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Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received registering dissatisfaction about the misunderstanding of terms used in the caring profession. [38026]
Mr. Sackville: In 1991, the chief executive of the national health service set up a working group consisting of representatives of the Conference of Medical Royal Colleges and their Faculties in the United Kingdom, the joint consultants committee, the general medical services committee of the British Medical Association and the NHS executive. The group's function is to advise him on the medically orientated NHS executive initiatives which have an information technology element and to strengthen the medical profession's contribution to this work. The group was later expanded to include the Royal College of Nursing, Royal College of Midwives, Health Visitors Association and the representative bodies of the professions allied to medicine.
The professional bodies on the working group pointed out that without a common language useful communication is impossible. It was immediately recognised as vital to establish an agreed thesaurus of clinical terms without which computerised clinical information systems in the NHS could not capture, store, compare and transfer data. It was also agreed that the professions had to take the lead in this project to ensure professional "ownership" and commitment. The proposals to create the thesaurus of terms common to all sectors of the NHS was approved by the working group and subsequently endorsed by the clinical professions involved.
This common thesaurus of terms used by the medical profession, nursing professions and professions allied to medicine was subsequently incorporated into the read codes. The read codes are Crown copyright and are structured for use in computerised clinical information
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systems. The clinical professions have formally supported the adoption of the read codes as the underlying thesaurus for all NHS clinical information systems.A scoping project to extend this thesaurus into the personal social services arena has commenced. The scoping project has the support of the social services inspectorate of the Department of Health and the Association of Directors of Social Services. This initiative supports the care in the community programme and in the broader context of inter-agency teamwork, for example between social and health services, has shown that there are substantial areas in which there is comparable need to be able to share the use of terms, and feel secure that they are appropriately understood.
Social Terms Scoping Project
Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the cost so far of the social terms scoping project; and what are its estimated total costs. [38028]
Mr. Sackville: The social terms scoping project is a six month project which commenced on 1 May 1995. The cost at 30 September 1995 was £17,501. The estimated total cost is £34,383.
Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the remuneration of the Chairman and the project researchers of the social terms scoping project. [38025]
Mr. Sackville: The social terms scoping project is a six-month project which commenced on 1 May 1995.
The chairman is employed one day per week at the standard university rate and will receive £6,760 in total.
There are two part-time research workers. One research worker--0.6 whole- time equivalent--will receive £6,943 in total, and the second research worker--0.4 whole-time equivalent--will receive £6,702 in total.
These rates of pay are also based on standard university research grades.
Unregistered Children's Homes
Ms Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the names of those organisations mentioned in the national study of the social services inspectorate, published in August, on small unregistered children's homes whose homes do not achieve a satisfactory standard of care; and if he will make a
statement. [38187]
Mr. Bowis: It is not social services inspectorate practice to do so in such studies and visits to a sample of homes during the course of the study were not inspections.
Ms Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will provide information on the numbers of staff working in small unregistered children's homes as a proportion of the social services inspectorate study (a) who had no relevant training, (b) who had no previous experience, (c) who were on short-term contracts and (d) who had been employed for less than six months; [38189]
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(2) if he will make a statement on the percentage of children who have been placed in small unregistrable children's homes as emergency placements at the time of the social services inspectorate study into children's homes; [38190](3) if he will make a statement on the percentage of children who were at the time of the social services inspectorate study into children's homes (a) were not attending a local school and (b) were unregistered at a local school; [38191]
(4) if he will give information on the number of children placed in unregistered children's homes at the time of the social services inspectorate study he deems (a) to be in suitable accommodation and (b) to be at risk. [38194]
Mr. Bowis: This information was not sought as part of the recent social services inspectorate study.
Ms Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the numbers of children in unregistered children's homes at the time of the social services inspectorate study who were placed (a) more than 50 miles and (b) more than 100 miles outside their placing authority's area. [38192]
Mr. Bowis: Some 47 and 13 respectively.
Ms Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what new practice guidelines he is planning to issue to local authorities as a result of the social services inspectorate study into unregistered children's homes. [38193]
Mr. Bowis: I do not intend to issue new practice guidelines. The current regulations and guidance, when applied properly, provide adequate protection for children placed in unregistered children's homes. The report of the study, which has been issued to local authorities, indicates what is good practice.
Correspondence
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will send the hon. Member for South Hams a revised reply to his letter of 13 September regarding Mr. S. G. Horrocks of Brixham about charges for residential accommodation. [38835]
Mr. Bowis: I wrote to the hon. Member on 2 October and sent a further reply on 23 October.
White Report
Mr. Rooker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has informed all social service departments that his Department holds the index of names of former members of Islington social services department mentioned in the White report. [38900]
Mr. Bowis: It is not necessary to do so. Every social services department has received information on the procedures of the Department of Health's consultancy index and Islington council wrote on 1 June to every social services department agreeing to check against the White report the name of any former Islington employee currently employed by any local authority or child care agency.
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Mr. Rooker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 16 October, Official Report , column 153 , if he will list the three social service departments which have made inquiries about the index of ex-employees of Islington council named in the White report. [38902]
Mr. Bowis: The Department's consultancy service index is operated on the basis of absolute confidentiality, and it is not our practice to provide information regarding which employers have sought checks against the index.
Prescription Charges
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the net cost to the national health service, after taking into account reduction in income from prescription charges and savings on the overall national health service drugs budget, of allowing individual pharmacists to offer patients the option of paying the cost price where the drug costs less than the prescription charge. [37048]
Mr. Malone [holding answer 16 October 1995]: The current net cost to the national health service in England is estimated to be in the order of £90 million per annum.
This estimate is based on an assumption that all chargeable prescription items with a total cost of less than £5.25 would be dispensed privately. There is, however, no reliable way of estimating what proportion of patients and pharmacists might choose this option.
In appropriate cases, it is already open to pharmacists to offer patients non "prescription only" items as an alternative to using an NHS prescription and paying the prescription charge.
Public Immunity Certificates
Mrs. Beckett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 19 July, Official Report, column 1286, if he will give details of the occasions on which the Secretary of State signed public immunity certificates in 1993 and 1994. [37414]
Mr. Sackville [holding answer 17 October 1995]: I am answering in relation to the two certificates served on defendants in 1993 and 1994. The first was signed in relation to proceedings against the Department of Health and the second in relation to an application for preaction discovery.
WALES
Pay Negotiations
Mr. McAllion: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will provide in respect of his plan for pay delegation submitted to the Treasury (a) a description of the staff in each bargaining unit covered by the plan, distinguishing staff in HQ functions, agencies and agency candidates, and in other identifiable business units and (b) proposals for trade union recognition in each bargaining unit and the negotiating machinery to be put in place in each bargaining unit. [38274]
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Mr. Hague: There are two bargaining units; the Welsh Office, excluding Cadw, covering some 1,900 staff; the Welsh Historic Monuments executive agency and Cadw, covering some 220 staff. The Welsh Office proposes to recognise the Civil and Public Services Association, the National Union of Civil and Public Servants, the Institution of Professionals, Managers and Specialists and the First Division Association and to have single table negotiation covering all staff. In Cadw, CPSA NUCPS and IPMS are recognised.
Sites of Special Scientific Interest
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many sites of special scientific interest in Wales have been denotified since 1981 on the grounds of a decline in their scientific interest. [38357]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: The information is not held centrally in the form requested. However, since the establishment of the Countryside Council for Wales on 1 April 1991, this data has been included in their annual reports. Prior to 1991 it was collated centrally for England, Scotland and Wales by the nature Conservancy Council and was published in it's annual reports. The annual reports of both organisations are in the Library of the House.
Local Government Reorganisation
Sir Wyn Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the total proposed membership of the new unitary authorities in Wales. [38023]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: There are currently 1,273 councillors in the 22 new unitary authorities in Wales. On 16 June 1995, following consultation with local government, my right hon. Friend, the then Secretary of State for Wales issued directions to the Local Government Boundary Commission to conduct a review of electoral arrangements in the 22 unitary authorities. At the time he indicated that he had no desire to see a cut in councillor numbers . Copies of the directions have bene placed in the Library of the House.
Tir Cymen
Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will ensure the expansion of the Tir Cymen scheme along the lines of the expansion of the countryside stewardship scheme in England. [38474]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: Tir Cymen is a five-year experimental scheme which commenced in 1992. A full review of the scheme will be made towards the end of the experimental period, and decisions on its future will be made in the light of that review.
Grant-maintained Schools
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all the payments made by the Welsh Office for capital works at grant-maintained schools and occasions when such payments have not been paid at the appropriate stages or on the completion of the work. [38429]
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Mr. Richards: A list of all grant payments made by the Welsh Office to grant-maintained schools for capital works will be placed in the Library of the House as soon as possible. There have been no occasions where grant payments have not been made at appropriate stages or on completion of work where the Department was satisfied that grant should be released.
Mr. Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he make will a statement about the administrative processes involving grant maintained schools and the Welsh Office in paying building contractors for the work carried out at grant maintained schools. [38430]
Mr. Richards: Building contractors are paid by grant-maintained schools following the issue of an architect's certificate which states the value of work undertaken. Where the work is being funded by the school's formula-based capital grant, the school applies to the Welsh Office for the grant prior to the commencement of work. Where the building work being carried out forms part of a "named" project under the grant-maintained schools capital building programme, the Welsh Office pays grant to the school against certified claims form supported by the architect's certificate.
As a precaution against overpayment of the total grant payable, and to ensure that the work is satisfactorily completed, grant payments on named projects are stopped once the level of grant reached 97.5 per cent. of the total approved grant, pending settlement at final cost stage. As soon as possible after completion of the work, schools are required to submit final cost documentation to the Welsh Office and following scrutiny and approval of the documentation, the final instalment of grant is released to the school.
Capital Receipts
Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list by local housing authority the amounts raised by sales of council homes to date and the amounts each local authority has available in capital receipts from these sales. [38431]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: The cumulative amount of receipts from the sales of council homes since 1981 is set out in the following table. The usable receipt at the spot date of 31 March 1995 is also provided.
Receipts from the sale of council houses<1>
£ million
|Usable receipts
|Receipts from the |from the sale
|sale of council |of council houses
|houses 1 April 1981|available at
|to 31 March 1995 |31 March 1995
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Alyn and Deeside |18.4 |0.5
Colwyn |8.9 |0.6
Delyn |15.7 |0.0
Glyndwr |13.1 |0.5
Rhuddlan |9.5 |0.4
Wrexham Maelor |42.0 |1.0
Carmarthen |16.4 |0.8
Ceredigion |20.7 |1.2
Dinefwr |9.7 |0.6
Llanelli |28.3 |0.0
Preseli Pembrokeshire |27.0 |2.6
South Pembrokeshire |12.6 |1.2
Blaenau Gwent |26.5 |2.2
Islwyn |36.9 |0.4
Monmouth |31.9 |3.6
Newport |53.5 |7.6
Torfaen |58.4 |2.7
Aberconwy |16.3 |0.2
Arfon |16.5 |0.0
Dwyfor |3.9 |0.3
Meirionnydd |7.6 |0.0
Ynys Mon |17.5 |0.2
Cynon Valley |13.6 |0.0
Merthyr Tydfil |20.2 |0.3
Ogwr |50.3 |0.6
Rhondda |5.7 |0.0
Rhymney Valley |35.5 |0.0
Taff Ely |36.4 |0.5
Brecknock |15.9 |1.2
Montgomeryshire |13.6 |0.7
Radnorshire |8.0 |0.4
Cardiff |101.0 |7.1
Vale of Glamorgan |38.7 |6.7
Port Talbot |33.4 |0.0
Lliw Valley |18.2 |0.0
Neath |21.7 |0.0
Wales |951.2 |44.4
<1> Includes receipts from the sale of dwellings and the repayment of principal
from local authority mortgages.
School Meals
Mr. Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the entitlement to free school meals in (a) West Glamorgan, (b) Wales and (c) the United Kingdom from 1979 to the latest available date expressed (i) numerically and (ii) in percentage terms indicating the figures for (1) primary school pupils and (2) secondary school pupils and (3) total pupils. [38261]
Mr. Richards: The following table shows the number of children entitled to free school meals in maintained primary and secondary schools in West Glamorgan and Wales, and the percentage they represent of the total number of children on the school rolls. No comparable information is available for the United Kingdom. Data for West Glamorgan and Wales are not available prior to 1988, as information was not collected on the number of pupils entitled to free school meals.
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Primary schools Secondary schools Primary and
secondary schools
West Glamorgan Wales West Glamorgan Wales West Glamorgan Wales
At |Number |Per cent.|Number |Per cent.|Number |Per cent.|Number |Per cent.|Number |Per cent.|Number |Per cent.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
September
1988 |6,342 |17.8 |46,092 |17.4 |3,358 |14.5 |27,551 |14.3 |9,700 |16.5 |73,643 |16.1
September
1989 |6,315 |17.4 |46,124 |17.1 |3,284 |14.5 |25,190 |13.5 |9,599 |16.3 |71,314 |15.6
September
1990 |6,744 |18.5 |48,860 |17.9 |3,358 |14.8 |24,865 |13.4 |10,102 |17.1 |73,725 |16.1
September
1991 |7,733 |21.1 |56,593 |20.6 |3,842 |16.7 |29,220 |15.4 |11,575 |19.4 |85,813 |18.5
September
1992 |8,305 |22.6 |62,973 |22.7 |4,338 |18.6 |33,320 |17.2 |12,643 |21.1 |96,293 |20.5
January
1994<1> |9,342 |24.6 |71,675 |25.1 |5,003 |21.0 |36,526 |18.8 |14,345 |23.2 |108,201 |22.5
Source:
Schools Census.
<1> From 1993-94 onwards school meal data has been collected at January not September.
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Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 16 October, Official Report, column 114, concerning the number of applications awaiting departmental approval under the private finance initiative, if he will give the capital value of each of the projects being examined. [39273]
Mr. Hague: The estimated capital value of each of the projects which have been announced is: M4 relief road (£330 million); A465 Heads of the Valleys road (£175 million); new general hospital, Baglan (£40 million); staff residential accommodation, district general hospital, Llantrisant (£3 million); car park, University hospital of Wales, Cardiff (£5 million); day surgery unit, Nevill Hall hospital, Abergavenny (£1.5 million); cancer treatment centre, Glan Clwyd district general hospital, Rhyl (£15 million); community hospital, Chepstow (£6 million); medium-secure unit, north Wales (£3.5 million); OSIRIS, office automation system for Welsh Office (£13 million).
National Lottery
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will place a copy in the Library of the guidance note sent to the non-departmental public bodies in Wales concerning the principles and eligibility rules under which matching funding for projects offered grants from the national lottery may be received; what is his definition of public funding for this purpose; and if he will list for each non-departmental public body
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how many grants offers have been (a) made and (b) subsequently withdrawn. [39121]Mr. Hague: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my reply in the Library of the House.
WDA: Cynon Valley
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement giving a detailed response to the legal opinion of Vernon Pugh, QC on the Grant Thornton report of 7 December 1994 on the actions of the Welsh Development Agency in relation to Gadlys road and Tirfounder fields which was enclosed with the letter to him of 21 March from Landare Investments Limited. [39272]
Mr. Hague: My officials have already made clear that it is not for them to judge the merits of Mr. Pugh's opinion or to offer a view on it. I have nothing to add.
Employee Fraud
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the total number of cases of all forms of fraud committed by employees of his (a) Department, (b) agencies and (c) non--departmental public bodies for each year from 1991 92 to 1994 95; and for each of these years, what was the total monetary sum (i) misappropriated in such frauds and (ii) subsequently
recovered. [39134]
Mr. Hague: The information requested is in the following table.
1991-92 1992-93 1993-94 1994-95
|Amount |Amount |Amount |Amount
|Number |Value |recovered|Number |Value |recovered|Number |Value |recovered|Number |Value |recovered
|£ |£ |£ |£ |£ |£ |£ |£
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Welsh
Office |1 |3,000 |Nil |- |- |- |1 |24 |Nil |- |- |-
Agencies |1 |6 |Nil |1 |6 |Nil |- |- |- |- |- |-
NDPBs |4 |24,137 |392 |2 |269 |215 |1 |41,739 |Nil |1 |56 |56
ERDF Grants
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on his meeting with the member of the European Commission responsible for regional development in Brussels on Wednesday 4 October, in relation to the application of the additionality principle of his Department's grant-in-aid to the Welsh
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Development Agency; and when he expects to supply the additional information on the funding of the Welsh Development Agency to the Commission. [37531]Mr. Hague: I had a constructive meeting with the Commissioner for Regional Development, and the problem has been resolved.
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TRANSPORT
M25 (Service Area)
Mr. Tim Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what conclusions were reached when his Department last undertook a comprehensive survey of possible sites for a motorway service area on the western quadrant of the M25. [38437]
Mr. Watts: The last such survey was carried out in July 1984 and led, in 1988, to an announcement that the Department would promote an MSA at Iver. Uncertainties over finance and the effect on an MSA of M25 widening meant, however, that no planning application was submitted. Instead, in 1989, the Department announced a fresh search for an MSA site on the western quadrant. Shortly afterwards, the decision was taken to deregulate the provision of new MSAs and the proposed site search was abandoned. The current Iver MSA proposals are purely private applications submitted under the deregulated arrangements.
I will arrange to send my hon. Friend copies of the 1984 survey report and of the 1989 announcement of the fresh site search.
Railway Speed Restrictions
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many K2 speed restrictions exist on the rail line between Paddington and Plymouth; if he will list them; and what was the date and reason for their imposition. [38836]
Mr. Watts: Railtrack inform me that the total number of speed restrictions currently in place is approximately 16. All of these restrictions have been in place for between one and 14 months and in each case the reason for the restriction is the condition of the track.
Employee Fraud
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what was the total number of cases of all forms of fraud committed by employees of his (a) Department, (b) agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies, for each year from 1991 92 to 1994 95; and for each of these years, what was the total monetary sum (i) misappropriated in such frauds and (ii) subsequently
recovered. [39137]
Mr. Norris: The figures requested are not readily available and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
National Air Traffic Services
Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to reply to the Second Report of the Transport Committee on the privatisation of National Air Traffic Services (HC 36). [39275]
Mr. Norris: The Secretary of State has responded to the recommendations made by the Transport Select Committee. It is for the Committee to decide when and how to publish that response.
Mr. Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport to what extent the recommendations contained in the Second Report of the Transport Committee on the
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privatisation of National Air Traffic Services (HC 36) that the Safety Regulation Group's Air Traffic Services Standards Department should be transferred to a body separate from the Civil Aviation Authority has been accepted by his Department; what progress has been made towards the implementation of this recommendation; and if he will make a statement. [39276]Mr. Norris: The Secretary of State has responded to the Committee's report. It is for the Committee to decide when and how to publish that response. It would be inappropriate for me to comment more fully on the issues raised until the Select Committee publishes the responses to its recommendations.
Bull Bars
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce legislation banning the fitting of steel bars as bumpers to (a) four-wheel drives and (b) ordinary private vehicles; and if he will make a statement. [39018]
Mr. Norris: The Transport Research Laboratory is currently analysing police reports of accidents involving bull bars which occurred in 1994. The results will not be available until towards the end of the year. We shall then decide what legislation if any, is needed.
Newbury Bypass
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration his Department has given to the environmental balance between the principle route alternatives in respect of Greenham Common air base and the Newbury bypass; and if he will make a statement. [39060]
Mr. Watts: This is an operational matter for the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write to the hon. Member. Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 24 October 1995:
As you know, the Minister for Railways and Roads, Mr. John Watts, has asked me to write in reply to your Parliamentary Question about the Newbury Bypass.
The Study Team commissioned by the then Secretary of State, Dr. Brian Mawhinney, did consider whether the closure of the Greenham Common Air Base had opened new possibilities for an eastern bypass of Newbury. A copy of their report is enclosed and you will see that their conclusion was that the overall balance remained in favour of a western bypass. The conclusion was endorsed by the then Secretary of State.
West Coast Main Line
Mr. Spearing: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will set out the major components of his announced £7 million cost of a study of the re-equipping the west coast main line and the estimated components and total cost of its modernisation. [39320]
Mr. Watts: The overall costs of the west coast main line investment programme is estimated at some £1 billion. Nearly £7 million of European funding has been secured for 1995. This money will be used to finance the
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feasibility and design works for the modernisation project and go towards work to enable Eurostar trains to run international services on the route from next year.Road Signs (Metrication)
Mrs. Fyfe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what plans he has for the replacement of existing road signs to include metric distances; [38876]
(2) what plans he has for the introduction of metric distances for all new road signs. [38877]
Departmental Staff
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list for the Doncaster travel-to-work area the current numbers of (a) casual and (b) fixed-term appointments in each Department of Transport office; and what were the figures 12 months ago. [39055]
Mr. Norris: According to the Department's personnel information systems, the numbers of casual and fixed-term appointments in my Department in the Doncaster area at 1 October 1995 and those of 12 months ago are given in the table.
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