HC Deb 06 July 1988 vol 136 cc619-20W
Mrs. Wise

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what calculations his Department has made as to how much needs to be spent on a healthy diet by a pregnant woman.

Mrs. Currie

Such calculations would be misleading. The range of foods available to the British public provides endless possibilities for constructing a healthy diet, many of them quite inexpensive, both for pregnant women and for everybody else.

Mrs. Wise

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the notional amount which his Department calculated as being necessary for expenditure on food in order to achieve a healthy diet when family credit rates were decided.

List of schemes over £5,000,000 with start on site between 1 April 1979 and 29 June 1988
Project/Scheme Contract dates Region District
Construction cost (£) Start Complete Actual or estimated completion Number of beds Number of theatres
Southampton General—Phase 5, West Ward Block 6,381,550.00 2 April 1979 30 January 1982 2 December 1981 521 Wessex Southampton
Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdton, Phase 10,890,269.00 20 August 1979 19 August 1982 10 January 1983 227 17 East Anglian Huntingdon
Newham Hospital, Phase 1 (Nucleus) 9,113,626.00 10 September 1979 10 September 1982 8 September 1982 293 4 North East Thames Newham
Croydon/Mayday DGH (Nucleus) 8,519,504.00 17 September 1979 15 December 1982 10 December 1982 330 8 South West Thames Croydon
Watford (Shrodells Wing), Phase 3 13,547,351.00 24 September 1979 23 September 1983 17 February 1984 368 12 North West Thames South West Hertfordshire
Hope Hospital, Salford, Phase 1 11,678,323.00 1 October 1979 31 March 1983 13 May 1983 83 17 North Western Salford
Macclesfield Development (Nucleus) 8,807,136.00 21 January 1980 1 April 1983 24 June 1983 208 4 Mersey Macclesfield
Ipswich, Phase 1 Heath Road Wing (Nucleus) 6,236,329.00 14 April 1980 13 April 1983 13 April 1983 308 6 East Anglian East Suffolk
North Tyneside Scheme 1, Phase 1 10,364,538.00 14 April 1980 13 January 1984 13 December 1983 334 6 Northern North Tyneside
Maidstone DGH, Phase 1 (Nucleus) 11,033,254.00 28 April 1980 27 April 1983 20 April 1983 262 South East Thames Maidstone
Orpington, Phase 1 6,264,928.00 9 June 1980 3 October 1983 16 December 1983 300 South East Thames Bromley
Rotherham DGH, Phase 2 6,540,543.00 8 September 1980 5 September 1983 5 May 1983 178 Trent Rotherham
Glenfield DGH, Phase 1 10,925,194.00 22 September 1980 18 September 1983 13 April 1983 200 4 Trent Leicester
Milton Keynes DGH, Phase 1 12,622,800.00 6 October 1980 9 April 1983 12 September 1983 265 4 Oxford Milton
Colchester DGH, Phase 2 11,018,807.00 16 March 1981 15 March 1984 1 October 1984 286 4 North East Thames North East Essex
Broomfield, Phase 5 7,558,295.00 6 April 1981 5 April 1984 23 November 1984 4 North East Thames Mid-Essex
Central Public Health Laboratory, Colindale 14,620,183.00 13 April 1981 7 October 1984 20 January 1985 Special Health Authority
Lincoln County, Phase 1 9,903,304.00 20 July 1981 19 October 1984 20 July 1984 112 4 Trent North Lincolnshire
Queen Elizabeth Gateshead, Scheme 3, Phase 1 6,139,179.00 1 September 1981 31 December 1984 26 April 1985 200 6 Northern Gateshead
St. George's Blocks G2 and F, Phase 2 10,239,521.00 9 November 1981 3 January 1985 9 May 1985 South West Thames Wandsworth
Lewisham DGH, Phase 1A 6,132,680.00 8 February 1982 12 October 1984 27 March 1986 4 South East Thames Lewisham and North Southwark
Halton DGH, Phase 2 (Nucleus) 6,118,514.00 22 February 1982 18 August 1984 18 August 1984 232 2 Mersey Halton
Homerton Hospital, Phase 1 14,178,756.00 1 June 1982 30 August 1985 19 March 1986 428 4 North East Thames City and Hackney
Derby City, Phase 1 12,066,264.00 2 August 1982 24 January 1986 20 December 1985 242 4 Trent Southern Derbyshire
Weslon-super-Mare New Hospital 11,020,359.00 6 September 1982 9 January 1986 18 April 1986 252 4 South-Western Bristol and Weston
Bromsgrove Redditch DGH, Phase 1-Contract 2 (Nucleus) 15,285,938.00 1 November 1982 26 January 1986 11 April 1986 393 4 West Midlands Bromsgrove and Redditch

Mr. Portillo

There is no specific element for food in the family credit rates. It is for individuals to decide on the amount and proportion of their income to be allocated to each area of expenditure.

Mrs. Wise

To ask the Secretary of State for Social Services what was the notional amount which his Department calculated as being necessary for a claimant to spend on food when income support rates were decided.

Mr. Portillo

The income support rates cover the costs of day-to-day living, including food, but do not have amounts allocated to the different elements of these costs. It is for individuals to decide on the amount and proportion of their income to be allocated to each area of expenditure.