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Limited List Prescribing
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from patient, consumer and medical groups in respect of the proposal to extend the NHS limited list regulations to 10 new therapeutic categories ; and if she will place copies of her replies in the Library.
Dr. Mawhinney : We have received and replied to a number of such representations. It is for the parties concerned to decide whether such correspondence should be made public.
Census Data
Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the current position on the statement of policies governing the confidentiality and security of personal data held within the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : The Registrar General for England and Wales and I attach the greatest importance to maintaining the confidentiality and security of personal data about members of the public held within the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS). A comprehensive review of how this could best be achieved was completed in 1992. A draft statement of policies was produced, and a copy was placed in the Library. The Registrar General has sought the views of a range of outside bodies before formally adopting the statement. In particular the Data Protection Registrar has commented that it serves to confirm the ongoing OPCS commitment to maintain high standards in the handling of information about individuals. The consultation process is now complete, with the statement reciving general support. The statement as adopted has been published today, and a copy placed in the Library.
London Ambulance Service
Mr. Tracey : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her response to the proposals made by the South West Thames regional health authority for improved accountability arrangements for the London Ambulance Service ; and if she will make the proposals public.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Following publication of the independent Inquiry into the operation of the computer aided dispatch system of the London ambulance service (LAS), I asked the South West Thames regional health authority chairman, Professor Marian Hicks, urgently to draw up proposals to strengthen lines of management accountability for the LAS. I have decided to accept the proposals she has put to me.
Under the new arrangements, the LAS board will be replaced by direct managerial accountability to the regional health authority. The LAS chief executive will be directly answerable to the regional health authority for all aspects of the performance and management of the LAS. Through the existing lines of national health service accountability the regional health authority will report to me. I shall expect to be kept in close touch with developments and have asked the authority to publish a report in the autumn on progress in implementing the recommendations of the independent inquiry into the LAS.
A special sub-committee of the regional health authority is to be established to assist in the oversight of
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LAS performance. The sub-committee will have available to it the expertise of a small group of external specialists who will be appointed to advise the LAS on matters such as information technology. These advisers will have direct access to the regional chairman in the event of their having any concerns they believe are not being addressed by the line management system.The LAS will also be open to greater public scrutiny. Its performance will be regularly considered in the public meetings of the regional health authority and it will publish an annual report. Regular performance reports will also be made available to Members, community health councils and other interested public bodies. I am satisfied that these arrangements will provide an effective framework for accounting to the public for the performance of the LAS. Details of the arrangements are being placed today in the Library.
Archives (Microfiche)
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to place information regarding births, marriages and deaths on microfiche and make it available at archive houses ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : All but the more recent indexes held in the public search room of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys are already available in microfiche form in many local libraries and record offices.
The Government White Paper, "Registration : proposals for change" (Cm 939) published in 1990, recommends that in England and Wales the civil registration records older than 75 years should be opened to public scrutiny. These records are held in hardcopy form and on microfilm. The Government proposed in the White Paper that the provision of a central record library should be offered as a contract to those who might wish to run it outside government, either as a non profit-making trust or a commercial concern. A decision on whether the microfilm should be converted to microfiche and/or other media would have to await the outcome of negotiations with interested bodies. Open public access to the information contained in these records requires legislative change which the Government will introduce when a suitable opportunity occurs.
Dentistry
Mr. Dover : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are proposed for those who are unable to obtain a national health service dentistry service to be recompensed for the additional costs of treatment and travel involved in obtaining alternative dental treatment.
Dr. Mawhinney : There is no need for any patient to seek alternatives to national health service dentistry. Patients experiencing any difficulty in obtaining NHS dental treatment should contact their local family health services authority, which will be able to help.
Royal Marsden Hospital
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the Charity Commission over the refurbishment of offices at the Royal Marsden hospital ; and if she will make a statement.
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Mr. Sackville : The Charity Commission has been in contact with my officials concerning the refurbishing of the reception area at the Royal Marsden hospital.
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Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Mrs. Jane Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning in the home have occured in each year since 1980.
Mr. Sackville [holding answer 30 March 1993] : The information is given in the table.
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Deaths from carbon monoxide poisoning in the home 1980-1990 England and Wales
ICD Codes |1980 |<1>1981 |1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E868.0 |5 |4 |2 |8 |2 |5 |5 |2 |3 |0 |8
E868.1 |3 |2 |1 |0 |2 |4 |11 |8 |9 |5 |5
E868.3 |34 |23 |30 |36 |16 |23 |32 |23 |22 |10 |11
E868.8 |2 |0 |0 |2 |0 |0 |0 |0 |1 |2 |1
E868.9 |7 |41 |18 |0 |4 |2 |7 |3 |0 |3 |5
E982.1 |9 |6 |11 |3 |4 |3 |3 |2 |7 |9 |5
Total |60 |76 |62 |49 |28 |37 |58 |38 |42 |29 |35
<1>The data for 1981 were affected by Industrial action by registration officers.
Note: Excludes deaths from motor vehicle exhaust.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Veterinary Medicines Directorate
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the current membership and outline the constitution of the veterinary medicines directorate.
Mr. Soames : Membership of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, together with its aims and objectives, is set out in the VMD annual report and accounts for 1991-92, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what information he has concerning the current level of costs associated with submitting an application by a manufacturer for a licence from the veterinary medicines directorate for a product licence.
Mr. Soames : The level of costs associated with submitting an application for a veterinary medicine product licence will vary considerably, dependent on the target species, active ingredient, indications for use, and type of application. In some cases, the simplified licensing procedure introduced in 1990 may be appropriate. As a consequence, no information is held centrally on such costs. Ultimately, it is for the individual pharmaceutical company to decide what investment may be needed to meet the licensing requirements of safety, quality and efficacy, and whether that can be justified bearing in mind the likely return from the market.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) what information he has concerning the number of applications for a veterinary medicine product licence which have been considered in total by the veterinary medicines directorate in connection with the implementation of the European directive on these matters ; how many of those applications were accepted ; how many were withdrawn ; and how many were declined ;
(2) what information he has concerning the number of veterinary medicinal products which were formerly available in the United Kingdom but for which
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manufacturers have not applied for a product licence from the veterinary medicines directorate either on the grounds of the cost of making such an application, or upon other grounds.Mr. Soames : I assume my hon. Friend is referring to the EC wide review of pharmaceutical veterinary product licences issued before 1984, which is currently being undertaken in the United Kingdom in accordance with directive 81/851/EEC. At 2 March 1993, 2,731 products had been called for review. Of these, 504 reviewed licences have been issued, 506 applications are still under assessment, and 1,721 licences have been withdrawn or expired at companies request. The grounds for decisions either to apply for, or to withdraw, licences are a commercial matter for the companies concerned.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to ensure that the interests of the relevant industries and professions are fully represented among the membership of the veterinary medicines directorate.
Mr. Soames : The veterinary medicines directorate holds regular meetings with representatives of consumer organisations, the National Office of Animal Health, the British Veterinary Association, and other representative organisations and professional bodies to ensure that their views are fully represented.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what has been the total cost of the veterinary medicines directorate in each year since its establishment ; and what percentage of these costs have been raised by fees from industry in each of those years.
Mr. Soames : The veterinary medicines directorate (VMD) was established on 3 April 1989, and as a next steps agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on 2 April 1990. The total annual costs of the VMD, and the percentage raised by licence fees, have been as follows :
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|£'000 |Per cent. raised by
|licence fees
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1989-90 |2,300 |65
1990-91 |3,100 |68
1991-92 |3,700 |65
1992-93<1> |3,800 |63
<1>Forecast.
Medicinal Products
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to ensure that British farmers and veterinary surgeons continue to have access to the full range of medicinal products which are available in the United Kingdom and in other member countries of the European Community.
Mr. Soames : Community law currently requires that no medicinal product may be marketed in a member state, unless there is a market authorisation issued in that member state. In the United Kingdom that means a United Kingdom product licence. Subject to that requirement, the licensing authority will continue to take advantage of any developments in the EC arrangements for the control of veterinary medicines, intended to make it easier for applicants to obtain licences to market products not previously available in the United Kingdom.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list those veterinary medicinal products of which he is aware for which a licence has been given by the French authorities, but for which a licence has been either declined, or not sought in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Soames : I understand that the National Office of Animal Health (NOAH) has identified approximately 70 veterinary medicinal products available in other member states but not licensed in the United Kingdom. For reasons of commercial sensitivity, however, NOAH has felt unable to identify the individual products concerned so that the circumstances can be explored. I regret therefore that such a list cannot be compiled, although I remain willing to look into any specific examples of products licensed in one member state but not in the United Kingdom.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the progress which has been made since 1981 in implementing the European requirement for all veterinary medicinal products to be licensed.
Mr. Soames : It has been a requirement of United Kingdom law since 1972 that all veterinary medicinal products must be licensed before they can be marketed.
VMD
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what representations he has received from the National Office of Animal Health about alternative ways of meeting the costs of the veterinary medicines directorate.
Mr. Soames : I regularly receive representations from the National Office of Animal Health about alternative
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ways of meeting the licensing costs of the veterinary medicines directorate. The latest have been in response to a consultation letter on options for 1993-94 fee levels issued in December 1992. As with previous representations these are being given full and careful consideration. I hope to announce my decision shortly.Mr. Bates : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what performance targets he has set for the veterinary medicines directorate in 1993-94 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : The chief executive of the veterinary medicines directorate (VMD) has submitted his proposals to me and I have agreed that the VMD should be set the following performance targets for 1993-94 :
--full cost recovery for the three business activities of licensing, policy work and residues monitoring ;
--70 per cent. of new licence applications to be issued within 120 clock days ; 95 per cent. within 200 days ;
--an overall efficiency gain of 2 per cent.
These are challenging targets, given the increased volumes being forecast for the VMD's business. They will build on the improvements already made in the efficiency and quality of service provided by the directorate since its establishment as a next steps agency, and for which I commend the chief executive and his staff. In addition, I have agreed the VMD's corporate plan for 1993-94 1995-96, and copies are being placed in the Library of the House and the Public Information Office.
Equal Opportunities
Mr. Janner : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he has taken to recruit women, members of ethnic minorities and disabled people, respectively, in top grades of employment at his Department.
Mr. Curry : Recruits to the senior grades as to any grade in the civil service are selected on merit, on the basis of fair and open competition, unless one of the exceptions permitted under Civil Service Order in Council 1991 applies. Various steps have been taken by the civil service commissioners to aid recruitment from all sectors of the community including :
(a) extending links with institutions of higher education ; (
(b) equal opportunities training for those involved in selection ; and
(c) using validated selection procedures.
Mr. Janner : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when his Department last conducted surveys of (a) ethnic origins and (b) the number of women among its employees ; when it next plans to do so ; and whether he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : The Department completed its survey of the ethnic origin of staff in 1987 and keeps this up to date with information on new staff and leavers. Some 96 per cent. of staff have volunteered information on their ethnic origin. The Department's personnel records include details of the number of men and women and there is, therefore, no need to undertake particular surveys on the number of women employed. The Department is fully committed to the programmes for action to achieve equality of opp
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Mr. Janner : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many and what percentage of officers in each grade from 1 to 7 and overall in his Department are (a) women, (b) from ethnic minorities and (c) disabled people.Column 246
Mr. Curry : The information for MAFF and its executive agencies is as follows :
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Grade equivalent Women From Ethnic Registered
Minorities Disabled People
|Number |Per cent. of total|Number of |Per cent. total of|Number |Per cent. of total
|staff |respondents to |all respondents to |staff
|questionnaire |questionnaire
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 |- |- |- |- |- |-
2 |1 |14.3 |- |- |1 |14.3
3 |1 |4.2 |- |- |- |-
4 |- |- |- |- |- |-
5 |9 |7.8 |1 |0.9 |1 |0.9
6 |13 |7.9 |1 |0.6 |1 |0.6
7 |134 |14.5 |13 |1.5 |2 |0.2
All staff |4,519 |46.1 |416 |4.4 |138.5 |1.4
Badger Setts
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the number of badger setts, by county, closed or otherwise, seriously interfered with by or under licence from his Department's officials in each month from October 1991.
Mr. Soames : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him on Tuesday 30 March 1993.
Milk Development Council
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to create a milk development council ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : The Government will consider any proposals from the milk industry for the establishment of a development council. Ministers would decide whether to make an order establishing such a development council in accordance with the provisions of the Industrial Organisation and Development Act 1947. This requires them, among other things, to be satisfied that this is desired by a substantial number of persons engaged in the industry.
The Agriculture Bill would enable an agricultural development council to collect a levy through intermediaries. This provision is designed to facilitate the efficient operation of such a council. The industry may, therefore, wish to consider making proposals after the enactment of the Bill.
Dairy Crest
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans he has to change the status of Dairy Crest to a private limited company ; if he will allow it to have access to outside equity ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : Dairy Crest Ltd. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the England and Wales milk marketing board. The Agriculture Bill would enable the board to apply to Ministers for approval of formal proposals for the future ownership of its assets. The board currently intends that Dairy Crest should be established as an independent company listed on the stock exchange. This would enable it to raise equity capital.
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Integrated Administration and Control System
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food who will have access to the information stored in the computer database which is to be set up under the integrated administration and control system ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : Access to the information held on the IACS computer database will be restricted to officials who need to have access. All officials with access to the information will be bound by the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1984. If external contractors were to be used, they would be bound by the normal rules of confidentiality.
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will accept integrated administration and control system forms submitted by farmers where they have calculated their land size in acres rather than hectares ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : The explanatory booklet explains clearly that farmers are required to submit details of areas in hectares and not in acres. If a farmer nevertheless gives the figures in acres, we shall be able to accept the application only if we are satisfied that it meets the rules relating to genuine errors referred to in the explanatory booklet.
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what funds he will make available to help farmers who incur costs when having to complete the integrated administration and control system forms ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : No funds are available for this purpose. The costs incurred in completing the IACS forms and supplying supporting information will, for most farmers, represent a small proportion of the payments for which they are applying. They are a normal expense of the farm business.
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in what circumstances farmers will be allowed extensions to the deadline for completing their integrated administration and control system forms ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Curry : The EC regulations do not include provision for any extensions to the deadline of 15 May for the receipt of IACS applications. The rules provide that,
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except in cases of force majeure, farmers whose applications are received after the deadline will lose 1per cent. of the aid to which they would otherwise be entitled for each working day that the application is late. However, if the application is received 20 or more calendar days after the closing date, no aid will be payable under the affected schemes.Central Science Laboratory
Dr Twinn : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what performance targets he has set for the central science laboratory in 1993-94 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : The efficiency of the agency will continue to be judged primarily through cost recovery. Additional performance measures relating to the objectives of the agency will also be used to measure operating efficiency and quality of service.
The financial targets for the central science laboratory for 1993-94 will be :
100 per cent. cost recovery of full costs ;
an overall efficiency gain of 2.5 per cent ;
a reduction of 5 per cent. in real term of representation unit costs for services ;
The targets for delivery of services by the central science laboratory will be :
at least 90 per cent. of work completed to time and within budget ;
at least 95 per cent. of contracts delivered to the customer's satisfaction ;
The central science laboratory will continue to implement during 1993-94 arrangements for the independent assessment of the quality of the scientific work and publications. The measures of performance for the agency are set out in the central science laboratory framework document.
Central Veterinary Laboratory
Mr. Bates : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what performance targets he has set for the central veterinary laboratory in 1993-94 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gummer : The chief executive of the central veterinary laboratory has submitted his proposals to me and I have agreed that the laboratory should be set the following strategic performance target for 1993-94 :
Financial Performance--full cost recovery for all CVL services Efficiency-- an overall efficiency gain of 2.5 per cent.
Service Delivery--80 per cent. of ROAME R & D milestones achieved Service Quality--achievement of a satisfactory report from a Visiting Group
--achievement of laboratory accreditations of the Quality Control Unit
These are demanding targets which challenge the laboratory to build on its achievements to date. I commend the chief executive and his staff for the improvements they have already made and wish them well in their endeavours in 1993-94.
Pesticides Safety Division
Mr. Faber : To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress has been made towards establishing the pesticides safety division as an executive agency ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Gummer : I am pleased to confirm that pesticides safety division is to be established as an executive agency of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on 1 April 1993, when it will become the pesticides safety directorate.
I have set the directorate the following targets for 1993-94, relating to financial performance, efficiency and the delivery of pesticide approval services.
The financial and efficiency targets will be :
100 per cent. recovery of full costs ; and
an overall efficiency gain of 2 per cent.
The targets for delivery of pesticide approval services will be :
Type of approval |Applications |Maximum processing
|completed |time (working days)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Technical secretariat stream
Normal |400 |450
Administrative fast |250 |20
Fast |370 |125
Experimental permits |70 |200
Off label (emergency) |150 |60
Rapid |75 |125
Upgrade |100 |-
Committee stream
Sift |21 |120
Active ingredient |15 |250-290
For 1993-94, the targets for maximum processing time will apply to 75 per cent. of the applications received in the year. This percentage is planned to increase progressively in future years. In addition, the scientific quality of the directorate's work on the evaluation of pesticides will be monitored by the chairman of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides.
A copy of the directorate's framework document is being placed in the Library of the House.
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