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Service Men (Gulf)
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British service men serving in the Gulf were (a) hospitalised and (b) received prolonged medical treatment and for what reason in each case ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence will write to the hon. Member.
Depleted Uranium Ammunition
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether depleted uranium ammunition continues to be test fired at Eskmeals and Kirkcudbright ranges.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 14 June, Official Report, column 474, for what reason air samples are not taken at Kirkcudbright range to check for depleted uranium radioactivity ; if he will consider the taking of such samples ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Aitken : Air samples are not necessary at Kirkcudbright because the depleted uranium penetrators are not fired against a hard target. There is, therefore, no significant dispersion of radioactive material into the air.
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what tests were carried out for radioactivity in areas where depleted uranium shells were used during the Gulf war ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Hanley : Depleted uranium has a low level of radioactivity ; furthermore in the circumstances of the Gulf conflict such tests were not practicable. Those United
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Kingdom service personnel who assisted with ordnance clearance in Kuwait after the conflict were issued with instructions and personal equipment to minimise any health hazard.Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 14 June, Official Report, column 474, what are the highest levels of radioactivity from depleted uranium ammunition detected at Eskmeals and Kirkcudbright ranges ; and what is the exact level determined to be a health hazard.
Mr. Aitken : I will write to the hon. Member.
Swan Hunter
Mr. Trotter : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the current state of the negotiations between his Department and the receivers of Swan Hunter as to the completion of the three frigates being built at the yard.
Mr. Aitken : I am pleased to announce that we have concluded an agreement with the receiver which, subject to the maintenance of satisfactory levels of productivity, will allow the three type 23 frigates to be completed on Tyneside. This agreement gives the receiver time to continue his efforts to find a buyer for Swan Hunter. I hope that the management and work force at Swan Hunter will deliver the three ships to the Royal Navy within cost and to time and to the standards of quality which we have come to expect from Swan Hunter.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Benefits Caller Office, Darwen
Ms Janet Anderson : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) when he expects a benefits caller office to be established in Darwen, Lancashire ;
(2) what representations he has received about the establishment of a benefits caller office in Darwen, Lancashire.
Mr. Burt : The administration of the benefits system is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Ms Janet Anderson, dated 1 July 1993 :
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency, it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security, asking when he expects a benefits caller office to be established in Darwen, Lancashire, and what representations he has received on this matter.
In line with the Benefits Agency's core value of customer service great importance is placed on the Agency being accessible to all its customers. The manager of the Agency's Blackburn and Accrington District, which covers the area of Darwen, has decided, following a number of representations from customers and welfare organisations, that a caller office in Darwen would improve the service to his customers.
You will be aware from my earlier correspondence to you about this matter ( Official Report, Vol. 214, columns 253-54, dated 18 November 1992) that there was a favourable indication earlier this year that space for a caller outlet could be made available by the Employment Service Agency (ESA) in their premises in Darwen. Unfortunately this provisional offer has been withdrawn because the ESA are considering mises in the area.
Although it is far from an ideal solution, the District Manager has put in place three benefit advice surgeries in the Darwen area, to ensure benefits information is available in the area while the search for suitable accommodation continues.
I hope you find this answer helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.
Child Support Agency, Bradford
Mr. Madden : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security on what basis the acting area manager of the Child Support Agency in Bradford warned Bradford resource centre that the use of the name Child Support Agency in training programme information material could constitute a breach of the copyright laws ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Burt : The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Mrs. Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library. Letter from Mrs. Ros Hepplewhite to Mr. Max Madden, dated 30 June 1993 :
As Chief Executive of the Child Support Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking on what basis the acting area manager of the Child Support Agency in Bradford warned Bradford Resource Centre that the use of the name Child Support Agency in training programme information material could constitute a breach of the copyright laws.
I have now investigated the circumstances surrounding the exchange of correspondence between the Agency's acting Area Manager in Bradford and the Bradford Resource Centre and it is clear that the member of staff concerned acted under a misapprehension and in error. The Agency's Divisional Manager responsible for the Yorkshire and Humberside region contacted Bradford Resource Centre on 14 June to apologise for the misunderstanding and I understand that matters have now been resolved to the Resource Centre's satisfaction.
The Agency in fact welcomes the interest of groups such as the Bradford Resource Centre in its work and its policy is to foster close working relationships at all levels. As part of that process Agency staff recently met staff from Bradford Resource Centre and other local groups to discuss the operation of the new child maintenance scheme ; and a further meeting with Resource Centre staff is due to take place.
I am grateful for the opportunity to explain the position. A copy of this reply will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.
Market Testing
Ms Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much the market-testing programme has cost his Department since November 1992.
Mr. Hague : The costs since November 1992 are broadly estimated at £3.2 million.
These costs when set against the Department's programme of market testing £127 million of business this year and the scale of savings which have previously been derived from market testing--some 25 per cent.--do not seem disproportionately high.
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Benefits, Ayr
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what was the number of sickness benefit claims at Ayr benefit office for each month from April 1992 to date ;
(2) how many claimants there were at the Ayr benefit office for (a) unemployment benefit and (b) sickness benefit on 1 April 1991, 1992 and 1993.
Mr. Burt : The administration of benefits is a matter for Mr. Michael Bichard, the chief executive of the Benefits Agency. He will write to the hon. Member with such information as is available and a copy will be placed in the Library.
Letter from Michael Bichard to Mr. George Foulkes, dated 1 July 1993 :
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking about the number of sickness benefit and unemployment benefit claims at the Ayr Benefit Office.
I have provided information which represents the Ayr District Office (DO) as a whole. The District includes branch offices at Ayr, Cumnock, Dumfries and Stranraer but it is not possible to break the figures down into the separate branches within the district. Table A. shows the monthly live load for sickness benefit for the Ayr District Office as at May 1991, the first date for which figures are available, and the first of each month from April 1992. I am unable to provide you with figures for unemployment benefit and would refer you to the Secretary of State for Employment whose responsibility these are. I can however, supply you with the number of customers registered as unemployed and claiming income support at the Ayr DO. These figures are collated on a quarterly basis and I have therefore supplied you with figures for the relevant quarters. These are shown at Table B. I would like to explain that the figures quoted for sickness benefit are obtained from a 100 per cent. clerical count in the office. The income support figures are a 100 per cent. count combined from those actioned through the computer system and any remaining clerical casework.
I hope you find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.
Table A.
Sickness Benefit Claims<1>
|Number
-----------------------------
May 1991 |961
April 1992 |1,099
May 1992 |1,245
June 1992 |1,194
July 1992 |1,220
August 1992 |1,206
September 1992 |1,268
October 1992 |1,259
November 1992 |1,314
December 1992 |1,289
January 1993 |1,291
February 1993 |1,312
March 1993 |1,356
April 1993 |1,378
May 1993 |1,380
<1>Figures refer to the last
working day of the previous
month
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Table B.
Income Support claims
from unemployed
persons<1>
|Number
-----------------------
May 1991 |5,456
May 1992 |5,645
May 1993 |6,121
<1>Figures are as at
the quarter ending 31
May.
Invalidity Benefit
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what guidance has been issued during the past three months to general practitioners and benefits offices on the subject of eligibility for and renewal of invalidity benefit.
Mr. Scott : No such guidance has been issued.
Mortgage Interest Payments
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will change the procedures of his Department in respect of mortgage interest payments so that mortgage lenders inform his Department as soon as interest rates have dropped or increased to prevent mortgagors overpaying or falling behind with their payments.
Mr. Burt : The amount allowed in income support for mortgage interest is calculated according to the interest rate being charged to the individual claimants' mortgage account. It is therefore necessary for the appropriate rate to be notified individually. We believe that the person best placed to do this is the claimant, who is responsible for informing the Department of any changes in circum-stances that may affect entitlement to benefit.
Ms Ruddock : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will change the procedures of his Department in respect of mortgage interest payments so that mortgage lenders receive payments by the due date, instead of one month in arrears, to prevent mortgagors being threatened with repossession.
Mr. Burt : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to her on 17 June 1992 at column 598.
HEALTH
Health Centres
Mr. Stern : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 12 May, Official Report, column 483, if she will now announce the results of the working group on the financing of health centres, and her proposals based on those results.
Dr. Mawhinney : The working group of National Health Service Management Executive/national health service officials recommended that the main proposals of the Hambros bank review on the financing of accommodation for general practitioners in health centres should be accepted. These proposals were :
(i) The relationship between the GP tenant and the trust/district health authority owner should be put onto a more commercial footing, in which the GP would pay a full commercial rent in return for a formal lease ;
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(ii) GPs in health centres should be eligible for General Medical Services improvement grants ;(iii) Guidance should be issued on the costs and benefits of various alternative patterns of funding and ownership of GP accommodation ;
We have accepted the recommendations of the working group and work will be taken forward with a view to implementing the Hambros bank proposals with effect from 1 April 1994. Representatives of general medical practitioners will be consulted about the implementation.
Pregnancy (Dietary Supplements)
Mr. Peter Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the estimated cost of making dietary supplements of 4 mg of folic acid per day available free of cost through fertility and ante-natal clinics to women anticipating a pregnancy and during the first 12 weeks of the pregnancy.
Mr. Sackville : A dietary supplement of 4 mg folic acid per day is recommended to prevent recurrence of neural tube defects in the offspring of women or men with spina bifida or with a history of a previous child with neural tube defect. It is not possible to estimate the cost of making these supplements available through clinics to women in this group. However, they are available on prescription, free of charge to exempt groups prior to pregnancy and to all women during pregnancy.
Specialties
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the cost to date of the specialty reviews.
Dr. Mawhinney : The cost is estimated at £450,000. This includes the staff and related costs incurred by the six independent review groups and the London implementation group as well as the cost of printing the reports.
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate she has made of the capital and revenue costs of implementing the specialty reviews ;
(2) if she will make a statement of the impact of the specialty reviews at hospitals where a specialty is removed on the remaining services in those hospitals ;
(3) what steps she is taking to test purchaser support and the feasibility and affordability of appropriate specialist service configurations resulting from the London specialty reviews.
Dr. Mawhinney : The recommendations of the specialty reviews are independent advice to Ministers and the national health service. They are not policy and no decision to change services will be taken on the basis of their conclusions alone. The London implemenation group, the Thames regional health authorities, purchasers and the hospitals themselves will now make full assessments of the implications of the reviews' recommendations, prior to bringing forward proposals for change in the autumn. The London implementation group will ensure that any proposals to relocate or close a specialist service are informed by, amongst other factors, the views of purchasers, analysis of the cost implications and feasibility in terms of sites. There will, of course, be full public consultation on any major proposals to relocate services or to close sites.
Column 645
Mrs. Lait : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what effect she expects the specialty reviews of the London hospitals to have on the South-East Thames region outside London.
Dr. Mawhinney : The specialty reviews make a number of recommendations about specialist services provided in South East Thames regional health authority that are outside London. These recommendations are independent advice to Ministers and the national health service, not policy, and they alone will not determine the future configuration of services in London or elsewhere. It will be the responsibility of the regional health authority, local purchasers and the hospitals themselves to make a full assessment of the reviews' advice and, if appropriate, to develop proposals for change.
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of the review of London specialist services on maintaining morale and retention of the staff needed for teaching if the hospitals provide a smaller range of technical specialities.
Dr. Mawhinney : The independent advice contained within the speciality review reports forms one ingredient in the local process of developing proposals for improving health services in London. As part of this process, the London implementation group is working closely with the university of London and the Higher Education Funding Council for England, to ensure that the implications of the reviews' recommendation for teaching and research are fully assessed.
Drinking Water
Mr. Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information and advice his Department has received concerning the effect upon
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human health of low level cryptosporidium oocyst contamination in drinking water ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Sackville : I have been asked to reply.
The Department of Health and the Department of the Environment received, in July 1990, the report of the group of experts convened to examine cryptosporidium in water supplies chaired by Sir John Badenoch. Following its recommendations, research is under way which may establish the infective dose of cryptosporidium.
AZT
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the use of AZT with HIV-positive patients of different age groups in the national health service.
Mr. Sackville : Zidovudine--AZT--is currently licensed in the United Kingdom and the European Community for use in the following circumstances :
--asymptomatic disease in adult patients showing signs of immune suppression ie. CD4 count repeatedly below 200 per cubic millimetre (cumm) or between 500 and 200 and falling rapidly ;
--early symptomatic HIV disease in adults with CD4 counts below 500 per cubic millimetre :
--advanced disease ie. AIDS and AIDS related complex, in adults and children ;
--HIV related symptoms or asymptomatic disease with markers indicating significant HIV-related immune suppression in children over the age of three months.
Prescriptions
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the estimated percentage of prescribed items dispensed by community pharmacists and appliance contractors which cost less than (a) 40p, (b) 60p, (c) 80p and d) £1.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information is shown in the table.
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Prescribed items with a net ingredient cost of less than (a) 40 pence, (
b) 60 pence, (c) 80 pence and (d) £1.00
dispensed by community pharmacists and appliance contractors in England
in 1992.
|Pence
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Net Ingredient Cost less than (pence) |40 |60 |80 |100
Number of items dispensed |32,690|49,753|61,449|73,937
Percentage of all prescribed items |8.5 |12.9 |15.9 |19.1
Quarry House
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the insurance value of her Department's art works in Quarry house.
Mr. Sackville : I refer the hon. Member to the reply my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Security gave her on 30 June at column 515.
Children's Health Records
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that all purchasing authorities contract for parent -held records.
Mr. Bowis : We plan to write to health authorities shortly, commending the use of personal child health records and informing them of the publication of the second edition of a model record produced by a working party led by the British Paediatric Association.
Column 646
Container Allowance
Mrs. Lait : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what container allowance is paid by the NHS for calendar packs of drugs per container and in total ; and how many drugs with two or three formulations or more come in one calendar package ;
(2) how much is paid by the NHS as a container allowance for drugs per prescription and in total ; what percentage of drugs are not dispensed prepacked ; and what percentage of packaged products are repackaged by pharmacists.
Dr. Mawhinney : The container allowance is an average figure calculated on the basis of an annual inquiry. The inquiry takes account of the fact that not every prescription item needs a container. The resulting allowance--currently 6.5p--is then paid out for every prescription item, including where more than one formulation is contained in a calendar pack. The British National Formulary for March 1993 lists 19 calendar
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packs containing more than one formulation. In 1992-93, the cost of the container allowance in England was £18.8 million. Information about the percentage of drugs not dispensed in pre- packaged form or about packaged products that are then re-packaged by pharmacists is not available.Market Testing
Ms Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the market-testing programme has cost her Department since November 1992.
Mr. Sackville : The Department's market testing programme cost just over £870,000 up to the end of March 1993, the latest date for which figures are available. This includes consultancy costs, staff costs and associated overheads. Separate costs for the period from November 1992 are not available.
Eye Tests
Dame Jill Knight : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the estimated savings made in 1992-93 as a result of the introduction of a charge for sight tests.
Dr. Mawhinney : We estimate that the savings made in 1992-93 as a result of restricting the categories of people eligible for a national health service sight test were £100 million.
Hospital Waiting Times
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for health what guidelines exist for calculating the waiting times for patients who have been given an opportunity to transfer to an other hospital for treatment.
Dr. Mawhinney : Guidance on the calculation of the waiting times is given in "The Data Manual--Module 1 Hospital Services"--a copy of which is available in the Library.
Yorkshire Regional Health Authority
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will set out, in 1992 prices, the total amount spent by the Yorkshire regional health authority on press and public relations in (a) 1989-90, (b) 1990-91, (c) 1991-92 and (d) 1992-93.
Mr. Sackville [holding answer 16 June 1993]: The information available for health authorities within the Yorkshire region is shown in the table. The figures for 1991-92 are not fully comparable with those for earlier years. The 1991-92 figure for district health authorities includes substantial publicity expenses on health promotion. Equivalent figures for 1992-93 will be available late this year.
Expenditure on public relations (at 1992-93 prices)
Year |Yorkshire regional|Yorkshire district|Yorkshire region
|health authority |health authorities|total
|£ |£ |£
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1989-90 |113,907 |73,794 |187,701
1990-91 |112,147 |75,692 |187,839
1991-92 |187,985 |297,808 |485,793
Source: Annual accounts (1989-90/1990-91) and annual financial returns (1991-92) of the
Yorkshire Regional Health Authority
(RHA) and District Health Authorities (DHAs) comprising the Yorkshire Region.
Notes:
1. The figures represent the pay and other costs of public relations departments and have been
expressed at 1992-93 prices by the use of gross domestic product deflators.
2. The increased expenditure by the RHA is in part due to a change in accounting policy. The
aggregate expenditure by DHAs excludes costs incurred by first wave NHS trusts from which
equivalent information was not collected.
WALES
Sheltered Housing
Mr. Richards : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many units of sheltered housing have been provided for the elderly in Wales for each year since 1979 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The number of new sheltered dwellings completed in each year for which information is available is given in the table.
Sheltered housing for the elderly
|Total dwellings
|completed
------------------------------------------------
1984 |193
1985 |136
1986 |417
1987 |577
1988 |266
1989 |226
1990 |467
1991 |439
1992 |260
Source: Local authority returns.
In addition, local authority conversions to sheltered dwellings were as follows :
Local authority sheltered housing for the elderly
|Dwellings resulting
|from conversion or
|improvement
------------------------------------------------------------
1984 |19
1985 |0
1986 |23
1987 |44
1988 |31
1989 |16
1990 |4
1991 |55
1992 |37
Source: Local authority returns.
Information on conversions for the private sector and for housing associations are not available centrally.
NHS Trusts
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will ensure in considering the application for the setting up of the Derwen NHS trust that there will be a facility for the treatment of the in-patient adolescent mentally ill in a unit other than that occupied by adults.
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