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£ million Year |Cash terms |At 1993-94 prices ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1979-80 |0.10 |0.25 1980-81 |0.07 |0.15 1981-82 |0.14 |0.26 1982-83 |0.04 |0.07 1983-84 |0.09 |0.15 1984-85 |0.17 |0.27 1985-86 |0.20 |0.30 1986-87 |1.07 |1.58 1987-88 |1.74 |2.44 1988-89 |1.67 |2.20 1989-90 |1.40 |1.72 1990-91 |4.52 |5.15 1991-92 |8.88 |9.52 1992-93 |6.89 |7.10 1993-94 |9.99 |9.99 1994-95 |<1>8.52 |- 1995-96 |<2>5.53 |- <1> Estimated. <2> Budgeted.
The Department's agencies and public bodies are responsible for their own expenditure on publicity. Such information is not held centrally.
The Department has not been involved in any privatisation-related expenditure during this period.
From 1 April 1993 to 1 March 1995 the Department ran the following campaigns and issued the following publications costing more than £150,000.
Bullying Resource Pack (1994)
A pack produced for schools containing a video and information on how to counter bullying. Supported by television filler.
DFE Summer roadshow (1993 and 1994)
Information roadshow for parents and teenagers. Toured the country alongside the Radio 1 summer roadshow, to increase awareness of recent reforms and educational opportunities.
Drug Prevention Initiative (1994 95)
Launch and follow up regional conferences for teachers on the DFE drug prevention initiative, as part of a consultation process before publication of a circular for schools.
European Choice (1994)
A booklet on opportunities open to higher education students to study in Europe.
Further and Higher Education Charters (1993)
Distribution of information for students, parents and employers on standards to be expected in further and higher education. Supported by national press and radio advertising.
Grant-Maintained Schools Information (1993 1995)
On-going campaign to distribute a wide range of information leaflets for parents, teachers and governors, to enable schools to make an informed choice on the suitability for them of
grant-maintained status. Supported by a press advertising campaign in 1994. Involved organisation of a series of regional conferences throughout the period 1993 to 1995.
It's Your Choice (1993 and 1994)
An information brochure about choices at 16-plus, to help students make an informed choice. Jointly funded with Employment Department Group and the Careers and Occupational Information Centre.
National School Tests (1993, 1994 and 1995)
Distribution of an information leaflet for parents explaining arrangements for tests and assessments in the national curriculum supported by press advertising in 1993 and 1994.
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Private Finance Initiative (1994)An information booklet setting out opportunities for investment of private finance in education. Distributed to business and education outlets, supported by national press advertising.
School Governors' Guides to the Law (1994)
An annual series of guides to the law for school governors, to help them to understand their legal rights and responsibilities. School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Document (1993 and 1994) Distribution to schools of an annual publication on school teachers' pay and conditions, to inform teachers of their pay arrangements for the forthcoming year.
School Teachers Review Body Report (1994 and 1995)
Purchasing copies of the annual report of the School Teachers Review body, published by HMSO, and distributing to schools, to advise teachers of the recommendations of the review.
Schools Update (1993 1995)
On-going production of a termly publication for school teachers and governors, to keep them up to date with new developments, and the availability of on-request information.
Secondary School and College Performance Tables (1993 and 1994)
Publication of information to enable parents and pupils to compare the performance of local secondary schools and colleges, in order to make informed choices of post-11 and post-16 destinations. Special Educational Needs Information (1994)
Distribution through schools of a package of information for parents and teachers on special educational needs and the SEN tribunal, to keep them up to date with the consequences of new legislation.
Student Grants and Loans Booklet (1994 and 1995)
An annual guide for prospective higher education students to the system of student financial support, distributed to local education authorities.
Updated Parents Charter (1994)
Distribution to all households in England of an updated version of the 1991 parents charter, incorporating recent legislative changes to the education system.
Newbury College
Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations she has made to the Secretary of State for Transport regarding the proposal of the Newbury Transport Forum to build a new route for the A34 through the site currently earmarked for a new campus for Newbury college.
Mr. Boswell: My right hon. Friend has made no such
representations.
Student Loans
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consultations she has had with the chairman of the Student Loans Company concerning the provision of student loans to students classified as bankrupt; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Boswell: There have been no consultations between Ministers and the chairman of the Student Loans Company on this matter. However, there has been correspondence between company executives and officials. The Education (Student Loans) Act 1990 does
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not specifically prevent students classified as bankrupt from being eligible for a loan.Parents Charter
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what was the final cost of the household distribution of the updated parents charter.
Mr. Forth: The Royal Mail was the sole distributor of the 1994 parents charter. To disclose the payment made to the Royal Mail would compromise the Department's confidential tendering procedures.
DEFENCE
Menwith Hill Station
Mr. Madden: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence under what powers he is seeking in the courts an injunction preventing Ms Lindis Percy, of Bradford, from entering Menwith Hill station; what proportion of the legal costs are being borne by the National Security Agency of America; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Soames: My Department is seeking an injunction against Ms Percy under the common law of trespass. The legal costs are borne by my Department.
Private Sector Contracting
Mr. Mans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what level of cost savings were projected by his Department to arise from the implementation of its policy of transferring risk to the private sector in prime contracting; what savings have been made to date; and what savings are projected over the next five years.
Mr. Freeman: The Ministry of Defence has introduced a wide range of initiatives to improve value-for-money in defence procurement. These act concurrently on project costs and isolating the effect of a single factor, past or future, is a very complex process. It is, therefore, not possible to quantify the cost savings attributable to the policy in recent years of transferring or sharing risk, whereby taut and incentivised contracts are used to place responsibility with the contractor for activities which they are usually best fitted to discharge. We know that the costs of failing to do this adequately in the past could run into many millions of pounds on a single large project.
Nuclear Weapons
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, Leigh (Mr. Chisholm) of 14 December, Official Report, column 909 , if the planned reduction in the United Kingdom's deployed nuclear explosive power involves an increase or a decrease in the number of deployed nuclear warheads.
Mr. Soames: It is not our current practice to release details of nuclear weapons numbers.
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what are the implications of the comprehensive test ban treaty for the future development of a new nuclear warhead by the United Kingdom;
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(2) what are the implications of the comprehensive test ban treaty for the adaptation of existing warheads for any future new nuclear weapon by the United Kingdom.Mr. Soames: A comprehensive test ban treaty, effectively verified and commanding universal adherence, would have significant non- proliferation benefits. It would also place severe constraints on the five nuclear weapons states. We plan to develop further a range of techniques to enable us to maintain our nuclear capability in the absence of testing.
Publicity and Publications
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total expenditure on (a) all forms of publicity and (b) all publications and pamphlets produced for his Department and for all the agencies and public bodies for which his Department is responsible for each year since 1979, including the budgeted figure for 1995 96, (i) including and (ii) excluding privatisation-related expenditures and expressed in 1994 prices; and if he will supply information for the period from 1 April 1993 to 1 March 1995 showing (1) the nature and (2) the purpose of each publicity campaign and of each publication involving the expenditure of more than 50,000.
Mr. Soames: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
TREASURY
Derivatives
Mr. Campbell-Savours: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made as to the extent to which the Governor of the Bank of England's assurances of July 1994 on the monitoring of derivative trading were in the public interest.
Mr. Nelson [holding answer 13 March 1995]: My right hon. and learned Friend has made no such assessment, but I am aware that the Bank of England has consistently made clear the risks involved in derivatives. The Governor's assurances of July 1994 related to the understanding of the most active players in the market and were balanced by a statement of the need to deter intermediaries who do not understand the risks involved. I recognise, as does the Governor, the need to ensure effective regulation of derivatives trading.
HEALTH
GPs' Night Visits
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations she has received in favour of her Department's offer to general practitioners of a new out-of-hours payment scheme; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Malone: We have met with representatives of family doctors on many occasions to discuss our offer to change the night visit payments scheme. The profession's representatives are in favour of change, and we are continuing to discuss what form a new scheme should take.
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Dialysis
Mr. Rooker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from the National Kidney Federation about the revised arrangements forthe provision of home-based continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.
Mr. Sackville: The National Kidney Federation has written to indicate its acceptance in principle of changes which will mean that continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis will be funded entirely through contracts let by health authorities after 1 April 1995. The federation has asked that these changes are monitored to ensure that the quality of services is maintained.
Breast Milk Substitutes
Sir David Steel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of whether the principles set out in the World Health Organisation's international code of marketing of breast milk substitutes should apply to the United Kingdom.
Mr. Sackville: The United Kingdom supported the adoption of this World Health Organisation code, by the World Health Assembly in 1981, as the recommended basis for action in member states. The Government have consistently supported breastfeeding as the best means of feeding a baby, and this is reflected in our policies and initiatives to promote and protect breastfeeding. We have also taken steps to restrict the advertising and promotion of baby milks in the Infant Formula and Follow-on Formula Regulations 1995 which came into force on 1 March 1995. The regulations implement the relevant European Community legislation which is firmly based on the principles and aims of the WHO international code of marketing of breast milk substitutes. The new regulations give a statutory basis to the restrictions on advertising in place since 1983 under the voluntary agreement with the baby milk manufacturers.
Listeria
Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many strains of listeria monocytogenes are known to her Department; and what assessment has been made of whether each strain of listeria monocytogenes has the same potential effects on health.
Mr. Sackville: There are 13 main types--serovars--of listeria monocytogenes, each containing a number of strains. All strains contain virulence genes. This means that they all have the potential to cause human illness, although not all are reported to have done so.
NHS Cars
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for Wakefield (Mr. Hinchliffe) of 19 December 1994, Official Report, column 990, what estimate she has made of the percentage of (a) midwives, (b) community nurses, (c) health visitors, (d) doctors, (e) other health professionals in the community, (f) managers, (g) board members and (h) other non-clinical staff who have access to an NHS car.
Mr. Malone: All employees and board members who have a need related to their post may have access to a national health service car.
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Unlicensed Medicines
Mr. Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the drugs with their respective uses currently administered in the national health service for which (a) a product licence has not been granted and (b) animal/toxicology and clinical trials have not been undertaken.
Mr. Sackville: This information is not available centrally. Under the Medicines Act 1968 and the Medicines for Human Use (Marketing Authorisations Etc.) Regulations 1994, doctors acting on their own responsibility may prescribe any medicinal product, whether licensed or not and irrespective of its indications for use, which they consider to be clinically appropriate for their patients' needs.
St. Mary's Hospital
Mr. Barry Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the up-to-date position regarding the negotiations between the regional health authority and the architects for St. Mary's hospital.
Mr. Sackville: The South and West regional health authority and the architectural firm Ahrends Burton and Koralek have announced that arbitration proceedings between them have been settled by mutual consent.
NHS Consultants
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many whole time equivalent consultants there have been in the NHS in each of the last five years.
Mr. Malone: The information is shown in the table.
Consultants-England (whole-time equivalents) 1989-1993 as at 30 September Year |Consultants ------------------------------------ 1989 |13,670 1990 |14,190 1991 |14,500 1992 |14,850 1993 |15,210 Note: All figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many whole time equivalent consultants were appointed in each of the last five years as part of the new deal for junior doctors.
Mr. Malone: Our regional task forces report that appointments have been made as follows:
|Posts
-----------------------------------------
1991-92 |Nil
1992-93 |213
1993-94 |191
1994-95-to 30 September 1994 |130
Total |534
Non-consultant Doctors
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of whole-time equivalent staff grade and associate specialists in each of the last five years.
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Mr. Malone: The information is shown in the table. Staff grade numbers are increasing as more posts are allocated up to a ceiling of 10 per cent. of consultant numbers which has now been reached. Associate specialist appointments are personal regradings, for which strict criteria are applied by regional offices.
Staff grade and associate specialists-England (whole-time
equivalents) 1989-1993 as at 30 September
|1989 |1990 |1991 |1992 |1993
----------------------------------------------------------
Staff grade |30 |250 |470 |710 |1,050
Associate specialists |670 |740 |760 |770 |840
Note:
All figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
Hepatitis C
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department is doing on hepatitis C.
Mr. Sackville: The Department of Health is funding through its centrally commissioned research programme a project which is looking at behaviours associated with exposure to hepatitis C, hepatitis B and HIV infections.
The main agency through which the Government support biomedical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council which receives its grant in aid from the Office of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and which is, I understand, funding a number of projects researching into hepatitis C.
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when her Department first became aware of the risk of transmission of hepatitis C through blood transfusion products; when blood transfusion products were first screened for hepatitis; and when the blood test for hepatitis C was first available.
Mr. Sackville: It has been known since the 1970s that, despite the introduction of testing for hepatitis B, some recipients of blood and blood products continued to develop hepatitis which was neither hepatitis A nor hepatitis B--NANB. In 1988 a virus called hepatitis C was reported in scientific literature, which was thought to be the main cause of NANB transfusion-associated hepatitis. The first anti-hepatitis C tests were reported in scientific literature in March 1989, but did not become available until later in the year. Expert advice was that these tests should not be introduced because of proven deficiencies. These first tests had a large number of false positive and false negative results and no satisfactory confirmatory tests were available. In due course, the test was improved considerably and also confirmatory tests became available. Routine testing of all blood donations for antibodies for the hepatitis C virus was introduced in September 1991, when the expert advice was that sufficiently reliable tests were available.
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on any plans she has to compensate patients developing hepatitis C from transfusion of NHS blood products.
Mr. Sackville: The Government have no plans to make payments to patients who have been infected with hepatitis C as a result of national health service treatment.
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Junior Hospital Doctors
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who holds the job contracts of junior hospital doctors; and if she will make a statement on changes she is planning.
Mr. Malone: The job contracts of registrars and senior registrars are currently held by regional health authorities; those of senior house officers and pre-registration house officers are normally held by their employers, either trusts or health authorities. For information about our plans for the future, I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. and learned Member for Montgomery (Mr. Carlile) on 9 February, Official Report , columns 369 70.
Capital Projects, Barnet
Sir John Gorst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what capital projects have been completed in the London borough of Barnet with a works cost of over £1 million since 1979; and if she will give a brief description of each project.
Mr. Sackville: The figures in the table record national health service capital projects that have been completed within the boundary of the London borough of Barnet with a works cost of over £1 million since 1979, and a brief description.
NHS capital project |Works cost |Description |Year
|£
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Barnet General |1,482,590 |Kitchen and |1983-84
Hospital | dining
Central Public Health |14,620,183 |Public health |1984-85
Laboratory Service, | laboratory
Colindale
St. Stephen's Aids |2,097,000 |HIV day unit |1988-89
Centre
Edgware General |1,362,200 |Pathology |1988-89
Hospital | department
Colindale |2,723,370 |Psychogeriatric |1989-90
Psychogeriatric | facilities
Hospital
Acamprosate
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much acamprosate was used in the NHS in 1994; and if she will make a statement;
(2) what guidelines are in place to regulate the use of acamprosate in the NHS, and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Bowis: Information on the use of acamprosate in the national health service in 1994 is not available centrally. Acamprosate is not licensed for use in the United Kingdom, although an application for such a licence is currently with the Medicines Control Agency. Before a licence is granted, the Medicines Control Agency will need to be satisfied as to the product's quality, safety and efficacy.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures she has taken to secure the prevention of the spread of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus in the NHS.
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Mr. Sackville: The Department of Health in EL(94)74, entitled "Improving the effectiveness of the NHSE", issued to the NHS on 28 September 1994 commended the revised guidelines for the control of epidemic methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus published jointly by the Hospital Infection Society and the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy in 1990. New general guidance on hospital infection control issued to the NHS on 8 March includes new advice on the surveillance of MRSA and other antibiotic resistant bacteria. Copies of the guidance are available in the Library.
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus have been reported in the NHS for each year since 1992.
Mr. Sackville: This information is not available centrally.
Gulf War
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans her Department has to research potential links between the Gulf war and the outcome of pregnancies in service families.
Mr. Sackville: None. This is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence.
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