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Youth Care Services
Mrs. Golding : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment the Government have made of the quality of services provided to young people in the care of local authorities ; (2) what monitoring work is being undertaken on provision made under sections 20 to 26 of the Children Act 1989.
Mr. Yeo : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's report on the first year of the Children Act 1989 is due to be presented to Parliament early in 1993 and will refer to services under sections 20 to 26.
As part of our strategy for monitoring the Act, we are collecting information covering children looked after by local authorities under section 20.
The Department's research programme includes studies covering the implementation of the requirements of section 20 regarding provision of accommodation and section 24 on preparing children for leaving care and supporting them after they have left. The studies will identify policies and practices which are supportive to young people leaving care.
The social services inspectorate is currently planning inspections of services for children in need and children with disabilities, and on representations and complaints procedures.
Mentally Disordered Offenders
Mr. Nicholls : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement about the interdepartmental review of health and social services for mentally disordered offenders and others requiring similar services.
Mr. Yeo : The steering committee, chaired by Dr. John Reed, completed the review on schedule in July 1992. Earlier progress reports were made by my hon. Friend the Member for Loughborough (Mr. Dorrell) in his reply of 13 November 1991 at columns 583-84 to my hon. Friend the Member for Cambridgeshire, South-East (Mr. Paice) and in my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Bolton, North-East (Mr. Thurnham) on 2 June 1992 at columns 453-54.
We have already published nine consultation documents from the steering committee about the various issues considered in the review. The general direction proposed in these has been widely supported. The steering committee's final summary report, setting out the main conclusions it has reached, is published today and has been placed in the Library. The earlier consultative reports will be published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office in four volumes next month. The Departments are also making widely available a digest of some of the issues and initiatives identified during visits to local services. In parallel with the final summary report we are issuing for consultation the report of an official working group on services for offenders with learning disabilities or autism and a discussion paper on racial and cultural issues. These are also available in the Library.
In the course of the review, the Government have reaffirmed that mentally disordered offenders who need care and treatment should receive it from health and personal social services rather than in the criminal justice system. We have also endorsed a series of guiding principles which point in particular to services being
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provided, as far as is compatible with public safety, in more local and less institutional settings. As the final report makes clear, one of the keys to achieving this is joint working between the different agencies concerned at all levels.Progress in many places has been stimulated both by the review itself and by the earlier Home Office circular 66/90 which gave advice on practical ways of diverting mentally disordered people from the criminal justice system and avoiding prosecution. We have identified mental illness as a key area in the White Paper "The Health of the Nation" (Cm 1986). This requires health authorities to include mentally disordered offenders in their strategic and purchasing plans. Regional directors of public health have now carried out initial assessments of needs and these will be developed in subsequent years. We are also spending £18 million this year on capital development of medium secure psychiatric units, against only £3 million in 1991-92.
We shall be considering carefully the recommendations set out in the final report, including their resource implications and other factors bearing on the possible pace of development. Much progress can be achieved by better use of existing services and resources and improved co-ordination between the responsible agencies. The protection afforded to health services for mentally disordered offenders, including those for patients with special needs, by NHS management executive letter (92)6 remains in force at least until March 1993. We are considering what steps should be taken to ensure an adequate level of services beyond that date.
To help in following up the review, and in maintaining the good co- operation between agencies which it has fostered, we are establishing a new advisory committee on mentally disordered offenders. This is being formed for three years with the following terms of reference :
To advise the Department of Health and the Home Office on matters referred to it in connection with the provision and co-ordination of services for mentally disordered offenders and others requiring similar services, with particular reference to follow up action on the report of the joint departmental review of services ; and to provide advice to the two departments on related issues which are referred to it.
The membership of the committee will be announced shortly. We have already announced the establishment of two further advisory groups, also under Dr. Reed's chairmanship, to look at high security and related psychiatric provision and at the needs of people with psychopathic or personality disorder. These groups will be reporting in the early part of 1993.
My right hon. and hon. Friends and I believe that this review has made a major contribution to raising the service profile of mentally disordered offenders. We should like to renew our thanks to Dr. Reed and all those who have worked with him.
NHS Blood Services
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she has reached a decision on the future management structure for the NHS blood services.
Mr. Sackville : Following a review we have decided to bring together responsibility for managing all parts of the national health service blood services in England into a single national blood authority (NBA). I shall lay an order in due course to establish the new authority. From 1 April
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1993 it will replace the existing Central Blood Laboratories Authority and the National Directorate of the National Blood Transfusion Service ; and subsequently will assume responsibility for managing the regional transfusion centres at the earliest opportunity.The key objectives of the NBA will be :
to maintain and promote blood and blood product supply based on our outstanding system of voluntary unpaid donors ;
to implement a cost-effective national strategy for ensuring an adequate supply of blood and blood products to meet national needs ; to ensure that high standards of safety and quality in the blood supply are maintained throughout the blood services ;
to ensure that blood products meet a consistent standard of safety and quality ;
to ensure the cost efficient operation of the Transfusion Centres and the Bio Products Laboratory both individually and together as parts of the national service.
Our blood supply is of high quality and among the safest in the world. We believe that the new management structure will enable the blood service to maintain and improve on those high standards and to enhance its operations so that the blood freely donated by our volunteer donors can be used most effectively in the interests of patients.
I am pleased to announce that Sir Colin Walker, deputy chairman Central Blood Laboratories Authority, has agreed to serve also as the chairman of the new national blood authority when it is set up. Further appointments will be announced later.
Coventry Ambulance Service
Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 6 November, Official Report, column 451-52, if she will now give figures for (a) total emergency cases, (b) the percentage where the response was within eight minutes and (c) the percentage where the response was within 20 minutes, for the ambulance service in Coventry for each year since 1987-88.
Mr. Sackville : Information by district in the west midlands is not held centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact Sir James Ackers, the chairman of West Midlands regional health authority, for details.
NHS Review
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 23 November, Official Report, column 503, what is the name of the management consultants being used in the current review of her Department's requirement for information from the NHS.
Mr. Sackville : Touche Ross management consultants.
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West Midlands Regional Health Authority
Mr. Burden : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library a copy of the KPMG Peat Marwick report on the proposal to close hospitals in the South Birmingham health authority.
Dr. Mawhinney : Publication of the KPMG Peat Marwick report is a matter for West Midlands regional health authority.
Mr. Burden : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she was informed of the proposed establishment of financial information packages from West Midlands regional health authority ; and what advice her Department gave about the framework for the new company.
Dr. Mawhinney : This Department and West Midlands regional health authority jointly funded what was known as the financial information project during the 1980s. The Department was not involved in the arrangements in 1990 by the West Midlands regional health authority to evolve the project into FIP health or in the association of that company with a charitable body known as the health management trust other than to advise on the granting of licences of the crown copyright systems software.
Mr. Burden : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will cut the payments made to financial information packages by West Midlands regional health authority.
Dr. Mawhinney : The question of payments to Financial Information Project Systems Ltd. is currently under investigation.
Expenditure
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was per capita spending on health and personal social services in cash terms and at current prices for each year since 1979 for (a) all ages, (b) births, (c) zero to four years, (d) five to 15 years, (e) 16 to 64 years, (f) 65 to 74 years and (g) 75 years and over ; and how much in each case was spent on (i) hospital and community health services, (ii) family practitioner services, (iii) personal social services and (iv) in total in England.
Mr. Sackville [holding answer 11 November 1992 : Estimates of spending per head by age group for the personal social services and for the family health services are not now produced every year. The latest available are shown in the table.
Estimates for the hospital and community health services are still produced annually, but as a result of changes in data sources, definitions and the methodology used, comparable figures for a series of years cannot be produced. The latest estimates are also shown in the table.
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|c|Spending per head|c| |c|Hospital and Community Health Services 1990-91|c| |All ages |Births |0 to 4 |5 to 15 |16 to 64 |65 to 74 |75 and over £'s Cash |310 |1,440 |220 |110 |185 |590 |1,255
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|c|Family Health Services 1989-90|c| |All ages |Births |0 to 4 |5 to 15 |16 to 64 |65 to 74 |75 and over ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------£'s Cash |105 |120 |80 |60 |95 |170 |240 1990-91 Prices |115 |130 |85 |65 |100 |185 |255
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|c|Personal Social Services 1989-90|c| |All ages |Births |0 to 4 |5 to 15 |16 to 64 |65 to 74 |75 and over ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------£'s Cash |85 |35 |115 |115 |30 |110 |475 1990-91 Prices |95 |35 |125 |125 |35 |120 |515
Health Services (Demand)
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the most recently available estimates of the percentage changes in demand on the hospital and community health services due to demographic change for each year from 1972-73 to 1996-97.
Mr. Sackville [holding answer 11 November 1992] : The table estimates the change in the level of resources required each year, as a result of changes in the age structure of the population of England, to maintain hospital and community health services at constant levels per head. Figures prior to 1975-76 are not available. The figure for 1993-94, 0.5 per cent., compares with the estimated increase of at least 2.5 per cent. in hospital and community health activity which we expect the national health service to achieve as a result of the additional funding announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
|c|Estimated percentage change in demand on the hospital and|c| |c|community health services due to demographic changes|c| Year |Increase over |previous year |Per cent. ------------------------------------------1975-76 |0.1 1976-77 |0.2 1977-78 |0.3 1978-79 |1.0 1979-80 |1.3 1980-81 |1.1 1981-82 |0.4 1982-83 |0.4 1983-84 |0.5 1984-85 |0.6 1985-86 |1.3 1986-87 |0.9 1987-88 |1.4 1988-89 |1.0 1989-90 |0.9 <1>1990-91 |0.7 <2>1991-92 |0.6 <2>1992-93 |0.7 <2>1993-94 |0.5 <2>1994-95 |0.5 <2>1995-96 |0.9 <2>1996-97 |0.7 <1>Estimated. <2>Projected.
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TRANSPORT
Deregulation
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which Minister in his Department is responsible for the oversight of deregulation of regulatory matters which fall within the responsibility of his Department.
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the main measures of deregulation, or simplification of regulation, which his Department has carried out, or caused to be carried out, since the last general election.
Mr. Norris : Since the general election, we have carried out a number of measures of deregulation, including the deregulation of motorway service areas ; and European Community measures on liberalising international coach services, international road haulage and road passenger cabotage services.
In air transport, the Government have been enthu-siastic supporters of the EC's third package of aviation measures, establishing a single market in aviation form 1 January 1993. From that date, airlines meeting safety, common financial fitness and EC nationality and effective control criteria will be entitled to an operating licence giving unrestricted access to most intra-Community routes ; and there will be free setting of air fares, subject to safeguards against predatory and excessive pricing.
Agreement has also been reached in principle on a regulation liberalising shipping cabotage services throughout the European Community.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Transport has recently announced proposals which would give local authorities greater discretion in setting speed limits on local roads. In particular, it is proposed that local authorities would no longer need the Secretary of State's consent before establishing a speed limit on a principal road.
We intend shortly to lay regulations before Parliament to allow right of access to the railway network to certain international services, in order to implement EC directive 91/440 ; and to introduce legislation at the earliest practicable opportunity to extend the benefits of deregulation to bus services in London.
Jubilee Line
Mrs. Wise : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is now the expected timescale for the commencement of work on the extension of the Jubilee line.
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Mr. Norris : I cannot speculate on the time scale in advance of the conclusion of a formal agreement on the terms on which the administrators of Olympia and York is to make its contribution.
Ozone Depletion
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce a leakage prevention programme for all refrigeration and air conditioning equipment owned and operated by his Department ; if he will publish targets for reductions in leakages ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norris : My Department's property managers are advised to ensure that all plant and equipment is properly maintained and regularly serviced in accordance with the manufacturer's specification, legal requirements and professional advice on best practice. This includes air conditioning and refrigeration equipment.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will implement a refrigerant recycling and reclaim policy covering all departmental equipment currently using chlorofluorocarbons and hydrochlorofluorocarbons ; if he will publish targets for departmental reuse and recycling ; if he will implement an equipment conversion and replacement programme for all departmental uses of CFCs and HCFCs ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norris : Plant and equipment in my Department are managed locally. The Department is appointing a network of professional advisers to help property managers check plant and equipment and to draw up forward maintenance programmes. This will include measures to replace ozone- depleting substances as soon as possible, having regard to legal requirements and advice on best practice. Property managers will be encouraged to set and monitor targets locally, taking account of the actual equipment and substances in use, the alternatives available and the opportunities for recycling.
Women Passengers
Ms. Hoey : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what measures have been taken within the last five years to improve the safety of women using public transport in London.
Mr. Norris : Safety for all their customers is the top priority of British Rail and London Transport. Over the last five years they have introduced a number of measures to make services safer and more secure. On BR and London Underground these include the provision of closed circuit television and improved lighting at stations, in subways and at station car parks, mirrors to see around corners and helppoints on underground platforms. London Buses Ltd. has introduced two-way radios and assault klaxons and it is in the process of installing video cameras. BR and London Underground Ltd. work in close liaison with the British Transport police, and London Buses Ltd. with the Metropolitan police, whose officers make regular patrols of premises and vehicles. In conjunction with the Suzy Lamplugh trust, an organisation dedicated to reducing risks to the personal safety of women, transport operators and the British Transport police, my Department has published a leaflet entitled "Travel Safely by Public Transport".
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Rail Privatisation
Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what proposals he has for the future of British Rail's strategy entitled "Organising for Quality" following privatisation.
Mr. Freeman : "Organising for Quality" has brought a more commercial approach to the organisation and management of the railway but within the constraints of a nationalised industry. The Government's proposals in "New Opportunities for the Railways" (Cm 2012) will take this process further by introducing more competition, greater efficiency and a wider choice of services more closely tailored to what customers want.
Freight Transport
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what specific targets have been established by his Department for the development of combined freight transport schemes in the United Kingdom up until the year 2000.
Mr. Freeman : I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 23 November, at column 562. The Department does not set such targets. The development of combined freight transport is a commercial matter for individual operators.
NATIONAL FINANCE
VAT
Mr. Steen : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for South Hams of early November, about the VAT surcharge levied on Western Approaches Yachts ; and what instructions his officials have with regard to penalties for small businesses.
Sir John Cope : Customs has been asked to look into the points my hon. Friend raised in his letter of 10 November and a reply will be sent as soon as its inquiries are completed.
Customs applies the law on VAT penalties, subject in appropriate cases to appeal to VAT tribunals or the courts, and with due regard to the reports of the Public Accounts Committee.
EC Economic and Finance Council
Mr. Burns : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the outcome of the latest meeting of the European Community's Economic and Finance Council.
Mr. Lamont : The Economic and Finance Council of the European Community met in Brussels under my chairmanship on 23 November. The Paymaster General represented the United Kingdom.
A national programme for economic convergence submitted by Belgium was discussed. The Council commended Belgium's record of price and monetary stability but concluded that fiscal consolidation was the key requirement in the conduct of Belgium's economic policy. The Council therefore welcomed the multi-annual measures which the Belgian Government have set in place and their new commitment to continue to reduce their debt ratio after 1996.
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The Council held a useful discussion about the future financing of the Community. Along with the United Kingdom, many member states continued to argue that the Commission's compromise proposals still involved unacceptable increases in expenditure. We also made it clear that the United Kingdom would not accept any adverse change to the abatement.Sir Leon Brittan gave the Council a short outline of the Commission's proposals for changes in the EC legislative framework for banking supervision in the light of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International case.
Over lunch, the Council discussed the economic situation in the Community. I announced that there would be a full discussion of economic issues at the European Council and that consideration should be given to the measures which member states can take, both individually and collectively, to hasten economic recovery. The Council also reached a political agreement on the investment services directive, the remaining financial services measure from the single market programme. All the Government's negotiating objectives were met concerning the outstanding issues which were discussed. The directive will offer worthwhile opportunities for the British financial services sector.
The report of the high-level group on fraud, set up at the United Kingdom's initiative, was also adopted and welcomed as containing useful proposals which would improve the effectiveness of measures to counter fraud in the Community.
Subject to reserves from Denmark and Germany, the Council also agreed to increase travellers' allowances so that travellers arriving from outside the Community will be able to bring in goods to a value of 175 ecu without incurring further tax ; and that the amount for goods that tax-free shops can sell VAT free to travellers within the EC is restricted to the value of 90 ecu. Again, this was the welcome result of a United Kingdom initiative.
The excise simplification directive was also agreed subject to a German scrutiny reserve and final modifications to the text in the jurist/linguists group. Officials were urged to resolve the remaining issues for agreement in the VAT simplification directive. It was agreed that the 7th VAT directive should be discussed at the next meeting of ECOFIN on 14 December. Meanwhile the United Kingdom made it clear that we could not agree to the current proposals for VAT on works of art at import.
The taxation of road transport was also discussed as part of a package of proposals to liberalise road transport which will also be discussed at the Transport Council on 7 December. It was agreed that ECOFIN should return to this issue on 14 December.
Finally, the Council agreed, without further discussion, balance of payments loans to the Baltic states and Council conclusions on the Ruding report on corporate taxation. The latter emphasised importance of subsidiarity in this area and also identified a number of further criteria which need to be considered before any action is proposed. These conclusions are a valuable step forward and establish an acceptable framework for future consideration of corporate tax issues in the Community.
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Windsor Castle
Mr. William Ross : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the estimate of (a) the annual cost of insuring Windsor castle against fire, (b) the annual cost of insuring the contents of Windsor castle against fire damage, (c) the cost of insuring all Government-owned buildings against fire damage, (d) the cost of insuring the contents of all Government-owned buildings against fire damage and (e) what was the cost of (i) repairing such buildings and (ii) repairing and replacing the contents of such buildings in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Mr. Lamont : Estimates of the insurance costs are not available. There is no central record of losses but the value of losses due to fire reported by Departments to the Treasury during a review of Government insurance arrangements in 1991 was :
£ million Year |Value --------------------1985-86 |14.4 1986-87 |3.4 1987-88 |181.3 1988-89 |0.8 1989-90 |4.7
The 1987-88 figure includes a sum of £180.1 million relating to a single major fire at a Ministry of Defence depot. The figures do not include losses in respect of incidents costing less than £100,000 at Ministry of Defence establishments.
Tropical Timber
Mr. Denham : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what revenue the Government derived from VAT on imported tropical timber in 1991.
Sir John Cope [holding answer 26 November 1992] : Not all tropical timbers are separately identified in the Customs tariff which is the basis of available statistics.
Calculations based on the value of imports of identifiable tropical timber recorded during 1991 show that the amount of VAT payable was approximately £25 million.
NATIONAL HERITAGE
National Lottery
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what plans he has for proceeds from the national lottery to be made available to community sports programmes.
Mr. Brooke : As the White Paper "A National Lottery : Raising Money for Good Causes" stated, it is intended that the proceeds of the national lottery will benefit a number of areas, including sport. Responsibilities and arrangements for the distribution of national lottery proceeds will be set out in the Bill which I hope to introduce soon.
Concessionary Television Licences
Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will estimate how much it would cost to extend the television licensing concessionary
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scheme to make all housing schemes reserved for the exclusive use of retired tenants eligible for the concessionary licence rate.Mr. Brooke : The cost of extending the concessaionry television licence scheme to all housing schemes provided specifically for retired tenants is estimated to be around £25 million in lost licence fee revenue.
Hampton Court
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what was the total cost to public funds arising from the restoration of Hampton Court ; and what percentage this represented in terms of the total cost of restoration.
Mr. Brooke : I have asked the chief executive of the Historic Royal Palaces agency, Mr. David Beeton, to reply to the hon. Member and I shall place a copy of his reply in the Library.
Letter to Mr. Tony Banks from Mr. David Beeton, dated 26 November 1992 :
The Secretary of State for National Heritage has asked me to reply to your Written Parliamentary Question asking the total cost to public funds arising from the restoration of Hampton Court Palace ; and what percentage this represented in terms of the total cost of restoration.
The total cost of rebuilding the damaged part of Hampton Court Palace following the fire in 1986 was £10.4 million. A further £1.1 million was spent on redecorating and representing the restored interior. The latter sum was a commercial investment with a forecast return in excess of 8 per cent. per annum. In the four months since the State Apartments re- opened, that investment has yielded a return substantially in excess of 8 per cent.
The total cost of both elements was met from public funds.
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