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Mr. Forth: These are matters for Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools, who heads the independent Office for Standards in Education. I have asked Mr. Chris Woodhead to write to the hon. Member.
Ian Greer Associates
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Education on how many occasions departmental officials met representatives of Ian Greer Associates (a) formally and (b) informally on 26 January to discuss matters relating to their clients' interests.
Mr. Boswell: There were no meetings between departmental staff and representatives of Ian Greer Associates on 26 January.
WALES
South Gwynedd Partnership
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he will be meeting the hon. Members for Caernarfon (Mr. Wigley) and for Meirionnydd Nant Conwy and a deputation from the South Gwynedd Partnership.
Ministerial Visits
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he intends visiting Meirionnydd Nant Conwy.
Mr. Redwood: I visited the hon. Member's constituency in September last year, and have no other
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immediate plans to visit Meirionnydd Nant Conwy again in the near future.Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many hours he has spent in Wales during 1995.
Mr. Redwood: Information on my visits to Wales is not held in this format.
Local Government Reorganisation
Mr. Alan W. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales to which categories of employee of county and district councils in Wales he expects the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 to apply during the reorganisation of local government.
Mr. Gwilym Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the statement I made in Standing Committee A on 17 May 1994.
Footpaths
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much has been spent or grant aided in each of the last three years for which figures are available by the Countryside Commission for Wales on the repair of eroded footpaths.
Mr. Gwilym Jones: The Countryside Council for Wales does not grant aid routine maintenance of public rights of way unless they are of national trail status. It did, however, pay grants of £320,000 in both 1992 93 and 1993 94 on the enhancement of the public rights of way network.
In addition to this, grant of £150,000 in 1992 93 and £240,00 in 1993 94 was paid toward the maintenance of national trails. In 1993 94, a further £32,000 in grant was paid on the development of a possible additional national trail. It is anticipated that similar sums will be paid in the current year 1994 95.
Milk Industry
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what initiatives his Department is adopting to assist the milk industry; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Gwilym Jones: The milk industry in Wales benefits from a variety of schemes designed to help business and industry and to promote the efficient marketing of agricultural products. No special initiative is required.
Staff Commission for Wales
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many meetings he or other Ministers have had with the Staff Commission for Wales in the last nine months; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood: One. The Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Cardiff, North (Mr. Jones), met the staff commission on 14 November 1994 for its annual review meeting.
Dental Services
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many dentists in each Welsh family health services authority have stopped treating NHS patients in each year since 1992;
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(2) how many dentists in each Welsh family health services authority have closed NHS registers to new patients in each year since 1992.Mr. Richards: The information requested is not held centrally.
Delegations
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish the attendance list of all those who were members of delegations received in the past six months by him, his fellow Ministers and his senior civil servants.
Mr. Redwood: This information is available only at
disproportionate cost.
N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd.
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will provide estimates for the total amount that has been paid to N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd. with respect to any work undertaken by it on privatisation programmes in which his Department has been engaged since 1979 after taking account of inflation.
Mr. Redwood: My Department has not paid any money to N. M. Rothschild and Sons Ltd. in connection with privatisation programmes.
Health Common Services Authority
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority concerning the timetable for the running down of the stores service in Gwynedd and the establishment of the new service in Clwyd.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place copies in the Library of his departmental letter of 24 January to consultees on the future management arrangements of the clinical side of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority.
Mr. Redwood: Copies of DGM(95)4 consulting on the future management arrangements of these clinical services have been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority concerning the increase in the share out of savings offered to the Gwynedd Hospitals NHS trust to secure its agreement to the closure of the Ysbyty Gwynedd site on 31 March.
Mr. Redwood: None. There are no plans to close Ysbyty Gwynedd.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the current review of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority Department of contracting and capital in north Wales; and when he expects the review's findings will be published.
Mr. Redwood: These matters are currently the subject of discussions between the Welsh Health Common Services Authority and its customers. The outcome of these discussions advising the future handling arrangements is expected in the autumn.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had and proposes to have with the British Limbless Ex- Servicemens Association
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concerning the proposed changes in the management arrangements for the artificial limb and appliance service.Mr. Redwood: The British Limbless Ex-Servicemens Association is one of the organisations currently being consulted about the proposed management arrangements for the artificial limb and appliance service.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place a copy in the Library of each of the service evaluations of the financial and non-financial implications of change in the future management arrangements of the clinical side of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority by each clinical branch of the authority.
Mr. Redwood: Copies of the evaluation reports produced by each of the clinical services have been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the assets considered liable to transfer from the Welsh Health Common Services Authority under the proposed new management arrangements for the artificial limb and appliance service Wales and Breast Test Wales; what arrangements he is making for an independent valuation of those assets; and what estimate he has made to date of the fair valuation of any or all of such a list of assets.
Mr. Redwood: Established procedures governing the transfer of assets will be implemented once decisions are taken about the future management arrangements of BTW and ALAS.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidance he has given to the group director of the artificial limb and appliance service Wales and the director of Breast Test Wales concerning the applicability of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 to the proposed changes in management arrangements; what provisions he has had for expert legal advice to be given to them in the discharge of their personnel function following new management arrangements; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood: It is for the Welsh Health Common Services Authority to take legal and other advice at the appropriate time.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what arrangements he is proposing for the publication of the views of the staff of the artificial limb and appliance service and Breast Test Wales concerning the proposed new manning arrangements.
Mr. Redwood: Subject to individual confidentiality and requests being received, arrangements can be made to publish responses to the consultation exercise.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what arrangements he has made for separating those aspects of the artificial limb and appliance service in Wales which are regarded as suitable (a) for separating into three area-based services located at Rookwood, Morriston and Wrexham-Maelor hospitals and (b) only for a single site all-Wales provision under the options review for the clinical side of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority; (2) what consultations he is undertaking with respect to the arrangements for ring-fencing of the sums repatriated to the district health authorities equivalent to those currently allocated for purchasing by the artificial limb and appliance service in Wales;
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(3) what consultations he is carrying out on the length of time and detailed arrangements for ring-fencing the resources to be repatriated to district health authorities for the purchase of breast screening services;(4) what is his current estimate of the time for further guidance on contracting for artificial limb and appliance service and Breast Test Wales services;
(5) what consultations he has had with the management of Breast Test Wales concerning the required time period for ring-fencing of the funding for purchasing breast cancer screening services after repatriation of those funds to district health authorities, arising from the need to complete and evaluate the first round national screening programme; and how long he has given them and other consultees to express views on the suggested length and administration of the protection period for the funding of the service;
(6) what are the arrangements for health authorities to consult each other with a view to setting up consortium or lead-purchasing arrangements for the artificial limb and appliance service; what consultation he has had with the management at the artificial limb and appliance service in relation to the pooling of purchasing arrangements; and what evaluation he has made of its benefits.
Mr. Redwood: Decisions on these issues will be taken in the light of the results of consultation.
Reversal of Status Declarations
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many patients in each health authority area, or other convenient sub-division, signed reversal of status declarations from either private to NHS, or NHS to private in each of the last three years.
Mr. Redwood: This information is not held centrally.
Patient Anonymity
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what arrangements he has made for the protection of patient anonymity in the collection of data from medical records for statistical purposes under the proposed new management arrangements for the Welsh Health Common Services Authority;
(2) what consultations he has had with the Data Protection Registrar concerning the protection of patient anonymity in the collection of data from medical records for statistical purposes in the area of (a) mental health, (b) cancer and (c) other categories.
Mr. Redwood: Information given by patients concerning their health and treatment is protected by the common law, the Data Protection Act 1984 and the ethical responsibilities of health professionals. This applies even when it is anonymised and aggregated.
We have recently consulted on draft guidance for the NHS, "Confidentiality, Use and Disclosure of Personal Health Information", which includes advice on the use of anonymised/aggregated information. Comments have been received from the Data Protection Registrar which are being considered by health Departments. The management arrangements for the Welsh Health Common Services Authority are still under review.
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Breast Test Wales
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will specify the time period within which trusts and prospective trusts can apply to administer the management arrangements for Breast Test Wales; what arrangements he has made to permit trusts and prospective trusts not currently involved in carrying out biopsies for Breast Test Wales to have equal status with Llandough NHS trust in applying for approval to manage Breast Test Wales; and what criteria he will use in evaluating the bids to manage the service.
Mr. Redwood: The consultation period on the future management of clinical schemes ends on 23 February. No restrictions have been imposed on consultees; bids for the management of Breast Test Wales will be assessed against their ability to maintain the quality, efficiency and cost- effectiveness of the service.
NHS Trusts
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 20 January, Official Report , column 718 , if he will list the external financing limit for each of the NHS trusts in Wales.
Mr. Redwood: The external financing limit for each of the NHS trusts in Wales in 1994 95 is shown in the following table:
NHS Trust |£000 ---------------------------------------------------------- Glan Clwyd Hospital |787 Wrexham Maelor Hospital |5,185 Gofal Cymuned Clwydian Community Care |9,116 Llanelli Dinefwr |334 Carmarthen and District |2,419 Ceredigion and Mid Wales |1,172 Derwen |947 Nevill Hall and District |(1,247) Gwent Community |2,667 Glan Hafren |1,876 Gwynedd Hospital |1,562 Gwynedd Community |3,399 Bridgend and District |4,066 Rhondda |(650) East Glamorgan |2,653 Pembrokeshire |(494) Powys Health Care |1,412 Llandough |6,907 Velindre |(55) Swansea |3,808 Morriston |6,038 South and East Wales Ambulance |407 North Wales Ambulance |321 Mid Glamorgan Ambulance |176 Note: Brackets denote a negative external financing limit-this means that no new borrowing is required.
Blood Transfusion Service
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the management of the National Blood Transfusion Service Wales concerning the ending of the ring-fencing for the purchase of tissue-typing services from the blood transfusion service by health authorities.
Mr. Redwood: The management of the NBTS(W) were consulted prior to the decision to end ring-fencing for tissue-typing services.
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Hospital Supplies
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to ensure that the capacity to replenish hospital supplies at short notice will be maintained after the proposed closure of the stores at Ysbyty, Gwynedd on 31 March.
Mr. Redwood: These are matters for the Welsh Health Common Services Authority and its customers.
Ian Greer Associates
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on how many occasions departmental officials met representatives of Ian Greer Associates (a) formally and (b) informally on 26 January to discuss matters relating to their clients' interests.
Health Service Forms
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the total number of forms collected by his Department for health service administrative purposes in each of the past five years, as measured by the (a) number of different forms and (b) volume and number of actual forms collected.
Mr. Redwood: Annual figures are not available for the period requested. However, in 1993 94, I ordered a comprehensive review of 106 financial and statistical forms sent to the NHS in Wales by the Welsh Office. These returns consisted of around 220 pages in total and, taking account of the frequency of collection and the number of respondents, an estimated 6,800 completed forms were collected in 1993 94. As a consequence of the first phase of the review, 35 forms--47 pages in total--equivalent to some 1,300 completed returns, were discontinued.
A second phase of the review is in train and I expect to announce a further reduction in the form filling burden on the health service in the near future.
Breast Screening
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of state for Wales what consultations he has had regarding the Welsh contribution to the United Kingdom-wide evaluation of the effectiveness of the screening in the diagnosis and treatment of and reducing the incidence of breast cancer, arising from the options review of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority.
Mr. Redwood: None. My Department is represented on the Advisory Committee on Breast Cancer Screening which promulgates advice on the United Kingdom evaluation of the breast screening programme. Breast Test Wales' contribution to the UK screening and evaluation programme will continue unchanged.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Calves
Mr. Colvin: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what he is doing to develop alternatives to export for surplus calves from dairy farms.
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Mrs. Browning: I hope that, over time, farmers can have a greater opportunity of finding more markets at home for their animals and that as much as possible of the export trade can be in meat. I met the Meat and Livestock Commission on 19 January to discuss these possibilities.
Disabled People
Mr. McAllion: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what proportion and number of non-industrial civil servants in the Departments and agencies for which he has responsibility are registered disabled and disabled as defined by the Cabinet Office document "Focus on Ability".
Mrs. Browning: On 1 July 1994, there were 146 registered disabled people among the non-industrial civil servants in the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, including its agencies, representing nearly 1.5 per cent. of the total staff in post. In 1993, a voluntary survey of all staff, which achieved a 60 per cent. response, showed that between three and four times that number considered that they had a disability.
Live Animal Exports
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will cut journey times allowed for transportation of live animals for slaughter to six hours.
Mrs. Browning: We have no such plans.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what account is taken of travel in British waters in the journey times allowed for the transportation of live animals for slaughter.
Mrs. Browning: Time at sea counts as part of the journey time under the Welfare of Animals during Transport Order 1994, except where the animals can be fed and watered on board the vessel.
Live Animal Exports
Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what provision was made for the feeding, watering and resting after 15 hours of the livestock held on a ship at Brightlingsea on 19 January; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Browning: The ship used was a fitted livestock vessel and the sheep were fed, watered and rested in their pens once aboard. The animals were accompanied on their voyage by a Ministry veterinary inspector who was satisfied with the facilities available and the arrangements made for the welfare of the sheep during the sea journey.
Mr. Morley: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the occasions since 1 October 1994 when livestock animals have died while awaiting export from the United Kingdom or during the crossing to the European mainland, giving in each instance (a) the dates, (b) the numbers of animals involved, (c) the types of animals involved, (d) the causes of death and (e) the location where the animals died.
Mrs. Browning: The information requested is not available. Those responsible for export consignments are not under any statutory obligation to provide it.
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Fishing (Swap Arrangements)
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what requirements exist for British consultation and consent in swap arrangements made between other EEC Governments in respect of British waters.
Mr. Jack: As my reply to the hon. Member on 20 January, Official Report, column 736, explained, the Commission must be notified when a swap has been agreed. The Commission then notifies all member states. There is no requirement for prior consultation with the member states in whose waters the quota may be fished.
Fishing (Irish Box)
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what extra funding is available from the EEC for the costs of additional fishery protection efforts to control Spanish access to the Irish box from 1996.
Mr. Jack: Decisions on the detailed arrangements to apply from 1 January 1996 have yet to be made.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer of 20 January, Official Report, column 738, to the hon. Member for Southend, East, (Sir T. Taylor), what assessment he has made of the relevant financial benefits accruing to (a) the Irish Government and (b) Her Majesty's Government in respect of the arrangements for the Irish box.
Mr. Jack: Discussions have not yet reached a stage at which such an assessment could be made.
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many of the Spanish fishing vessels to be admitted to the Irish box have been inspected by British fisheries protection vessels for secret fish holds.
Mr. Jack: As I indicated in the reply given to the hon. Member on 20 January, Official Report , columns 735-36 , under the agreement reached at the December Fisheries Council it is for each member state to inform the Commission, by the end of March this year, of its proposed reference list of named vessels which may have access to the fisheries covered by the agreement. Access to the Irish box--excluding VIIa and VIIf N of 50 30`N-- for Spanish vessels will not be permitted before 1 January 1996. From that date they will be subject to possible inspection by British fishery protection vessels when they are in UK waters within the Irish box and elsewhere in western waters.
Fishing (Norway)
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what study he has made of Norwegian methods of access control and discipline in respect of foreign fishing vessels into Norwegian waters; and if he will make it his policy to introduce similar measures in British waters and to press for their acceptance by the EEC as a common standard.
Mr. Jack: Norwegian fisheries management procedures were extensively considered during Norway's accession negotiations. Within the EU, Council regulation (EEC) No. 2847/93 provides the framework for the effective and non-discriminatory enforcement of the common fisheries policy. At the December Fisheries
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Council, it was agreed that further control measures should be adopted for western waters including provisions relating to the communication of vessel movements--hailing in and out--and the declaration of catch, to both flag and coastal states. These provisions are similar to those in force in certain Norwegian fisheries.
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