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Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 4 March 1999
NORTHERN IRELAND
Road Fuel Gases
Mr. Moss: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) HGV vehicles and (b) public transport vehicles have been converted to road fuel gases since January 1997. [72918]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland does not hold figures for HGV vehicles converted to road fuel gases. The public transport company "Translink" has indicated that none of their public transport vehicles has been converted to road fuel gases since January 1997.
Exiles
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate she has made of the number of people who have been exiled from Northern Ireland by paramilitary groups since the Good Friday agreement. [73354]
Mr. Ingram: Information is not collected by the Government in the form requested.
Schizophrenia Psychoses
Sir Alastair Goodlad: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people with a main diagnosis of schizophrenia psychoses were discharged from mental illness hospitals in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years; and how many of them were taken into local authority residential care in the same year. [73359]
Mr. McFall: The information available is as follows:
| Year | Deaths and discharges | Discharges to statutory sector residential accommodation |
|---|---|---|
| 1993-94 | 1,394 | 57 |
| 1994-95 | 1,448 | 50 |
| 1995-96 | 1,396 | 37 |
Statutory sector refers to facilities managed by Health and Social Services Boards and Trusts.
Sir Alastair Goodlad: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what research projects her Department is funding in the current year to test the effectiveness of community care for people suffering from schizophrenia psychoses; and if she will make a statement. [73364]
Mr. McFall:
The Department of Health and Social Services is funding no such projects in the current year either directly or through the Research and Development Office (RDO). In general, in order to ensure that funded
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research projects are of high quality, the RDO does not attempt to cover all possible areas of concern, but does seek to facilitate the dissemination of research findings.
Sir Alastair Goodlad:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the admissions by diagnosis and order of admission indicating the percentage changes over the previous year in numbers and rates per 100,000 population of patients suffering from schizophrenia psychoses in Northern Ireland in the last year for which figures are available. [73367]
Mr. McFall:
The table shows admissions for schizophrenia at Northern Ireland Mental illness hospitals by first admission and total admissions in 1994-95:
| First admissions | Total admissions | |
|---|---|---|
| Number | 254 | 1,152 |
| Percentage change since 1993-94 | -8.3 | +9.2 |
| Rate per 100,000 population | 9.4 | 4.3 |
Sir Alastair Goodlad: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people with a main diagnosis of schizophrenia psychoses were admitted for a hospital stay more than once during the last year in Northern Ireland. [73363]
Mr. McFall: In year ending 31 March 1996, 224 people with a primary diagnosis of schizophrenia were admitted to hospital more than once during the year with the same diagnosis.
Sir Alastair Goodlad: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many current occupants of National Health Service hospital and unit beds in Northern Ireland have a main diagnosis of schizophrenia psychoses; and what these occupied beds represent as a percentage of (a) mental and (b) all beds in Northern Ireland. [74269]
Mr. McFall: This information is not held centrally. Information on diagnosis for current bed occupants is not available as diagnosis is only given on discharge.
Sir Alastair Goodlad: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people discharged from mental illness hospitals in Northern Ireland in the last year after a main diagnosis of schizophrenia psychoses, having been proved vulnerable homeless, subsequently became voluntary homeless. [74272]
Mr. McFall: This information is not held centrally.
Zimbabwe
Mr. Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what official visits she, her Ministers or officials have made to Zimbabwe since May 1997; whom they met; and what was discussed. [73685]
Single Currency
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans she has to issue information from her Department to help the public make an informed decision when they vote on the single currency. [73585]
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Mr. Paul Murphy:
Any plans by the Government to issue information during a referendum campaign on whether or not the UK should join the single currency would be made in the light of the Government's response to the recommendations from the Neill Committee on the conduct of referendums. The Government will announce their conclusions on those recommendations when my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary publishes a White paper and draft Bill before the summer recess.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list the subject areas within her Department's responsibilities which will be covered by the information campaign on Britain's membership of a single currency. [73671]
Mr. Paul Murphy:
The Treasury will continue its dialogue with key external bodies to determine what information the public and business would need at each stage of the changeover process. Any information campaign would cover key concerns that the public and business may have. Chapter 8 of the Treasury's Outline National Changeover Plan provides further information. Copies of the Plan are available in the House Library.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if she will list those ministers in her Department who were present at the recent Brit awards in an official capacity; and who or what organisation was acting as their sponsor or host. [73496]
Marjorie Mowlam:
No Minister in my Department attended the Brit Awards in an official capacity. I attended the awards on the acceptance of a personal invitation from the British Phonographic Industry Limited.
Mr. John D. Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the total estimated cost, including (a) printing, (b) times and (c) staff, in the preparation of the booklet, "The Wheelchair Service", by the Southern Health and Social Services Council; which other area health boards and area health councils have already published documents on the Wheelchair Service; to what extent there is duplication amongst the documents; and if she will make a statement. [73572]
Mr. McFall:
The total external cost of publishing the booklet "The Wheelchair Service--The Experiences and Perceptions of Users", is estimated at £4,800 shared equally between joint publishers, Southern Health and Social Services Board and Southern Health and Social Services Council. The project began in December 1997 and was completed in January 1999. Two members of staff from the Council and three board officers were involved in developing the booklet as part of their on-going responsibilities to commission and assess the service needs of their users. As an integral part of the Board's and Council's activities, the total staff time attributed to this project is estimated at 25 man-days over the 13 month period. A detailed breakdown of staff costs is not readily available.
The Western and Northern Health and Social Services Boards have carried out reviews of their commissioning arrangements for wheelchair services within the past three years. Reports of these reviews, which were conducted
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as an integral part of the Board's activities, were not formally published. Whilst these reviews may have covered some of the same ground, they were specific to their respective areas and therefore cannot be considered to constitute any duplication.
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