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National Health Service
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he expects to announce the new configuration of NHS trusts; and if he will make a statement. [16101]
Mr. Win Griffiths: Our plan is to consult formally on a new shape of trusts in Wales over the summer of 1998. I hope to be able to make an announcement early in October 1998.
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much extra money he has announced for the NHS since 2 May; and if he will make a statement. [16103]
Mr. Win Griffiths: I recently announced an additional £9,548 million for health authorities this year to alleviate pressures on emergency admissions and hospital waiting lists. This is in addition to the package of measures for primary care which I announced in the summer for which I have set aside £2.5 million and funding of £1.747 million to improve cancer services. We have also earmarked an additional £60.2 million for the NHS in 1988-99.
Schools Budget
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list for each local education authority in Wales for each of the three recent years (a) the actual expenditure on service strategy and regulation, (b) the actual expenditure within the general schools budget on education, management and administration, (c) the outturn expenditure within the general schools budget, (d) the outturn expenditure within the potential schools budget, (e) the outturn expenditure within the aggregate schools budget and (f) the number of pupils in the relevant year. [16095]
Mr. Hain:
Information is available up to and including 1995-96. The details which relate to the former county councils are as follows:
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Notes:
SSR = Gross expenditure on service strategy and regulation (source (RO1 returns).
-- * SSR figures for Dyfed and Powys (1993-94 only) are not separately available.
Admin = Actual expenditure on management and administration in education department.
--Powys figures are admin costs for special schools only--funding is delegated to primary and secondary schools.
GSB = General schools budget)
PSB = Potential schools budget) Source: section 42 out-turn statements.
ASB = Aggregated schools budget)
Pupil Number = Number of full-time equivalent pupils on roll in primary, secondary and special schools in January.
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Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what representations he has made about the projected incomes for 1997-98 for Welsh hill farms to other Government Ministers; and if he will make a statement; [16382]
Mr. Win Griffiths:
The Government are in the process of deciding the HLCA rates for 1998. My right hon. Friend and I met both Welsh farming unions recently and heard their concerns about hill farming in Wales. I share much of that concern, as I made clear in my speech in the House on 5 November.
It is also important not to raise false expectations. The Government have indicated that they intend to live within public expenditure targets set by the previous Government. That Government provided an extra £60 million for HLCAs in 1997 only.
(2) if he will make a statement on the reasons underlying his support for applying the 1996 levels of hill livestock compensatory allowance in 1998. [16383]
Health and Social Services
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what reference was made to (a) the Robson statistics on deprivation and (b) geographical rural isolation in the formulation of the capitation system of funding for health and social services boards. [15050]
Mr. Worthington:
The Robson statistics on deprivation are not suitable for use in the capitation system of funding health and social services boards as they do not enable finance to be allocated in proportion to the need for health and social care. This is because differences in Robson statistics are not proportionate to differences in deprivation. For example, an area with a Robson score twice that of another area may not necessarily be twice as deprived. In addition, Robson is not the most focused measure of health and social care need. It is a very broad measure of general deprivation, combining a large number of indicators from areas such as environment and education as well as health and social care.
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The Capitation Formula Review Group has recommended continued use of the existing rurality adjustment while specifically commissioned research in this area is completed.
Mr. Stunell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list (a) her Department's policies and initiatives designed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and (b) the departmental policies and initiatives designed to reduce other greenhouse gases; if she will estimate for each the annual reduction in tonnage of greenhouse gas emissions achieved in the most recent year for which figures are available compared with those for 1990; and what estimate she has made of further reductions, or increases, predicted for 2000 and 2010, assuming continuation of current policies. [15540]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
I refer the hon. Member to the United Kingdom's Second Report under the UN Framework Convention in Climate Change which was published in February 1997. It reports the UK's progress in implementing its programme for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and gives a projection of what the programme is expected to deliver by 2000. The report projects forward what the current programme is expected to achieve to 2020.
Angela Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list those health authorities which have notified her Department of (a) reductions or increases in chiropody services in 1996-97 relative to 1995-96 and (b) planned reductions or increases in chiropody services in 1998-99. [15377]
Mr. Worthington:
Health and Social Services Boards and Trusts are not required to notify the Department of reductions or increases in particular services. It is for Boards and Trusts to assess the needs of their populations in respect of health and personal social services, including chiropody services, and to provide services accordingly in the light of available resources and local priorities.
Angela Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what were the total numbers of (a) face to face contacts and (b) initial contacts, with chiropody and podiatry staff for (i) 1996-97, (ii) 1995-96 and (iii) 1994-95. [15366]
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Mr. Worthington:
The total number of contacts with Chiropody/Podiatry staff in Northern Ireland is shown in the following table. Information on initial contacts is not separately available.
| Year | Total contacts |
|---|---|
| 1994-95 | 262,350 |
| 1995-96 | 297,612 |
| 1996-97 | 312,684 |
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will make a statement on the guidelines that are issued and health needs assessments that health authorities undertake to ensure the availability of chiropody and podiatry services to meet the needs of their local populations. [15367]
Mr. Worthington: It is a matter for Health and Social Services Boards and Trusts to carry out appropriate needs assessments of their local populations, including their need for chiropody services. In seeking to meet that need they have to take into account the total resources available to them, but Boards and Trusts have been asked to give priority to elderly people, those with disabilities, expectant mothers, schoolchildren and people with diabetes.
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what was the NHS expenditure on NHS chiropody and podiatry in (a) 1996-97, (b) 1995-96 and (c) 1994-95. [15376]
Mr. Worthington: This information is not available in the exact form requested. The following table discloses expenditure on chiropody and podiatry by the Northern Ireland Health and Personal Social Services Boards for 1994-95 and 1995-96. The expenditure on chiropody and podiatry for 1996-97 is not yet available.
This information has been extracted from supplementary statements produced by HPSS Boards and HSS Trusts to provide further analysis of the expenditure
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disclosed in their annual financial accounts. The format of these statements was revised in 1995-96. Prior to this the information requested was not separately identified on the financial returns and is therefore not available for every HSS Trust/HPSS board.
| Year | Chiropody and podiatry £ |
|---|---|
| 1994-95 | 3,297,279 |
| 1995-96 | 3,569,148 |
| 1996-97 | Not available |
1. The information for 1994-95 was provided by the Health and Social Services Trusts and Health and Social Services Boards' Directly Managed Units with the exception of North Down and Ards Trust who are unable to provide the information.
2. The information for 1995-96 has been extracted from the analysis of expenditure reported in the Financial Return Statements (FR22) for the Health and Social Services Trusts and Health and Social Services Boards' Directly Managed Units.
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the budget for each health authority or health board allocated for spending on chiropody and podiatry services in (a) 1997-98, (b) 1996-97 and (c) 1995-96. [15375]
Mr. Worthington: Health and Social Services Boards' general allocations are not hypothecated and it is for individual Boards and general practitioner fundholders to use their funds to best meet the health needs of their local regulations. Spending on specific services can only be determined accurately in retrospect once a Board and Health and Social Security Trust accounts have been completed.
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what are the staffing and personnel figures by all NHS grades and whole-time equivalent staff for chiropody and podiatry for the years (a) 1996-97, (b) 1995-96 and (c) 1994-95. [15368]
Mr. Worthington:
The information requested is set out in the table.
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| Chiropody staff in Northern Ireland at September | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | ||||
| Headcount | WTE | Headcount | WTE | Headcount | WTE | |
| Unit Senior Manager 11 | 1 | 1.00 | 1 | 1.00 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Technical Instructor 3 | 0 | 0.00 | 1 | 1.00 | 1 | 1.00 |
| Area Chiropodist Chf 2 | 2 | 2.00 | 1 | 1.00 | 1 | 1.00 |
| Chief Chiropodist 2 | 3 | 3.00 | 3 | 3.00 | 2 | 2.00 |
| Chief Chiropodist 3 | 10 | 10.000 | 12 | 12.00 | 8 | 7.93 |
| Chief Chiropodist 4 | 3 | 3.00 | 6 | 6.00 | 5 | 5.00 |
| Senior Chiropodist 1 | 32 | 30.06 | 29 | 26.08 | 28 | 24.61 |
| Senior Chiropodist 2 | 87 | 76.69 | 95 | 84.23 | 98 | 86.41 |
| Chiropodist | 2 | 2.00 | 3 | 3.00 | 7 | 7.00 |
| Foot Care Assistant | 2 | 2.00 | 6 | 5.01 | 5 | 5.00 |
| Total | 142 | 129.75 | 157 | 142.32 | 155 | 139.95 |
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