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Disability Services
Mr. Alan Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is given to local authority social services departments concerning (a) the unit cost of the personal care needs of disabled people and (b) the unit cost of services provided by or on behalf of the authority for personal care when considering eligibility for assistance with independent living. [16269]
Mr. Burns: Local authorities have the responsibility to assess individual needs and, where appropriate, to arrange support cost effectively. The Department of Health does not give detailed guidance on these issues.
Hazardous Materials (Departmental Buildings)
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the presence of (a) hazardous materials and (b) ozone-depleting substances within those buildings which his Department occupies; and if he will make a statement. [16277]
Mr. Horam: In the buildings for which it is responsible, the Department of Health has undertaken surveys to identify the presence of hazardous materials and ozone-depleting substances. Positive action has been taken to reduce or safely contain any such elements.
- (a) Hazardous materials: buildings occupied by the Department do not contain any significant amounts of hazardous substances. Where their presence is unavoidable, they are identified, registered and recorded in accordance with legislation.
(b) Ozone-depleting substances: halon fire extinguishers are being phased out of all our buildings and refrigeration units are being replaced with energy efficient CFC-free equipment. Major air conditioning systems in our buildings are equipped with leak-detection sensors.
Environmental Audit (Departmental Buildings)
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the ways in which his Department has demonstrated the ability to improve efficiency and
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competitiveness through an environmental audit of waste management within those buildings his Department occupies; and if he will make a statement. [16416]
Mr. Horam:
In the buildings for which it is responsible, the Department of Health operates an effective energy and environment action plan, which promotes all aspects of green housekeeping and which is reviewed regularly.
Each of our main buildings has been equipped with recycling facilities for common waste items for some time and we continue to look at ways of extending the range of waste collected for recycling. We now monitor the volumes of waste in these buildings to give a quantitative measure of the progress we are making in this area.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the health effects on men of silicone leakage from penile implants. [16901]
Mr. Horam:
No research has been commissioned or evaluated on silicone leakage from penile implants.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the health effects on women of silicone migration from breast implants. [16900]
Mr. Horam:
The Department of Health has established a national breast implant registry to facilitate future research projects. Department of Health officials together with the relevant independent expert groups have evaluated all published research on this subject.
Mr. Canavan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff employed by NHS trusts or health boards are on local contracts outwith Whitley agreements. [16745]
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Mr. Malone:
Precise information is not available centrally. However, the current estimate is that in England 13 per cent. of staff are on locally negotiated contracts.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received regarding the provision of transport for out-of-hours patients in rural areas; and if he will make a statement. [16609]
Mr. Malone:
We have received no representations on this subject recently. The new general practitioner out-of-hours arrangements have been a great success, improving the quality of care for patients while easing the personal burden on the individual GP.
Mr. Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what mechanisms financial support is given towards the costs of travel of out-of-hours patients required by their doctor to make their way to primary care centres. [16610]
Mr. Horam:
There is no provision for reimbursing any costs patients may incur while travelling to receive primary care.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients suffering from glaucoma were treated by general practitioners during (a) 1992-93, (b) 1993-94 and (c) 1994-95. [16611]
Mr. Malone:
Information on the number of patients treated by their general practitioner for glaucoma is not available centrally.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pre-registration nursing and midwifery students commenced training as initial entrants by means of (a) salaried student places, (b) Project 2000 and (c) undergraduate study in each of the last five years. [16612]
Mr. Horam:
The information requested is not available centrally. I refer the hon. Member to the National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting for England for the information that is available on entries to and discontinuation from training.
Mr. Milburn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what monitoring takes place by his Department of the use of external consultants by non-departmental public bodies. [16757]
Mr. Horam:
Non-departmental public bodies are responsible for monitoring the use of external consultants as part of their operational management responsibilities; but the Department would expect to be made aware of plans for any major consultancies.
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Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what assessment his Department had made of the presence of (a) hazardous materials and (b) ozone-depleting substances within those buildings his Department occupies; and if he will make a statement. [16317]
Mr. Bates:
The Cabinet Office, its agencies and the Central Office of Information undertake assessments of hazardous materials in accordance with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 1988. The use of ozone depleting substances is kept to the minimum.
Mr. Jones:
To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment his Department had made of the presence of (a) hazardous materials and (b) ozone-depleting substances within those buildings his Department occupies; and if he will make a statement. [16306]
The Deputy Prime Minister:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my hon. Friend the Paymaster General.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the ways in which his Department has demonstrated the ability to improve efficiency and competitiveness through an environmental audit of waste management within those buildings his Department occupies; and if he will make a statement. [16428]
Mr. Bates:
The Cabinet Office, the agencies and the Central Office of Information play a full part in supporting the initiatives being carried forward in response to the 1990 White Paper, "This Common Inheritance", including membership of the Green Ministers' Group. Minimising waste is at the core of the Department's energy and environmental policy, which is supported by an action plan. The policy has proved effective during the first five years of the Government's campaign to reduce energy consumption and improve environmental performance; the Department has achieved its objective of meeting the Government's target of a 15 per cent. reduction in energy consumption to April 1996. The headquarters buildings in London recently received an award from Westminster city council for its contribution since 1992 to its recycling scheme.
Mr. Livingstone:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security (1) what steps the War Pensions Agency has taken to evaluate the systems in (a) Australia, (b) the United States of America and (c) Canada for compensating former service personnel who are suffering long-term ill health as a result of mustard gas experiments conducted by their own Governments in previous years; [14383]
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(3) if he will list the regulations introduced by his Department since 1986 which relate to claims made by individuals claiming disablement as a result of experiments at the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down; [14390]
(4) what evaluation has been made by the War Pension Agency of the findings on the long-term health effects of mustard gas and lewisite reached by the US Institute of Medicine committee in its report "Veterans at Risk--the health effects of mustard gas and lewisite" edited by Constance Pechura and David Rall published in January 1993; and what was the basis of the evaluation. [14847]
Mr. Heald:
No steps have been taken to evaluate either the US Institute of Medicine report quoted, or the systems in Australia, Canada and the United States of America for compensating former service personnel who may be suffering long-term ill health as a result of mustard gas experiments.
(2) if the burden of proof is on the claimant to prove his or her case in cases in which service personnel are claiming disablement as a result of experiments at the chemical defence establishment at Porton Down; [14384]
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