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Mr. Sackville : Information is not available centrally.
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Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general dental practitioners qualified and took up NHS practice in each year since 1983.
Dr. Mawhinney : The available information is shown in the table. In 1983, the report of the departmental study group on dental manpower recommended a reduction in undergraduate intake to dental schools and in 1987 a similar study recommended further manpower reductions.
Number of students obtaining first qualification (United Kingdom) Year |Number<1> ------------------------------ 1982-83 |777 1983-84 |786 1984-85 |787 1985-86 |728 1986-87 |791 1987-88 |750 1988-89 |717 1989-90 |695 1990-91 |700 1991-92 |643 1992-93 |673 Source: University Funding Council. <1> Students normally resident in Great Britain.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what national guidelines exist for the assessment of orthodontic treatment need.
Dr. Mawhinney : An index of treatment need can be used by orthodontic specialists.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many general dental practitioners were registered with the Dental Practice Board in each year since 1983 ;
(2) how many general dental practitioners received remuneration for NHS treatments in each year since 1983.
Dr. Mawhinney : The available information is shown in the table.
General Dental Services Number of general dental practitioners under contract to a family health services authority as at 30 September England Year |Total<1><2> ------------------------------------ 1983 |13,672 1984 |14,066 1985 |14,334 1986 |14,516 1987 |14,765 1988 |15,070 1989 |15,351 1990 |15,480 1991 |15,451 1992 |15,411 1993 |15,773 Source: Dental Practice Board. <1> Includes principals, assistants and vocational trainees. <2> Some dentists have contracts with more than one family health services authority.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is her estimate of the number of individuals who received private orthodontic treatments in England and Wales during the period from 1983 to 1993 ;
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(2) what plans she has for review of orthodontic services.Dr. Mawhinney : There are no plans for a central review of orthodontic services specifically. However, the system of dental remuneration is currently under review, following consultation on the Bloomfield report.
We do not collect information on orthodontic treatment in the private sector.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are waiting for orthodontic treatment.
Dr. Mawhinney : Such information as is available is given in "Hospital Waiting List Statistics : England", copies of which are available in the Library.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors are trained each year in forensic psychiatry ; and how many qualified in forensic psychiatry are practising in the national health service.
Mr. Bowis : The total number of senior registrars and registrars training in forensic psychiatry as at 30 September 1992, the latest date for which figures are available, in England was 40. Approximately one quarter of these will complete training each year. The number of consultants qualified in forensic psychiatry at that time and practising in the national health service in England was 80.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many forensic psychiatric patients have been treated in each year since 1985.
Mr. Bowis : Figures on finished consultant episodes relating to forensic psychiatry between 1988-1989 and 1991-92 for England are shown in the table. Comparable data for the years prior to 1988-89 are not available. These figures exclude patients treated in special hospitals and out-patients.
Forensic psychiatry ( England-excluding special hospitals) Number of finished consultant episodes Year |Number ---------------------- 1988-89 |933 1989-90 |1,020 1990-91 |1,106 1991-92 |1,458
Information about patients treated in special hospitals is not collected in the same form. The numbers of discharges, including deaths, from special hospitals in each year since 1985 were :
Year |Number --------------------- 1985 |234 1986 |154 1987 |175 1988 |196 1989 |212 1990 |209 1991 |189 1992 |220 1993 |264
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing and para-medical staff are
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qualified in forensic psychiatry and working in (a) high security units and (b) admission wards in psychiatric hospitals mental health trusts.Mr. Bowis : There is no specific qualification in forensic psychiatry for nursing and paramedical ward staff.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many psychiatric patients have been contracted out for treatment to the private sector in each year since 1979.
Mr. Bowis : This is a matter for each health authority.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if it is normal practice for a psychiatric patient who is admitted to a ward and then subsequently transferred to another ward to be registered in both wards.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances it is the practice for newly admitted psychiatric patients to be admitted into the vacant beds of other psychiatric patients who are away or on leave for the weekend from their registered hospital.
Mr. Bowis : Patients would be admitted in this way only if there were no other beds available in the hospital and when, in the clinical judgment of the consultant in consultation with the nurse in charge of the relevant ward, such action was appropriate.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing and para-medical staff working in psychiatric wards in mental health trust hospitals have sustained non-accidental injuries from patients in each year since 1985.
Mr. Bowis : This information will be held by individual hospitals and trusts.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if it is normal practice to register the re-admission of a psychiatric patient on return to their mental health unit from a general hospital on receiving treatment for a physical condition.
Mr. Bowis : Transfers between psychiatric and other units are recorded on the clinical notes, with registration taking place at the first admission to the psychiatric unit.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many high security psychiatric patients were admitted to psychiatric wards in non-high secure units in England and Wales in the period from 1985 to 1993.
Mr. Bowis : The assessment of whether a patient requires treatment in conditions of high security is made by an admissions panel at each of the three special hospitals. All patients assessed as requiring such treatment are admitted to the special hospital.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the national referral patterns and regional referral patterns for all units providing psychiatric services for deaf people in each year since 1987.
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Mr. Bowis : Referrals to units providing psychiatric services for deaf people are made by general practitioners and other professionals and are funded by district health authorities. They will hold their respective records on referrals.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many extra-contractual referrals for individuals requiring specialist psychiatric services for deaf people were made in 1993-94.
Mr. Bowis : A total of 2,776 occupied bed days and 143 day care sessions in 1993-94.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the national referral pattern for adolescent psychiatric services ; and what was the regional breakdown of contractual referrals for each health region for the period 1979 to 1993.
Mr. Bowis : Adolescent psychiatric services take place in a variety of settings from primary health care to highly specialised units. Most adolescents are seen by a multi-disciplinary team in a clinic or unit with only a very small minority being referred for specialist in-patient care.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the most common forms of mental illness for children and teenagers ; and what was their incidence in the period 1979 to 1993.
Mr. Bowis : There are a wide range of mental health disorders with varying degrees of prevalence of which most are conduct and emotional disorders. Their prevalence range from 7 to 21 per cent. depending on such factors as the age of the child and whether the child is living in an urban or rural setting.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what capital charges were levied on each regional adolescent psychiatric unit in the latest year for which figures are available.
Mr. Sackville : Estimates of the level of capital charges which will be included in contract prices are collected in respect of individual trusts and authorities. This information is provided as an estimate for the trust or authority as a whole and is not broken down to reflect the amount of charge that will be recovered through the provision of any particular service that the trust or authority may provide.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds designated specifically for adolescent psychiatry there were in each year since 1979 and at the latest available date.
Mr. Bowis : Adolescent beds are not identified separately in central Government statistics.
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children and teenagers suffering from serious mental illnesses were admitted to psychiatric hospitals in the period 1979 to 1993.
Mr. Bowis : This information is not collected in the form requested. Figures on finished consultant episodes and deaths and discharges relating to child and adolescent psychiatry for England are shown in the table for the years for which figures are available.
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Child and adolescent psychiatry ( England) |Number --------------------------------------- Discharges and Deaths<1> 1979 |2,463 1980 |2,589 1981 |2,766 1982 |2,517 1983 |2,668 1984 |2,659 1985 |2,704 1986 |2,448 Finished Consultant Episodes<1> 1988-89 |3,344 1989-90 |2,819 1990-91 |2,791 1991-92 |2,542 <1> The figures for the number of discharges and deaths are not directly comparable with those for the number of finished consultant episodes.
Mr. Blunkett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the number of managers and clerical and administrative staff employed by each regional health authority in 1993-94.
Dr. Mawhinney : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 12 May at column 219.
Mr. Barry Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will set up specialist centres to look at all aspects of radiotherapy injuries ; and if she will make a statement ; (2) if she will meet members of the Radiotherapy Action Group Exposure ; and if she will make a statement ;
(3) what action she has taken to ensure that radiotherapy in the NHS is properly supervised ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : I am very concerned that patients receiving radiotherapy should have confidence in their treatment. My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, Baroness Cumberlege, has met recently representatives from Radiotherapy Action Group Exposure, together with Government's Chief Medical Officer, to discuss how best to consider their concerns. We are also working closely with the Royal College of Radiologists. We have agreed to establish a
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group of professionals and lay people to consider guidelines for the care of those who have suffered tissue damage following radiotherapy for breast cancer.In 1991, the Department issued guidance entitled "Quality Assurance in Radiotherapy" which set out 18 requirements to be maintained to ensure quality in radiotherapy treatment. This guidance has been considered in two radiotherapy centres and the results set out in the document "Quality Assurance in Radiotherapy--A Quality Management System for Radiotherapy", which has recently been widely circulated. Copies of these documents will be placed in the Library.
Mr. Maclennan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what estimate he has made as to the adequacy of provision of suitable accommodation for young offenders being held on remand in the west country ;
(2) if he will construct a table showing the number of places available for young offenders on remand in the west country in each relevant institution.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for these matters has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Maclennan, dated 17 June 1994 : The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Questions about accommodation for young offenders on remand in the West Country. The information given relates to the two Prison Service areas of Wessex & Wales and the West.
Most young offenders on remand are held in specially designated remand centres. Those in the West Country are listed in the attached table, which shows for each of them its certified normal accommodation (CNA), operational capacity, population, population as a percentage of CNA and population as a percentage of operational capacity, for Tuesday 14 June 1994. Her Majesty's Remand Centre Swansea is currently closed for refurbishment.
Young offenders on remand can also be held at the following local prisons : Exeter ; Gloucester ; Pucklechurch (for female prisoners) ; and, exceptionally, Cardiff and Dorchester. On occasions, a small number of young remand prisoners may be held at Portland, which operates normally as a young offender institution (that is, for sentenced young offenders). The accommodation at these establishments is not separately designated for adults and young offenders.
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Remand Centres in Wessex and Wales and the West: 14 June 1994 Establishment |CNA |Operational |Population |Percentage/CNA|Percentage/ |Capacity |Operational --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cardiff RC |81 |110 |104 |128 |95 Dorchester RC |20 |30 |29 |145 |97 Exeter RC |51 |69 |51 |100 |74 Gloucester RC |81 |78 |96 |96
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners were held in police cells in each police force area in England at the latest date for
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which figures are available (a) on remand in custody awaiting trial, (b) on remand in custody awaiting sentence and (c) having been tried and released.Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
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Letter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Peter Pike, dated 17 June 1994 : The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the numbers of prisoners held in police cells, sub- divided into remands awaiting trial, remands awaiting sentence and those tried and released.The only sub-division possible from information available centrally is between remands and convicted. As at 13 June, on this basis, the position was as follows :
Police Force |Remands |Convicted |Total ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Greater Manchester |99 |21 |120 South Yorkshire |0 |1 |1 |-- |-- |-- Totals: |99 |22 |121
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement concerning the cost of implementing the proposed European Commission directive on data protection ; and if he will place background material or submissions from data user organisations in the Library ;
(2) if he will make a statement concerning the costs of implementing the Data Protection Act 1984.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : A recent survey, involving returns on behalf of some 625 organisations in the United Kingdom, suggested that the cost of implementing the directive in its present form within those organisations could come to some £2.24 billion, with annual costs thereafter of some £308 million. The organisations represented in the survey were only a small proportion of all users of personal data in the United Kingdom, so the total United Kingdom costs could be very considerably higher. No figures are available of the total costs to data users of the current data protection legislation : the survey suggested that the current annual cost for the organisations represented is some £13 million.
I am placing the paper showing the results of the survey in the Library of the House.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether he has plans to amend the Data Protection Act 1984 to reduce the bureaucratic burden associated with registration ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what effect his initiative in relation to reducing the burden of bureaucracy will have on the operating of the Data Protection Act 1984 ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The deregulation task force recommended that the data protection regime should be simplified. No action on this can usefully be taken, however, until the outcome of negotiations on the EC data protection directive is known. In its present form, the draft directive would impose additional burdens on data users, and the United Kingdom has been arguing for significant improvements to the text.
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will make a statement in relation to progress being made towards agreement on the proposed European Commission directive on data protection ; and if he will outline the areas where there is still disagreement between member states.
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Mr. Peter Lloyd : The Council working party has now concluded its second reading of the revised text of the draft directive, and a report has been submitted to the Council of Ministers. It is not the practice during negotiations to disclose the extent of agreement or disagreement on any particular issue. Some progress has been made, but the range of views expressed continues to be very wide.
Mr. Allen : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will make a statement on the measures in force to prevent the disclosure of private information being gained by
misrepresentation ;
(2) for the Home Department what proposals he has in respect of the buying and selling of information that is being gained illegally from computer databases.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : The Data Protection Act 1984 requires users of computerised personal data to take appropriate security measures against unauthorised access to, or disclosure of, the data. In addition, it is an offence under the act knowingly or recklessly to disclose data otherwise than in accordance with the relevant entry in the register of data users held by the Data Protection Registrar. There may, however, be a small lacuna in the law in respect of third parties who secure the disclosure of information by deception. For this reason, the Government intend to make it an offence to procure the disclosure of data in circumstances not covered by the register entry of the data user concerned. We believe the problem is best dealt with at the point where the data are obtained, rather than at the subsequent stage where use is made of them.
Ms Corston : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken by his Department in fulfilment of article 3.3 of the United Nations convention on the rights of the child adopted by the United Kingdom Government in December 1991.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Establishments in the Prison Service which have responsibilities for the care and protection of children are regularly inspected by Home Office health and safety inspectors, and by HM inspectorate of prisons. Remedial action is recommended whenever they consider these necessary standards are not met. Such recommendations are taken seriously and acted upon by the Prison Service.
The three units for mothers and babies in prison have been inspected twice by the social services inspectorate, and new guidance on the management of the units has been issued based on their recommendations.
A new health and safety policy unit has been set up within the directorate of health care in Prison Service headquarters, to monitor the delivery of the Prison Service health and safety policy in all establishments, and where necessary to insist upon remedial action.
Mrs. Helen Jackson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the scrutiny team's report on interdepartmental fire safety legislation ; and if he will place a copy in the Library.
Mr. Charles Wardle : The report of the scrutiny team was received recently by Ministers and initial consideration of its contents and associated matters has only just begun. No decision has yet been taken on publication.
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Mrs. Wise : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many remand prisoners currently in custody awaiting trial have been categorised as category A prisoners.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Derek Lewis to Mrs. Audrey Wise, dated 17 June 1994 :
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question about the number of remand prisoners who have been categorised as category A.
On 14 June, 136 remand prisoners in custody awaiting trial were categorised as category A.
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which organisation paid for the extra security, medical and other costs incurred during the hunger strike at Campsfield house in March ; and what was the value of the extra costs incurred.
Mr. Charles Wardle : These costs were met by the Home Office and amounted in March to £163,000.
Mr. Andrew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the cost of the deportation of Ms Elizabeth Frimpong to Accra, Ghana on 20 May.
Mr. Charles Wardle : Ms Frimpong was not deported. She was refused leave to enter the United Kingdom and removed in accordance with schedule 2 to the Immigration Act 1971 at the carrying company's expense. I am therefore not aware of the cost.
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