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Social Services Grants

Mr. Bates : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what personal social services specific grants will be made in 1993-94.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : For 1993-94 specific grants totalling £86.6 million will be available, which represents a £3.1 million or 3.7 per cent. increase, over the 1992-93 total. The specific grants for 1993-94 will be £34.4 million for mental illness, £31.8 million for social services training, £12.4 million for AIDS/HIV, £5.7 million for the guardian ad litem and reporting officer service and £2.3 million for alcohol and drugs misuse.

Abortion

Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women in England and Wales in 1991 and the first half of 1992 chose medical abortion in the first nine weeks of pregnancy with Mifepristone and prostaglandin.

Mr. Sackville : Between July 1991, when Mifegyne (Mifepristone) was licensed, and December 1991, the latest period for which figures are available, the chief medical officers of England and Wales were notified of 109 abortions where the Mifepristone and prostaglandin method was used.

NHS Pay

Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps she is taking to impose the 1.5 per cent. pay increase ceiling on senior and general managers in the national health service, from what date the pay ceiling will be effective ; and if she will make a statement ;

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(2) what plans she has to impose the public sector pay ceiling of 1.5 per cent. in NHS trusts ; and if she will make a statement ; (3) what steps she is taking to enforce the 1.5 per cent pay increase ceiling on all provider units in the national health service ; and if she will make a statement ;

(4) what account will be taken of the earnings of those who work in the national health service on performance-related pay in imposing the 1.5 per cent. pay increase ceiling ; and if she will make a statement ;

(5) how she intends to impose the 1.5 per cent. pay increase ceiling on dentists.

Dr. Mawhinney : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has written to the chairmen of all health authorities and NHS trusts setting out the arrangements for implementing the policy of restricting public sector pay settlements to a maximum of 1.5 per cent. in the coming year.

As the hon. Member is aware, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has written to the chairmen of the NHS review bodies amending their remits and asking them not to make recommendations on overall levels of pay, fees and allowances for 1 April 1993. For other staff whose pay

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and conditions are determined by our approval following negotiations in the Whitley councils and other central negotiating bodies the settlement remit will be restricted to between zero and 1.5 per cent. for each group. For those staff whose pay is not subject to central arrangements, chairmen have been asked to ensure that all settlements are restricted to between zero and 1.5 per cent. in the coming year with the pay bill increase being held as near zero as possible.

Payments under existing peformance pay schemes will continue and, under the existing pay arrangements for NHS general and senior managers, the policy will be implemented by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's direction with effect from the next review point--1 September 1993.

The dental rates study group will, as usual, be asked to recommend general dental practitioners' fees, using the target average net income (TANI) determined by Government which will be subject to the 1.5 per cent. maximum. This will take account of the recommendations of Sir Kenneth Bloomfield's fundamental review of dental remuneration which is due to be presented to Ministers by the end of the year.

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