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Health and Social Services

Mr. Alfred Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made of the working relationships between health authorities and social services departments; if he will list examples of successful joint action in providing care in the community for people with special needs; what proposals he has for encouraging closer working together; and if he will make a statement. [1383]

Mr. Burns: Joint working between health and social services is a key feature of our community care monitoring. This shows that, although there are still improvements to make, there are many examples of good practice around the country covering groups of people with a range of needs. To assist authorities develop their collaborative working we published "Practical Guidance on Joint Commissioning" in 1995, copies of which are available in the Library. A development programme, which includes a series of locality workshop to encourage and enable authorities to develop their joint commissioning further, is taking this work forward.

CAMS Ltd.

Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if notice of termination has been given to CAMS Ltd. in relation to the company's contract with the national health service centre for coding and classification at Loughborough; if the National Audit Office draft report into the terms of the contract and other matters has been received by the NHS executive; and if he will make a statement. [1619]

Mr. Horam: Notice of termination has not been given to CAMS Ltd. with respect to its contract with the Department of Health for the licensing and support of Read codes in the national health service.

The review commissioned by the NHS Executive from Silicon Bridge Research into these licensing and support arrangements has been completed and the report has been received. Its findings are being considered.

GP Fundholders

Mrs. Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of NHS patients are covered by GP fundholders in the Northern and Yorkshire regions. [1660]

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Mr. Malone: Fifty-three per cent. of the population of Northern and Yorkshire region are currently served by a fundholding general practitioner.

Nurses

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the specific training period for a state-registered nurse. [1952]

Mr. Horam: Training leading to registration with the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting as a general nurse is of three years duration comprising 4,600 hours of theoretical and practical instruction in compliance with European Communities Council directive 77/453/EEC.

EU Maternal and Child Health Budget

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many applications have been received for the EU maternal and child health budget line, B7-5407, for 1997; from which agencies and non-governmental organisations; if he will indicate (a) how much funding each applicant is requesting and (b) which allocations have already been made; and if he will make a statement.[469]

Dr. Liam Fox: I have been asked to reply.

No maternal and child health budget line has been proposed for the 1997 EU budget.

WALES

Cattle Cull

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received relating to problems faced by Welsh farmers in obtaining access to local slaughterhouses; and if he will make a statement.[456]

Mr. Jonathan Evans: We have received a number of representations from farmers. The Intervention Board has instructed abattoirs to source 50 per cent. clean cattle and 75 per cent. cull cows from markets, in line with historical patterns of marketing. From 4 November only registered animals will be slaughtered until the backlog is cleared; this will enable the Intervention Board to target those areas of Wales where there is greatest need.

Welsh Development Agency

Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Welsh Development Agency concerning the preparation of alternative scenarios for 1997-98 funding; if he will give the percentage reductions relative to preferred budget estimates which he has requested the agency to prepare; and what estimates the agency has given of the impact of those alternative budget strategies on its level of operations in 1997-98 and 1998-99. [1963]

Mr. Hague: My 1966 strategic guidance letter asked the agency to prepare a corporate plan based on 80, 100 and 120 per cent. of the 1996-97 baseline expenditure of

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£126.8 million. The agency prepared its plan on this basis and included other funding options. I met the chairman and the board on 2 October to discuss the plan.

Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the Welsh Development Agency in relation to the recent agency appointment of a part-time business adviser in Japan to help expand market opportunities for Welsh small and medium-sized enterprises. [1959]

Mr. Hague: None. This is entirely an operational matter for the Welsh Development Agency.

Beef Export Ban

Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has to secure early relaxation of the beef export ban from grass-fed specialist Welsh beef herds with full passporting; and if he will make a statement.[1961]

Mr. Hague: The United Kingdom will continue to work within the Florence framework for progressive lifting of the export ban. As the next step we are exploring the scope for exports under a certified herd scheme, such as the beef assurance scheme or a variant of it.

South-East Wales Ambulance Trust

Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he has received a copy of the district auditor's reports into the accounts of the South-East Wales Ambulance trust; what consultations he has had with the chairman of the trust concerning reference to the relevant constabularies; and if he will make a statement. [1962]

Mr. Hague: I have had no discussions with the chairman but my officials have seen the reports in draft. I understand that they will be presented to the board of the trust on 4 November. Any follow up action on specific points is a matter for the trust.

University Hospital of Wales

Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what consultations he has had with the chairman of the university hospital of Wales in relation to the provision of private finance initiative capital for the modernisation of sterile supplies at the university hospital of Wales site in Cardiff. [1960]

Mr. Hague: None. The scheme falls within the trusts delegated limits and will be for the trust board to take forward.

Departmental Cash Limits

Mr. Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what changes he is proposing to make to the cash limits for his Department and the office of Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools in Wales in 1996-97. [2430]

Mr. Hague: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary supplementary estimates, the cash limit on class XIV, vote 1 will be reduced by £3,500,000 from £25,655,000 to £22,155,000; the cash limit on class XIV, vote 2 will be increased by £14,906,000 from £689,272,000 to £704,178,000; the cash limit on class XIV, vote 3 will be increased by £5,961,000 from £518,909,000 to £524,870,000; the cash limit on class

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XIV, vote 4 will be increased by £30,390,000 from £1,879,735,000 to £1,910,125,000; the cash limit on class XIV, vote 5 has been decreased by £150,000 from £2,305,358,000 to £2,305,208,000.

The Department's running costs limit will be increased by £2,511,000 from £72,667,000 to £75,178,000. The running costs limit for Her Majesty's chief inspector of schools in Wales will be increased by £157,000 from £3,150,000 to £3,307,000.

The local authority capital cash limit, WO/LACAP, has been increased by £4,473,000 from £513,733,000 to £518,206,000.

The cash limit decrease in vote 1 results mainly from lower-than-expected claims for agri-environmental and farm conservation schemes.

The cash limit increase in vote 2 results mainly from a net increase in grant in aid to the Welsh Development Agency of £25,313,000--including the transfer of urban investment grant--and the take-up of end-year flexibility entitlement, partly offset by reductions elsewhere in the vote and a transfer of £3,500,000 to class XIV, vote 3.

The net cash limit increase on vote 3 results mainly from an increase in the grant in aid for Cardiff Bay development corporation of £7,599,000, the transfer of £3,882,000 of urban investment grant to the Welsh Development Agency in class XIV, vote 2, and the take-up of end-year flexibility of £1,177,000. The increase in the running costs limit includes extra provision to cover the estimated costs of the north Wales child abuse inquiry and BSE.

The increase in the cash limit for vote 4 results from the take-up of end-year flexibility entitlement of £30,000,000 and transfers from class XI totalling £390,000.

The cash limit decrease on vote 5 results from lower than expected expenditure by the Valuation Office Agency.

The increase in the local authority cash limit, WO/LACAP, results from the take-up of end-year flexibility entitlement.

None of the proposed changes will add to the planned total of public expenditure.

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