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Health Survey
Mr. Frank Field : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what instructions she gave when commissioning the 1992 health survey for England from the social surveys division of the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys ; on the inclusion or exclusion of income and class in its analysis.
Mr. Sackville : In the report of the 1992 "Health Survey for England," copies of which are available in the Library, social class as well as other socio-economic indicators such as economic activity or employment status, housing tenure, marital status, ethnic group and household type is discussed in the text where significant findings have emerged. Data on income are not collected in the health survey. The information collected has to be limited because of the need to keep interviews to a reasonable length, concentrating on the main purpose for which the survey was set up.
A full data set for the 1992 survey for general access will be lodged with the Economic and Social Research Centre archive in due course.
Hip Replacement
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) hip replacement operations and (b) revision hip replacement operations have taken place in the last five years.
Mr. Sackville : The information is shown in the table.
Finished consultant episodes, NHS hospitals, England Hip replacement |1989-90 |<2>1990-91 operations<1> ---------------------------------------------------------------- Total |50,790 |50,725 Revisions |3,562 |3,459 <1> Total Prosthetic Replacement of Hip Joint and Prosthetic Replacement of Head of Femur. <2> Provisional.
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Complaints
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 17 January, Official Report, column 392 , if she will now publish a table of written complaints by patients about (a) hospital and (b) community health services in each region in 1992-93.
Dr. Mawhinney : This information is due to be published soon in a booklet entitled "Written complaints by or on behalf of patients, England-- financial year 1992-93" copies of which will be placed in the Library.
Hospitals, London
Mrs. Roche : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people there are to each doctor-nurse team in the capital ; and how this will alter after the closure of accident and emergency facilities in London hospitals.
Mr. Sackville : In inner London in 1992, there were 480 people per hospital and general practice doctor, and 97 people per hospital and general practice nurse.
No accident and emergency facilities will close until alternative services are available. Therefore we would not expect any significant overall change in the ratio of medical and nursing staff per head of population as a result of changes in the pattern of casualty services.
NHS Reorganisation, London
Mr. Burns : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the effects of reorganisation of the NHS in London on mid-Essex health services.
Mr. Sackville : The changes we are making in London's health services will enable health authorities to contract for more cost-effective services. The specialty reviews provided advice to health authorities on the disposition of specialist services following changes in London. Health authorities in Essex are currently taking the specialty reviews into account, before forming purchasing plans for contracts with hospitals in mid-Essex.
Abortion
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS hospitals and private units offer a medical abortion service with mifepristone ; and what are the addresses of those that do offer this treatment.
Mr. Sackville : Information about national health service hospitals performing medical termination of pregnancy using
Mifegyne--mifepristone--is only avail-able from the abortion notification forms submitted to the chief medical officer under regulation 4 of the Abortion Regulations 1991. This information is subject to the restrictions set out in regulation 5 and cannot therefore be published.
A list of places in the private sector that have been approved under section 1(3) of the Abortion Act 1967, as amended, to provide medical termination of pregnancy will be placed in the Library.
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received in respect of the recent survey of abortion patients at the Pregnancy Advisory Service clinic carried out by the Pro-choice Alliance.
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Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she will take to reduce waiting times and improve access to national health service abortion services.
Mr. Sackville : Arrangements for purchasing abortion services under the national health service are the responsibility of individual district health authorities in the light of their assessment of local needs and priorities.
Managers (Relocation Costs)
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been paid by (a) regional health authorities, (b) district health authorities, and (c) trusts for the relocation costs of newly employed managers ; and what is the average amount paid to each manager, for each year since 1989.
Mr. Sackville : This information is not available centrally.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is taking to ensure that health authorities and trusts do not exceed their powers in the payment of relocation expenses for newly appointed managers.
Mr. Sackville : Relocation expenses for all staff, including managers, who work for health authorities and those working for national health service trusts on national terms and conditions of service are governed by section 26 of the General Whitley Council handbook, copies of which are available in the Library. The agreement, which took effect last year, allows employers to reimburse any reasonable costs incurred by an employee on relocating to a new area and does not lay down specific limits.
Under the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990, trusts have the freedom to make their own terms and conditions of service. Trusts, however, have every incentive to keep costs to a minimum in this area thereby increasing the amount of resources available for patient care.
Rampton Hospital
Mr. Ashton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her Department's policy in respect of Rampton hospital, Nottinghamshire, becoming a trust hospital in the near future ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Bowis : No decision has been taken to extend trust status to Rampton hospital or the other special hospitals.
After-school and Holiday Places
Ms Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will provide the latest estimates of (a) the number of after-school places for children aged over five years in Great Britain and (b) the number of holiday places for children aged over five years in Great Britain.
Mr. Bowis : Information collected centrally in England relates to out-of-school clubs and holiday schemes for those aged five to seven years provided by, registered with or known to local authorities. Latest available estimates for England are 11,900 places in the former and 47,500 in the latter at 31 March 1992.
Information about the number of out-of-school places and holiday places in Scotland and Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Scotland and for Wales respectively.
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Nurse/Patient Ratio
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 25 February, Official Report, column 514, if she will provide comparable information on the qualified nurse/patient ratio on a regional basis.
Mr. Sackville [holding answer 29 March 1994] : The information will be placed in the Library.
SCOTLAND
Computers
Mr. Matthew Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what computer systems his Department has brought in for what function and at what cost for each of the last five years ; and in each case, whether the computer system is still in use.
Mr. Lang : Because of the wide range of the Scottish Office's activities, this information could be obtained only at
disproportionate cost.
Skill Shortages
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information he collects about specific skill shortages in the economy ; if he will list them ; and what action he is taking to counteract such shortages.
Mr. Stewart : My right hon. Friend does not collect information about skill shortages in the economy. It is an objective of Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise to improve the performance of new and existing businesses by increasing their commitment to plan and invest in training and development to meet business needs. Scottish Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise are also responsible for funding and co-ordinating the provision of training for young people and unemployed adults through local enterprise companies to meet the needs of the local labour markets.
IACS
Mr. Malcolm Bruce : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a short supplementary booklet explaining integrated administration and control systems ; and if he will send such a booklet out with the official form.
Sir Hector Monro : An explanatory booklet on IACS has been produced and sent to Scottish producers with the blank IACS forms for 1994.
Strathkelvin District Council
Mr. Galbraith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what condiderations underlay the reduction in the general services capital allocation for Strathkelvin district between 1994-95 and 1996-97 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Stewart : Local authority capital financial plans are considered afresh each year in light of the outcome of the Government's public expenditure survey generally. Capital allocations are determined having regard to the aggregate public expenditure resources available, the relative needs of individual authorities as expressed in their
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financial plans, the ability of authorities to finance capital expenditure at their own hand, and past and projected spending levels and patterns.In the case of Strathkelvin district council, it benefited from a general decision that no authority should take a reduction in its allocation for 1994-95 on its general services programme. The provisional allocations for 1995-96 and 1996-97 were, however, set at a level which reflects both the fact that aggregate resources being provisionally allocated from this programme are reduced and our view of the council's need for capital allocations to undertake capital expenditure given the level of resources available to it overall. By their very nature the provisional allocations will fall to be reviewed. This will happen later in the year in response to the council's 1994 capital financial plan.
Consultancy Contracts
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total amount spent by his Department in the last five years for which figures are available on consultancy contracts ; if he will list each consultancy firm, the subject of assignment and, if appropriate, the executive agency for whom the consultancy was carried out ; which executive agencies and quangos responsible to or appointed by him are excluded from the information provided ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang : I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Oldham, West (Mr. Meacher) on 21 February at columns 51-52 and to the hon. Member for Greenock and Port Glasgow (Dr. Godman) on 16 March at columns 659-60.
Members' Interests
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what register his Department maintains of meetings between hon. Members and Ministers where the hon. Member concerned has a declared financial interest in the company or organisation which he is lobbying for, discussing or representing at any such meeting ; if such register of meetings is available for public inspection ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang : No register of this nature is maintained by my Department.
Public Appointments
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what information is available on the names, addresses, salaries, honoraria or allowances, occupations, former occupations and known political affiliations of people appointed by him to outside bodies and quangos ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang : Most of this information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Information on political affiliation is neither sought nor recorded. The levels of any salary or fee paid to a member of a nationalised industry, non-departmental public body or NHS body sponsored by my Department is listed in the Cabinet Office publication "Public Bodies 1993", a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
Mr. McMaster : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list each appointment for which he is
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responsible which falls for renewal between 30 April and 31 December, giving the name of the quango, executive agency or outside body, the title of the appointment, the name of the current postholder, the salary, honoraria or allowance, and the date of renewal.Mr. Lang : This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
TRANSPORT
Rail Privatisation
Mrs. Roche : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what was the cost of reorganising the British Railways Board for rail privatisation ; and if this includes the cost of new liveries for British Rail staff and trains ;
(2) what was the cost of setting up Railtrack plc ; and whether this includes the cost of new signs and logos.
Mr. Freeman : Reorganisation costs incurred by British Rail, including costs of setting up Railtrack, total £66 million up to 31 March 1994. The allocation of spending within British Rail and Railtrack is a matter for the businesses concerned. The Government are confident that these initial costs will be more than offset by the benefits resulting from privatisation.
Mr. Bayley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) whether the minimum service specification for each of the six shadow rail franchises will require the shadow franchisee to run as a minimum as many trains on each existing route as in the current British Rail timetable ;
(2) whether the performance standards specified in the shadow franchise agreements for each of the six shadow rail franchises will be at least as demanding as those operated hitherto by British Rail.
Mr. Freeman : Paragraph 18 of the objectives, instructions and guidance issued to the Director of Passenger Rail Franchising on 22 March by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State requires that for the initial letting of franchises, the specification of minimum service levels for railway passenger services is to be based on that being provided by British Rail immediately prior to franchising, taking into account the existence of, and justification for, seasonal variations in service schedules.
Paragraph 21 of the objectives, instructions and guidance states that when the Franchising Director specifies the quality of service to be provided by a franchisee, the performance standards he sets should have the effect of maintaining or improving standards.
Highways Agency
Mrs. Roche : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the cost of setting up the new Highways Agency.
Mr. Key : Approximately £173,000, including the cost of the project team ; the costs of producing the framework document, business plan and explanatory brochure about the work of the agency, and the cost of functions to mark the launch of the agency.
Road Safety
Mr. Day : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether there are regular meetings between the Government Departments of Transport, Education, Health
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and the Home Office specifically to review and co-ordinate activities to enhance road safety ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Key : There are frequent meetings between the Department of Transport and other Government Departments with an interest in road safety issues, including those mentioned in the question. Moreover, all the Departments mentioned are represented on the "Health of the Nation" accident prevention task force. I am satisfied that the current arrangements allow for adequate co-ordination within Government of activities to enhance road safety.
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will inquire into the sale of marks market testing process at the DVLA ; and to what extent the process was carried out in accordance with the Government's guidelines.
Mr. Key : I am satisfied that the process of letting the most recent contract for the sale of registration numbers work fully complied with civil service tendering procedures.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations Capita made to him regarding the way the original market test for the sale of marks functions at the DVLA was carried out ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : Concerns were expressed by Capita and others following the original tendering process in 1992 for the sale of vehicle registration numbers telesales contract. These centred on the basis upon which the in- house team was allowed to put forward proposals. The tendering exercise has been re-run using criteria based on the maximisation of revenue and the development of a cohesive marketing strategy. Tenderers were judged on their ability to maximise revenue from the sale of numbers, expertise in telesales and innovation and experience within the marketing field, as well as cost.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether the sale of marks market test contract at the DVLA was awarded on the basis of the applicability of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981.
Mr. Key : No. It is the Department's view that the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 do not apply in this case.
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of the Teledata contract bid for the sale of marks function at the DVLA ;
(2) what were the reasons for not awarding the original contract for the sale of marks to the in-house team ; what was the difference in money terms between the lowest bid and the successful bid ; and by whom the lowest bid was submitted.
Mr. Key : Following a competitive tender exercise in 1992 in which the contract to operate the agency's telesales facility was offered to the market, it became apparent that the process adopted did not fully reflect tendering
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procedures as set out in "Competing for Quality", Cm 1730. The tender competition was accordingly re-run. Details of individual bids are commercial in confidence.Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will list contracts awarded by his Department to Teledata Ltd. since 1987 ;
(2) whether Teledata Ltd. bid for the original sale of marks contract at the DVLA prior to the re-run of the recent market test.
Mr. Key : Teledata Ltd. won the contract to operate a telephone information service and a sale of vehicle registration numbers telesales facility in December 1989. The company did not tender in the exercise held in 1992. Under changed ownership it won the contract in the latest sale of registration numbers market test. No other contract has been let to this company by my Department.
Safety Levy
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will consider introducing a £1 levy on all car insurance premiums to be directed to transport safety and transport education measures.
Mr. Key : We have no plans to introduce such a levy.
Cars
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many cars he estimates were on the roads in 1992-93.
Mr. Key : The numbers of cars licensed in Great Britain at the end of 1992 and 1993 respectively is as follows :
Great Britain cars Year |(1,000s) ------------------------------ 1992 |20,681 1993 |<1>20,988 <1> Provisional.
Beer
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) when he last met the executive of the Brewers Society to discuss drink and driving ;
(2) when he will next meet the Brewers Society to discuss the sale of beers with high alcohol content and their impact on driving ability.
Mr. Key : I met the director of the Brewers Society on 28 June 1993. I have no arrangements at present to meet the society again, but would be happy to do so if it wished.
Bicester Hunt (Trespass)
Mr. Morley : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether British Rail is to take any action to prosecute a trespass on railway lines by the Bicester hunt on 13 January.
Mr. Freeman : We are not aware of the incident referred to by the hon. Member. If he will write to the Department with details we shall see that the matter is investigated further.
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Vehicle Excise Duty
Mr. Nigel Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the total income to the Treasury from the vehicle tax disc in 1992-93.
Mr. Key : Net vehicle excise duty, excluding refunds, for the 1992- 93 financial year was £3,225 million.
Dangerous Substances
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the action the owners of tankers carrying dangerous substances must take in the event of an emergency to ensure that dealing with any spillage, or fire can be carried out with the utmost protection to personnel who have to attend to such an emergency.
Mr. Key : Under the Road Traffic (Carriage of Dangerous Substances in Road Tankers and Tank Containers) Regulations 1992 the operator of a road tanker or of a vehicle with a tank container carrying a dangerous substance must ensure that its driver has received adequate information in writing about the identity of the substance, the quantity to be carried, the nature of the hazards created by the substance and the action to be taken in an emergency. The driver must keep that written information in the vehicle cab, so that it is readily available if needed by the emergency services.
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will press, through the European Fire Service Organisation, for the retention of some form of emergency action code, including hazchem, to be used throughout the EEC ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : It is for the fire service inspectorate to press the case for an international emergency action code in the International Technical Committee for the Prevention and Extinguishing of Fires (CITF). I understand it will continue to do so.
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) if he will take steps to ensure that all road tankers carrying dangerous substances will continue to carry the necessary hazard warnings which identify the substance carried ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) if he will make it his policy that the United Kingdom system of tanker marking, as distinct from the continental system, will be used at all times when dangerous substances are being carried on roads in the United Kingdom ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Key : A draft EEC directive on the carriage of dangerous goods by road currently contains a provision which will allow British road tankers carrying dangerous substances in the United Kingdom to continue to display the existing United Kingdom hazard warning labels. Vehicles registered in other countries will however be allowed on our roads, as they always have been hitherto, if they display the hazard warning plates required by the European agreement concerning the international carriage of dangerous goods by road. The United Kingdom has so far been unable to persuade a majority of the countries party to the agreement to amend it so as to adopt the United Kingdom system.
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