| Previous Section | Home Page |
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations were received by those conducting the NHS functions and manpower review from representatives of community health councils.
Dr. Mawhinney : None. The deputy chief executive of the National Health Service Management Executive discussed issues relating to the functions and manpower review at a meeting with representatives of the Association of Community Health Councils of England and Wales in September.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will publish a table showing how many family health service authorities fall into (a) band 1, (b) band 2 and (c) band 3 according to the population of the area covered by the authority ; (2) if she will publish a table showing how many district health authorities fall into (a) band 1, (b) band 2 and (c) band 3 according to revenue budget.
Dr. Mawhinney : This information is not available centrally.
Fact-finding Trips
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with officials from (a) Worcester royal infirmary or (b) Worcester district health authority regarding levels of expenditure within the district on fact-finding trips.
Mr. Sackville : None. The hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman of Worcester and district health authority, Mr. Prescott, for details.
Read Coding
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evaluation has been made of the ability of Read coding to map to other classification systems.
Mr. Sackville : A report published in 1988 by the joint computing group of the Royal College of General Practitioners and the General Medical Services Committee of the British Medical Association , confirmed that the Read codes were compatible with the World Health Organisation's International Statistical Classification of Diseases, Injuries and Causes of Death (ninth revision) (Injuries and Causes of Death-9), and with the Classification of Surgical Operations and Procedures produced by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS).
In 1992 the Read codes were the subject of a report produced by the OPCS diagnostic support service . This is the World Health Organisation's London collaborating centre for the classification of diseases. The report described an exercise to validate the cross-referencing of the Read codes to ICD-9. The report's recommendations have now been implemented.
Copies of both reports will be placed in the Library.
Column 839
"The Classification of General Practice Data": GMSC-RCGP Joint Computing Group Technical Working Party. JCG 20 1987 -88."Report on the Validation of the Cross-Referencing of NHSCCC-5 Codes to ICD -9": OPCS Diagnostic Support Service and WHO London Collaborating Centre for the Classification of Diseases.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health who owns the intellectual property rights to the Read codes.
Mr. Sackville : The intellectual property rights to the Read codes were purchased on behalf of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health in 1990 thereby making the Read codes Crown copyright.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms have been put in place to ensure that the NHS will have the appropriate analytic and interpretive skills to make use of Read codes.
Mr. Sackville : The analytical and interpretive skills to use Read codes are no different from those currently exercised by clinicians, clinical coders and others in using other coding and classification systems.
However, the National Health Service Management Executive's information management group will be providing training packages in the use of Read codes, tailored to the needs of various professional groups in the NHS.
The specialty working groups developing Read codes are keeping clinicians informed : within the last 18 months they have produced over 100 publications and given 200 presentations.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the National Health Service Management Executive regarding the use of Read codes within the national health service.
Mr. Sackville : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health has agreed with the National Health Service Management Executive that, with the acknowledged support of the medical profession, it should promote and facilitate the use of Read codes within the NHS.
The NHS Management Executive's information management and technology strategy, launched by Ministers in December 1992, has the Read codes as one of its key elements. Copies of the strategy are available in the Library.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish details of the financial terms under which the clinical coding centre at Loughborough was taken into ownership by the NHS.
Mr. Sackville : The national health service for coding and classification was created following the purchase in 1990 of the intellectual property rights for the Read codes. The financial terms of the purchase are commercially confidential.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial arrangements exist for national health service organisations and others wishing to adopt the Read coding system.
Mr. Sackville : A recent executive letter, EL(93)87, copies of which are available in the Library, has announced
Column 840
changes in the forms of Read code licence now available to secondary care users in the national health service. Licences are available for individual providers, groups of providers and for all secondary care users within the NHS regions, at increasing levels of discount.At present a different mechanism applies to general medical practitioners. The suppliers of GP computer systems pay a licence fee in order to include Read codes in their systems : that cost is recovered in the charges paid by GPs to use one of those systems.
Medical Records
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is taking to guarantee the confidentiality of medical records ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : The confidentiality of personal health information is protected by the common law, the ethical obligations of health professionals and, where the information is held in computerised form, by provisions of the Data Protection Act 1984.
The National Health Service Management Executive issued guidance in September 1992, EL(92)60, which advised the NHS of the need to secure the confidentiality of personal information in the context of contracting, and which also reminded the NHS of the importance of safeguarding the security of its information systems. In addition, the Department plans to issue for consultation draft guidance to the NHS on the confidentiality, use and disclosure of personal health information. Copies of the guidance, EL(92)60, are available in the Library.
NHS Policy Board
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the full membership of the present NHS Policy Board, with the professional status of each member.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information is as follows :
The Rt. Hon. Virginia Bottomley, JP, MP
Secretary of State for Health (Chairman) Sir Roy Griffiths Company Director (Deputy Chairman) Mr. John Bowis Esq., OBE, MP Parliamentary Under- Secretary of StateDr. Kenneth Calman Chief Medical OfficerProfessor Cyril Chantler
Professor in Paediatric NephrologySir Tim Chessells
Businessman and AccountantThe Baroness Cumberlege, CBE
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of StateMr. Peter Gummer
PLC Chairman and Chief ExecutiveMr. Graham Hart
Permanent Secretary, Department of HealthMs Kate Jenkins Independent Management ConsultantDr. Brian Mawhinney, MP Minister of State for HealthMs Sheila Masters
Chartered AccountantMrs. Yvonne Moores
Chief Nursing OfficerSir Duncan Nichol
Chief Executive, NHS Management ExecutiveThe Hon. Tom Sackville, MP
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
Column 841
Oral Health
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to announce details of her Department's proposed oral health strategy.
Dr. Mawhinney : In due course.
Prescriptions
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pharmacies in (a) Pendle, (b) Lancashire, (c) the north-west and (d) England dispense fewer than 1,700 prescriptions per month.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information is shown in the table :
Total number of DispenPer cent. t pharmacies 1,700 per month ----------------------------------- Pendle |18 |3 |17.0 Lancashire |303 |35 |12.0 North West |838 |94 |11.0 England |9,763|1,790|18 Notes: i. "Pendle" comprises the postcodes BB8 and BB9 covering Colne, Barnoldswick, Earby, Nelson, Bierfield, Trauden, Bartley. This information was obtained from the Public Enquiry Office at the House of Commons and Lancashire Family Health Services Authority. ii. Lancashire as per the FHSA area. iii. North West as per the North Western Regional Health Authority. iv. The source of the prescription data is Table C20 from the Prescription Pricing Authority, and includes pharmacies that operated throughout the 1992-93 financial year with closures excluded and new openers annualised. New openers' prescription numbers are "annualised" using raising factors. A factor of 12 was applied to get an approximate monthly figure.
Dental Services, London
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had in the last six months regarding the availability of hospital dental and orthodontic services within the London area.
Dr. Mawhinney : The London implementation group, which was established to report to Ministers on progress in carrying forward policies to improve London's health services, has met the British Dental Association, the Eastman dental hospital and the Institute of Dental Health to discuss the provision of dental services, including hospital services, in the London area. The London implementation group is now considering the need to examine the provision of these services in more detail.
Regional Policy Board
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria will be used in the selection of the eight regional policy board members whose appointment she announced on 21 October.
Dr. Mawhinney : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice) on 27 October at column 695 .
Column 842
East Yorkshire DHA
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the contract for the construction of the new headquarters of the East Yorkshire district health authority and Humberside family health services authority was put out to tender.
Mr. Sackville : I understand that the contract for the construction of the new headquarters was subject to competitive tendering.
Office Costs
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the estimated amount to be spent in 1993-94 on rent and other costs associated with the offices of her Department at Richmond house, 79 Whitehall, London.
Mr. Sackville : Richmond house is a Crown building and the Department of Health pays an annual assessed rent to Property Holdings. The assessed rent for 1993-94 based on the space currently occupied by the Department of Health amounts to £5.5 million. Other costs directly associated with the accommodation--for example, contribution in lieu of rates, fuel--amount to £2.336 million.
Hypothermia
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list, for each year since 1975, the number of recorded deaths from hypothermia in (a) England and Wales and (b) the United Kingdom as a whole.
Mr. Sackville : The information for England and Wales is shown in the table. The information relating to Scotland and Northern Ireland is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
Number of deaths (a) with hypothermia as the underlying cause of death and (b) with any mention of hypothermia on the death certificate, all ages, England and Wales, 1975-1992. Year |Underlying Cause|Mentions -------------------------------------------------------------------- 1975 |25 |511 1976 |21 |585 1977 |14 |613 1978 |21 |708 1979 |435 |863 1980 |261 |596 1981 |276 |685 1982 |326 |664 1983 |221 |538 1984 |266 |555 1985 |440 |827 1986 |437 |837 1987 |269 |559 1988 |194 |440 1989 |166 |372 1990 |152 |368 1991 |249 |534 1992 |149 |362 Note: 1 The figure for underlying cause between the years 1975-78 and 1979-92 are not comparable. This is due to the change from the 8th to the 9th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). The 8th revision code is assigned to ICD 788.9 while the 9th revision code is assigned to ICDs 778.3 and 991.6. 2 For 1986 to 1992 neonatal deaths are included in the mentions but not for the underlying cause of death (neonatal deaths were not given an underlying cause of death from 1 January 1986 onwards).
Staphylococcus Aureus
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice has been issued by her Department regarding the infectious disease multi- resistant staphylococcus aureus.
Mr. Sackville : Guidelines on the control of
methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were issued by professional organisations in 1985 and revised in 1990. Copies will be placed in the Library. The Department supports the advice given in these guidelines which are applicable to other multi-resistant staphylococcus organisms.
The Department of Health issued general guidance to the national health service on hospital infection control in 1988, HC(88)33, copies of which are available in the Library. A joint Department of Health/Public Health Laboratory Service working party is currently updating this and we expect to issue revised guidance in 1994. The staff of the PHLS are able to offer detailed advice to the professionals involved in hospitals affected by MRSA.
GPs (False Claims)
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken by her Department to ensure that FHSAs are able to safeguard against general practitioners submitting false claims for the number of patients registered at their practice ; and if she will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : Family health service authorities are required to validate general practitioners' claims for fees and allowances, and where appropriate, to make payment accordingly. Regional health authorities are responsible for monitoring the performance of their FHSAs in the general discharge of their duties. The national health service central register can assist FHSAs in checking a patient's registration and the name of the previous doctor.
Morning-after Pill
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had regarding the possibility of making the morning- after pill available without prescription.
Mr. Sackville : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Bristol, South (Ms Primarolo) on 26 October at column 607.
Northumbria Health Authorities
Mr. Cousins : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals she has for the amalgamation of Newcastle district health authority with North Tyneside health authority.
Dr. Mawhinney : We understand that the Northern regional health authority is planning to carry out a public consultation shortly on a proposal to merge Newcastle district health authority and North Tyneside district health authority.
Column 844
SOCIAL SECURITY
Literacy
Mr. Cormack : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what assessment he has made of the impact of improved literacy levels on departmental expenditure.
Mr. Burt : The assessment and provision of information to the public on benefits 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 Mr. Michael Bichard to Mr. Patrick Cormack, dated October 1993 :
As Chief Executive of the Benefits Agency it is my responsibility to answer questions raised about relevant operational matters. I am therefore replying to your recent Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security asking what assessment he has made of the impact of improved literacy levels in departmental expenditure.
All publicity material and external claim forms are tested, at pre production stage, with representatives of the customer group, and when appropriate their advisers. This research ensures all relevant factors and considered and taken account of including any differentials in resource requirements.
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.
Child Support Agency
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many absent parents in receipt of income support are paying a contribution towards maintenance by means of deducion of benefit as a result of a reference to the Child Support Agency.
Mr. Burt : The latest available information, collected in August 1993, indicates that deductions from income support in place of payments of child maintenance, at the standard rate of £2.20 a week, were being made from 1,522 absent parents. This information is taken from the management information statistics collated by the Benefits Agency, and is provisional.
Mr. Channon : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement about the recent case in Teesside county court involving the Child Support Agency ; and if he will take steps to clarify the legal position of fathers who are already making maintenance payments as a result of a court order or an agreement made between the parties concerned.
Mr. Burt : Under child support legislation, parents with care not on income support, family credit or disability working allowance and who have a court order or written maintenance agreement will be able to apply to the agency between April 1996 and March 1997, and not before. Where a relevant benefit is in payment, the case will be taken on by the agency before April 1996, regardless of whether there is an existing court order or written maintenance agreement. The case before the Teesside combined court involved a parent with care not receiving relevant benefit who had previously sought to have her existing court order revoked so that she could apply to the agency before 1996. It is for the courts to decide whether, in any particular case, it is appropriate for them to revoke an existing court order. I
Column 845
welcome the court's decision and although it sets no precedent, it may discourage others from attempting to jump the queue.National Insurance Contributions
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate for 1993-94 or give the most recently available estimate of the number of (a) employees who pay national insurance contributions, (b) employees with earned income above the NIC ceiling, (c) employees with earnings less than the income tax threshold who pay NICs, (d) self-employed who pay class 4 NICs, (e) self-employed who pay class 2 NICs, (f) self- employed who pay class 3 NICs, (g) all self-employed people paying NICs, (h) self-employed who pay no NICs and (i) self-employed with profits above the upper profits limit for NICs.
Mr. Hague : The information requested is as follows :
(a) 17.7 million ;
(b) 3.0 million ;
(c) 0.5 million ;
(d) 1.9 million ;
(e) 2.4 million ;
(f) Reliable estimates are not available ;
(g) In addition to those at (e) a number of self-employed earners pay Class 3 NICs to make-up their contribution record or Class 1 NICs from concurrent employment as an employed earner. Reliable estimates of the numbers involved are not available ;
(h) 0.45 million ;
(i) 0.43 million ;
Note : Figures (a-e) have been rounded to nearest 0.1 million.
Means-tested Benefits
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer of 25 March, Official Report , column 678 , what are the figures for tax-paying households in receipt of means-tested benefits for the latest year now available.
Mr. Burt : Pursuant to the hon. Member's question tabled in July, I wrote to the hon. Member on 28 September 1993 and provided him with the latest available information. A copy of the letter was placed in the Library.
Mortgage Payment Assistance
Mr. Hendry : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what is his latest estimate of the number of households receiving assistance with mortgage payments (a) for interest-only mortgages and (b) for endowment mortgages ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what was the number of home owners in receipt of income support at the latest date for which figures are available.
Mr. Burt : The information is not available in the form requested. However, according to the latest available figures, 536,000 claimants are receiving income support to help with their mortgage interest payments and a further 59,000 are receiving income support to help with their housing requirements but no help with mortgage interest.
Housing Benefit
Ms Estelle Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to change the housing benefit rules as they apply to 16 and 17-year-olds who are looked after by social service departments.
Column 846
Mr. Burt : Housing benefit is payable only to people who are liable to pay rent. I intend issuing further guidance to local authorities to clarify the circumstances in which housing benefit is properly payable to young people being looked after by social service departments. The local authority associations will be consulted before this guidance is issued.
| Next Section
| Home Page |