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Funding Agency for Schools
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement about membership of the Funding Agency for Schools.
Mr. Patten : I appointed Sir Christopher Benson as
chairman-designate of the Funding Agency for Schools on 14 October 1993. I am announcing today the appointment of the following 12 members :
Shailendra Adwalpalkar--Finance Director, Gillette International, AMEE Group.
Sir Robert Balchin--Chairman, Grant-Maintained Schools Foundation. Canon Gerald Greenwood--Director of Education, Southwark Diocesan Board of Education.
Dr. Arthur Hearnden OBE--General Secretary, Independent Schools Joint Council.
Stanley Kalms--Chairman of the Dixons Group.
Lee Karu--Barrister.
Mrs. Jacqueline E. Kearns MA FRSA--Headteacher, Homewood GM School, Tenterden, Kent.
Mrs. Lesley King--Headteacher, St. Joseph's RC GM Primary School, Aldershot.
Mrs. Pauline Latham--Chairman of Governors, Ecclesbourne GM School, Derbyshire.
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Councillor Edward Lister--Leader of Wandsworth Council. Brother Francis Patterson--Headteacher, St. Francis Xavier's College, GM School, Liverpool.Peter Turner OBE--Recently retired Head, Whitefield Schools and Centre, Waltham Forest.
The task of the funding agency in supporting the successful development of the self-governing--grant-maintained--school sector is a vital one. The chairman and the members whom I am appointing today will bring an impressive breadth of experience to that task. I intend to appoint two additional members in due course in the light of the needs of the funding agency as the work develops and as the self-governing--grant-maintained-- school sector grows.
From its formal establishment on 1 April, the funding agency will assume responsibility for two key functions : first, the payment and monitoring of grants to grant-maintained schools ; and, secondly, a progressively increasing share in the planning and provision of school places across the country, as the number of grant-maintained schools grow.
I am writing today to the chairman and members setting these functions in the context of the Government's overall policies to secure the realisation of our vision of mainly self-governing schools ; to increase choice and diversity in our schools ; and to improve standards of education in this country.
I am sending copies of the letter to all self-governing schools and placing copies in the Library.
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much the Funding Agency for Schools cost to set up ; how much it will cost to run ; and what role it will take on in Calderdale.
Mr. Robin Squire : The direct costs of establishing the Funding Agency for Schools will amount in the current financial year to some £1.5 million. The running costs of the funding agency will depend on a number of factors, including growth in the number of GM schools, but on the basis of current forecasts will be of the order of £12 million in 1994 -95, subject to parliamentary approval of the main estimates.
The first main function of the funding agency will be to calculate and pay grant to grant-maintained schools, including those in Calderdale, on the basis of regulations made by my right hon. hon. Friend who announced on 14 February his intention to introduce a common funding formula for funding GM secondary schools in Calderdale and four other LEAs in 1994-95.
In addition, under section 12 of the Education Act 1993 the Secretary of State may make an order giving shared responsibility for the provision of sufficient school places in primary or secondary schools to the funding agency, in areas where between 10 per cent. and 75 per cent. of pupils attend GM schools in the relevant phase. Calderdale is one such area and we are presently consulting with the intention of making an order.
Grant-maintained Schools
Mrs. Gorman : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list local education authorities according to the date on which the first parents' ballot in favour of grant-maintained status in each authority took place.
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Mr. Robin Squire : The tables show local education authorities in which there have been parental ballots in favour of grant-maintained status, listed in order of the date of the earliest yes vote.
LEAs with schools voting in favour of GM status, in order of first "Yes vote". LEA |Vote date ----------------------------------------------------------- Lincolnshire |2 November 1988 Bolton |7 November 1988 Tameside |5 December 1988 Sutton |16 December 1988 Bedfordshire |21 December 1988 Kent |21 December 1988 Kirklees |22 December 1988 Hammersmith |29 December 1988 Barnet |30 December 1988 Southwark |9 January 1989 Bromley |17 January 1989 Derbyshire |17 January 1989 Cheshire |26 January 1989 Hertfordshire |30 January 1989 Northamptonshire |3 February 1989 Birmingham |6 February 1989 Devon |10 February 1989 Dorset |18 February 1989 Lancashire |24 February 1989 Dudley |27 February 1989 Liverpool |27 February 1989 Wigan |6 March 1989 Avon |13 March 1989 Kensington |13 March 1989 Surrey |23 March 1989 Gloucestershire |28 March 1989 Leicestershire |31 March 1989 Brent |3 April 1989 Hillingdon |20 April 1989 Berkshire |30 May 1989 Solihull |30 May 1989 Wolverhampton |12 June 1989 Newham |26 September 1989 Shropshire |9 November 1989 Calderdale |18 December 1989 Buckinghamshire |2 January 1990 Essex |9 May 1990 Norfolk |8 June 1990 Hampshire |27 June 1990 Sandwell |17 September 1990 Bradford |22 October 1990 Warwickshire |23 October 1990 Somerset |16 November 1990 Cumbria |4 December 1990 Wandsworth |4 December 1990 Wiltshire |4 December 1990 Ealing |4 February 1991 Cambridgeshire |21 February 1991 Humberside |1 March 1991 Waltham Forest |1 March 1991 Rochdale |2 March 1991 Tower Hamlets |18 March 1991 Lewisham |25 March 1991 Nottinghamshire |14 May 1991 Croydon |20 May 1991 Wakefield |20 May 1991 Barnsley |30 May 1991 Cornwall |7 June 1991 Lambeth |26 June 1991 Walsall |7 November 1991 Sheffield |12 November 1991 Bexley |26 November 1991 Kingston-upon-Thames |29 May 1992 Staffordshire |6 July 1992 Havering |11 September 1992 Hereford and Worcester |20 October 1992 Trafford |21 October 1992 Hackney |27 October 1992 Hounslow |27 October 1992 Doncaster |2 November 1992 Oxfordshire |16 November 1992 Enfield |4 December 1992 Wirral |14 December 1992 Salford |15 December 1992 Knowsley |24 December 1992 Redbridge |28 December 1992 Camden |11 January 1993 Harrow |28 January 1993 North Tyneside |2 March 1993 Bury |16 March 1993 Greenwich |18 March 1993 St. Helens |22 March 1993 Northumberland |2 April 1993 Leeds |26 April 1993 West Sussex |31 January 1994 North Yorkshire |11 February 1994
Tuition Fees
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the total expenditure in respect of tuition fees for undergraduate courses in institutions of higher education in 1992-93 ; and how much of this was for students not qualifying for a mandatory maintenance award on grounds of high parental income.
Mr. Boswell : Figures for total expenditure in the academic year 1992-93 by local education authorities in England and Wales on fees paid by them as part of mandatory awards for students attending first degree courses are not yet available. However, final data for the academic year 1991-92 are now available. Total expenditure in that year was £1,012 million. It is not possible to estimate how much of this expenditure was for students not qualifying for a mandatory maintenance award on grounds of high parental income. However, 27 per cent. of all first degree students in receipt of a mandatory award received no maintenance grant as a result of means testing.
Surplus Places
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the estimated cost of a surplus place in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools.
Mr. Forth : The average cost of maintaining a school place in terms of premises alone is estimated to be £179 a year for primary school and £298 a year for a secondary school at 1994-95 prices.
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what is the latest information regarding the number of surplus places in each local education authority in (a) primary schools and (b) secondary schools.
Mr. Forth : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Warwickshire, North (Mr. O'Brien) on Monday 31 January, Official Report, columns 517-21.
Primary Schools
Sir Thomas Arnold : To ask the Secretary of State for Education how he defines open enrolment in primary schools.
Mr. Robin Squire : All parents have the right to state a preference for their choice of primary school. The more
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open enrolment provisions of the Education Reform Act 1988 mean that schools must admit pupils on demand until they are full. Each primary school has a standard number for admissions, or an approved admission number in the case of grant-maintained schools, which reflects the school's previous levels of intake or its physical capacity as measured against a prescribed formula.Staff Transfers
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the schemes his Department operates to assist staff facing financial hardship following a transfer, showing (a) the particular criteria and rules applying to each one, including the circumstances under which any loans can be written off, (b) the total amount loaned or granted under the schemes in 1992-93 and so far in 1993-94 and (c) the number of staff assisted in 1992-93 and so far in 1993-94.
Mr. Boswell : Prior to October 1992, the Department operated a special scheme agreed with the Treasury to deal with a small number of financial hardship cases involving large bridging loan shortfalls. The terms of the scheme were :
(i) that the Department would meet the first £5,000 of any shortfall ;
(ii) that individual members of staff would contribute, either in cash or through an advance of salary, up to the value of one year's salary, reduced by 10 per cent. for each year by which an officer exceeded 50 years of age ;
(iii) the Department met the balance.
Any advance of salary was interest free, repayable over 15 years with the option of deferring the first payment for two years. Advances were made to eight staff under this scheme in 1992-93 totalling £112,337 and to four staff in 1993-94 totalling £70,471. These staff and one other benefitted from the arrangements in respect of shortfalls. Payments totalling £258,384 were written off in 1992-93, with a further £25,703 written off under the scheme in 1993-94. The expenditure was variously met by the Department and, following its creation in September 1992, by the Office for Standards in Education in respect of former members of Her Majesty's inspectorate of schools.
Since October 1992, the Department has used the services of a relocation company which eliminates the need for bridging finance. However to assist staff with negative equity shortfalls, it may offer an interest bearing loan up to the limit of the mortgage shortfall, repayable over 12 years. In those cases where staff would face extreme financial hardship as a result of being asked to pay interest on the loan, the advance may be made interest free. No staff in the Department have yet received a loan under this scheme.
Contracting Out (Pension Rights)
Mr. Henderson : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what guidance he has issued about the effect of the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act 1978 and the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 on the transfer of pension rights in services in his Department which are subject to contracting out.
Mr. Boswell : I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 18 February, Official Report, column 1010.
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LEA Schools
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much (a) capital and (b) revenue money has been spent by local education authority schools ; and how many pupils attended a local education authority school in each of the last 10 years.
Mr. Robin Squire : The latest available information on spending and pupil numbers at LEA-maintained schools is given in the table.
|Recurrent |Capital spending|Pupil numbers
|spending
|(£ million) |(£ million) |(Thousands)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1982-83 |6,543 |291 |7,641
1983-84 |6,864 |316 |7,457
1984-85 |7,128 |330 |7,688
1985-86 |7,519 |355 |7,180
1986-87 |8,277 |364 |7,056
1987-88 |9,070 |432 |6,930
1988-89 |9,853 |565 |6,856
1989-90 |10,726 |688 |6,831
1990-91 |11,728 |648 |6,853
1991-92 |12,714 |670 |6,869
1992-93 |- |640 |6,867
Notes:
1. Information on recurrent spending since 1991-92 is not yet
available.
2. Information on capital spending since 1992-93 is not yet available.
3. Recurrent spending figures represent net institutional spending in
LEA-maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools as
recorded on returns made to the Department of the Environment.
Figures exclude spending on LEA administration and support
services, and provision funded through central government specific
grant.
4. Capital figures represent spending on capital projects at
LEA-maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools.
5. Pupil numbers, in full-time equivalents, are taken from returns made
to DFE in January each year-annual schools' census-form 7.
School Leavers
Mr. Rooker : To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many school leavers there were in each of the past 10 years from the maintained and independent sectors ; and what percentage in each category were intending to enter degree or teacher training courses.
Mr. Robin Squire : The estimated numbers of school leavers over a recent 10-year period from the maintained and independent sectors are shown below, together with the percentage in each category intending to enter degree or teacher training courses. The latest year for which the information is available is 1991-92.
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Maintained schools Independent schools
|Number of |Percentage in- |Number of |Percentage in-
|school leavers |tending to enter|school leavers |tending to enter
|(000s) |Degree or |(000s) |Degree or
|Teacher |Teacher
|Training |Training
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1981-82 |706.7 |6.7 |44.4 |36.9
1982-83 |721.8 |6.4 |43.7 |33.3
1983-84 |708.6 |6.3 |44.2 |33.9
1984-85 |691.0 |6.2 |45.2 |33.2
1985-86 |673.6 |6.2 |44.6 |32.7
1986-87 |671.2 |6.3 |44.8 |30.1
1987-88 |614.8 |7.2 |41.2 |37.4
1988-89 |571.0 |8.1 |46.7 |34.9
1989-90 |535.0 |9.9 |43.1 |46.5
1990-91 |494.1 |11.4 |47.7 |45.7
1991-92 |474.4 |13.0 |44.8 |53.6
WALES
Overseas Visits
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many visits abroad the Minister of State made during 1993 ; and what was (a) the cost to public funds and (b) the purpose of each visit.
Mr. Redwood : During 1993 the Minister of State for Wales made six visits abroad, as set out in the table.
Date and purpose |Cost (£) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4 to 9 January To lead an inward investment mission to Taiwan and Singapore |5,242 9 to 10 June To lead an overseas trade mission to Zurich | 404.40 17 to 25 August To lead an overseas trade mission to Singapore and Malaysia |4,255 12 to 24 September To lead an overseas trade mission to Canada |4,243.30 12 to 13 November To take part in a European Ministers' meeting in Belgium |236.90 20 December For a meeting with a Minister of the Republic of Ireland Government in Dublin |243 Note: Costs are those for the Minister's own travel and subsistence, not for officials.
Hearing Aids
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will list the conditions under which children and young people are entitled to be provided with the most appropriate hearing aid whether or not this is part of the national health service range of hearing aids ;
(2) which agency is responsible for monitoring the provision and maintenance of hearing aids for (a) pre-school children, (b) children at school and (c) young people aged 16 years and above who are in full-time education ; and what plans there are to change the present arrangement ;
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(3) which agency monitors the provision of insurance on hearing aids for children and young people ; and what plans there are to change the present arrangement.Mr. Gwilym Jones : Hearing aids are available under the national health service for anyone who needs one. It is for the clinician concerned to decide which aid is most appropriate in each case, whether it is from the standard range or purchased by hearing aid centres from a commercial source. As hearing aids are provided on loan there is no requirement for the patient, or in the case of a child under 16, the child's parent, to insure the aid. We have no plans to change these arrangements.
Health Service Commission
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what services the Welsh Health Service Commission has decided, or is proposing, not to purchase in 1994-95 which it did purchase in 1993-94.
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Mr. Gwilym Jones : This is a matter for the authority to determine.
Speech Therapy
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many qualified speech therapists were employed by (a) each health authority and (b) each local education authority in Wales in each of the past five years ; what are the latest figures ; and how many vacancies there were for speech therapists in each of these categories at the most recent available date.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The whole-time equivalent numbers of speech therapists directly employed by the NHS, who would also treat school children, is given in the table. Information is not held centrally on the number of speech therapists directly employed by local education authorities.
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Qualified speech therapists in post as at 30 September
Health Authority area |1989 |1990 |1991 |<1>1992 |<1>1993
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |24 |29 |27 |34 |32
East Dyfed |15 |15 |14 |16 |17
Gwent |15 |16 |21 |23 |25
Gwynedd |12 |11 |11 |15 |14
Mid Glamorgan |18 |18 |22 |19 |27
Pembrokeshire |5 |5 |5 |5 |5
Powys |9 |8 |8 |7 |8
South Glamorgan |31 |33 |31 |32 |34
West Glamorgan |21 |18 |14 |19 |17
|------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Wales |150 |154 |153 |168 |177
<1> Includes staff employed by NHS trusts.
Note:
The use of locally devised payscales from 1991 may affect the comparability of figures as these staff cannot be allocated centrally to a specific staff
group and are not, therefore, included in the table.
Information on recent vacancies is not available centrally.
Heliports
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidelines have been issued by the Welsh Office to local planning authorities with regard to the considerations which should be born in mind, and consultations undertaken, prior to granting planning permission for the establishment of heliport facilities ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : No specific guidance has been issued on heliports. Local planning authorities should however have regard to the planning policy guidance note on general policy and principles.
NHS Administration
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will conduct a review of the growth of top managerial appointments within national health service trusts and health authorities ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The growth in the numbers of general and senior managers since 1989 can be accounted for primarily by
reclassification from other staff groups and additional staff employed as the result of the establishment of NHS trusts. Health authorities and NHS trusts have been asked to take measures to contain numbers of managerial
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and also administrative and clerical staff at September 1993 levels for three years and to seek reductions wherever possible.Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidelines he has issued to Welsh health authorities in relation to (a) the filling of administrative and clerical vacancies and (b) the creation of new administrative and clerical vacancies ; if he will publish that guidance ; to what extent such guidance is applicable to NHS trusts ; what consultations he has had with the Institute of Health Service Management in regard to that guidance ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The director of the national health service in Wales has written to all health authorities asking them to submit, for approval, proposals for filling vacancies or the creation of new jobs in managerial and administrative and clerical grades. No consultation has taken place with the Institute of Health Service Management. Health authorities and NHS trusts generally will be ensuring that staff in these categories do not increase and wherever possible are reduced so that extra resources can be directed to patient care.
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Community Hospital, Porthmadog
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the latest estimated date for starting construction work on the new East Dwyfor and North Meirionnydd community hospital at Porthmadog ; and what is his target date for opening the new hospital.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The planning time scale for this new hospital scheme is a matter for the Gwynedd community NHS trust--shadow. Subject to satisfactory completion of the health building procedures, the trust currently anticipates a construction start in October 1995 with the hospital opening towards the end of 1997.
Sites of Special Scientific Interest
Mr. Chris Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was (a) the number and (b) the total cost in 1992-93 of management agreements between the Countryside Council for Wales and owners and occupiers of sites of special scientific interest to (i) compensate for profit forgone and (ii) facilitate positive conservation management.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : In 1992-93 there were 358 agreements in force, costing £924,965. Only annual costs are readily identifiable in the form required and therefore the table does not include lump sum payments, arrears, interest and works. Seven complementary agreements of nominal cost are also excluded.
Type of agreement |Number |Annual cost
|£
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
i. Those which compensate for net
profit forgone |62 |47,223
ii. Those which facilitate positive
conservation management |62 |75,582
iii. Those which achieve both of the
above |227 |295,305
|------- |-------
Total |351 |418,110
Sheep Dips
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received about the lack of diagnostic treatment facilities in Wales for people fearing the effects of toxic exposure to organophosphorous sheep dips ; and what steps he proposes taking to remedy this problem.
Mr. Redwood : I have not received any representations about the lack of diagnostic treatment facilities in Wales for people fearing the effect of toxic exposure or organophosphorous sheep dips.
Less-favoured Areas
Mr. Jonathan Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment has been made by his Department of the total cumulative reduction in support to cereal growers in less-favoured areas in Wales in the current year following his announcement of such new boundaries for the arable aid scheme on 14 February.
Mr. Redwood : The payment rate in the LFA this year will be the same as last year, subject to any change in the
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green rate by 1 July 1994. Therefore, if the total area on which payments are claimed remains constant the total payments in the LFA will remain the same in 1994 as in 1993.Mr. Jonathan Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many representations his Department received following his original proposal in October 1993 for boundaries in respect of the arable aid scheme in Wales based on local parish boundaries ; and how many were in favour of the non-LFA decision announced by him on 14 February.
Mr. Redwood : Two hundred and ninety-seven. Seven expressed support for an LFA/non-LFA split, although producers were not specifically asked about that possibility. Most sought an England and Wales region which was not possible.
Mr. Jonathan Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment has been made by his Department of the total cumulative reduction in hill livestock compensatory allowance support to livestock producers in the less-favoured areas in Wales in the current year, following this year's cut in hill livestock compensatory allowances.
Mr. Redwood : Based on projected animal numbers eligible for payments and the reductions in individual rates, the reduction in hill livestock compensatory payments for the 1994 scheme year is estimated to be £5.5 million. This will be more than offset by increases in other forms of support.
Dental Services
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of the population of Wales, were registered with dentists for continuing care in (a) 1992 and (b) 1993, in each of the age group : (i) 18 to 64 years, (ii) 65 to 74 years and (iii) 75 years or more.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The information available, which relates to the percentage of the relevant age group registered with an NHS dentist at 30 September, is given in the table.
Percentage registered with a dentist People aged: |1992 |1993 ---------------------------------------------------- 18 to 64 |63 |63 65 to 74 |42 |43 75 and over |30 |30
Consultants
Mr. Llwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each year since 1987 the number of occasions on which management or other consultants have been engaged (a) by his office and (b) by non- departmental public bodies in Wales ; what were the total amounts of authorised payments for those consultants in each year ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood : Details of management consultants engaged by the Welsh Office are as follows :
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|Number of
|occasions|payments
|(£000s)
-----------------------------------------
1987-88 |n/a |345
1988-89 |20 |479
1989-90 |8 |342
1990-91 |24 |229
1991-92 |38 |1,109
1992-93 |74 |1,416
<1>1993-94 |75 |1,238
<1> Year to date.
n/a = not available.
Information for non-departmental public bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Breast Cancer
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to ensure that a programme of research is carried out into the incidence of breast cancer affecting women in the county of Gwynedd.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : The Welsh Office is already aware of the incidence of breast cancer in Gwynedd.
A considerable body of research has been undertaken into the causes of breast cancer. This has revealed a number of factors which are consistently related to the development of breast cancer. It appears that there may be an important genetic component in some cases. Other important risk factors may include early menarche, no pregnancies or a late first pregnancy and late menopause. Dietary habits may also play a part.
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish a list of the number of women suffering from breast cancer in the last year for which figures are available for each of the health authority areas in Wales.
Mr. Gwilym Jones : Estimates of the number of women who currently have breast cancer are not readily available centrally. The numbers of new breast cancer cases registered for Welsh residents in 1988, the latest available year, are given in the table :
Numbers of new registrations of female breast cancer (ICD-9 code 174),
1988
Health authority area of |Number
residence
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Clwyd |314
East Dyfed |185
Pembrokeshire |82
Gwent |273
Gwynedd |172
Mid Glamorgan |302
Powys |60
South Glamorgan |230
West Glamorgan |238
|----
Wales |1,856
Infertility Treatment
Mr. Illsley : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what statistics are available on the provision of infertility treatment in Wales ; and what proposals he has to collect further data.
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Mr. Gwilym Jones : Information on centres and the number of events is collected centrally by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, which is responsible for the licensing of centres. The authority is supported in part from public funds and its information on centres and statistics are available to all. In addition, limited information on in- patient and day case episodes in NHS hospitals is available centrally from the patient episode database for Wales.
NHS Trusts
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairmen of national health service trusts in Wales in relation to (a) contracts of employment for chief executives and (b) conditions in relation to pensions, severance and early retirement on sickness grounds of such executives ; and what guidelines he has issued in relation to the pay and severance terms for such chief executives.
Mr. Gwilym Jones [holding answer 18 February 1994] : My right hon. Friend has not had consultation with national health service trust chairmen on these issues.
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my right hon. Friend on 20 January 1993, Official Report , column 277 , about guidance issued to national health service trust chairmen about the pay of chief executives. General guidance, pertaining to all staff, on the formulation of settlements on termination of employment was issued on 22 December 1993. A copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Prisons (Suicides)
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to his answer of 9 February, Official Report , column 263 , why it is considered that publication of internal prison investigations into suicides might undermine the effectiveness of the reports ; and if he will make a statement.
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