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Health Costs (Road Accidents)

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he proposes to take to recover health service charges from uninsured drivers. [43314]

Ms Blears [holding answer 13 March 2002]: It is already possible for National Health Service costs to be recovered from the Motor Insurers' Bureau in cases where the driver is uninsured for accidents that occur on or after 5 April 1999.

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health

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(1) what his reasons are for the extent of the proposed increase in threshold for the upper limit that can be charged to insurance companies for the costs of health care for people injured in road accidents; [43312]

(2) for what reasons he withdrew the regulations to increase the threshold for the upper limit that can be charged to insurance companies for the costs of health care for people injured in road accidents; [43311]

(3) how many hospital charges exceeded £30,000 in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [43313]

Ms Blears [holding answer 14 March 2002]: Regulations were introduced on 28 January 2002 that increased the tariff and ceiling of charges for the recovery of National Health Services costs following road traffic accidents. The tariff was increased from a flat rate of £354 to £402 for treatment without admission and from a daily rate of £435 to £494 for treatment with admission. The ceiling of charges in any one case was increased from £10,000 to £30,000. The regulations were revoked on 7 February 2002 following representations from and on behalf of the insurance industry that they were not given adequate warning of the intended increases.

The increase in the ceiling of charges in any one case was proposed in the light of operational experience. Although the new scheme was intended to recover the full cost of treatment in the relevant cases a threshold had always existed but had failed to keep pace with the rising cost of medical treatment. Our data for the year from 1 February 2001 to 31 January 2002 show that 1,237 patients received treatment following a road traffic accident which cost in excess of £10,000 with 248 of these costing in excess of £30,000.

We will shortly be consulting on revised proposals for increasing the tariff and ceiling of charges.

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultations he has had with the Automobile Association on increases in the threshold for the upper limit that can be charged to insurance companies for the costs of health care for people injured in road accidents. [43564]

Ms Blears: The Department of Health will shortly be consulting on proposals for increasing the tariff and ceiling of charges for the recovery of National Health Service costs following a road traffic accident. The Automobile Association will be included in the consultation.

Free Prescriptions

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the medical complaints which provide entitlements to free prescriptions; and if he will make a statement. [43641]

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Ms Blears: The medical conditions conferring exemption from prescription charges are:

(1) permanent fistula (including caecostomy, colostomy, laryngostomy, or ileostomy) requiring continuous surgical dressing or an appliance;

(2) the following disorders:

—forms of hypoadrenalism (including Addison's disease) for which specific substitution therapy is essential;

—diabetes insipidus and other forms of hypopituitarism;

—diabetes mellitus—except where treatment is by diet alone;

—hypoparathyroidism;

—myasthenia gravis; and

—myxoedema;

(3) epilepsy requiring continuous anti-convulsive therapy;

(4) a continuing physical disability which prevents the patient from leaving his residence without the help of another person.

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will exempt sufferers of cystic fibrosis from paying prescription charges; and if he will make a statement. [43642]

Ms Blears: Our policy is to give priority to helping people who may have difficulty in paying charges, rather than extending the exemption arrangements to people with other medical conditions, including cystic fibrosis.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Indonesia

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of (a) the sufficiency of the territorial and temporal jurisdiction of the human rights court established in Indonesia to investigate alleged abuses in East Timor, (b) the likely impact of the Indonesian constitutional prohibition on retroactive prosecutions, (c) the experience, expertise and independence of the judges and lawyers appointed to the court, (d) the arrangements for the protection of victims and witnesses and (e) the level of co-operation on legal matters between the Indonesian and East Timorese authorities; and what plans he has to monitor the trials. [36928]

Mr. Bradshaw: (a) The question of the territorial and temporal jurisdiction of Indonesia's ad hoc human rights tribunals is a matter for the President of Indonesia to determine. The UK considers that their mandate should encompass all crimes against humanity perpetrated in East Timor before, during and after the Referendum of 1999. We will continue to raise our concerns about the jurisdictional limitations of the Tribunal with the Indonesian authorities, working closely with our partners in the EU.

(b) The question of retroactive prosecutions will be for the Tribunal to determine.

(c) The judges and prosecutors appointed to the Tribunal are professional lawyers. We welcome their appointment.

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(d) There is currently no provision for victim/witness protection under Indonesian law. However, it is expected that this will be included in forthcoming legislation.

(e) The Indonesian Government and representatives from the UN Transitional Administration to East Timor (UNTAET) and the East Timorese leadership meet regularly to discuss a range of bilateral issues. They met most recently on 25 February.

Relocation expenses

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on the payment of relocation expenses to staff in his Department. [41020]

Mr. Bradshaw: If staff are permanently transferred within the UK in the interests of the FCO, they are helped with additional travel costs or the costs of moving home only if their home is no longer within normal commuting distance.

Litigation

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many cases (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have defended in (i) industrial tribunals and (ii) the courts in each year since 1997; how many were concluded in their favour; and what the total cost to his Department of litigation was in each year. [41113]

Mr. Bradshaw: Cases defended by the FCO in Industrial Employment Tribunals:

1998: four cases defended, three decided in FCO's favour;

1999: three cases defended; all decided in FCO's favour;

2000: two cases defended; one case fully, one case partially in FCO's favour; total cost £16,811;

2001: five cases defended; two in FCO's favour*; total cost £100,461;

2002: one case defended; one in FCO's favour; total cost £1,373.

* Two cases from 2001 are still awaiting a decision. The information available on cases brought in courts other than Industrial/Employment Tribunals, on all cases prior to 1998, and cost information prior to 2000, can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Zimbabwe

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his answer of 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 208W, on Zimbabwe what estimate his Department has made of the number of British citizens owed public sector pensions in relation to service in Rhodesia/Zimbabwe who are resident in the United Kingdom and whose pension payments have been suspended. [41867]

Mr. MacShane: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold a record of British Citizens resident in the UK who are former public sector employees of the Rhodesian authorities and entitled to pension payments in respect of their service. Nor does it hold a record of those pensioners whose pension payments have been delayed or suspended by the Zimbabwean authorities.

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Deena Gilbey

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action the Government have taken to assist Deena Gilbey in her attempt to stay in the USA with her children. [41947]

Mr. Bradshaw: The Government have worked tirelessly on behalf of Mrs. Gilbey and the other British family members of victims of the 11 September atrocities. The British Embassy in Washington has worked with the White House, the State Department and Congress to ensure the fair and sympathetic treatment of British family members whose immigration or residency status in the US may have been affected by the terrorist attacks. The British Ambassador in Washington raised these cases with the Chair of the US Senate Judiciary Committee on 9 October 2001. Following this, the US Congress passed, and President Bush signed, anti-terrorism legislation (the Patriots Bill) that allows all British family members affected by 11 September to continue living and working in the US.

The US Immigration and Naturalisation Service have assured Mrs. Gilbey that does not face deportation.

The British Consulate General in New York remains in close touch with Mrs. Gilbey, and continues to monitor the situation closely, to ensure that she and others in a similar position do not have to suffer any further.

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