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Worcestershire (Grants)
Mr. Lock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the grants to be provided by his Department to Worcestershire County Council in 1999-2000; and if he will state the amount and purpose of each grant. [75250]
Mr. Hutton: The table shows the grants being made available for Worcestershire County Council for 1999-2000.
| £ | |
|---|---|
| Description | Amount |
| Training Support Programme (main programme) | (20)267,657 |
| Mental Health Grant (core and partnership programmes) | (21)768,085 |
| Promoting Independence: Prevention Grant | (22)183,872 |
| Promoting Independence: Partnership Grant | (22)2,315,000 |
| Children's Social Services Grant | (22)494,000 |
(20) This represents allocations of 81 per cent. of the total grant. Local Authorities, including Worcestershire, will be required to bid for the remaining 19 per cent.
(21) This represents allocations of 79 per cent. of the total grant. The remainder will be bid for and allocated later.
(22) Subject to Parliament's approval
The allocations for the following grants have not yet been determined: AIDS/HIV Support Grant, Asylum- Seekers' Special Grant and Promoting Independence: Carers' Grant. Local Authorities will also be able to bid for the Alcohol and Drug Misusers Grant.
Norvic Clinic, Norwich
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 3 March 1999, Official Report, column 820, on Norvic Clinic, when he expects to receive the report on the death of a patient in the clinic. [75522]
Mr. Hutton: The Coroner's Inquest into the death of a patient who died at the Norvic Clinic was opened in November 1998 and immediately adjourned pending a report by the Home Office Pathologist as to the cause of death. The Coroner's Office has not yet set a date for the Inquest to be reconvened.
Military District Hospitals
Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which health authorities are (a) paid and (b) compensated by the Ministry of Defence in respect of military district hospital units at (a) Derriford, (b) Frimley and (c) Peterborough; and how much such payments were in each year for which figures are available. [75210]
Mr. Denham
[holding answer 8 March 1999]: It is assumed the hon. Member is referring to Ministry of Defence Hospital Units (MDHUs). These are integrated into National Health Service hospitals and the Defence Medical Services provide medical, nursing and other staffing. There are no direct financial transactions between the Ministry of Defence and health authorities in respect of Ministry of Defence Hospital Units.
9 Mar 1999 : Column: 204
Those National Health Service trusts which host MDHUs are paid for the treatment of military personnel, abated to reflect the contribution of military personnel to the treatment of civilians.
Mr. Viggers:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total capital expenditure for setting up military district hospital units; and from which Departmental budget this was paid. [75211]
Mr. Denham
[holding answer 8 March 1999]: It is assumed that the question refers to Ministry of Defence Hospital Units (MDHUs).
The Ministry of Defence contributes to the capital cost of establishing MDHUs. The amount they contribute is negotiated on a scheme by scheme basis. The Ministry of Defence contributed a total of £7.2 million to the capital cost of establishing MDHUs at Plymouth Hospitals National Health Service Trust, Frimley Park Hospital NHS Trust, and Peterborough Hospitals NHS Trust. The total capital expenditure spent on setting up the MDHUs is a local matter for the NHS trusts concerned. The information is not held centrally.
Mr. Dobbin:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the report by the Government Actuary on the investigation of the National Health Service pension scheme in England and Wales 1989 to 1994. [76011]
Mr. Denham:
I have accepted the report and today placed copies in the Library.
The report concludes that it would be prudent to increase the rate of contribution required from employers to meet the scheme's future liabilities. The current rate is 4 per cent. of pensionable pay. The Government Actuary is content with our proposal that the rate should increase to 5 per cent. from 1 April 2000, with a further increase to 7 per cent. from 1 April 2001. Funding for these increases has been included in the Department's comprehensive spending review settlement.
The cost of index-linking National Health Service pensions is currently met by the Exchequer. As the report notes, I have agreed with the Chief Secretary that, in principle, the Scheme should assume its Pensions Increase liabilities from 1 April 1994 under a financial restructuring. Our officials are discussing the basis of such changes and I will inform the House when final agreement is reached. In the meantime, the Government Actuary considers that the proposed increases in employer contribution rates are consistent with the nature of the changes likely to be required under the restructuring.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to conclude his review of the Residential Allowance. [75736]
Mr. Hutton:
We are examining the possible impact on costs and service patterns of transferring the Residential Allowance to local authorities, and hope to consult local government and independent providers on detailed proposals as soon as we have formed a view on that.
9 Mar 1999 : Column: 205
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the oral statement of 8 February 1999, Official Report, column 27, concerning the national carers strategy, when the London Borough of Sutton will receive the £496,000. [75745]
Mr. Hutton:
The new special grant for carers runs from 1999-2000 until 2001-02. The allocation will be paid to local authorities as part of their overall revenue allocation. Details of the allocation for 1999-2000 will be published shortly in a special grant report, which is subject to Parliamentary approval. It will show an allocation for Sutton of £71,327. This represents Sutton's share of the first year's grant of £20 million.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his oral statement of 1 March 1999, Official Report, columns 741-43, concerning the royal commission on long-term care, if he will set out the timetable he plans to follow for the public debate on the recommendations; and if he will make a statement. [75749]
Mr. Hutton:
As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State outlined in his statement to Parliament, the royal commission has produced a very detailed report, in which the commissioners themselves call for an informed debate on their recommendations. We expect that debate, which has already begun, to be an on-going one and to inform decisions we take on the commission's recommendations.
Mr. Duncan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he or his Ministers have received any advance copy, draft or briefing upon the contents of any report of the Health Committee prior to its due publication date and time; and if he will make a statement. [75774]
9 Mar 1999 : Column: 206
Mr. Dobson:
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the hon. Member for Spelthorne (Mr. Wilshire) on 1 March 1999, Official Report, column 531. There have been no instances of members of Select Committees giving me, or my ministerial colleagues, drafts of Select Committee reports, or of parts of reports including their conclusions, before publication. Nor to the best of my knowledge have there been any occasions on which members of Select Committees have given such material to civil servants or special advisers in my Department. This excludes embargoed copies of reports issued under House of Commons Standing Order 116.
Mrs. Ewing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the average waiting time for (a) an initial appointment with and (b) treatment by an NHS orthodontist. [74906]
Mr. Denham:
Most orthodontic treatment is undertaken in general dental practice and information is not held centrally on waiting times for such treatment. Provisional figures for 1997-98 show that the average waiting time in the orthodontic specialty for those treated in National Health Service hospitals in England was 72.3 days for the 2,266 elective admissions in that year. In addition, the following data was collected from NHS trusts in England for the quarter ended 31 December 1998 on the time waited for first outpatient appointments with an NHS consultant orthodontist following general practitioner written referral.
| GP written referrals | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Within 4 weeks | 13 |
| Within 13 weeks | 50 |
| Within 26 weeks | 80 |