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Speech Therapists (West Sussex)
Mr. Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of speech therapists required in West Sussex; and how many are in post at present. [73904]
Mr. Hutton: Estimates of the number of speech therapists required in West Sussex are not available centrally.
The latest information available is that 60 whole-time equivalent staff, rounded to the nearest ten, are classed as therapists working in the speech and language therapy area of work in West Sussex. West Sussex includes West Sussex Health Authority, Crawley and Horsham National Health Service Trust, Worthing Priority Care NHS Trust, Chichester Priority Care Services NHS Trust, Worthing and Southlands Hospitals NHS Trust, The Royal Sussex NHS Trust and Mid-Sussex NHS Trust. This information is taken from the Department of Health Annual Non-Medical Workforce Census.
Air Miles
Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many air miles have been earned by him and each of his Ministers; and how he proposes to use them. [73333]
Ms Jowell: The Government's policy on the use and disposal of air miles was set out by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister on 12 January 1999, Official Report, column 141.
No air miles have been earned by Ministers in this Department on official business.
Schizophrenia
Sir Alastair Goodlad: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people with a main diagnosis of schizophrenia psychoses were discharged from mental illness hospitals in England in each of the last three years; and how many of them were taken into local authority residential care in the same year. [73362]
Mr. Hutton:
Information is shown in the table. The figures provide information on the number of discharges
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from National Health Service trusts over the last three years where the patient was discharged to local authority care following inpatient care for schizophrenia. It is not possible to estimate the total numbers of patients who may have been referred to local authority residential care up to a year following their discharge from hospital.
| Year | All discharges | Intended discharge destination Local Authority care |
|---|---|---|
| 1995-96 | 40,390 | 540 |
| 1996-97 | 31,850 | 430 |
| 1997-98 | 30,190 | 350 |
Note:
Data has been rounded
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health
CABINET OFFICE
Civil Service (Reserved Posts)
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on the criteria used to assign posts classified as reserved within the Civil Service. [72648]
Mr. Kilfoyle: Article 48 of the EC Treaty is concerned with the free movement of workers between Member States, but it contains a derogation in Article 48(4) which permits Member States to reserve to their own nationals posts which constitute
- "employment in the public service".
The term
has been interpreted by the European Court as meaning posts which involve direct or indirect participation in the exercise of powers conferred by public law and duties designed to safeguard the general interests of the State or of other public authorities.
These criteria are applied on a case-by-case basis in determining whether a particular post in the civil service is reserved to a UK national.
Mr. Redwood:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the terms of reference of the Misc 6 Cabinet Committee and his responsibility for it as it relates to genetically modified crops. [73121]
Dr. Jack Cunningham:
The terms of reference of the Ministerial Group on Biotechnology and Genetic Modification, which I chair, are:
Mr. Kidney:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will put to the House proposals for a system of confirmation hearings for public appointments. [72138]
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Mr. Kilfoyle:
No. The Committee on Standards in Public Life recommended that ministerial accountability and selection on merit should be the key elements of the appointment system for public bodies, overseen by an independent Commissioner for Public Appointments. The Government have accepted this recommendation and have no plans to propose confirmation hearings.
Sir Alastair Goodlad:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessments she has made of toxic air pollution levels in Montserrat; and if she will make a statement. [73226]
Clare Short:
We have since 1997 been providing health warnings and monitoring the effects of the ash on health in Montserrat. Preliminary studies into the toxicity of the ash and the respiratory health of children on Montserrat have recently been completed. The results have been disseminated on the island via radio and information leaflets. Ash levels continue to be monitored daily from various points on the island. We plan to support further research on ash toxicity later this year. Further clinical surveys of Montserratians living on the island will also be undertaken. We have sought proposals for this work and are improving facilities on the island so that the work can be undertaken to a satisfactory standard.
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions her Department is having with the Government of the Sudan; and if she will make a statement. [73610]
Clare Short:
We keep in touch with the Sudanese authorities' views on humanitarian issues through our frequent dialogues with UN and donor government partners. But we have had no substantive bilateral discussions on these matters with the Government of Sudan since they withdrew their Ambassador and Deputy from London and the consequent temporary withdrawal of British staff from our Embassy in Khartoum last August.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on British aid to the Sudan. [73941]
Clare Short:
We were a key donor to the 1998 crisis. The UN 1999 Inter Agency Consolidated Appeal recently issued and we discussed it with other multilateral and bilateral donors at a meeting of the Operation Lifeline Sudan International Advisory Committee on 12 February. There will continue to be substantial humanitarian needs in Sudan this year and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) currently holds enough food stock until at least early summer. We continue to press WFP to make full use of all delivery methods in order to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of good aid delivery and targeting. British aid to Sudan will focus on supporting the most vulnerable groups of people, particularly in those areas in the south where the situation following last year's crisis is most fragile.
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We also continue to press all parties to the civil war in Sudan to come to a negotiated settlement. Peace is the only long-term solution to the continuing suffering.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans she has to establish an international code of conduct for transnational corporations in developing countries. [73280]
Mr. Wilson:
I have been asked to reply.
There are no specific plans for such a code. However, the Government are participating fully in the current review of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, a set of recommendations representing Governments' firm expectations for multinational enterprise behaviour. A key question being addressed in the review is how the Guidelines relate to multinational enterprise activity outside OECD territories. We support also the use of voluntary codes of conduct by companies. Those based on internationally agreed core labour standards can bring improvements to the lives of millions of the poorest people.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what official visits she, her ministers or officials have paid to Zimbabwe since May 1997; whom they met; and what was discussed. [73454]
Clare Short:
I visited Zimbabwe in January 1998 to meet the Department for International Development (DFID) staff in Harare. I also met the right hon. Herbert Murerwa, Minister of Finance, and discussed with him our White Paper on International Development as well as economic issues. Senior DFID officials have also visited Zimbabwe, to brief Harare-based staff on management and policy issues, and to discuss our development assistance programme with Zimbabwean Ministers and officials.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will list the projects in which British Government aid (a) workers and (b) advisers have been involved in Zimbabwe. [73297]
Clare Short:
All development assistance projects funded by the Department for International Development are managed by British Government officials. I have already placed a list of projects funded in Zimbabwe in the Library of the House, as promised, in my answer of 22 February 1999, Official Report, column 15.
Mrs. Gillan:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has made to the World Bank concerning developments in Zimbabwe. [73730]
Clare Short
[holding answer 25 February 1999]: My officials in Washington work closely with the World Bank to address poverty in Zimbabwe. I am in continuous contact with my officials.
"employment in the public service"
Modification
To consider issues relating to biotechnology, in particular those relating to genetic modification.
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