Mental Health (Hansard, 19 December 1995)

§ Mr. Gordon Prentice
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what checks and safeguards are in place in respect of inmates in institutions for the criminally insane ordering goods by mail order for individuals outside that institution who do not wish to receive them. [6025]

§ Mr. Bowis
This is a matter for the Special Hospital Services Authority. Decisions to withhold mail are subject to review by the Mental Health Act Commission.

§ Dr. Lynne Jones
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he proposes to take to bring up to the average the spending of those English local authorities which is below the average expenditure of personal social services budgets on mental health services. [6748]

§ Mr. Bowis
None. It is for the elected member of local authorities to decide how much to spend on particular services in the light of local needs and priorities.
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§ Dr. Jones
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he plans to take in response to the sixth biennial report of the Mental Health Act Commission on acute hospital beds in (i) all major conurbations, (ii) Devon, (iii) East Anglia and (iv) Cheshire. [6750]

§ Mr. Bowis
We shall be responding in due course.

§ Mr. Litherland
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many detained non-UK national hospital patients have been removed to a country abroad since 1983, under the provision in the Mental Health Act 1983. [6926]

§ Mr. Bowis
Twenty-five.

§ Mr. Litherland
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of detained non-UK national hospital patients requiring mental health treatment and removed to a country abroad have had their cases considered by the mental health review tribunal; and to how many of these the tribunal has refused to give its approval for removal since 1983. [6922]

§ Mr. Bowis
This information is not available centrally.

§ Mr. Prentice
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what checks and safeguards are in place to regulate the use of telephones by inmates in institutions for the criminally insane. [6024]

§ Mr. Bowis
This is a matter for the Special Hospital Services Authority.

§ Dr. Jones
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken by his Department and by the relevant professional organisations to organise training for their members in respect of the provisions of the Mental Health (Patients in the Community) Act 1995, and their duties under the Act. [6749]

Mr. Bowls
The Department will be issuing comprehensive guidance on the implementation of the Act's provisions which will assist in training.