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Column 293
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times section 4 of the Mental Health Act 1983 has been used each year since the Act came into force.
Mr. Bowis : The information is shown in the table.
The Mental Health Act 1983 came into force in September 1983. The table gives the number of admissions under section 4 and changes during the year from other sections and from other Acts to section 4 and data for that year have been analysed in terms of the 1983 Act. Table provides data on the use of section 4 of the Mental Health Act 1983: covering admissions to national health service facilities, private nursing homes and special hospitals under this section, and changes in legal status of patients in national health service facilities from other sections or other Acts to section 4 in each of the years 1983 to 1989-90.
Year and source |Mental Health Act
|1983, section 4:
|Assessment in
|emergency
------------------------------------------------------
1983
Admissions<1> |5,640
Changes to<2> |N/a
Total |5,640
1984
Admissions<1> |3,622
Changes to<2> |N/a
Total |3,622
1985
Admissions<1> |3,464
Changes to<2> |N/a
Total |3,464
1986
Admissions<1>
Changes to<2> |N/a
Total |2,786
1987-88
Admissions<1> |2,196
Changes to<2> |288
Total |2,484
1988-89
Admissions<1> |2,030
Changes to<2> |263
Total |2,293
1989-90
Admissions<1> |1,868
Changes to<2> |236
Total |2,104
<1>Admissions to special hospitals relate to calendar
years.
<2>Patients in national health service facilities
only (not available before 1987-88: changes to
section 4 are mostly from informal status, with some
from place of safety orders.
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the national director of MIND will receive a full reply to the letter sent to her dated 11 May 1993.
Mr. Bowis : I met the national director of MIND informally earlier this month and am having a full meeting with her on 12 July when we shall be discussing a range of issues including matters raised in her letter.
Column 294
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training is provided for primary health care teams, social workers and carers in the field of mental illness ; and what plans she has to improve that training.
Mr. Bowis : Guidance to health authorities and local authorities on developing human skills and resources for all mental health workers is contained in the "Mental Illness Key Area Handbook", a copy of which is available in the Library.
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health where in her Department the responsibility for providing the resources for training programmes for health care workers and others concerned with mental illness in the community lies.
Mr. Bowis : The responsibility for providing resources for training programmes lies with health and local authorities from within their overall financial allocations.
Training Initiatives
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how she intends to facilitate the resourcing of major national training initiatives in health care, with particular reference to those offered by open distance learning providers.
Dr. Mawhinney : The national health service management executive has consistently supported the development of major national training initiatives which improve the delivery of care to patients. Such initiatives provide professional and managerial development opportunities for a wide range of NHS staff. Given the prevalence of shift and rota working within the NHS, some of these initiatives are delivered through open and distance learning.
It is the policy of the management executive to support these programmes through meeting their development costs. Decisions about the investment in training for particular individuals must remain a decision for local managers, in the light of local need to develop better services.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Abortion
Mrs. Helen Jackson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with police forces about the steps taken to protect women who choose to seek legal abortion from intimidation.
Mr. Charles Wardle : None. Enforcement of the Public Order Act 1986 as it relates to threatening words or behaviour likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress is the responsibility of chief officers of police.
Winston Silcott
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consideration is being given by his Department to a reference to the Court of Appeal in the case of conviction for murder of Winston Silcott.
Mr. Maclean : My Department is considering a report of inquiries made on its behalf by the Metropolitan police. In the light of the results of that consideration my right hon. and learned Friend will decide whether there are grounds for any action on his part.
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Immigration
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the content of the acquis built up by intergovernmental co- operation between the 12 member states referred to in the press release of the meeting of 1 and 2 June of the Ministers responsible for immigration in Copenhagen ; and if he will place a copy in the Library.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The "acquis" will be those instruments and agreements between the member states which the applicant countries will be required to accept on acceding to the Community. This will include legally binding instruments such as the Dublin convention. Discussions between the member states on other items to be included are at an early stage.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what work has been begun by the Centre for Information, Discussion and Exchange on the Crossing of Borders and Immigration referred to in the Copenhagen meeting of Ministers responsible for immigration on 1 and 2 June.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The Centre for Information, Discussion and Exchange on the Crossing of Borders and Immigration (CIREFI) is intended to provide a permanent mechanism for regular exhange of information, consultation and collaboration on practical matters between the relevant departments of the member states including information on member states' control procedures and immigration legislation.
It has so far held only one meeting, on 7 April 1993.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the agenda of the ad hoc group on immigration under the Belgian presidency ; and how many days have been allocated for its meetings.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The Belgian presidency has provisionally allocated a total of eight days to four meetings of the ad hoc group on immigration.
It will be for the Belgian presidency to determine the agenda for each of these meetings as they arise. The main agenda item for the first meeting will be the presentation of the presidency's programme for the coming six months. It is expected that the ad hoc group and its sub-groups will continue work currently in hand both on preparations for implementation of the Dublin convention and external frontiers convention, and under the immigration and asylum work programme agreed by Ministers at the end of the Dutch presidency in December 1991, including on admission for employment, harmonisation of asylum procedures and measures to combat illegal immigration.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the budget of the Centre for Information, Discussion and Exchange on the Crossing of Borders and Immigration ; and what are the sources of its funding.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The Centre for Information, Discussion and Exchange on the Crossing of Borders and Immigration (CIREFI) has no separate budget. Meetings are serviced by a small number of staff from the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Communities and accommodation is provided within the offices of the Council.
Column 296
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for further relaxation of controls at internal borders of the European Community as referred to in the press release of the meeting of 1 and 2 June of the Ministers responsible for immigration in Copenhagen.
Mr. Charles Wardle : My right hon. and learned Friend, the then Home Secretary, informed the House in a written answer on 17 December 1992, at column 445, that we would be considering what further changes might be made in the course of 1993 to the United Kingdom immigration arrangements vis-a -vis member states of the Europoan Community, in furtherance of our policy of reducing checks on European Community nationals to the minimum compatible with the retention of effective immigration controls on third- country nationals, together with adequate safeguards against the entry of terrorists and other serious criminals.
The change which we have in mind is that EC nationals arriving at ferry ports from other European Community member states would be required to confirm their EC status by holding up an EC passport or identity card, but immigration officers would not normally examine the document in detail. The officer would, however, make a full examination where there was any suspicion that the document was not genuine or that the passenger was not in fact an EC national. We have not yet reached any decision on exactly when this arrangement might be introduced at ferry ports or on whether, as the European Commission have suggested, it might be possible to extend it to some smaller regional airports in respect of EC passengers arriving from elsewhere within the European Community.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the relationship between United Kingdom immigration policy and the premise referred to in the report of the meeting of Ministers responsible for immigration at their meeting in Copenhagen on 1 and 2 June on the necessity of control of migratory flows for the successful integration of immigrants lawfully resident in the territories of member states.
Mr. Charles Wardle : At the meeting of EC Immigration Ministers in Copenhagen, which I attended, there was a general consensus that the maintenance of effective immigration controls was an important factor in achieving the successful integration of immigrants lawfully resident in member states of the Community.
This view is entirely compatible with the Government's policy of applying immigration controls which are both firm and fair.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the address and the name of the director of the Centre for Information, Discussion and Exchange on the Crossing of Borders and Immigration.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The Centre for Immigration, Discussion and Exchange on the Crossing of Borders and Immigration (CIREFI) has no director. Meetings are chaired by the EC presidency and are held in Brussels in the offices of the Council of the European Communities.
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Small Firms (Crime)
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures are being taken to help small firms guard against crime ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The Home Office Crime Prevention Centre has recently issued to police forces a retail security guide for use by beat police officers. It gives detailed guidance on how small retail premises can be protected from burglary and will help police officers to provide appropriate advice to shopkeepers. Specialist crime prevention officers and architectural liaison officers are also available in police forces to advise on particular problems. The Government have encouraged the development of business watch, shop watch and industry watch schemes--along the lines of the neighbourhood watch model. Many small businesses have also benefited directly from various crime prevention schemes supported and funded by the Home Office safer cities programme. We are also proposing to set up a retail action group.
Erwin Van Haarlem
Mr. Allason : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what grounds Erwin Van Haarlem was released from prison and deported to Prague.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Mr. Van Haarlem was convicted on 3 March 1989 for an offence under Section 7 of the Official Secrets Act 1920, and was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment, with a recommendation that he should be deported on his release. The then Home Secretary accepted this recommendation. Section 46 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 permits the early release of prisoners who are subject to deportation orders. Mr. Van Haarlem was released under this provision and deported to Prague on 5 April this year.
Prisoners (Visiting Facilities)
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of (a) demand for and (b) availability of legal visiting facilities for category A remand residents at (i) Belmarsh and (ii) other prisons ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Peter Bottomley dated July 1993 : The Home Secretary has asked me to write to you in response to your Parliamentary Question about the demand and availability of legal visit facilities for Category A remand prisoners at HM Prison Belmarsh and other establishments.
It is for the governor of each establishment to monitor the demand for legal visiting facilities to ensure that adequate facilities are available to members of the legal profession so that they can conduct interviews with remand prisoners in the interests of the criminal justice system.
In the case of Belmarsh, there are adequate facilities to cope with the normal demand for legal visits requested by category A prisoners and the governor has made available additional facilities to deal with any urgent or immediate request which cannot be accommodated in the usual way.
Column 298
London Bombings
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been (a) held under the provisions of the prevention of terrorism Acts (b) charged and (c) released in connection with the Bishopsgate bomb and the London taxi bombs.
Mr. Howard : Following the incidents on 24 April 1993 in Bishopsgate, EC2, Seven Sisters road, N4 and Judd street, WC1, 10 people were detained under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act 1989. One person was charged with a terrorist-related offence, but the charge was not proceeded with. One person was charged in relation to other offences and one person was returned to Northern Ireland to complete a prison sentence. The remaining seven people were released without charge.
Metropolitan Police/RUC Consultations
Mr. Peter Bottomley : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Metropolitan police take to consult the Royal Ulster Constabulary in Londonderry in appropriate cases.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The Metropolitan police have a close working relationship with the Royal Ulster Constabulary and will take whatever steps are appropriate to consult the RUC where necessary.
Racial Hatred
Mrs. Roche : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to respond to the Commission for Racial Equality's recommendation in its 1992 review of the Race Relations Acts calling for an independent review of the law on incitement to racial hatred.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : In its second review of the Race Relations Act 1976 the Commission for Racial Equality put forward a number of wide- ranging recommendations. These are currently under consideration and a formal response for the review as a whole will be issued as soon as possible.
Domestic Violence
Mrs. Roche : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Redcar (Ms Mowlam) of 29 March, Official Report, column 103, how many times the interdepartmental group on domestic violence has met ; which Departments participated ; and how frequent are their meetings.
Mr. Maclean : The official interdepartmental group on domestic violence, chaired by the Home Office, and with participation from the Lord Chancellor's Department, the Crown Prosecution Service, the Departments of Employment, the Environment, Health and Social Security, the Department for Education, the Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland Offices and the Treasury, has met twice to discuss areas in which work on domestic violence can be taken forward at national and local level. It will continue to meet as and when appropriate.
Refuges
Mrs. Roche : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the interdepartmental co-ordination on refuge provisions.
Column 299
Mr. Maclean : As stated in the Government's reply to the third report from the Home Affairs Committee, Session 1992-93, (Cm 2269), refuge provision is one of a number of matters that will be considered by the interdepartmental group on domestic violence.
Mentally Ill Prisoners
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions during the past five years he has exercised his power of recall under section 42 of the Mental Health Act 1983 in respect of a person who was at time of recall a sentenced prisoner detained in prison.
Mr. Maclean : The total number of conditionally discharged patients recalled under section 42 of the Mental Health Act 1983 in the last five years for which the information is available is as follows :
Year |Number --------------------- 1987 |40 1988 |43 1989 |36 1990 |41 1991 |56
Information as to the number of these who were serving a sentence of imprisonment at the time is not separately recorded and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions in the last five years he has used his power under section 50(1) (b) of the Mental Health Act 1983 to release on licence or discharge under supervision a prisoner who has been the subject of a transfer direction and a restriction direction.
Mr. Maclean : I regret that this information can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedural arrangements his Department requires to be complied with before he will use his power under section 50(1)(b) of the Mental Health Act 1983 to release on licence or discharge under supervision in the case of a person considered fit to leave treatment in hospital and suitable for release or discharge.
Mr. Maclean : The power to discharge a patient under section 50(1)(b) of the Mental Health Act 1983 can be used to discharge, on life licence, a life sentence prisoner who has been transferred to hospital during the course of his sentence. In such a case, if the patient's responsible medical officer or a mental health review tribunal have recommended that the patient be discharged, the practice has been to consult the Lord Chief Justice and the trial judge, if available, about the length of time for which the patient should be detained in order to satisfy requirements of retribution and deterrence. In any case in which that period has already been served, the views of the parole board would be sought about the discharge recommendation. If the parole board supported the proposed discharge, consideration would then be given as to whether in all the circumstances of the case, it would be appropriate for the patient to be discharged on life licence. In any case in which the decision was taken not to discharge such a
Column 300
patient, and it was not considered appropriate for that patient to remain in hospital, the patient would be returned to prison in order to continue to serve the life sentence.Consideration is presently being given to what procedures will apply in the case of discretionary life sentence prisoners who have been, or will be, transferred to hospital, and who will benefit from the new arrangements governing their release contained in part II of the Criminal Justice Act 1991.
Immigration Office, Birmingham Airport
Mr. Terry Davis : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to publicise the availability of the new immigration office at Birmingham airport.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Local organisations have been advised of the new immigration public enquiry office and its opening has received publicity in the Birmingham press. It will be given further publicity following an official opening to take place shortly.
Prisoners' Health Care
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which Prison Service establishments the health care service for prisoners now purchases NHS services ; and what has been the annual cost (a) by establishment and (b) in total in each of the last five years.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Ms Liz Lynne dated July 1993 : I have been asked to reply to your Question seeking information about Prison Service establishments which are purchasing services from NHS providers and the cost of these services.
The health care services (excluding pharmaceutical services) at present provided under contracts with NHS provider authorities and units, as distinct from contracts with individual practitioners, are indicated in the following table. The aggregate cost of the contracts in this financial year is £225,000. For reasons of commercial confidentiality I am unable to give information about costs in earlier years when there was only one contract.
Establishment |Type of Service ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ HM Prison Belmarsh |General Medical Services HM Prison Durham |Psychiatric Services HM Prison Frankland |Psychiatric Services HM Remand Centre Low Newton |Psychiatric Services
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in which Prison Service establishments negotiations are in progress with the NHS for the provision of health care services.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Ms Liz Lynne, dated July 1993 : I have been asked to reply to your Question about current negotiations between Prison Service establishments and the NHS for the provision of health care services.
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I am not aware that any establishment is in formal negotiation with NHS providers at the present time. Invitations to tender for a contract to provide genito-urinary services to threeestablishments--HM Prisons Brixton, Wandsworth and Wormwood Scrubs--are expected to issue soon.
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what complaints procedure exists for prisoners who wish to complain about any aspect of medical care or treatment which they receive from the health care service for prisoners or the NHS contractor.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Ms Liz Lynne, dated July 1993 : I have been asked to reply to your Question about the complaints procedure available to prisoners who wish to complain about any aspect of medical care or treatment.
In Prison Service establishments formal complaints which relate to clincal care or treatment received in prison are normally first considered by the head of health care of the establishment. They may also be referred, either on appeal or by exercise of a right of direct confidential access, to the Directorate of Health Care at Prison Service headquarters where they are considered by a senior doctor. In general this procedure is available whether the service complained of is provided by staff of the Health Care Service for Prisoners or by an external provider under contract, but individual contracts may provide--and one current contract does so provide- -for clinical complaints to be considered under NHS procedures. Other avenues normally available to prisoners, including Boards of Visitors and Members of Parliament, can also be used to ventilate complaints about health care.
WALES
Council Homes (Juveniles)
Mr. Sweeney : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what advice he has issued to local authorities regarding juveniles in council homes, including the use of restraint where necessary ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Draft guidance on permissible forms of control in children's residential care was issued for consultation to Welsh local authorities and voluntary organisations in November 1992. As a result of that exercise, which ended in December 1992, the guidance was changed substantially from the draft originally circulated. The final guidance issued by the Department on 29 April 1993 under cover of Welsh Office circular 38/93 was much stronger and more explicit. It sets out a broad framework of principles and circumstances where a child may be restrained. It is designed to cover young people living in both secure and open children's homes and offers positive and practical advice to staff and managers on the care and control of young people in residental care. At the same time, it recognises that managers will need to decide who best to put this guidance into operation. The onus is on the care worker to make judgments as to whether restraint is required in the predominating circumstances and to determine the degree of restraint appropriate and when it should be used. Copies of this guidance are being placed in the Library of the House.
Column 302
Mobile Libraries
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many mobile libraries were operating in each local authority area of the counties of Gwynedd and Clwyd in (a) 1980, (b) 1985 and (c) 1992.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The available information is given in the following table :
Number of mobile libraries
|1980<1>|1985<1>|1992<1>
----------------------------------------
Gwynedd |7 |7 |7
Clwyd |17 |14 |13
<1> At 31 March.
Source: CIPFA.
Village Halls
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many village halls were located in each local authority area of the counties of Gwynedd and Clwyd in (a) 1980, (b) 1985 and (c) 1992.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The information requested is not available centrally.
ENVIRONMENT
Medical Waste Incinerators
Mr. George Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what guidelines and procedures exist or are proposed on the role and responsibilities of metropolitan districts in monitoring and supervising medical waste incinerators in (a) the private sector and (b) the NHS ;
(2) what guidelines and procedures exist or are proposed on the role and responsibility of Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution in monitoring and supervising medical waste incinerator facilities in the private sector.
Mr. Yeo : The incineration of medical waste is a prescribed process under part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution is responsible for the integrated pollution control of private sector and NHS incinerators with a capacity of 1 tonne per hour or more. They have issued a process guidance note, IPR5/2 "Clinical Waste Incineration", which sets out in detail how these processes should be operated and monitored. Local authorities, including metropolitan districts, are responsible for air pollution control of private sector and NHS incinerators with a capacity of less than 1 tonne per hour ; the Secretary of State's guidance note PG 5/1(92) "Clinical Waste Incineration Processes," provides guidance relating to these smaller incinerators. The Secretary of State has also issued waste management paper 25, which gives guidance to waste regulation authorities in relation to their responsibilities in respect of the licensing of the handling and storage of medical waste.
Mr. George Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the locations, the names of the companies involved, their capacities and their proposed timetable for development for medical waste incinerators which currently are in receipt of planning consent.
Column 303
Mr. Yeo : The Department does not keep this information.
Dioxin
Mr. George Howarth : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the levels of recorded dioxin contamination (a) in the north-west of England, (b) on Merseyside and (c) in Knowsley.
Mr. Yeo : As part of a larger survey of milk in the United Kingdom, carried out by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, two samples of whole cow's milk were obtained in 1990 from north-west England, but outside the Merseyside and Knowsley areas. Concentrations of dioxins and furans in the milk were within the normal range observed in the United Kingdom (0.04-0.27 ng TEQ/kg milk).
In 1986 a background survey of dioxins and furans in soils of the United Kingdom was carried out by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution. Samples were taken from sites in north-west England but outside the Merseyside and Knowsley areas. A report of the results is in the Library of the House.
In 1992 measurements of dioxin levels in soil and grass adjacent to the Cleanaway incinerator at Ellesmere Port were obtained as part of a national survey of emissions from incinerators carried out by HMIP. The results obtained for soil and grass were 0.26 and 0.11 ng TEQ/kg respectively.
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