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Foundation Trust, Stafford
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to set up a Department of Health inquiry
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into the dismissal of Mr. Michael Murray from his post as chief executive of the Foundation Trust, Stafford; and when the findings will be made public. [20673]Mr. Malone: I have no plans to do so.
Neuroleptic Drugs (Deaths)
Ms Rachel Squire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what decision has been taken, following discussions with the Royal College of Psychiatrists, to begin research into the deaths of psychiatric patients associated with neuroleptic drugs. [20730]
Mr. Bowis: It has been agreed in principle that the remit of the confidential inquiry into homicide and suicides by mentally ill people should be extended to cover the deaths of patients associated with neuroleptic drugs. Further discussions will be held about the arrangements for examining these deaths.
Mental Health Spending
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the budget of each local authority's social services department is currently spent on mental health services. [20826]
Mr. Bowis: Information is not yet available for the current year. The information for 1994 95 is shown in the table.
Personal social services: percentage of
total budgeted expenditure
on mental health services 1994-95
|Per cent.
-------------------------------------------
City of London |19.5
Camden |8.3
Greenwich |5.1
Hackney |6.9
Hammersmith and Fulham |11.5
Islington |3.6
Kensington and Chelsea |8.2
Lambeth |5.7
Lewisham |6.5
Southwark |4.8
Tower Hamlets |12.0
Wandsworth |6.8
Westminster |8.6
Barking and Dagenham |4.3
Barnet |6.3
Bexley |3.2
Brent |6.1
Bromley |4.3
Croydon |6.4
Ealing |6.3
Enfield |6.8
Haringey |7.1
Harrow |7.5
Havering |3.0
Hillingdon |5.1
Hounslow |6.6
Kingston upon Thames |5.1
Merton |5.5
Newham |6.6
Redbridge |3.0
Richmond upon Thames |7.0
Sutton |2.4
Waltham Forest |7.7
Bolton |5.7
Bury |5.2
Manchester |8.7
Oldham |6.0
Rochdale |5.9
Salford |2.4
Stockport |3.3
Tameside |2.7
Trafford |5.4
Wigan |1.6
Knowsley |7.5
Liverpool |7.8
St. Helens |4.9
Sefton |4.8
Wirral |4.5
Barnsley |4.0
Doncaster |3.4
Rotherham |4.0
Sheffield |4.5
Gateshead |11.8
Newcastle upon Tyne |6.2
North Tyneside |4.6
South Tyneside |4.5
Sunderland |4.5
Birmingham |4.9
Coventry |2.5
Dudley |5.1
Sandwell |8.9
Solihull |4.7
Walsall |3.1
Wolverhampton |5.3
Bradford |3.9
Calderdale |2.6
Kirklees |5.9
Leeds |2.4
Wakefield |2.8
Isles of Scilly |0.5
Avon |4.4
Bedfordshire |3.1
Berkshire |5.8
Buckinghamshire |5.8
Cambridgeshire |2.0
Cheshire |5.0
Cleveland |3.5
Cornwall |3.5
Cumbria |1.1
Derbyshire |4.0
Devon |4.9
Dorset |3.3
Durham |3.4
East Sussex |4.8
Essex |1.1
Gloucestershire |2.6
Hampshire |5.9
Hereford and Worcester |6.2
Hertfordshire |3.5
Humberside |4.1
Isle of Wight |6.4
Kent |3.5
Lancashire |4.3
Leicestershire |6.5
Lincolnshire |3.7
Norfolk |4.2
Northamptonshire |6.9
Northumberland |2.6
North Yorkshire |4.5
Nottinghamshire |3.9
Oxfordshire |4.9
Shropshire |5.9
Somerset |6.7
Staffordshire |0.9
Suffolk |5.2
Surrey |8.0
Warwickshire |6.1
West Sussex |5.0
Wiltshire |4.4
Based on budget returns provided by local
authorities on form RA95.
Out-patient Travelling Expenses
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will issue guidance reminding NHS trusts of the rights of out-patients to travelling expenses and requiring them to draw patients' attention to such rights in their in their out-patient appointment documentation; [20693]
(2) if she will take immediate steps to ensure out-patients are not deprived of their rights to travelling expenses. [20697]
Mr. Bowis: The Department has already issued guidance to the national health service setting out the arrangements for payment of travel costs to all those hospital patients entitled to it. This guidance advises hospitals to send details of these arrangements with appointment or admissions letters.
Voluntary Staff
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department offers to health authorities and trusts concerning the appointment of voluntary staff to clerical and administrative posts. [21053]
Mr. Malone: HSG(92)15 issued to national health service trusts, health authorities and community health councils on 17 March 1992 provided guidance on voluntary work in hospitals. Copies of the guidance are available in the Library.
Bradford Plastic Surgery and Burns Unit
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the standard of treatment of and research into scar tissue as a result of burns; and what evaluation she has made of the effect on the treatment and research relating to scar tissue which will result as a consequence of the closure of the Bradford unit. [19945]
Mr. Bowis: Treatment of and research into scar tissue as a result of burns is carried out in several plastic surgery units in this country. The standard of both treatment and research is excellent. I understand that the Bradford plastic surgery and burns unit, a charity, makes a helpful contribution in this field. I hope that the Bradford unit will succeed in its bid for further charitable funding so that it can continue to complement the work done by the other units.
District General Hospitals
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her estimate of the approximate population to be served by a district general hospital. [21070]
Mr. Malone: There is no fixed population to be served by a district general hospital as such hospitals do not just serve the needs of the local population. It is the
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responsibility of district health authorities, as the main purchasers of health care for their populations, to ensure that local health care needs are met through the placing of contracts with hospitals both inside their boundaries and, where appropriate, outside.Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she gives on the percentage of a district general hospital area that should be within a 30-minute blue light travel time from a district general hospital. [21071]
Mr. Sackville: There is no central guidance on this matter. It is for the district health authority to take relevant issues into account when placing contracts for services.
GP Fundholders (Hospital Referrals)
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence she has on trends in hospital referrals by general practitioner fundholders. [21072]
Mr. Malone: A report by Professor Angela Coulter in the British Medical Journal of February 1993, based on the first two years of fundholding, showed no evidence of any changes in general practitioner fundholder referral patterns. Other studies have shown that fundholders have improved services for patients, including the reduction of waiting times.
Royal Marsden Hospital
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what meetings she has had in the last six months about the future of the Royal Marsden hospital; [21086]
(2) what plans she has to close the Royal Marsden hospital. [21087]
Polio
Mr. Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the position in respect of eradication of the wild polio virus from the United Kingdom; and if she will make a statement. [21320]
Mr. Sackville: The World Health Organisation considers the United Kingdom as being one of those countries which have eliminated polio due to wild virus. This is due to the great success of our childhood immunisation programme which has resulted in the incidence of childhood diseases being at their lowest ever levels. Today, 95 per cent. of all children have been unimmunised against polio by two years of age. However, despite this achievement, nobody should remain immunised against polio, whatever age they are. Unimmunised people can be at some risk of catching polio from recently immunised babies if standard hygiene procedures are not carefully followed; travellers to areas of the world where polio is still endemic should ensure that they are appropriately protected.
Mr. Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what medical research her Department is awareof suggesting that a return to the inactivated polio vaccine would reduce the remote risk of vaccine damage to children; and whether this position is being reviewed. [21326]
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Mr. Bowis: Oral polio vaccine and inactivated polio vaccine are both efficacious vaccines. However, whereas both vaccines provide protection against poliomyelitis for the individual immunised, only OPV produces "herd immunity" whereby susceptible contacts are protected as well. OPV is the vaccine used in the United Kingdom. On average there are between one and two vaccine-associated cases of poliomyelitis reported in England and Wales each year. During 1994 95 over 7 million doses of OPV were issued to the national health service. The National Institute of Biological Standards and Controls undertakes research on the neurovirulence of oral polio vaccine. The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation keeps matters such as vaccine-associated poliomyelitis under careful review and believes that OPV is the most appropriate product for United Kingdom circumstances. OPV is the vaccine recommended by World Health Organisation for global polio eradication.
Measles and Rubella Vaccination
Mr. Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the results of the study into the 17 cases of severe adverse reaction from the 1994 mass measles and rubella vaccination. [21325]
Mr. Bowis: The 17 cases referred to were spontaneous reports of suspected adverse reactions to measles and rubella vaccine which predominantly affected the nervous system. Doctors who reported these cases have been contacted to obtain further details of the reaction and the progress of these patients. Thirteen are known to have recovered from their reaction, two have not yet recovered and further information is not yet available in two cases. These figures are out of nearly 6.5 million children who were immunised during the campaign.
Whooping Cough Vaccine
Mr. Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies have been made and what records are available from the Committee on Safety of Medicines concerning adverse reactions to whooping cough vaccine. [21322]
Mr. Bowis: The Committee on Safety of Medicines keeps records of suspected reactions to whooping cough vaccine. Receipt of a report does not indicate that the vaccine caused the reaction, merely that the reporter suspected that this may have been the case. Whooping cough vaccine is usually given in a combined preparation with diphtheria and tetanus vaccine and at the same time as vaccines for haemophilus influenzae type B and poliomyelitis. This makes it difficult to identify the cause of an adverse reaction.
General Medical Services Budgets
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the general medical services cash-limited budget in each family health services authority area in each year since 1990 91; and what is the planned budget for the next three years.
Mr. Malone [holding answer 21 April 1995]: The information requested is not available centrally. Allocations to family health services authorities are made
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by regional health authorities. The allocations to RHAs for cash-limited general medical services are shown in the tables. Allocations are made for one financial year ahead only.
GMS cash limited allocations
Northern |26.8 |32.1 |36.4 |36.7
East Anglian |24.4 |31.8 |34.4 |35.1
Mersey |21.6 |26.9 |30.2 |30.0
West Midlands |41.5 |52.2 |59.1 |60.1
South Western |39.2 |48.0 |52.9 |53.2
Oxford |25.3 |33.2 |36.6 |36.7
Wessex |29.3 |37.7 |41.6 |41.8
SW Thames |28.6 |35.7 |39.9 |40.7
SE Thames |37.4 |46.1 |51.1 |52.3
NE Thames |34.7 |43.5 |48.7 |50.1
NW Thames |33.9 |43.3 |48.7 |49.3
Trent |41.8 |53.5 |59.2 |59.4
Yorkshire |39.2 |42.6 |47.2 |47.2
North Western |33.7 |38.0 |42.7 |43.7
Total allocation |457.40 |564.60 |628.70 |636.30
GMS cash limited allocations
£ million
RHA |1994-95|1995-96
-----------------------------------------------
Northern and Yorkshire |88.8 |94.5
Trent |63.1 |67.1
Anglia and Oxford |81.9 |85.0
North Thames |98.0 |101.7
South Thames |99.0 |102.8
South and West |98.9 |102.6
West Midlands |64.5 |70.2
North West |80.1 |86.4
Total Allocation |674.30 |710.30
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Public Bodies
Dr. Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department whichare subject to (a) investigation by the Parliamentary Commissioner, (b) scrutiny by the Audit Commission, (c) scrutiny by the National Audit Office, (d) statutory provisions for open government, (e) performance indicators and (f) provisions under the citizenscharter. [20652]
Mr. Horam [pursuant to his answer, 25 April 1995, c. 412]: I regret that the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council was omitted from the list of executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the Office of Public Service and Science.
Column 627
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Agency Job Losses
Mr. Macdonald: To ask the Attorney-General if he will list the number and location of Government Property Lawyers offices closed and the number of jobs lost or transferred as a result of agency work transferring from Scotland to the rest of the United Kingdom over the past
Column 628
five years and if he will list the number and location of offices opened and jobs gained in Scotland as the result of agency work transferring to Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom over the same period. [19970]The Attorney-General: I have responsibility for the Government Property Lawyers, which is an agency of the Treasury Solicitor's Department, whose remit extends only to England and Wales. It follows that no work of that agency has been or would be transferred either to or from Scotland.
Column 627
LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT
Personal Injury Claims
Mr. Allen: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what proposals he has in respect of personal injury claims through the small claims court; and if he will make a statement. [21149]
Mr. John M. Taylor: Procedures affecting small personal injury claims, among others, are within the scope of Lord Woolf's comprehensive review of civil justice. The Lord Chancellor is awaiting the first report of this review, and any decisions will be taken in that context.
Freemasonry
Mr. Boateng: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) how many (a) Lords of Appeal, (b) Lord Justices of Appeal, (c) High Court judges, (d) chairmen of tribunals for which his Department is responsible and (e) members of non-judicial bodies for which his Department is responsible, are former members of the Freemasons, according to his departmental files; [21256] (2) how many (a) Lords of Appeal, (b) Lord Justices of Appeal, (c) High Court judges, (d) chairmen of tribunals for which his Department is responsible and (e) members of non- judicial bodies for which his Department is responsible, are currently members of the Freemasons, according to his departmental files. [21255]
Mr. John M. Taylor: Such information is not collected either on candidates for appointment or on serving judges or office-holders, so the information requested is not available from my Department's files.
Legal Aid
Mr. John Marshall: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what were the total costs to the legal aid fund in the case of Alistair Green v. Ministry of Defence; and what costs were incurred by the legal aid fund after the Ministry had paid £32,000 into court. [19903]
Mr. John M. Taylor: No final bill has been received in this matter and, therefore, the total cost to the legal aid fund is not yet known. However, £80,000 has been paid to date on account to lawyers representing Mr. Green. It is not possible to identify separately costs incurred after the Ministry of Defence had paid moneys into court.
Public Trustee
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will make a statement on the actions of the public trustee in relation to legal proceedings brought by Miss Phoebe Winch. [19998]
Mr. John M. Taylor: I am unable to comment on individual cases where legal proceedings have been brought against the public trustee, who is also chief executive of the Public Trust Office. Whilst she is accountable for her actions as public trustee, she is also an
Column 630
independent statutory office holder and the decisions she takes in exercise of her statutory functions are those of her office and are not taken on behalf of the Government.As the question concerns a specific case, I have asked the chief executive to reply direct.
Letter from Julia Lomas to Mr. Alex Carlisle, dated 25 April 1995:
The Lord Chancellor has asked me to reply to your Question about the actions of my Office in relation to legal proceedings brought by Miss Phoebe Winch.
I think you may be mistaken in your reference to Miss Phoebe Winch and mean Miss Mary Agnes Winch who has brought proceedings against the Public Trustee and I am replying to your Question on the basis that it meant to refer to Miss Mary Agnes Winch and not Miss Phoebe Winch.
In 1982 Miss Mary Agnes Winch brought proceedings against the Public Trustee in relation to the administration of the estate of her mother the late Mrs Violet Winch. These proceedings were defended. The case was very complicated and the hearing was anticipated to be lengthy and expensive. I therefore authorised in 1994 the payment of £15000 into Court to settle the matter. Miss Winch accepted this settlement which was made with no admission of liability on the part of the Public Trustee.
The Public Trustee have always been confident that had the case been fought the Public Trustee would have won, albeit at a disproportionate cost to public funds. The payment into Court was, and remains, regarded by me as a payment to save public funds, rather than any admission as to the merits of Miss Winch's claim.
Agency Job Losses
Mr. Macdonald: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he will list the number and location of HM Land Registry, Public Record and Public Trust offices closed and the number of jobs lost or transferred as a result of agency work transferring from Scotland to the rest of the United Kingdom over the past five years; and if he will list the number and location of offices opened and jobs gained in Scotland as the result of agency work transferring to Scotland from the rest of the United Kingdom over the same period. [19969]
Mr. John M. Taylor: Neither Her Majesty's Land Registry nor the Public Record and Public Trust Offices have ever had offices or jobs in Scotland and neither have these agencies transferred any offices or jobs to Scotland to date. Accordingly, the situations referred to in the question have not arisen.
Agency Performance Targets
Mr. Luff: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what are the key performance targets for Her Majesty's Land Registry, the Public Record Office and the Public Trust Office executive agencies for 1995 96. [21854]
Mr. John M. Taylor: The following tables set out the key performance targets that the Lord Chancellor has set for Her Majesty's Land Registry, the Public Records Office and the Public Trust Office for 1995 96.
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Her Majesty's Land Registry Executive Agency
Key Performance Targets 1995-96
Indicator |Target
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Financial
return on average capital |6 per cent.
employed<1> :
External Financing Limit: |£0
2. Efficiency
Cost per unit in real terms<2> : |£28.70 (2.9 per cent. reduction
| over the 1994-95 target of
| £29.56)
Cost per unit in cash terms: |£31.15
3. Productivity
Unit output per post (per day): |3.202 units (9.1 per cent.
| increase over the 1994-95
| target of 2.935 units)
4. Speed of Service
Percentage of pre-completion
applications handled within
2 working days at every
district land registry: |Not less than 96 per cent.
Average processing time for |Where no requisitions arise,
post-completion applications | no more than 19 working
at every district land registry: | days
5. Quality of Service
Percentage of pre-completion
applications handled free of
error at every district land registry: |No less than 99.75 per cent.
Percentage of post-completion
applications handled free of
error at every district land registry: |No less than 98.30 per cent.
6. Development of Land
Registration
Number of computerised |To increase the number of
registers: | registered titles in
| computerised format to
| 12.50 million.
<1> A revised target for return on average capital employed will be agreed for 1995-96 following the
conclusion of discussions with HM Treasury. The purpose of the discussions is to enable an element of
surpluses arising up to 31 March 1995 to be carried over to 1995-96 and future years. This will allow the
registry to reduce or contain future fee levels.
<2> The real term unit cost in the base year of 1992-93 was £31.30.
Note:
Fuller details of the registry's performance targets are given in its business plan, which is available
from Her Majesty's Land Registry.
Public Record Office Key Performance Targets 1995-96
Indicator |Target
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Efficiency
Unit cost of selecting |Targets: (a) standard accessions
and accessioning records (per | £25.69 and (b) Open
unit): | Government accessions
| £94.71
Unit cost of providing storage
space per linear metre: |Target: £5.19
Unit cost of documents
produced to readers, per
document: |Target: £16.84
Unit cost of census reader
services, per reader visit: |Target: £4.93
Unit cost of other reader
services, per reader visit: |Target: £31.65
Backlog of records reported by |To reduce the current known
departments as being over 30 | backlog of such records
years old and awaiting | (2,700 linear metres) by 675
review: | metres
Provision of acceptable storage |81 per cent. of records to be
conditions: | stored to the preservation
| and environmental standard
| recommended by BS5454:
| 1989 Recommendations for
| storage and exhibition of
| archival documents (BSI
| 1989)
The timely destruction of |Departments to have in place
records not worthy of | specified key features of
preservation: | records management as
| described in the PRO
| Manual of Records
| Administration
Management efficiency in |To reduce the running costs of
running support services and |corporate services in relation
projects: | to the total running costs of
| the Office from 9.83 per
| cent. to 9.74 per cent.
2. Quality of service
Readers' views on services |82 per cent. of reader
provided, as discovered | satisfaction survey forms
through biannual satisfaction | returned to have an overall
surveys: | assessment of "good" or
| better
Response times for answering |To send replies to letters
correspondence: | requiring a stock letter
| within one week
|To send replies to other letters
| (including those requiring
| estimates for copies) within
| three weeks
Documents production times: |To make documents available
| to readers within the
| following maximum times:
|Kew: 35 minutes
|Chancery Lane: 40 minutes
The speed of the reprographic |(a) Electrostatic copies (except
service and quality of copies | A2 size), up to 15 copies:
(subject to the preservation | same day counter service for
| readers
|(b) Electrostatic copies (A2
| size), up to 10 copies: same
| day counter service for
| readers
|(c) Electrostatic copies, up to
| 75 copies: 5 working days
|(d) Electrostatic copies, over 75
| copies: 20 working days
|(e) Prints from existing
| microfilm, up to 75 copies: 5
| working days
|(f) Prints from existing
| microfilm, over 75 copies:
| 20 working days
|(g) Prints from new microfilm:
| 3 weeks
|(h) Microfilm from existing
| negatives, up to 1000m: 4
| weeks
| (i) Microfilm where there is no
| existing negative, up to
| 350m: 22 weeks
|(j) Bromide prints: 3 weeks
|(k) Self service copying from
| microfilm: a service will be
| available in the microfilm
| reading rooms during
| opening times
Quality of copying: |No more than 4 per cent. to be
| required to be re-taken
The quality and usefulness of |To continue work on bringing
finding aids to the records: | the current guide up to date:
|-to produce a new edition in
| hard copy;
|-to write or expand 10 new
| sections or sub-sections
Notes:
1. Some of these targets will be subject to suspension or modification on occasion due to the major
disruption to the Office's services and activities which will be caused in 1995-96 by the closure of the
Chancery Lane building, the removal of records to Kew and the refurbishment of the existing Kew
building. Where appropriate, supplemental targets have been set in order to mitigate the effect on
users.
2. Fuller details of the office's performance targets and of anticipated disruptions to services and
activities are given in its business plan, which is available from the Public Record Office.
Public Trust Office Executive Agency
Key Performance Targets 1995-96
Indicator |Target
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. To carry out accounting |To bring to account at least 97
transactions within target |per cent. of receipts and
times. | payments transactions within
| turnaround targets by volume
| weighted performance
|against those targets.
2. To achieve investment |To pay annually not less than
targets. | the rate provided by the
| average of a model set of
| comparators for special rate
| and basic rate at 75 per cent.
| of special rate; on an annual
| basis to ensure that 85 per
| cent. of all measured funds
| perform in line or better than
| their model based on stock
| market indices.
3. To achieve Charter |To achieve 98 per cent. of
Standards. | Charter Standards.
4. To achieve unit costs in |To reduce unit costs so that the
activity areas. | weighted mean percentage
| reduction of the PTO's
| activities, taken with
| achievement in 1994-95,
| will be at least 4 per cent.
| against the baseline year of
| 1993-94.
5. Percentage of full costs |To ensure that 100 per cent. of
recovered. | full costs are recovered.
Note:
Fuller details of the office's performance targets are given in its business plan, which is
available from the Public Trust Office.
Marriage Guidance and Research Organisations
Mr. Luff: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans the Government have for the future responsibility for the funding of marriage guidance and research organisations from the Home Office to the Lord Chancellor's Department. [21853]
Column 634
Mr. John M. Taylor: With the approval of my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister, responsibility for the funding of marriage guidance and research organisations has been transferred from the Secretary of State for the Home Department to the Lord Chancellor.
Divorce
Mr. Luff: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what plans the Government has to bring forward reforms to the law of divorce in England and Wales following the publication of the consultation paper in December 1993; and if he will make a statement. [21855]
Mr. John M. Taylor: The Lord Chancellor has today laid before Parliament a White Paper, "Looking to the future. Mediation and the ground for divorce". This paper sets out the Government's proposals in relation to the introduction of family mediation, reform of the ground for divorce and related matters.
Appointments (Consultation)
Mr. Boateng: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if he or his private office is consulted by the Lord Chancellor or his private office, either formally or informally, about (a) candidates for appointment as magistrates, tribunal members and senior full-time judges, (b) candidates for non-judicial public appointments and (c) candidates for appointments of chief executives of executive agencies and non-departmental bodies for which his Department is responsible. [21412]
Mr. John M. Taylor: It is not the practice to disclose internal consultation between Ministers.
WALES
NHS Expenditure
Mr. Gareth Wardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will publish for each financial year since 1991 92 the hospital and community health services gross current expenditure by sector and by age; and if he will separately distinguish the expenditure on the hospital and community health service for each age group, expressed as a cost per head of population. [19897]
Mr. Richards: The gross current expenditure on hospital and community health services for the years 1991 92 to 1993 94 is as follows. Information on expenditure by sector and age is not held centrally.
|£
---------------------------------------------------
1991-92 |1,200,616,000
1992-93 |1,296,607,000
1993-94 |<1>1,296,629,000
Source:
Health authority and NHS trust annual accounts.
Note:
<1> Provisional.
Departmental Annual Report
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales: (1) how much staff time, and at what estimated
Column 635
cost, was put into compiling the departmental annual report; and what were the figures for each year for which figures are available since 1990. [20169](2) what measures the Department takes to assess the cost and staff implications of compiling material for the departmental annual report. [29170]
Mr. Redwood: Costs are not separately attributable to the departmental report of much of the information there presented, which is collected for other purposes. At a rough estimate, staff costs of the editing, design and translation of the 1995 Report, Cm 2815, were £37,000, and for previous years would be broadly comparable in real terms.
The Department operates a system of divisional and group plans which ensures that both programme and running cost provision are identified for key objectives and targets.
Environmentally Sensitive Areas
Mr. Macdonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many farmers in Wales received environmentally sensitive area payments greaterthan (a) £100,000, (b) £50,000, (c) £10,000, (d) £5,000 or (e) £1,000 in the last year for which figures are available. [20001]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: The total number of farmers in Wales in 1994 95 who received environmentally sensitive area payments in each band is as follows:
|Number
---------------------
(a) |0
(b) |2
(c) |29
(d) |30
(e) |190
In addition, 501 scheme participants received payments of less than £1,000.
Mr. Macdonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what amount of environmentally sensitive area grant budget for 1994 95 is still uncommitted (a) in cash and (b) as a percentage of the budget: and if he will make a statement on underspending in the environmentally sensitive areas budget for 1993 94 and 1994 95. [20000]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: Expenditure in 1994 95 was £1,533,000 or 22 per cent. of the total budget of £6,863,000.
Five new areas were launched in Wales during 1994, bringing the total number of designations in Wales to eight. I expect expenditure in Wales to increase as more farmers enter the new schemes.
Houses in Multiple Occupation
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the standard and enforcement of fire safety regulations in houses in multiple occupation in Wales. [20783]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: The Government have consulted widely on both fire safety and houses in multiple occupation; decisions will be announced in due course.
Column 636
Housing Association Rents
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the average rent charged by each Welsh housing association for (a) one- bedroom, (b) two-bedroomand (c) three-bedroom properties in each year since Tai Cymru was established. [21084]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: This information is not available in the form requested. Information for 1994 95 is, however, held by Housing for Wales and I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member.
A44
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to carry out road improvements during the next three years on the A44 trunk roadbetween Ponterwyd, Cardiganshire and Llangurig Montgomeryshire. [21104]
Mr. Redwood: There are no plans for any major improvements to this section of road. However, a small scheme to provide a footway near Ponterwyd is under consideration and some localised side support works are planned at Gelli Bends and Bont Rhydgaled.
Health Service Survey
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the survey on the future needs and aims of the Welsh health service. [21319]
Mr. Redwood: The survey will help my Department and the NHS in Wales identify priority areas for improving both the health of the population and the responsiveness of the service to the needs and expectations of patients.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will name the company administering the Welsh health service random sample questionnaire survey and the principle components of the work specified in that company contracts; and if the company was chosen after competitive tender. [21318]
Mr. Redwood: The contract for the Welsh health survey was awarded to the South East Institute of Public Health. The main components of the contract are: testing the questionnaire and the survey method; drawing the sample; printing and posting the letters, questionnaires, and reminders; entering the answers from the completed questionnaires into a computer database; analysis of the data and production of a report.
The contract was advertised in the Official Journal of the European Communities and awarded by competitive tender.
NHS Trusts
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answers of 24 April, Official Report , columns 371 72 , if he will make a statement on the guidelines he issued on financial viability of trusts as a consideration in contract setting by NHS providers and on what date he issued them (a) in draft and (b) in final form; and what representations he has received concerning their content from (i) purchasers and (ii) providers. [21414]
Mr. Redwood: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 25 April, Official Report, column 515.
Column 637
Higher Education Funding Council
Sir Wyn Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to announce the new membership of the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and if he will make a statement. [21981]
Mr. Redwood: The following have accepted invitations to be members of the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales.
Sir Idris Pearce, Chairman
Dr. Eleri Edwards
Professor Richard Griffiths
Sir Philip Jones CB
Mr. Alfred Morris
Dr. Brynley Roberts
Dr. Ann Robinson
Professor Roger Williams
Dr. Edwards and Professor Williams have been appointed for three years from 6 May 1995, and the other members reappointed for two years from the same date.
Dr. R. H. Jones continues as a member until 30 June 1995 and Professor Andrews as chief executive and member until 5 May 1997.
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