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Metropolitan Police: Missing Data
Lord Dholakia asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether it is now possible to publish the figures from the Metropolitan Police Service which were not included in the December 1997 report (tables 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4) from the Home Office under Section 95 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 on Race and the Criminal Justice System.[HL2196]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: It is not possible to publish the figures from the Metropolitan Police Service which were not included in the December 1997 report
published under Section 95 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 on Race and the Criminal Justice System. The Metropolitan Police were unable to provide the data due to problems with their computerised systems. The Metropolitan Police have now updated their systems, and data on stop and search, arrests, cautions and homicides will be published, along with data from other police forces, in the autumn.Dangerous Personality-disordered Offenders
Lord Rowallan asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Answer given by the Lord Williams of Mostyn on 5 May (HL Deb, col. 480), whether they have considered further the ideas mooted in the 1975 Butler Report on mentally abnormal offenders for an indeterminate sentence for offenders such as paedophiles.[HL2166]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: My right honourable friend the Home Secretary is actively considering the creation of a form of "reviewable" sentence for dangerous personality-disordered offenders. This is a complex area, and further work is needed before a final conclusion can be reached, but we are taking this work forward as quickly as possible.
ACPO Firearms Licensing Sub-committee
The Earl of Haddington asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will give the date of each
occasion when Mr. C. Bone, Mr. V. Clayton,
Mr. G. Widdecombe, Mr. S. Barrett and any other officials (giving their names) from the Home Office Operational Police Policy Unit attended meetings of the Association of Chief Police Officers Sub-Group on the Administration of Firearms Licensing Review Group, held at South Wales Police Headquarters or at any other location in each of the last two years.[HL2153]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The review group is now formally known as the ACPO Sub-Committee on the Administration of Firearms and Explosives Licensing. Home Office officials are not members of this sub-committee, but in the last two years officials have accepted invitations to attend the following meetings:
| Date of Meeting | Officials attending |
| 9 January 1997 | Mr. C. Bone |
| 7 March 1997 | Mr. V. Clayton Mr. G. A. Widdecombe |
| 23 April 1997 | Mr. V. Clayton Mr. R. Henderson |
| 30 May 1997 | Mr. G. A. Widdecombe |
| 26 June 1997 | Mr. V. Clayton |
| 4 September 1997 | Mr. V. Clayton Mr. R. Henderson |
| 19 November 1997 | Mr. V. Clayton Mr. G. A. Widdecombe |
| 18 March 1998 | Mr. G. A. Widdecombe Mr. S. Barrett |
Lord Jenkins of Putney asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Minister of State, Department of Health (Baroness Jay of Paddington): The future of Putney Hospital, which is part of the Richmond, Twickenham and Roehampton Healthcare National Health Service Trust, was addressed in Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth Health Authority and Kingston and Richmond Health Authority's recent consultation on proposals for changes to hospital services for the population served by the trust.
In line with these proposals, Putney Hospital will close and the services will be moved to Queen Mary's, Roehampton. It is currently envisaged that this move will be completed by next spring.
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Jay of Paddington: Copies of a literature review on the therapeutic aspects of cannabis and cannabinoids by Dr. Philip Robson, who owns the intellectual property rights, have been placed in the Library and also in the library of the Institute for
the Study of Drug Dependency. The views expressed in the review are those of the author. Departmental contracts encourage research contractors to publish their findings.
Earl Russell asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Clinton-Davis): As confirmed in my earlier Answer, the Government have no plans to move the Office of Science and Technology from the Department of Trade and Industry. Accordingly we have made no plans to consult the scientific community on this issue.
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Gilbert): Following the departure of Col. Bhatt as head of the Gulf Veterans' Medical Assessment Programme in June 1997, the Ministry of Defence held an open competition for the post. Unfortunately, this competition did not produce a suitable candidate. MoD therefore decided to hold a further open competition, which is still in progress. The outcome will be announced at the earliest opportunity.
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Gilbert: The examinations carried out on patients of the Gulf Veterans' Medical Assessment Programme, MAP, are in accordance with standard clinical practice and were described in general terms in A Review of Gulf War Illness by W. J. Coker OBE, published in the Journal of the Royal Naval Medical Service 1996; 82: 141-146. A copy of this paper has already been placed in the Library of the House.
Assessments by the consultant physicians at the MAP are based upon their clinical judgment, a patient's clinical history, and examination findings. There are, therefore, no set protocols which determine the nature of each assessment, although there is a standard battery of tests which evolved during the early years of the MAP and which is applied to all MAP patients. These tests are as follows:
Whether Putney Hospital is affected by the current review of hospital facilities in Greater London; and, if so, what are their plans for the hospital.[HL2230]
Whether they will publish the report of the recent independent study commissioned by the Department of Health on the therapeutic use of cannabis to relieve symptoms of AIDS and certain cancers.[HL2212]
Whether the Written Answer by the Lord Clinton-Davis on 1 June (WA1) means that they have no plans to discover the view of the scientific community on the location of the Office of Science and Technology, or that they are unwilling to disclose what those plans are.[HL2077]
Why no permanent medical practitioner has been appointed to lead the Gulf War Illness Medical Assessment Programme since the departure of Colonel Bhatt; and when they expect to make such an appointment.[HL1803]
Whether they will publish the protocols which determined the medical and other procedures in operation for the Gulf War Illness Medical Assessment Programme together with the guidance given to both medical and administrative staff.[HL1804]
Full blood count and sedimentation rate, FBC/ESR;
16 Jun 1998 : Column WA131
Full biochemical screen, including urea, electrolytes,
calcium, creatinine, liver function tests, LFT,
and blood sugar;
Immunoglobulin analysis;
Creatine kinase;
Thyroid function tests, TFT;
Serological screening tests;
Chest X-ray, CXR;
Ultrasound abdominal scan;
Electrocardiogram, ECG;
Urinalysis;
Peak-flow lung measurement, to determine the necessity for vitalography.
-
Further tests may be carried out as appropriate.
The medical and administrative staff at the MAP are, of course, aware of the programme's aims--to provide Gulf veterans who are concerned about their health with a clinical diagnosis of their medical conditions and to collate statistical information. They are appropriately trained to achieve these objectives and are given appropriate briefing on the latest developments on Gulf veterans' illnesses issues. However, no formal written guidelines have been laid down for MAP staff.
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will ask the Gulf War Illness Independent Review Panel to review the history and current functioning of the Medical Assessment Programme and to make recommendations for measures which would improve the research assessment and treatment regimes it offers to sick Gulf veterans.[HL1807]
Lord Gilbert: The Independent Panel was established specifically to provide oversight of the MoD's research programme into the possible health effects of the combination of vaccines and tablets which were given to British troops in the Gulf; and any other research proposals in related areas. The expertise of its members reflects the specific task which it has been asked to fulfil. We do not believe that it would be appropriate to invite the Independent Panel to extend its role beyond this specialised task.
The aim of the Medical Assessment Programme, MAP, is to provide Gulf veterans who are concerned about their health with a clinical diagnosis of their medical conditions and to collate statistical information. The MAP is not a research programme and it is not intended to provide treatment for sick Gulf veterans. Any treatment which is necessary is arranged through the Defence Medical Services for Gulf veterans who are still in service and through the NHS for ex-Service personnel.
It remains our intention to commission an independent clinical audit of the MAP later this year. The audit will address all aspects of the service provided by the MAP.
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