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Electromagnetic Fields (Cancer)

Mr. Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the relationship between electromagnetic fields and child leukaemia; if he will place copies of that research in the Library; and if he will make a statement. [15633]

Mr. Horam: Commissioned research relation to electromagnetic fields and childhood leukaemia includes:

a direct Department of Health contribution to the United Kingdom childhood cancer study--a five-year prospective study of childhood cancer being undertaken by the UK Coordinating Committee on Cancer Research--to which a substantial effort is also being devoted by the National Radiological Protection Board, which advises Government on radiation hazards;
a study by the NRPB, shortly to be published, of the possible effects of exposure to mains frequency EMF on the proliferation of cultured human cells;
NRPB-funded work at Oxford university investigating the possibility that weak EMF might damage genetic material. The Department is currently considering a number of other research projects for funding which bear on EMF and possible health effects.

16 Feb 1996 : Column: 741

In addition, a major evaluation of scientific publications on EMF and cancer has been undertaken by the NRPB's advisory group on non-ionising radiation under the chairmanship of Sir Richard Doll and was published in 1992. The Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment has endorsed the advisory group's report. Two brief supplementary reports, in 1993 and 1994, were published by the NRPB to take into account the results of epidemiological studies from Scandinavia and Canada. Copies of the advisory group's report and the supplementary documents are available in the Library.

The Department will continue to monitor the results of all research closely, and to maintain its support for research in these areas, consulting NRPB and COMARE as necessary.

Registered Home Tribunals

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the individuals who serve on registered home tribunals, by region, indicating their gender and occupation. [15662]

Mr. Bowis: The information requested is shown in the tables. The information requested is not kept by region as tribunal members may be required to attend tribunals in any area of the country.

Registered homes tribunal chairmen

Name(10)	Sex
C. Cradic	Male
E. Goodman	Female
M. Goodman	Male
D. Hershman	Male
P. Hughes QC	Male
A. C. Lauriston QC	Male
S. MacDonald	Female
M. Rowland	Male
M. Rutherford QC	Female
P. Singh	Male

(10) The persons listed are either solicitors or barristers.

Registered homes tribunal side members

Name(11)	Sex	Occupation
S. Adams	Female	Health authority inspection officer
Dr. A. Admani	Male	Retired consultant physician
C. Alford	Female	Nursing home owner
M. Attenborough	Male	Residential home owner
Dr. A. Banerjee	Male	Consultant physician
R. Bessell	Male	Former director of social services
M. Bishop	Male	Director of social services
R. Brooks	Male	Former director of social services
D. Browne	Male	Consultant in social care
E. Burquest	Female	Director of nursing and residential services
D. Carter	Male	Deputy director of social services
W. Churchill	Male	Executive secretary of an organisation representing independent sector care providers
R. Clough	Male	General secretary of a professional staff association
K. Coleman	Male	Deputy director of commissioning of a health authority
V. Coleman	Female	Health authority registration officer
J. Corbett	Male	Retired senior manager for social services
Dr. J. Cox	Male	Consultant physician
K. Dainty	Male	Head of health authority inspection unit
R. Doidge	Female	Director of nursing services
W. Dowridge	Male	Retired senior manager for social services
Dr. J. Dunlop	Male	Consultant in communicable disease
G. Dunn	Male	Retired director of social services, now consultant in voluntary sector
S. Entwistle	Female	Matron/manager of residential home
J. Fisher	Male	Residential home owner
Dr. G. Florschutz	Male	Medical practitioner
T. Galletly	Female	Nursing home owner
B. Garner	Male	Director of organisation representing independent sector care providers
S. Gilhespie	Female	Assistant director of social services
L. Gladwin	Female	Social work consultant
D. Graham	Female	Senior social worker
D. Grassie	Female	Head of health authority inspection unit
S. Hardwick	Male	Retired general secretary of organisation representing independent sector providers
G. Harper	Male	Director of social services
R. Humphries	Male	Consultant in social care
P. Jenkins	Female	Health authority inspector
M. Jobbins	Male	Local authority inspection officer
N. Kelly	Female	Matron in charge of nursing home
A. Kendall	Male	Retired director of voluntary organisation
M. Kreft	Male	Residential/nursing homes owner
J. Lowcock	Female	Nursing home owner/manager
B. Marcus	Male	Consultant surgeon
J. Mathieson	Female	Former assistant director of social services
R. Maurice	Male	Retired consultant surgeon
Dr. S. McDougall	Male	Retired physician
M. McGregor	Female	Nursing home owner/manager
S. Mead	Female	Head of local authority inspection unit
Dr. N. Merali	Male	General practitioner
R. Mills	Male	Director of voluntary organisation
B. Moorhouse	Male	Residential/nursing home owner
M. Nash	Female	Residential home owner
E. Newby	Female	Retired divisional director of social services
E. O'Farrell	Female	Director of voluntary organisation
G. Peacock	Female	Chief executive of voluntary organisation
J. Powell	Female	Consultant
J. Reynolds	Female	Chief executive of voluntary organisation
M. Score	Female	Retired social services manager
S. Scott	Female	Chief executive of voluntary organisation
E. Sherrington	Female	Chairman of voluntary organisation
H. Smith	Female	Head of health authority inspection unit
D. Stanley	Male	Deputy director of operations, social services
D. Stephenson	Male	Retired director of social services
R. Stewart	Male	Nursing home owner
G. Thomas	Male	Retired director of voluntary organisation
Dr. P. Tiplady	Male	District medical officer
Dr. C. Treves Brown	Male	Consultant psychiatrist
J. Tunstill	Female	Professor of social work studies
D. Tyler	Female	Health authority inspection officer
V. Tyndall	Male	Assistant director of housing for a local authority
D. Venables	Male	Chief executive of voluntary organisation
D. Wakefield	Male	Retired director of social services
F. Watts	Male	Consultant for homeowners
P. Westland	Male	Retired under-secretary of local authority association
K. White	Male	Director of voluntary organisation
M. Wilson	Female	Retired director of nursing services

(11) The persons listed are selected to hear particular cases on the basis of their expertise, to ensure that there is a balance of interests in each tribunal.

16 Feb 1996 : Column: 743

Professors of General Practice

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many professors of general practice are currently in post; and at which institutions [14806]

Mr. Forth: I have been asked to reply.

I understand that there are 23 professors of general practice in post: seven at schools of the university of London and the remainder at the universities of Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Dundee, Edinburgh, Exeter, Glasgow, Keele, Leeds, Leicester, Manchester, Newcastle upon Tyne, Nottingham, Sheffield and Southampton.

SOCIAL SECURITY

Child Support Agency

Ms Lynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security, pursuant to his answer on 16 January, Official Report, column 568 on accounting methods used by the Child Support Agency to calculate benefit savings, if he will place in the Library a copy of the audits carried out by Price Waterhouse in 1993-94 and 1994-95. [14523]

Mr. Andrew Mitchell: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Miss Ann Chant. She will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Ann Chant to Ms Liz Lynne, dated 15 February 1996:

I am replying to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Social Security about accounting methods used by the Child Support Agency.
The reports to which you refer were commissioned as a private study to examine areas the Agency already knew were in need of improvement. They were internal audits to assist CSA managers in of improving the administration of the Agency's business. A summary of the findings will be placed in the library shortly.
I hope this is helpful.

National Insurance

Mr. Batiste: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what methods his Department has to guarantee employees that their current or previous employers have forwarded their part of national insurance contributions.[15097]

16 Feb 1996 : Column: 744

Mr. Heald: The administration of national insurance operational matters is for Mrs. Faith Boardman, the chief executive of the Contributions Agency. She will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Faith Boardman to Mr. Spencer Batiste, dated 15 February 1996:

As Chief Executive of the Contributions Agency, I have responsibility for answering questions about operational matters relating to the Agency and the National Insurance (NI) scheme.
I have been asked to reply to your question regarding the methods used to guarantee employees that their current or previous employers have forwarded their part of National Insurance contributions (NICs).
A number of measures are in place which directly or indirectly monitor the requirement for employers to pay NICs and to ensure that the Agency receives these NICs.
Employers are required to make payments monthly (quarterly for some small employers) to the Collector of Taxes for tax and NICs due that month. At the end of the tax year the employer has to send a statement (P35) to the Inland Revenue of the years total of tax and NICs for all employees. The Inland Revenue ensures that the balance of payments due at that time is collected.
Employees' individual returns of tax and NICs are also sent to the Inland Revenue and forwarded to the Agency. Any discrepancies between the figures on the employer's annual statement (P35) and the aggregated total on the individual returns (P14s), are identified and followed up by the Agency. Missing individual returns may be identified by this process.
Employees' returns showing no NICs due but substantial tax earnings may be queried and followed up by the Agency with the employer (but there are still some legitimate reasons for tax due but no NICs due e.g., pension payments).
The Agency has a programme of visiting employers to check their compliance with NI law and to also offer advice and guidance. Around 10% of employers are scheduled for visit in 1995/96. The Inland Revenue also has a programme of making audit visits to employers; the Agency and Revenue work closely together to avoid duplication of effort.
The Agency has measures in place to enable employees themselves to identify any discrepancy. Firstly, an employee is entitled to a certificate (P60), at the end of the tax year, of the tax and NICs deducted. This P60 should be a copy of the P14 which the employer sends in. The employer may at that stage contact the Revenue or the Agency about any discrepancy or non receipt.
Once the majority of employers' end of year returns are expected to have been received, the Agency has an established system of sending individual notices to certain people for whom no contributions have been received or an amount insufficient to benefit qualification has been received. The Agency can take action to resolve any queries which are from these notices.
Whether or not a deficiency notice has been sent, an employee can ask the Agency at any time for a statement of their NICs received and their effect on benefit. These queries may also be received subsequent to a request for a state Retirement Pension Forecast. These statements record the recent tax years where there are any NI deficiencies and what may be done about that deficiency.

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