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1 May 2003 : Column 519W—continued
Thoracic Medicine
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients waited up to (a) four weeks, (b) 13 weeks and (c) 26 weeks for their first outpatient appointment following GP referral; and how many patients were waiting for over 13 weeks at quarter end, for thoracic medicine, in (i) England and (ii) each NHS region in each quarter since Q1 1997. [101583]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested for Q1 1997–98 to Q3 2002–03 has been placed in the Library. Over this period the number of people waiting over 26 weeks for their first outpatient appointment in thoracic medicine fell from 121 at end June 1997 to none at end December 2002.
Tobacco Advertising
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the marketing materials not covered by the ban on tobacco advertising. [109202]
Ms Blears: When fully in force, the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 will provide a comprehensive ban on the advertising and promotion of tobacco products with certain limited exceptions. The Act does not list marketing materials but does define "tobacco advertisement' and 'tobacco product'.
In the Act, 'tobacco advertisement' means an advertisement:
- whose purpose is to promote a tobacco product, or
whose effect is to do so and
Section 4 of the Act identifies exclusions. These relate to:
- tobacco trade communications aimed at specified trade contacts;
communications made in reply to a particular request by an individual for information about a tobacco product;
publications (other than an in-flight magazine) whose principal market is not the United Kingdom (or any part of it), or if it is contained in any internet version of such a publication.
- is in a place or on a website where tobacco products are offered for sale; and
complies with requirements specified in the regulations.
Section 6 of the Act provides an exemption if the tobacco advertisement:
- was in or fixed to the outside of the premises of a specialist tobacconist;
was not for cigarettes or hand-rolling tobacco; and
complied with any requirements specified by the appropriate Minister in regulations in relation to tobacco advertisements on the premises of specialist tobacconists.
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Section 11 provides for the Secretary of State to make regulations governing brandsharing. It is intended that the regulations will set out limited circumstances in which brandsharing will be permissible.
Section 20 provides for transitional provisions to be made in regulations covering tobacco sponsorship agreements. The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion (Sponsorship) Regulations 2003 were made under that section and came into force on 14 February 2003.
Draft regulations governing point of sale advertising and brandsharing have been consulted on and will, when in final form, be notified to the European Commission under the Technical Standards Directive 98/48/EC. Until the regulations are made, temporary provision is included in the Orders bringing the Act into force. In particular, the Orders permit the promotion of tobacco products in a place or on a website where tobacco products are offered for sale and provide exceptions for brandshared goods from various offences created by the Act.
Waiting Times
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for an out-patient appointment (a) in Greater London and (b) in England was in (i) the latest period for which figures are available and (ii) May 1997. [101313]
Mr. Hutton: The table shows the estimated median waiting time, in weeks, for first outpatient appointments in London (defined by the five London strategic health authorities), and England at the end of March 1997 and December 2002, the latest position. Over this period the number of people in London waiting over 26 weeks for their first outpatient appointment fell from 15,200 at end March 1997 to five at end December 2002. The equivalent figures for England are 70,700 to less than 700.
| London | England | |
|---|---|---|
| March 1997 | 6.06 | 6.05 |
| December 2002(latest published quarterly data) | 7.53 | 7.55 |
(8) The medians in the table are based on aggregate data, categorised into waiting time bands, and do not reflect shifts in the waiting time profiles within these bands, only between bands. Progress on delivering maximum waiting times may not necessarily translate into a reduction in the median waiting time, because of shifts in low time bands.
Source:
Estimated using data from Department of Health form QM08
HOME DEPARTMENT
Off-road Vehicles
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will bring forward proposals for additional powers for police to confiscate vehicles used illegally off-road. [108613]
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Mr. Bob Ainsworth: We have provided new powers under the Police Reform Act 2002 to supplement the offences in the Road Traffic Act 1988. As from January 2003, where a vehicle committing one of the Road Traffic Act offences is being driven in such a way that it is causing or is likely to cause alarm, distress or annoyance to members of the public, a constable in uniform is empowered to stop and seize it. He will be able to enter premises other than a private dwelling to effect the seizure. The owner will be able to retrieve the vehicle on payment of removal and storage charges. Detailed arrangements have been made by regulation to ensure that the owner is not required to pay when the vehicle was used without his consent.
The new powers will enable the police to deal with vehicles being used illegally off road more effectively by putting an immediate stop to such anti-social behaviour. Their use is currently being developed by the police and will be monitored to ensure it is effective.
In addition there is an existing power in statute for magistrates to remove driving licences for summary offences. We intend to notify the courts that exercise of this power may be an appropriate response for particular offences, including the illegal and anti-social use of a vehicle off-road.
Accountancy Services
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost to his Department was for accountancy services in 2002–03. [109482]
Mr. Blunkett: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Antisocial Behaviour
Dr. Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with his ministerial colleagues on combating anti-social behaviour in Wales. [110403]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: All of the Anti-Social Behaviour Bill is applicable to Wales, although it will be for the National Assembly for Wales to take forward the devolved measures. Officials in the Home Office have been working with their colleagues at the National Assembly for Wales on the development of the White Paper CM5778 and Anti-Social Behaviour Bill.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his Answer of 7 April 2003, Official Report, column 35W, on command paper 5778, which groups of charities were consulted; and if he will list the meetings that were held. [108992]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The Director and staff of the anti-social behaviour unit met with various individuals and organisations during the preparation of the White Paper.
This included the following charities: Age Concern, National Children's Bureau, Parentline and National Family and Parenting Institute.
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Asylum Seekers
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes he intends to make to his Department's procedures for determining applications for NASS support by asylum seekers who have been refused as a result of not having applied for asylum as soon as is reasonably practicable. [109569]
Beverley Hughes: Following the judgment of Mr. Justice Collins of 19 February on the application of Section 55 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, we anticipated all of the main points of the Court of Appeal judgment of 18 March. Changes to the procedure have been made. For example:
- The interviewer and decision-maker are now one and the same person;
The purpose of the interview is clearly spelled out to the applicant at the outset;
The account given by the applicant about the circumstances in which entry to the UK was achieved is thoroughly probed and warnings are given when the story is not believed; and
Article 3 European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) issues are considered in all cases to ensure that a negative section 55 decision would not result in a breach of Convention rights.
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unaccompanied asylum seeking children were deported in (a) 2001 and (b) 2002. [109574]
Beverley Hughes: The information requested is not available. Although statistics on the removal of failed asylum seekers include unaccompanied minors; they are not separately identified. The information would therefore only be available by examination of individual case-files; this would be at disproportionate cost.
However, under current policy, unaccompanied children are not removed under Immigration Act powers unless we are satisfied that suitable arrangements have been made for their reception and care in the destination country.
Mr. Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children of asylum-seeking families are detained. [110066]
Beverley Hughes: Dungavel, Harmondsworth, Oakington and Tinsley House are the only Immigration Service Removal Centres (IRCs) that deal with family cases. A one-off exercise was carried out on 2 April 2003 to assess the number of children under the age of 18 detained in these IRCs, the results of which are contained in the table.
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| Immigration Service RemovalCentre | Children under 18 years of age in detention at 2 April 2003 |
|---|---|
| Dungavel | 21 |
| Harmondsworth | 18 |
| Oakington | 14 |
| Tinsley | 3 |
| Total | 56 |
Minors are detained only in two limited circumstances: first, as part of a family group whose detention is considered appropriate; second, when unaccompanied, while alternative care arrangements are made and normally just overnight.
More detailed information on those in detention at 29 March 2003 is due to be published on 30 May on the Home Office website: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/whatsnew1.html.
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action is being taken to keep track of the whereabouts of failed asylum seekers who cannot be deported and who no longer receive support from NASS. [110484]
Beverley Hughes: As part of the initial screening process asylum-seekers are required to provide proof of residence at a particular address. The Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) maintains databases containing the information supplied, which is also recorded in the individual Home Office file. All applicants, and their representatives, are told of their obligation to notify the Home Office of any subsequent change of address. For those subject to a reporting regime, their place of residence is verified during the reporting event.
The Immigration Service has eight designated reporting centres to assist in managing reporting regimes and, in addition, a person may be required to report to a police station near their address. Alongside these measures systems are in place to track and monitor all failed asylum seekers.
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