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Human Rights Policy Department
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the budget for his Department's human rights policy department for each financial year since 1979; and if he will publish details of its annual staffing levels over this period. [6070]
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Mr. Hanley: The human rights policy department has existed as a separate entity since 1991-92. The total operating costs and staffing level are as follows:
| Years | £ | Staff numbers |
|---|---|---|
| 1991-92 | 290,370 | 12 |
| 1992-93 | 390,826 | 11 |
| 1993-94 | 496,740 | 11 |
| 1994-95 | 621,679 | 10 |
| 1995-96 | 596,958 | 10 |
Previous work was carried out within the United Nations department and it is not possible to isolate the cost.
Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what protection a United Kingdom resident has under criminal injuries compensation schemes if he or she becomes a victim of crime while working in Germany. [6143]
Dr. Liam Fox: British nationals resident in Germany have the same rights to compensation from the German criminal injuries compensation scheme as any German or other EU national.
Iraq
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has had from Arab countries about the humanitarian situation in the valleys of the Tigris and Euphrates and the desirability of a Government initiative to lift sanctions on Iraq at the United Nations. [4710]
Mr. Hanley: We share the concerns of Arab countries at the humanitarian situation in Iraq and at Saddam Hussein's indifference to the suffering of the Iraqi people. Sanctions cannot be relaxed while Saddam Hussein continues to refuse to comply with Iraq's obligations under the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. The UK co-sponsored Security Council resolution 986 to help alleviate the suffering in Iraq caused by Saddam Hussein's policies. We look forward to early implementation following the delay caused by Iraqi obstruction.
Hong Kong
Mr. Parry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on discussions he has had with the Legislative Council deputation from Hong Kong about the future of Hong Kong. [4589]
Mr. Hanley: My right hon. and learned Friend the Foreign Secretary and I held separate meetings with LegCo delegation on 12 November. We discussed a range of current issues, including: immigration and nationality questions, notably British citizenship for Hong Kong dependent territory citizens and the ethnic minorities;
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visa-free travel for holders of the passport of the Hong Kong special aministrative region; the future application to Hong Kong of the UN human rights covenants; Vietnamese migrants; and the work of the Sino-British joint liaison group after 30 June 1997.
EU Economic and Social Committee
Mr. Denzil Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the (a) names, (b) substitutes, and (c) sponsoring organisations of each of the present United Kingdom members of the Economic and Social Committee of the EU. [5508]
Mr. David Davis: The United Kingdom members of the Economic and Social Committee are:
Mr. Neville Beale
Mr. Kenneth Gardner, MA FRSC
Mr. Malcolm Levitt
Mr. John Little
Mr. Michael Mobbs
Mr. Peter Morgan
Mr. Kenneth Walker
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- Mr. John Whitworth OBE
Mr. John Andrews
Mr. Campbell Christie
Mr. Tom Jenkins
Mr. John Lyons CBE
Miss Ada Maddocks OBE
Mr. Roy Sanderson OBE
Mr. George Wright
Mr. Wilfred Aspinall
Dame Jocelyn Barrow DBE
Ms Beta Brookes
Mrs. Ann Davidson
Mrs. Angela Guillaume
Mr. Robert Moreland
Mr. John Simpson
Mr. Michael Strauss
27 Nov 1996 : Column: 297
HEALTH
Computers
Mr. Hoon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many lines of computer code there are in his Department's computer systems. [5349]
Mr. Horam: The Department uses a number of proprietary software packages. For these, information on the number of programs or lines of source code is known only to the supplier.
The Department is carrying out an inventory of those bespoke information technology systems that will still be in use in 2000 as part of our strategy for dealing with the year 2000 date change issues, but compilation of the inventory is not yet complete.
Mr. Hoon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many separate computer programmes his Department operates. [5358]
Mr. Horam:
There is no universal definition of what constitutes a computer program; a formula on a single line of code could be said to be a program. However, the Department, excluding next steps agencies, is currently responsible for 140 major software systems.
Mr. Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the contract between the NHS centre for coding and classification and CAMS Ltd.; and on what date any changes will take effect. [5908]
Mr. Horam:
The contract with CAMS Ltd. on Read code licensing and support is with the Department of Health, and not with the national health service centre for coding and classification. Its operation is managed and audited annually by a civil service branch of the NHS executive.
That contract takes the form of an NHS agreement and a non-NHS agreement. Their effect is to grant to CAMS Ltd. exclusive rights for the licensing and support of Read codes worldwide. The earliest termination dates are 20 March 1999, and 20 September 1999 respectively.
Following recent publication of the Silicon Bridge Research report on Read code licensing and support arrangements, the NHS executive has accepted the recommendation that the exclusive agreements should not be continued beyond the earliest termination dates. The executive will be negotiating changes in the manner in which the existing contract is executed--dates for implementation of any changes have not been determined.
Mr. David Martin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what money is being provided through the standard spending assessment for personal social services for 1997-98. [6776]
Mr. Dorrell:
A sum of £7,392.1 million will be distributed by personal social services standard spending assessments in 1997-98, compared with £6,908.6 million in 1996-97. Total standard spending on social services, including specific and special grants, will be £7,846 million in 1997-98, compared with £7,511 million
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in 1996-97 plans, an increase of 4.5 per cent.
Mr. Duncan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what specific and special grants and what capital resources he is making available to local authorities for personal social services for 1997-98. [6777]
Mr. Dorrell:
Specific grants will be available in 1997-98 for:
Annual capital guidelines of £60.5 million will be notified to local authorities. Supplementary credit approvals will again be available for AIDS/HIV services, £3.1 million, and mental illness services, £11.6 million.
Mr. David Martin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the special transitional grant in 1997-98. [6778]
Mr. Dorrell:
There will be a special transitional grant of £325 million in 1997-98. It will have attached a condition which requires local authorities to spend 85 per cent. of this sum in the independent sector.
Mr. Betts:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what instructions or guidance have been issued to health authorities with regard to requirements for same-sex wards to be included in their purchasing policies or plans;[6079]
(3) what instructions or guidance have been issued to fundholding general practitioners with regard to requirements for same-sex wards to be included in the purchasing policies or plans. [6076]
Mr. Horam:
It is for trusts, health authorities and fundholding general practitioners to manage their local priorities within the overall context for the planning and delivery of health services set out in the planning and priorities guidance for the national health service. A baseline requirement and objective is to deliver the rights and standards set out in the patients charter.
A special grant will be available in 1997-98 for:
AIDS and HIV services: £13.7 million
Services for alcohol and drugs misusers: £2.5 million
Guardians ad litem and reporting officers: £6.3 million
Mental illness services: £67.3 million
Social services training: £35.5 million.
The capital grant for the secure accommodation for young people development programme will be £13.2 million in 1997-98.
Services for unaccompanied asylum seeking children: £3 million.
(2) what instructions or guidance have been issued to hospital trusts over the phasing out of mixed-sex wards; and what target dates have been set; [6077]
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