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Hospital Closures
Ms Jowell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) acute hospitals, (b) community hospitals and (c) accident and emergency units have closed in each of the last five years; and how many are planned to close in the coming financial year. [8494]
Mr. Horam: The information requested is not available centrally. A list of those substantial changes in service provision which have been contested by community health councils is available in the Library.
Working Children
Mr. Ian McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are his proposals to ensure that local authority byelaws are updated to protect working children against health and safety hazards in industrial and commercial premises. [8873]
Mr. Burns: Children are not permitted to be employed in industrial undertakings. Health and safety legislation, which is not contained in local authority byelaws, applies to all workers regardless of their age.
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the maximum number of hours a child (a) under the age of 15 years and (b) aged 15 years will be legally permitted to work during school term time, following the implementation of the recommendation arising from his Department's recent consultation exercise. [8874]
Mr. Burns: The maximum permitted number of working hours for children will remain exactly as they are at present, that is 17 hours a week for those under the age of 15, and 20 hours a week for those aged 15 or over.
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department last carried out a study to examine the effectiveness of local authority byelaws governing the employment of children, with particular reference to their implementation and enforcement; and if he will conduct a further study. [8794]
Mr. Burns: The last study in this area was reported in 1972. I have no plans at present to commission a further study.
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Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his Department's policy in respect of implementing proposals to protect the health, safety and education of working children. [8796]
Mr. Burns: Officials have recently issued a paper outlining our plans to implement our proposals. Copies have been placed in the Library.
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will liaise with the Department of the Environment to ensure that local authorities have adequate resources to enforce byelaws governing the employment of children. [8795]
Mr. Burns: It is for local authorities to determine their expenditure priorities.
Mr. McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many respondents to his Department's recent consultation exercise on the employment of children favoured (a) parliamentary legislation and (b) revision of local authority byelaws. [8797]
Mr. Burns: We did not seek views on the type of legislation to be used. Of the views expressed, the majority were in favour of the revision of byelaws.
Food Poisoning
Mr. Martlew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many outbreaks of E. coli 0157 food poisoning have occurred in the Carlisle city council area in the last five years; and how many people were affected in each of the outbreaks; [7923]
- (2) how many cases of E. coli 0157 food poisoning have occurred; and how many people have died from the infection in the Carlisle city council area in the last five years. [7924]
Mr. Horam [holding answer 9 December 1996]: For information on the number of cases of E. coli 0157 in the United Kingdom, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan (Mr. Salmond) on 2 December at column 551.
| Year | Cases | Deaths(3) |
|---|---|---|
| 1991(4) | 0 | 0 |
| 1992 | 5 | 0 |
| 1993 | 4 | 0 |
| 1994 | 3 | 0 |
| 1995 | 10 | 0 |
| 1996 | 3 | 0 |
Source:
Public Health Laboratory Service Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre.
Notes:
(3) Confirmed with Office for National Statistics.
(4) PHLS (Carlisle) did not routinely test specimens for E. coli 0157 until October 1991.
The higher number of E. coli 0157 cases in 1995 were investigated by North Cumbria health authority and found to be associated with the consumption of wild field mushrooms, picked from fields where cattle had been
12 Dec 1996 : Column: 327
grazing. The cases were dispersed over a wide area and no link was established with any particular field.
Nuclear Accidents
Mr. Meacher: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what insurance arrangements cover the clean-up, restoration and personal compensation payments that may arise from an accident at, or involving (a) a commercially operated nuclear power plant, (b) a nuclear fuel cycle manufacturing or processing installation and (c) nuclear materials in transit resulting in the release of radiation; and how the levels of liability have been calculated. [5729]
Mr. Page: Under United Kingdom law, where third party damage or injury is caused as a result of a nuclear incident at a nuclear site or involving nuclear materials in transit, the UK operator is liable to pay compensation up to a liability limit of £140 million. The limit, which is kept under review, is in line with the recommendation of the nuclear energy agency of the OECD and takes account of the level of commercial insurance cover available.
As a result of the UK's membership of the Paris and Brussels conventions, further public funds and international funds are available, up to a maximum of 300 special drawing rights of the International Monetary Fund--approximately £280 million. If claims exceed this latter figure, additional compensation may be provided by Parliament to the extent that it shall determine.
In line with the Paris convention, compensation is available for damage to persons and property. This would include the costs of environmental restoration and clean up, where there is damage to property, in accordance with normal UK civil law principles as to the assessment of damage.
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received (a) by letter and (b) otherwise from opponents of arms sales, since 2 December. [8251]
Mr. Nelson:
I regularly receive representations from opponents of arms sales. Those concerning aspects of policy for which my Department is not responsible are directed to the appropriate Department.
Mr. Simpson:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how he will report back from the World Trade Organisation review in Singapore in December. [7895]
Mr. Nelson:
My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade will report to the House in due course on the outcome of the World Trade Organisation ministerial meeting, which is taking place in Singapore from 9 to 13 December.
12 Dec 1996 : Column: 328
Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what representations he has received on the export provisions of the corporate governance material issued by British defence companies. [8612]
Mr. Nelson:
No such representations have been received.
Mr. Renton:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what progress he has made in finalising regulations to require BSkyB to license its decoder box and other associated digital technology to other broadcasters. [8319]
Mr. Ian Taylor
[holding answer 11 December 1996]: The final consultation on the regulations which will apply when conditional access services for digital television start, late next year, was completed on 11 December. The draft regulations ensure that whoever establishes a population of set-top boxes, all broadcasters will be able to gain access on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms. We will now make the final regulations available to Parliament for consideration before the recess. Subject to parliamentary approval, they will come into force within 21 calendar days.
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