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Glaucoma

Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many prescriptions for the treatment of glaucoma were issued in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and what were the net ingredient costs for each year. [21082]

20 Mar 1997 : Column: 707

Mr. Gwilym Jones: Information is given in the following table. Before 1993-94, figures were not available to a sufficient level of detail to identify specific treatments for glaucoma.

Number of prescription items prescribed for the treatment of glaucoma in Wales

	Number of items prescribed	Net ingredients cost (£000)
1993-94	242,000	1,761
1994-95	248,000	1,789
1995-96	258,000	1,868

Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many patients received hospital in-patient or day care treatment for glaucoma in each of the last five years. [21083]

Mr. Jones: The information requested is given in the following table.

Number of in-patients or day cases treated for glaucoma in Wales(10)

	Number
1991-92	1,662
1992-93	1,729
1993-94	1,770
1994-95	1,633
1995-96	1,541

(10) Estimates based on the latest available returns submitted by hospitals.

Health Service Contracts

Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many trusts failed to meet the deadline to agree contracts with their purchasers; and how many he expects to go to arbitration. [21086]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: Agreement was reached by all trusts and health authorities in the 1996-97 financial year without recourse to arbitration.

Negotiations for 1997-98 contracting round are on-going.

Health Service Salaries and Wages

Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what were the NHS salaries and wages costs for (a) administrative, clerical and management staff and (b) nurses and midwives in each financial year from 1989 to 1995 prices. [21085]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: The information is contained in the following table:

20 Mar 1997 : Column: 708

	(a)	(b)
	Administrative, clerical and management	Nurses and midwives
	£000	£000
1988-89	86,869	438,480
1989-90	94,255	434,736
1990-91	103,547	433,982
1991-92	110,285	450,356
1992-93	125,594	457,093
1993-94	147,826	440,070
1994-95	153,156	444,644
1995-96	160,654	442,604

Sources:

Financial returns and annual accounts of district health authorities, NHS trusts, family health services authorities, the Health Promotion Authority for Wales and the Welsh Health Common Services Authority.

Notes:

1. Information on salaries and wages costs for family health services authorities are not held centrally, and figures for nurses and midwives cannot be disaggregated from administrative and clerical costs.

2. These figures exclude the costs of general practitioners' administrative staff as the information was not separately collected.

3. The latest version of HM Treasury gross domestic product deflators was used to uplift the figures to 1995 prices.

Countryside Council for Wales

Mr. Alex Carlile: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make it his policy to ensure that (a) ecologists and (b) environmental scientists are employed by the Countryside Council for Wales; and if he will make a statement about recent redundancies of (a) and (b) at the Countryside Council for Wales. [21355]

Mr. Hague: The Countryside Council for Wales currently employs 176 full-time equivalent scientists--some of them part-timers--all of whom are qualified and/or engaged in ecological and natural science issues. The council will continue to employ suitably qualified staff to carry out its work. There have been no recent redundancies in the council, but eight staff employed on fixed-term contracts for specific work are due to leave in May when their work is completed.

General Practitioners

Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many and what percentage of the current general practitioner work force in each health authority area falls within the age deciles (a) 30 to 39, (b) 40 to 49, (c) 50 to 59 and (d) 60 to 69 years. [21532]

Mr. Hague: The information is given in the following table:

20 Mar 1997 : Column: 707

General medical practitioners by age and health authority, 29 March 1996(11)

	Number				Percentage of total GPs
Age in years	30 to 39	40 to 49	50 to 59	60 to 69	30 to 39	40 to 49	50 to 59	60 to 69
Clwyd	80	98	41	11	34	42	18	5
Dyfed	113	74	34	5	50	32	15	2
Gwent	74	82	65	21	30	33	26	8
Gwynedd	67	66	26	7	40	39	15	4
Mid Glamorgan	72	96	100	27	24	32	34	9
Powys	25	41	15	(12)--	29	48	17	(12)--
South Glamorgan	110	89	44	8	44	35	17	3
West Glamorgan	82	68	42	18	38	32	20	8

(11) Boundaries as at March 1996.

(12) Number less than 5.

20 Mar 1997 : Column: 709

20 Mar 1997 : Column: 709

Public Bodies

Mr. Richards: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he proposes to notify the economic development non-departmental public bodies in Wales of his strategic guidance for 1997-98; and if he will make a statement. [21651]

Mr. Hague: I have written to the chairmen of the Welsh Development Agency, the Development Board for Rural Wales, Cardiff Bay development corporation, the Land Authority for Wales and the Wales tourist board, to inform them of many strategic targets and priorities for 1997-98. Copies of the letters have been placed in the Library of the House.

The targets I have set are demanding but will lead to private sector investment of over £700 million, the creation of over 10,000 jobs and the establishment of a network of strategic sites for further economic development throughout Wales. The majority of jobs to be created will be in those areas of highest unemployment, including the south Wales valleys and the west.

Derwen and Pembrokeshire Trusts (Merger)

Mr. Dafis: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list those individuals and organisations who expressed (a) support for, and (b) opposition to, the merger of the Derwen and Pembrokeshire NHS trusts. [20301]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Carmarthen (Mr. Williams) on Monday 17 March 1997, Official Report, column 442.

Wentlooge Levels (Flood Defences)

Mr. Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the chairman of the Wales Committee of the Environment Agency concerning the commencement of construction of the improvement of the flood defences on the Wentlooge levels sea wall between Cardiff and Newport. [21330]

Mr. Hague: None. Construction works commenced on the first phase of improvements to the Wentlooge sea defences in July of 1996.

Asthma

Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the number of admissions to Welsh hospitals for asthma broken down by the patient's postcode in each of the last five years. [21288]

Mr. Gwilym Jones: The information requested is in the table:

20 Mar 1997 : Column: 710

Number of admissions for asthma in Welsh hospitals by area of residence of patient(13)

Postcoded district	1991-92	1992-93	1993-94	1994-95	1995-96
Postcode districts in Wales(14)
CF1	149	109	110	133	177
CF2	225	164	175	186	217
CF3	163	169	158	167	187
CF4	178	138	125	114	127
CF5	180	203	185	184	177
CF6	364	281	248	236	243
CF7	34	34	31	33	38
CF8	178	179	175	182	151
CF31	82	87	90	101	82
CF32	74	88	88	65	68
CF33	44	40	38	18	28
CF34	49	42	39	32	58
CF35	32	37	30	30	26
CF36	28	28	29	22	24
CF37	86	82	69	62	63
CF38	40	31	27	38	29
CF39	56	59	68	60	49
CF40	34	49	32	45	38
CF41	26	27	18	26	20
CF42	23	34	22	46	31
CF43	19	16	14	24	24
CF44	92	114	144	100	158
CF45	26	29	37	27	31
CF46	18	28	31	27	28
CF47	38	85	76	74	66
CF48	78	99	118	103	116
CH1 to CH4(15)	13	10	15	9	17
CH5	8	12	17	12	14
CH6	27	31	22	34	35
CH7	77	62	79	63	60
CH8	40	47	51	29	31
LD1	18	29	28	22	33
LD2	8	9	10	8	5
LD3	54	57	30	33	40
LD4 to LD8(15)	6	4	2	13	9
LL11	145	83	84	50	77
LL12	52	51	31	31	38
LL13	53	73	93	56	47
LL14	66	90	106	69	70
LL15	27	17	24	17	36
LL16	38	17	20	16	33
LL17	6	10	8	9	4
LL18	80	84	88	57	84
LL19	51	46	58	41	59
LL20	13	13	12	6	14
LL21	5	5	6	7	10
LL22	36	33	32	40	41
LL23 to LL27(15)	11	12	21	11	28
LL28	11	11	17	5	15
LL29	40	30	40	36	44
LL30	47	39	42	46	35
LL31	10	12	18	13	16
LL32	9	11	4	7	8
LL33	6	3	22	5	9
LL34 to LL35(15)	3	3	8	12	13
LL36	18	5	9	15	10
LL37 to LL40(15)	11	12	18	4	4
LL41	19	6	28	13	6
LL42 to LL46(15)	10	13	14	7	4
LL47 to LL52(15)	17	7	17	10	11
LL53	25	15	22	22	28
LL54	21	9	17	10	11
LL55	33	23	52	28	57
LL56 to LL57(15)	54	32	79	48	78
LL58 to LL59(15)	11	18	12	14	24
LL60 to LL61(15)	10	5	22	32	14
LL62 to LL65(15)	59	55	54	46	68
LL67 to LL68(15)	23	13	17	6	11
LL69 to LL71(15)	8	4	7	11	7
LL72 to LL75(15)	17	12	4	9	8
LL77 to LL78(15)	17	4	15	9	20
NP1	131	142	155	173	157
NP2	104	139	157	130	138
NP3	101	124	131	117	157
NP4	102	98	67	62	101
NP5	22	15	21	16	17
NP6	70	69	80	65	50
NP7 to NP8(15)	48	43	39	60	70
NP9	309	369	291	262	239
NP44	91	88	115	124	110
SA1	88	152	89	91	113
SA2	49	83	46	45	67
SA3	33	60	30	33	36
SA4	73	70	46	59	47
SA5	96	132	97	111	82
SA6	51	64	65	58	31
SA7	30	32	24	19	15
SA8	51	43	23	27	13
SA9	24	27	24	22	17
SA10	27	28	32	67	41
SA11	57	36	36	96	67
SA12	72	38	46	64	76
SA13	22	36	42	42	44
SA14	33	49	51	43	68
SA15	54	57	65	79	99
SA16	20	14	16	16	13
SA17	15	20	9	25	21
SA18 to SA19(15)	59	64	67	59	60
SA20	9	4	13	3	8
SA31	28	47	55	38	38
SA32	5	9	9	3	5
SA33	16	38	26	31	14
SA34 to SA37(15)	11	15	12	6	9
SA38 to SA39(15)	19	12	14	23	10
SA40 to SA42(15)	4	4	10	7	7
SA43	18	32	23	10	7
SA44 to SA47(15)	23	32	29	22	16
SA48	5	15	24	12	10
SA61	45	35	36	42	42
SA62 to SA64(15)	39	38	42	26	41
SA65 to SA66(15)	11	13	18	10	6
SA67	7	7	13	15	7
SA68 to SA69(15)	8	15	6	10	9
SA70	10	20	36	22	22
SA71	34	26	27	15	20
SA72	19	18	24	21	24
SA73	53	54	51	45	64
SY1 to SY15(15)	9	5	11	9	19
SY16	16	21	16	12	6
SY17 to SY19(15)	13	6	14	16	8
SY20 to SY22(15)	37	46	39	49	41
SY23	51	53	71	59	59
SY24	6	7	9	8	10
SY25	7	11	10	7	4
Other districts(16)	322	254	255	224	214
Total	6,286	6,318	6,309	5,886	6,211

(13) Estimates based on latest returns from hospitals.

(14) May include some districts which straddle the Welsh-English border.

(15) Districts merged to protect patient confidentiality.

(16) Outside Wales or not known.

20 Mar 1997 : Column: 711

Mr. Ainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the number of admissions for asthma to each Welsh district general hospital in each of the last five years. [21289]

Mr. Jones: The information requested is in the table:

20 Mar 1997 : Column: 712

Number of admissions to major acute hospitals in Wales for asthma(17)

Hospital	1991-92	1992-93	1993-94	1994-95	1995-96
Bronglais General Hospital	138	148	167	154	131
Cardiff Royal Infirmary	128	92	86	115	72
East Glamorgan General Hospital	304	319	246	306	279
Llandough Hospital	917	821	814	787	869
Morriston Hospital	221	208	134	141	n/a
Neath General Hospital	206	133	163	260	226
Nevill Hall Hospital	223	260	240	250	345
Prince Charles Hospital	261	399	502	415	491
Prince Philip Hospital	86	89	118	118	129
Princess of Wales/Bridgend General	333	346	358	290	305
Royal Gwent/St. Woolos	722	814	746	706	648
Singleton Hospital	331	388	356	375	494
University Hospital of Wales	313	263	236	265	297
West Wales General Hospital	156	248	239	207	175
Withybush General Hospital	251	248	257	203	260
Wrexham Maelor Hospital	445	400	441	288	343
Ysbyty Glan Clwyd	416	365	407	347	472
Ysbyty Gwynedd	377	271	463	349	412

(17) Estimates based on latest returns from hospitals.

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