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Mr. Sackville : None. It is for individual health authorities to ensure that the health care needs of their population are being met, including those with mesothelioma. Professor Peto's predictions on the expected number of deaths from mesothelioma are being considered by the Health and Safety Executive.
Young Offenders (Overseas Trips)
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to issue guidelines to local authorities concerning sending young offenders abroad on safari trips at public expense ; and if she will make a statement.
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Mr. Bowis : We intend to issue guidance shortly.
Transplant Authority
Mr Kilfoyle : To ask the Secretary of State for Health who are the members currently appointed to the Unrelated Live Transplant Regulatory Authority.
Professor Martin Bobrow (Chairman)
Professor The Reverend Gordon R. Dunstan
Dr. Philip A. Dyer
Baroness Eccles of Moulton
Professor Mary G. McGeown
Mr. Stuart Macpherson
Professor Netar Mallik
Professor John R. Salaman
Miss Frances Smithers
Miss Sally Taber
Mr. James Wellbeloved
Death Statistics
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish her most recent calculation of the totals of people who died in each of the past five years as a result of the use of (a) alcohol, (b) tobacco, (c) heroin, (d) cocaine and (e) cannabis.
Mr. Bowis : It is estimated that in the United Kindom about 110,000 deaths a year are related to smoking.
Alcohol is implicated directly or indirectly in a number of causes of death including cirrhosis of the liver, suicide, accidents, stroke, cancers of the mouth, pharynx, larynx and oesophagus. Studies undertaken since 1985 suggest that a reasonable estimate of the total number of alcohol associated deaths would be around 25,000 per year in England and Wales.
Deaths with underlying cause described as drug
dependence or non
dependent abuse of drugs by type of drug and
year of registration of
death in the United Kingdom are:
|1987|1988|1989|1990|1991
-----------------------------------------------
Morphine Type<1> |65 |64 |77 |91 |97
Cocaine |1 |2 |2 |3 |0
Cannabis |0 |0 |1 |0 |0
<1> This category includes heroin, methadone,
opium, opium alkaloids and their derivatives,
and synthetic drugs with morphine-like
effects.
Deaths from poisoning by solid or
liquid substances: accidental,
suicidal and undetermined whether
accidentally taken or purposely
inflicted in Great Britain are:
|1987|1988|1989|1990|1991
---------------------------------------
Heroin |22 |24 |36 |34 |44
Cocaine |5 |6 |4 |2 |10
Cannabis |2 |2 |3 |2 |4
Reference:
"Statistics of drug addicts notified
to the Home Office, United Kingdom,
1992", Home Office Statistical
Bulletin No. 15/93.
Bed Occupancy
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute beds have been closed in each district health authority and each regional health authority in each of the last five years.
Mr. Sackville : This information is not available centrally. Information collected centrally is on the average
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daily number of beds available in each regional and district health authority in each of the last five years and is published in "Bed availability for England", copies of which are available in the Library.Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidance or advice her Department has issued regarding bed occupancy rates ; and what guidance or advice her Department has issued regarding bed occupancy requirements that may be laid down by health authorities ;
(2) what advice or guidance her Department has issued regarding the vacant bed rate in acute medical or surgical wards.
Mr. Sackville : Hospitals are expected to make the most efficient use of the beds they have available so that they closely match expected patient activity.
Accident and Emergency Departments
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines or advice her Department has issued regarding waiting times for beds in accident and emergency departments.
Mr. Sackville : The chief executive of the National Health Service Management Executive has written to all health authorities today to ensure they agree explicit procedures with their hospital providers so that unacceptable delays do not occur. A copy of that letter is being placed in the Library.
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average waiting time for a patient waiting to be admitted from accident and emergency departments in each regional health authority in each of the last five years.
Mr. Sackville : This information is not available centrally.
Community Psychiatric Nurses
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many community psychiatric nurses were working within each regional health authority in each of the last five years.
Mr. Sackville : The information is shown in the table.
Community Psychiatric Nursing staff by Region
1988-92
Whole time equivalents
|1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |190 |190 |200 |200 |370
Yorkshire |240 |250 |270 |370 |390
Trent |330 |330 |330 |330 |360
East Anglia |120 |130 |140 |160 |160
North West Thames |170 |200 |200 |230 |260
North East Thames |210 |250 |280 |290 |350
South East Thames |180 |210 |280 |240 |240
South West Thames |230 |240 |260 |210 |260
Wessex |210 |230 |210 |230 |260
Oxford |140 |160 |170 |180 |190
South Western |230 |310 |310 |340 |330
West Midlands |310 |360 |370 |390 |410
Mersey |200 |200 |220 |230 |240
North Western |300 |320 |340 |350 |400
Special Health Authority |10 |10 |10 |0 |10
|-------|-------|-------|-------|-------
England |3,080 |3,380 |3,600 |3,760 |4,210
Notes:
1. Figures rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Totals may not add due to rounding.
Source: Department of Health annual census of NHS non-medical manpower.
Nurse Clinical Grading Appeals
Mr. Tipping : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will set out by health authority and regional health authority how many nurse clinical grading appeals are pending at an employing authority level, a regional level and a national level ; what amount of money these claims involve ; what steps are being made to speed the appeal process ; and when she estimates this process will be completed.
Mr. Sackville : Information on the number of appeals outstanding is shown in the table. The number has dropped from just over 20,000 at 31 May 1993 to below 5,000 at 31 December 1993. No estimate of the total sum of arrears to be paid as a result of clinical grading appeals has been made. The Nursing and Midwifery Staffs Negotiating Council is currently discussing new procedures to speed up and streamline the appeals process. It is expected that all cases outstanding will be cleared before the end of 1995. Where a region has only a small number of appeals outstanding, all cases are expected to be cleared in the next few months.
Outstanding clinical grading appeals situation as at 31 December
1993
Region |Employing|Regional |National |Total
|authority|authority|level
|level |level
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Trent |0 |683 |68 |751
North Western |58 |502 |150 |710
West Midlands |134 |371 |52 |557
Yorkshire |31 |406 |111 |548
North West Thames |35 |350 |22 |407
Mersey |139 |123 |96 |358
South West Thames |0 |0 |321 |321
North East Thames |18 |219 |20 |257
South Western |0 |152 |63 |215
Wessex |0 |123 |50 |173
South East Thames |0 |118 |34 |152
East Anglian |0 |90 |58 |148
Northern |0 |0 |147 |147
Oxford |0 |0 |75 |75
|------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |415 |3,137 |1,267 |4,819
Notes
The table has been put together based on information supplied by
regional health authorities.
Health Authorities, Cornwall
Mr. Hicks : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the current non-executive directors and members of the Cornwall district health authority, Cornwall, Community healthcare trust and the Royal Cornwall hospitals trust, together with the dates when they were appointed and the period of their respective appointments.
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly District Health Authority The Chairman of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly district health authority is Mr. John Askham. He was appointed on 1 April 1990 and his current term of office expires on 31 March 1994. South Western regional health
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authority is responsible for the appointment of non-executive members. The appointment of executive members is a matter for the district health authority itself.Cornwall Healthcare NHS trust
The acting chairman of the Cornwall healthcare national health service trust is Major General Ian Baxter. The non-executive directors of the trust and their term of appointments are :
Non-executive |First appointed |Current term
Director
|of office expires
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Major General Ian Baxter |1 April 1993 |31 October 1995
Mr. Stuart Young |1 April 1993 |31 October 1995
Lady Frances Banham |1 April 1993 |31 October 1995
Mr. Alan Wilkes |1 April 1993 |31 October 1995
Mrs. Jean Dunkley |1 April 1993 |31 October 1995
Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust
The chairman of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS trust is Mr. John Williams. He was appointed on 1 December 1993 and his term of office expires on 30 November 1997.
The non-executive directors of the trust and their terms of appointment are :
Non-executive |First appointed |Current term
Director
|of office expires
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mr. Gilbert McCabe |1 November 1991 |30 November 1997
Mr. Edward Latham |1 November 1991 |30 November 1997
Mr. Colin Micklewright |1 November 1991 |30 November 1995
Mrs. Doreen Henderson |1 October 1992 |30 November 1995
There is currently a vacancy among the non-executive directors following Mr. Williams' appointment as chairman.
South West Regional Health Authority
Mr. Hicks : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the current membership of the South West regional health authority together with the dates when they were appointed and the period of their respective appointments.
Dr. Mawhinney : The chairman of the South Western regional health authority is Ms Rennie Fritchie. She was appointed on 1 August 1992 and her current term of office expires on 31 July 1994.
The non-executive members of South Western regional health authority, and their terms of appointment are as follows :
Non-executive |First appointed|Current term of
director |office
|expires
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Sir John Kingman |26 July 1990 |31 October 1996
Dame Margaret Fry |26 July 1990 |31 October 1996
Mr. Douglas Strachan |1 November 1993|31 October 1995
Ms Nicolette Pain |1 November 1993|31 October 1995
Mr. Upert Woodburn |1 January 1993 |31 October 1996
There is currently a vacancy on the board.
The appointment of executive members of the regional health authority is a matter for the authority itself.
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Community Care
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give the estimated outturn expenditure on care in the community in 1993-94 and the comparable figures for the previous two financial years.
Mr. Bowis : The community care reforms started on 1 April 1993. The information is not therefore available in the form requested.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give the planned expenditure on care in the community over each of the next three financial years ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Bowis : The information requested is not available centrally for the total expenditure on community care services.
Psychiatric Beds
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) long-stay and (b) short-stay psychiatric beds have been closed in each regional health authority in each of the last five years.
Mr. Bowis : Information on specific bed closures is not available centrally but details of numbers of long-stay and short-stay psychiatric beds are published annually in "Bed Availability for England". The latest publication relating to 1992-93 is available in the Library.
Patient S
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will institute an inquiry into the circumstances of the death of patient S on Sunday 16 January, following the removal of the feeding tube.
Mr. Sackville : No. We understand that Frenchay healthcare national health service trust followed the correct procedure by seeking a court declaration that it was lawful not to resume life sustaining treatment, and thereby to allow the patient to die peacefully.
Hospital Beds (Waiting Times)
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether she will instigate an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the cases of a 94-year-old woman who spent 14 hours waiting for a bed at Leicester royal infirmary and a 22-year-old woman who waited 23 hours for a bed at King's College hospital, London ; and if she will make a statement ;
(2) what discussions she has had with health authority or hospital managers regarding recent cases of patients facing long waits at Leicester royal infirmary and King's College hospital, London.
Mr. Sackville : We regard such waits as unacceptable.
Our objective remains to ensure that patients requiring admission are given a bed on a suitable ward as soon as possible after a decision to admit and that their dignity and comfort are maintained during any waiting period.
The chief executive of the National Health Service Management Executive has today written to all health authorities reminding them of their responsibility to ensure that specific procedures are in place so that hospitals with
Column 793
whom they contract are able to respond promptly to short-term fluctuations in the emergency work load and that unacceptable delays do not occur.Smear Tests
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give the number of women receiving smear tests by region for the latest available year and the percentage of those who develop carcinomas before their recall ; and what is the recall period for each region.
Mr. Sackville : The number of women receiving smear tests by region for the latest available year is shown in the table. Information on interval cancers is not available centrally. District health authorities screen on at least a five yearly basis, though others screen more frequently in accordance with local health circumstances and priorities. Information on the frequency of screening by DHA is not currently routinely collected.
Response to invitations, all ages, by Regional Health Authority
1991-92
Regional Health |Number |Screened
Authority
|invited
------------------------------------------------------------------
England Total |2,162,443 |1,030,672
Northern |168,160 |97,523
Yorkshire |113,454 |67,377
Trent |208,265 |124,192
East Anglia |104,557 |66,310
North West Thames |139,761 |40,634
North East Thames |204,111 |43,733
South East Thames |138,091 |42,363
South West Thames |172,637 |74,514
Wessex |108,242 |56,165
Oxford |104,223 |64,028
South Western |152,279 |92,138
West Midlands |294,017 |146,145
Mersey |87,631 |36,862
North Western |167,015 |78,688
TRANSPORT
Rail Freight
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when Railtrack's track access charges for freight rail services will be (a) agreed and (b) made public.
Mr. Freeman : Access charges, to be in place when Railtrack is vested, for existing rail freight services are being negotiated between Railtrack and the British Railways Board. Access charges for new rail freight services are a matter for commercial negotiation between the parties concerned. There is no general intention to publish access charges for each individual freight service because of commercial confidentiality. The publication of information by the rail regulator will be governed by sections 71 and 72 of the Railways Act 1993.
Motor Cycling
Mr. Waller : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people currently hold full motor cycle licences ; and if he will arrange for this information to be included in his Department's annual publication "Transport Statistics Great Britain".
Mr. Key : Reliable estimates are not available. In 1989, the drivers census conducted by the Driver and Vehicle
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Licensing Agency found some 4.75 million licence holders with full motor cycle entitlement. DVLA records contain some license holders who have subsequently died and many who have not ridden a motor cycle for many years. The number is likely to be an overestimate of the number of active riders. Because these statistics are unreliable they are not published in "Transport Statistics Great Britain".Vehicle Licensing (Deregulation)
Mr. Keith Hill : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the organisations which were invited to respond to his consultation on the deregulation of vehicle licensing, and those which responded.
Mr. Key : The Department is playing a full and active part in the Government's deregulation review. We are currently examining the whole range of regulations administered by the Department, including vehicle licensing. Formal consultation will take place when proposals for change have been identified.
Smoke Tests
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place in the Library the detailed specifications of the metered check of smoke to be introduced into the MOT test on 1 February.
Mr. Key : The metered check of smoke being introduced into the MOT test on 1 February is for light duty diesel-engined vehicles. The detailed specifications of the check are contained in the MOT tester's inspection manual. I have placed a copy of the relevant pages of the manual in the Library.
Trunk Roads
Mr. Hicks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what criteria have to be met for an A class trunk road to be designated as an A(M) road ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : There is provision at section 16(5)(b) of the Highways Act 1980 for an existing all-purpose trunk road to be designated a motorway.
To come up to full motorway standard the road would need to meet the physical requirements for motorways. Designation as a motorway would also mean that certain classes of traffic would be prevented from using the road.
SOCIAL SECURITY
Child Support Agency
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many cases the Child Support Agency is currently dealing with in (a) Scunthorpe and (b) South Humberside.
Mr. Burt : Information in the form requested is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. I would, however, refer the hon. Member to the national report of the agency's performance, which is placed in the Library each month.
Mr. Spellar : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many of the staff of the Child Support Agency are on
performance-related pay.
Column 795
Mr. Burt : The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for Ros Hepplewhite, the chief executive. She will write to the hon. Member.
Letter from R. Hepplewhite to Mr. John Spellar, dated 19 January 1994 :
I have been asked to reply to your Question to the Secretary of State about the number of staff in the Child Support Agency who receive performance related pay.
The Agency operates its performance related pay scheme within the terms of the new national pay arrangements agreed by the Treasury and the Civil Service Trades Unions. These new arrangements have created a stronger link between pay and performance by replacing automatic annual increments with performance related progression. The level of any individual's performance related progression is governed by the Agency's personal review system.
In this system, each individual is set a number of challenging work and personal objectives, tailored to meet each person's experience and ability. Performance related pay is awarded in recognition of the level of individual performance achieved, maintained over a number of years.
The Agency now employs 4,937 staff all of whom are eligible for consideration for an award of performance related pay based upon the agreed arrangements which are available for inspection in the Library.
I hope you will find this reply helpful.
Mr. Skinner : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what is the gross annual budget of the Child Support Agency.
Mr. Burt : The Child Support Agency's gross allocation for 1993-94 is £119.8 million.
Mr. Skinner : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many staff employed by the Child Support Agency are on
performance-related pay.
Mr. Burt : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Warley, West (Mr. Spellar) by the chief executive of the Child Support Agency on 19 January.
Unemployment Benefit
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how much money was paid by his Department in unemployment benefit in each of the last five years ; and what was the average number of people in receipt of unemployment benefit in each of the last five years.
Mr. Burt : The information for the latest five years for which figures are available is in the table :
Unemployment benefit
expenditure
|£ million
------------------------------
1987-88 |1,468
1988-89 |1,107
1989-90 |733
1990-91 |870
1991-92 |1,604
Average number of
people receiving
unemployment benefit
|Number
------------------------
1987-88 |815,000
1988-89 |600,000
1989-90 |375,000
1990-91 |425,000
1991-92 |675,000
Notes:
1. Amounts of benefit
are rounded to the
nearest £ million.
2. Numbers of
beneficiaries are
rounded to the nearest
five thousand.
Disability Living Allowance
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many appeals for disability living allowance have been lodged with the independent tribunal service in each month since its introduction.
Mr. Scott : The information requested is not available for any month prior to April 1992. The available information is in the table.
Month |Number
|of Appeals
---------------------------------
1992
April |45
May |149
June |117
July |177
August |204
September |178
October |373
November |496
December |520
1993
January |704
February |1,296
March |963
April |3,607
May |2,182
June |3,044
July |3,789
August |3,277
September |3,162
October |2,400
November |2,385
December |2,090
Mr. Donohoe : To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will make a statement on the amount of time taken by the independent tribunal service to deal with appeals, relating to disability living allowance.
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