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Mr. Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what obstacles have been placed in the way of UNPROFOR forces freedom of manoeuvre in (a) Vitez, (b) Tuzla, (c) Sarajevo, (d) Gornji Vakuf and (e) Gorazde in recent weeks; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Soames: Bosnian Government forces have established vehicle check points on routes into Sarajevo, Tuzla and Gornji Vakuf which are causing minor freedom of movement problems for UNPROFOR. At Gorazde, Bosnian Serb army forces continue to prevent UNPROFOR from using a direct route into the town. There are no reported problems at Vitez. Despite these localised restrictions, the freedom of movement both for UNPROFOR and the aid agencies has improved significantly throughout most of Bosnia since the cessation of hostilities agreement came into effect on 1 January.
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Mr. Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to maintain Britain's contribution to UNPROFOR in Bosnia-Herzegovina if UN forces are withdrawn from Croatia in response to President Tudjman's request; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Soames: The Government remain concerned at President Tudjman's decision not to renew the UNPROFOR mandate in Croatia after 31 March 1995 and we hope that international pressure will persuade him to change his mind. We do not intend to withdraw our contingent from Bosnia but we continue to monitor the situation closely.
Expense Claims
Mr. Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many investigations into the expense claims of service personnel have lasted more than six month, in each of the last eight years.
Mr. Soames: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
BA2000
Sir David Steel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what future plans he has for the Scottish regiments in his project BA2000.
Mr. Soames: BA2000 is an internal and conceptual document addressing in general terms the requirements of the Army at the beginning of the next century; it will not be addressing the Army's regimental system. We have no intention of changing the number or organisation of British Army regiments.
ENVIRONMENT
Local Government Finance
Mr. Allason: to ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to require all local authorities to highlight or otherwise identify non-statutory expenditure when their budgets are published.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: None. It is for individual local authorities to decide what budgetary information to publish about their discretionary expenditure under section 137 of the Local Government Act 1972.
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the standard spending assessments of each district council in England and Wales as a sum per head of population numbered in descending order.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: The requested information for English non- metropolitan districts has been placed in the Library. The standard spending assessments for authorities in Wales are the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Wales.
Mr. Congdon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list (a) the outstanding non-housing capital debt and (b) outstanding housing capital debt for each (a) shire county, (b) metropolitan borough and (c) London borough.
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Mr. Robert B. Jones: The available information on total longer-term debt is as follows. It is not possible to separate housing and non-housing debt.
Long-term debt in shire counties, metropolitan districts and
London boroughs as at 31 March 1994
|Total long-term
|borrowing at 31
Authority |March 1994
|£000's
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Shire counties
Avon |114,600
Bedfordshire |143,485
Berkshire |144,742
Buckinghamshire |148,150
Cambridgeshire |48,996
Cheshire |124,415
Cleveland |206,651
Cornwall |120,442
Cumbria |129,007
Derbyshire |239,643
Devon |183,017
Dorset |0
Durham |75,513
East Sussex |133,419
Essex |195,049
Gloucestershire |135,935
Hampshire |135,587
Hereford and Worcester |82,474
Hertfordshire |82,585
Humberside |180,347
Isle of Wight |39,689
Kent |394,074
Lancashire |370,188
Leicestershire |192,529
Lincolnshire |7,000
Norfolk |76,553
Northamptonshire |144,138
Northumberland |54,168
North Yorkshire |127,230
Nottinghamshire |163,241
Oxfordshire |73,454
Shropshire |113,325
Somerset |28,444
Staffordshire |245,818
Suffolk |0
Surrey |64,261
Warwickshire |115,454
West Sussex |0
Wiltshire |38,821
Isles of Scilly |2,654
Metropolitan districts
Barnsley |174,356
Birmingham |1,178,683
Bolton |144,575
Bradford |402,724
Bury |59,095
Calderdale |120,925
Coventry |381,318
Doncaster |171,571
Dudley |259,391
Gateshead |248,009
Kirklees |233,504
Knowsley |167,678
Leeds |648,201
Liverpool |756,618
Manchester |1,227,649
Newcastle upon Tyne |425,449
North Tyneside |163,949
Oldham |241,554
Rochdale |201,452
Rotherham |227,188
Salford |376,104
Sandwell |300,577
Sefton |147,769
Sheffield |749,612
Solihull |65,975
South Tyneside |385,728
St Helens |199,788
Stockport |102,675
Sunderland |258,385
Tameside |182,404
Trafford |82,409
Wakefield |324,042
Walsall |257,039
Wigan |236,142
Wirral |210,709
Wolverhampton |320,468
Inner London boroughs (including City)
City of London |0
Camden |603,513
Greenwich |457,643
Hackney |707,097
Hammersmith and Fulham |311,559
Islington |889,837
Kensington and Chelsea |214,461
Lambeth |802,670
Lewisham |494,997
Southwark |855,585
Tower Hamlets |650,464
Wandsworth |220,296
Westminster |301,597
Outer London boroughs
Barking and Dagenham |0
Barnet |122,400
Bexley |85,935
Brent |498,585
Bromley |8
Croydon |131,254
Ealing |273,314
Enfield |125,747
Haringey |559,779
Harrow |185,864
Havering |51,590
Hillingdon |142,372
Hounslow |215,685
Kingston upon Thames |88,630
Merton |225,095
Newham |514,688
Redbridge |65,881
Richmond upon Thames |85,465
Sutton |70,143
Waltham Forest |207,098
Gloucestershire County Council (Budget)
Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment under what provisions the budget set by Gloucestershire county council on 22 February is deemed illegal; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: The power to designate authorities in accordance with capping principles determined under section 54 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992 can be exercised only after an authority has set its budget. The announcements on 1 December and 1 February made clear that the statements relating to
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capping principles were statements of Ministers' current intentions and that the criteria remain provisional. Authorities are not required to set a budget within the limits implied by the provisional criteria and they are not acting illegally if they do not do so. My right hon. Friend will take account of all the circumstances when he decides whether to designate any authority which fixes a budget above the level implied by the criteria which he in due course adopts. Designated authorities have 28 days within which to accept their cap or to make representations. If any right hon. Friend then requires an authority to reduce its budget he will place an order before the House.Lobby Organisations
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if Ministers in his Department have on any occasion in the last seven days met representatives of (a) Messrs. C. S. M. Parliamentary Consultants Ltd., (b) Dewe Rogerson Ltd., (c) Decision Makers Ltd., (d) G. J. W. Government Relations Ltd., (e) G.P.C., (f) G.J.W., (g) Ian Greer Associates Ltd., (h) Market Access Group, (i) Politics International, (j) Westminster Communications Group, (k) Westminster Strategy, (l) Good Relations, (m) Rowland Sallingbury Casy, (n) Lowe Bell, (o) Profile Corporate and Political Relations and (p) Shandwick Consultants Ltd., and discussed issues relating to the clients of these companies.
Sir Paul Beresford: I refer the hon. Member to the reply from my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service and Science today.
Publications
Mr. Boyes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list all White Papers, Green Papers and pamphlets issued by his Department or agencies for which it is responsible in 1994, giving in each case the total cost to the Exchequer of their production, publication and distribution; and what was the total equivalent cost in 1980.
Sir Paul Beresford: A list of White Papers, Green Papers and pamphlets issued by my Department in 1994 has been placed in the Library of the House. The entries for agencies are incomplete as some relevant infirmation is not readily available. With regard to cost, this information cannot be provided within the acceptable cost limits.
Energy Management Assistance Scheme
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement regarding the actual savings made under the energy management assistance scheme, and the original estimates provided by him in his answer of 24 May 1993, Official Report, column 617; whether the savings identified from investments undertaken to date under this scheme have remained at the level reported to the House in his answer of 30 June 1993, Official Report, columns 522 23; and what plans he has to expand the scheme.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: The energy management assistance scheme was launched in February 1992 and was to be reviewed after three years. It was designed to encourage small industrial and commercial enterprises to reduce their energy costs and so contribute to a reduction in the UK's emission of carbon dioxide. The number of
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applications has been higher than expected, but generally from relatively small commercial enterprises, so the overall effect of the scheme now seems likely to be much less than the projection of £250 million savings by the year 2000 given in the answer of May 1993. Those enterprises which used the scheme achieved cost savings of between 10 and 40 per cent., thus maintaining the average reported in June 1993.In reviewing the scheme, it was decided to take the opportunity to widen it to include other environmental matters. I announced plans to adapt EMAS in my recent answer to a question from the hon. Member for Ribble Valley (Mr. Evans) on 15 February, Official Report, column 676. The existing EMAS will be phased out during the next year and the small company environmental and energy management scheme will be introduced.
Vanadium and Nickel
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average annual concentration in nanogrammes per cubic metre at each of the Atomic Energy Authority monitoring sites for (a) vanadium (b) nickel.
Mr. Atkins: Airborne concentrations of trace elements are measured at five urban locations in the United Kingdom operated by AEA Technology. The most recent measurements available for nickel and vanadium are for the year 1992 93. The mean annual concentrations of nickel at the five sites were 14.3 ng m --nanogrammes per cubic metre--at Motherwell, 11.3 ng m at Glasgow, 18.4 ng m at Leeds, 11.4 ng m at Brent, and 5.2 ng m at central London. The mean annual concentration for vanadium at the central London site, the only site where vanadium is measured, was 12 ng m .
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the health risk level accepted by his Department for ground level concentrations of (a) vanadium and (b) nickel in nanogrammes per cubic metre.
Mr. Atkins: My Department has no air quality standards for these substances but the World Health Organisation guidelines are as follows:
vanadium--1 nanogramme per cubic metre, averaging time 24 hrs; nickel--4 X 10 cancer risk estimate for lifetime exposure to a concentration of 1 nanogramme per cubic metre.
Crown Buildings, Cardiff
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has had from NCM Credit Insurance concerning an extension of the lease on the floors it occupies at the Crown buildings, Cathays park; what consultations he has had concerning the corresponding extension on the waiver on the covenant debarring commercial activities in Cathays park; and if he will make a statement.
Sir Paul Beresford: I refer the hon. Member to my answer given to his earlier question on 28 February 1995, Official Report , column 475 .
NCM Credit Insurance has asked for, and been granted, a short-term extension of its lease at Cathays park until 31 March 1995, pending completion of its new accommodation within the Cardiff bay development area. A corresponding extension on the waiver has been
Column 694
obtained. NCM has now asked for a further extension and negotiations are in progress.Northumberland National Park
Mr. Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to remove the areas used for military training from the Northumberland national park.
Mr. Atkins: The Government have no plans to remove the areas used for military training from the park.
Local Government Reorganisation
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the latest position on the reorganisation of local government in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and County Durham.
Mr. Gummer: On Bedfordshire, I have concluded that the balance of evidence lies in favour of accepting the commission's recommendations for a unitary Luton, but rejecting the recommendations for unitary status elsewhere so that the remainder of the county will continue as two tier. I am satisfied that this solution best reflects the identities and interests of the local communities concerned and best secures effective and convenient local government.
Although there were unanimous support of an all unitary solution among the districts, I am not persuaded that this is the best solution for the county as a whole. There is a very strong case, which few would challenge, for a unitary Luton, given its size, population density and former county borough status. However, for the remainder of the county I consider that the balance of the evidence points to retaining the present two-tier structure. The districts of Mid and South Bedfordshire, which would be merge in the commission's proposals, have no particular focus or strong identity. On the issues of service delivery and viability, considerable doubts whether the relatively small authorities proposed in the commission's recommended structure could deliver effectively, entailing some risk to local taxpayers. An all unitary solution would also lead to higher transitional costs, as well as greater disruption.
I am accepting the commission's recommendations on other matters, namely police and fire services, land use planning, ceremonial matter and electoral arrangements, with minor modification to take account of the decision on structure.
With regard to Buckinghamshire, having weighed all the arguments I have accepted part of the commission's structural recommendations--a unitary authority for Milton Keynes--but rejected the rest so that the remainder of the county would remain two tier. Again, I am satisfied that this solution best reflects the identities and interests of the local communities concerned and best secures effective and convenient local government.
There is a strong case for a unitary Milton Keynes, which is now also accepted by the county council. The town has a strong and distinct community identity and is in many ways different from the rest of the county. Its
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population is already large and we have little doubt that it would be able to provide all local authority services, particularly with further substantial growth expected.However, it seems to us that the position in the rest of the county is much less clear. Popular opinion is finely balance and doubts have been expressed about the fragmentation of services. We are also conscious that it is likely that an all unitary solution would give rise to considerably higher transitional costs.
I am accepting the commission recommendations on police and fire services, land use planning, ceremonial matters and electoral arrangements, with minor modification to take account of the decision on structure. I am still considering the commission's recommendations for parishing Aylesbury and High Wycombe.
In the case of County Durham, I have decided to accept the commission's recommendation that there should be a unitary authority based on the present borough area of Darlington and that there should be no change to the existing two-tier arrangements in the rest of County Durham. I agree with the commission that this solution will best reflect the identities and interests of the local communities concerned and best secures effective and convenient local government.
The case for a unitary Darlington is strong. Darlington is based on a former county borough and has a population in excess of 100,000. The commission has identified a strong sense of community identity with the borough council area.
Its natural and communications links are with the unitary authorities which are to be established in Cleveland--it shares with Hartlepool, Middlesbrough and Stockton, a dependence on the infrastructure based on the Tees port, the A66--A1 road connection, the east coast main line railway and Teeside airport. Therefore I also propose to accept the commission's recommendation that Darlington should establish joint structure planning arrangements with the proposed unitary authorities of Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and east Cleveland and Stockton on Tees for the whole of their areas.
I also propose to accept the commission's recommendations for the police and fire services, and for electoral arrangements. I am still considering the commission's recommendations for ceremonial arrangements and for parishing in the county.
Birds (Illegal Imports)
Mr. Morley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 20 February, Official Report , columns 89 90 , how many birds listed as (a) threatened and (b) subject to limited trade he estimates were imported illegally into Britain in each year since 1987.
Mr. Heathcoat-Amory: I have been asked to reply.
There is no reliable method of estimating the numbers of birds imported illegally if the figures are required to
Column 696
include birds which were smuggled in successful evasion of import controls. However, the numbers of CITES-listed birds detected by customs as being in breach of CITES controls and therefore seized as illegal are given in the table. As my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for the Environment explained on 20 February, Official Report , columns 89 90 , CITES appendix I equates with "threatened" and appendices II and III with "subject to limited trade":H Year |Appendix I |Appendices II-III ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1989<1> |Nil |24 1990 |4 |72 1991 |11 |32 1992 |3 |102 1993 |Nil |228 1994 |1 |45 <1> Data for earlier years are not available. $$$THIS FILE WAS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK
WALES
Cardiff Wales Airport
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will set out the statutory provisions which allow him to require the residuary authority to sell Cardiff Wales airport.
Mr. Redwood: I have decided that any shares in Cardiff Wales Airport Company which remain in the ownership of any of the three Glamorgan county councils immediately prior to 1 April 1996 should vest in the residuary body for Wales. This would be achieved automatically under paragraph 11(1) of schedule 13 to the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994.
I have the power in paragraph 12 of the same schedule to direct the residuary body in respect of the exercise of its functions. It would be open to me to issue a direction requiring it to dispose of certain property, rights or liabilities.
I was delighted to learn recently that the three Glamorgan county councils are now agreed that the disposal of their shares before local government reorganisation is the most appropriate course.
Learning Disabilities
Mr. Galbraith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 21 February, Official Report, column 125, how much of the £61 million expenditure by health authorities on services for individuals with a learning disability was spent solely on hospital care.
Mr. Richards: The information is not available in the form requested.
Local Government Finance
Mr. Ron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what amount was held by each local authority and in total in each of the last five years, with respect to receipts from council house and property sales.
Mr. Redwood: The information requested is given in the following table.
Usable cash backed accumulated receipts at 31 March<1>
£000
|1990 |1991 |1992 |1993 |1994
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alyn and Deeside |1,774 |768 |24 |0 |967
Colwyn |1,177 |802 |627 |452 |924
Delyn |0 |0 |0 |0 |0
Glyndwr |1,261 |1,083 |1,023 |350 |283
Rhuddlan |711 |510 |485 |634 |334
Wrexham Maelor |3,244 |3,123 |62 |110 |981
Carmarthen |1,750 |606 |609 |1,120 |1,857
Ceredigion |1,873 |479 |137 |371 |2,069
Dinefwr |871 |719 |746 |761 |370
Llanelli |242 |292 |0 |0 |1,056
Preseli Pembrokeshire |3,183 |1,745 |1,365 |1,910 |2,725
South Pembrokeshire |1,476 |1,791 |1,591 |1,741 |1,641
Blaenau Gwent |1,718 |766 |1,129 |1,406 |2,876
Islwyn |2,548 |46 |0 |648 |359
Monmouth |794 |329 |872 |2,248 |4,905
Newport |10,375 |9,349 |7,742 |5,250 |8,125
Torfaen |3,758 |14 |0 |1,634 |3,271
Aberconwy |2,274 |1,884 |1,109 |1,223 |1,793
Arfon |2,533 |357 |346 |141 |207
Dwyfor |81 |120 |71 |144 |314
Meirionnydd |368 |15 |0 |0 |0
Ynys Mon |1,559 |57 |166 |71 |60
Cynon Valley |1,267 |0 |0 |0 |0
Merthyr Tydfil |604 |298 |170 |781 |1,072
Ogwr |1,978 |1,377 |2,712 |3,453 |3,326
Rhondda |405 |0 |0 |0 |1,570
Rhymney Valley |1,468 |1,155 |878 |949 |1,107
Taff Ely |1,673 |177 |469 |91 |3,003
Brecknock |1,850 |1,046 |892 |996 |1,769
Montgomeryshire |2,462 |1,746 |1,370 |1,016 |1,574
Radnorshire |1,029 |761 |402 |125 |450
Cardiff |10,523 |1,357 |749 |2,601 |20,363
Vale of Glamorgan |9,378 |6,575 |6,436 |5,659 |5,716
Port Talbot |616 |1,176 |1,209 |1,794 |550
Lliw Valley |1,508 |1,054 |1,406 |1,778 |2,211
Neath |1,251 |102 |758 |77 |481
Swansea |3,658 |1,719 |2,178 |1,514 |268
Clwyd |1,037 |0 |0 |0 |2,216
Dyfed |21 |296 |267 |549 |1,318
Gwent |7,337 |6,792 |7,080 |5,877 |7,205
Gwynedd |82 |95 |333 |382 |2,615
Mid Glamorgan |325 |415 |414 |1,266 |3,915
Powys |123 |143 |27 |213 |431
South Glamorgan |100 |2,290 |1,551 |328 |2,563
West Glamorgan |765 |137 |236 |1,140 |1,971
Dyfed Powys Joint Police Authority |138 |0 |0 |0 |0
North Wales Joint Police Authority |50 |48 |26 |0 |846
South Wales Joint Police Authority |0 |0 |99 |0 |437
Total Wales |93,216 |53,614 |47,766 |50,803 |102,094
Source:
Local authority returns
<1> Receipts from all sales of capital assets including repayments of grants and
advances.
Welsh Development Agency
Mr. Temple-Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place in the Library copies of the April 1992 edition of his Department's urban development guidelines as issued to the Welsh Development Agency for the exercise of the urban development function.
Mr. Redwood: The 1992 urban development guidelines were superseded by a revised version issued in July 1994, a copy of which has been placed in the Library of the House. I shall, however, arrange for a copy of the 1992 guidelines to be sent to my hon. Friend.
Column 698
Lobbying Organisations
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if Ministers in his Department have on any occasion in the last seven days met representatives of (a) Messrs. C. S. M. Parliamentary Consultants Ltd., (b) Dewe Rogerson Ltd., (c) Decision Makers Ltd., (d) G.J.W. Government Relations Ltd., (e) G.P.C.,(f) G.J.W., (g) Ian Greer Associates Ltd., (h) Market Access Group, (i) Politics International, (j) Westminster Communications Group, (k) Westminster Strategy, (l) Good Relations, (m) Rowland Sallingbury Casy, (n) Lowe Bell, (o) People Corporate and Political
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Relations and (p) Shandwick Consultants Ltd. and discussed issues relating to the clients of these companies.Mr. Redwood: Neither I nor my Ministers have met representatives from these companies, to the best of our knowledge.
Publications
Mr. Boyes: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all White Papers, Green Papers and pamphlets issued by his Department, or agencies for which it is responsible in 1994 giving, in each case, the total cost to the Exchequer of their production, publication and distribution; and what was the total equivalent cost in 1980.
Mr. Redwood: A list of all White Papers and consultation papers which my Department issued last year, together with a preliminary list of other documents issued last year, has been placed in the Library of the House. When the preliminary list is finalised and printed, later this year, it will be placed in the Library of the House.
In respect of White Papers, Green Papers and other publications published by HMSO, all costs are borne by
Column 700
HMSO, which aims to recover these from sales revenue. The costs of producing and distributing other documents is not held centrally.Health Research Projects
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will announce his adjudication on the health research project applications submitted to his Department for 1995 96 funding; and if he will give the title of the successful application for funding and their total estimated cost (a) in 1995 96 and (b) in 1996 97;
(2) what guidance was given to applicants for funding on health research projects in 1995 96; on what date the invitation to apply for financial assistance was advertised and in what media and in what terms; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood: Professor Ian Russell, the director of research and development, wrote to a wide range of research interests in Wales in May 1994 seeking bids for health research funding. Guidance on the priority areas and the criteria against which bids would be assessed were provided at a series of meetings convened throughout Wales and details were circulated to all those who expressed an interest. I have agreed that the following projects should be funded from the R and D budget:
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Project Location Funding
|1995-96 |1996-97
|£ |£
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To assess the costs and benefits of a system which |Ysbyty Glan |36,000 |26,000
allows X-ray pictures to be transmitted electronically |Clwyd
around a hospital.
To understand why people with a high risk of |University of Wales |15,000 |15,000
developing a serious inherited disease either choose |College of
or refuse genetic tests. |Medicine
To assess an education scheme designed to raise the |University of |45,000 |45,000
take-up of cervical screening by women at high risk |Glamorgan and
and to reduce anxiety among those at low risk. |University of
| Wales, College of
| Medicine
To evaluate a new approach to preventing depression |University of Wales Bangor |46,000 |46,000
recurring in patients
To find out whether a rehabilitation programme for |University of Wales College of |22,000 |23,000
patients with chronic respiratory disease can reduce |Medicine and
hospital admissions and improve quality of life. |Llandough NHS
| Trust.
To assess the benefits for residents and staff of a |University of Wales College of |34,000 |26,000
training scheme for people with learning disabilities | Medicine
living in supported housing.
To test a new approach to helping people stop smoking |University of |26,000 |16,000
based on their readiness to change. |Glamorgan and
| University of
| Wales College of
| Medicine.
To assess an intensive schools-based programme to |University of Wales Cardiff |17,000 |15,000
reduce smoking based on a successful American
model.
To evaluate the effectiveness of using patients' own |University of Wales Swansea, |46,000 |42,000
blood for transfusion in routine surgical operations. |University Hospital of Wales
| and the Morriston
| NHS Trust.
To develop a reliable questionnaire for assessing levels |University of Wales, Bangor |38,000 |37,000
of mental health in the community and for measuring
the extent to which treatment for mental health
problems works.
To produce a reliable measure of how sensitive GPs are |University of Wales, College of |19,000 |18,000
to patients' expectations, fears and concerns as a |Medicine.
means of improving the effectiveness of primary care.
To develop guidance on which patients are most likely |Wrexham Maelor NHS Trust and |41,000 |34,000
to benefit from being referred to a dermatology clinic |University of Wales, College of
by their GP. |Medicine
To evaluate improvements in the quality of information |Llandough NHS trust and the NHS |33,000 |25,000
on cancer in Wales that could result from better |Cancer Registry.
reporting guidelines and the use of computer-based
reports.
To assess a new package of treatment for the most |University of Wales, |53,000 |47,000
severely disordered children. |Bangor and
| Gwynedd
| Community
| NHS Trust.
To evaluate orthotic therapy for diabetic patients to |Cardiff Institute of Higher |24,000 |18,,000
reduce the risk of development of serious foot |Education and Royal Gwent
problems. | Hospital.
To review how patient care and nursing practice is |University of Wales, Aberystwyth|33,000 |-
affected by the way information on patient care is |and Swansea.
recorded by nurses.
To assess the benefits of screening patients at home for |University of Wales, |50,000 |36,000
severe breathing problems during sleep, which can | Swansea and
result in serious health problems. |Prince Philip
| Hospital.
To evaluate the reliability of a method of identifying |University of Wales, Bangor and |2,000 |-
patients at risk of developing pressure sores. |Wrexham Maelor
| Hospital.
Cardiff Bay Development Corporation
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what notification his Department receives on stage payments on the urban investment grant paid to Grosvenor Waterside by Cardiff Bay development corporation for the purpose of the development of a headquarters building for NCM Credit Insurance; how many such stage payments have already been notified to his Department; what is their aggregate value; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Redwood: None. The staging of payments is an operational matter for the Cardiff Bay development corporation. The total grant offer is £2.5 million.
A48
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales on what date he received representations from Cardiff city council concerning the availability of funding for the proposed dedicated flyover connecting the Eastern avenue A48 trunk road and the University hospital of Wales, Heath, Cardiff; and on what date he replied.
Mr. Redwood: A request was received from Cardiff city council on 20 January 1995 to meet my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State. Arrangements for the meeting are in hand.
Welsh Health Common Services Authority
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list each principal non-clinical function of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority, stating the guidelines issued by his Department to the authority with respect to (a) market testing, (b) contractorisation, (c) management/employee buyout and (d) privatisation; and
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if he will list the dates on which such written guidance was issued formally to the authority.Mr. Redwood: The principal non-clinical functions of the Welsh Health Common Services Authority are: procurement; information and information technology; building design; project management; and specialist engineering and surveying services provided to the NHS in Wales.
When the outcome of the review was announced to the authority, it was asked to start the process of market testing.
No guidance has been issued that is specific to the authority. However, information and guidance on this subject already exists and the process is being undertaken in accordance with established practice.
Waiting Lists
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many NHS patients have been waiting (a) six months, (b) nine months, (c) one year, (d) 18 months and (e) two years or more for specialist treatment in Wales.
Mr. Redwood: The latest information available on the number of Welsh residents waiting for in-patient or day case treatment is given in the following table:
|Number of patients
|at 31 December
Waiting more than |1994
---------------------------------------------------------
one year |6,376
18 months |1,659
two years |1
Information on the number of NHS patients waiting more than six or nine months for in-patient or day case treatment is not collected centrally.
NHS Security
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent annually on security for national health service hospitals in Wales in each year from 1990 to 1994.
Mr. Redwood: These figures are not held centrally.
Valuation Tribunals
Mr. Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has for valuation tribunals in Wales in view of the reorganisation of local government on 1 April 1996.
Mr. Gwilym Jones: A consultation paper has been issued today by the Welsh Office seeking comments on proposals for changes to the organisation of valuation tribunals to match the boundaries of the new unitary authorities. Views are also sought on changes to the arrangements for the appointment of tribunal members and the number of tribunal offices. Comments are invited by 18 April 1995. Copies of the consultation paper have been placed in the Library of the House and sent to Members of Parliament for Welsh constituencies.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Fish-eating Birds
Sir Cranley Onslow: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what criteria he intends to apply towards applications to control the number of cormorants threatening the viability of stillwater fisheries in England, pending the findings of the research on fish-eating birds which he is commissioning.
Mrs. Browning: Cormorants are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, as amended, although the Act does allow for the issuing of licences to permit the killing or taking of these birds in order to prevent serious damage to fisheries. Pending the findings of the research programme, MAFF, as a licensing authority, will continue to issue licences to shoot a limited number of birds as an aid to scaring where: there is evidence that serious damage is being or is likely to be caused to the fishery; other non-lethal anti-predation measures have been shown to be ineffective or impractical, and not just difficult to implement; and there are no other evident causes of the serious damage, and shooting will contribute to preventing any damage that might be being caused.
Sir Cranley Onslow: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the five sub-topics on which his Department, the Department of the Environment and the National Rivers Authority propose to commission research on fish-eating birds; what account will be taken in this research of information already publicly available in the United Kingdom and elsewhere; and for what reasons this project is expected to run for up to three years.
Mrs. Browning: A copy of the specifications for the five research projects currently being advertised has been
Column 704
placed in the Library of the House. These specifications make it clear that the results of previous research, both in this country and elsewhere, must be taken into account. The projects will run for between six months and three years, depending on the nature and complexity of the issues being researched.Lobby Organisations
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if Ministers in his Department have on any occasion in the last seven days met representatives of (a) Messrs. C. S. M., Parliamentary Consultants Ltd., (b) Dewe Rogerson Ltd., (c) Decision Makers Ltd., (d) G. J. W. Government Relations Ltd., (e) G.P.C., (f) G.J.W., (g) Ian Greer Associates Ltd., (h) Market Access Group, (i) Politics International, (j) Westminster Communications Group, (k) Westminster Strategy, (l) Good Relations, (m) Rowland Sallingbury Casy, (n) Lowe Bell, (o) People Corporate and Political Relations and (p) Shandwick Consultants Ltd. and discussed issues relating to the clients of these companies.
Mr. Waldegrave: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to him by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary, Office of Public Service and Science today.
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