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Dental Services
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 6 June, Official Report, column 281, if the figures for dentists on health authority lists are dentists who accept NHS patients. [7384]
Mr. Milburn: All dentists on health authority lists are providing some National Health Service dental treatment.
Long-term Care
Mr. Colvin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to publish the conclusions of his discussions with the Local Government Association on
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12 May concerning the improvement of provision on long-term care for the elderly; and if he will make a statement. [7223]
Mr. Boateng:
The meeting covered a range of topics including long term care. The views of the Local Government Association are valued and will be taken into account as we decide what action to take on provision of long-term care for the elderly.
Ms Keeble:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Ipswich (Mr. Cann) of 6 June, Official Report, column 282, for what reasons the costs were higher in 1992-93 than in 1996-97. [7383]
Mr. Milburn:
In 1992-93 the dental fee scale that was in place was delivering a higher target net income than the Doctor and Dentists Review Body (DDRB) had recommended. Since January 1994, the way in which dental remuneration is set has changed; the DDRB has recommended a percentage uplift in the fees. Despite the increase in fees from 1994, changes to the complexity and volume of work done under the General Dental Service have meant that treatment costs in 1996-97 have only returned close to 1992-93 levels.
Mr. Swayne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has to reduce prescription fraud in the NHS in cases where the control over prescribing has been devolved by doctors to pharmacists. [7323]
Mr. Milburn:
Doctors may not devolve their responsibilities for prescribing to pharmacists.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will answer the question from the right hon. Member for South-West Surrey of 3 July on the number of Labour and Liberal Democrat hon. Members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords who served on NHS health authorities or trusts.[8017]
Mr. Milburn:
The question was answered on 9 July, column 500.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances general practitioners are permitted to charge people for signing postal and proxy forms; and what guidance his Department has provided on this issue.[6658]
Mr. Milburn:
General practitioners are not permitted to charge patients for signing a postal or proxy form to enable a person to be registered as an absent voter on grounds of physical incapacity. This is set out in Schedule 9 of the National Health Service (General Medical Services) Regulations 1992.
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Helen Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ascertain the views of people in the Warrington, North constituency on local national health service services. [7218]
Mr. Milburn:
North Cheshire Health Authority has recently developed a system of relationships and networks in local communities, including Warrington, North, to enable residents to put their views and suggestions to the health authority. Participants include health authority and hospital staff, general practitioners, voluntary organisations, community health councils, education and local authority representatives.
Helen Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide funding for the continuation of the Health Watch Project run by the Warrington Community Health Council. [7219]
Mr. Milburn:
I have no plans to do so.
Helen Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he intends to take to increase the powers of community health councils. [7220]
Mr. Milburn:
Community health councils have an important statutory role in representing the interests of the public in their districts in the National Health Service. We will be keeping this under review as we develop proposals for wider changes to the NHS which we will outline later this year in a White Paper on our plans to replace the internal market.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has undertaken into the possible human health implications of the draft European Parliament and Council directive on the legal protection of biotechnological inventions; and if he will make a statement. [7343]
Ms Jowell:
Primary responsibility for taking forward developments and negotiations on this directive rests not with the Department, but with the Department of Trade and Industry. The Department has not carried out research into the human health implications of the directive. The European Parliament is due to give its first Opinion on the draft proposal next week, and the draft is likely to be amended further by the Commission. When the terms of the proposals to be put to Council of Ministers are known, we understand that the DTI will be undertaking further studies.
However, in relation to the human health implications of the draft proposal, we should add that whilst the patent system is designed to encourage research by providing a limited monopoly to allow companies to recoup their investment, a patent only gives its holder rights to prevent others from using an invention. The patent holder must comply with all other legislation and regulations if the invention is to be made.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each of the last five years the amount
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his Department paid to each local authority in respect of special transitional grant for community care and the percentage change from one year to the next. [7435]
Mr. Boateng:
The information requested has been placed in the Library. There is no direct link between one year's allocation of special transitional grant and the next for the following reasons:
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to issue new guidance to local authorities on charging for social services. [7436]
Mr. Boateng:
The Government has no immediate plans to issue guidance. This is a complex matter where there are considerable concerns about how satisfactory the current framework is. We are actively reviewing this area.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has (a) undertaken and (b) planned into the charging policies of local authority social services departments; and if he will publish the research.[7437]
Mr. Boateng:
No specific research on social services charging policies has been commissioned by the Department of Health, nor is any planned, although some evaluative research on the community care reforms touches on charging issues. The Department is aware of recent research on social services charging policies such as that published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, and has given this due consideration. The Department receives regular feedback on social services charging practices around the country, through local authority statistical returns and the Social Services Inspectorate.
Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if the final outcome of the prioritisation exercise to be carried out by the NHS Executive Capital Prioritisation Advisory Group will be subject to Treasury approval;[7790]
(3) what methodology and criteria will be used by the NHS Executive Capital Prioritisation Advisory Group in determining those projects which in Spring 1998 will be announced as (a) proceeding via the PFI or i(b) being funded from public sector capital; [7796]
(4) if he will make a statement on the criteria that will apply in the national capital prioritisation exercise to be undertaken by the NHS Executive Capital Prioritisation Advisory Group; [7808]
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(5) what plans he has to hold meetings of the NHS Executive Capital Prioritisation Advisory Group in public;[7798]
(6) if he will list the criteria to be used by its NHS Executive Capital Prioritisation Advisory Group in coming to its decisions. [7795]
Mr. Milburn:
The National Health Service Executive National Capital Prioritisation Advisory Group will comprise of senior members of both NHS Executive headquarters and regional offices. It will consider the case for all future major capital schemes and make recommendations to Ministers on priorities for both major publicly funded and Private Finance Initiative schemes. Details of its membership and working arrangements are being considered by Ministers and have not yet been finalised.
A table showing a better overview of community care funding has also been placed in the Library as has an additional table which shows total resources provided for local authority community care responsibilities, together with the annual percentage change.
the effect of Local Authorities reorganisation (the number of new unitary authorities that have been created and the subsequent effect on boundaries); and
each year's STG is incorporated into the Personal Social Services Standard Spending Assessments for the following year, so that year's allocation is in addition to, and not a replacement for the previous allocation.
(2) if he will publish the membership of the NHS Executive Capital Prioritisation Advisory Group; [7799]
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