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Rate Arrears
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the total number of summary warrants granted for domestic rate arrears in Scotland in each year since 1985-86.
Mr. Rifkind : Information is not held centrally on the number of persons subject to summary warrant procedure for non-payment of domestic rates.
Debt Recovery
Mr. Dewar : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what was the number of speculative bank account arrestments served in Scottish clearing banks for the recovery of outstanding debts to local authorities in each year since 1985-86 ; and how many were successful in (a) locating an account and (b) recovering the amount outstanding.
Mr. Rifkind : Information is not collected centrally on the use of bank account arrestments for the recovery of local authority debts.
Lothian Health Board
Mr. Home Robertson : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a further statement on his allocation of £319.217 million to Lothian health board for 1990-91, giving the percentage increase over the previous year in cash, real and volume terms.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : The gross allocation to Lothian health board for 1989-90 is £295.956 million. The figure of £319.217 million which I have announced for 1990-91 is likely to be supplemented later in respect of breast cancer screening, waiting list initiatives and a number of minor services. The announced figure represents an increase of 7.86 per cent. in cash terms or 2.73 per cent. in real terms. No separate NHS pay and prices index is maintained for Scotland and it is not therefore possible to calculate the increase in volume terms.
Ambulance Dispute
Mr. Robert Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what costs have fallen to regional authorities in Scotland as a result of provision of services which otherwise would have been provided by the ambulance service during the current ambulance dispute.
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Mr. Michael Forsyth : Police costs will be reimbursed by the Common Services Agency. Regional authorities have not been asked to provide any other services.Mr. Robert Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is his estimate of the cost of a settlement for ambulance personnel in Scotland of (a) 6.5 per cent. from April 1989 to 1990, backdated to April 1989 with an additional 3 per cent. from April 1990 with an offer of further negotiations in October 1990 and (b) 9 per cent. from April 1989, backdated to April 1989 with an offer of further negotiations in October 1990.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : Based on the 1988-89 pay bill of £21.6 million for ambulance men and women in Scotland, the cost of a settlement would be £2.45 million in case (a) and £2.91 million in case (b) .
Revenue Support Grant
Sir John Stanley : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether under the community charge system in Scotland it is possible to identify the amount of revenue support grant attributable to each regional council and to each district council.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : Yes. Details of the amounts of grant payable to each local authority in Scotland in respect of 1990-91 were specified in the Revenue Support Grant (Scotland) Order 1990.
Civil Engineers
Mr. Thurnham : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many civil engineers are employed in Scotland in (a) the public sector and (b) the private sector ; and if he will make a statement.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : The figures requested are not recorded separately in Government employment statistics. Such information may be available from the Institution of Civil Engineers. Periodically it publishes details of its members and their employment.
Grant-aided Colleges
Mr. Allan Stewart : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will announce the allocations of grant in aid for recurrent expenditure to the grant-aided colleges in Scotland ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lang : I am pleased to announce that the Secretary of State has made the following offers of grant in aid for recurrent expenditure to the 17 grant-aided colleges for the financial year 1990-91. The offers, which are conditional on parliamentary approval of the supply estimates, are as follows :
|Offer
|1990-91
|£ million
--------------------------------------------------------------
Central Institutions
Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art |3.844
Dundee Institute of Technology |7.273
Edinburgh College of Art |3.973
Glasgow College of Technology |12.588
Glasgow School of Art |3.557
Napier Polytechnic of Edinburgh |18.441
Paisley College of Technology |10.661
Queen Margaret College |4.603
Queen's College, Glasgow |3.183
Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology |11.953
Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama |2.468
Scottish College of Textiles |2.403
Colleges of Education
Craigie College of Education |1.555
Jordanhill College of Education |10.534
Moray House College of Education |7.906
Northern College of Education |6.337
St. Andrew's College of Education |3.803
Comparisons of these grants in aid against those made in 1989-90 need to take account of the shift of public funding towards fees and other factors. The offers are designed to ensure that no college will receive an increase of less than 3 per cent. or more than 13 per cent over the initial allocations made in 1989-90. Because the colleges will also benefit from substantial savings as a result of higher rates relief for charities, this should allow expenditure to increase by at least 5 per cent. in 1990-91, and for most colleges by substantially more.
Excluding the effect of the shift of funding to fees. which will be neutral in terms of public expenditure, but bringing into account the savings that will accrue to the colleges from changes in rates relief for charities, the overall level of public funding for the colleges will be some 11 per cent. higher than in 1989-90. I am pleased that we have been able to provide such an increase in funding, which should enable the colleges to further expand student intakes, notably for pre-service courses of teacher training.
FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS
Nuclear Arms
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will seek a meeting with his counterpart in Buenos Aires to discuss the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
Mr. Waldegrave : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has no plans yet to meet the Foreign Minister of Argentina.
UN Convention on Rights of the Child
Mr. Cartwright : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when Her Majesty's Government intend to sign and ratify the United Nations convention on the rights of the child ; and what reservations Her Majesty's Government intend to enter on various articles of the convention.
Mr. Sainsbury : We intend to sign and ratify the convention on the rights of the child as soon as possible. We are currently considering what reservations, if any, may be necessary.
Yanomani Indians
Mr. Allan Stewart : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had any discussions through United Nations organisations on the Yanomani Indians in Brazil ; and if he will make a statement.
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Mr. Sainsbury : We have not had discussions specifically through United Nations organisations, but my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for the Environment both raised this question with the Brazilian president-elect when he was in London on 8 February.Green Island, Hong Kong
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the total area of Green Island, the total area of the building in which the Vietnamese boat people are held and the total number of people so held.
Mr. Sainsbury : Green Island has a total land area of 13.4 hectares. The reception centre, where all asylum seekers arriving in Hong Kong are first taken for the normal port, health and immigration procedures before being transferred after a few days to one of the main detention centres, is situated on a site of 4,150 sq m. The two dormitories in the centre can normally accommodate 480 people but are currently being used to house 500 people. The combined floor area of the two dormitories is about 600 sq m.
Refugees
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UNHCR lays down any minimum floor space standards for refugees pending examination of their cases.
Mr. Sainsbury : The UNHCR has not established any minimum floor space standards for asylum seekers held pending examination of their cases.
Panama
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the current state of Anglo-Panamanian relations.
Mr. Sainsbury : We now enjoy good and friendly relations with the Republic of Panama.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to his reply of 9 January, Official Report, columns 581-82, what information he has now of the number of deaths and injuries among civilians arising from the invasion of Panama by the United States of America.
Mr. Sainsbury : The latest information available to us indicates that 203 Panamanian civilians and three American civilians were killed. No figures have been released on the number of civilians injured.
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what current arrangements exist in the United Kingdom to represent the interests of the Panamanian Government.
Mr. Sainsbury : The Panamanian Government are represented by their charge d'affaires at the embassy of the Republic of Panama in London.
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PRIME MINISTER
Press Office
Q91. Mr. Ashton : To ask the Prime Minister what is the estimated cost of her Department's press office in 1990.
The Prime Minister : The latest estimate of total expenditure by my press office in 1989-90 is £361,520.
West German Railways
Q101. Mr. Adley : To ask the Prime Minister when she next intends to meet Chancellor Kohl ; and if she will raise with him his Government's railway investment policy.
The Prime Minister : I next expect to meet Chancellor Kohl at the annual Konigswinter conference on 29 March. I do not expect to raise the question of his Government's railway investment policy with him.
Blaby
Q108. Mr. Cox : To ask the Prime Minister what plans she has to visit Blaby.
The Prime Minister : I have at present no plans to visit Leicestershire.
German Unification
Q112. Sir David Price : To ask the Prime Minister what is the Government's current policy towards the pace and scope of reunification between the Federal Republic of Germany and the German Democratic Republic.
The Prime Minister : The Government, in common with the other western allies have always supported German unification provided that it comes about as a result of the freely expressed choice of the people of the two German states. It must respect the relevant agreements and treaties and all of the principles of the Helsinki final act. The Government's aim has been to see a framework within which the full implications of Germany's unification could be properly worked out. We very much welcome the achievement of that framework with the agreement at the open skies conference in Ottawa to start meetings of the four powers and the two German states.
Barley Mow Estate, Limehouse
Q.171 Ms. Gordon : To ask the Prime Minister whether she will visit the Barley Mow estate in Limehouse.
The Prime Minister : I have at present no plans to do so.
Environment (International Co-operation)
Q.183 Mr. Hunter : To ask the Prime Minister if she will make a further statement on the United Kingdom's contribution to international co- operation on environmental issues.
The Prime Minister : The Government work to protect the global environment through a wide range of international organisations including the European Community, the United Nations and the OECD. Our £3 million annual contribution to the United Nations environment programme is the third highest in the world. In my speech to the United Nations General Assembly last
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November I drew attention to the problem of global climate change, one of the greatest threats to the world environment. I also reiterated our call for an international framework convention on climate change which has been widely supported. We are playing an active part in the intergovernmental panel on climate change and we have committed an additional £100 million over the next three years to help conserve tropical forests.Downing Street Services
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Prime Minister what services at 10 Downing street are contracted out ; what is the cost per service per year to public funds, respectively ; and if she will make a statement.
The Prime Minister : The contracted-out services regularly used by my office include the following :
Service |Estimated
|Annual Cost
|£
-------------------------------------------------
Window Cleaning |3,000
Catering |24,570
Laundry and Dry Cleaning |4,800
Taxis |7,420
Switchboard |223,000
In addition, in the current year, my office has made use of other contracted-out services for minor maintenance and redecoration and the management of refurbishment of the state rooms. The costs of all these contracted-out services are met from moneys voted by Parliament.
Downing Street (Security)
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Prime Minister what level of public scrutiny exists over the provision of security expenditure associated with Downing street.
The Prime Minister : Expenditure associated with 10 Downing street is carried on the Cabinet Office (OMCS) class XX, vote 1 and is brought to account in the annual appropriation account which is audited and certified by the Comptroller and Auditor General.
Engagements
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 22 February.
Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 22 February.
Mr. Stern : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 22 February.
Mr. Lofthouse : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 22 February.
Mr. Hayes : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list her official engagements for Thursday 22 February.
The Prime Minister : This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today, including one with the German Defence Minister and one with the National Pensioners Convention.
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HEALTH
Food Safety
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what legislation to safeguard health is being considered in respect of blood gel plasma meat products ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Freeman : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food gave the hon. Member for Truro (Mr. Taylor) on 16 February at columns 444-46. As with any other food, fitness for human consumption is subject to the Food Act 1984 and regulations made under that Act. There is no need to legislate separately on safety grounds.
Hospital Trusts
Mr. Austin Mitchell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department plans the contracting out of any additional services ; and whether self-governing trusts will be allowed to contract out nursing or medical services.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : There are no plans for another central initiative for additional specific NHS services to be subject to mandatory competitive tendering. Competitive tendering does, however, offer scope for increasing effectiveness and value for money across a wide range of services. We shall continue to support and encourage its extension. NHS trusts will be free to decide how best to provide services in order to fulfil the contracts that they make with health authorities and other purchasers.
Abortions
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give the number of mentions of rape or incest in certificates for abortions performed on pregnancies of 18 weeks' or more gestation, but excluding any mention of statutory grounds 1, 4, 5 and 6.
Mr. Freeman : There was one abortion notification form received for England and Wales during 1988 for an abortion performed at 18 weeks' or more gestation, under either grounds 2 or 3 of the Abortion Act 1967, on which rape was mentioned. There were no mentions of incest in the same categories.
It should be noted that neither rape nor incest are in themselves statutory grounds for performing an abortion, and are not required to be specified on the notification form by the certifying doctor. The available data, therefore, can be compiled only from occasions on which such information is volunteered on the notification form.
Toxic Shock Syndrome
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether he has any evidence as to whether women are at risk of contracting toxic shock syndrome through using tampons ;
(2) whether his Department has evidence to confirm or deny the United States Federal Drugs Agency's list assessment of contracting toxic shock syndrome at one to 17 per 100,000 women and that there is a risk of death.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Information received from the public health laboratory service (PHLS) suggests that
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in recent years there has been on average one death per year from toxic shock syndrome (TSS) associated with tampon use in the United Kingdom. The public health laboratory service intends to publish data on the incidence of toxic shock syndrome shortly--which will include data on tampon-related toxic shock syndrome.Tampons
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has any plans to introduce standardised absorbency regulations for tampons.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This Department and the Department of Trade and Industry have asked the industry to show the grades of absorbency of tampons clearly on the packets.
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he is aware of any research which has been conducted to ascertain whether tampon usage may be linked to the incidence of cervical cancer.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : We are not aware of evidence of a causal link between sanitary protection products and cervical cancer.
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he will conduct research into the health effects of tampon usage including toxic shock syndrome, vaginal ulcerations and the possibility of tampon fibres becoming attached to vaginal membranes.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : There are no present plans to do so.
Ms. Richardson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has conducted any research into links between tampon absorbency and the incidence of toxic shock syndrome.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : No, but there has been such research in the United States.
NHS Reform
Mr. Andrew F. Bennett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Denton and Reddish of 12 February, Official Report, column 26, relating to arrangements for patients in Denton and Reddish, if he will make a statement on the implications for these arrangements of the proposed reforms of the National Health Service.
Mr. Freeman : Stockport and Tameside, in common with other district health authorities, will soon be making arrangements to discuss with general practitioners treating residents in their areas what future arrangements should be made for contracts for hospital treatment in a wide range of hospitals, including NHS trust hospitals, hospitals they manage themselves and those managed by other district health authorities. The reform of the National Health Service will provide for better treatment and better value for money leading to more treatment for more patients as the standards achieved by the best hospitals are rewarded by the flow of additional resources.
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Tranquillisers
Mr. Fearn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the new tranquilliser Flucto-Trazepan has yet been submitted for approval ; and whether it is being tested to ensure that it is not addictive and does not have dangerous side effects.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : For reasons of commercial confidentiality it is not usual practice to disclose information about whether or not an application for a product licence has been received or the progress of any such application.
Nursing Staff, Leeds
Mr. Battle : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing staff have yet to have their regrading resolved or are currently awaiting appeals in (a) Leeds Western health authority and (b) Leeds Eastern health authority.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not collected centrally.
Wythenshawe Hospital
Mr. Alfred Morris : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his reply of 7 February, Official Report, column 706, if he will seek a further assurance from the chairman of the North Western regional health authority about expediting a reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe of 16 January to the chairman of the North Western regional health authority about the urgent problems facing the regional cardiac unit, raised with the right hon. Member by all the consultant cardiologists and cardiac surgeons at Wythenshawe hospital.
Mr. Freeman : I understand that Mr. Bruce Martin, chairman of the North Western regional health authority replied on 21 February 1990 to the letter of 16 January 1990 from the right hon. Member.
Mr. Churchill : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will open discussions with the South Manchester and Trafford health authorities to explore the possibility of a rationalisation of Wythenshawe hospital's services in conjunction with Trafford general hospital rather than Withington hospital.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : It is for the North Western regional health authority to consider, with South Manchester district health authority and other district authorities affected, the proposals made by the South Manchester authority to rationalise acute and priority services at the Wythenshawe and Withington hospitals. The regional health authority is well aware of the contribution that Wythenshawe hospital makes to the hospital care of residents in South Trafford, and it should certainly take account of this in considering any proposals for significant change made by the South Manchester district health authority.
Ambulance Dispute
Mr. Robert Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the cost of a settlement for ambulance personnel in England of (a) 6.5 per cent. from
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April 1989 to 1990, backdated to April 1989 with an additional 3 per cent. from April 1990 with an offer of further negotiations in October 1990 and (b) 9 per cent. from April 1989, backdated to April 1989 with an offer of further negotiations in October 1990.Mr. Kenneth Clarke : The increase in employers' pay costs for ambulance personnel in England for each of the proposed 18-month settlement options is as follows :
Option (a) : £25.5 million
Option (b) : £30.3 million
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what has been the total cost of using private ambulances during the current ambulance workers' dispute ;
(2) what has been the total cost of using taxis in lieu of ambulances during the current ambulance workers' dispute.
Mr. Kenneth Clarke : We do not collect this information centrally.
Mr. Pendry : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the total cost for items other than labour
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arising from the current ambulance workers' dispute in the following regions : (i) Nottingham, (ii) Manchester, (iii) Essex, (iv) West Yorkshire and (v) Northumbria.
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