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Social Services Information
Mr. Boateng: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has given local authorities advice on the purchase of social service information database systems. [14098]
Mr. Bowis: My Department has issued in various contexts advice on the importance of soundly based local information systems, and has provided nearly £50 million of supplementary credit approvals in cash terms over the period 1991-92 to 1995-96 for the purchase of computers and systems as part of the implementation of "Caring of People". The Department has also from time to time supported projects to develop information systems of use to social services departments, but in all cases decision to purchase a system is one for individual authorities to take.
Empty Buildings
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many empty buildings his Department currently owns; what is the cost of insuring and securing these buildings; how many were designed as residential properties; and what was the total amount spent by his Department on empty property taxes in each of the last five years. [14572]
Mr. Horam: The buildings occupied by the Department of Health are part of the Government common user estate. Vacant buildings on the common user estate are the responsibility of Property Holdings. Over the last five years, the Department of Health has not incurred any costs in respect of empty taxes on the common user estate.
Paediatric Consultant Posts
Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS paediatric consultant posts are (a) currently unfilled or (b) filled by a locum; and how many of the vacant posts have been unfilled for (i) six months, (ii) 12 months, (iii) 18 months and (iv) 24 months. [14525]
Mr. Malone: Data are not available in the form requested. The available information is shown in the table.
WTE = whole time equivalents.
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Mr. Steen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how he ensures that the negotiating brief for his officials discussing EU legislation takes fully into account the need to minimise the burdens on United Kingdom business. [13715]
Mr. Horam:
Guidance on how officials are to apply deregulatory principles when negotiating EC regulations is contained in the booklet "Getting a Good Deal in Europe". This guidance has been supplemented by the recent publication of guidance on the preparation of compliance cost assessments, which stresses that the likely burdens on business highlighted by United Kingdom compliance cost assessment of EC proposals should be integral to the UK's negotiating strategy. Copies of both pieces of guidance are in the Library.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statutory responsibility applies to the licensing authority in respect of the protection of public health from unsafe medicines. [14296]
Mr. Malone:
Functions of the competent authorities of member states in respect of the licensing of medicinal products for human use are laid down in directive 65/65/EEC and subsequent EC legislation. For the United Kingdom, these functions fall to the licensing authority and these obligations and licensing requirements are set out in SI 1994/3144, the Medicines Acts and other relevant subordinate legislation. The requirements are intended to ensure that unsafe medicines are not marketed, and to safeguard public health.
Mr. Alex Carlile:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the services of (a) NHS general practitioners and (b) health visitors are available to refugee and asylum seekers; and if he will make a statement. [14492]
Mr. Malone:
Refugees and asylum seekers have access to any NHS services which are immediately required.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the risks posed by (a) second and (b) third generation oral contraceptives. [14293]
Mr. Malone:
The safety of second and third generation combined oral contraceptives has been assessed according to normal procedures over a period of many years since they were first marketed. In October 1995, the Committee on Safety of Medicines, an independent expert advisory committee which advises the licensing authority, reviewed the safety of these oral contraceptives after new evidence about the cardiovascular risks associated with them became available. I refer the hon. Member to the statement my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made in the House on 23 October 1995, Official Report, columns 701-02.
Mr. Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the licensing authority will vary the product licences of combined oral contraceptives containing desogestrel and gestodene. [14295]
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Mr. Malone:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) on 19 December 1995, Official Report, column 1149.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths attributable to paracetamol were reported via the yellow card system for each year from 1990 to 1995; and what proportion of fatal reports received these deaths represented for each year. [14294]
Mr. Malone:
The available information is shown in the table.
| Year received | Reports with a fatal outcome where paracetamol is a suspect drug (percentage of all fatal) | All reports where paracetamol is a suspect drug | Total number of reports to all human medicinal products with a fatal outcome | Total number of reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 3(0.91) | 65 | 328 | 17,963 |
| 1991 | 2(0.43) | 56 | 467 | 19,492 |
| 1992 | 1(0.22) | 60 | 455 | 20,184 |
| 1993 | 3(0.64) | 60 | 471 | 18,082 |
| 1994 | 1(0.25) | 43 | 408 | 17,566 |
| 1995 | 3(0.63) | 49 | 476 | 17,749 |
The table provides information on the numbers of reports of suspected adverse drug reactions received by the Committee on Safety of Medicines from health professionals over the period1990-1995. This includes the number of reports associated with paracetamol and with all drugs and the number associated with a fatal outcome. A report does not necessarily mean that the reaction was caused by the drug. Many factors influence reporting rate, comparisons across drugs may therefore be misleading.
Bradford Health Commission
Mr. Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to announce the name of the chairman of the Bradford health commission. [14468]
Mr. Horam: Mrs. Zahida Manzoor was named as chairman of the proposed Bradford health authority in a press release issued by the Northern and Yorkshire regional office of the NHS executive on 21 December 1995.
GP Fundholding
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 31 January, Official Report, column 810, when information on GP fundholding savings will be available. [14890]
Mr. Malone: Information about fundholder efficiency savings for 1994-95 will not be available until final audits are completed.
Mr. Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has given to general practitioner fundholders via their family health service authorities concerning the placing of contracts for their long waiting list patients with individual private consultants and
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BUPA; and if he will place a copy of such guidance notes in the Library. [14884]
Mr. Malone:
The 1994 review of contracting guidance, which was issued to general practitioner fundholders, as well as district health authorities, encourages them to secure the best quality and value for money services possible from either NHS or independent sector providers. A copy of the guidance, EL(93)103, is in the Library.
Mr. Milburn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the average cost of a psychiatric bed in each year since 1980. [14876]
| Year | Unit cost £ |
|---|---|
| 1980-81 | 16,600 |
| 1981-82 | 17,000 |
| 1982-83 | 17,000 |
| 1983-84 | 17,500 |
| 1984-85 | 18,300 |
| 1985-86 | 18,800 |
| 1986-87 | 20,500 |
| 1987-88 | 24,000 |
| 1988-89 | 26,300 |
| 1989-90 | 27,500 |
| 1990-91 | 28,700 |
| 1991-92 | 36,200 |
| 1992-93 | 38,500 |
| 1993-94 | 39,500 |
1. All figures are rounded to the nearest £100 and are expressed in real terms at 1993-94 prices using the gross domestic product deflators issued by Treasury on 20 November 1995.
2. Unit costs are calculated by dividing expenditure by available beds in the mental health sector of Hospital and Community Services.
3. Figures for 1991-92 onwards cannot be compared with those for earlier years due to changes in accounting practices following the NHS reforms.
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what he estimates the level of savings to be from psychiatric bed closures since 1986. [14877]
Mr. Bowis: The reprovision programme for mental health has been geared to improved care and treatment of mentally ill patients. Closure or adaptations of old-style long-stay hospitals have resulted in resources being available for the provision of a spectrum of care, including new long-stay beds, hospitals, hostel and supported accommodation and services to support patients in home and homely settings. It is not possible to estimate an exact figure for this.
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