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Bankruptcy Costs
Mrs. Helen Jackson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what was the average cost of administering a bankruptcy in each of the last three years. [17469]
Mr. Oppenheim: Information on unit costs remains confidential until the conclusion of, and announcement of a decision on, the proposal for contracting our official receivers' case administration work. I will write to the hon. Member when an announcement has been made.
Directors' Disqualifications
Mrs. Helen Jackson: To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many directors were disqualified as a result of the work completed by the Insolvency Service; and how many directors were prosecuted for fraudulent trading as a result of work conducted by the Insolvency Service in the 12 months ended 31 January. [17464]
Mr. Oppenheim: During the 12 months ended 31 January 1996, 721 directors were disqualified and 26 directors were prosecuted for fraudulent trading.
ROM-Data Corporation
Mr. Coe: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what were the findings of his Department's inquiry into the circumstances of the grant of regional selective assistance for the ROM-Data Corporation. [18075]
Mr. Lang: I have today placed a report summarising the outcome of my Department's inquiry in the Library of the House.
Nigeria (Export Licences)
Mr. Byers: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list the number and type of export licences that his Department has (a) issued for non-lethal equipment to Nigeria between 20 January 1995 and 20 November 1995 and (b) issued for dual use equipment since 20 November 1995. [14893]
Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 12 February 1996]: A statistical analysis of export licences granted for military, para-military and security equipment granted during 1995 will shortly be placed in the Library of the House. The analysis will include all countries of destination for which these licences were issued, including Nigeria. I shall write to the hon. Member when this is done. Fourteen licences were issued for dual-use equipment between 20 January 1995 and 8 February 1996, as follows:
| Number of licences | Heading(3) |
|---|---|
| 9 | 1C |
| 1 | 2B |
| 3 | 3A |
| 1 | 5A2 |
(3) Headings under group 3 of part III of schedule 1 to the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994 and subsequently schedule 1 to the Dual-Use and Related Goods (Export Control) Regulations 1995.
27 Feb 1996 : Column: 440
Tandem plc
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will list all grants made by development agencies and other Government-funded bodies to Tandem and its subsidiaries, including British Eagle Cycles of Newtown; and if he will make a statement. [16207]
Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 22 February 1996]: The information requested is not collated. I have no record of my Department having made grants to either of these businesses.
Company Grants
Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on the practice of relocation by companies in search of grants between areas where grants are available. [16224]
Mr. Oppenheim [holding answer 22 February 1996]: The Government's regional policy aims to attract companies to the assisted areas. However, grants are not available simply for relocation to those areas. Any assistance must normally bring about a significant net increase in employment.
HEALTH
Medium Secure Facilities
Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will undertake research to establish whether the use by health authorities and NHS trusts of privately owned medium secure facilities for detained patients costs more than using equivalent provision in NHS units; [16785]
- (2) if the increased number of purpose-built medium secure beds is expected to eliminate the need for the use of privately owned medium secure facilities. [16786]
Mr. Bowis: The availability of medium secure places in the independent sector provides health authorities with a greater choice. Selection of suitable places is a matter for health authorities who are responsible for commissioning services in a way which makes the best use of available resources to meet the needs of their population.
Beds and Staff
Mr. Alan W. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage change there has been since 1979 in the number of (a) hospital beds in the NHS, (b) full-time equivalent nursing staff and (c) bureaucrats and administrative staff. [13248]
Mr. Malone:
Information on the average daily number of available beds in 1979 is published in the "Statistical Bulletin: NHS Hospital Activity Statistics 1979-1990/91". Information for 1994-95 is published in "Bed Availability for England: 1994-95". Copies of these documents are available in the Library.
27 Feb 1996 : Column: 441
| 1979 | 1994 | Percentage change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| HCHS general and senior managers and administrative and clerical staff(4) | 102,960 | 157,560 | 53 |
| HCHS and GMS nursing and midwifery staff(5) | (6)278,760 | 346,700 | n/a |
| Excluded from the nursing and midwifery figures above: | |||
| Learners(7) | 76,650 | 11,080 | -- |
| Project 2000 students(7) | n/a | 32,000 | -- |
Notes:
(4) There were 41,270 GMS practice managers and other administrative staff in 1994; comparable figures are not available for 1979.
(5) HCHS agency staff and "learners" are excluded.
(6) Figure does not take into account the reduction in nurses standard working hours in 1980-81 from 40 to 37.5 hours a week, and is not directly comparable with the figure given for 1994.
(7) Learners are nurses on traditional nurse training courses, spending the majority of their time on patient care, and are directly employed by the NHS HCHS. Project 2000 training was introduced in 1989 and has gradually replaced traditional pre-registration nurse training. Project 2000 students are funded by bursaries, they are supernumerary not employees, and are thus excluded from the WTE count of NHS HCHS nursing staff. Figures for Project 2000 students are headcounts and should not be added to other figures which are whole-time equivalents.
HCHS figures are as at 30 September for each year. GMS figures are as at 1 October for each year. All figures are rounded to the nearest ten. Percentages are calculated using unrounded figures.
n/a denotes not applicable.Source:
Returns from SH3 and KHO3.
Department of Health annual Non-Medical Workforce Census and bi-annual General Medical Practitioner Census.
Departmental Officials (Interests)
Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the officials in his Department who have declared a current interest; what requirements are placed on officials to declare relevant interests; in what form records of such declarations are kept; and if he will establish a central register of officials' interests. [16880]
Mr. Horam: There is a requirement in the Department's conditions of service manual that staff faced with a conflict of business interest, which they may be able to further as a result of their official position, must declare this to their personnel section. They must comply with any subsequent instruction from the Department regarding such interests. I see no need for the establishment of a central register of officials' interests.
Kidney Transplant Patients
Mrs. Wise:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will exempt from prescription charges kidney transplant patients who have to take drugs on a lifelong basis. [16898]
27 Feb 1996 : Column: 442
Mr. Malone:
We have no plans to extend the medical exemption arrangements.
Ms Harman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if (a) St. Thomas's hospital, (b) King's College hospital and (c) St. George's hospital, Tooting have a co-payment scheme for in vitro fertilisation treatment patients. [16737]
Mr. Horam:
None of these hospitals has such a scheme.
Ms Harman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if patients treated at the assisted conception unit at Chelsea and Westminster hospital are seen by NHS consultants in NHS time; [16740]
(3) if he will make a statement on the assisted conception unit at the Chelsea and Westminster hospital. [16780]
Mr. Horam:
The assisted conception unit at Chelsea and Westminster hospital opened in November 1995. Since opening, it has provided 11 cycles of in vitro fertilisation treatment to national health service patients and eight cycles to private patients.
In 1996-97 the unit aims to undertake 600 cycles of IVF. At present, it has two contracts with health authorities to provide a total of 270 cycles to the NHS during 1996-97.
Both NHS and private patients are seen by consultants working under the terms of their contracts with the Chelsea and Westminster NHS trust.
At present private patients at the unit are charged £800 for each cycle of IVF treatment. Health authorities are charged an identical amount for NHS patients. This is projected to cover the trust's costs and deliver an appropriate return on capital during the first full year of operation--1996-97--and subsequently, if business plan projections are met.
Ms Harman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he has taken external legal advice about whether patients of the assisted conception unit at Chelsea and Westminster hospital are national health service patients or private patients. [16739]
(2) what charge is made to patients at the assisted conception unit at Chelsea and Westminster hospital; and what it covers; [16741]
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