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Departmental Staff

Mrs. Maddock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many employees for which his departments are responsible were women (a) in 1991, (b) in 1992, (c) in grade 7 level, (ii) at grade 3 level, (iii) at executive officer level, (iv) at administrative officer level and (v) at administrative assistant level.

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: The combined totals for the Chancellor's departments are:


          |1991  |1992  |1993  |1994         

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

All women |62,561|62,379|61,736|59,205       

Grade 3   |4     |4     |5     |4            

Grade 7   |354   |420   |548   |563          

EO        |12,236|13,147|12,995|12,703       

AO        |19,792|23,006|22,799|22,860       

AA        |18,879|20,207|18,714|17,311       

Note:                                        

The figures mostly relate to 1 April for     

each year in question, however three of the  

Chancellor's departments do not have the     

data requested for 1991, and one has shown   

its total female staff at the end of each    

year requested. Part-time staff are included 

by head count-not by full-time equivalent.   

National Audit Office

Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the future role of the National Audit Office in vetting United Kingdom contributions to the European Union. Mr. Heathcoat- Amory [holding answer 24 January 1995]: United Kingdom contributions to the European Community budget are paid from the Consolidated Fund. As with all payments from the Consolidated Fund, the National Audit Office already approves all these contributions before they are paid. In addition, the NAO conducts a full annual audit of the Consolidated Fund.

Yorkshire Electricity Group plc

Mr. Ronnie Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will set up an inquiry into the Swiss Bank Corporation's acquisition of Yorkshire Electricity Group plc shares; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Nelson: Inquiries into transactions involving securities are matters for the appropriate regulatory authorities.

Economic Prospects

Mr. Harry Greenway: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his current estimate of the prospects for the economy; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Aitken: The latest forecasts available, published in last November's "Financial Statement and Budget Report", show continuing steady growth and low inflation. The economy is projected to grow by 3 per cent. in 1995.


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Inward Investing Companies

Mr. Deva: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much inward investing companies paid in tax in 1993.

Sir George Young: Corporation tax paid by United Kingdom companies with foreign parents accounted for about one tenth of the total yield of £15 billion in1993 94.

Green Minister

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will outline the main activities of the Green Minister in the Treasury, in his role as Green Minister, during 1994.

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: During 1994, my predecessor and I have continued to ensure that environmental considerations are taken into account in the strategies and policies of the Department.

Income Tax

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the answer of 10 January to the hon. Member for Bolton, North-East, (Mr. Thurnham), Official Report, column 7, if he will reproduce the answer together with columns showing the share of income coming to the top 1, 5 and 10 per cent.

Sir George Young [holding answer 24 January 1995]: The latest estimates for 1978 79 and 1983 84 to 1995 96 are given in the tables. Information for other years could be provided only at

disproportionate cost. Estimates of income are based on information reported to tax offices and collected through annual surveys of personal incomes. For years before 1985 86, estimates exclude employees' contributions to occupational pension schemes and some investment income on which tax is deducted at source. For years up to and including 1989 90, married couples are counted as one taxpayer and their incomes are combined. Following the introduction of independent taxation, for 1990 91 onwards, husbands and wives are counted separately. Estimates are based on the surveys of personal incomes for years up to 1992 93 and projections of the 1992 93 survey for subsequent years; the latter are therefore provisional.


Group of taxpayers<1>                                                                                                                   

                  Shares of total                                    Shares of gross                                                    

                  income tax                                         incomes before tax                                                 

                  liability                                                                                                             

                 |Top 1 per cent. |Top 5 per cent. |Top 10 per cent.|Top 1 per cent. |Top 5 per cent. |Top 10 per cent.                 

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

1978-79          |11              |24              |35              |5               |15              |24                               

1979-80          |10              |23              |34              |n/a             |n/a             |n/a                              

1980-81          |11              |24              |35              |n/a             |n/a             |n/a                              

1981-82          |11              |25              |35              |n/a             |n/a             |n/a                              

1982-83          |12              |25              |36              |n/a             |n/a             |n/a                              

1983-84          |11              |25              |36              |6               |16              |26                               

1984-85          |12              |26              |38              |6               |17              |26                               

1985-86          |13              |27              |38              |6               |17              |26                               

1986-87          |14              |29              |39              |6               |17              |27                               

1987-88          |15              |30              |41              |6               |18              |28                               

1988-89          |15              |31              |42              |7               |18              |28                               

1989-90          |15              |31              |42              |7               |19              |29                               

1990-91          |15              |32              |42              |8               |19              |29                               

1991-92          |16              |33              |43              |8               |20              |29                               

1992-93          |16              |33              |44              |8               |19              |29                               

1993-94<2>       |16              |33              |44              |8               |19              |29                               

1994-95<2>       |16              |33              |44              |8               |20              |29                               

1995-96<2>       |15              |32              |44              |8               |20              |30                               

<1> For years up to and including 1989-90 married couples are counted as one taxpayer and their incomes are combined. Following the     

introduction of independent taxation in 1990-91 husbands and wives are counted separately.                                              

<2> Provisional.                                                                                                                        

Denatured Alcohol

Ms Primarolo: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the products included in the list of denatured alcohol.

Mr. Heathcoat-Amory [holding answer 24 January 1995]: Alcohol is exempt from excise duty when denatured to the standards set out in Commission regulation (EC) No. 3199/93 and the Methylated Spirits Regulations 1987. This allows United Kingdom business access to duty relieved alcohol for the manufacture of a wide range of industrial and scientific products.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Next Steps Agencies

Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will set out for each of the next steps agencies in his Department, whether they have acquired their own headquarters buildings and, if so, at what purchase cost or annual rental; how many support staff they have required which were not required when their operations were within his Department; how many of them publish periodical journals and at what annual cost; how many have fleets of executive cars or single executive cars and at what annual cost; how many have specially designed logos and at what cost; how many have corporate clothing and at what cost; and what is the cost of specially designed and printed corporate stationery.

Mr. Baldry: Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to Wilton Park under its chief executive, Richard Langhorne, and to the Natural Resources Institute under its chief executive, Anthony Beattie. I have asked them to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Professor R. T. B. Langhorne to Mr. Gerald Kaufman, dated 24 January 1995:

I have been asked to respond to your question of 18 January, 1995, concerning Next Steps Agencies.

In the case of Wilton Park the answers are as follows: (i) We have been in the same leased headquarters here at Wiston house since 1951:

(ii) We have engaged three support staff since we became an Agency. Two of these followed upon a 60% increase in our programme of work and were not the consequence of being turned into an Agency. One, an additional book keeper, was needed in order to fulfil the accounting needs of Agency status:

(iii) We do not publish a periodical journal;

(iv) We do not have any executive cars;

(v) We do not have corporate clothing, though we are under pressure at present from the Trade Union Side to introduce it; (vi) We have always had Wilton Park stationery, and no extra cost was incurred by reason of being turned into an Agency.

Letter from Anthony Beattie, to Mr. Gerald Kaufman, dated 25 January 1995:

1. Mr. Baldry has asked me to reply to your question about Next Steps Agencies as this relates to the Natural Resources Institute, which is an agency of the Overseas Development Administration. 2. The answers to the questions you have posed are as follows: (a) The Institute moved to a single site at Chatham between 1988 and 1990 from nine sites previously occupied by the separate scientific units which it replaced. The majority of the staff were on three sites in central London. The


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consolidation was planned in advance of the decision to move to agency status. The rental cost of the Chatham site (net of the cost of that part of it now occupied by the University of Greenwich) is £3,387,000 in 1994 95.

(b) Prior to NRI becoming an agency it already operated as a specialised unit outside ODA HQ. Following its change to an agency NRI increased its support staff by 12 posts, mostly in finance and accounting, to meet new financial requirements and to help achieve increases in business from non- ODA customers. Subsequent staff reductions have brought the number of NRI support staff down to 132 as against 131 prior to the change of status.

(c) The annual production and distribution cost of NRI's newsletter (which was in existence prior to agency status and which is sent to selected recipients in the developing world and the donor community) is £11,000.

(d) NRI has no executive cars.

(e) The cost of design and art work for the Institute's stationery and signage was £23,500.

(f) NRI does not provide corporate clothing.

(g) Annual stationery costs are of the order of £11,000 (the original design cost is given at (e) above).

MI6 Headquarters

Mr. Tyler: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the current annual cost per member of staff accommodated at the MI6 headquarters building at Vauxhall Bridge road- Albert embankment, London.

Mr. Hurd: It is long-standing Government policy not to provide detailed information about the expenditure of the security and intelligence agencies.

Sri Lanka (Anti-paedophile Policy)

Mrs. Golding: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in co-ordinating an anti- paedophile policy with the Sri Lankan Government.

Mr. Baldry: We have kept in close touch with the Sri Lankan authorities about child prostitution. I discussed the matter with them most recently during my visit in November. At our invitation, their deputy inspector general of police responsible for crimes, in whose department there is a special section for dealing with paedophilia, visited last summer to study United Kingdom police techniques.

Commercial Lobbying

Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) on how many occasions in the last four months he or any of his Ministers have been approached by commercial lobbying organisations on behalf of their clients at informal or unofficial engagements;

(2) on how many occasions in the last four months of which he has knowledge any civil servants in his Department have been approached by commercial lobbying organisations on behalf of their clients at informal or unofficial engagements.

Mr. Goodlad: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster today.


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Mrs. Andleeb H. Khan

Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when a decision is expected to be taken on the application--REF/C/7426--made to the United Kingdom post in Islamabad by Mrs. Andleeb H. Khan to join her husband in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Baldry: I refer the hon. Member to the letter of 19 January 1995 to him from the migration and visa correspondence unit of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

I have asked the high commission at Islamabad for details of any further progress in her application and shall arrange for the hon. Member to receive a substantive reply from MVCU as soon as possible.

Iraq

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will outline the Government's response to the interim report, prepared by Mr. Max van der Stoel, special rapporteur of the UN Commission on Human Rights, on the situation in Iraq.

Mr. Douglas Hogg: We welcome Mr. van der Stoel's report and share his condemnation of the Iraqi regime for the continuing deterioration in human rights in that country. We will continue to insist that Iraq complies in full with the terms of United Nations Security Council resolution 688, which calls for an end to the repression of the Iraqi people, and to demand that Iraq give access to UN human rights monitors.

Kobe Earthquake

Mr. Coe: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assistance the British Government have provided to victims of the Kobe earthquake.

Mr. Goodlad: Immediately after the earthquake, we told the Japanese Government that we stood ready to send any assistance they required and gave examples of what we could offer.

They made a specific request on 21 January, and the Overseas Development Administration at once chartered an aircraft to deliver a first consignment of relief supplies. The cargo consisted of over 18, 000 blankets, 35 rolls of black plastic sheeting, 500 collapsible 20 litre water containers and 500 plastic bowls, totally filling the aircraft by volume. The aircraft arrived on Monday 23 January at Kansai international airport near Kobe.

The Japanese authorities have requested some other items including bandages, dressings and sanitary napkins. The Overseas Development Administration sent a consignment of three tonnes on 24 January, British Airways donating the freight space.

In addition, the International Rescue Corps, a British charity which supplies fully trained, self-sufficient rescue teams, has sent a 15-member group to assist in the rescue operations.

HEALTH

Midwives (Northumberland)

Mr. Ronnie Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives there were in (a)


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Northumberland health authority and (b) Cheviot and Wansbeck hospital in each year since 1990.

Mr. Sackville: The information available centrally is shown in the tables.


Midwives in Northumberland   

District Health Authority    

1990-92 at                   

30 September each year       

          Whole-time         

          equivalents        

         |1990|1991|1992     

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

Midwives |110 |110 |110      


Midwives in Cheviot and 

Wansbeck hospital       

1991-92 at              

30 September each year  

          Whole-time    

          equivalents   

         |1991|1992     

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

Midwives |80  |80       

Source:                 

Non-medical work force  

census.                 

Notes:                  

1. All figures are      

rounded to the nearest  

10 whole-time           

equivalents.            

2. All nursing and      

midwifery figures       

exclude agency staff.   

Medical Students

Mr. Ronnie Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many medical students worked for the Northumberland health authority in each year since 1990;

(2) how many medical students are working in maternity units in (a) the Northumberland health authority and (b) the Wansbeck and Cheviot hospital trust.

Mr. Malone: These are matters for the Cheviot and Wansbeck national health service trust and Northumberland health authority. The hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman of the trust and the vice-chairman of the authority, Mr. Roger Baker and Mr. David Wright, for details.

Research and Development Forum

Mr. Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how she will ensure the widest possible input from the health profession into the work of the new NHS research and development forum;

(2) what plans she has to invite representatives of user groups and NHS professional organisations to become members of the new NHS research and development forum;

(3) if she will consult health organisations about the advice she receives from the new NHS research and development forum.

Mr. Malone: The national forum will bring together the major health- related research funders to provide advice to the national health service and the Government at a strategic level on health-related research and development issues. It will provide an important means of establishing closer working links between research interests in the national health service and in the research councils, the research charities, universities and industry.

An important role for the national forum will be to help set the strategic framework within which the central research and development committee will advise on how national health service funds should be used to support research and development. Membership of the central


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research and development committee reflects a wide range of interests.

The central research and development committee will consult widely on national health service needs for research and development and will benefit from advice from regional research and development committees through the regional research and development directorates. These have a broad membership including representatives of the service and others who use research-based information.

Research (Human Beings)

Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if her Department accepts the principles of recommendation No. R(90)3 of the Committee of Ministers to member states concerning medical research on human beings; and if she will incorporate them into United Kingdom legislation.

Mr. Malone: The Department accepts the principles contained in this Council of Europe recommendation on medical research and human beings. They reflect current good medical research practice across the United Kingdom, particularly in terms of informed consent which is underpinned by the Department's own guidelines on medical research given in the booklet "Local Research Ethics Committees", which was published in 1991. It has no plans to incorporate the principles into UK legislation.

St. Bartholomew's Hospital

Mr. Colvin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is her latest estimate of the cost of closing Bart's hospital and moving the facilities to Whitechapel;

(2) what is her estimate of the annual revenue saving from operating Bart's and Royal London, Whitechapel hospitals on one side;

(3) what is the estimated extra revenue cost of a two-site solution of merging Bart's with the Royal London hospital, over the one-site solution.

Mr. Malone: Estimated revenue and capital costings are contained in the East London and the City health authority's consultation document "Health services for the future", copies of which can be obtained from the authority.

Mr. Colvin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is Bart's hospital projected trading surplus for the current financial year.

Mr. Malone: St. Bartholomew's hospital together with the Royal London and London chest hospitals comprise the Royal Hospitals trust. The hon. Member may wish to approach Sir Derek Boorman, chairman of the trust, to establish the availability of this information.

Mr. Colvin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much capital has been invested in Bart's hospital over the years 1989 to 1995.

Mr. Malone: This information is not available centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact Sir Derek Boorman, chairman of the Royal Hospitals trust, for details.

Mental Handicap Hospitals

Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many long-stay mental handicap hospitals have gained trust status.


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Mr. Sackville: This information is not available in the form requested. There are, however, 101 national health services trusts which provide long-stay mental handicap beds.

Hepatitis C

Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions blood collected by the blood transfusions service and contaminated with hepatitis C has been sold to private sector hospitals.

Mr. Sackville: The national health service does not sell blood. It has always been the policy of the NHS to meet independent hospitals' reasonable requests for blood on the basis of availability and clinical need. Independent hospitals will be included in the look-back exercise to trace, counsel and--if necessary--treat those who have been inadvertently infected with hepatitis C in this country, as I announced on 11 January 1995, Official Report , column 145 .

Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has of hepatitis C infected blood volumes donated prior to current testing methods but during the period when other testing regimes were available to the blood transfusion service.

Mr. Sackville: Testing regimes were not available to the blood transfusion service until September 1991, when routine testing of all blood donations for antibodies to the hepatitis C virus was introduced. The blood transfusion service directors estimate that around 3,000 people may have been infected through blood transfusions prior to September 1991. The look- back exercise, which I announced on 11 January, will enable a more precise calculation to be made.

Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what level of expenditure has been committed to combat hepatitis C infection within the blood transfusion service from 1990 to the present.

Mr. Sackville: The cost of measures to combat hepatitis C infection within the blood transfusion service is not separately identifiable. Since September 1991, all blood donations have been routinely tested for antibodies to the hepatitis C virus.

Mental Illness

Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish the 1994 social services inspectorate monitoring report on the mental illness specific grant.

Mr. Bowis: This has not yet been received.

Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the report of the 1994 survey of English mental hospitals initiated by the mental health task force has now been submitted to Ministers; and when its publication may be expected.

Mr. Bowis: No.

General Medical Council

Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the lay members of the General Medical Council; on what date each was appointed; what qualifications they hold; when each term of office ceases; and what is their remuneration.


Column 249

Mr. Malone: The current lay members of the General Medical Council are:


Name                  |Date appointed     |Expiry date of term                    

                                          |of Office                              

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

Mr. John Ifron        |2 August 1992      |1 August 1997                          

  Davies                                                                          

Professor Christine   |16 September 1992  |15 September 1997                      

  Chapman                                                                         

Mr. James Campbell    |1 August 1993      |31 July 1998                           

  Morton                                                                          

Mrs. Rani Atma        |1 August 1993      |31 July 1998                           

Rabbi Julia           |1 August 1993      |31 July 1998                           

  Neuberger                                                                       

Mr. Rodney Brookes    |1 August 1993      |31 July 1998                           

  Yates                                                                           

Mrs. Angela           |18 May 1994        |17 May 1999                            

  Macpherson                                                                      

Mr. Roy Goddard       |18 May 1994        |17 May 1999                            

Mrs. Johanna White    |18 May 1994        |17 May 1999                            

Mr. William Darling   |13 June 1994       |12 June 1999                           

  CBE                                                                             

Mr. Roger Sims<1>     |1 August 1994      |31 July 1999                           

  (Conservative)                                                                  

Mr. Alec Carlile<1>   |1 August 1994      |31 July 1999                           

  (Liberal Democrats)                                                             

Mr. Gareth Wardell    |1 August 1994      |31 July 1999                           

  (Labour)<1>                                                                     

<1> Political nominations.                                                        

There are no formal requirements concerning lay members' qualifications other than that a lay member must neither be a fully registered medical practitioner, nor hold a qualification registrable under the Medical Act 1983.

Lay members receive no renumeration, but are able to claim their expenses for attending council and committee meetings.

NHS Centre for Information Technology

Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the staff of the NHS centre for information technology became civil servants when CIT merged with the corporate data administration to form the NHS information management centre in May 1988.

Mr. Sackville: The staff of the national health service centre for information technology remained employees of the NHS when CIT merged with the corporate data administration.

Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which of her departmental colleagues were responsible for the setting up of the NHS centre for information technology in 1985; what considerations underlay the decision to set up the centre, and what documents have been published setting out the justification for the centre.

Mr. Sackville: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State at the time was responsible for setting up the national health service centre for information technology. CIT was concerned primarily with the development and application of common standards and systems for the NHS. Further details were contained in the document "A National Strategic Framework for Information in the


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Hospital and Community Services" published in October 1986, copies of which are available in the Library.

Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 20 December 1994, Official Report , column 1145 , if the agency agreement with the west midlands regional health authority was the sole legal basis for the centre for information technology.


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