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Housing Improvement
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will release immediate dedicated funding that will enable Scottish local authorities to eradicate dampness in their housing stock ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Substantial resources totalling some £426 million have been made available to local authorities for investment in their housing stock. It is for local authorities themselves to determine how to utilise the resources made available to them. However, under the housing plan system introduced on 30 April 1993 local authorities are asked to give priority to tackling condensation and dampness, within their capital programmes.
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will release immediate cash funding to
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Scottish local authorities to enable them to upgrade and modernise housing stock in areas such as Glasgow, Pollock ; and if he will make a statement.Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Substantial resources totalling some £426 million have been made available to local authorities in 1994-95 for investment in their housing stock. These allocations are generally not earmarked for specific purposes and it is for local authorities themselves to determine the use to which these resources are put, including the level of expenditure on the upgrading and modernisation of their stock.
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what amount of money has been spent on improving and adapting privately owned, privately rented and local authority houses in Scotland in the 12-month period ended 31 March in order to accommodate the community care programme ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The information requested is not held centrally.
Sheltered Accommodation
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many persons are currently living in sheltered accommodation in Scotland ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Figures are held only centrally on the total number of sheltered dwellings in Scotland and are included in the publication "Housing Trends in Scotland : Quarter ended 31 December 1993-- Table 1, HSG/1994/4" which is available in the Library.
Acquired Rights Directive
Mr. Worthington : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assumption he made, in his estimate of savings on staff costs through local government reorganisation, on the applicability of the acquired rights directive to the transfer of staff to the proposed new local authorities.
Mr. Stewart : The question of whether or not the acquired rights directive applies to transfers of staff to the proposed new local authorities does not have implications for the Government's estimates of the number of posts that will be saved as a result of local government reorganisation.
Gamma Ray Survey
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he received the report commissioned by his Department from the Scottish universities research and reactor centre at East Kilbride on the air gamma ray survey of parts of south-west Scotland ; what evaluation has been made of the report ; and what action he intends to take as a result.
Sir Hector Monro : The report of the aerial radiation survey undertaken by the Scottish Universities Research and Reactor Centre, was received in the Scottish Office on 25 March 1994. The survey was undertaken to examine the technique for rapidly monitoring radioactivity in the event of an emergency and to establish baseline radiation levels.
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The report offers suggestions for maintaining the aerial survey equipment in a state of readiness and makes recommendations about the monitoring and assessment of environmental radioactivity in the areas surveyed. The report's recommendations will be considered by the chief inspector of Her Majesty's industrial pollution inspectorate.Chapelcross Nuclear Site
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether section 6.4 in the appendix to his departmental guidance note on integrated pollution control, Scotland, applies to military nuclear activities at the Chapelcross nuclear site operated by British Nuclear Fuels.
Sir Hector Monro [holding answer 24 May 1994] : No uranium processes, prescribed for authorisation under integrated pollution control, are carried on at the Chapelcross nuclear site. Further, for any site subject to a nuclear site licence made under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965, any such processes are exempted from authorisation by virtue of the terms of section 6(4). Thus for both reasons the section does not apply to any activities carried on at the site.
Ferry Services
Mr. Macdonald : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he expects KPMG to conclude its review of Scottish ferry services ; and when he expects to be able to publish its findings.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 24 May 1994] : We expect to receive the final report from the consultants shortly. The report is likely to contain a considerable amount of commercially sensitive information which it would not be appropriate to publish. Pending consideration of the report I cannot give any indication of whether or when any findings may be published.
Parliamentary Counsel
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on what occasions since April 1992 Ministers from his Department have (a) requested Parliamentary Counsel to assist in preparing amendments to private Members' bills on behalf of other private Members and (b) authorised officials to instruct parliamentary counsel to prepare amendments which were subsequently passed to private Members.
Mr. Lang : Scottish Office Ministers have not on any occasion since April 1992 requested Parliamentary Counsel to assist in preparing amendments to private Members' Bills on behalf of other private members. On one occasion, in respect of the Carrying of Knives Etc. (Scotland) Bill, Ministers authorised an amendment which was tabled during the Committee stage by the Bill's sponsor.
HEALTH
Medical Research
Ms Gordon : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the Government's total annual medical research commitment is as a percentage of the health budget.
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Dr. Mawhinney : The United Kingdom Government's expenditure on health and medical research accounted for about 1.4 per cent. of the total United Kingdom health budget, of £37,379 million, in 1992-93.
Open Government
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the remit of the task force on open government in the NHS and its sub groups.
Dr. Mawhinney : The steering group of the task force on "Openness in the NHS", which held its first meeting in February 1994, has the following broad remit :
"to establish a balance between effective management of health service business on the one hand, and access for the public to information and involvement in decision-taking on the other, to provide a Code of Practice on Openness in the NHS,
to recommend guidance on information to be made available by NHS organisations, and
to make initial recommendations to the Secretary of State by June 1994."
Three working groups have been established to support the steering group by considering the issues as they relate to providers, purchasers and those who contract to provide patient services to the NHS.
The remit of all three groups is :
"(i) To identify regularly available documents, and other categories of information, which should normally be made available to the public,
(ii) To identify documents, and categories of information, which may not be suitable for issuing to the public,
(iii) To make proposals on the principles underlying a scheme of fees for the release of information, and
(iv) To put their proposals in the context of other developments which may contribute to increasing public involvement in the NHS".
Accident and Emergency Services
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reports she has received from Trent regional health authority concerning the extent to which the accident and emergency departments at hospitals within the region reached patients charter standards during the quarter ended (a) 31 December 1993 and (b) 31 March 1994.
Dr. Mawhinney : The national health service executive does not collect centrally, as a matter of routine, information on individual national health service trusts and directly managed units in this area.
However, a special exercise is taking place to gather data for the first set of national health service performance tables which will be published shortly.
Doctors (Out-of-hours Work)
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she received the report by KPMG Peat Marwick about out-of-hours work by doctors.
Dr. Mawhinney : A draft report was received on 30 March. The final version is due shortly.
Upper Limb Disorders
Dr. Marek : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the present number of civil servants taking legal action against her Department as a result of work-related upper limb disorders.
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Hospital Consultants
Mrs. Wise : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital consultants are at present suspended from their duties ; for how long each has been suspended ; and how many others have been suspended over the course of the last decade.
Dr. Mawhinney : We do not collect such information. Decisions, including possible suspensions, rest with the employing authority.
Powered Wheelchairs
Mr. Peter Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to take action in response to the recommendation of the McColl report--ISBN 0 948 064 269 HMSO 1986--that high performance and dual- purpose powered chairs be provided for severely disabled people who satisfy the agreed criteria ; and if growing children will be regarded as qualifying for this service.
Mr. Bowis : The issue of wheelchairs, including high performance and dual-purpose powered wheelchairs, is a matter for determination between health authority purchasers, in the light of their priorities and resources, and national health service hospital and community units. This includes provision for growing children where appropriate.
NHS Trusts
Mrs. Lait : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines are given to NHS trusts in calculating full or marginal costs when bidding for contracts.
Mr. Sackville : Costing guidance given to national health service trusts, for use when negotiating contracts with NHS bodies for the provision of health care, is contained in "The Costing For Contracting Manual", which consists of FDL(93)59, FDL(93)76 and FDL(94)10.
The fundamental principles behind the costing of services within the NHS are that : price should be equal to cost, costs should be established on a full cost basis, there should be no planned cross subsidisation between "contracts" and that a minimum standard of cost classification should be established.
Price can only be established on a marginal cost basis where there is, in year, unplanned spare capacity.
The rules for private patient contracts are contained in Her Majesty's Treasury "Fees and Charges Guide".
Copies of all the documents are available in the Library.
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines are issued by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority concerning the disposal of the human embryo in establishments which they license.
Mr. Sackville : Guidance is included in section 7.19 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's code of practice, copies of which are available in the Library.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the income derived from the sale of Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority licences in the last financial year ; how much was generated by the sale of treatments ; what percentage of the Human Fertilisation
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and Embryology Authority's income is generated by the sale of licences and treatments ; how many licences and treatments were declined ; and what consideration she has given to the propriety of a medical ethics committee having to meet financial targets as part of its remit.Mr. Sackville : The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority was established by Parliament under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 to license and control centres providing certain infertility treatments, undertaking embryo research or storing gametes or embryos. The HFEA aims are to ensure the effective regulation of such centres, to promote good practice in centres and to provide relevant advice and information as necessary. One of its objectives is to identify the ethical and social implications of developments in research and treatment and to develop policy accordingly.
The HFEA's main financial regime is designed to enable it to carry out the functions laid down for it in the 1990 Act. The HFEA's main financial objective is to carry out its statutory duties efficiently, effectively and economically and to recover in licence fees the proportion of income determined by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and the Treasury.
In 1992-93, the last year for which audited accounts are available, licence fee income was £686,040, 66.8 per cent. of the HFEA's total budget. In the same year five licences were refused, including two for research applications. Unaudited accounts for 1993-94 show a fee income of £830,932, 70.8 per cent. of the HFEA's total budget. In that year one treatment licence was refused, one licence revoked and one licence suspended. In addition, four research applications were refused.
Information about licensed centres' income and treatments refused is not available centrally.
Child Care Services, Lambeth
Mr. Fraser : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessments he has made of the further report into child care services in Lambeth which had been requested by her Department to be delivered by 1 March.
Mr. Bowis : The report into child care services in Lambeth for the period up to 1 March 1994 gave continuing cause for concern about the provision and operation of child protection and child care services in the borough, including a serious deterioration in the situation with unallocated cases. In April, Lambeth was asked to send a further report on the situation, and the steps it is taking to bring about improvement. This report is awaited.
Deregulated Drugs (Advertising)
Mr. Dunnachie : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to ensure that major pharmaceutical companies cease their present practice of naming a specific high street retailer when advertising their newly deregulated drugs ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : No. The naming of retail outlets in advertisements for over-the-counter medicines is a matter of commercial judgment for the company concerned.
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Cancer
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what percentage of research into cancer in the United Kingdom is funded by (a) charities and (b) the Government ;
(2) what steps she is taking to improve funding of cancer research in the United Kingdom.
Dr. Mawhinney : The advisory group on national health service research and development priorities relating to cancer will report to the Department's central research and development committee in July. Proposals for research relating to the identified priorities will be called for later in the year.
It is impossible to identify the percentage of research into cancer in the United Kingdom as it is not known how much pharmaceutical companies invest in cancer research each year. Also, it is not possible to identify clinical research supported through local NHS research programmes or excess service costs for the NHS attributed to cancer research.
Mr. Martyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of bone cancer per 100,000 head of population there have been in England in each year since 1970.
Mr. Sackville : The information is shown in thetable.
Bone cancer (ICD<1> 170): incidence rates per 100,000 population, England, 1971-1988 1971 |0.92 1972 |0.89 1973 |0.84 1974 |0.87 1975 |0.90 1976 |0.88 1977 |0.81 1978 |0.83 1979 |0.88 1980 |0.80 1981 |0.96 1982 |0.84 1983 |0.86 1984 |0.87 1985 |0.88 1986 |0.84 1987 |0.88 1988 |0.94 -------------------- <1>International C
Published data at the national level are available only when information has been obtained from all of the regional cancer registries ; delays occurring in a small number of registries have therefore meant that the latest available cancer registration data are for 1988.
Mr. Martyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of cancers of all types per 100,000 head of population there have been in England in each year since 1970.
Mr. Sackville : The information is shown in thetable.
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All malignant neoplasms<1>: incidence rates per 100,000 population, England, 1971-88 Year |Per cent. ------------------------------ 1971 |290.5 1972 |293.5 1973 |305.0 1974 |328.2 1975 |325.8 1976 |331.2 1977 |337.7 1978 |337.5 1979 |341.7 1980 |340.8 1981 |347.3 1982 |352.0 1983 |353.1 1984 |355.9 1985 |378.3 1986 |372.4 1987 |386.6 1988 |407.8 <1>For 1971-1978 inclusive, ICD codes 140-209 excluding ICD 173 (non-melanoma skin cancer, which is known to be under-registered); for 1979 onwards, ICD codes 140-208 excluding ICD 173.
Published data at the national level are available only when information has been obtained from all of the regional cancer registries ; delays occurring in a small number of registries have therefore meant that the latest available cancer registration data are for 1988.
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the report of the conference on myalgic encephalomyelitis held in Dublin.
Mr. Sackville : None. The conference was held on 18 to 20 May and no official report of the presentations has so far emerged.
Consultants (Pension Rights)
Mr. David Young : To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances a consultant changing from one trust hospital to another will lose pension rights.
Press Office
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 11 May, Official Report, column 159, what information she has about the budget for her press office in each year from 1990-91 to 1994-95 in any form that is available or as part of another budget.
Mr. Sackville : The press office is not separately identified in the overall budget for the Department's information division. The manpower cost of the present 14 staff employed in the press office is £396,108. This figure does not include other divisional running costs.
This information is not available for previous years.
City Deprivation Scores
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the deprivation score for inner London and the 10 biggest cities outside London.
Dr. Mawhinney : This information is not available in the form requested.
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Paediatric Beds
Ms Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give the total number of paediatric beds in (a) the London implementation group area and (b) nationally in each of the last five years.
Dr. Mawhinney : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave her on 11 May at column 157.
GP Fundholders
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her estimate for the value of fundholding allocations retained by general practitioner fundholders at the year end for 1993-94.
Dr. Mawhinney : Information about general practitioner fundholders' efficiency savings for 1993-94 will not be available until later in the year.
District Health Authorities, Nottinghamshire
Mr. Tipping : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list, for each NHS trust within the North Nottinghamshire and Nottingham district health authority areas, those non-executive directors who live (a) within and (b) outside the boundaries of each district health authority.
Dr. Mawhinney : All chairmen and non-executive directors appointed to national health service trusts within the areas covered by the North Nottinghamshire health authority and the Nottingham health authority who live within the respective authorities boundaries are listed.
North Nottinghamshire Health Authority
Bassetlaw Hospital and Community Health Services NHS Trust Mrs. J. Lee
Mr. L. Taylor
Mr. P. Reynard
Mrs. L. Turner
Mr. R. Hassett
King's Mill Centre for Health Care Services NHS Trust
Mr. D. Venn (Chairman)
Mrs. F. Stein
Central Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust
Mr. G. Vere-Laurie (Chairman)
Ms L. Hamer
Ms A. Vinter
Mrs. E. Hanson
Nottingham Health Authority
Nottinghamshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Mrs. G. Coppel
Mr. A. Baines
Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust
Mr. N. Deakin (Chairman)
Mr. R. Illingworth
Nottingham Community Health NHS Trust
Mr. B. Cooke
Mr. M. Rudge
Professor C. Chilvers
Nottingham Healthcare NHS Trust
Mr. R. Little (Chairman)
Mrs. H. Markson
Mr. J. Tarrant
Mrs. U. Sood
Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hospital NHS Trust
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