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Written Answers to Questions
Friday 9 June 1995
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Mr. Faber: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many cases of BSE there have been in cattle born after the introduction of the ruminant protein ban in July 1988, by year of birth. [28358]
Mr. Waldegrave: As at 9 June, the number of confirmed BSE cases in Great Britain born after 18 July 1988, by year of birth, is:
Year of birth |Number of confirmed
|BSE cases
------------------------------------------------------------
1988 |9,983
1989 |7,858
1990 |1,589
1991 |116
1992 |1
EMPLOYMENT
New Earnings Survey
Mr. Geoffrey Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of the sample of employers responded to the 1994 new earnings survey in terms of (a) standard industrial classification and (b) region; and what proportion of former wages council industries responded. [27242]
Mr. Oppenheim: The overall response rate for the 1994 new earnings survey was 94 per cent. Non-respondents cannot be analysed by industrial classification or region.
Redundancy Payments
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what approaches have been made to the redundancy payments fund by AST group companies or AST plc for assistance with the funding of redundancy payments to (a) training instructors and (b) others; what assessment he has made of the reasons given for the approaches; and if he will make a statement. [27893]
Mr. Oppenheim: All such approaches are treated in confidence.
ENVIRONMENT
Derelict Land Survey
Mr. Mans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when the results of the 1993 derelict land survey will be
published. [28360]
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Mr. Curry: The 1993 derelict land survey has been published today and copies have been placed in the Library. The report shows that the total amount of derelict land in England was 39,600 hectares on 1 April 1993, an overall reduction on 2 per cent. from 1988. Nearly 10, 000 hectares of derelict land were reclaimed between 1988 and 1993 of which some 5,000 hectares were reclaimed with funding from my Department.
HOUSE OF COMMONS
Fire Officers
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed, as representing the House of Commons Commission, pursuant to his answer of 8 March, column 217 , if he will make a statement on the recommendations for regrading in respect of fire officers set out in the fire strategy for the Palace of Westminster and parliamentary outbuildings approved by the relevant Committees of both Houses in 1993.
Mr. Beith [holding answer 7 June 1995]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) on 30 March 1995, Official Report , columns 743 44 . The grading of these posts is the responsibility of the Metropolitan police pay and grading review team. No recommendations for regrading were made in the fire strategy for the Palace of Westminster and parliamentary outbuildings.
TRANSPORT
Night Flying
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what conclusions he has reached on the consultation on night flying restrictions at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted on the implications of the decision of the Court of Appeal to grant leave for a further judicial review; and if he will make a statement. [28327]
Dr. Mawhinney: I have today issued a supplement to the March 1995 consultation paper to meet points that have been made in the courts. I want to put my proposals in the clearest possible light. There was absolutely no intention to mislead.
The supplementary consultation paper is being sent to all those to whom we sent the March 1995 consultation paper, and to all those who responded. A copy has been placed in the Library. Comments are invited by 11 July. The proposals remain unchanged.
Rail Accident, Cowden
Mr. Wolfson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will now publish the Health and Safety Executive inspector's report on the collision near Cowden, Kent on 15 October 1994. [26750]
Mr. Watts: The inspector's report into the rail accident at Cowden, Kent has been published today. Copies of the report have been placed in the Library.
The inspector is making his report in two parts. The first part, which is published today, addresses the adequacy of the safety mechanisms and procedures on the line and has been called for in advance of the coroner's
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inquest in order to avoid delaying publication of the conclusions that are not dependent on the outcome of the inquest. The second part will address the question of who was driving the train at the time and will take account of the additional forensic evidence to be given at the inquest. This will be published by HSE after the conclusion of the inquest.British Rail and Railtrack will consider all the recommendations carefully.
Bull Bars
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will examine the safety consequences of altering the design centre of gravity of vehicles resulting from the addition of bull bars. [27585]
Mr. Norris: The weight of a bull bar is unlikely to have any significant effect on the stability or braking capabilities of a vehicle.
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what advice he gives to members of the public contemplating buying bull bars. [27586]
Mr. Norris: Information about the injury risk that bull bars may present is given in the Department's booklet "Choosing Safety". This contains a recommendation that people should think twice before buying a bull bar and should consider removing one already fitted.
Passenger and Freight Regulations
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to expand the responsibility and liability for the carriage of goods and passengers to (a) freight forwarders and (b) similar companies. [27662]
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to ensure that goods and passengers are being carried legally on roadworthy vehicles and that drivers' hours regulations are being complied with; and if he will make a statement. [27663]
Mr. Norris: Vehicle roadworthiness and compliance with drivers' hours regulations are already regularly enforced by the Vehicle Inspectorate both at the roadside and at operators' premises.
Epilepsy
Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what considerations led the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency to require more information on an application to renew the driving licence of a person with epilepsy than for the original issue of the licence. [27774]
Mr. Norris: Provided a full declaration of the condition was made at the first application and there have been no changes since, no additional information is required of the applicant at renewal.
Road Accidents (Children)
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many children were (a) killed and (b) injured in road traffic accidents in each of the last 10 years; and how many were so killed or injured while travelling to school. [27864]
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Mr. Norris: The information requested is shown in the following table:
Children (aged 0-16) killed and injured in road accidents in Great
Britain: 1984-93
Of which
travelling to
Total casualties or from school
AccidentYear |Killed |Injured |Killed |Injured
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1984 |710 |64,000 |68 |11,433
1985 |605 |58,965 |74 |10,467
1986 |552 |56,201 |81 |10,249
1987 |552 |54,308 |69 |9,392
1988 |545 |54,655 |57 |8,948
1989 |531 |56,769 |49 |9,139
1990 |511 |56,776 |44 |9,121
1991 |452 |50,491 |44 |8,020
1992 |378 |49,880 |42 |8,235
1993 |345 |47,513 |27 |7,830
SCOTLAND
Parental Leave
Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what maternity and paternity entitlements are available to employees within his Department. [27281]
Mr. Lang [holding answer 8 June 1995]: Entitlements are set out in chapters 3.1 and 5 of the civil service management code and are publicised through the departmental staff handbook. All staff eligible in terms of the code are entitled to three months and one week paid maternity leave as part of a total entitlement to 52 weeks paid and unpaid leave. Permanent staff are entitled to two days paid paternity leave while discretion is exercised for temporary and casual staff according to circumstances. In general, they are given the same benefits as permanent staff.
HEALTH
Dental Services
Mr. Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 5 April to the hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Mr. Forman), Official Report , columns 1213 15 , (1) which of the reforms outlined will address levels of oral health in areas of social deprivation; [27333]
(2) what assessment she has made of the findings of Sir Kenneth Bloomfield's review of dental remuneration, paragraphs 5.3 and 6.6, on the effect of the remuneration system on dental practitioners serving comparatively poor patients in a comparatively rich region, with particular reference to inner London; [27335]
(3) what further progress she has made in respect of the findings of the fourth report of the Health Committee of Session 1992 93--HC264--on dental services, in paragraphs 25, 45 and 145, on geographical and social class inequities in oral health; [27334] (4) what plans she has to accept the recommendations of the Bloomfield review and fourth report of the Health Committee of Session 1992 93 on dental services on funding and dentistry should be through locally sensitive channels; and whether the amounts given to each locality will be weighted with respect to social
deprivation. [27336]
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Mr. Malone: The package of reforms to dental services I announced on 5 April restate the Government's long-term aim of introducing a pilot system of local purchasing for dentistry when legislative time allows. Under local purchasing, health authorities will be able to assess the needs of the local population and tailor provision of dental care accordingly.
Pilot schemes will look at appropriate channels for the allocation of funding, and social deprivation will be among the issues to be considered. In the interim, the reforms we intend to make to the capitation system for children will target resources on children with poor oral health. This change will be of particular assistance to dentists practising in areas of social deprivation.
Blood Transfusion Centres
Mr. Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations she has received regarding (a) proposals of the London and south-east blood authority administration zone to retain the Brentwood blood transfusion centre and close Cambridge blood transfusion centre and (b) the proposed resignation of the director of the London and south-east blood authority over disagreements with the National Blood Authority chief executive; [27266]
(2) whether new proposals for the rationalisation of the National Blood Authority, including the merger of the Brentwood and Cambridge blood transfusion centres, will be the subject of national consultation; [27267]
(3) what representations she has received from the chief executive of the National Blood Authority regarding (a) the sale of the Brentwood blood transfusion centre and (b) the merger of the Brentwood and Cambridge blood transfusion centres. [27265]
Mr. Sackville: The revised proposals of the National Blood Authority, following extensive consultation, have yet to be received. These are expected shortly. Matters concerning the internal management of the national blood service are a matter for the authority.
Blood Stocks
Mr. Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total level of blood stocks on 24, 25, 26 and 27 May. [27264]
Mr. Sackville: According to figures provided by the National Blood Authority, the total levels of blood stocks held at transfusion centres were:
24 May: 18,252 units
25 May: 17,881 units
26 May: 16,167 units
30 May: 18,782 units
Information for 27 May, 28 May and 29 May is not available as data are not collected on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays.
Emergency Ambulance Calls
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the reasons for the increase in 999 emergency ambulance calls in recent years. [27388]
Mr. Sackville: The Department has made no formal assessment, but continues to monitor levels of demand.
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NHS Hospital Private Wards
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many dedicated private wards have opened in NHS hospital trusts in the past year; [27420]
(2) how many dedicated private wards there are in NHS hospital trusts. [27423]
Mr. Sackville: This information is not collected centrally. Some relevant information is published annually in Laing's review of private health care, copies of which are available in the Library.
NHS Trusts
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has in respect of non-executive NHS trust board members who hold a private medical insurance policy; and if she will make a statement. [27419]
Mr. Malone: None. Non-executive members of national health service boards are not asked to provide information on their private insurance arrangements.
Community Health Councils
Mr. Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to reduce the number of community health councils by a process of amalgamation. [27861]
Mr. Malone: There are no plans to reduce the number of community health councils.
Existing regulations state that it is the responsibility of regional health authorities to determine the number of established community health councils. In this respect, the region's priority is to ensure that CHCs are able to reflect the views of the communities they serve. In considering any changes to CHC boundaries, the first consideration must be to ensure that the CHC best serves local interests.
Accident and Emergency Departments
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) pursuant to her answer of 6 February, Official Report , column 27 , if she will provide figures for 1994 95 on the number of accident and emergency departments; [27534]
(2) pursuant to her answer of 23 February, Official Report , column 325 , if she will provide regional information on accident and emergency departments for 1994 95. [27531]
Mr. Sackville: Information about accident and emergency services in 1994 95 will be available in the autumn.
Mental Health (Patients in the Community) Bill
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the dates when consultations took place between her Department and the Royal College of Psychiatrists prior to the publication of the Mental Health (Patients in the Community) Bill. [27406]
Mr. Bowis: The college gave written and oral evidence to the Department's review of legal powers on the care of mentally ill people in the community. It was one of the bodies invited to comment on the report of the review which was published in August 1993, and responded on 27 October 1993. Officials have had regular meetings with the college since then.
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates she has made of the number of people who will be subject to a supervised discharge order
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under the proposals of the Mental Health (Patients in the Community) Bill. [27408]Mr. Bowis: A survey commissioned by the Department in 1993 suggested that at any one time there might be about 3,000 patients in England who would be considered suitable for a provision of this kind.
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of whether any of the new powers proposed in the Mental Health (Patients in the Community) Bill are inconsistent with the European convention on human rights; and if she will make a statement. [27411]
Mr. Bowis: The provisions of the Mental Health (Patients in the Community) Bill take full account of advice to us on the effect of the European convention on human rights in this area and we are satisfied that they are entirely consistent with the convention.
Medium Secure Unit Beds
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many regional medium secure unit beds per head of population, nationally and for each regional authority, there were in each year since 1989; [27407]
(2) how many regional medium secure unit beds per head of population there were in each London district health authority in each year since 1989. [27410]
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Mr. Bowis: Information will be placed in the Library showing the number of purpose-built secure places funded from the central capital programme in each region and the ratio to the region's population. Medium secure units are not always used exclusively by patients from the region in which the unit is located. Information is not available for individual districts.
There are also about 450 places nationally in interim secure psychiatric units, many of which are of medium secure standard, and others which are funded by health authorities in independent sector facilities. Information on these places by region and district over the period since 1989 is not available centrally.
There were no purpose-built national health service medium secure places in 1979, despite the fact that the Glancy committee had recommended them in its 1974 report.
Mental Health Expenditure
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much in real terms was spent on NHS mental health services, in total and as a proportion of overall NHS expenditure in each year since 1978. [27409]
Mr. Bowis: Information in the form requested is not available. National health service expenditure on mental health services from 1978 79 to 1990 91 is shown in the table.
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NHS expenditure on mental illness for England
|Mental illness |Mental illness |Mental illness as a
|expenditure |expenditure 1993-94 |proportion of total
|hospital
|cash prices |prices |and community health
|services
|expenditure
|£ million |£ million |Percentage
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1978-79 |489.8 |1,403.1 |11.12
1979-80 |592.8 |1,455.1 |11.16
1980-81 |774.5 |1,606.7 |11.31
1981-82 |860.0 |1,626.8 |11.34
1982-83 |916.0 |1,617.5 |11.33
1983-84 |965.1 |1,628.7 |11.27
1984-85 |1,028.6 |1,652.8 |11.35
1985-86 |1,077.3 |1,641.2 |11.31
1986-87 |1,149.2 |1,699.4 |11.24
1987-88 |1,302.2 |1,828.4 |11.65
1988-89 |1,556.5 |2,048.4 |12.50
1989-90 |1,661.7 |2,044.1 |12.34
1990-91 |1,785.1 |2,033.1 |12.07
1991-92 |2,185.3 |2,341.8 |11.58
1992-93 |2,350.3 |2,422.2 |11.56
Provisional
1993-94 |2,321.6 |2,321.6 |10.87
Since 1991-92, changes in material accounting practices -for example, the introduction of capital
charges- mean that later figures are not comparable with the earlier ones. On the new basis, the figures
since 1991-92 are shown in the table.
Notes:
1. The figures for 1993-94 are provisional and subject to revision. As such, they are not comparable
with the earlier, final figures.
2. The GDP deflator was used to calculate the 1993-94 prices.
3. The mental illness expenditure is made up of the following:
(a) in-patient and out-patient expenditure; the consultant specialties of mental illness child and
adolescent psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, psychotherapy and old age psychiatry;
(b) day patient expenditure; in the categories, mental illness -alcoholism, drug abuse, psychogeriatrics
and general -child and adolescent psychiatry and forensic psychiatry;
(c) community nursing expenditure.
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Schizophrenics
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people diagnosed as schizophrenic have had access to a community psychiatric nurse in each regional health authority in each of the last five years. [27412]
Mr. Bowis: This information is not available centrally.
Nursing Staff
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if her Department issues guidelines for NHS trusts concerning recommended maximum turnover rates of nursing staff. [27413]
Mr. Sackville: No. Decisions concerning staffing, including maximum turnover rates, are a matter for local determination.
Psychiatric Beds
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general psychiatric beds per head of population there have been in London, Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, Birmingham and Newcastle upon Tyne in each year since 1989. [27416]
Mr. Bowis: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Dulwich (Ms Jowell) on 28 April, Official Report , column 718 .
Community Psychiatric Nurses
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many community psychiatric nurses there were in total and per capita in each regional health authority in each of the last five years. [27417]
Mr. Sackville: The information available about nurses working in psychiatric areas in the community who are employed by the national health service will be placed in the Library.
Correspondence
Mr. Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the hon. Member for Walsall, North will receive a reply to his letter of 18 April regarding health workers' pay, reference H6/4593/44. [27438]
Mr. Malone: I replied on 8 June.
NHS Staff
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the total amount spent on NHS staff wages and salaries, per profession, for the last year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. [26739]
Mr. Malone: [holding answer 7 June 1995]: Provisional information on 1993 94 national health service staff salary costs for health care professions is shown in the table. Final figures will be published in the October 1995 edition of "Health and Personal Social Services Statistics".
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Provisional expenditure on salaries
and wages by profession by health authorities and
NHS trusts in England 1993-94
|Expenditure
|£000s
-------------------------------------------------------
Medical |2,166,152
Dental |74,969
Nurses and midwives |6,134,014
Professions allied to medicine |700,936
Professional and scientific |242,854
Professional and technical |666,225
Source:
1. The annual financial returns of district and
regional authorities and the special health
authorities of the London postgraduate hospitals. The
annual financial returns of NHS trusts.
Notes:
1. Salaries and wages costs incurred by family health
services authorities are excluded as corresponding
costs are not identified on the same basis.
2. Salary costs are the gross pay costs of directly
employed staff including employers' national insurance
and superannuation contributions.
3. Project 2000 nurse costs and the costs of employing
agency nurses are excluded.
Prescriptions
Mr. Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS prescriptions for the treatment of epilepsy were dispensed in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many of those prescriptions were for products that were licensed (a) within the last five years, (b) more than 10 years ago and (c) more than 20 years ago. [22840]
Mr. Malone [pursuant to his reply, 17 May 1995, c.282]: I regret that the information in one of the tables was given in error. A corrected copy has now been placed in the Library.
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