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Autism
Dr. Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what data his Department have collated with respect to the incidence of autism in children; and if he will list the number of such children in each of the last 20 years. [64912]
Mr. Hutton: The Department does not collate information about the incidence of autism in children. It is for the local statutory authorities to determine the needs of children with autism in their area and work together effectively to ensure that these needs are met.
Services for Older People
Dr. Brand: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for the development of a National Service framework for the care of older people; and when the consultation will take place. [65324]
Mr. Hutton: The process for the development of the national service framework for the care of older people is already underway, and the framework will be operational from April 2000. Co-chairs of the External Reference Group that will advise the Government on the development of the framework were announced on 21 December 1998 and it is expected that the External Reference Group will be formed within the next month.
The External Reference Group will draw on views from all stakeholders in the care of older people throughout the process.
Children's Rights
Mr. Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress made on the Government's report on the implementation of the United Nations convention on children's rights; and if he will make a statement. [65255]
Mr. Hutton:
The Government have been making good progress with the preparation of the Second United Kingdom report on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The process was launched in February 1998 with a national conference in London which discussed key timetable and procedural requirements. Reports from across Government Departments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were assembled into a consultative draft which was circulated to NGOs in November. In addition, the Government have been greatly assisted by an advisory group which has included NGOs
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from across the UK. Ministers will be considering the final draft of the UK report in the New Year and it is expected to be sent to the Committee on Children in Geneva in March 1999 and published shortly thereafter in the UK.
Mr. Dawson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the role of (a) children's rights commissioners, (b) children's ombudspersons and (c) independent officers for children in other European countries; and if he will publish the results. [65256]
Mr. Hutton:
We have recently made a number of announcements which take into account the recommendations of the Health Select Committee on Children Looked After by Local Authorities (July 1998) and the Children's Safeguards Review (1997). In the White Paper on Social Services (November 1998) and the Government response to the Health Select Committee (December 1998), we made commitments to introduce new mechanisms which will enable it and other responsible agencies to keep issues of children's rights and safeguards under careful scrutiny. These include establishing children's rights officers in each of the eight Commissions for Care Standards; periodic joint reporting from all the inspectorates dedicated exclusively to children; and continuing the work of the ministerial task force on children's safeguards. In addition, work on listening to and responding to the views and aspirations of children is a priority area for grant to local authorities within the quality protects programme.
These announcements were made having taken into account information on the 10 or so other countries known to have national Children's Rights Commissioner or posts with similar titles. We are not in present circumstances persuaded that it would be desirable to create such a national mechanism additional to the roles of the courts, the police and the prosecuting authorities, the various Commissions (Parliamentary, Health and local government) which already exist, the responsibilities of local and health authorities to deal with complaints and the various inspection and regulatory arrangements for ensuring that safeguards for children are properly implemented, and that their voices are heard.
Mr. Forth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many asylum seekers have required treatment for (a) nutritional disease, (b) psychological illnesses and (c) AIDS-related illnesses in the last three years; [65470]
Mr. Hutton:
National Health Service hospital treatment, received by a patient who has made a formal application to the Government for permission to take refuge in the United Kingdom, is the responsibility of the health authority for the district in which they are residing. Details on the types of treatment required, the numbers and the total cost to the NHS of such patients is not held centrally.
Sir David Madel:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to make a decision on the
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proposal to merge the South Bedfordshire Community Health Care Trust and the Bedford and Shires Health Care Trust; and if he will make a statement. [65516]
Mr. Denham:
The submission is currently with Ministers and a decision will be announced shortly.
Mrs. May:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the United Kingdom suffer from (a) anglusia, (b) anosmia, and (c) both anglusia and anosmia; what research his Department (i) is conducting and (ii) has commissioned into the (A) cause and (B) treatment of these problems; and if loss of these senses is defined by his Department as a disability. [65619]
Mr. Hutton:
The National Health Service does not collect centrally the numbers of people suffering from anglusia (we believe this is an incorrect name for a disease resulting in loss of smell) and anosmia, and is not currently commissioning any research in this area.
The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 defines a disability as
The Department would use this definition, which may be applicable to these cases.
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the draft Statutory Instrument published on 6 November by the Medicines Control Agency in Consultation Document MLX 249 was at that time circulated to right hon. and hon. Members; if he approved that draft Statutory Instrument; and if it is the intention of the Agency to seek implementation of that draft Statutory Instrument by 1 April. [65722]
Ms Jowell:
As is the usual practice, copies of the Medicines Control Agency's Consultation Letter MLX 249 were placed in the Library. We will decide in due course whether and when legislative proposals are to be brought before the House.
Dr. Naysmith:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what delegations have been made in 1998 under the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992; to whom those delegations were made; and what were the main conditions attached to them. [66129]
Dr. Jack Cunningham:
Since the last report to Parliament, on 13 January 1998, Official Report, column 162, Ministers and statutory office holders in charge of departments 1 have been given delegated authority (from 1 April 1998) under the Civil Service (Management Functions) Act 1992 to determine in respect of home civil servants in their respective departments the recruitment standards for health and coping with the demands of the job.
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(2) what has been the cost to the NHS of treating asylum seekers in each of the last three years [65469]
"A physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities".
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