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Winter Funding Initiative
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each health authority the amounts allocated to each social services department under the winter funding initiative. [18123]
Mr. Milburn: Details of individual agreements between health authorities and local authority social services departments are not held centrally. However, initial estimates indicate that, nationally, between £35 million and £40 million of the additional resources made available to meet winter pressures in 1997-98 will be transferred to social services departments.
Pig Organs
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the dangers posed by viruses in pig organs identified for possible use in pig-to-human transplants. [17778]
Mr. Boateng:
"Animal Tissue into Humans", the Report of the Advisory Group on the Ethics of Xenotransplantation, published in January 1997, concluded that there was insufficient knowledge of the risks associated with the transmission of infectious
27 Nov 1997 : Column: 652
diseases, including viruses, for clinical trials involving humans to be ethically acceptable. Research into these and other relevant issues is continuing.
The Government is advised by the United Kingdom Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority (UKXIRA) on these issues and on the acceptability of any application to undertake trials in xenotransplantation involving humans. Any application will be expected to include a full assessment of the microbiological risk of any proposed procedure. Within the United Kingdom we will allow clinical trials involving humans to take place only if and when we are satisfied that the risks associated with such procedures are acceptable. The UKXIRA will take the latest evidence available into account in its advice. The Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens is also working with the UKXIRA on microbiological issues involved in xenotransplantation.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with Imutran concerning the transplantation of organs from pigs to humans; and if he will make a statement. [17779]
Mr. Boateng:
The United Kingdom biotechnology industry is at the forefront of international research and development into xenotransplantation. The views of industry are important to the development of a regulatory structure and have been formally sought through consultation exercises. The United Kingdom Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority, established to advise on and oversee developments in xenotransplantation, is in contact with Imutran, and other companies in the field, and has visited some of Imutran's animal facilities. My noble Friend the Minister of State, Baroness Jay of Paddington, at Imutran's invitation, recently visited its facilities during which she was advised of the developments in its work.
Sir Brian Mawhinney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts and health authority non-executive positions fell to be filled on 1 November; how many were filled on that date; and how many are currently vacant. [18051]
Mr. Milburn:
Five hundred and seventy non-executive appointments to National Health Service trusts fell to be made by 1 November. Two hundred and eight had been made by that date. Eighty-five vacancies remained on 26 November.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacant posts there are currently by region for (a) hospital doctors, (b) general practitioners and (c) nurses. [17391]
Mr. Milburn:
The available information on vacant posts by region is as follows:
Source:
The Medical and Dental Workforce Census 30 September 1996.
Notes:
1. All figures are whole-time equivalents rounded to the nearest ten.
2. Totals may not agree due to rounding.
3. Vacant posts are not collected for all grades--the figures above cover the following grades: Consultant, Staff Grade, Senior Registrar (including Specialist Registrar), Registrar and Senior House Officer.
(b) Information relating to general practitioner vacancies is collected by the Medical Practices Committee. However, this does not include regional data comparable to that above.
(c) Figures on vacancies for Hospital and Community Health services nurses and midwives are collected by the Office of Manpower and Economics and published in the annual reports of the Review Body for Nursing Staff, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine. Copies of these documents are in the Library.
27 Nov 1997 : Column: 653
NHS Staff
Sir Brian Mawhinney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the names of those NHS trust and health authority members, in post on 30 October, who are no longer in post because they failed to comply with the terms of his Department's guidance to regional health authorities relating to (a) political allegiance and (b) personal allegiance to the NHS. [18050]
Mr. Milburn: The only guidance issued by the Department on political allegiance and personal allegiance to the National Health Service is that contained in the information pack sent to all applicants for posts on trust and health authority boards. The guidance makes clear that candidates must have a strong personal commitment to the NHS but a candidate's political activity will not be a factor in their appointment. New candidates and those applying for reappointment are considered against all the criteria set out in the information pack.
Psychiatric Beds
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many psychiatric beds have closed in each year since 1980-81. [17386]
Mr. Boateng: The Department does not collect information on bed closures.
Source:
DH form SH3--1980 to 1986.
DH form KH03--1987-88 rds.
Note:
(20) The return was revised and included a count of NHS managed beds in residential care. Several trusts reclassified beds previously counted as mental illness beds in hospitals, and counted them as residential. These figures are not included in the table. The average daily number of mental illness bed days in residential care is 1,155.
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Nurses
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the shortfall in nurses in each specialty. [17387]
Mr. Milburn: In submitting evidence to the 1998 Review Body for Nursing Staff, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine, the Department said there was growing evidence of work force pressures in mental health, nursing in the larger conurbations and specialist nursing posts in areas of high dependency care.
In addition to the comprehensive collection of work force information to support national workforce planning, the National Health Service Executive is running a quarterly survey seeking information about recruitment and retention difficulties and examples of good practice across a sample of trusts. This will provide more systematic information on work force pressures across England.
GP Fundholders
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what have been the payments made to GP fundholders in each region in each year since 1990-91 in (a) management allowances and (b) computer costs. [17388]
Mr. Milburn: Available data on general practitioner fundholders' management allowances (PFMA) since 1990-91 are set out in the tables, which distinguish PFMA (general) from PFMA (computing).
The PFMA (general) coverage was increased in 1995-96, to include an element for the running costs of fundholding computer systems, which had previously been paid separately.
PFMA (computing) was introduced as a separate component of PFMA in 1996-97 to cover the costs of purchase or lease of fundholding computer systems. Up until April 1996 GP fundholders received reimbursement for these computer costs via the Statement of Fees and Allowances. As a result, audited information is not held
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centrally which identifies GP fundholding costs. However, estimates of moneys allocated to support GP fundholding computing costs from 1991-92 to 1994-95 are also shown.
| £000 | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional health authorities | 1990-91 | 1991-92 | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 | 1995-96 |
| Northern and Yorkshire | 1,082 | 2,343 | 4,466 | 6,040 | 8,254 | 14,859 |
| Trent | 425 | 1,356 | 3,432 | 6,279 | 8,003 | 11,647 |
| Anglia and Oxford | 1,015 | 2,210 | 4,816 | 7,212 | 9,278 | 13,163 |
| North Thames | 287 | 944 | 2,115 | 3,364 | 5,558 | 12,511 |
| South Thames | 515 | 1,500 | 3,139 | 6,262 | 9,354 | 16,504 |
| South West | 724 | 1,708 | 3,377 | 5,315 | 6,921 | 11,537 |
| West Midlands | 334 | 1,412 | 3,288 | 6,466 | 9,233 | 15,067 |
| North West | 856 | 1,997 | 3,987 | 6,663 | 8,205 | 14,377 |
| England | 5,238 | 13,470 | 28,620 | 47,601 | 64,806 | 109,668 |
| £000 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional office | 1996-97 | 1997-98 | ||
| General | Computing | General | Computing | |
| Northern and Yorkshire | 17,886 | 2,175 | 19,186 | 294 |
| Trent | 15,953 | 1,350 | 15,439 | 0 |
| Anglia and Oxford | 13,771 | 1,200 | 13,853 | 294 |
| North Thames | 21,193 | 1,850 | 22,130 | 420 |
| South Thames | 18,937 | 1,425 | 19,486 | 0 |
| South West | 15,389 | 2,800 | 16,258 | 0 |
| West Midlands | 18,070 | 650 | 18,034 | 63 |
| North West | 19,371 | 1,325 | 19,633 | 294 |
| England | 140,564 | 12,775 | 144,019 | 1,365 |
Source:
1990-91 to 1995-96: annual accounts of Family Health Services Authorities.
1996-97: FDL(96)35 and FDL(96)42, revised slightly.
1997-98: FDL(97)32.
Note:
Data for 1990-91 to 1994-95 presented on Regional Office boundaries.
| £000 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regional health authorities | 1991-92 | 1992-93 | 1993-94 | 1994-95 |
| Northern and Yorkshire | 2,099 | 3,093 | 2,129 | 2,717 |
| Trent | 1,337 | 2,949 | 2,395 | 2,662 |
| Anglia and Oxford | 1,446 | 1,989 | 2,144 | 1,894 |
| North Thames | 836 | 1,809 | 1,665 | 1,819 |
| South Thames | 1,812 | 2,371 | 3,028 | 2,659 |
| South West | 2,117 | 1,747 | 2,088 | 1,906 |
| West Midlands | 1,152 | 2,371 | 2,413 | 3,129 |
| North West | 824 | 1,725 | 2,643 | 2,060 |
| England | 11,623 | 18,054 | 18,505 | 18,846 |
Source:
Estimates taken from FIS4 returns by FHSAs.
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