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HEALTH
Powered Wheelchairs
Mr. Thurnham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is the basis of his Department's own compliance cost assessment for the provision of powered wheelchairs; and what recent revision has been made to this assessment; [12076]
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Mr. Hayes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what consultations he has had with user groups concerning the funding of indoor-outdoor powered wheelchairs in the United Kingdom; [14596]
(3) what assessment has been made of the benefit to disabled people of indoor-outdoor powered wheelchairs; [14598]
(4) what consultations or correspondence his Department has had with health authorities concerning the funding of indoor-outdoor powered wheelchairs; [14599]
(5) what plans he has to extend the funding of indoor-outdoor powered wheelchairs throughout the United Kingdom; [14600]
(6) when the most recent assessment was made of the level of demand for indoor-outdoor powered wheelchairs. [14601]
Mr. Bowis:
We have already implemented the main recommendation of the McColl report on the organisation of the services providing artificial limbs, wheelchairs and appliances for disabled people which was, inter alia, to devolve responsibility for the wheelchair service to the national health service locally. In 1994 we set up a departmental working group to look at the feasibility of introducing a voucher scheme. The group also looked at the likely demand for, and the cost of providing, powered indoor-outdoor wheelchairs. In considering the findings of the working group we have taken into account the report of the Batteries Not Included Consortium and representations made to us by interested parties, including health authorities.
Responsibility for wheelchair provision in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales and for Scotland and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland respectively.
Mr. William O'Brien:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the criteria used by his Department when assessing the medical submissions by employees who apply for payment of pension benefits because of ill health. [13566]
Mr. Malone:
Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the NHS Pensions Agency under its chief executive, Mr. A. F. Cowan. I have asked him to reply to the hon. Member.
Letter from A. F. Cowan to Mr. William O'Brien, dated 14 February 1996:
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Dr. Lynne Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give a breakdown of the number of people who have died in each of the last five years as a result of kidney failure by (a) age group and (b) ethnic group; and what action he is taking to reduce the number of deaths from kidney failure. [14564]
Mr. Horam:
This information is not available in the form requested. The numbers of people who die from various diseases are published annually in "Mortality Statistics series DH2: Cause: England and Wales", copies of which are available in the Library. It is for individual health authorities to allocate resources to renal services based on an assessment of the needs of their population and taking account of local priorities.
Mr. Redmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the cost to the NHS of the purchase of Tri-Star ambulances; and what assessment he has made of their safety. [14452]
Mr. Horam:
The current contract price for a Tri-Star ambulance is £39,875, plus approximately £10,000 per vehicle for providing specialist equipment and stretchers. I am aware of one traffic accident involving a Tri-Star vehicle, which led to 19 vehicles being withdrawn from service pending further investigations of their allowable loaded rating. Other Tri-Star vehicles use a different chassis and continue to perform satisfactorily.
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Mr. Battle:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to establish a policy of public accountability for private patient activity in the NHS. [14504]
Mr. Malone:
The accountable officer's memoranda, issued by the chief executive of the national health service executive in March 1995, set out the responsibilities of chief executives for all income and expenditure incorporated in health bodys accounts.
Mr. Redmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the NHS trusts which have awarded an increase of less than 3 per cent. to nurses, indicating the percentage awarded; and if he will make a statement. [14484]
Mr. Malone:
Over 90 per cent. of nurses have received pay increases of 3 per cent. or more in 1995, as a result of local negotiations. Final information on settlements for other trusts is not yet available.
Mr. Congdon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the number of places for (a) over 65-year-olds and (b) over 75-year-olds per 1,000 in residential and nursing homes funded by social services departments in each local authority. [14322]
Mr. Bowis:
The number of residents supported in homes for the elderly by local authorities at 31 March 1995 per 1,000 population is shown in the table.
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(2) what assessment he has made of the report of the Batteries Not Included Consortium on the provision of powered wheelchairs, a copy of which has been sent to him. [12487]
(2) what progress has been made in implementing the central recommendations of the 1986 McColl report; [14597]
The Secretary of State for Health has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question as it falls within my area of responsibility.
The criterion for early payment of a NHS retirement pension on the grounds of ill-health is that the member must have a physical or mental infirmity that renders them permanently incapable of
efficiently discharging the duties of their employment. In this context permanent means that the member will not be able to resume their previous employment before the normal retirement age of 60.
Note:
(7) Rate is, for example, residents aged 65 or over supported by an LA divided by the population aged 65 or over of that LA. LAs may support residents outside their boundaries. They appear as supported residents for the LA but population for a different LA. Where this is the case, the supported residents per head figures will be exaggerated.
Source:
DH annual return SR1.
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