| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Private Finance Initiative
26. Mr. Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the role of private finance in the national health service. [31720]
Mr. Horam: The role of the private finance initiative in the national health service is to enable NHS bodies to obtain best value for money for the taxpayer when developing capital schemes. It gives the NHS access to private capital and to the full range of private sector skills and experience in constructing facilities and providing supporting services. A private finance option has to be tested against a public sector comparator and is used if the overall package--which includes consideration of factors such as risk transfer, building maintenance and facilities management--offers better value for money.
18 Jun 1996 : Column: 407
Hospitals (Beef)
27. Mr. MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice he has issued to national health service trusts about serving beef in hospitals. [31722]
Mr. Horam: Whether to offer beef products on patient menus, as part of a varied and balanced diet, is a matter for national health service trusts to determine locally, responding to patient choice. The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee considered the risks to human health from eating beef or beef products and concluded that any risk was likely to be extremely small. It also concluded that if human infection with the bovine spongiform encephalopathy agent occurs, which has not been proven, hospital patients were not likely to have increased susceptibility to infection.
Health of the Nation
Mr. Barry Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what conclusions he has drawn about the health of the nation from the last census. [31712]
Mr. Horam: Census information along with other information helps us to monitor the nation's health. It continues to improve. For example, mortality rates have substantially fallen and life expectancy has increased.
The 1991 census contained a specific health related question on limiting long-term illness which showed that, overall, 13 per cent. of the total resident population in England had a long-term illness, health problem or handicap which limited the daily activities or the work that a person could do.
Health Authority Expenditure
Mr. Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total figure for outturn expenditure by health authorities in England for (a) 1990-91, (b) 1991-92, (c) 1992-93, (d) 1993-94 and (e) 1995-96. [32701]
Mr. Horam: The available information requested is shown in the table. Information on the expenditure for 1995-96 has not yet been collected.
| Expenditure £000 | |
|---|---|
| 1990-91 | 14,709,888 |
| 1991-92 | 18,823,141 |
| 1992-93 | 20,112,875 |
| 1993-94 | 20,594,071 |
Notes:
1. The figures are as published in the NHS (England) Summarised Accounts.
2. The figure for 1990-91 is not comparable with later years due to changes in accounting policy.
Source:
The annual accounts of district and regional health authorities and the special health authorities of the London postgraduate teaching hospitals.
18 Jun 1996 : Column: 408
Mothers (Support)
Sir Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the Government's (a) programmes and (b) proposals to help mothers to stay at home to look after their babies aged up to three years; and if he will make a statement. [32749]
Mr. Bowis: The Government believe that mothers should be able to choose whether they stay at home to look after their young children or seek to work, whether part or full time.
Customer Charters
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list (a) the customer charters which are currently in use within his Department and its executive agencies and (b) the charters which have been withdrawn. [32829]
Mr. Horam: The following charters and related booklets have been produced for use in England:
The Patient's Charter and You
A Framework for Local Community Care Charters
The Patient's Charter and Maternity Services
The Patient's Charter and Services for Children and Young People
Blood Donors (National Blood Service--Interim Charge)
Customer Service Charter Guidelines (NHS Estates Agency)
Commitment to Service: Members' Charter (NHS Pensions Agency)
Working with Business (Medicines Control Agency)
Code of Practice on Enforcement (Medical Devices Agency
Speech Therapy
Miss Emma Nicholson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average waiting list (a) nationally and (b) in Devon, for those of primary school age wishing to be seen by a speech therapist. [33044]
Mr. Horam: This information is not available centrally.
Miss Nicholson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision he has made in the current year for speech therapy for those of primary school age. [33043]
Mr. Horam: Speech therapy is provided by health authorities to adults and children as part of the range of services available to meet health care needs locally.
Long-stay Hospital Beds
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the total number of hospital long-stay beds for people needing continuous medical care in hospitals covering the Greater London area. [32871]
Mr. Bowis: The information is not available in the form requested. The information that is available centrally is contained in "Bed Availability for England", copies of which are available in the Library.
18 Jun 1996 : Column: 409
Postage Costs
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on postage in the financial years 1994-95 and 1995-96; and how many items were posted during these periods. [32845]
Mr. Horam: Expenditure on postage was £1,429,329 in 1994-95 and £1,530,799 in 1995-96. Details of how many items were posted are not available.
Figures have not been adjusted for inflation.
The figures do not include the Department's agencies.
Rev. Martin Smyth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has to change the standards for charter marks in respect of waiting lists. [32044]
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give for each of the last 10 years the list D data on prescribed drugs. [32814]
Mr. Malone:
Arrangements are in hand for list D, or equivalent information, to be placed in the Library. I will write to the hon. Member when this information is available.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list all categories of NHS employees who are not eligible to join the NHS pension scheme and the number of people currently in each category; what estimate he makes of the extra public expenditure that would be involved in giving full NHS pension scheme eligibility to each of these categories; and if he will make a statement. [32815]
Mr. Malone:
All national health service employees are eligible to join the national health service pension scheme.
Mr. Khabra:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average waiting time for the first appointment for physiotherapy treatment in hospitals in London.[31717]
Mr. Horam:
This information is not available centrally.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department has provided in each of the last five years for research into hereditary breast cancer; and if he will make a statement on progress in research. [32816]
Mr. Malone:
The main agency through which the Government supports medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council. The MRC is an independent body which receives its grant in aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade.
18 Jun 1996 : Column: 410
MRC funding for research into hereditary breast cancer is shown in the list.
Mr. Horam:
Information on the number of women diagnosed with mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 is not available centrally. The Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing was established in January 1996 to advise on developments in testing for genetic disorders and scientific and ethical issues. The Department is also planning to establish a small group to advise on cancer genetics services.
Mr. Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many women have been diagnosed with mutations in BRCA1 or BRCA2 since records began; what estimate his Department has made as to the total number of women in the UK with such a condition; and if he will make a statement; [32817]
1990-91: £539,000
1991-92: £622,000
1992-93: £658,000
1993-94: 1 £133,000
1994-95: £596,000
1 It has not been possible to obtain financial information for relevant research into MRC's own establishments for 1993-94; those figures, which just cover grant support in universities, are therefore lower than the true total.
(2) what assessment he has made of the advantages of providing screening and preventive treatment for women at risk of developing hereditary breast cancer; and if he will make a statement. [32818]
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |