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Deregulation Unit
Mr. Steen: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food 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. [30066]
22 May 1996 : Column: 214
Mr. Boswell [holding answer 21 May 1996]: The 1995-96 annual budget for the MAFF deregulation unit covering pay and non-pay costs was approximately £96,000. The unit consists of four permanent members of staff, one at each of the following grades: grade 7, higher executive officer, executive officer and administrative assistant. In addition, there is involvement at more senior grades including the grade 5 head of division to whom the deregulation unit reports. All members of staff are career civil servants, none of whom has been seconded from the business sector. The grade 5 has some experience of the private sector through a non-executive directorship.
PRIME MINISTER
Council of Europe and Western European Union
Sir Sydney Chapman: To ask the Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of the information bulletin on the activities of the United Kingdom delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Assembly of the Western European Union covering the period October 1995 to April 1996. [30790]
The Prime Minister: I have done so today.
India
Mr. Madden: To ask the Prime Minister (1) what representations he has made to the Indian Government since the general election; and if he will make a statement; [30442]
- (2) if he will invite the next Prime Minister of India to visit the United Kingdom to discuss the resolution of the Kashmir dispute; and if he will make a statement. [30439]
The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to him on 23 April, Official Report, columns 191-92. Our policy on Kashmir remains unchanged. I look forward to an early opportunity to discuss bilateral and other issues, including Kashmir, with the new Indian Prime Minister.
Ministers (Overseas Travel)
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Prime Minister if he will list all those occasions on which Ministers from Welsh, Scottish and Northern Ireland Offices have participated in overseas trade or goodwill missions on official business during (a) 1994-95, (b) 1995-96 and (c) in the programme for 1996-97. [29941]
The Prime Minister [holding answer 16 May 1996]: Ministers promote British business and British jobs at every available opportunity. The information requested is as follows:
| Minister | Country |
|---|---|
| Welsh Office | |
| 1994 | |
| Right hon. John Redwood | Japan |
| Mr. Gwilym Jones | Australia/New Zealand/ France/Belgium |
| Sir Wyn Roberts | Spain/Sweden/Italy |
| Rod Richards | Saudi Arabia |
| 1995 | |
| Right hon. William Hague | Japan/Korea/Hong Kong/Spain |
| Rod Richards | Argentina/Dubai/United Arab Emirates |
| Gwilym Jones | Italy/Germany |
| 1996 | |
| Right hon. William Hague | USA |
| Rod Richards | Indonesia |
| Gwilym Jones | Luxembourg/Spain |
| Scottish Office | |
| 1994 | |
| Right hon. Ian Lang | USA/Belgium |
| Allan Stewart | Japan/Germany |
| Lord James Douglas-Hamilton | Finland |
| Lord Fraser of Carmyllie | USA/Greece |
| Sir Hector Monro | Norway/Canada/France |
| 1995 | |
| Lord James Douglas-Hamilton | Norway |
| George Kynoch | Taipei/Finland/USA/Spain |
| The Earl of Lindsay | Germany/Canada |
| 1996 | |
| Right hon. Michael Forsyth | USA/Canada |
| The Earl of Lindsay | France |
| Northern Ireland Office | |
| 1994 | |
| Tim Smith | Belgium/USA |
| 1995 | |
| Baroness Denton | Belgium/Canada/USA/ Hong Kong/Japan/France/Italy/Singapore |
| 1996 | |
| Baroness Denton | Canada/Netherlands/France/USA/ Japan/Korea/Indonesia |
22 May 1996 : Column: 215
HEALTH
GP Fundholders
Mr. Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Comptroller and Auditor General's report on the NHS summarised accounts, 1994-95, in respect of how many cases the use of general practitioners' fundholder savings has been (a) outside the scope of the regulations since the inception of the fundholding scheme and (b) outside the scope of the regulations, in (i) 1993-94 and (ii) 1994-95. [23062]
Mr. Malone: Two such cases have been formally identified, one by the Audit Commission and the other by a regional health authority.
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much general practitioner fundholders in each health authority area, by region, have spent on health care from outside the NHS, in each of the last four years. [29664]
Mr. Malone [holding answer 16 May 1996]: The information will be placed in the Library.
Health Authorities
Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the spending on pay and administrative costs of health authorities in each region in each year since 1991-92. [29400]
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Mr. Malone: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 8 November 1995 at column 974, for spending on pay and administration costs of health authorities in each region for the years 1991-92 to 1993-94. The comparable information for 1994-95 will be placed in the Library.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list (a) the number of (i) male and (ii) female employees, (b) the number of officials employed at each of the principal grades and the number and percentage of women employed at each of these grades and (c) the number of staff employed at administrative grades and the number and percentage of these staff that are women, in his Department on 1 April. [30557]
Mr. Horam: The information is shown in the table. The grades of staff in the national health service regional offices which became part of the Department of Health on 1 April are not comparable with civil service grades. A separate entry has been made for these.
| Male | Female | Total | Female percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UG1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| UG2 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| UG3 | 18 | 6 | 24 | 25 |
| UG4 | 17 | 9 | 26 | 35 |
| UG5 | 128 | 60 | 188 | 32 |
| UG6 | 55 | 39 | 94 | 41 |
| UG7 | 335 | 172 | 507 | 34 |
| SEO | 186 | 68 | 254 | 27 |
| HEO | 343 | 264 | 607 | 43 |
| EO | 361 | 436 | 797 | 55 |
| AO | 263 | 736 | 999 | 74 |
| AA | 117 | 225 | 342 | 66 |
| NHS | 372 | 570 | 942 | 61 |
| Total | 2,203 | 2,585 | 4,788 | 54 |
Staff out on secondment or on loan to other Government Departments, on maternity leave more than three months, or on unpaid career breaks/study leave are excluded.
Renal Services Review
Mr. Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Rother Valley (Mr. Barron) of 4 March, Official Report, column 68, if he will make a statement on the outcome of his meeting in April 1996 with the National Kidney Federation about the national review of renal services; and when his Department's renal services review will be published. [30688]
Mr. Horam: I had a constructive meeting with the National Kidney Federation on 2 April at which its concerns about the provision of renal services were discussed. I was able to inform it that the national renal review, and purchasing guidelines for health authorities based on the review, would be published soon. The review and purchasing guidelines were published on 7 May.
22 May 1996 : Column: 217
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans his Department has to consult patients in the contracting process in the implementation of the renal services review; [30219]
- (2) if he will publish a timetable for the implementation of the renal services review; [30220]
(3) what steps he is taking to ensure the recommendations outlined in the renal services review are fully implemented. [30221]
Mr. Horam: The renal review, which we published on 7 May, makes several recommendations about the development of services for patients with renal failure. On the same day the national health service executive published guidelines, EL(96)35, for health authorities drawing attention to the important issues raised in the review and advising how these might best be tackled. The majority of recommendations are being taken forward locally by purchasing authorities and national health service trusts in accordance with local needs and priorities which take account of the views of patients locally. Copies of the review will be placed in the Library.
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provisions he has made for extra funding for renal services in the United Kingdom. [30222]
Mr. Horam: In England health authorities are given general allocations for hospital and community health services to purchase health care services for their resident population. It is for individual health authorities in consultation with the providers of services to decide the level and type of services purchased, taking account of local circumstances and national policies and priorities. Questions relating to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales and for Scotland and my right hon. and learned Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
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