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Mental Health
Mr. Ron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many people were detained in Wales during each of the last three years under the provisions of the Mental Health Acts; and what percentage of these were held in private hospitals. [1596]
Mr. Hague: The information is as follows:
| 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| NHS hospitals | 1,208 | 1,055 | 1,251 |
| Private hospitals | 28 | 80 | 124 |
| Private nursing homes | 6 | 1 | 5 |
| Total | 1,242 | 1,136 | 1,380 |
| Percentage detained in private hospitals | 2 | 7 | 9 |
Dental Practitioners
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much was spent by each family health service authority on payments to dental practitioners for NHS dental work in each year between 1990 and 1994, inclusive in Wales. [2060]
Mr. Richards: The information requested is as follows:
| FHSA | 1990-91 | 1991-92 | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clwyd | 5,235 | (424) | 64 | 71 | 75 |
| Dyfed | 4,735 | (373) | 99 | 165 | 142 |
| Gwent | 6,667 | (617) | 127 | 148 | 122 |
| Gwynedd | 3,032 | (252) | 26 | 101 | 116 |
| Mid Glamorgan | 6,671 | (655) | 69 | 57 | 72 |
| Powys | 1,456 | (127) | 62 | 33 | 116 |
| South Glamorgan | 6,558 | (597) | 53 | 68 | 81 |
| West Glamorgan | 6,049 | (565) | 29 | 21 | 19 |
| Dental Practice Board | -- | 55,564 | 51,282 | 48,445 | 50,123 |
| Wales | 40,403 | 51,954 | 51,811 | 49,109 | 50,866 |
Notes: 1. Dental Practice Board (DPB) expenditure is shown to give the complete picture of payments to dental practitioners. 2. With effect from 1 April 1991 the majority of payments to dental practitioners became the responsibility of the DPB. However, due to the timetable of scheduling by the DPB, March 1991 schedules were paid in April 1991 by FHSAs. The balance of their opening creditors were met by payments made by the DPB and were recorded by FHSAs as negative expenditure. At national level the aggregate amount (FHSA and DPB consolidated together) reflects actual expenditure which is comparable with the aggregated outturns for other years. Source: Annual Accounts of FHSAs and the DPB.
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Community Health Councils
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) if he will make a statement on the main aims of the reforms he proposes to the membership of the community health councils. [1728]
(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of the consultation document on amending the membership size and qualification of Welsh community health councils. [1729]
Mr. Hague: In the light of increasing difficulties in maintaining the current membership levels of community health councils, and the reduction in the number of local councillors from next April, I believe that it is appropriate to seek views from a wide range of bodies on the total membership of community health councils in Wales.
The review in no way challenges the special status of community health councils in representing the public and patient interest in relation to the NHS in Wales.
I have arranged for copies of the consultation letter to be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Ron Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if the current 21-hour rule enabling unemployed people to study while receiving benefit will be reduced to 16 guided learning hours when the jobseeker's allowance is introduced in Wales; what distinction will be made in respect of the treatment of unemployed people who take up places in (a) further and (b) higher education courses; and if he will make a statement. [1138]
Mr. Forth:
I have been asked to reply.
Full-time students will not be able to receive jobseeker's allowance. People receiving JSA will, however, will be able to study part time, as long as they meet the entitlement conditions, which include being available for actively seeking employment. This carries forward existing arrangements.
In higher education, courses continue to be classed as either full-time or part-time and so the existing rules distinguishing between people on such courses can--and consequently will--be carried forward into JSA. In further education, however, courses are no longer defined as full-time or part-time, and the rules under JSA will reflect this. Courses funded, in whole or in part, by the Further Education Funding Councils for Wales and England will be considered to be part-time if they are of no more than 16 guided learning hours per week. While those courses in Wales are not, as they are in England, defined by the number of guided learning hours, further education colleges in Wales will nevertheless be able to provide statements of the number of guided learning hours attributed to their courses using the same definition.
These rules are designed to allow the same number of people to study part time while unemployed and receiving benefit as do so under the current rules.
Mrs. Clwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each training and enterprise council in Wales the number of training for work starts for (a) 1993-94 and
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(b) 1994-95; what is the estimated number in 1995-96; and what is the total budget for training for work in each TEC for the same years. [1927]
Mr. Richards:
The information requested is set out in the following tables: Outturn figures are given for 1993-94 and 1994-95 and planned provision for 1995-96.
| 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96(15) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| TFW starts | |||
| Gwent | 4,065 | 3,234 | 3,400 |
| Mid Glamorgan | 4,061 | 4,283 | 3,400 |
| North-east Wales | 779 | 1,558 | 1,537 |
| Powys | 628 | 597 | 703 |
| South Glamorgan | 2,653 | 2,614 | 2,500 |
| Targed | 1,950 | 2,384 | 1,500 |
| West Wales | 4,858 | 4,769 | 3,568 |
| TFW spend (£ million) | |||
| Gwent | 4.952 | 4.162 | 4.113 |
| Mid Glamorgan | 5.245 | 4.230 | 3.636 |
| North-east Wales | 2.139 | 1.506 | 1.410 |
| Powys | 0.757 | 0.722 | 0.926 |
| South Glamorgan | 3.217 | 2.855 | 2.996 |
| Targed | 3.040 | 3.111 | 2.702 |
| West Wales | 6.900 | 5.913 | 6.160 |
(15) Planned figures.
Allied Medical Services
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received in relation to the registration of Allied Medical Services as an agency for temporary nursing staff with respect to vetting procedures in respect of the hiring out of auxiliary nurses. [1731]
Mr. Hague: None. The licensing of nursing agencies is the responsibility of local authorities.
NATIONAL HERITAGE
BBC
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage what discussions her Department has had with the British Broadcasting Corporation in relation to the delays in completing NICAM coverage of their broadcast network. [1712]
Mr. Sproat: None. It is for the BBC to determine the rate at which this programme proceeds in the light of its resources and other engineering priorities. However, I understand that the BBC remains committed to an extension of NICAM coverage as part of its continuing programme of investment in its transmitter network.
Tourism
Mr. Pendry: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage which of the four options, I, II, III or IV, outlined in the European Commission's Green Paper on Tourism were supported by (a) the British Tourist Authority, (b) the Welsh tourist board, (c) the Northern Ireland tourist board, (d) the Scottish tourist board, (e) the Confederation of British Industry, (f) the National Trust, (g) the British Resorts Association, (h) the Association of District Councils and (i) the Rank Holiday Organisation. [1475]
23 Nov 1995 : Column: 281
Mr. Sproat: The tourist boards indicated the following preferred options:
British Tourist Authority/English Tourist Board jointly-- Option III
Welsh Tourist Board--Option III
Northern Ireland Tourist Board--No preferred option specified; option III most appealing
Scottish Tourist Board--Option III
Confederation of British Industry--Option III
British Resorts Associations--Option IV
Mr. Pendry: To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage if she will list all the organisations which were consulted by her Department before the Government published their official response to the European Commission Green Paper on Tourism. [1476]
Mr. Sproat: In considering the Government's response to the Green Paper, my Department sought the views of the following organisations:
Association of British Travel Agents Association of Leading Visitor Attractions Association of Recognised English Language Services British Holiday and Home Parks Association British Hospitality Association British Incoming Tour Operators Association British Resorts Association British Retail Consortium British Tourist Authority Confederation of British Industry European Tour Operators Association Hotel and Catering International Management Association Hotel and Catering Training Company Joint Hospitality Industry Congress Restaurateurs Association of Great Britain World Travel and Tourism Council
My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Northern Ireland, for Scotland and for Wales also consulted a number of organisations, as did the British Tourist Authority and English tourist board.
Ms Ruddock:
To ask the Secretary of State for National Heritage (1) what alternative courses of action from those detailed in "Tourism: Competing with the Best" were considered in any environmental appraisal undertaken by his Department; [254]
(2) what procedures have been put in place by her Department to monitor the environmental impacts arising from the implementation of "Tourism: Competing with the Best"; [255]
(3) if "Tourism: Competing with the Best" was (a) subject to and (b) modified on account of an environmental appraisal using the guidance contained in "Policy Appraisal and the Environment" produced by the
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Mr. Sproat
[holding answer 22 November 1995]: In developing tourism policy the Government have been guided by the main conclusion of the tourism and environment task force, namely, that serious environmental problems caused by tourism are limited to a few locations at specific times. The task force also stated that many of these problems could be resolved through improved management; the Government responded by funding guidance publications and pilot projects. The recent report of the Environment Select Committee on the environmental impact of leisure activities agreed with the task force, finding no evidence that tourism and leisure pose a serious, immediate or intrinsic threat to the environment.
Department of the Environment; and if she will publish the appraisal. [253]
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