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WALES
Jobseeker's Allowance
Mr. Wigley: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many 18 to 24 year olds in Wales have lost their jobseekers allowance as a result of refusing all four options in the New Deal. [61469]
Mr. Hain:
Up until the end of October 1998, out of a total of almost 12,000 young people who entered the New Deal Gateway in Wales, 95 young people have had their jobseekers allowance temporarily suspended because,
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without good cause, they failed or refused to start a New Deal option or left an option early, or because they were dismissed from a New Deal option due to misconduct.
Mr. Denzil Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what action he has taken to refund to the claimants for prescription payment certificates the additional amounts due to them following the acceptance by the Treasury Solicitor in Case No. LIC01071 between R. M. Wordley and the Welsh Office (Treasury Solicitor Ref. L96/8316H JBM/LS) of Mr. Wordley's interpretation of Regulation 9 of S.I., 1989, No. 419 as amended. [61831]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones:
There are no outstanding claims for payment. The case of Wordley v. Secretary of State for Wales was settled in February 1997, without admission of liability.
Mr. Opik:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what resources his Department provides to Dyfed Powys Health Authority for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis; and if he will make a statement. [61914]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones:
In 1998-99 Dyfed Powys received £237.8 million in discretionary resources, £8.4 million, or 3.6 per cent. more than in 1997-98. It is a matter for the health authority to determine how these funds should be used to provide an appropriate range of health services to its resident population, taking into account the pattern of local health need.
Mr. Opik:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) what the average provision of rheumatologists per hundred thousand people is for Welsh health authorities; and if he will make a statement; [61916]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones:
Information on hospital medical staff directly employed by the NHS in Wales is collected in an annual census relating to staff in post at 30 September. Health authorities do not directly employ hospital medical staff. The number and rate of rheumatologists employed by NHS trusts, grouped by health authority ares, are shown in the following table. It should be noted, however, that health authorities are free to purchase services from any health provider.
(2) how many rheumatologists are employed by the Dyfed Powys Health Authority; and if he will make a statement. [61915]
| Consultants | Other staff(4) | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number (5) | Rate(6) | Number (6) | Rate(5) | Number (5) | Rate(6) | |
| Health authority area | ||||||
| Bro Taf | 3.9 | 5.3 | 7.3 | 9.9 | 11.2 | 15.2 |
| Dyfed Powys | 0.3 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.8 |
| Gwent | 2.4 | 4.3 | 2.0 | 3.6 | 4.4 | 7.9 |
| Morgannwg | 2.4 | 4.8 | 1.5 | 3.0 | 3.9 | 7.8 |
| North Wales | 3.0 | 4.6 | 1.7 | 2.6 | 4.7 | 7.2 |
| Wales | 12.0 | 4.1 | 12.6 | 4.3 | 24.6 | 8.4 |
(4) Includes other grades of staff involved in clinical work
(5) Whole-time equivalents
(6) Due to small overall numbers figures are shown per 1,000,000 population
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Mr. Opik: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what plans he has to review the current provision of care for sufferers from arthritic conditions; and if he will make a statement. [61917]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones: The provision for the care of those suffering from arthritic conditions is the responsibility of health authorities whose responsibility it is to assess the needs of their local population and provide appropriate services to meet them while taking account of their resources, priorities and other pressures.
Assembly Reporting
Ms Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proposals he has for the record of the National Assembly for Wales. [62797]
Mr. Michael: I will publish tomorrow a consultation paper which sets out our proposals on the timing of the production of the report, which will be called "The Daily Journal"; its translation into and from the Welsh language; the method of publication; standards and archiving. In line with our policy of inclusivity I want to ensure that the record reaches as wide an audience as possible and we want to learn of people's thoughts on how best to make the Record available to the people of Wales.
Copies of the Paper will be placed in the Library as soon as possible.
Water Disconnections
Mr. Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the levels of disconnections by Welsh Water; and if he will encourage those water companies that do not have them to establish charitable or hardship funds. [62250]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones: Since the privatisation of the water industry in 1989, there has been a general decline in the number of water supply disconnections made by Dwr Cymru Welsh Water. In 1991-92 the number of household disconnections was 2,938 as compared to 160 in 1997-98.
The issue of disconnection formed part of the Government's recent review of the water charging system in England and Wales which proposed the prohibition of the disconnection of household water supplies for non-payment of charges. The Government have decided to proceed with this proposal. Clause 1 of the Water Industry Bill, which will have its Second Reading in the House on Monday 7 December, provides for this prohibition through an amendment to section 61 of the Water Industry Act 1991.
The development of charitable trusts by water companies is strongly supported by the Government as they provide invaluable support to customers in genuine need. The Government will continue to encourage action by companies to assist those customers who experience difficulties in paying their charges, not only through charitable trusts, but also through the design of tariffs and through helping customers reduce their bills and economise on water use.
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Mr. Ruane:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which housing associations in Wales (a) do and (b) do not participate in mutual aid development on their estates. [62274]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones:
Mutual aid development refers to the activities known as "housing plus" or sustaining communities. The Welsh Office sets "Regulatory Requirements", which are the standards that housing associations must work to. They state:
Tai Cymru issued in September 1998 a report on "Sustainable communities for the future" which gave many examples of good practice in this area and made recommendations for future action.
Mr. Ruane:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many housing association development workers are employed by each housing association in Wales. [62275]
Mr. Jon Owen Jones:
This information is not held centrally but we believe all associations employ development workers. Some Associations employ specific officers to carry out this work while others use generic staff who provide this function alongside their housing management role. We believe both approaches can be equally effective.
Mr. Flight:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what plans Her Majesty's Government have (a) to ban the use of methyl bromide as a chemical agent for the purposes of sterilising soil and grain stores and (b) to ensure that a replacement product is available. [61180]
Mr. Rooker:
The Government are bound by the timetable laid down in the Montreal Protocol to reduce or phase-out substances such as methyl bromide which deplete the ozone layer. The Protocol was last amended in September 1997 when it was agreed, for developed countries, to cut production and use of methyl bromide by 50 per cent. by 2001, 70 per cent. by 2003 and phase out by 2005. The Protocol exempts quarantine and preshipment treatments. All member states of the European Union are signatories to the Protocol, which is currently implemented through Council Regulation (EC) 3093/94.
The European Commission has proposed a draft Regulation imposing a more stringent timetable to cut production and phase-out methyl bromide which is under discussion.
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Our experience at audit of housing associations is all are engaged in a range of such projects, some more extensively than others. We have encouraged associations to increase this work in the future as part of the Government's agenda to tackle social exclusion.
"Associations should help to safeguard their tenants' quality of life by providing support to communities which help protect the interests of existing neighbours or tenants or contribute to the prevention or reversal of social decline".
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