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Hospital Maintenance
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the latest figures for backlog of hospital maintenance by region. [32812]
Mr. Sackville: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, East (Mr. Brown) on 8 December 1994, columns 359 60 for the latest information available.
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Supra Regional Services
Mr. Trend: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make available a summary of the funding and levels of activity agreed for 1995 96 with centres designated to provide supra regional services. [33469]
Mr. Sackville: A summary of this information has been placed in the Library as an addendum to the document "Supra regional services 1995 96" announcement by the Secretary of State for Health.
Co-trimoxazole
Mr. Trend: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the Medicines Control Agency has now considered the place of co-trimoxazole in current clinical practice. [33470]
Mr. Sackville: The Medicines Control Agency has considered this matter and consulted the Committee on Safety of Medicines. The Government propose fully to implement their advice, which is that the indications for co-trimoxazole should be restricted to the following:
Treatment and prophylaxis (primary and secondary) of pneumocystis carini pneumonitis in adults and children.
Treatment and prophylaxis of toxoplasmosis, treatment of nocardia.
Treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis and urinary tract infections, where there is bacterial evidence of sensitivity to co- trimoxazole and good reason to prefer this combination to a single antibiotic.
Treatment of acute otitis media in children, where there is good reason to prefer co-trimoxazole to a single antibiotic.
The CSM also advised that there are no new safety issues with co- trimoxazole but proposed clarification of the safety information in data sheets and that patient information leaflets should be introduced as soon as possible. An article in "Current Problems in Pharmacovigilance" will be published shortly providing these findings to health professionals. A copy of the bulletin will be placed in the Library.
Anaphylaxis
Sir Cranley Onslow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths in England and Wales in 1994 are known to have been due to anaphylaxis. [31143]
Mr. Sackville: The number of deaths certified as due to anaphylactic shock--international classification of diseases code 995.0--in England and Wales for 1992, the latest year for which figures are available, was nine.
NHS Trusts
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health where registers of trust board members' interests are held. [32986]
Mr. Malone: Each national health service trust must hold and maintain a register of board members' interests and that register must be available to the public on request, in accordance with the "Codes of Conduct and Accountability for NHS Boards", copies of which are available in the Library.
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Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures exist to register conflicts of interest declared by trust board and health authority members; and how many such matters have been notified to his Department or the NHS executive. [32976]
Mr. Malone: The codes of conduct and accountability require members of national health service boards to declare any private interests that are potentially material and relevant to NHS business and to have those interests recorded in board minutes and entered into a register. Guidance from the NHS executive recommends that the register should be kept up to date by means of an annual review. There is no requirement on members of NHS authorities and trusts to make any additional declaration of interests to the NHS executive or to the wider Department of Health.
NHS Appointees (Payments)
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 16 February, to the hon. Member for Don Valley (Mr. Redmond), Official Report , column 808 (1) if he will (a) provide similar figures on NHS appointees' payments for previous years and (b) indicate when 1994 95 figures will be
available; [32979]
(2) if he will disaggregate the figures on NHS appointees' payments to show the value of (a) bonus payments, (b) benefits in kind and (c) taxable expenses allowances. [32980]
Mr. Malone: Information on the remuneration of members of the boards of individual regional and district health authorities and national health service trusts in 1994 95 is expected to be available centrally in November this year. Information is not available centrally for previous years or disaggregated in the form requested.
NHS Estates
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will itemise the assets and values now diverted from individual trusts to NHS Estates, by region; [32987]
(2) what plans NHS Estates has to dispose of assets divested to it by NHS trusts. [32988]
Mr. Sackville: No assets have been transferred, or are proposed to be transferred from trusts, to NHS Estates, so there are no plans by NHS Estates for any disposals.
Redundancy Packages
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many redundancy packages are at present being offered by (a) his Department and (b) by the NHS executive. [32914]
Mr. Sackville: There are currently no redundancy schemes on offer to staff. An earlier voluntary scheme closed on 31 January 1995.
Hospital Managers
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average number of hours worked by hospital managers in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [32918]
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Mr. Malone: This information is not available centrally.
NHS Trust Managers
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the number of managers within NHS trusts as recommended by the Audit Commission. [32922]
Mr. Malone: The Audit Commission has made no such recommendation.
Clinical Negligence Claims
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information is held by his Department or the NHS executive on the medical procedures that are most prone to clinical negligence claims. [32989]
Mr. Malone: This information is not available centrally.
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by trust the (a) number, (b) value and (c) medical specialty against which clinical negligence claims were settled in each of the last years for which figures are available. [32977]
Mr. Malone: This information is not available centrally in the form requested.
Intensive Care Beds
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultations he has had with the relevant (a) hospital trusts, (b) district and (c) regional health authorities in relation to the failure to locate appropriate open heart surgery and intensive care bed facilities any closer than the University hospital of Wales in Cardiff, in respect of Mr. Dennis, a patient at Wexham Park hospital, Slough, Buckinghamshire; and if he will make a statement. [32841]
Mr. Sackville: None. It is the responsibility of health authorities to work with their local hospitals, to ensure the adequate intensive care provision to meet local needs.
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received in relation to the provision of a hospital- to-hospital bed bureau service to reduce transfer times in urgent and intensive care cases. [32843]
Mr. Sackville: There have been a number of representations about the possible use of information technology for the establishment of a database showing available intensive care beds.
Blood Bags
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the estimated saving from changing supplies of storage bags for blood; what has been the estimated total cost of replacing the blood stock lost through defective bags; and what action is being taken with regard to those responsible for the decision. [32845]
Mr. Sackville: Negotiation of a national contract to replace 14 regional contracts for blood bags led to lower prices from the previous monopoly supplier and introduction of an alternative source of supply with no
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reduction in product specification. Estimated savings are £700,000 for 1994 95.The National Blood Authority is urgently investigating the problems that have recently been identified with Tuta bags.
Hospital Closures
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 25 May, Official Report , column 765 , what information on closures of hospitals is collected by his Department and in what form [32916]
Mr. Sackville: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave her on 6 February, Official Report , columns 35 36 .
Dr. Johnston
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the approximate number of communications between the NHS management executive and Camden and Islington health authority over the last six years in relation to Dr. Johnston's legal action; and if he will make available copies of these communications to hon. Members. [32920]
Mr. Malone: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave her on 24 May, Official Report , column 602 .
Blood Supplies
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of blood supplies in each region was supplied to private hospitals in the last year for which figures are available, indicating the number of units involved. [32984]
Mr. Sackville: This information is not available centrally. It has always been the policy of the national health service to meet non-NHS reasonable requests for blood on the basis of availability and clinical need.
Departmental Staff
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff members of (a) his Department and (b) the NHS executive have expressed an interest in redundancy. [32915]
Mr. Sackville: There were 1,560 applications for voluntary early retirement/severance from staff of the Department and its agencies. Some 231 applications were from national health services executive staff.
Bull Bars
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to investigate whether bull bars have caused preventable death; and what plans he has to advise the Department of Transport in respect of controls on these bars. [32919]
Mr. Sackville: By the end of the year, the Department of Transport hopes to be able to produce an interim report on accidents involving vehicles fitted with bull bars. It is currently analysing information collected in 1994 by 30 police forces in England, Scotland and Wales. The Department of Health is liaising closely with the
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Department of Transport, which will be considering what action might be taken to control the use of bull bars.Bed Availability
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set up an inquiry into the best means of providing information on bed availability to hospitals urgently requiring specialised intensive care facilities at other hospitals. [32842]
Mr. Sackville: It is for health authorities and providers to ensure that hospitals have effective bed management procedures for intensive care and that specialist centres develop a co-ordinated approach to bed usage. There are currently several initiatives in hand to facilitate an immediate response to specialised intensive care units seeking to transfer a patient in the event of their having no spare capacity.
Resource Allocation
Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the origin, statistical basis and purpose of the market forces factor in the national health service executive's new formula for resource allocation; and if he will make a statement. [32844]
Mr. Sackville: To be equitable, the allocations system has to take account of the fact that the cost of providing services is higher in London and the south-east. A market forces factor--MFF--was first introduced on the recommendation of the advisory group on resource allocation in 1980 and later reviewed in 1988.
The MFF was reviewed in 1993 as part of the review of weighted capitation. The review was able to take account of more detailed data on staff costs from the new earnings survey as well as a detailed model of how care is purchased across the country.
A more detailed explanation is in the booklet "HCHS Revenue Resource Allocation--Weighted Capitation formula" and a more technical paper "Market Forces Factor--Staff Pay Adjustment" copies of which are available in the Library.
NHS Trust Funds
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the value of moneys held in trust by individual NHS trusts and health authorities. [32974]
Mr. Sackville: This information will be placed in the Library.
Hospitals (Energy Consumption Returns)
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of hospitals in the energy consumption returns in each year since 1979. [32921]
Mr. Sackville: Information on the number of hospitals obtained from energy consumption returns was not collected before 1993 94. I refer the right hon. Member to the replies my hon. Friend the Minister for Health gave her on 16 May, Official Report , column 173 76 and on 24 May, Official Report , column 597 for the available information.
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NORTHERN IRELAND
Patrick Kane
Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will refer to his advisers the article, a copy of which has been sent to him, concerning Patrick Kane; and if he will arrange for his case to be reviewed by the Life Sentence Review Board. [30211]
Sir John Wheeler: I can confirm that, following an internal review of this case, Patrick Kane has been informed that his case will be referred to the Life Sentence Review Board earlier than the normal 10-year stage of imprisonment. The case will be considered by the Northern Ireland Life Sentence Review Board in early 1997.
Northern Ireland Civil Service Commission
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to ensure that the proportion of senior open competition appointments by the Northern Ireland Civil Service Commission who are civil servants approximates to the proportion appointed by the Civil Service Commission in England. [32164]
Sir John Wheeler: The Northern Ireland Civil Service Commission recruits solely on the basis of merit as determined in fair and open competition and all eligible candidates, either from within the civil service or from outside, are assessed against common job-related requirements.
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will set up an independent inquiry into the Northern Ireland Civil Service Commission's conduct of open competitions for senior appointments with particular reference to (a) the reasons for the predominance of civil service appointees, (b) the limited professional experience required of appointments to the post of chief engineer and scientist and (c) the role of the retiring chief executive of the Training and Employment Agency in the appointment of his successor. [32198]
Sir John Wheeler: The Northern Ireland Civil Service Commission has a well established record of fair and impartial recruitment. I see no need for an independent inquiry into the conduct of open competitions for senior appointments bearing in mind that: (a) appointments are made solely on the basis of merit; and in 1994 some 50 per cent. of appointees at grade 6 and above were from outside the civil service;
(b) the requirements for the post of chief engineer and scientist were related to the duties of that post and to those of the chief executive of the industrial research and technology unit; the dual role of the postholder called for a balance between technical competence and management ability;
(c) the selection panel for the post of deputy chief
executive/chief executive designate of the Training and Employment Agency was properly constituted in accordance with rules drawn up by the Civil Service Commissioners.
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he intends to appoint an independent person to take charge of the Northern Ireland Civil Service Commission. [32191]
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Sir John Wheeler: I have recently reviewed the composition of the Northern Ireland Civil Service Commissioners and I shall shortly be recommending to Her Majesty the appointment of a further independent commissioner. This will bring the balance of commissioners to three non- civil servants and three civil servants. I am satisfied that the office of chairman of commissioners should be held by the permanent secretary of the Department of Finance and Personnel, who is responsible, by virtue of the Civil Service (Northern Ireland) Order 1986, for the general management and control of the Northern Ireland civil service.
School Building
Mr. William Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) primary and (b) secondary schools were built in the years (i) 1960 to 1964, (ii) 1965 to 1969, (iii) 1970 to 1974, (iv) 1975 to 1979, (v) 1980 to 1984, (vi) 1985 to 1989 and (vii) 1990 to 1994; and what was the design life of schools in each period. [32438]
Mr. Ancram: The number of new schools built in each of the periods is set out in the table. Information about the design life of schools built in each period is not available.
Period |Primary schools |Secondary schools ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1960-64 |100 |39 1965-69 |147 |21 1970-74 |110 |19 1975-79 |65 |10 1980-84 |25 |1 1985-89 |17 |1 1990-94 |26 |5
Railways
Mr. Mallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what amount of INTERREG grant Northern Ireland Railways will expect to receive in relation to the development of (a) Portadown and (b) Lisburn railway stations. [32404]
Mr. Moss: Northern Ireland Railways has not applied for grant from the INTERREG II programme for the development of Portadown and Lisburn railway stations.
Mr. Mallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what amount of financial contribution Northern Ireland Railways expects to receive from Craigavon district council in relation to the development of Portadown railway station. [32405]
Mr. Moss: There are no plans for any development at Portadown railway station in the immediate future. Therefore the question of funding from Craigavon district council does not arise.
Mr. Mallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what amount of financial contribution Northern Ireland Railways expects to receive from Lisburn district council in relation to the development of Lisburn railway station. [32406]
Mr. Moss: There will be no financial contribution from Lisburn borough council. The expenditure incurred at Lisburn has resulted from the need to carry out work to the structure of the building, which had become a safety
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risk. The full cost of the work is being met by the Northern Ireland Transport Holding Company.Blood Supplies
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of blood supplies in each region was supplied to private hospitals in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will indicate the number of units involved. [32970]
Mr. Moss: During the financial year 1994 95, a total of 630 units of ordinary blood, red cells, were supplied to the Ulster independent clinic in Belfast and to the North/West independent clinic in county Londonderry. This represents 1 per cent. of the total blood supplies.
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In addition, 18 units of platelets--less than 0.1 per cent. of the total--and 12 units of fresh frozen plasma--0.2 per cent. of the total--were supplied to the Ulster independent clinic.Trust Funds (Health)
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the value of moneys held in trust by individual NHS trusts and health authorities. [32972]
Mr. Moss: The information in respect of the health and social services boards at 31 March 1994 was as follows:
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a
|Northern £|Southern £|Eastern £ |Western £ |Total £
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Capital in Perpetuity Accounts |25,308 |8,359 |474,689 |85,731 |594,087
Other Fund Accounts |2,375,436 |649,850 |13,362,927|734,901 |17,123,114
Total |2,400,744 |658,209 |13,837,616|820,632 |17,717,201
On 1 April 1993 the first six HSS trusts became operational in Northern Ireland. However, at 31
March 1994 the relevant funds held in trust had not transferred to the HSS trusts. Accordingly
in 1993-94 the trust funds remained with the relevant Health and Social Services Board for
accounting purposes, although the relevant HSS trust did have access to their proper funds.
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the recommendations arising from the investigation by the trust of the circumstances surrounding the Dr. Yin Yin Teoh case which he intends to implement in other hospitals. [32917]
Mr. Moss: The Department of Health and Social Services is presently considering the relevance to other hospitals in Northern Ireland of the recommendations arising from the investigation by the Royal Group of Hospitals HSS trust into the case involving Dr. Yin Yin Teoh. It is likely that these will be made available to other hospitals in the near future.
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General Practitioners Fundholders
Mr. Hawkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what level of savings was achieved by general practitioner fundholders in Northern Ireland during 1993 94, and if he will make a statement. [33503]
Mr. Moss: In 1993 94, the first year of the fundholding scheme in Northern Ireland, savings retained by fundholding GPs amount to £2, 456,539, representing some 8 per cent. of budgets set. GPs are obliged by law to spend savings in ways which will benefit their patients. In the main, practices are, to date, using their savings on initiatives such as reducing waiting lists, funding additional services, purchasing clinical equipment and, in one case, redeveloping a health centre.
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