| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
NHSnet
Mrs. Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his answer of 21 January 1999, Official Report, column 518, on NHSnet, what assessment he has made of the number and proportion of hospital appointments being made through NHSnet; what the average waiting time is between placing a request for information on NHSnet and obtaining the information; and if he will make a statement. [68166]
Mr. Galbraith: The Government are committed to developing an electronic booking system by 2002 which will allow patients to know the date and time of any hospital outpatient appointment before leaving their GP surgery.
At present electronic appointment booking is taking place at a small number of pilot sites while a number of key building blocks are put in place to deliver this commitment, including:
1 Feb 1999 : Column: 442
Dr. Godman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of agencies which provide locums for temporary employment in hospital trusts; and if he will make a statement. [67982]
Mr. Galbraith:
No assessment has been made of agencies which provide locums for temporary employment in hospital trusts. From 1 July 1999 this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.
Dr. Godman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what plans he has to issue regulations governing the conduct of agencies which provide locums for temporary employment in hospital trusts; and if he will make a statement. [68340]
Mr. Galbraith:
There are no plans to issue regulations governing the conduct of agencies which provide locums for temporary employment in hospital trusts. From 1 July 1999 this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.
Mr. Swinney:
To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has made of the total level of bank borrowing by Scotland's farmers in each of the last 10 years; and what discussions he has had with the NFU and the Scottish clearing banks on this matter. [68003]
Mr. Macdonald:
The only comprehensive survey of bank lending to Scottish agriculture is conducted annually by the Scottish Office Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department. The results for the last ten years, in both current and at 1998 prices, are given in the following table.
Linking all NHS in Scotland organisations to the NHSnet
Electronic links between GPs and hospitals enabling the fast secure transmission of messages between primary and secondary care
Using the Community Health Index (CHI) number in all NHS computer bases systems to identify patients and relevant information about them whenever they are treated
Training for health care staff to carry out tasks using information technology
An appropriate form of assessment will be put into place as the system develops. From 1 July 1999 this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.
| £ million | ||
|---|---|---|
| Advances | ||
| Year (end-May) | Current prices | Real terms 1998 prices |
| 1989 | 909 | 1,292 |
| 1990 | 888 | 1,150 |
| 1991 | 884 | 1,083 |
| 1992 | 895 | 1,050 |
| 1993 | 868 | 1,006 |
| 1994 | 893 | 1,009 |
| 1995 | 893 | 976 |
| 1996 | 941 | 1,006 |
| 1997 | 966 | 1,007 |
| 1998 | 1,064 | 1,064 |
As the table shows, bank borrowings, in real terms, are now lower than they were 8 to 10 years ago, as are real interest rates.
Ministers and officials meet the National Farmers Union of Scotland and the agricultural representatives of the four Scottish Clearing banks on a regular basis to discuss a variety of issues affecting Scottish farming including the level of bank borrowings. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State last met the Scottish NFU on 22 December 1998 while my noble Friend Lord Sewel last met them on 22 January 1999. Officials last met the banks on 25 January 1999.
From 1 July 1999 this will be a matter for the Scottish Parliament.
1 Feb 1999 : Column: 443
Dr. David Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the report and recommendations of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body. [68819]
Mr. George Robertson:
The 1999 Report of the Armed Forces Pay Review Body has been published today. Copies are available in the Vote Office and the Library of the House. I am grateful to the Chairman and members of the Review Body for the work they have put into the report.
In the Comprehensive Spending Review the Government made it clear that public sector pay settlements would need to be fair, affordable and consistent with targets for public service improvements we have set. The new arrangements announced in the CSR for the Pay Review Bodies were designed to ensure a closer and more effective link between pay settlements, departmental expenditure limits and service delivery targets. Under these new arrangements, the AFPRB now reports to me, as responsible Departmental Minister, as well as to the Prime Minister. The Terms of Reference of the AFPRB were revised to ensure that, in making their recommendations, four key consideration set out in the CSR were taken into account:
I am satisfied that these recommendations take account of the four key considerations and will support the Services' strategies to achieve full manning. The additional cost of this settlement will be contained within my Department's expenditure limits announced in July and we will continue to meet the objectives and targets set out in my Public Service Agreements. This is in line with the Government's prudent and disciplined approach to public spending and its commitment to delivering high quality public services and low inflation.
The AFPRB's recommendations are to be accepted in full, with implementation effective from 1 April 1999.
Mr. Stinchcombe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultations the Government have had with other Governments on the subject of research and evidence of Gulf War Syndrome. [64997]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
The Ministry of Defence continues to liaise closely with the US Government on all aspects of Gulf veterans' illnesses. These links are of
1 Feb 1999 : Column: 444
particular importance because the USA has the largest population of Gulf veterans--some 700,000 US personnel deployed to the Gulf in 1990-91--and there is a substantial federally funded research programme underway there.
My predecessor, my right hon. Friend the Member for Hamilton, North and Bellshill (Dr. Reid), visited the US in October 1997 to discuss Gulf veterans' illnesses issues and I intend to visit the US myself later this year to see at first hand how the US Government are responding to this complex and difficult problem and to discuss the way forward. The MOD has a full time Gulf Health Liaison Officer based in Washington, who works on a daily basis with US federal agencies and research teams. In addition, the UK is represented on the US Persian Gulf veterans Co-ordinating Board Research Working Group, which oversees all US federal research looking at Gulf veterans' illnesses, in order that the UK can have full visibility of that research, both to keep abreast of the latest developments and to avoid duplication of effort. In the course of dealing with this subject, MOD officials have also discussed Gulf veterans' illnesses issues with officials and researchers from a number of other counties, including France, Canada, the Netherlands and Denmark.
The MOD continues to monitor all published research which may be relevant to the issue of Gulf veterans' illnesses. In June last year, my Department announced that it would be funding an independent systematic literature review of worldwide published research relating to Gulf veterans' illnesses. The review, commissioned through the Medical Research Council (MRC), will be carried out over a period of 3 years by a team led by Professor Glyn Lewis at the University of Wales School of Medicine in Cardiff. The findings of the review will be published at six-monthly intervals. An initial report to the MRC is expected in the Spring, with the first full report likely to be published in Autumn.
Mr. Beith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British Gulf War veterans have subsequently tested positive for depleted uranium poisoning having not exhibited symptoms during examination by Medical Assessment Programme physicians which indicated a requirement for a specific referral to another agency or organisation for depleted uranium testing. [65974]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
In general, the Ministry of Defence has no knowledge of any tests, including those to detect the presence of DU, which may have been carried out on Gulf veterans independently of the Gulf veterans' Medical Assessment Programme (MAP), through other organisations providing medical or radiological services. However, the Ministry of Defence is aware that a US physician is reported as having carried out tests for the presence of DU on some UK Gulf veterans. So far, however, my Department has not received any details of the methodology behind the tests which have been performed or of the results reportedly obtained. Hence, at present, the MOD is not able to comment on these reported findings.
Nevertheless, as I explained in my reply of 16 December 1998, Official Report, column 521, I have asked my officials to collate the information which the
1 Feb 1999 : Column: 445
MOD possesses concerning mechanisms which could be used to test for the presence of uranium in the human body. I expect to publish this work shortly, and shall make arrangements for copies to be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Beith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason the standard battery of tests routinely carried out on Medical Assessment Programme patients does not include a specific test to detect depleted uranium. [65973]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
The medical programme which became the Gulf veterans' Medical Assessment Programme (MAP) was set up in July 1993 in order to examine veterans who were unwell and who believed their illness was related to their service in the Gulf. The intention was to provide a diagnosis wherever possible and to document all illness in veterans referred to the Programme. A veteran referred to the Programme was examined by a Consultant Physician and a number of tests and examinations were carried out. This essentially remains the case today.
When the Programme was first established, Wg Cdr (now Gp Capt) Bill Coker (who ran it until December 1996) initially carried out those tests he felt necessary on clinical grounds to establish a diagnosis. When the number of patients referred to the MAP increased, he carried out a number of screening tests, similar to those then used by the US Department of Defense's Comprehensive Clinical Evaluation Programme (the US DoD's equivalent to the MAP). These screening tests did not include a test to detect the presence of uranium because Gp Capt Coker had not previously seen any features in patients to indicate that such testing was clinically necessary. The US experience had suggested that the urinary excretion of uranium was only significantly increased in those veterans with retained DU fragments. As MOD was not aware of any UK Service personnel who had sustained shrapnel injuries from DU-based ammunition, it was not thought appropriate to screen routinely for uranium excretion, although testing could be carried out on a case by case basis if clinically indicated. Any other tests considered clinically appropriate would also be performed, these additional tests varying from patient to patient. This system of investigation was in place at the time of the Royal College of Physicians' (RCP) clinical audit in 1995.
The RCP's subsequent report, published in July 1995, endorsed the MAP's professional independence and integrity and made specific comments on how the Programme could be improved. However, with the exception of a recommendation concerning psychiatric assessments, the RCP did not recommend any changes to the tests and examinations carried out by the MAP.
1 Feb 1999 : Column: 446
The baseline tests currently carried out on MAP patients by St. Thomas' Hospital on the MAP's behalf are very similar to those which were in place at the time of the RCP audit in 1995. They are as follows:
I should stress that the tests listed are only baseline investigations; additional and/or referrals to other consultants/specialists are sometimes required. Any tests which are considered clinically appropriate by the examining MAP physician, including those to detect the presence of uranium, will be arranged, as I explained in my reply of 16 December 1998, Official Report, column 521.
In the same answer, I also announced that I had asked my officials to collate the information which the MOD possesses concerning mechanisms which could be used to test for the presence of uranium in the human body. I expect to publish this work shortly, and shall make arrangements for copies to be placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Stinchcombe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what research has been conducted into Aspartame as a possible cause of Gulf War Syndrome; [66676]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
The Ministry of Defence is aware that Aspartame, an artificial sweetener, has been suggested as a possible cause of the illnesses being experienced by some Gulf veterans. However, this is only one of many such suggestions in this context and my Department is not aware of any published scientific evidence to support this theory. So far as the Ministry of Defence is aware, no specific research is being conducted to investigate a possible relationship between the consumption of Aspartame and Gulf veterans' illnesses.
Mr. Todd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if research on exposure of military personnel to organophosphates in the Gulf War has been completed; and whether it will be published. [67477]
Mr. Doug Henderson:
When it became apparent that organophosphate (OP) pesticides had been more widely used by UK forces during the Gulf conflict than had previously been thought, the Ministry of Defence carried out an urgent investigation into the circumstances in
1 Feb 1999 : Column: 447
which they had been used. The investigation team's report was published on 10 December 1996. Copies of this report were placed in the Library of the House. Broadly, the team found that OP pesticides were, in the main, used properly by personnel who are trained in the safe use of such products, including the wearing of Personal Protective Equipment.
recruitment, retention and motivation of the Armed Forces;
the requirements for departments to meet their output targets for the delivery of services;
requirement for departments to stay within their three-year expenditure limits;
the Government's inflation target, requiring responsibility in pay settlements across the public and private sectors.
The AFPRB has recommended an increase in basic military salary of about 3.5 per cent. for all ranks, with the exception of: Privates and Lance Corporals (and their equivalents) who should receive 3.6 per cent.; Lieutenants and Captains (and their equivalents) who should receive 3.7 per cent.; and Brigadiers (and their equivalents) who should receive 3.3 per cent. Additional Pay (eg Flying Pay and Submarine Pay) will also increase by 3.3 per cent.
Full blood count and sedimentation rate (FBC/ESR)
Full biochemical screen, including renal function tests (urea, electrolytes and creatinine) liver function tests (LFT), calcium and blood sugar
Immunoglobulin analysis
Creatine kinase
Thyroid function tests (TFT)
Serological screening tests
Chest X-ray (CXR)
Ultrasound abdominal scan
Electrocardiogram (ECG)
Urinalysis
Peak-flow lung measurement (to determine the necessity for vitalography)
A thorough audit of the MAP is currently under way. It is looking at all aspects of patient care and the service provided by the MAP. The range of tests and examinations currently undertaken at the MAP will be reviewed in the light of the results of this audit process.
(2) what evidence he has assessed of a possible link between Aspartame and Gulf War Syndrome. [66675]
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |