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Column 829
Number of dentists who have deregistered patients and number of patients deregistered 3 July to 4 March 1994, by
regional health authority area
Region |Number of dentists |Number of adult |Number of dentists |Number of child
|deregistering adult|patients |deregistering child|patients
|deregistered |deregistered
|patients<1> |patients<1>
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |51 |19,519 |14 |256
Yorkshire |218 |31,476 |27 |276
Trent |153 |38,658 |19 |48
East Anglia |113 |41,235 |9 |114
North West Thames |101 |17,057 |6 |65
North East Thames |119 |22,872 |15 |126
South East Thames |444 |87,433 |28 |316
South West Thames |139 |67,454 |1 |4
Wessex |120 |62,226 |1 |2
Oxford |220 |74,036 |4 |30
South Western |331 |113,584 |33 |441
West Midlands |121 |28,477 |13 |57
Mersey |106 |8,071 |6 |19
North Western |254 |30,962 |78 |214
<1> Some dentists may have deregistered both adult and child patients.
Patient Charges
Mr. Clapham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total amount of revenue raised annually from charges to patients within the NHS.
Mr. Sackville : The total amount of revenue raised in England in 1992-93 from charges to patients within the national health service was £844,166,453. This figure covers the whole range of charges which may be made to patients by NHS bodies and includes ; prescription charges ; dental charges ; the sale of dried baby milk under the welfare food scheme ; and charges to patients in both NHS trust hospitals and directly managed units, including private patients in NHS hospitals.
Limb Defects
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions her Department has held with the Trent regional health authority and Doncaster health authority concerning the incidence of upper limb defects in children within the Trent regional health authority and Doncaster health authority areas.
Mr. Sackville : None. I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Hartlepool (Mr. Mandelson) on 1 March at column 678.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what contacts have taken place during investigations of limb defects in the area of the Trent regional health authority and Doncaster health authority between the authorities and the British Medical Association and other organisations ;
ich agencies in the Trent regional health authority are charged with monitoring the incidence of limb defects in children born withithe health authority's area. Mr. Sackville : These are matters for the Trent regional health authority. The hon. Member may wish to contact Sir Michael Carlisle, the chairman, for details.
NHS Numbers
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how copyright can be used to protect the NHS number ; and whether copyright would prevent the NHS number from being used by other Government Departments, the police or security services.
Mr. Sackville : Copyright infringement, of the use of the national health service number system outside of the NHS, will be taken up by the Controller Her Majesty's Stationery Office, by way of injunction and damages.
Column 832
Copyright does not cover the use of the NHS number by other Government Departments. However, there is no intention to use the NHS number for anything other than NHS purposes.Doncaster Family Health Services Authority
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the amount, recipient and date of all grants made by Doncaster family health services authority by year since 1990-91.
Mr. Sackville : The information in the annual accounts of Doncaster family health services authority is shown in the table.
Year |Grants to |Practice |Practice
|General |Teams and |Teams and
|Medical |Premises- |Premises-
|Service |Improvements|Improvements
|Trainers |REVENUE |CAPITAL
|£ |£ |£
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1990-91 |38,498 |-<1> |<1>2,491
1991-92 |42,399 |13,886 |76,444
1992-93 |27,472 |50,130 |100,514
Notes to table:
1. <1>In 1990-91 the expenditure was reported on a different
basis to that in subsequent years i.e. as "Improvement Grants",
not analysed between revenue and capital.
2. 1992-93 figures are subject to National Audit Office
approval.
Source:
Doncaster Family Health Services Authority's annual accounts.
Complaints
Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if all health authorities and NHS hospitals have yet published details of both the number of complaints received and how long it has taken to deal with them ; and what progress has been made in centrally collecting and publishing this information.
Dr. Mawhinney : All district health authorities have published annual reports on patients charter performance, including data on the right to complain. This means that information is available locally on the handling of complaints. We will be reviewing the information we collect on complaints and publish centrally, in the light of recommendations of Professor Wilson's independent review committee on national health service complaints procedures, and those made by the Select Committee on the Parliamentary Commissioner for
Administration.
Column 833
International Year of the Family
Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government have to review their plans and policies for supporting family life in the international year of the family.
Mr. Bowis : The Government recognise the importance of the family as providing the essential environment for bringing up children and we give every priority and encouragement to the family in the development of policies. It seeks to ensure that all policies take account of their impact on families.
Government policy seeks to enable families to be self-supporting. The role of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health will be to explain how the Government's policy initiatives affect the family.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Security will continue to handle the day-to-day co-ordination of the Government's contribution to the United Nations International Year of the Family.
Marriages
Mr. Amess : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) 16 -year-old, (b) 17-year-old and (c) 18-year-old people got married in each of the last three years.
Mr. Sackville : The available information is shown in the table. The numbers of men and women who married at ages 16, 17 and 18 during the last three years for which the information is available are :
England and Wales
Year of marriage
Age |1989 |1990 |1991
------------------------------
Men
16 |46 |50 |35
17 |357 |259 |203
18 |1,974|1,598|1,258
Women
16 |814 |647 |516
17 |2,549|2,028|1,723
18 |8,657|6,934|5,724
Source: Marriage and divorce
statistics, England and Wales,
Series FM2, Office of
Population Censuses and
Surveys, HMSO.
GPs (Practice Administration)
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hours weekly on average were spent by general practitioners on practice administration in (a) 1985-86, (b) 1989-90 and 1993-94.
Dr. Mawhinney : In the 1985-86 and 1989-90 surveys of general practitioners' workload, the reported average weekly time spent on practice administration associated with the provision of general medical services was 1.78 hours and 2.48 hours respectively. A further such survey ran for a year from November 1992 ; interim results, based on the first seven months' data, give a reported average of 3.53 hours a week.
Column 834
Health Promotion Clinics
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she will make a statement on the value of health promotion clinics in general practice.
Dr. Mawhinney : New arrangements for health promotion in general practice, based on modern authorative medical opinion and in line with "The Health of the Nation" strategy, were introduced on 1 July 1993. Practice- based health promotion programmes play an important part in helping people to improve their health.
NHS Drugs
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much profit in the last year was made from the prescription of drugs and other items which cost the NHS less than £4.75.
Dr. Mawhinney : The concept of "profit" has no meaning when applied to prescription charges.
GP Fundholders
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 10 February, Official Report, column 346, on general practitioner fundholders preparatory allowances, what information she has received from regional health authorities in relation to the number of general practitioners who have received the preparatory management allowance in two or more years running.
Dr. Mawhinney : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave her on 10 February at column 419.
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her policy in respect of general practitioner fundholders both prescribing and dispensing drugs ; what proposals she has to change this policy ; and if she will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : In areas where patients do not have convenient access to a community pharmacy, dispensing by general
practitioners--whether they are fundholders or
non-fundholders--provides an important service. There are no plans to change this policy.
Psychiatric Beds
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give the total number of psychiatric beds in each year since 1979.
Mr. Bowis : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave her on 16 February at column. 860 .
Open Government
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what will be the implications for the operation of her Department of the code of practice on open government.
Mr. Sackville : The code of practice will reinforce and build on my Department's existing arrangements for the provision of information. Operational details are being finalised and will be available in due course.
Column 835
Sex Education
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recommendations she has made to the Secretary of State for Education in relation to sex education in the school curriculum.
Mr. Sackville : The content of the curriculum, including sex education provision in schools, is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education.
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education about sex education in schools.
Mr. Sackville : Ministers in both Departments are in regular touch on a number of issues including sex education.
Orthodontic Treatment
Mrs. Ann Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the current waiting lists for all types of orthodontic treatment for children in Huddersfield and Dewsbury.
Dr. Mawhinney : Information on waiting times for in-patient and day case treatment by specialty for district health authorities and trusts is given in "Hospital Waiting List Statistics : England". The latest published figures are for September 1993 and copies are available in the Library. Although information is available on waiting times for various paediatric specialties, orthodontic treatment for children is not separately listed.
Electricity Pylons
Mr. Alex Carlile : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the policy which allows electricity pylons to be sited near homes ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : Advice to Government, including both this Department and the Department of Trade and Industry, about radiation matters is provided by the National Radiological Protection Board. New electric lines above ground, with the exception of connections to individual customers and certain very minor developments, require the consent of my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade who may also grant deemed planning permission.
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 21 February at columns 40-41 concerning the question of any health risk.
Private Medical Services
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place a copy of her Department's written evidence to the Monopolies and Mergers Commission on private medical services in the Library.
Mr. Sackville : The Department's evidence is summarised in paragraphs 10.2 to 10.9 of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission's report on private medical services, a copy of which is available in the Library.
Column 836
NHS Patients (Private Treatment)
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines she has issued regarding the offer by NHS staff employed by trusts of private treatment to NHS patients in hospital accident and emergency departments ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : None. We are not aware of any such offer. The national health service will remain available to all on the basis of clinical need, not the ability to pay.
NHS Consultants
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS consultants, by specialty, undertaking work in the private sector have failed to meet fully their contractual obligations to the NHS for each of the last five years.
Dr. Mawhinney : National health service employers are responsible for satisfying themselves that consultants are fulfilling their contractual obligations. The information requested is not available centrally.
Hospital Beds, London
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what number of hospital beds she now determines are required in the capital so that London has the appropriate number of beds.
Dr. Mawhinney : It is for hospitals themselves to determine the number of beds required locally taking account of the requirements of local health authorities and general practitioner fundholders.
Private Hotels
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has issued to regional health authorities, district health authorities, family health services authorities and trusts on the use of private hotels.
Dr. Mawhinney : None. National health service bodies are expected to apply value-for-money judgments on the use of such facilities.
Morning-after Pill
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions her Department had on making the morning-after pill available on request from a pharmacist.
Mr. Sackville : Any change to the legal classification of such medicines to allow them to be supplied by pharmacists without prescription would be subject to statutory consultation with all interested organisations.
Dental Services
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental patients have been deregistered in each family health service authority since July 1992.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information is shown in the table. Since July 1992 there has been a net increase of over 600,000 patients registered with 264 dentists in contract with family health services authorities.
Column 837
Number of dental patients deregistered, from 3 July 1992 to
11 March
1994, by Family Health Service Authority
England
FHSA |Number of
|patients
|deregistered
--------------------------------------------------------------
All FHSAs |647,593
Cleveland |2,636
Cumbria |13,403
Durham |347
Northumberland |2,665
Gateshead |725
Newcastle-upon-Tyne |-
North Tyneside |3
South Tyneside |16
Sunderland |-
Humberside |10,949
North Yorkshire |9,710
Bradford |-
Calderdale |876
Kirklees |691
Leeds |8,790
Wakefield |936
Derbyshire |19,235
Leicestershire |13,161
Lincolnshire |-
Nottinghamshire |4,853
Barnsley |-
Doncaster |23
Rotherham |394
Sheffield |1,492
Cambridgeshire |5,264
Norfolk |29,038
Suffolk |7,187
Bedfordshire |1,317
Hertfordshire |7,113
Barnet |4,871
Brent and Harrow |1,551
Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow |35
Hillingdon |-
Kensington, Westminster and Chelsea |2,288
Essex |14,947
Barking and Havering |3,858
Camden and Islington |313
City and East London |751
Enfield and Haringey |981
Redbridge and Waltham Forest |2,214
East Sussex |15,304
Kent |54,585
Greenwich and Bexley |4,392
Bromley |13,206
Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham |446
Surrey |27,404
West Sussex |35,481
Croydon |1,945
Kingston and Richmond |1,016
Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth |1,756
Dorset |22,886
Hampshire |24,365
Wiltshire |11,525
Isle of Wight |3,634
Berkshire |26,057
Buckinghamshire |18,818
Northamptonshire |3,124
Oxfordshire |26,240
Avon |15,478
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly |14,729
Devon |27,721
Gloucestershire |52,618
Somerset |4,042
Hereford and Worcester |4,181
Shropshire |684
Staffordshire |7,801
Warwickshire |9,676
Birmingham |2,268
Coventry |1,598
Dudley |-
Sandwell |-
Solihull |2,507
Walsall |-
Wolverhampton |-
Cheshire |6,474
Liverpool |430
St. Helens and Knowsley |19
Sefton |590
Wirral |604
Lancashire |25,440
Bolton |632
Bury |675
Manchester |298
Oldham |-
Rochdale |1,904
Salford |151
Stockport |1,279
Tameside |742
Trafford |245
Wigan |-
Civil Servants
Mrs. Clwyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list for each civil service grade in her Department (a) the total number of persons employed and (b) the percentage of this figure that are women.
Mr. Sackville : The information shows the position on 14 March 1994 :
Total number of staff employed in the Department of Health
Grade (including |Total
grade equivalents) |(percentage)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
UG1 |3 |0
UG2 |8 |0
UG3 |25 |18
UG4 |28 |39
UG5 |204 |38
UG6 |136 |32
UG7 |575 |26
SEO |402 |29
HEO |724 |45
EO |972 |58
AO |1,333 |74
AA |529 |57
Others<1> |166 |42
|--- |--
Total |5,110 |52
<1> There are a number of grades, mainly on Youth Treatment Service, which
do not easily equate to Unified Grades.
Note: Casual staff have been excluded, as have staff on loan to other
government departments, on maternity leave of more than three months, and
on unpaid career breaks/study leave.
Private Medical Services
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings she has held over the past year with representatives of private medical service providers ; and if she will give details of the identity of participants and the nature of the discussions.
Mr. Sackville : One, with the Independent Healthcare Association, where I met the chairman, chief executive and two board members at their request, at which they expressed their views on a number of issues.
Column 839
NHS Trusts (Amenity Beds)
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether charges levied by NHS trusts for amenity beds include a notional amount to cover, when appropriate, the additional cost of providing a better menu and exclusive use of television, telephone or bathroom.
Mr. Sackville : The charge levied by national health service trusts for amenity beds should cover all appropriate additional costs of facilities provided.
Health Benefits Scheme
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the review of the health benefits scheme including the availability of free prescriptions is now completed.
Dr. Mawhinney : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Harborough (Mr. Garnier) on 15 February at column 669.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Fine Defaulters
8. Mr. William Ross : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many male persons were committed to prison in Northern Ireland for defaulting on a fine in the last year for which figures are available ; and what percentage of the total number of male persons committed to prison this represents.
Sir John Wheeler : In 1992, the latest year for which figures are available, 1,671 male persons were received into prison in Northern Ireland for fine default, comprising 34 per cent. of all males received into prison in that year. However, since fine defaulters spend, on average, a much shorter time in prison than other categories of prisoner, they accounted for only 2 per cent. of the average daily population. Approximately one third of those received pay the outstanding fine in whole or in part at the time of reception or shortly afterwards.
Medical Consultants
9. Mr. Shersby : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to improve consultancy cover in the medical specialties to the level recommended by the Northern Ireland Department of Health and Social Services.
Mr. Ancram : Additional consultant posts have been created and further posts will be established in the coming year through the Department's initiative on junior doctors hours. Consultant numbers will also increase as a result of the implementation of the Calman report, and rationalisation of acute hospital services should result in improved consultant cover in all specialties.
Draft Children Order
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects to publish the revised draft Children Order.
Mr. Ancram : I do not wish to prejudice the consideration which my noble Friend will be giving to the
Column 840
comments made during the consultation period and in the recent debate in the Northern Ireland Committee. However we hope to have the order laid before the House rises for the summer recess.Cross-border Security
11. Mr. Robathan : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what further progress has been made with the Government of the Irish Republic about cross-border security co-operation.
17. Lady Olga Maitland : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on cross-border security.
Sir John Wheeler : The Irish security forces have continued to achieve very positive results against the terrorists, including for example the interception of a primed Mk 15 mortar in Donegal two weeks ago. As the Chief Constable of the RUC made clear yesterday, practical co-operation is at an all-time high and both the British and Irish Governments remain committed to working closely together to maintain and enhance that co- operation.
Political Talks
12. Ms Short : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his most recent discussions with representatives of the political parties in Northern Ireland and the Government of the Republic of Ireland.
13. Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has for re-starting talks to determine new political structures for Northern Ireland.
16. Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress he is making in convening talks between the political parties in Northern Ireland.
27. Mr. Corbett : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the talks he has had with the parties in Northern Ireland and the Irish Government relating to Northern Ireland.
Sir Patrick Mayhew : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Glasgow, Rutherglen (Mr. McAvoy) earlier today.
Mr. Barnes : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the basis of the talks between the Northern Ireland political parties and with the Government of the Republic of Ireland.
Sir Patrick Mayhew [holding answer 16 March 1994] : The Government's bilateral discussions with three of the Northern Ireland constitutional political parties and their dialogue with the Irish Government, are taking place in accordance with the statement of 26 March 1991 and upon the platform represented by the joint declaration issued on 15 December 1993.
Prospects For Industry
14. Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has received about future prospects for industry in Northern Ireland.
Column 841
Mr. Tim Smith : I have received a number of representations about future prospects for industry in Northern Ireland. The number of people employed now stands at 551,200. This is a new record for the Province. Together with recent good news about inward investment, it confirms the excellent prospects for industry in Northern Ireland.
Joint Declaration
15. Mr. Winnick : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the latest position relating to the joint declaration.
Sir Patrick Mayhew : I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Colne Valley (Mr. Riddick) earlier today.
Security Situation
18. Mr. Spring : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is his assessment of the current security situation in the Province.
22. Mr. Cyril D. Townsend : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on security in Northern Ireland.
Sir John Wheeler : The level of threat from terrorists remains high, but the security forces have been conspicuously successful in preventing attacks and apprehending suspects. Over the last month there have been over 170 arrests of suspected terrorists, 42 people have been charged with scheduled offences, and 16 weapons and 1,075 lb of explosives have been recovered.
Community Care
19. Mr. Wicks : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on community care policy.
Mr. Ancram : The community care reforms introduced in Northern Ireland on 1 April 1993 were first promulgated in the Department's 1990 policy document "People First", which is the equivalent of "Caring for People". These new arrangements for the provision of community care services by health and social services boards are intended to ensure that, as far as possible, people are cared for and supported in community-based settings rather than hospital.
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