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Rugby Union Players
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to his reply of 15 February, Official Report, column 23, what steps the Inland Revenue takes to ascertain the taxable income or benefits received by rugby union players as a result of their sporting activities.
Mr. Dorrell : The Inland Revenue ascertains the taxable income or benefits received by rugby union players in the same way as for sums received by other sportsmen or women. Amounts shown on a player's tax return are taken into account in calculating any tax due. As with any other taxpayer, if there is any information, either in the tax return or received from other sources, which suggests that income may have been omitted, the Inland Revenue makes appropriate inquiries.
Parliamentary Questions (Cost)
Mr. Burns : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to raise the advisory cost limit of £400 for answering parliamentary questions ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell : The advisory cost limit was last increased in 1992-- Official Report, 14 January 1992, column 546 --and is to be further increased to £450 from today. This increase has been rounded up to the nearest £50 for convenience of application.
The average cost of preparing answers to a parliamentary question--PQ--was last published in 1991 following a survey conducted by Treasury in that year-- Official Report, 10 December 1991, column 369. These costs have been updated and are now assessed as £94 for a written PQ and £218 for an oral PQ. The 1991 comparative figures were £87 and £202 respectively.
The purpose and application of the advisory cost limit remain unchanged from 1992. It is intended to act as a threshold for disproportionate cost PQs. Any written PQ where the marginal cost of preparing the answer is considered likely to exceed the threshold may be referred to the appropriate Minister and an answer may be refused in whole or in part on the ground of disproportionate cost. Alternatively the Minister may decide that the PQ is to be answered irrespective of cost. There is no advisory limit for oral PQs. The advisory limit continues to be around eight times the average marginal cost for written PQs, which is now £55.
Opencast Mining
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is the practice of the Valuation Office in the valuation of land where planning permission for the use of land for opencast extraction has been applied for but not been granted ; and if he will make a statement on how those principles have been applied to Pwll Du.
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 15 February 1993] : The ownership of coal passed to the National Coal Board in
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1946, and although the British Coal Corporation-Opencast may make a compulsory rights order it is the corporation's policy to purchase land by agreement whenever possible.The Valuation Office agency provides valuable advice to the corporation on many matters, including the purchase and management of land for opencast extraction.
Because the coal is already owned by the corporation, the granting of a planning permission for opencast extraction does not materially increase the value of the surface owner's interest, but he will normally be aware of the commercial realities of the situation and this may be reflected in the agreement between the parties. The value of the vendor's interest is assessed by the local district valuer, and he will have full regard to the circumstances of the purchase, to any conditions to be imposed, to the planning position, and to the relative bargaining strengths of the parties concerned.
Manufacturing Output
Mr. Burden : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the latest quarterly figures for manufacturing output.
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 17 February 1993] : The index of manufacturing output at 1985 prices, seasonally adjusted, for the fourth quarter of 1992 was 111.2. It was 0.2 per cent. lower than in the previous quarter, but 0.4 per cent. higher than in the fourth quarter of 1991.
Unified Budget
Mr. Watts : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he proposes to introduce the first unified Budget ; and what statutory changes he proposes to make as a consequence of the move to the new timetable.
Mr. Lamont : The White Paper on budgetary reform published in March 1992--Cm 1867--suggested that the unified Budget should be introduced in early December 1993. In order to allow more time for departments, local authorities and other bodies to translate the programme totals into management budgets the Government are planning on the basis that the Budget will be no later than the last week of November. The precise date will be announced nearer the time. Following the introduction of the new public expenditure procedures, the Government now believe that the annual local authority grant settlement proposals should be announced as soon as possible after the Budget. Discussions on this will take place with the local authority associations shortly. The Government will bring forward in the forthcoming Finance Bill two legislative changes needed as a consequence of the move to a unified Budget. Firstly, there is at present statutory provision for income tax personal allowances, the lower rate limit, the basic rate limit, the capital gains tax exempt amount, the inheritance tax threshold and the earnings cap for pensions to be raised in line with the retail prices index increase in the 12 months to December, unless Parliament decides otherwise. But the December RPI is not published until mid-January, so legislation is necessary to specify an indexation date which is known before the Budget. The Government propose to use the September RPI, published in mid-October, as the base month for statutory indexation from the 1994-95 tax year. The September RPI, is already used for uprating social security benefits. As now, Parliament will be able to
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override the statutory indexation provisions in the Finance Bill if it wishes. Secondly, the Provisional Collection of Taxes Act currently sets 5 August as the deadline for Royal Assent to the Finance Bill. As the Budget is moving forward by somewhat more than three months, the Government propose to amend this Act to move the deadline for Royal Assent forward by three months as well, to 5 May.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.
Sir John Cope : The Economic and Finance Council of the European Community met in Brussels on 15 February. I represented the United Kingdom.
Following the conclusions of the Edinburgh European Council that openness in the Community should be increased, ECOFIN held its first open session, which was televised. Discussion focused on the need to promote economic recovery which included taking forward the package of measures to promote growth which had been agreed at the Edinburgh European Council. This initiative followed the announcement of measures to promote recovery in the Chancellor's autumn statement. The Council later held a short discussion of measures taken by member states to promote recovery and concluded that these should be discussed more thoroughly at the next meeting on 15 March after further examination by the Monetary Commission.
Meanwhile consideration should be given to extending all convergence programmes to cover the period to 1996. (The Maastricht treaty provides for a Council assessment of convergence to take place no later than 31 December 1996.)
ECOFIN also considered two aspects of the future financing review : a progress report from the Danish presidency on negotiations with the European Parliament on a new inter-institutional agreement ; and a presentation by the Commission of its legislative proposals to implement the Edinburgh future financing agreement.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Dispatches"
Mr. Trimble : To ask the Attorney-General, pursuant to his answer of 1 February, Official Report, column 32, what proceedings have now been initiated following the Channel 4 "Dispatches" programme entitled "The Committee."
The Attorney-General : No criminal proceedings have been initiated in Northern Ireland by the Royal Ulster Constabulary. The Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary is preparing a police investigation file for submission to the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland.
During the course of investigation into the matters raised in the programme an order was obtained by the Metropolitan police under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989 requiring Channel 4 Television Limited and Box Productions Limited to produce certain documents. The companies declined and
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the Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales brought proceedings for contempt of court before the Divisional Court. Both companies were found to be in contempt and a fine of £75,000 was imposed. The Metropolitan police subsequently carried out a further investigation into the veracity of statements made in an affidavit by Ben Hamilton and filed in the contempt proceedings. Ben Hamilton was charged with perjury on 29 September 1992. Those proceedings were discontinued by the Crown prosecution service on 23 November 1992.Contracting Out
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Attorney-General if he will provide figures for the reduction in numbers of posts as a result of contracting out since 1979 in his Department and agencies for which he has responsibility.
The Attorney-General : There has been a reduction of six posts in the Departments for which I am responsible as a result of contracting out.
Pride of the Road
Mr. Illsley : To ask the Attorney-General when he expects the Crown prosecution service to be able to announce whether it will take action as a result of the information provided to it by South Yorkshire police in relation to the Pride of the Road bus company.
The Attorney-General : The file submitted by the South Yorkshire police is being considered by the Crown prosecution service in consultation with counsel. It is expected that a decision whether to institute criminal proceedings will be made shortly.
HEALTH
Cardiac Operations
Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of cardiac operations performed at hospitals within the Greater London area during the year 1992 ; and if he will list the hospitals performing this operation.
Mr. Sackville : Reliable estimates are not available for individual procedures at district health authority level, but data from the hospital episodes system suggest that about 28,500 heart operations were performed in Greater London in 1989-90. More recent information is not yet available.
Mental Health
Lady Olga Maitland : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people have been received into guardianship under section 7 of the Mental Health Act 1983 ;
(2) in how many cases patients have failed to comply with the conditions of the guardianship under section 7 of the Mental Health Act 1983.
Mr. Yeo : The table shows the number of cases in which patients were received into guardianship in England under section 7 of the Mental Health Act 1983 in each year from 1984-85. Information on the number of patients failing to comply with the conditions of guardianship is not collected centrally.
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Table. Patients received into guardianship under Section 7 of the Mental Health Act 1983. Year ending 31 March |Number of cases --------------------------------------------------------------- 1985 |89 1986 |88 1987 |114 1988 |102 1989 |130 1990 |164 1991 |180 <1>1992 |223 <1>provisional.
Contraception Pill
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will estimate the number of women taking the oral contraception pill.
Mr. Sackville : This information is not collected centrally. However, the general household survey, conducted by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, indicates that in 1991, the most recent year for which figures are available, an estimated 23 per cent. of women aged 16 to 49 in Great Britain were taking an oral contraceptive pill.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 5 February, Official Report, columns 376-77, to the hon. Member for Bristol, South (Ms. Primarolo), if she will list the over the counter price for a month's supply of each brand of contraceptive pill ; and if she will indicate the take-up of prescriptions for each convenient range of products according to hormone dosage.
Mr. Sackville : The contraceptive pill is not available over the counter. It is a prescription-only medicine. There are three main hormone dosage categories under which oral contraceptives are prescribed. The number of prescriptions issued for each of these categories in England in 1991 is given in the table.
Oral contraceptive precriptions by hormone dose
England 1991
|Prescriptions
|(thousands)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Total for 50 micrograms of oestrogen |290.1
Total for under 50 micrograms of oestrogen |6,526.6
Total for progestrogen only |699.2
Psychiatric Patients
Lady Olga Maitland : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average discharge rate from hospital for psychiatric patients.
Mr. Yeo : The table shows the estimated number of discharges of psychiatric patients by duration of stay from national health service hospitals in England from 1987-88 to 1989-90. The figures do not represent the number of patients as a person can be discharged more than once during a year.
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Discharges by duration of stay 1987-88 to 1989-90-England Duration of Stay |1987-88 |1988-89 |1989-90 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Persons All durations |181,350 |188,560 |183,249 Under 1 month |117,960 |121,550 |118,155 1-3 months |45,250 |46,700 |45,347 3-12 months |14,250 |15,140 |15,049 1-2 years |1,590 |1,830 |1,628 2-3 years |550 |550 |580 3-5 years |400 |540 |591 5-10 years |430 |670 |525 10-15 years |180 |320 |287 15 years and over |750 |1,240 |1,086 Note: The figures are estimates of finished district spells taken from the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) System. A spell is a continuous stay of a patient in a hospital or hospitals in the district or special health authority. Each spell may be composed of one or more consultant episodes. Finished episodes are not identical to discharges since the latter includes transfers from one hospital to another. Figures do not sum to the total due to rounding.
Lady Olga Maitland : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision is made for emergency care in the case of patients suffering from schizophrenia.
Mr. Yeo : Health authorities, working with local authorities and the independent sector, should provide a comprehensive range of local services including sufficient in-patient provision for those who require emergency admission to hospital.
Lady Olga Maitland : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will consider the need for further measures to deal with mental illness within the community care programme, with particular reference to schizophrenia.
Mr. Yeo : We are considering whether new powers are needed to ensure that mentally ill people in the community, including those suffering from schizophrenia, receive the care they need, and whether the present powers are being used effectively.
The Department of Health and regional health authorities are monitoring implementation of the care programme approach for people with a severe mental illness which was introduced in April 1991.
Hospital Waste
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate she has made of the cost of updating all waste incinerators in trust hospitals that do not meet the current EC directives on waste incineration ;
(2) how many trust hospitals have incinerators that do not meet the up-to- date standards of the EC directives on incineration ; (3) if she will hold talks with the trust authorities on their plans to bring hospital incinerators up to date with current EC directives on incineration ; and what progress has been made thus far in that direction.
Mr. Sackville : Trusts and other health authorities are responsible for meeting relevant environmental legislation. The Department has issued strategic guidance alerting trusts to the legislation concerning the disposal of clinical waste and outlining the options for meeting it cost effectively.
All trusts and other health authorities have strategies for complying with current EC directives, implemented in the United Kingdom by the 1990 Environmental
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Protection Act, and progress is being monitored. In 1989, at prevailing prices, the cost of achieving the standards which come into force in 1995 was estimated to be £50 million for the national health service as a whole.Information on incinerators operated by trust hospitals is not available centrally. All trusts have however reported compliance with the interim standards and 26 trusts have reported compliance with the 1995 standards. Plans being developed involve options such as incineration at plants operated by local authorities or private contractors, including jointly financed schemes.
Community Care
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will include representatives of local authority associations in the community care support force.
Mr. Yeo : The community care support force will be finishing its work at the end of March. At this stage, it would not be appropriate to change its membership.
Toxic Substances
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of deaths in the last five years from sniffing toxic substances ; and what was the age range of those who died.
Dr. Mawhinney : The most recent figures available for deaths from solvent and volatile substance abuse are those for 1990. Publication of figures for 1991 is expected in March this year. The information is as follows :
Age |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990
--------------------------------------------------------
9 |0 |0 |1 |0 |0
10 |1 |0 |0 |1 |0
11 |1 |0 |0 |1 |0
12 |1 |0 |2 |0 |4
13 |8 |6 |6 |2 |4
14 |6 |15 |14 |12 |16
15 |19 |11 |21 |14 |21
16 |11 |21 |26 |14 |28
17 |9 |12 |17 |18 |26
18 |16 |9 |3 |8 |12
19 |4 |6 |9 |4 |7
20-24 |13 |18 |20 |21 |25
25-34 |4 |9 |10 |11 |2
35-44 |2 |3 |4 |4 |2
45-54 |1 |0 |1 |0 |2
55-64 |1 |3 |1 |1 |0
65-74 |0 |1 |0 |2 |0
Over 75 |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
Total |97 |114 |135 |113 |149
Child Care, Lambeth
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she is now satisfied with the management arrangements for child care cases in Lambeth following the social services inspectorate report of April 1992.
Mr. Yeo : No. Following the social services inspectorate report of April 1992, Lambeth was asked to provide a report in September 1992. Lambeth's report showed that whilst a service improvement plan, including reorganisation of the department, had been developed and some progress made in implementing it, the level of unallocated casework remains unacceptably high. Lambeth has been asked to send a further report by 1 March 1993.
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Dental Charges
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans she has to introduce dental charges for pregnant women and nursing mothers who are currently exempt from making a contribution ; (2) what assessment she has made of the way in which pregnant women and nursing mothers benefit from receiving free dental health.
Mr. Sackville : The removal of the exemption from dental charges for pregnant women and nursing mothers was one option raised by Sir Kenneth Bloomfield in his fundamental review of dental remuneration. The Government are undertaking wide consultation on the report and no decisions of any of the options have yet been made. At present pregnant women and nursing mothers benefit from not paying national health service dental charges, although some will be exempt on other grounds also.
Making London Better"
Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will set out her objectives in establishing the specialty reviews outlined in the document, "Making London Better" ; and if she will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : The aim of the specialty reviews is to achieve a more sensible distribution of six specialist services, providing a stronger service for patients and an improved academic base whilst avoiding unwarranted duplication.
The reviews will be conducted separately, but in parallel, and are to be completed by the end of May 1993. They will make
recommendations for the future organisation of the six specialty services in London. They will also indicate the likely financial impact of their proposals and present their supporting evidence, analyses and judgment. Their reports will then be subject to review by Ministers before formal consultation on any significant proposals and final decisions by the autumn.
The reviews will be co-ordinated by the London implementation group. Each is being led by a distinguished clinician and a senior national health service manager of a purchasing authority, as follows :
Cancer Services Dr. Christopher Paine Consultant Radiotherapist, Churchill Hospital, Oxford and President, Royal College of Radiologists.
Mr. Michael Bellamy Ealing Hammersmith and Hounslow Commissioning Agency
Cardiac Services Prof. Geoffrey Smith Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, University of Sheffield
Mr. John James Parkside Health Authority
Neurosciences Mr. Thomas Hide Consultant, South General Hospital, Glasgow
Ms. Victoria Hardman Bloomsbury and Islington Health Authority Plastics Mr. Philip Sykes Consultant, St. Lawrence Hospital, Chepstow
Ms. Mary Whitty Brent and Harrow Health Authority
Renal Services Prof. Netar Mallick Department of Renal Medicine, Manchester Royal Infirmary
Mr. Peter Coe Tower Hamlets Health Authority
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Speciality Children's Services Prof. Sir David Hull Department of Child Health, University of Nottingham and President of British Paediatric AssociationMr. Martin Roberts Wandsworth Health Authority
Gene Therapy
Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to be in position to respond to the report of the committee on the ethics of gene therapy.
Mr. Sackville : Following careful consideration of the responses to wide-ranging consultation on the report of the committee on the ethics of gene therapy, the Government accept, in principle, the committee's recommendation.
The committee recommended that gene therapy research directed to the alleviation of genetic disease in individual patients should continue. However, it considered that genetic modification of the germ line, which would affect future generations, should not yet be attempted. The Government accept these recommendations.
The committee also recommended that, initially, gene therapy should be regarded as research and governed by the same exacting requirements which already apply in the United Kingdom to research involving human subjects. We accept this recommendation. The Government also agree with the committee that proposals to conduct gene therapy should be subject to independent peer review and that, if approved, the use of gene therapy in human subjects should be carefully monitored. These are important safeguards for the patient. We intend setting up a new body, the gene therapy advisory committee. This committee will consider proposals to apply gene therapy to patients. In considering applications, it will work closely with the Medicines Control Agency and the other bodies which already have statutory responsibilities in the field of genetic modification. The gene therapy advisory committee will give particular attention to the ethical issues surrounding this important subject. The committee on the ethics of gene therapy recommended that this new body be non-statutory. The Government believe that this is right, but will, however, keep the need for statutory controls under review. The terms of reference and membership of the gene therapy advisory committee will be announced later.
The chairman, Sir Cecil Clothier, and the members of the committee on the ethics of gene therapy are to be congratulated for the important work they have done in producing their report. The Government are particularly grateful to the committee for the role it is currently undertaking in which it has already considered and approved the first proposal in the United Kingdom to use gene therapy on a patient. The committee has agreed to continue in being until the gene therapy advisory committee is established.
Gina Ditchman
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what investigations were made into the death of Gina Ditchman at Horton hospital ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Yeo : Riverside health authority conducted an internal inquiry which was concluded in October 1990. I
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understand that certain aspects of the case have been raised with the Mental Health Act Commission which is currently considering them.Female Circumcision
Ms. Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action has been taken by the Government following the Prohibition of Female Circumcision Act 1985 as to (a) education, (b) prevention of female circumcision and (c) prosecution under the Act ; and what level of funding has been allocated to the above since the Act came into force.
Mr. Sackville : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Sheffield, Brightside (Mr. Blunkett) on 14 January 1993 at column 807.
We have provided funding to FORWARD--the Foundation for Women's Health Research and Development--for several years, and for 1992-93 we have provided grants totalling £30,000.
NHS Performance Indicators
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on her plans to introduce performance indicators for the national health service.
Dr. Mawhinney : The Department of Health publishes a wide range of comparative information about national health service performance and, over the past 10 years, a pack on health services indicators. Copies are available in the Library. The Department continues to develop and improve the ways in which it manages NHS performance.
NHS Trusts
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what records her Department keeps of the value of land, buildings and other assets transferred to national health service trusts ; and if she will make a statement ;
(2) what arrangements she makes to apply uniform criteria to establish the value of land, buildings and other assets before they are transferred to a national health service trust ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : The values of land, buildings and other assets transferred to a national health service trust are determined in order to form the originating capital debt of that trust. These values are audited and provided to the Department for use in the statutory instrument which is laid before the House for each wave of trusts. Thereafter the values are recorded in the annual accounts of the trusts.
Valuations of all property assets--land and buildings--being transferred to NHS trusts are prepared by the Valuation Office agency. This ensures a co- ordinated national approach to the valuation of these assets. The value of other assets transferred such as equipment is taken from the asset register maintained by health authorities in accordance with departmental guidelines.
Pathology Services
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to make pathology services subject to privatisation ; and if she will list all instances of such services being privatised in the last two years.
Dr. Mawhinney : It is for the hospitals and other national health service users of pathology services to
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decide the best means of obtaining services which provide quality and value for money. Information is not held centrally about the arrangements for the provision of pathology services.TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Offshore Oil and Gas
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what considerations underlay the decision to allow oil companies to nominate areas that they wished to see offered in the 14th round of offshore licensing.
Mr. Eggar : A major aim of the 14th round of licensing is to encourage activity in little explored areas of the United Kingdom continental shelf. Exploration in little understood areas is risky. It makes sense for those who take the risks to have a say in the choice of acreage to be offered.
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