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Written Answers to Questions

Friday 3 February 1995

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT ADMINISTRATION

Water Purification Plants

Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total number of water purification plants held in storage by the Government; what is the purpose of the storage; how many have been released to assist the recent emergency in Rwanda; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Baldry: The Overseas Development Administration holds no water purification plants in store. If such items are to be supplied for overseas emergencies, they can be obtained rapidly from a variety of sources. No such plants have been directly provided by the ODA for the Rwandan emergency.


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LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Training Courses

Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list each training and tuition course with a total cost exceeding £5,000 paid for by (a) his Department and (b) his agencies during the last 12 months, showing the title and objectives of each course, the name of the organisations engaged, the total cost of each course, a summary of the responsibilities of staff members taking part and the process for course evaluation by his Department or agency.

Mr. John M. Taylor: Each training and tuition course with a total cost exceeding £5,000 paid for during the last 12 months through central funds is listed at annexe A. Further inquiries concerning courses which may be held locally throughout the Department would incur disproportionate costs.

The Lord Chancellor is responsible for three agencies--HM Land Registry, the Public Record Office and the Public Trust Office. The question concerns specific operational matters on which the chief executives are best placed to provide answers. I have accordingly asked chief executives to reply direct.


List of training and tuition courses with a total cost exceeding £5,000 paid for by The Lord Chancellor's Department                                             

during the last 12 months                                                                                                                                        

                                              |Organisation          |Total cost of each    |Summary of                                                          

Course title           |Course objectives     |engaged               |course                |responsibilities      |Evaluation process                           

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

 Steeping up on        |1. Prepare a detailed |International Training|£8,961(3 stage        |Senior Managers       |End of course                                

  promotion            |personal              |Services Ltd          |modular approach)     |(Grades 5/6)          |(Grades 5/6)                                 

                       |development plan                                                    |responsible for       |plus review day                              

                       |2. Develop awareness                                                |policy, legal work                                                  

                       |of current priorities                                               |and operational                                                     

                       |and managing issues                                                 |matters                                                             

                       |facing senior                                                                                                                            

                       |managers                                                                                                                                 

                       |3. Consider wider                                                                                                                        

                       |management topics                                                                                                                        

                       |and their application                                                                                                                    

                       |to the Department                                                                                                                        

                                                                                                                                                                 

Grade 7 foundation     |1. To introduce Grade |Price Waterhouse      |£11,100(3 stage                                                                            

course                 |7 staff to the                               |modular approach)                                                                          

                       |competences and the                          |Grade 7 staff                                                                              

                       |process of                                   |responsible for                                                                            

                       |development                                  |policy, legal work                                                                         

                       |2.To identify training                       | and operational                                                                           

                       |and development                              |matters End of                                                                             

                       |needs and produce a                          |course evaluation                                                                          

                       |personal                                     |process, follow-up                                                                         

                       |development plan                             |interviews and                                                                             

                                                                     |development                                                                                

                                                                     |planning                                                                                   


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Courses paid for by the Lord Chancellor's Department for members of staff from Magistrates' courts service  Annex A                                                                                        

                                                          |Organisation                |Total cost of each          |Summary of                                                                            

Course title                 |Course objectives           |engaged                     |course                      |responsibilities            |Evaluation process                                       

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

Mastering effective          |To learn and practice       |Effectiveness training      |£7,200 per                  |Course offered to           |Evaluation                                               

communication                |effective skills for        |consultants                 |cohort£81,671               |senior managers             |questionnaire                                            

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

                             |average per year            |who had completed           |completed at the            |
                                                                                     

                             |can promote more                                                                      |Management                  |course                                                   

                             |productive and                                                                        |Development                                                                           

                             |satisfying                                                                            |Programme                                                                             

                             |relationships at work                                                                                                                                                        

                             |and elsewhere                                                                                                                                                                

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Diploma in higher            |To enable assistants to     |Nottingham Trent            |£149,408 per year           |Trainee Court Clerks        |A working group                                          

education                    |obtain the                  |University                                               |or people currently         |evaluated the                                            

(Magisterial Law             |qualifications                                                                        |in administrative           |benefits by                                              

Distance Learning)           |necessary to be                                                                       |posts who is                |questionnaires to                                        

and LLB (Distance            |employed as a                                                                         |anticipated should          |current and former                                       

Learning) (3 year            |competent and                                                                         |be clerking courts          |students. A number                                       

course)                      |efficient effective                                                                   |within 2 years              |of students, their                                       

                             |clerk in court                                                                                                     |line managers or                                         

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                                                                                 |interviewed. A                                           

                                                                                                                                                 |report was placed                                        

                                                                                                                                                 |before the Training                                      

                                                                                                                                                 |Policy Committee                                         

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Distance Learning            |To enable participants      |Manchester                  |£18,836average per          |Trainee Court Clerks        |Questionnaires after                                     

Law Degree (4 year           |to qualify to take          |Metropolitan                |year                        |or people currently         |each module                                              

course)                      |courts and to               |University                                               |in administrative                                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                          |posts who it is                                          |
                                                                                     

                             |qualification                                                                         |be clerking courts                                                                    

                                                                                                                    |within 2 years                                                                        

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Diploma in                   |To raise the level of       |Bristol Business            |£24,300average per          |The course is aimed at      |Questionnaires                                           

Management studies           |understanding of            |School-part of the          |year                        |those either holding        |completed at the                                         

(2 year course)              |management                  |University of the                                        |or moving into posts        |conclusion of each                                       

                             |processes and the           | West of England,                                        |carrying essential          |residential module,                                      

                             |management                  |Bristol                                                  |managerial tasks            |plus full evaluation                                     

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                       |study conducted in          |
                                                                                     

                                                                                       |1993                        |
                                                                                     

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Senior Management            |1. To enable managers       |Ashbridge Consulting        |£91,755per cohort           |Justices Clerks and         |Questionnaires                                           

Development                  |within the                  |Group-part of                                            |Deputy Justices             |completed at the                                         

Programme                    | Magistrates' Courts        |Ashbridge                   |£370,830                    |Clerks                      |conclusion of each                                       

(extending over 6            |Service to identify         |Management                  |average per year                                         | module and                                              

months)                      |the differences             | College                                                                              |analysed. A full                                         

                             |which they want to                                                                                                 |evaluation project                                       

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                                                       |took place in 1993          |
                                                                                     

                             |at the level of                                                                                                                                                              

                             |individual                                                                                                                                                                   

                             |performance.                                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

                             |2. To enable                                                                                                                                                                 

                             |individuals to                                                                                                                                                               

                             |develop and use                                                                                                                                                              

                             |their competences in                                                                                                                                                         

                             |sustaining these differences                                                                                                                                                 

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Common Professional          |To confer on the            |Manchester                  |£16,548per cohort           |Court clerks who hold       |Questionnaires at end                                    

Examination                  |successful student          |Metropolitan                                             |the Diploma in              |of modules                                               

Completion Course            |eligibility to proceed      |University                                               |Magisterial Law and                                                                   

(1 year)                     |to the final                                                                          |who wish to qualify                                                                   

                             |professional                                                                          |as a barrister or                                                                     

                             |examinations                                                                          |solicitor                                                                             

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Professional Training        |To provide an               |University of               |£5,300per cohort            |Course designed for         |Questionnaires after                                     

  and Development            |introduction to             |Cambridge Board                                          |Senior Managers,            |each module. A full                                      

                             |training techniques         |of Continuing               |£59,916                     |Administrative and          |study is being                                           

                             |and approaches to           |Education                   |average per year            |Legal Staff who             |conducted                                                

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

                                                          |have significant                                         |
                                                                                     

                             |of learning needs of                                                                  |responsibilities for                                                                  

                             |court staff and                                                                       |Justices staff                                                                        

                             |development of                                                                                                                                                               

                             |courses to meet                                                                                                                                                              

                             |those needs, and to                                                                                                                                                          

                             |use the knowledge                                                                                                                                                            

                             |and understanding                                                                                                                                                            

                             |of these skills to                                                                                                                                                           

                             |conduct evaluation                                                                                                                                                           

                             |and appraisal                                                                                                                                                                

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Senior Manager               |SDI a process of            |Development Process         |£73,757average cost         |Senior Managers in          |Questionnaires                                           

Development                  |supported                   |(UK) Ltd                    |per year                    |the Service (usually        |completed at the                                         

Initiative (SDI)-18          |self-development,                                                                     | Clerks of Justices,        |conclusion of each                                       

months duration                                                                                                                                                                                            

                                                          |Clerks to Committee         |module. The course          |
                                                                                     

                             |opportunity to                                                                                                     |rolling programme                                        

                             |explore and develop                                                                                                |of evaluations in                                        

                             |their own                                                                                                          |due course                                               

                             |managerial                                                                                                                                                                   

                             |performance within                                                                                                                                                           

                             |a flexible,                                                                                                                                                                  

                             |competence-based                                                                                                                                                             

                             |approach with                                                                                                                                                                

                             |supports MCI                                                                                                                                                                 

                             |standards                                                                                                                                                                    

Letter from Sarah Tyacke to Mr. Archy Kirkwood, dated 31 January 1995:

I have been asked by the Lord Chancellor's Parliamentary Secretary to reply to your question about training.

No individual training or tuition course at the public Record Office has exceeded £5,000. The overall cost of two longer-term, phased, training courses has exceeded £5,000.

1. Title: Senior Management Competences Programme

Objective: To improve the management and specialist skills of senior managers

Organisation engaged: Human Resource Partnership

Total cost: £60,768 (£934 a head)

Responsibilities of staff members: Senior managers throughout the Agency

Process of course evaluation: Invitation to tender and tender board. Individual post-course evaluations and a report from the Training Manager

2. Title: Training for Microsoft Office Computer Software Objective: To train PRO staff on the new computer software package

Organisations engaged: FMI and Britech

Total cost: £31,537 (£152.35 a head)

Responsibilities of staff members: Staff throughout the Agency Process of course evaluation: Invitation to tender and tender board. Individual post- course evaluations.

Letter from John Manthorpe to Mr. Archy Kirkwood, dated 3 February 1995:

I have been asked by the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, to reply to your recent question concerning training and tuition courses in HM Land Registry during the last twelve months with a total cost paid by the Agency exceeding £5,000. There were two such courses, both relating to Information Systems training, and I can provide the following information: 1. Course Title: Advanced PL1

Objective: To provide the knowledge and skills of advance PL1 facilities to programmers who had at least twelve months experience in using the language.

Supplier: Altergo Education, London

Total cost: £7,840 (inc. VAT)

Trainees: 10 members of Development Groups within the Registry's Computer Services Division whose prime responsibilities are application development.

Evaluation: Course critiques are completed by all trainees following completion of the course to assess how well objectives were met. Managers monitor the effectiveness of the training by


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evaluating the expected against the perceived improvement in skills and performance.

2. Course Title: Advanced DB2

Objective: To provide PL1 and Assembler programmers with the appropriate knowledge and skills of advanced DB2.

Supplier: Sequel, Milton Keynes

Total cost: £6,909 (inc. VAT)

Trainees: 12 members of Development Groups within the Registry's Computer Services Division whose prime responsibilities are application development.

Evaluation: As for Course No.1 above.

I do hope that this answers the points raised with the Parliamentary Secretary but please contact me if I can be of any further assistance.

Letter from Julia C. Lomas to Mr. Archy Kirkwood, dated 1 February 1995:

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Lord Chancellor's Department has asked me to reply to you as part of the Lord Chancellor's Department's response to your parliamentary question, listed on 26 January 1995, regarding the Training and Tuition Courses exceeding £5000.

The PTO organised one training course where the cost exceeded £5000. The title of the course was "Mastering Effective Communication" and the key objective was for trainees to develop skills that will help them to:

Influence others

Constructively confront unacceptable behaviour in others that will be more likely to effect change and co-operation without defensiveness

Resolve problems which are based on conflicting needs

Help others to become more aware of the impact of their behaviour

Help others to share their problems

Develop personal power

The training was delivered by Effectiveness Training and Consulting, 11 Western Road, Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, RG9 1JL. The cost of the one- week course for eight people was £5712.26, (which included a consultancy fee of £275 for gearing it specifically to PTO needs).

The course was aimed at SEO and HEO grades with staff management roles and/or caseworkers who worked directly with clients or their families.

Evaluation was carried out in the following manner.

Observation and participation in the course by the Training Manager

Questionnaire completed by the trainees immediately after the course.

Follow-up questionnaire and ad hoc interviews with trainees and their line managers three months after the course to clarify what they are now doing differently as a result of the training.

I hope this deals with your query.


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HOUSE OF COMMONS

World Summit for Social Development

Ms Lestor: To ask the Lord President of the Council what parliamentary procedure he proposes for pre-summit consideration of the principles of the world summit for social development in Copenhagen in March.

Mr. Newton: I have no current plans for a debate in Government time on the world summit for social development.

HEALTH

Health Care Expenditure

Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was Britain's expenditure on public sector health care expressed as a percentage of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development average in (a) 1979 and (b) the latest year for which figures are available; and what factors account for the relative change since 1979.

Mr. Sackville: The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development collects and publishes figures for health spending. The table shows the figures requested for 1979 and 1990, the latest year for which figures are available for all countries.


Public expenditure on health care-value per capita in $ at  

current prices using purchasing power parities              

                                             |1979|1990     

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

United Kingdom                               |353 |825      

OECD Average                                 |389 |901      

United Kingdom as percentage of OECD average |91  |92       

These figures are not fully comparable because of differences in definitions between countries. In addition, comparisons between expenditure figures alone ignore the efficiency and effectiveness with which resources are used. The national health service improved its efficiency by over a fifth between 1978 79 and 1991 92. In contrast, unit costs in the health care systems of comparable countries have generally risen over the last decade.

Nurses

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 10 January, Official Report, column 113, when the information for the number of qualified nursing staff by specialty for each region in 1994 will become available.

Mr. Sackville: Data for qualified nursing staff by specialty for each region should be available by mid-summer 1995.

NHS Trusts (Termination Payments)

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn) of 19 December, Official Report, column 985-86 regarding termination payments to senior executives, to whom each of the two payments from the Hammersmith Hospitals NHS trust was made.


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Mr. Malone: This is a matter for the Hammersmith Hospitals national health service trust.

Rehabilitation Beds

Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many long-stay rehabilitation beds in (a) London, (b) Birmingham and (c) Manchester have been closed since 1979.

Mr. Bowis: Long-stay rehabilitation is not a recognised classification for national health service beds.

General Practitioners (Registration)

Mr. David Nicholson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has had on difficulties encountered by persons who, on moving home try to register with a new general practitioner (a) in London and (b) elsewhere in England; and if she will make a statement on measures to assist persons encountering such difficulties.

Mr. Malone: None. Family health services authorities have responsibility for assisting any patient who experiences difficulty in registering with a general practitioner.

High-security Psychiatric Services

Mr. Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish her decision on the future of high-security NHS psychiatric services.

Mr. Bowis: The official group announced in my reply on 14 July 1994 to my hon. Friend the Member for Somerton and Frome (Mr. Robinson), columns 701 702 , has now submitted its advice. We will announce our conclusions when we have completed our consideration of this advice.

Limb Defects

Mr. Sykes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she will publish the report of the Advisory Group on Limb Defects.

Mr. Sackville: The group's report has been published today and copies placed in the Library.

I welcome the publication of the group's report which has been prepared promptly. Although defects of the limb which are present at birth are rare, when they occur they are very distressing for the parents and families of the children concerned and speculation on the causes can be a source of worry for women who are pregnant or who are thinking of becoming pregnant. I am particularly glad that REACH--the Association for Children with Hand or Arm Deficiency--which represents many parents of children with limb defects, were able to send an observer to the advisory group and that it has been able to endorse the group's advice.

The causes of most limb defects are unknown. The Government set up the advisory group on limb defects to determine the best way of making progress. The group's report sets out a programme of action which we intend to take forward. The group recommends a detailed, thorough review of all current relevant research and my officials are negotiating with a research team which will undertake this task. The group has also identified three further lines of inquiry and the Department is exploring these.


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The advisory group also considered the value of a case-control study of limb reduction defects. Such studies are most appropriate when a strong new hypothesis--for example, that a particular environmental factor might be a cause--has been raised. There is no such hypothesis in the case of limb defects. The advisory group has therefore advised against such a study at present.

The advisory group also reviewed the evidence of possible adverse effects of specific agents such as dioxins and heavy metals. They found no evidence to show that these substances cause limb reduction defects.

The advisory group commended the steps that are being taken by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys to improve the recording and notification of limb defects and birth defects generally, to strengthen the means of monitoring trends, and changes which might merit further investigation.

Hospital Beds, London

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the relationship between the need for hospital beds in London and the number of beds available; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Malone: It is for commissioning authorities to assess health care requirements locally and to secure the appropriate services.

London Implementation Zone

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give the latest available figure for the number


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of (a) practice managers and (b) general practitioners in the London implementation zone; and how many there were in September 1990.

Mr. Malone: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Dulwich (Ms Jowell) on 6 December 1994, column 198.

Information on the number of practice managers is not available centrally.

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the percentage increase in treatments in casualty departments within the London implementation zone area over the past three years; what plans she has to reduce the number of casualty departments; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Malone: The increase in attendances at accident and emergency departments in Greater London over the years 1991 92 to 1993 94 was 2.1 per cent. Health authorities are responsible for planning future demand for casualty facilities.

Cot Deaths

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the budget for health promotional activities on cot death in each of the last five years; and what is the projected budget for the next two years.

Mr. Sackville [pursuant to his reply, 18 January 1995, c. 481- 82]: I regret that there were errors in the table relating to health promotion activity on smoking in my previous reply. The following table shows the corrected data.


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£000                                                                               

                           |1991-92|1992-93|1993-94|1994-95|1995-96|1996-97        

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

DH Spending                                                                        

Cot Death                  |1611   |-      |21     |30     |-      |-              

                                                                                   

HEA spending                                                                       

Teenage smoking campaign   |2,520  |1,054  |1,199  |1,260  |-      |-              

Smoking in Pregnancy       |514    |564    |446    |480    |-      |-              

Adult and parental smoking |1,409  |3,820  |6,611  |7,552  |4,000  |4,000          

Birth to five              |253    |231    |77     |<1>107 |-      |-              

Pregnancy book             |326    |328    |151    |<1>196 |-      |-              

                                                                                   

Totals                     |6,633  |5,997  |8,505  |9,625  |4,000  |4,000          

<1> Provisional figures for the year to date. Further expenditure is planned to    

the end of the current financial year.                                             

Baby Milk Products

Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her Department's assessment of the relative merits of breast feeding and baby milk products; and if she will make a statement.

Mr. Sackville: Based on medical advice, the Government have consistently supported breastfeeding as the best means of feeding a baby. Where a mother is either unable or chooses not to breastfeed, there is a range of suitable infant formulae available.

Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will introduce measures to implement the World Health Organisation's code of marketing in relation to baby milk products.

Mr. Sackville: The Infant Formula and Follow-on Formula Regulations 1995 on the composition, labelling and marketing of these products were laid before Parliament on 16 January 1995 and will come into force


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on 1 March 1995. The regulations implement relevant European Community legislation which is based on the principles of the World Health Organisation international code of marketing of breast milk substitutes which the United Kingdom supports.

Generic Prescribing

Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the proportion of generic prescribing for each family health services authority divided by (a) general practitioner fundholders and (b) non- fundholders in each of the last three years.

Mr. Malone: The information will be placed in the Library.

NHS Contracts

Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the value of NHS contracts with non-NHS


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providers (a) in total, (b) by each regional health authority, (c) by each general practitioner fundholding practice, (d) by each trust hospital and (e) by each district health authority.

Mr. Sackville [holding answer 20 January 1995]: The value of national health service contracts with non-NHS providers for 1993 94 in total was £357,354,000. A breakdown of this total by each regional health authority, by family health services authority--for general practice fundholders--and by each trust hospital and each district health authority will be placed in the Library.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Benefits Agency Medical Services

Mr. Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) if he will list all (a) specialist medical and (b) general training courses by duration and numbers attending since January 1993 for experienced medical practitioners employed by the Benefits Agency medical services section which has responsibility for Northumberland and Tyne and Wear;

(2) if he will give the total number of experienced medical practitioners employed by the Benefits Agency medical services section which has responsibility for Northumberland and Tyne and Wear;

(3) if he will give the total budget by year since 1993 for training courses provided for experienced medical practitioners employed by the Benefits Agency medical services section which has responsibility for Northumberland and Tyne and Wear.


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