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HEALTH
Blood
Dr. Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if increased cost recovery charges for donated blood products will be levied to national health service hospitals and national health service trusts during the financial year 1998-99. [15560]
Mr. Boateng: Blood handling costs for 1998-99 are currently under review.
Dr. Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the National Blood Authority has to introduce tests for anti-malaria antibodies. [15564]
Mr. Boateng: The National Blood Authority is currently piloting malarial antibody screening tests in two centres.
Dr. Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff were employed at the National Blood Authority's headquarters at Watford, and what were the centre's operating costs in the last year for which figures are available. [15563]
Mr. Boateng:
In 1996-97 there were 25 staff at the Watford headquarters. The operating costs were £1.7 million for that year.
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Dr. Harris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the surveys of blood donors on the sale or disposal of surplus blood products, quoted by the National Blood Authority in their communications. [15585]
Mr. Boateng
[holding answer 11 November 1997]: The latest survey was carried out in 1996, and copies of the report "Blood Donors and Exports" have been placed in the Library.
Dr. Harris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the value of transitional funding provided to the three zones of the National Blood Service in order to facilitate the reorganisation of the English blood services. [15576]
Mr. Boateng
[holding answer 11 November 1997]: The transitional funding to the zones was £3.3 million, £1.1 million per zone.
Dr. Harris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many working days during 1996-97 and during the first half-year of 1997-98, (a) total blood stocks in England were less than 15,000 units, (b) stocks of group O positive were less than 3,200 units, (c) stocks of group O negative were less than 1,100 units and (d) stocks of group AB positive exceeded 1,200 units. [15581]
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Mr. Boateng
[holding answer 11 November 1997]: The information requested is in the table.
| 1996-97 | 1997-98 (April-end September) | |
|---|---|---|
| Number of working days (251) | Number of working days (126) | |
| Total stock less than 15,000 | 49 | 0 |
| O positive stock less than 3,200 | 43 | 1 |
| O negative stock less than 1,100 | 14 | 0 |
| AB positive stock more than 1,200 | 247 | 125 |
Dr. Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many red cell units were issued by zone and by year, by the National Blood Service during (i) 1994-95, (ii) 1995-96, (iii) 1996-97 and (iv) the first half-year of 1997-98. [15580]
Mr. Boateng [holding answer 11 November 1997]: The information requested is in the table:
| 1994-95 | 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 (6 months) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Midlands and South West | 577,803 | 586,425 | 586,113 | 303,861 |
| London and South East | 782,457 | 803,411 | 814,619 | 422,271 |
| North | 756,277 | 763,656 | 782,706 | 403,832 |
| NBS | 2,116,537 | 2,153,492 | 2,183,438 | 1,129,964 |
Dr. Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the National Blood Service performance indicators for each zone for the financial year 1996-97 and for the first half-year of 1997-98. [15579]
Mr. Boateng [holding answer 11 November 1997]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health gave him on 11 November 1997, Official Report, columns 705-06.
Dr. Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the costs of redundancy payments made to National Blood Service personnel since 1 April 1995, in each National Blood Service zone and in each financial year. [15577]
Mr. Boateng [holding answer 11 November 1997]: The information requested is given in the table.
| £000 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995-96 | 1996-97 | 1997-98 (April-end September) | |
| London and South East | Nil | 328 | 131 |
| Midlands and South West | 26 | 281 | 152 |
| North | 133 | 505 | 146 |
| Total | 159 | 1,114 | 429 |
Dr. Harris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total expenditure by the National Blood Authority in (i) 1994-95, (ii) 1995-96 and (iii) 1996-97 and what is the forecast expenditure for 1997-98. [15583]
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Mr. Boateng
[holding answer 11 November 1997]: The information requested is as follows:
| Year | £ million |
|---|---|
| 1994-95 | 173 |
| 1995-96 | 188 |
| 1996-97 | 202 |
| 1997-98 | (25)207 |
(25) Forecast.
The figures given are for the authority as a whole, and are rounded to the nearest million.
Dr. Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the operating surplus or deficit for each zone of the National Blood Service for (i) 1995-96, (ii) 1996-97 and (iii) the first six months of 1997-98. [15584]
Mr. Boateng [holding answer 11 November 1997]: The information requested is in the table.
| 1995-96 £ | 1996-97 £ | April to end September 1997 £ | |
|---|---|---|---|
| London and South East | (301,000) | 18,000 | 88,000 |
| Midlands and South West | (730,000) | (1,119,000) | (766,000) |
| North | (735,000) | (301,000) | (620,000) |
Source:
National Blood Authority.
Hearing
Sir Nicholas Lyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the cost to the National Health Service in the last year for which figures are available of providing health care for people suffering from hearing difficulties, separately identifying the cost of providing hearing aids. [15677]
Mr. Boateng: The National Health Service does not collect figures for the health care costs of people with hearing loss or for the cost of providing hearing aids. However, we know that more than half a million hearing aids per year are purchased from the NHS Supplies Authority. Audiology departments also purchase some hearing aids from commercial suppliers.
Waiting Lists (Sportspeople)
Mr. Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines his Department issues in respect of the priority to be afforded to professional sportspeople on waiting lists for NHS treatment for injuries incurred during competition. [15949]
Mr. Milburn: We have not issued any guidance on this subject. We would expect that where professional sportspeople turn to the National Health Service for treatment the priority they are given will depend on their clinical and other needs compared with those of other patients waiting for treatment.
Incontinence
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment his Department has made of the Royal College of Nursing briefing paper on "The Cost of
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Continence"; and if a representative of his Department will meet representatives of the Royal College of Nursing to discuss the report; [15927]
Mr. Boateng:
The Royal College of Nursing briefing paper "The Cost of Continence" provides a useful summary of the problems experienced by people who are incontinent and the social, psychological and financial costs of this distressing condition. I have already had a brief discussion about the report with Christine Hancock, the General Secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, and officials of the Department of Health would be happy to meet RCN officials for further discussion.
The £269 million additional funding for the National Health Service in England, which we have recently announced, is aimed partly at helped hospitals cope with medical emergencies, reducing delays in discharging patients and reducing the need for people to be admitted to hospital in the first place, for example by providing more specialist nursing and community services, such as continence services, for people--particularly older people--in their own homes. We are considering what further action it may be possible to take in this area.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the provision his Department will make for 1998-99 to support expenditure incurred by local authorities in assisting asylum seekers. [16195]
Mr. Boateng:
We have given a commitment to reimburse local authorities for their expenditure in supporting asylum seekers for the current year. Whether or not local authorities will need reimbursing in 1998-99 depends on both the outcome of the forthcoming House of Lords appeal against the Court of Appeal ruling that the National Assistance Act 1948 applies to adult asylum seekers, and on the outcome of the current cross-departmental review of the whole asylum process which will report early in the new year.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the special grants to cover the costs incurred by local authorities in 1997-98 in support of asylum seekers will meet the full costs incurred by local authorities. [16323]
Mr. Boateng:
Three special grants will be made available to local authorities for 1997-98, subject to Parliamentary approval, in respect of their expenditure on support for asylum seeking: adults, families and unaccompanied children.
For adult asylum seekers, local authorities will be able to claim their full costs up to a limit of £140 per week, averaged out over the year, for each asylum seeker supported. Local authorities will also be able to claim an additional £10 per week for each asylum seeker accommodated in specially commissioned or re-commissioned premises.
For the Families with Children Grant, local authorities will be able to recover 80 per cent. of the additional cost above the threshold set in council tax band D. This is in recognition of the additional burden on local authorities as a consequence of a change in legislation. The grant
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recognises that services for children and families have always formed a core part of social service functions, and so it would not be appropriate to meet costs in full. This grant will compensate local authorities for their additional costs.
Responsibilities for unaccompanied asylum seeking children and associated costs have fallen on a limited number of authorities. In recognition of these costs, a special grant of £3 million will be made available to local authorities. The grant is intended as a contribution towards helping local authorities meet their spending on unaccompanied asylum seeking children and it was never intended that the Government would be responsible for meeting the full costs.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will present a special grant report to Parliament, under section 88B of the Local Government Finance Act 1988, to cover the costs incurred by local authorities in 1997-98 in support of asylum seekers under the National Assistance Act 1948 and the Children Act 1989. [16324]
Mr. Boateng:
We will shortly be consulting with local authority associations on the terms of the three special grants and plan to present them to Parliament before the end of this year.
(2) what plans his Department has to improve the care for people with incontinence who are still living in their own homes. [15928]
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