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Meat Cutting Services
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what restrictions exist on butchers to provide meat cutting services to other outlets; and if he will make a statement. [151358]
Ms Stuart [holding answer 26 February 2001]: In order to provide cutting services to other outlets, butchers need to have their premises licensed as cutting plants under the red meat or poultry meat hygiene and inspection Regulations, which implement European Union Directives. The Regulations only exempt butchers who cut meat for sale from their own premises directly to the final consumer.
However, under guidance originally issued by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food to cater for trading practices in Great Britain, exempt butchers may supply their other branches or mobile shops with up to 50 per cent. or 1 tonne (whichever is the lesser) of their production per week, provided the rest is sold from the premises where the meat is cut. In England and Wales, exempt butchers may also use shops not in their ownership as subsidiary outlets, provided they retain ownership of the meat until its sale to the final consumer, subject to the overall 50 per cent. or 1 tonne weekly limit.
Physical Punishment (Children)
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish a response to the submissions received on his consultation document on the physical punishment of children. [151377]
Mr. Hutton: We will publish our response to the consultation on the physical punishment of children later this year.
Prescription Costs
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of prescriptions in each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement. [151524]
Ms Stuart: The table gives details of the net ingredient cost of prescriptions dispensed in the community in England. The majority of these will have been prescribed by general practitioners.
Notes:
1. 1979 to 1990 data are from the Prescription Pricing Authority PD1 series of forms.
2. 1991 to 1999 data are from the Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system.
3. 1979 to 1981 data for dispensing doctors and personal administration are not available.
4. Net ingredient cost (NIC) refers to the cost of the drug before discounts and does not include any dispensing costs of fees. It does not include any adjustment for income obtained where a prescription charge is paid at the time the prescription is dispensed or where the patient has purchased a pre-payment certificate.
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Asylum Seekers (Unaccompanied Children)
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if unaccompanied asylum seeking children are supported in the same way as children ordinarily resident in the UK under the Children Act 1989. [151379]
Mr. Hutton: Local authorities have the same duties to safeguard and promote the welfare of unaccompanied asylum seeking children as they do for the indigenous population of children in need. All local authorities have a duty under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 to provide services for all children in need in their area, including accommodation and support. There are currently approximately 6,000 unaccompanied asylum seeking children in the United Kingdom, the majority of whom are aged 16 and 17. They are generally provided with support under Section 17 of the Children Act, with those aged under 16 being formally looked after under Section 20 of the Act.
Waiting Lists
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were awaiting NHS treatment on 1 January in each year since 1990; and if he will make a statement. [151521]
Mr. Denham: Hospital waiting list information collected centrally shows the position at the end of each quarter. The table shows the number of people waiting for admission to hospital, either as an ordinary or day case, on 31 December each year since 1989.
Source
Trust based KHO7 returns
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We promised to reduce NHS waiting lists and this we have done. At the end of December 2000 the waiting list was 123,600 below the March 1997 level we inherited.
Post-natal Depression
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what systems are in place to ensure early detection of post-natal depression in mothers of young babies; and what support is given to such mothers. [151376]
Mr. Hutton: The National Service Framework for mental health sets out at standards two and three the action needed to deliver better primary mental health care, and to ensure consistent advice and help for people with mental health needs, including primary care services for individuals with severe mental illness. The NSF requires health authorities to have protocols agreed and implemented between primary care and specialised services for the management of post-natal depression by April 2001. Work is being taken forward following publication of the NHS Plan and through the Workforce Action Team, to agree the workforce and education requirements to deliver the NSF, and to strengthen mental health in primary care.
Compensation
Mr. Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS paid in compensation payments in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [151287]
Ms Stuart: Figures on the amounts included in the National Audit Summarised Accounts for clinical negligence payments for the last five years are as follows:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1994-95 | 160 |
| 1995-96 | 173 |
| 1996-97 | 235 |
| 1997-98 | 144 |
| 1998-99 | 221 |
Figures for 1999-2000 are not yet available.
Because of changes to accounting practice required by the National Audit Office these data are not directly comparable.
Information on the non-clinical schemes is not available.
Accident and Emergency Units
Mr. Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many accident and emergency units there were in the NHS in each year since 1991-92; [150387]
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- (2) how many accident and emergency units were in operation in each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement. [151531]
Ms Stuart: The information is not available in the form requested.
The Department collects information centrally on the number of National Health Service trusts with one or more accident and emergency service. Information for 1996-97 to 1999-2000 is available via the annual Korner return KH03 "bed availability and occupancy". Copies are available in the Library.
Eye Tests
Mr. Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of eye tests was in each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement. [151528]
Mr. Denham: National Health Service sight tests are provided by community opticians at no charge to the patient. Prior to 1989 there was universal entitlement but, from 1 April 1989, eligibility was restricted to children, people on low incomes and people suffering from or predisposed to certain eye diseases. With effect from 1 April 1999 we restored eligibility to everyone aged 60 or over so that less than 50 per cent. of the population now has to pay for private sight tests. The cost of a private sight test varies between optical practices.
Dental Costs
Mr. Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of a session of dental treatment was in each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement. [151530]
Mr. Hutton: The average gross cost per course of treatment in the General Dental Service is shown separately for children and adults in the table for England for each of the years 1979 to 1999-2000.
| Year | Children | Adults |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 6.60 | 13.78 |
| 1980 | 7.59 | 16.88 |
| 1981 | 8.63 | 19.38 |
| 1982 | 9.13 | 21.16 |
| 1983 | 9.73 | 22.32 |
| 1984 | 10.15 | 24.07 |
| 1985 | 10.52 | 24.79 |
| 1986-87 | 11.75 | 27.11 |
| 1987-88 | 13.01 | 29.41 |
| 1988-89 | 14.96 | 31.82 |
| 1989-90 | 16.49 | 33.30 |
| 1990-91 | 17.40 | 35.13 |
| 1991-92 | 18.81 | 36.11 |
| 1992-93 | 23.32 | 34.77 |
| 1993-94 | 25.32 | 31.93 |
| 1994-95 | 26.39 | 33.16 |
| 1995-96 | 28.07 | 33.26 |
| 1996-97 | 28.44 | 33.58 |
| 1997-98 | 26.05 | 32.52 |
| 1998-99 | 28.52 | 33.53 |
| 1999-2000 | 29.88 | 34.82 |
The figures from 1990-91 onwards are affected by the introduction of the new dental contract in October 1990. Under the contract, part of dentist's remuneration come
27 Feb 2001 : Column: 626W
from registration payments rather than from treatment fees. For children, certain treatments were covered by these registration payments and no longer claimed for separately in courses of treatment. Since 1996-97, some of these children's items are again claimed for separately.
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