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Amsterdam Treaty
Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, pursuant to his answer of 27 October 1997, Official Report, column 650, on the treaty of Amsterdam, which parts of that treaty provide for the United Kingdom to opt in or out of civil judicial co-operation measures; and what parliamentary procedure would be required for such decisions. [15032]
Mr. Hoon: The Protocol on the position of the United Kingdom and Ireland has the effect that the adoption of proposed measures under Title IIIa of the EC Treaty, which includes (under Article 73m) civil judicial co-operation, will not apply to the United Kingdom or Ireland unless those countries choose to take part in the adoption and application of such measures. If the Government decided to take part in the adoption of any such measure or to accept an existing measure the usual parliamentary scrutiny procedure would apply.
Sports Clubs
Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department in how many instances during the last 10 years a court has refused to renew a lease held by a sports club under the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954; and for what reasons. [15149]
Mr. Hoon: The question concerns a matter which has been assigned to the Court Service under the terms of its framework document. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member.
Letter from M. D. Huebner to Mr. Edward Davey, dated 14 November 1997:
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Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what steps he is taking to ensure that e-mail between and within Government departments is assessed for historical significance and preserved for record purposes. [15166]
Mr. Hoon:
The Question concerns a specific operational matter on which the Chief Executive of the Public Record Office is best placed to provide an answer and I have accordingly asked the Chief Executive to reply direct.
Letter from Sarah Tyacke to Mr. Gordon Prentice, dated 14 October 1997:
The Parliamentary Secretary of the Lord Chancellor's Department has asked me to reply to your question about the number of times courts have refused to renew sports clubs' leases.
The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
I have been asked by the Lord Chancellor's Parliamentary Secretary to reply for the Public Record Office to your question about the above.
E-mail created or received by Government Departments is covered by the Public Records Act. Departments are therefore under a statutory duty to make arrangements, under my guidance and supervision, for the selection of those records which ought to be preserved permanently and for their safekeeping.
Since 1995 the Public Record Office, supported by a cross- government Advisory Board, has been running an Electronic Records in Office Systems programme to give leadership across government in the management of electronic records, to ensure that such records of long term value are available for future access.
The programme surveys the current programme of electronic records by Departments and delivers advice and guidance on their management, selection and preservation. Two classes of electronic records have so far been transferred to the Public Record Office as pilots, to develop and test the new procedures required. A strategy has been developed to implement the software products supplied by the IT industry, and, in particular, to encourage products that aid the management and archiving of electronic records.
Ombudsmen
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the powers of the (a) banking and (b) building society ombudsmen. [15954]
Mrs. Liddell: Both ombudsmen investigate and adjudicate upon customer complaints within their terms of reference, and make awards where the complaint is upheld. The terms of reference of both schemes exclude purely commercial decisions, unless there is an allegation of maladministration.
HEALTH
Elderly Persons (Local Authority Care)
Mr. Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the average rate of grant per head received by each local authority for the care of elderly persons. [15029]
Mr. Boateng:
Revenue Support Grant is an unhypothecated grant which is distributed to local authorities on the basis of Standard Spending Assessments (SSAs). An SSA is the Government's assessment of the appropriate amount of revenue expenditure which would allow an authority to provide a standard level of service, consistent with the Government's view of the appropriate amount of revenue expenditure for all local authorities.
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SSAs are not binding on authorities, which are free to decide how much to spend on any service. All personal social services SSAs, including figures on a per capita basis, are listed in the "Local Government Finance Standard Spending Assessment Handbook 1997-98", copies of which are available in the Library.
Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are being taken to improve the treatment of children suffering from severe head injuries.[15482]
Mr. Boateng:
Recent improvements in paediatric intensive care will help improve the treatment of children with severe head injuries at the acute stage. In addition we are strongly encouraging better collaboration between the various agencies involved in the provision of rehabilitation, special educational arrangements and social care for all disabled children, including those with head injury.
Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what liaison his Department has with the Department for Education and Employment and the Department of Social Services to ensure that the wider community is more comprehensively informed about the problems suffered by children with severe head injuries.[15483]
Mr. Boateng:
Officials from the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Employment meet regularly to discuss improving awareness of the needs of all children with disabilities encompassing those with severe head injuries. The Department of Health is also in regular contact with social services departments to discuss continuing social care needs and with the Department of Transport to publicise the need to reduce road traffic accidents which are one of the major causes of traumatic brain injury.
Mr. Jenkin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will assess the effects of the change made in the capitation formula for the allocation of NHS money to North Essex health authority; [16051]
Mr. Milburn:
The weighted capitation formula is used to set targets which then inform allocations. The formula does not determine allocations. These reflect our decisions on the speed at which health authorities are brought nearer to target through the distribution of growth. If a different formula had been used we might have distributed growth differently. It is therefore not meaningful to recalculate 1998-99 allocations hypothetically.
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If the 1997-98 formula had been applied to North Essex health authority's target this would have been 2.86 per cent. greater.
North Essex health authority's 1998-99 general allocation for HCHS is £370,351,000, some 97.73 per cent. of its weighted capitation target of £378,944,000. This represents a 5.01 per cent. cash increase.
Angela Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the staffing and personnel figures for all NHS grades and whole-time equivalent staff for chiropody and podiarty for (a) 1996-97, (b) 1995-96 and (c) 1994-95.[15365]
Mr. Boateng:
Information is not available in precisely the form requested. Such information that is available is shown in the tables.
(2) what would be the 1998-99 allocation of NHS money to North Essex health authority using the formula employed for the current year; what would it be if the new formula was fully funded; and what is the actual allocation he has announced for 1998-99. [16052]
| whole-time equivalents | headcount | |
|---|---|---|
| All chiropody staff | 3,020 | 3,600 |
| Chiropodist | 80 | 90 |
| Senior Chiropodist Grade 2 | 1,320 | 1,600 |
| Chief Chiropodist Grade 1 | 670 | 770 |
| Chief Chiropodist Grade 4 | 190 | 200 |
| Chief Chiropodist Grade 3 | 180 | 190 |
| Chief Chiropodist Grade 2 | 30 | 40 |
| District Chief Chiropodist Grade 2 | 90 | 90 |
| District Chief Chiropodist Grade 1 | 20 | 20 |
| District Senior Chief Chiropodist | (1)-- | (1)-- |
| Teaching Grades: | ||
| Teacher | (1)-- | (1)-- |
| Senior Teacher | 10 | 10 |
| Principal Grade 1 | (1)-- | (1)-- |
| Principal (Annual intake of 24 or more) | (1)-- | (1)-- |
| Others | 40 | 60 |
| Footcare Assistant | 380 | 470 |
| Others | (1)-- | (1)-- |
Notes:
Figures are rounded to the nearest ten whole-time equivalents. Due to rounding totals may not equal the sum of component parts.
(1) 5 or less and greater than zero.
Source:
Department of Health annual non-medical workforce census.
Notes:
Due to the introduction of new occupation codes in 1995, figures for 1995 and 1996 are not directly comparable with figures for earlier years. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten whole-time equivalents. Due to rounding totals may not equal the sum of component parts.
(2) five or less and greater than zero.
(3) zero.
Source:
Department of Health non-medical workforce census.
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