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Assisted Places Scheme
Mr. Edwards:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the names of schools in Wales with pupils on the assisted places scheme; and in each case what is the number of pupils and the income which the school recovers from the scheme. [4133]
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Mr. Hain:
The information requested is shown in the following table:
| School | Number of APS pupils in scheme 1996-97 | Income from APS in financial year 1996-97 |
|---|---|---|
| Christ College | 101 | 490,854 |
| Ffynone House(13) | 7 | 15,075 |
| Howell's, Cardiff | 186 | 504,516 |
| Howell's, Denbigh | 83 | 399,684 |
| Kings Monkton(13) | 11 | 26,805 |
| Llandovery College | 69 | 366,701 |
| Monmouth Boys | 146 | 518,626 |
| Monmouth Girls | 82 | 259,417 |
| Rougemont School(13) | 15 | 34,662 |
| Ruthin School(13) | 11 | 33,952 |
| Rydal Penrhos | 142 | 749,093 |
| St. Clare's School(13) | 14 | 26,527 |
| St. Gerard's School(13) | 9 | 16,869 |
| St. John's College(13) | 11 | 19,539 |
| Total all Wales | 887 | 3,462,320 |
(13) Joined Scheme in September 1996.
Speech Therapists
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many qualified speech therapists there are in each of the health authorities in Wales. [4458]
Mr. Win Griffiths: The information is given in the following table:
| Health Authority area(14) | Whole-time equivalent number of staff in post at 31 December 1996(15) |
|---|---|
| Bro Taf | 53 |
| Dyfed Powys | 36 |
| Gwent | 32 |
| Morgannwg | 42 |
| North Wales | 60 |
(14) Staff are employed by NHS Trusts but are shown here under the Health Authority area in which the Trust is situated.
(15) Provisional.
Smoke Detectors
Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which housing associations in Wales have not installed smoke detectors in their housing stock. [4779]
Mr. Win Griffiths: As this is an operational matter for Tai Cymru, I have asked the Chief Executive to collect the data from the housing associations and to write to my hon. Friend direct. A copy of this letter will be placed in the Library.
Hip Replacements
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what reports he has received of the failure rates of operations involving replacement hips using biomet protheses and boneloc cement in (a) Rhydlafar hospital and (b) other hospitals in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [4491]
Mr. Win Griffiths:
The failure rates of operations is a matter for NHS Trusts to address, in liaison with health authorities and GP fundholders. However, the NHS is
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immediately informed of any particular product that gives rise for concern via various hazard notices issued by the Department on the advice of the Medical Devices Agency. One such notice on Boneloc was issued in 1995 and I understand that this product was subsequently withdrawn from use.
Mr. Opik:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on his plans in respect of the level of expenditure on the NHS. [4856]
Mr. Win Griffiths:
Provision for the NHS in Wales in 1997-98 was £2,368 million. My right hon. Friend will announce provision for 1998-99 in due course.
Mr. Opik:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the areas of service provision in the NHS which are currently under review by the Welsh Office; and if he will make a statement. [4851]
Mr. Win Griffiths:
It is primarily for health authorities to plan for and review service provision in the light of local circumstances and strategic priorities. Currently, the Welsh Office is separately leading reviews of the configuration of NHS trusts, critical care and occupational health services for NHS staff in Wales.
Mr. Denzil Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the statement of the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Neath (Mr. Hain), of 18 June, Official Report, column 245-48, what, for the latest available year, was the total value (a) of Welsh exports and (b) of Welsh imports. [5130]
Mr. Hain:
Export and import statistics are only collected on a UK basis and I am afraid my statement on 18 June was based on a misinterpretation. I intend to write to the hon. Member with an explanation as soon as possible and place a copy of my letter in the Library.
Mr. Opik:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what was the average teacher:pupil ratio for (a) all schools, (b) primary and junior schools and (c) secondary schools in Wales for each of the last five years for which figures are available, based on planned expenditure; what is the expected teacher:pupil ratio for (i) all schools,
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(ii) primary and junior schools and (iii) secondary schools in Wales, in each of the next two years; and if he will make a statement. [4871]
Mr. Hain:
The following table shows figures for the last five years derived from returns to the Schools' Census. Projections of pupil:teacher ratios are not prepared centrally.
| 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All schools(17) | 18.2 | 18.2 | 18.4 | 18.7 | 18.7 |
| Primary(18) | 22.3 | 22.1 | 22.3 | 22.5 | 22.5 |
| Secondary | 15.6 | 15.7 | 15.9 | 16.1 | 16.0 |
(16) At January each year. The pupil:teacher ratio shown is the ratio of the total number of full-time equivalent pupils within the sector concerned to the total number of full-time equivalent qualified teachers.
(17) Includes all maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools, and independent schools.
(18) Includes all infant, junior with infant, and junior without infant, schools.
Ambulance Service
Mr. Opik: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the ambulance service provision; and if he will make a statement. [4850]
Mr. Win Griffiths: Latest figures for the year to March 1997 show that on an all Wales basis ambulance trusts have met the patient's charter requirement for responding to emergency calls. The Department has written to the Dyfed Powys and Bro Taf health authorities, where the standard has not been achieved. In addition, a review by ambulance trusts in Wales, which is expected to include reconfiguration options with a view to improving patient services, will be submitted to me next month for consideration.
Cigarette Smokers
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many and what percentage of adult (a) men and (b) women in Wales are cigarette smokers in each 10 year age band; and if he will make a statement. [4770]
Mr. Win Griffiths:
The estimated numbers and percentages of adults in Wales who smoke cigarettes at least occasionally are given in the following table. They are based on data from the 1996 Health in Wales Survey carried out by Health Promotion Wales. The survey results are provisional pending publication later in the year.
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| Age in years | 18-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-54 | 55-64 | 18-64 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | Number | Percentage | |
| Men | 38,000 | 33.9 | 66,000 | 34.9 | 68,000 | 34.3 | 67,000 | 33.9 | 50,000 | 30.0 | 288,000 | 33.5 |
| Women | 36,000 | 32.5 | 63,000 | 32.6 | 57,000 | 28.5 | 56,000 | 28.9 | 40,000 | 25.4 | 251,000 | 29.4 |
Source:
1996 Health in Wales Survey (sample size 9,003).
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HEALTH
Hospital Performance Ratings
3. Mr. John M. Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals achieved five-star performance ratings in the last year for which figures are available. [3468]
Mr. Milburn: The last year for which figures are available is the period ended 31 March 1996, when 397 out of a total of 400 trusts achieved five stars for at least one indicator in the Tables, 42 achieved five stars in all categories. I plan to publish the figures for the period to 31 March 1997 in the NHS Performance Tables on 9 July 1997.
Surrogacy
5. Mr. Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to review the law relating to surrogacy. [3470]
Ms Jowell: As I announced on 11 June, at columns 478-79, following public concern, UK health ministers have invited a small team to carry out a review of the existing law on surrogacy. The terms of reference and membership of this review were set out in the Official Report, and are as follows:
To consider whether payments, including expenses, to surrogate mothers should continue to be allowed, and if so, on what basis;
to examine whether there is a case for the regulation of surrogacy arrangements through a recognised body or bodies; and if so to advise on the scope and operation of such arrangements;
in the light of the above, to advise whether changes are needed to the Surrogacy Arrangements Act 1985 and/or section 30 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990.
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