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Air Freight Facilities
Mr. David Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to improve air freight facilities between Scotland and EC member states ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norris : The third package of aviation liberalisation measures, which came into effect on 1January, has introduced a fully liberal air freight market in the EC. This means that routes between the United Kingdom and other EC member states can be operated by any EC licensed air carrier. The provision of facilities for such operations is for the carriers and airports concerned.
Oil Tankers
Mr. Norman Hogg : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of how much time it would take for a sea-going tug to render assistance in the event of a tanker getting into trouble in the Minch.
Mr. Norris [holding answer 12 February 1993] : Such an assessment is not possible without defining the particular circumstances of the case including weather and the location of the casualty. Provision of emergency tug assistance is a matter between the owner or master of the casualty and tug suppliers.
Tankers
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment he has made of the environmental impact of tankers flushing out their tanks in the North sea.
Mr. Norris [holding answer 15 February 1993] : Efforts continue to deter tankers from illegally flushing their tanks in the North sea and to detect tankers that may do so. It is impracticable to undertake an assessment of the environmental impact of such flushing because of the difficulties of distinguishing between traces of hydrocarbons present in sea water due to tank flushing and those from other sources.
Bicycles
Mr. Bell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what guidance his Department has given regarding implementation of the requirement of imported bicycles to meet current trading standards regulations.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : As the question falls to the Department of Transport, I have been asked to reply.
The sale of bicycles is regulated by the Pedal Bicycles (Safety) Regulations 1984 (SI 1984/145 as amended by
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SI1984/1057) made under what is now the Consumer Protection Act 1987. These apply the relevant British Standard--BS --and will shortly be updated in line with the latest BS published last year. The regulations, which are enforceable by trading standards officers, cover the supply of all bicycles, whether imported or not.Radioactive Substances
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment Her Majesty's Government have made of the proposal for a Council regulation on shipments of radioactive substances within the European Community (Com (92) 520 final) delivered by the European Commission to the United Kingdom Presidency of the European Council on 7 December 1992.
Mr. McLoughlin : I have been asked to reply.
I refer the hon. Member to the explanatory memorandum number 11035/92 submitted by the Employment Department on 10 December 1992. A further supplementary explanatory memorandum will be submitted shortly.
EDUCATION
Further Education Colleges (Auditors)
Mr. Tipping : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what restrictions there are on colleges of further education after 1 April appointing the same firm of auditors to undertake both internal and external audit functions ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Boswell : Colleges entering the new further education sector on 1 April may use one firm to provide internal and external audit services. The Further Education Funding Council has advised colleges intending to use only one firm that they should satisfy themselves that the arrangements will provide an effective service ; and that they should be able to satisfy the council's audit service that each role is clearly defined, that both sets of reporting requirements are fully met and that the internal audit coverage will not be limited to an assessment of the systems and controls that are carried out by an external auditor in forming an opinion. Colleges have also been advised by the council to ensure that their selection process ensures real competition.
Mr. Tipping : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what arrangements he is making to extend the responsibilities of the Audit Commission to encompass colleges of further education and grant-maintained schools ; and if he will make a statement. Mr. Boswell : The Education Bill currently before Parliament includes proposals to allow the Audit Commission to carry out value-for-money studies for the Funding Agency for Schools. The commission is already empowered to undertake similar work for the Further Education Funding Council. The district audit service may, under current arrangements, compete with other companies to provide audit services for grant-maintained schools and, after 1 April, further education corporations, if it chooses to do so.
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Primary and Secondary Education (Funding)
Mr. David Porter : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the basis for the difference between funding of primary and secondary school children ; if he will make it his policy to fund children from the ages of five to 16 years on a national curriculum basis ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : The current balance of funding between the primary and secondary phases reflects local education authorities' decisions about relative needs and priorities. Similarly, it is for local education authorities--LEAs--to decide the basis of funding for compulsory school education, within the resources available to them. Spending available per pupil in nursery, primary and secondary schools increased in real terms by over 45 per cent. between 1979-80 and 1990-91. LEAs' planned spending in 1992-93 was around 5 per cent. higher in real terms than LEA spending in 1990-91.
GCSE (Science)
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what percentage of pupils achieved the highest grades in Sc1, Sc 2, Sc 3 and Sc 4 in the recent pilot studies for the new GCSE science exam.
Mr. Forth : The purpose of these pilots was to test the examining and awarding processes, not the pupils. Those who took part will be taking GCSE examinations this summer, and had not completed the GCSE syllabus at the time of the trials. The marks are not therefore significant as predictors of GCSE grades.
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will review the criteria to be applied in assessing Sc 1--the practical investigations--GCSE science.
Mr. Forth : Criteria for GCSE syllabuses in science were published by the School Examinations and Assessment Council in June 1992. I know of no reason why my right hon. Friend should review those criteria.
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consultations his Department had with organisations representing experienced teachers before introducing GCSE science.
Mr. Forth : Before the GCSE was introduced for all subjects in 1986, the Department undertook extensive consultations with a wide range of organisations and individuals, including teachers and their representative bodies.
Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the estimated annual cost of providing the helpline to answer questions from the public on grant-maintained status for schools.
Mr. Forth : The helpline is a pilot scheme which began on 1 February and will run for at least six weeks. Decisions about extending the service will be made in due course in the light of experience of the pilot.
The estimated running costs of the pilot are £25,000. A further sum, estimated at £200,000, is being spent to inform the public of the availability of the service in the national press and magazines.
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Quangos
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list all those non-departmental public bodies, for which his Department is responsible, which have the power to compel individuals, firms, companies or other institutions to carry out their instructions at the expense and also to charge fees for the cost to the non-departmental public bodies of assessing the work which needed to be done.
Mr. Boswell : None of the non-departmental public bodies for which this Department is responsible may compel anyone to carry out instructions at their own expense while at the same time charging fees to cover costs incurred for assessing work deemed necessary by a public body.
Academic Results
Dr. Spink : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will set out academic results as indicated by five GCSE A-C grades, aggregated for grant-maintained schools and aggregated for non-grant-maintained schools ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Forth : In England, the proportion of pupils aged 16 at the end of the academic year 1991-92 in grant-maintained secondary schools gaining five or more grades C or better at GCSE was provisionally 45.2 per cent. The corresponding proportion for other maintained schools was 35 per cent.
Nursery Education
Mr. Steinberg : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what statistics are available on the educational achievements of children who received pre-school nursery education relative to children who did not receive nursery education.
Mr. Forth : The Department does not collect statistics on this issue. Various research findings suggest that nursery education has benefits in preparing many children for their primary schooling. There is no conclusive evidence of its longer-term benefits or of its cost effectiveness relative to that of other forms of under-five provision.
PRIME MINISTER
Royal Family (Taxation)
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral statement of 11 February, Official Report, column1111, at which tax office the tax affairs of Her Majesty the Queen and the Prince of Wales will be administered ; if any additional (a) training and (b) security measures are proposed ; and if he will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : The chairman of the Board of Inland Revenue, who is a signatory of the memorandum of understanding, is responsible for the administrative arrangements relating to the tax affairs of Her Majesty the Queen and His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales. I have no doubt that he will ensure appropriate levels of training and security.
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As with other taxpayers, confidentiality and security are important considerations. That is why details relating to where the tax affairs of the Queen and Prince of Wales will be administered will not be released.Official Visits
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Prime Minister when he next plans an official visit to Southwark or Bermondsey.
The Prime Minister : I have no immediate plans to do so.
Engagements
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 16 February.
Sir Peter Tapsell : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Tuesday 16 February.
The Prime Minister : This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today.
Ministers (Resignation)
Dr. Wright : To ask the Prime Minister what are the circumstances in which he would require Ministers to resign.
The Prime Minister [holding answer 9 February 1993] : I would not expect to have to do so. All ministerial offices are at the disposal of the Prime Minister.
HEALTH
Regional Allocations
Mr. Congdon : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when her Department will undertake the review of weighted capitation for regional allocations referred to in paragraph 232 of the report of the inquiry into London's health service, medical education and research ; and if she will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : The review will take place during 1993-94 with a view to implementing any agreed changes to the formula in 1995-96 allocations.
Brook Hospital
Mr. Austin-Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the constituent of the hon. Member for Woolwich, national insurance No. PW130335D, cannot be discharged from the Brook hospital to appropriate care in the community.
Mr. Yeo : I will write to the hon. Member.
Magnetic Resonance Scanners
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish a table showing the number of magnetic resonance scanners in each NHS region per 1,000 population and the number of procedures carried out on each scanner between April and October 1992.
Mr. Sackville : The number of magnetic resonance scanners, including both national health service and private in each NHS region per million population is as follows :
|England:
--------------------------------------
East Anglian |0.96
Mersey |1.25
Northern |1.30
North East Thames |3.17
North West Thames |3.63
North Western |1.75
Oxford |1.95
South East Thames |1.09
South West Thames |2.69
South Western |1.84
Trent |1.28
Wessex |0.68
West Midlands |1.15
Yorkshire |0.82
Scotland: |2.16
Wales: |1.04
Northern Ireland: |0.35
Details of the number of procedures carried out on each scanner between April and October 1992 is not held centrally.
Limited List Prescribing
Mr. Alexander : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 2 February, Official Report, column 152, if she will name the pharmaceutical companies on whose behalf assurances were sought that the limited list regulations would not be extended ; and on what dates the inquirers were informed by her Department that at that time there were no plans to extend the selected list scheme.
Dr. Mawhinney : Such detailed information about correspondence between the Department and individual pharmaceutical companies is treated in confidence.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to make a statement on the precise arrangements for the inclusion of a further 10 therapeutic categories of drugs which may now be included on the selected list.
Dr. Mawhinney : We shall make an announcement after we have received advice from the advisory committee on national health service drugs.
Mrs. Lait : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many drugs are on the market in each of the 10 categories proposed for addition to the limited list.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information available relates to the number of different preparations dispensed in 1991 under the national health service in England in each of the categories. The following figures are for items dispensed by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors and personal administration.
|Number
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Antidiarrhoeal drugs |43
Antihistamines, hyposensitisation, and allergic
disorders |156
Hypnotics and anxiolytics |156
Appetite suppressants |12
Treatment of vaginal and vulval conditions |52
Contraceptives |60
Anaemias and some other blood disorders |146
Drugs for the relief of soft-tissue inflammation |112
Drugs acting on the ear and drugs acting on the nose |130
Skin |1,776
Road Accidents (Charges)
Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statistics she keeps on the extent to which health authorities levy a charge for treating patients involved in a road accident.
Mr. Sackville : Information concerning charges levied under the Road Traffic Act 1988 is contained in the summarised accounts of health authorities and national health service trusts.
Psychiatric Beds
Lady Olga Maitland : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many psychiatric beds there were in 1986 and at the most recent date in (a) rural areas and (b) urban areas.
Mr. Sackville : This information is not available centrally.
NHS Trusts
Mrs. Roe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to respond to the first report from the Health Committee of Session 1992-93 on "NHS Trusts : Interim Conclusions and Proposals for Future Inquiries", House of Commons Paper No. 321.
Dr. Mawhinney : We expect to respond shortly.
Contracting Out
Mr. Wells : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her estimate of cumulative savings to the national health service from the contracting out of support services ; and what plans she has to extend contracting out.
Mr. Sackville : Support services in the national health service have been contracted out since the earliest days and we have no estimate of the cumulative savings involved. It is estimated that in 1990-91 there were savings in excess of £125 million as a result of the market testing initiative started in 1983.
The plans for extending market testing in the NHS were set out in chapter 4 of the White Paper "Competing for Quality", Cm 1730 November 1991.
Statutory Instruments
Ms. Corston : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many statutory instruments were laid before Parliament by her Department in each year since 1980.
Mr. Sackville : The available information is shown in the table. Information relating to previous years is not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Number of statutory instruments laid 1991 |1992 --------------- 91 |112
Mentally Ill Patients
Lady Olga Maitland : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds were available in locked wards for mentally ill patients in (a) 1984 and (b) 1992-93.
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Mr. Yeo : This information is not collected centrally. Reports from health authorities suggest that there were 639 such beds in local district facilities in 1991, compared with 1,163 in 1986. This excludes places in regional secure units and other facilities for patients needing care in conditions of medium security.
Home Helps
Mr. Ronnie Campbell : To ask the Secretary of State for health what is the percentage change in the number of home helps in Northumberland since 1979.
Mr. Yeo : The latest available information, at 30September 1991, shows 513 whole-time equivalent home helps employed by Northumberland social services, an increase of 33 per cent. since 1979.
Schizophrenia
Lady Olga Maitland : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training is given to GPs in diagnosing schizophrenia.
Mr. Yeo : During basic medical education and vocational training, general practice trainees are trained to recognise psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia. Of the three years of formal general practice vocational training, two years are hospital-based. During this time over 40 per cent. of trainees currently choose a six-month period in a psychiatric department as a senior house officer.
Principals in general practice update and extend their knowledge of psychiatric disorders under the system of continuing education funded in all national health service regions.
All general practioners can refer patients for specialist attention both to confirm a diagnosis of schizophrenia and to obtain assistance in the management of this disorder.
Additionally community psychiatric nursing posts have been established in many districts to provide a psychiatric input into primary health care and can act as a resource for all members of the primary health care team, including GP trainees.
Contraceptive Pill
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has done into the medical effects to women of restricting the prescription of the oral contraception pill to the cheaper varieties.
Mr. Sackville : In advising the Health Departments on which contraceptives should not be available for prescription under the national health service, the advisory committee on NHS drugs will be required to ensure that all clinical need can be provided as economically as possible. In formulating its advice, I would expect the committee to have regard to the findings of relevant research.
Merseyside Ambulance Service
Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the operation of Merseyside ambulance service.
Mr. Sackville : Mersey regional ambulance service national health service trust consistently achieves the national standard laid down for emergency call response times. The trust is constantly striving to improve services to patients.
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Mr. Parry : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital calls were made by the Merseyside ambulance service in each year since 1987.
Mr. Sackville : Information on hospital calls is not held centrally. Information is available on patient journeys conducted by the Mersey regional ambulance service as follows :
Patient Journeys (thousands) Emergency UrgentSpeciaTotalnned ----------------------------------------- 1987-88 |108.5|29.0 |649.0|786.5 1988-89 |101.4|28.0 |641.3|770.7 <1>1989-90 |101.4|24.0 |433.0|558.5 1990-91 |103.4|27.2 |576.0|706.5 <2>1991-92 |102.1|38.4 |561.0|701.5 <1> Due to industrial action during this period, 1989-90 figures do not reflect the total activity in the year. <2> Figures are provisional.
Rehabilitation Facilities Elderly People (Care)
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will lay down guidelines on basic minimal standards of service for elderly patients discharged into community care ;
(2) if she will establish a policy of active rehabilitation for those people who require a short period of more integrated and intensive care than is possible in their homes.
Mr. Yeo : A wide range of rehabilitation facilities exists within the national health service and local social services authorities. Decisions about rehabilitation services are for the professional judgment of those concerned with the individual case.
Free Prescriptions
Mr. Evennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many free prescriptions were dispensed in the year 1991-92 ; what was the figure in 1978-79 ; and if she will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : Information is not available in the precise form requested. In 1979 an estimated 185.5 million prescribed items--about 60 per cent. of the total number--were dispensed free of charge by community pharmacists and appliance contractors. By 1992 the number had risen to 311.9 million--about 80 per cent. of the total.
Hearing Impairment
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice she has given local authorities about their duty in law to instal minicoms in the homes of people with severe hearing impairment where need is being assessed and irrespective of whether the individual disabled person already has a telephone ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : We expect local authorities to be aware of their statutory duty, under section 2(1)(h) of the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970, to provide assistance to disabled people with the provision of a telephone, and any special equipment needed to use it, irrespective of whether the individual disabled person
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already has a telephone, where they accept that there is an assessed need. Each case is assessed on its own merits by the local authority.Quangos
Mr. Sproat : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list all those non-departmental public bodies, for which her Department is responsible, which have the power to compel individuals, firms, companies or other institutions to carry out their instructions at the expense of the individuals, firms, companies or other institutions, and also to charge fees for the cost to the non-departmental public bodies of assessing the work which needed to be done.
Dr. Mawhinney : There are two non-departmental public bodies for which the Department is responsible which have such powers. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, under section 16 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, has the power to charge a fee for granting licences. Licences are required by centres providing treatments involving IVF, AID, egg and embryo donation and centres undertaking embryo research and storage of gametes and embryos. The National Radiological Protection Board, under section 1 of the Radiological Protection Act 1970, has the power to charge for providing technical services to persons concerned with radiation hazards, but no power to compel such persons to comply with that advice.
West Midlands RHA
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what level of severance payment was approved by her Department in connection with the resignation of Sir James Ackers as chairman of the West Midlands regional health authority ; and if she will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Warley, West (Mr. Spellar) on 15 February at column 81.
Wessex RHA
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to hold a full investigation of mismanagement in the Wessex regional health authority ; and if she will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : Like any other regional health authority, Wessex regional health authority is held to account through the national health service management executive which monitors its performance throughout the year.
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