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Scottish Legal Aid BoardScottish Medical Practices Committee
Scottish Natural Heritage
Scottish Sports Council
Scottish Tourist Board
Executive agencies are within the jurisdiction of the Parliamentary Commissioner in the same way as their parent Department. Scottish Office executive agencies are:
Scottish Prison Service
Historic Scotland
Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency
Scottish Agricultural Science Agency
Scottish Office Pensions Agency
Students Awards Agency for Scotland
Water Boards
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much money has been allocated to set up the three new water boards in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [24805]
Mr. Kynoch: A total of £9.7 million has been allocated for grant-in-aid to the new water authorities in 1995 96. The allocations to individual water authorities is shown in the respective grant-in-aid tables at chapter 4 of the Scottish Office departmental report, published as Cm 2814.
Lucia Martin Johnson
Mr. Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will intervene in the case of Lucia Martin Johnson of Craigendmuir park, Cardowan, Stepps, to prevent her removal from the United Kingdom. [24863]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Under the provisions of the Hague convention on the civil aspects of international child abduction, which were incorporated in to the laws of the United Kingdom by the Child Abduction and Custody Act 1985, such decisions are for the Court of Session and not for my right hon. Friend.
Smoking
Mr. Peter Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what facilities are provided and arrangements made for the well-being and comfort of staff who (a) smoke and (b) do not wish to be affected by smoking at (i) the workstation and (ii) rest, recreation and refreshment facilities at Dover house, Whitehall, London. [25233]
Mr. Lang: My Department introduced restrictions on smoking in 1990 under which smoking is not permitted by staff at any time in work areas, reception areas, corridors, toilets, lifts, conference rooms and staff restaurants, except where there are designated smoking areas. In Dover house there is a designated smoking room in which staff may smoke.
Fisheries Committee
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what considerations led to the decision not to release externally the annual report of the electricity Fisheries Committee. [24189]
Sir Hector Monro: [holding answer 15 May 1995]: The annual reports which the Fisheries Committee has made to my right hon. Friend in recent years, were
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produced on its own initiative. There is no statutory requirement for them. They were made without any expectation on the part of the committee, or hydro-electric companies, that the reports would be given wider distribution. For that reason, these reports have not been released externally. However, the committee will be informed that any future annual reports will be made available on request.HEALTH
Charges and Receipts
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 2 May, Official Report , column 177 , what assumptions informed her estimate of charges and receipts in tables of the departmental report for1994 95 and 1995 96. [23620]
Mr. Sackville: The estimates of charges and receipts for 1994 95 and 1995 96 were published in table 3 of the departmental report, Cmnd 2812.
The estimates of hospital and community health services charges and receipts for 1994 95 were based on the latest national health service trust audited summarisation accounts and on accounts and estimates from health authorities. The 1995 96 hospital and community health services current estimate is based on projections of past trends in receipts and will be revised in the usual way as further information becomes available. The HCHS capital receipts for 1994 95 and 1995 96 assume that some expected land sales which were not completed in 1994 95 will take place in the following year.
The estimate of family health service charges and receipts for 1994 95, reflected the charge levels then in force and forecasts of the volume of prescriptions and dental treatments. The planned increase for 1995 96 reflects the increase in family health services charges announced on 22 February, updated forecasts of the volume of prescriptions and dental treatments, and the knock on effect on charges of the increase in dental fees from 1 April, following the recommendation of the Doctors and Dentists Review Body.
Dental Services
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the number of adults who no longer have access to NHS dentists. [24406]
Mr. Malone: All family health services authorities in England report that they can help patients who contact them to find national health service dentists.
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if her Department will undertake an assessment of the report commissioned by the Austrian Government in 1993 on the role of fluorides in the prevention of caries. [24803]
Mr. Malone: Yes, when it is received.
Operations
Mrs. Angela Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average cost of (a) a hip and (b) a cataract operation undertaken by hospitals in Derby. [24215]
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Mr. Sackville: The information is not available centrally. My hon. Friend may wish to contact Mr. Graham Rudd, chairman of Southern Derbyshire health authority, for details.
Annual Reports
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will introduce legislation to make it a statutory requirement for (a) the Advisory Committee on National Health Service Drugs, (b) the Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food, (c) the Committee on the Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment, (d) the Committee on the Medical Aspects of Food Policy, (e) the Committee for Monitoring Agreements on Tobacco Advertising and Sponsorships, (f) the Committee on the Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment, (g) the Committee on the Mutagenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment and (h) the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment, to lay an annual report before Parliament. [24203]
Mr. Sackville: There are no plans to introduce legislation to make it a statutory requirement for any of these bodies to lay their annual reports before Parliament. The following bodies already publish their annual reports through HMSO:
Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Food; Committee on the Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment;
Committee for Monitoring Agreements on Tobacco Advertising and Sponsorship;
Committee on the Mutagenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment.
Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment.
The annual report for the Committee on the Medical Aspects of Food Policy is available from the body itself. Reports from the Committee on the Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment are published by HMSO, although not necessarily annually.
The Advisory Committee on National Health Service Drugs does not publish an annual report. Its recommendations are made to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State who considers them in the formulation of policy.
Nurse Training
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individuals have commenced nursing training in each of the last five years. [24354]
Mr. Sackville: Data on the number of entrants to initial pre- registration nursing education are collected by the English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting. Copies of the board's annual report for 1993 1994 are available in the Library.
Kawasaki Disease
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 28 February, Official Report, column 495, what information about Kawasaki disease has now been made available to doctors through (a) her Department and (b) health authorities. [24080]
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Mr. Sackville: The chief medical officer plans to include advice on the diagnosis and treatment of Kawasaki disease in his "Update" newsletter which is sent to all doctors in contract with the national health service. Copies are also placed in the Library.
Details of the information which health authorities make available to doctors is not collected centrally.
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will support the campaign to make the people of the United Kingdom more aware of myalgic encephalomyelitis; if she will increase official recognition of the disease; and if she will make a statement. [24096]
Mr. Sackville: We recognise what is increasingly being referred to as chronic fatigue syndrome as a potentially debilitating and distressing complex and we would support any informed efforts to raise awareness of this condition. Unfortunately, the causes of CFS are not understood, nor is there a generally agreed method of treatment.
The national task force on CFS, PVFS--post viral fatigue syndrome--and ME, which is independent of the Department, has produced a report. With a view to securing progress and promoting the development of a professional consensus, the chief medical officer has invited the conference of medical royal colleges to consider the report. The views of the conference of colleges will be of much assistance to the Department in helping to determine the best way forward.
Temazepam
Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she next plans to meet representatives of the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs to discuss the rescheduling of temazepam; and if she will make a statement. [24120]
Mr Bowis: I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Lord President of the Council gave the hon. Member for Ayr (Mr. Gallie) on 10 May at column 756 .
Capital Expenditure
Mrs. Angela Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the capital expenditure on (a) the Derbyshire royal infirmary, (b) Derby City general hospital and (c) the Queens medical centre, Nottingham since (i) 1979 and (ii) 1992. [24213]
Mr. Sackville: Information on capital expenditure is not available centrally. My hon. Friend may wish to contact David Dawson, Norman Woods and Martin Suthers, chairmen of Derbyshire royal infirmary, Derby City general hospital and Queen's medical centre, respectively for details.
Peto Institute
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what discussions she has had with the Foreign Secretary in respect of the transfer of moneys promised to the Peto institute in Hungary to the Peto institute in Britain; [24503]
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(2) if the Peto institute complies with the criteria under the section 64 scheme, to apply for a grant this year; and what other financial assistance is available to the Foundation for Conductive Education. [24504]Mr. Bowis: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 18 April at column 113 . Any application from the Foundation for Conductive Education for funding in 1996 97 under the section 64 scheme would be considered on its merits. The Health and Education Departments keep in close touch with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office about the agreement between the United Kingdom and Hungarian Governments covering the construction of a new international Peto institute in Budapest and I met the Hungarian Minister of Health in Budapest on 19 September 1994 to discuss progress.
Rubber Gloves
Mr. Congdon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what dangers her Department has identified in the use of certain types of rubber gloves used by health service workers; what assessment her Department has made of allergic reactions caused by the use of rubber surgical gloves used by health service workers; and what advice her Department gives to DHAs as to the purchasing of rubber surgical gloves. [24580]
Mr. Sackville: The Department is investigating claims of an apparent increase in the incidence of latex sensitivity in the last two years. The Medical Devices Agency is consulting experts in the field and reviewing survey information from other countries. A safety notice will be issued shortly drawing attention to the fact of latex sensitivity. Health authorities and national health service trusts are advised to buy surgeon's gloves and examination gloves which meet the Department's specification and quality standards, as do all such gloves supplied through the national and divisional contracts of the NHS Supplies Authority. Non-latex gloves are available under those contracts, if required.
Richard Linford
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will call for a report into the medical care given to Mr. Richard Linford and Mr. Christopher Edwards, prior to their imprisonment; and is she will make a statement; [24665]
(2) if she will make a statement on the treatment of Mr. Richard Linford at Broomfield hospital, Chelmsford following his arrest for assault in November 1994. [24664]
Mr. Bowis: North Essex health authority, Essex social services and the Home Office, representing the Prison Service, are establishing an independent inquiry into the care of Christopher Edwards and Richard Linford as required by HSG(94)27, copies of which are available in the Library.
Hib Vaccine
Mr. Mike O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what impact the Hib vaccine has had on cases of Hib meningitis since its introduction. [24563]
Mr. Sackville: The introduction of Hib vaccine, in October 1992, has had a dramatic impact on cases of invasive Hib disease, including meningitis. Disease
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among young children targeted by Hib immunisation has almost completely disappeared. Laboratory reports show that cases of Hib meningitis in the under-fives fell from 347 in 1991 to just 11 last year; a reduction of 97 per cent.Mr. Mike O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her Department's policy on advice to be given to parents by GPs about the level and type of protection given against meningitis by the Hib vaccine; and what monitoring is undertaken by her Department to ensure this advice is complied with. [24565]
Mr. Sackville: Before the introduction of Hib vaccine into the childhood immunisation programme in October 1992, the Department of Health provided all health professionals with a comprehensive pack of information on the vaccine, including guidance on answering parents' questions. The pack includes information from Hib vaccine trials which showed 95 per cent. of children immunised developed effective levels of protection. It also clearly states that the vaccine gives protection against the invasive forms of Hib disease, including meningitis, but that it will not protect against other types of meningitis. Information about the type of protection Hib vaccine gives against meningitis is also contained in parents' information literature published by the Health Education Authority.
The Health Education Authority conducts a continuous tracking study of parental attitudes and knowledge of all immunisations in the childhood programme, including Hib. for the Department.
Tuberculosis
Mr. Mike O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the incidence of tuberculosis among persons who had at some stage had the BCG vaccine in each of the last five years; and what conclusions she has reached concerning the effectiveness of the BCG from this information. [24566]
Mr. Sackville: Whether or not a patient with tuberculosis had previously received BCG vaccine is not routinely recorded, nor was this information collected during the 1993 national survey of notifications of tuberculosis.
Hospitals
Mr. Devlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will set out for (a) St. Bartholomew's hospital, London and (b) North Tees general hospital, Stockton-on-Tees (i) the catchment population, (ii) the annual revenue and capital budgets, (iii) the number of consultant medical staff, (iv) the number of nursing staff, (v) the average waiting time for patients and (vi) the proximity of the nearest general hospital. [24700]
Mr. Sackville: The information on St. Bartholomew's hospital is not available centrally, as St. Bartholomew's is a constituent part of a larger unit--the Royal London Hospitals national health service trust. My hon. Friend may wish to contact the chairman of the trust, Sir Derek Boorman for specific details.
For information about North Tees general hospital, my hon. Friend may wish to contact Ms J. Graham Bowman, chairman of the North Tees health NHS trust, for details.
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Asthma
Mr. Mike O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of childhood asthma have been reported in Britain in each of the last 15 years; and what percentage this is of the children in Britain. [24561]
Mr. Sackville: Information is not available in the form requested. It has been estimated that 4 to 6 per cent. of children have asthma requiring regular medical supervision.
Earlier this year, the Department of Health published "Asthma--An Epidemiological Overview", copies of which are available in the Library. This overview brings together a range of statistics on asthma.
Recruitment
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from (a) hospitals and (b) general practice about difficulties in recruiting doctors; and if she will make a statement. [24721]
Mr. Malone: We have received some representations from NHS trusts. However, this may be due to factors such as the geographical location or proposed duties of the posts. The number of NHS consultants continues to rise steadily, with average annual increases over the five years to 1993 well in excess of the Government's 2 per cent. target.
The specialist workforce advisory group, SWAG, recognises the need to have better information about recruitment difficulties in relation to hospital doctors. SWAG has recently conducted a survey on this issue in a small sample of trusts. Most of the responses have now
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been received, and SWAG will use this information to help it make decisions on the relative priority with which it should examine individual specialties.Some general medical practitioners have expressed concern about recruitment into general practice. However, the number of general practitioner principals continues to increase year on year.
Alcohol Consumption
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence she has received on the relationship between alcohol consumption and heart disease; and if she will make a statement. [24712]
Mr. Bowis: This is one of the matters currently being considered by the inter-departmental group on sensible drinking. The group has received about 90 pieces of evidence on the effects of alcohol consumption on health, including the effects on heart disease.
Emergency Admissions
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the number of (a) surgical, (b) adult medical, (c) paediatric, (d) intensive therapy units, (e) A and E and (f) other, emergency admissions in each of the last 10 years. [24722]
Mr. Sackville: Information for the years 1988 89 to 1993 94 is shown in the table. Comparable data for earlier years are not available centrally. Patients in intensive therapy units are admitted under the care of consultants in the specialties that provide the treatment.
Emergency admissions, numbers of finished consultant episodes:
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|1993-94 |1992-93 |1991-92 |1990-91 |1989-90 |1988-89
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Acute surgical |1,312,775|1,287,166|1,213,773|1,246,919|1,258,519|1,234,125
Acute medical (not Paediatrics) |1,370,415|1,258,608|1,182,521|1,167,393|1,158,073|1,114,957
Paediatrics |464,118 |429,110 |433,369 |406,353 |400,576 |384,851
A and E speciality |85,510 |82,225 |81,656 |82,901 |84,046 |82,132
Other emergency |600,680 |583,786 |545,991 |548,859 |521,520 |486,005
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics.
World Health Organisation
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is Her Majesty's Government's policy in respect of the motion made by certain African countries in respect of the position of the current director general of the World Health Organisation. [24507]
Mr. Malone: The draft resolution proposed by two African countries in respect of the current director general of the World Health Organisation was withdrawn by its sponsors after it failed to attract support among other African countries, and before member states from other WHO regions had commented on it.
Junior Doctors
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place to improve the working conditions, living conditions and terms of employment of junior doctors; what percentage of junior doctors is currently receiving implemented improvements; and if she will make a statement. [24695]
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Mr. Malone: "The New Deal on Junior Doctors' Hours", copies of which are available in the Library, has resulted in significant improvements in the conditions of junior doctors. Over 96 per cent. of the 27,669 junior doctors and dentists in England now comply with the current new deal contracted hours' targets.
We have devoted over £180 million to support the new deal. Our task forces, working closely with hospitals, have made excellent progress in using this money not only to reduce junior doctors' hours but to make real improvements in their living and working conditions. Over 2,000 new posts for doctors, including over 900 extra consultant posts, have been funded centrally or locally to support the new deal. We have also enabled task forces to spend significant sums in-year on improving living and working conditions.
We introduced in 1992 a new, more flexible, pay system which recognises the diversity of junior doctors' working patterns and rewards them according to their level of work intensity. We have also accepted a recommendation this year from the Doctors and Dentists Pay. Review Body to increase the rate of pay for on-call
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work for house officers and senior house officers. This improves their position relative to other doctors in training.We are committed to ensuring that the very encouraging progress made so far is sustained and that we continue to move forward in providing a better working and training environment for junior doctors. This will help to improve the quality of patient care delivered by doctors.
Medical Graduates
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many medical graduates leave the profession within three years of graduation. [24696]
Mr. Malone: Data are not available in the form requested.
Pre-Registration House Officer Posts
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the process for allocation of
pre-registration house officer posts. [24697]
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