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Therapeutic Medicines
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will assess the benefits of the prescribing, supply and administration of therapeutic medicines by suitably trained optometrists; [107996]
- (2) if he will take steps to enable registered optometrists to prescribe, supply and administer therapeutic medicines. [108097]
Mr. Hutton: Optometrists may already administer a limited number of therapeutic medicines in an emergency; for example, by treating conjunctivitis with anti-biotics. The final report of the Review of Prescribing, Supply and Administration of Medicines recommended that arrangements be made to consider applications from organisations seeking authority to prescribe on behalf of specified groups of health professionals, which could include optometrists. We are carefully considering how best to take forward the report's recommendations in the light of all the views expressed.
Crown Review
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he intends to implement all the recommendations of the Crown Review at the same time; [107994]
- (2) when he will implement the recommendations of the Crown Review on the prescribing, supply and administration of therapeutic medicines by non-medical clinicians. [107995]
Ms Stuart: We are carefully considering how best to take forward the report's many recommendations in the light of all the views expressed.
Cardiac Operations
Dr. Tonge:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate of the increased workload on (a) haemotology, (b) blood transfusion and (c) clinical chemistry services he has made arising from his target for cardiac operations. [107458]
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Mr. Denham
[holding answer 1 February 2000]: £50 million has been allocated to deliver the additional revascularisation procedures announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 18 October. This includes £30 million revenue over two years to meet the staffing costs associated with this extra clinical activity. The detailed application of these funds is currently being determined.
Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many letters he has received since 1 May 1997 on (a) constituency matters and (b) other matters of Government policy from each of those Members of the House who have not taken the oath of allegiance. [108400]
Mr. Hutton:
Correspondence between hon. Members and Departments is treated in confidence unless the originating hon. Member chooses to make such issues public.
Oath of Allegiance
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many letters he has received since 1 May 1997 on (a) constituency matters and (b) other matters of Government policy from each of those Members of the House who have not taken the oath of allegiance. [108413]
Mr. Paul Murphy: Correspondence between Members of Parliament and Departments is treated in confidence unless the originating MP chooses to make such issues public.
National Minimum Wage
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what his estimate is of the number of (a) males and (b) females benefiting from the minimum wage in Wales; and if he will make a statement. [107418]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Director of the Office for National Statistics. I have asked him to reply.
Letter from Tim Holt to Mr. Barry Jones, dated 3 February 2000:
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As the Director of the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your parliamentary question regarding the number of males and females who have benefited from the national minimum wage in Wales.
Definitive estimates on the number of people that have benefited from the national minimum wage are not yet available. Currently available estimates for assessing the effect take data from both the New Earnings Survey and the Labour Force Survey and adjust them for known limitations in each. However, the latest adjusted estimates are based on data for the spring (March-May) 1999 Labour Force Survey and this period spans the introduction date for the national minimum wage legislation. As a result, the adjusted estimates may be giving a misleading picture of the effect of the minimum wage legislation since employees might legitimately have been earning below the minimum wage rates in March 1999.
The currently available estimates were published in an ONS First Release on 14 October and show that the number of people earning below the minimum wage rates fell significantly between 1998 and 1999. A copy of this first release is available in the House of Commons Library.
Oath of Allegiance
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many letters he has received since 1 May 1997 on (a) constituency matters and (b) other matters of Government policy from each of those Members of the House who have not taken the Oath of Allegiance. [108411]
Mr. Rooker: Correspondence between Members of the House and this Department is treated as confidential.
Income Support
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many adults aged under 60 years were receiving (a) income support and (b) jobseeker's allowance for two years or more in (i) May 1998 and (ii) May 1999. [108358]
Mr. Bayley: The information is in the tables.
| Year | Number of claimants |
|---|---|
| May 1998 | 1,364,000 |
| May 1999 | 1,330,000 |
Notes:
1. Based on claimants aged less than 60 years.
2. Figures are based on claimants with a current claim of two years or more duration.
3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.
4. 5 per cent. sample, therefore subject to sampling error.
Source:
Income Support Statistics Quarterly Enquiries, May 1998 and May 1999
| Year | Number of claimants |
|---|---|
| May 1998 | 213,000 |
| May 1999 | 182,000 |
Notes:
1. Based on claimants aged less than 60 years.
2. Figures are based on claimants with a current claim of two years or more duration.
3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.
4. 5 per cent. sample, therefore subject to sampling error.
5. Figures exclude cases which may sign for national insurance credits only.
Source:
Jobseeker's Allowance Statistics Quarterly Enquiries, May 1998 and May 1999
Low Incomes
Mr. Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of children aged under 16 years lived in households with incomes that remained (a) below 70 per cent. of average households income and (b) below 60 per cent. of median household income in at least three out of four years between 1995 and 1998. [108352]
Mr. Bayley:
Estimates from the British Household Panel Survey suggest that between 1994 and 1997, the latest years for which information is available, 26 per cent. of dependant children lived in households with income below
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70 per cent. of median income, and 17 per cent. lived in households with income below 60 per cent. of median income, in at least three years out of four.
Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what proportion of working-age people had incomes that remained (a) below 70 per cent. of half average income and (b) below 60 per cent. of median income in at least three out of four years between 1995 and 1998. [108348]
Mr. Bayley:
Estimates from the British Household Panel Survey suggest that between 1994 and 1997, the latest years for which information is available, 13 per cent. of working age people lived in households with income below 70 per cent. of median income, and 8 per cent. lived in households with income below 60 per cent. of median income, in at least three years out of four.
Notes:
1. The British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) is based on interviews of a sample of households, and estimates may be subject to sampling error.
2. The BHPS is a longitudinal survey, tracking the same households over time, and estimates may be subject to attrition bias if particular households are more likely to leave the survey.
3. Dependant children are those aged under 16, and those 16-18 in full time education, in 1994.
4. The technical paper accompanying "Opportunity for all: Tackling poverty and social exclusion" [Cm 4445] provided an estimate of 28 per cent. of children living in households below 70 per cent. of average income for the period 1991-94. This should have read below 70 per cent. of median income. The weighting regime employed here differs slightly from that used in the estimates quoted in "Opportunity for all".
Notes:
1. The British Household Panel Survey (BHPS) is based on interviews of a sample of households, and estimates may be subject to sampling error.
2. The BHPS is a longitudinal survey, tracking the same households over time, and estimates may be subject to attrition bias if particular households are more likely to leave the survey.
3. The technical paper accompanying "Opportunity for all: Tackling poverty and social exclusion" [Cm 4445] provided estimates of 13 per cent. of working age people living in households below" 70 per cent. of half average income" for the period 1991-94. This should have read below 70 per cent. of median income. The weighting regime employed here differs slightly from that used in the estimates quoted in "Opportunity for all".
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