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Prescriptions
Mr. Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the adequacy of
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safeguards preventing multiple pharmacies transferring prescriptions handed in at one pharmacy branch to another branch to maximise payment for additional professional services; and if he will make a statement. [17080]
Mr. Hague:
The Welsh Office is represented on the efficiency scrutiny on prescription fraud, which has the task of recommending measures to reduce the risk of prescription fraud. The scrutiny team is due to complete its work by the end of March.
Mr. Morgan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what statistics he has collated in respect of the average aggregate prescribing of antibiotics in each of the past five years. [16996]
Mr. Hague:
The number of prescription items, for antibacterial drugs, dispensed in each of the past five years is given in the following table:
| Prescription items dispensed | |
|---|---|
| (thousands) | |
| 1991-92 | 2,937 |
| 1992-93 | 2,927 |
| 1993-94 | 3,118 |
| 1994-95 | 3,159 |
| 1995-96 | 3,160 |
Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what guidelines he has issued to health authorities to prevent pharmacies with branches in more than one health authority area transferring prescriptions handed in at one pharmacy for processing at a pharmacy in another health authority area with a view to maximising the payment of the professional allowance for processing prescriptions.[17081]
GCSE Examinations
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage and how many children (a) sat and (b) obtained grades A to C first time in (i) maths and (ii) English language GCSE in Wales in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [17154]
Mr. Jonathan Evans:
Information is not collected centrally on the number of children achieving GCSEs at their first attempt. The following table shows the number and percentage of 15-year-old pupils at school in Wales, who entered and who achieved A* to C in (i) maths and (ii) English Language in 1996.
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| 15-year-olds entered for GCSE | 15-year-olds achieving GCSE grade A* to C | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percentage(30) | Number | Percentage(30) | |
| Mathematics | 31,851 | 86 | 14,994 | 40 |
| English Language | 32,049 | 86 | 17,328 | 47 |
(29) Age as at 31 August 1995.
(30) As a percentage of the total number of 15-year-olds at school in Wales in January 1996.
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Fundholders
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what were the average (a) management and (b) computer costs for a general practitioner fundholding practice in each health authority in Wales in each of the past five years. [17454]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: The following payments were made by family health services authorities in respect of general practitioner fundholding practice management allowances in the past five years. Figures include preparatory payments to GPs who will become fundholders in the next financial year, which cannot be separately identified to allow the calculation of an average management allowance.
| £'000s | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FHSA | 1991-92 | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-95 |
| Clwyd | 179 | 440 | 569 | 609 | 1,003 |
| Dyfed | 31 | 148 | 325 | 515 | 936 |
| Gwent | 63 | 286 | 499 | 609 | 1,072 |
| Gwynedd | 0 | 17 | 122 | 232 | 332 |
| Mid Glamorgan | 120 | 181 | 245 | 345 | 715 |
| Powys | 16 | 103 | 210 | 300 | 538 |
| South Glamorgan | 33 | 85 | 288 | 471 | 829 |
| West Glamorgan | 76 | 362 | 645 | 716 | 1,038 |
Figures for general practitioners computer costs are not held centrally.
Source
Family health services receipts and payments returns 1991-92 to 1995-96.
Mr. Ainger:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many general practitioner fundholders there were in each health authority in Wales in each of the past five years. [17464]
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Mr. Jones:
The information is given in the following tables.
| 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clwyd | 10 | 18 | 20 | 21 |
| Dyfed | 2 | 6 | 17 | 21 |
| Gwent | 4 | 13 | 16 | 21 |
| Gwynedd | 0 | 1 | 9 | 11 |
| Mid Glamorgan | 4 | 7 | 8 | 11 |
| Powys | 1 | 5 | 7 | 12 |
| South Glamorgan | 1 | 4 | 18 | 24 |
| West Glamorgan | 4 | 20 | 22 | 25 |
| Total | 26 | 74 | 117 | 146 |
| 1996-97 | |
|---|---|
| Bro Taf | 41 |
| Dyfed Powys | 49 |
| Gwent | 41 |
| Morgannwg | 35 |
| North Wales | 44 |
| Total | 210 |
Health Authority Costs
Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what were the administrative costs of each health authority in Wales in each of the last five years. [17466]
Mr. Gwilym Jones:
The information requested is contained in the following table. Information on the five new health authorities for 1996-97 is not yet available. A reorganisation between East Dyfed and Pembrokeshire district health authorities began in 1992-93 and concluded in 1994-95.
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| £000 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991-92 | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 | |
| Clwyd | 12,406 | 14,011 | 2,444 | 1,933 | 1,816 |
| East Dyfed | 7,686 | 8,569 | 3,668 | 1,784 | 1,733 |
| Pembrokeshire | 3,327 | 169 | 186 | 147 | 0 |
| Gwent | 12,691 | 14,279 | 4,591 | 1,596 | 1,513 |
| Gwynedd | 6,616 | 8,237 | 9,693 | 1,057 | 992 |
| Mid Glamorgan | 14,212 | 8,944 | 13,297 | 8,434 | 8,549 |
| Powys | 3,016 | 3,683 | 667 | 540 | 700 |
| South Glamorgan | 20,952 | 24,299 | 21,596 | 21,478 | 2,269 |
| West Glamorgan | 10,662 | 11,729 | 11,158 | 7,516 | 6,680 |
Source:
Financial returns from district health authorities.
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NORTHERN IRELAND
Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy
Mr. Alan W. Williams:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total number of cases of BSE in Northern Ireland to date; and what percentage this represents of the total for the United Kingdom. [16247]
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Mr. Ancram:
A total of 1,746 cases of BSE have occurred in Northern Ireland up to 7 February 1997. This represents 1.04 per cent. of the total cases for the United Kingdom.
Mr. Williams:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of the cattle herds in Northern Ireland, (a) remain unaffected by BSE and (b) would qualify for a United Kingdom certified herds scheme. [16210]
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Mr. Ancram:
Approximately 97 per cent. of herds in Northern Ireland remain unaffected by BSE. These herds would qualify for a United Kingdom certified herds scheme as drafted at present.
Mr. McGrady:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications were received in respect of the farm and countryside enhancement scheme; and of these how many were approved. [15469]
Mr. Ancram:
A total of 4,144 applications were received under the farm and countryside enhancement scheme. None have been approved as no farms have yet been visited. A total of 2,532 were accepted before closure.
Mr. John D. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the present enrolments at (a) Scrabo high school and (b) Movilla high school in Newtownards; and what is the maximum enrolment that could be accommodated in the existing buildings at each of those schools. [16106]
Mr. Ancram:
There are currently 283 pupils at Scrabo high school and 858 pupils at Movilla high school, in Newtownards. Scrabo high school can accommodate 515 pupils, whereas Movilla high school can accommodate 900 pupils.
Mr. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proposals there are for a new integrated secondary school in Newtownards; if such proposals have been considered by the South Eastern education and library board; if a site for such a school has been identified; and if he will make a statement. [16105]
Mr. Ancram:
The South-eastern education and library board published a development proposal for a new integrated secondary school in the North Down area on 10 September 1996. The board formally objected to the proposal on 5 November 1996. My Department was advised on 9 December 1996 by the Northern Ireland Council for Integrated Education that a site had been identified for the proposed school in Newtownards.
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