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Special Hospitals (Advocacy Services)
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on establishing independent advocacy services in each of the three English special hospitals; and when he expects the services to be in operation. [86431]
Mr. Hutton: Independent Patients' Advocacy Services are already operating at Ashworth and Rampton Hospitals, and a process has been agreed which will lead to the introduction of a service at Broadmoor Hospital to be operational from September this year.
Ligament Operations (West Country)
Mr. Steen:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the waiting times are for (a) cruciate ligament
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operations and (b) consultations relating to them (i) in hospitals in Devon and Cornwall and (ii) in the Princess Elizabeth Orthopaedic Hospital in Exeter; and if he will make a statement on the time taken to provide treatment for Mr. Jason Ganney of Buckfastleigh. [86426]
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Mr. Denham:
The Department does not collect information on individual procedures. The latest information available on inpatient and outpatient orthopaedic waiting times for Devon and Cornwall is shown in the tables:
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| Percentage | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Health Service trust | Total number | 0-2 months | 3-5 months | 6-8 months | 9-11 months | 12-14 months | 15-17 months |
| South Devon Healthcare | 1,260 | 47 | 27 | 16 | 8 | 3 | 0 |
| Plymouth Hospitals | 2,080 | 37 | 26 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 4 |
| Royal Cornwall Hospitals | 1,453 | 42 | 32 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 1 |
| Royal Devon and Exeter | 2,132 | 45 | 26 | 15 | 9 | 5 | 1 |
| Northern Devon Healthcare | 581 | 51 | 27 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 0 |
| Exeter and Community | 30 | 87 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Note:
Figures may not be 100 per cent. due to rounding
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Note:
Figures may not be 100 per cent. due to rounding
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A patient's position on the waiting list is determined by their clinical priority.
Details of an individual's treatment are governed by the rules of patient confidentiality.
Mr. Viggers:
To ask the Prime Minister how many letters he has received concerning the future of the Royal Hospital, Haslar; and of these, how many supported its closure, and how many opposed it. [85554]
The Prime Minister
[holding answer 8 June 1999]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence published the Government's proposals for the reorganisation and restructuring of Defence Medical Services in a written answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth, North (Mr. Rapson) on 14 December 1998, Official Report, columns 328-29. The proposals are subject to consultation with the local community and others.
The restructuring of secondary care arrangements is a key component of the Government's proposals. These include the establishment of a new Centre for Defence Medicine as a centre of excellence for research and training, and a new Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit in Portsmouth. It is intended that the Royal Hospital, Haslar should only close once the new arrangements in Portsmouth are in place.
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Since December 1998 my office has received an average of four letters per week regarding the future of the Royal Hospital, Haslar. The vast majority were against the proposed closure.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Prime Minister what measures he is planning as part of a general settlement on Kosovo, to guarantee the (i) security and (ii) rights of non- Albanian ethnic groups in the province. [86366]
The Prime Minister:
KFOR has been tasked with establishing a safe environment for all people in Kosovo, regardless of their ethnic group. It will be an important task for KFOR to ensure that all communities understand KFOR's role and that they are there to protect them. NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana, made it clear in his statement of 10 June that this is an opportunity for peace and that violence by any party will not be tolerated.
The interim administration under UN auspices will establish and oversee the development of provisional democratic self-governing institutions to ensure conditions for a peaceful and normal life for all inhabitants in Kosovo. Plans for a civilian peace force are also under way.
Mr. Bercow:
To ask the Prime Minister what representations the Government have received from European Community institutions regarding the deployment of the Echelon system; and if he will make a statement. [86725]
The Prime Minister:
None.
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Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Prime Minister what the criteria will be for recommending the appointment of Ministers in the devolved administrations to the Privy Council; and if he will make a statement. [86648]
The Prime Minister:
Appointments to the Privy Council will continue to be made in order to ensure that the Queen is suitably and properly advised on all matters which come before her in Council. In future, I expect this to include members of devolved administrations.
Ms Bridget Prentice:
To ask the Prime Minister when he expects to publish the Social Exclusion Unit's report on teenage pregnancies; and if he will make a statement. [87096]
The Prime Minister:
Last summer, I asked the Social Exclusion Unit to develop an integrated strategy to cut rates of teenage parenthood, particularly under-aged parenthood, towards the European average and propose better solutions to combat the risk of social exclusion for vulnerable teenagers and their children. I am publishing its report today. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
The UK has the highest rate of teenage births in Western Europe. Teenage parenthood is a problem that affects every part of the country, but it is far worse in the poorest areas and among the most vulnerable young people whose expectations and aspirations are low. The health and social outcomes for teenage parents and for their children are stark and worrying.
The Social Exclusion Unit has undertaken a rigorous review of the evidence both nationally and internationally. It has found that three key factors contribute to our internationally high rates of teenage conceptions: low expectations of the future among many young people; ignorance about contraception and the reality of life as a parent, and mixed messages from adults about sex and relationships.
The report sets out a national programme with two specific goals: to halve the rate of conceptions among under 18 year olds in England by 2010 and to lessen the risks of young parents suffering the consequences of social exclusion by getting more teenage parents back into education, training or employment. A £60 million package has been put together within existing departmental resources to support the programme for the period of this spending review, and further funding will be considered in the next spending review.
At a national level, a new task force of Ministers, led by the Minister for Public Health, will be responsible for co-ordinating the policy across Government supported by an implementation unit in the Department of Health. There will also be a National Advisory Group to advise Government and monitor the success of the strategy. Locally, every Health Authority and Local Authority will be tasked to work together in preventing pregnancy and in supporting pregnant and parenting teenagers, setting local benchmarks for progress. Areas with high rates will be eligible for resources from a local implementation fund of £26 million.
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There will be a national publicity campaign to reinforce the report's key messages. New guidance will be issued to improve sex and relationships education in school with an emphasis on enabling teenagers to resist pressure to have sex too early. There will be better inspection of sex and relationships education and better training for teachers. Parents will be consulted and informed more fully about sex education in schools and given more support in talking to their children about sex and relationships. Special action will be targeted on prevention for the most vulnerable groups including children looked after by a local authority, those excluded from school and young offenders.
The NHS will improve access to contraceptive and sexual health services for teenagers, including young men. New guidelines will set out the counselling that should accompany contraceptive treatment for under 16 year olds and there will be publicity to tell young people that they can talk to health professionals about sex and contraception in confidence.
For those teenagers who do become pregnant we will pilot a new approach to support and childcare--'SureStart Plus' pilots based in areas covered by both SureStart and Health Action Zones. In addition, five pilots outside SureStart will test other ways of providing child care for 16-17 year olds to enable them to return to education or training.
Under 16 year old mothers will be required to return to education. 16 and 17 year olds will be included in the ONE pilots (formerly Single Work Focus Gateways) and will have a personal adviser to look at their options, with the emphasis on a return to education. 16 and 17 year old parents will be able to take part in the Education Maintenance Allowance pilots from September 1999. By 2003 all 16 and 17 year old mothers who cannot live with their parents or a partner will be offered supervised semi-independent housing with support, not a tenancy of their own.
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