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Department to provide public investment in research and development relevant to industry, the amount of money made available for each scheme in each of the last five years, its distribution between the private and public sectors and the percentage allocation in each standard planning region ;(2) how much money in each of the last five years has been allocated to the research and development of advanced composites ; what organisations or companies have received financial support ; and what percentage of funding went to academic research in each year ; (3) if he will list for each of the last five years the amount of money that was awarded to each company and organisation in each standard planning region of the United Kingdom for research and development, indicating the percentage awarded in each region ; (4) what percentage of his research and development budget is awarded to small companies.
Mr. McLoughlin : Information about my Department's schemes for supporting research and development is given in "Trade and Industry 1994" (Cm 2154) and in the "Forward Look of Government Funded Science, Engineering and Technology 1994", published by HMSO (ISBN 0 11 430098 4).
The additional detailed information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what are the criteria and procedures set out for applications for, and granting of, funding for research and development from schemes operated by his Department.
Mr. McLoughlin : My Department's small firms merit award for research and technology--SMART--and support for products under research-- SPUR--support research and development by individual smaller companies. The LINK and EUREKA schemes support collaborative research. Eligibility criteria and procedures are given in the scheme literature.
Timber
Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will set up a register of United Kingdom-based companies, and their size, by turnover and employment, which are principally or partially involved in timber exploitation in the areas of tropical rainforests.
Mr. McLoughlin : No, I see no useful purpose for such a register.
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Trade Associations
Sir Dudley Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress he has made in his policy in respect of harmonising trade associations and the sponsorship of their industries by his Department.
Mr. Sainsbury : We wish to see trade associations that are powerful, effective and influential in representing their members and which play a significant role in promoting the international
competitiveness of their sectors. The Department has therefore worked closely, and will continue to work closely, with many trade associations with these aims in mind and to ensure that there is an effective and representative trade association for each sector of industry and commerce.
Sustech Programme
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what information he has received from the European Chemical Industry Council, CEFIC, on its programme, Sustech-1 ; and what support is being given by the European Commission's industry directorate and research directorate to the Sustech programme.
Mr. Sainsbury : We have had no contact with CEFIC or the European Commission on the Sustech proposal, although officials have been appraised of the proposal by one company closely involved in it. I understand that development of the proposal is still at an early stage.
Regional Assistance
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many companies by region, employing (a) fewer than 100, (b) between 100 and 250 and (c) more than 250 persons have been awarded (i) regional selective assistance and (ii) regional enterprise grants since the new assisted areas map was announced in 1993.
Mr. Sainsbury [holding answer 23 May 1994] : The number of companies that have been offered (i) regional selective assistance and (ii) regional enterprise grants in England from the introduction of the new assisted area map on 1 August 1993 to 17 May 1994, are as follows. All the offers of regional enterprise grant were made to companies employing fewer than 100 persons.
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|Regional
Regional Selective |Enterprise
Assistance
DTI Region companies Grants
employing:
|Less than 100 |100-250 |More than 250
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
East |14 |- |- |12
East Midlands |36 |1 |3 |92
London |9 |1 |- |6
Merseyside |89 |8 |12 |37
North East |124 |9 |26 |132
North West |139 |7 |13 |58
South East |23 |- |1 |22
South West |69 |6 |6 |85
West Midlands |121 |11 |14 |45
Yorkshire and Humberside |88 |8 |11 |229
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HEALTH
Health Service Staff
7. Mr. Robert Ainsworth : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent guidelines she has issued in respect of senior NHS staff meeting shadow spokesmen.
Ambulance Service
16. Mrs. Fyfe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are her future plans for the ambulance service.
Mr. Sackville : National health service ambulance services are to be commended on the considerable advances they have made in recent years.
The Government will ensure that services maintain the excellent progress made towards meeting national standards for response times and towards the target of having a paramedic on each front-line ambulance.
Patients Charter
17. Lady Olga Maitland : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made under the patients charter on outpatient waiting times ; and how she proposes to strengthen the charter in this area.
Dr. Mawhinney : We are committed to reducing all waiting times. Since 1 April 1992 the patients charter has required health authorities to set and publish local charter standards for waiting time for first out- patient appointments for each hospital, specialty and consultant. On 13 April 1994 my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced that a national target will be set for the length of time patients have to wait for their first out-patient appointment. Further details will be announced later this year.
Organ Donation
18. Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the individual's choice as to donation of organs.
Mr. Sackville : The wishes of the individual are paramount when considering the question of organ donation. This is secured by the Human Tissue Act 1961 under which organs from a deceased person may be used for therapeutic, educational or research purposes if that is known to have been the wish of the deceased or, if his wishes are not known, those of his relatives.
Access to Hospital
19. Ms Jowell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she last met members of the medical profession to discuss access to hospital for their patients.
Mr. Sackville : We have regular meetings with representatives of the medical profession during which a wide range of issues are discussed.
Geriatric Beds
20. Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the current total number of geriatric beds in English hospitals ; and what the figure was three years ago.
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Mr. Bowis : In 1992-93, the latest year for which figures are available, the total number of national health service beds in England specifically designated for elderly people was 59,562. In 1989-90 the figure was 73,046.
In the same period the number of elderly people treated rose from 449,000 to 529,000, reflecting more effective treatments and use of hospital beds. In addition improvements in rehabilitation and community services are enabling more people to receive care at home, including things like hospital at home initiatives.
Junior Doctors
21. Mr. Ottaway : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been achieved in reducing the hours worked by junior doctors in the south Thames region.
Dr. Mawhinney : Between September 1990 and March 1994 the number of posts contracted for more than an average of 83 hours a week in south Thames fell from 1,963 to nine. In the year to 31 March 1994, the number of hard-pressed on-call posts contracted on average for more than 72 hours a week fell from 1,404 to 879. Our priority this year is to eliminate these remaining hard-pressed posts.
25. Mr. Bellingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been achieved in reducing the hours worked by junior doctors in the Anglia and Oxford region.
Dr. Mawhinney : In September 1990 there were 1,225 posts contracted to work for more than 83 hours a week in Anglia and Oxford. All these posts have now been eliminated. In the year to 31 March 1994, the number of hard- pressed on-call posts contracted on average for more than 72 hours a week fell from 1,051 to 518, a reduction of 51 per cent. Our priority this year is to eliminate these remaining hard-pressed posts.
Traffic Pollution
22. Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what strategy she is adopting to combat the bad health effects of traffic pollution especially in relation to carcinogens ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : We will continue to work to identify any adverse health effects that may arise from traffic pollution and to mitigate those effects.
National Health Service Trusts
23. Mr. Spring : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of hospital and community health services in Suffolk is now carried out by national health service trusts.
Mr. Sackville : Suffolk is an excellent example of the success of the trust movement. Within the Anglia/Oxford region, all provider units are now trusts.
Dentistry
24. Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the dentistry provision in Leeds.
Dr. Mawhinney : We are committed to an effective and accessible national health service dental service in Leeds.
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The latest available figures indicate that both the number of dentists and the number of patients registered in Leeds has risen throughout the past year.Royal Free Hospital
26. Mr. John Marshall : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individuals over pensionable age are being treated at the Royal Free hospital.
Dr. Mawhinney : This information is not available centrally. The hon. Member may wish to write the Baroness Gardner of Parkes, chairman of the Royal Free Hampstead national health service trust for details.
Help Us to Help You
27. Mr. Booth : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the Help Us to Help You campaign.
Dr. Mawhinney : I announced on 19 May, jointly with the medical profession, an extension of the Help Us to Help You campaign to encourage the appropriate use of general practitioner out-of-hours services.
Hip Replacements
28. Mr. Mark Robinson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her latest estimate of the number of hip replacements carried out by the NHS ; and how many were carried out in 1979.
Mr. Sackville : The latest available information is shown in the table.
|<1>1979 |<2>1990-91
------------------------------------------------------------
Hip replacement operations |23,410 |50,725
<1> source: Hospital In-Patient Enquiry Operation Codes 810
& 811
<2> source: Hospital Episode Statistics Codes W37 W38 W39
W46 W47 W48
Hospital Performances
29. Mr. Sykes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish comparative tables of hospital performance.
Dr. Mawhinney : The national health service performance tables will be published towards the end of June.
Limb Defects
Sir Teddy Taylor : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will initiate an inquiry into the incidence and geographical location of births involving the absence of limbs.
Mr. Sackville : The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys conducted an inquiry into the prevalence of these malformations in coastal and inland areas. It concluded that there was no difference in prevalence.
NHS Budget
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the NHS budget and projected budget for London and England in (a) 1991-92, (b) 1992-93, (c) 1993-94 and (d) 1994-95.
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Mr. Sackville : Figures for London and England are not available on a comparable basis.
Out-patients
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give the latest figures for the number of people on the waiting list for out-patients.
Dr. Mawhinney : There are no waiting lists for out-patient appointments.
NHS Audits
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the expenditure on audits in the national health service in each of the last three years ; and what breakdown of that expenditure is available.
Mr. Sackville : Total expenditure for the external audits recorded in the individual accounts of national health service bodies was approximately :
|£ million
------------------------------
1991-92 |18.3
1992-93 |30.1
Notes
1. These figures may
significantly overstate the
true increase between the two
financial years because of
variations in the accounting
treatment of audit services.
2. A meaningful national
total cannot be derived for
1990-91.
3. The totals quoted do not
include external audit
expenditure for Special
Trustees, the Special
Hospitals Service Authority,
or the Mental Health Act
Commission.
4. Figures for the
Prescription Pricing
Authority were not separately
identifiable in 1991-92.
Child Suicides
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children have committed suicide in each of the last 10 years by using paracetamol.
Mr. Bowis : The information is shown in the table.
Suicide deaths from poisoning where paracetamol is mentioned in the deaths' records for children (age 0-16), England and Wales 1983-1992 Year |Number --------------------- 1983 |1 1984 |- 1985 |- 1986 |1 1987 |- 1988 |- 1989 |- 1990 |- 1991 |- 1992 |1
Hospitals (Paper Towels)
Mrs. Helen Jackson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the use of paper towels in hospitals and clinics in preference to hot air driers.
Mr. Sackville : None. It is for the managers of hospitals and clinics to decide upon the appropriate methods of hand drying to be used within the varying departments of the unit.
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Mental Health
Mr. Bates : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish the conclusions of the consultation on proposals to address section 18(4) of the Mental Health Act 1983.
Infertility Treatment
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list those hospitals which have contracts with purchasers to provide infertility treatments, giving their average and lengthiest waiting times for first appointment and commencement of treatment for (a) those on the hospital's own list, (b) those who are accepted for treatment unde a contractual agreement with a fundholding general practitioner and (c) those who are accepted under a contractual arrangement with a health authority outside its own area.
Mr. Sackville : There is no central list of contracts agreed between purhasing authorities and hospitals. It is the responsibility of purchasing authorities to monitor the waiting times for treatment under the contracts they have agreed with hospitals inside or outside of the authority's area. Infertility treatment is not included on the list of procedures which a fundholding practice can purchase.
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the average waiting times for infertility treatment to begin at each hospital providing this service, in each year since services began.
Mr. Sackville : Such information as is available is given in "Hospital Episode Statistics, Volume 2", copies of which are available in the Library.
Breast Unit, Guy's Hospital
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure the continuation of the work of the breast unit at Guy's hospital.
Dr. Mawhinney : Guy's and St. Thomas's hospital trust and the London implementation group have jointly indicated their intention to retain breast cancer services, and the associated research programme, within the trust.
There will be a full public consultation on any proposed changes to hospital services in south east London in due course.
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Doctor-nurse Teams
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people there are to each doctor-nurse team in (a) South Yorkshire and (b) nationally.
Dr. Mawhinney : Information is not available centrally in the form requested.
Alcohol-related Disease
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what current information her Department maintains on occupations vulnerable to alcohol- related disease.
Mr. Bowis : All occupations are vulnerable.
Drug Misuse
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment she has made of the dangers to health of the use of gamma hydroxybutyrate ;
(2) what assessment she has made of the dangers to health of the use of the drugs (a) ketamine hydrochloride and (b) khat ; (3) what assessment she has made of the dangers to health of the use of (a) amyl nitrate and (b) butyl nitrate.
Mr. Bowis : The Department continues to monitor the extent to which drugs are misused and the changing patterns of misuse. As with any drug that is misused, the Department warns the public of the risks to health.
Crohn's Disease
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the benefits of cannabis use for sufferers of Crohn's disease.
NHS (Private Capital)
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 11 March, Official Report , column 706 , if she will provide details of the value of private sector capital for each of the nine schemes listed using private capital approved up to the end of February 1993 and the private sector companies involved.
Mr. Sackville [holding answer 19 May 1994] : The information is shown in the table.
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National health service projects using private capital worth over £0.25 million approved in the 12 months to end of February 1993
|Private sector
|capital cost
National health |Scheme |Private sector |£ million
service partner |partner
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern General Hospital NHS Trust (Sheffield) |Satellite dialysis facilities |Priory Hospitals Group |0.5
NHS Supplies Authority |Lease of central headquarters
|(Reading) |Prudential |3.0
NHS Supplies Authority |Lease of divisional headquarters
|(Harrogate) |St. Martin's Property Investments Ltd.|0.6
Royal Victoria Infirmary and Associated Hospitals |Lease of magnetic resonance
NHS Trust (Newcastle) |imager |GVD Finance |1.1
Standing Committee on Postgraduate Education |Lease of offices |Wellcome Trust |0.5
South East London Commissioning Agency and
Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham FHSA |Lease of offices |Central Parkes South Ltd. |11.0
Kings Healthcare NHS Trust |Clinical waste incineration |Clinical Waste (PTY) Ltd. |4.0
Oldham Hospital NHS Trust, Rochdale NHS Trust,
North Manchester Health Authority and Tameside
Health Authority |Clinical waste incineration |Yorkshire Water Enterprises |2.7
Royal Liverpool University Hospital NHS Trust |Patient hotel |Scandanavian Service Partner Plc |4.9
Nursing Students
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing students took up places in each region in England in each year since 1990 ; and if she will make a statement on the likely level for 1994- 95 assuming both volume and percentage changes.
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Mr. Sackville [holding answer 20 May 1994] : The available information is shown in the table.
Final figures for 1993-94 and 1994-95 are not yet available.
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Entrants to pre-registration nurse training by geographical area
Year ending Year ending Year ending
31 March 1991 31 March 1992 31 March 1993
Region |Registered nurse |Registered nurse |Percentage change |Registered nurse |Percentage change
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |1,262 |1,268 |+0.5 |1,405 |+10.8
Yorkshire |1,589 |1,838 |+15.7 |1,775 |-3.4
Trent |1,999 |1,832 |-8.3 |2,649 |+44.6
East Anglia |673 |786 |+16.8 |643 |-18.2
North West Thames |1,512 |1,884 |+24.6 |1,652 |-12.3
North East Thames |2,247 |2,815 |+24.7 |2,562 |-9.0
South East Thames |1,800 |1,754 |-2.9 |1,811 |+3.3
South West Thames |1,175 |1,237 |+5.2 |1,095 |-11.5
Wessex |1,201 |1,382 |+15.1 |1,406 |+1.7
Oxford |582 |967 |+64.2 |990 |+2.4
South Western |1,168 |1,330 |+13.4 |1,335 |+0.4
West Midlands |2,216 |2,261 |+2.0 |2,298 |+1.6
Mersey |1,061 |1,213 |+14.4 |1,323 |+9.1
North Western |1,697 |2,224 |+31.5 |1,989 |-10.6
| ------- | ------- | ------- | ------- | -------
Total |20,368 |22,838 |+12.9 |22,943 |+0.6
Resource Allocation
Ms Jowell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when she intends to publish the report of consultants from York university on resource allocation ; and if she will make a statement ;
(2) what was the extent of the shortfall in the funding of London's health services identified by the King's Fund Research Institute in its report "London, The Key Facts"; and what steps she has planned to reduce that shortfall ;
(3) what assessment she has made of the conclusion of the King's Fund Research Institute in its report "London, The Key Facts", on the extent of the underfunding of London's health service and the conclusions of the resource allocation review conducted for the Department of Health.
Mr. Sackville [holding answer 23 May 1994] : We have received the report of the review of weighted capitation which builds on the analytical work undertaken by consultants from York university. The review is a major piece of work and will require consideration. The King's fund report entitled "London, The Key facts" has confirmed the view that London's primary and
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community care services are underdeveloped compared with the rest of the country. An extra £85 million is being invested this year to improve primary and community care services in the capital. The King's Fund Institute also claimed that London's health services are underfunded by £200 million, but did not give any detailed reasoning for this conclusion.Abortions
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women from (a) Jersey, (b) Guernsey and (c) other Channel islands have had legal abortions in England in each year from 1968 to 1992 ; and at what gestational age.
Mr. Sackville [holding answer 23 May 1994] : The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the total number of legal abortions for residents of the Channel islands performed in England and Wales in 1992 was 370 ; of these, the gestation period was under nine weeks for 119, nine to 12 weeks for 207, 13 to 19 weeks for 38 and 20 weeks and over for six. Information for 1970 to 1991 inclusive is shown in the table, but only grouped as Channel islands, or from 1970 to 1985 Channel islands and the Isle of Man. A breakdown
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