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Second Severn Crossing
27. Mr. Simon Coombs: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects the second Severn crossing and its access roads in Gwent to be fully open to traffic. [25659]
Mr. Richards: The concessionaire, Severn River Crossing plc, has announced that the official opening ceremony will take place on 5 June 1996. It is expected that the crossing and the Welsh approach road will be open to traffic on the following day.
Industrial Villages
Mr. Hain: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what actio he proposes to advance his support for industrial villages, in the valley programme area. [26364]
Mr. Hague: The hon. Member knows from our meeting on 16 April that I am prepared to consider any proposals received for developing the industrial village concept in the programme for the valleys area. My officials will be discussing further with representatives of Neath Port Talbot county borough council the proposals for the Dulais valley which the hon. Member put forward.
Training and Enterprise
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on training and enterprise in north Wales. [26829]
Mr. Richards: Extra-ordinary general meetings of the North East Wales and North West Wales training and enterprise councils were held on 9 April where it was agreed to create, through merger, a single TEC for the north Wales area.
In proposing the merger, the TECs consider that the long-term economic needs of north Wales would be best served by one organisation assuming responsibility for the delivery of training and enterprise support for local people and businesses across the whole of the area.
The merger is planned to take effect in April 1997. However, this will depend on a decision to be taken by the Welsh Office nearer the time on whether the proposed TEC is a suitable body to contract with for the delivery of the Government's training and enterprise programmes in north Wales. This decision will be taken in the light of the new organisation's memorandum and articles of association and its draft corporate and business plan--for
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1997-98 and beyond--when these documents have been produced, consulted on as appropriate and submitted to the Department.
Mr. Llwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations his Department has recently received from the British Dental Association; and if he will make a statement. [26988]
Mr. Richards:
The Welsh Office maintains regular, largely informal, contact with BDA representatives in Wales.
On 6 March this year, I met representatives of the Welsh council of the BDA, together with the Welsh general dental services committee of the BDA, to hear their views on a variety of topics. These included premature retirement for general dental practitioners; the £3 million initiative to increase NHS dental service provision in Wales; fluoridation of public water supplies; and the relationship between the Welsh Office and the profession in Wales.
Officials are happy to continue the present close relationship with the profession's representatives and to accommodate any request for more formal contact when required. I have agreed to meet them again when the need arises.
Mr. Barry Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what grant aid the Government have given to Welsh language education for the financial year 1996-97. [25652]
Mr. Richards:
The Government will be making available to schools and local authorities about £7.4 million towards Welsh language education in 1996-97.
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the directives which have affected his Department in each of the past three years and (a) the legislation introduced as a result of the directives, (b) the legislation which goes beyond the minimum standards set out in the directives and (c) the clauses within each piece of legislation which amplify the minimum standards set out in the directives. [27075]
Mr. Hague:
I will write to the hon. Member as soon as possible and place a copy of my reply in the Library of the House.
Mr. Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information he has on the numbers of cancelled operations in Welsh hospitals during 1995-96; and what numbers of those operations cancelled were reinstated within the patients charter guarantee period. [27310]
Mr. Hague:
Information on the number of cancelled operations in Welsh hospitals and the number of those operations which were reinstated within the patients charter guarantee period is not collected centrally. However, the number of patients admitted to Welsh hospitals and treated more than one month after a
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cancelled operation in the first three quarters of 1995-96 is shown in the following table. Information for the quarter ending 31 March 1996 is not yet available.
Mr. Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what further consideration has been given with respect to a request to the European Commission for a derogation from the 2000 deadline for the urban waste water treatment directive and the Cardiff East sewage works. [27328]
Mr. Hague:
The matter remains under consideration.
Mr. Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 22 April, Official Report, column 40, if he will list the health authorities which employ or plans to employ salaried dentists; and if they are full time or part time. [27305]
Mr. Hague:
The following health authorities currently employ salaried dentists to provide general dental services.
Mr. Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what further consultations he has had with the chairman of the South and East Wales Ambulance NHS trust concerning the level of management overheads and the need for further economies at management level; and when he expects to receive a further report on the future shape of the trust. [27309]
Mr. Hague:
My officials have had a number of discussions with the new chairman about the work he is doing to put the trust on a firm financial footing. The trust will continue to provide monthly financial progress reports and an operational plan for 1996-97 is expected by the end of May 1996.
Mr. Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 29 January, Official Report, column 599, if he will list the specific initiatives of the Health Promotion Authority for Wales which were targeted to those on low income; and what independent evaluation has been undertaken on their effectiveness. [27329]
Mr. Hague:
Initiatives relevant to those on low income undertaken by Health Promotion Wales, HPW, include:
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Evaluation is a component of all HPW's activities. The results are published in peer review journals or as specific HPW evaluation reports.
Mr. Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consideration he is giving to applying the recommendations of the nutrition task force and the low income project team to Wales. [27308]
Mr. Hague:
Responsibility for most health promotion matters in Wales has been devolved to health authorities. It is for them to decide how and to what extent they wish to take note of the recommendations of the nutrition task force in England when developing their local strategies.
Mr. Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the future provision for cancer statistics collection and dissemination; what provision will be made to (a) transfer and (b) retrain and upgrade the clerical staff of his Department and the Welsh Health Common Services Authority to the successor statistical collecting service; and what revisions he proposes to published cancer statistics to adjust for incorrectly recorded cancers. [27311]
Mr. Hague:
Proposals for the future management of the Wales cancer registry submitted by the Velindre NHS trust and the Welsh Combined Centres for Public Health are currently under consideration. I expect the management of the registry to transfer shortly.
The invitation for proposals to manage the registry set out clear performance targets, including targets for data accuracy, which the successful organisation will be expected to meet. Both Velindre and the combined centres put forward proposals which covered the staffing and staff training necessary to fulfil these performance requirements. It is intended that most of the managerial and operational aspects of the registry, including current managerial, clerical and IT staff, will be transferred to the new organisation. It is not intended that any staff will transfer from my Department to the registry.
The cancer registry revises data where necessary on an on-going basis, and this is reflected in its dissemination and publication of data.
Mr. Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has had from (a) clinicians and (b) others concerning the future of the Wales cancer registry and the recording of bone and other cancers. [27312]
Mr. Hague:
I am aware of having received four representations about the future of the cancer registry, one from a clinician.
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Quarter ending 30 June 1995: 65
Quarter ending 30 September 1995: 30
Quarter ending 31 December 1995: 43.
No further appointments are proposed at the present time.
North Wales: Two part time
Dyfed Powys: One full time and three part time
Gwent: One full time.
"Get Cooking": designed to improve the nutrition skills of individuals and promote health eating on a limited budget;
"Health Shopping Basket": designed to promote the availability of healthier eating products among small local retail outlets;
"Community Alcohol Education Materials": designed to encourage sensible drinking. Developed with the help of residents of a mid-Glamorgan village;
In addition, a large proportion of HPW's other work is as relevant to those on low income as it is to other groups within the population.
"Network of Health Promoting Schools": includes schools in areas of low income in Wales;
"Communities for Better Health": aims to encourage and support a network of local projects.
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