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Residential and Nursing Homes
Mr. Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the number of employees providing nursing care in residential and nursing homes who have recognised nursing qualifications. [123079]
Mr. Hutton: The table provides details of the number of nursing staff employed in private nursing homes, hospitals and clinics.
| 1 October 1996 to 31 March 1997 | Number of nursing staff (WTE) | Of which qualified nursing staff (WTE) |
|---|---|---|
| All establishments(13) | 136,650 | 51,230 |
| General and mental nursing homes(13) | 127,280 | 43,570 |
| Private hospitals and clinics | 9,370 | 7,660 |
(13) Includes those in dual registered homes
Source:
KO36 form
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Mr. Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure high quality of care in residential and nursing homes in the United Kingdom. [123080]
Mr. Hutton: We are reforming the regulatory arrangements for residential care and nursing homes. The Care Standards Bill, which covers England and Wales, will establish a National Care Standards Commission for England to regulate all care homes to national minimum standards to ensure consistency and improve the quality of care and protection for vulnerable people. In Wales, the National Assembly will take on the same regulatory functions as the Commission.
In Scotland there will be a Scottish Care Commission regulating services on a broadly similar basis to that in England.
The specific arrangements for Northern Ireland will be a matter for the Northern Ireland Assembly to decide in due course.
GM Food
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he is evaluating for introducing product liability for GM food. [123389]
Ms Stuart [holding answer 23 May 2000]: Manufactured food, which includes all genetically modified food which has been approved to date, is already covered by the product liability provisions of Part 1 of the Consumer Protection Act 1987, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.
Correspondence
Mr. Terry Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Worsley of 17 November 1999 and 4 April 2000, regarding his constituent Lucy Darwell. [123401]
Yvette Cooper: I replied to my hon. Friend on 22 May.
Human Rights Act 1998
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice he has given the National Health Service on the implications for the NHS of the coming into force of the Human Rights Act 1998. [123255]
Ms Stuart: We shall shortly be issuing guidance alerting the National Health Service and Social Services to the coming into force of the Human Rights Act on 2 October 2000.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
Plutonium Exports
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what were the (a) origin of the reactor, (b) isotopic composition, (c) point of departure, (d) mode of transport and (e) final end-use of the United Kingdom plutonium exported to the United States of America between 1970 and 1988 in (i) the form of fuel elements and (ii) other forms. [119256]
24 May 2000 : Column: 511W
Mrs. Liddell: Whenever the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority or BNFL export United Kingdom plutonium under civil arrangements they keep certain records. These records include the total amount of plutonium exported and the United Kingdom owner of the plutonium. They do not include details of the particular reactor in which the plutonium was produced. This reflects the fact that spent fuel from different UK civil reactors and belonging to different owners may be reprocessed at the same time and that the plutonium arising from reprocessing ceases to have a separate reactor-specific identity. Plutonium is attributed to an owner based on an estimate of the fissile content of the irradiated fuel originally supplied, usually on an annual basis. The specific plutonium atoms allocated to an owner are not necessarily the same atoms that the owner originally supplied.
All exports of United Kingdom plutonium to the United States under civil arrangements have been subject to relevant bilateral and international arrangements to ensure that the material exported is used exclusively for peaceful, non-explosive purposes. The precise end use to which such exported plutonium has been put is however, a matter for the United States.
Information relating to the isotopic composition, point of departure and the mode of transport used for each export is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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Export of United Kingdom plutonium to the United States under non-civil arrangements are a matter for the Ministry of Defence.
BNFL
Mr. Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library a copy of the memorandum sent by Rupert Wilcox-Baker of British Nuclear Fuels to Claire Lambert in his Department's Nuclear Industry Directorate, dated 8 March 1996, concerning information about a parliamentary question asked by the hon. Member for Blaenau Gwent in respect of plutonium exports to the United States. [120059]
Mrs. Liddell: I have placed a copy of the relevant letter in the Libraries of the House.
Industrial Diseases (Claims)
Mr. Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims for (a) chronic bronchitis and emphysema and (b) vibration white finger have been settled, in each area in (i) January, (ii) February, (iii) March and (iv) April; and when he expects all present claims to be settled. [122817]
Mrs. Liddell: In the four months from January the Department had made payments in full or part settlement of claims totalling some £6.7 million to 1,771 respiratory disease claimants and some £30.3 million to 3,940 VWF claimants--broken down as follows:
24 May 2000 : Column: 511W
| England | Scotland | Wales | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Respiratory diseases | VWF | Respiratory diseases | VWF | Respiratory diseases | VWF |
| January | 397 | 863 | 44 | 79 | 83 | 152 |
| February | 277 | 672 | 21 | 49 | 98 | 77 |
| March | 282 | 1,062 | 9 | 98 | 109 | 163 |
| April | 365 | 520 | 25 | 95 | 61 | 110 |
| Total | 1,321 | 3,117 | 99 | 321 | 351 | 502 |
24 May 2000 : Column: 511W
With regard to VWF, the Department remains on track to have tested all claims registered to date by summer next year, with interim settlement offers following shortly afterwards. The majority of claimants will receive final settlement offers by summer the following year.
As for respiratory disease, given the number of claimants--over 104,000 to date--it may take two to three years before all claims are complete. We introduced in March last year a national programme of spirometry, the first state of the Medical Assessment Process, which has seen nearly 50,000 claimants tested, with a further 11,000 invited to make appointments. With nearly 69,000 live claims this means in just over 12 months we have contacted 90 per cent. of claimants.
By the end of June we expect that 2,000 claimants will have gone through the second stage of the MAP and by September that the number of second stage medical assessments will be up to 4,000 a month. In order to sustain these levels we will of course require similar numbers of completed form packs from solicitors.
24 May 2000 : Column: 512W
National Grid Company
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what permanent derogations have been granted to the National Grid Company; and at what locations. [123434]
Mrs. Liddell: Ofgem has issued derogations to the National Grid Company and other system users relating to security standards and the technical rules for connection to the system. Derogations are not permanent as they can be amended or revoked at any time.
International Organisation of Legal Metrology
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recommendations of the Organisation Internationale de Metrologie Legale in the last five years have (a) been and (b) not been implemented. [123450]
Dr. Howells: In the last five years the International Organisation of Legal Metrology (OIML) has published 31 Recommendations. Of these, 17 deal with measuring instruments which fall within my responsibilities. OIML Recommendations are used as the basis for legislation wherever practicable. The situation on implementation is set out in the table.
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24 May 2000 : Column: 513W
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money was spent in each of the last five years (a) subscribing to and (b) supporting the UK's committee representatives on the Organisation Internationale de Metrologie Legale. [123451]
Dr. Howells: The UK pays an annual subscription to the Organisation Internationale de Metrologie Legale (OIML). In the last five years the subscriptions paid have been as follows:
| Year | £ |
|---|---|
| 1995 | 35,646 |
| 1996 | 40,293 |
| 1997 | 36,118 |
| 1998 | 33,004 |
| 1999 | 30,371 |
Support for UK participation in the committees of OIML comes from a number of Government departments and other organisations (including industry associations). It is not therefore possible to quantify the cost of this support.
24 May 2000 : Column: 514W
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the policy of the Government towards the work of the Organisation Internationale de Metrologie Legale. [123452]
Dr. Howells: The United Kingdom is one of more than 100 countries participating in the work of the Organisation Internationale de Metrologie Legale (OIML). The Government support the work of this important organisation, which contributes to the removal of barriers to trade by publishing technical recommendations in the form of draft model laws and through its system of OIML certificates. These help manufacturers of measuring instruments to obtain approval for their products in OIML member countries. The UK participates in those areas of OIML's work where we have a specific interest.
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