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Year   |Number       

---------------------

1984   |152          

1985   |153          

1986   |127          

1987   |145          

1988   |150          

1989   |146          

1990   |142          

1991   |133          

1992   |120          

1993   |135          

Information is not held centrally on how many took up NHS practice in Scotland. In recent years most dental graduates have undertaken a year's vocational training before becoming a general dental practitioner. As from October 1993 this became mandatory.

Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many dental de-registrations there were in Scotland in the period 1985 to 1993.

Mr. Stewart [holding answer 17 June 1994] : Formal arrangements for patients to register with a specific dentist were introduced under the new contract for general dental services on 1 October 1990. Information supplied by health boards shows there have been around 17,000 de-registrations in the period October 1990 to December 1993.

Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has for a review of orthodontic services in Scotland.

Mr. Stewart [holding answer 17 June 1994] : There are no plans for a review of orthodontic services specifically. However, the system of dental remuneration is currently under review, following consultation on the Bloomfield report.

Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many clients were registered in Scotland with general dental practitioners in each year since 1983.

Mr. Stewart [holding answer 17 June 1994] : Formal arrangements for patients to be registered with a specific dentist were introduced under the new contract for general dental practitioners on 1 October 1990. The number of people registered with a dentist in Scotland is contained in the table.


!

Number of people registered with 

a dentist in Scotland as at 31   

March                            

Year       |Number               

           |registered           

---------------------------------

1991       |1,710,947            

1992       |2,485,531            

1993       |2,528,268            

1994       |2,514,816            

Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many NHS episodes of orthodontic treatment there were for Scotland for the period 1983 to 1993 ; and what was the cost of NHS orthodontic treatment for Scotland for the same period.

Mr. Stewart [holding answer 17 June 1994] : NHS orthodontic treatment is provided through the general dental service, community dental service and hospital dental service. Information on treatment and cost, where available, is shown in the tables.


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Table 1                                                                 

Orthodontic treatments in the General Dental Service in Scotland:       

1983-1993                                                               

Year<1>           |Number of        |Total cost                         

                  |treatments<2><3> |(including                         

                                    |patient                            

                                    |contributions)<4>                  

------------------------------------------------------------------------

1983              |18,321           |1,556,020                          

1984              |17,334           |1,613,631                          

1985              |17,794           |1,882,173                          

1986              |16,874           |2,220,719                          

1987              |15,929           |2,567,395                          

1988              |16,151           |3,183,938                          

1989              |18,499           |3,445,292                          

1990              |17,949           |3,622,600                          

1991-92           |16,305           |3,009,660                          

1992-93           |22,735           |3,513,233                          

<1> Information is for calendar years from 1983 to 1990. From 1991-92   

information is for financial years.                                     

<2> The number of treatments is a count of the number of forms with an  

orthodontic appliance. This includes retention and replacement          

applicances.                                                            

<3> Differences in the number of treatments may be due to changes in    

the definition of orthodontic treatment items in 1987, 1989 and 1990.   

<4> The cost of orthodontic treatment from 1983 to 1990 include         

examinations and study models. From 1991 the cost excludes examinations 

and study models.                                                       


Table 2                                                         

Orthodontic treatment episodes in the Hospital Dental Service   

in Scotland: 1983-1993                                          

Year ending     |New            |In-patient and                 

31 March        |out-patients at|day case                       

                |consultant     |discharges                     

                |clinics                                        

----------------------------------------------------------------

1983            |14,523         |10                             

1984            |14,371         |1                              

1985            |15,514         |195                            

1986            |16,059         |493                            

1987            |18,012         |746                            

1988            |19,103         |891                            

1989            |18,898         |952                            

1990            |<1>19,487      |858                            

1991            |18,825         |1,089                          

1992            |20,739         |955                            

1993            |22,597         |494                            

<1> Estimated.                                                  

Information on costs is not available centrally.                


Table 3                             

Orthodontic treatment episodes in   

the Community Dental                

Service in Scotland: 1988-1993      

Year<1>     |Number of              

            |Orthodontic            

            |Episodes of            

            |Treatment              

------------------------------------

1988        |5,727                  

1989        |7,349                  

1990        |9,523                  

1991        |8,550                  

1992        |7,417                  

1993        |6,992                  

<1> No information is available     

prior to 1988.                      

Information on costs is not available centrally.

Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the number of individuals who received private orthodontic treatments in Scotland during the period from 1983 to 1993.

Mr. Stewart [holding answer 17 June 1994] : No information is held on private dental treatment.


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Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many patients are waiting for orthodontic treatment in Scotland.

Mr. Stewart [holding answer 17 June 1994] : At 31 December 1993, the latest date for which information is centrally available, there were 12 patients waiting for in-patient treatment in orthodontics and paediatric dentistry. No patients were waiting for day case treatment. Information on patients waiting for out-patient treatment is not centrally available.

Prisons

Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what proposals he has to amend the Prison (Scotland) Rules 1952 ; and if he will make a statement.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 17 June 1994] : The draft revised Prisons and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules were issued for consultation last September. Consideration of the comments received has almost been completed and it is intended to lay the new rules before Parliament in the next few weeks.

Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish the attendance records of individual members of prison visiting committees for the last two years for which figures are available.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 17 June 1994] : Detailed attendance figures for all individual visiting committee members are not collated centrally and any exercise to obtain comprehensive data would involve disproportionate costs.

Mr. Kirkwood : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what consultations have been undertaken with the local authorities in Scotland about proposed changes in the membership of prison visiting committees.

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton [holding answer 17 June 1994] : The draft revised Prisons and Young Offenders Institutions (Scotland) Rules, which contain proposals for changes in the constitution of prison visiting committees, were sent to the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities in September 1993 as part of a comprehensive consultation exercise.

Ambulance Services

Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many private ambulance contracts there were for Scotland in the period 1985 to 1993 ;

(2) how many private patient journeys were undertaken by NHS patients in Scotland for journeys to and from (a) nursing homes and (b) private hospitals in the period from 1985 to 1993 ; what ambulance charges were levied on these NHS patients ; and what was the total money earned from these charges for the same period ; (3) if he will list the NHS ambulance services in Scotland which have contracts with private sector health care providers.

Mr. Stewart [holding answer 17 June 1994] : Information is not collected centrally on private ambulance contracts, but it is considered that there has been little use if any, of such contractors by NHS bodies in Scotland since the Scottish ambulance service exists to meet the needs of NHS patients.


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No charges are levied on NHS patients for any ambulance journeys provided by the Scottish ambulance service for NHS treatment in nursing homes or private hospitals. Non NHS patients are carried by the Scottish ambulance service only on the basis where there is no detriment to NHS patients. A charge is made. The total income earned in respect of such patients for the period 1991 to 1993 was £48,131. There is only one ambulance service for the whole of Scotland and it has no contracts with any private health care provider.

PUBLIC ACCOUNTS COMMISSION

Public Bodies

Mr. Cohen : To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission what arrangements are in hand to audit non-departmental public bodies ; and what improvements to those arrangements are currently being considered.

Sir Peter Hordern : The Comptroller and Auditor General is the auditor of two-thirds of non-departmental public bodies. The auditor of the remaining bodies is appointed by the responsible Secretary of State, usually from the private sector, and accounts are laid before Parliament.

In addition, as the auditor of all central Government Departments and agencies the C and AG checks the payment of grants to all public bodies funded by central Government. In most cases he has a right of access to the body receiving the money both so that he can check that the Department is supervising the spending of public money effectively and also to check that the body spends the money properly.

The recent report by the Public Accounts Committee on the proper conduct of public business suggested that the National Audit Office be enabled to examine and inspect all non-departmental public bodies and other organisations which receive the greater part of their income from central Government funds. The Government have agreed to consider the need for the C and AG to examine bodies to which he currently does not have access on a case by case basis.

National Audit Office

Ms Lynne : To ask the Chairman of the Public Accounts Commission if he will make a statement about the level of funding made available to the National Audit Office to investigate changes in the proportion of moneys spent by local authorities on the various duties they performed over the last five years.

Sir Peter Hordern : The audit of local authorities is the responsibility of the Audit Commission, and does not therefore come within the remit of the Public Accounts Commission and the National Audit Office.

DEFENCE

Air Manoeuvres

Mr. Foulkes : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the members of each manoeuvres commission established under the Manoeuvres Act 1958 since 1979.


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Mr. Hanley : It has never been necessary to invoke the powers of the Manoeuvres Act 1958 as training has been accommodated on existing MOD land, or on the occasions this has not been possible, by negotiation with the landowners concerned.

Naval Firing Range, Cornwall

Mr. Jamieson : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what consultations his Department has had with the Department of National Heritage concerning the siting of a naval firing range off Dodman point in Cornwall ;

(2) what is his estimate of the total savings to his Department of resiting a naval firing range off Dodman point in Cornwall from Lulworth cove in Dorset ;

(3) what consultations his Department has had with the Department of the Environment concerning the siting of a naval firing range off Dodman point in Cornwall ;

(4) what assessment his Department has made of the impact on the local economy of the siting of a naval firing range off Dodman point in Cornwall ;

(5) if he will make a statement about his Department's decision to resite the Navy's firing range from Lulworth cove in Dorset to the sea area off Dodman point in Cornwall ;

(6) if he will name all the sites which are being considered as a naval firing range to replace the current range at Lulworth in Dorset.

Mr. Hanley : The proposal to establish a new naval gunfire support training area has arisen as a result of the decision to move the Royal Navy operational sea training organisation from Portland to Plymouth, which will require transfer of training currently conducted at sea off Portland to exercise areas in the channel south of Plymouth. The move will involve the transfer of some 280 RN personnel to the Plymouth area, and will create an estimated 100 civilian jobs there, as well as bringing additional revenue to the areas. As well as undertaking extensive consultations locally, my Department has also consulted the Department of Transport, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and the habitat protection branch and the water resources and marine division of the Department of the Environment. We did not consult the Department of National Heritage as it has no locus in this matter.

The financial savings involved in establishing the new range, as opposed to continuing to use the current site at Lulworth, are difficult to quantify precisely. We expect, however, that the saving in man hours and fuel alone could be as much as £500,000 per annum. Also, were the task not transferred to the new range, there would be significant operational penalties elsewhere in the Navy's programme as a result of the greater amount of resources necessary to complete the NGS task.

After a preliminary survey of the whole coast area from Lizard to Start Point, we have also given careful consideration to several alternative sites to that proposed off Dodman. These included Bolt Head, Bolt Tail, HMS Cambridge, Rame Head and the Eddystone Lighthouse. Each of these sites proved unsuitable, however, for various reasons.

There has been local concern about the potential impact of this proposal on the local economy. As it is the Navy's intention to work round, rather than to disrupt, the


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activities of fishing and commercial vessels and of leisure craft, we would expect there to be very little impact on Cornwall's economy.

The formal phase of the public consultation period has now ended, and the various representations are being considered. We shall look very carefully at all the factors before making a final decision.

D-day Veterans

Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans Her Majesty's Government have to compile a register of surviving British service men and other United Kingdom citizens who took part in the D-day landings to ascertain their living conditions ; and if he will introduce measures to improve those conditions.

Mr. Aitken : It is the Government's aim to provide a full range of health and welfare facilities to meet the needs of all members of the population. This would include those who have served in the Armed Forces, and who may expect to benefit from them in the same way as other members of the community. There are of course also arrangements in place to cater for the special needs of former members of the armed services.

D-day Commemoration

Mr. Wareing : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the cost to Her Majesty's Government of the events staged to commemorate D-day.

Mr. Hanley : I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Redcar (Dr. Mowlam) on 24 May, Official Report, column 108. The estimated additional costs for the Department of National Heritage are approximately £230,000.

Troops (Emergency Tours)

Mr. Churchill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) infantry battalions and Royal Marine Commandos, (b) Royal Artillery regiments, (c) Royal Armoured Corps regiments and (d) Royal Engineer regiments are currently projected to have an emergency tour interval in (i) 1994-95 and (ii) 1995-96 of less than 24 months, assuming continuation of the current level of commitments in Bosnia and Northern Ireland.

Mr. Hanley : On current plans the following number of units will deploy in each of the two years on emergency tours within 24 months of their last emergency tour :


=

                                     |1994-95|1995-96        

-------------------------------------------------------------

Infantry battalions and Royal Marine                         

  commandos                          |6      |7              

                                                             

Royal Artillery regiments            |1      |1              

                                                             

Royal Armoured Corps regiments       |1      |2              

                                                             

Engineer squadrons                   |4      |8              

Household Division

Mr. Churchill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of his duty hours (a) a guardsman and (b) a trooper in the Household Division has spent on


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public duties over the most recent (i) quarterly and (ii) annual period for which figures are available ; and what assessment he has made of the impact of public duties on recruitment to the Household Division ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Hanley : It is not possible to answer the question in the form requested. On average, however, a guardsman in a public duties battalion is committed to nine days public duties per month, rising to 13 days in the ceremonial season and a trooper to 10 days per month, rising to 14 days in the ceremonial season.

There is no evidence to suggest that the Household Division's requirement to perform public duties has any effect on its ability to meet its recruitment targets.

McCarthy and Sons

Mr. Allason : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what grounds McCarthy and Sons (Contractors) Ltd. of Coombe road, Torquay, are ineligible to work on his Department's sites.

Mr. Aitken : Provided that McCarthy and Sons (Contractors) Ltd. of Coombe road, Torquay meets the MOD's contract terms, including security requirements, there is no reason why the company should not be eligible to undertake work at MOD sites.

Military Bands

Mr. Jessel : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the annual cost of maintaining and training (a) a military bandsman at the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall, Twickenham, (b) a Royal Marine bandsman trained at Deal and (c) a Royal Air Force bandsman trained at Uxbridge, including all extraneous training costs ; and what is the annual cost of training an Army bandsman at Kneller Hall.

Mr. Hanley : It is not possible to make meaningful comparisons between the costs of training bandsmen at these establishments for various reasons, such as the differences in course lengths and varying standards of musical ability on arrival. It is possible, however, to give


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a broad indication of the approximate annual cost of training bandsmen at the three establishments in question, and this is as follows :




             |£            

---------------------------

Deal         |72,000       

Kneller Hall |16,000       

Uxbridge     |<1>Nil       

<1> The RAF recruits fully 

trained musicians although 

there is a small element   

of expenditure on higher   

level training.            

Mr. Jessel : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what sum was spent by his Department on the restoration of the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall, after the decision to reprieve the RMSM and prior to the visit by Her Majesty the Queen to mark the completion of the restoration.

Mr. Hanley : Repairs to the roof and work on the stonework on the external facade of the Royal Military School of Music, Kneller Hall, was carried out in November 1990 at a cost of approximately £2,000, 000.

Special Air Service

Dr. Reid : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to disband R Squadron of the Special Air Service.

Mr. Hanley : There are no plans to reduce the current strength of the SAS reserve although some restructuring will be necessary to enable more flexible use of the numbers available.

Small Arms

Dr. Reid : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the capability to produce small arms nitro compound currently exists in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Aitken : Small arms nitro compound is not a term recognised within the Ministry of Defence. There is no capability in the United Kingdom to produce propellant for small arms ammunition.


 

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