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Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The Twelve reaffirmed in their declaration on the Gulf of 19 February their strong support for the full implementation of the Taif agreement as the means to achieve national reconciliation in a Lebanon free of all foreign troops. We shall continue to support UNIFIL's contribution to this task.
Occupied Territories
Mr. Marlow : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has any further evidence that Israel is easing the curfew in the occupied Israeli territories.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The Israelis reimposed curfews on the west bank and much of Gaza from 24 February. However, the daytime curfew has been lifted over the south of the Gaza strip and in Gaza city. Our consulate general in Jerusalem is continuing to monitor the situation carefully.
The Gulf
Rev. Martin Smyth : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what has been the role of the United Nations in co- ordinating the campaign to defeat the environmental pollution of the Gulf by the release of Iraqi oil.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Two United Nations specialised agencies have been principally involved in efforts to tackle the oil spills in the Gulf and their environmental consequences. The United Nations environment programme has sent its own team of experts to the Gulf to assess the situation and prepare a report for the UN Secretary-General. The International Maritime Organisation, based in London, is acting as a clearing house for the matching of specific requirements on site with specific offers of assistance in tackling the oil spills. We strongly support the efforts of both these agencies, and are providing administrative support to the IMO.
Mr. Salmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, pursuant to the statement of the Minister of State on 21 February, on the nature of the Soviet peace proposals, if he will specify what aspects of the proposals are unacceptable to the Government as a basis for settlement of the Gulf conflict.
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Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Although certainly an improvement on earlier proposals, those emerging from Soviet/Iraqi talks on 19 February nevertheless did not constitute unconditional compliance with United Nations Security Council resolutions.Mr. Flyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what policy reasons underpinned the decision by the allied military commanders to refuse to promise safe air passage to his Iraqi counterpart on his recent diplomatic visit from Baghdad to Moscow.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd [holding answer 25 February 1991] : No request for safe air passage was made by the Iraqi authorities. As we have made clear, allied forces have instructions to attack only military targets and facilities supporting the occupation of Kuwait.
Human Rights
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports of abuses of human rights in Israel and the occupied territories he has received ; what representations he has made on behalf of Her Majesty's Government ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We receive various reports of alleged human rights abuses in Israel and the occupied territories. Subjects raised recently include the economic deprivation of Palestinians under lengthy curfew, the holding of Palestinians in prison in Israel, the detention without trial of Palestinian leaders and the deportation of four Palestinians from the occupied territories in January. We have raised all these issues with the Israelis and regularly remind them of their obligation to administer the occupied territories in accordance with the fourth Geneva convention.
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports have been received concerning violations of human rights in Iran since 1979, what representations, and on what date, were made by Her Majesty's Government to the Government of Iran ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have received a large number of reports of human rights abuses in Iran since 1979. With our EC partners, we have frequently expressed our deep concern about these reports both through the United Nations and whenever possible directly to the Iranians. They will be well aware of the need to reply in detail to all the allegations contained in the UN special representative's reports.
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received concerning human rights in Egypt ; what representations have been made to the Government of Egypt by Her Majesty's Government ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have received a number of representations about the alleged persecution of Christians in Egypt. These relate to a particular case now before the Egyptian courts. This matter is sub judice, but we are watching developments. The attention of the Egyptian authorities has been drawn to growing public interest in the case.
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received
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of violations of human rights in Turkey ; what representations Her Majesty's Government have made about these ; and if he will make a statement.Mr. Lennox-Boyd : I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on 29 October 1990 at column 389. Since then, the issue of human rights has been raised by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with the Turkish Foreign Minister on 13 January.
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of violations of human rights in (a) Oman, (b) Qatar, (c) Bahrain and (d) the United Arab Emirates ; what representations have been made by Her Majesty's Government ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We are aware of reports from bodies such as Amnesty International of allegations of human rights abuses in some of the Gulf states, although we have seen no such reports in the case of Oman. We deplore all human rights violations, wherever they may occur. The Governments of the Gulf states are well aware of the importance we attach to the observance of international human rights standards throughout the world.
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will instruct the United Kingdom ambassador to the United Nations to raise the problem of human rights abuses in East Timor at the earliest opportunity in the UN Security Council.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : The appropriate UN forum for this issue at the moment is the Commission on Human Rights. The joint statement by the EC to the present session of UNHCR will refer to East Timor.
El Salvador
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the talks between the Government of El Salvador and the FMLN.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We understand that regular talks under UN auspices are held between the Government of El Salvador and the FMLN. We have frequently made clear to all concerned the importance we attach to a successful outcome.
Kuwait
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made concerning democracy in Kuwait between 1986 and 2 August 1990 and since 2 August 1990 ; and what discussions about the restoration of the 1962 constitution have been held with the Emir of Kuwait.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : Future constitutional arrangements will be a matter for the Government and people of Kuwait. The Kuwait national conference held in Jedda in October 1990 agreed that there should be a return to the provisions of the 1962 constitution as soon as possible after liberation.
We welcome the Kuwaiti Crown Prince and Prime Minister's recent public reiteration of the Government's
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commitment to popular participation under this constitution, including new elections for the National Assembly after liberation.Western Sahara
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent advice his Department has given to United Kingdom citizens engaged in humanitarian relief work in the west Sahara area ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Lennox-Boyd : We have received no request for advice from British citizens engaged in humanitarian relief work in the western Sahara.
If the hon. Member would be so kind as to write to me specifying which type of advice he has in mind I shall see that he receives a full reply.
HEALTH
Health Services, Kent
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) in each health authority covering the Kent area how many hospitals have been (a) closed and (b) partially closed since March 1979 ;
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(2) in each health authority covering the Kent area how many hospital units have been (a) closed and (b) partially closed since March 1979.Mr. Dorrell : We do not hold information centrally about closures of hospital units or partial closures of hospitals. Information about hospitals which have been approved for total closure following formal consultation is as follows :
District Health Authority
|closed
|1 January 1979 to
|31 December 1989
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bexley |0
Bromley |3
Canterbury and Thanet |1
Dartford and Gravesham |0
Maidstone |1
Medway |1
South East Kent |0
Tunbridge Wells |5
The following table shows the extent to which the eight health authorities which cover the Kent area have increased in-patient treatment and day cases over the same period--1 January 1979 to 31 December 1989.
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Total number of in-patient and day cases treated in Kent in years 1979 and 1989-90
1979 1989-90
District health authority |In-patients |Day cases |In-patients |Day cases
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Discharges and deaths<1>
South East Kent |21,560 |1,458 |36,091 |5,698
Canterbury and Thanet |38,849 |2,629 |48,340 |5,518
Dartford and Gravesend |25,023 |2,322 |28,971 |3,176
Maidstone |16,692 |2,182 |25,552 |6,403
Medway |28,759 |5,576 |35,344 |3,215
Tunbridge Wells |29,313 |2,823 |32,770 |5,907
Bexley |16,601 |2,674 |23,788 |4,888
Bromley |29,822 |4,075 |34,563 |6,429
<1> Figures for 1979 relate to discharges and deaths. Figures for 1989-90 relate to finished consultant episodes.
Mr. Campbell-Savours : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute and non-acute hospital beds there were in each health authority covering the Kent area in (a) March 1979 and (b) March 1990.
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Mr. Dorrell : Figures for available beds and for patients treated are shown in the table.
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Average daily number of available beds (wards open overnight only) and number of patients treated for acute and non-acute specialties in Kent
in years 1979 and 1989-90
1979 1989-90
District Health Authority |Acute |Non-Acute |Acute |Non-Acute
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Average daily number of available beds:
South East Kent |549 |454 |557 |471
Canterbury and Thanet |990 |1,936 |756 |1,027
Dartford and Gravesham |661 |1,985 |491 |690
Maidstone |415 |1,326 |339 |695
Medway |570 |421 |559 |360
Tunbridge Wells |830 |1,589 |660 |725
Bexley |391 |1,262 |267 |728
Bromley |879 |1,712 |598 |1,026
Discharges and deaths<1>
South East Kent |16,671 |4,889 |27,964 |8,127
Canterbury and Thanet |30,156 |8,693 |37,886 |10,454
Dartford and Gravesham |18,446 |6,577 |22,262 |6,709
Maidstone |12,543 |4,149 |19,958 |5,594
Medway |20,759 |8,000 |25,614 |9,730
Tunbridge Wells |23,781 |5,532 |27,147 |5,623
Bexley |11,755 |4,846 |15,527 |8,261
Bromley |23,022 |6,800 |24,905 |9,658
<1> Figures for 1979 relate to discharges and deaths. Figures for 1989-90 relate to finished consultant episodes.
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Standard Spending Assessments
Mrs. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, further to his reply of 18 January, Official Report, columns 417-18 , if he will make it his policy to publish in draft form any new indicators relating to long- standing illness or disabilities which may be used for standard spending assessments ; and if he will consult widely on any such proposals before they are formally introduced.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Any proposed amendment to the standard spending assessment will be subject to consultation with the local authority associations and will be published in draft form.
Cervical Cancer
Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women have died from cervical cancer in each of the past 10 years ; if he will give the figures by region and district ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell : The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Operations
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received regarding the cancellation of operations in the Wigan health authority area ; and if he will will make a statement.
Audit Commission
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements have been made with the Audit Commission for the publication of the comparative figures from their health authority audit profiles.
Mr. Dorrell : The health authority audit profiles are sent to each of the authorities concerned by the commission. There are no arrangements for them to be published.
Mr. Robin Cook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether reports by the Audit Commission on NHS self-governing trusts will be publicly available.
Mr. Dorrell : Reports by the Audit Commission, on the audit of NHS trusts or any other body, are made to the management of the body audited and are not published by the commission. Section 18 of the Local Government Finance Act 1982 provides that certain reports cannot be excluded from material supplied to the press.
Firework Injuries
Mr. Nigel Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost to the health service of treating injuries caused by fireworks in each of the past five years.
Mr. Dorrell : Information on which to base such an estimate is not available.
Health Education Authority
Mr. Simon Coombs : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the work of the Health Education Authority.
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Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Health Education Authority was established in 1987 to undertake health education activity. Its current work concentrates on seven major education programmes--HIV, AIDS and sexual health ; "Look After Your Heart" ; cancer ; smoking ; alcohol ; nutrition and dental health ; and family and child health. The HEA initiates and supports a wide range of public information campaigns through mass media publicity and promotional events. In providing support to those in direct contact with the public, the HEA gives priority to developing and supporting health education in primary health care services, schools, colleges and youth settings, the workplace and local health promotion. Government funding of the HEA will exceed £30 million in 1991-92.
Family Planning
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has any plans to replace the current dual system for general practitioners and clinic services as the funding system for family planning services, with a single method source of payment.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : An important feature of the reformed NHS in England is the bringing together of district health authorities and family health services authorities as partners in health care provision accountable to regional health authorities. RHAs will be able to ensure that DHAs and FHSAs work together to make most effective use of available resources and to develop a more integrated and balanced family planning service responsive to local needs, taking account of the need for consumer choice.
Residential Homes
Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what further steps he is taking to help local authority social services departments implement their inspection and registration responsibilities for adult residential homes ; and what contacts he has had with local authority and private residential care interests on these subjects.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : On 13 February, the chief social services' inspector in the Department issued "Inspecting for Quality--Guidance on Practice for Inspection Units in Social Services Departments and other Agencies". He also issued a paper entitled, "Inspection Units for Adults : Training Implications" to help with the training of inspection and registration staff. I am placing copies of this material in the Library. On the same day, with my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Social Security, I met representatives of a number of private residential care associations with representatives of the Association of County Councils and the Association of Metropolitan Authorities. At this meeting, we explored constructively issues that may arise in the relationship between private home owners and the registration and inspection officials of social services departments. The introduction of inspection units on 1 April 1991, with the new procedures for handling complaints, represent the first phase of the community care policies which the Government will implement in full by April 1993.
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Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys
Mr. Steen : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full and part-time staff are employed in the Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys and at what cost ; and what are their tasks.
Mr. Dorrell : At 1 February 1991, 2,297 full-time and 112 part-time staff were employed in the Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys. The estimated cost for the current financial year is £32,506,000, including salaries, national insurance costs and some superannuation.
The staff carry out a broad range of tasks. These include preparation for the 1991 census of population, a variety of statistical work, designing, executing and publishing reports of surveys carried out for other Government Departments, maintaining the national health service central register and administration of the laws relating to births, death and marriage registration. In support of these activities, staff are also employed in developing and maintaining information technology systems and in providing personnel, finance, accommodation and management information services.
Mr. Doran : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the Office of Population, Censuses and Surveys is to conduct, commission or participate in a longitudinal survey of individuals, or information relating to individuals, obtained through the 1991 national census.
Mr. Dorrell : The OPCS has no plans to conduct, commission or participate in a longitudinal survey based on the 1991 census. Such a survey would entail repeated interviewing of a sample of the population over a period of time. However, the OPCS administers a longitudinal study which can be used to link together, when required, data for a 1 per cent. sample of the population of England and Wales to produce statistical tables. The study includes the information from the various records of events held by the OPCS. The events include the 1971 and 1981 censuses, births and deaths and so on. The study provides additional insights in the process of changes over time and increases the usefulness of information collected by the OPCS. As announced in the winter 1989 issue of "Population Trends", a copy of which is in the Library, the OPCS plans to include the appropriate sample of records from the 1991 census in the study.
Maternity Services
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how district health authorities will make decisions about which hospitals to place contracts with for maternity services ;
(2) whether women will have a free choice of where to have their baby within the national health service after April 1991 ; (3) how decisions will be made, for each district health authority, about drawing on the contingency reserve for maternity services.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : District health authorities will seek the views of their residents on where they prefer to be treated through consultation with local GPs and organisations representing patients' interests. DHAs objectives will be to place their contracts in line with these preferences.
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Health authorities will make provision to pay for the likely volume of referrals which are not covered by existing contracts. They will release those resources in response to demand.Decisions about where women have their babies will therefore continue to be a matter for discussion between the mother, her GP and relevant health professionals. A key advantage of the reforms will be the improved arrangements to give practical effect to such decisions.
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) for each district health authority, if he will state (i) the total amount and (ii) the percentage of the budget for contracts which has been set aside as a contingency reserve for extra-contractual referrals for maternity services ;
(2) if he will list for each district health authority (a) the districts and hospitals with which they have placed contracts for maternity services and (b) the number of births contracted for in each hospital and in each district.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Health authorities are in the course of making decisions on these matters in preparation for the introduction of NHS contracts in April. This information is not held centrally.
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for (a) each district health authority and (b) for each of the last three years (i) the number of women who gave birth in hospitals within their local district health authority, (ii) the number of women who gave birth in hospitals outside their local district health authority and (iii) for women giving birth out of their local district health authority, (1) a list of the districts and hospitals where they had babies, and (2) for each district and each hospital, the number of women who had their babies there.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : This information is not held centrally.
Patient Services
Ms. Harman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether he is satisfied that there will not be a conflict of interest in cases where the same solicitor is acting for both parties when drawing up a purchaser/provider contract for patient services ; (2) what guidance is given to health authorities and national health service trusts on the use of solicitors when drawing up purchaser/provider contracts for patient services under section 4 of the National Health Service and Community Care Act ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : A decision on whether to use solicitors when drawing up national health service contracts is for health service bodies themselves. No guidance has been issued.
Whether a solicitor should be prepared to act for both parties, and whether there is a potential conflict of interest, is a question of professional conduct.
Health Authority Spending
Mr. Dunn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish expenditure per capita by each regional health authority in England, indicating in the presentation of figures any distortions because of non-regional specialist units and teaching hospitals situated in each regional health authority.
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Mr. Dorrell [holding answer 6 February 1991] : Following is information derivable from 1989-90 annual accounts submitted to the Department :
Total Revenue Expenditure on
Hospital and Community Health
Services (HCHS) Per Head of
Resident Population-1989-90
Region |£
|(cash)
--------------------------------
Northern |281
Yorkshire |267
Trent |259
East Anglian |258
North West Thames |294
North East Thames |338
South East Thames |305
South West Thames |304
Wessex |247
Oxford |232
South Western |262
West Midlands |265
Mersey |291
North Western |293
Sources:
1. Annual accounts of regional
and district health authorities
for
1989-90.
2. Mid 1989 estimates of
resident population (Office of
Population Censuses and
Surveys).
Notes:
1. Revenue expenditure on HCHS
covers the total revenue
expenditure by the health
authorities concerned including
that on hospital, community
health, patient transport (i.e.
ambulance), blood transfusion
and other services. All capital
expenditure and expenditure on
family health services (
formerly family practitioner
services) is excluded.
2. Expenditure by the special
health authorities for the
London postgraduate teaching
hospitals is excluded but
expenditure by regional and
district health authorities on
non-regional specialist units
and teaching hospitals is not
separately identifiable in
their accounts and cannot be
similarly excluded.
3. Figures of expenditure per
head of resident population
vary between regions for a
number of reasons other than
the location of specialist
units and teaching facilities.
For example:-
(a) people quite commonly cross
regional boundaries for
treatment and the population
figures make no allowance for
this or for differences in the
age/sex structure and morbidity
of particular populations.
(b) the expenditure figures for
the Thames regions will be
influenced by the payment of
London weighting allowances to
staff employed in relevant
districts and by a generally
higher level of costs than
pertains in other parts of the
country.
Column 469
DEFENCE
Defence Export Services Organisation
Ms. Mahon : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he will be considering the future of the Defence Export Services Organisation in the light of local representations and international events.
Quality Assurance Unit
Mr. Devlin : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the number of apprentices with the quality assurance unit who were recruited in Teesside.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Fourteen of the DGDQA's apprentices were recruited from the north-east in 1990 out of a total of 49. There is also one apprentice from that region in his final year of training.
Equipment Procurement
Dr. Thomas : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what consultations there have been between his Department, the relevant employers, and trade unions concerning (a) the European fighter aircraft programme and (b) the proposed replacement of the Challenger 1 battle tank.
Mr. Alan Clark : Consultations take place, as required, between my Department and relevant companies and trade unions on a range of projects.
Jordan (Arms Sales)
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many representations he has received on the sale of arms and ammunition to Jordan ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Alan Clark : Apart from a question from the hon. Member for Rhondda (Mr. Rogers) on 17 May 1990 at column 520, none.
The Gulf
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what contact the Red Cross has had with Iraqi personnel held as prisoners of war in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Saudi Arabia.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : The International Committee of the Red Cross has full access to Iraqi prisoners of war for whom the United Kingdom is responsible. It has visited all those held in the United Kingdom and will visit those recently captured in the Gulf in due course. We understand that the committee has also had access to prisoners of war for whom the United States and Saudi Arabia are responsible, as required by the third Geneva convention.
Mr. O'Neill : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what response the Red Cross has had from the Iraqi authorities regarding captured British service personnel.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : We understand that the International Committee of the Red Cross has made repeated approaches to the Iraqi authorities regarding captured allied prisoners of war, but that Iraq has so far
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failed to meet its obligations under the third Geneva convention to provide personal details and access. The British Government continue to pursue the matter as being of the gravest concern.Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what was the total number of (a) RAF, (b) Army and (c) Royal Navy personnel serving in the Gulf area on 1 August, 1 September, 1 October, 1 November and 1 December 1990, 1 January and 1 February ; what is the current total cost beyond normal estimated spending ; and if he will make a statement on his current estimate of the likely total personal and financial commitment.
Mr. Archie Hamilton : For reasons of operational security it has been our practice not to break down manpower figures between the three services. The approximate total numbers of British forces personnel committed to Operation Granby for the dates requested are :
|Number
-------------------------------
1 September 1990 |5,000
1 October 1990 |15,000
1 November 1990 |16,000
1 December 1990 |30,000
1 January 1991 |35,000
1 February 1991 |40,000
About 1,000 British service personnel were in the Gulf area on 1 August, including the Armilla patrol and military training personnel and advisors. We have no plans at present for further major developments of personnel.
The current additional cost of the United Kingdom's deployment is more than £1.5 billion. The final financial commitment will depend on a number of factors, not least of which is the duration of the conflict, but we could incur very considerable costs in the consumption of weapons and ammunition, raising the total bill, assuming replacement over several years, to the area of £3 billion.
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether benzodiazepines are being prescribed to pilots in the Gulf between missions to help them sleep.
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