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Youth Unemployment
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each county council, and for Wales, the latest estimates of youth unemployment, and comparable figures for the United Kingdom. [8219]
Mr. Win Griffiths: At April 1997 there were 23,000 persons in Wales and 421,700 persons in the UK aged 18-24 on the claimant unemployment count. These figures are not seasonally adjusted. The comparable date at county council level are available from the NOMIS database which can be accessed by the staff of the Library of the House.
Poor Housing Conditions
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each county council, and for Wales, the latest indicators of poor housing conditions, and comparable figures for the United Kingdom. [8220]
Mr. Win Griffiths: The latest Welsh House Condition Survey was conducted in 1993. From this, it is estimated that 151,200 occupied first homes, 13.4 per cent. of the total, in Wales were unfit. Information on individual local authority areas is not available from this survey. A further house condition survey, which will provide results for local authority areas, is underway. Information from this survey will be available in 1998. Comparable figures for the United Kingdom are not available because of differences in the timing and detail of the surveys. However, the 1991 English House Condition Survey identified 7.6 per cent. of all dwellings in England as being unfit. The Northern Ireland 1991 survey identified 8.8 per cent. of dwellings as unfit. In Scotland in 1991, 4.7 per cent. of the stock was assessed as being Below Tolerable Standard.
Sickness
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each county council, and for Wales, the latest indicators of relative incidence of sickness, and comparable figures for the United Kingdom.[8221]
Mr. Win Griffiths: Information, by unitary authority area, on various indicators of health in Wales is published by the Welsh Office in "Health Statistics Wales 1996" and "The Welsh Health Survey 1995". Information on the health of people in the countries and regions of the United Kingdom is published by the Office for National Statistics in "Regional Trends 32". Copies of these publications are in the Library of the House.
Relative Poverty
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each county council, and for Wales, the latest indicators of relative poverty, and comparable figures for the United Kingdom. [8226]
Mr. Win Griffiths: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Cynon Valley (Ann Clwyd) on 5 June 1996, Official Report, column 251.
Exports and Imports
Mr. Denzil Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to his answer of 24 June, Official Report,
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column 495, when the Under-Secretary, the hon. Member for Neath, (Mr. Hain) intends to write to the right hon. Member with an explanation and to place a copy of his letter in the Library. [8791]
Mr. Hain:
I wrote to my right hon. Friend on 10 July. A copy of my reply has been placed in the Library of the House.
Sir Teddy Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when the Government intends to designate the Taff-Ely site of special scientific interest as part of the Lower Severn Estuary Special Protection Area. [8774]
Mr. Win Griffiths:
A decision as to the boundaries of the Lower Severn Estuary Special Protection Area was taken in 1991 and my right hon. Friend has no plans to reconsider the extent of that area.
Black Report
Mrs. Brinton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to implement the recommendations of the Black report of 1980 on inequalities in health. [7820]
Ms Jowell: The Black report was published in 1980. We have asked Sir Donald Acheson to chair an independent review into health inequalities in England in the 1990s. He will assist the Department of Health and the Office for National Statistics to carry out a review of the latest available information on inequalities in health and expectation of life in England. He will then conduct an independent review to identify priority areas for future policy development which will contribute to the development of a new health strategy. The Terms of Reference for the review have been placed in the Library.
Health Status Indicators
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what indicators his Department uses to monitor the health status of (a) infants and children, (b) adults and (c) pensioners; and if he will make a statement. [8875]
Ms Jowell: The Department makes use of a wide range of information on births and deaths registrations, population surveys and health service information to gain an understanding of the health status of different groups in the population.
Sources available in the Library include:
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Mrs. Anne Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the annual report and accounts 1996-97 of the NHS Estates Executive Agency. [9001]
Mr. Milburn:
I have received the report and copies have today been laid in accordance with section 5 of the Exchequer and Audit Departments Act 1921. Copies are also available in the Library.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will introduce a national protocol on (a) diagnostic tests and (b) new treatments for Alzheimer's disease. [7748]
Mr. Boateng:
We have no plans to introduce a national protocol for diagnostic tests; however, we are considering whether to issue guidance to the National Health Service on new medicines for Alzheimer's disease.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will issue new guidance to health authorities on how they should assess the needs for people with dementia and their carers in their area. [7749]
Mr. Boateng:
In March this year guidance was issued to assist managers in purchasing authorities in their responsibilities for meeting the needs of older people, including those with dementia, and their carers. It is entitled "A Handbook on Mental Health for Older People" and copies are available in the Library.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has provided to health authorities on the prescribing of donepezil for people with Alzheimer's disease. [7750]
Mr. Milburn:
We are considering whether it would be useful to health authorities to issue guidance on the introduction of donepezil for patients with mild to moderate forms of Alzheimer's disease.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will issue guidance to health authorities for the establishment of dementia care management units to assume organisational responsibility for the planning and provision of services for people with dementia. [7753]
Mr. Boateng:
Old Age Psychiatry Services are the core National Health Service service for assessing and managing dementia as well as other health problems in older people. Purchasing authorities have been given guidance on the provision of services for people with dementia in the "Handbook on the Mental Health of Older People" which was published in March this year and copies are available in the Library.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the extra costs to local authorities caused by the closure of NHS long-stay facilities. [7751]
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Mr. Boateng:
No such estimate has been made. Where substantial changes in service provision, including the closure of part or all of a hospital, are proposed they are always the subject of public consultation. Proposals would not be agreed unless acceptable alternative services were available. There is no direct link between a reduction in the number of long-stay hospital beds and costs to local authorities.
I announced on 7 July our intention to develop a new strategy for a healthier nation. It will take account of population groups--children, the working age population and elderly people--and priorities will be chosen where there is clear scope for measurable progress.
the Chief Medical Officer's Annual Report, a key element of which is a review of the health status of the general population;
the Public Health Common Data Set, which includes a wide variety of indicators;
Health of the Nation Briefing Packs, which include information on progress towards a limited range of targets.
| Speciality | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geriatric | 40,000 | 37,000 | 37,000 | 34,000 |
| Mental Health | 47,000 | 44,000 | 42,000 | 39,000 |
| Learning Disability | 19,000 | 17,000 | 14,000 | 13,000 |
| Total | 106,000 | 98,000 | 93,000 | 86,000 |
| Year-on-year change | -- | -8,000 | -5,000 | -7,000 |
15 Jul 1997 : Column: 164
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