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Mr. Trotter : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he has reached a decision on the future employer of the British Transport police ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : The Government have decided that Railtrack should become the employer of the BTP for as long as it remains in the public sector. When Railtrack is transferred to the private sector the British Transport police committee will become the employer. In the interim, until appropriate legislation can be drafted and introduced the BR board will continue as employer of the BTP.
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what joint consultation procedure exists between the police committee of the British Transport police, and that force's Police Federation, and the representative bodies of other ranks at which matters relating to police pay and conditions of service are discussed ; what is the membership of the joint body ; and on how many occasions it has met in the past five years.
Mr. Freeman : In common with Home Department forces, the police committee does not meet with staff representative bodies. A joint consultative committee, comprising the chief and deputy chief constable ; assistant chief constable (support services) ; chairman and secretary of the Superintendents Association ; and the chairman and secretary of the British Transport Police Federation, meets twice a year, and as necessary, and any concerns are referred to the police committee for consideration.
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to what extent Home Office police regulations applied to members of the British Transport police.
Mr. Freeman : The chief constable has a statutory duty to control and direct the force, which includes following, wherever possible, any guidance or instructions on police matters given by the Home Secretary and the Director of Public Prosecutions, and their counterparts in Scotland.
Mr. Mackinlay : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if a Minister from his Department will meet
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reresentatives of the British Transport Police Federation to discuss the ramifications of (a) the Sheehy report, (b) the White Paper on police and (c) matters of general concern to Police Federation members, which are not operational matters reserved for the chief constable.Mr. Freeman : Ministers regularly meet representatives of the British Transport Police Federation and their parliamentary representative to discuss a wide range of matters. The last such meeting took place on 8 September.
Skippers' Licences
Mr. Ainger : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy to revoke or suspend the master's ticket of skippers of British-registered fishing vessels found guilty of having a secret fish room on board, fishing with undersize mesh nets, landing undersized fish and related offences.
Mr. Norris : No. Certificates of competency for officers on fishing vessels remain valid for as long as the individuals holding them can comply with the appropriate standards and conditions of medical fitness and competence. Infringements of fisheries legislation are matters for my right hon. Friend the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
Car Parking (Disabled Persons)
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the estimate of car parking spaces currently reserved for orange badge holders.
Mr. Key : The provision of parking spaces reserved for orange badge holders is the responsibility of individual local authorities. Information on the number provided by each authority is not held centrally.
Mr. Robert Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many representations he has received about the inadequacies of car parking facilities for disabled people in the past 12 months.
Mr. Key : The Department has received representations about the difficulties experienced by orange badge holders where local authorities operate their own local schemes of parking concessions for the disabled and about the fact that the orange badge scheme does not apply in central London. No analysis is available of how many letters mention these points. Of the 2,600 letters on the orange badge scheme received over the last 12 months, most have been requests for general information.
Cycling
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information he has as to the total length of cycle routes in Greater London in each year since 1990 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norris : Responsibility for the provision of cycle routes in London rests primarily with the 33 London boroughs. The information requested is not available and can be obtained only at
disproportionate cost. We are supporting the 1,000 mile cycle network for London now being developed by the London Cycling Forum. Approximately a third of the network is in existence or in preparation.
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Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many schools in England and Wales have specific instruction on cycle safety ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : No figures are available to show how many schools in England and Wales have specific instruction on cycle safety. There are, however, around 300,000 children who take part in cycle training schemes each year--just over 20 per cent. of children in the eligible age range.
Car Parking (Pavements)
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received regarding parking on pavements ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : I have received numerous representations on this subject, mainly suggesting that there should be a complete ban on pavement parking.
Responses to the consultation document "Curbing An Abuse", which we issued in 1987, showed that a complete ban would not be practical. It would create severe difficulties for many local traffic authorities, and the police do not have the resources that would be necessary to enforce it effectively.
While there is a general ban on parking heavy goods vehicles on the pavement, parking other kinds of vehicles there is illegal only where it is prohibited by a local Act of Parliament, as in London, where it contravenes a traffic order made by the local traffic authority, or if the vehicle is parked in a dangerous or obstructive position. I accept that the current situation is not entirely satisfactory. Last July, I decided to explore with the local authority associations whether the present legislation might be used more effectively and whether it could be improved in any way short of imposing a national ban.
Motorway Driving
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received regarding instruction for motorway driving ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : We have recently issued a consultation paper on measures to reduce accidents involving new drivers. A number of those responding have made representations about motorway instruction. All responses, will be taken into account before any final decisions are reached.
Buses
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when he intends to publish a response to the results of the recent consultation on the operation of local bus services outside London ; (2) what response he has received to the recent consultation on the operation of local bus services outside London.
Mr. Freeman : Some 160 responses were received from bus operators, local authorities and other interested parties. I am considering these and expect to announce the results shortly.
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the working party on the promotion of the bus will be reconvened.
Mr. Freeman : I have in mind to reconvene the working party in 1994 to take stock of progress.
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Parliamentary Television
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the locations of the television sets in his Department which can receive the live television feed from the Chamber of the House ; and what is the total cost to his Department of this service.
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Mr. Norris : The Department has 13 television sets capable of receiving live television feed from the Chamber of the House. They are all located in the Department's headquarters building in 2 Marsham street.
The cost of this service, which is provided by the Central Office of Information, is £14,900 plus VAT for 1993-94.
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Heavy Goods Vehicles
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to ensure that drivers of heavy goods vehicles subject to limitation of driving hours by tachograph examination are not employed on duties prior to driving which are likely to impair their health or public safety.
Mr. Key : The rules on drivers' hours and tachographs are set by EC regulations which prescribe maximum limits on driving time and minimum limits on breaks and rest periods. The regulations are designed to ensure that drivers have adequate rest provisions in the interest of road safety.
The current requirement to take a daily rest period of at least 11 hours, combined with the daily driving limit of nine hours, already effectively limits the number of hours available for work. The Department's traffic examiners and the police have wide-ranging powers to deal with road haulage companies and drivers who break the law.
East London River Crossing
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what is the currently expected timetable for the construction of the east London river crossing ; what studies he is making of alternatives to that earlier proposal under Oxleas Wood and the construction of new cross Thames railway links east of Wapping.
Mr. Norris : The Department will award a commission early next year for a traffic study into a new east London river crossing which will take into account public transport issues. This will be followed later next year by a design commission to work up alternative proposals. The timetable for construction will depend on the form of the proposals and the statutory procedures required. I am considering separately the interaction of this scheme with other road and rail crossings.
Rail Privatisation (Pricing Policies)
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking, as part of his policy for privatisation of the operation of some railway trains, to avoid duplication of pricing on any one route and associated restrictions of choice of passengers using all operators' trains on those routes offering a standard class of vehicle ; and if he will instruct the British Railways Board to eliminate any such practice currently operated by it on any route.
Mr. Freeman : A balance has to be struck between the benefits to customers of interavailable tickets and common fare levels on the one hand and competitive ticket pricing and product offers on the other hand. This was reflected in the draft guidance from the Secretary of State to the franchising director which was made available to the House in February ; that guidance is being developed and will be finalised when the Bill completes its passage through Parliament and the franchising director is appointed.
With the introduction this month of shadow running by the InterCity Gatwick Express franchise, Network SouthEast is being allowed to compete over the route. Fares for the slower, NSE stopping service from Victoria to Gatwick will be reduced and the availability of this
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choice of alternative services will be advertised to passengers. Hitherto, only the Gatwick Express service has been promoted by BR. Gatwick Express tickets will be valid on NSE trains ; as will NSE tickets on Gatwick Express, subject only to supplementary payment of the difference in price--£1.10 for a single journey.I believe that passengers will welcome these changes. They offer greater choice of service without loss of flexibility or convenience, and the opportunity of purchasing a cheaper ticket than was available before.
Heathrow-Paddington Rail Link
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate has been made of the capital cost, at 1993 prices, of each main element in the construction of the Heathrow-Paddington rail link, and its rolling stock and depot cost ; what proportion of the total is being borne by (a) British Rail, (b) other United Kingdom public funds, (c) private capital from the United Kingdom and (d) capital from abroad, respectively ; and what are the amounts of and details of each respective source of funds.
Mr. Freeman : The overall cost of the project has been estimated at around £300 million at 1993 prices. Details of the cost estimates and of the funding arrangements are a matter for the joint venture partners.
Roads (Expenditure)
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will state the amount and percentage of his expenditure on roads that are the responsibility of his Department on (a) maintenance, (b) cleansing, (c) improvements to existing routes, including bridge rebuilding, (d) bypasses around urban or residential areas, (e) capital expenditure on new motorways, (f) new construction of other roads and (g) other expenditure.
Mr. Key : The information is not readily available in the form requested. The table shows the information that is available.
Planned expenditure on National Roads, England: 1993-94
(rounded to nearest £ million)
|£ million|Per cent.
---------------------------------------------------------------
Renewal of roads |400 |16.5
Renewal of bridges |150 |6.2
New construction |1,509 |62.4
Current maintenance of roads and
bridges<1> |183 |7.6
Other |178 |7.4
|--- |---
Total gross expenditure |2,420 |100
<1> Includes cleansing.
Further details can be found on pages 7 to 11 of the "Supply Estimates, 1993-94", class VI, Department of Transport, 495-VI--March 1993.
Heavy Commercial Vehicles
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the number of staff in his Department, or under contract to them, engaged in the random checking of weights of heavy commercial vehicles (a) at the latest date for which figures are available and (b) 10 years previously.
Mr. Key : The Vehicle Inspectorate is responsible for the weighing of heavy commercial vehicles. This work is
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carried out by traffic examiners--TEs-- responsibility for whom was transferred to the inspectorate from the Department in April 1991. The inspectorate currently employs 168 full-time TEs ; on 1 November 1983 the figure was 157.London Crossrail Link
Mr. Spearing : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact of the proposed London crossrail link on the growth of road traffic in Greater London.
Mr. Norris : Our assessment shows that, over a 30-year period, crossrail would generate road decongestion benefits with a present value worth over £500 million in March 1990 prices.
Derailment, Maidstone East
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what information has been made available to his Department by British Rail on the content of the containers on the train involved in the derailment accident at Maidstone East station on 6 September ; and if he will make a statement on the outcome of the investigation into the accident.
Mr. Freeman : The train involved in the accident was formed entirely of air-braked ferry wagons. The first was a bogie van containing chipboard, the following six wagons were carrying metal products. The remaining eight wagons were a mix of four-wheel flats and bogie vans, all of which were empty.
Her Majesty's railway inspectorate is continuing its investigation into the accident. I understand that the British Transport police has instituted criminal proceedings. The hearing commenced on 15 October at Maidstone magistrates court.
HEALTH
Equal Opportunities
Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department has given to general practitioners involved in appointments procedures to draw their attention to their responsibilities under the Race Relations Act 1965, the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and her Department's initiatives ; and what is being done to require general practitioners involved in such procedures to undergo equal opportunities training in selection and recruitment.
Mr. Sackville : General practitioners are independent self-employed contractors to the national health service and are themselves responsible for the appointment of their staff. As with any employers, it is their duty to inform themselves of, and have regard to, their responsibilities under employment law and equal opportunities legislation. Advice on such matters is available to general practitioners through their family health service authority.
Mr. Hoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is being done to ensure that managers involved in appointments procedures receive the full support of their own management in respect of their obligations towards equal opportunities ;
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(2) what is being done to ensure that managers from health authorities and self-governing trusts involved in appointments procedures are aware of their obligations with respect to equal opportunities ; what steps are taken to report any refusal by general practitioners to observe their obligations with respect to equal opportunities in appointments procedures (a) to their own manager and (b) to any applicant seeking the reasons for failure to obtain a post sought ;(3) what guidance has been given to ensure that equal opportunities policies are monitored.
Mr. Sackville : All national health service managers are expected to comply with national legislation on sex and race discrimination and to implement their health authority's or trust's equal opportunities policy, which should include appointments procedures. General practitioners are independent contractors.
Current guidance to the NHS on priorities and planning includes a requirement that corporate contracts and business plans specify targets to improve equal opportunities for ethnic minority and disabled staff. Current guidance on monitoring gender issues is contained in "Women in the NHS : an implementation guide to Opportunity 2000", a copy of which is available in the Library. In addition, there is detailed guidance on operating fair recruitment and selection procedures for doctors and dentists in the hospital and community health service.
Medical Students
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer, to the hon. Member for Westbury (Mr. Faber) of 21 April 1993, Official Report, column 126, what will be the cost of training the additional medical students ; and what will be their impact on nationalhealth service costs when they become (i) trainees and(ii) consultants/general practitioner principals.
Mr. Sackville : The United Kingdom medical student target intake has been increased by 240 places each year in order to meet the forecast service needs of the national health service.
The first report of the Medical Manpower Standing Advisory Committee (MMSAC), a copy of which is available in the Library, indicated that the total recurrent funding from the Department of Education and the NHS was some £180,000 per medical student over five years at 1992-93 levels. Funding for the new intake targets will be determined by the Higher Education Funding Council for England and the NHS as part of their 1994-95 funding allocations in due course. It is unlikely that the marginal cost of increasing medical school intake will be as high as the current average costs of training. The subsequent impact of the additional medical graduates on NHS costs will depend on a wide range of factors, including future service development priorities, salary levels and the career choices of the doctors themselves. In the hospital and community health services the demand for doctors depends on the decisions made by purchasers and providers on how best to use the funding allocated to them to meet local health care needs ; an increase in the available supply of doctors will not in itself add to costs. In the general medical services, admission to practice reflects decisions of the Medical Practices Committee which will among other things take into
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account the available supply of potential general practitioners, but there is no automatic linkage between additional supply and additional NHS costs.Dentistry
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidelines her Department issued to national health service dentists on the sterilisation of all dental equipment ;
(2) what regulations cover the sterilisation of national health service dental equipment.
Mr. Sackville : The Department has issued guidance to dentists by means of circulars, booklets and letters from the Chief Dental Officer, in 1986, 1988, 1990 and most recently in July 1993, advising them of the need to sterilise equipment adequately. It was made clear in 1988 that dental handpieces should be sterilised in an autoclave. There are no regulations which specifically cover the sterilisation of dental equipment. Copies of the guidance are available in the Library.
Broadmoor Hospital
Ms Mowlam : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the report of the inquiry into the death of Orville Blackwood in Broadmoor hospital was delivered to the Special Hospitals Service Authority ; and when it will be published.
Mr. Bowis : The report was published on 31 August and copies have been placed in the Library.
Optical Services
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were (i) the average waiting times and (ii) the year end waiting list for (a) in- patient and (b) out-patient treatment in ophthalmology for each district health authority and for England in each year since 1985.
Mr. Sackville : Information on waiting times for in-patient treatment in ophthalmology for each district health authority in England is given in "Hospital Waiting List Statistics : England". This has been published twice yearly since September 1987 and copies are available in the Library. Information on the number of people waiting for out-patient appointments is not available centrally.
Mr. Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average value of help received through NHS vouchers for glasses, by adults requiring new frames and lenses, in the last year for which figures are available.
Mr. Sackville : The estimated value of the average adult voucher fully paid for by family health services authorities in 1992-93 was £31.90 .
The average value quoted is based on vouchers paid for by FHSAs in 1992-93, excluding those vouchers paid for in 1992-93 at 1991-92 values. It also excludes supplements in respect of prisms and tints, small frame supplements, and vouchers in respect of repairs to and replacements of optical appliances.
Mr. Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what surveys her Department has carried out or commissioned on the amount of contribution which individuals make to supplement the help they receive through NHS vouchers for glasses ; and what is the average amount of the customer contribution towards the cost of glasses which is made in addition to the value of the voucher, in each voucher band.
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Mr. Sackville : None. The average amount of the customer contribution towards the cost of glasses which is made in addition to the value of the voucher band, in each voucher band is not available centrally.
Mr. Bowden : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total amount of financial help for glasses including lenses given through the voucher system in the last year for which figures are available.
Mr. Sackville : The cost of national health service vouchers for glasses and lenses, including help with the cost of repairs, was £99.9 million in 1992-93.
Grading
Mrs. Bridget Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many nurses, midwives and health visitors have accepted "buy-outs" for clinical grading appeals by (a) each professional and (b) each region ;
(2) how many nurses, midwives and health visitors have agreed to forgo their clinical grading appeal to date, as a result of the clinical grading "buy-out" scheme ;
(3) what the cost of "buy-outs" for clinical grading appeals has been to date.
Mr. Sackville : The number of appeals which has been "bought out" by 30 September 1993 in England is shown in the table.
Information on the number of appeals bought out by profession and the cost is not available centrally.
Buy-outs of Nurse Clinical Grading Appeals: Situation as
at
30 September 1993
Region |Appeals bought out
---------------------------------------------------------
North Western |2,580
Mersey |1,708
West Midlands |2,032
Trent |1,358
South Western |505
North West Thames |523
Yorkshire |855
North East Thames |381
Wessex |429
South West Thames |-
South East Thames |600
Oxford |-
East Anglian |299
Northern |1,824
|---
Total |13,094
Source: Regional health authority reports. Data for some
regions have still to be validated.
Psychiatric Care
Ms Jowell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many admissions for acute psychiatric treatment were made to hospitals in London during each year since 1989 ;
(2) how many acute psychiatric beds were available in London in each year since 1989.
Mr. Bowis : The information is shown in the table :
i
Mental illness-finished consultant episodes and average daily number
of available short stay beds (acute psychiatric) in London
|Ordinary admissions |Day cases |Average daily number
|of beds
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1988-89 |37,586 |47 |4,030
1989-90 |36,401 |25 |4,206
1990-91 |36,912 |29 |4,047
1991-92 |37,903 |123 |3,983
1992-93 |39,002 |401 |3,931
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the future of mental illness specific supplementary credit approvals.
Mr. Bowis : It is our intention that both the mental illness specific grant and the supplementary credit approvals will continue, in order to support the improvement of social care services which local authorities provide for mentally ill people in the community.
Smoking
Mrs. Bridget Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action has been taken by her Department over the last year towards the objectives stated in the Government White Paper "The Health of the Nation" to reduce smoking prevalence among British adults to 20 per cent. by the year 2000 and the level of smoking among 11 to 15-year-olds by 33 per cent. by 1994 ; and what further action her Department intends taking.
Mr. Sackville : Action to reduce smoking prevalence in adults and young people is tackled through a cross governmental approach. Measures taken this year include : a real increase of 4.7 per cent. in the total tax on cigarettes in the March 1993 Budget ; the strengthening of laws on the labelling of tobacco products ; full implementation of the new legislation on illegal sales of tobacco products to children ; the continued development of anti-smoking health education campaigns ; continuing progress to be made through voluntary means to encourage the introduction of policies on smoking in public places and workplaces ; and the introduction of new arrangements so that all general practitioners wishing to receive payments for health promotion will need to provide advice and support to smokers.
Mrs. Bridget Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of 11 to 15-year-olds who currently smoke in the United Kingdom are girls.
Mr. Sackville : The 1992 Office of Population Censuses and Surveys survey of smoking among secondary schoolchildren shows that for England, Wales and Scotland the following percentages of 11 to 15-year-olds who smoke on a regular basis are girls :
England--53 per cent.
Wales--51 per cent.
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