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Clinical Negligence Scheme
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those trusts which (a) are and (b) are not members of the clinical negligence scheme in each region. [14774]
Mr. Malone:
The latest information will be placed in the Library.
12 Feb 1996 : Column: 464
Mr. Milburn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people his Department estimates need access to medium-secure psychiatric care; and how many beds are available in each region. [14878]
Mr. Bowis:
The Glancy committee in 1974 recommended a total of 1,000 medium secure beds. By 1979, there were none provided. We are now on target to reach a total of 1,200 places in medium-secure units by the end of this year. A further 300 secure places are being developed from the mainstream NHS capital programme. In addition, there are about 450 places in other secure units and some 400 NHS-purchased places in the independent sector.
Assessment of further local needs is the responsibilities of the health authorities concerned.
For the number of beds in each NHS region, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Dr. Jones) on 5 February, Official Report, columns 19-20.
Mr. Milburn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to ensure that owners, managers and staff of registered homes for the elderly are subject to police checks. [14874]
Mr. Bowis:
The Registered Homes Act 1984 requires local and health authorities to ensure that anyone running or intending to run a residential care or nursing home is suitable to do so. Departmental guidance has been issued about procedures for making criminal checks on applicants for registration as owners or managers of homes. Regulations under the Act require anyone running a home to provide adequate and suitable staff, and it is for employers to ensure that procedures are in place for vetting prospective employees.
Mr. Milburn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 531, when he will make available the special transitional grant figures. [14892]
Mr. Bowis:
The Audit Commission is following up the outstanding audited returns for the 1994-95 special transitional grant. Final figures will not be available until all returns have been received and any queries raised by the auditors resolved with the local authorities concerned.
Mr. Milburn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish indicative budgets for the special transitional grant in 1996-97; and what conditions will be applied to it. [14875]
Mr. Bowis:
Indicative allocations of the special transitional grant for 1996-97 were issued to local authorities on 30 November. The conditions to be attached to the special transitional grant for 1996-97 will be announced shortly.
Mrs. Ann Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review his policy that, in the
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event of a doctor being instructed by a local authority to carry out the examination of a child for signs of sexual abuse, the doctor does not owe a duty of care to the child or parents; and if he will make a statement. [14724]
Mr. Bowis:
It is a matter of law, not policy, as set out in the judgment in the House of Lords in the case of M(A minor) and Another v. Newham London borough council that the doctor's duties in such cases are to the local authority by whom he is instructed.
Mrs. Ann Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review his policy that, under the hospital consultants complaints procedure, a complaint to the health service commissioner about a consultant's clinical judgment cannot progress to stage 3 if the consultant in question does not agree to co-operate; and if he will make a statement. [14725]
Mr. Horam:
Under the existing legislation, the Health Service Commissioner may not investigate a complaint about action arising solely from the exercise of clinical judgment. The Government have introduced a Bill to extend the commissioner's jurisdiction to cover complaints about clinical judgment, and this is being considered currently by Parliament. The commissioner has wide-ranging powers to require co-operation with his investigations where necessary. There are no plans to change this.
Mr. Milburn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 25 January, Official Report, column 373, what has been the annual expenditure on mental health services in each year since 1988-89 in each region. [14889]
Mr. Bowis:
The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. David Young:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) administrative and (b) medical staff were on the staff of each Bolton hospital in each of the last five years. [10465]
Mr. Malone
[holding answer 22 January 1996]: The number of staff in each Bolton hospital is not available centrally.
Bolton Hospitals national health service trust attained trust attained trust status in April 1994. The only year for which administrative and clerical staff figures are available is 1994. Before then, administrative and clerical staff at the district health authority provided some services to directly managed units and so comparable figures for earlier years are not available.
The number of administrative and clerical staff is collected by the Department of Health's non-medical work force census. The census results are published at national level in a statistical bulletin, copies of which are available in the Library. Regional tables for the 1994 census will also be placed in the Library shortly. Results are not normally published below regional level but are
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available on request for 1994 at health authority, trust or directly managed unit level. Only limited detailed figures are available for earlier years.
Figures for medical staff are collected by the Department of Health's medical and dental work force census. Since some medical staff are reported at regional level rather than by the individual organisations for which they work it is not possible to identify all medical staff in individual organisations. The results of the medical and dental work force census are available at national and regional level in the Library.
Mr. Bradley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will name the consortia bidding to act as prime contractors for the automated benefit payment scheme; when he will make a final decision on the contract; who will be the first group to receive the card; and when the system will become fully operational. [11752]
Mr. Heald:
The final three shortlisted service providers are; Cardlink, UK, IBM and Pathway. Subject to a successful completion of the procurement process, we expect to award a contract by late spring. Our current planning assumption is that the first group to be issued with a benefit payment card will be child benefit customers, although this may be subject to change. It is expected that the first payments by card will be made in the autumn with full roll-out taking up to three years from that date.
Mr. Rooney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if the proposed social security smart card will bear a photograph of the claimant and have a memory capacity. [14862]
Mr. Heald:
The card technology and security features are a matter for the supplier under the private finance initiative.
Decisions will not be finalised until a successful supplier is chosen. It is not mandatory for the initial version to be a smart card, but there will be provision to migrate to a smart card technology in the future if required.
Mr. Chris Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what effect the possession of a nursery voucher will have (a) on a claimant's entitlement to income-related benefits and (b) on the child care disregard under family credit and disability working allowance. [13094]
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Mr. Roger Evans:
Possession of nursery education vouchers will not generally affect entitlement to income-related benefits. In family credit and disability working allowance, parents will continue to be eligible for help with the child care charges for which they pay, subject to the normal qualifying conditions.
References:
DH Statistical Bulletin Non-medical Workforce Census: 95/18;
DH Statistical Bulletin Non-medical Workforce Census: 1994/11;
DH Statistical Bulletin Non-medical Workforce Census: 13/93;
DH Statistical Bulletin Non-medical Workforce Census: 1/93;
DH Statistical Bulletin 1995/14: Medical and Dental Workforce Census 1984-1994;
DH Hospital Medical Staff--England and Wales Regional Tables 30 September 1994.
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