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Bus Employees Superannuation Trust
Mrs. Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a reassessment of the case of Mr. Francis Wheeler in respect of his claim for compensation for the loss of pension fund assets from the Bus Employees Superannuation Trust; and if he will make a statement on the Bus Employees Superannuation Trust. [29]
Ms Glenda Jackson:
The present position is that the trustees of the Bus Employees Superannuation Trust have accepted the then Secretary of State for Transport's offer to meet their costs in pursuing through the Courts recovery of the surplus of the fund paid to my Department in 1990. My Department awaits the trustees' formal statement of claim. I am still studying the legal and other background to this case.
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Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will make a statement on progress in respect of the A5 bypass for Nesscliff village, Shrewsbury. [76]
Ms Glenda Jackson
[holding answer 19 May 1997]: The A5 Nesscliffe bypass was withdrawn from the national trunk road programme on 26 November 1996. As a result, all preparation work on the scheme ceased.
North Essex Health Authority
19. Mr. Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to ensure that North Essex health authority will receive its full share of NHS expenditure under the formula known as capitation funding. [422]
Mr. Milburn: The first step will be to look again at what the share of funds for North Essex health authority should be. We will look at how resources are distributed across both secondary and primary care, to ensure that these fully reflect local population needs and operate as fairly as possible.
Barnet General Hospital
20. Sir Sydney Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the construction of phase 1B at Barnet general hospital. [423]
Mr. Milburn: The phase 1B development of Barnet general hospital will go ahead as planned.
Dartford Hospital
21. Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the proposed hospital for Dartford under the PFI scheme. [424]
Mr. Milburn: The trust and their private sector partner have signed a commercial contract for the provision of a new district general hospital. The NHS (Private Finance) Bill to clarify existing powers to trusts to enter into PFI agreements will provide the private sector partner with the reassurance it has been seeking to enter into a PFI contract and it is expected that this scheme will now progress rapidly to financial close, with work on site starting very shortly afterwards.
GP Fundholding
22. Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he intends to abolish general practitioner fundholding. [425]
24. Mr. Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the future of general practitioner fundholding. [427]
Mr. Milburn:
I refer the hon. Members to the reply my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave earlier today.
20 May 1997 : Column: 55
23. Mr. Timms:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has to reform the allocation of funds in the health service. [426]
Mr. Milburn:
We will look at how resources are distributed across both secondary and primary care, to ensure that these fully reflect local population needs and operate as fairly as possible.
25. Mr. Luff:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his plans for new hospital provision in south Worcestershire. [428]
Mr. Milburn:
Worcester Royal Infirmary NHS trust is currently negotiating with its preferred private sector partner prior to submitting the full business case for the proposed private finance scheme.
26. Mr. Barnes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement regarding his Department's policy on reducing the length of patient waiting lists. [429]
Mr. Milburn:
We will reduce the bureaucratic costs of the NHS and the savings achieved will be used to improve direct patient care by treating more NHS patients. Our commitment is to end waiting times for cancer surgery and in particular to speed up the diagnosis and treatment for patients with breast cancer.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his Department's estimate of waiting times for elective surgery in each London health district for the latest available date. [515]
Ms Jowell:
Waiting time information collected centrally does not identify separately those patients waiting for surgery. Figures are at specialty level and include all patients waiting for admission to hospital, whether it be for operations, medical treatment, assessment, therapy or rehabilitation.
The latest information on patients waiting for elective admission by individual health authority is published in "Hospital Waiting List Statistics: England (Resident Based) at 31 December 1996", copies of which are available in the Library.
27. Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what will be the main policy priorities of the Minister responsible for public health over the next year; and if he will make a statement. [430]
Ms Jowell:
I shall be working to carry forward the commitments made in the manifesto, to attack the root causes of ill health. I shall set new goals for improving the people's health which recognise the impact that poverty, poor housing, unemployment and a polluted environment have on health. I plan to outline the new public health strategy in early July.
Our clear commitment to public health issues has already been signalled in the Gracious Speech with the announcement that we shall be publishing later this year
20 May 1997 : Column: 56
a White Paper on ways of reducing death and illness caused by smoking and a draft Bill to ban tobacco advertising. In the summer we shall be holding a summit on tobacco and smoking.
I shall be working closely with colleagues in other Departments to take forward our commitments on food safety and use of lottery funds for health projects.
28. Mr. Waterson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received about pay levels in the NHS. [431]
Mr. Milburn:
We have received a number of representations about pay in the national health service.
29. Mrs. Ann Winterton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on current levels of NHS spending. [432]
Mr. Milburn:
National health service total gross spending in England in 1997-98 is estimated to be £36 billion.
30. Mr. Andrew Rowe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will carry out an urgent review of the record of purchasing authorities in settling accounts with their providers within the NHS. [433]
Mr. Milburn:
We have no plans at present for undertaking a review of purchasing authorities' records in settling accounts with their providers within the NHS. We do, however, intend to cut down the current paperchase and release resources currently wasted on bureaucracy for patient care.
31. Mr. John Cryer:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the future of Oldchurch hospital in Romford. [434]
Mr. Milburn:
The announcement we shall be making shortly about the London review will include reference to specific hospitals.
32. Mr. Yeo:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of NHS staff who will be made redundant as a result of his proposals to streamline management. [435]
Mr. Milburn:
We are continuing discussions with officials and the national health service on how best to meet our manifesto commitments.
33. Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will review the policy guidance he issues to health authorities and NHS trusts on assisted conception. [436]
Ms Jowell:
Two documents providing advice on fertility, including assisted conception, are available to the NHS, "Effective Health Care Bulletin on the Management
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of Subfertility", published by the National Health Service Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (1992); and "Infertility: Guidelines for Practice" published by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (1992). Both documents are currently being reviewed and updated advice should be available later this year.
In addition, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority issues a code of practice to those clinics licensed under the terms of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990. A revised code of practice is currently being prepared.
Mr. Key:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if it is his policy that assisted conception including in vitro fertilisation should be available free and universally in the national health service. [91]
Ms Jowell:
We are reviewing our policy in this area, in the context of the wider issue of variations in health service provision.
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