---

Generic Medicinal Drugs

Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to reply the question tabled for answer on 12 July 1999 by the hon. Member for Liverpool, Riverside regarding the introduction of price controls for NHS purchases of generic medicinal drugs (ref. 91509). [96120]

Mr. Denham: I shall write to my hon. Friend about her previous question as soon as possible.

Autism

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what records his Department collates on autism; and how many new cases of people diagnosed as autistic have been notified for each of the last five years. [96109]

Mr. Hutton: The information requested is not available. It is for the local statutory agencies to determine the needs of people with autism in their area and work together effectively to ensure that these needs are met.

Podiatric Services

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated regarding (i) the cost effectiveness, (ii) the popularity among patients and (iii) the health benefits of dedicated podiatric surgical services units. [96207]

Mr. Hutton: The King's Fund undertook a study of the cost-effectiveness of podiatric surgery services in response to podiatric surgery being identified as one of nine research priorities in "Feet First", which was funded by the National Health Service. The King's Fund report set out to answer the question, Do specialists in podiatry surgery represent a clinically and cost-effective way of providing for foot surgery? The report stated that there was not enough information to allow a satisfactory answer to be given to the question.

Following the review of "Feet First", the Department's research and development division have undertaken a review of the literature of general practice podiatry, which was completed in September 1999. The review investigated the then current nature of research publications. The review has not yet been published but will demonstrate the need for better quality research in this area.

28 Oct 1999 : Column: 976

Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the cost per episode of care treatment for (a) outpatients and (b) inpatients by (i) orthopaedic surgeons and (ii) podiatric surgeons. [96206]

Mr. Hutton: There are no comparable figures available because information regarding podiatric surgery is not collected centrally. However, figures for the speciality of orthopaedic surgery are:

Cost per episode of patients using a bed (including day cases) is £1,491.07;

Cost per attendance of outpatients (including nurse clinic and ward attenders) is £56.26.


Source:

National Health Service Trust Financial Returns 1997-98

Hormone Replacement Therapy

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of discontinuing the levying of a prescription charge for each item when more than one hormone is prescribed in hormone replacement therapy. [96044]

Mr. Hutton: It is estimated that around £8.3 million in charge income would be lost if a single prescription charge was paid when more than one hormone in hormone replacement therapy was supplied by community pharmacists in England.

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

Stipendiary Magistrates

Mr. Malins: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) what studies have (a) been carried out by and (b) been received by the Home Office concerning the relative (i) efficiency and (ii) speed of decision making of the Stipendiary Bench and the Lay Bench; [95472]

(2) what studies he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the potential savings to the criminal justice system of increasing the jurisdiction of the Stipendiary Bench; and if he will make a statement. [95439]

Mr. Stinchcombe: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what estimate he has made of the comparative cost of like cases being dealt with

28 Oct 1999 : Column: 977

by (a) panels of lay justices and (b) stipendiary magistrates in the magistrates' courts; and if he will make a statement. [95793]

Jane Kennedy [holding answer 27 October 1999]: No such studies have been carried out by the Home Office.

The Government are committed to the principle that the lay magistracy will continue to play a significant part in our system of justice. The Government's overriding concern is to have in place a system of criminal justice in which the public has confidence. The Government have commissioned research to assess the relative costs, effectiveness and other benefits/disadvantages of Stipendiary and lay magistrates, taking into account all related costs including those of other agencies. The research will be used to assess whether the current balance between the use of lay magistrates and Stipendiaries is satisfactory; whether each set of magistrates is deployed in the most effective way; and the weight of the arguments that are heard for an against the use of lay or Stipendiary magistrates in particular circumstances.

The research will be conducted during 2000.

Commonhold

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when he expects to announce plans for commonhold; and if he will make a statement. [95913]

Mr. Lock: This Government are committed to introducing commonhold. Many of the issues that are included in the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions' recent consultation on leasehold reform will affect how we proceed with commonhold. My Department is working with DETR in planning the way ahead and I hope to announce shortly how we will take commonhold forward.

Judicial Appointments

Mr. Watts: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what action he proposes to take to provide further information about the system for judicial appointments in England and Wales. [96615]

Mr. Lock: The first ever Judicial Appointments Annual Report, covering the period 1 April 1998 to 31 March 1999, is published today. The Report includes a detailed account, with relevant statistics, of the competitions for each judicial office during that year as well as information about how the judicial appointments system works and details of the changes the Lord Chancellor has made, and plans to make, to that system. Copies of the Report have been placed in both Libraries. The Report is also available on the internet.

Asylum Appeals

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many (a) asylum and (b) immigration appeals are waiting to be heard at the (i) adjudicator and (ii) tribunal tier. [96054]

Jane Kennedy: As at 30 September 1999, there were 2,666 asylum and 2,077 immigration appeals waiting to be heard by adjudicators. A further 2,310 asylum and 757 immigration appeals were waiting to be heard by the tribunal.

28 Oct 1999 : Column: 978

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time adjudicators are employed to deal with immigration and asylum appeals. [96053]

Jane Kennedy: There are currently 50 full-time and 197 part-time adjudicators employed to hear immigration and asylum appeals. A further 50 part-time adjudicators have been appointed, and will begin to hear appeals from February 2000.

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many decisions on (a) immigration and (b) asylum appeals have been made by (i) adjudicators and (ii) tribunals in each month since 30 April 1997. [96049]

Jane Kennedy: The information is as follows:

	Adjudicator		Tribunal
	Asylum	Immigration	Asylum	Immigration
1997-98
April	1,955	1,123	106	126
May	1,645	775	97	82
June	1,797	1,356	222	186
July	1,942	1,278	261	48
August	1,676	1,240	46	76
September	2,021	1,136	44	32
October	2,273	1,114	88	291
November	1,921	969	88	32
December	1,595	1,302	133	43
January	1,746	953	94	22
February	1,617	1,179	86	1
March	1,996	748	50	181
Total	22,184	13,173	1,315	1,120
1998-99
April	1,603	1,276	34	52
May	1,600	1,198	105	79
June	2,076	1,088	87	50
July	2,021	1,112	92	24
August	1,886	936	109	67
September	2,687	1,105	132	93
October	3,139	1,175	115	64
November	2,574	1,084	77	61
December	2,377	941	108	58
January	2,497	1,040	88	36
February	1,479	800	93	33
March	2,841	1,208	156	87
Total	26,780	12,963	1,196	704
1999-2000
April	1,784	970	74	20
May	1,516	779	116	82
June	1,648	716	180	50
July	1,502	661	216	52
August	1,445	472	150	80
September	1,406	701	200	111
Total	9,301	4,299	936	395

---