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Heathway Residential Home, Seaham
Mr. Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the future of the Heathway residential home in Seaham. [30215]
Mr. Bowis: This is a matter for County Durham health authority, in discussion with Priority Healthcare Wearside national health service trust. The hon. Member may wish to contact the chairman of the authority for details.
In Vitro Fertilisation
Mr. Alton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many HIV patients have been provided with IVF treatment in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [30237]
Mr. Horam: This information is not available centrally. The decision to provide fertility treatment to any particular patient is one for the clinicians involved, taking into account all the circumstances of the case. The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 requires as a condition of any treatment licence issued under the Act that account be taken of the welfare of any child who is born as the result of treatment.
NHS Trust Hospitals (Greater London)
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the chairpersons of each national health service trust hospital covering the Greater London area, indicating the annual salary paid to each for the year 1995-96. [30307]
Mr. Malone: Information on all appointments of chairmen and non-executive directors to national health service authorities and trusts, and the remuneration paid, will be published in the summer of 1996.
Contact Lenses
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many persons get free repeat prescription contact lenses on the ground that they are susceptible to eye infections, for the most recent years for which figures are available. [30357]
Mr. Malone: Where a consultant ophthalmologist decides that a patient requires frequent changes of lenses on clinical grounds, the patient pays only for their first pair unless they are, in any case, entitled to help with national health service charges, in which case they can use their vouchers to help meet the cost. The number of patients who benefit from this provision is not available centrally.
21 May 1996 : Column: 91
Child Care Workers
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which bodies are responsible for checking the suitability of child care workers supplied by employment agencies. [30406]
Mr. Bowis: It is the responsibility of each individual employer to ensure that people they employ to work with children are suitable for such work.
EU Health Council
Ms Quin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the outcome of the EU Health Council on 14 May. [29655]
Mr. Malone: The Council took note of a working document submitted by the Commission on transmissible spongiform encephalopathies and, after an extensive and constructive debate, agreed conclusions on action to be taken to understand better the pathogenesis and transmissibility of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease and to extend epidemiological surveillance of the disease.
The Council agreed a common position text based on the Commission's proposal for a decision adopting a programme of Community action on health monitoring, taking account of the European Parliament's opinion on that proposal.
The Council confirmed that, as a number of European Parliament amendments to its common position text could not be accepted, the Conciliation Committee should be convened to reach agreement on a joint text for a decision adopting a programme of Community action on the prevention of drug dependence.
The Council had a short orientation debate on the Commission's proposal for a decision creating a Community network for the epidemiological surveillance and control of communicable diseases and took note of action in hand to develop a global early warning system and response network for communicable diseases, within the context of the EU-US action plan which was agreed in December last year.
There was a short discussion also of the Commission's amended proposal for a Council directive on the approximation of laws relating to the advertising of tobacco products and of a paper from the Italian presidency that explored possibilities for making progress with the proposal. The presidency concluded that it had not found the basis for a compromise.
Mr. Hinchliffe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information of a financial nature is required, under guidance issued by his Department, from a spouse who is a carer where the person receiving care, being the marriage partner, requests (a) domiciliary services and (b) respite care, from a local authority social services department. [29865]
Mr. Bowis:
Advice relating to these issues is in the Department's guidance to local authorities, "Charging for Residential Accommodation Guide", copies of which are available in the Library.
21 May 1996 : Column: 92
Mr. Hinchliffe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information of a financial nature is required, under guidance issued by his Department is required from a partner of a person to whom he or she provides care where the person receiving care requests (a) domiciliary and (b) respite care from a local authority social services department and where there is no marital relationship. [29866]
Mr. Bowis:
Advice relating to these issues is in an advice note on non-residential services, "Discretionary Charges for Adult Social Services", for use by the social services inspectorate, copies of which are available in the Library.
Mr. Eastham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much additional funding is being accorded to North Manchester hospital emergency services to serve the June Euro 96 competition being held in Manchester. [30040]
Mr. Horam:
Trusts are not funded directly by the Department but from contracts with purchasers. The hon. Member may wish to approach Professor Joan Higgins, chairman of Manchester health authority, for details.
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the annual budget for his departmental deregulation unit; how many staff it employs; and of these how many (a) are career civil servants and of what grades, (b) have been seconded from business, and (c) have experience of the private sector. [30064]
Mr. Horam:
The members of staff working centrally in the Department on deregulation issues are a grade 5, a senior executive officer, an executive officer and an administrative officer, a total of 2.5 whole-time equivalents. All are career civil servants. In addition, there is a network of officials around the Department, responsible for co-ordinating deregulation activities in their area of work--where appropriate in close consultation with people from the private sector. The budgeted expenditure for the unit in 1996-97 is £70,000.
Mr. Milburn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department collates on (a) chief executives and (b) senior managers who resign employment with one NHS employer and take up employment with another. [30411]
Mr. Milburn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff in (a) his Department and (b) the NHS executive have declared potential conflicts of interest over the last three years. [30431]
Mr. Horam:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) on 27 February at column 461.
Mr. Milburn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what investigations (a) his Department and (b) the NHS executive have undertaken into conflicts of interests involving (i) trust board and (ii) health authority members. [30432]
21 May 1996 : Column: 93
Mr. Malone:
I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 12 July 1995 at column 552.
Mr. Milburn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department collects on (a) debts owed to and (b) bad debts written off by (i) trusts and (ii) health authorities. [30426]
Mr. Horam:
The Department collects annual returns from each trust and health authority. Included in these returns is the total debtors for each body analysed in accordance with the current generally accepted accounting principles. Unaudited high level analyses are also collected in the year for management purposes.
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