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AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Farm Employees
Mr. Cox : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the number of people employed full time in the farming industry in each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Curry : The number of people employed full-time on agricultural holdings in England as at June for each of the last 10 years is shown in the table.
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People employed full-time on Agricultural holdings in England as at June of each
year<1>
thousands
|1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Salaried managers<2> |6.6 |6.7 |7.1 |7.1 |7.0 |7.0 |6.9 |7.2 |7.1 |7.0
Whole-time regular
hired workers |113.0|108.0|104.0|96.6 |91.5 |87.3 |84.1 |81.5 |77.5 |74.2
Seasonal or casual
workers<2> |78.4 |75.8 |76.7 |75.7 |74.1 |73.1 |68.6 |70.6 |67.2 |66.8
|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Total workers |198.0|190.5|187.8|179.4|172.5|167.4|159.6|159.3|151.9|148.0
Whole-time farmers,
partners, directors
(doing farm work) |132.9|131.7|129.8|128.7|126.7|124.5|122.4|118.9|115.0|113.9
|--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |--- |---
Total |330.9|322.2|317.6|308.2|299.2|291.2|282.0|278.3|266.9|261.9
<1> Spouses of farmers, partners, directors are excluded. Family workers without a
contract of employment are also excluded.
<2> All salaried managers and seasonal or casual workers are included. The numbers of
these which are full-time are not known.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received, and from whom, against the Inshore Fishing (Prohibition of Carriage of Monofilament Gill Nets) (Scotland) Order 1986.
Mr. Curry : I received recently representations from the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations drawing attention to their continued concern about the effect of the order, which prohibits the carriage or use of monofilament gill nets within six miles of Scotland by any United Kingdom fishing vessel, on the Grimsby gill net fleet. I replied on 15 January 1993.
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Farm Incomes
Mr. Tyler : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will publish the net farm income figures for (a) English, (b) Welsh, (c) Scottish and (d) Northern Irish hill livestock farm enterprises over the past five years for which figures are available, at constant prices, shown as a percentage of full-time manual earnings for the United Kingdom for the same period.
Mr. Curry : Net farm income is not a measure of farmers' cash earnings which in general will be higher. It is not, therefore, comparable with the average earnings of manual workers. The following table shows the latest estimates of the level of farm income for each accounting year since 1988-89 and the average earnings of full-time adult manual workers as at April each year in nominal terms and deflated by the retail prices index.
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£ thousand per year
|1988-89 |1989-90 |1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93<1>
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net farm income on hill and upland livestock farms
Nominal terms England |12.4 |8.0 |5.9 |10.0 |11.0
Wales |14.3 |8.8 |7.6 |11.7 |13.9
Scotland<2> |11.0 |8.9 |8.6 |8.2 |8.9
Northern Ireland |5.9 |3.1 |2.9 |3.8 |6.1
United Kingdom full-time adult manual earnings
Nominal terms (April each year) |9.7 |10.6 |11.5 |12.2 |12.9
Net farm income on hill and upland livestock farms
Real terms<3> England |12.4 |7.4 |5.0 |8.0 |8.5
Wales |14.3 |8.2 |6.4 |9.4 |10.8
Scotland<2> |11.0 |8.2 |7.3 |6.6 |6.9
Northern Ireland |5.9 |2.9 |2.4 |3.0 |4.7
United Kingdom full-time adult manual earnings
Real terms<3> (April each year) |9.7 |9.8 |9.7 |9.8 |10.0
<1> Forecast.
<2> Average for LFA mainly sheep, LFA mainly cattle and LFA mainly cattle and sheep.
<3> Deflated by RPI (March 1988 to February 1989=100).
Hill Farming
Mr. Tyler : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the subsidy and price support available to hill farming enterprises over the last five years for which figures are available ; and how they have varied in value at constant prices in relation to farm input costs and retail prices index over the same period.
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Mr. Curry : The figures on the following table show the information requested for the direct livestock subsidies available to hill farmers. Support for beef producers has also been available through intervention during this period, but it is not possible to apportion this to hill farmers.
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Rates of subsidies available to hill farmers-United Kingdom
£/head
|1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Current prices
Sheep
Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances
SDA Sheep (higher rate) |6.75 |6.75 |7.50 |8.75 |8.75
SDA Sheep (lower rate) |4.50 |4.50 |4.50 |4.90 |4.90
DA |2.25 |2.25 |2.25 |2.45 |2.45
Sheep Annual Premium Scheme<1> |6.11 |6.94 |9.88 |12.91 |<2>17.25
LFA supplement to SAPS |- |- |- |3.12 |<2>5.78
Average Variable Premium-pence/kg (dead weight)<1> |58.76 |45.37 |41.39 |63.36 |<3>-
Beef
Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances
SDA |54.50 |54.50 |54.50 |63.30 |63.30
DA |27.25 |27.25 |27.25 |31.65 |31.65
Suckler Cow Premium<1> |33.40 |47.43 |51.69 |59.64 |59.64
Beef Special Premium<4><5> |- |29.19 |31.81 |31.81 |35.90
Average Variable Premium-pence/kg <1><6>
Dead weight |16.09 |18.50 |- |- |-
Live weight |8.73 |9.95 |- |- |-
1988 prices-deflated by Agricultural Input Prices Index
Sheep
Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances
SDA Sheep (higher rate) |6.75 |6.36 |6.79 |7.62 |7.44
SDA Sheep (lower rate) |4.50 |4.24 |4.07 |4.27 |4.17
DA |2.25 |2.12 |2.04 |2.13 |2.08
Sheep Annual Premium Scheme<1> |6.11 |6.54 |8.95 |11.24 |<2>14.67
LFA supplement to SAPS |- |- |- |2.72 |<2>4.92
Average Variable Premium-pence/kg (dead weight)<1> |58.76 |42.77 |37.48 |55.18 |<3>-
Beef
Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances
SDA |54.50 |51.38 |49.35 |55.13 |53.84
DA |27.25 |25.69 |24.67 |27.57 |26.92
Suckler Cow Premium<1> |33.40 |44.71 |46.80 |51.94 |50.73
Beef Special Premium<3><4> |- |27.52 |28.80 |27.71 |30.54
Average Variable Premium-pence/kg<1><6>
Dead weight |16.09 |17.44 |- |- |-
Live weight |8.73 |9.38 |- |- |-
1988 prices-deflated by Retail Prices Index
Sheep
Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances
SDA Sheep (higher rate) |6.75 |6.26 |6.36 |7.01 |6.75
SDA Sheep (lower rate) |4.50 |4.17 |3.81 |3.92 |3.78
DA |2.25 |2.09 |1.91 |1.96 |1.89
Sheep Annual Premium Scheme<1> |6.11 |6.44 |8.37 |10.34 |<2>13.31
LFA supplement to SAPS |- |- |- |2.50 |<2>4.46
Average Variable Premium-pence/kg (dead weight)<1> |58.76 |42.08 |35.07 |50.74 |-
Beef
Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowances
SDA |54.50 |50.55 |46.18 |50.69 |48.82
DA |27.25 |25.27 |23.09 |25.34 |24.41
Suckler Cow Premium<1> |33.40 |43.99 |43.80 |47.76 |46.00
Beef Special Premium<4><5> |- |27.07 |26.95 |25.48 |27.69
Average Variable Premium-pence/kg<1><6>
Dead weight |16.09 |17.16 |- |- |-
Live weight |8.73 |9.23 |- |- |-
<1> GB figures.
<2> Estimate for 1992. Final instalment to be paid in spring 1993.
<3> Sheep Variable Premium Scheme phased out in 1991.
<4> Figure as at December each year.
<5> Beef Special Premium Scheme started 1st April 1989.
<6> Beef Variable Premium Scheme ended March 1989
Bananas
Sir Donald Thompson : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of whether the agreement on bananas reached at the Council of Agriculture Ministers on 17 December 1992 will be carried through and agreed unchanged by the Council by 1 March.
Mr. Channon : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking with the Danish Presidency and other Community members to ensure that the agreement on bananas reached in December 1992
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should be carried forward along with the new single market regime for bananas ; and what representations he had received from Caribbean Governments on this issue.Mr. Curry : I understand that the Danish presidency will invite the Agriculture Council on 9-10 February to consider a complete text of the proposed common regime for bananas which incorporates the external trade provisions agreed by the Council under the United Kingdom presidency. My right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has had extensive contacts with a wide range of Caribbean interests about bananas.
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School Milk
Mr. Michael : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food whether the EC subsidy for school milk will continue after March 1994.
Mr. Curry : The Commission has indicated that it has no plans to end the EC subsidy on school milk after March 1994.
Tenant Farmers
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to alter the legislation regarding tenant farmers ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : I refer the hon. and learned Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Cirencester and Tewkesbury (Mr. Clifton- Brown) on 3 December 1992 at column 368.
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on farm incomes.
Mr. Gummer [pursuant to the reply 5 November 1992, column 340-41] : A brief summary of the provisional estimates of income, output and productivity of United Kingdom agriculture in 1992 is set out in three tables which I have placed in the Library of the House. I am pleased to say that the forecasts of income show a welcome recovery in real terms from the downward trend in recent years.
Real total income from farming, after declining during the 1980s, rose by more than 10 per cent. in 1992. Moreover, this was from a higher level for 1991 than was predicted this time last year. This has been a difficult period for farmers and we should not overstate this improvement, however welcome. But now that the reform of the CAP has been decided and a number of other uncertainties, such as the future of the agrimonetary system resolved, I believe that farmers will be able to build on these results and plan for the future with more confidence.
In detail, the figures show the following changes relative to 1991 :
the values of the industry's gross output and gross input at current prices have risen by 2.3 per cent. and 1.4 per cent. respectively, largely as a result of price rises in both cases. The volume of the industry's output, as indicated by gross output at constant prices, has risen by 0.5 per cent. while the volume of the industry's gross input has fallen by 1.0 per cent. These changes have resulted in increases of 3.2 per cent. in gross product and 5.2 per cent. in net product, at current prices ;
with the continued decline in interest rates the industry's interest charges fell by a further 16.1 per cent. However, although the number of farm workers continued to fall, the total cost of hired labour rose by 1.4 per cent. ;
as a result of these changes total income from farming, representing the total income from agriculture of farmers, partners, directors and their spouses and family workers, is forecast to have risen by 15.5 per cent. or by 11.4 per cent. expressed in real terms (deflating by the retail prices index). Farming income, which covers only farmers and their spouses, is forecast to have risen by 23.6 per cent. or by 19.2 per cent. in real terms ;
the two corresponding measures of cash flow, which may reflect more closely the variations perceived by farmers
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and farm households, show much smaller increases between 1991 and 1992. Cash flow for the wider group is forecast to have risen by 3.6 per cent., while that for farmers and their spouses has risen by 3.8 per cent. In real terms however, these measures have remained virtually unchanged since 1991 ;the industry's productivity has continued to rise. The index of gross product per whole-time man equivalent is forecast to have risen by 3.8 per cent. over the last year and by 47.7 per cent. over the last decade. However, this index does not take into account changes in inputs other than labour. An alternative measure, gross output per unit of all inputs, is forecast to have risen by 3.3 per cent. over the last year and by 23.9 per cent. over the last decade ; Incomes were higher on most types of farm over the last year though, as usual, there was some variation in the fortune of different types of farm throughout the United Kingdom. The net farm income on dairy farms has risen and higher levels of subsidy have contributed to increases on most hill and upland livestock farms over the past two years. However, on lowland livestock farms there is considerable variation between different parts of the country and from year to year, with farms having a higher proportion of cattle than sheep tending to perform better. Cropping farms, particularly those specialising in cereals, have benefited from higher output prices. The intensive livestock sector has been affected by low egg prices and increasing feed costs which have almost offset the effects of higher pigmeat prices.
The tables also contain revised estimates for 1991. These show that total income from farming rose in 1991 by 4.3 per cent. rather than fell by 6 per cent.--the forecast last year. Similarly, farming income is now estimated to have risen by 1.1 per cent. in 1991, against last year's forecast of a fall of 14 per cent.
More detailed information will be contained in "Agriculture in the United Kingdom 1992" which this year will be available in March. This change in the month of publication is designed to improve the quality of the forecasts for the latest year. "Farm incomes in the United Kingdom 1991- 1992", which contains details for individual farm types and aggregate dates for each country of the United Kingdom, will also be available in March.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Prison Service
Mr. Blair : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the costs incurred in cancelling the contract for the new prison service headquarters in Derby.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : It will not be possible to assess the full cost of cancelling the development agreement for the new prison service headquarters until the developer's claim for compensation has been examined and discussed with him. This is likely to take some time. We have spent a little over £11.5 million so far.
Gambling
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has about the per capita spending on gambling in other EC countries.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : No figures on net consumer expenditure on gambling --that is, amount staked less winnings--in other EC countries is held by the
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Department. However, a report published by the European Commission in July 1992, "Gambling in the Single Market--A study of the current legal and market situation", contained estimates for gross expenditure--that is amount staked--in each member state in 1989. The figures expressed on a per capita basis are as follows :Column 679
Country Estimated gross Population<2> Turnover/head/year
turnover
|ECU (million) |£ (million)<1>|(million) |£
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Belgium |1,032 |693 |9.9 |70.0
Denmark |343 |230 |5.1 |45.1
France |9,254 |6,217 |56.0 |111.0
Germany |9,269 |6,227 |61.7 |100.9
Greece |996 |669 |10.0 |66.9
Ireland |588 |395 |3.5 |112.9
Italy |2,565 |1,723 |57.5 |30.0
Luxembourg |78 |52 |0.4 |130.0
Netherlands |315 |212 |14.8 |14.3
Portugal |525 |353 |10.3 |34.3
Spain |7,781 |5,227 |38.9 |134.4
United Kingdom |13,111 |8,808 |57.2 |154.0
<1> £1 = 1.4886 ECU (1989 average).
<2> Estimates 1989.
These figures should be treated with caution for two reasons. First, the authors of the report pointed to the difficulty in obtaining reliable information on gambling turnover. Secondly, it is in the nature of gambling that, because there are winning as well as losing bets, any sum of money may be gambled several times over before it is lost. Consequently, the total amount staked is not a reliable guide to actual consumer expenditure.
Crime, Northumbria
Mr. Ronnie Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many house burglaries were reported in Blyth Valley in (a) 1991 and (b) 1992 ; and what was the crime detection rate for house burglary in Blyth Valley in each of those years ;
(2) what was the total number of crimes committed in Blyth Valley in each year since 1983.
Mr. Jack : The information requested is not collected centrally for the Blyth Valley area.
Mr. Ronnie Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes involving the use of firearms have been committed in Blyth Valley and in the Northumbria police area in the last five years.
Mr. Jack : Information is not available centrally on the number of crimes in Blyth Valley. The number of notifiable offences recorded by the Northumbria police in which firearms were reported to have been used was :
|Number
---------------------
1987 |387
1988 |319
1989 |472
1990 |447
1991 |448
Prevention of Terrorism
Mr. Bell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average detention time of persons held without charge in Great Britain under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Acts in each year since 1974.
Column 680
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : The information which is readily available dates from 1979 and is as follows :
Average time for
which persons
were detained
without charge
under
the Prevention of
Terrorism Act in
Great Britain
|Hours
------------------
1979 |33
1980 |32
1981 |37
1982 |31
1983 |36
1984 |37
1985 |37
1986 |35
1987 |34
1988 |27
1989 |25
1990 |24
1991 |24
1992 |21
Mr. Bell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been (a) charged and (b) detained in Great Britain under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Acts in each year since 1974.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : Information on the numbers detained and charged in Great Britain under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act is published quarterly in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin, "Statistics on the operation of the Prevention of Terrorism legislation", copies of which are in the Library.
Mr. Bell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons have been excluded from mainland United Kingdom under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Acts in each year since 1974.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : Information on the number of exclusion orders made in Great Britain under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Act is published quarterly in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin, "Statistics on the operation of the Prevention of Terrorism legislation", copies of which are in the Library.
Mr. Bell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons are at present excluded from mainland United Kingdom under the provisions of the Prevention of Terrorism Acts.
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Mr. Kenneth Clarke : There are at present 80 individuals excluded from Great Britain under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989.
Mr. Bell : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has had with regard to the Prevention of Terrorism Acts ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : I have received representations on this subject on many occasions, both from Members of this House and from the public. On 19 January, column 142 , I invited interested parties to submit written observations by 5 February to Viscount Colville of Culross who is currently conducting the annual review of the Act. The House will shortly have the opportunity to debate the Act when it is laid before Parliament for renewal.
Child Abuse
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proposals he has to amend the law in potential child abuse cases when it is impossible to determine which parent was responsible ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jack : The Government have no current plans to amend the law in this area. The privilege against self-incrimination, which may sometimes be a relevant factor in cases of this kind, is, however, a matter within the terms of reference of the Royal Commission on Criminal Justice and the Government will wish to consider carefully any general recommendations the commission may make concerning that privilege.
Data Protection
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many records are permanently retained by the security services only for the purpose of resolving complaints, concerning the content of the record, made under the Security Service Act 1989 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : It is not the practice to disclose such information which is, in any event, not readily available because of changes in record-keeping procedures by the security service in order to meet the needs of the Complaints Tribunal and the Security Service Act.
Crime Statistics
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) business frauds, (b) cheque, credit and cash card frauds, (c) thefts from companies, (d) thefts from employees, (e) offences of shoplifting, (f) offences of vandalism against business and (g) assaults at the work place were committed (i) in England and Wales and (ii) in each police force area in 1991.
Mr. Jack : The only available information for notifiable offences is contained in the table. The British crime survey provides an estimate of some 350,000 assaults which occurred at the work place in 1991, many of which will have been between co-workers. There were about 80,000 incidents said to be because of the nature of the work being undertaken, most of them perpetrated by clients and customers.
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Notifiable offences recorded by the police by police force area
England and Wales 1991
Police force area |Theft by an employee|Theft from shops |Fraud by a company
|director
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Avon and Somerset |641 |6,625 |0
Bedfordshire |152 |2,417 |0
Cambridgeshire |186 |4,822 |0
Cheshire |484 |4,248 |0
Cleveland |124 |3,263 |2
Cumbria |101 |4,531 |0
Derbyshire |207 |3,860 |0
Devon and Cornwall |392 |7,087 |0
Dorset |381 |2,865 |3
Durham |219 |2,683 |0
Essex |356 |7,424 |1
Gloucestershire |173 |8,320 |0
Greater Manchester |708 |18,547 |0
Hampshire |750 |8,959 |1
Hertfordshire |260 |4,125 |0
Humberside |345 |7,729 |0
Kent |410 |9,218 |0
Lancashire |510 |6,022 |1
Leicestershire |233 |3,752 |0
Lincolnshire |168 |5,659 |0
City of London |76 |281 |0
Merseyside |328 |9,351 |0
Metropolitan Police
District |3,168 |31,765 |10
Norfolk |209 |4,616 |1
Northamptonshire |174 |2,895 |0
Northumbria |411 |10,595 |0
North Yorkshire |205 |5,119 |0
Nottinghamshire |399 |8,653 |1
South Yorkshire |334 |6,382 |0
Staffordshire |423 |4,778 |3
Suffolk |358 |4,309 |0
Surrey |292 |2,280 |0
Sussex |699 |7,948 |0
Thames Valley |640 |11,009 |1
Warwickshire |95 |1,692 |0
West Mercia |142 |5,451 |0
West Midlands |562 |12,911 |0
West Yorkshire |954 |11,335 |0
Wiltshire |194 |3,262 |0
Dyfed-Powys |103 |2,158 |0
Gwent |146 |2,768 |0
North Wales |187 |2,478 |0
South Wales |365 |7,084 |0
|---- |---- |--
England and Wales |17,264 |281,276 |24
Fines
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the unit fine system introduced under the Criminal Justice Act 1991 ; if he will list the drawbacks or unfair effects that have been indentified by practical experience of the operation of the Act ; and what steps he intends to take to ensure that the system operates with increased fairness and efficiency.
Mr. Jack : The unit fine scheme was successfully trailed before its full scale introduction in all magistrates' courts on 1 October 1992. Full details of the pilot project are given in Home Office Research Paper 59 in 1990. It is too early to make any meaningful assessment of its effectiveness nationally, but the scheme is being closely monitored.
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Seized Assets Fund
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on how much money is in the seized assets fund ; where the money has been spent to date ; and where it will be targeted in future.
Mr. Jack : A total of £3.2 million has been distributed from the seized assets fund in 1992-93, the first year of its operation, to enforcement agencies and a variety of individual projects directed against drug misuse. We are considering the possibility of further funding being made available from this source for similar purposes during the next financial year. The final amount available to the fund for distribution will depend on the success of international operations to confiscate the assets of drug traffickers.
Drug-related Crimes
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the number of people serving prison sentences for drug- related crimes in total, and as a percentage of all prisoners, at the latest date for which figures are available.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Figures for the population in Prison Service establishments by offence group are published annually in "Prison Statistics, England and Wales", Table 1.8 of the Volume for 1990 (CM1800). Provisional figures for 30 June 1991 show that 2,850 prisoners were recorded centrally as being sentenced for drug offences, nearly 10 per cent. of the total sentenced population for which an offence was recorded.
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the seizures of class A drugs made in the last full 12-month period for which figures are available by weight and as a percentage increase on the previous year.
Mr. Jack : The information requested is contained in Table 2.4 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin "Statistics of Drugs Seizures and Offenders Dealt With, United Kingdom, 1991", a copy of which is in the Library. There was a 27 per cent. percentage increase in the weight of class A drugs seized in 1991 over 1990 excluding LSD and MDMA ("Ecstasy"). From 1991 onwards only dosages have been recorded for LSD and MDMA, and thus no comparable figures are available.
Criminal Justice
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will introduce legislation to amend section 10 of the Criminal Justice Act 1987 to enable judges to direct, where appropriate, that the prosecution's notice to admit facts, and a defendent's response to it, should be put before the jury ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what plans he has to allow the prosecution to present the jury with a short document briefly setting out their case before the commencement of a long fraud trial ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jack : The Lord Chancellor's Department, the Home Office and the legal secretariat to the Law Officers issued a consultation paper on 3 December 1992, seeking
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views on a number of proposals for reducing the length of some criminal trials, particularly those involving fraud. These include a proposal that case statements should be provided to the jury, by both the prosecution and the defence. Such case statements would aim to clarify the issues involved before the commencement of a trial. The consultation paper also seeks views on the effectiveness of preparatory hearings in fraud trials and the need to provide greater assistance to the jury in understanding the case.Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce legislation to create a general fraud offence to cover those types of fraudulent conduct which are not adequately caught by the existing scheme of substantive offences and to replace the existing common law offence of conspiracy to defraud ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Jack : We are not aware of deficiencies in the substantive criminal law in this area and as a consequence have no plans to amend it.
HEALTH
Homerton Hospital, Hackney
12. Ms. Abbott : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she next plans to visit Homerton hospital, Hackney to discuss health needs in Hackney.
Dr. Mawhinney : I have visited all the main hospitals serving Hackney in recent weeks including two visits to both the Homerton and St. Bartholomew's.
NHS Trusts
13. Mr. Raymond S. Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence she has received of the response of patients to NHS trusts.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : A survey of patient satisfaction in eight trust hospitals, commissioned by the Central Office of Information, showed that 96 per cent. of patients were satisfied with the quality of service they had received, 48 per cent. felt that the service had improved and 44 per cent. felt that the service had remained the same.
20. Mr. Gapes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she last met representatives of North East Thames regional health authority to discuss progress in establishing NHS trusts.
Dr. Mawhinney : I have regular meetings with all regional health authority chairmen at which many issues, including national health service trusts, are discussed. The last meeting took place on Wednesday 20 January.
26. Mr. David Shaw : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effects on patients of the introduction of national health service trusts.
Dr. Mawhinney : In the first 12 months of the reforms, the number of patients treated in the national health service as a whole increased by 7.2 per cent. In trust units the increase was 8.2 per cent. Waiting time figures for the first wave trusts show that in the six months to March 1992
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trusts reduced their numbers of over one year waiters by nearly 60 per cent. compared with just 50 per cent. in directly managed units.Mr. Butterfill : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals or units became national health service trusts in (a) April 1991 and (b) April 1992 ; how many will become trusts in April 1993 ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : Fifty-seven national health service trusts became operational from 1 April 1991 and a further 99 from 1 April 1992. The 133 third wave trusts already announced will become operational from 1 April 1993 bringing the total to 289. This confirms that trusts are clearly the right way to manage hospitals and with each successive wave, enthusiasm and support among management, medical staff and patients themselves is increasing.
Hospitals (Bed Closures)
14. Mr. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital beds were temporarily closed in the three months October to December 1992.
Mr. Sackville : The health service measures performance by patients treated not number of beds. More patients are being treated than ever before and long waiting times are coming down. These are achievements to be proud of.
Tomlinson Report
15. Mr. Sedgemore : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the total cost of implementing the Tomlinson report for (a) the reconfiguration of remaining hospitals, (b) the cost of redundancy payments, (c) the cost of primary care facilities and (d) the cost of retraining and redeployment of staff.
16. Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates have been made of the range of possible costs relating to redundancies arising from implementation of all or part of the Tomlinson report.
23. Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the total costs of Government proposals for implementing the Tomlinson report for (a) reconfiguration of remaining hospitals, (b) cost of redundancy payments, (c) cost of primary care facilities and (d) cost of retraining and redeployment of staff.
Dr. Mawhinney : We intend to make a statement on the future of the health service in London shortly. This statement will make clear the Government's response to Tomlinson's proposals and will set out how we wish to see the NHS in London evolve and improve.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the capital sums required by London FHSAs for the number of new primary care facilities required to implement Tomlinson report proposals ; and if she will list the number of new facilities required, by FHSA.
Dr. Mawhinney : I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave the hon. Member for Walthamstow (Mr. Gerrard) today.
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