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Mental Health

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on mental health in each health authority area in each of the last three years (a) in the acute sector and (b) in the community sector. [8715]

Mr. Bowis: The information is not available centrally.

NHS Trusts

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which trusts have (a) informed the NHS executive or (b) been investigated in respect of their long-term financial viability. [8711]

Mr. Horam: The financial viability of all trusts is investigated before their establishment. Subsequently, this process is on-going as a part of each trust's annual business planning cycle. Trust plans are reviewed by the national health service executive.

Eye Tests (Walthamstow)

Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Walthamstow have had eye tests in each year since 1987. [8978]

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Mr. Malone: The information is not available.

Local Authority Responsibilities

Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the statutory responsibilities of local authorities to meet all needs assessed under the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990; and within what time scale services should be provided. [8722]

Mr. Bowis: Local authorities are required to assess people whom they think may require community care services, as defined under the NHS and Community Care Act 1990, and to decide on the basis of that assessment what, if any, services they should provide and how the needs of local people should be met.

A summary of local authorities' key powers and duties in community care under this Act and other legislation is set out in our document "A Framework for Local Community Care Charters in England", copies of which are available in the Library.

Local authorities are expected to publish their first local charters, based on this framework, in April 1996. These local charters will give people local information about the services and standards they can expect from their local social services departments, as well as from health and housing authorities.

Westcliffe Hospital, Stoke-on-Trent

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to approve the bid for PFI funding for the replacement long-stay beds at Westcliffe hospital, Stoke-on-Trent; and if he will make a statement. [9206]

Mr. Horam: The national health service executive expects to receive a full business case from North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS trust to replace the majority of the beds early in 1997. Approval to funding a capital investment using private finance would be conditional upon such an approach increasing cost-effectiveness and reducing risks for the NHS. The balance of the service will be the responsibility of the health authority, which will be seeking to place patients with local nursing homes.

Doncaster Health Authority

Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the names and qualifications of the current chairman and non-executive directors of Doncaster health authority. [9902]

Mr. Malone: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 30 October 1995, Official Report, columns 40-41. Chairmen and non-executive members of health authorities are appointed for their personal qualities and skills and the contribution that they can make to the board.

Infant and Perinatal Mortality

Mr. Mark Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the change in (a) infant mortality rates and (b) perinatal mortality rates since 1979. [7498]

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Mr. Horam: Infant and perinatal mortality rates have fallen, between 1979 and 1994, to the lowest levels ever recorded. Deaths in children under one year of age--the infant mortality rate--have fallen by half. Stillbirths and deaths of babies less than a week old--the perinatal rate--have fallen by nearly 40 per cent.

Drug Misuse Database

Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who owns the data codes and structure of the drug misuse database. [9412]

Mr. Bowis: The ownership of such data codes and the structure of the drug misuse database is shared between the Department of Health and the university of Manchester.

Delegated Legislation

Mr. Hutton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the powers to make statutory instruments exercisable by the Secretary of State under primary legislation enacted since 1979 are subject to (a) the negative and (b) the affirmative resolution procedure. [9597]

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Mr. Horam: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Crown Prosecution Service

Mr. Straw: To ask the Attorney-General how many cases were discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service; what was the total number of cases (a) received by magistrates courts and (b) finalised in magistrates courts; and how many cases were (i) received by the Crown Prosecution Service from the police, (ii) completed in the magistrates court, (iii) discontinued by the Crown Prosecution Service before or at the magistrates court hearing, (iv) committed to the Crown court by the magistrates court or (v) otherwise disposed of in each Crown Prosecution Service region in total in the first nine months of 1995-96. [8478]

The Attorney-General: The table shows the number of defendants whose case was dealt with by the 13 areas of the Crown Prosecution Service during the period of April to September 1995. The figures are not yet available for the quarter ending December 1995. The figures do not include the specialised casework undertaken by the headquarters of the service.

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Magistrates' Courts cases April--September 1995

	Received	Finalised	Of which, advice only	Completed in Magistrates' Courts	Discontinued	Committed to Crown Court	Other disposals	Other proceedings
North	47,741	46,710	1,625	32,255	6,247	2,934	2,767	882
Yorkshire	42,041	42,335	1,052	28,072	6,299	2,975	3,582	355
Mersey/Lancashire	43,786	41,667	1,555	29,034	4,030	3,512	2,884	652
Humber	34,750	35,553	1,802	23,649	4,886	2,440	2,005	771
North-West	57,334	57,351	2,064	40,333	4,340	3,938	3,349	3,327
East Midlands	43,407	37,970	1,246	25,808	5,457	2,502	2,710	247
Wales	46,442	46,173	1,840	30,944	5,378	2,673	4,372	1,000
Midlands	52,012	52,054	2,565	34,674	5,404	3,779	4,472	1,160
Anglia	53,276	53,013	3,760	36,916	4,866	2,941	3,258	1,272
Severn/Thames	46,947	46,639	2,324	31,387	5,120	2,350	4,470	988
South-West	39,377	34,391	1,198	24,359	3,717	2,103	2,723	291
London	120,741	121,873	3,281	70,928	15,700	8,626	22,030	1,308
South-East	53,621	51,684	2,579	36,136	5,078	3,545	3,987	359
Total	681,475	667,413	26,891	444,495	76,522	44,318	62,609	12,612

Other disposals comprise committal hearings in which the defendant was discharged, cases where the defendant was bound over to keep the peace, instances where the defendant could not be found, and other cases where the prosecution could not proceed (e.g. through the death of the defendant).

Other proceedings comprise non-criminal proceedings, such as forfeiture hearings under Section 3 of the Obscene Publications Act.

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Mr. Straw: To ask the Attorney-General when the internal review of the functions of the Crown Prosecution Service was established; what is its terms of reference; by whom it is being conducted; and when its conclusions will be reported to Parliament. [8460]

The Attorney-General: A number of important reviews of the work of the CPS were concluded last year. These included: a report on the merits and feasibility of merger between the CPS fraud divisions and the Serious Fraud Office; a prior options study in the context of the Government's initiative on next steps; and a senior management review. I reported to Parliament the outcome of the merger study and of the prior options study on 31 March 1995, Official Report, columns 1309-17, and 27 October 1995, Official Report, columns 820-21, respectively. On the Senior management review, the CPS, in common with most other Departments, has carried out

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a senior management review following the White Papers on the civil service, continuity and change. The report of the senior management review was produced in August 1995 and has been made available to staff and others outside the CPS. Separately, as I announced on 4 December, Official Report, column 17, work continues on a range of measures to improve further the working relationships between the CPS and the police.

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