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Local Government Reorganisation
Mr. Davidson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the estimated costs, in the first year, of his proposed re-organisation of Scottish local government ; what is the resultant average cost per council tax payer in Scotland ; and if he will explain how these figures are arrived at.
Mr. Stewart : The Government's White Paper "Shaping the Future--The New Councils" estimated that transitional costs in the range £120 million to £196 million will be incurred over 15 years, but that these will be quickly offset by ongoing savings of between £21 million and £65 million per year. The precise level of costs and savings incurred in the first year of reorganisation will depend on decisions yet to be taken by the new councils. The funding of these costs will be the subject of consultation with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities in the normal way and it is not therefore possible or sensible or meaningful to estimate their effects upon council tax levels at this stage. Recent speculation about the effects of reorganisation on council tax levels has therefore been entirely without substance. The savings arising from the new local government structure should give rise to significant reductions for council tax payers.
Toxic Waste
Mr. Graham : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many licensed incinerators there are in Scotland to deal with toxic waste ; and if he will list them.
Sir Hector Monro : Incinerators for waste disposal are subject to control under the provisions of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. The enforcing authorities in Scotland are the chief inspector, Her Majesty's industrial pollution inspectorate or the district or islands council in whose area the plant is situated.
Authorisation in respect of incineration processes has been granted by the chief inspector in relation to the
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facilities in part A of the table. The facilities in part B are those for which an application has been made, but has yet to be determined.Part A
Glaxochem Ltd., Annan
Glaxochem Ltd., Montrose
Nobel's Explosives Ltd., Stevenson
City of Aberdeen District Council, Aberdeen
Blagden Packaging Ltd., Paisley
Caird Environmental Ltd., Renfrew
City of Dundee District Council, Dundee
Clackmannan District Council, Alloa
Orkney Islands Council, Kirkwall
Part B
Shetland Islands Council, Lerwick
Renfrew District Council, Linwood
Her Majesty's Naval Base, Rosyth
Exxon Chemical Olefin Inc., Mossmorran
Information about facilities subject to local authority control is not held centrally.
Suicide
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many suicides were reported of patients receiving (a) in-patient and (b) out- patient psychiatric care in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
Mr. Stewart : I shall write to the hon. Member and place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.
Urology Services, Ayrshire
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the recent award of a contract for urology services by Ayrshire and Arran health board to the South Ayrshire Trust ; and what was the involvement of the Scottish Office in repeating thitial bids were not submitted on a comparable basis. Therefore, the health board was asked to review the tender specification and invite revised bids.
The subsequent decision to award the contract for urology services to South Ayrshire NHS Trust was taken by the board and did not require further reference to the NHS Management Executive.
Arable Crops
Mr. Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what considerations underlay the decision to include forage hectares of cereals which are not claimed for under the arable aid claims scheme in the total for arable crops claimed against base areas.
Sir Hector Monro : The inclusion of forage hectares of cereals in the total for arable crops claimed against the base area is a legal requirement under article 2 of Council Regulation (EEC) No. 1765/92, the regulation governing the administration of the arable area payments scheme. The regulation applies throughout the European Community.
Mr. Welsh : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if cereals for which arable aid was not claimed were excluded from the figure for main scheme arable aid claims.
Sir Hector Monro : It is a legal requirement under the relevant EC regulations that cereals entered as forage in the
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annual statement submitted under the integrated administration and control system must be included in the total of arable crops claimed against the base area. I refer the hon. Member to my earlier reply of today. However, if an area of cereals formed neither part of an arable claim nor a forage area, I can confirm that such an area would not be included in the total of arable aid claims.Land Ownership
Mr. Mandelson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what percentage of the acreage of Scotland is in foreign ownership ; (2) what percentage of the foreign ownership of the acreage of Scotland is registered in offshore banking centres.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : No specific record is maintained of the nationality of the owners of land in Scotland.
Dounreay
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what communications he has received from the Edlow Group on research reactor operators in regard to extending the contract with AEA Technology at Dounreay for treatment of research reactor fuel.
Sir Hector Monro : I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as possible and place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.
Consultants
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the cost of the consultants' merit award system in 1990-91 in Scotland.
Mr. Stewart : I shall write to the hon. Member and place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.
Hospitals (Competitive Tendering)
Ms Rachel Squire : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) if he will list the contracts for hospital and health services awarded so far under the competitive tendering process by Tayside health board, including the successful tenderer and the value of contract ;
(2) if he will list the contracts for hospital and health services awarded so far under the competitive tendering process by Lothian health board including successful tenderer and value of contract ; (3) if he will list the contracts for hospital and health services awarded so far under the competitive tendering process by Western Isles health board, including successful tenderer and value of contract ;
(4) if he will list the contracts for hospital and health services awarded so far under the competitive tendering process by Shetland health board, including the successful tenderer and value of contract ;
(5) if he will list the contracts for hospital and health services awarded so far under the competitive tendering process by Orkney health board including successful tenderer and value of contract.
Mr. Stewart : I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as possible, and place a copy of the signed letter in the Library of the House.
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Local Enterprise Companies
Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the local enterprise companies, or their members are subject to (a) investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner, (b) scrutiny by the Audit Commission or the National Audit Office, (c) the statutory provisions for local government which apply to local authorities, (d) performance indicators and (e) monitoring officers with statutory duties for probity and finance.
Mr. Stewart : I shall write to the hon. Member and place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.
Energy and Environmental Technologies
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on progress made to date by the Scottish Development Agency's energy and environmental technologies programme.
Mr. Stewart : I shall write to the hon. Member as soon as possible and place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.
Timber Frame Fabrication
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he hopes to complete his consideration of changes to the current building standard in relation to timber frame fabrication ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The Scottish Office building directorate is currently considering more than 100 detailed responses to proposals for amending the fire provisions in the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations. My right hon. Friend and I are well aware of the interest shown in these proposals by the Scottish timber frame industry and its views are being given very careful consideration along with all the other representations received. The current timetable envisages laying amendments before Parliament next summer to come into force by the end of the year.
Hospital Waiting Lists
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table showing the number of people awaiting hospital treatment in each Scottish health board area in (a) March 1990, (b) March 1992, (c) June 1993 and (d) September 1993.
Mr. Stewart : I shall write to the hon. Member and place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.
HEALTH
Consultancy Costs
Dr. Spink : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was (a) the total price for each contract and the number of patients to be treated and (b) the average cost per consultant episode for district health authority providers outside London and within London for the latest period for which figures are available ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : Information on the total price of contracts is not available centrally. The average cost per
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consultant episode is available in the published annual accounts of all national health service providers, both trusts and units directly managed by district health authorities. The cost given by specialty consists only of direct patient care costs and excludes hospital overheads. It therefore cannot be compared directly with contract prices, which include overheads. The hon. Member may wish to contact the chairmen of regional health authorities for further information.Child Neglect
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what response she has made to the UNICEF report on child neglect in rich nations, a copy of which has been sent to her.
Mr. Bowis : None. The report "Child neglect in rich nations" was not sent by UNICEF to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.
Perioperative Deaths
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence she has of the complication rates in terms of morbidity and mortality of surgeons who are more specialised and have high operative activity rates.
Mr. Sackville : Detailed information is not available centrally. The medical profession holds the view, supported by a number of studies, that patients receive higher standards of treatment when referred to surgeons who have developed specialised expertise and treat high volumes of patients.
GP Fund Holders
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the practice prescribing costs per practice as national averages for fund holder and non-fund holder general practitioners.
Dr. Mawhinney : The prescribing costs--net ingredient cost--per practice for fund holders in England in 1992-93 was £614,314 and the figure for non-fund holders was £298,718 per practice. There is no valid comparison because fund-holding practices which are generally larger than non-fund-holding practices therefore incur higher prescribing costs. The average prescribing expenditure--net ingredient cost--per patient in 1992-93 was £56.08 for fund-holding practices and £60.39 for non- fund-holding practices.
Generic Prescribing
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what cost analysis she has of saving to the national health service by introducing generic prescribing.
Dr. Mawhinney : No reliable estimate of savings can be made from the current rate of generic prescribing as it is not possible to determine which brand name products might have been prescribed as alternatives.
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the highest generic prescribing rate by any general practitioner in the United Kingdom ; and what is the national average generic prescribing rate by general practitioners and the savings to the NHS in real terms for each percentage point increase in generic prescribing.
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Dr. Mawhinney : Information on generic prescribing rates at general practitioner level is not available centrally. The national average generic prescribing rate by general practitioners for the year 1992-93, in England, was 44 per cent. It is not possible to provide a meaningful estimate of the savings to the national health service in real terms for each percentage point increase in the level of generic prescribing.
Notes :
1. Based on figures provided by the Prescription Pricing Authority through the PACTLINE Management Services Information System. 2. Relates to GP prescribing only.
3. Based on the 1992-93 financial year.
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the percentage generic prescribing for fund holder and non-fund holder general practitioners.
Dr. Mawhinney : The percentage of generic prescribing for general practitioners in England for the year 1992-93 was 49 per cent. for fund holders and 43 per cent. for non-fundholders.
Notes :
1. Based on figures provided by the Prescription Pricing Authority through the PACTLINE Management Services Information System. 2. Relates to GP prescribing only.
3. Based on the 1992-93 financial year.
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to introduce generic substitution into prescribing.
Dr. Mawhinney : It is Government policy to encourage general practitioners to prescribe generically wherever clinically appropriate. During the period 1982 to 1992 generic prescribing almost doubled to 43 per cent. National health service managers are working with GP practices at local level to achieve the highest possible levels of generic prescribing through training, increased GP fund holding and incentive schemes.
Tower Hamlets
Ms Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what was the percentage ethnic breakdown by enumeration district in Tower Hamlets from the 1991 census returns ;
(2) what were the percentages of (a) men aged 65 and over and (b) women aged 60 and over in each enumeration district within Tower Hamlets from the 1991 census returns.
Mr. Sackville : This information will be placed in the Library.
Pacemakers
Mrs. Bridget Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Health who was responsible for warning hospitals of faults in pacemaker models 1010T, 1050T and Prototype 93 manufactured by Siemens.
Mr. Sackville : The manufacturer has a responsibility to advise users and purchasers when faults in their products become apparent. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, via the medical devices directorate, issues safety warnings in circumstances where there is a risk to patient safety from device faults.
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Mrs. Bridget Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what monitoring has been done of the recall of patients fitted with pacemaker models 1010T, 1050T and Prototype 93.
Mr. Sackville : Following the issue of safety warnings it is for the clinician concerned to judge what action should be taken in respect of each patient.
Mrs. Bridget Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when hospitals were warned of a fault in pacemaker models 1010T, 1050T and Prototype 93 manufactured by Siemens.
Mr. Sackville : Hospitals were warned of a fault in pacemaker lead models 1010T, 1050T and Prototype T93 by a medical advisory issued by Siemens on 4 February 1993, copies of which will be placed in the Library.
Mrs. Bridget Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals were warned of faults in pacemaker models 1010T, 1050T and Prototype 93.
Mr. Sackville : The Department of Health issued a safety warning "Pacemaker Technical Note No. 48" concerning the faults in Siemens pacemaker lead models 1010T, 1050T and Prototype T93 to all hospitals carrying out pacing and pacing follow-up in the United Kingdom. Copies of the safety warning are available in the Library.
Mrs. Bridget Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in (a) Lewisham, (b) London and (c) nationwide have been recalled as a result of the fault in pacemaker models 1010T, 1050T and Prototype 93.
Mr. Sackville : In February 1993, the Department of Health issued advice to all United Kingdom pacing and follow-up centres that all affected devices should be evaluated as soon as possible and at least within six months. Details of the number of patients seen as a result of this advice is not available centrally. Copies of the advice are available in the Library.
Mental Health Patients
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will bring forward proposals to introduce a statutory requirement on all health authorities to provide a care programme, including a key worker, for all patients discharged from mental hospitals.
Mr. Bowis : We have no plans to do so.
Health Authority Funding
Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets have been issued to regional health authorities to complete the move to capitation formula funding under the citizens charter.
Dr. Mawhinney : The weighted capitation funding policy was announced in the White Paper "Working for Patients", Cm 555, January 1989, paragraph 4.12.
We have made considerable progress in moving regional health authorities towards their weighted capitation shares, and in 1993-94 the position of RHA's allocations relative to weighted capitation shares is as shown in the table :
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RHA (1993-94) |Percent. ---------------------------------------------- Northern |99.46 Yorkshire |99.77 Trent |99.36 East Anglia |99.34 North West Thames |102.03 North East Thames |101.15 South East Thames |100.30 South West Thames |101.16 Wessex |99.08 Oxford |99.60 South Western |99.35 West Midlands |99.49 Mersey |99.85 North Western |99.74
Myopia
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many NHS trust hospitals in (a) west Yorkshire and (b) throughout the United Kingdom are treating patients for myopia under the NHS ;
(2) how many people are waiting for treatment for myopia.
Dr. Mawhinney : This information is not available centrally.
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received about the charges being made to people applying for treatment for myopia ; and if she will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : We have received a number of representations from hon. Members and their constituents. These have been largely concerned with the charges made by the private sector for laser radial keratotomy and the possibility of such treatment becoming available within the national health service.
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