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Mr. Ancram: Representations for the constituencies of Strangford are among many received by my Department. I will consider them all carefully before reaching and announcing any final decisions.
ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Lord Farnham
Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Attorney-General how many hours of (a) his time and (b) his staff's time was involved in dealing with the application of Lord Farnham to be allowed to sit in the House of Lords; what was the total cost of the case to his Department; and what proportion of those costs was subsequently met by the applicant. [31112]
The Attorney-General: Officials in the Treasury Solicitor's Department have spent 156.3 hours to date dealing with Lord Farnham's petition for a writ of summons to the House of Lords. The cost to the Department of such time is £13,757.40, in addition to which the Department has disbursed £18,000.32 by way of expenses attributable to the case. The petitioner has met his own costs and has paid an agreed contribution of £2,643.75 in respect of the costs of a private hearing before me. My officials and I worked on the case as part of normal duties and the time is not recorded.
Thurrock Borough Council
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Attorney-General what action has been taken in respect of the video sent to him by the hon. Member for Billericay (Mrs. Gorman) relating to Thurrock council; and if he will make a statement. [30472]
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The Attorney-General: I have written to the solicitors acting on behalf of the hon. Member for Billericay and to the chief executive of Thurrock borough council.
Treasury Counsel Fees
Mr. Byers: To ask the Attorney-General (1) how many barristers on the panel of Treasury counsel received more than £200,000 in fees from public funds for the latest year for which information is available; [25055]
(2) pursuant to his answer of 22 May, Official Report , column 451 , how much each Treasury counsel retained for civil work received in fees from public funds in 1994 95; of the Treasury counsel based at the central criminal court, how many received between (i) £250,000 to £300,000, (ii) £300,000 to £350,000, (iii) £350,000 to £400,000, (iv) £400,000 to £500,000, (v) in excess of £500,000 from the Crown Prosecution Service for financial year 1994 95. [29928]
The Attorney-General: Pursuant to my answer of 22 May 1995, Official Report , column 451 , and to my answer of 21 June 1995, Official Report , column 260 , and further to my answer pursuant to that given on 21 June, the information given for fees paid to Treasury counsel based at the central criminal court requires correction. During the financial year 1 April 1994 to 31 March 1995, the number of counsel in respect of whom payments were issued by the Crown Prosecution Service are set out in the table by reference to the bands referred to in the hon. Member's question:
|Column 1 |Column 2
|(inc. vat)|(ex. vat)
------------------------------------------------------------
(I) £250,000 to £300,000 |3 |0
(ii)£300,000 to £350,000 |0 |3
(iii) £350,000 to £400,000 |3 |0
(iv)£400,000 to £500,000 |0 |0
(v)in excess of £500,000 |0 |0
The figures given are shown in two columns. Column 1 relates to payments including value added tax. Column 2 shows the fees paid to counsel excluding value added tax.
On the basis of the information now available to me, the number of Treasury counsel based at the central criminal court in respect of whom payments in excess of £200,000, inclusive of value added tax, were issued by the Crown Prosecution Service over the same financial year is 10. The number in respect of whom payments in excess of £200, 000, exclusive of value added tax, were issued by the Crown Prosecution Service over the same period is six.
The figures given, provided by the Crown Prosecution Service and taken from its computerised database, are calculated strictly by the date on which a particular payment is issued by the Crown Prosecution Service rather than the date on which the payment was received or processed by the individual counsel concerned.
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HEALTH
Management Costs
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what factors led her to discontinue the management cost control strategy and the publishing of management cost accounts in the annual accounts. [28269]
Mr. Malone: Targets on management costs related to costs in regional health authorities, district health authorities and family practitioner committees. Introduction of the national health service reforms with increasing devolution of responsibilities to local level rendered those targets inappropriate.
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many national health service trusts or authorities currently operate within the 1987 88 Trent management cost of 4.9 per cent. of turnover. [28252]
Mr. Malone: The measures used by Trent regional health authority in 1987 88 preceded the creation of national health service trusts through the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990. On 7 June my right hon. Friend announced that she was asking all trusts to publish in their annual reports information about their management costs based on definitions used by the Audit Commission. Information will be published centrally and the first set of information will be available in September 1995. As a result of the devolution of functions through our reforms of the NHS, we are now able to simplify and streamline the headquarters organisations. Savings are expected to approach £200 million by 1997 98 including some £150 million from reducing and slimming down health authorities and some £50 million in the running costs of the Department of Health. These savings will be ploughed back into patient care.
Hepatitis C
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of blood products is now tested for hepatitis C; and what type of products are not. [30418]
Mr. Sackville: All blood collected from United Kingdom donors is tested for antibodies to hepatitis C virus on each individual donation.
NHS Trusts
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what number of senior management are currently employed by NHS trusts. [30433]
Mr. Malone: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave her on 17 February, Official Report , columns 838 40 , for the latest available information.
Ambulance Response Times
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 18 January, Official Report , column 480 , how many times an ambulance has not arrived within the national charter standard time in total and by ambulance service in 1994 95 or part year thereof. [30432]
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Mr. Sackville: This information is not yet available. Information on ambulance service performance will be published shortly as part of the national health service performance tables.
Tenovus
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the contribution of the Tenovus charity to cancer research; and if she will make a statement. [31073]
Mr. Malone: The Government welcome the valuable contribution made by medical research charities such as Tenovus. We work closely with cancer charities to identify gaps in funding and opportunities for collaborating in funding cancer research. The Government are committed to ensuring the best use of resources for health and medical research and seek, in collaboration with the cancer charities, to avoid unnecessary duplication in this field.
No specific assessment of this charity's contribution to cancer research has been made.
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals she has made to ensure that cancer research which would have been funded by the Tenovus charity will receive funding from alternative sources. [31075]
Mr. Malone: None. The Government place a high priority on health and medical research and will spend about £385 million in 1994 95 on research and research-related expenditure. The Government also support biomedical and clinical research through the Medical Research Council, which receives its funding from the office of my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. Charities provide an independent source of research funding.
The Department of Health has established a national forum to advise Government and the NHS on research issues. The forum brings together the major funders of health and medical research, including the Association of Medical Research Charities, and provides an important means of establishing closer working links between research interests in the NHS and elsewhere. Within this framework, the Department is working with the Association of Medical Research Charities--of which Tenovus is a member--to promote better understanding of the charities' respective strategies and priorities.
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for National Heritage regarding the impact of the national lottery on the Tenovus charity. [31076]
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what monitoring she has carried out of the income of medical research charities following the introduction of the national lottery, with particular reference to the Tenovus cancer research charity; and what has been the result to date. [31074]
Mr. Nicholas Baker: I have been asked to reply.
It is too early to assess the effect of the lottery in a number of areas, including charitable income. The Government are, however, committed to monitoring any changes in this respect. A programme of research is being
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drawn up which will include surveys of individual charitable giving and analysis of the income of charities covering the periods before, during and after the introduction of the national lottery.Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of finished consultant episodes for neurosurgery by region and district health authority for each of the last five years. [30815]
Mr. Sackville: This information will be placed in the Library.
Press Releases
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many press releases have been issued and in which Minister's name in each of the last two years. [30784]
Mr. Sackville: There were 609 press releases issued in 1994. At 22 June 1995, 329 had been issued. These can be broken down as follows:
|Press
|releases
--------------------------------------------------------------------
1994
Secretary of State |134
Minister for Health |111
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State-hon. Tom
Sackville |76
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State-John Bowis
OBE |104
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State-Baroness
Cumberlege CBE |51
Miscellaneous |133
1995 (to 22 June)
Secretary of State |69
Minister for Health |86
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State-hon. Tom
Sackville |29
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State-John Bowis
OBE |55
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State-Baroness
Cumberlege CBE |31
Miscellaneous |59
Complementary Medicine
Mr. Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is Her Majesty's Government's policy regarding European directives or regulations affecting provisions under United Kingdom common and statute law concerning complementary medicine. [30797]
Mr. Sackville: It is United Kingdom Government policy to implement all European directives and regulations in accordance with our treaty obligations. Any proposals for European legislation on complementary medicine will be examined as and when they emerge.
Chemotherapy Treatment
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 8 June, Official Report , column 308 , (1) when she was first written to by hon. Members regarding local charges for chemotherapy treatment; what action she took; and for what reasons the inappropriate application of guidelines continued; [30801]
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(2) what assessment she has made of the reasons for the failure of Wigan hospital to implement properly guidelines on charging patients for chemotherapy treatment. [30800]Mr. Sackville: The oversight within an individual trust was addressed by the trust itself, and refunds made. We have no record of correspondence from hon. Members on this issue.
Springfield Clinic, Blakelaw
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the NHS executive was first notified of an appeal about the general practice vacancy in Springfield clinic, Blakelaw, formerly run by Dr. Ahmed; when a decision is expected; and who is providing general practitioner services in the interim. [30810]
Mr. Malone: The national health service executive was first notified of an appeal against the decision of Newcastle family health services authority concerning the former practice of Dr. Ahmed by letter dated 10 February 1995. It is not possible to provide an expected date of decision and, in the meantime, it is a matter for the family health services authority to make temporary arrangements for the provision of general medical services to the patients of the practice.
Publicity
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was her Department's publicity budget in each of the last 10 years; and what proportion has been spent on specific health promotion campaigns. [30814]
Mr. Sackville: Expenditure on publicity in each of the last 10 years is as follows:
|£ million
-------------------------------
1985-86 |4.513
1986-87 |12.627
1987-88 |12.381
1988-89 |10.799
1989-90 |17.248
1990-91 |21.008
1991-92 |24.471
1992-93 |20.710
1993-94 |19.147
<1>1994-95 |18.177
<1> Estimated.
Estimated expenditure in 1994 95 included major campaigns on drug and solvent misuse, £4.4 million; organ donation, £1.6 million; blood donor recruitment, £1.1 million; AIDS helpline, £2 million; and "The Health of the Nation", £1.7 million.
Specific information on the proportion spent on health promotion campaigns could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Pulmonary Embolisms
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research and findings her Department carried out into pulmonary embolism prevention; and if she will make a statement. [31209]
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Mr. Sackville: We supported a major conference on the management of venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism at the Royal College of Surgeons in June 1994. Following that conference, a joint working group of the Royal College of Surgeons and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists was set up to produce guidelines for the profession. The working party is commissioning further analyses of existing data in order to produce evidence-based guidelines and to identify gaps in research.
Steroids
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research and findings her Department has carried out into a double-blind, randomised comparison of (a) high dose inhaled steroids, (b) low dose inhaled steroids and low dose theophylline and (c) low dose inhaled steroids alone as treatment regimes for asthma; and if she will make a statement. [31208]
Aspirin
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research and findings her Department carried out into a randomised placebo- controlled trial of the effects of low dose aspirin on mortality and major morbidity in patients with hip fracture; and if she will make a statement. [31210]
Mr. Sackville: I understand that the clinical trial service unit at the Radcliffe infirmary, Oxford is organising the pulmonary embolism prevention trial, funded by the British Heart Foundation. The PEP trial aims to determine whether any beneficial effects of aspirin given to patients with hip fracture outweigh any risks. The trial is still in progress and the findings have not yet been published.
Cardiac Surgery
Ms Corston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library a copy of the conclusions and recommendations of the working party of the Specialist Accreditation Committee of the Royal College of Surgeons considering supra-regional funding for paediatric cardiac surgery. [31523]
Mr. Sackville: The Department has received no such report.
Health Survey for England
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has carried out into a health survey for England; what were the findings of that research; and if she will make a statement. [31501]
Mr. Sackville: The health survey for England has been carried out since 1991. The findings of the 1991 to 1993 health surveys are contained in annual reports, copies of which are available in the Library. The 1994 report will be published in early 1996.
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GP Lists
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will review the right of patients to challenge the reasons for which their names have been removed from a general practitioner's list. [31374]
Mr. Malone: No. Under their terms of service, general practitioners are not required to give reasons when removing a patient from their list. Equally, patients are not required to give reasons when they wish to change doctors.
St. Charles Youth Treatment Centre
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has for the future of the St. Charles youth treatment centre; and if she will make a statement. [32196]
Mr. Bowis: The St. Charles youth treatment centre at Brentwood, Essex has made an important and valued contribution to the treatment and care of some of the most disturbed and difficult young people with which the child care system has had to deal and has been influential in the lives of many young people.
I am, however, no longer satisfied that the centre can continue in the future to provide properly for the best interests of the young people accommodated there or for those of the staff or for the security of the local community. The centre was designed and built in the 1960s and the buildings no longer meet accepted standards. There have also been problems of management and control which have proved difficult to resolve. In consequence, the centre has been operating far below its nominal capacity and currently accommodates only six young people. I therefore intend to close the centre, subject to consultation with the staff and their representatives on the implications of the closure for them. No decision has yet been taken on the future use of the site.
When the centre was set up in 1971, there were no similar facilities to deal with the most difficult and disturbed young people. Since then, however, local authorities have developed their own secure accommodation and have become skilled and experienced in dealing with many young people needing secure care. The Department of Health already has in place a major building and refurbishment programme to strengthen still further the range and geographical spread of local authority secure accommodation. Working with local authorities, the Department of Health is funding a strategy in excess of £40 million to put in place high-quality facilities which are safe for the young people and for the public.
The other youth treatment centre at Glenthorne in Birmingham will continue. It is being expanded to an overall capacity of 40 secure places within its present building stock and planning permissions.
National Blood Service
Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the Plymouth blood transfusion centre will retain blood processing activities after the reorganisation of the national blood service. [30502]
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Mr. Sackville: This is a matter for the National Blood Authority which will announce its revised proposals in due course.
Art Therapy
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will introduce a strategy to co-ordinate work on art therapy and similar activities involving arts and health in primary care; and if she will make a statement. [31488]
Mr. Malone: I have no plans to introduce such a strategy.
GPs' Deprivation Payments
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list those areas in which general practitioner's practices have qualified for additional payments for deprivation as defined under the Jarman index in each of the last five years and the current year. [28085]
Mr. Malone [holding answer 12 June 1995]: General practitioners' deprivation payments were introduced in April 1990 based on 1981 census data. A list will be placed in the Library of electoral wards where general practitioners became eligible for these payments in respect of patients living in those electoral wards.
SCOTLAND
Scottish Natural Heritage
Mr. Galbraith: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many times since its inception the chairman of Scottish Natural Heritage has addressed (a) conservation bodies, (b) farmers, (c) landowners, other than farmers, (d) countryside sports bodies and (e) any other bodies. [30701]
Sir Hector Monro: The information is set out in the table. In addition, he has also delivered six addresses to joint landowners and countryside sports gatherings and one address when all five groups--a to e below--were represented.
Type of body |Number of
|addresses
--------------------------------------------------------------
(a) Conservation bodies |46
(b) Farmers (including foresters) |11
(c) Landowners, other than farmers |2
(d) Countryside sports bodies |1
(e) Any other bodies |48
In Vitro Fertilisation
Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what plans he has to increase the number of IVF treatments in Scotland; and if he will make a statement; [31079]
(2) how many people in each health board area have received IVF treatment from (a) their own health board area and (b) other health board areas in each of the last
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five years; and what has been the cost to each health board. [31081]Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: It is for individual health boards to decide on the level of infertility service to purchase. Information on the number of patients who have received infertility treatment and its cost to health boards is not available centrally.
Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland by how much Government spending has changed in 1994 95 as a result of the private finance initiative; what is the estimated effect in 1995 96; how many jobs are to be created by schemes approved to date under the initiative and how many have been lost as a consequence in the public sector; and what is the forecast of transfer of employment from public to private sector over the last five years because of the initiative. [30831]
Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 28 June 1995]: It is not possible for 1994 95 or 1995 96 to attribute to the private finance initiative changes in either actual or planned Government spending. Progress in using the PFI is only one of many factors to be taken into account in assessing the level of public sector capital spending in Scotland. Also, it is not possible on the information currently available to forecast the effect on employment of the PFI. There is, however, no evidence that any public sector jobs have been lost to date through the PFI. Many of the jobs involved in capital projects funded by the public sector at present are, of course, in the private sector. Where, however, the PFI funds projects which would not go ahead otherwise, additional jobs will be created.
Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many schemes and to what value have been approved in 1994 95 under the private finance initiative; what are the estimates for the current financial year; how many schemes are currently being considered and at what value; for how long have they been considered and how many have been in the assessment process for over (a) six months and (b) 12 months; and what was the average length of time taken to assess schemes so far approved. [30830]
Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 28 June 1995]: Schemes to the value of £37.9 million were approved in 1994 95. Precise details for the current financial year are not yet available, but estimates suggest that projects with a value of more than £60 million will be approved. The Scottish Office document "Private Finance Partnership in Scotland" published in March 1995 identified potential projects with a total value of £2.68 billion. The Scottish Office does not have available centrally information on the length of the assessment process for individual projects which are the responsibility of a range of different public authorities.
Scottish Nuclear
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will ensure that a golden share to protect the identity of Scottish Nuclear is included in the articles of association of the United Kingdom nuclear holding company; and if he will make a
statement. [31254]
Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 28 June 1995]: My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade, in his
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statement of 9 May, Official Report, columns 563 78, made it clear that Scottish Nuclear's continued existence will be protected by special shares in the holding company and in Scottish Nuclear itself.Nuclear Holding Company
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will take steps to ensure that the chief executive of the United Kingdom nuclear holding company will be based in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [31255]
Mr. Kynoch [holding answer 28 June 1995]: My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade announced on 9 May that the nuclear holding company would be registered, and its headquarters would be located, in Scotland. I would expect the chief executive of the company to be based at its headquarters.
Assisted Places Scheme
Mrs. Fyfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much expenditure was granted in fee remission and incidental expenses on the assisted places scheme to pupils whose families had a residual income greater than £17,000 per annum in each of the past five years. [29794]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Mrs. Fyfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which schools accepted pupils under the assisted places scheme from families with a residual income of over £17,000. [29800]
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton: Schools with assisted place pupils in school session 1994 95 where the residual family income was greater than £17,000 are given.
Aberlour School
Albyn School
Beaconhurst School
Belmont House School
Butterstone School
Cargilfield School
Craigclowan School
Craigholme School
Crawfordton House School
Dollar Academy
Drumley House School
Edinburgh Academy
Fernhill School
Fettes College
George Heriot's School
George Watson's College
Glasgow Academy
Glenalmond College
Gordonstoun School
Hamilton College
High School of Dundee
High School of Glasgow
Hutchesons' Grammar School
Keil School
Kelvinside Academy
Kilgraston School
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