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Biomedical Research

Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received concerning conflicts of interest in biomedical research where Government bodies fund such research; and if he will make a statement. [29561]

Mr. Malone: We have received no representations concerning conflicts of interest in biomedical research where Government bodies fund such research.

Children (Part-time Employment)

Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his Department's latest estimate of the number of children under 16 years of age who are in part-time employment; and how many of these have a work permit issued by their local education authority. [29762]

Mr. Bowis: The information is not available centrally.

NHS Funding

Mr. Mark Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will announce the 1996-97 hospital and community health services revenue and capital initial cash limits for the new health authorities. [30301]

20 May 1996 : Column: 77

Mr. Dorrell: The initial revenue and capital cash limits for the new health authorities are given in the table.

Initial revenue and capital health authority cash limits 1996-97

£ Thousands
Health authority	Revenue	Capital
Avon	446,698	1,154
Barking and Havering	177,756	150
Barnet	156,473	150
Barnsley	105,813	50
Bedfordshire	219,196	207
Berkshire	306,754	2,263
Bexley and Greenwich	218,162	150
Birmingham	486,127	0
Bradford	221,047	166
Brent and Harrow	240,436	150
Bromley	139,767	150
Buckinghamshire	257,079	142
Bury and Rochdale	190,905	50
Calderdale and Kirklees	259,116	150
Cambridge and Huntingdon	172,426	171
Camden and Islington	267,128	150
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly	222,276	30
County Durham	284,093	143
Coventry	132,500	0
Croydon	151,840	150
Doncaster	142,523	50
Dorset	318,759	269
Dudley	129,748	0
Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow	355,007	150
East and North Hertfordshire	207,626	150
East Kent	278,584	125
East Lancashire	238,011	50
East London and the City	371,616	150
East Norfolk	272,670	396
East Riding	254,870	143
East Surrey	210,147	125
East Sussex, Brighton and Hove	362,816	150
Enfield and Haringey	246,813	150
Gateshead and South Tyneside	183,047	150
Gloucestershire	245,530	35
Herefordshire	69,232	0
Hillingdon	115,707	150
Isle of Wight	66,049	103
Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster	255,849	150
Kingston and Richmond	153,982	150
Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham	429,493	150
Leeds	357,241	310
Leicestershire	372,566	75
Lincolnshire	272,460	75
Liverpool	243,585	50
Manchester	242,731	50
Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth	325,262	150
Morecambe Bay	148,295	50
Newcastle and North Tyneside	241,703	150
North and East Devon	220,671	48
North and Mid Hampshire	210,883	1,216
North Cheshire	140,382	50
North Cumbria	141,757	143
North Derbyshire	161,168	63
North Essex	360,399	150
North Nottinghamshire	168,652	63
North Staffordshire	213,409	127
North West Anglia	173,966	83
North West Lancashire	240,451	50
North Yorkshire	306,549	143
Northamptonshire	244,615	158
Northumberland	140,212	143
Nottingham(15)	277,152	-1,925
Oxfordshire	234,274	192
Portsmouth and South East Hampshire	226,739	672
Redbridge and Waltham Forest	226,421	150
Rotherham	113,818	50
Salford and Trafford	215,496	50
Sandwell	140,838	0
Sefton	150,704	50
Sheffield	313,708	75
Shropshire	170,289	0
Solihull	81,672	0
Somerset	207,728	49
South and West Devon	274,403	513
South Cheshire	278,245	50
South Derbyshire	240,007	75
South Essex	294,858	150
South Humber	138,672	100
South Lancashire	134,482	50
South Staffordshire	230,150	0
Southampton and South West Hampshire	225,817	469
St. Helens and Knowsley	152,142	50
Stockport	118,465	50
Suffolk	277,814	365
Sunderland	141,000	143
Tees	256,295	143
Wakefield	150,119	125
Walsall	114,610	0
Warwickshire	234,862	0
West Hertfordshire	227,514	150
West Kent	399,006	125
West Pennine	213,036	50
West Surrey	270,165	125
West Sussex	332,497	150
Wigan and Bolton	256,944	50
Wiltshire	247,233	863
Wirral	151,317	50
Wolverhampton	111,460	600
Worcestershire	214,114	0
England	22,534,694	15,526

(15) Receipts from Asset sales exceed Health Authority planned capital expenditure.

20 May 1996 : Column: 78

Performance Bonds

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his Department's policy on the use of performance bonds; in what circumstances they are used; what was the total sum paid by bond in each of the last five years; and if his Department requires bonds from businesses with fewer than (a) 100, (b) 50 and (c) 20 employees. [29421]

Mr. Horam: The Department has not required any performance bonds in the last five years. Advice on the use of performance bonds is set out in the central unit on procurement's guidance note No. 48 "Bonds and Guarantees", copies of which are available in the Library. This makes it clear that a performance bond is no substitute for considered judgments about the risks attached to a particular contract and the capabilities and financial resources of the available contractors. These judgments apply, irrespective of the size of the contractor.

Small Firms

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many firms with fewer than (a) 100, (b) 50, (c) 20 and (d) 10 employees were used by his Department in each of the last five years. [29441]

20 May 1996 : Column: 79

Mr. Horam: This information is not collected. To do so would add an unnecessary burden on suppliers.

Scientists and Engineers

Mr. Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 11 March, Official Report, column 490, how many professional scientists and

20 May 1996 : Column: 80

engineers of each category were employed at each grade in each of his Department's agencies in each year since 1991. [29900]

Mr. Horam: It is not always possible to distinguish between scientific and engineering specialisms. Figures for 1991 are not available for the Medicines Control Agency.

20 May 1996 : Column: 79

Whole-time equivalents

Medicines control agency	April 1991	April 1992	April 1993	April 1994	April 1995	April 1996
UG7(S)	n/a	2.5	3.6	7	8	6
Senior Scientific Officer	n/a	2	2	3	4	3
Higher Scientific Officer	n/a	3	4.6	22	23	23
Scientific Officer	n/a	7	13	18	17	17
Assistant Scientific Officer	n/a	0	3	5	8	8
Total	n/a	14.5	26.2	55	60	57
Medical devices agency (formed in September 1994)
UG5	--	--	--	--	2	1
UG6	--	--	--	--	4	3
UG7	--	--	--	--	18.5	14.6
Senior Professional and Technical Officer	--	--	--	--	41.5	34.8
Higher Professional and Technical Officer	--	--	--	--	23.5	14.4
Professional and Technical Officer	--	--	--	--	6	10
Technical Officer II	--	--	--	--	1	1
Total	--	--	--	--	96.5	78.8
NHS estates agency
UG5	1	2	2	2	2	2
UG6	1	1	1	1	1	4
UG7	9	9	12	13	14	17
Senior Professional and Technical Officer	4	5	6	6	6	3
Higher Professional and Technical Officer	2	2	2	2	2	3
Total	17	19	23	24	25	29

20 May 1996 : Column: 79

There are no scientific and engineering staff in the National Health Service Pensions Agency.

Mr. Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 11 March, Official Report, column 490, how many professional scientists and engineers of each category were employed at each of the unified grades in the headquarters division of his Department in each year since 1991. [29835]

Mr. Horam: Information for Department of Health headquarters only is not available prior to April 1995. Information for 1995 and 1996 is set out as follows.

Scientifc staff numbers (whole-time equivalents)

	April 1995	April 1996
UGS	(16)--	5
UG6	(16)--	6
UG7	(16)--	26
Senior Scientific Officer	19	17.7
Higher Scientific Officer	13	13.4
Scientific Officer	9	11
Assistant Scientific Officer	0.8	0.7
Total	41.8	79.8

(16) Unable to identify scientists from the unified grades for this period.

Engineering staff numbers

There are no staff in the Department of Health Headquarters divisions employed as engineers.

20 May 1996 : Column: 80

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