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Road Safety (Mobile Phones)
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what assessment he has made of the research evidence relating to the dangers of using a mobile phone while driving. [17292]
Ms Glenda Jackson: There has been much concern both in this country and elsewhere in the world about the road safety implications of using mobile phones while driving. My noble friend, the Minister for Roads therefore asked the Transport Research Laboratory to review the evidence currently available and the report it has prepared is being published today. Copies have been placed in the Library.
The report concludes that the use of hand-held mobile phones while driving is widely regarded as unsafe. Most safety researchers regard this as so self-evident that there have been few specific studies. Hands-free phones have received the greatest attention and the debate in the research community centres on the extent to which hands-free conversations impact on driving performance. Studies suggest that the distraction effect of phones reduces as they are made easier to use. However, the distraction caused by the mental effort of telephone conversation is present, even with advanced devices.
Manual dialling and intense telephone conversations have been shown to cause considerable distraction and it is thought that this may impact on safety. Although the evidence is largely circumstantial, it all points in the same direction--there is an association between telephone
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use and increased accident risk. Furthermore, there is evidence that phone conversations are more stressful than equivalent conversations with passengers.
The results of this research are reflected in the revised draft of the Highway Code on which public comment was invited last week and which we hope to put before Parliament next year. It is also reflected in the draft Code of Practice on the use of mobile phones in vehicles, which is currently being discussed with the mobile phone companies and motoring interests.
Mr. Ronnie Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he has set a target for the amount of new housing to be built on previously developed land. [17520]
Mr. Prescott:
No, the Government have not yet taken a final decision on what target might be appropriate. In the meantime, the previous Government's target of 50 per cent. still applies. We are considering our policy on planning for household growth, taking into account the public consultation earlier this year, and will announce our decisions in due course. We remain committed both to protecting the countryside and to regenerating our towns and cities, by encouraging local authorities to make the best possible use of previously developed land. The presumption against inappropriate development within Green Belts remains in place.
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Mr. Collins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the adequacy of the keeping of medical records concerning myelograms int he health service. [14609]
Ms Jowell:
The preservation, retention and destruction of medical records is addressed in Health Circular HC(89)20, copies of which are available in the Library. This guidance satisfies the requirements of the Public Records Acts 1958 and 1967. While HC(89)20 recommends minimum retention periods, implementation of the guidance is for local interpretation. It is a matter for local management and professionals to determine which elements of the record may be retained, and which may be discarded before the end of the recommended retention period.
The radiologist's report on an x-ray procedure, including those for myelograms, is kept with the patient's medical record. Following a meeting with the Department of Health, the Royal College of Radiologists issued guidance in May 1991 advising that there was greater value in retention of the radiologist's report rather than the film. This was because the x-ray report was considered to be the permanent constituent of the record and the x-ray film was considered to be of transitory nature. Therefore the report should be kept for a period consistent with guidance. In most cases this is for a minimum of eight years after the latest treatment. Where a new episode of treatment begins during that eight-year period the retention period will be extended for a further eight years from that date. Therefore, where treatment continues indefinitely the record will be retained indefinitely.
Mr. Breed:
To ask the secretary of State for Health (1) what percentage of NHS pension applicants each year have been successful in gaining ill health retirement (a) on initial application to the Pensions Agency and its medical consultants, (b) on appeal to the Pensions Agency and its medical consultants, (c) on appeal to the Occupational Pensions Advisory Service, (d) on appeal to the Pensions Ombudsman and (e) on appeal to the Secretary of State for Health; [14802]
Mr. Milburn:
Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the NHS Pensions Agency under its Chief Executive, Mr. A. F. Cowan. I have asked him to reply to the hon. Member.
Letter from Alec Cowan to Mr. Colin Breed, dated 20 November 1997:
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(2) what percentage of NHS pension applicants each year have been successful in gaining ill health retirement on (a) initial application to the Pensions Agency and their medical consultants, (b) appeal to the Pensions Agency and their medical consultants, (c) appeal to the Pensions Ombudsman and (d) an appeal to the Secretary of State. [15592]
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question, as it falls within my area of responsibility.
We cannot answer your question precisely in the format asked because until 1 April 1997 the Agency operated open ended procedures for ill health applications. An unsuccessful applicant
could submit fresh medical evidence at any time for reconsideration by the Agency's medical advisers. The table below therefore shows only the proportion of applications accepted in the financial years 1992-93 to 1996-97:
| Number | |
|---|---|
| 1992-93 | 98 |
| 1993-94 | 96 |
| 1994-95 | 91 |
| 1995-96 | 75 |
| 1996-97 | 84 |
During 1995-97 there was a special review exercise relating to cases involving Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, because of the particular difficulties of prognosis in that condition. 245 cases were independently reviewed by an Expert Group established by the Medical Adviser to the DSS. Of these 154 (63%) were accepted on appeal by the Secretary of State for Health.
Since 1 April 1997, when formal appeal mechanisms were introduced the position is as follows:
| Per cent. | |
|---|---|
| Accepted on initial application or remitted for review to await outcome of treatment | 72 |
| Accepted on appeal by NHSPA and their advisers | 6 |
| Accepted by OPAS | 0 |
| Accepted by Pensions Ombudsman | 0 |
| Accepted by Secretary of State | 2 |
There were no successful applications on appeal to OPAS and the Pensions Ombudsman.
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS pension applications for early retirement on the grounds of ill health there were in each year from 1992 to 1996 and in 1997 to date; and what percentage of the applicants in each year quoted stress as a contributory factor in causing their ill health. [14801]
Mr. Milburn: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the NHS Pensions Agency under its Chief Executive, Mr. A. F. Cowan. I have asked him to reply to the hon. Member.
| Year | Number of applications |
|---|---|
| 1991-92 | 7,725 |
| 1992-93 | 8,497 |
| 1993-94 | 9,918 |
| 1994-95 | 10,355 |
| 1995-96 | 10,704 |
| 1996-97 | 8,005 |
| 1997-98(12) | 3,807 |
(12) Estimated to 31 October 1997.
We do not hold data that would indicate for each application the extent to which stress was a contributory factor in causing their ill-health.
Mr. Breed:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times since 1992 the NHS Pensions Agency has changed the medical consultants it uses regarding decisions on ill-health retirement; what factors underlie the changes; and if he will make a statement. [15939]
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Mr. Milburn:
Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the NHS Pensions Agency under its Chief Executive, Mr. A. F. Cowan. I have asked him to reply to the hon. Member.
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