| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
NHS Staff
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the average pay rise for NHS nurses in each of the years 1985-86 to 1999-2000; and what has been the average pay rise for the same years for NHS ancillary staff, including (a) hospital porters, (b) catering staff, (c) cleaning staff, (d) finance staff and (e) other ancillary staff; and if he will make a statement. [108900]
Mr. Denham [holding answer 8 February 2000]: It is not possible to identify separately hospital porters, catering and cleaning staff and finance staff. The table sets out across the board increases for nurses and ancillary workers for the years requested. Information is not yet available for ancillary staff for 1999-2000 as the staff side is still consulting its membership on the pay offer.
| Nurses | Ancillary staff | |
|---|---|---|
| 1985-86 | 12.1 | 4.7 |
| 1986-87 | 8.2 | 6 |
| 1987-88 | 9.1 | 5 |
| 1988-89 | 8.8 | 5.4 |
| 1989-90 | 7.7 | 6.5 |
| 1990-91 | 10.1 | 7.8 |
| 1991-92 | 10.8 | 10.4 |
| 1992-93 | 6.3 | 4.93 |
| 1993-94 | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| 1994-95 | 3 | 2.39 |
| 1995-96 | 3 | -- |
| 1996-97 | 2.8 | 2.8 |
| 1997-98 | 3.3 | 3.3 |
| 1998-99 | 3.8 | 3.8 |
| 1999-2000 | 4.7 | -- |
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people work for the NHS, broken down by (a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) managers, (d) porters, (e) catering staff, (f) finance staff, (g) cleaning staff, (h) maintenance staff and (i) others. [108902]
9 Feb 2000 : Column: 199W
Mr. Denham
[holding answer 8 February 2000]: The information requested is shown in the table.
| Numbers (headcount) | Whole time equivalents | |
|---|---|---|
| Non-medical staff Total | 878,750 | 707,200 |
| Administration and estates staff total | 198,540 | 167,700 |
| of which: | ||
| Managers | 22,690 | 21,850 |
| Clerical and Administrative(15) | 162,520 | -- |
| Maintenance and works | 13,100 | 12,720 |
| Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff total | 421,750 | 332,200 |
| of which: | ||
| Managers | 4,960 | 4,720 |
| Support staff(16) Total | 91,160 | 65,300 |
| All Other non medical staff total | 167,300 | 142,000 |
| of which: | ||
| Managers | 2,210 | 2,090 |
| Doctors total(17)(1) | 91,840 | -- |
| Total practice staff(19)(1) | -- | 101,000 |
| of which: | ||
| Practice Nurse | -- | 10,360 |
| Direct Patient Care | -- | 1,740 |
| Administrative and Clerical | -- | 48,880 |
| Other | -- | 340 |
(15) Clerical and administrative staff include all finance staff.
(16) Support staff include all porters, catering and cleaning staff.
(17) Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Service Staff, excludes medical staff working as Hospital Practitioners or Clinical Assistants most of whom also work in General Practice.
(18) All practitioners includes Unrestricted Principles, PMS Contacted GPs, PMS Salaried GPs, Restricted Principles, Assistants, GP Registrars, Salaried Doctors (para 52 SFA) and PMS Other.
(19) Total Practice Staff (numbers) is rounded to the nearest hundred.
(20) WTE Practice Staff total does not include 62 WTE Community Nurses who are seconded.
Notes:
1. PMS Pilots. These are however included in Total Practice Staff (number).
2. "Other" includes staff employed by SHAs, OSAs and other centrally based services.
3. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten.
4. Due to rounding totals may not equal the sum of component parts.
Sources:
1. Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census.
2. Department of Health Medical and Dental Workforce Census.
3. Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.
Insulin Pens
Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will announce his decision on whether insulin pen needles and reusable insulin injection pens can be prescribed on the NHS. [109667]
Mr. Denham:
We have agreed that, with effect from 1 March, insulin pen needles and certain reusable insulin pens should be prescribable by general practitioners on the National Health Service.
9 Feb 2000 : Column: 200W
Chicken Imports
Mr. Andrew George: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the control of chicken imports into the UK from outside the European Union in relation to (a) animal welfare and (b) human health. [103291]
Ms Quin: In relation to public health, all consignments of fresh meat and poultry meat imported into the UK, whether from other EU member states or third countries, must have been produced in accordance with harmonised Community rules. These rules include the licensing, structural and veterinary supervision requirements to be applied in abattoirs, cutting plants and cold stores. Slaughterhouses in third countries have to comply with hygiene standards at least equivalent to those which apply in the EU before imports can be permitted.
Ensuring that third countries supplying the EU market comply with Community requirements is the responsibility of the European Commission. The Commission's Food and Veterinary Office is responsible for arranging and carrying out inspections in those countries, but national officials can and do report to the Commission on investigations they may have carried out.
All consignments of fresh meat and poultry meat imported from third countries are subject to veterinary checks, including checks on accompanying veterinary health certification, on entering the EU to ensure that conditions of import have been complied with and that they have remained in a satisfactory condition during transport.
It would not be compatible with World Trade Organisation rules to ban imports of meat because of the animal welfare standards under which it had been produced. The Government are considering how to promote wider international consensus on farm animal welfare. The EU, with UK support, is seeking greater recognition of farm animal welfare considerations in WTO rules.
Mr. Yeo:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the cost of the ban on beef on the bone to (a) the beef industry, (b) local government and (c) central Government from the date the ban came in to force until the date the Minister announced the lifting of the ban. [101736]
Mr. Nick Brown
[holding answer 7 December 1999]: No estimate has been made of the actual costs incurred by the beef industry. This would involve a multifactorial analysis which would depend on many untestable assumptions. It is doubtful if authoritative estimates could be made.
Nor is it possible to identify reliably the costs of the controls to local or central government.
Mr. Paice:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on the surveillance project in the Memorandum of Understanding with the French Government, indicating (a) how the identification of animals related to those born
9 Feb 2000 : Column: 201W
after 1 January 1996 will be achieved, (b) if the animals so identified are removed from the food chain on what basis the owner will be compensated and (c) in the case of animals so identified which are still in useful production if they will be prematurely slaughtered as part of the project. [101073]
Ms Quin
[holding answer 2 December 1999]: Under the surveillance proposed, State Veterinary Service (SVS) officials will identify the farms on which BSE cases born after 1 January 1996 were born. They will then investigate on those farms both the potential source of the infection and which other animals born around the same time might have been exposed to it.
Animals over 30 months are not eligible for entry into the food chain but can be slaughtered with compensation under the over thirty months scheme. The occasions when animals born around the same time as a BSE case are themselves under 30 months are expected to be very rare, but they will be restricted and monitored.
In these respects, the Memorandum of Understanding records action which HMG was in any case proposing to undertake.
Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which local authorities in England are serving British beef on their school menus. [106038]
Ms Quin:
This information is not available centrally. However, the Minister wrote to all local authorities on 27 October 1999 encouraging them to serve British beef.
Mr. Breed:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many local authorities (a) have and (b) have not lifted the ban on beef in school meals. [106864]
Ms Quin:
This information is not available centrally. However, the Minister wrote to all local authorities on 27 October 1999 encouraging them to serve British beef. According to Meat and Livestock Commission figures:
9 Feb 2000 : Column: 202W
(b) 42 out of 150 local authorities in England are continuing with some form of beef ban on school meals. Of these 22 have a total ban and 20 have primary school bans only.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |