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Council Cases Review Commission
Mr. Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to amend the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 to ensure that the Criminal Cases Review Commission can deal with cases where a person is found not guilty by reason of insanity; and if he will make a statement. [63106]
Kate Hoey:
The Government accept that the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 should be amended to enable the Criminal Cases Review Commission to refer to the Court of Appeal a special verdict of 'guilty but insane', under section 2(1) of the Trial of Lunatics Act 1993; and to give
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the Court of Appeal powers to hear and dispose of an appeal upon such a reference. Such a measure will be brought forward as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
Waiting Lists
12. Mr. Bill O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on current trends in NHS waiting lists (a) regionally and (b) nationally. [62454]
Mr. Dobson: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave earlier today, Official Report, column 759.
27. Dr. Palmer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made in reducing waiting lists. [62470]
Mr. Milburn: The Government inherited the biggest and fastest-rising NHS waiting lists ever. Since April, the number of people waiting for hospital treatment has fallen by 119,000.
31. Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients currently have been waiting over 18 months for hospital treatment; and what was the largest figure for those waiting over 18 months in the NHS in the period 1979 to 1997. [62474]
Mr. Milburn: There were no patients waiting over 18 months for hospital inpatient treatment at the end of October 1998.
Data on the number of patients waiting over 18 months for hospital treatment were not collected centrally until June 1992. At the end of June 1992 there were 20,559 patients waiting over 18 months for hospital treatment which is the highest recorded number.
Mr. Waterson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has to reduce waiting times for operations in the NHS. [62463]
Mr. Milburn:
The Government's successful drive to reduce the numbers of patients waiting for hospital admission is also reducing waiting times for patients, and latest figures show there were no patients waiting over 18 months for hospital treatment at the end of October.
21. Mr. Blizzard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress in the establishment of primary care groups. [62464]
30. Mr. Burden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the development of primary care groups. [62473]
Mr. Milburn:
We are well on target to establishing Primary Care Groups by 1 April 1999. There are now 481 shadow Primary Care Groups in place. The Autumn guidance, Health Service Circular 1998/228 and guidance on governance, Health Service Circular 1998/229 were published on 8 December. Copies are available in the Library. These are the latest in a rolling programme of guidance.
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22. Ms Oona King:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will relax the restrictions on health authorities in inner city areas in relation to the development of primary care premises. [62465]
Mr. Milburn:
Since coming into Government, we have introduced a number of new flexibilities to support our aim of improving primary care premises. We will consider whether other flexibilities might be helpful and provide value for money in achieving this aim.
32. Mr. Darvill:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the progress towards implementation of the nine specific recommendations on primary care set out in the strategic review of London health services conducted by the independent advisory panel chaired by Professor Sir Leslie Turnberg. [62475]
Mr. Milburn:
The implementation of the recommendations in the Turnberg report, on primary care and on other matters, is being taken forward by the NHS Executive in conjunction with local National Health Service organisations. Good progress is being made. The new NHS Executive regional office for London will be established on 1 January 1999 as the strategic health body for London in response to the London review. The regional office will produce a report on implementation which will be published in the new year.
24. Mr. Tipping:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for encouraging co-operation between NHS hospitals. [62467]
Mr. Milburn:
In the White Paper The new NHS we set out our plans to replace the internal market with a system based on partnership and driven by performance. National Health Service trusts, other NHS organisations and local authorities are already working more closely together to improve health and healthcare.
28. Laura Moffatt:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for encouraging management co-operation between NHS hospitals in order to reduce administration costs. [62471]
Mr. Milburn:
The new NHS White Paper set out our plans to abolish the internal market and shift the focus from competition to co-operation across the National Health Service. NHS trusts, working with health authorities and Primary Care Groups, are being encouraged to share support functions to eliminate duplication and free up extra resources for direct patient care. This will ensure we focus NHS management effort on improving health and health care, by cutting unnecessary bureaucracy.
25. Mr. David Heath:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health under what circumstances the age of a patient is the determining factor in the provision of NHS treatment. [62468]
Mr. Hutton:
The fundamental principle of the National Health Service is to provide services for everybody on the basis of clinical need.
There are particular circumstances in which age may be one factor in determining the provision of NHS services. Immunisation programmes are targeted at certain age
15 Dec 1998 : Column: 471
groups, for example this year for the first time all people over 75 have been targeted for influenza vaccination. Screening services may also be targeted at particular age groups, for example breast screening is targeted at women between the ages of 50 and 64. As natural fertility declines with age, health authorities may operate eligibility criteria for specialised infertility treatment which may include age.
26. Mr. Wilkinson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) letters and (b) other representations his Department has received against Hillingdon health authority's proposal to move the Burns, Plastic and Oral Maxillofacial Surgery Unit from Mount Vernon Hospital, Northwood. [62469]
Mr. Hutton:
We have received approximately 1,082 letters.
All petitions sent to the Department were referred to Hillingdon Health Authority. it is understood that the Health Authority received over 80,000 signatures.
Meetings have also taken place between the Chairman of the North Thames Regional Office and local MPs.
29. Mr. Miller:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to monitor co-operation between health and social services bodies in dealing with winter pressures. [62472]
Mr. Hutton:
We are managing this winter in the normal way through regional offices supported by the Emergency Services Action Team. We have made it clear that health authorities should work closely with social services in managing winter pressures and announced a further £159 million on 9 November 1998, Official Report, column 33-46, to support them in this.
33. Mr. Martlew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to protect NHS staff in the event of inaccurate attacks on their professional integrity and performance. [62476]
Mr. Milburn:
Complaints regarding the professional integrity and performance of National Health Service staff are dealt with through the official complaints procedure or through the regulatory bodies of the professions concerned.
34. Mrs. Dean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the effect on management costs of abolishing GP fundholding. [62477]
35. Mr. Borrow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the savings in administrative costs to be made from abolishing GP fundholding. [62478]
Mr. Dobson:
The White Paper sets out a programme of action to sweep away the bureaucracy of the internal market. Over the lifetime of this parliament, £1 billion that would otherwise have been spent on bureaucracy will be released for patient care. Of this, savings of £20 million
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were made in 1997-98 by deferring the eighth wave of general practitioner fundholding, with a further saving of £25 million in GP fundholding costs to be made in 1998-99.
Miss Widdecombe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultations he has had with representatives of general practitioners about retaining fundholding after 31 March 1999. [63688]
Mr. Milburn:
Consultations have taken place and continue to do so with organisations involved in, or affected by, general practitioner fundholding about all aspects of the Government's implementation of the new National Health Service.
Miss Widdecombe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if, in the event of the Bill to abolish fundholding not having received Royal Assent by 31 March 1999, GP fundholders will receive their fundholding budget for 1999-2000. [63684]
Mr. Milburn:
We propose, subject to the outcome of consultations currently in hand, to lay regulations that will bring the existing general practitioner fundholding schemes to an end on 31 March 1999 and substitute a residual scheme.
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