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EMPLOYMENT
Earnings Statistics
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will produce a table showing the average gross weekly earnings in each standard region in the United Kingdom.
Miss Widdecombe : Information on the average weekly earnings of employees in the standard regions of England, and in Scotland and Wales, is published in table X5 of part A of the 1993 new earnings survey.
Corresponding information for Northern Ireland can be found in table 4(b) of the 1993 Northern Ireland new earnings survey. Copies of the reports are available in the Library.
Working Single Mothers
Mrs. Golding : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what was the typical take-home pay of a working single mother in a full-time job for the last year for which figures are available.
Miss Widdecombe : Average gross weekly earnings for full-time adult women are estimated to have been £252.60 in April 1993. If both the single person and lone parent tax allowances are applied to this figure it is estimated that the take home pay, after tax and national insurance, would have been £197.87.
Source : New Earnings Survey (Employment Department).
Labour Statistics
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will provide a table showing the 20 highest paid occupations, the 20 lowest paid occupations and the earnings in each category.
Miss Widdecombe : Information showing details of the earnings of employees by occupation is published in tables 8, 9 and X3 of part A of the 1993 new earnings survey. A copy of this is available in the Library.
Unemployment
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment by how much the standardised rate of unemployment in the United Kingdom differs from that in (a) Germany and (b) the United States of America ; and what factors account for the difference.
Miss Widdecombe : The latest standardised rates of unemployment published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development for Germany, where unemployment is rising and for the United States of America and the United Kingdom, where unemployment is falling, are listed in the following table. Differences in unemployment rates are due to many factors and these factors vary in their effect from country to country. As mentioned in my reply to the hon. Member's other question on Japan, one of these factors is the particular point reached in a country's economic cycle.
Standardised rate (seasonally adjusted)
|Per cent.
---------------------------------------------
United Kingdom |<2>9.9
Germany<1> |<3>6.3
United States of America |<2>6.6
<1> There are no standardised rates
available for Unified Germany.
Figures relate to what was the former
Federal Republic of Germany and
will be lower than for the Unified Germany.
<2> January 1994.
<3> December 1993.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what multiple the standardised rate of unemployment in the United Kingdom is of that of Japan ; and what factors account for the extent of the difference.
Miss Widdecombe : The latest figures published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development show that the standardised rate of unemployment in the United Kingdom is about three and one third times greater than in Japan. Among other things, this comparison will be affected by the particular point in the economic cycle reached by each country. It should be noted that the United Kingdom's unemployment rate is falling while Japan's is rising.
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment by how many the number of unemployed has risen since 1990 ; and when he expects the number to fall back to the 1990 level.
Miss Widdecombe : The extent of the available information is given in the following table. It has not been the policy of this or previous Governments to publish forecasts of unemployment, but since the beginning of last year seasonally adjusted claimant unemployment has fallen by 205,000. Since winter 1992-93 there has also been a fall in ILO unemployment. This fall has been reflected in the labour force survey from winter 1992-93 to summer.
Seasonally adjusted unemployment levels
(000s)
|1990 |Latest |Change
|date |in level
----------------------------------------------------------------------
United Kingdom claimant
unemployment |<2>1,624|<4>2,788|1,164
Great Britain ILO unemployment<1> |<3>1,871|<5>2,865|994
<1>From the ED LFS-Standardised unemployment levels according to
ILO definitions.
<2>January.
<3>Spring.
<4>January 1994.
<5>Summer 1993.
Labour Statistics (Lewisham)
Mrs. Bridget Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many persons in receipt of unemployment benefit within (a) the parliamentary constituency of Lewisham, East and (b) the borough of Lewisham have been unemployed for (i) more than six months, (ii) more than 12 months and (iii) more than two years ; and what are the comparable figures for (1) men and (2) women for each month since February 1992.
Miss Widdecombe : A count of the numbers of people claiming unemployment-related benefits, by duration, is available on the unadjusted basis only. Information for the months of January, April, July and October can be obtained from the NOMIS database in the Library.
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Astra Training
Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what arrangements were made for the existing Government employees to be compensated for their accrued service when Astra Training was floated as a private concern.
Miss Widdecombe : At the time of the Skills Training Agency privatisation in 1990, Ministers were concerned to ensure that proper arrangements were made to preserve staffs' terms and conditions of employment when they moved to the private sector. The provisions of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations were applied in full so as to ensure continuity of terms and conditions at the time of sale. As the regulations do not cover the transfer of pension rights--which, for civil servants, includes redundancy rights--separate arrangements were made for these. All purchasers of skillcentres, including Astra, were bound by the terms of sale to make pension provision broadly comparable to that applicable to the civil servants transferred to them. The terms of sale also provided that the staff would take with them a contractual right to redundancy compensation at civil service levels. Individual staff had a choice about how to deal with the pension entitlement they had earned as civil servants. They could leave their entitlement in the civil service scheme, to be drawn when they reached the normal retirement age ; or they could opt to transfer the value of the pension earned in the civil service either to Astra's own pension scheme or to a personal pension scheme approved by the Inland Revenue. I understand that the vast majority of Astra staff chose the first option.
HEALTH
NHS Administration
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proportion of total NHS expenditure has been spent on the employment of managers, advisers, administrators and clerical staff within the whole of the NHS in each of the last three years for which figures are available ;
(2) what was the cost of employing managers, advisers, administrators and clerical staff in NHS hospitals in each of the last three years for which figures are available ;
(3) what was the total cost of employing managers, advisers, administrators and clerical staff by (a) the regional health authorities, (b) the district health authorities and (c) the family health service authorities in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information available is shown in the tables. The figures need to be treated with caution. The number of managers has been deliberately increased since the mid-1980s--not just since the reforms --because the service was previously undermanaged. Much of the increase arises from the reclassification of existing staff, including many senior nurses, as managers. General and senior managers account for only 2 per cent. of the total national health service work force in England and 3 per cent. of the total NHS expenditure on salaries and wages. The number of administrative and clerical staff in clinically related posts has increased over the last few years in order to free clinical staff to concentrate their skills and experience on direct patient care.
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Table 1: Proportion of total hospital and community health services expenditure on general and senior managers, G and SM, and administrative and clerical, A and C, staff Year |1990-91 |1991-92 |<1>1992-93 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Total Revenue Expenditure £000s |14,709,704|19,733,405|20,756,848 G and SM Salaries £000s |251,474 |383,837 |494,111 G and SM Salaries as Percentage Proportion of Total |1.7 |1.9 |2.4 A and C Salaries and Wages £000s |1,187,029 |1,383,434 |1,499,557 A and C Salaries and Wages as Percentage Proportion of Total |8.1 |7.0 |7.2 <1>Provisional.
H
Table 2: Expenditure on general and senior managers
£000s
|1990-91 |1991-92 |<1>1992-93
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Regional Health Authorities 24,142 46,922 59,106
District Health Authorities |223,221 |277,179 |286,487
SHAs |4,111 |5,440 |7,933
|------- |------- |-------
Total |251,474 |329,541 |353,526
<1>Provisional.
Table 3: Expenditure on administrative and clerical staff
|1990-91 |1991-92 |<1>1992-93
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Regional Health Authorities 122,372 131,276 109,104
District Health Authorities |1,042,144 |1,056,824 |903,911
SHAs |22,513 |26,757 |29,805
|------- |------- |-------
Total |1,187,029 |1,214,857 |1,042,820
<1>Provisional.
Notes:
1. Total revenue expenditure is of health authorities and trusts
including hospital, community health, patient transport, blood
transfusion
and other services.
2. Salaries and wages costs are the gross pay costs of directly
employed staff including employers' national insurance and superannua-
tion contributions.
3. Accounts and financial returns of family health services authorities
do not contain any breakdown of expenditure between staff groups.
4. Salaries and wages costs for general and senior managers in trusts
were £54.3 million in 1991-92 and £140.6 million in 1992-93.
5. Salaries and wages costs for administrative and clerical staff in
trusts were £168.6 million in 1991-92 and £456.7 million in 1992-93.
Source: Annual accounts-1990-91-and annual financial returns-1991-92
and 1992-93-of regional and district health authorities, NHS trusts and
special health authorities in England.
Health Service Staff Cars
Mrs. Bridget Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list for each year from 1990 the expenditure on staff cars for each (a) health authority and (b) NHS trust in England and Wales.
Dr. Mawhinney : Figures for expenditure on staff cars by regional, district and special health authorities and trusts in England are available only for 1991-92 and 1992-93. These are shown in tables which will be placed in the Library. Lease cars may be allocated to employees who have to travel regularly on national health service business where it is deemed to be in the interest of the service. Under these arrangements, the employee contributes towards lease costs according to the amount of private mileage done. A large proportion of the staff cars are used by midwives, community nurses, health visitors, doctors
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and other health professionals working in the community. This partly reflects the move away from hospital-based care as part of the care in the community programme.There are no separate data available centrally on "pool cars" which are available for business use but are parked overnight on the employer's premises.
Information relating to Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
NHS Trusts
Mr. Patchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the reserve powers she has to intervene in national health service trusts ; and when and how often she has used each power.
Dr. Mawhinney : The powers of my right hon. Friend Secretary of State to make directions to national health service trusts are laid down in the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990, schedule 2, paragraphs 6(1) and 6(2) and section 98(2) of the National Health Service Act 1977, as amended by the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990. These powers have been invoked as listed. Copies of the directions will be placed in the Library. Directions to NHS Trusts
March 1991--Appointments of Consultant Medical and Dental Staff to NHS Trusts
August 1991--Appointment of Speech Therapists
November 1991--NHS Treatment of Overseas Visitors
March 1992--Production of Accounts
March 1993--Income Generation--Hospital and NHS Pharmacy Contracts May 1993 --Appointments of the Professions Supplementary to Medicine to NHS Trusts
May 1993--Hospital Complaints Procedure Act 1985-- Procedures to be operated in respect of complaints by hospital patients.
Psoriasis
Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has about new developments and research into causes and treatment of psoriasis ; what is her estimate of the effect of these developments of the introduction of a limited list for treatment of this skin condition ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Bowis : Current research is concerned with the immunology of psoriasis and the study of various immunological mediators and receptors. Research into treatment includes the possible use of genetically engineered antibodies to these mediators.
The selected list scheme will not discourage the development of new medicines. The Advisory Committee on National Health Service drugs will not reject drugs which offer a therapeutic benefit and meet a real clinical need.
Care Staff (Training)
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is taking to ensure that care staff responsible for assisting people with learning difficulties, who may also have behavioural problems, receive appropriate training.
Mr. Bowis : The Department awarded grants totalling over £170,000 in 1992-93 to 1994-95 for projects to develop training courses and appropriate training materials
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for staff working with people with learning difficulties who also have behavioural problems. The Department's advisory group on behavioural disturbance and mental health services developments for people with learning disabilities will also be considering what, if anything, further needs to be done to ensure staff receive appropriate training.Hammersmith Hospital
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement concerning the future of Hammersmith hospital.
Dr. Mawhinney : I refer the hon. Member to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State's announcement on 10 February, Official Report, columns 458-72.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations she has received concerning the future of Hammersmith hospital.
Dr. Mawhinney : By 28 February 1994, the Department had received 91 inquiries about the future of the Hammersmith hospital.
Limb Defects
Mr. Mandelson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what work the Medical Research Council is undertaking into the clusters of babies born with limb defects as described in the Department's press release of 11 February ; which local health authorities are undertaking investigations of their own ; and when she expects the results of these inquiries.
Mr. Sackville : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 28 January, Official Report, column 418.
In response to some reports of unusual occurrences in babies born with limb defects, local investigations and detailed case determination are taking place in the Northern regional health authority area ; the Isle of Wight ; Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly ; and in Hastings. The results of these investigations should be known in a matter of weeks.
In addition, progress is being made on the initial analysis by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys of limb reduction defects to scrutinise the geographical pattern. To provide further, more detailed, information on the national perspective, I have asked the expert steering group of the small area health statistics unit--SAHSU--to examine the feasibility of a SAHSU study to look in more detail at the geographical distribution of limb reduction defects and to report as soon as possible.
Mr. Mandelson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will reply to the hon. Member for Hartlepool's letter to her of 3 February, concerning clusters of babies born with limb defects.
Mr. Sackville : I replied to the hon. Member's letter today.
Physiotherapy Merseyside
Mr. Miller : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to intervene in respect of the proposed cuts in in-patient and out- patient physiotherapy services in (a) Countess of Chester hospital and (b) elsewhere in the Mersey region.
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Mr. Sackville : None. It is for health authorities to ensure that a comprehensive range of health services is available for their residents, within available resources. The hon. Member may wish to contact Sir Donald Wilson, chairman of Mersey regional health authority, for information on the plans for physiotherapy services within the region.
Pathology
Mr. Enright : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many fundholding practices in the most convenient area including Hemsworth constituency are analysing their own pathology specimens ; (2) what was the cost of each pathology analyser in practices in Wakefield ;
(3) how many specimens have been tested by each pathology analyser in Wakefield in each month since its installation ;
(4) what is the normal throughput of specimens per pathology analyser in hospitals.
Mr. Sackville : This is a local matter. The hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman of the local health authority and family health services authority, Mr. Brian Hayward and Mr. David Travis respectively, for details. Information on the normal throughput of specimens per pathology analyser in hospitals is not available centrally.
Health Education Authority
Mr. Gill : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money the Health Education Authority receives from the Exchequer.
Mr. Sackville : The Health Education Authority's total allocation in the financial year 1993-94 was £36.184 million of which £3 million was in respect of value added tax refunds and income generated by the authority.
Sellafield
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evaluation her Department has made of the health effects of reprocessing, other than of radioactive material, at Sellafield.
Mr. Sackville : The health effects of reprocessing at the Sellafield site are a matter for the Health and Safety Executive, or where effects might extend beyond the site boundary, for Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution. The Committee on Mutagenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment has advised on the mutagenicity of chemicals used at the British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. Sellafield site in 1991 and its advice is published in its annual report for 1991, copies of which are in the Library.
Sheffield (Sale of Trust Land)
Mrs. Helen Jackson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she has taken to comply with requirements of the NHS Acts with regard to the sale of trust land in the Sheffield health authority area.
Mr. Sackville : The sale of national health service land is a matter for the health authority or NHS trust concerned.
Column 682
Ovarian Cancer
Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will provide funds for research into ovarian cancer.
Dr. Mawhinney : The main agency through which the Government support biomedical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council, MRC, which receives its grant in aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. In 1992-93, the latest year for which figures are available, the MRC spent £318,000 on research directly into ovarian cancer. This figure would rise considerably if a proportion of the council's spend on metabolism, molecular structure, genes and chromosomes, the immune system and other areas of basic medical research, that may yield results relevant to cancer, were included.
Maternity Wards (Nappies)
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the extent of the practice whereby pregnant women about to enter NHS maternity wards are asked by hospital staff to bring a supply of nappies with them.
Renal Dialysis
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what resources remain to the end of the financial year for accommodating patients requiring renal dialysis in the Sheffield health authority area.
Mr. Sackville : This is a matter for Trent regional health authority. The hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman, Sir Michael Carlisle, for details.
Disabled People (HIV)
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her assessment of the availability of HIV prevention initiatives for (a) people with physical disabilities and (b) people with mental disabilities ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : Since the beginning of the HIV public education campaign, initiatives have been taken to devise and sponsor educational material for groups not effectively reached by the national campaign, including those with physical impairment or learning difficulties. There is a considerable range of material available to meet different needs produced by the Health Education Authority and specialist voluntary organisations. Health and local authorities are specifically encouraged to assess the needs of their local communities for sexual health education and develop targeted projects. The guidance for the 1994-95 AIDS support grant, LAC(94)3, and the healthy alliances scheme both emphasise the importance of work for people with disabilities of any sort. Copies of the guidance are available in the Library.
Embryos
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the correspondence between herself and the hon. Member for Houghton and Washington regarding embryos two or three years ago ; and if she will make a statement regarding the situation at the Cromwell hospital, Tyne and Wear about the selling of eggs for cash.
Column 683
Mr. Sackville : Copies of the correspondence between departmental Ministers and the hon. Member for Houghton and Washington over the past two years will be placed in the Library.
HIV/AIDS
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what action is taken by her Department when reports under the AIDS (Control) Act 1987 reports reveal a consistent lack of activity in any of the target audiences for HIV prevention ;
(2) what use is routinely made of information collected through reports under the AIDS (Control) Act 1987.
Mr. Sackville : The AIDS (Control) Act reports serve a useful function in indicating trends in the spread of infection, the development of services and resources employed locally. The information collected assists in establishing whether policy priorities are being addressed. Reports are scrutinised by the Department and if gaps are revealed in any area of activity, this information together with any available research findings is used to inform the guidance issued annually to health authorities on future purchasing plans. Copies of the latest guidance, EL(94)19, are available in the Library.
Health Services (Relocation)
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been issued by her Department to health authorities regarding the appropriate relocation of services which it has been decided should be moved from the purchaser to the provider level ; and if she will make a statement.
Hospitals (Video Surveillance)
Mr. Morgan : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals she has to issue guidelines formally on the use of covert video surveillance in hospital settings in suspected cases of (a) intentional suffocation by parent of baby or child, (b) Munchhausen's syndrome by proxy and (c) non-accidental injury ; what consultations she has had with (i) the Association of Directors of Social Services, (ii) the National Association of Health Authorities and Trusts and (iii) the Royal College of Paediatricians on this procedure and protocols relating to its use.
Mr. Bowis : There are currently no proposals for the Department to consult professional organisations formally or to issue guidelines on the use of covert video surveillance in hospitals for the investigation of suspicions of abuse of children. The Department has recently commended to the chairmen of all area child protection committees the high level of inter-agency collaboration demonstrated by Staffordshire child protection committee in the production of a joint working protocol on covert video surveillance in hospital.
Complaints System
Mrs. Ray Michie : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the response she has received following consultation by the Wilson committee on the review of the national health service complaints system ; when she expects the committee to report ; and if she will make a statement.
Column 684
Dr. Mawhinney : Professor Wilson's review committee invited evidence from interested organisations and individuals last August. We understand that about 250 submissions of evidence were received by the review committee.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State expects to receive the review committee's report shortly. We will carefully consider its conclusions.
Tobacco Advertising
Mr. Barron : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to meet representatives of the tobacco industry to discuss the strengthening of the voluntary agreement on tobacco advertising ; and if she will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : Department of Health officials met representatives of the Tobacco Manufacturers Association to discuss the strengthening of the voluntary agreement on tobacco products' advertising and promotion and health warnings on 23 February.
Smoking
Mr. Barron : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money is spent by Government on programmes to reduce smoking by children under 16 years of age.
Dr. Mawhinney : In 1993-94, £2,650,000 was allocated to the Health Education Authority's teenage smoking programme.
Additionally, adult anti-smoking programmes and life style programmes such as "Look After Your Heart" contain material designed to encourage parents to set a good example.
Schools are required to provide education about the dangers of smoking. They allocate resources accordingly from the funding devolved to them. Expenditure on health education programmes in schools and on local authority enforcement of the Children and Young Persons (Protection from Tobacco) Act 1991 is not available centrally.
Under the current general practitioner contract arrangements many health professionals are working towards "The Health of the Nation" target for teenage smoking. No separate details of costs are available.
Year of Older People
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about those aims and objectives of the European year of older people which have been taken forward beyond the end of 1993.
Mr. Bowis : We are continuing to pursue policies designed to promote the health and well-being of older people and to encourage their full participation in society. This is in line with the aims and objectives of the year.
An evaluation exercise has recently commenced, which will help to identify the key achievements of the year and its implications for future work.
Public Appointments
Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list those responsible for making appointments of (a) chairs and (b) members of the boards to each of the national health service bodies, as listed in "Public Bodies 1993".
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