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Mr. Moss: Information is not held in the form requested. The table provides details on the numbers of treatments carried out on a private basis in public hospitals in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years.
|Ordinary |Outpatient
Year |admissions |Day cases |attendances
------------------------------------------------------------
1989-90 |1636 |948 |2863
1990-91 |1983 |933 |3221
1991-92 |1971 |1115 |2573
1992-93 |1938 |1291 |2419
1993-94 |2101 |1781 |2813
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will provide an estimate for the value of fundholding allocations retained by general practitioner fundholders at the year end in each of the last four years, by region.
Mr. Moss: It is estimated that in 1993 94, the first year of fundholding in Northern Ireland, GP fundholders underspent by approximately £2.7 million--8.8 per cent. of their total budget. Discussions about the level of savings to be retained by practices are not yet completed.
Patient Complaints
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many patient complaints there were in each of the last five years, by region.
Mr. Moss: There were 1,590 hospital patient complaints in Northern Ireland in 1993 94.
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Information about complaints made against family health services practitioners in Northern Ireland is not collected centrally. Information is available on those complaints which were investigated formally under the Health and Personal Social Services (Services Committee) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1973 and is given in the table.
'
|Number of
|complaints
Year |investigated
|formally
---------------------------------------
1989 |12
1990 |16
1991 |13
1992 |11
1993 |25
NHS Private Patient Facilities
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much income has been generated by NHS hospitals' private patient facilities in each of the last five years, by region.
Mr. Moss: Private patient income by health and social services board and trust was as follows:-
|1989-90 |1990-91 |1991-92 |1992-93 |1993-94
Board |£ |£ |£ |£ |£
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Eastern |1,278,235|1,510,981|1,776,835|2,344,038|137,259
Western |175,220 |97,578 |138,514 |198,426 |243,298
Northern |273,708 |258,672 |330,825 |347,427 |253,680
Southern |226,982 |182,672 |183,600 |289,549 |140,718
Trust ---------------------------------------------------------------- Belfast City Hospital Trust |412,499 Eastern Ambulance Trust |1,233 Greenpark Trust |314,857 Royal Group of Hospitals Trust |1,308,380 Ulster, North Down and Ards Hospitals Trust |463,060 Craigavon Group of Hospitals Trust |227,339 The six trusts were established on 1 April 1993.
Legal Actions
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will publish details of the total costs incurred by each health board and each education and library board in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years in defending actions assisted through legal aid which have arisen from (a) fair employment and (b) equal opportunities legislation.
Mr. Moss: The information is not held in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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HEALTH
Measles
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the current vaccination campaign against measles; and what assessment she has made of the risk that some children may not be immune to the disease.
Mr. Sackville: It is too early to assess the effectiveness of our immunisation campaign against measles, but by the end of the third week of the campaign we estimate that more than 4.5 million children had been immunised. Initial reports from districts estimate that about 90 per cent. of the target population are being immunised in the initial phase of the campaign.
Public Health Laboratory Service data based on extensive national surveillance has revealed that measles susceptibility in the school age population is sufficient to sustain a measles epidemic of the size forecast.
Rubella Vaccine
Mr. Alton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when her Department first became aware of the research leading to the production of the rubella vaccine.
Mr. Sackville: Rubelle vaccine was developed from a cell line, MRC5, taken from a foetus terminated at a national health service hospital in 1966. This information has been in the public domain since the vaccine was introduced in 1970. Details of the MRC5 cell line were published in an article in "Nature Magazine" in 1970 and the origin of the vaccine is mentioned in the memorandum, "Immunisation against Infectious Disease", copies of which are available in the Library.
Mr. Alton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what authorisation was given by (a) Department and (b) any other official group charged with monitoring the ethics of research to the development of the rubella vaccine from the cells of an aborted child.
(2) who authorised clinical trials of the rubella vaccine; and when these were conducted.
Mr. Sackville: This research and the clinical trials were conducted nearly 30 years ago and the information requested is not available.
Mr. Alton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what clinical trials of the rubella vaccine derived from the cells of an aborted child were conducted on children; what were the processes for consent; and if volunteers were informed of the vaccine's origin.
Mr. Sackville: The research was undertaken by vaccine manufacturers and such details are not available. The hon. Member may wish to contact the manufacturers of the vaccine who are listed in the memorandum "Immunisation against Infectious Disease", copies of which are available in the Library, for such information.
Mr. Alton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the medical grounds under which the unborn child, whose cells were taken to culture the rubella vaccine, was aborted.
Mr. Sackville: The cell line from which the rubella virus was cultivated was taken from a foetus which was terminated in a national health service hospital for psychiatric reasons. The foetus was not terminated to provide the source of the cell line.
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Mr. Alton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who conducted the research and development of the rubella vaccine.
Mr. Sackville: The research was conducted by Professor S. Plotkin at the Wistar insitute, Philadelphia.
Rubella
Mr. Alton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will quantify the risk of an under 16-year-old contracting rubella this winter.
Mr. Alton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what grounds her Department has concluded that a rubella epidemic is imminent; and when her Department first arrived at this conclusion.
Mr. Sackville: A rubella epidemic is not imminent. In 1993, outbreaks of rubella in unimmunised older boys and young men led to a rise in cases of rubella in pregnant women. Rubella vaccine has been included in the present measles and rubella schools immunisation campaign to bring forward the elimination of rubella in pregnancy by five years and thereby hasten the eradication of the congenital rubella syndrome. Immunising girls and boys against rubella protects both from the disease. It is especially important for girls but also for boys as unprotected boys who catch rubella can transmit the disease to susceptible pregnant women.
Measles Vaccine
Mr. Alton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the reasons for the shortage of supply of the measles only vaccine.
Mr. Sackville: Measles vaccine has not been in routine use in this country since the introduction of the measles/mumps and rubella vaccine in 1988. It has only been available on a "named-patient" basis. Manufacturers have therefore had no need to retain large stocks.
Health Authority Staff
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff have been employed by category by each district health authority in each of the last five years.
Mr. Malone: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Christmas Expenditure
Mr. Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much public money will be spent on entertaining, Christmas decorations and other festive activities this Christmas season by her Department and Government agencies answerable to her Department; and of this sum how much will be spent in Ministers' private offices and official residences.
Mr. Sackville: Disaggregrated information of this nature is not available. Any such costs which may arise are covered by the hospitality expenditure of the Department which is published in the annual report, copies of which are in the Library.
Mr. Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many official Christmas cards she and her Ministers intend to send in 1994; how much these cards will cost (a) to buy, (b) to post and (c) in staff time to sign, address and place in envelopes; and if she will place in the Library
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a sample copy of the official Christmas card she intends to send this year.Mr. Sackville: Some 2,300 charity Christmas cards, copies of which will be placed in the Library, will be sent at an estimated purchase and postal sum of £1,360.
Equal Opportunities
Ms Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the results of the survey on the ethnic origin of nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff are yet available.
Mr. Sackville: Ethnic group data on nursing and midwifery staff were collected in September 1993 non-medical work force census. The results were published in October in the statistical bulletin 1994/11, copies of which will be placed in the Library.
Community Care
Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the budget allocated to community care is being spent on (a) residential nursing homes and (b) nursing homes by each health authority; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Bowis: Health authority accounts and financial returns do not provide information on whether long-term healthcare is provided in a national health service hospital or independent nursing home.
Cancer Services
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how and when she plans to respond to the consultation on the document "A Policy Framework for Commissioning Cancer Services".
Mr. Sackville: The Department is currently assessing responses to the consultation. We expect to make decisions early in 1995.
Special Advisers
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement concerning the cost to public funds of employing ministerial special advisers in her Department.
Mr. Sackville: The Department employs one special adviser. Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings and are confidential. They are, however, normally paid on a special advisers' salary spine of 34 points, ranging from £19,503 to £67,609. Appointments are non-pensionable and the salary spine reflects this.
Benzodiazepines
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pills are in each unit which manufacturers supply to pharmacists for NHS use of (a) temazepam, (b) zopiclone, (c) other benzodiazepines and (d) other anti- depressants.
Mr. Sackville: This information is not available centrally. Although an applicant for a product licence for any medicine is required to submit details of proposed pack sizes to the licensing authority the decision on which of those sizes is marketed at any time rests on their commercial judgment.
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Blood Transfusion Centre, Brentwood
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will tabulate (a) the advantages and (b) the disadvantages for clinicians and patients in Newham of the proposed closure of the Brentwood blood transfusion centre.
Mr. Sackville: The National Blood Authority has made it clear that under its proposals services to clinicians, to patients and to donors in all areas will be maintained or improved. The authority has undertaken a thorough and widespread consultation on its proposals and the results will be carefully considered before decisions are made.
NHS Work Shifts
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what controls exist on the length of work shifts or the numbers of hours worked each week in (a) paramedic emergency services or (b) NHS patient transport services; and to what extent these differ between direct NHS providers of such services and subcontractors.
Mr. Sackville: There are no central controls on the length of shifts worked by ambulance staff, apart from the requirements of the drivers' hours regulations.
Health Care in London (Leaflet)
Mr. Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the leaflet, "Changing the Focus of Health Care in London", is to be distributed to all London households.
Mr. Malone: It is not intended to distribute the leaflet to all London households.
Mr. Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many leaflets, "Changing the Focus of Health Care in London" have been printed; what was the cost of (a) design and production, (b) printing and (c) distribution of these leaflets; how many other such leaflets have been produced and distributed in each year since 1979; and if she will list their names, quantities produced and total cost of each leaflet.
Mr. Malone: Twenty thousand leaflets have been printed. The cost of design and layout was £4,530. The cost of printing was £2, 482-- giving a cost per leaflet of 35p. All figures are exclusive of value added tax.
A sample copy of the leaflet has been distributed at first-class letter rate to 65 key managers in the national health service and local authorities in inner London. The managers have been asked to state how many further copies they will require in order to make the leaflet available to members of the public in hospitals, clinics, health centres, general practitioner surgeries, local libraries and neighbourhood resource centres. If necessary, a further print run will be undertaken to meet demand.
In addition I have written to London Members of Parliament with a copy of the leaflet. The London primary health care forum has not previously published or circulated any other literature.
Copies of "Changing the Focus of Healthcare in London" will be placed in the Library.
Tobacco Advertising
Mr. Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which of the measures announced in the statement made on 13 May relating to a voluntary agreement on tobacco
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advertising have so far been (a) agreed with the industry and (b) implemented; and what is the timescale for (i) agreement and (ii) implementation of each of the remaining measures.Mr. Sackville: The new voluntary agreement on tobacco products advertising and promotion will be published shortly. It will set out the details of implementation of the measures announced on 13 May.
NHS Trusts
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will name the chief executives of NHS trusts and authorities in Devon and Cornwall.
Mr. Sackville: The chief executives in the Cornwall and Devon area are as follows: Cornwall and Isles of Scilly district family health services authority, Mr. Ron Spencer; Cornwall healthcare NHS trust, Mr. Philip Sanders; Cornwall and Isles of Scilly learning disabilities NHS trust, Mrs. Gina Brocklehurst; Royal Cornwall hospitals NHS trust, Mr. Brian Milstead; Plymouth and Torbay health authority, Mr. W. Jennings; Exeter and North Devon health authority, Mr. Peter Jackson; Exeter and District community health services NHS trust, Mr. Thomas Grady; Northern Devon healthcare NHS trust, Mrs. Julie Acred; Plymouth community services NHS trust, Mrs. Sue DeGilio; Royal Devon and Exeter healthcare NHS trust, Mr. Mark Taylor; South Devon healthcare NHS trust; Mr. Tony Parr; and Westcountry ambulance services NHS trust, Mr. Mike Willis.
Junior Doctors and Dentists
Mr. David Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many junior doctors and dentists by region in England are contracted for more than 72 hours a week in on-call posts; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Malone: At 30 September 1994, the returns from the 14 English regional task forces on junior doctors' hours were as follows:
|Hard-Pressed posts
|contracted for over
Region |72 hours a week
------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |242
Yorkshire |653.5
Trent |184
East Anglian |170.5
NW Thames |315
NE Thames |492
SE Thames |213
SW Thames |206
Wessex |110
Oxford |140
South Western |46
West Midlands |293
Mersey |194
North Western |615
Total |3,874
This represents a fall of over 40 per cent. in the number of posts in this category since March.
I am very pleased with this significant increase in the rate at which these posts are being eliminated. This is evidence of the hard work done by regional task forces and by hospitals in tackling the problem of long hours.
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There are, however, still too many posts where junior doctors are being asked to work long hours and the Government will continue to work with the medical profession and NHS managers to ensure that the "New Deal on Junior Doctors' Hours", a copy of which is in the Library, is implemented in full.Blood Transfusion Service
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representation she has received regarding blood transfusion centres in the north west; and if she will make a statement.
(2) what assessment she has made on the affect on services in Lancashire and Cumbria if the closure of Lancaster blood transfusion centre is to be allowed to go ahead.
Mr. Sackville: Six parliamentary questions have been asked by hon. Members concerning the National Blood Authority's proposal for blood transfusion centres in the north-west and Ministers have received 109 letters as at 23 November.
The National Blood Authority has made it clear that, under its proposals for reorganisation of the transfusion centres, current levels of service in Lancashire and Cumbria would be maintained and improved. The authority has undertaken a thorough and widespread consultation on its proposals. Full consideration will be given to the results of the consultation before decisions are made.
Burnley Health Care Trust
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received in the last three months arising from problems with the management of Burnley healthcare NHS trust; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 1 November, Official Report , column 1084-85. Since then, we have received some further representations about Burnley healthcare national health service trust, including a petition comprising some 7,000 signatures. This calls for the reinstatement of Mr. Ian Mahady, and has been forwarded to the investigation team.
Munchausen's Syndrome
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 22 November, Official Report, column 87, if she will list those hospitals (a) where research projects are in progress into the effectiveness of covert video surveillance in cases of suspected Munchausen's syndrome by proxy and (b) where the same technique is in use but not as part of a research project.
Mr. Bowis: The research covers all methods used by paediatricians in identifying suspected Munchausen's syndrome by proxy. The only hospital using covert video surveillance of which we are aware is the North Staffordshire hospital centre.
Malaria
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action her Department is taking against the incidence of malaria.
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Mr. Sackville: Malaria is not endemic in the United Kingdom. The Department gives advice about the precautions that should be taken when travellers from the United Kingdom are travelling to endemic areas in the Department's free booklet, "Health Advice for Travellers", which is updated as necessary on Prestel. Guidance on appropriate prophylaxis against malaria for specific parts of the world is available to doctors and practice nurses from the Public Health Laboratory Service malaria reference laboratory, which also has a helpline for travellers.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Special Advisers
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement concerning the cost to public funds of employing ministerial special advisers in his Department.
Mr. Goodlad: My Department employs two special advisers. Salaries for special advisers are negotiated individually in relation to their previous earnings, and are confidential. They are, however, normally paid on a special advisers' salary spine of 34 points, ranging from £19,503 to £67,609. Appointments are non-pensionable, and the salary spine reflects this.
Vetting Procedures
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to provide information to embassies concerning the practice of enforced subject access to criminal records in the vetting of United Kingdom citizens; what United Kingdom embassies abroad use a similar procedure to vet foreign nationals; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad: There are no plans to provide such information to embassies in the United Kingdom. United embassies abroad are not instructed to employ these or similar procedures.
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to introduce enforced subject access procedures as part of his Department's assessment of those individuals who are not positively vetted; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Goodlad: There are no plans to introduce such procedures.
Macedonia
Sir Russell Johnston: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made towards the establishment of an association agreement between the European Union and Macedonia; what is the policy position of Her Majesty's Government with particular reference to the Greek stance; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry: The United Kingdom and other member states have urged an early solution to the bilateral dispute between the Macedonians and Greece. This would enable the EU to develop its relations with the Macedonians, for example by concluding a trade and co-operation agreement.
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Sir Russell Johnston: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the position of Her Majesty's Government regarding the exclusion of Macedonia from the Conference on Security and Co -operation in Europe because of a Greek veto; and what representations he has made to the Greek Government.
Mr. Douglas Hogg: We support Macedonia's immediate admission to the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe as a full participating state. We have expressed our concern at its exclusion repeatedly and will do so again at the meeting of CSCE heads of state and Government in Budapest on 5 to 6 December. The Greek Government are in no doubt about our position. We have urged them to lift their block.
Rwanda
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the progress that has been made to establish an international tribunal on genocide following recent events in Rwanda; what crimes against humanity will be investigated by the international tribunal on genocide in Rwanda; and what contribution the United Kingdom is making to the establishment of the international tribunal on genocide in Rwanda.
Mr. Douglas Hogg: The Security Council established an international criminal tribunal for Rwanda by resolution 955 of 8 November 1994, which we co-sponsored.
Under the statute, the tribunal has jurisdiction over persons responsible for serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of Rwanda and Rwandan citizens responsible for such violations committed in the territory of neighbouring states, between 1 January 1994 and 31 December 1994. Its jurisdiction includes genocide and serious violations of the laws of war as well as certain crimes against humanity committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against any civilian population on national, ethnic, racial or religious grounds.
The Secretary-General will shortly make recommendations as to the practical arrangements for the tribunal. We will consider any United Kingdom contributions in the light of his report.
Slovenia
Sir Russell Johnston: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made towards the establishment of an association agreement between the European Union and Slovenia; what is the policy position of Her Majesty's Government with particular reference to the Italian stance; and if he will make a statement
Mr. Baldry: The content of a negotiating mandate for an association agreement with Slovenia has been agreed, but a bilateral problem between Italy and Slovenia has prevented the Foreign Affairs Council from approving the mandate. We have made it clear, including to the Slovenian Prime Minister on his recent visit to London, that we want this mandate to be agreed as soon as possible and have urged the parties to resolve their differences.
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Sudan
Mr. Worthington: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the present programme of activity of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Sudan; and if he is receiving any co-operation from the Government of Sudan.
Mr. Douglas Hogg: The UN special rapporteur, Dr. Biro, has presented a second interim report on the human rights situation in Sudan to the UN general assembly. The Sudanese Government have not responded to Dr. Biro's request for co-operation
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