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Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder

Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment his Department has made of the prevalence of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (a) in total and (b) in each health authority; what measures he proposes to assist sufferers and their carers; and if he will make a statement. [10497]

Mr. Win Griffiths: There are at present no centrally available figures on the prevalence of this disorder. The Welsh Office has contributed to the funding of an extensive Office of Population Censuses and Surveys survey into child and adolescent mental health which should establish the true prevalence rate. The assessment of need in any particular area and the provision of services is a matter for the relevant health authority working in

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conjunction with the local social services department and other statutory agencies. The need for good inter-agency co-operation was emphasised in the Welsh Office report "The Health of Children in Wales", issued in January this year.

Mr. Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list the amount of grant aid given by his Department to (a) the hyperactive children's support group and (b) other voluntary organisations concerned with the treatment of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder for each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [10499]

Mr. Griffiths: The Welsh Office has given no direct grants to the support group or to other voluntary organisations in this field over the last five years. Records are not kept in a way which could easily establish whether any such body applied for funding during the period in question.

Mental Illness

Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for (a) each of the health authorities and (b) for Wales the number of places available in accommodation schemes for people with severe mental illness; what proposals he has to promote high-level support accommodation schemes for the severely mentally ill; and if he will make a statement.[10503]

Mr. Win Griffiths: The method of collecting this data does not differentiate between severe and other categories of mental illness. The following figures are the latest available for all mental illness accommodation:

Health authority	NHS beds 1996-97(11)	Private nursing home beds(12)	Residential places(13)
Bro Taf:	749	238	71
Morgannwg	670	182	122
Dyfed Powys	430	250	217
Gwent	403	619	40
North Wales	396	905	157
All Wales	2,648	2,194	607

(11) Average daily available in the specialties of mental illness, child and adolescent psychiatry, forensic psychiatry and old age psychiatry.

(12) At 31 March 1996.

(13) Homes that record client group as mental health (not including elderly mentally infirm).

The all-Wales strategy on mental illness stipulates that a comprehensive range of services and facilities must be provided locally. Health authorities are responsible for assessing the mental health needs of their population and for delivering appropriate services, including accommodation, day and domiciliary facilities, to meet those needs.

Public and NHS Bodies

Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the forecast total expenditure of (a) Welsh non-departmental public bodies and (b) Welsh NHS bodies in each of the next three years. [10708]

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Mr. Ron Davies: Over the next few months, I shall be re-examining the allocation of spending within the overall Welsh Office budget for 1998-99. Decisions about resources for the following two years will be made on the basis of the conclusions of the comprehensive spending review.

Smoking

Ms Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures he is taking in Wales to discourage young people from smoking. [10917]

Mr. Win Griffiths: In partnership with other agencies, the Health Promotion Authority for Wales is taking forward a range of activities to discourage young people from smoking, including:

a teenage smoking programme which involves the development of classroom education material, research into school no-smoking policies and the sale of cigarettes to under-16s, and monitoring of tobacco advertising activity;

Smokebusters Wales--a club for young people aged nine to 13 who pledge not to smoke;

life education centres--mobile classrooms for primary schools which, among other things, help to promote awareness of how the body is affected by tobacco;

a smoke-free class competition

The Government have also pledged to ban tobacco advertising and to produce a White Paper which will put forward a range of other measures to combat smoking.

DEFENCE

Future Large Aircraft

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will now proceed to a request for a proposal with France and Germany in respect of the procurement of future large aircraft. [10931]

Mr. Spellar: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Newcastle upon Tyne, Central (Mr. Cousins) on 2 June, Official Report, column 13.

Company Payments

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many companies were paid £5 million or more by his Department in 1996. [9405]

Mr. Spellar: Some 172 contractors were paid £5 million or more by the MOD in 1995-96. The 1997 edition of "Defence Statistics" is due to be published on 29 July 1997.

Where chief executives of defence agencies have responsibility for such payments under the terms of their framework documents, I have asked them to write to the hon. Member.

Letter from John Chisholm to Mr. Mike Hancock, dated 28 July 1997:

I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence about companies paid more than £5 million in 1996 as this matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief Executive of the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA).

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During the financial year 1996/97, 15 companies were paid £5million or more by DERA, the majority of which were providing utilities and site services. Information for the calendar year 1996 could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

I hope this information is helpful.

Letter from John Clarke to Mr. Mike Hancock, dated 28 July 1997:

You recently asked The Secretary of State for Defence, a Parliamentary Question relating to the number of companies which had, in 1996 been paid £5 million or more by the Ministry of Defence.

As this matter falls within my area of responsibility as Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office, The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to you directly.

My officials have considered your question and I can advise you that no company has been paid £5 million or more during 1996.

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I hope this reply has been of assistance.

Letter from C. R. Flood to Mr. Mike Hancock, dated 28 July 1997:

I am replying to your question to the Secretary of State for Defence regarding information of payments to companies, as this matter falls within my area of responsibility as Acting Chief Executive of the Meterological Office.

Two companies were paid £5 million or more in 1996.

Ethnic Minorities

Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of employees, in each pay band, in the quangos for which his Department is responsible, are of (a) Asian origin and (b) Afro-Caribbean origin. [8965]

Mr. Spellar: The information requested is as follows:

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	Total employees	Total Asian origin	Percentage Asian origin	Total Afro-Caribbean origin	Percentage Afro-Caribbean origin
National Army Museum	88	(14)3	3.4	(15)10	11.4
Oil and Pipelines Agency	17	(16)1	5.9	(17)1	5.9
Royal Air Force Museum	102	(18)7	6.9	0	0

Of which grade/pay band or equivalent:

(14) Three museum support.

(15) Six museum support, one typist, one AO, one EO, one curator.

(16) One EO.

(17) One AO.

(18) Four museum support, one AO, one EO, one HEO.

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The Royal Naval submarine museum, Royal Naval museum, Royal Marines museum and Fleet Air Arm museum do not employ formal ethnic monitoring of their employees.

Multipurpose Major Combatant Vessel

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with his Italian counterparts concerning the experience in developing the multipurpose major combatant vessel. [9415]

Mr. Spellar: It is assumed that the hon. Member is referring to the common new generation frigate project. No discussions have occurred on this subject between my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence and his Italian counterpart.

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