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Neurology Services
Mr. Corbett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the average waiting times for out-patient appointments in neurology clinics in each of the last two years for which figures are available. [66060]
Mr. Denham:
Data on average waiting times for outpatient appointments are not collected centrally. However, data are available on the percentage of patients seen within 13 weeks and 26 weeks of written general practitioner referral and the table provides this information for 1996-97, 1997-98 and the first two quarters of 1998-99.
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| Of those GP written referrals seen, the percentage who waited: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Quarter | less than 13 weeks | less than 26 weeks |
| 1996-97 | 1 | 71 | 95 |
| 1996-97 | 2 | 69 | 95 |
| 1996-97 | 3 | 69 | 95 |
| 1996-97 | 4 | 69 | 95 |
| 1997-98 | 1 | 73 | 95 |
| 1997-98 | 2 | 70 | 95 |
| 1997-98 | 3 | 68 | 93 |
| 1997-98 | 4 | 67 | 92 |
| 1998-99 | 1 | 68 | 92 |
| 1998-99 | 2 | 66 | 92 |
Portsmouth NHS Hospitals Trust
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with (a) Portsmouth NHS Hospitals Trust, (b) Portsmouth & SE Hants Health Authority and (c) others this year about the admissions and treatment of patients at Portsmouth hospitals; what actions he has taken; and what plans he has to visit hospitals in Portsmouth. [65750]
Mr. Denham: We have expressed our thanks to all those working in the National Health Services for the huge effort they have put in to make sure everyone is getting the treatment and care they need over the winter months.
An extra £1.672 million has been allocated to Portsmouth and South East Hampshire Health Authority to help them cope with winter pressures. The South East Regional Office of the National Health Service Executive has been working closely with the local national Health Service in Portsmouth about the admission and treatment of patients this year, and will continue to do so.
We have no plans at present to visit hospitals in this area.
Mr. Rendel:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the number of general practitioner appointments with patients which will be lost each year as a result of general practitioner participation in the administration of primary care groups; [65920]
(3) what resources he has made available for repaying the expenses of provisionally appointed members of primary care groups up to 1 April 1999. [65922]
Mr. Denham:
We have allocated £135 million to health authorities as a central contribution towards health authorities funding of the running costs of primary care groups in 1999-2000. Some of this will be used by Primary Care Groups to fund locum or other costs incurred by general practitioner primary care group board
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members. In addition we have made available £31 million this financial year to health authorities to help support the development of primary care groups.
We have agreed that locum/compensatory payments can be paid to practices to enable them to cover such absences. In some cases cover will be provided from within the practice. We therefore do not expect any deterioration in the quality or level of service to patients to result from GP membership of primary care groups. Indeed we are confident that Primary Care Groups will lead to improvements in services to patients. One of their key functions is to develop primary care.
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish the Royal Commission's report into the funding of long-term care. [66110]
Mr. Hutton:
We understand that the Royal Commission is finalising its work, and its report should be published shortly.
Mr. Evans:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what steps he is taking to control the costs of Meat Hygiene Service inspections. [64284]
Mr. Rooker:
Two of the principal objectives of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) are to deliver value for money in the provision of efficient and high quality services and to achieve the financial and performance targets set by Ministers. Indeed the Agency has met all its performance targets since it was launched in April 1995.
The Chief Executive of the MHS is responsible to the Minister for the Agency's performance and operations. He is accountable for securing efficiency and economical conduct of the Agency's business. The Agency works in line with government tendering rules to optimise value for money. For example the MHS makes extensive use of contract Official Veterinary Surgeons (OVSs) which it obtains by means of national competitive tendering procedures. These are in line with Government purchasing policy and ensure that the best value for money is obtained for plant operators.
My ministerial colleagues and I monitor closely the financial performance of the Agency. Indeed, MHS charges for each financial year are subject to ministerial agreement before being implemented. We are satisfied that the MHS is meeting its objective of delivering value for money in the provision of efficient and high quality services.
Mr. Corbett:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the current structure of the Joint Food Standards and Safety Group. [64959]
Mr. Rooker:
The Joint Food Safety and Standards Group works across Departmental boundaries, bringing together those parts of MAFF and the Department of
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Health that have responsibility for food safety and standards matters. The Group currently comprises around 380 officials who report to both Agriculture and Health Ministers. It is organised into 11 divisions, including two that are responsible for developing and implementing plans for the Food Standards Agency. The divisions deal with the following main areas of policy: additives and novel foods; food labelling, food authenticity and compositional standards; food contaminants; animal feedingstuffs and fertilisers; food hygiene; meat hygiene; veterinary advice on public health matters; radiological safety; nutrition and diet; and enforcement issues. I shall shortly place in the Library of the House an organogram that illustrates these arrangements.
Mr. Corbett:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many reports the Joint Food Safety and Standards Group has so far made to Ministers; and when the next report is expected. [64958]
Mr. Rooker:
The Joint Food Safety and Standards Group brings together the officials in those parts of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Department of Health that are responsible for food safety and standards matters. It is a set unit of civil servants rather than a body that reports periodically. Since the Group was established on 1 September 1997 it has provided ongoing policy and executive support to Agriculture and Health Ministers.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on what dates the Joint Food Safety and Standards Group has met since it was established; and on what dates this group is scheduled to meet in 1999. [65050]
Mr. Rooker:
The Joint Food Safety and Standards Group brings together the officials in those parts of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Department of Health that are responsible for food safety and standards matters. It is a set unit of civil servants rather than a body that meets periodically. Since it was established on 1 September 1997 the Group has provided ongoing policy and executive support to Ministers in both Departments. It will continue to do so until the Food Standards Agency, of which it is expected to form the operational core, is established.
Mr. Swayne:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment his Department has made of (a) the potential side effects on consumers of milk and (b) the effect on milk output and price, of the use of bovine somatotrophin. [65658]
Mr. Rooker:
Bovine somatotrophin (BST) is a hormone produced naturally by all cows and is present in small quantities in all cows milk. Applications for authorisation of the product have been very carefully assessed by various expert committees in the UK and Europe and all agree that the applications meet the statutory criteria of safety, quality and efficacy. Safety includes the safety of the consumer. Its use in the EU is subject to a moratorium. If permitted, it would be subject to veterinary control.
The European Commission has reported that the productivity increase from the use of BST is estimated to be in the range of 5 per cent. to 20 per cent. However,
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since EU milk production is constrained by quotas, it is unlikely that there would be any significant impact on either output or price.
(2) what resources he is making available to general practitioner surgeries to allow them to replace general practitioner time taken up in administration of primary care groups; [65921]
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