and (ii) over the age of 55 years per million of the population, were accepted for kidney dialysis treatment in England in 1990 and 1991.
Mr. Sackville : The information is not collected centrally in the form requested. The number of new patients accepted for dialysis was 3,491- -60.7 per million population--in 1990 and 3,430--59.7 pmp--in 1991.
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No national health service patient is barred from treatment on the grounds of age. Whether any patient should receive a particular form of treatment is a matter for clinical decision by the doctor in charge of the patient.Prescription Charges
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what additional revenue would be raised in the financial year 1993-94 by an increase in prescription charges of (a) 1 per cent., (b) 5 per cent., (c) 10 per cent. and (d) 15 per cent. ; and if she will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : The requested information is in the table.
Estimated additional revenue in 1993-94 from prescription charge set at 1 per cent., 5 per cent., 10 per cent., and 15 per cent. higher than current charge Percentage increase |Prescription charge |Increased revenue (£ in prescription |(£) |million) charge ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 |3.79 |2 5 |3.94 |9 10 |4.13 |18 15 |4.31 |26
Regional Health Authorities (Property)
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much, at current prices, was raised from the disposal of property in each regional health authority covering London in each year since 1990 ; what is the current projection of funds to be raised by such disposals in 1993-94 ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : The information is shown in the table :
£ million RHA |1990-91 |1991-92 |<1>1992-93|<1>1993-94 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- North West Thames |22 |33 |25 |50 North East Thames |16 |22 |21 |8 South East Thames |9 |11 |20 |25 South West Thames |17 |20 |10-15 |10 <1>RHA projection.
All money realised from the sale of surplus NHS property is used for the benefit of patients.
Halcion
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the members of the Medicines Commission which dealt with the appeal against the ban on Halcion.
Dr. Mawhinney : The appeal was heard by the Medicines Commission on 15 May 1992. The following members were present :
Professor Dame Rosalinde Hurley, DBE, LLB, MD DUniv (Surrey), FRCPath (Chairman). Professor of Microbiology, Royal Postgraduate Medical School's Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of London.
Professor I. D. Aitken, PhD, BVMS, MRCVS. Director of Animal Diseases Research Association, Moredun Research Institute, Edinburgh.
M. J. S. Butler Esq, BSc (Econ). Lecturer in Politics and
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Publc Administration, University of Kent, Former Chairman of Canterbury and Thanet CHC and Former Chairman of Association of CHC's for England and Wales.Dr. M. G. Carter, MB ChB BPharm, DipPharmMed, FRPharmS, MCPP, FFPM, Director, ICI Pharmaceuticals.
Professor J. G. Collee, CBE, MD, FRCPath, FRCP(E). Emeritus Professor of Medical Microbiology, University of Edinburgh. Professor A. D. Dayan, DM, FRCP, FRCPath, FIBiol, FFPM. Professor of Toxicology, St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London.
Dr. Sheila Gore, MA, PhD. Senior Statistician, Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit, Cambridge.
Miss Joan Greenleaf, OBE, BA, FRPharmS. Former Regional Pharmaceutical Officer, North East Thames RHA.
B. D. Hoskin, Esq, BVMS, MRCVS. Consultant to Veterinary Pharmaceutical Industry.
Professor C. N. Hudson, MChir, FRCS, FRCOG, FRACOG. Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, St. Bartholomew's Hospital, London. Professor T. M. Jones, BPharm, PhD, FRPharmS, CChem, FRSC, MCPP. Director, Research, Development and Medical, Wellcome Foundation Ltd.
Professor D. G. McDevitt, MD, DSc, FRCP, FRCPed, FRCPI, FFPM. Professor of Clinical Pharmacology, University of Dundee. Dr. P. Pietroni, FRCGP, MRCP, DCH. General Medical Practitioner, London, Senior Lecturer in General Practice, Regent's College, Regent's Park, London.
Professsor John Rhodes, MD, FRCOP, BSc, ChB. General Physician, University Hospital of Wales.
Professor P. S. J. Spencer, BPharm, PhD (London) DSc (Wales) CBiol, FIBiol, MCPP, FRPharmS. Professor of Pharmacology and Head of School, Welsh School of Pharmacy, University of Wales, Cardiff.
Professor D. W. Vere, MD, FRCP, FFPM (Hon). Professor of Therapeutics, University of London.
H. Cowan Wilson Esq, BVMS, FRCVS. General Veterinary Practitioner, Fife.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the members of the committee dealing with the current appeal against the ban on Halcion.
Dr. Mawhinney : The members are :
Ms. Diana Cotton QC, Barrister (Chairman).
Professor J. A. Edwardson, Director of the MRC, Neurological and Pathology Unit, Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Ms. Ann Foster, Director of the Scottish Consumer Council. Professor David Marsden, Professor of Neurology at London University.
Professor Charles George, Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at Southampton University.
Lancashire Ambulance Authority
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the emergency response times for the Lancashire ambulance authority for each year since 1986 showing the percentage answered within eight minutes and within 20 minutes.
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Mr. Sackville : Information on response times has only been collected centrally since 1987-88.
The available figures are shown in the table :
_
Year |Total emergency |Percentage where |Percentage where
|calls |response within 8 |response within 20
|minutes |minutes
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1987-88 |70,509 |70.7 |99.1
1988-89 |70,561 |71.2 |99.2
1989-90 |35,630 |70.9 |99.1
1990-91 |73,640 |67.1 |98.9
1991-92<1> |71,414 |67.3 |98.9
<1> Provisional figures.
National Health Service Expenditure
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was being spent on average on the national health service per week for each family in 1979 and at the latest available date.
Mr. Sackville : Total spending on the health service in the United Kingdom per week, for a family of four persons, was £11.05 in 1978-79- -£31.28 at 1992-93 prices. Total spending in 1992-93 is planned to be £47.56, a real terms increase of 52 per cent.
Mental Handicap
Ms. Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish for each district health authority for the current financial year (a) the planned capital and revenue expenditure on mental handicap-- learning disabilities--services and (b) the value of assets relevant to mental handicap--learning disabilities--services listed in capital asset registers.
Mr. Yeo : This information is not held centrally.
ENVIRONMENT
Council Housing
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he proposes to extend compulsory competitive tendering to the management of council housing.
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to offer financial incentives to local authorities that encourage tenant participation in planning, management and service delivery of housing provisions.
Mr. Baldry : The extent and effectiveness with which local authorities encourage appropriate tenant participation is taken into account in housing investment programme (HIP) allocations. The best authorities already deploy significant resources to encourage greater tenant participation, and the HIP process will offer clear incentives to others to follow their lead. My Department also makes grants in support of tenant management under section 16 of the Housing and Planning Act 1986.
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Housing Allocations
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will issue to local authorities guidelines on equal opportunities and anti- discrimination within housing allocation policies and homelessness service provision.
Mr. Baldry : My Department issued to local authorities in August last year a revised code of guidance on the homelessness legislation. On 30 January 1991 the Commission for Racial Equality, with the Secretary of State's backing, issued a code of practice giving practical guidance on eliminating racial discrimination and promoting equal opportunities in the field of rented housing.
House Condition Survey
Mr. Hain : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish details of the 1991 house condition survey at an early date ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : The results of the 1991 English house condition survey will be published as soon as the analysis of the data is completed.
Staffordshire County Council
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will meet a delegation from Staffordshire county council to discuss the forthcoming standard spending assessment settlement.
Mr. Robin Squire : We would be pleased to receive a delegation as soon as proposals for the 1993-94 revenue support grant settlement have been announced.
Local Housing Companies
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to permit local authorities to set up local housing companies to stimulate new investment.
Mr. Baldry : Part V of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, which sets out the statutory framework for local authority interests in companies, will be brought into force shortly. Any housing companies set up by local authorities would have to operate within this framework.
Housing Associations
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will review current arrangements for the administration of the housing association grant and the monitoring of financial and service delivery performances by housing associations.
Mr. Baldry : These matters are the statutory responsibility of the Housing Corporation, in respect of housing associations registered in England, and Housing for Wales--Tai Cymru--in respect of associations registered in Wales.
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will issue guidelines to housing associations in Wales on tenant participation within housing association management committees.
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Mr. Gwilym Jones : I have been asked to reply. Housing for Wales is on course to issue guidelines to housing associations in Wales during this financial year.
Intentionality
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek the repeal of the intentionality clause in the Housing Act 1985.
Mr. Baldry : The Government have no immediate plans for further legislative change, although the operation of the homelessness legislation is monitored closely.
Mortgage Debts
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make it his policy to provide funding for local authorities and housing associations to enable them to take on mortgage debts.
Homelessness
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will seek to amend section III of the Housing Act 1985 to cover all homeless people.
Mr. Baldry : The Government have no immediate plans for further legislative change, although the operation of the homelessness legislation is monitored closely.
Compulsory Competitive Tendering
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many tenants' organisations and individual tenants have responded to the consultation paper, "Competing for Quality in Housing" ; and how many of these were in favour of compulsory competitive tendering.
Mr. Baldry : A total of 104 tenants' organisations and six individual tenants have responded to the Government's consultation paper, "Competing for Quality in Housing". A wide range of views were expressed on various aspects of the Government's proposals, including a substantial body of opinion that competitive tendering would lead to an improvement in standards.
Private Rented Housing
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will introduce a new improvement grants system for landlords in the private rented sector ;
(2) if he will introduce a new improvement grants system for landlords in the private rental sector.
Mr. Baldry : No, but we continue to keep the grant system, including provisions relating to private landlords, under review.
Housing Needs
Mr. Dafis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the localised housing needs assessment research initiative currently carried out in England ; and how much funding is provided by his Department to each initiative.
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Mr. Baldry : Information about local housing needs assessments is not held centrally ; funding is a matter for individual local authorities.
Subsidised Housing
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average subsidy from central and local government expenditure, including housing benefit for (a) council tenants, (b) housing association tenants and (c) private sector tenants, for the last period for which records are available.
Mr. Baldry : The information is as follows :
Council tenants : £970 in 1990-91, comprising rent rebates and the housing element in housing revenue account subsidy.
Housing association tenants : £550 in 1990 (estimate from a sample survey ; rent allowances only).
Private sector tenants : £320 in 1990 (estimate from sample survey : rent allowances arranged over all rent-paying tenants).
Building Research Establishment
Mrs. Roe : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish key performance targets for the Building Research Establishment.
Mr. Baldry : The Building Research Establishment has been an executive agency since 2 April 1990. The following key targets have been set for 1992-93 :
--£19,000 net contribution to the Exchequer
--income to cover full economic costs on a trading basis --non-Exchequer component to be 9.4 per cent. of total net income from research commissions
--a new unit cost ratio for research and technical consultancy commissions to be applied. (The ratio is a measure of the agency's overhead costs.)
OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT AGENCY
Aid Target
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects the 0.7 per cent. gross national product target level for overseas aid to developing countries to be reached by Her Majesty's Government.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have not set down a timetable for reaching the 0.7 per cent. target. Progress towards the target will depend upon our economic circumstances and on other priorities for public expenditure.
Aid Funds
Ms. Glenda Jackson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy, when allocating aid funds for eastern Europe, that resources will not be diverted from development projects in sub-Saharan Africa.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 5 November 1992] : The provision of economic assistance to central and eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union has not been at the expense of aid to developing countries. Future allocations of resources will be made in the light of the outcome of the public expenditure survey which cannot be anticipated.
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Ms. Glenda Jackson : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it his policy that emergency aid should not affect long-term development projects.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 5 November 1992] : We provide emergency aid in response to specific humanitarian requirements, with the objective of minimising loss of life. This funding is provided separately from that for long-term development projects, although these sometimes help reduce the damage caused by natural disasters.
Timber
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effect on the work of the Overseas Development Administration on the phasing out of the use of timber from unsustainable sources.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The most effective way of ensuring that timber comes from sustainable sources is to promote and support the sustainable management of forests. This is a central objective of many ODA-supported forestry projects. Individual projects are monitored to assess their performance against objectives. We are also supporting the International Tropical Timber Organisation, which promotes sustainable forest management with the objective of the production of internationally traded timber being from sustainable sources by the year 2000.
Development Budget
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will estimate what percentage of the overseas development budget is spent in (a) each of the EC nations' currencies and (b) United States dollars ; and if he will make a statement on the impact on his Department's budget of the change in the value of the pound sterling in relation to those currencies.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : About 0.04 per cent. of the gross external assistance programme is spent in other EC nations' currencies and about 3.6 per cent. in United States dollars. Given that exchange rates move up as well as down during the course of a year, it is not possible to say what impact recent changes in the value of sterling will have.
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