| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Health Authority Cars
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cars, and of what engine capacity, were provided for senior managers and board members of (1) the former Yorkshire regional health authority, (2) the former Northern regional health authority and (3) the present Yorkshire and Northern regional health authority in each year since 1992. [22895]
Mr. Malone: The available information is shown in the table.
| Northern regional health authority | Yorkshire regional health authority | Northern and Yorkshire regional health authority | Northern and Yorkshire regional office | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992-93 | 101 | 261 | -- | -- |
| 1993-94 | 124 | 224 | -- | -- |
| 1994-95 | -- | -- | 231 | -- |
| 1995-96 | -- | -- | 87 | -- |
| 1996-97 | -- | -- | -- | 44 |
1. Engine capacity varied from 1100 cc to 2500 cc. The costs of any car in excess of a base vehicle were borne by the employee.
2. Leases were issued using the terms laid down by Whitley Council.
Community Health Councils (Chief Officers)
Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations he has received from (a) individual community health councils, (b) the Association of Community Health Councils in England and Wales and (c) other organisations in respect of his Department's proposed regrading procedure of community health council chief officers; and if he will make a statement; [25459]
- (2) if he will list those community health councils whose chief officer will financially (a) gain and (b) lose from his Department's proposed regrading procedure of community health council chief officers; and if he will make a statement. [25458]
Mr. Horam: The Department has not proposed a formal regrading procedure for community health council chief officers. The national health service executive has recently completed some exploratory work into how a common national framework for chief officer gradings might be created. Regional offices of the NHS executive may choose to use that work as a basis for any regrading of chief officer posts taking into account any other local factors that they consider appropriate. A letter setting this out was sent to regional offices on 14 February and copies will be placed in the Library.
Written representations about the letter have been received from the Trent Regional Association of Community Health Councils, the Society of Community Health Council Staff, and Sheffield Community Health Council. The Association for Community Health Councils for England and Wales also made representations about the letter at a meeting with me on 26 March 1996.
17 Apr 1996 : Column: 531
Mr. Byers:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many files marked "Not for National Audit Office Eyes" are currently held by his Department. [24848]
Mr. Horam:
The marking "Not for NAO Eyes" is used in accordance with an agreement between the Treasury and National Audit Office, under which documents relating to the handling of relations between Departments and the National Audit Office and Public Accounts Committee are not automatically available to the NAO while they are current.
The usual practice in the Department is to assign the marking to individual documents rather than to files. Information on the number of documents so marked could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Alfred Morris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what fees were paid by the South Manchester University Hospital NHS trust to the Audit Commission in 1995-96; what audit work was carried out by the commission during the year; what part the commission had in discovering the accountancy error that led to the closure of 64 NHS beds in Manchester, and if he will make a statement. [25295]
Mr. Horam:
The Audit Commission played no part in discovering the accounting error. The payment of fees is a matter for South Manchester University Hospitals National Health Service trust and the right hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. Peter Hadfield, trust chairman, for details.
Mr. Alfred Morris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what additional funding is made available to hospital trusts to take account of the proximity to airports and motorways; [25296]
Mr. Horam:
Trusts are not funded directly by my Department but from contracts with purchasers.
The proximity to airports and the motorway network will impact mainly on accident and emergency work and be reflected in the contracts for this work placed with trusts by their host health authority.
Mr. Alton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many partial birth abortions have been carried out for the latest year for which figures are available; [25298]
17 Apr 1996 : Column: 532
Mr. Horam:
We are not aware of this procedure being used in the United Kingdom. Methods of abortion are a matter of clinical judgment.
Mr. Alton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued on partial birth abortion. [25299]
(2) what extra funding was made available in the last financial year to the South Manchester University Hospital NHS trust to take account of its proximity to Manchester Airport and the motorway network. [25297]
(2) if he will make it his policy to ban the technique of partial birth abortion in the United Kingdom. [25300]
State Pensions
Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people's national insurance contributions record leaves them without entitlement to a full retirement pension; and how many of these are (a) women below retirement age and (b) women above retirement age. [20736]
Mr. Heald [pursuant to his reply 19 March, Official Report, column 181]: The information I provided was incomplete. A revised answer follows.
At 31 March 1995, 4,642,330 people over state pension age in Great Britain were in receipt of either a contributory or non-contributory state retirement pension below the standard rate of basic retirement pension. Of these, 4,449,500 were women.
Some people who are over the state pension age and not in receipt of state pension may be deferring their pension in order to earn increments.
Equivalent information is not available for people under state pension age or for people over state pension age who have no entitlement to any state pension.
Mr. Luff:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people's national insurance contributions record leaves them without entitlement to any state retirement pension. [20735]
Mr. Heald:
The information is not available in the format requested.
The number of people over state pension age, 60 for women and 65 for men, in 1995 is projected to be 10.4 million 1 .
At 31 March 1995 the number of people over state pension age who receive some contributory retirement pension was 9.6 million 2 .
The table gives a detailed breakdown of this figure. In addition:
17 Apr 1996 : Column: 533
At September 1994 the number of people receiving widows benefit in place of retirement pension was 47,000 3 .
Source:
10 per cent. sample of Pension Strategy Computer System.
Notes:
1. The figures do not include people receiving Incapacity Benefit or Widows Benefit in place of Retirement Pension.
2. The figures include 540 men and 1,688,000 women who are not entitled to a full pension on their own national insurance record, but receive a full pension based on their deceased spouses contribution record.
| Number of beneficiaries | |
|---|---|
| Category A basic pension--men | 3,322,150 |
| Category A basic pension--women | 2,421,010 |
| Category BL basic pension--women | 1,259,300 |
| Category ABL basic pension--women | 696,600 |
| Category B--widows | 1,751,190 |
| Category B--widowers | 540 |
| Category A or B additional pension only | 14,880 |
| Graduated Retirement Benefit without Category A or B | 125,910 |
| Total | 9,591,580 |
Note:
Key to table:
Cat A--pension derived from own contributions.
Cat BL--pension derived from spouse' contributions (figure includes a small proportion with underlying entitlement to Cat A pension where both husband and wife reached State Pension age before 6/4/79). Full rate is approximately 60 per cent. of Cat A rate.
Cat ABL--pension derived from both own and spouse's contributions. Full rate is approximately 60 per cent. of Cat A rate.
Cat B--pension derived from late spouse's contributions. Full rate same as Cat A.
Source:
(8) Government Actuary. Projection for 1995 based on 1994 population figures.
(9) 10 per cent. sample of Pension Strategy Computer System.
(10) 10 per cent. sample of Pension Strategy Computer System.
(11) 1. A small proportion may have no underlying entitlement to State Retirement Pension.
Source1 per cent. sample of all claims to Invalidity Benefit in GB, rounded to nearest thousand.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |