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Written Answers to Questions
Monday 3 July 1995
HEALTH
Readmission Rates
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what definition of readmission is used when calculating readmission rates. [30421]
Mr. Sackville: There is no nationally agreed definition of readmission, nor is there a central mechanism available for collecting information on readmission rates in England. Work is in progress that will in time enable hospital admissions data to be linked to individual patients.
Food Poisoning
Mr. Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of food poisoning were reported in each of the last 10 years in (a) York, (b) North Yorkshire, (c) Yorkshire and Humberside and (d) England. [31600]
Mr. Sackville: The information requested is published annually in series MB2 "Communicable disease statistics". The latest available publication is series MB2 no. 19, copies of which are available in the Library.
Asthma
Mr. Frank Cook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the annual NHS expenditure on the treatment of asthma; and what proportion of the total budget this represents. [31411]
Mr. Sackville: In 1994 the net ingredient cost of national health service prescriptions for asthma medication was £381 million, some 11 per cent. of the net ingredient cost of all prescriptions. The net ingredient cost is the basic price of a drug before discounts and the addition of dispensing costs or fees. Estimates have been made for the financial year 1989 90 of the cost of other NHS services, excluding community health services. It is estimated that the cost of services for asthma was £72 million, which was 0.6 per cent. of the total cost of these services.
Royal Hospitals NHS Trust
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many consultants were at the hospitals that make up the royal hospitals two years ago; what is the current figure; and what is the projected number after the reorganisation as a number and as a whole-time equivalent; [31355]
(2) how many orthopaedic beds were under the control of the Royal Hospital trust before and after the reorganisation; on which site they will be located; and what will be the numbers on each site. [31365]
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Mr. Malone: This information is not available centrally. The right hon. Member may wish to contact Sir Derek Boorman, chairman of the Royal Hospitals NHS trust for details.
Diabetes
Mr. Jon Owen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is the average cost to her Department of providing a diabetes sufferer with a lifetime of free prescriptions; [31407]
(2) what is the total annual cost to her Department of providing free prescriptions to sufferers of diabetes; [31405]
(3) what is the average cost to her Department of prescriptions to diabetics per annum, per patient. [31404]
Mr. Sackville: The available information is shown in the table.
Drugs used in the treatment of diabetes, 1994 (provisional) England Ingredient cost/item -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Net ingredient cost |£97.3 million Prescription items |9.4 million Average net ingredient cost per prescription item |£10.33 Notes: 1. Drugs as defined by the British National Formulary section 6.1 2. The information was obtained from the Prescription Cost Analysis system which is based on a full analysis of all prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered in England. 3. The net ingredient cost refers to the cost of the drug before discounts and does not include any dispensing costs or fees.
Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many diabetics there are in Britain. [31406]
Mr. Sackville: An estimated 1.2 per cent. of the British population have clinically diagnosed diabetes.
Diptheria
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action she is taking for the population of the United Kingdom in respect of the World Health Organisation guidance that the people should receive a booster vaccine against diptheria every 10 years; and if she will make a statement. [31503]
Mr. Sackville: We are not aware of any such recommendations by the World Health Organisation. WHO recommends that a primary course of three doses of diphtheria vaccine should be part of the immunisation programme and in the United Kingdom children are offered three doses of diptheria vaccine at two, three and four months of age. A reinforcing booster dose is offered as part of the pre-school booster to four-year-olds and a further low dose booster of
tetanus/diphtheria vaccine is offered to teenagers.
The chief medical officer has issued advice for boosting requirements for travellers to eastern Europe.
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Surgeons (St. Bartholomew's Hospital)
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the resignation of three orthopaedic consultants at St Bartholomew's hospital. [31356]
Mr. Malone: This is a matter for the Royal Hospitals National Health Service trust. The right hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman, Sir Derek Boorman, for details.
Ask-a-Nurse Service
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the ask-a-nurse service by Access Health United Kingdom; and what plans she has to finance it. [31350]
Mr. Malone: It is for health authorities, in consultation with clinicians and the public, and bearing in mind the national framework set out in the priorities and planning guidance for the national health service, to decide what treatments and services are required in order to meet local needs.
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what NHS funds have been paid from the NHS to Access Health United Kingdom in each of the last three years. [31349]
Mr. Malone: This information is not available centrally.
Dysentery
Mr. Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of dysentery were recorded in (a) York, (b) North Yorkshire, (c) Yorkshire and Humberside and (d) England in each year since 1990. [31601]
Mr. Sackville: Information on the number of cases of dysentery are published annually in the MB2 series, "communicable disease statistics," copies of which are available in the Library.
Cosmetic Surgery
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has carried out into an assessment of nasal shape after surgery using Quicktime;what were the findings of that research; and if she will make a statement. [31502]
Mr. Sackville: The Department of Health has conducted no research into this subject.
Births
Mr. Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of births outside marriage were registered by both parents living in the same address in (a) York, (b) North Yorkshire, (c) Yorkshire and Humberside and (d) England in each year since 1979. [31603]
Mr. Sackville: The available information is shown in the table.
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Percentage of births outside marriage which were jointly
registered by parents living at the same address
|York County |North |Yorkshire and
|District |Yorkshire |Humberside |England
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1986 |50.0 |51.2 |47.3 |47.1
1987 |51.6 |53.5 |47.7 |48.2
1988 |51.5 |55.4 |48.6 |49.9
1989 |57.2 |56.5 |50.9 |52.0
1990 |56.0 |58.9 |52.6 |53.5
1991 |57.3 |60.4 |53.4 |55.0
1992 |58.3 |59.8 |54.6 |55.9
1993 |60.0 |62.8 |54.9 |55.3
Folic Acid
Mr. Gareth Wardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the details of the campaign to be commenced in the autumn on the importance of folic acid taken before conception and then in early pregnancy. [31331]
Mr. Sackville: Plans for a public awareness campaign about folic acid and the prevention of neural tube defects are nearing completion and an announcement will be made shortly.
Mr. Wardell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to make folic acid available free of charge as a pre-pregnancy supplement. [31333]
Mr. Sackville: None. Folic acid is already available on prescription free of charge for women who are pregnant or who are entitled to remission of prescription charges on grounds of low income.
Trauma Units
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the hospitals which have specialist trauma units. [31504]
Mr. Sackville: Trauma patients are normally taken to hospital accident and emergency departments.
In 1988 a Royal College of Surgeons report suggested that outcomes for patients with life-threatening injury might be better if they were treated in regional trauma centres.
We set up a pilot trauma centre at the North Staffordshire Hospitals National Health Service trust in 1990. The evaluation of this pilot is now complete and a report is being drafted.
Private Health Care
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the expenditure by each hospital trust in each of the past four years in purchasing health care or facilities in the private sector; and what was the total expenditure for this purpose in each year. [31839]
Mr. Sackville: The financial returns of national health service trusts provide expenditure figures on the purchase of health care from non- NHS bodies, whether in the public or private sectors. The figures for England are £12,204,000 in 1991 92, £45,436,000 in 1992 93, and £50,386,000 in 1993 94. The Government welcome cost-effective co- operation between the NHS and
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independent sector. This increases the range of options available to patients and health service managers and makes optimum use of available resources.Meconium Aspiration
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths have occurred as a result of meconium aspiration in each of the past 10 years; and what action she will take to reduce the number of deaths resulting from meconium aspiration. [30890]
Mr. Sackville: Figures for stillbirths, neonatal deaths--deaths under 28 days--and postneonatal deaths--deaths between 28 days and under one year--with a cause coded to the international classification of diseases, ICD 9th revision code 770.1, massive aspiration syndrome, will be placed in the Library.
Fertility Treatment
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is her estimate to date of the number of children born as a result of fertility treatment within the national health service. [30891]
Mr. Sackville: This information is not available centrally.
Medical Qualifications
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the effect of the European medical directives on United Kingdom registered medical practitioners who are also United Kingdom citizens, and who obtained their primary medical qualification outside the United Kingdom. [31330]
Mr. Malone: European legislation deals only with the mutual recognition of medical qualifications issued by member states of the European Economic Area. Each member state may decide for itself whether to recognise medical qualifications gained outside the EEA. The competent authority in each member state must, in considering an application for registration from a person whose qualification has been gained outside the EEA, take account of and give appropriate weight to the fact that an applicant's primary medical qualification has been recognised by another EEA state and the knowledge, experience and qualifications gained by an applicant in an EEA state, subsequent to obtaining his primary medical qualification outside the EEA.
Young People Leaving Care
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of young people who left care in each of the past five years for which figures are available (a) went into furnished private accommodation, (b) went into furnished local authority accommodation, (c) went in to unfurnished accommodation and (d) went into temporary accommodation; and what percentage is currently homeless. [31616]
Mr. Bowis: This information is not available centrally.
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Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of young people leaving care receive a leaving care grant; what is the average value of the grant; and if she will give a regional breakdown of the amounts given. [31613]
Mr. Bowis: This information is not available centrally.
National Blood Authority
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what new posts have been designated by the National Blood Authority in preparation for possible re organisation; and if she will state the titles of the posts and the names of those provisionally appointed. [31996]
Mr. Sackville: This is a matter for the National Blood Authority.
Fostering
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish her response to the consultation about the delegation of fostering duties to profit-making organisations and the easement of respite care regulations; and if she will make a statement. [32101]
Mr. Bowis: We are considering the responses received to the consultation document.
CHURCH COMMISSIONERS
Atmospheric Pollutants
Mr. Redmond: To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners what action the Commissioners are taking to obtain Government repair grants for damage caused by atmospheric pollutants; and if he will make a statement. [31090]
Mr. Alison: None, so far as the Commissioners' own property is concerned.
Pensions
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners (1) what plans the Commissioners have to establish two pension funds, one for the dignitaries and staff at Church House and No. 1 Millbank and another for the parish clergy; [31992]
(2) what plans the Commissioners have for a single fund into which they will pay the future contributions of dignitaries while each diocese will be asked to meet the future contributions of the parish clergy. [31993]
Mr. Alison: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer that I gave him on 14 June 1995, Official Report , column 556 .
One of the proposals of the joint report on pensions by the Central Board of Finance, the Church of England Pensions Board and the Church Commissioners which will be considered by the General Synod in July, is that pensions contributions in respect of future service of the parochial clergy should be raised by dioceses--through parishes--and invested in a separate pensions fund. The
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Commissioners would make contributions into the same fund in respect of those dignitaries whose stipends they meet in full. The Commissioners will be seeking the power to spend capital to discharge their existing liability for past service pensions. That power could also be used to enable the establishment of a funded scheme for the staff in their employment.Temporary Income
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the right hon. Member for Selby, as representing the Church Commissioners (1) what was the cost of capital losses incurred to purchase £12.9 million temporary income mentioned in the 1994 annual report;
(2) what was the total temporary income generated since the Commissioners began the practice of obtaining this income; and what effect this has had on the size of the capital base of the Commissioners' assets.
Mr. Alison: Temporary income refers to the accounting policy of recording interest on gilt edged securities on a receipts basis rather than on an accruals basis. The temporary income generated up to the end of 1994 was £56.7 million. As explained in appendix 12 of the Social Security Committee's recent report, in so far as the above amounts would otherwise have been treated as capital and retained, the fact that they have been recorded as income and distributed within the Church has led to capital being reduced by the same amount.
The Commissioners have repeatedly made it clear that the current level of income distribution as a percentage of their assets remains unsustainably high, despite a reduction to 6 per cent. in 1994. The generation of temporary income is but one element of an investment strategy which is required to produce the level of income needed to meet the Commissioners' current commitments to the financial support of the ministry. The Commissioners are reducing their expenditure and re-balancing their assets at a pace which is feasible for them and manageable for the Church.
EMPLOYMENT
Jobseeker's Allowance
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what plans he has to review the provision in the proposed jobseeker's allowance that a claimant has to be available for work for 40 hours per week and still accept any job that is offered, in the light of changing trends in the number of jobs which are part-time. [31660]
Miss Widdecombe: None. People claiming jobseeker's allowance should ensure that they are open to a wide range of job opportunities. They should therefore be willing to work for a minimum of 40 hours per week, even if they would prefer to work fewer hours. Jobseekers will not, however, be subject to a sanction for refusing a job offered to them if they can show good cause for that refusal.
Young People Leaving Care
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of young people who left
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care in each of the past five years for which figures are available are currently (a) on YTS schemes, (b) employed and (c) unemployed. [31620]Mr. Paice: The information requested is not available. The labour force survey and the youth cohort study both gather information on the employment status of young people, but neither asks whether respondents have been in care.
Employment Service
Mr. Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress the Employment Service has made in meeting the targets outlined in the 1994 95 annual performance agreement; and if he will list the targets and the outcomes achieved. [32596]
Miss Widdecombe: The Employment Service has performed excellently in 1994 95, exceeding all but one of its targets. It placed 1,876,800 unemployed people into jobs, against an annual target of 1.7 million. This represents 236,900 more placings than 1993 94. Performance against all the targets for 1994 95 is set out in the following table:
Employment service performance against target
April 1994-March 1995
Annual performance |Target levels |Performance
targets
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. To place 1.7 million |1.7 million |1,876,800
unemployed people into work at
a planned unit cost of £188,
assuming 2.4 million vacancies
are notified
2. 29.5 per cent. of total |29.5 per cent. |29.7 per cent.
unemployed placings achieved | (556,600)
to be long-term claimants.
3. 26 per cent. of total |26 per cent. |28 per cent.
unemployed placings achieved | (526,300)
to be people in inner cities.
4. 50 per cent. positive |50 per cent. |53 per cent.
outcomes for unemployed
claimants invited to a 12 month
advisory interview.
5. 35 per cent. positive |35 per cent. |44 per cent.
outcomes for unemployed
claimants invited to a 24 month
advisory interview.
6. 92 per cent. of clients due an |92 per cent. |95 per cent.
advisory interview to receive
one, assuming 9 million
interviews are due.
7. 9 per cent. of initial claim |9 per cent. |10.3 per cent.
enquiries not to be pursued as
new claims
8. 135,000 submissions to |135,000 | 203,500
adjudication where there is an
arguable case, with supporting
information to show that the
claimant is not available for,
actively seeking or willing to
accept work.
9. At a planned unit cost per
claimant of £14.80 for all
benefit claims:
-despatch 75 per cent. of first |75 per cent. |65 per cent.
payments of Unemployment
Benefit within 10 days of a
claim |75 per cent. |65 per cent.
-97 per cent. of |97 per cent. |96 per cent.
Unemployment Benefit
payments by value to be correct.
10. 3.3 per cent. of total |3.3 per cent. |3.7 per cent.
unemployed placings achieved | (70,300)
to be people with disabilities
11. 70,000 claims to be |70,000 |78,200
withdrawn of those suspected of
obtaining benefit by deception
following fraud investigation.
12. To achieve £25.1 million in |£25.1 million |£29.09 million
efficiency savings.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
High Commission, Nairobi
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will give a breakdown of the cost involved in the building of the new United Kingdom high commission office in Nairobi, Kenya. [31703]
Mr. Goodlad: The building cost to date of the new British high commission in Nairobi totals £5,640,000, comprising land cost of £65, 000, consultants' fees of £1,230,000 and construction costs of £4,345,000.
Indigenous Peoples
Mr. Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on Her Majesty's Government's policy on the rights of indigenous peoples. [31847]
Mr. Douglas Hogg: We are concerned that the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all people, including indigenous people, should be respected. We believe that indigenous people should participate fully and freely in all aspects of society, in particular in matters of concern to them. We participate in the discussion on indigenous issues within the UN.
France (Nuclear Testing)
Mr. Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to make representations to the French Government about its intention to resume nuclear testing. [31777]
Mr. David Davis: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer which I gave to the hon. Member for Ynys Mo n (Mr. Jones) on 28 June, Official Report , column 636 .
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South Pacific
Mr. Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to sign the treaty of Rarotonga on a South Pacific nuclear-free zone. [31778]
Mr. David Davis: The treaty of Rarotonga is not open for signature by the United Kingdom. We have no current plans to become a party to any of the protocols to the treaty of Rarotonga.
Complaints
Ms Hodge: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what policy and procedure exists for dealing with complaints against his Department by members of the public; when the policy was last updated; what time limit and target for dealing with such complaints his Department has; and what follow-up procedure exists where complainants are not satisfied with his Department's response to a complaint. [26220]
Mr. Goodlad: The FCO's diplomatic wing policy and procedure for dealing with complaints from members of the public in respect of the legalisation office, consular service and overseas trade services is as follows:
Legalisation Office
Complaints dealt with on the spot where possible; target of three workings days where further investigation required.
Complaints procedure published with names and addresses of individuals to whom complaints should be addressed.
Complaints procedure reviewed and updated 1 February 1995. Consular Service
---- Overseas
Target of three working days to respond to complaints.
Each post offering consular services displays procedures for complaints and named individuals to whom complaints should be addressed.
Procedure has not been updated.
-- At home
Complaints replied to within seven working days if channelled through an MP; target of twenty working days to reply if complaint made direct.
Overseas Trade Services
Target of five working days for service provider to respond to complaints. Target of fifteen working days for Customer Services Manager to respond if complaint taken to that level.
Guidelines shortly to be published.
Guidelines reviewed annually but have not been updated. Complaints on all other matters, including complaints relating to the Overseas Development Administration, sent by a Member of Parliament are dealt with within seven working days. Other written complaints are dealt with within the 20 working day deadline for letters to members of the public.
Guidance on complaints procedures advises members of the public to contact their Member of Parliament or the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration--Parliamentary Ombudsman--if they are not satisfied with the way in which their complaint has been handled.
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