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Mr. Bowis: The Special Hospitals Service Authority is responsible for special hospitals services; the hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman of the authority.
Autism
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of autism have been recorded for each year since 1990.
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Mr. Bowis: This information is not available centrally. It is estimated that the prevalence rate of classic autism is between 0.04 and 0.05 per cent. of the population and that about 0.21 per cent. may exhibit some features of autism.
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the cost of autism treatment in the NHS for each year since 1990; and what is the projected cost for 1995.
Mr. Bowis: This information is not available centrally. District health authorities are funded for purchasing health services for people with autism through their general allocations.
The table shows expenditure on the purchase of health care for people with learning disabilities, which includes autism, by health authorities in England. Expenditure for 1990 91 is not available.
Year |£ ------------------------------------------ 1991-92 |936,503,244 1992-93 |1,068,035,565 1993-94 |1,132,665,837
Edgware General Hospital
Sir John Gorst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of ambulances reach a patient in Barnet within the patients charter target of 14 minutes; and what proportion of emergencies were taken to (a) Edgware general hospital and (b) Barnet general hospital in each year since 1990.
Mr. Sackville: This information is not available centrally. My hon. Friend may wish to contact the chief executive of the London ambulance service, Mr. Martin Gorham.
Sir John Gorst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what are the estimated cost and future savings of closing the accident and emergency unit at Edgware general hospital;
(2) what is the population currently served by (a) Edgware general hospital and (b) Barnet general hospital;
(3) what plans there are to treat sufferers of dementia by the creation of a new unit at Edgware general hospital; and what representations she has received from the Barnet branch of the Alzheimer's Disease Council on the subject.
Mr. Sackville: This information is not available centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman of Barnet health authority, Mr. Brian Salinger, for details. I have no record of a representation from the Barnet Alzheimer's Disease Council.
Sir John Gorst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from the Wellhouse Trust concerning the level of resources at Barnet general hospital in the light of the increase in the number of in-patients from the Edgware area.
Drug Overdoses
Mrs. Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the number of recorded deaths from (a) methadone and (b) heroin overdoses in each of the past three years.
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Mr. Sackville: The data are published in table 10 of the publication, "Mortality statistics, injury and poisoning, England and Wales", series DH4, Nos. 16 18, copies of which are available in the Library.
Minor Accident Treatment
Sir John Gorst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of patients attending a minor accident treatment unit are subsequently referred to an accident and emergency department.
Mr. Sackville: The information is not available centrally.
Eating Disorders
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines she has issued to health authorities and trusts in relation to the employment of nurses or assistants who are or have suffered from anorexia nervosa, bulimia or other eating disorders.
Mr. Malone: Guidance on pre-employment assessment of prospective national health service employees is contained in HSG (94) 51, "Occupational Health Services for NHS staff", copies of which are available in the Library.
Neuro-Surgery Units, London
Mr. Austin-Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the neuro-surgery units situated in (a) Greater London, (b) South Thames region and (c) North Thames region; and what were their capacity and occupancy rates on the night of 6 March.
Mr. Sackville: The information is as follows:
Neuro-surgery units situated in Greater London:
Greenwich Healthcare NHS Trust, The Bethlem and Maudsley NHS Trust, St. George's NHS Trust, The Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust, The Hospitals for Sick Children, Havering Hospitals NHS Trust, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, The Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust and The Royal Hospitals NHS Trust.
Neuro-surgery units in South Thames:
Greenwich Healthcare NHS Trust, The Bethlem and Maudsley NHS Trust, St. George's NHS Trust and Mid Sussex NHS Trust.
Neuro-surgery units in North Thames:
The Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust, The Royal Free Hospital Hampstead NHS Trust, The Hospitals for Sick Children, Havering Hospitals NHS Trust, The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and The Royal Hospitals NHS Trust.
Information on units' capacity and occupancy rates on the night of 6 March is not available centrally. South Thames regional office is conducting an urgent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of Malcolm Murray, and capacity and occupancy levels is one of the areas being investigated.
Mr. Austin-Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the neuro-surgery units which were contacted by Queen Mary's hospital, Sidcup, on the night of 6 March in relation to the case raised by the hon. Member for Woolwich in his letter dated 7 March; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville: The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. William Wells, chairman of South Thames regional health authority.
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South Thames regional office is conducting an urgent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragic death of Malcolm Murray.ENVIRONMENT
Waste, Drigg
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the dates of each seizure and checking of waste consignments to Drigg made by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution during the year 1990; which of these consignments breached the Drigg authorisation; and if he will give the nature of the breach.
Mr. Atkins: One seizure was made at the Drigg site on 31 August 1990. The consignment was found to include one aerosol can with free liquid, and a dry cell battery. This constituted a very minor breach of the Drigg disposal authorisation.
Mr. Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the waste consignment for Drigg seized by Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution in December 1994 conformed to all the conditions within the Drigg authorisation; and when Her Majesty's inspectorate of pollution report was completed and delivered to his Department.
Mr. Atkins: Results of the waste consignment for Drigg seized in December 1994 are not yet known.
Countryside Commission
Mr. Dunn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the annual emolument paid to members of the Countryside Commission; and what are the total emolument and expenses paid to each current serving member since his or her appointment.
Mr. Atkins: As chairman of the Countryside Commission, Sir John Johnson's remuneration is £37,065 for a three day week. The remaining commissioners each receive remuneration of £5,320 based on a minimum input of two days per month, although a number of commissioners regularly devote more time than this.
Expenses are paid in line with standard civil service terms and conditions. Total expenses claimed by each commissioner from April 1993 to date are as follows. Earlier figures are not readily available.
|£
------------------------------------------------
Sir John Johnson KCMG |10,779.07
Rachel Thomas |10,361.00
David Fletcher MBE |5,033.90
Professor Allan Patmore CBE |2,814.97
Sir Richard Carew Pole |2,194.86
Lord Denham<1> |1,593.46
Sarah Ward |1,345.55
Rodney Swarbrick CBE<1> |805.03
<1> Appointment from 1 August 1993.
Exhaust Cleaning
Mr. Robert Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from local authorities requesting Government assistance
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to fund the fitting of test exhaust cleaning devices on (a) buses, (b) public sector vehicles, and (c) other vehicles; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Atkins: My Department has had initial discussions with one local authority about the possibility of providing Government support for assessment and monitoring work associated with the experimental fitting of particulate trap assemblies to public sector vehicles. There are no plans, however, to provide funds for the fitting and operation of such devices.
Information Technology
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he has taken to encourage local councils to adopt a strategic approach to making the new information and communications technologies available to the local community.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: None. It is for individual councils to determine their own local priorities and strategies, including about such matters as the use of information and communications technologies.
Rents
Mr. Khabra: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average rent for new lettings by housing associations; and what was the equivalent figure for 1989.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: Information collected by the National Federation of Housing Associations shows that the average rent for housing association new lettings in the quarter ending 30 September 1994 was £45.63.
The equivalent figure for 1989 was £23.64.
Mr. Alfred Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the average rent paid by tenants of (a) private landlords and (b) local councils: and what were the equivalent figures in each category for 1978 79 in actual and real terms.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: Estimates of average rents paid before deduction of housing benefit or its earlier equivalent are as follows. The latest figures for private rents are for 1993 94 and so local authority rents are shown for the same year:
|Tenants of private
|Tenants of local |landlords
|authorities |£ per week
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1993-94 actual |33.70 |60.00
1978-79 actual |5.90 |6.30
1978-79 at 1993-94 prices |16.90 |18.10
Sources:
Local authority rents: returns made by local authorities.
Private rents: Private Renters Survey 1978-79, Survey of English Housing 1993-94.
Notes:
1. Rents are for England.
2. Private rents are from household surveys and are subject to sampling error.
Local Government Reorganisation
Mrs. Maddock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many responses have been received by his Department from residents of Dorset, excluding Bournemouth and Poole, since the Local Government
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Commission published its preferred options for reorganisation; and how many (a) supported the proposed changes and (b) rejected them.Mr. Robert B. Jones: As at 6 March, we had received 1,776 letters from members of the public residing in Dorset outside Bournemouth and Poole. Of these 69 support the Local Government Commission's final recommendations for Dorset and 1,707 are against the recommendations.
Trust Councils Initiative
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research his Department has undertaken into, and what assessment has been made of, the trust councils initiative; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: We have no plans for a trust councils initiative.
Packaging Waste
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how his Department intends the producer responsibility industry group plan to be financed; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Atkins: The Government have introduced enabling powers in the Environment Bill to place an obligation on businesses to recover and recycle packaging waste. Individual businesses may choose to discharge this obligation by acting alone or by collaborating with others in an "exemption scheme" which will deliver targets on their behalf. The internal financing of exemption schemes is a matter for business, subject only to satisfying the requirements of competition legislation and the registration requirements of the environment agencies.
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what progress has been made to produce a plan for recovering between 50 per cent. and 75 per cent. of all packaging waste by the year 2000;
(2) what are the criteria by which his Department judged the plan for reducing waste produced by the producer responsibility industry group.
Mr. Atkins: The producer responsibility group was formed in 1993 to respond to the challenge to businesses concerned with packaging to develop an industry-led approach for delivering recovery and recycling targets for packaging waste. Among the objectives which Government set the PRG were the need for an effective organisation, spanning all the relevant business sectors, which can both draw up a plan and put it into action; and the need for a commitment by business that it will meet the costs necessary to fund new collection and processing capacity, together with a mechanism for raising the necessary finances.
The PRG produced its final report in November last year and has now disbanded. Work on refining its approach and the ways in which industry might organise
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itself to meet recycling targets has been taken forward by the VALPAK working representative advisory group--V-WRAG.Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what legislation the Government have introduced to reduce packaging.
Mr. Atkins: Having considered the request from businesses in the packaging industry, we have included three clauses, numbers 76-78, in the Environment Bill which will, subject to parliamentary approval, establish enabling powers to promote or secure the re-use, recovery and recycling of products or materials when they become waste. We propose to apply these powers to packaging waste.
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimates have been made of the rise in packaging over the last 10 years.
Mr. Atkins: No estimates exist as to variations in the amount of packaging as a whole over the last 10 years. The Department of the Environment "Digest of Environmental Protection and Water Statistics", however, does include statistics for consumption of some types of recyclable packaging. This publication is available in the Library.
Sulphur Dioxide Emissions
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what measures have been introduced to ensure the United Kingdom meets the targets for the 70 per cent. reduction in sulphur dioxide emissions by 2005 and 80 per cent. by 2010, as agreed under the UN Economic Commission for Europe's second sulphur protocol;
(2) what action his Department has taken to reduce sulphur dioxide emissions;
(3) what measures he has introduced to ensure the United Kingdom meets its targets for the 40 per cent. reduction in 1980 level of sulphur dioxide emissions by 1998 as agreed under the Brussels directive of 1990.
Mr. Atkins: The Secretary of State published the United Kingdom national plan for the reduction of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide emissions in December 1990. The plan aims to deliver the UK commitment, under the 1988 large combustion plants directive, to a 40 per cent. reduction in 1980 levels of sulphur dioxide emissions from large combustion plants by 1998.
My Department is preparing a national sulphur strategy to meet the targets for reduction in total sulphur dioxide emissions to which the UK is committed under the UN Economic Commission for Europe's second sulphur protocol and will be consulting on the strategy in due course.
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list the level of sulphur dioxide emissions in the United Kingdom in each year since 1979.
Mr. Atkins: The list following gives estimated emissions of sulphur dioxide, by source, for 1979 1992.
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Estimated emissions of sulphur dioxides (SO2) by source category for 1979-1992
Thousand tonnes
|1979 |1980 |1981 |1982 |1983 |1984 |1985 |1986 |1987 |1988 |1989 |1990 |1991 |1992
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Power stations |3,242|3,007|2,847|2,748|2,631|2,589|2,627|2,722|2,830|2,728|2,640|2,722|2,534|2,427
Domestic |264 |226 |210 |202 |195 |158 |202 |197 |171 |155 |138 |118 |115 |103
Commercial/public
service |221 |197 |178 |170 |143 |148 |128 |135 |107 |101 |89 |90 |83 |84
Refineries |228 |237 |185 |165 |117 |115 |96 |108 |102 |97 |109 |109 |115 |131
Iron and steel |244 |128 |116 |101 |83 |75 |80 |80 |80 |85 |89 |88 |83 |83
Other industrial
combustion |1,139|930 |738 |667 |552 |491 |456 |517 |481 |509 |505 |497 |493 |518
Non-combustion
processes |36 |35 |30 |26 |27 |27 |26 |24 |22 |23 |22 |19 |18 |14
Extraction and
dist. of fossil |1 |1 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |3 |3
Road Transport |55 |42 |53 |49 |42 |43 |45 |50 |46 |54 |61 |63 |58 |62
Railways |14 |11 |9 |8 |5 |6 |5 |5 |4 |4 |3 |3 |3 |3
Civil aircraft |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |2 |- |2 |1 |- |1 |2 |3
Shipping |67 |62 |53 |57 |52 |55 |50 |48 |45 |46 |57 |61 |61 |60
Agriculture |30 |21 |17 |15 |12 |10 |8 |9 |8 |7 |7 |8 |8 |8
Total |5,542|4,899|4,438|4,213|3,862|3,721|3,726|3,897|2,900|3,813|3,722|3,782|3,574|3,500
Source:
Digest of Environmental Protection and Water Statistics No. 16 1994
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research has been carried out by his Department into the effects of sulphur dioxide emissions.
Mr. Atkins: The Department has undertaken a large programme of scientific research over several years into the effects on the environment of sulphur dioxide emissions. The scientific findings have been reviewed by several of the Department's expert advisory groups, including the review group on acid rain, the terrestrial effects review group and the critical loads advisory group. Copies of their reports are available in the Library of the House.
Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what assessment he has made of the differences in the sulphur dioxide emissions produced by hazardous waste incinerators and those produced by cement kilns.
Mr. Atkins: All operators of the hazardous waste incinerators and cement plants are required to monitor sulphur dioxide emissions. Cement plants produce higher amounts of sulphur dioxide. This is because hazardous waste incinerators dispose of wastes that mostly contain no sulphur, while cement plants use fossil fuels and raw materials that contain significant amounts of sulphur.
Local Government Finance
Mr. David Nicholson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his oral statement of 2 March on the explicit promises made by county and district councils about improved co-operation and delegation of functions, if he expects such promises to involved more or less local government expenditure; and what account he will take of such promises in future local government finance settlements.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: We would expect better co-operation and delegation to enable local services to be improved at no extra cost.
Alkyl Phenol Ethoxylates
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research has been carried out
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by his Department on the effects of alkyl phenol ethoxylates on human health.Mr. Atkins: We and the Department of Health have commissioned the Institute for Environment and Health to review current information on possible oestrogenic effects of chemicals, including alkyl phenol ethoxylates, entering the environment. It is expected to be completed by mid 1995.
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what research has been carried out by his Department on the level of alkyl phenol ethoxylates in British rivers.
Mr. Atkins: The report from our current research on the effects of sewage effluent on fish, will include some data on levels of alkyl phenol ethoxylates in rivers. This report is expected to be completed by mid 1995.
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action his Department has taken to phase out the use of alkyl phenol ethoxylates.
Mr. Atkins: In accordance with a recommendation of the Paris Commission the United Kingdom is committed to phasing out by the year 2000, those uses of nonyl phenol ethoxylate which lead to discharge to water. This recommendation was agreed in 1992 and, in the UK, is pertinent for uses of nonyl phenol ethoxylate in industrial cleaning agents; it has not been used in domestic cleaning agents for the last 15 years. As part of the phase-out, the UK has surveyed all the main uses of ethoxylates. We are now considering the substitution of materials which are less damaging to the aquatic environment.
European Regional Development Fund
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the allocation of the European regional development fund to each of the objective 1, 2 and 5b regions in England for the current programming period.
Mr. Curry: The amount of European regional development fund grant available under each objective 1, 2 and 5b area in England for the current programming period is set out in the table. The programme documents for each objective area contain financial details in ecus. The table shows the sterling equivalent, at the current
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exchange rate, for the European regional development fund.
|ERDF grant
|£ million
Objective area |(1994 prices)
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Objective 1 (1994-99)
Merseyside |380
Objective 2 (1994-96)
West Midlands |222
Yorkshire and Humberside |187
North East England |185
Greater Manchester/Lancashire/Cheshire |184
East Midlands |47
East London and Lee Valley |44
Plymouth |18
West Cumbria and Furness |15
Thanet |10
Objective 5(b) (1994-99)
South West England |116
Northern Uplands |52
East Anglia |32
Lincolnshire |30
English Marches |19
Midlands Uplands |7
New Households
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many new households are projected in the west midlands; and if this figure is in line with the regional guidance plan.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: The recently-published 1992-based household projections indicate 2,338 million households for the west midlands by 2011. This is an increase of 295,000 over the number in 1991. The draft regional planning guidance for the west midlands was based on earlier--1989 -based--projections, which showed an increase of 244,000 households between 1991 and 2011. The Secretary of State is considering the need for any revision of the guidance in the light of the new figures.
Standard Spending Assessments, Dorset
Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what have been the increases in the various categories of standard spending assessments for Dorset compared with inflation for each year since 1990.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: The information requested is as follows:
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Percentage change in Dorset County Council's Standard Spending Assessment 1990-91 to 1995-96 by major service block
Service Block Change in
|GDP
|<3>deflator
Year |Education |PSS<1> |Police |Fire |Highways |OSB<2> |Capital |Total
|Per cent. |Per cent. |Per cent. |Per cent. |Per cent. |Per cent. |Per cent. |Per cent. |Per cent.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1990-91 to 1991-92 |17.1 |23.0 |10,0 |14.7 |13.4 |39.1 |12.9 |17.7 |6.3
1991-92 to 1992-93 |8.5 |7.3 |18.0 |7.6 |-0.2 |36.2 |-11.2 |8.2 |4.0
1992-93 to 1993-94<4> |4.4 |3.6 |3.9 |2.7 |5.5 |-2.8 |0.1 |3.4 |3.1
1993-94 to 1994-95<4> |3.2 |-1.4 |4.2 |0.9 |0.1 |-0.5 |-8.5 |1.1 |<5>2.0
1994-95 to 1995-96<4> |1.1 |0.2 |<6>- |2.2 |2.2 |5.4 |-6.2 |0.9 |<5>3.3
Notes:
<1>Personal Social Services.
<2>`Other Services' Block.
<3>The GDP deflator is a measure of domestically generated inflation in the economy.
<4>Adjusted for changes in function and responsibility.
<5>Projections published in the Financial Statement and Budget Report in 1994.
<6>Dorset Police Authority will be responsible for providing police services in the Dorset area from April 1995.
Housing
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to develop an energy efficient growth in housing in the west midlands; and if he will make it his policy to take greater account of environmental factors in respect of housing developments.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: Measures to secure greater energy efficiency in housing and to take account of energy efficiency and other environmental factors when housing is being planned are part of the Government's strategy for sustainable development.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has on the number of new housing starts in January and February; and what was the figure for these months in 1994.
Mr. Robert B. Jones: It is estimated that in Great Britian there were 13,200 new dwellings started during January 1995 and 15,400 in January 1994, on a not
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