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NHS Budgets
26. Mr. Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the percentage change in the proportion of NHS budgets spent on administration since 1989. [19187]
Mr. Horam: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Bradford, South (Mr. Sutcliffe) on 3 December 1996, column 635.
Changes over the years in the roles and responsibilities of family practitioner committees, family health services authorities, district health authorities, and regional health authorities, and the transfer of functions to national health service trusts, mean that the figures are not directly comparable. These figures also include expenditure on medical negligence, capital charges grants to voluntary bodies and some health care services, for example, health promotion.
NHS Capital Expenditure
27. Mr. David Shaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on capital expenditure in the health service. [19188]
Mr. Horam:
The last 10 years have seen the largest sustained building programme in the history of the national health service with over 700 schemes each costing over £1 million being completed. It is anticipated
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that £1.9 billion will be spent in 1996-97 on constructing, improving and modernising NHS buildings using both public capital.
28. Mr. Skinner:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total number of people on NHS waiting lists at the latest available date. [19189]
Mr. Horam:
Provisional figures show that, on 31 December 1996, there were 1,095,940 parents waiting for admission to national health service hospitals in England on an in-patient or day case basis, only 2 per cent. of whom had been waiting more than a year.
Mr. Congdon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were waiting (a) over one year and (b) over 18 months for treatment (i) in each region and (ii) nationally in December 1996; and how many (1) in each equivalent region and (2) nationally were waiting for (a) and (b) in March 1991. [20370]
Mr. Horam:
The table gives the information requested. Information on the number of patients waiting over 18 months is not available for 1991. Regions have been adjusted as far as possible to allow comparisons between 1991 and 1996, but some differences remain, notably due to boundary changes in south Humber, Bedfordshire and Morecambe bay.
| Region | Patients waiting over one year | Of which: Patients waiting over 18 months |
|---|---|---|
| Northern and Yorkshire | 2,563 | 0 |
| Trent | 5,277 | 0 |
| Anglia and Oxford | 1,561 | 22 |
| North Thames | 4,007 | 59 |
| South Thames | 2,924 | 28 |
| South and West | 2,507 | 12 |
| West Midlands | 288 | 0 |
| North West | 2,813 | 2 |
| England | 21,940 | 123 |
| Region | Patients waiting over one year |
|---|---|
| Northern and Yorkshire | 17,801 |
| Trent | 10,525 |
| Anglia and Oxford | 19,713 |
| North Thames | 36,593 |
| South Thames | 26,265 |
| South and West | 24,452 |
| West Midlands | 17,473 |
| North West | 16,939 |
| England | 169,761 |
Regions not directly comparable due to boundary changes, notably in south Humberside, Morecambe bay and Bedfordshire.
Primary Care
29. Mr. Hendry:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to meet general practitioners from north Derbyshire to discuss his Department's plans for primary care. [19190]
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Mr. Malone:
We have already sent copies of the White Papers "Primary Care: The Future--Choice and Opportunity" and "Primary Care: Developing the Future", to all general medical practitioners. Subject to parliamentary approval of the NHS (Primary Care) Bill, we shall be writing to all general medical practitioners, and issuing guidance to health authorities and NHS trusts, advising them how they can pilot some of the new arrangements for the delivery of primary care.
Mr. Thurnham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pending the result of the inquiry by Judge Fallon, what action should be taken by the chief executive of a special health authority high-security psychiatric hospital on receipt of a dossier of allegations concerning another special hospital; and if he will make a statement concerning the reporting relationships between the chairmen and chief executives of the special hospitals and the chairman and chief executive of the High Security Psychiatric Services Commissioning Board. [17802]
Mr. Burns:
It would not be appropriate to comment on matters that may be considered by his honour, Mr. Peter Fallon in the course of his deliberations.
Chairmen and chief executives of the three hospital authorities are responsible for providing high secure psychiatric services, as commissioned by the NHS executive on behalf of the Secretary of State, taking advice from the High Secure Psychiatric Services Commissioning Board.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of (a) the value of prescribed products which are imported from overseas having been manufactured in the United Kingdom and (b) the savings achieved as a result of not purchasing direct from a United Kingdom manufacturer. [18874]
Mr. Malone:
The information requested is not available.
Mr. Spearing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those responsible for the duties formerly carried out by municipal authority medical officers of health; for which geographical areas each is responsible; who appoints such people; what are their usual minimum qualifications; to whom they are accountable; what statutory provisions relating to the former duties of these medical officers (a) apply and (b) do not apply to these persons; and what subsequent legislation governs their activities. [20012]
Mr. Horam:
The Local Government Act 1972 provides for the appointment by the local authority of
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'Such officers as they think necessary'
such for the proper discharge of their functions and obligations. Each local authority may appoint "proper officers" (defined in s270 of the 1972 Act) for particular purposes.
Children in Need
Mr. Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children below the age of 16 years were found in need in central London in the last year for which figures are available. [20410]
Mr. Burns: The relevant figures are not available centrally.
GP Fundholding
Mr. Congdon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) GPs and (b) GP practices the Government estimate will become fundholders from April 1997; and what projections he has made for subsequent years.[20371]
Mr. Malone: A total of 1,714 general practitioners in 646 practices will join the fundholding scheme on 1 April this year. This will give a total of 15,137 GP fundholders in 4,381 practices. This means that 58 per cent. of people in England will have a fundholder as their GP from this April.
GPs have until 31 July 1997 to apply to join the eighth wave of GP fundholding.
Hepatitis B
Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what expert advice he has received or has requested about the advantages of (a) antenatal screening for and (b) infant vaccination against hepatitis B; and if he will make a statement. [20211]
Mr. Horam: The United Kingdom has one of the lowest prevalence rates of hepatitis B carriage in the world. Our current policy is to target immunisation at groups at increased risk of infection including babies born to women who are chronic carriers of the hepatitis B virus or who have had acute hepatitis B infection during pregnancy.
The National Screening Committee is considering the antenatal screening programme for hepatitis B and the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is considering what may be the most appropriate future strategy for the control of hepatitis B, in the context of the whole childhood immunisation programme.
Mr. Luff:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received from the Children's Liver Disease Foundation about (a) antenatal screening for and (b) infant vaccination against hepatitis B; and if he will make a statement. [20212]
Mr. Burns:
I met representatives of the Children's Liver Disease Foundation on 11 March. Antenatal screening for hepatitis B and childhood immunisation against hepatitis B were among the matters discussed at the meeting.
Mr. Rooker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what data his Department has collated concerning the incidence in the United Kingdom of congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (Ondine's curse); and if there is any record of a patient outgrowing the disorder. [20208]
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Mr. Horam:
The Department does not collate this data. The national health service executive is currently funding a research project into the management of children who require long-term ventilation support. This study includes the collation of data on children affected by congenital central hypoventilation syndrome. There is no record of a patient outgrowing this condition.
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