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Hormone-treated Beef
Mr. Drew: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what progress is being made through the WTO to end the dispute with the USA and Canada over hormones in beef. [85134]
Mr. Rooker: On 17 May the General Affairs Council called on the European Commission to intensify its contacts with the USA and Canada on all aspects of the dispute concerning hormonal growth promoters and, in particular, to enter into detailed and transparent discussions on the basis of the scientific evidence available.
HEALTH
NHS Direct and Walk-in Clinics
Jackie Ballard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health to what extent clinical governance guidelines will apply to (a) walk-in clinics and (b) NHS Direct. [84371]
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Mr. Denham:
We will ensure that walk-in centres will be subject to appropriate clinical governance guidelines. The responsibility for ensuring this is achieved will depend on the nature of the organisation which takes responsibility for running the centre. NHS Direct will be subject to current clinical governance guidelines.
Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each health authority the capital spend for projects relating to cancer treatment in the last 12 months. [84418]
Mr. Hutton:
National Health Service Regional Offices do monitor large capital projects, but the information they have on capital spend is not disease specific. In many cases, a building or a piece of equipment will not be used solely for cancer patients and it is therefore not possible to provide the information requested.
Mr. Forth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the effect of abolition of private medical insurance tax relief on demand for public healthcare. [84659]
Mr. Denham:
It was anticipated that there would be no significant cost to the National Health Service of people withdrawing from private medical insurance schemes and seeking NHS treatment through changes to tax relief.
Mr. Evans:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what (a) discussions and (b) correspondence he has had with the non-executive directors of the Guild Community Trust, Preston; [84704]
(3) what steps he is taking to ensure that more (a) openness and (b) accountability is introduced into the governance of NHS trusts; [84708]
(4) what steps he is taking to encourage non-executive directors of NHS trusts to bring to his attention any mismanagement within the trust; [84709]
(5) when he expects to appoint a permanent Chairman of the Guild Community Trust, Preston; [84706]
(6) what (a) discussions and (b) correspondence he has had concerning the appointments of the non-executive directors of the Guild Community Trust, Preston; [84707]
(7) when he read the Galbraith/Campbell report relating to the Guild Community Trust, Preston; and what assessment he has made of its findings; [84711]
(8) what (a) discussions he has had and (b) advice he has received from the North West Regional Office concerning the appointments of the current non-executive directors of the Guild Community Trust, Preston. [84710]
Mr. Dobson
[holding answer 18 May 1999]: After considering the independent reports into the management of the Guild Community National Health Service Trust and discussions with National Health Service Executive
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Regional Office officials, I concluded that relations between non-executive directors of the Trust had reached a state of irretrievable breakdown and that it would not be in the best interests of the NHS or the Trust and, most of all, the community it is supposed to serve, for them to continue in office. I therefore asked all five remaining non-executive directors to resign . Two agreed to do so and I exercised my powers under Regulation 9(3) of the National Health Service Trust (Membership and Procedure) Regulations 1990 to terminate the membership of the remaining three who refused to resign.
I have appointed Mrs. Christine Kirk to chair the trust until 30 November 1999. Mrs. Kirk was appointed by the previous Government to chair the Calderstones NHS Trust. I have appointed five new non-executive directors for a four year period. They are:
The openness and accountability of NHS trusts has been extended by the present Government, for example by requiring the trust boards to meet in public.
Mr. Gill:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to inform GPs of the outcome of the Edinburgh study into organophosphates. [84906]
Ms Jowell:
The report of this study has not yet been completed. We understand that the report is likely to be finalised over the next few weeks and will then be published. The report will be submitted for urgent consideration by the Government's expert advisory committees.
Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals covering the Greater London area have children's wards. [85083]
Mr. Hutton:
40 National Health Service trusts within the London Regional Office area have children's wards. These can be broken down into the following sectors:
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Mr. Brady:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those NHS trusts which did not pay the increased pay award to nurses in their pay packets for April 1999. [85372]
Mr. Denham:
The information requested is not available centrally.
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 18 May 1999, Official Report, column 321.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to ensure that his Department's work on devising fair access to care guidance is integrated with work on charging policies. [85382]
Mr. Hutton:
As promised in the Social Services White Paper we are drafting guidance to help authorities apply eligibility criteria more consistently, thus ensuring fairer access to care services around the country. We will be involving local authorities and other agencies as well as users and carers in working up this guidance, and will ensure that it properly takes account of other relevant policy development including any changes to the charging system.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of (a) the current financial position of the Epsom and St. Helier NHS Trust and (b) the Trust's year end figures for 1999-2000; and if he will make a statement. [85383]
Mr. Denham:
The financial plans of health authorities and NHS trusts for financial year 1999-2000 have not yet been finalised.
Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the responsibilities of non-executive directors of NHS trusts. [85143]
Mr. Denham:
The responsibilities are set out in the information pack sent to all potential candidates for appointment to National Health Service boards. Copies of the information pack have been placed in the Library.
Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 4 May 1999, Official Report, column 352, on renal services, what extra capital and revenue resources have been made available to the four health authorities in Lancashire and South Cumbria to fund the 15 new dialysis stations. [85225]
Mr. Hutton:
The £1.1 million capital investment comprises £300,000 from the North West regional capital programme and £800,000 from the capital programme of Preston Acute Hospitals National Health Services Trust. The health authorities will be responsible for meeting the revenue costs from their general allocations, beginning in 2000-01; these are estimated to be in the region of £1 million.
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(2) what discussions he has had with (a) the authors of and (b) others about the Galbraith/Campbell report relating to the Guild Community Trust, Preston; [84705]
Mr. P. Farrer
Mrs. A. Knowles
Mrs. G. Pashley
Mr. P. Passi
Mrs. H. Anslow.
None of these have any declared party political affiliations. The selection panels which chose them had some members with declared party political activity. Of these all were Conservative. These appointments were carried out in accordance with the guidelines of the Commissioner for Public Appointments and she has been kept informed at all stages of the problems at the Guild Community NHS Trust, the resignations, dismissals and appointments.
37 NHS trusts have acute children's wards;
6 NHS trusts have mental illness children's wards;
1 NHS trust has a learning disability children ward.
Note:
(1997-98 figures). Some NHS Trusts have more than one type of children's ward, hence the sector breakdown is higher than the total.
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