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Means-tested Benefits

Mr. Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what evidence he has of the extent of income sharing within couples in receipt of means-tested benefits. [90322]

8 Jul 1999 : Column: 616

Angela Eagle: We have commissioned a qualitative research study into the financial arrangements of couples on benefit, which should give us a better picture of the arrangements that couples make to manage their benefit income. The results of this study should be available later this year.

The research study builds on a number of previous studies which have explored how resources are allocated within households. We have undertaken a comprehensive review of these studies which will be published in the Autumn.

Mr. Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what plans he has to introduce benefit splitting for means-tested benefits. [90321]

Angela Eagle: Current rules provide for benefit paid in respect of a family to be paid to the main claimant. However, there are provisions to allow the payment of all or part of the benefit to be paid to a third party, including the claimant's partner, where this is in the interests of the family; for example in cases where the claimant has difficulties in budgeting or suffers from alcohol or drug abuse. We have included provisions in the current Welfare Reform and Pensions Bill to allow these splitting arrangements to apply to hardship payments of Jobseeker's Allowance, but we have no plans for any further extensions to these arrangements at present.

HEALTH

Genetically Modified Food

Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to implement the joint recommendations of its Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Adviser on population health surveillance in respect of genetically modified and other novel foods. [89055]

Ms Jowell [holding answer 29 June 1999]: A sub-group of the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes and other experts is already considering this issue. It has already held two open meetings and is planning to hold another shortly. It will publish proposals in due course.

8 Jul 1999 : Column: 617

Mid Essex Hospital Services Trust

Mr. Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were waiting to receive hospital treatment in Mid Essex Hospital Services Trust hospitals at (a) March 1996, (b) March 1997, (c) March 1998 and (d) March 1999. [89728]

Mr. Denham: The information available is given in the table.

Number of patients waiting for elective admission in Mid Essex Hospital Services National Health Service Trust hospitals

Year	Total waiting
31 March 1996	5,835
31 March 1997	8,391
31 March 1998	11,360
31 March 1999	9,967

Note:

The figures are hospital-based and include private patients as well as those funded by the NHS.

Source:

Form KH07--completed by the trust quarterly.

Mr. Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients on the hospital waiting lists of the Mid Essex Hospital Services Trust had waited for treatment in March of (a) 1996, (b) 1997, (c) 1998 and (d) 1999, in excess of (i) three months, (ii) six months, (iii) nine months and (iv) 12 months. [89729]

Mr. Denham: The information available is given in the table.

Number of people waiting for elective admission at Mid Essex Hospital Services National Health Service Trust by time on waiting list

	In excess of:
Year	3 months	6 months	9 months	12 months
31 March 1996	2,804	1,357	475	0
31 March 1997	4,035	1,904	732	104
31 March 1998	6,813	4,033	2,108	849
31 March 1999	6,043	3,693	2,191	1,093

Note:

The figures are hospital-based and include private patients as well as those funded by the NHS

Mr. Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients referred to a consultant within the area of Mid Essex Hospital Services Trust as at March in the years (i) 1996, (ii) 1997, (iii) 1998 and (iv) 1999 had been waiting for their first appointment with a consultant in excess of (a) three months, (b) six months, (c) nine months and (d) 12 months. [89730]

Mr. Denham: The information requested is not available centrally. Information on the number of people waiting for a first outpatient appointment following written referral by a general practitioner who had been waiting over 13 weeks and over 26 weeks at 31 March of each year, is given in the table.

Information on time waited for all types of referral is not available centrally.

Information is not collected in separate timebands for patients waiting over 9 months or over 12 months--they are included in the 26 weeks and over category.

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The number of patients waiting at Mid Essex Hospital Services National Health Service Trust to see a consultant for first outpatient appointment following written referral from a GP

	Number waiting, by time waited
Year	13 weeks and over	26 weeks and over
31 March 1996	971	141
31 March 1997	555	74
31 March 1998	1,317	234
31 March 1999	2,422	575

Note:

These figures are provider-based and include private patients as well as those funded by the NHS.

Mr. Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients received elective surgery from Mid Essex Hospital Services Trust in the years commencing (a) April 1995, (b) April 1996, (c) April 1997 and April 1998. [89731]

Mr. Denham: The information requested is not available centrally. The nearest proxy "count" is for the number of admissions which will count an individual each time they are admitted to hospital. The information below is extracted from Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) system. HES contains details of patients admitted to, and treated in NHS hospitals in England.

Elective admissions followed by surgery in Mid Essex Hospital Services NHS Trust in the following years:

Year commencing	Number of elective admissions followed by surgery
April 1995	20,023
April 1996	22,453
April 1997	21,161

Special Advisers

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the subject and date of each written briefing prepared by his Special Advisers for all Labour Members since May 1997 and the total number and total cost to date of these. [89989]

Ms Jowell [holding answer 6 July 1999]: Special Advisers are appointed under terms and conditions set out in the "Model Contract for Special Advisers". Schedule 1, Part 1 of the Model Contract sets out the role and duties of Special Advisers. As well as research for Ministers and reviewing papers, contributing to policy planning within the Department and preparing policy papers, speechwriting and liaison with outside interest groups, their role explicitly includes liaising with the Party and helping to brief Party Members of Parliament. Records are not held of when such briefings are given. Similar arrangements have applied under successive Governments.

Smoking

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the incidence of smoking is among teenagers (a) overall and (b) in each region. [89569]

Ms Jowell [holding answer 7 July 1999]: The information available is given in the tables.

8 Jul 1999 : Column: 619

Prevalence of cigarette smoking among secondary school children aged 11 to 15, and adults aged 16 to 19 England 1996Percentage

Age	Males	Females	Persons
11	1	0	1
12	2	4	3
13	8	11	10
14	13	24	18
15	28	33	30
All pupils aged 11-15	11	15	13
Adults aged 16-19	25	32	29
Base
Pupils aged 11-15	1,445	1,409	2,854
Adults aged 16-19	335	345	680

Notes:

1. Pupil cigarette smokers are those respondents who usually smoke one or more cigarettes a week

2. Adult cigarette smokers are those respondents who said that they smoke cigarettes at all nowadays

3. The data are rounded to the nearest whole figure

Sources:

1. ONS survey of smoking among secondary schoolchildren, 1996

2. ONS General Household Survey 1996

Prevalence of cigarette smoking among secondary school pupils aged 11 to 15, by region, 1996Percentage

Region	Prevalence	Base
North	15	885
Midlands	13	732
South	10	890
Greater London	13	347
Total	13	2,854

Notes:

1. Pupil cigarette smokers are those respondents who usually smoke one or more cigarettes a week

2. Data are rounded to the nearest whole figure

3. The sample is too small to provide valid data by regions for adults aged 16 to 19

Source:

ONS survey of smoking among secondary schoolchildren, 1996

Prevalence of cigarette smoking among 16-19 year olds in Great Britain, by region, 1996

Standard region	Percentage smoking cigarettes	Base
North	12	56
Yorkshire and Humberside	26	50
North West	31	123
East Midlands	27	52
West Midlands	19	72
East Anglia	29	38
Greater London	24	78
Outer Metropolitan Area	38	81
Outer South East	42	60
South West	31	70
England	29	680
Wales	31	52
Scotland	31	77
Great Britain	29	809

Note:

The sample in each region for this age group is quite small

Source:

General Household Survey 1996

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the impact of smoking on the ageing of the skin. [89571]

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Ms Jowell [holding answer 7 July 1999]: Although the Department has not sponsored specific research on this topic, recent published papers have concluded that smoking causes skin wrinkling that could make smokers appear prematurely old.

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