---

Iraq (Defence-related Exports)

Mr. Kirkwood: To ask the Prime Minister when he first learned of the 1988 amendments to the 1985 Howe guidelines into defence-related exports to Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [17821]

The Prime Minister [holding answer 27 February 1996]: The first time I learned that a change in the guidelines had been considered in 1988 was in a minute from my private secretary dated 13 November 1992.

Mr. Omar al Hassan

Miss Emma Nicholson: To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions in 1994 he met Mr. Omar al Hassan; and if he will make a statement. [17853]

The Prime Minister: As far as I am aware, once, at a speaking engagement.

Millennium Exhibition

Mr. Booth: To ask the Prime Minister what part he envisages that Government will play in relation to the millennium exhibition; and if he will make a statement. [18342]

The Prime Minister: The Government very much welcome the announcement by the Millennium Commission of its decision to stage a national millennium exhibition in Greenwich. This visionary and exciting scheme will enable the whole nation to mark this significant event in a wholly appropriate way. It should also encourage large numbers of overseas visitors to join in our national celebrations during the millennium year.

28 Feb 1996 : Column: 548

Arrangements for the millennium exhibition are the responsibility of the independent Millennium Commission. The exhibition will be funded by the Commission from its share of national lottery proceeds and from private sector contributions. Given its scale, the event will, raise many issues to which the Government have to respond.

In order to ensure that the Government's participation in this significant national event is well planned and co-ordinated, I have asked the First Secretary of State and Deputy Prime Minister to convene a ministerial group with the following terms of reference:

"to oversee the Government's role in relation to the Millennium Festival and to take forward any necessary planning of the Government's involvement in this event."

In addition to the chairman, members of the group will be as follows:

Chancellor of the Exchequer
Secretary of State for the Home Department
Secretary of State for the Environment
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Secretary of State for National Heritage
Lord Privy Seal
Secretary of State for Transport
Secretary of State for Scotland
Secretary of State for Wales

Other Ministers will be invited to attend for items in which they have a departmental interest.

The Government will do all they can to assist the Millennium Commission to ensure that the millennium festival is an outstanding successful national event.

Hong Kong

Mr. Byers: To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to meet Mr. C. H. Tung, Mr. Rong Yiren, Mr. David Choy, Mr. Tsui Tsin-tong, Mr. George Cardona and Mr. Algy Cluff during his forthcoming visit to Hong Kong. [17864]

The Prime Minister: I hope to meet a broad range of business men, politicians and other opinion formers.

HEALTH

GPs' Expenditure

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will announce the conclusions of the joint review of monitoring and forecasting of general practitioners' expenditure. [17802]

Mr. Malone: There is no such review.

Medium Secure Units

Dr. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in which regions the five privately owned medium secure registered mental nursing homes visited by the mental Health Act Commission are situated; and what are their names and locations. [16784]

28 Feb 1996 : Column: 549

Mr. Bowis: The Mental Health Act Commission sixth biennial report 1993 to 1995 refers to visits to the following five private and charitable medium secure registered nursing homes:

Hospital	Region
Stockton Hall Hospital, The Village, Stockton on the Forest, Yorkshire YO3 9UN	Northern and Yorkshire
Llanarth Court Hospital, Llanarth, Raglan, Gwent NP5 2YD	Wales
St. John's House Hospital, Lion Road, Palgrave, Diss, Norfolk IP22 1BA	Anglia and Oxford
Kneesworth House Hospital, Bassingbourne cum Kneesworth, Royston, Hertfordshire SG8 5JP	Anglia and Oxford
St. Andrew's Hospital, Billing Road, Northampton NN1 5DG	Anglia and Oxford

Ministerial Accountability

Mrs. Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to paragraph K8.1 of the Scott report relating to ministerial accountability, what additional measures he proposes to ensure his Department's compliance with paragraph 27 of "Questions of Procedure for Ministers". [17310]

Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 26 February 1996]: I refer the hon. Member to the speech made by my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade on 26 February, Official Report, columns 589-604.

Hospital Closures

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals have closed by region in each of the last five years. [18059]

Mr. Horam: The Department does not routinely collect information on hospital closures. Information is available centrally only on proposals to close or change the use of health service facilities which are referred to Ministers for a decision following objections from a community health council. A list of such closures for the period January 1992 to December 1995 is available in the Library, and is updated quarterly.

Ms Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review the hospital closure programme. [18060]

Mr. Horam: The Government do not have a hospital closure programme. Decisions on closing, opening, or significantly changing the use of hospital facilities are for local management.

MRSA

Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will name the non-national health service hospitals which have reported methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infections; [17088]

28 Feb 1996 : Column: 550

(2) how monitoring of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infection in private hospitals, residential and nursing home care is conducted; and what protection from expulsion and exclusion from such facilities is available to clients; [17089]

(3) what number of United Kingdom hospitals have been infected with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus; what percentage this is of all United Kingdom hospitals; and what mechanism is available to advise the public of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus outbreaks; [17084]

(4) how many persons are known to have been infected, within NHS hospitals, by methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus; and what was the total number of persons infected in the last 12 months for which figures are available; [17085]

(5) if he will name the hospitals in England and Wales which have recorded cases of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus and the number of cases at each hospital. [17086]

Mr. Horam: The public health laboratory service maintains aggregate data on MRSA as part of its national surveillance of communicable disease and infection, compiled from requests submitted by hospitals--both NHS and private--and from the community for the typing of isolates. These aggregate data do not identify individual hospitals or patients.

Information about an outbreak of MRSA will be provided, as required, by the hospital's "Outbreak Control Group".

MRSA is an uncommon cause of infection in the community. However, we shall shortly be issuing guidance on MRSA and infection control in general to the managers of residential and nursing homes and their registration officers.

Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued on avoidance of cross contamination of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus in NHS patients. [17087]

Mr. Horam: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Carmarthen (Mr. Williams) on 22 January, Official Report, columns 16-17.

Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department is currently undertaking into the incidence of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus; and how many strains have been detected. [17083]

Mr. Horam: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Carmarthen (Mr. Williams) on 22 January, Official Report, columns 15-16. The public health laboratory service has described 16 strains of epidemic methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus.

Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths in the last 12 months for which figures are available resulted from methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus infection. [17092]

28 Feb 1996 : Column: 551

Mr. Horam: In 1994, the latest year for which figures are available, there were a total of 102 deaths from staphylococcal infection, of which eight resulted from methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus.

---