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Mr. Grocott : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the names of individuals who (a) are spouses of hon. Members, (b) are Members of the House of Lords, (c) are spouses of Members of the House of Lords and (d) have been party candidates for Parliament, indicating for which party, who have been appointed by his Department to quasi-autonomous non-governmental organisations giving, in each case, the title of the post, any salary payable, and the duration of the appointment.
Mr. Davis : There are two hon. Members of this House who are also members of the non-departmental public bodies to which my right hon. Friend makes appointments. These are my hon. Friend the Member for Devon, West and Torridge (Miss Nicholson), who was appointed a member of the Medical Research Council for the period 12 August 1991 to 31 July 1995 ; and my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Knapman), who was appointed a member of the Agricultural and Food Research Council for the period 1 January 1991 to 31 July 1994. Both Members receive an honorarium of £4,600 per annum.
In addition, Lord Chorley is a member of the Natural Environment Research Council. He was first appointed on 1 August 1988 and reappointed on 1 August 1991 for a further term of three years. He, too, receives an honorarium of £4,600 per annum.
Information is not available on whether any members of the non-departmental public bodies for which my right hon. Friend makes appointments have spouses either in this House or in another place. Similarly, information is not available on whether appointees have been parliamentary candidates, except where candidates were elected.
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) how many maintenance assessments have been issued by the Child Support Agency since it came into operation ;
(2) how many inquiry forms have been issued to absent parents by the Child Support Agency at the latest date for which figures are available ;
(3) how many (a) non-income support and (b) income support cases have been referred to the Child Support Agency at the latest date for which figures are available.
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.
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Letter from Ros Hepplewhite to Mr. Donald Dewar, dated 7 July 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 Questions to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking how many maintenance assessments have been issued by the Agency ; the number of enquiry forms issued to absent parents ; and how many non-income support and income support cases have been referred to the Agency.
Although information is not available at this stage relating to the number of non-income support/income support cases referred to the Agency, I can tell you that during the period 5 April to 28 May over 53,000 maintenance application forms were received. In the same period over 19,000 maintenance enquiry forms were issued, and over 700 maintenance assessments were calculated and the parents notified.
At this early stage these figures should be regarded as provisional and may be subject to amendment.
I hope you will find this reply helpful. A copy will appear in the Official Report and a copy will also be placed in the Library.
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make it his policy to extend the period for which residential allowance is paid to new care home residents who attend hospital during their period in residential care.
Mr. Burt : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Havant (Mr. Willetts) on 10 May at column 340.
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on trends in manufacturing productivity over the past year.
Mr. Nelson : Manufacturing productivity in the three months to April was 7.8 per cent. higher than a year earlier. Apart from the three months to March, this was the highest growth rate for over six years.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is Her Majesty's Government's policy concerning aid to Africa ; what consultations he has with voluntary organisations that work in Africa prior to taking policy decisions ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Sub-Saharan Africa is a priority for British bilateral assistance. In 1991-92 we disbursed £334 million in grant aid, excluding Commonwealth Development Corporation investments. We have regular contact with non-governmental organisations on a range of operational and policy issues. The establishment of the British Overseas NGOs for Development last month will promote greater co-ordination between NGOs and ODA.
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Mr. Rendel : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what funds are made available by his Department to county councils for the maintenance and repair of heritage buildings owned by them.
Mr. Brooke : Such funding is provided through the grant schemes administered by English Heritage, one of the Department's sponsored bodies. During 1992-93, English Heritage made 46 offers to county councils under its main grant programmes, representing £0.5 million in total. In addition, it contributed over £7 million, in the form of town schemes and areas grants, to owners of listed buildings through partnership arrangements with local authorities.
Mr. Harris : To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage when the new guidance for local authorities on historic buildings and conservation areas will be available for public comment.
Mr. Brooke : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment and I have just issued for comment a major new statement of Government policy for historic buildings and conservation areas. This is the first major re-statement of the Government's policies for conservation since March 1987. It reaffirms our determination to protect the 500,000 listed buildings and 7,500 conservation areas which are so important a part of this country's cultural heritage. It emphasises the role of the planning system in striking a balance between the interests of conservation and the need to provide for sensible development. At the same time it reflects recent changes in the legislation ; major court judgments since 1987 ; and some recent reassessment of priorities, for instance for the listing of historic buildings.
This statement will be revised in the light of public comments and then published jointly by our two Departments as planning policy guidance note 15. As such, it will be of central importance for some years to come for a wide range of decisions affecting historic buildings and conservation areas. We hope, therefore, that everyone with an interest in conservation policy will let us have his or her comments on the draft.
At the same time we are issuing a consultation paper on the effectiveness of planning controls in protecting the character and appearance of conservation areas. The paper seeks views on the extent to which problems currently exist and on possible solutions. It invites full public discussion of a range of options, with a view to striking the right balance between protecting the heritage and minimising bureaucratic controls over businesses and private citizens, both of which are important objectives of Government policy. The decisions we take in the light of public responses to this consultation paper will be reflected in the final version of PPG 15. I have arranged for copies of both documents to be placed in the Library.
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Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what steps he is taking to protect workers in the tourism and leisure industry from the danger to their health of passive smoking.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The protection of workers from risks to health from passive smoking at work is already covered by section 2 of the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974, which applies to all industries.
Mr. George Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what guidelines and procedures exist or are proposed on the role and responsibilities of the Health and Safety Executive in monitoring and supervising medical waste incinerator facilities.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The Health and Safety Executive's responsibilities in respect of incinerators, including those which handle medical waste, extend to enforcing the requirements of the Health and Safety at Work, etc. Act 1974 and regulations made under the Act in respect of the health, safety and welfare of employees and the health and safety or others who may be affected by work activities to the extent that such activities are not covered by other more specific environmental legislation not enforced by HSE. Of particular relevance are the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 and the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988, which are each supported by an approved code of practice. Both regulations require employers to assess the risk to their employees and to others who may be affected by the work activity, and carry out steps to bring into effect and maintain the level of control required by their assessments. The COSHH regulations specifically expand and clarify the duties of employers regarding hazardous substances at work to which employees and others may be exposed.
At visits to incinerators, HSE's role is to ensure that compliance with the relevant legislation is achieved by employers and workers at the workplace. The Health and Safety Commission's Health Services Advisory Committee has published guidance on the safe disposal, including incineration, of medical waste and HSE inspectors refer to this guidance during inspection and other visits to incineration facilities.
Emissions from incinerators and operating conditions are covered by environmental legislation and are the responsibility of other enforcing authorities.
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary State for Transport what representations he has received regarding the future of carriage of bicycles by rail following privatisation ; and if the will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : We have received a number of representations from cycling organisations and others.
We expect private sector rail operators to be more responsive to the demands of all their passengers,
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including cyclists. Following a meeting I had with the cycling groups recently, they have agreed to produce a pamphlet explaining the commercial opportunity cyclists present to the operators of rail services and the ways in which services can be made more attractive to cyclists. I have agreed to bring this pamphlet to the attention of prospective franchisees.Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consultations with organisations representing workers with disabilities were undertaken before the reconstitution of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee.
Mr. Freeman : We consulted a wide range of organisations representing both transport and disability interests, including organisations of, and for, people with disabilities.
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the consultants currently employed by his Department, Railtrack and the British Railways Board on work relating to the implementation of the Railways Bill together with their terms of reference.
Mr. Freeman : My Department's consultants and their areas of advice are listed in the table :
Linklaters and Paines--Legal issues
Samuel Montagu and Co.--Merchant Banking
KPMG Peat Marwick--Accountancy
Coopers and Lybrand--Access charges
Richard Ellis--Property matters
Dewe Rogerson--Marketing
PJR--Management and organisation
Mercer--Freight : Access and regulation
--Franchising
Ernst & Young--Information systems
Consultants employed by the British Railways Board are a matter for the board. Railtrack is at present a division of the board.
Ms. Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which county councils he formally consulted in relation to the consultation paper on operation of local bus services outside London.
Mr. Freeman : The paper was sent to the Association of County Councils and to all those county councils which asked for a copy. We are ensuring that all county councils are aware of the consultation.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the type and scope of parliamentary questions from hon. Members in respect of London's public transport service on which he will not provide substantive answers.
Mr. Norris : It is for the House authorities to decide what questions are accepted, for answer by Ministers. Where a question has been so accepted, I will always, as far as practicable, provide a substantive answer on the matters for which I am responsible.
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Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his Department's involvement in the current situation in respect of the rail bridge link to Barmouth and the Cambrian coast line.
Mr. Freeman : I understand from British Rail that there are no significant problems with the Barmouth rail bridge.
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what were the criteria used to determine the figure of £150 million as the total available for a rolling stock leasing project ; and if the sum will be treated as public expenditure.
Mr. Freeman : The purpose of the leasing concession announced in the autumn statement was to encourage the development of a private sector leasing market in the transition to the privatised railway. The figure of £150 million reflected a judgment on the size of the concession the Government considered prudent to make, given the need to offer the leasing industry some genuine experience of rolling stock leasing.
Only rental payments made by the public sector under the lease will score as public expenditure as they are made.
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what powers the rail users' consultative committees will have to publish their reports into closure proposals under his railway privatisation plans.
Mr. Freeman : The Government intend that rail users' consultative committees should be free to publish their reports on closure proposals and will propose that the Railways Bill be amended to that effect.
Mr. Barry Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what studies he has made of (a) the potential regenerative effect of privatisation of trust ports in the regions and (b) the regenerative effects of such privatisations which have already taken place.
Mr. Norris : Privatised trust ports will be able to broaden their capital base and, as appropriate, diversify their activities, within a framework of accountability to shareholders.
This will be to their advantage in the development of the port and the local economy which it serves. It is not therefore necessary for the Secretary of State to undertake such studies.
Mr. Harvey : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made as to the availability of through tickets to passengers starting journeys at Chepstow, Cromer, Felixstowe, Knaresborough, Newmarket, Whitby, Bishop Auckland, Burnley, Milford Haven and Welshpool stations after rail privatisation ;
(2) if his proposals for the continuing availability under rail franchising arrangements, of through tickets, will include ticket sales at unmanned stations.
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Mr. Freeman : We have made it clear that through tickets will be available at as many stations as possible. The precise coverage is not yet determined.
Mr. David Howell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what sums his Department has approved for capital expenditure by British Rail for the Network SouthEast system, excluding replacement of existing rolling stock and equipment ;
(2) what sums he has authorised for investment expenditure on regional railways in 1993-94, excluding replacement of rolling stock and existing equipment but including all new facilities and expansion of the existing system.
Mr. Freeman [holding answers 7 July 1993] : The Government have set British Rail's external financing limit at £1,495 million for 1993-94. This should allow investment of some £1.1 billion. Priorities within that figure are for British Rail to determine, but they will include investment related to the channel tunnel which will benefit Network SouthEast infrastructure as well as international services. The estimate for investment by Network SouthEast in 1993-94 excluding rolling stock and channel tunnel preparations will amount to approximately £95 million and for Regional Railways approximately £44 million. In addition British Rail is exploring the scope for utilising private finance to enable further improvements to be made. From next April, the responsibility for infrastructure investment will lie with Railtrack. It will take a strategic view of investment and will be charged with producing an indicative 10-year investment plan.
Mr. Hume : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information is available to indicate by district the number of homes repurchased and allocated by the Housing Executive and housing associations, respectively, the total amounts spent and the priority categories of the households to whom the homes were allocated.
Mr. Atkins : The information in relation to properties repurchased by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and housing associations, excluding the Northern Ireland Co-ownership Association, as a result of the housing initiative announced by the Chancellor in his autumn statement, is given in the table.
All the properties repurchased by the Housing Executive have been allocated to households in urgent housing need or to transfer applicants whose vacated properties were then used to house urgent housing need applicants. Of the eight properties repurchased by housing associations, six have been allocated to households in urgent housing need and two are being repaired prior to allocation. Properties repurchased by the Housing Executive and housing associations under the house purchase initiative.
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District |Northern Ireland |Housing associations |housing executive ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Antrim |- |- Armagh |3 |- Ballycastle |1 |- Ballymena |4 |- Ballymoney |1 |- Banbridge |2 |- Bangor |1 |- Belfast 1 |6 |- Belfast 2 |7 |- Belfast 3 |4 |- Belfast 4 |4 Belfast 5 |- |- Belfast 6 |- |- Belfast 7 |5 |- Carrickfergus |11 |- Castlereagh 1 |1 |- Castlereagh 2 |4 |- Coleraine |2 |- Cookstown |- |Craigavon |- Downpatrick |7 |- Dungannon |2 |- Fermanagh |3 |- Larne |5 |- Limavady |6 |- Lisburn 1 |3 |- Lisburn 2 |3 |- Lisburn 3 |3 |- Londonderry 1 |- |8 Londonderry 2 |- |- Londonderry 3 |2 |- Lurgan |8 |- Magherafelt |1 |- Newry 1 |5 |- Newry 2 |4 |- Newtonwabbey 1 |3 |- Newtownabbey 1 |2 |- Newtownards 1 |4 |- Newtownards 2 |3 |- Omagh |- |- Portadown |1 |- Strabane |1 |- |------- |------- Total number |122 |8 |------- |------- Total Cost |£2,558.750 |£174,500
Sir David Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has had regarding the retention in St. Bartholomew's hospital of a casualty unit capable of treating cardiac failure and other life-threatening events and if she will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : We have received a number of representations regarding the accident and emergency department at St. Bartholomew's hospital. Where appropriate, details have been referred to North East Thames regional health authority which was responsible for consulting on the proposed closure of the accident and emergency department.
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Mr. Cox : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many nursing and auxiliary staff have been made redundant at St. George's hospital, Tooting in each of the last three years ;
(2) at the latest date for which information is available what percentage of the facilities at St. George's hospital, Tooting, were in full use, in part use and closed ;
(3) what has been the salary and wages or remuneration of the following grades (a) business managers, (b) nurses and midwives, (c) administration and clerical, (d) ancillary staff, (e) non-national health service staff and (f) the chairman of the trust at St. George's hospital, Tooting, in each of the last three years.
Dr. Mawhinney : This information is not available centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact Dr. Elizabeth Vallance, the chairman of St. George's Healthcare National Health Service Trust, for details.
The chairman's remuneration is £19,285 a year.
Mr. Hutton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health which district health authority chairmen are also chairs of NHS trusts ; and if he will name the trusts and authorities involved.
Dr. Mawhinney : Members of district health authorities are ineligible under national health service regulations to serve concurrently as directors of NHS trusts.
Mr. George Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is her latest estimate of the scale of demand in England and Wales over the next 10 years for new facilities for disposing of medical waste, broken down (a) by region, (b) by volume, (c) by the proposed means of disposal and (d) by the type of operator envisaged ;
(2) if she will give details of current proposals for further units for incineration of medical waste, including the location of the units and the firms or organisations which will operate them.
Dr. Mawhinney : Around 125,000 tonnes of waste produced by the national health service in England each year is disposed of as clinical waste. Health authorities are individually responsible for making arrangements for disposing of their waste. Each health authority has confirmed that its waste is disposed of in accordance with the interim standards of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and that by 1995 it will meet the full requirements of the Act. Incineration is expected to be the normal means of disposal, and will be carried out by health authorities themselves, or public or private contractors depending on local circumstances.
The Department has issued strategic guidance, copies of which will be placed in the Library, to assist health authorities to formulate and implement environmental policies. Information relating to Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many psychiatric patients were resident in mental illness institutions operated by her Department in each year since
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the commencement of the Mental Health Act 1983, distinguishing between those compulsorily detained under the Act and those voluntarily admitted.Mr. Bowis : The available information is shown in the table. The table provides the number of patients resident in mental illness and mental handicap hospitals and units, and special hospitals at 31 December ; number formally detained under the Mental Health Act 1983, and number treated informally, England, for the years 1983 to 1986, and the total number of residents under the mental illness specialty in NHS hospitals and units at 31 March for the years 1989 to 1992.
Year |Residents: formally|Treated informally |Total |detained ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31 December 1983 |6,216 |104,194 |110,410 1984 |5,892 |99,636 |105,528 1985 |6,423 |94,738 |101,161 1986 |6,295 |88,821 |95,116 31 March 1989 |n.a. |n.a. |83,900 1990 |n.a. |n.a. |81,800 1991 |n.a. |n.a. |70,800 1992 |n.a. |n.a. |64,700 Data for 1987 and 1988 are not considered reliable; data for 1989 to 1992 cannot be identified separately.
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps her Department is taking to monitor the impact of the NHS management executive letter TEL 93/2 on the time within which detained patients' appeals are heard and the ability of NHS trusts to convene early and effective hearings ;
(2) when she intends to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Mental Health Act 1983 so as to correct the error identified in NHS management executive letter TEL 93/2 ;
(3) what training is available to non-executive directors of NHS trusts to equip them for their responsibilities towards patients and the public, with particular reference to hearings pertaining to patients' appeals.
Mr. Bowis : The Mental Health Act Commission keeps in touch with national health service trusts about the arrangements for hearing patients' appeals. We will consider carefully any proposals it makes.
We recognise the pressures placed on non-executive directors of NHS trusts as a result of the problem described in the NHS management executive's letter TEL 93/2. This can only be corrected by primary legislation and we shall be seeking the earliest opportunity to introduce it.
We are committed to ensuring that high-quality training is provided to chairmen and non-executive directors of trusts. A wide range of training and induction is available locally and nationally, and the NHS management executive will be making proposals this autumn for enhancing and improving the way in which training and support is provided. On the issue of managers' power to discharge detained patients, training and guidance are available from the National Association of Health Authorities and Trusts, in conjunction with the Mental Health Act Commission, and from the NHS Trust Federation. A copy of the NHS management executive's letter TEL 93/2 will be placed in the Library.
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