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Mr. Matthew Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received concerning access to track charges on Britain's railways ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : My right hon. Friend received various representations since the Government's proposals for charging for access to the railways were first set out in February 1993. The proposed approach to initial charges to be adopted by Railtrack from 1 April was set out in my right hon. Friend's reply to a question from the hon. Member for Dartford (Mr. Dunn) on 15 February, Official Report, columns 716-17.
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Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate the number of horse users and cyclists using the roads of London currently and 10 and 20 years ago ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norris : The Department has no records of the numbers of horses owned or ridden in London.
The estimated number of Londoners--defined here as people resident within the M25--using cycles on a typical weekday, excluding school holidays, is :
Year |Number ------------------------ 1991 |138,000 1981 |185,000
Data are not available for 1971.
Sir Michael Neubert : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take part in the international conference and exhibition in support of the proposal by English Heritage for a long bored tunnel under the Stonehenge world heritage site to take traffic at present using the A303 trunk road.
Mr. Norris : Yes. Those attending would wish to know the highway authority's requirements for the safe construction, use and maintenance of such a solution in such a location.
Sir Peter Emery : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the locations at which road calmers have been allowed on class A roads.
Mr. Key : This information is not collected centrally. Where highway authorities wish to use road humps or other traffic calming features which conform with the established regulations, they are free to do so without reference to the Department of Transport.
Mr. Wilshire : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to be able to publish full and final proposals for link roads alongside the M25 between junctions 12 and 15 ; and when he expects the public inquiry to begin.
Mr. Key [holding answer 17 February 1994] : I expect to publish draft orders for the M25 link roads between junctions 12 and 15 following completing of the road programme review. This should lead to the public inquiry starting towards the end of the year.
Ms Jowell : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the appointment of Sir Christopher Thompson, his special adviser on the privatisation of British Rail, as a director of Railtrack.
Mr. Freeman [holding answer 18 February 1994] : I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Cunninghame, North (Mr. Wilson) on 25 November 1993, Official Report, column 102.
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Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to his answer of 25 November, Official Report, column 102, if he will set out those terms of his original appointment of Sir Christopher Foster which prevented conflicts of interest arising between his role as adviser to the Department of Transport and his position as a director of Coopers and Lybrand.
Mr. Freeman [holding answer 18 February 1994] : The arrangements for Sir Christopher Foster's secondment to the Secretary of State for Transport as special adviser stated that he would be subject to the provisions of the Official Secrets Acts and would be expected to abide by the conditions and rules governing the conduct of civil servants. In particular, he would be required to observe the rules governing political activities and the need to avoid situations that may lead to conflicts of interest.
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations have been made to the Greek authorities since May 1993 in respect of the alleged dumping of coal residue in international waters west of Shetland in 1992 by the Greek registered vessel MV Tigris ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Norris [holding answer 18 February 1994] : Following the outcome of the investigation by the Greek authorities, notified to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in May 1993, and set out in my reply to the hon. Member on 15 June at column 530, no further representations have been made to the Greek authorities.
My Department has discussed with the Treasury Solicitor and the aviation and maritime department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office whether the case can be taken further, either in the United Kingdom or with the Greek authorities, to try to secure a prosecution under MARPOL. The outcome of these discussions is that without any new evidence, no further progress can be made.
Mr. Wilson : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make it his policy that a fixed minimum proportion of Railtrack's income from rail franchisees is re-allocated to the franchise director ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Freeman [holding answer 18 February 1994] : My right hon. Friend set out the approach to charges for access to Railtrack's network in his reply to a question from the hon. Member for Dartford (Mr. Dunn) on 15 February at column 716. Income to Railtrack from franchised train operators will be set at a level to allow Railtrack to recover its costs, including a return on capital. The franchising director will have sufficient grant to enable franchisees to pay access charges in respect of socially necessary services.
Mr. Tracey : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects Stanwell Buses Ltd., trading as Westlink, to be sold.
Mr. Norris : London Buses Ltd. sold Stanwell Buses Ltd., trading as Westlink, to a management buy-out team for £1.937 million on 19 January.
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has to offer new grants to encourage the participation of farmers in woodland planting schemes in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Wyn Roberts : The Government are keen to encourage the participation of farmers in woodland planting schemes in Wales. The forestry review group is now reviewing the effectiveness of the current incentives for forestry investment, and Ministers expect to receive the review group's advice soon.
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the total number of full-time nurses employed by the national health service for each health authority and for Wales as a whole for each year since 1964.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The information available, which relates to directly employed nursing and midwifery staff in post as at 30 September, is given in the tables. Information for years prior to 1979 is not readily available.
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Number of full-time nurses Health Authority area |Common |East |Mid |South |West |services |Clwyd |Dyfed |Pembrokeshire|Gwent |Gwynedd |Glamorgan |Powys |Glamorgan |Glamorgan |authority<1> |Wales -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Excluding learners 1979 |1,785 |<2>1,375 |<2>- |1,947 |1,138 |2,404 |530 |2,023 |1,463 |- |12,665 1980 |1,900 |<2>1,406 |<2>- |2,083 |1,167 |2,530 |567 |2,111 |1,514 |- |13,278 1981 |2,021 |<2>1,427 |<2>- |2,153 |1,244 |2,691 |576 |2,246 |1,653 |- |14,011 1982 |2,095 |1,192 |291 |2,194 |1,217 |2,729 |617 |2,408 |1,723 |- |14,466 1983 |2,139 |1,269 |277 |2,292 |1,245 |2,778 |682 |2,373 |1,807 |- |14,862 1984 |2,200 |1,355 |301 |2,328 |1,316 |2,869 |676 |2,529 |1,841 |- |15,415 1985 |2,233 |1,314 |321 |2,321 |1,433 |3,003 |688 |2,698 |1,934 |- |15,945 1986 |2,259 |1,373 |317 |2,305 |1,386 |3,094 |668 |2,690 |1,994 |- |16,086 1987 |2,223 |1,403 |309 |2,291 |1,432 |3,285 |660 |2,782 |2,052 |- |16,437 1988 |2,190 |1,382 |324 |2,322 |1,448 |3,265 |700 |2,952 |2,028 |2 |16,613 1989 |2,194 |1,371 |339 |2,438 |1,478 |3,289 |704 |3,033 |2,057 |6 |16,909 1990 |2,163 |1,436 |346 |2,450 |1,492 |3,321 |666 |3,050 |2,068 |10 |17,002 1991 |2,246 |1,420 |365 |2,380 |1,502 |3,312 |688 |2,943 |2,076 |66 |16,998 1992<3> |2,275 |1,449 |344 |2,343 |1,519 |3,461 |651 |3,122 |2,189 |67 |17,420 1993<3> |2,221 |1,443 |238 |2,216 |1,567 |3,409 |618 |3,087 |2,217 |68 |17,084 Learners<4> 1979 |468 |<2>316 |<2>- |509 |237 |767 |59 |736 |498 |- |3,590 1980 |467 |<2>339 |<2>- |509 |268 |708 |66 |767 |506 |- |3,630 1981 |541 |<2>330 |<2>- |521 |290 |758 |81 |843 |571 |- |3,935 1982 |552 |282 |60 |524 |275 |784 |76 |811 |562 |- |3,926 1983 |527 |262 |54 |501 |241 |726 |77 |799 |534 |- |3,721 1984 |500 |230 |43 |540 |245 |734 |77 |754 |506 |- |3,629 1985 |521 |236 |34 |516 |254 |703 |80 |697 |500 |- |3,541 1986 |505 |253 |43 |496 |240 |671 |78 |661 |520 |- |3,467 1987 |514 |239 |35 |439 |237 |699 |84 |706 |494 |- |3,447 1988 |524 |212 |32 |395 |226 |713 |71 |680 |481 |- |3,334 1989 |470 |204 |47 |352 |218 |647 |57 |645 |477 |- |3,117 1990 |406 |210 |56 |364 |230 |618 |53 |628 |502 |- |3,067 1991 |296 |208 |56 |366 |165 |612 |50 |678 |480 |- |2,911 1992<3> |168 |138 |36 |239 |99 |438 |34 |455 |338 |- |1,945 1993<3> |67 |70 |21 |120 |30 |253 |23 |250 |183 |- |1,017 Note: The use of locally devised payscales from 1991 onwards may affect the comparability of figures as these staff cannot be allocated centrally to a specific staff group and are not, therefore, included above. This affects figures for Pembrokeshire in particular. <1>Welsh Health Common Services Authority. Includes blood transfusion service nurses from 1991 (transferred from South Glamorgan). <2>Pembrokeshire figures included with East Dyfed. <3>Includes staff employed by NHS trusts. <4>Since the autumn of 1991 student nurses have been classified as students and are no longer included in the NHS staff figures. Staff included here are students finishing courses begun before this date. At 1 October 1993 there were about 1,900 Project 2000 nursing students in Wales.
Mr. Ron Davies : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total cost of employing managers, advisers, administrators and clerical staff in the national health service in 1979.
Mr. Redwood : The total cost of employing administrative and clerical staff in the national health service (in Wales) in 1979-80 was £27,816,043.
Source :
Health Authorities Annual Accounts.
Note :
The total cost of employing managers, advisers, administrators and clerical staff is taken to be that covering salaries and wages. The health authorities annual accounts for 1979-80, however, do not separately identify costs in each of the above four categories.
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the total number of (a) senior managers, (b) managers and (c) total senior managers and managers for each health authority and for Wales as a whole for each year since 1964.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Information relating to the whole-time equivalent numbers of managers employed as at 30 September is given in the following table. Due to the regrading of staff during 1989 comparable data are not available for previous years.
Health authority area |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992<1> |1993<1> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Clwyd: Senior managers |11 |18 |22 |26 |30 Other managers |16 |33 |76 |110 |117 |-- |-- |-- |-- |-- Total |27 |51 |98 |136 |147 East Dyfed: Senior managers |6 |13 |22 |27 Other managers |5 |23 |39 |43 |71 |-- |-- |-- |-- |-- Total |11 |36 |61 |70 |102 Gwent: Senior managers |7 |7 |9 |8 |11 Other managers |- |44 |60 |75 |118 |-- |-- |-- |-- |-- Total |7 |51 |69 |83 |129 Gwynedd: Senior managers |8 |19 |19 |30 |32 Other managers |- |2 |12 |36 |42 |-- |-- |-- |-- |-- Total |8 |21 |31 |66 |74 Mid Glamorgan: Senior managers |12 |15 |22 |12 |15 Other managers |- |20 |67 |78 |117 |-- |-- |-- |-- |-- Total |12 |35 |89 |90 |132 Pembrokeshire: Senior managers |6 |5 |4 |- |- Other managers |5 |11 |13 |3 |1 |-- |-- |-- |-- |-- Total |11 |16 |17 |3 |1 Powys: Senior managers |5 |4 |12 |12 |15 Other managers |3 |21 |26 |27 |37 |-- |-- |-- |-- |-- Total |8 |25 |38 |39 |52 South Glamorgan: Senior managers |25 |28 |32 |37 |27 Other managers |36 |59 |101 |150 |156 |-- |-- |-- |-- |-- Total |61 |87 |133 |187 |183 West Glamorgan: Senior managers |8 |12 |14 |16 |16 Other managers |21 |55 |65 |73 |77 |-- |-- |-- |-- |-- Total |29 |67 |79 |89 |93 Welsh Health Common Services Authority: Senior managers |10 |18 |22 |29 |39 Other managers |3 |9 |48 |57 |78 |-- |-- |-- |-- |-- Total |13 |27 |70 |86 |117 Wales: Senior managers |98 |139 |178 |197 |215 Other managers |89 |277 |505 |651 |813 |-- |-- |-- |-- |-- Total |187 |416 |683 |848 |1,028 <1> Includes staff employed by NHS trusts. Notes: Includes staff employed by those Family Health Service Authorities using Health Authority payroll systems. The use of locally devised payscales from 1991 onwards may affect the comparability of figures as those staff cannot be allocated centrally to a specific staff group and are not, therefore, included above. This affects figures for Pembrokeshire in particular. The growth in the number of staff in the table arises from the extension in 1989 of senior manager/manager terms amd conditions of service to "second and third level managers" and the resulting reclassification of a number of staff in 1989 and subsequent years. Certain responsibilities and staff have transferred to the Common Services Authority from health authorities in recent years, affecting the comparability of figures over time.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his policy concerning the allocation of resources to the treatment and prevention of asthma ; and what studies his Department has made of its incidence in childhood.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Health authorities are expected to assess the health needs of their local populations and identify future action in their local strategies for health. The Protocol for Investment in Health Gain for Respiratory Diseases, published in February 1992, includes specific targets for asthma.
The Welsh Office has funded three projects under the Welsh scheme for the development of health and social research, which have looked specifically at childhood asthma. In addition, the Welsh Medical Committee has established a working party on asthma, charged with assessing the current provision for asthma and recommending appropriate development. The working party is expected to report to the Secretary of State shortly.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many special consultants there are in asthma practice in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Information relating to the numbers of consultants working in the NHS in Wales is collected centrally on the basis of specialties recognised by the royal colleges. Asthma is not one of these recognised specialties and hence the information requested is not available.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his assessment of the effect upon asthma sufferers of air pollution in Wales.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Evidence suggests that asthma attacks in those who already suffer from asthma may be triggered by episodes of air pollution. Regular monitoring
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of air quality in Wales shows that pollution levels are generally within European Community and World Health Organisation guideline limits.The committee on the medical effects of air pollutants has set up a sub- group on asthma which will investigate the relationship between air pollution and trends in asthma incidence, and will make recommendations to Government on research.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how he proposes to protect the health of asthma sufferers in Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Since July 1993, GP practices receive payments for organising specific programmes for the care of patients with asthma. Initial evidence shows a 90 per cent. take-up level amongst GPs organising such programmes in Wales. The Welsh Medical Committee working party on asthma has been charged with assessing the current provision of help for asthma sufferers, to identify deficiencies and to recommend appropriate developments.
A range of measures are also being taken to reduce air pollution in Wales, including tighter controls on industry and improved standards for road vehicles. Air quality is also regularly monitored by the Government and local authorities. The air quality helpline, freephone 0800 556677, provides a public information service, enabling asthmatics to take steps to reduce their exposure, should air pollution levels become high.
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library a copy of the proposed new unitary council ward boundaries and details for all parts of Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : A copy of the proposals for the electoral areas to be used for the first elections to the proposed unitary authorities were placed in the Library of the House on Thursday 10 February. My right hon. Friend is currently consulting the two local authority associations, individual authorities and the Local Government Boundary Commission on these proposals. The consultation closes on 31 March. Final decisions rest with my right hon. and learned Friend the Home Secretary. Following the first elections to the new authorities, the Local Government Boundary Commission would conduct a full review of all unitary authority electoral areas in Wales.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his latest estimate of the date and costs of the construction of the new River Dee crossing ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : The scheme is estimated to cost £55 million and to start in 1994-95. The precise date is a matter for Clwyd county council.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his latest estimate of the date and costs of the widening and improvement of the Shotwitch, Drome Corner, Queensferry, Aston Hill dual carriageway ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Redwood : The details are as follows :
Scheme |Estimated |Timing indication |cost |£ million ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A550 Deeside Park-Drome Corner |16 |Before April 1996 A494 Drome Corner-Ewloe Interchange 25 |and March 1999
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he proposes to hold a public inquiry concerning his plans to widen the Aston Hill, Queensferry dual carriageway.
Mr. Redwood : The Department has not yet published its proposals in the form of draft trunk road orders for the scheme. The need for a public inquiry into the orders cannot be assessed at this stage.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many representations he has received covering the Aston Hill, Queensferry dual carriageway road-widening scheme ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Minister of State gave him on 25 November 1993 at column 149 .
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what proposals he has to review the organisation of the national health service directorate in Wales and the policy-making health function in his Department ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) on what date John Wyn Owen will cease to be director of the national health service in Wales ; what proposals he has to fill the vacancy created ; in what way he proposes to advertise the vacancy ; and what organisational alterations he will make to the responsibilities of the national health service director, Wales.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Mr. John Wyn Owen will leave his present post on 18 March.
An announcement about future organisational arrangements for dealing with health matters within the Welsh Office will be made shortly.
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Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will give details of the resourcing and staffing of the Grant-maintained Schools Foundation with respect to its activities in Wales.
Mr. Redwood : The foundation does not receive any assistance, financial or otherwise, from the Welsh Office.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of Pembrokeshire national health service trust in relation to compensation for loss of office and transfer of contract obligations to the Welsh Office for senior staff of the trust.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : My right hon. Friend has had no consultations with the chairman of the Pembrokeshire NHS trust on such matters.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of NHS trusts in Wales in respect of disqualification conditions for service as chairmen ; and if he will list the primary causes of disqualification applicable to the holding of such office.
Mr. Gwilym Jones [holding answer 18 February 1994] : Regulation 11 of the National Health Service Trusts (Membership and Procedure) Regulations 1990 (Statutory Instrument 1990 No. 2024) prescribes the circumstances in which persons are disqualified for appointment as chairmen of NHS trusts. A copy of the regulations is in the Vote Office. Before candidates accept appointment as chairmen they have first to confirm that none of these disqualifications apply.
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Health Promotion Authority for Wales concerning the cost of the press conference to announce the retirement of the executive director and the professional fees of Golley Slater Public Relations in relation to the press conference ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones [holding answer 18 February 1994] : None. The press conference was a matter for the former chief executive.
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