| Previous Section | Home Page |
Civil Servants
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the individual value of each (a) compulsory early retirement and (b) flexible early retirement package received by civil servants leaving his Department on grounds of limited efficiency in each of the last five years. [22081]
Mr. Dorrell: No early retirements on the ground of limited efficiency have been made since the Department was created in April 1992.
Column 170
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how many civil service appointments were made to administrative assistant and administrative officer posts in his Department and the agencies for which he is accountable in each quarter from September 1993 until April 1995. [21763]
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 1 May 1995]: The Department of National Heritage and its two agencies, the Historic Royal Palaces agency and Royal Parks agency have made the following appointments at the administrative assistant and administrative officer grades since September 1993. The figures exclude short-term casual appointments.
Column 169
|September 1993 |October-December|January-March |April-June |July-September |October-December|January-March
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
DNH
AOs |nil |nil |nil |nil |nil |nil |nil
AAs |4 |5 |nil |nil |nil |nil |9
RPA
AOs |nil |1 |nil |1 |nil |3 |1
AAs |nil |nil |nil |nil |nil |1 |nil
HRPA
AOs |nil |nil |nil |nil |2 |1 |nil
AAs |1 |nil |nil |nil |nil |nil |nil
Blue Plaques
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) what are the current planning instructions issued to local authorities in respect of blue plaque schemes denoting historical places of interest; and if he will make a statement; [20708] (2) what representations he has received in respect of the blue plaque placed by Calderdale district council on the Old Bridge inn at Ripponden, West Yorkshire; and if he will make a statement. [20713]
Mr. Dorrell: I have not received any representations about the plaque on the Old Bridge inn. No instructions have been issued to local authorities by my Department in respect of plaques which they or others choose to affix to buildings to mark their historical interest. Apart from the blue plaque scheme for London, which is administered by English Heritage, it is the responsibility of those who wish to place commemorative plaques on buildings to ensure their historical accuracy and to obtain any necessary listed building consents.
Churchill Papers
Mr. Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will list the name of foreign organisations or individuals who are (a) bi dding for and (b) negotiating with the trustees for the purchase of the Churchill Trust papers. [22302]
Mr. Dorrell: There are no foreign bidders negotiating with the Churchill trustees; the papers have already been secured for the nation.
Mr. Fisher: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if the Churchill Trust owned the copyright in the Churchill archives; and if Her Majesty's Government have purchased all copyright in these documents. [22301]
Column 170
Mr. Dorrell: Copyright in the non-state papers remains with whoever owned it prior to the sale of the documents to Churchill college. The Crown has retained its copyright in the state papers which it has given to the college.
Inheritance Tax
Mr. Faulds: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will specify the amounts of inheritance tax or its equivalent satisfied in connection with the acceptance of objects and property which have been covered in the public accounts by means of resort to the reserve in respect of each of the last 10 financial years; and what was the average annual figure of resort to the reserve for that purpose over the 10-year period in question. [20246]
Mr. Dorrell: The amount of tax satisfied in accepting works of art or land and buildings in lieu of tax through the public expenditure reserve over the last 10 years is as follows:
|£
------------------------------
1985-86 |1,367,600
1986-87 |1,745,500
1987-88 |7,338,444
1988-89 |5,584,674
1989-90 |9,977,898
1990-91 |-
1991-92 |2,144,172
1992-93 |4,324,875
1993-94 |1,114,660
1994-95 |3,759,616
The average annual resort to the reserve over this 10- year period was £3,735,744.
Column 171
Market Testing
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will estimate the cost of employing consultants in connection with market-testing programmes in which his Department has been engaged since their inception. [21373]
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 1 May 1995]: Since it was established in April 1992, my Department and its two agencies have to date spent approximately £66,000 on consultancy relating to market testing. Most of this sum was in connection with a scoping study on the strategic contracting out of central services.
Hospitality
Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage how much was spent on official hospitality by his Department in 1994 95. [21205]
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 1 May 1995]: The information requested is as follows:
|Department of |Historic Royal |Royal Parks
|£ |£ |£
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1994-95 |14,967 |16,313 |23,862
Advisory Council on Libraries
Mr. Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if all the councillor members of the Advisory Council on Libraries are elected members of local authorities with responsibilities for library provision. [21564]
Mr. Sproat [holding answer 1 May 1995]: Five members of the advisory council are elected members of local authorities and were appointed after consultation with the relevant local authority associations. Four are members of local authorities with current responsibilities for public library provision. The fifth is a member of Bath district council and was appointed in recognition of the fact that certain districts, including Bath, will from 1 April 1996 form all or part of new unitary authorities which will take on responsibility for public libraries.
Mar Lodge Estate
Mrs. Fyfe: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) if he will make it his policy that any grant to the National Trust for Scotland for the purchase of the Mar Lodge estate carries as a condition that public access is not restricted because of hunting and shooting; [21995]
(2) if he will ensure that any grant to the National Trust for Scotland for the purchase of the Mar Lodge estate carries as a condition the protection of nesting birds from hunting and shooting parties. [21996]
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 1 May 1995]: Directions have been issued under section 26(3) of the National Lottery etc. Act 1993 concerning the conditions to be applied to grants made from lottery funds by the national heritage memorial fund in order to secure their proper management and control. The application of other conditions is a matter for the NHMF.
Column 172
National Lottery
Dr. Marek: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if he will publish titles of projects rejected by the millennium fund. [21932]
Mr. Sproat [holding answer 1 May 1995]: This is a matter for the Millennium Commission. I understand that information on proposals and applications received by the Millennium Commission will be made available by the end of May, and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.
Public Bodies
Dr. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage which of the advisory non-departmental public bodies sponsored by his Department are under a statutory requirement to (a) publish their advice to the Government, (b) publish an annual report and (c) lay an annual report before Parliament; and if he will list those bodies with a statutory base. [21159]
Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 27 April 1995]: The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art publishes an annual report which includes any advice given by the committee to Government on matters connected with the export of cultural goods. Reports from the Advisory Council on Libraries may also include details of its advice to Government.
The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and the Advisory Council on Libraries are the only advisory bodies for which my Department is responsible which are required to report annually and whose reports are laid in Parliament. The committee's report is presented as a Command Paper and the council's report forms part of the Secretary of State's annual report on the public library service, published as a House of Commons Paper. Reports from the Royal Fine Art Commission are also presented to Parliament as Command Papers, although there is no requirement for it to report annually. On 4 April 1995, the Advisory Council on Libraries took over from the Library and Information Services Council (England) the statutory responsibilities established under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964. The Theatres Trust was established under the Theatres Trust Act 1976.
HEALTH
Departmental Annual Report
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what measures her Department takes to assess the cost and staff implications of compiling material for the departmental annual report; [20191]
(2) how much staff time, and at what estimated cost, was put into compiling the departmental annual report; and what were the figures for each year for which figures are available since 1990. [20190]
Mr. Sackville: The departmental report for the Department of Health has been produced by existing staff as part of their normal duties each year since its first publication in 1991. Production of the report is coordinated by approximately 0.6 whole-time equivalent staff, at a total cost of £14,100 at 1994 95 prices. It is not
Column 173
possible to quantify the total input of those other staff across the Department who contribute material for the report.Appointments
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if undischarged bankrupts are eligible for appointment as chairmen, chief executives or directors of NHS authorities or trusts. [20688]
Mr. Malone: A person is disqualified for appointment as a chairman or member of a national health service authority or as a chairman or non- executive director of an NHS trust if he or she has within the preceding five years been adjudged bankrupt. The disqualification ceases on the date of discharge. Executive directors of NHS trusts and chief officers of health authorities are not subject to the same disqualification, but NHS boards are accountable for the proper appointment, appraisal and remuneration of senior executives. As in all their functions, the board must have regard to the public service values of accountability, probity and openness.
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if persons with criminal records are eligible for appointment as chief executives or directors to NHS trusts. [20699]
Mr. Malone: National health service trust boards are accountable for the proper appointment, appraisal and remuneration of their senior executives and, as in all their functions, boards must have regard to the public service values of accountability, probity and openness. Executive directors of NHS trusts are not subject to the conditions of disqualification set out in the NHS Trusts (Membership and Procedure) Regulations 1990, which preclude the appointment as chairmen and non- executive directors of anyone who has within the preceding five years been convicted in the United Kingdom of any offence resulting in a sentence of imprisonment of not less than three months.
Local Pay Support Programme
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the cost of the NHS executive support programme for the introduction of local pay. [21776]
Mr. Malone: The programme referred to in my reply to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Northfield (Mr. Burden) on 20 February, Official Report , column 27 , was undertaken at an estimated cost of £500,000 in the financial year 1994 95.
Market Testing
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many private companies have contacted the NHS executive information desk about market testing of NHS services; and how many such companies are entered on the database in total and by (i) clinical and (ii) non-clinical category. [21757]
Mr. Sackville: The national health service executive's market- testing information desk was established in its present form on 7 April 1995. Since that time, three private companies have contacted the information desk. The market-testing database contains data on approximately 1,100 private companies which have successfully competed for one or more NHS service contracts. While the vast majority would have non- clinical
Column 174
contracts, information grouped into a clinical or non-clinical category could be provided only at disproportionate cost.Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of market testing in the NHS on staff numbers; and what strategies she proposes to meet any changes. [21758]
Mr. Sackville: The market testing of national health service services has proved to be valuable in improving efficiency and value for money so that more can be made available for patient care. It can affect staffing numbers for any specified service in a wide variety of ways, but, whatever the outcome, the employment rights of staff are protected by both European Community and United Kingdom employment regulations and legislation. Handling the staffing issues that arise from market testing is a matter for local NHS management in accordance with their legal obligations and their assessment of local circumstances and needs.
Single Antigen Acellular Pertussis
Mr. Barry Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doses of the single antigen acellular pertussis vaccine have been given to children in this country since 1 May 1994; and what reports on the vaccine have been submitted to the Committee on Safety of Medicines. [21443]
Mr. Sackville: Information on how many children have received single antigen acellular pertussis vaccine during the period in question is not available. However, the number of doses of this vaccine issued to the national health service during the period was 9,827. The Committee on Safety of Medicines has since 1 May 1994 received a single suspected adverse reaction report in relation to the vaccine, a severe screaming attack.
Weighted Capitation Formula
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the new weighted capitation formula and in what respects it differs from that proposed by the York report; and if she will make a statement on how much the formula is determined by the factor of deprivation. [21753]
Mr. Sackville: The modified weighted capitation formula adjusts populations for age, need--over and above age--and relative costs. This formula has been developed in the light of new information sources and advances in statistical techniques.
There is no index of deprivation in the formula. Instead, it uses two needs indices--one for acute services and the other for psychiatric services-- which take account of health and socio-economic factors.
The York report did not propose a weighted capitation formula.
Dental Services
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists in each health district in Lancashire are employed by family health services authorities to carry out urgent dental treatment. [21668]
Mr. Malone: Information about the number of dentists working in the emergency dental service is not available centrally.
Column 175
General dental practitioners, who are independent contractors, have an obligation under their terms of service to provide emergency cover for their registered patients. They may also offer emergency treatment to unregistered patients. Any unregistered patient who needs urgent treatment should seek the help of his or her family health services authority which can make arrangements for emergency treatment for them.Two salaried dentists are employed by Lancashire family health services authority.
Equal Opportunities
Ms Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which Minister in her Department has responsibility for equal opportunities issues; [21450]
(2) what progress has been made within her Department on equal opportunities matters. [21451]
Mr. Sackville: I have responsibility for equal opportunities issues in the Department.
The information requested is contained in the Department's 1993 94 equal opportunities progress report, copies of which will be placed in the Library.
Ms Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the gender assessment being prepared by the Department. [21452]
Mr. Sackville: Such assessment is part of a continuous and routine process of ensuring that the Department's policy proposals are not unlawful or unjustifiable on sex or race discrimination grounds and that similar principles apply to other groups.
Ms Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress she hopes to achieve in her Department over the next three months to push forward the declaration signed in October 1994 at the Vienna conference in preparation for the fourth UN conference on women; and if she will incorporate a section on equal opportunities in her Department's annual report. [21453]
Mr. Sackville: The Government are committed to the principles set out in the regional platform for action agreed at the preparatory conference in Vienna for the fourth United Nations world conference on women. We have taken these forward through a wide range of programmes and initiatives and will continue to do so.
A statement about equal opportunities is already included in the Department's annual report, copies of which are available in the Library.
Private Finance Initiative
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what has been the expenditure on (a) establishment and running of the private finance unit, (b) private finance specialists in the regional offices, including the total number so far employed, (c) publishing and distributing the booklets "Public Service, Private Finance" and "Private Finance Guide" in the "Capital Investment Manual", and (d) engaging Newchurch and Company to set up a database and inquiry point in each of the last five years; what is the expenditure in the current year; and what is planned to be spent in each of the next two financial years; [21744]
(2) how many people are employed by each NHS executive office and health authority who are involved in the management and promotion of the private finance initiative; [21999]
Column 176
(3) what is the total cost of promoting the private finance initiative for the NHS; [21998](4) what are the total man hours involved in the management and promotion of the private finance initiative by each NHS executive office and health authority. [22000]
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what initiatives have been undertaken to secure private finance for her Department's projects. [22325]
Mr. Sackville: The private finance initiative will develop further the national health service's excellent record of co-operation with the private sector and ensure new hospitals are provided promptly and run efficiently for the benefit of all national health service patients. An increasing number of support services such as catering, cleaning and maintenance have been contracted out to private firms. This has cut waste and allowed large savings to be used for treating patients--as well as improving the services provided. The PFI increases the scope for savings on capital projects.
Expenditure on the establishment and running of the NHS executive private finance unit was about £55,000 in 1993 94 and about £260,000 in 1994 95--however, detailed expenditure figures are not available at this level. Expenditure in 1995 96 is expected to be about £146,000 plus about £300,000 for consultants who will provide added support for regional offices and the NHS. Expenditure in 1996 97 is likely to be around £150,000.
The number of staff employed by regional offices has not been increased because of the PFI. In 1994 95 private finance specialists in regional offices amounted to about one quarter of a whole-time equivalent post per region with expenditure of approximately £10,000 per region. In 1995 96 this is expected to increase to about one whole-time equivalent with expenditure of approximately £40,000 per region. This will be reviewed for 1996 97.
Expenditure on publishing the information pack "Public Service, Private Finance" was £7,896 plus £1,381.80 VAT. Expenditure by HMSO on publishing the "Private Finance Guide" as part of the "Capital Investment Manual" was £1,865. Itemised costs of distribution are not held centrally.
For information on expenditure on the PFI database run by Newchurch and Company, I refer the right hon. Member for Derby, South (Mrs. Beckett), to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Wakefield (Mr. Hinchliffe) on 27 March, Official Report , column 421 . Expenditure agreed for the period April 1995 to September 1995 will be £9,000 plus £1,575 VAT. After this, the contract may be renegotiated and it is not possible to give further expenditure figures.
The NHS executive headquarters will employ five staff--four whole-time equivalent staff--in 1995 96 in the private finance unit. Each regional office has one contact point for the PFI, but there are no additional staff employed to manage and promote the PFI. In each regional office several staff are involved with ensuring that NHS capital projects are as cost- effective as possible and exploration of private finance is essential in seeking the most cost-effective solutions to NHS needs.
Mr. Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of her Department's budget is allocated
Column 177
to initiatives which have been undertaken to secure private finance for her Department's projects. [22324]Mr. Sackville: The answer is 0.16 per cent.
Private Patients
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assumptions about the number of private patients being seen in NHS trust hospitals informed her estimate of charges and receipts in table 5 of the departmental report for 1994 95 and 1995 96. [21752]
Hormone Replacement Therapy
Mrs. Mahon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies her Department (a) has conducted and (b) intends to conduct into possible adverse side effects of hormone replacement therapy; and if she will make a statement. [21669]
Mr. Sackville: The Department does not conduct research itself, but has funded projects on hormone replacement therapy, most recently a project entitled HRT in the menopause: a cost-effective analysis, which ended in December 1994. The Health Departments are currently discussing further work with 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.
Column 178
Ethnic Minority Staff
Mr. Rowe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many jobs are on offer under the eight-point plan to increase the number of managers in the NHS from the ethnic minorities; and what has been the take-upand distribution of the opportunities under the programme. [21495]
Mr. Malone: The programme referred to, "Ethnic minority staff in the NHS: a programme of action", aims to ensure that the national health service makes full use of the abilities of all its staff. It provides a framework within which trusts and health authorities set employment equality objectives as part of their mainstream business planning. Selection remains on merit alone: there are no quotas or jobs "on offer". A copy of the programme is available in the Library.
General Practitioners
Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs were available per 1,000 population in London, Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool in each year since 1991. [21915]
Mr. Malone: The numbers of general practitioners--unrestricted principles--per 1,000 of the population for the areas in question at 1 October 1991, 1992, 1993 and 1 April 1994 are as shown in the table.
Column 177
|October 1991|October 1992|October 1993|April 1994
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Inner London |0.57 |0.58 |0.58 |0.58
Outer London |0.54 |0.54 |0.54 |0.54
Newcastle |0.58 |0.61 |0.59 |0.61
Manchester |0.58 |0.60 |0.62 |0.62
Birmingham |0.56 |0.56 |0.55 |0.56
Liverpool |0.51 |0.50 |0.52 |0.55
Notes:
1. Family health services authorities included in inner London are:
i. Brent and Harrow,
ii. Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster,
iii. Camden and Islington,
iv. City and East London,
v. Enfield and Haringey,
vi. Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham, and
vii. Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth.
2. Family health services authorities included in outer London are:
i. Barnet,
ii. Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow,
iii. Hillingdon,
iv. Redbridge and Waltham Forest,
v. Greenwich and Bexley,
vi. Bromley, and
vii. Kingston and Richmond.
3. Newcastle, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool each have their own FHSAs.
4. Calculations based on Office of Population Censuses and Surveys resident
population estimates from 1991 population census and projections for
subsequent years.
Column 177
Guy's Accident and Emergency Department
Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from the City of London police about the closure of Guy's accident and emergency department; and if she will make a statement. [21923]
Column 178
Mental Health Staff
Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on training mental health staff to deal with supervision registers for the mentally ill. [21922]
Mr. Bowis: Training on supervision registers is primarily a matter for national health service provider units and information on spending is not available
Column 179
centrally. Staff who receive training in the care programme approach will now be informed about supervision registers. We have provided financial support for a number of national conferences designed to improve training in the care programme approach and have made a grant of £50,000 to the Open university for the production of a training pack for social services staff.Nurses
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what tests are applied to nursing staff from EU countries working in the United Kingdom; and what tests are applied to British trained nurses working in other EU countries. [22008]
Mr. Sackville: Council directive 77/452/EEC requires countries of the European Economic Area to recognise, on the terms it specifies, which may include proof of good character, the qualifications of nurses responsible for general care awarded by other EEA countries to EEA nationals. European Council directive 77/453/EEC requires EEA countries to guarantee that such qualifications meet the minimum training requirements that it specifies. The operation of the directives is a matter for the competent authorities of the EEA countries. The competent authority in the United Kingdom is the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting.
Residential Care
Mr. Alan Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which local authorities are using their discretion to allow a spouse to receive part of the occupational pension of a married person in local authority provided residential and nursing home care. [22277]
Mr. Bowis: This information is not collected. We have not received reports of any individual local authorities which are refusing to make sensible use of the discretion they have to help the spouses of occupational pensioners who enter residential accommodation.
| Next Section
| Home Page |