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Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 15 February 1995
HEALTH
Community Care
Mr. Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by her Department on community care for the mentally ill broken down by local authority in the last financial year; and what is the proportion of the resources allocated to community care spent on mental health patients.
Mr. Bowis: Figures for the last financial year are not yet available.
GP Fundholding
Mr. Elletson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement about the results of GP fundholding in (a) the Fylde coast area and (b) Lancashire.
Mr. Malone: Fundholding general practitioners are at the leading edge of purchasing developments and are at the forefront of quality improvements for patients, including the creation of outreach clinics for such services as diabetes, physiotherapy, ophthalmology and vasectomy. The improvements made by general practitioner fundholders often have the effect of improving the quality of care for all patients.
Information on specific localities is not available centrally. For information about Lancashire, the hon. Member should write to Sir Donald Wilson, the chairman of the North West regional health authority.
NHS Chief Executive
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what limitations have been placed on the NHS chief executive in his dealings with the media.
Mr. Sackville: In accordance with the normal rules for civil servants, the national health service chief executive is permitted, under ministerial authority, to have contact with the media in order, inter alia, to explain Government policy and the performance of the NHS.
NHS Accounts
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will amend the form of NHS authorities' and trusts' annual accounts to show the number of non-executive directors who decline to accept emoluments or salaries.
Child Protection Registers
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list for each local authority the percentage annual decrease or increase of children placed on protection registers in England for the latest available
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year; and what were the figures for (a) five years and (b) 10 years ago.Mr. Bowis: Information for the year ending 31 March 1994 will be placed in the Library. The earliest reliable annual comparisons available centrally for each local authority are for the year ending 31 March 1990.
District Nursing Services
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is taking to ensure that district nursing services are maintained at existing levels under the national health service reforms.
Mr. Sackville: Each locality will have different health needs and these will be reflected in the work of district nurses and other health professionals. It is for those who employ district nurses to assess continually and review their work with them.
Business Plans
Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is the value of business plans estimated under the public financial initiative broken down by region;
(2) what is the total value of the public financial initiative business plans currently being assessed by the NHS executive.
Mr. Sackville: The Department of Health does not have a public financial initiative.
Intensive Care Beds
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will cancel all payments to chairmen and non-executive directors other than the reimbursement of out-of-pocket expenses and make available the savings for the provision of intensive care beds.
Consultants
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the occasions during the last five years when her Department or its agencies has taken legal action against a consultancy firm; and what were the reasons in each case.
Mr. Sackville: There have been no occasions when the Department or agencies have had to resort to legal action with consultancy firms over the last five years.
Acute Psychiatric Wards
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (a) how many acute psychiatric wards there are, (b) how many beds are in each acute psychiatric ward, (c) on average what percentage of beds are vacant on those wards and (d) on average what percentage of patients are legally detained on those wards in respect of (i) the north-west regional office, (ii) the west midlands regional office, (iii) the south Thames regional office and (iv) the north Thames regional office of the NHS executive.
Mr. Bowis: The information is not available centrally.
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LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Consultants
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the occasions during the last five years when his Department or its agencies has taken legal action against a consultancy firm; and what were the reasons in each case.
Mr. John M. Taylor: Information sought can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. But there is one readily identifiable case which is subject to legal action and for that reason no further details can be given.
The Lord Chancellor has three executive agencies, HM Land Registry, the Public Record Office and the Public Trust Office. As the question concerns a specific operational matter on which the chief executives of the agencies are best placed to provide an answer, I have accordingly asked the chief executives to reply direct.
Letter from John Manthorpe to Mr. Alan Milburn, dated 10 February 1995:
Parliamentary Question--Legal Action by HM Land Registry Against Consultancy Firms
I have been asked by the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, to reply to your recent question concerning the occasions during the last five years when HM Land Registry has taken legal action against a consultancy firm.
I can reply that there have been no such occasions.
Letter from Julia Lomas to Mr. Alan Milburn, dated10 February 1995:
The Parliamentary Secretary, of 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 9 February 1995 regarding legal action taken against consultancy firms over the last five years.
Over the last five years the Public Trust Office has instructed three firms of consultants and has not taken legal action against any of these firms.
Letter from Sarah Tyacke to Mr. Alan Milburn, dated 14 February 1995:
Parliamentary Question--Legal Action Against Consultancy Firms I have been asked by the Lord Chancellor's Parliamentary Secretary to reply to your question about legal action taken against consultancy firms.
The Public Record Office has not taken any legal action against a consultancy firm during the last five years.
Public Appointments
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 17 January, Official Report , column 376 , how many appointments to public positions have been made by his Department in the last year.
Mr. John M. Taylor: In the last year, 244 new appointments were made to the public bodies for which the Lord Chancellor has ministerial responsibility. This does not include re-appointments or judicial appointments.
Pre-trial Interviews
Mr. Brazier: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many pre-trial interviews in line with the Criminal Justice Act 1991 and the memorandum of good practice have been made since September 1993; how many applications to submit a pre-recorded video taped interview with a child witness
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have been made since this date; and how many have been refused as evidence and on what basis.Mr. John M. Taylor: My Department does not collect data about numbers of pre-trial interviews. Such information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost and its accuracy could not be guaranteed as many interviews do not result in criminal proceedings. Between 30 September 1993 and 31 December 1994, 725 applications were made to submit pre-recorded video taped evidence. Of these, 41 applications were refused. The reasons for the refusals are not recorded.
Child Support Agreements
Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list those countries which have child support systems which as a result of agreements or treaties with the United Kingdom are able to collect child support and maintenance money in the United Kingdom in respect of (a) their own nationals, (b) United Kingdom nationals and (c) nationals of third party countries.
Mr. John M. Taylor: In accordance with the relevant international conventions and agreements to which the United Kingdom is a party, the following overseas countries have made arrangements with the United Kingdom for the reciprocal enforcement of maintenance payments through our courts. The nationality of the respondent is not relevant to the operation of the arrangements.
Countries
Algeria, Anguilla, Antigua*, Austria, Australia, Bahamas*, Barbados, Belize*, Belgium, Bermuda, Bosnia and Herzagovena, Botswana*, Brazil, British Solomon Islands Protectorate*, Brunei*, Canada, Cayman Islands*, Central African Republic, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus*, Denmark, Dominica*, Ecuador, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, Gambia*, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Grenada*, Guatemala, Guyana*, Guernsey*, Haiti, Holy See, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jamaica*, Jersey*, Kenya, Lesotho*, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malawi*, Malaysia*, Malta, Mauritius*, Monaco, Montserrat*, Morocco, Naura, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Nigeria*, Norfolk Island, Norway, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, St. Christopher and Nevis*, St. Helena, St. Lucia*, St. Vincent*, Serbia and Montenegro, Seychelles*, Sierra Leone*, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland*, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, except Zanzibar, Trinidad and Tobago*, Tunisia, Turkey, Turks and Caicos Islands, Uganda*, United States, Upper Volta, Virgin Islands*, Zambia*, Zanizibar*, Zimbabwe. Note 1: Asterisked countries do not have reciprocal enforcement arrangements with Scotland.
Note 2: Reciprocal enforcement arrangements have not necessarily been made with all the states or territories of the countries listed.
Civil Cases (Appeals)
Mr. Gareth Wardell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what was the number and proportion of (a) all civil cases in which the appeals heard by the Court of Appeal were unsuccessful, (b) all applications for leave to appeal to the House of Lords refused by the Court of Appeal, (c) all petitions to the House of Lords for leave to appeal that were
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successful and (d) hearings in the House of Lords which overturned the ruling of the Court of Appeal after a successful petition.Mr. John. M. Taylor: The latest available figures show that in the 12 months ending 30 September 1994, 1,102 or 71 per cent. of the 1, 546 civil appeals disposed of by the Court of Appeal were unsuccessful. The information requested regarding applications for leave to appeal to the House of Lords refused by the Court of Appeal is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. During 1994, of the 167 petitions to the House of Lords for leave to appeal from the civil division of the Court of Appeal, 46 or 28 per cent. were allowed. Of the 25 civil appeals from the Court of Appeal allowed by the House of Lords during 1994, including one appeal allowed in part, 17 or 68 per cent. had been granted leave by the House.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Fur Trade
Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many fur pelts were (a) imported and (b) exported in each year since 1989; and what was their value.
Mr. Needham: The available information is published by the Central Statistical Office in "Overseas Trade Statistics of the United Kingdom", available in the Library of the House. Fur pelts are classified to group 212 of the standard international trade classification.
Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many retail businesses were involved in the fur trade in each of the last five years.
Mr. Eggar: The Government do not collect data on the number of retailers involved in the fur trade.
Nuclear Levy
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much the nuclear levy has raised for each year since it was introduced.
Mr. Eggar: The fossil fuel levy has raised the following amounts:
Year |£ Million ------------------------------ 1990-91 |1,175 1991-92 |1,324 1992-93 |1,348 1993-94 |1,233 Source: Office of Electricity Regulation.
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how much the nuclear levy currently adds to average household fuel bills.
Mr. Eggar: The fossil fuel levy is charged to licensed electricity suppliers, at the rate of 10 per cent. of the value, net of VAT, of leviable electricity supplied. The levy has made transparent the nuclear costs that it finances; but because these costs were already being met, electricity prices did not have to increase when the levy was introduced in 1990.
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Supply Network Programme
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he expects to announce final details of the regional supply network programme.
Mr. Eggar: An announcement will be made shortly.
Insurance Cover (Mortgages)
Mr. Battle: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make it his policy to encourage insurers to standardise definitions of unemployment and disability in respect of private mortgage protection policies.
Mr. Jonathan Evans: No. This is an operational matter for individual companies in which the Government has no powers to intervene. The Association of British Insurers has said that insurers are guided by an individual's welfare benefit entitlement or by the legislation on redundancy in settling such claims. During their consultation on the proposed changes the Department of Social Security will discuss with insurers how best to ensure that the interface between public and private provision works well.
Iraq (Sanctions)
Mr. Cousins: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the United Kingdom treated individuals and organisations listed by the United States Treasury in April 1991 as sanctions breakers or links with Iraqi procurement networks as persons in Iraq or Kuwait within the terms of the Iraq and Kuwait United Nations Sanctions Order 1990.
Mr. Ian Taylor: Some individuals and organisations listed by the United States Treasury are regarded as being persons in Iraq or Kuwait for the purposes of the Iraq and Kuwait United Nations Sanctions Order 1990.
Broadly, this would include any body constituted or incorporated under the law of Iraq and any body carrying on business, whether within Iraq or not, which is controlled by persons or bodies resident in Iraq or constituted or incorporated under the law of Iraq.
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the United Kingdom companies which have been granted export licences to Iraq since sanctions began.
Mr. Ian Taylor [holding answer 14 February 1995]: It has been the practice of successive administrations not to disclose such information unless the public interest outweighs the requirements of confidentiality.
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the products that have been exported to Iraq since sanctions began.
Mr. Ian Taylor [holding answer 14 February 1995]: To identify and list every product which has been exported to Iraq since sanctions began would incur disproportionate cost. Any export to Iraq has to either be notified to, or authorised by, the United Nations Sanctions Committee in New York. Exports which leave the territory of the United Kingdom will also require a export licence from my Department. Typical exports to Iraq include: foodstuffs, medical items, clothing and other items for essential civilian needs.
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Chemical Weapons
Mr. Cousins: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will place in the Library information showing if each item listed in schedules 1, 2 and 3 of annexe A in his discussion document on the chemical weapons treaty is presently a licensable export and on what date the requirement to be licensed was imposed.
Mr. Ian Taylor: This information has today been placed in the Library of the House.
Food Competition
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to encourage genuine competition between different food manufacturers and stop the creation of cartels.
Mr. Jonathan Evans: The competition legislation provides for the Director General of Fair Trading, Sir Bryan Carsberg, to consider and, if appropriate, investigate allegations of cartelistic behaviour, anti- competitive practices and abuse of market power. His remit covers all commercial activities in the United Kingdom including the food manufacturing sector. Sir Bryan has recently announced a new initiative against cartels. Should the hon. Member have any specific cases in mind he should write to him directly.
European Satellite System
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what steps he proposes to take to involve United Kingdom manufacturers of navigation systems in the European Space Agency programme now being set up in co- operation with Eurocontrol and the European Commission to propose a European global navigation satellite system.
Mr. Ian Taylor: After consultation with officials from the Department of Trade and Industry and the European Space Agency, the Department of Transport has agreed to provide a Government financial contribution to the proposed European collaborative global navigation satellite system.
This Government funding will allow industry to play an active role in the proposed programme. I am also pleased to report that industry has agreed to provide support to the programme from its own resources.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the President of the Board of Trade when he last met the Secretary of State for Transport to discuss the operational and industrial importance to the United Kingdom of involvement in the steps being taken by Eurocontrol, the European Commission and the European Space Agency to establish a European global navigation satellite system.
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Mr. Ian Taylor: Officials of the two Departments have been working closely for a number of months on UK participation in the European global navigation satellite system. I hope to meet my noble Friend Viscount Goschen, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, to discuss satellite navigation issues in the near future.
Fishing Industry
Mr. Harvey: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what assistance the Government will give to companies providing products and support services to the fishing industry, to help them diversify.
Mr. Eggar: The Government provide a wide range of business support services for these companies and others. There is focused support available in assisted areas, and the full range of services is available to assist diversification in north Devon. Details can be obtained from the Government office for the south-west.
Assistance is also available from the European structural funds: north Devon is covered by the objective 5(b) single programming document which will make grants towards a variety of economic measures including many business support activities. Diversification is an important factor, and support will be provided for, among other things, product and process development and for increasing the level and capacity for research and development.
Information Super-highway
Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the President of the Board of Trade (1) how many miles of co-axial cable have been laid towards the information super- highway infrastructure; and if he will make a statement;
(2) how many miles of optical fibre cable have been laid towards the information super-highway infrastructure; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Ian Taylor: The Department does not hold details of how many miles of optical fibre and coaxial cable have been laid. Figures from industry sources, however, point to the rapid installation of new or upgraded communications networks. Investment in these new networks has been spurred by the Government's liberalisation of the telecommunications sector.
Optical fibre is the dominant technology for trunk networks and inter- exchange traffic, and increasingly for large business customers. BT, for example, has more than 1.4 million miles of optical fibre in its network. The cable industry is installing 260, 000 miles of fibre per annum. Together with the networks being installed by other telecommunications operators such as Mercury, Energis, COLT, and MFS, the United Kingdom is estimated to have more than 2 million miles of fibre.
Coaxial copper cable, which is the medium normally used by the cable industry in the final connection to residential customers, is being installed at a rate of 60,000 miles per annum. Compression techniques can materially increase the amount of traffic which can be sent over these cables. The information super-highway embraces both fibre and coaxial cable and applications are being developed accordingly.
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Nuclear Review
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what timetable he presently envisages for decisions and announcements on matters relating to the nuclear review.
Mr. Eggar: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave to the hon. Member for Sherwood (Mr. Tipping) on 19 October 1994, Official Report, column 239.
Iraq (Visits)
Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will give the names of the companies which have been given a licence to communicate with and visit Iraq in (a) 1994 and (b) 1995, in each case giving the date the licence was granted.
Mr. Ian Taylor [holding answer 14 February 1995]: It has been the practice of successive administrations not to disclose such information unless the public interest outweighs the requirements of confidentiality.
TREASURY
Tax Relief
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will update his answer of 7 December to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Attercliffe (Mr. Betts), Official Report , column 263 , for the year 1995 96 to provide a list of the reliefs categorised under the heading (c) other reliefs.
Sir George Young: Estimated full-year yields at 1995 96 income levels based on a projection of the 1992 93 survey of personal incomes and other survey data in line with the assumptions in the "Financial Statement and Budget Report 1995 96" are given in the table. The figures do not take account of any behavioural effects which might result from the introduction of such changes, and show the yield from restructuring each allowance or relief separately. If two or more were restricted, the total yield would be greater than the sum of individual figures. Most of the amount shown within heading (c) is relief for charitable covenants, for donations under the giftaid scheme, for allowable interest on loans to acquire company shares and relief for class 4 national insurance contributions.
Restriction to
Basic rate 20p
|Numbers |Numbers
Effect of |Yield |affected |Yield |affected
restricting |£ million |millions |£ million |millions
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Personal allowances |1,600 |3.5 |5,900 |26.5
(b) Relief for pension contributions |730 |2.0 |1,410 |11.6
(c) Other reliefs |150 |0.7 |<1>n/a |n/a
<1> Information on reliefs given at source is not available from the survey of personal incomes
so it is not possible to estimate the effect of restricting other reliefs to 20 per cent.
Tobacco Duty
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what was the revenue from tobacco duty in each year since 1992.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: The information is as follows:
Tobacco revenue |£ billion ------------------------------------------------ 1992-93 |6.0 1993-94 |6.5 1994-95<1> |6.8 <1> Forecast.
Value Added Tax
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what were the receipts from value added tax in each year since 1993; and what are the forecast receipts of value added tax for the year 1995 96.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: The information is as follows:
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