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Transgenic cell and animal models of cerebral amyloide deposition. MRC Environmental Epidemiology UnitSouthampton
Occupation : cancer in pottery workers, slaughtermen, cooks, butchers, and workers exposed to acid mists ; solvents and dementia respiratory disease in radiographers.
Grants--
Dr. K. Breen
Pharmacology, Dundee University
The role of the beta-amyloid precursor protein (beta app) in the mediation of neural cell adhesion.
Professor R. W. Davies
Genetics, Glasgow University
Genes of dopaminergic neurons
Dr. H. Beswick
Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, St. Mary's Hospital Medical School, London
Isolation and sequencing of human disease loci.
Dr. D. J. Bryant
NMR Unit, Royal Postgraduate Medical School, London
Development and application of clinical magnetic resonance spectroscopy to disease of liver, brain and muscle.
Dr. B. L. Butterworth
Psychology, University College London, London
Universal and language-specific properties of reading.
Dr. A. J. Lees
Clinical Neurology, Institute of Neurology, London
A United Kingdom Brain Bank for research on Parkinson's Syndrome and other movement disorders.
Dr. E. T. Rolls
Experimental Psychology, Oxford University
Brain mechanisms of perception, memory and learning.
Breast Cancer
Ms Lynne : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what funds are specifically being allocated to gene therapy and to explore the biochemical pathways in breast cancer.
Mr. Waldegrave : The Medical Research Council's current expenditure on research related to gene therapy for melanoma is £50,000 per annum. The council has very recently awarded support for two new multi- disciplinary teams--one at Birmingham for £2 million and another at the Institute for Cancer Research for £1.1 million--to develop gene therapy for common cancers. Both grants will run for five years. In 1992- 93, the MRC spent £486,000 on projects exploring the biochemical pathways in breast cancer.
The council is always willing to consider soundly based scientific proposals in competition with other applications for research funding.
Ms Lynne : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what funds are being put down for basic laboratory research into breast cancer.
Mr. Waldegrave : In the financial year 1992-93, the Medical Research Council expenditure on breast cancer research was £3.1 million. Included in that figure was £836,000 which was directly related to basic laboratory research into cancer. The council is always willing to consider soundly based scientific proposals in competition with other applications for research funding.
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HOUSE OF COMMONS
Phase 2 (New Parliamentary Building)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Chairman of the Accommodation and Works Committee what is the current situation with regard to the development of the phase 2 new parliamentary building ; what is the programme for demolition of the site ; when the building is expected to be ready for occupation ; and what steps are being taken to keep the House informed about progress on this project.
Mr. Ray Powell : On 2 February, following the Government's agreement that the Jubilee line should proceed, the House handed over to London Underground Ltd. the site on which the phase 2 building is to be constructed. Preliminary work on the site has begun and demolition work in preparation for the construction of the new underground station at Westminster will commence in a few weeks. A legal agreement has been signed between the House and London Underground under the terms of which the site is due to be handed back to the authorities of the House in February 1997 to allow construction of the new building to proceed. Detailed design work is progressing and contracts for the first of the prefabricated sections will be placed later in the year.
The Accommodation and Works Committee is maintaining a close interest in the project and will receive monthly reports on its progress. At the earliest appropriate moment a further report will be made to the House.
Arrangements are being made for an exhibition to be mounted shortly after Easter to advise Members on the work planned for Westminster station and its consequences for the House. In due course a further exhibition on the new parliamentary building will be arranged.
HEALTH
Community Psychiatric Nurses
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list for each district health authority the number of community psychiatric nurses employed in each of the last five years.
Mr. Sackville : The information will be placed in the Library.
Air Toxics Study
Mr. Harvey : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make an assessment of the United States Environmental Protection Agency's "Motor-Vehicle-Related Air Toxics Study", Ann Arbor, 1993.
Mr. Sackville : We are obtaining a copy of this report and will then consider it.
Abandoned Babies
Mrs. Golding : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new -born babies were abandoned by their mothers in the last year that the figures are available.
Mr. Bowis : Information about new-born babies abandoned by their mothers is available in the register of children found abandoned in England and Wales,
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maintained by the Registrar General for birth registration purposes. There were five entries on this register in 1992 and two in 1993.Hartley Hospital, Colne
Mr. Gordon Prentice : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to ascertain whether all the proper procedures were followed by the North Western regional health authority in its disposal of Hartley hospital in Colne.
Mr. Sackville : The North Western regional health authority is responsible for the management of the disposal of Hartley hospital, Colne. From the information available there are no grounds to conclude that there is a need to investigate the actions taken by the RHA.
Appointments
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what information her Department holds or obtains relating to individuals who have been appointed, or may be considered for appointment, to paid or unpaid posts for which a Minister has to approve the person or shortlist for the appointment, in particular relating to active involvement in (a) extreme left-wing organisations, (b) extreme right-wing organisations and (c) involvement in any of the political parties represented in the House of Commons ;
(2) what procedures her Department has to prevent the possible appointment of individuals with extreme political views to posts for which a Minister has to approve the person or shortlist for the appointment.
Mr. Sackville : Information on the political affiliation of candidates for appointment is not readily available centrally. Public appointments are made on the basis of aptitude, merit and suitability.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health to what extent the procedures adopted for the appointment of the new chief executives and general managers for the eight English health regions, coming into effect on 1 April, conformed with the Government Opportunity 2000 programme and procedures and practices on equal opportunities ; and if she will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : The particular circumstances of these appointments meant that the exercise was not run as open recruitment and the field was therefore restricted. As far as it was possible, we used good practice in line with Opportunity 2000 and equal opportunities policies and practices as they apply within the national health service and the Department of Health.
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of public appointments made by her Department in 1993 were of (a) Asians and (b) black people ; and if she will list their names.
Mr. Sackville : In 1993, 4,801 people were serving on Health public bodies. Of these, 2.04 per cent.--98 appointees--were of Asian origin and 0.94 per cent.--45 appointees--were of black origin.
Information about ethnic origin was given in confidence, and it would therefore be inappropriate to publish the names of these appointees.
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Health Authority Staff, Doncaster
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff were employed by the Doncaster health authority in each half year since March 1990 to the latest date figures are available.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information available is shown in the table. These figures exclude staff in trusts in September 1991 and September 1992. By 1992, all direct care staff were employed by the two trusts in Doncaster.
National health service staff in Doncaster DHA area-England -September 1990 to 1992-excluding trusts. Whole-time |1990 |1991 |1992 equivalents -------------------------------------------------------------------------- All direct care staff |3,250 |1,620 |0 All non-direct care staff |1,170 |n/a |n/a Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten. 2. "n/a indicates figures not available. Zero indicates figures less than five.
Children Act 1989
Mr. Wigley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many local authorities in England have (a) appointed project workers to develop services for disabled children, (b) established multi-agency planning structures, (c) established budgets for services to disabled children and for how much, (d) developed home-based short-term care provision and (e) developed residential short-term care provision following the implementation of the Children Act 1989.
Mr. Bowis : Information is not available centrally in the form requested. The 1993 report to Parliament on the operation and achievements of the Children Act will be available shortly and will include a commentary on the services provided by local authorities for children with disabilities.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if guidelines issued by her Department are of uniform status ; and what action is taken to monitor guidelines with particular reference to those issued under the Children Act 1989 regarding the use of corporal punishment by child minders.
Mr. Bowis : The Department's guidance on behaviour and sanctions by child minders if minded children misbehave is contained in volume 2 of the Children Act Guidance and Regulations series entitled "Family Support, Day Care and Educational Provision for Young Children", copies of which are available in the Library. All these volumes were issued under section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970 which requires local authorities in the exercise of their social services functions to act under the general guidance of my right hon. Friend the Secretry of State.
The Department keeps the working of the Children Act under review and issues supplementary guidance when this is appropriate. At present we are studying the recent High Court judgment in the case of Mrs. Davis. This was not critical of the content of the Department's guidance. We will consider if any further clarification is appropriate.
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Oldchurch Accident and Emergency Unit
Mr. Gapes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account was taken in the business plans submitted by (a) Havering hospitals trust and (b) Redbridge healthcare trust of the projected closure of Oldchurch accident and emergency unit ; and if she will place copies of those business plans in the Library.
Dr. Mawhinney : Barking and Havering health authority has undertaken its statutory responsibility to consult on the proposed closure of the accident and emergency department at Oldchurch hospital. A decision will be announced shortly. Business plans are national health service trust internal working documents. Summary business plans of all NHS trusts for 1994-95 will be published no later than May 1994 and can be obtained from individual NHS trusts.
Asthma
Mr. Frank Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to work with her colleagues in the Department for Education to promote good asthma management for children at school.
Mr. Bowis : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave the hon. Member for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn) on 10 March at column 346.
Mr. Frank Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the Government's strategy for research into asthma ; where major funding is being allocated ; and how the allocation of resources is decided.
Mr. Sackville : The main agency through which the Government support biomedical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council, 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 MRC spent £759,000 on research into asthma and a further £757,000 on research which may be relevant to the condition. The Medical Research Council takes account of the Department of Health's priorities for research when allocating resources.
The Department of Health is a founder member of the respiratory research liaison committee, which includes the major organisations with a research interest in respiratory diseases, including asthma. In addition, the national health service research and development strategy determines research priorities on a range of difficult problems of direct relevance to the NHS and work is planned to establish detailed priorities in the field of respiratory diseases across all age groups.
Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what response she intends to make to the findings of a recent study showing that 13.1 per cent. of children suffer from doctor-diagnosed asthma with 2.2 per cent. experiencing more than 12 asthma attacks in the previous year ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : The Department is concerned about the incidence of asthma in children. At our request the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants has set up an expert sub-group to review the evidence linking asthma to air pollution.
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will accept the finding of the recent Audit Commission
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report, "A Prescription for Improvement", on underprescribing for asthmatic patients ; and what steps she is planning to take to ensure asthmatic patients receive the medications they need.Dr. Mawhinney : It is the responsibility of general practitioners to decide the clinical needs of their patients. Since the introduction of chronic disease management programmes for asthma and diabetes in July of last year about 90 per cent. of general practitioners are running programmes for asthmatic patients. The British Thoracic Society's guidelines for the management of asthma are regularly drawn to the attention of all GPs and prescribing of preventtive medicine for asthma has increased sixfold over the last 10 years. Low levels of asthma prophylaxis are brought to the attention of GPs by family health services authority prescribing advisers.
Schizophrenia
Lady Olga Maitland : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from SANE about (a) the difficulty in providing appropriate help for victims of schizophrenia and (b) the victims of schizophrenia being obliged to vacate hospital beds prematurely.
Mr. Bowis : Ministers and officials have been in close touch with SANE to exchange views on a range of issues.
Dentistry
Mr. Davidson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the Association of Denture Prosthesis on the introduction of a Bill on Professions Supplementary to Dentistry ; what plans she has for further discussions ; and if she will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : I met the hon. Member for Southend, East (Sir Teddy Taylor) and representatives of the Association for Denture Prosthesis on 28 February 1994.
Ms Corston : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 17 March, Official Report, column 830, what information her Department has centrally for England and Wales as a whole on the number of dental surgeons (i) providing national health service treatment and (ii) not providing national health service treatment for each of the last five years.
Dr. Mawhinney : The available information is shown in the table. Information is not held on dentists in wholly private practice.
Number of general dental practitioners providing
national health service treatment<1> at 30 September
England and Wales
Year |Number of dentists
|under contract to
|family health
|services
|authorities<2>
---------------------------------------------------------
1989 |16,178
1990 |16,317
1991 |16,287
1992 |16,242
1993 |16,616
<1> National health service dental treatment is also
provided by the community dental service, the hospital
dental service and by salaried dentists.
<2> Includes principals, assistants and vocational
trainees.
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Acute Psychiatric Beds
Lady Olga Maitland : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what sanctions exist when guidelines in respect of the provision of acute psychiatric beds are broken.
Mr. Bowis : It is for health authorities to assess the need for acute psychiatric beds and to contract with providers of mental health services to ensure that sufficient beds are available to meet the needs of their residents.
Chronic Disease Management Programme
Mr. Frank Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will indicate what progress is being made on the chronic disease management programme.
Mr. Sackville : New arrangements for chronic disease management in general practice were introduced on 1 July 1993. The latest available data suggests that almost 90 per cent. of general practitioners have already been approved to run chronic disease management programmes for the treatment of asthma and diabetes. This is an excellent response by general practitioners and their practice teams towards improving the treatment of these conditions.
Accident and Emergency Units
Mr. Gapes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assumptions she makes about the effect on neighbouring units of a closure of an accident and emergency unit ; how that effect is assessed ; and what degree of co-operation is expected from neighbouring units affected by a proposed closure of such a unit.
Mr. Sackville : Local health authorities plan the provision of accident and emergency services, based on existing patterns of treatment and assessments of future need. Closure of an accident and emergency department is only agreed where it can be demonstrated that there will be a net gain in the effectiveness and efficiency in patient services. It is for the appropriate health authority to undertake an assessment of the impact on surrounding hospitals, and to ensure an appropriate level of service. Only where there is no agreement locally should Ministers become involved in planning for local patient services.
Life Expectancy Statistics
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has on (a) the child mortality rates and (b) the average life expectancy for the inhabitants of (i) Manchester, (ii) Birmingham, (iii) Lambeth, (iv) Southwark, (v) Liverpool, (vi) Hackney, (vii) Leeds, (viii) Sheffield, (ix) Haringey, (x) Newham, (xi) Lewisham, (xii) Newcastle upon Tyne, (xiii) Salford, (xiv) South Tyneside, (xv) Coventry, (xvi) Hammersmith and Fulham, (xvii) Bristol and (xviii) Wakefield.
Mr. Sackville : The information on child mortality rates is shown in the table. The data requested on average life expectancy for the selected areas are not collected.
Child mortality rates<1> in England, 1992
Location |Sex |Age group 0-14
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Manchester |Male |115.1
|Female |88.5
Birmingham |Male |94.5
|Female |95.9
Lambeth |Male |93.1
|Female |100.6
Southwark |Male |112.3
|Female |122.8
Hackney |Male |102.3
|Female |73.1
Haringey |Male |119.4
|Female |82.4
Newham |Male |98.9
|Female |69.4
Lewisham |Male |85.1
|Female |97.0
Hammersmith and Fulham |Male |51.2
|Female |85.0
Liverpool |Male |79.0
|Female |47.3
Leeds |Male |69.2
|Female |68.1
Sheffield |Male |86.9
|Female |60.5
Salford |Male |82.0
|Female |59.7
South Tyneside |Male |44.1
|Female |73.3
Coventry |Male |121.1
|Female |53.0
Bristol |Male |88.8
|Female |48.2
Wakefield |Male |78.2
|Female |52.3
Newcastle-upon-Tyne |Male |84.2
|Female |64.6
<1>Rates per 100,000 population.
Hammersmith Hospital
Mr. Robert B. Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the future of the Hammersmith hospital.
Dr. Mawhinney : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Taunton (Mr. Nicholson) on 21 March at columns 68-69.
Tuberculosis
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths from tuberculosis occurred in each of the last five years by region ; and how many new cases of tuberculosis were reported in each region in each of the last five years.
Mr. Sackville : The information will be placed in the Library.
Care Orders
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children between the ages of 16 and 18 years have care orders ; and how many of them are (a) currently with fostering families and (b) in homes.
Mr. Bowis : The latest centrally available information relates to the position at 31 March 1992, when it is estimated that 6,900 children aged 16 or 17 were subject to care orders ; of these 3,100 were placed with foster parents and 900 were resident in community homes.
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Training Costs (Doctors)
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average cost to the national health service of training a doctor.
Dr. Mawhinney : The clinical training of medical students provided within the national health service is supported by the service increment for teaching and research. The amount of SIFTR paid annually in respect of each medical student is £36,292 at 1993-94 prices, for each of three clinical years. However, doctors also spend varying but significant periods in postgraduate training and subsequently throughout their careers in training activities designed to enable them to keep up to date in a rapidly changing clinical environment. It is not possible to quantify the total cost to the NHS of these forms of training.
Vasectomies
Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information and guidance is available to men seeking vasectomies ; what information is given on the failure rate of such operations ; and what are the figures for the failure rate of this procedure.
Mr. Sackville : The handbook of contraceptive practice issued by the Department to all general practitioners and doctors and nurses working in family planning clinics gives advice on counselling for vasectomy, including the need to inform the patient about the possibility of failure. The overall failure rate is less than 0.5 per cent. Copies of the handbook are available in the Library.
Official Entertainment
Mr. Boyes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total cost of official entertainment in her Department in each year since 1990-91 ; if she will list the receptions held in each year at her Department's expense ; and what was the cost of each reception.
Mr. Sackville : Expenditure on hospitality since 1990-91 is shown in the table. A breakdown of past expenditure is not available in the form requested as hospitality expenditure tends to consist of large numbers of small payments--for example, refreshments for meetings of expert advisory committees, working groups etc.--which are summarised, managed and recorded by organisational group ; I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave the hon. Member for Knowsley, South (Mr. O'Hara) on 24 January at columns 109-10 for a breakdown of 1992-93 expenditure by organisational group within the Department.
Year |£ --------------------------------- 1990-91 |158,000 1991-92 |168,151 1992-93 |246,374 1993-94 |<1>223,000 <1>Estimate. Note: Figures have not been adjusted for inflation.
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