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Criminal Record Checks
Mr. Michael: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the procedures are for criminal record checks through the voluntary organisations consultancy service, pursuant to arrangements made under Home Office circular 47/93; and which organisation or categories of organisation are eligible for such checks. [16588]
Mr. Burns: The procedures for criminal record checks through the voluntary organisations consultancy service are set out in Home Office circular 42/94, copies of which are available in the Library. Checks are available to all major national voluntary child care providers.
Mr. Michael:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many checks were made under the arrangements for criminal record checks through the voluntary
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organisations consultancy service, pursuant to arrangements made under Home Office circular 117/92.[16589]
Mr. Burns:
The current arrangements for criminal record checks through the voluntary organisations consultancy service are set out in Home Office circular 42/94. In the year 1 April 1995 to 31 March 1996, 8,857 checks were carried out for the VOCS by police forces in England and Wales.
Mr. Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the current research projects into meningitis (a) to which his Department has provided funds and (b) which other Government agencies have funded; and what proposals he has to increase the level and range of such research projects. [15372]
Mr. Horam
[holding answer 11 February 1997]: The Department of Health supports a number of research projects into meningitis through both the policy research programme and the National Health Service Executive. The PRP commissioned a two-year clinical trial of candidate meningococcal vaccines in 1993 at a total cost of £198,528. More research is needed before their suitability for widespread use can be considered. The Department is currently working with the Public Health Laboratory Service, the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control and the Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research to take this work forward. We also collaborate internationally in this area, for example the UK and Dutch health departments are working together to accelerate the development of group B meningococcal vaccines.
Since 1993, the NHS Executive has supported a number of meningitis-related research projects worth £220,000. This includes a current study: neurodevelopmental examination at nine years of age of children who suffered neonatal meningitis. This is funded through North Thames regional office at a cost of £80,000.
The main agency through which the Government support biomedical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council. The MRC received its grant in aid from the Office of Science and Technology, which is part of the Department of Trade and Industry. Current projects receiving support from the MRC are listed as follows:
19 Feb 1997 : Column: 626
Mr. Keith Hill:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 13 January, Official Report, column 11, on the Franchising Advisory Committee, what were the dates of the two occasions on which the committee met; which organisations were represented at the meetings; when the members of the committee were advised of the decision to discontinue the committee; and what are the more effective mechanisms for communications and consultation which have been developed by the Legal Aid Board. [15494]
Mr. Streeter:
The Franchising Advisory Committee met on 11 February 1994 and 14 October 1994. The organisations represented were: the Advice Services Alliance, Legal Aid Practitioners' Group, the Law Society and the National Consumer Council. The committee was informed in January 1997 of the board's decision to disband it.
Since October 1994, the board has held regular meetings of franchise liaison user groups. To date, 156 meetings have been held at various locations throughout England and Wales. At national level the board has met with the Advice Services Alliance on 13 occasions, the Legal Aid Practitioners' Group on five occasions and the Law Society on 12 occasions at which franchise issues have been raised. Those meetings are to continue.
Mr. Rowe:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what costs were incurred by the Lord Chancellor's Department in conducting the procedure for selecting Queen's Counsel for 1996. [15482]
Mr. Streeter:
The departmental expenditure apportionable to the procedure for selecting Queen's Counsel in 1996 is estimated to be £81,202.
19 Feb 1997 : Column: 627
Mr. Clifton-Brown:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the Government's estimate of the cost of compensating the Church of England for abolishing the chancel repairing liability. [15683]
Mr. Streeter:
No such estimate has been prepared because the Law Commission report on this subject made no recommendation for compensation, a position which the Church of England and the Church in Wales are content to adopt.
Mr. Clifton-Brown:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what are the arrangements for those carrying out property searches to discover whether a particular property is affected by liability for chancel repairs. [15681]
Mr. Streeter:
Searches may be carried out in the tithe records now held at the Public Records Office.
Mr. Clifton-Brown:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what discussions his Department has had with the Church of England in the last year regarding liability for chancel repairs. [15685]
Mr. Streeter:
There has been one exchange of letters between my Department and the general secretary of the General Synod of the Church of England.
Mr. Clifton-Brown:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many representations the Government have received in the last year on the Law Commission report No. 152, "Property Law: Liability for Chancel Repairs". [15684]
Mr. Streeter:
Apart from discussions within Government, my Department has corresponded with three bodies and two individual Members of Parliament.
Mr. Clifton-Brown:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department in respect of chancel repairing liabilities on properties, how many (a) properties and (b) hectares are affected; how many parishes benefit; if he will list those parishes; and by how much the Church of England benefited in each of the last 10 years. [15680]
Mr. Streeter:
This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Mr. Clifton-Brown:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department on what date tithes were abolished; and what has been the total paid in compensation by the Government to the Church of England. [15682]
Mr. Streeter:
The Tithe Act 1836 made provision for the conversion of existing tithes into tithe rent charges. Those were converted into tithe redemption annuities by the Tithe Act 1936, and ceased to be payable in 1977. Figures on compensation are not held centrally.
MRC-supported meningitis research
Indirect Support
Project grants
1. Dr. D. J. Maskell, Department of Biochemistry, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London--The molecular genetics of lipid A-KDO biosynthesis by Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria meningitidis.
2. Professor J. E. Heckels, Department of Molecular Microbiology, University of Southampton--Antigens from meningococcal outer membrane proteins as vaccine candidates.
3. Dr. D. Ala'Aldeen, Dr. I. Todd and Professor S. P. Boriello, Department of Microbiology, University of Nottingham--Identification of T-cell epitopes involved in protective immunity to meningococcal infection.
4. Professor J. R. Saunders, Department of Genetics and Microbiology, University of Liverpool--Pilin variation and glycosylation in modulating pilus mediated adherence of Neisseria meningitidis to human cells.
5. Dr. H. Palmer, Institute of Infections and Immunity, University of Nottingham--Development of a pig model for meningococcal meningitis.
Strategic project grant
Professor S. P. Boriello, Department of Microbiology, University of Nottingham--Clinical research Initiative in bacterial infections: determinants of tissue damage is bacterial infections.
Programme grant
Professor E. R. Moxon, Molecular Infectious Diseases Group, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford--Molecular basis of Haemophilus influenza pathogenicity.
Infrastructure grant
Professor P. S. Watt and Professor S. T. Holgate--Mucosal Immunology--A Protein engineering laboratory for studies on vaccine design and asthma research.
Direct support
MRC Laboratories, The Gambia--An efficacy study of the Haemophilus influenzae Type b (Hib) polysaccaride-protein conjugate vaccine, PRP-T in The Gambia.
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