Written Answers of 9 February 1988

WALES

  Road Costs
  Mr. Mudd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list all the motorway and trunk road contracts in Wales with a works cost of £1 million or more which his Department intends to award in 1988–89 showing, in each case, the total value of the contract and the expenditure likely to be incurred in that year.

  Mr. Wyn Roberts
  [holding answer 8 February 1988]: Subject to the satisfactory completion of statutory procedures, the completion of engineering design and the availability of resources, we hope to let contracts for the following major schemes in 1988–89:

  A48 Nantycaws-Coed Hirion Bypass

  A55 Travellers Inn

  A483 Chirk Bypass

  A55 Pen-y-Clip Tunnels

  January to March 1987

  All cases

  Welsh districts

  Cases accepted

  Of which homeless due to action by landlord

  Placed in temporary accommodation

  Placed in bed and breakfast

  Aberconwy

  17

  6

  2

  1

  Alyn and Deeside

  45

  10

  3

  1

  Arfon

  9

  5

  6

  0

  Blaenau Gwent

  86

  6

  9

  2

  Brecknock

  13

  5

  0

  0

  Cardiff

  184

  44

  117

  76

  Carmarthen

  19

  8

  5

  2

  Ceredigion

  19

  6

  3

  0

  Colwyn

  9

  3

  4

  4

  Cynon Valley

  63

  4

  2

  0

  Delyn

  63

  2

  34

  0

  Dinefwr

  20

  3

  6

  6

  Dwyfor

  10

  3

  1

  1

  Glyndwr

  6

  1

  0

  0

  Islwyn

  17

  1

  3

  1

  Llanelli

  55

  16

  4

  4

  Lliw Valley

  18

  1

  0

  0

  Meirionnydd

  14

  6

  2

  0

  Merthyr Tydfil

  17

  0

  12

  0

  Monmouth

  73

  16

  15

  1

  Montgomeryshire

  6

  1

  0

  0

  Neath

  70

  19

  25

  12

  Newport

  74

  18

  35

  0

  Ogwr

  75

  7

  15

  3

  Port Talbot/Afan

  42

  19

  18

  1

  Preseli

  17

  7

  10

  8

  Radnor

  4

  0

  0

  0

  Rhondda

  41

  0

  1

  1

  Rhuddlan

  20

  3

  3

  1

  Rhymney Valley

  39

  2

  0

  0

  South Pembrokeshire

  22

  6

  6

  0

  Swansea

  63

  11

  25

  0

  Taff-Ely

  26

  2

  1

  0

  Torfaen

  77

  6

  11

  0

  Vale of Glamorgan

  32

  8

  8

  0

  Wrexham Maelor

  83

  14

  4

  0

  Ynys Môn

  8

  2

  1

  1

  Wales Total (LA)

  1,456

  271

  391

  126

  120
  It is not possible to give the cost of the contracts or the expenditure to be incurred in 1988–89, since this will depend on the value of the accepted tenders and the contractors' programmes of work.

  Homelessness
  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales (1) how many households have been made homeless by the actions of private landlords for the periods(a) January to March 1987, (b) April to June 1987 and (c) July to September 1987, in each district authority area in Wales;

  (2) how many households were accepted as homeless in Wales; and how many households were accommodated in temporary accommodation for the periods (a) January to March 1987, (b) April to June 1987 and (c) July to September 1987, in each district authority are (a) in Wales;

  (3) how many households were placed in bed and breakfast as temporary accommodation in Wales for the periods (a) January to March 1987, (b) April to June 1987 and (c) July to September 1987, in each district authority area in Wales.

  Mr. Grist
  [holding answer 8 February 1988]: The information requested is given in the following tables:
  121

  April-June 1987

  All cases

  Welsh districts

  Cases accepted

  Of which homeless due to action by landlord

  Placed in temporary accommodation

  Placed in bed and breakfast

  Aberconwy

  7

  0

  1

  1

  Alyn and Deeside

  43

  6

  1

  0

  Arfon

  6

  1

  6

  0

  Blaenau Gwent

  76

  6

  5

  3

  Brecknock

  24

  9

  2

  0

  Cardiff

  134

  32

  97

  68

  Carmarthen

  27

  5

  7

  4

  Ceredigion

  13

  6

  1

  1

  Colwyn

  6

  2

  1

  1

  Cynon Valley

  34

  0

  2

  0

  Delyn

  68

  15

  24

  1

  Dinefwr

  15

  4

  2

  2

  Dwyfor

  15

  8

  3

  3

  Glyndwr

  4

  0

  3

  0

  Islwyn

  10

  3

  1

  0

  Llanelli

  45

  5

  9

  9

  Lliw Valley

  17

  4

  1

  0

  Meirionnydd

  12

  4

  1

  0

  Merthyr Tydfil

  15

  1

  10

  1

  Monmouth

  50

  11

  11

  1

  Montgomeryshire

  10

  0

  1

  0

  Neath

  77

  15

  12

  6

  Newport

  47

  16

  33

  0

  Ogwr

  147

  23

  15

  3

  Port Talbot/Afan

  14

  2

  0

  0

  Preseli

  15

  2

  6

  6

  Radnor

  3

  0

  0

  0

  Rhondda

  22

  0

  1

  1

  Rhuddlan

  27

  1

  0

  0

  Rhymney Valley

  34

  4

  2

  2

  South Pembrokeshire

  17

  4

  7

  0

  Swansea

  73

  11

  20

  0

  Taff-Ely

  30

  6

  1

  0

  Torfaen

  58

  7

  9

  0

  Vale of Glamorgan

  25

  5

  14

  0

  Wrexham Maelor

  79

  8

  4

  0

  Ynys Mon

  5

  2

  0

  0

  Wales Total (LA)

  1,304

  228

  313

  113

  July to September 1987

  All cases

  Welsh districts

  Cases accepted

  Of which homeless due to action by landlord

  Placed in temporary accommodation

  Placed in bed and breakfast

  Aberconwy

  14

  1

  2

  1

  Alyn and Deeside

  19

  5

  0

  0

  Arfon

  7

  0

  3

  0

  Blaenau Gwent

  50

  6

  10

  4

  Brecknock

  19

  11

  1

  0

  Cardiff

  142

  31

  120

  96

  Carmarthen

  27

  5

  4

  1

  Ceredigion

  15

  7

  2

  1

  Colwyn

  12

  3

  4

  1

  Cynon Valley

  53

  1

  4

  0

  Delyn

  73

  7

  28

  0

  Dinefwr

  8

  0

  3

  3

  Dwyfor

  20

  7

  0

  0

  Glyndwr

  4

  1

  0

  0

  Islwyn

  14

  2

  3

  1

  Llanelli

  32

  6

  5

  5

  Lliw Valley

  30

  2

  0

  0

  Meirionnydd

  13

  5

  1

  0

  Merthyr Tydfil

  17

  2

  7

  0

  Monmouth

  56

  14

  9

  0

  Montgomeryshire

  13

  3

  1

  1

  Neath

  61

  12

  15

  11

  Newport

  62

  14

  36

  6

  122 123

  All cases

  Welsh districts

  Cases accepted

  Of which homeless due to action by landlord

  Placed in temporary accommodation

  Placed in bed and breakfast

  Ogwr

  76

  12

  16

  3

  Port Talbot/Afan

  35

  6

  7

  2

  Preseli

  18

  1

  9

  4

  Radnor

  2

  0

  0

  0

  Rhondda

  25

  2

  0

  0

  Rhuddlan

  18

  5

  4

  0

  Rhymney Valley

  41

  3

  0

  0

  South Pembrokeshire

  20

  2

  3

  0

  Swansea

  67

  10

  24

  0

  Taff-Ely

  23

  2

  1

  0

  Torfaen

  111

  12

  18

  0

  Vale of Glamorgan

  20

  7

  8

  0

  Wrexham Maelor

  77

  10

  4

  0

  Ynys Môn

  1

  0

  0

  0

  Wales Total (LA)

  1,295

  217

  352

  140

  Hospital Waiting Lists
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what percentage of patients currently awaiting operations in each Welsh health district have been waiting for(a) under one month, (b) under two months, (c) under three months, (d) under six months, (e) under nine months, (f) under 12 months and (g) between 12 months

  Percentage of cases admitted from waiting list who spent less than the specified time on the waiting list.

  District health authority

  1 month

  2 months

  3 months

  6 months

  12 months

  2 years

  Clwyd

  35·6

  58·3

  69·9

  86·1

  95·6

  99·1

  East Dyfed

  47·2

  67·0

  76·6

  88·0

  96·8

  99·9

  Gwent

  34·8

  52·8

  63·4

  80·3

  92·2

  98·0

  Gwynedd

  48·9

  70·8

  80·3

  91·4

  98·2

  99·9

  Mid Glamorgan

  35·1

  54·7

  65·4

  81·1

  92·7

  97·9

  Powys

  46·4

  90·4

  95·9

  98 7

  99·4

  99·8

  South Glamorgan

  40·6

  63·6

  74·7

  87·5

  95·1

  98·8

  West Glamorgan

  34·3

  54·2

  66·8

  86·0

  95·6

  99·1

  Pembrokeshire

  39·6

  56·0

  64·9

  78·8

  90·4

  96·8

  Wales

  38·8

  59·6

  70·4

  85·2

  94·6

  98·7

  Accident and Emergency Treatment
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the estimated average cost of each treatment by a hospital accident and emergency unit in Wales.

  Mr. Grist
  [holding answer 8 February 1988]: The available information is published in "Welsh Costing Returns: Year ending 31 March 1987", copies of which will be placed in the Library of the House.

  General Practitioners
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the estimated cost of each general practitioner consultation in Wales in 1986–87.

  Mr. Grist
  [holding answer 8 February 1988]: This information is not available.

  Hospitals (Accommodation and Food Costs)
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is the estimated daily cost of(a) accommodation and (b) food in each district health authority in Wales.
  124
  and two years; and if he will make a statement as to the distribution of different operations outstanding according to length of time.

  Mr. Grist
  [holding answer 8 February 1988]: The information requested is not available centrally for current patients. The table relates to patients discharged from hospital in 1986, the latest year for which complete information is available.

  Mr. Grist
  [holding answer 8 February 1988]: The information requested is set out in the table:

  District Health Authority

  Accommodation

  Food

  (£ per day)

  (£ per day)

  Clwyd

  47,110

  4,217

  East Dyfed

  29,378

  2,619

  Gwent

  65,194

  5,529

  Gwynedd

  30,563

  2,414

  Mid Glamorgan

  76,885

  6,409

  Pembrokeshire

  7,431

  565

  Powys

  14,448

  1,342

  South Glamorgan

  75,964

  5,971

  West Glamorgan

  49,614

  4,182

  WHCSA

  2,198

  —

  Wales

  398,785

  33,248

  1. Accommodation costs include: Catering, Domestic/Cleaning, Portering, Laundry, Linen Services, Transport, Estate Management, Rent and Miscellaneous expenses.

  2. These figures relate to all accommodation and food costs and are therefore not related exclusively to patient services' costs.

OVERSEAS DEVELOPMENT

  Training and Scholarships
  Mr. Faulds
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how much money given by Her Majesty's Government was applied for training and scholarships for(a) Greek Cypriots and (b) Turkish Cypriots in the last three financial years;

  (2) how many (a) Greek Cypriots and (b) Turkish Cypriots received training or scholarships funded wholly or partly by Her Majesty's Government in each of the last three financial years.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  Information for the period in question could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Cyprus
  Mr. Faulds
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, in view of the finding of the Select Committee on Foreign Affairs that by most criteria the southern sector of Cyprus is no longer eligible for economic aid, how much money will be applied in future in aid to or for the benefit of Greek Cypriots.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  Bilateral aid is provided on a Government-to-Government basis. Our bilateral aid to Cyprus in 1986–87 was £222,000. We expect to spend about the same in 1987–88.

  Mr. Faulds
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he will take to increase aid to the Turkish Cypriots, in the light of their lower per capita income than Greek Cypriots.

  Mr. Chris Patten
  I refer the hon. Member to paragraphs 7–9 of the Government's observations on the third report of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Session 1986–87, on Cyprus (Cm. 232).

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

  Unification Church
  Mr. Wilshire
  To ask the Attorney-General if he will specify the sources and nature of the evidence obtained while preparing for the now abandoned appeal against the decision not to remove charity status from the Unification Church.

  The Attorney-General
  The Treasury Solicitor, on my behalf, obtained and considered evidence from some 70 persons, and from additional groups, who have in the past been associated with the Unification Church or who have had experience of its activities. They fell within the following categories:Those who gave evidence in the libel action against Associated Newspapers Group Ltd.
  Those identified by Members of Parliament and others as potential witnesses;
  Those identified from television programmes and from other media sources as potential witnesses;
  Those who came forward as potential witnesses.

  Inquiries were also made of persons and groups who were believed to have special knowledge of the Unification Church. Evidence was additionally obtained from a professor of the history and philosophy of religion and from a reader in sociology.

  Mr. Wilshire
  To ask the Attorney-General pursuant to his statement of 3 February Official Report, column 978,
  126
  if he will specify in what ways the evidence gathered for the now abandoned appeal against the decision not to remove charity status from the Unification Church was found to be insufficiently reliable.

  The Attorney-General
  In most cases the evidence obtained on my behalf was directed to specific matters or events from which the court would have been asked, in support of my appeal, to draw inferences as to the general character of the practices and teachings of the Unification Church. The process of considering and testing the evidence adduced in these proceedings by the defendant trustees, together with further material which since the institution of the proceedings has become available to me, has now satisfied me that I can no longer properly invite the court, on the basis of the evidence originally available, to draw those inferences to which I have referred.

  In so concluding, I have had in mind that the court would require strong evidence before inferring that the practices and teachings of the Unification Church are open to such objection as to deny it the strong legal presumption of charitable status which the law accords to all religions without distinction, and to which 1 referred in my oral answer of 3 February.

ENVIRONMENT

  Crown Suppliers (Employees)
  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether clerical grades in the Crown Suppliers will be given the option of transferring back into the Civil Service, were the Crown Suppliers to be sold.

  Mr. Chope
  Yes, but only if there are vacant posts for which Crown Suppliers clerical employees are suitable at the appropriate time.

  Mr. Neil Hamilton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what provisions will be made in respect of Civil Service pension rights for clerical grades in the event of the sale of the Crown Suppliers; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Chope
  In the event of a sale, clerical and other grades would have the benefit of pension rights under their new employer comparable to those which they now possess.

  London Docklands
  Mr. Leighton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what estimates the London Docklands development corporation has made of construction industry labour requirements for each of the years of the next decade in London docklands.

  Mr. Trippier
  Detailed information is not available at present, but the LDDC proposes to commission a survey to enable detailed estimates to be made.

  Swimming Facilities (Disabled People)
  Mr. Simon Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the provision of swimming facilities for the disabled in England and Wales.

  Mr. Moynihan
  The British Association for Disabled People regularly inspects the 1,000 or so public sector
  127
  pools in England and Wales and maintains a register of their suitability for those with various handicaps. Of this total, organised swimming sessions for disabled people are held in about 2,490 swimming pools.

  London Docklands Development Corporation
  Mr. Boyes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what are the implications of the resignation of the chief executive of the London Docklands development corporation, Major-General Jeremy Rougier; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Trippier
  None. Major-General Rougier resigned for private family reasons.

  Water Supplies
  Ms. Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what action he proposes to take to ensure

  Water Authority

  1978–79

  1979–80

  1980–81

  1981–82

  1982–83

  1983–84

  1984–85

  1985–86

  1986–87

  1987–88

  Water Supply

  North West

  100·0

  109·5

  139·9

  155·1

  164·5

  164·5

  167·4

  190·5

  210·1

  224·4

  Northumbrian

  100·0

  105·3

  127·5

  158·6

  185·5

  209·7

  225·2

  241·0

  251·6

  260·8

  Severn Trent

  100·0

  114·7

  138·4

  164·3

  182·9

  187·2

  194·2

  209·3

  225·5

  241·9

  Yorkshire

  100·0

  110·2

  136·3

  151·3

  167·1

  174·2

  184·5

  206·3

  227·5

  245·4

  Anglian

  100·0

  117·2

  153·9

  176·8

  190·4

  192·6

  201·8

  223·0

  250·3

  266·0

  Thames

  100·0

  113·8

  142·8

  156·8

  171·3

  189·3

  204·3

  224·8

  231·5

  244·2

  Southern

  100·0

  105·3

  136·8

  153·2

  171·6

  178·8

  187·4

  207·9

  226·1

  238·2

  Wessex

  100·0

  123·2

  141·7

  155·6

  163·3

  167·4

  169·7

  184·8

  202·6

  213·3

  South West

  100·0

  114·1

  131·4

  149·2

  162·0

  171·2

  177·1

  184·7

  196·6

  204·4

  English Averages

  100·0

  112·4

  140·1

  158·2

  172·4

  181·3

  189·0

  208·6

  225·8

  239·3

  Welsh

  100·0

  112·8

  135·6

  163·4

  200·9

  209·8

  209·8

  231·6

  242·6

  267·8

  National Average

  100·0

  112·4

  139·8

  158·6

  155·4

  163·3

  169·5

  187·0

  202·3

  214·6

  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the quality of water supplies in the metropolitan district of Bradford in relation to EEC standards; how many complaints he has received in each of the last five years on this matter; and what action is being taken to improve the quality of water supplies in the district.

  Mr. Moynihan
  The major water supply serving the metropolitan district of Bradford complies with the EC drinking water directive. Seven smaller supplies, serving parts of the district, do not comply with the directive, mainly because of naturally occurring aluminium and manganese, which are not considered to be a risk to health. I have not received any complaints about these supplies. In order to improve the water quality, Yorkshire water authority proposes to modify or replace the treatment works for these supplies. A programme of action is under way and in all but one case should be completed by April 1989.

  Nature Reserves
  Mr. Morley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a statement on the responses he has received following the suggestion that nature reserves should be privatised.
  128
  that nitrate levels in water do not increase to a level that exceeds EEC directives and endangers public health in Stoke-on-Trent and north Staffordshire; what is the cost of such action; who will bear these costs; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Moynihan
  These are matters for the Severn-Trent water authority to consider in the first instance. I understand that no public water supplies in the areas contain nitrate concentrations which exceed the laid down in the EC drinking water directive.

  Mr. Boyes
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish a table in the Official Report showing the price of water from each water authority from 1978–79 until the latest date available, taking the 1978–79 price as a base of 100.

  Mr. Moynihan
  Information on average household bills for water supply is shown in the table, in the form requested by the hon. Member.

  Mr. Moynihan
  My Department has received a number of letters on this subject following press publicity last month which overlooked the fact that the majority of national nature reserves are already in private ownership. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State to the hon. Member for Copeland (Dr. Cunningham) on 13 January 1988, at columns 281–82.

  Nature Conservancy Council
  Dr. Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he last met the chairman of the Nature Conservancy Council; and what matters were discussed.

  Mr. Moynihan
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment met the chairman of the Nature Conservancy Council on 14 December 1987. A wide range of topics related to NCC operations were discussed.

  Cash Limits
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has any changes to announce to his Department's cash limits.

  Mr. Ridley
  The cash limit for class X, vote 2 (Central Environmental Services, etc.) has been reduced by £0·15 million from £199·318 million to £199·168 million. The
  129
  cash limit for class X, vote 4 (Royal Palaces, Royal Parks, Historic Buildings, Ancient Monuments and National Heritage) has been reduced by £0·5 million from £106·697 million to £106·197 million. The cash limit for class X, vote 9 (Sale of shares in the water services public limited companies) has been reduced from £2 million to £1 million. These changes all reflect reduced forecast expenditure this financial year. The savings of £1·65 million have been surrendered to the reserve.

  Receipts to the Housing Corporation's approved development programme are now forecast to exceed provision by some £30 million-£35 million. I have given my approval for the corporation to increase gross expenditure equal to the major part of the excess. The corporation's net cash limit (DOE/HC1) has, however, been reduced by £2·9 million from £638·33 million to £635·43 million. £2·39 million of the reduction will be used to offset increased expenditure of that amount on class IX, vote 1, resulting from higher claims by local authorities for main housing subsidy in the current year. The remaining £0·51 million has been surrendered to the reserve.

  Ordnance Survey
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to publish the Ordnance Survey plan for 1988 to 1991.

  Mr. Moynihan
  I have today approved the Ordnance Survey plan for 1988–91 and I shall arrange for copies to be placed in the Library of the House.

  Urban Programme
  Sir Brandon Rhys Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what resources will be available for local authorities in the urban programme in 1988–89; and whether he will make a statement.

  Mr. Trippier
  I am today announcing initial urban programme resource allocations for 1988–89, totalling £259 million. This will support projects in 57 urban programme partnership and programme authorities. It will help further the Government's commitment to revitalising inner cities by, amongst other things, regenerating local economies and creating jobs, encouraging training and supporting environmental improvements.

  The urban programme is just one of the Government's tools in the drive to improve conditions in inner cities. More than £200 million will be spent by the urban development corporations in England in 1988–89. Private investment projects in the 57 urban programme areas will receive additional support though the Department's urban development grant, urban regeneration grant and derelict land grant. In addition, other Government Departments provide a wide range of support for investment, training and business development, all designed to foster enterprise and promote new opportunities and economic growth in rundown urban areas.

  The urban programme allocations made today are provisional: formal allocations are made — after inner area programmes (IAPs) have been assessed and approved. In the case of authorities with partnership or programme status in 1986–87, allocations are also conditional on their providing a satisfactory annual report on achievements through the UP in 1986–87. Additional
  130
  resources sometimes become available for redistribution in the course of the year which may lead to outturn being different from these initial allocations.

  I attach considerable importance to the improvement in the management of the urban programme and am grateful to authorities for their continuing commitment to and achievements in the urban programme management initiative (UPM).

  The allocations to individual authorities are as follows.

  Region and Authority

  Initial Allocation 1988–89 £ million

  Northern

  Newcastle/Gateshead

  16·84

  Hartlepool

  1·75

  Langbaurgh

  1·75

  Middlesbrough

  5·50

  North Tyneside

  3·42

  South Tyneside

  4·40

  Stockton

  1·37

  Sunderland

  4·40

  North West

  Manchester/Salford

  22·20

  Blackburn

  4·00

  Bolton

  3·75

  Burnley

  1·80

  Oldham

  3·70

  Preston

  2·00

  Rochdale

  3·60

  Wigan

  2·20

  Merseyside

  Liverpool

  20·50

  Halton

  1·43

  Knowsley

  3·91

  St· Helens

  1·70

  Sefton

  1·50

  Wirral

  3·42

  West Midlands

  Birmingham

  24·68

  Coventry

  4·79

  Dudley

  1·25

  Sandwell

  4·87

  Walsall

  1·50

  Wolverhampton

  5·39

  The Wrekin

  0·57

  East Midlands

  Derby

  1·41

  Leicester

  5·43

  Nottingham

  5·50

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  Barnsley

  1·50

  Bradford

  4·50

  Doncaster

  1·75

  Hull

  4·89

  Kirklees

  0·82

  Leeds

  4·40

  Rotherham

  1·75

  Sheffield

  5·50

  London

  Hackney

  9·66

  Islington

  9·65

  Lambeth

  11·75

  Brent

  3·91

  Greenwich

  1·90

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  4·31

  Haringey

  2·25

  Kensington and Chelsea

  1·85

  Lewisham

  1·95

  Newham

  2·25

  Southwark

  2·25

  Tower Hamlets

  4·50

  131

  Region and Authority

  Initial Allocation 1988–89 £ million

  Wandsworth

  4·50

  South West

  Bristol

  1·50

  Plymouth

  1·0

  Secure Car Service
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what has been the annual cost of the secure car service in each of the past five years.

  Mr. Chope
  [holding answer 8 February 1988]: All Ministers are entitled to a secure chauffer driven official vehicle when on Government business. The cost of providing this service for the years 1982–83 to 1985–86 were provided on 23 February 1987, at column 95. The costs for 1986–87 were provided on 23 July 1987, at column 180.

  Women's Indoor Abseiling
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has as to the facilities which are made available for women's indoor abseiling; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Moynihan
  [holding answer 5 February 1988]: I think I know what may have prompted my hon. Friend to ask this interesting question. So far as I am aware, there is no such provision in the Palace of Westminster. However, there are about 145 special climbing wall facilities in England and Wales as well as over 1,000 sports halls which provide abseiling facilities. Women, as well as men, have access to these facilities. Details of their location can be obtained from either the Sports Council or the Sports Council for Wales—Cyngor Chwaraeon Cymru.

  Name

  Appointing authority

  Place of residence

  Mrs. E. Andrews

  Secretary of State

  Flash

  Mr. J. Beadle

  Derbyshire CC

  Derby

  Councillor R. J. Beaver

  North-East Derbyshire DC

  Stretton

  Mr. K. Campbell

  Secretary of State

  Dore

  Mr. J. Cant

  Secretary of State

  Youlgreave

  Major-General P. B. Cavendish

  Secretary of State

  Youlgreave

  Councillor Mrs. C. M. N. Gowther

  Derbyshire Dales DC

  Bakewell

  Councillor G. M. Doughty

  Derbyshire CC

  New Mills

  Councillor G. W. Driver

  Macclesfield BC

  Higher Poynton

  Councillor J. H. Edwards

  Staffordshire CC

  Stoke-on-Trent

  Mr. J. S. Elliott

  Secretary of State

  Hope

  Miss. C. H. Harlow

  Derbyshire CC

  Whaley Bridge

  Councillor K. C. Hinchcliffe

  Cheshire CC

  Rainow

  Councillor of C. B. Hoole

  Derbyshire Dales CC

  Baslow

  Councillor D. J. Hunter

  Barnsley MBC

  Barnsley

  Councillor L. Kershaw

  Kirklees MBC

  Bradford

  Mr. C. Langford-Mycock

  Secretary of State

  Waterhouses

  Mrs. P. Mason

  Secretary of State

  Hope

  Mr. L. G. Meadowcroft

  Secretary of State

  Stockport

  Councillor J. M. Murphy

  Derbyshire CC

  Staveley

  Councillor M. J. Pye

  Sheffield CC

  Sheffield

  Mr. J. C. Ratcliffe

  Derbyshire CC

  Church Gresley

  Miss E. J. Robinson

  Secretary of State

  Sheffield

  Councillor R. Semple

  Oldham MBC

  Oldham

  Councillor D. A. Skinner

  Sheffield CC

  Sheffield

  Councillor G. Speight

  Kirklees MBC

  Batley

  Councillor M. Tappin

  Staffordshire CC

  Stoke-on-Trent

  Leeds-Bradford Airport
  Mrs. Peacock
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment when he expects to announce the findings of the Leeds-Bradford airport public inquiry into extended flying hours; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Trippier
  The inspector has completed his report of the inquiry and his findings are now being carefully considered. When this has been concluded, a decision will be issued jointly by the Secretaries of State for the Environment and for Transport.

  Whilst every effort will be made to reach the decision with the minimum of delay, I cannot predict at this stage when that will be.

  Peak Park
  Mr. McLoughlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many members of the Peak Park planning board, as a percentage of the total, lived outside the area of the park, in the year the board first met, and at subsequent three-year intervals until the present day.

  Mr. Moynihan
  [pursuant to his reply 20 November 1987, c. 682]: Sixty five per cent. at present. Records of the addresses of local authority members in previous years are not held centrally.

  Mr. McLoughlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) if he will list the present members of the Peak Park planning board, together with the body that appointed them, their qualifications, and place of residence;

  (2) how many of the members of the Peak Park planning board live within the area of the Peak Park; and, of those, which were appointed by local authorities and which by himself.

  Mr. Moynihan
  [pursuant to his reply, 20 November 1987, c. 682]: Four out of 23 appointed by local authorities and eight out of 11 appointed by my right hon. Friend. Current membership and places of residence are:
  133

  Name

  Appointing authority

  Place of residence

  Mrs. J. Thornton

  Secretary of State

  Matlock

  Councillor Mrs. E. M. Tomlinson

  High Peak BC

  Buxton

  Mr. M. Vallance

  Secretary of State

  Eyam

  Councillor Mrs. Watkins

  Derbyshire CC

  Derby

  Councillor L. A. Watson

  Cheshire CC

  Congleton

  Councillor G. N. Wilson

  Derbyshire CC

  Youlgreave

  Vacancy

  Derbyshire CC

  Biographical details of the entire membership are not held centrally.

  National Parks
  Mr. McLoughlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will list how many members of each national park planning board live within the area of that park as a percentage of the total numbers on each board.

  Mr. Moynihan
  [pursuant to his reply, 20 November 1987, c. 683]: The information for the seven English national parks has been reassessed as follows:

  Park

  Members

  Number living within park

  Percentage of total number

  Dartmoor

  21

  7

  33

  Exmoor

  21

  6

  29

  Lake District

  30

  12

  40

  Northumberland

  27

  1

  4

  North York Moors

  27

  6

  22

  Peak District

  34

  12

  35

  Yorkshire Dales

  24

  6

  25

  The three Welsh national parks are the responsibility of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

  Waste Disposal (Dawdon)
  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what is the amount of waste being tipped annually off Dawdon as(a) slurry, (b) solid waste and (c) toxic waste; and if he will indicate for each category the points of origin;

  (2) if he will make a statement on the environmental implications of recent proposals by British Coal to dispose of increased amounts of slurry and coal waste off Dawdon.

  Mr. Gummer
  I have been asked to reply.

  The discharge of waste, including slurry, by pipeline at Dawdon is a matter for the Northumbrian water authority which regulates such disposal under the Control of Pollution Act 1974.

  Beach tipping is regulated by my Department under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985; 2·5 million tonnes of solid colliery waste is licensed annually for disposal in the Dawdon area in this way. The material originates from Easington, Dawdon, Vane Tempest, Seaham and Hawthorn collieries. No proposal has been made by British Coal for an increase in this licensed quantity. No dumping of other wastes at Dawdon is currently licensed under the 1985 Act.

TRANSPORT

  Low-Alcohol Beers
  Mr. Boyes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the impact of the sale of 134
  low-alcohol and alcohol-free beers at prices higher than alcoholic beers on the Government's campaign to discourage drinking and driving; and if he will make representations to the Brewers' Society on the situation.

  Mr. Peter Bottomley
  Prices should be determined by supply, demand and competition. Sales of low alcohol and non-alcohol beers have been increasing rapidly. The choice of brands is increasing.

  There are encouraging efforts by the brewers to promote low and non-alcoholic beers. The wide availability of attractive alternatives to alcoholic drinks is an important contribution to the campaign against drinking and driving.

PRIME MINISTER

  European Fighter Aircraft
  Mr. Cran
  To ask the Prime Minister when she next intends to meet other Heads of Government to discuss the future of the European fighter aircraft.

  The Prime Minister
  I have no plans to do so at present.

  South-East Wales (Visit)
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Prime Minister if she has any plans to visit south-east Wales in the near future.

  The Prime Minister
  I have at present no plans to do so.

  Lychett Minster (Visit)
  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  To ask the Prime Minister if she plans to visit Lychett Minster.

  The Prime Minister
  I have at present no plans to do so.

  Pay Scales
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Prime Minister what is the pay scale of(a) a personal secretary employed in her office and (b) a trained nurse, including London weighting, and so on.

  The Prime Minister
  The information requested is as follows:

  Personal Secretary

  Staff Nurse

  £ per annum

  £ per annum

  8,134

  8,230

  8,399

  8,490

  8,664

  8,750

  8,986

  9,010

  9,373

  9,270

  9,530

  The scales include inner London weighting of £1,527 per annum for personal secretaries, and London weighting of £930 per annum for nurses. Both groups are eligible for

  135
  various other payments including overtime, which are excluded from the scales quoted above. Personal secretaries can receive proficiency allowances depending on skill and a special pay addition of £400 based on recruitment and retention needs. Nurses are eligible for various leads and allowances, including special duty payments of up to 60 per cent. of basic pay for working unsocial hours on top of any overtime payments.

  Surplus Industrial Capacity
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Prime Minister whether the Government will provide funds for surplus industrial capacity to be set aside for use in times of war; and if she will make a statement.

  The Prime Minister
  We have no plans to do so.

  Doctors and Dentists (Pay)
  Mr. Leigh
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a statement on the latest report by the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration.

  The Prime Minister
  I have received the review body's report on the proposed new hospital staff grade, which is being published this afternoon. Copies will be available in the Vote Office. The Government are grateful to the chairman and members for the speed and thoroughness of their deliberations. The salary scale they have recommended is from £13,720, progressing by six equal increments to £20,470. The Government propose to accept the review body's recommendation. There will be further discussions with the profession's representatives to finalise detailed arrangements with the aim of introducing the new grade in the spring.

  Engagements
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 9 February.

  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 9 February.

  Mr. Wigley
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 9 February.

  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 9 February.

  Mr. Stern
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 9 February.

  Mr. Janner
  To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Tuesday 9 February.

  The Prime Minister
  This morning I had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. I attended the memorial service for Lord Duncan Sandys at St. Margaret's, Westminster. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today. This evening I hope to have an audience of Her Majesty the Queen.

DEFENCE

  AIDS
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his reply of 14 December 1987,Official Report, column 415, if he will give his reasons for not testing all Army recruits for HIV status.
  136
  Mr. Freeman
  The scale of the AIDS problem is such that we see no need at present for general compulsory screening. The MOD policy not to test all Army recruits for HIV status is in accordance with Government policy on employment. Within the service, those who consider themselves to have been at risk are encouraged to undergo voluntary screening and to seek immediate confidential advice from their unit medical officers.

  Service Personnel (Electors)
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the total number of service personnel in each branch of the armed forces who are registered as electors for the latest year for which statistics are available; and what is the percentage these figures represent or the total manpower in each service.

  Mr. Freeman
  The statistics requested are as follows:

  As at 31 December 1987

  RN-RM

  Army

  RAF

  Numbers registered as electors

  51,684

  103,480

  50,855

  As percentage of strength

  79

  65

  54

  All figures exclude service spouses also registered under the service voters provisions.

  Nuclear Weapons (Transportation)
  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many nuclear weapons have been transported within or through the Clydesdale constituency since 1979.

  Mr. Ian Stewart
  It has been the practice of successive Governments not to give details of the movement of nuclear weapons.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  South African Embassy (Incident)
  Mr. John Carlisle
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has received reports from the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis of an incident that took place outside the South African embassy on Tuesday 19 January which resulted in injury to a superintendent of police.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  My hon. Friend may be referring to an incident which took place at the Strand entrance to Charing Cross underground station on 19 January. I understand fronm the commissioner that a police superintendent was pushed down the underground stairs and assaulted. The assailant ran off before help could be summoned and to date has not been identified. Police inquiries into the incident are continuing.

  Lunar House (Unopened Mail)
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unopened items of mail were held at Lunar house, Croydon, as at 21 January.

  Mr. Renton
  The number of unopened items of mail, and those opened for the extraction of fees but not yet acknowledged, on 21 January 1988 was approximately 200,000. Vigorous steps are being taken to deal with this backlog, the prime reason for which is the very large number of applications for registration as British citizens received before the deadline of 31 December 1987.

  Lunar House (Staff)
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff were employed in the various departments at Lunar House, Croydon, on 1 January for each of the years 1985 to 1988.

  Mr. Renton
  The figures for staff in post in the immigration and nationality department based at Lunar house in January for each of the years 1985 to 1988 are as follows:

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  B1 Division

  434

  472

  468

  484

  B2 Division

  33

  55

  54

  58

  B3 Division

  167

  176

  168

  161

  B4 Division

  258

  217

  225

  230

  B5 Division1

  404

  382

  472

  492

  Immigration Service Headquarters

  96

  98

  98

  101

  1 B5 figures include staff providing common services (eg messengers) for non-IND Home Office Departments at Lunar House. From 1987 the B5 figures also include staff working on IND computer projects who were previously working in the central Home Office computer division.

  Variations of Leave
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average length of time it takes for his Department to process applications for(a) variation of leave for a visitor and (b) variation of leave for a person who arrives as a visitor and wishes to remain on the basis of marriage.

  Mr. Renton
  Excluding cases decided on the same day by the public inquiry office, the average length of time between the receipt of an application and the decision for cases decided in 1987 was about three months for those who applied to extend their leave as a visitor and between eight and nine months for visitors who applied to remain on the basis of marriage.

  Police (Personal Records)
  Sir Eldon Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has as to which police forces keep records of complaints against police officers that are unsubstantiated; and why some of these forces are proposing to transfer to police officers' personal records such unsubstantiated material.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  Regulation 12 of the Police (Complaints) (General) Regulations 1985 requires all chief officers of police to keep a register of complaints against members of his force and this records the outcome of all such complaints.

  The contents of a police officer's personal record are determined by regulation 19 of the Police Regulations 1987; they do not include records of unsubstantiated complaints against the officer concerned. We have no information to suggest that forces are failing to comply with this regulation or are proposing to ignore it. But personnel management considerations suggest that a chief officer should make arrangements to be aware of the complaints attracted by individual members of his force. Such arrangements are a matter for the chief officer concerned.
  138
  Sir Eldon Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department why he is proposing that police officers personal records shall be expanded to include material at present included only in divisional discipline books.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  We have made no such proposal.

  Prisoners (Lock-up Charges)
  Mr. Page
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for the metropolitan and county police forces the lock-up charges for prisoners, as invoiced to the prison service; and what is the annual total amount spent under this heading.

  Mr. Douglas Hogg
  In the current financial year up to 31 January 1988, a total of £13,431,673 had been paid to police authorities for accommodating prisoners in police cells. This compares with expenditure of £6,152,858 in the financial year 1986–87. Charges raised by police forces are for actual additional costs incurred, but it is possible to calculate an implied per capital rate per night from the invoices submitted. The table shows the implied per capita rate per night for each police force which accommodated prisoners in the current financial year.

  Police Force

  Implied per capita rate per night

  £

  Avon and Somerset

  73

  Bedfordshire

  66

  Cambridgeshire

  176

  Cheshire

  163

  Cheshire

  2113

  Devon and Cornwall

  144

  Essex

  44

  Greater Manchester

  45

  Gwent

  123

  Hampshire

  105

  Kent

  138

  Merseyside

  72

  Metropolitan

  201

  Norfolk

  55

  Northamptonshire

  102

  Sussex

  65

  Surrey

  149

  West Midlands

  21

  Wiltshire

  45

  1 For prisoners held on behalf of North Region.

  2 For prisoners held on behalf of South East Region.

  Mr. Orkechurkwu Emmanuel Ejoh
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will release from detention Orkechurkwu Emmanuel Ejoh, pending his consideration of written representations made by the hon. Member for Bradford, West; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Renton
  No. Mr. Ejoh claimed on arrival to have been born in the United Kingdom but the immigration officer was not satisfied that this was so and refused him leave to enter. An independent adjudicator dismissed his appeal on 14 December and leave to appeal to the immigration appeals tribunal was refused on 12 January.

  Unification Church
  Mr. Wilshire
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if, in the light of the Attorney-General's withdrawal of his appeal against the decision not
  139
  to remove charity status from the Unification Church, he will indicate what plans he has to review charity legislation; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. John Patten
  The Government have already announced their intention to bring forward legislation to improve the supervision of charities by implementing the recommendations of Sir Philip Woodfield's efficiency scrutiny. The implications of the Attorney-General's recent decision to discontinue his action against the Unification Church are being studied closely.

  Offenders (Electronic Tagging)
  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to evaluate electronic tagging for offenders; and if he will make a statement.

  Applications for a visit visa, November 1986 to October 1987

  Number of persons

  Received

  Granted

  Refused initially

  Withdrawn or lapsed1

  Increase in applications awaiting decision2

  Bangladesh

  9,380

  6,740

  1,920

  300

  420

  India

  98,020

  90,630

  4,670

  1,490

  1,240

  Pakistan

  58,440

  47,900

  6,650

  1,860

  2,020

  Ghana

  12,100

  9,440

  2,330

  270

  50

  Nigeria3

  43,530

  38,120

  2,920

  42,490

  221,470

  192,830

  18,500

  10,130

  1 Net of applications revived.

  2 Most of which had been deferred for further inquiries or referred to the Home Office for decision.

  3 Data relate to the period February to October 1987.

  4 Based on incomplete information it is estimated that all these applications had been withdrawn or lapsed, and that there had been no increase in applications awaiting decision.

SCOTLAND

  Health and Personal Social Services
  Sir Brandon Rhys Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish a table setting out for 1987–88 and 1988–89 the estimated number of(a) families and (b) persons in each health region or equivalent, and in Scotland as a whole, showing net average expenditure on health and personal social services per family and per person in each year, and distinguishing between expenditure on the National Health Service and on the personal social services

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The information is not available in the form requested.

  The following table gives population projections for each health board area at June 1987 and June 1988. These figures are assumptions derived from actual population figures in June 1985.

  1987

  1988

  Argyll and Clyde

  444,742

  443,648

  Ayrshire and Arran

  375,571

  375,780

  Borders

  102,323

  102,667

  Dumfries and Galloway

  147,419

  147,909

  Fife

  345,109

  346,029

  Forth Valley

  272,400

  272,550

  Grampian

  504,939

  506,556

  140
  Mr. John Patten
  Several systems are in use in North America and others are being developed here. We are considering whether electronic monitoring would be useful to enforce curfews or track an offender's whereabouts. This could be part of new arrangements for punishment in the community, as an alternative to custody. We hope to announce proposals later this year.

  Immigration
  Mr. Soames
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons in(a) Bangladesh, (b) India, (c) Pakistan, (d) Ghana and (e) Nigeria applied for a visa to visit the United Kingdom in the 12 month period November 1986 to October 1987; and what was the outcome of those applications.

  Mr. Renton
  The information is given in the table. The visa requirement for citizens of Nigeria was not introduced until 1 February 1987.

  1987

  1988

  Greater Glasgow

  954,913

  949,070

  Highland

  202,331

  203,593

  Lanarkshire

  563,786

  562,003

  Lothian

  743,141

  743,672

  Orkney

  19,298

  19,302

  Shetland

  23,713

  23,823

  Tayside

  393,041

  393,180

  Western Isles

  31,453

  31,401

  SCOTLAND TOTAL

  5,124,179

  5,121,183

  No data are available on the number of families in Scotland.

  Expenditure on the National Health Service cannot be broken down by health board area since a significant part of Health Service expenditure is incurred centrally. Most expenditure on social work is incurred by local authorities and figures by health board area are not held centrally.

  Estimates of net total expenditure on health and social work per head of population in Scotland are as follows:

  1987–88 £

  1988–89 £

  Health

  444

  467

  Social Work1

  81

  85

  1 The local authority current expenditure element of the 1987–88 figure is based on actual social work budgets, while the 1988–89 figure is based on the service provision within the rate support grant settlement.

  Coatbridge Ambulance Depot
  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what facilities are available for personnel at the Coatbridge ambulance depot.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Staff facilities at the ambulance station comprises a mess room, kitchen, separate male and female toilets and locker rooms.

  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many persons are employed at the Coatbridge ambulance depot; and what are their designations.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  There are 52 staff based at the ambulance station, as follows:

  1 station officer

  28 qualified ambulancemen

  15 ambulancemen

  6 relief ambulancemen

  1 mechanic

  1 semi-skilled mechanic.

  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many vehicles are in use at the Coatbridge ambulance depot; and what arrangements are made for their repair and maintenance.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  There are 22 ambulances and one van based at Coatbridge ambulance station. Most maintenance and repair work is carried out at the station itself where there is a fully-equipped one-bay workshop. Back-up is provided by the Motherwell ambulance station, which has a six-bay workshop.

  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what geographical areas are serviced by the Coatbridge ambulance depot.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The areas normally served by Coatbridge ambulance station include Airdrie, Bellshill, Coatbridge, Uddingston and Bothwell, Viewpark and parts of the local motorway network. Ambulances from the station may also be called upon to assist throughout Lanarkshire and Forth valley as necessary.

  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what hospitals are serviced by the Coatbridge ambulance depot.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The station serves Monklands district general hospital, Bellshill maternity hospital, Law hospital, Stonehouse hospital and Hairmyres hospital. Patients are also conveyed to and from hospitals in Glasgow.

  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he has any plans for extending and improving facilities at the Coatbridge ambulance depot; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  I understand that a proposal to build a replacement for the present station is, together with other competing priorities, under consideration by the Common Services Agency, of which the Scottish ambulance service is a division.

  NHS (Administrative Staff)
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give(a) the number of administrative staff employed by the Health Service in Scotland since 1979; and (b) the total sums each year since 1979, spent on administrative salaries.
  142
  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The numbers of administrative and clerical staff, including medical secretaries, employed by health boards and the Common Services Agency, together with their salary costs, are set out in the table:

  Number of administrative and clerical staff1

  Expenditure on salaries £'thousand

  1979–80

  13,121·6

  54,091

  1980–81

  13,225·7

  70,603

  1981–82

  13,628·8

  77,078

  1982–83

  13,880·4

  83,398

  1983–84

  14,088·0

  88,280

  1984–85

  14,052·8

  93,089

  1985–86

  14,315·1

  98,649

  1986–87

  14,455·5

  106,305

  1 Whole—time equivalents as at 30 September each years.

  Clydesdale (Population)
  Mr. Hood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will give the population of each of the towns and villages in the Clydesdale constituency.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The information available at the required level of detail is derived from the 1981 census. The continuously built-up areas in Clydesdale constituency with usually resident populations of 500 or more at that time were as follows:

  Area

  Population

  Ashgill

  958

  Biggar

  1,921

  Carluke (including Castlehill)

  11,708

  Carnwath

  1,363

  Carstairs

  763

  Carstairs Junction

  908

  Coalburn

  1,222

  Douglas

  1,718

  Forth

  2,891

  Kirkmuirhill

  3,619

  Lanark (including Bellefield Hospital & Kirkfieldbank)

  9,672

  Law

  2,738

  Lesmahagow

  3,396

  Netherburn

  757

  Rigside

  1,059

  Stonehouse

  5,093

  West End (including Carstairs State Hospital)

  661

  School Nurses
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list in the Official Report, for each year over the last five up to the latest year for which figures are available (a) the number of school nurses employed, given as total, whole-time, part-time, and whole-time equivalent, (b) the establishment figure for school nurses and (c) the number of vacant posts.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  The number of school nurses employed by health boards in Scotland and in post at 30 September in each of the last five years is as follows. Information about funded establishments and vacant posts is not held centrally.

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  11987

  Whole time

  129·0

  118·0

  117·0

  120·0

  116·0

  Part time

  162·0

  167·0

  179·0

  189·0

  189·0

  Whole time equivalent

  234·9

  227·4

  234·5

  245·9

  240·7

  1 Provisional figure.

  Private Health Insurance
  Mr. Batiste
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what estimate he has of the proportion of the population of Scotland which is not covered, in whole or in part, by private health insurance.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  None.

  Children's Hearings System
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he intends to introduce any proposals to significantly alter the children's hearing system; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  No. In setting up a review of child care law in Scotland we made it clear that children's hearings will continue their central role in the Scottish system for dealing with children in need of compulsory measures of care.

  Child Law Reform Group
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he intends to announce the membership of the child law reform group.

  Mr. Michael Forsyth
  Within the next few days.

  District Councils (Capital Allocations)
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how the amount of capital receipts received by a district council affects its capital allocations; and if he will make a statement.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  District councils receive two allocations covering housing and general services respectively. Gross housing capital allocations are determined, within the total gross resources available, on the basis of individual authorities' relative needs. The net allocation for each authority is calculated by deducting estimated receipts from its gross allocation. The estimate of receipts is discussed fully with each authority and can be updated until March, when final allocations are issued.

  After final allocations are issued, each authority has consent to incur during that year's capital expenditure up to its net figure, plus actual receipts generated. It is therefore in an authority's interest to generate as great a volume of receipts as possible; for example, by encouraging the sale of council houses under tenants' right to buy.

  Authorities' estimates of the capital receipts they expect to raise are one of the factors taken into account in determining their general services allocations, which are issued, on a net basis, in February. A district council may augment its capital allocation by an amount equivalent to the actual capital receipts it raises in the year. Receipts raised on general services may not be applied to housing expenditure and vice versa.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how he deals with the covenant proposals of district councils in deciding capital allocations; and how covenant proposals are allocated for accounting purposes between different financial years.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  In deciding the level of an individual authority's capital allocation, full account is 144
  taken of the expenditure projections contained in the authority's financial plan submitted each year to my Department. The public accounting treatment of covenant schemes depends on the sums involved and the date on which they are entered into. Precise guidance on the treatment of covenant schemes is included in the explanatory memorandum enclosed with the letter issued each year by my Department notifying authorities of their capital allocations.

  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what are the principles used to decide upon capital allocations to district councils.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  The allocation of resources for capital expenditure by district councils are determined, within the resources available, on the basis of their relative needs. In the light of the financial plans they submit each year, authorities' relative needs are assessed taking account of a number of factors, including the capital costs of individual projects, the current expenditure consequences, their previous spending patterns and performance; authorities' forecast of capital receipts and the desirability of aiding continuity in financial planning by adhering to the provisional allocations already issued and the need to adjust these to reflect changes in circumstances or of emphasis in their financial plans.

  For housing allocations, also taken into account are authorities' capital programmes as set out in their housing plans and checklists.

  Housing Budget
  Mr. Worthington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the total amount allocated for housing in his Department's budget for 1988–89; and how it is disaggregated.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  Gross expenditure is planned to be £882 million, disaggregated as follows:

  £ million

  Gross capital expenditure

  Local authorities

  517

  Scottish Special Housing Association

  55

  Housing Corporation

  133

  Urban Regeneration

  12

  New Towns

  31

  Total

  748

  Current expenditure

  Local authorities

  76

  Scottish Special Housing Association

  22

  Housing Corporation

  4

  New Towns

  27

  Administration

  4

  Total

  133

  Total programme (gross)

  1882

  Capital receipts

  243

  Total programme (net)

  639

  1 Total does not add due to rounding.

  "Secret Society"
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to his reply of 27 January,Official Report, columns 244–95, what representations he made to

  145
  the BBC when it consulted the Government concerning the inclusion in the programme entitled "Cabinet" of the series "Secret Society" of classified information.

  Lord James Douglas-Hamilton
  [holding answer 1 February 1988]: My right hon. and learned Friend made no such representations.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Trans-Atlantic Fibre Optic Cable
  Mr. Carrington
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement on the implications for United Kingdom participation in the private trans-Atlantic fibre optic cable project of the Republic of Ireland's decision to participate therein.

  Mr. Butcher
  Through the decision to land a spur in the Republic of Ireland, Telecom Eireann has become the first European telecommunications administration to demonstrate a financial commitment to the private trans-Atlantic cable project. Telecom Eireann's decision is an important landmark in the success of this project and has been welcomed, in a message from my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to the Taoiseach, as an excellent example of combined American and Anglo-Irish industrial development.

  Copyright
  Mr. Rost
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster whether it is his intention, under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Bill[Lords], that copying done for private study of research using a reprographic process in a university library should be an infringement of copyright; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Butcher
  It is our intention that copying for private study and research purposes should be permitted, subject to certain conditions. The circumstances in which copyright material may be copied without infringement are set out in chapter III of part I of the Bill.

  Patent Office
  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) if he will publish as percentages the work of the Patent Office that is undertaken(a) by telephone, (b) as correspondence and (c) by applicants in person;

  (2) if he will publish a report on the work of the Patent Office including full details of the regions of the United Kingdom from which the work originated.

  Mr. Butcher
  Information about the work of the Patent Office is provided in the annual report to Parliament of the Comptroller-General of Patents, Designs and Trade Marks. However, the details which the hon. Member seeks are not available centrally and could not be compiled other than at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what consultations took place with users of Patent Office services, and its staff, before the decision was announced to move the office out of central London;

  (2) which owners of patents, trade marks or registered designs were consulted concerning the likely total cost to
  146
  them in Government fees, professional fees and ancillary costs arising from implementation of the proposal to move the Patent Office to south Wales;

  (3) what steps he is taking to ensure that the Patent Office retains the existing corps of technical examiners so as to maintain the continuity of experience required for the competent examination of patent applications across the full technical spectrum;

  (4) when the current independent financial basis for the functioning of the Patent Office will continue in such a way that its operations will neither be supported from, nor contribute to, Government revenues; and if he will make a statement;

  (5) whether the whole of the proportion of fees received for the renewal of European Patents (UK), currently retained by the Patent Office, will continue to accrue solely to the benefit of its operations; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Butcher
  The final decision on the future location of the Patent Office has not yet been announced, but, as my right hon. and learned Friend the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster stated in his reply to the hon. Member for Bradford, West (Mr. Madden) and for Harrogate (Mr. Banks) on 10 December 1987, column 239, we have been examining the possibility of relocating the Patent Office to Cardiff or Newport.

  With this in mind our officials have had discussions with representatives of the relevant professional organisations and the Federation of Trade Mark, Patent and Design Owners on the services needed to be retained in central London in order to ensure that the Patent Office continues to provide the range of services needed by industry and commerce for the efficient conduct of their business at the point where they are needed. The provision of a public office in London should ensure that no additional professional costs fall on customers, while the relocation of the main operations of the office away from London will reduce running costs to the ultimate benefit of users.

  A review of the financial basis of the Patent Office, including the level of European patent (UK) renewal fees to be retained by the office, is in progress.

  Patent examiners are mobile grades liable to serve anywhere in the country. I do not anticipate any problem in finding sufficient staff willing to work in south Wales.

  Further statements will be made about these issues in the near future.

  European Regional Development Fund
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will publish in the Official Report the bids for European regional development fund for 1988–89 and the comparative bids and allocations for 1987–88 British regions.

  Mr. Atkins
  The table shows European regional development fund commitments to the United Kingdom for the calendar year 1987 and the value of applications submitted during this period.

  £ million

  Commitments

  Applications

  North

  56

  —

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  30

  —

  East Midlands

  2

  —

  147

  Commitments

  Applications

  South West

  28

  —

  West Midlands

  65

  —

  North West

  36

  —

  England

  217

  256

  Wales

  54

  82

  Scotland

  83

  153

  Northern Ireland

  39

  53

  Multi-Regional

  3

  —

  United Kingdom

  396

  544

  The columns are, however, not directly comparable, since corresponding applications and commitments are not necessarily made in the same calendar (or financial) year. Thus, many 1987 commitments were applied for in 1986, and many of the outstanding 1987 applications can be expected to lead to commitments in 1988.

  The total of new applications in 1988 will exceed £400 million. Together with applications outstanding from 1987, they will comfortably suffice for 1988 commitments to a total at least similar to that in 1987. Full or regional estimates cannot however yet be made.

  Internal Market Council
  Dr. Blackburn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will report on the meeting of EC/EFTA Ministers and the Internal Market Council held on 2 February.

  Mr. Alan Clark
  The meeting of the European Community and European Free Trade Association Ministers re-affirmed the European Community's commitment to strengthen mutual co-operation with the European Free Trade Association in tackling barriers to trade at the same time as the Community makes progress on completion of its single market. European Community and European Free Trade Association Ministers also agreed a joint statement highlighting specific areas for action in the coming months. This gives priority to tackling problems of direct concern to industry, notably in the area of technical standards, origin documentation, and co-operation against counterfeiting.

  A meeting of the Internal Market Council followed, which considered proposals for a Community patent conversion and a regulation to establish a Community trade mark system. Technical issues will be pursued by the presidency and the Commission, and at working group level, with a view to further discussion at a forthcoming Council.

  British Steel
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what preparations he has made for the appointment of underwriters for the flotation of British Steel; when he hopes to make an appointment; and on what basis and when the advertising budget will be decided.

  Mr. Atkins
  [holding answer 8 February 1988]: Preparations for the flotation of the British Steel Corporation are at an early stage. No decisions have yet been taken therefore on the matters raised.

  Mr. Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what discussions he has had with stockbroking firms about the tendering for the British Steel flotation; when he expects to make the choice; and what prospectus has been issued to applicants for the flotation contract.
  148
  Mr. Atkins
  [holding answer 8 February 1988]: My Department announced on 2 February the appointment of Rowe and Pitman Ltd. as stockbroking advisers for the flotation of the British Steel Corporation. This appointment followed an open competition, during which selected applicants were sent a brief description of the work involved.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what discussions he has had with advertising agencies about the flotation of the British Steel Corporation.

  Mr. Atkins
  [holding answer 8 February 1988]: Two advertising agencies have approached the Department to express an interest in appointment for the British Steel Corporation flotation. The nature of the marketing campaign has not yet been decided, however, and no substantive discussions have been held.

  Enterprise Consultants
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster which firms of chartered accountants his Department invited to provide enterprise consultants prior to the publication of his White Paper on the role of the Department of Trade and Industry; when; and by what means.

  Mr. Atkins
  [holding answer 8 February 1988]: On 12 November 1987, seven firms with national coverage were invited to tender competitively for the provision of enterprise counsellor services. As a result of that competition two firms, Coopers and Lybrand and Ernst and Whinney, were awarded contracts. It would be a breach of commercial confidentiality to reveal the names of those firms which tendered unsuccessfully.

  Lancashire (Grants)
  Mr. Hind
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what grants he has allocated to Lancashire county council or Lancashire Enterprises Ltd. for 1988–89; what grants were made in 1987–88; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Atkins
  [holding answer 5 February 1988]: The Department makes no allocation of grants to Lancashire county council. During 1987–88 Lancashire Enterprises made application for and was offered grant assistance under the European regional development fund's business improvement services scheme.

  Textile Industry
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, pursuant to his reply to the hon. Member for Oldham, Central and Royton (Mr. Lamond) on 13 January, what evidence of injury to United Kingdom textile firms as a result of Turkish acrylic yarns was contained in letters sent to him by Mr. B. J. Spencer, president of the Textile Confederation, on 25 November 1987 and by Peter Booth, national secretary of the Textile Transport General Workers Union group on 18 September 1987 and 6 January, drawing his attention to firms in the United Kingdom forced into short-time working and layoffs; what action he is taking substantially to reduce Turkish acrylic yarn imports into the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement.
  149
  Mr. Alan Clark
  [holding answer 1 February 1988]: I have written to the hon. Member.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Northern Ireland (Administration of Justice)
  Mr. McCusker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, during any meetings of the Intergovernmental Council, the representatives of the Government of the Irish Republic have raised with him their objections to the administration of justice in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

  Sir Geoffrey Howe
  The Anglo-Irish Intergovernmental Council (AIIC) itself last met in November 1985. Both then and since, the Irish Government have put forward a number of views and proposals concerning the administration of justice in Northern Ireland. These have been considered at the Intergovernmental Conference which was set up under the Anglo-Irish Agreement within the framework of the AIIC. We have considered their proposals as part of our continuing commitment to increase public confidence in the administration of justice in Northern Ireland.

  Mr. Boris Chernobilsky
  Mr. Bowis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Soviet Government about Mr. Boris Chernobilsky and his family, of Profsoyuznaya 119, Moscow, who are seeking exit visas to enable them to leave the Soviet Union.

  Mr. Mellor
  My right hon. and learned Friend last raised the issue of Soviet citizens awaiting permission to emigrate with the Soviet Foreign Minister at Brize Norton on 7 December, when he handed over a list of cases about which we had received representations, including that of Mr. Boris Chernobilsky and his family. My right hon. and learned Friend expects to press for rapid progress again when he visits the Soviet Union from 14–17 February.

  Miss. Nasreen Akhtar
  Mr. Madden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the British embassy in Islamabad will permit Nasreen Akhtar to return to Bradford; on how many occasions since 2 January Nasreen Akhtar has visited that embassy to ask for a reentry visa; how many official telex messages have been sent to that embassy confirming the identity of Nasreen Akhtar and on what dates; what replies have been received; why letters from the hon. Member for Bradford, West confirmin Nasreen Akhtar's identity have not been accepted by that embassy; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Mellor
  Her Majesty's Embassy in Islamabad informed Nasreen Akhtar by registered letter on 4 February 1988, that a returning resident visa was available on an any day basis. The only recorded visit by Nasreen Akhtar to the embassy was on 27 January, the date of application. The embassy received two official telex messages concerning Nasreen Akhtar's immigration status (not her identity) on 14 January and 3 February 1988. The embassy telexed the Home Office on 20 January requesting 150
  their reference number in order to locate previous papers, and again on 28 January after the application was actually lodged.

  Miss Akhtar's recently issued passport bore only a United Kingdom departure stamp and this was not sufficient to confirm her returning resident status. While the hon. Member for Bradford, West's letter confirmed Miss Akhtar's identity, it did not confirm her status.

EMPLOYMENT

  Disabled People (Employment)
  Mr. Cartwright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what reviews have been carried out by his Department since 1979 of the effectiveness of the Disabled Persons (Employment) Act 1944 in increasing the number of disabled people in employment; if he has any plans to seek to amend the Act; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Lee
  The programmes which derive from the Act have been kept under internal review.

  The effectiveness of the quota scheme was the subject of a Manpower Services Commission-led review and report undertaken in 1979–81. The report of a subsequent Manpower Services Commission-led working group which examined ways of improving the scheme was published in 1985. An important conclusion in that report was that research was needed into the numbers and characteristics of people with disabilities. Arrangements for such research are currently under way.

  I have no plans at present to amend the Act.

  Restart Programme
  Mr. Goodlad
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many people have benefited from the restart programme in(a) the Northwich travel-to-work area, (b) the Chester travel-to-work area and (c) the Runcorn travel-to-work area in each year since the programme's inception; and what has been the cost in each year.

  Mr. Lee
  I regret that the information is not available in the form requested. However, figures for the Cheshire employment service area, which includes Northwich, Chester and Runcorn, are shown in the table:

  1 July 1986 to9 April 1987

  10 April 1987 to 25 December 1987

  Number of restart interviews

  23,333

  22,136

  Percentage of those interviewed who received a positive offer of help

  95

  94

  The estimated cost of delivering restart counselling in the Cheshire area in 1986–87 was £310,000 and so far in 1987–88 has been £294,000.

  Major Accident Hazards
  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the industrial installations with their locations in the county of Durham which are covered by the Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Regulations.
  151
  Mr. Nicholls
  One industrial installation in the county of Durham has been notified to the Health and Safety Executive under the Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards Regulations 1984. The installation is:

  Norske Hydro Polymers Ltd.

  Aycliffe Industrial Estate

  Newton Aycliffe

  Co. Durham

  Productivity Payments
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is his policy on wage earners being rewarded for increases in productivity achieved with their co-operation.

  Mr. Nicholls
  I am, of course, in favour of rewarding genuine productivity achievement provided it can be afforded and does not add to unit wage costs. Primary responsibility for pay must remain a matter for employers and employees directly concerned.

  Job Training Scheme
  Mr. Patchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what percentage of entrants to the job training scheme obtained credits, or qualifications, as a direct result of their time on the scheme.

  Mr. Cope
  The information is not available. The Manpower Services Commission has commissioned a follow-up survey which has now commenced and which will provide information on qualifications. The results should be known in the spring.

THE ARTS

  Public Libraries (Nottinghamshire)
  Mr. Haynes
  To ask the Minister for the Arts what information he has about the level of loans from public libraries in Nottinghamshire in the last year for which figures are available.

  Mr. Luce
  Information about public library loans is collected and published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy. In the latest year for which information is available — 1985–86 — public libraries in Nottinghamshire issued 12·05 million books and more than 296,000 other items.

  Business Sponsorship Incentive Scheme
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Minister for the Arts how many first-time corporate donors to the arts were registered under the business sponsorship incentive scheme in 1987; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Luce
  The scheme continues to bring a stream of new sponsors into the arts, attracting 216 first-time business sponsors in 1987. As I announced in the House on 26 January at column 154, the scheme will be strengthened and extended in 1988–89 to reflect the existing and anticipated growth in sponsorship.

  National Collections
  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  To ask the Minister for the Arts if he has requested the national collections to publish lists of items held in store.
  152
  Mr. Luce
  The national museums and galleries already maintain, and in some cases publish, catalogues of their collections in whole or in part. I have encouraged them to improve their inventories by the use of modern computerised information systems. Many are doing so, though in the case of the largest collections the task will necessarily take a number of years.

  Arts Council
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Minister for the Arts if he will make a statement on the Arts Council's progress fund and its enterprise fund.

  Mr. Luce
  I have discussed with the Arts Council its plans for the progress and enterprise funds. The council will be publishing details of the schemes, and inviting applications, before the end of February.

NATIONAL FINANCE

  Banks (Tax Relief)
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what is his policy on tax relief for British banks on their operations in developing countries.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  British banks operating in developing countries qualify for tax relief under general tax law on the same criteria as other traders.

  EC Budget
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether, pursuant to the reply of 24 July,Official Report, column 558, concerning the United Kingdom contributions to the EEC Budget, he will publish in the Official Report corresponding figures for 1987, together with the outturn for 1986 and a forecast for 1988.

  Mr. Brooke
  I regret that outturn information on our net contribution to the Community budget in 1987 is not yet available. An outturn figure for 1987 along with a forecast for 1988 will be included in the statement on the 1988 Community budget, to be published shortly after the 1988 budget is adopted. Information concerning the outturn for 1986 was given in my reply of 24 July, to which the hon. Member refers. The Government's latest projections for the financial years 1987–88 and 1988–89 are contained in the public expenditure White Paper, Cmnd. 288.

  European Community (Financial Structure)
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if, with reference to the proposal of the Commission of the European Economic Community draft decision Com. (87), relating to a new financial structure, he will give the maximum limit of overall expenditure in percentage of the gross national product of the Community which is equivalent to the expenditure on a basis of 1·4 per cent. of its harmonised value added tax base and income from other own resources in 1987, together with the respective percentage of that harmonised base necessary to achieve the maximum proposed overall expenditure for each of the years 1988 to 1992, expressed as a percentage of Community gross national product, on the assumption that income from non-percentage based own resources remains stable from year to year.
  153
  Mr. Brooke
  [holding answer 1 February 1988]: The information requested is shown in the table below. Line 1 shows the VAT rate required to finance the maximum level of expenditure that can be afforded within the annual sub-ceilings on own resources set out in the Commission's draft own resources decision (COM(87)420). It is assumed that there is no change in the structure of the own resources system, but an increase in the VAT ceiling. Line 2 shows

  1987

  1988

  1989

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1. Percentage VAT rate required to finance maximum level of expenditure which can be afforded within proposed sub·ceilings

  1·4

  1·72

  1·80

  1·87

  1·96

  2·05

  2. Maximum level of expenditure as a percentage of EC12 GNP

  1·05

  12·0

  1·22

  1·24

  1·27

  1·30

  Note: Line (1) assumes continuation of the present structure of own resources. Lines (1) and (2) both assume that the correction for the United Kingdom's budgetary imbalance continues to be financed within the own resources ceiling.

  Charities
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what information he has as to how much money has been donated by individuals to charities in the United Kingdom in each of the last three available years.

  Mr. Norman Lamont
  [holding answer 1 February 1988]: I regret that no comprehensive information on all types of giving to charities is available. Covenanted giving to charities amounted to some £350 million in 1983–84, £400 million in 1984–85, and £450 million in 1985–86. With regard to gifts to charities on death, the figures available relate only to estates above the value at which capital transfer tax or inheritance tax would be payable in the absence of exemptions. For these estates the amounts reported were £200 million in 1983–84, £260 million in 1984–85, and £400 million in 1985–86.

  Money Supply
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the increase in the real money supply and the change in the velocity of circulation of broad money order between 1974 and 1979 and from 1979 to date, together with (a) the average annual rate of growth in each case and (b) the annual rate of increase in real personal disposable increases in each period.

  Mr. Lilley
  [holding answer 4 February 1988]: There is no single measure of the real money supply. Recent figures for M0, M3, M4 and M5 are shown in the Bank of England's press release on the monetary aggregates dated 29 January 1988 and in "Financial Statistics". For earlier periods, figures for M0, M3, and M5 are shown in "Economic Trends, Annual Supplement", 1987 edition, and figures for M4 were made available by the Bank of England in June 1987. All of these series have been subject to changes in coverage as the financial system has evolved and in the case of M5 there was a change in definition in June 1986. For this reason, no meaningful growth rates can be calculated over the whole of the periods requested. Recent figures for the velocity of circulation of broad money are shown in "Financial Statistics", table 11·5. Earlier figures for velocity can be derived from figures shown in the "Economic Trends, Annual Supplement", but comparisons over time are affected by the difficulties noted above. Assuming that the hon. Member seeks figures on real personal disposable incomes, these are readily accessible in "Economic Trends".
  154
  what the equivalent maximum level of expenditure would be year by year as a proportion of Community GNP. The revenue figures for 1988 onwards used in the calculations are consistent with those in the Commission's report on the future financing of the Community (COM(87)101) and allow for some erosion in customs duties and levies in real terms over time.

  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he will publish in the Official Report a table showing the increase in the amount of broad money between(a) February 1974 and June 1979 and (b) June 1979 to the end of 1987, together with the average annual rate of growth; and if he will account for the difference and explain the effect on prices in each period.

  Mr. Lilley
  [holding answer 4 February 1988]: There is no single measure of the broad money supply. Recent figures for M3, M4 and M5 are shown in the Bank of England's press release on the monetary aggregates dated 29 January 1988 and in "Financial Statistics". For earlier periods, figures for M3 and M5 are shown in "Economic Trends, Annual Supplement", 1987 edition, and figures for M4 were made available by the Bank of England in June 1987. All of these series are subject to changes in coverage as the financial system evolves and in the case of M5 to a change in definition in June 1986. For this reason, no meaningful growth rates can be calculated over the whole of the periods requested.

  As was made clear, for example, in chapter 2 of the 1987–88 FSBR, there is no simple relationship between the growth of broad money and money GDP and inflation. The Government monitors the growth of broad money as one of the range of factors taken into account in assessing monetary conditions.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

  Council of Agriculture Ministers
  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the outcome of the Council of Agriculture Ministers meeting on 8 and 9 February in Brussels; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. MacGregor
  The Council of Agriculture Ministers met in Brussels on 8 February 1988. I represented the United Kingdom.

  I raised the question of fraud and the CAP, drawing the Council's attention to the recent report by the Comptroller and Auditor General on external trade measures for agricultural produce. I explained that this report commented adversely on the complexity of the Community's agricultural legislation and the scope which this created for fraud. I stressed my own concern on this issue, reminded the Council that the Community's Court of Auditors, in a report last autumn, recommended

  155
  increased efforts to combat fraud, and asked the Commission for a progress report on the action it had taken in the light of this.

  The Commission informed the Council of changes it is making to supervise more effectively the implementation and control of Community law by member states. The Commission also expressed the hope, which the United Kingdom shares, that the Council would pay greater attention to matters of control and monitoring when considering new proposals. The Council took note and agreed to pursue this issue on a future occasion.

  The Council agreed on quotas for manufacturing beef, high quality beef and young cattle to be imported from third countries in 1988. The Community quota for manufacturing beef, in which our industry has the principal interest, is to be 12,000 tonnes.

  The Council adopted a proposal for a minor change in the milk quota rules. I took the opportunity again to urge the Commission to enable member states to have greater flexibility over the detailed operation of milk quotas while remaining firmly within the basic framework regulations to ensure that quotas are applied effectively.

  General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (Uruguay Round)
  Mr. Leighton
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will specify the proposals for agriculture being prompted by the European Economic Community in the Uruguay round of General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade negotiations; and when these proposals were approved by the Council of Ministers.

  Mr. Gummer
  The Commission's proposals for approaching the negotiations on agriculture in the Uruguay round, approved by the Council on 20 October 1987, are for a two-stage negotiating process. The first stage would comprise, in addition to short-term measures to improve market conditions in the cereals and cereals substitutes, sugar and dairy sectors, a reduction in the levels of agricultural support aimed at bringing markets into better balance. The second stage would comprise further reductions in support, coupled with readjustments in external protection and the development of detailed GATT rules to secure the progress made in the negotiation on a lasting basis. It is also proposed that an appropriate framework of rules be negotiated to govern the use of animal and plant health regulations.

  Feedstuffs Substitutes (Tariffs)
  Mr. Leighton
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if Her Majesty's Government support proposals on the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade proposed by the Commission of the European Economic Community for imposing higher tariffs on produces used as substitutes for animal feedstuffs.

  Mr. Gummer
  When the Council of Ministers endorsed Commission proposals for a Community approach to the negotiations on agriculture in the Uruguay round, the Government made it clear that we would regard it as difficult to justify proposals for increasing Community protection when the main aim of the GATT negotiation is to liberalise agricultural trade and, in particular, to lower import barriers.

  Alternative Land Use
  Mr. Austin Mitchell
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the Government's estimate of the likely cost of taking agricultural land out of productive use in the United Kingdom in the event of the German proposals being accepted as part of a settlement of the EEC budget.

  Mr. MacGregor
  The Government believe that a scheme of set-aside could form a useful complement to effective stabilisers in helping to reduce surpluses and stabilise costs. It is not possible at this stage to estimate the likely cost of implementing the proposal in the United Kingdom, as this will depend on rules of implementation which have not yet been determined.

  Agricultural Support
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what was the total level of support provided to the British agriculture industry in each of the last 10 years.

  Mr. MacGregor
  Support to the agricultural industry is provided directly by means of grants and subsidies, and indirectly through expenditure on research and development, advisory services, administration and so on. The annual review of agriculture reports direct expenditure while the public expenditure White Paper covers total expenditure — direct and indirect — on agriculture, fisheries, food and forestry. The latest figures in these two categories are:

  Direct support £ million

  Total support £ million1

  1978–79

  537

  1,008

  1979–80

  677

  1,244

  1980–81

  1,012

  1,639

  1981–82

  972

  1,669

  1982–83

  1,432

  2,157

  1983–84

  1,717

  2,424

  1984–85

  1,710

  2,418

  1985–86

  2,162

  2,879

  1986–87

  1,444

  2,190

  21987–88

  1,736

  2,512

  1 Including fisheries, food etc.

  2 Estimated.

  Dead Sheep (Cumbria)
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for South Shields of 29 January,Official Report, column 422, what advice was given to knackers in Cumbria specifically in respect of the treatment of dead sheep from restricted areas and the resale of meat obtained from such animals.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  I have nothing to add to my earlier reply.

  Bovine Somatotrophin
  Mr. Ron Davies
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) how many farms in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, respectively, are currently involved in trials of bovine somatotrophin;
  157
  (2) whether consumers are currently receiving milk deliveries from farms involved in trials of bovine somatotrophin; and if he will make a statement;

  (3) what results concerning (a) the farm animal welfare aspects, (b) the economic and production aspects and (c) the human health aspects, respectively, have been ascertained thus far from trials of bovine somatotrophin currently being conducted in the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  As I have made clear on a number of occasions, the applications for animal test certificates for BST were rigorously assessed by the veterinary products committee before being granted. It found no reason to recommend that milk from treated cows should be withheld from human consumption or be subject to any other restriction. The animal test certificates were therefore granted accordingly.

  The certificates currently authorise trials on 15 sites in the United Kingdom. However, trials may not be in progress on all sites at any one time. It is not possible to provide separate figures for each region as the small numbers involved might allow identification of some individual farms which might contravene section 118 of the Medicines Act.

  The work continuing under these animal test certificates is taking full account of the recommendations of the Farm Animal Welfare Council on this product which were contained in my reply of 17 December 1987 at columns 740–1. No evidence has emerged which would change the veterinary products committee's assessment on human safety. The economic and production aspects of the use of BST are matters for commercial assessment and do not fall under the scope of the Medicines Act.

  Food Contamination (Emergency Schemes)
  Mr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects the Ministry review of contingency plans for dealing with emergency contamination of food and agriculture to be completed.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  We are continually reviewing our contingency plans in the light of improvements in information technology and scientific knowledge nationally and internationally.

  Milk
  Mr. Martyn Jones
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much milk has been imported into the United Kingdom from Canada in the last 12 months; and what were the figures for each of the last five years.

  Mr. Donald Thompson
  No milk has been imported into the United Kingdom from Canada in the last five years.

  Surplus Commodities
  Mr. Allen McKay
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what arrangements are being made to distribute European Economic Communities surplus commodities if voluntary bodies are unable to undertake the task;

  Mr. Gummer
  [holding answer 5 February 1988]: As my right hon. Friend made clear in the announcement on 12 January, the Government are making butter and beef from intervention stores available, for distribution to the most
  158
  needy, in response to specific applications from suitably qualified organisations. We do not intend to introduce alternative arrangements.

  Mr. Allen McKay
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if local authorities are able to deal with the distribution of European Economic Communities surplus commodities, and whether the cost of the distribution will be fully reimbursed from central Government sources.

  Mr. Gummer
  [holding answer 5 February 1988]: Local authorities may be designated under these arrangements provided they apply and can meet the conditions of the scheme. Reimbursement of administrative costs is available up to about 1 per cent. of the value of the products authorised for release to an organisation; and transport costs may be reimbursed at rates set in the Commission regulation. The cost of payments in both these categories would fall on Community funds.

  Land Drainage Rates
  Mr. David Clark
  To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when he expects to publish his consultation paper on the future of land drainage rates.

  Mr. Gummer
  [holding answer 5 February 1988]: I cannot yet give any indication as to the likely timing.

EDUCATION AND SCIENCE

  Pin-ups
  Ms. Richardson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will issue instructions for the removal of all offensive pin-ups in all his departmental premises.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The Department has issued guidance to staff informing them that sexual harassment at work is not tolerated and is dealt with as a disciplinary matter through the usual complaints procedures. Further guidance on what is meant by sexual harassment is planned.

  Water Safety Training
  Mr. Simon Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the provision of water safety training in schools.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The Government recognise the importance of children being able to learn to swim and to be aware of the risks attached to activities where water is involved. The Department's publication "DES Safety Series No. 1 (Safety in Outdoor Pursuits) includes a chapter on "Safety Afloat" and give guidance on various water-based activities.

  Mr. Simon Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of school pupils learn to swim by the age of(a) seven, (b) eleven and (c) 14 years in England and Wales.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  This information is not collected by the Department.

  Mr. Simon Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what national guidelines are laid down for the assessment of school pupils' ability to swim.
  159
  Mrs. Rumbold
  No national guidelines are at present laid down, this being a matter for individual local education authorities to determine.

  Mr. Simon Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what national guidelines are laid down for the qualifications required for the teaching of swimming in schools.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  My Department does not prescribe qualifications for the teaching of swimming in schools but in its general advice on the matter it recommends that swimming teachers should be competent in the principles and practice of life-saving and resuscitation.

  Capital Expenditure
  Miss Emma Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has as to the proportion of sums allocated for capital projects to individual schools which is retained by local authorities to cover administrative expenses; what amounts were allocated in 1987–88 to each school in the Devon local education authority area under the headings(a) special education, (b) maintenance and repair and (c) administrative and other; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Dunn
  This information is not available.

  The administrative expenses of authorities are not capital expenditure, and do not figure in the allocations made by this Department. These are block allocations which are not earmarked to specific projects.

  Local authorities are free to apply their allocations as they wish. They may move resources between services and to a limited extent between years. They may supplement the total of their allocations for all services in 1988–89 by the application of 30 per cent. of their accumulated capital receipts.

  Devon local education authority's education capital expenditure allocation for the 1987–88 financial year was £4,734,000, and for 1988–89 is £6,262,000. It is the authority's responsibility to decide on its priorities for using these resources.

  Student Grants
  Mr. Canavan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the average amount of grant received by students in full-time education.

  Mr. Jackson
  In 1985–86, the latest year for which figures are available, the average maintenance grant, net of assessed parental and other contributions, paid to students in receipt of mandatory or full-value local education authority discretionary awards was £1,202.

  Academic Freedom
  Mr. Dalyell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what representations he has had from Sir David Smith FRS, principal of Edinburgh university, on the place of academic freedom as a component of the conduct of university teaching and research; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Jackson
  My hon. Friend the Member for Edinburgh, West (Lord James Douglas-Hamilton) has sent my right hon. Friend a copy of a letter dated 28 January from Sir David Smith. Sir David says that the 160
  senatus of Edinburgh university approved unanimously a motion which expressed and reaffirmed the belief that academic freedom is an essential component of the conduct of university teaching and research. He also drew attention to the court's anxiety about the lack of any reference in the Bill to the maintenance of academic freedom.

  The Government believe wholeheartedly that academic freedom is fundamental to a healthy system of higher education. I refer the hon. Member to the detailed statements I made in reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Dorset, North (Mr. Baker) on 20 November 1987 at columns 676–78 and the hon. Member for Glasgow, Hillhead (Mr. Galloway) on 13 January 1988 at columns 268–69.

  Mathematics Teachers
  Mr. Alison
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what estimate he has made of the optimum number of new mathematics teachers required in Britain for(a) the year 1987–88, (b) 1992–93 and (c) 1997–98; how many properly qualified maths teachers were actually recruited in 1987–88; and what actual recruitment is predicted for 1992–93 and 1997–98.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  Information is given for England only. The supply of teachers in Wales and in Scotland are matters for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales and Scotland. The Department estimates that about 600 newly qualified secondary mathematics teachers entered service in 1987–88. This is some 15 per cent. short of the number planned. The Government have introduced a range of special measures to attract more teachers to the secondary shortage subjects, including mathematics. For the years 1992–93 and 1997–98 the need for and supply of mathematics teachers for secondary schools will have to be weighed against the demands of mathematics within the national curriculum. It is too early to come to precise estimates for particular subjects.

  On the future supply of newly qualified teachers, my right hon. Friend announced on 19 January, at column 629, the timetable for bringing forward proposals for intakes to initial teacher training institutions for the year 1990 and for the period 1991–93.

  Education Reform
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what plans he has for retaining each of the following facilities and services, currently provided by the Inner London education authority as a united and comprehensive review to all pupils and parents in inner London(a) educational prospectus, (b) census advice services, (c) computer services, (d) visual aids equipment, (e) library levies, and (f) playing fields and sports facilities.

  Mr. Dunn
  Under the proposals announced by my right hon. Friend on 4 February, each inner London council will become the local education authority for its own area. Councils will be required to publish in 1989 development plans for the education services they will provide from April 1990; these plans will be expected to provide information about the range of support services, such as those listed by the hon. Member, which the council will maintain. In the light of these development plans, and of discussions which the Department will have with the
  161
  councils concerned, my right hon. Friend will consider whether formal steps are necessary to promote co-operation between councils in respect of any such services.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science in pursuance of his policy of parental choice and preference, what steps he is taking to consult parents in inner London, concerning the legislation he plans to place before Parliament in respect of education in inner London.

  Mr. Dunn
  As my right hon. Friend explained in his statement to the House on 4 February, at columns 1178–79, each local council will be required to publish in 1989 a development plan, as a basis for local consultation. These plans will set out the way in which councils propose to organise the transfer of responsibilities and the services they propose to run.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, pursuant to his statement of 4 February,Official Report, columns 1178–79, relating to his objective of obtaining better standards of education in inner London, he will state those means of resources which he intends to make available to the new proposed education authorities which are currently not obtainable from the existing Inner London education authority.

  Mr. Dunn
  The new system of local government finance, which will be introduced at the same time as the transfer of education responsibility to the inner London boroughs, will provide a fair means of distributing resources to local authorities, taking account of local social need. Boroughs will have the opportunity to ensure that the education service in their area is meeting local needs.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, pursuant to his statement of 4 February,Official Report, column 1179, he will state the groups of inner London boroughs that he expects to establish joint education committees for specific functions.

  Mr. Dunn
  The question whether joint education committees need to be established for specific functions, and, if so, the composition of such committees, is a matter which the Department will be discussing with the councils concerned as they draw up development plans for their education service.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science when he expects to publish his proposals for the operation of further and special education in inner London to continue single comprehensive services, following the abolition of the Inner London education authority.

  Mr. Dunn
  Each inner London council will become the local education authority for its own area, responsible for securing statutory provision such as that referred to by the hon. Member. The question whether these or other aspects of the education service in inner London would benefit from formal or informal co-operation between the new inner London LEAs is one that the Department will be discussing with the councils concerned.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, pursuant to his statement of 4 February,Official Report, column 1178, he will state the
  162
  precise evidence on which he based his conclusion that the service provided by the Inner London education authority is poor.

  Mr. Dunn
  My right hon. Friend's statement explained that pupil performance in ILEA over the past seven years has remained disappointing, despite increasing levels of expenditure which are sharply in excess of those of other inner city authorities. This is borne out by published reports on ILEA schools by HM Inspectorate, and by many of the authority's own reports.

  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if, pursuant to the reply to the hon. Member for Newham, South of 2 February,Official Report, column 534, he will now obtain and publish the information not then available centrally about pupil and student numbers in each London borough.

  Mr. Dunn
  As I explained to the hon. Member, my Department does not collect centrally the statistics he has requested. That information is held and published by the Inner London education authority. I will ensure that a copy of the 1987 "Annual Schools Statistics" published by the ILEA, is deposited in the Library of the House.

  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will publish in the Official Report the evidence for his assertion, 4 February, Official Report, column 1186, that the political leaders of the Inner London education authority had condemned competitive sport.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  My right hon. Friend based his statement on remarks made by ILEA's inspector for physical education on Thames Television in July 1986, remarks which were never convincingly repudiated by ILEA's political leaders. The lukewarm attitude of ILEA to competitive sports is reflected in the McIntosh report, which recommends that the authority encourages competitive activities within and outside school time.

  Mr. Dobson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the inner London boroughs which have(a) finally resolved or (b) indicated an interest in taking over the functions of the Inner London education authority in their area.

  Mr. Dunn
  The City of Westminster, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and the Borough of Wandsworth have publicly stated their wish to apply for LEA status. Reports in the press have made it clear that other inner London boroughs have been considering the implications of such a step.

  Free School Meals
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what information he has about the numbers, or percentage of primary and secondary school pupils in the area of the Inner London education authority in receipt of free meals.

  Mr. Dunn
  In October 1986, the latest date for which data are available, 58,097 primary and 28,279 secondary pupils in ILEA were in receipt of free school meals. These represented 35·7 per cent. and 29·1 per cent. of the totals respectively.

  General Certificate of Secondary Education
  Mr. Wray
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what specific steps Her Majesty's Government are taking to ensure the availability of comparative figures for the whole of the United Kingdom which objectively measure the results of the new general certificate of secondary education examination system and the previous one, and in particular, how both systems compare in respect of(a) the percentage of pupils opting out before examinations, (b) the percentage of pupils actually taking academic qualifications and (c) the percentage of pupils failing the examinations.

  Mrs. Rumbold
  The range of Government statistics which currently provide information on the nature and extent of academic qualifications obtained by school leavers will be maintained and enhanced. This will permit broad comparisons to be made of the proportions of school leavers entering for, and attaining specific levels of achievement in, the new GCSE examinations and in the former O-level/CSE examinations. These statistics do not cover Scotland, which has a separate examination system from the rest of the United Kingdom.

  Science Budget
  Mr. Hargreaves
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the distribution of the science budget for 1988–89.

  Mr. Jackson
  Having considered the recommendations of the Advisory Board for the Research Councils, my right hon. Friend has decided that the science budget for 1988–89 should, subject to approval by Parliament of the Estimates in due course, be allocated as follows:

  1988–89

  £ million cash

  Agricultural and Food Research Council

  58·44

  Economic and Social Research Council

  27·66

  Medical Research Council

  146·68

  Natural Environment Research Council

  90·86

  Science and Engineering Research Council

  366·28

  The Royal Society

  7·94

  The Fellowship of Engineering

  0·75

  Science Policy Studies (ABRC)

  0·10

  Centre for Exploitation of Science and Technology

  0·08

  I am publishing the board's advice today. Copies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Mobility Allowance
  Mr. Hume
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many claims were made for mobility allowance in each of the last three years; and how many appealed to(a) a medical board, (b) a medical appeal tribunal, (c) a social security appeal tribunal, (d) the commissioner and (e) a court, indicating the number of allowances granted at each stage.

  Mr. Needham
  The information available is given in the table. The figures provided relate to decisions given on claims and appeals in the relevant years not to the outcome of the claims and appeals made in those years.
  164

  1985

  1986

  1987

  Claims

  Lodged

  5,017

  5,427

  6,382

  Total decisions

  4,655

  5,556

  5,608

  Decided in claimant's favour

  2,330

  2,959

  2,838

  Appeals to medical boards

  Lodged

  781

  908

  772

  Total decisions

  733

  822

  697

  Decided in claimant's favour

  196

  186

  135

  Appeals to medical appeal tribunals

  Lodged

  286

  261

  305

  Total decisions

  222

  273

  273

  Decided in claimant's favour

  79

  75

  93

  Appeals to social security appeal tribunals

  Lodged

  43

  52

  28

  Total decisions

  36

  56

  26

  Decided in claimant's favour

  5

  1

  1

  Appeals to the commissioner

  Lodged

  —

  2

  4

  Total decisions

  —

  2

  1

  Decided in claimant's favour

  —

  —

  1

  Appeals to court of appeal

  Lodged

  2

  1

  1

  Total decisions

  2

  1

  1

  Decided in claimant's favour

  2

  —

  1

  Green Week
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many days the Parliamentary Under-Secretary, the noble Lord Lyell, was in Berlin during Green Week; to which radio, press, and television outlets the Minister gave interviews about Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the benefits to the people of Northern Ireland of this visit.

  Mr. Viggers
  My noble Friend Lord Lyell attended Green Week in West Berlin from 28 to 30 January 1988 as the United Kingdom representative at the invitation of the Government of the Federal Republic of Germany, where he had discussions with the President of the Federal Republic, the Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Forestry and EC Commissioner Andriessen.

  General interviews with the media included the BBC, the British Forces Broadcasting Services and Downtown Radio; The Scotsman; The Press and Journal, Aberdeen;East Anglia Times; Holt Publications, Australia and Tyne Tees Television.

  My noble Friend found the visit to be most useful, as he was able to bring back the message to the food industry in Northern Ireland and elsewhere in the United Kingdom that there is a continuing need for the British food industry to recognise consumer demands and the opportunity to capture new markets in Germany by combining all those resources which contribute to high quality and well-presented products.

  Extradition
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if, pursuant to his answer of 27 January,Official Report, column 291, he will make it his practice to give (a) the summary facts and (b) available total figures on possible individual extradition cases.

  Mr. Stanley
  I shall certainly continue the practice of giving the total figures on the number of applications for
  165
  extradition made in a given period as in my reply to the hon. Member on 27 January, at column 292. It would not, however, be in the public interest to give the number of cases where possible extradition applications are being considered, or details of individual cases prior to Irish court proceedings.

  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made towards the handing over to the Royal Ulster Constabulary of the three persons for whom applications for extradition from the Irish Republic were made between 1 December and 14 December 1987.

  Mr. Stanley
  One man is currently the subject of extradition proceedings before the district court.

  Cars (Imports)
  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he takes to ensure that all personal car imports into Northern Ireland comply with current regulations.

  Mr. Needham
  All personal car imports into Northern Ireland must be registered with the Department of the Environment. The Department ensures that the requirements of the regulations relating to personal imports are met before effecting registration.

  Mr. William Ross
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many of the cars brought into Northern Ireland from the Irish Republic in each month in 1987 are recorded as having road fund licences paid by a person other than the importee.

  Mr. Needham
  The information is not available.

  Stalker Inquiry
  Mr. Fisher
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will establish a judicial inquiry to examine the role of Sir John Hermon, Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary and other senior Royal Ulster Constabulary officers, in relation to specific allegations arising out of the Stalker-Sampson inquiry; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Tom King
  The Director of Public Prosecutions reached his conclusions on the results of a very thorough criminal investigation. There is no justification for a judicial inquiry.

  Mr. Flynn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether in view of the fact that Mr. John Stalker had recommended the prosecution of Royal Ulster Constabulary officers, up to the rank of chief superintendent for offences, including conspiring to pervert the course of justice and perjury, he will seek the suspension of Sir John Hermon, Chief Constable, pending a full judicial inquiry.

  Mr. Tom King
  No.

  Emergency Provisions Acts
  Mr. Hanley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he expects the first report by the noble Lord Colville into the operation of the Northern Ireland (Emergency Provisions) Acts of 1978 and 1987 to be available.
  166
  Mr. Tom King
  Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses today.

  Bray Urban District Council (Contract)
  Mr. John D. Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he has received any representations about the cancellation by Bray urban district council of a contract with Macrete Ireland Ltd., Toombridge, to manufacture concrete pipes; if he will invite the European Commission to investigate this cancellation of contracts as a possible breach of Community law; and if he will refer the matter of discrimination against Northern Ireland firms for contracts in the Irish Republic to the next ministerial meeting of the Anglo-Irish conference.

  Mr. Viggers
  [holding answer 8 February 1988]: No.

  Homelessness
  Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make it his policy that bed-and-breakfast accommodation will not be used in Northern Ireland for the homeless; what advice as to the cost to public funds of bed-and-breakfast accommodation he has had from interested parties; what is his assessment of its value as a means of providing for homeless families and individuals; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Needham
  The provision of temporary accommodation for the homeless in Northern Ireland is currently the responsibility of the four health and social services boards. At present boards make limited use of bed-and-breakfast accommodation to meet the immediate needs of homeless people in emergency situations.

  Precise information as to the cost of providing bed-and-breakfast accommodation is not readily available. I understand that, to date, the cost has not been greater than the daily board and lodging allowance available under supplementary benefit regulations. The overriding requirement is to meet the immediate needs of the homeless person, which in some instances may be met only by using such accommodation. Given that such accommodation is used only in emergencies and for short periods, I am content with these arrangements.

SOCIAL SERVICES

  NHS (Administration)
  Mr. Meale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what changes he envisages which will have implications for the cost of administration in the National Health Service.

  Mr. Allan Roberts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what changes he envisages which will have implications for the cost of administration in the National Health Service.

  Mr. Sedgemore
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what changes he envisages which will have implications for the cost of administration in the National Health Service.

  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he has any plans to reduce the numbers of administrative staff in the National Health Service.

  Mr. Moore
  It is far too early to speculate on this matter.

  Regional and District Health Authority Chairmen
  Mr. Michael McNair-Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what criteria he uses in appointing regional and district health authority chairmen.

  Mrs. Currie
  In appointing regional and district health authority chairmen we take into account a wide variety of factors, but the most important are the individual's personal qualities, his or her interest in and commitment to health care, any management or other relevant experience, and his or her knowledge of the locality.

  Nurse Recruitment
  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the level of recruitment of nurses into the National Health Service.

  Mr. Newton
  The level of recruitment of nurses in the National Health Service varies between locality and specialty. Provisional figures for 30 September 1987 show the highest number of nursing and midwifery staff ever—405,200 — and overall between September 1979 and September 1987 nursing and midwifery staff in England increased by nearly 47,000 whole-time equivalents. Nevertheless, the National Health Service, particularly in London and the south-east is facing the same decline in the number of suitably qualified school leavers as other large employers. We have, therefore, announced a range of measures on accommodation, the grading structure and training designed to improve recruitment and retention.

  Optical Appliances (Vouchers)
  Mr. James Lamond
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will carry out an early review of the voucher system at present operating with regard to optical appliances.

  Mrs. Currie
  The voucher system has been a great success. In the White Paper, "Promoting Better Health", we said that we would,give special consideration to the voucher values for those with the poorest sight;
  extend the repair/replacement facility to adults who are prone to frequent breakages on account of handicap;
  allow vouchers to be used for contact lenses.

  These changes will come in on 1 April.

  AIDS
  Mr. Yeo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services when he will announce the Government's response to the recommendations of the working group under Dr. Joe Smith concerning ways in which the surveillance of the AIDS epidemic can be improved.

  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services when he will publish and when he expects to reach a decision on the recommendation of the working group chaired by the director of the public health laboratory service on ways in which the surveillance of the AIDS epidemic could be improved.

  Mr. Newton
  We have recently received the report of the expert group chaired by Dr. Joe Smith and are carefully considering its recommendations. We plan to publish it in the near future so that we can take account of the views of those concerned.
  168
  Mr. Andrew Mitchell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what help he will give to local authorities towards the cost of personal social services provided for people with AIDS; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Newton
  The Government's reply to the report of the Social Services Committee on problems associated with AIDS (Cm. 297) stresses the importance of provision of care and treatment in the community for people who have HIV-related illness and AIDS. That requires good community support services. The demand for such services is at present heavily concentrated in a few local authority areas in inner London.

  For 1988–89 we have decided to make available additional joint finance of £2 million for those inner London boroughs. In allocating this sum, we shall take account of the need for personal support services for people with AIDS resident in these boroughs and the services which local authorities are providing or plan to provide. Details of the arrangements which will apply are being sent to the authorities concerned.

  The number of people with AIDS who need personal social services will continue to grow and we are currently considering longer-term financial approaches with the local authority associations.

  Personal Pensions
  Mr. Stevens
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the latest forecast date for the introduction of the new personal pensions arrangements.

  Mr. Scott
  The date from which it will be possible for individuals to join a personal pension scheme as an alternative to the state earnings-related scheme is 1 July 1988.

  Maudsley Hospital (Neuro-sciences Centre)
  Mr. Fraser
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to reach a decision about the building of a neuro-sciences centre at the site of Maudsley hospital, London SE5.

  Mrs. Currie
  The proposal from the South East Thames RHA will cost at least £29 million and was received in my Department on 22 June 1987. It is currently being examined by officials. Ministers will decide as soon as possible.

  District General Managers
  Mr. Bidwell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many district general managers have resigned from the National Health Service over the past two years, identified by district; if he will show for each such manager the sector of employment prior to contract with the National Health Service; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Newton
  Nine out of a total of 191. This represents a turnover rate of 2 per cent. per annum, which I understand is below average for posts at this level in large scale organistions. The other information is as follows:

  District

  Previous employment

  West Surrey and North East Hants

  Banking

  Central Birmingham

  Armed forces

  169

  District

  Previous employment

  Macclesfield

  Company director

  Nottingham

  Communications industry

  Bexley

  Armed forces

  Bromley

  Armed forces

  South Bedfordshire

  Company director

  Rochdale

  National Health Service

  West Dorset

  National Health Service

  Patient Treatment Statistics
  Mr. Baldrey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the number of(a) in-patients and (b) out-patients treated in the Oxfordshire health district in 1979 and in the last year for which figures are available.

  Mrs. Currie
  There were 69,306 in-patient cases treated and 344,852 out-patient attendances in 1979 in this health district; in 1986 the comparable figures were 80,420 and 374,680.

  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many in-patients and out-patients were treated under the National Health Service in 1978 and the latest available year.

  Mrs. Currie
  The requested information is given in the table.

  Patients treated in NHS hospitals, England

  1978

  1986

  Per cent, increase 1978–1986

  In-patients treated

  5,370,319

  6,413,789

  19·4

  New out-patients

  7,711,912

  8,767,788

  13·7

  Total out-patient attendances

  33,950,339

  37,727,608

  11·1

  Child Abuse
  Miss Lestor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will set up an inquiry to determine the extent and definition of child sexual abuse; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Newton
  We have no plans to set up such an inquiry. Child abuse is defined already in the draft DHSS guide "Working Together". Further guidance will be issued when the Cleveland inquiry report has been received and considered. A national statistical return on the number of children on child protection registers will be piloted in March 1988.

  Winter Mortality
  Mrs. Virginia Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the causes and incidence over the past 30 years of excess winter mortality.

  Mrs. Currie
  There is no universally accepted definition of excess winter mortality. However, the table shows the number of deaths registered in the three-monthly periods January to March ("winter") and July to September ("summer"), the difference, and the difference expressed as a percentage of the "summer" figure, for each year from 1958 to 1987, and for five yearly periods 1958–62 to 1983–87, for England and Wales.

  The causal relationship between cold weather and excess mortality is not clearly understood, and further research is needed.
  170

  'Excess' winter mortality: England and Wales, 1953–87

  Year

  Winter Deaths

  Summer Deaths

  Difference

  Percentage Excess

  A

  B

  A-B

  (A-B) × 100/B

  1958

  163,595

  105,629

  57,966

  54·9

  1959

  176,880

  103,398

  73,482

  71·1

  1960

  149,037

  112,477

  36,560

  32·5

  1961

  177,043

  110,747

  66,296

  59·9

  1962

  178,210

  110,688

  67,522

  61·0

  1963

  196,875

  113,918

  82,957

  72·8

  1964

  156,072

  113,551

  42,521

  37·4

  1965

  157,184

  119,173

  38,011

  31·9

  1966

  173,438

  118,005

  55,433

  47·0

  1967

  145,323

  118,552

  26,771

  22·6

  1968

  181,136

  121,119

  60,317

  49·8

  1969

  168,493

  120,987

  47,506

  39·3

  1970

  172,443

  123,750

  48,693

  39·3

  1971

  159,347

  124,663

  34,684

  27·8

  1972

  170,587

  128,481

  42,106

  32·8

  1973

  169,799

  126,645

  43,154

  34·1

  1974

  161,028

  131,522

  29,506

  22·4

  1975

  159,816

  128,981

  30,835

  23·9

  1976

  184,775

  125,861

  58,914

  46·8

  1977

  160,233

  127,418

  32,815

  25·8

  1978

  171,039

  128,047

  42,992

  33·6

  1979

  175,423

  128,112

  47,311

  36·9

  1980

  161,577

  129,204

  32,373

  25·1

  1981

  160,554

  128,802

  31,752

  24·7

  1982

  166,454

  126,944

  39,510

  31·1

  1983

  167,638

  130,008

  37,630

  28·9

  1984

  158,119

  123,244

  34,875

  28·3

  1985

  173,199

  129,569

  43,630

  33·7

  1986

  171,106

  128,951

  42,155

  32·7

  19871

  153,084

  127,909

  25,175

  19·7

  1 Provisional.

  Five Year Period

  Percentage Excess Winter Mortality

  1958–1962

  55·6

  1963–1967

  42·2

  1968–1972

  37·7

  1973–1977

  30·5

  1978–1982

  30·2

  1983–1987

  28·6

  Notes:

  Winter: deaths registered in months January to March inclusive.

  Summer: deaths registered in months July to September inclusive.

  Disabled Claimants
  Mr. Ray Powell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what consultation he has had with Disability Alliance about the effect on severely disabled claimants of reducing their entitlements in April.

  Mr. Haynes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what proposals he has to protect disabled claimants in need of domestic assistance when the allowance for that purpose is abolished in April.

  Mr. Darling
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a further statement about the protection of disabled claimants who will have a reduced entitlement when the Social Security Act 1986 comes into full effect in April.

  Mr. Terry Fields
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he proposes to take to protect disabled people whose allowance for domestic assistance will end in April.
  171
  Ms. Quin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what consultation he has had with the Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation in regard to the effects for severely disabled people of reducing the entitlements of those applying for benefit after April.

  Mr. Faulds
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what consultation he has had with the Spastics Society about the effects on severely disabled people of reducing the entitlements of new claimants after April.

  Dr. Twinn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what measures he intends to take to help provide for the needs of the very severely disabled after the implementation of the Social Security Act 1986.

  Mr. Eadie
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what further consultations he has had with the organisations of and for disabled people about the reduced entitlements of disabled claimants who will be applying for benefit in April.

  Mr. Lofthouse
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what consultation he has had with the Royal National Institute for the Blind about the effect of reducing the entitlements of severely disabled claimants after April.

  Mr. Alfred Morris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now make a further statement about the protection of disabled people who will have a reduced entitlement in April.

  Miss Emma Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on measures to help severely disabled people to live independently in the community from April.

  Mr. Scott
  I refer the hon. and right hon. Members and my hon. Friends to my reply earlier today to the hon. Members for Kirkcaldy (Dr. Moonie) and for Islington, North (Mr. Corbyn).

  Mrs. Fyfe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the maximum loss new disabled claimants in need of domestic assistance can expect in April.

  Mr. Scott
  The information is not available in the form requested. Additional supplementary benefit of up to £51·12 may currently be awarded for essential residential domestic assistance. Otherwise, there is no upper limit to the charge met, provided it is reasonable in the circumstances. At February 1986, some 4,500 people received these additions, the average weekly amount was £6·35.

  Pensioners (Incomes)
  Mr. Gerald Bowden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services to what extent pensioners' incomes have changed since 1979.

  Mr. Scott
  Pensioners' incomes grew on average by 2·7 per cent. a year in real terms between 1979 and 1985–18 per cent. over the period. This rate of increase was more than twice as fast as for the population as a whole.

  Junior Hospital Doctors
  Mr. Eastham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimate he has of how much unpaid overtime working is undertaken by junior hospital doctors; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Golding
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimate he has of how much unpaid overtime working is undertaken by junior hospital doctors; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Newton
  Under their national terms of service, junior hospital doctors may not be required to undertake unpaid additional duty other than, exceptionally, in occasional emergencies or unforeseen circumstances. Information is not collected centrally on the amount of such duty, but we have emphasised to employing authorities that it should not be undertaken on a regular or prolonged basis.

  Northern Regional Health Authority
  Mr. Fallon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the annual administrative costs of the Northern regional health authority.

  Mrs. Currie
  I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Health to my hon. Friend the Member for Wokingham (Mr. Redwood) on 15 December 1987 at columns 493–5.

  Young People
  Mrs. Mahon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many young people in England and Wales left local authority care to live independently in 1986–87.

  Mrs. Currie
  Information is not available centrally in exactly the form requested. Of the 12,400 young people aged 16 years and over who left local authority care in England during the year ending 31 March 1986, a total of 1,800 were living independently or in lodgings immediately prior to leaving care.

  Information for 1986–87 is not available yet. Information for Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

  Sickle Cell Anaemia
  Mr. Tony Lloyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on National Health Service provision for sufferers from sickle cell anaemia.

  Mrs. Currie
  Screening and counselling services are provided by district health authorities which decide the resources to be devoted locally to this inherited blood disorder in the light of local needs, and competing priorities. There are 12 National Health Service sickle cell counselling centres in England. In addition, the Department makes grants of £15,000 per annum each to the Sickle Cell Society and to the Organisation for Sickle Cell Anaemia Research.

  We shall be launching a new initiative in March, in which haemoglobinopathy cards will be provided for issue by haematologists to patients who have been tested for either sickle cell disease or thalassaemia. Patients will be able to use the card to provide doctors, nurses and dentists with information they may need before giving treatment.

  Competitive Tendering
  Mr. Patnick
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the savings released by the competitive tendering of catering services.

  Mr. Patrick Thompson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the savings released by competitive tendering of domestic services.

  Mr. Mans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the progress to date of the competitive tendering initiative.

  Mr. Gill
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the savings released by the competitive tendering of laundry services.

  Mr. Newton
  The most recent information held centrally is for the quarter ended 30 September 1987. Estimated annual savings generated for the three services were: domestic services £77·8 million, catering services £17 million, and laundry services £8·2 million — a total of some £103 million. Good progress has been made by health authorities in testing the cost-effectiveness of these services. As at 30 September 1987, a total of 84 per cent. had been subject to competitive tendering.

  Bexley Health Authority
  Mr. Evennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received concerning the funding of Bexley health authority in the financial year 1988–89.

  Mr. Newton
  I have received letters from two hon. Members who both refer to correspondence I have received from the chairman of Greenwich and Bexley family practitioner committee and to whom replies have been sent.

  In the current financial year Bexley health authority is receiving an additional £275,000 from the additional resources I announce on 16 December 1987.

  Pensions and Standing Charges
  Mr. Skinner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what recent representations he has received from pensioners' organisations seeking the introduction of higher pensions and the abolition of standing charges.

  Mr. Scott
  We receive a large volume of regular correspondence from pensioners and pensioners' organisations alike on these issues. There have recently been 12 representations from pensioners' organisations on pension levels and items such as standing charges.

  NHS (Industrial Relations)
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the current state of industrial relations in the National Health Service.

  Mr. Newton
  While I regret that some National Health Service staff have recently taken industrial action, NHS management and staff generally enjoy good industrial relations. There are well-established mechanisms for both national negotiation of pay and conditions of service and local disputes procedures which, allied to the commitment of management, staff and their representatives, ensure that disruption to patient services through industrial disputes 174
  is minimal. This is borne out by a comparison of the latest available figures published in the September 1987 Department of Employment Gazette. In 1986 an average of 89 days were lost per 1,000 employees in all United Kingdom industries and services through stoppage of work. In the United Kingdom industry group "medical and health services" (which includes private health care staff and general medical and dental services) only eight days were lost per 1,000 employees.

  Information Technology Staff
  Mr. Devlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many information technology staff in his Department work in the north or north-west of England or in Yorkshire.

  Mr. Scott
  The total number of civil servants in the Department wholly employed on information technology tasks (as specified in Treasury-Central Computer and Telecommunications Agency guidelines) in grades from executive officer to unified grade 7 is 1,494. Of these, 730 work in the north-east of England and 320 work in the north-west. There are, in addition, 1,174 data processing staff below the grade of executive officer who work in the north-east and 146 who work in the north-west. The Department does not hold any details of information technology staff working in Yorkshire.

  Unclaimed Benefit
  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will give his Department's current estimates of the amount of unclaimed supplementary, unemployment and other benefits.

  Mr. Scott
  I refer the hon. Member to paragraph 21 on page 272 and table 15.17 on page 273 of Cmnd. 288 (the 1988 public expenditure White Paper).

  EC (Health Statistics)
  Mr. McCartney
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of gross domestic product the public sector contributes to health in each EEC country.

  Mr. Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what percentage of gross domestic product the public sector contributes to health in each EEC country.

  Mr. Newton
  I refer the hon. Members to my right hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood (Ms. Short) earlier today.

  Prescription Charges
  Mr. Heathcoat-Amory
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the total values of prescription charges collected by prescribing and dispensing doctors for 1986–87.

  Mr. Newton
  The total income from prescription charges collected by doctors in England during 1986–87 was £7,718,000.

  Southend General Hospital (Radiotherapy Unit)
  Mr. Teddy Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he is now in a position to determine the
  175
  appeal by the Southend community health council against the decision of the North-East Thames regional health authority on the future of the radiotherapy unit at Southend general hospital; and if he will make a statement.

  Dr. Michael Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement about the future of the cancer treatment unit and radiotherapy department at Southend hospital.

  Mrs. Currie
  We hope to announce a decision on this proposal very soon.

  NHS (Computer System)
  Mr. Harry Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plans to establish a national computer system of National Health Service treatments and operations available and at which locations, against which patients' needs can be computed; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Currie
  We have at present no plans to establish a national computer system of National Health Service treatments and operations. We have asked regional health authorities to make available to GPs information, especially about waiting lists and waiting times, to enable them to make the most appropriate referrals for their patients. Some already make use of computerised systems.

  Parents' Incomes (Report)
  Ms. Primarolo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has considered the recent report of the family policy study centre, "Family Fortunes; Parents' Incomes in the 1980s," a copy of which has been sent to him; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Allen Adams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his policy towards home support in the light of the recent report of the family policy study centre "Family Fortunes; Parents' Incomes in the 1980s," a copy of which has been sent to him; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  I understand that the Central Statistical Office has written to the Family Policy Studies Centre expressing doubts about some of the methods and results used in this study. Particular reservations have been expressed about the treatment of family expenditure survey data on one-parent households where the results differ dramatically from those suggested by other findings. I await the outcome of this correspondence.

  Single Payments (Rotherham)
  Mr. Hardy
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is his estimate of the expenditure on single payments incurred in the metropolitan borough of Rotherham in the last year for which figures are available.

  Mr. Scott
  Claimants who live in the metropolitan borough of Rotherham are served by the following local offices: Rotherham (North); Rotherham (South) and Wath-on-Dearne. The area boundaries of these offices are not conterminous with those of the metropolitan borough of Rotherham. The last complete statistical year for which figures are available is April 1986 to April 1987, and the total expenditure on single payments for that year by these three offices is included in a table which is in the Library.

  NHS (Funding)
  Mr. Colvin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects his internal inquiry into the funding of the National Health Service to be completed.

  Mr. Atkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any plan to publish a Green Paper on financing and reform of the National Health Service.

  Mr. Newton
  I refer my hon. Friends to my right hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member for Walsall, North (Mr. Winnick) earlier today.

  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make it his policy to apply for extra funds from next year's £3·5 billion spending reserve to meet the needs of the National Health Service.

  Mr. Newton
  [holding answer 26 January 1988]: I have nothing to add to the plans for public expenditure, including spending on the NHS, set out in the White Paper published in January (Cm. 288).

  Family Credit
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans he has to involve employers in disseminating information on the new family credit scheme.

  Mr. Scott
  We shall shortly be sending all employers a leaflet giving basic information about family credit so that they can, if they wish, tell employees about the new scheme. Claims and payment of family credit will, of course, be handled by the Department.

  Mr. Simon Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what effect the introduction of family credit will have on the unemployment and poverty traps.

  Mr. Scott
  I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Kent (Mr. Rowe) on 30 June 1987 at column 76.

  Nurse Training
  Mrs. Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what proposals he is examining on increasing spending in nurse training.

  Mr. Newton
  Our aim is to ensure that training provision matches the needs of the NHS; not to spend any particular sum of money. Expenditure is therefore determined largely by health authorities in the light of their own assessments of their future requirements for professional staff. We are however currently considering the UKCC's Project 2000 proposals for changes in the pattern of nurse education and training as a whole.

  Project 2000
  Mr. Kirkwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the implementation of Project 2000.

  Mr. Newton
  We want nurses to receive an education and training which not only equips them for their future roles but is sufficiently attractive to recruit—and retain—those who might otherwise be tempted into other fields. So we fully recognise the importance of the
  177
  proposals that the UKCC has put forward which are designed to meet those ends and hope to be in a position to make a response by Easter.

  Birth Statistics
  Mr. Michael J. Martin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the comparative rate of caesarian section as opposed to spontaneous delivery of women giving birth in(a) NHS hospitals and (b) private hospitals during the last four years for which figures are available.

  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the comparative rate of caesarian delivery as opposed to spontaneous delivery of women giving birth in(a) National Health Service hospitals and (b) private hospitals during the last four years for which figures are available.

  Estimated total deliveries, number and percentage by mode of delivery, NHS hospitals, England, 1982–85.

  Mode of delivery

  Year

  Number or per cent.

  Estimated total deliveries

  Caesarean

  Spontaneous

  1982

  Number

  574,620

  58,110

  441,440

  per cent.

  100

  10·1

  76·8

  1983

  Number

  578,380

  58,370

  440,950

  per cent.

  100

  10·1

  76·2

  1984

  Number

  586,110

  59,140

  449,300

  per cent.

  100

  10·1

  76·7

  1985

  Number

  605,120

  63,270

  461,860

  per cent.

  100

  10·5

  76·3

  District Health Authorities (Deficits)
  Mr. Blunkett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the estimated deficit of all district health authorities in England and Wales for the current financial year.

  Mr. Newton
  I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Newbury (Mr. McNair-Wilson) and the hon. Members for Burnley (Mr. Pike) and for Liverpool, West Derby (Mr. Wareing) on 18 December 1987 at columns 936–37.

  Questions concerning health authorities in Wales are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.

  Families (Resources)
  Mr. Key
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will make a statement on the effects on the targeting of resources for families with children of the social security reforms.

  Mr. David Martin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will make a statement on the effects on the targeting of resources for families with children of the social security reforms.

  Mr. Scott
  I refer my hon. Friends to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Banbury (Mr. Baldry) on 12 January 1988 at column 251.

  Senior Hospital Doctors and Dentists (Disciplinary Procedures)
  Mr. Patchett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether the review of the disciplinary
  178
  Mr. Galbraith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the comparative rate of caesarian delivery as opposed to spontaneous delivery of women giving birth in (a) National Health Service hospitals and (b) private hospitals during the last four years for which figures are available.

  Mrs. Currie
  The table shows data from the hospital inpatient inquiry maternity statistics. These statistics are derived from registration material and from maternal discharges derived from a nominal one in 10 sample of inpatient records from maternity units of the National Health Service non-psychiatric hospitals in England. The latest available year for these data is 1985.

  Comprehensive data on maternities in private hospitals are not available centrally.

  procedures affecting senior hospital doctors and dentists announced by him in May 1987 has yet reported; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Newton
  We are expecting a report later this year from the joint working party which has been undertaking this review. We will then decide what changes might be made to the disciplinary procedures, and negotiations between the health Departments and the professions will follow.

  Mobility and Attendance Allowance Tribunals
  Mr. Holt
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans are in hand to improve the operational efficiency of mobility and attendance allowance tribunals.

  Mr. Scott
  The social security appeal tribunals —which consider appeals on claims for attendance allowance and mobility allowance—and medical appeal tribunals—which consider appeals on medical questions affecting mobility allowance — are the responsibility of the independent president of social security and medical appeal tribunals. Reviews of decisions on the medical criteria for attendance allowance are the responsibility of the independent Attendance Allowance Board. The tribunals and the board consider many thousands of appeals and reviews each year. I know that the president and the board are anxious to minimise the time taken to deal with appeals and reviews. They are in regular contact with our officials to see how arrangements for handling appeals and reviews can be improved.

  Thames Region (Capital Expenditure)
  Mr. Leighton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what the revenue resource consequences of capital expenditure by Thames region have been for each year since 1984; if he will provide comparable information for each district health authority and special health authority in London; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Currie
  I regret that the information requested is not available centrally. The hon. Member may like to contact the chairmen of the health authorities concerned.

  North Western Regional Health Authority
  Mr. Sumberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services when he last met the chairman of the North Western regional health authority; what subjects were discussed; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Newton
  I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to the hon. Member for Manchester, Central (Mr. Litherland) on 12 January at column 128.

  Divisional Relocations
  Mr. Cran
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects to complete his review of the possible relocation out of London of divisions within his Department; and what priority he attaches to achieving such a relocation.

  Mr. Moore
  It is expected that the first stage of the relocation study will be completed in the spring of this year. The study is being carried out as a part of the continuing requirement to ensure that the administration of the Department is carried out in the most efficient and cost-effective way: a requirement to which I attach the greatest importance.

  Social Security Act 1986
  Mr. Wallace
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the implementation of the Social Security Act 1986.

  Mr. Scott
  Implementation of the Social Security Act 1986 is well advanced. Indications from our own local officers are that the process of implementation is going well. Introduction of the new family credit is on course and new cases will be accepted from the beginning of March. Existing supplementary benefit cases are now being reassessed for conversion to income support. The social fund manual was published in November, social fund officers are now being trained and local office budgets have been allocated. Preliminary results from a survey of progress in local authorities indicate that the majority of local authorities expect to implement the reform of housing benefit on time.

  Pensioners
  Mr. David Porter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people he expects to attain pensionable age in the decades commencing 1991, 2001 and 2011.

  Mr. Scott
  The numbers of people in the United Kingdom newly attaining pension age in the decades commencing 1991, 2001 and 2011 are estimated as follows:
  180

  Numbers attaining pension Age

  Decade commencing

  (million)

  1991

  5·4

  2001

  6·2

  2011

  6·8

  Source: Office of Population Censuses and Surveys.

  Mr. Summerson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the average annual income of pensioners in England in 1974, 1979, and the latest year for which figures are available.

  Mr. Scott
  The average total net annual income of a British pensioner couple was £5,025 in 1974, £5,185 in 1979, and £5,995 in 1985 at 1985 prices. That of a single pensioner was £2,700, £2,785 and £3,330 respectively.

  Health Authorities (Funding)
  Mr. Anthony Coombs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he has taken to ensure that the distribution of funds to both regional and district health authorities reflects their relative efficiency as well as their need.

  Mr. Newton
  Our general policy is to bring the allocation of resources to regions gradually closer to targets based on their relative health needs as assessed by the resource allocation working party formula. In judging the pace of change, however, we seek to take account of all relevant factors; and we urge regions in turn to take account of all relevant factors in determining their allocations to districts.

  Mr. Nicholas Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will allocate additional money to health authorities to finance revenue costs of money raised by voluntary efforts.

  Mrs. Currie
  I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to him on 24 November 1987, at column 176.

  Cook/Chill Catering (Wakefield)
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what action he proposes to take on the call by Wakefield health authority for a public inquiry to be held into the circumstances surrounding the proposed introduction of a cook/chill system of catering into its hospitals.

  Mrs. Currie
  I can confirm that we have received such a request. It is currently under consideration and I expect to respond to the health authority's letter shortly.

  Staff Turnover
  Mr. Boyes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will provide details of the turnover of staff in social security local offices in London and north-east regions, the resignations of staff, by grade, and overall wastage and shortfall of staff in the London and northeast regions; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Portillo
  The tables give details of the turnover, wastage, resignations and shortfall of staff, in each grade, in local offices in the London north, London south and north-east regions of the Department. The latest available
  181
  data have been provided in each case. The data concerning the shortfall of staff are not available by grade. Turnover is defined as the loss and movement of staff due to resignation, retirement, dismissal, death, transfer, promotion and reversion. Wastage is defined as the loss of staff due to resignation, retirement, dismissal, death and transfer to other Government Departments.

  Period 1 October 1986 to 30 September 19871

  Grade

  Region

  EO/LOII

  AO/LOII

  AA

  Typists

  Others

  Turnover

  London North

  14·36

  25·36

  34·99

  17·87

  16·56

  London South

  18·70

  27·48

  48·51

  18·75

  14·97

  North East

  11·98

  13·87

  45·80

  12·15

  14·89

  Wastage

  London North

  4·45

  17·06

  22·38

  14·73

  6·09

  London South

  6·95

  17·49

  27·43

  17·31

  6·24

  North East

  3·51

  7·24

  11·48

  6·34

  4·58

  1The figures shown are the number of "leavers" expressed as a percentage of the staff complement for each grade.

  Shortfall of staff—position as on 1 January 19881

  Region

  Percentage

  London North

  0·6

  London South

  1·49

  North East

  0·48

  1Percentage shortfall of staff below planned staffing levels.

  Total number of resignations for the period 1 April 1986 to 31 March 19871

  Grade

  Region

  HEO

  EO/LOII

  AO/LOII

  AA

  Others

  London North

  4

  93

  901

  386

  1,384

  London South

  9

  125

  844

  424

  1,402

  North East

  0

  28

  247

  135

  410

  1 The figures shown give the position in the regional as well as the local offices within each region.

  Thames Regional Health Authorities
  Ms. Abbot
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans he has to reverse the cut in real resources to Thames regional health authorities; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Currie
  There has been no cut in real resources. Over the period 1978–79 to 1986–87, gross revenue expenditure in the four Thames regions rose by 119.5 per cent. Compared with general inflation this represents a real terms increase of 12·8 per cent.

  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the percentage change in(a) revenue expenditure and (b) capital expenditure on hospital and community health services in real terms, using the National Health Service pay and prices deflator, for the four Thames regional health authorities in total, between 1981–82 and 1986–87.

  Mr. Newton
  The information required on revenue expenditure was given in my right hon. Friend's reply to the hon. Member on 12 January at column 132. The increase in gross capital expenditure in the Thames regions over this period was 37 per cent. after allowing for the effects of capital inflation in the hospital and community health services.

  Operation Costs
  Mr. Colin Shepherd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he is taking to establish the costs of various operative procedures, including hip replacement operations, within the National Health Service.

  Mrs. Currie
  The Department currently relies on estimates and ad hoc surveys to establish these costs, which will vary significantly according to the type of patient and severity of the condition. An estimate of the cost of a hip replacement operation was made in 1984. At current prices this amounts to about £3,300. But this does not take account of the subsequent fall in the average length of in-patient stay in hospital which will tend to reduce the cost per case treated.

  The Department will continue to use these estimates until more comprehensive information systems are available. One such is the resources mangement initiative which is currently being piloted at five acute hospital sites. The projects concerned will be evaluated later in the year.

  Resettlement Review
  Mr. Win Griffiths
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services when he expects the work of the resettlement review advisory steering group to be completed.

  Mr. Scott
  The advisory steering group advises the Department on the best strategy to achieve better resettlement provision and the closure of resettlement units. No date has been set for the completion of this process or the work of the advisory steering group.

  Diabetics
  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received concerning the ending of the diet allowance for diabetics under the new system of income support.

  Mr. Scott
  Apart from correspondence from hon. Members, we have received a number of representations from individual members of the public.

  Hospital Building
  Mr. Latham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services whether he will make a statement on the hospital building programme.

  Mrs. Currie
  The largest ever health building programme in the history of the National Health Service is continuing. Information held centrally shows that there and currently more than 480 health building schemes, each costing over £1 million, at various stages of planning, design and construction. The total value of the programme is estimated at over £3·5 billion, and the total capital expenditure this year is expected to exceed £990 million.

  These building schemes, which are located throughout the country, are providing a better health care environment for National Health Service patients and more attractive working conditions for staff. They are helping to improve productivity and value for money. Newer designs have been generally very well received by patients and the public.

  Community Care
  Ms. Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what funds have been made available to London local authorities from health authorities for care in the community initiatives for each year since 1984, identified by amount and by authority; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Newton
  The information held centrally on joint finance expenditure does not identify separately expenditure on individual schemes such as those related to the care in the community initiative. The hon. Member may wish to seek further information from the chairmen of the health authorities concerned.

  Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a further statement about the Government's plans for care in the community.

  Mr. Newton
  Sir Roy Griffiths's recommendations on various aspects of community care, including provisions for people leaving long-stay hospitals under the care in the community arrangements, are expected to reach us very soon. We shall give them very careful consideration.

  Voluntary Unemployment
  Mr. Nellist
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services when regulations will he introduced to extend the maximum period of benefit reduction in alleged cases of voluntary unemployment; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  We hope to introduce an order to amend section 20(1) of the Social Security Act 1975, which gives the power to disqualify a person for unemployment benefit, in the near future. Regulations amending the income support regulations consequential on provisions in the current Social Security Bill will follow.

  It is the Government's intention that the periods of disqualification for unemployment benefit and for the reduction of income support in cases of voluntary unemployment will be increased from a maximum of 13 weeks to a maximum of 26 weeks from 11 April 1988. Falling unemployment and the strengthening economy are bringing a reduction in the total number of claims for
  184
  benefit from unemployed people. The number of claims from people who have left jobs voluntarily without just cause has, however, increased.

  Departmental Offices
  Mr. Boateng
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average interval between redecorations in his Department's local offices; what plans he has to provide play facilities for claimants with young children and to reduce smoking in the public waiting areas; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  Redecorations of local offices are scheduled for every six years, with shorter intervals for offices in more dirty environments or for parts of offices affected by heavy usage, for example public waiting areas. No information is held centrally on the actual interval between redecorations in individual offices. Play facilities are not normally provided unless there is a particular local need. Smoking in local offices, including within the public waiting area, is currently being reviewed by a joint working party with the trade unions.

  Health Services (Plymouth)
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will arrange to meet the chairman of Plymouth health authority to discuss health services in Plymouth.

  Mrs. Currie
  There are no present plans to do so. Ministers do, however, have regular meetings with regional health authority chairmen from whom we receive first-hand accounts of current developments within their regions.

  Nurses Pay Review Body Report
  Mr. Tim Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services, when he expects to receive the report of the nurses pay review board.

  Mr. Newton
  The nurses' pay review body is expected to make its report to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in the spring.

  Dental Treatment
  Mr. Callaghan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what steps he takes to monitor the effect of National Health Service charges for dental treatment on dental health; and if he will make regular reports on this to the House.

  Mrs. Currie
  I refer the hon. Member to my reply earlier today to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent, North (Ms. Walley).

  London Ambulance Service
  Mr. Spearing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make an official visit to the headquarters of the London ambulance service.

  Mrs. Currie
  We have no plans to do so. My noble Friend, who has particular responsibility for the London ambulance service, visited the headquarters in October 1987.
  185
  Mr. Tony Banks
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many staff have been employed by the London ambulance service for each year since 1979; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Currie
  The number of whole-time equivalent ambulance men and women in post in each year, as at March, was as follows:

  Year (march)

  Whole-time equivalent

  1979

  2,017·0

  1980

  1,950·0

  1981

  2,148·0

  1982

  2,131·0

  1983

  2,063·0

  1984

  2,079·0

  1985

  2,099·0

  1986

  2,037·0

  1987

  2,248·5

  Date (15 December 1987)

  Supplementary benefit

  Sickness benefit

  Maternity benefit

  Retirement pension

  London North

  7·1

  13·4

  17·7

  24·7

  London South

  6·6

  12·5

  19·0

  24·6

  North Eastern

  4·7

  7·6

  11·9

  19·8

  Midlands

  57

  8·8

  12·4

  20·7

  Wales and South West

  5·0

  7·4

  13·2

  21·8

  North Western

  4·5

  8·7

  12·8

  23·0

  Scotland

  3·9

  7·2

  10·6

  20·9

  National

  5·4

  9·2

  14·4

  22·0

  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will set out in tabular form the number of(a) claimants and (b) dependants claiming each of the mean-tested benefits for which his Department is responsible; and if he will provide comparable data for 1979.

  Mr. Portillo
  The readily available information for successful claimants is set out in the tables.

  Income-related benefit recipients and their dependants Great Britain: 1986

  Thousands

  Date

  Benefit

  Number of recipients

  Number of dependants

  February 1986

  Supplementary Benefit

  4,938

  3,353

  April 1986

  Family Income Supplement

  200

  530

  Autumn 1986

  Standard Housing Benefit

  3,730

  n/a

  1986

  Recipients getting one or more income-related benefit

  18,500

  n/a

  n/a Figures not available.

  1 This figures reflects an adjustment for the overlap between the benefits (ie: people receiving two or more of the above benefits).

  186
  We welcome the continued increase in the number of ambulance personnel since March 1986.

  Benefits
  Mr. Bernie Grant
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average number of days taken to process a social security claim in(a) the London region and (b) other regions; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  The table records, by region and for the four-week period to 15 December 1987, average clearance times for claims to supplementary benefit, sickness benefit (including invalidity benefit), maternity benefit and retirement pension. I regret that claims for other social security benefits are not recorded by region.

  Income-related benefit recipients and their dependants Great Britain: 1979

  Thousands

  Date

  Benefit

  Number of recipients

  Number of dependants

  November 1979

  Supplementary Benefit

  2,855

  1,516

  April 1979

  Family Income Supplement

  77

  214

  1979–80

  Rate Rebate1

  3,065

  n/a

  1979

  Recipients getting one or more income-related benefit

  25,900

  n/a

  n/a Figures not available.

  1 Housing benefit was not introduced until 1983. It replaced the former DOE rate rebate, rent allowance and rent rebate schemes. Most recipients of a rent allowance or rent rebate would also have received a rate rebate. Figures are not available for the small number of people who received rent allowance or rent rebate only.

  2 This figures reflects an adjustment for the overlap between the benefits (ie: people receiving two or more of the above benefits).

  Mr. Cummings
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people in the Seaham and Peterlee area are in receipt of(a) attendance allowance, (b) industrial disablement benefit, (c) industrial death benefit, (d) invalid care allowance, (e) invalidity benefit, (f) mobility allowance, (g) retirement pension, (h) severe disablement allowance, (i) supplementary pension, (j) war pensions and (k) widows' benefits; and what were the numbers for each of the last five years.

  Mr. Portillo
  I regret that some of this information is not available or not available in the form requested.
  187
  The table sets out for the periods requested the numbers of people in receipt of industrial disablement benefit, invalidity benefit (including sickness benefit), severe disablement benefit and supplementary benefit in the areas served by the Department's offices at Peterlee and Seaham. No local records are kept for industrial death benefit and no separate records are kept for beneficiaries

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  1987

  1988

  Peterlee

  Industrial Disablement Benefit

  2,416 (Dec)

  2,470 (Dec)

  2,370 (Dec)

  2,252 (Dec)

  2,197 (Dec)

  2,143 (Jan)

  Invalidity Benefit (including sickness benefit)

  ֵ

  ֵ

  7,090 (Jan)

  7,051 (Jan)

  7,886 (Jan)

  7,834 (Jan)

  Severe Disablement Allowance1

  ֵ

  ֵ

  276 (Jan)

  370 (Jan)

  363 (Jan)

  359 (Jan)

  Supplementary Pensions

  ֵ

  1,295 (July)

  1,241 (July)

  1,236 (July)

  1,237 (July)

  2—

  Seaham

  Industrial Disablement Benefit

  ֵ

  1,095 (April)

  1,008 (April)

  1,162 (April)

  926 (April)

  824 (Jan)

  Invalidity Benefit (including sickness benefit)

  1,489 (April)

  1,621 (April)

  1,696 (April)

  1,852 (April)

  1,946 (April)

  2,051 (April)

  Severe Disablement Allowance1

  ֵ

  ֵ

  84 (April)

  136 (April)

  136 (April)

  149 (Jan)

  Supplementary Pensions

  836 (Dec)

  962 (Dec)

  995 (Dec)

  1,019 (Dec)

  1,075 (Nov)

  2—

  1 Severe disablement allowance replaced Non-contributory Non-contributory invalidity pensions from 29 November 1984

  2 Not yet available.

  ֵ Not available.

  Doctors (Negligence)
  Sir Anthony Grant
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will meet representatives of the General Medical Council to discuss the system of dealing with cases of negligence by doctors; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Newton
  I have no present plans to do so. However, the General Medical Council, which is an independent statutory body, is currently undertaking a comprehensive review of their disciplinary procedures and I await with interest the outcome of that review.

  Private Health Services
  Mr. Page
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has on the private health contribution by the private health sector in Germany and France in percentages of their gross domestic product.

  Mrs. Currie
  The proportion of gross domestic product spent on private health care in Germany and France in 1985 was 1·8 per cent. and 1·7 per cent. respectively.

  Keep Warm Keep Well Campaign
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the progress to date the Keep Warm Keep Well campaign.

  Mr. Scott
  To the end of January, there had been approximately 5,000 calls to the "Winter Warmth" freephone line. There has been a strong demand for the campaign booklet, of which 750,000 copies have been
  188
  of sickness and invalidity benefit. In some instances local records before 1985 are not available because they have been destroyed.

  Also no records are kept, by area, of the numbers in receipt of attendance allowance, invalid care allowance, mobility allowance, retirement pension, war pension and widows' benefit because these benefits are administered at the Department's central offices.

  printed, from both the general public and from bodies such as community health councils. The Department is continuing to place both national and regional newspaper advertisements on the campaign, and we have provided publicity material to the television and radio organisations.

  Pensioners (Investment Income)
  Mr. McLoughlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what changes have taken place in the value of pensioners' incomes from investment (a) between 1974 and 1979 and (b) from 1979 to date.

  Mr. Scott
  The average income from investment of a pensioner household(a) decreased in real terms by 16 per cent. between 1974 and 1979, an average of 3·4 per cent. a year; and (b) increased in real terms by 53 per cent. between 1979 and 1985, an average of 7·3 per cent. a year.

  Hospitals Inspectorate
  Mr. Roger King
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will consider setting up an inspectorate of hospitals to report upon the state and efficiency of hospital establishments, similar in concept to Her Majesty's Inspector of Schools.

  Mr. Newton
  We will bear my hon. Friend's suggestion in mind.

  Disabled People (Discrimination)
  Mr. Wall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the number of cases

  189
  of discrimination against disabled people which have been referred to his Department in each of the last three years; and what action he has taken.

  Mr. Scott
  The numbers of complaints of alleged discrimination against disabled people referred to the Department in each of the last three years were as follows:

  Numbers

  1985

  Two

  1986

  none

  1987

  Four

  Of those six complaints, in one case there was no evidence of discrimination; in two cases we requested further information from the complainant but received no response; one complaint was resolved in favour of the complainant during the course of our inquiries; and two cases are still outstanding.

  Nurses (Pay)
  Mr. McCrindle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received on nurses' pay levels for 1988–89; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Newton
  We have received around 850 representations on nurses' pay levels for 1988–89 in the last two months. The level of pay for nurses is a matter for the independent nurses' pay review body which is expected to make its recommendations on pay levels for 1988–89 to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in the spring.

  Young People (Benefit)
  Mr. Ian Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received relating to his announcement that young people shall no longer generally be eligible to receive benefit.

  In-patients

  Out-patients

  Hospital

  Cost per in-patient case£

  Cost per attendance£

  Cost per attendance £

  Cost per case £

  York District Hospital

  82·24

  580·63

  25·44

  112·28

  Bradford Royal Infirmary

  80·53

  519·88

  27·24

  110·67

  Harrogate Hospital

  100·80

  645·97

  29·04

  146·51

  Huddersfield Royal Infirmary

  90·90

  544·66

  28·14

  135·55

  Hull Royal Infirmary

  86·35

  631·81

  25·34

  95·26

  Pinderfields Hospital, Wakefield

  91·92

  841·06

  29·96

  148·51

  Scunthorpe General

  93·00

  542·50

  22·76

  99·60

  There are a number of factors which may contribute to variations in costs between one hospital and another. They include variations in the proportion of patients treated in different specialties, the difference in cost of treating certain types of case, in-patient length of stay and numbers and grades of staff employed. 1986–87 cost information by region and for England as a whole is not yet available.

  North Staffordshire Health District
  Mr. Ashley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will visit the North Staffordshire health district to inspect the new surgical block due to open shortly.

  Mrs. Currie
  I hope to visit the unit some time this year.
  190
  Mr. Scott
  Up to 2 February we have received a total of 69 letters concerning the Government's proposal to withdraw the general entitlement to income support from 16 and 17-year-olds. Like representations made by hon. Members during the passage through the House of the current Social Security Bill, most of the letters expressed concern about particular groups such as lone parents, the homeless, the disabled and those in education. The representations made will be fully considered when the regulations are framed to exempt certain groups of people from the general provision.

  Public Houses (No-smoking Areas)
  Mr. Ashton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what consultations he has had with brewers regarding the installation of no-smoking areas in pubs.

  Mrs. Currie
  None. The provision of no-smoking areas in bars and restaurants is a matter for the owners. The Government do, however, welcome the extension of nonsmoking facilities in public places, since two thirds of the people in this country do not now smoke cigarettes.

  Hospital Treatment Costs (Yorkshire)
  Mr. Gregory
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the most recent figures for the cost of in-patients and out-patients treated at York district hospital; what are the figures for the six similar non-teaching hospitals in the Yorkshire regional health authority; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Currie
  For 1986–87, hospital cost returns submitted to the Department show average costs for inpatients and out-patients treated at York district hospital and the six other hospitals classed as acute with over 300 beds (non-teaching) in the Yorkshire region, as follows:

  Barnet Health Authority (Nurses)
  Mr. Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans he has to tackle the shortage of nurses employed by Barnet health authority.

  Mr. Newton
  We have announced a range of measures on accommodation, grading structure and training designed to improve recruitment and retention of nurses in the NHS. However, it is for individual health authorities to consider what action to take to deal with local shortages. Should the hon. Member wish to pursue the matter further, he may wish to contact the chairman of the Barnet health authority direct.

  Unemployment Benefit Claimants
  Mr. Andrew Bowden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the number of claimants of unemployment benefit aged 55 to 60 years who receive income from an occupational pension.

  Mr. Scott
  It is estimated that some 40,000 claimants of unemployment benefit aged between 55 and 60 receive income from an occupational pension.

  Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act
  Mr. Doran
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will now allocate the necessary resources to enable all local authorities to implement fully the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act.

  Mr. Scott
  Responsibility for implementing the Act rests with local authorities, which are in the best position to assess local needs and to decide the most appropriate arrangements for meeting them. We do not allocate resources to specific social services, and it is not practicable separately to indentify the total amount spent on services under the Act. However, between 1978–79 and 1986–87, gross current expenditure by local authorities on the personal social services overall increased by over 26 per cent. in real terms.

  Performance Indicators
  Mr. Favell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what representations he has received on the quality of information supplied by his Department's computer-based performance indicator package.

  Mrs. Currie
  Some comments have been received about the accuracy of individual values in the performance indicator package. The quality of the information in the package is largely determined by the accuracy of the data supplied by health authorities. Every effort is made to refer questions of data accuracy back to authorities.

  Abortion (Approved Places)
  Miss Widdecombe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the places approved by him under section 1(3) of the Abortion Act 1967.

  Mr. Newton
  The following places have been approved for period 1 February 1988 to 31 January 1990.

  Acland Nuffield Hospital, Oxford

  Alexandra Hospital, Cheadle, Cheshire

  Alexandra Hospital, Walderslade, Kent

  Avenue Clinic, Hove, Sussex

  Bath Clinic, Combe Down

  Beechwood Private Clinic, Norton, Sheffield

  Belvedere Nursing Home, Scarborough

  Blackdown Nursing Home, Blackdown, Leamington Spa

  Blackheath Hospital, London SE3

  Bromhead Nursing Home, Lincoln

  BUPA Hospital, Bushey, Watford, Hertfordshire

  BUPA Murrayfield Hospital, Thingwall, Wirral, Merseyside

  BUPA Hospital, Colney, Norwich

  Calthorpe Nursing Home, Edgbaston, Birmingham

  Chalybeate Hospital, Southampton, Hampshire

  Chatsworth Clinic, New Barnet

  Chaucer Hospital, Canterbury

  Chesterfield Nuffield Hospital, Bristol

  Christchurch Park Hospital, Ipswich, Suffolk

  Clare Park Clinic, Farnham, Surrey

  Cleveland Nuffield Hospital, Stockton-on-Tees

  192

  Cotswold Nuffield Hospital, Cheltenham

  Danum Lodge Nursing Home, Doncaster

  Dean Park Nursing Home, Bournemouth, Dorset

  Duchy Hospital, Treliske, Truro

  Duchy House Nuffield Hospital, Harrogate

  Evelyn Hospital, Cambridge

  Exeter Nuffield Hospital, Exeter

  Fairfield Nursing Home, Buckhurst Hill, Essex

  Fallodon Private Nursing Home, Leeds

  Fitzwilliam Hospital, South Bretton, Peterborough

  Foscote Private Hospital, Banbury

  Fulford Grange Hospital, Rawdon, Leeds

  Garden Hospital, London NW4

  Glen Hospital, Bristol

  Hampshire Clinic, Basingstoke

  Highfield Private Hospital, Rochdale

  HRH Princess Christian's Hospital, Windsor, Berkshire

  Hull Nuffield Hospital, Hull

  Humana Hospital, London NW8

  King Edward VII Hospital, Midhurst

  Leicester Nuffield Hospital, Leicester

  Leigham Private Clinic, London SW16

  Marie Stopes Nursing Home, London NW2

  Merseyside Nursing Home, Liverpool

  Newcastle Nuffield Hospital, Jesmond, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

  New Hall Hospital, Bodeham, Salisbury, Wiltshire

  New Victoria Hospital, Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey

  Park Hospital, Arnold, Nottingham

  Parkfield Private Hospital, Rotherham, South Yorkshire

  Parkview Clinic, London W5

  Plymouth Nuffield Hospital, Derrifold, Plymouth

  Portland Hospital for Women and Children, London W1

  Raleigh Nursing Home, London SW2

  Robert Nursing Home, Kings Norton, Birmingham

  Rosslyn Nursing Home, East Twickenham, Middlesex

  Royal Masonic Hospital, London W6 OTN

  Salop Nuffield Hospital, Shrewsbury SY3 9PD

  Sarum Road Private Nursing Home, Winchester, Hampshire

  Somerset Nuffield Hospital, Taunton, Somerset

  South Bank Hospital, Worcester

  South Manchester Private Clinic, Stockport

  St Wilfrid's Nursing Home, Bessacarr, Doncaster

  Victoria House Nursing Home, Rochester, Kent

  Wellesley Hospital, Southend-on-Sea

  Wessex Nuffield Hospital, Eastleigh, Hants

  Winterbourne Hospital, Dorchester, Dorset

  Wistons Nursing Home, Brighton

  Woking Nuffield Hospital, Woking

  Wye Valley Nuffield Hospital, Hereford

  Yorkshire Clinic, Bingley, West Yorkshire

  As part of the Deprtment's control of the private sector all these places are subject to unannounced visits of inspection. Those places specialising in abortion are visited more frequently by both medical-nursing and investigative officers. In the course of these visits, the operation of approved places is observed closely with regard to the conditions of approval under which they are required to operate, the facilities and equipment provided, medical and nursing practice and administrative and financial arrangements.

  Mersey RHA
  Mr. Butler
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the level of Government spending on the National Health Service in the Mersey region, expressed per household, in 1979 and in each year since then at(a) current prices, (b) 1979 prices and (c) 1987 prices.

  Mrs. Currie
  Following are figures for the Mersey region:
  193

  Total expenditure on hospital and community health services1—per household

  In cash terms

  At 1979–80 prices

  At 1987–88 prices

  £

  £

  £

  1979–80

  363

  363

  632

  1980–81

  463

  391

  680

  1981–82

  510

  391

  681

  1982–83

  544

  389

  677

  1983–84

  564

  386

  674

  1984–85

  599

  392

  682

  1985–86

  624

  386

  672

  1986–87

  667

  399

  695

  1 Includes revenue and capital expenditure on hospital, community health, ambulance, blood transfusion and other services.

  Source:

  1. Annual accounts of the regional health authority and district
  194
  (formerly area) health authorities comprising the Mersey region.

  2. Mid-year estimates of numbers of households (counties of Cheshire and Merseyside) — 1979, 1980, 1981, 1983 and 1986 (Department of Environment). Data specifically for the other years in the table is not available: the latest available figure was used.

  Notes:

  i. The figures have been expressed at 1979–80 and 1987–88 prices by the use of the gross domestic product deflator.

  ii. Expenditure on family practitioner services is excluded: such expenditure is accounted for by family practitioner committees (FPCs) and cannot strictly be attributed to particular regions. However, prior to 1 April 1985 many of the district (formerly area) health authorities within the region had an associated FPC and those authorities' total expenditure figures for the years before that date include elements relating to FPCs' administrative expenses which are not separately identifiable.

  iii. Expenditure by the special health authorities and other bodies providing central services to the National Health Service and expenditure met centrally by the Department is also excluded.

  Cervical Cancer
  Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many women in England and Wales have died from cervical cancer in the last five years for which figures are available, expressed per thousand women.

  Mrs. Currie
  The table shows the number of deaths with underlying cause of death as malignant neoplasm of cervix uteri, and the rate per thousand women for England and Wales for the years 1982 to 1986.

  Number of deaths with underlying cause as malignant neoplasm of cervix uteri (1ICD(9) 180) and rate per 1,000 women, all ages.

  England and Wales 1982–86

  Year

  1982

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  Number of deaths

  1,932

  1,959

  1,899

  1,957

  2,004

  Rate per 1,000 women

  0·076

  0·077

  0·074

  0·076

  0·078

  1 International Classification of Diseases 9th revision.

  Ophthalmic Services
  Mr. David Nicholson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what consultations his Department had with representatives of ophthalmologists and opticians, or any other medical advisory sources, before proposing the ending of free sight testing.

  Mr. Newton
  We undertook a lengthy consultation on primary care, in which ophthalmic, optical and other interested bodies took part. Our subsequent decisions, including the proposal to restrict NHS sight tests to particular groups, reflected our judgment in the light of that consultation about the most appropriate use of resources to support our plans for the further development of primary care as a whole.

  NHS (Expenditure Losses)
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on the loss consequent on National Health Service payments to doctors whose time is lost due to lack of nurses and support staff.

  Mr. Newton
  There would be some loss to the National Health Service if a doctor were unable to perform his scheduled duties due to the lack of nurses and support staff. A number of initiatives are already in hand aimed at improving the recruitment and retention of nursing and support staff.

  Number of available beds by hospital, Leicestershire District Health Authority at 31 December 1978 to 1986

  Average daily number of available beds

  Hospital

  1978

  1979

  1980

  1981

  1982

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  Leicester General Hospital

  714

  672

  691

  730

  740

  784

  910

  913

  914

  Fielding Palmer Cottage Hospital

  15

  4

  15

  15

  15

  15

  15

  15

  15

  Market Harborough and District Hospital

  27

  20

  26

  26

  26

  26

  25

  25

  24

  Melton and District Hospital

  46

  46

  47

  47

  42

  47

  47

  46

  47

  Rutland Memorial Hospital

  36

  36

  36

  35

  34

  34

  32

  34

  32

  St. Mary's Hospital

  117

  117

  115

  112

  108

  105

  105

  101

  98

  The Towers Hospital

  597

  568

  539

  527

  542

  527

  474

  477

  450

  St. Luke's Hospital

  52

  52

  52

  52

  52

  52

  51

  52

  52

  Framland Hospital

  41

  41

  41

  41

  41

  41

  41

  41

  37

  Health Care (Costs)
  Mr. Irving
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will issue guidance to all regional health authorities to have regard to the total cost of care on the basis of differing dependency levels when setting the level of their grant to local authorities.

  Mr. Newton
  We have no plans to issue further guidance, but the funding of community care will be considered in the context of Sir Roy Griffiths' review.

  Current guidance to health and local authorities on the transfer of resources with patients moving out of hospital and into personal social services care is set out in HC(83)6 (LAC(83)5).

  Community Care
  Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services when he now expects to receive the Griffiths report on community care; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Newton
  I refer the hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Brighton, Kemptown (Mr. Bowden) and the hon. Member for Monklands, West (Mr. Clarke) on 18 January at columns 583–84.

  Mr. Cryer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many hospitals have closed since 1979 due to the provision of community care for the mentally handicapped for each year since 1979; and what has been the use made of the sites.

  Mrs. Currie
  [holding answer 1 December 1987]: No large hospital for mentally handicapped people has closed. About 45 National Health Service hospital units, hostels and holiday homes have closed mainly since 1984. Changes of use for the sites so far include new facilities for mentally handicapped people in the community, a general medical practice, private hospitals, nursing homes and homes for elderly people; educational and training establishments; residential development by private developers and housing associations; and a nature reserve.

  Hospital Beds
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many beds there were in hospitals in the Leicestershire district health authority on 1 January in each of the years 1978 to 1988 inclusive.

  Mrs. Currie
  The information available centrally is the average daily number of available beds. These are shown in the table. In Leicestershire health authority the number of in-patient cases treated per available bed rose from 14·4 to 19·9 between 1978 and 1986.
  197

  Average daily number of available beds

  Hospital

  1978

  1979

  1980

  1981

  1982

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  Catmose Vale Hospital

  44

  44

  44

  44

  44

  42

  42

  38

  42

  Ashby-de-la-Zouch and District Hospital

  28

  28

  28

  28

  27

  28

  29

  29

  25

  Loughborough General Hospital

  76

  76

  73

  70

  76

  71

  71

  70

  74

  Groby Road Hospital

  241

  241

  235

  243

  243

  243

  221

  175

  180

  Markfield Hospital

  188

  162

  133

  119

  102

  2

  —

  —

  —

  Zachary Merton Home

  79

  84

  84

  83

  83

  84

  45

  —

  —

  Ellen Towle Memorial Home

  19

  19

  19

  19

  15

  19

  14

  —

  —

  Glenfrith Hospital-Leicester Frith

  785

  773

  385

  347

  308

  297

  288

  279

  278

  Hastings House

  78

  77

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Glengate Hospital

  —

  —

  56

  56

  55

  54

  54

  49

  48

  Mount Sorrell Hospital

  —

  —

  89

  89

  88

  87

  86

  79

  78

  Stretton Hall Hospital

  —

  —

  153

  141

  136

  128

  125

  122

  122

  Kibworth Hall Hospital

  —

  —

  34

  34

  34

  33

  33

  32

  32

  Stoneygate Hospital

  —

  —

  22

  22

  22

  22

  22

  22

  22

  Billesdon Hostel

  —

  —

  18

  2

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Regent Hospital

  —

  —

  75

  74

  74

  74

  72

  72

  72

  Glenfield Community Hospital

  168

  168

  168

  168

  168

  168

  167

  167

  168

  Montrose Court

  16

  16

  16

  16

  20

  24

  30

  32

  32

  Gorse Hill Hospital

  —

  —

  —

  48

  96

  96

  96

  96

  96

  Glenfield General Hospital

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  22

  163

  192

  The Leicester Royal Infirmary

  518

  677

  802

  819

  830

  830

  805

  803

  795

  Fielding Johnson Hospital

  52

  49

  53

  54

  52

  53

  54

  54

  53

  Hinckley and District Hospital

  34

  36

  37

  31

  35

  37

  37

  36

  33

  Bosworth Park Infirmary

  124

  124

  121

  114

  121

  118

  115

  117

  118

  Higham Grange Rehabilitation Centre

  36

  37

  37

  36

  37

  37

  36

  36

  37

  Leicester Royal Infirmary Maternity Hospital

  177

  178

  178

  178

  178

  178

  178

  178

  178

  Westcotes Hospital

  8

  15

  20

  23

  23

  21

  10

  —

  —

  Roundhill Maternity Home

  30

  30

  30

  30

  30

  30

  28

  30

  30

  Carlton Hayes Hospital

  700

  693

  692

  692

  671

  685

  631

  598

  565

  Hinckley Sunnyside Hospital

  38

  38

  38

  37

  38

  38

  38

  38

  38

  Blaby Hospital

  20

  20

  20

  20

  20

  20

  20

  18

  19

  Hinckley Cottages

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  3

  9

  9

  TOTAL

  5,101

  5,140

  5,221

  5,221

  5,225

  5,149

  5,070

  5,045

  5,001

  Social Service Staff (Assaults)
  Mr. Hinchliffe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has as to how many cases of assault on local authority social service staff during the course of their duties were recorded in 1987.

  Mr. Newton
  I regret that information about assaults on social services staff is not collected centrally.

  Underfunding (Contingency Plans)
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what instructions his Department has given to regional health authorities to prepare contingency plans for possible underfunding by his Department of 1988–89 pay awards.

  Mr. Newton
  None. We have simply reminded regional health authorities of the general need for authorities to balance their income and expenditure, and to plan flexibly in recognition of the possible need to meet some pay and price pressures in the course of the year.

  Skoal Bandits
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what plans his Department has for banning Skoal Bandits; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Currie
  The sale of tobacco products, including Skoal Bandits, to under-16s was made illegal under the Protection of Children (Tobacco) Act 1986 and measures to control the product further, including a health warning on the label and advertising material, have been under review. The Government will take any additional steps that appear necessary in the interests of public health.

  Drugs (Hospitals)
  Mr. Favell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services by what percentage the cost of drugs to hospitals as recorded in the hospital and community health services prices index has risen in each year since 1980.

  Mr. Newton
  The information requested is given in the table.

  Percentage year-on-year increase in the drugs element of the Health Service Price Index from 1980–81 to 1986–87

  Year

  Percentage change over previous year

  1981–82

  -3·3

  1982–83

  10·4

  1983–84

  4·8

  1984–85

  5·0

  1985–86

  6·0

  1986–87

  4·7

  Bacteria Testing
  Dr. David Clark
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what discussions he is having with manufacturers of meat and fish products into the case for bacteria testing; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Currie
  The food industry is well aware of its responsibilities in law to sell only food which is fit for human consumption. End product testing is not an effective or efficient means of ensuring food safety: absolute assurance could come only from examination of every end product item. Much more reliance is placed on
  199
  quality assurance through hygienic production using sound ingredients: manufacturers and enforcement agencies therefore undertake random sampling.

  Anonymised Blood Testing
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the cost in a full year of a programme of anonymised screening for HIV infection of a proportion of routine blood samples taken for other purposes in hospitals throughout the United Kingdom.

  Mr. Newton
  If anonymised screening programmes for HIV antibody were carried out, the factors determining the cost would include(a) the size and geographical location of the sample, (b) any preselection of samples from certain age and sex groups and types of patients, (c) the amount of data to be collected and recorded on factors that may be relevant to HIV transmission, (d) whether attempts are made to eliminate duplicate samples, (e) whether patients have an option to take part and (f) the analysis performed with the data so collected.

  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the annual costs of the anonymised blood testing programmes carried out for measuring the prevalence of measles antibody, immunity to poliomyelitis, rubella, diphtheria and tetanus and the levels of antibody to influenza virus; how often such testing programmes are repeated; and what use is made of the statistical and epidemiological data produced.

  Mr. Newton
  Not all the information sought is available, and that which is available could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Mrs. Alice Fuller
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what are the current arrangements for the

  Family practitioner committee

  1978

  1979

  1980

  1981

  1982

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  England

  Avon

  178

  176

  178

  176

  174

  173

  174

  176

  180

  Barking and Havering

  71

  70

  70

  71

  72

  73

  77

  81

  86

  Barnet

  73

  74

  74

  79

  83

  90

  92

  92

  91

  Barnsley

  44

  44

  43

  43

  43

  43

  43

  43

  45

  Bedfordshire

  69

  68

  69

  69

  73

  74

  77

  83

  87

  Berkshire

  103

  104

  104

  107

  109

  112

  113

  118

  124

  Birmingham

  191

  191

  192

  192

  199

  211

  219

  245

  249

  Bolton

  48

  48

  48

  49

  48

  50

  52

  52

  54

  Bradford

  100

  98

  96

  96

  96

  99

  101

  103

  105

  Brent and Harrow

  120

  123

  125

  132

  136

  140

  141

  142

  144

  Bromley

  51

  51

  52

  54

  53

  53

  57

  60

  63

  Buckinghamshire

  87

  88

  86

  89

  89

  91

  93

  97

  102

  Bury

  30

  29

  28

  29

  30

  31

  31

  30

  29

  Calderdale

  43

  43

  41

  42

  41

  43

  45

  46

  47

  Cambridgeshire

  78

  76

  77

  78

  81

  81

  83

  86

  88

  Camden and Islington

  113

  111

  113

  119

  122

  130

  134

  142

  140

  Cheshire

  158

  158

  158

  158

  162

  161

  163

  169

  173

  City and East London

  158

  159

  158

  163

  170

  172

  180

  183

  189

  Cleveland

  84

  84

  85

  85

  86

  84

  84

  83

  85

  Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

  88

  87

  87

  86

  86

  87

  86

  88

  87

  Coventry

  58

  57

  59

  63

  64

  66

  73

  77

  81

  Croydon

  63

  63

  66

  66

  67

  67

  71

  73

  78

  Cumbria

  101

  100

  100

  98

  98

  99

  100

  99

  97

  Derbyshire

  150

  152

  152

  154

  155

  153

  155

  161

  163

  Devon

  213

  211

  209

  207

  205

  202

  199

  209

  213

  Doncaster

  52

  52

  51

  51

  50

  49

  49

  49

  50

  Dorset

  140

  136

  136

  132

  134

  134

  134

  135

  142

  Dudley

  48

  48

  46

  46

  45

  46

  47

  50

  54

  200
  treatment of Mrs. Alice Fuller of 39 New Place square, Bermondsey, London SE 16, pursuant to the letter to the hon. Member for Southwark and Bermondsey from his Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State dated 30 November 1987 and in the absence of any response from the chairman of the Disablement Services Authority.

  Mr. Scott
  I understand that since the hon. Member wrote to my hon. Friend, his constituent has made two visits to the Roehampton disablement services centre, on 10 December 1987 and 19 January 1988, and a further appointment has been made for 16 February 1988. I also understand that both the hon. Member's letters about his constituent have been acknowledged by officials of the Disablement Services Authority, and that the chairman of the authority will write to him shortly.

  Limb Fitting Centre, Roehampton
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the average time it takes, from the date that a plaster cast is taken, for the limb fitting centre at Roehampton to make a socket for an artificial limb.

  Mr. Scott
  This is a matter for the Disablement Services Authority, to which the hon. Member should address his question.

  Pharmacies
  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will supply figures for the number of pharmacies in each family practitioner committee area in England and Wales for each year since 1978 to the latest date for which figures are available.

  Mrs. Currie
  The information for England is as follows. The information relating to Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
  201

  Family practitioner committee

  1978

  1979

  1980

  1981

  1982

  1983

  1984

  1985

  1986

  Durham

  111

  110

  109

  107

  108

  108

  106

  108

  108

  Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow

  161

  164

  167

  171

  181

  183

  186

  194

  197

  East Sussex

  154

  149

  150

  149

  153

  153

  157

  157

  158

  Enfield and Haringey

  100

  99

  99

  103

  107

  106

  110

  113

  118

  Essex

  219

  223

  228

  232

  241

  244

  250

  264

  280

  Gateshead

  43

  41

  44

  43

  40

  40

  42

  44

  46

  Gloucestershire

  78

  78

  78

  79

  81

  82

  82

  84

  87

  Greenwich and Bexley

  86

  86

  89

  89

  90

  93

  93

  96

  103

  Hampshire

  247

  241

  238

  246

  252

  257

  261

  263

  273

  Hereford and Worcester

  85

  86

  83

  85

  84

  86

  87

  94

  100

  Hertfordshire

  174

  175

  175

  184

  188

  196

  205

  211

  221

  Hillingdon

  57

  55

  62

  60

  62

  62

  64

  65

  65

  Humberside

  150

  148

  147

  148

  147

  149

  148

  148

  153

  Isle of Wight

  32

  31

  31

  31

  32

  31

  32

  32

  30

  Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster

  181

  185

  179

  179

  181

  196

  199

  209

  204

  Kent

  250

  253

  251

  251

  252

  252

  250

  253

  264

  Kingston and Richmond

  71

  73

  74

  74

  76

  76

  76

  79

  81

  Kirklees

  64

  62

  61

  63

  61

  63

  64

  65

  68

  Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham

  156

  160

  162

  168

  174

  176

  184

  188

  201

  Lancashire

  304

  300

  296

  295

  293

  293

  289

  301

  304

  Leeds

  166

  163

  158

  159

  157

  158

  158

  161

  169

  Leicestershire

  150

  149

  151

  155

  159

  165

  174

  186

  188

  Lincolnshire

  71

  70

  72

  72

  73

  73

  72

  73

  73

  Liverpool

  135

  129

  130

  127

  129

  132

  132

  133

  133

  Manchester

  107

  104

  103

  102

  101

  101

  104

  113

  114

  Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth

  133

  133

  135

  143

  149

  155

  155

  159

  158

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  63

  64

  65

  64

  64

  67

  68

  68

  68

  Norfolk

  92

  92

  94

  97

  96

  97

  98

  98

  102

  Northamptonshire

  68

  70

  71

  74

  76

  79

  80

  85

  93

  North Tyneside

  47

  46

  46

  46

  44

  44

  43

  43

  43

  Northumberland

  60

  60

  60

  59

  59

  57

  58

  59

  65

  North Yorkshire

  118

  115

  114

  113

  114

  113

  114

  115

  114

  Nottinghamshire

  148

  149

  149

  153

  163

  166

  169

  173

  179

  Oldham

  38

  39

  37

  36

  34

  35

  39

  40

  40

  Oxfordshire

  69

  71

  72

  72

  73

  74

  77

  82

  78

  Redbridge and Waltham Forest

  88

  88

  88

  91

  99

  102

  108

  114

  119

  Rochdale

  35

  34

  34

  34

  34

  34

  34

  34

  34

  Rotherham

  38

  38

  36

  34

  33

  33

  33

  34

  34

  St. Helens and Knowsley

  63

  62

  62

  63

  61

  60

  60

  61

  66

  Salford

  52

  52

  52

  50

  48

  49

  50

  52

  51

  Salop

  58

  58

  58

  59

  60

  62

  61

  64

  65

  Sandwell

  60

  60

  57

  58

  59

  60

  65

  68

  74

  Sefton

  59

  57

  55

  57

  57

  57

  57

  57

  56

  Sheffield

  101

  100

  101

  99

  98

  97

  97

  102

  105

  Solihull

  28

  29

  29

  29

  28

  30

  30

  33

  36

  Somerset

  71

  69

  68

  67

  70

  71

  71

  73

  77

  South Tyneside

  33

  31

  31

  32

  32

  32

  31

  31

  32

  Staffordshire

  149

  147

  148

  149

  151

  152

  155

  160

  166

  Stockport

  69

  69

  67

  66

  66

  65

  65

  65

  67

  Suffolk

  81

  81

  80

  79

  81

  81

  82

  84

  85

  Sunderland

  57

  57

  46

  56

  57

  55

  54

  55

  56

  Surrey

  191

  191

  190

  194

  198

  203

  210

  211

  216

  Tameside

  39

  38

  36

  37

  38

  38

  39

  39

  42

  Trafford

  49

  49

  46

  47

  47

  47

  47

  47

  53

  Wakefield

  45

  43

  41

  41

  41

  43

  46

  50

  50

  Walsall

  45

  47

  47

  47

  50

  52

  52

  58

  58

  Warwickshire

  62

  63

  62

  64

  64

  66

  67

  74

  78

  West Sussex

  125

  124

  123

  124

  125

  126

  128

  128

  131

  Wigan

  60

  59

  59

  59

  59

  58

  59

  60

  63

  Wiltshire

  71

  72

  72

  72

  72

  73

  75

  75

  76

  Wirral

  89

  88

  89

  87

  87

  87

  85

  89

  90

  Wolverhampton

  43

  43

  44

  46

  45

  48

  47

  53

  59

  Mr. Fearn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will state the number of pharmacies for 100,000 population in England and Wales for each year since 1978 for which figures are available.

  Mrs. Currie
  The information is as follows:

  Number of pharmacies per 100,000 population

  Year

  Number

  1978

  19·09

  1979

  19·00

  202

  Year

  Number

  1980

  18·92

  1981

  19·09

  1982

  19·34

  1983

  19·58

  1984

  19·84

  1985

  20·38

  1986

  20·89

  McColl Report
  Mr. Stern
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a statement on progress in implementation of the McColl report; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Scott
  My predecessor made a detailed statement to the House on 10 March 1987 at columns 149–51 setting out the Government's response to the McColl report on the artificial limb and appliance services.

  Accordingly, a new special health authority, the Disablement Services Authority, was created on 1 July 1987 to take over from the Department the responsibility for these services. The authority is charged with running the existing services; developing and improving them in the light of the McColl report and of other initiatives; and planning, in co-ordination with the regional health authorities, the integration of the services into those of the NHS on 1 April 1991.

  If hon. Members wish to inquire about the work of the authority, I am sure that its chairman the noble Lord Holderness will be pleased to answer their questions.

  Nurses
  Mr. Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services how many nurses were employed by the Leicestershire district health authority on 1 January for each of the years 1978 to 1988 inclusive.

  Mrs. Currie
  Such information as is available is shown in the table. Staff-in-post figures are collected on 30 September of each year. The figures for 30 September 1986 are the latest available to this level of detail. Because of the 1982 National Health Service reorganisation, figures on a consistent basis are not held centrally for the years prior to 1982.

  National Health Service nursing and midwifery staff in post at 30 September1

  Leicestershire district health authority

  Whole-time equivalents2

  1982

  6,180

  1983

  6,060

  1984

  6,020

  1985

  6,290

  1986

  6,350

  Source: Department of Health and Social Services annual census of National Health Service non-medical manpower.

  1 Includes agency staff.

  2 Figures are independently rounded to the nearest 10 whole-time equivalents.

  Special Payments
  Mr. Gordon Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will explain the procedures used to calculate special payments to pensioner couples(a) in receipt of one pension and (b) in receipt of two separate pensions.

  Mr. Scott
  Where only one member of a couple has retired and is drawing a pension the standard loss in 204
  weekly benefit over the two years affected by the error in the retail price index will be £7.85, whether or not an addition to pension for the spouse is paid. The £8 special payment made on the couple's single instrument of payment will compensate for this in full. If, on the other hand, both have retired their pensions will be paid separately and a special payment will he made on each.

  National Health Service Consultants
  Ms. Harman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what evidence he has of consultants in the National Health Service(a) indulging in restrictive practices and (b) devoting a disproportionate amount of duty hours to activities not directly related to their clinical functions; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Newton
  [holding answer 18 December 1987]: The evidence we have comes from National Health Service managers who report that a minority of consultants may not be meeting fully the letter or spirit of their contractual obligations. It is for National Health Service managers to pursue such problems with the individuals concerned.

  Nursing Staff (Merseyside)
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what were the numbers of nursing staff in(a) the Mersey region and (b) the Liverpool district health authority, in each of the years 1980–81 to 1986–87.

  Mr. Newton
  [holding answer 11 January 1988]: Because of the 1982 NHS reorganisation, staff-in-post figures prior to 1982 are not consistent with those for 1982 onwards:

  Such information as is available is shown in the table.

  NHS Nursing and Midwifery staff in post1 at 30 September

  Whole time equivalent2

  Mersey RHA

  Liverpool RHA

  1982

  22,450

  5,390

  1983

  22,310

  5,210

  1984

  21,850

  5,050

  1985

  22,150

  5,070

  1986

  22,330

  5,210

  Source: DHSS Annual censur of NHS non-medical manpower

  1 Includes agency staff.

  2 Figures independently rounded to nearest ten (10) whole time equivalents.

  Agency Nurses (Mersey)
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will estimate the number and the cost of agency nurses employed by each of the district health authorities in the Mersey region in each of the last five years.

  Mr. Newton
  [holding answer 11 January 1988]: The table shows expenditure on agency nursing staff in each of the 10 district health authorities in the Mersey region for the last five years. Information on the total number of agency nurses employed in each year which relates to the table is not available centrally.
  205

  Year

  District health authority

  1982–83

  1983–84

  1984–85

  1985–86

  1986–87

  £

  £

  £

  £

  £

  Chester

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Crewe

  —

  —

  1,050

  4,257

  33,314

  Halton

  —

  4,031

  10,156

  38,345

  112,017

  Macclesfield

  1,489

  65

  10,011

  6,540

  50,063

  Warrington

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Liverpool

  67,407

  115,959

  415,912

  426,854

  551,626

  St. Helens and Knowsley

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  South Sefton (Merseyside)

  9,974

  —

  —

  —

  401

  Wirral

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  National Insurance
  Mr. Gordon Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will update the answer of 29 January 1987,Official Report, column 376, to estimate the revenue effect of the national insurance contribution ceiling for employees being abolished, for 1988–89.

  Mr. Scott
  [holding answer 26 January 1988]: It is estimated that if the upper earnings limit for employees' class 1 national insurance contributions were abolished in 1988–89, but retained for the contracted-out rebate, the additional contribution yield for the full year would be £1,390 million.

  Health Care
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what proportions of gross domestic product each member of the European Community devoted to health care in each of the years 1983 to 1986 inclusive.

  Mr. Newton
  [holding answer 28 January 1988]: The information available (to 1985 only) is set out in the table. It covers total health expenditure from both public and private sources.

  Percentage of GDP spent on health

  EEC countries

  1983

  1984

  1985

  Belgium

  7·2

  7·2

  7·2

  Denmark

  6·6

  6·3

  6·2

  France

  8·1

  8·4

  8·4

  Germany

  8·0

  8·1

  8·2

  Greece

  4·2

  4·0

  4·2

  Ireland

  8·0

  80

  8·0

  Italy

  6·7

  6·6

  6·7

  Netherlands

  8·6

  8·3

  8·3

  Portugal

  5·4

  5·5

  5·7

  Spain

  6·3

  6·0

  6·0

  United Kingdom

  6·2

  6·2

  6·1

  Source: OECD 1987.

  Note: Luxembourg is excluded from the table because of reported inconsistencies in the national health accounts.

  Single Payments
  Mr. Andrew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if all claimants who have made applications for items such as non-essential furniture since August 1986 will be identified by his Department so that decisions on such claims can be reviewed in the light of CSB 241/87.

  Mr. Portillo
  [holding reply 29 January 1988]: We have considered carefully the commissioners' decision in CSB 241/1987 and its possible impact on past claims for furniture and household equipment. The effect of the commissioners' decision is to give some claimants access
  206
  to a discretionary payment for an exceptional need under regulation 30 of the Single Payments Regulations. However, we believe that, under the stringent conditions which apply for a payment under that regulation, relatively few claimants who had previously been denied a payment would now be entitled to one. To identify those claimants would be a major task, costly to mount, disruptive to local offices, and disproportionate to the amount of extra benefit likely to be payable. We have decided, therefore, that it would not be appropriate to conduct a search for such cases, although individual requests for review will be dealt with in the normal way.

  NHS Management Board
  Mr. Michael McNair-Wilson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list the current membership of the National Health Service Management Board; if he will give an indication of their financial, commercial or managerial background; and if he will define the role of the management board in the overall running of the service.

  Mr. Newton
  [holding answer 1 February 1988]: The NHS Management Board was established within the Department towards the end of 1983 to give leadership to the management of the hospital and community health services, to control performance and to achieve consistency and drive over the long term. The board has a continuing programme of work on management matters relating to the hospital and community health services. The board is made up of individuals who have held a wide range of senior positions in government, the private sector or the NHS. The members are:
  The Right Hon. Tony Newton MP, Minister for Health, Chairman.
  Sir Roy Griffiths, Deputy Chairman (Part-time) and adviser to the Government on NHS management. Managing Director and Deputy Chairman of J. Sainsbury PLC.
  Mr. Len Peach, Chief Executive and Personnel Director. On secondment from IBM (UK) where he was Director of Personnel and corporate affairs. A past President of the Institute of Personnel Management.
  Sir Donald Acheson, Chief Medical Officer. Former Chairman of Southampton and South West Hampshire Health Authority.
  Mr. Tom Critchley, Director of Procurement and Distribution. Has held a number of high level purchasing posts in industry and ran his own management consultancy from 1980–86. A past president of the Institute of Purchasing and Supply.
  Mr. Michael Fairey, Director of Planning and Information Technology. Seconded from North East Thames Regional Health Authority where he had been Regional Administrator. Chairman of Regional Administrators from 1982–84.

  207
  Mr. Graham Hart, Director of Operations. A Civil Servant with experience in a wide variety of posts in DHSS concerned with health services. A member of the Central Policy Review Staff from 1982–83.
  Mr. John James, Director of Health Authority Finance. A Civil Servant with experience in DHSS posts concerned with health finance, planning, personnel and policy and also in the Treasury. Currently serves as a non-executive Director on the Board of Laing Homes Ltd.
  Mr. Anthony Merifield, Director of Health Authority Liaison. A Civil Servant with experience in DHSS posts concerned with health service operations and management.
  Mr. Ian Mills, Director of Financial Management. On a three year secondment from Price Waterhouse where he is a senior partner and was director of central government services. A Fellow of the English Institute of Chartered Accountants and a member of the English Institute of Management Consultants.
  Mr. Duncan Nichol, Non-Executive Director. Regional General Manager, Mersey. A past president of the Institute of Health Services Management and chairman of the Education Committee of King Edward's Hospital Fund.
  Mrs. Anne Poole, Chief Nursing Officer. Has been Chief Nursing Officer at both district authority and Area Health Authority level. Also has experience as nurse member of Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth Area Health Authority.
  Mr. Peter Wormald, Director of Operations (Personnel). A Civil Servant with experience in a post concerned with health service policy and planning and now leads the Department's Health Authority Personnel Group.

  In addition, Mr. Idris Pearce, a senior partner in Richard Ellis and Vice President of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors acts as property adviser to the Board.

  NHS (Staff Statistics)
  Mr. Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will list by district health authority regions(a) the current nursing staff establishment, (b) the number in post at the latest available date, and (c) the number who have left the service of the National Health Service in the past year.

  Mr. Newton
  [holding answer 2 February 1988]: The number of nursing and midwifery staff in post in each district health authority at 30 September 1986 is given in the table.

  Detailed information about nurse establishments and nurses leaving the NHS is not available centrally but some such information will, however, become available later this year as a result of the introduction of improvements in National Health Service information systems.

  NHS Nursing and Midwifery Staff" in Post by Regional Health Authority at 30 September 1986

  whole-time equivalent3

  Region

  Nursing and Midwifery

  Northern

  27,350

  Yorkshire

  30,200

  Trent

  37,120

  East Anglia

  15,410

  North West Thames

  27,310

  North East Thames

  32,940

  South East Thames

  29,510

  South West Thames

  23,730

  Wessex

  22,940

  Oxford

  16,860

  208

  Region

  Nursing and Midwifery

  South Western

  26,930

  West Midlands

  42,350

  Mersey

  22,250

  North Western

  37,840

  London Post-Graduate

  4,520

  Special Health Authorities

  England

  397,240

  NHS nursing and midwifery staff1 2 in post by district heaith authority at 30 September 1986

  Whole-time equivalent3

  Northern Regional Health Authority

  Total

  27,350

  Hartlepool

  800

  North Tees

  1,270

  South Tees

  2,580

  East Cumbria

  1,560

  South Cumbria

  1,140

  West Cumbria

  1,190

  Darlington

  1,190

  Durham

  1,160

  North West Durham

  730

  South West Durham

  1,600

  Northumberland

  3,180

  Gateshead

  1,450

  Newcastle

  4,920

  North Tyneside

  970

  South Tyneside

  950

  Sunderland

  2,590

  Yorkshire Regional Health Authority

  Total

  30,200

  Hull

  2,570

  East Yorks

  1,700

  Grimsby

  1,390

  Scunthorpe

  1,130

  Northallerton

  530

  York

  2,360

  Scarborough

  850

  Harrogate

  1,130

  Bradford

  2,770

  Airedale

  1,390

  Calderdale

  1,550

  Huddersfield

  2,020

  Dewsbury

  1,030

  Leeds Western

  3,320

  Leeds Eastern

  3,130

  Wakefield

  2,130

  Pontefract

  1,100

  Trent regional health authority

  Total

  37,120

  North Derbyshire

  2,130

  Southern Derbyshire

  3,850

  Leicestershire

  6,350

  North Lincolnshire

  2,320

  South Lincolnshire

  2,020

  Bassetlaw

  690

  Central Nottinghamshire

  2,190

  Nottingham

  5,340

  Barnsley

  1,610

  Doncaster

  2,430

  Rotherham

  1,770

  Sheffield

  6,330

  East Anglia regional health authority

  Total

  15,410

  Cambridge

  2,490

  Peterborough

  1,600

  West Suffolk

  1,620

  East Suffolk

  2,610

  Norwich

  3,780

  Great Yarmouth and Waveney

  1,390

  209

  Whole-time equivalent3

  West Norfolk and Wisbech

  1,160

  Huntington

  720

  North West Thames regional health authority

  Total

  27,310

  North Bedfordshire

  1,450

  South Bedfordshire

  1,900

  North Hertfordshire

  1,000

  East Hertfordshire

  990

  North West Hertfordshire

  3,140

  South West Hertfordshire

  1,160

  Barnet

  2,700

  Harrow

  1,270

  Hillingdon

  1,980

  Hounslow and Spelthorne

  1,830

  Ealing

  1,790

  Brent

  1,990

  Paddington and North Kensington

  1,960

  Riverside

  4,040

  North East Thames Regional Health Authority

  Total

  32,940

  Basildon and Thurrock

  2,270

  Mid Essex

  1,920

  North East Essex

  2,940

  West Essex

  1,570

  Southend

  1,920

  Barking, Havering and Brentwood

  3,290

  Hampstead

  2,040

  Bloomsbury

  3,150

  Islington

  1,470

  City and Hackney

  2,480

  Newham

  1,080

  Tower Hamlets

  2,200

  Enfield

  1,400

  Haringey

  1,310

  Redbridge

  1,460

  Waltham Forest

  2,350

  South East Thames Regional Health Authority

  Total

  29,510

  Brighton

  2,230

  Eastbourne

  1,670

  Hastings

  1,260

  South East Kent

  1,570

  Canterbury and Thanet

  2,540

  Dartford and Gravesham

  1,930

  Maidstone

  ,480

  Medway

  1,610

  Tunbridge Wells

  1,970

  Bexley

  1,550

  Greenwich

  1,910

  Bromley

  2,070

  West Lambeth

  2,380

  Camberwell

  1,940

  Lewisham and North Southwark

  3,380

  South West Thames Regional Health Authority

  Total

  23,730

  North West Surrey

  1,660

  West Surrey and North East Hants

  1,660

  South West Surrey

  1,200

  Mid Surrey

  1,890

  East Surrey

  1,750

  Chichester

  1,390

  Mid Downs

  1,760

  Worthing

  1,430

  Croydon

  2,440

  Kingston and Esher

  1,560

  Richmond and Twickenham and Roehampton

  1,280

  Wandsworth

  2,860

  Merton and Sutton

  2,750

  Wessex Regional Health Authority

  Total

  22,940

  East Dorset

  3,040

  210

  Whole-time equivalent3

  West Dorset

  1,920

  Portsmouth and South East Hampshire

  3,650

  Southampton and South West Hampshire

  4,050

  Winchester

  1,270

  Basingstoke and North Hampshire

  1,680

  Salisbury

  1,420

  Swindon

  1,730

  Bath

  3,100

  Isle of Wight

  1,070

  Oxford Regional Health Authority

  Total

  16,860

  East Berkshire

  2,150

  West Berkshire

  2,930

  Aylesbury Vale

  1,690

  Wycombe

  1,320

  Milton Keynes

  720

  Kettering

  1,480

  Northampton

  2,410

  Oxfordshire

  4,090

  South Western regional health authority

  Total

  26,930

  Bristol and Weston

  3,270

  Frenchay

  2,640

  Southmead

  2,110

  Cornwall and Isles of Scilly

  2,880

  Exeter

  3,470

  North Devon

  980

  Plymouth

  2,950

  Torbay

  1,590

  Cheltenham and District

  1,290

  Gloucester

  2,410

  Somerset

  3,270

  West Midlands regional health authority

  Total

  42,350

  Bromsgrove and Redditch

  1,210

  Herefordshire

  1,240

  Kidderminster and District

  1,290

  Worcester and District

  1,760

  Shropshire

  2,810

  Mid Staffordshire

  1,790

  North Staffordshire

  4,130

  South East Staffordshire

  1,890

  Rugby

  460

  North Warwickshire

  1,370

  South Warwickshire

  1,920

  Central Birmingham

  2,770

  East Birmingham

  1,390

  North Birmingham

  1,440

  South Birmingham

  2,520

  West Birmingham

  2,570

  Coventry

  2,710

  Dudley

  2,080

  Sandwell

  1,560

  Solihull

  1,140

  Walsall

  1,920

  Wolverhampton

  2,280

  Mersey regional health authority

  Total

  22,250

  Chester

  1,740

  Crewe

  1,790

  Halton

  590

  Macclesfield

  1,630

  Warrington

  2,470

  Liverpool

  5,150

  St. Helens and Knowsley

  2,600

  Southport and Formby

  1,200

  South Sefton

  2,210

  Wirral

  2,780

  North Western regional health authority

  Total

  37,840

  Lancaster

  2,240

  211

  Whole-time equivalent3

  Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde

  2,490

  Preston

  2,540

  Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley

  2,780

  Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale

  2,660

  West Lancashire

  980

  Chorley and South Ribble

  630

  Bolton

  1,910

  Bury

  1,090

  North Manchester

  2,370

  Central Manchester

  2,060

  South Manchester

  3,030

  Oldham

  1,540

  Rochdale

  1,210

  Salford

  3,330

  Stockport

  2,200

  Tameside and Glossop

  1,380

  Trafford

  1,220

  Wigan

  2,050

  Source: DHSS Annual census of National Health Service nonmedical manpower.

  Notes:

  1. Figures include qualified nurses and midwives, learners and unqualified staff but exclude agency staff.

  2. Regional totals include Regional Headquarters and units staff.

  3. Figures are independently rounded to the nearest ten (10) whole-time equivalents.

  Lancashire County Council (Grants)
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what grants have been allocated by his Department to Lancashire county council for 1988–89; what grants were made in 1987–88; and if he will make a statement.

  Mrs. Currie
  [holding answer 5 February 1988]: Central Government grant support for Lancashire county council's expenditure in areas which are my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Social Services responsibility is provided mainly via unhypothecated rate support grant paid by the Department of the Environment. Grants allocated to Lancashire county council by this Department in the two years consist of:

  1. An indicative allocation for 1988–89 of £204,800 under the Social Services Training Support Programme. 1988–89 is the first year for which grant aid will be available from this source and the indicative allocation will be confirmed later on receipt of a specific bid from the authority.

  2. A grant of £17,386 in 1987–88 for expenditure on secure accommodation for children. Applications for grants totalling £45,614 in 1988–89 are currently under consideration.

  Lancashire county council will also benefit from funding through the joint financing arrangements but payment is made by the appropriate district health authorities. Information about what the authority will receive in 1987–88 and 1988–89 is not held centrally and my hon. Friend may like to make inquiries of the chairman of North Western RHA.

  NHS Spending (London)
  Mr. Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the percentage change in(a) revenue expenditure and (b) capital expenditure on hospital and community health services as deflated by the gross domestic product deflator for (i) the Greater London
  212
  district health authorities in total and (ii) the inner London district health authorities in total, between 1981–82 and 1986–87.

  Mr. Newton
  [holding answer 8 February 1988]: The 1982 reorganisation of the National Health Service resulted in significant boundary changes and changes of management responsibility. Figures for expenditure in inner London are not available prior to 1982–83. The table shows the real-terms growth in inner London between 1982–83 and 1986–87, and in Greater London between 1981–82 and 1986–87 and between 1982–83 and 1986–87.

  Percentage real terms growth in gross expenditure as measured by the gross domestic product deflator

  Greater London

  Inner London

  1981–82

  1982–83

  1981–82

  1982–83

  to

  to

  to

  to

  1986–87

  1986–87

  1986–87

  1986–87

  Revenue

  0·0

  0·5

  n.a.

  0·3

  Capital

  30·8

  35·5

  n.a.

  29·7

  Notes:

  1. Figures are based on total gross expenditure (revenue and capital) from the summarised income and expenditure accounts of area, district and special health authorities.

  2. Greater and Inner London have been defined as comprising the following health authorities:

  i. Inner London health authorities

  1982–83 to 1986–87

  Hammersmith and Fulham (Riverside from 1985–86)

  Victoria

  Paddington

  Hampstead

  Bloomsbury

  Islington

  City and Hackney

  Newham

  Tower Hamlets

  West Lambeth

  Camberwell

  Lewisham and North Southwark

  Wandsworth

  Special Health Authorities for the London Postgraduate Teaching Hospitals

  ii. Greater London Health Authorities

  1982–83 to 1986–87

  Inner London Health Authorities listed at 2(i) above

  Barnet

  Harrow

  Brent

  Hounslow and Spelthorne

  Ealing

  Hillingdon

  Barking, Havering and Brentwood

  Enfield Haringey

  Redbridge

  Waltham Forest

  Bexley

  Greenwich

  Bromley

  Croydon

  Kingston and Esher

  Richmond, Twickenham and Roehampton

  Sutton and Merton

  1981–82

  Barnet

  Brent and Harrow

  Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow

  Hillingdon

  Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster

  Barking and Havering

  Camden and Islington

  213

  City and East London

  Enfield and Haringey

  Redbridge and Waltham Forest

  Greenwich and Bexley

  Bromley

  Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham

  Croydon

  Kingston and Richmond

  Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth

  Boards of Governors for the London Postgraduate Teaching Hospitals

  Health Authority Funding
  Mr. Alexander
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the amount of funding by his Department administered by Trent regional health authority to Bassetlaw district health authority in each year from 1980 to 1987.

  Mrs. Currie
  [holding answer 1 February 1988]: The information requested is set out as follows from 1982 when Bassetlaw district health authority was created.

  Financial Year

  Amount1 (£000's)

  1. Revenue Allocation

  1982–83

  10,627

  1983–84

  11,333

  1984–85

  12,589

  1985–86A

  13,709

  1986–87

  14,977

  1987–88

  16,027

  2. Capital Allocations

  1982–83

  1,729

  1983–84

  1,889

  1984–85

  758

  1985–86

  374

  1986–87

  1,701

  1987–88

  3,200

  1 Source: Trent Regional Health Authority.

  Thames Health Regions
  Ms. Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will express the sums of money allocated to the four Thames health regions from the £100 million extra moneys allocated to meet 1987–88 shortfall announced on 16 December 1987 excluding the moneys allocated(a) for AIDS, (b) for storm damage, (c) for the reduction of waiting lists and (d) any other specially allocated moneys.

  Mr. Newton
  [pursuant to his reply, 18 January 1958, c. 581–82]: I regret that two of the figures in my earlier reply were misstated. The correct information is as follows:

  £ Million

  North West Thames

  4·7

  North East Thames

  6·0

  South East Thames

  5·3

  South West Thames

  4·3

  D and C Operations
  Mr. Nicholas Bennett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what information he has concerning the total number of D and C operations performed in England and Wales in each of the last 25 years for which figures are available.
  214
  Mrs. Currie
  [pursuant to her reply, 2 February 1958, c. 591]: The estimated number of D and C (dilettage and curettage of the uterus) operations performed in National Health Service hospitals in England and Wales from 1966 (the first year for which figures are readily available) to 1985 (the latest year for which information is held centrally) is given in the following table:

  Year

  Estimated numbers

  1966

  112,050

  1967

  100,260

  1968

  125,050

  1969

  118,920

  1970

  121,800

  1971

  132,900

  1972

  132,620

  1973

  129,880

  1974

  125,970

  1975

  104,940

  1976

  118,400

  1977

  127,580

  1978

  122,600

  1979

  115,140

  1980

  115,890

  1981

  114,700

  1982

  107,980

  1983

  112,490

  1984

  109,450

  1985

  112,790

  British Association of Social Workers
  Mr. Tom Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services when he intends to meet the British Association of Social Workers to discuss the current situation in social service departments and concern about the repercussions in social service departments arising from the introduction of the social fund.

  Mr. Scott
  Officials of the Department met the British Association of Social Workers to discuss, inter alia, the social fund on 15 July 1986 and 19 March 1987.

  NHS (Royal Commission Report)
  Mr. Wareing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make it his policy to review the hitherto unimplemented recommendations of the 1979 report of the Royal Commission on the National Health Service; and if he will make a statement.

  Mr. Newton
  I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Leyton (Mr. Cohen) earlier today.

  Telephones for the Deaf
  Mr. Robert G. Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will make a further statement on the future provision of telephone exchanges for the deaf.

  Mr. Scott
  We are continuing to liaise with the other Government Departments and organisations concerned with a view to assisting the telephone exchange for the deaf, run by the Royal National Institute for the Deaf. We expect to be able to announce our decision shortly.

  NORTHERN IRELAND (EMERGENCY PROVISIONS) ACTS: VISCOUNT COLVILLE'S REPORT
  NORTHERN IRELAND (EMERGENCY PROVISIONS) ACTS: VISCOUNT COLVILLE'S REPORT
  SOCIAL SECURITY: RECIPROCAL CONVENTIONS
  SOCIAL SECURITY: RECIPROCAL CONVENTIONS
  RETIREMENT BENEFITS IN THE EC
  RETIREMENT BENEFITS IN THE EC
  SOCIAL FUND GRANTS
  SOCIAL FUND GRANTS
  VISIT VISA APPLICATIONS
  VISIT VISA APPLICATIONS
  BANSTEAD MENTAL HOSPITAL
  BANSTEAD MENTAL HOSPITAL
  SHOPS ACT 1950: ENFORCEMENT
  SHOPS ACT 1950: ENFORCEMENT
  NUCLEAR POWER STATION COOLING SYSTEMS: PROPOSED EXPERIMENTS
  NUCLEAR POWER STATION COOLING SYSTEMS: PROPOSED EXPERIMENTS
  DUCHY OF LANCASTER: BLACK MAGISTRATES
  DUCHY OF LANCASTER: BLACK MAGISTRATES
  TUDOR FARM, EARNING STREET, GODMANCHESTER
  TUDOR FARM, EARNING STREET, GODMANCHESTER
  RADIOACTIVE WASTE
  RADIOACTIVE WASTE