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|1991 |1992
------------------------------
Grade 2 |1 |1
Pay Band 20 |2 |2
19 |- |-
18 |4 |4
17 |4 |3
16 |5 |6
15 |7 |6
14 |12 |12
13 |36 |36
12 |18 |17
11 |55 |56
10 |94 |94
9 |162 |166
8 |221 |221
7 |410 |419
6 |172 |163
5 |272 |270
4 |414 |393
3 |184 |175
2 |81 |66
1 |45 |37
Industrial Staff 11,103
|---- |----
Totals |3,368|3,250
Letter from Mr. Mike Devereau to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 4 November 1992.
I am replying to your question about staff numbers and costs. For 1991-92 our total paybill, excluding accrued early retirement liabilities, was £16.3m. I expect the figure for 1992-93 to be in the region of £15.7m.
The average number of staff employed during 1991-92 was 709 of which 685 were permanent employees and 24 casual. In 1992-93 I expect the average to be in the region of 645 of which 625 would be permanent employees and 20 casual. A breakdown of average staff numbers by grade for 1991-92 and projected average staff numbers for 1992-93 is attached.
Average staff numbers
|1991-92 actual |1992-93 estimated
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Permanent staff
Chief Executive (G3) |1 |1
Deputy Director General (G5) |1 |1
Grade 5 |5 |5
Grade 6 |12 |10
Grade 7 |35 |35
Supervisory Engineer |1 |1
Senior Executive Officer |13 |12
Senior Information Officer |112 |111
Senior Engineer |2 |1
Engineer |4 |5
Chief Typing Manager |1 |1
Higher Executive Officer |26 |25
Information Officer |164 |146
Librarian |1 |1
Senior Personal Secretary |1 |1
Typing Manager |3 |1
Assistant Information Officer |36 |29
Executive Officer |43 |42
Personal Secretary |14 |14
Vault Keeper |2 |2
Assistant Librarian |3 |3
Support Manager 3 |4 |4
Typist |23 |16
Administration Officer |106 |94
Support Grade Band 1 |19 |17
Studio Assistant |2 |1
Carpenter |1 |1
Support Grade Band 2 |27 |25
Administrative Assistant |23 |20
|---- |----
Sub-total |685 |625
|---- |----
Casual staff
Information Officer |2 |1
Assistant Information Officer |2 |0
Administration Officer |13 |12
Administration Assistant |4 |4
Support Grade Band 2 |2 |2
Typist |1 |0
|---- |----
Sub-Total |24 |19
|---- |----
Total |709 |644
EMPLOYMENT
Labour Statistics
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the numbers employed in the construction industry in the north-wast standard region in each year since 1979.
Mr. McLoughlin : The information is shown in the table following. Employees in employment in the construction industry in the north west standard region
Great BritaiGreat Britain
|18-20|21+ |18-20|21+
------------------------------------
1979 |75.0 |43.5 |69.5 |42.2
1980 |- |- |68.8 |41.6
1981 |72.3 |41.9 |70.2 |41.4
1982 |72.7 |41.3 |70.6 |41.0
1983 |66.5 |37.2 |67.7 |38.7
1984 |70.0 |38.5 |66.9 |37.5
1985 |71.1 |38.4 |69.1 |38.4
1986 |72.1 |38.8 |70.1 |38.3
1987 |72.8 |38.6 |71.7 |38.7
1988 |75.5 |40.0 |73.2 |39.4
1989 |77.2 |40.9 |72.0 |38.7
1990 |75.7 |40.3 |71.5 |38.3
1991 |72.8 |38.7 |70.1 |37.4
1992 |73.3 |36.7 |69.9 |36.1
Source: New Earnings Survey.
Note: "-" denotes sample number too
small or standard error too large
for reliable estimate.
Earnings Statistics
Mrs. Roche : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of (a) manual and (b) non-manual workers currently earn less than (i) £147.85, (ii) £197.30 and (iii) £207.13 excluding overtime payments ; and what are the proportions separately for men and women.
Mr. McLoughlin : The available information closest to that requested is published in table 24 of part A of the 1992 "New Earnings Survey" report, a copy of which is in the Library.
Mrs. Roche : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the average pay of those aged under 18 years as a percentage of earning of those (i) aged 18 to 21 years and (ii) aged 21 years and over, in each year since 1979, in (a) Greater London and (b) Great Britain.
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Mr. McLoughlin : The available information closest to that requested is given in the following table.
Average gross weekly earnings of full time employees whose pay for the survey pay period was not affected by absence.
Earnings of those aged under 18 years as a percentage of those aged :
Great BritaiGreat Britain
|18-20|21+ |18-20|21+
------------------------------------
1979 |75.0 |43.5 |69.5 |42.2
1980 |- |- |68.8 |41.6
1981 |72.3 |41.9 |70.2 |41.4
1982 |72.7 |41.3 |70.6 |41.0
1983 |66.5 |37.2 |67.7 |38.7
1984 |70.0 |38.5 |66.9 |37.5
1985 |71.1 |38.4 |69.1 |38.4
1986 |72.1 |38.8 |70.1 |38.3
1987 |72.8 |38.6 |71.7 |38.7
1988 |75.5 |40.0 |73.2 |39.4
1989 |77.2 |40.9 |72.0 |38.7
1990 |75.7 |40.3 |71.5 |38.3
1991 |72.8 |38.7 |70.1 |37.4
1992 |73.3 |36.7 |69.9 |36.1
Source: New Earnings Survey.
Note: "-" denotes sample number too
small or standard error too large
for reliable estimate.
Women Workers
Mrs. Roche : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many women working (a) full-time and (b) part-time are covered by wages councils in London.
Mr. McLoughlin : It is estimated that some two-thirds of all workers covered by the wages councils are women and that about two-thirds of all wages council workers are part-timers. I regret there are no separate estimates for London.
Health and Safety (Local Authorities)
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many (a) prohibition notices and (b) improvement notices were issued on local authorities by the Health and Safety Executive in each year since 1974.
Mr. McLoughlin : The information requested is available only for the period after 1 April 1988 ; enforcement statistics before that date do not separately identify local authorities. The following table shows the total number of prohibition and improvement notices issued to local authorities by relevant HSE inspectorates for each year since then.
Enforcement notices issued against local authorities<1> by HSE's
Factory and Agricultural Inspectorates, 1988-89 to 1990-91
Type of Notice
Date of Issue<2> |Improvement |Deferred Prohibition|Immediate |Total
|Prohibition
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1988-89 |54 |1 |31 |86
1989-90 |52 |2 |20 |74
1990-91 |89 |2 |29 |120
<1> Offences or breaches of legislation occurring in premises, or arising from activities, controlled by local authorities.
<2> Years commencing 1 April.
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was (a) the total number of
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prosecutions and (b) the average fine against local authorities by the Health and Safety Executive under the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act in each year since 1974.Mr. McLoughlin : The information requested is available only for the period after 1 April 1988 ; enforcement statistics before that date do not separately identify local authorities. The following table shows the number of informations laid against local authorities by relevant HSE inspectorates since then.
Prosecution action<1> taken against local authorities,<2> by HSE's
Factory and Agricultural Inspectorates, 1988-89 to 1990-91
Date of Hearing<3> |Number of |of which Convictions|Average fine per
|Informations laid |conviction (£)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1988-89 |22 |22 |594
1989-90 |39 |31 |1,435
1990-91 |41 |39 |953
<1> All action taken under the Health and Safety at Work Act etc. 1974, subordinate regulations and
other related legislation.
<2> Offences or breaches of legislation occurring in premises, or arising from activities, controlled by
local authorities.
<3> Years commencing 1 April.
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was (a) the total number of prosecutions against local authority directors and (b) the average fines under the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 in each year.
Mr. McLoughlin : The information requested is available only after 1 April 1988 ; enforcement statistics before that date do not separately identify local authorities. HSE's factory and agricultural inspectorates enforce health and safety legislation as it applies to local authority premises and activities. Since then there have been no prosecutions of local authority directors.
Local Authority Employees
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people were (a) killed and (b) seriously injured in local authority employment in each year since 1974.
Mr. McLoughlin : Occupational injuries to workers occurring in premises owned by, or arising from activities controlled by, local authorities, and reported to HSE's factory and agricultural inspectorates for years between 1988-89 and 1990-91 are provided in the following table. Prior to 1 April 1988 such injuries were not separately identified.
|Number of |Numbers of workers
|establishments
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |46,000 |326,000
1986 |45,000 |327,000
1989 |56,000 |367,000
1991 |51,000 |317,000
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Regional Expenditure
Mr. Clelland : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the total revenue expenditure in each of the English regions by her Department in the years 1990-91 and 1991-92.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The information is not available in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Wages Policy
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what regard is paid to the existence or level of other household earnings in determining government policy on (a) wages council rates and (b) pay agreements negotiated for public employees.
Mr. McLoughlin : Wages councils are independent statutory bodies and Ministers have no power to intervene in their decisions about minimum rates of pay. Pay should reflect individual performance and what is necessary to recruit and retain the right staff, within what can be realistically afforded.
Wages Councils
Mrs. Roche : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many employees from black and ethnic minority communities working within establishments in London are covered by wages councils.
Mr. McLoughlin : I regret that the information is not available.
Mrs. Roche : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many (a) establishments and (b) employees were covered by the wages councils in London in (i) 1979, (ii) 1986, (iii) 1989 and (iv) 1991.
Mr. McLoughlin : There are no detailed figures on the number of establishments and employees covered by wages councils in London, but the following table gives broad estimates :
|Number of |Numbers of workers
|establishments
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979 |46,000 |326,000
1986 |45,000 |327,000
1989 |56,000 |367,000
1991 |51,000 |317,000
Mrs. Roche : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many checks were carried out by wages councils in London on underpaying in the last year for which figures are available, and what number and proportion were found to be underpaying.
Mr. McLoughlin : The number of checks by all methods carried out in 1991 by the wages inspectorate in its London division was 5,299. The number of establishments found under paying was 294, 5.5 per cent. of those inspected.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many employees covered by wages councils are the principal source of their household's income.
Column 756
Mr. McLoughlin : This information is not available.
Mr. Dobson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment, pursuant to her oral answer of 3 November to the hon. Member for Redcar (Ms. Mowlam), Official Report, column 139, if she will give details of the survey resulting in the figure given in her answer for the percentage of wages council workers who are in households with two or more wage earners.
Mr. McLoughlin : The figure referred to by the hon. Member is based on information about the main wages council industries recorded in the April 1991 "Labour Force Survey". This is a sample survey of the members of around 60,000 households in Great Britain.
Crown Indemnity
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when she expects the Health and Safety Commission to consider the review of current procedures and to put its proposals to Ministers concerning the removal of Crown indemnity in respect of infringements of the Health and Safety at Work, etc., Act 1974.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Health and Safety Commission currently plans to consider the review in December and, if appropriate, will make recommendations early in the new year.
Training
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment (1) what percentage of the working population were on work-related Government training programmes in each region in each year since 1979 ; (2) how many people were on work-related Government training programmes in each year since 1979, in each region.
Mr. McLoughlin : The information requested is not readily available in the form requested and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Wages
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list for each jobcentre in the Doncaster area, for the latest date she has available, the number of current accepted vacanies from employers where the wages offered fall below the relevant wages council minimum ; and what percentage this is of the total number of vacancies on offer at each jobcentre.
Mr. McLoughlin : Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service Agency under its chief executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given. Letter from Mr. M. E. G. Fogden to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated November 1992 :
As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to write to you direct to respond to your Parliamentary Question about the number of current vacancies accepted by Jobcentres in the Doncaster area where the wages offered fall below the relevant Wages Council minimum and what percentage this is of the total number of vacancies on offer at each Jobcentre. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
Column 757
There are no vacancies at Doncaster or Thorne Jobcentres which fall below Wages Council minumum rates. Jobcentres have comprehensive instructions giving guidance to staff on the action to be taken when a vacancy covered by a Wages Council Order is notified. If the employer is unwilling to pay the Wages Council minimum then my people are instructed not to accept the vacancy and to refer the case to the Department of Employment Wages Inspectorate.I hope this is helpful.
As decided by the Administration Committee of the House of Commons, Chief Executive replies to written Parliamentary Questions will now be published in the Official Report . I will also place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.
Accident Hazard Regulations
Mr. Bill Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what guidelines she intends to issue to local authorities as to the charges they may make to industrial site operators for work done under the Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazard Regulations 1984.
Mr. McLoughlin : My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, has no plans to issue guidelines on the charges local authorities may make. The Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1984 contain specific details of what local authorities may charge for in preparing off- site emergency plans and how these charges must be calculated. Guidance on these legal requirements is given in the Health and Safety Executive's revised booklet "A Guide to the Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1984", published by HMSO in 1990, a copy of which is in the Library.
Workfare
Mr. Ralph Howell : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what consideration she has given to the introduction of workfare to help solve the problem of rising unemployment.
Mr. McLoughlin : As my hon. Friend is aware, we have no plans for a compulsory work programme for unemployed people. Our priority remains to help unemployed people back into work through our employment and training programmes.
Column 758
Public Record Office
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many papers her Department has currently withdrawn from the Public Record Office ; if she will list their titles ; and when she estimates that they will be returned.
Mr. McLoughlin : Government Departments have a statutory right under the Public Record Acts to retrieve records temporarily from the Public Record Office for their own administrative use. The Employment Department has 39 records out on loan. To list them all would involve disproportionate costs.
Records are returned as soon as departmental action has been completed.
Departmental Properties
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will list, for each local authority area in south Yorkshire, how many residential properties are currently owned by her Department ; and if she will list, by location, those residential properties which are empty, giving the type of accommodation available, the length of time each property has been vacant, and its intended future use.
Mr. McLoughlin : The Department does not own any residential properties in south Yorkshire.
Redundancies
Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total number of redundancies in the west midlands area for the last available quarter broken down by sector.
Mr. McLoughlin : Figures are available for the numbers of proposed redundancies notified under the provisions of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992 for the quarter to 31 October. The table gives information by standard industrial classification.
Proposed redundancies in the period 1 August 1992 to 31 October 1992
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
11 |Coal extraction and solid fuels |11 |3,358
32 |Mechanical engineering |47 |2,125
35 |Manufacturer of motor vehicles and parts |24 |1,465
50 |Construction |27 |1,141
34 |Electrical and electronic engineering |23 |949
24 |Manufacturer of non-metal mineral products |20 |673
83 |Other business services and central offices |19 |658
91 |Local and national government services |7 |652
31 |Manufacture of other metal goods |13 |505
41 |Food/groceries/dairy products |13 |505
96 |Social work/charitable services |1 |396
42 |Drinks, animal foods and tobacco |4 |354
66 |Hotels and catering |8 |352
22 |Metal manufacturing |11 |337
49 |Other manufacturing industries |8 |317
92 |Other services |7 |303
64 |Retail distribution |7 |284
48 |Processing rubber and plastics |9 |277
36 |Manufacturing other transport equipment |2 |209
81 |Banking financial services |3 |204
37 |Instrument engineering |2 |155
46 |Wooden furniture industries |6 |136
97 |Recreational/cultural services |1 |128
77 |Other transport/storage services |4 |93
1 |Agriculture and horticulture |2 |90
65 |Retail distribution |4 |85
47 |Paper manufacturing, printing and publishing |5 |75
94 |Research and development services |3 |72
95 |Medical, dental and veterinary services |2 |68
17 |Water supply industry |3 |67
79 |Postal and telecommunication services |1 |60
43 |Textile industries |2 |49
44 |Manufacture of leather and leather goods |1 |46
45 |Footwear and clothing industries |2 |45
67 |Vehicle and consumer goods repair |1 |39
21 |Metal ores extraction/preparation |1 |29
82 |Insurance |1 |26
84 |Renting of movables |1 |18
72 |Other inland transport |1 |18
85 |Property owning and managing |1 |12
76 |Transport support service |1 |10
75 |Air transport |0 |0
33 |Manufacture of office machines |0 |0
93 |Education |0 |0
61 |Wholesale distribution |0 |0
30 |Shipbuilding and repair |0 |0
26 |Production of man-made fibres |0 |0
25 |Chemical industry |0 |0
62 |Dealing in other industrial materials |0 |0
23 |Extracting minerals not elsewhere specified |0 |0
98 |Personal services |0 |0
74 |Sea transport |0 |0
71 |Railways |0 |0
16 |Electricity, gas and other products distribution|0 |0
15 |Nuclear fuel production |0 |0
14 |Mineral oil processing |0 |0
13 |Oil extraction and natural gases |0 |0
12 |Coke ovens |0 |0
99 |Private domestic service |0 |0
3 |Fishing |0 |0
2 |Forestry |0 |0
63 |Commission agents |0 |0
|------- |-------
|309 |16,385
Year |Males |Females |Total
1983 |11,317 |10,419 |21,736
1984 |11,678 |10,576 |22,254
1985 |12,597 |10,746 |23,343
1986 |14,152 |12,615 |26,767
1987 |13,661 |12,585 |26,246
* International Classification of Diseases; ninth revision.
Occupational Ill Health
Mrs. Helen Jackson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what estimate she has made of the annual cost of occupational ill health ; and what action she proposes to take to lessen this.
Mr. McLoughlin : Reliable estimates of the annual cost of occupational ill health are not presently available. Health and Safety Executive economists are carrying out research into the cost of occupational ill health and expect to publish the results of this work early next year.
Improving the level of occupational health is a main priority for the Health and Safety Commission and Executive. Details of their current activities and plans for action are set out in the Commission's annual reports and plans of work. These include the preparation of a comprehensive framework of regulations under the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 covering the main categories of workplace health risks, practical guidance and campaigns, and an extensive programme of research and surveys of the scale and pattern of occupational ill health.
Column 760
Water Quality
Mrs. Helen Jackson : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if she will introduce legislation to extend the health and safety legislation requiring drinking water and running water for washing to be provided at conveniently accessible places, to apply to all working locations, including domestic houses and flats.
Mr. McLoughlin : We are currently considering the Health and Safety Commission proposals for regulations which implement European Community directive No. 89/654/EEC (the workplace directive). The proposed regulations would extend the current requirements in health and safety legislation on drinking water and running water for washing to all workplaces. However, they apply only to
"any premises or part of premises which are not domestic premises and are made available to any person as a place of work".
Domestic houses and flats are therefore outside the scope of the proposed regulations. They are, however, required to have such facilities under the Building Regulations (England and Wales) which are the responsibility of my right hon. and learned Friend, the Secretary of State for the Environment.
Column 761
Invalidity Benefit
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment when Mr. E. D. Coote of Linden, Mount Pleasant road, Brixham (NI No. ZL 46 46 75 C) will be notified of the result of his appeal to the Department of Employment, Newcastle, regarding loss of invalidity benefit.
Mr. Scott : I have been asked to reply.
The administration of invalidity benefit is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. As the appeal is a personal and confidential matter, he will reply direct to the hon. Member.
HEALTH
Glaucoma
11. Mr. Loyden : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reports she has received about the use of laser treatment for glaucoma ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : The use of lasers has revolutionised the treatment of glaucoma and other diseases of the eye. I understand that many patients who would previously have been treated as in-patients are now being successfully treated in out-patient clinics.
Smoking
12. Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations she has received regarding danger to health from smoking and passive smoking.
Dr. Mawhinney : The consequences of smoking and passive smoking have been the subject of many representations received in the Department. Most recently the Health Education Authority's publication called "The Smoking Epidemic--A Manifesto for Action" looked at the life expectancy of smokers, passive smoking and the costs to the national health service.
Health Service Expenditure
13. Ms. Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the plans for health service expenditure for the current public expenditure planning period.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer will be making his autumn statement to the House on Thursday 12 November.
Departmental Information
14. Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her policy for increasing the amount of information made available to the general public from her Department.
Mr. Sackville : The Department aims to provide the general public with a wide range of information relating to legislation, policy, patients' rights and other health advice. The Department is also playing a full part in the cross-departmental initiative on open government.
Furthermore, the Department is engaged in a number of initiatives to promote greater access to information by
Column 762
national health service patients--including information on performance against patients charter standards, regional health information services and legislation to give patients access to health records held on them. The Department is currently consulting on draft guidance on freedom of speech for national health service employees.GP Lists
15. Mr. Michael Brown : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the change in the average number of patients on each general practitioner's list since 1979 ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : I am pleased to be able to report that the average number of patients on general medical practi-tioner lists in England has fallen by 18 per cent., from 2,286 at 1 October 1979 to 1,932 at 1 April 1992.
Standish Hospital, Gloucestershire
16. Mr. Nigel Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received concerning the effect of the proposed closure of Standish hospital, Gloucestershire on provision of specialist services.
Mr. Sackville : Gloucestershire health authority is currently consulting publicly on this proposal. If the closure is opposed by the local community health council the matter will be referred to Ministers, via the South Western regional health authority, for a full decision.
Tomlinson Report
17. Mrs. Roche : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of possible job losses as a result of the implementation of the Tomlinson report.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Sir Bernard Tomlinson's recommendations point the way to a better health service for London and Londoners. We are currently consulting widely on them. As part of this, we will take in the views of staff and the implications of change for staff. We will set out a detailed response in the new year.
18. Ms. Hoey : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effect of the implementation of the Tomlinson recommendations on waiting lists in London.
Dr. Mawhinney : The report notes that significant progress has been made in reducing waiting times in London. We will ensure that the proposals arising from the report continue this trend.
20. Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from the people of London concerning the Tomlinson report.
Dr. Mawhinney : The Tomlinson report has only just been published, but my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health welcomes an open debate on the issues it raises. We will listen carefully to the views expressed before setting out our detailed proposals for change in the new year.
Occupational Health
19. Mr. O'Hara : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to increase the amount of time medical students spend on occupational health issues during their training.
Column 763
Dr. Mawhinney : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Leicester, South (Mr. Marshall) earlier today.
Cost Improvement Programme
21. Mr. Alexander : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received about the workings of the cost improvement programme from hospital authorities in England and Wales.
Mr. Sackville : No formal representations have been made. However each year the management executive agrees with an individual region an efficiency target as part of the management process.
London Ambulance Service
22. Mr. Wicks : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will establish an urgent inquiry into the London ambulance service.
Mr. Sackville : The hon. Member will be aware that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health made a statement to the House on 28 October about the London ambulance service.
Ms. Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action is being taken to ensure that ambulance response times in London meet the guidelines set out in the citizens charter.
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