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Mrs. Rumbold : Heads of all prison service headquarters divisions and directorates, including the director of prison medical services, were recently reminded of the importance of acknowledging and dealing expeditiously with letters from boards of visitors. I am assured by the medical director that she and senior members of her staff are mindful of the need to apply this principle to all communications from boards and that it is reflected in recently introduced administrative arrangements for dealing with such communications.
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what guidelines exist to govern the medical treatment of mothers with children and pregnant women in prison who are suffering from infectious diseases ;
(2) if he will establish an inquiry independent of the prison medical services to establish guidelines for the medical treatment of mothers with children and pregnant women in prison who are suffering from infectious diseases.
Mrs. Rumbold : Prison medical officers are statutorily responsible for the health care of prisoners in their charge. As registered medical practitioners they enjoy clinical independence ; and they have unfettered freedom to call upon such specialist advice as they consider necessary. The director of prison medical services has issued no guidance to medical officers relating specifically to the treatment of pregnant women or mothers and babies with infectious disease. This is one of the clinical areas to be considered in a review of hepatitis B policy which is being undertaken in consultation with the Department of Health.
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Operation Container
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) when he expects to be able to end Operation Container ; and if he will make a statement ;
(2) what recent representations he has received regarding Operation Container ; and if he will make a statement.
Mrs. Rumbold : I have received representations about prisoners in police cells in the Manchester area from the Greater Manchester police authority, from hon. Members and others. There is a countrywide shortage of prison accommodation, but I acknowledge that there is a particular problem in the Greater Manchester area. This is because 600 cells in Manchester prison which were damaged in the disturbances last year cannot be brought back into use before 1993. I visited Manchester on 9 December and saw Operation Container at first hand. I was able to meet the deputy chief constable and representatives of the police authority. I also visited the central detention centre and two divisional police stations and spoke to police officers directly involved in the work, and to some of the prisoners themselves. My visit reinforced my view that this use of police cells is unacceptable. My right hon. Friend and I are determined that it should be brought to an end in the shortest possible time.
Some important steps have already been taken to provide additional prison accommodation. The roles of three young offender establishments have been changed to adult use and new accommodation is being opened as quickly as possible.
There are six new prisons opening in 1991-92 providing nearly 3,800 places and a further six establishments, providing some 3,200 places due to open in 1992-93. Work is also in hand to determine whether any refurbishment projects at existing establishments could be postponed. In addition, I am considering whether it would be feasible to find emergency accommodation which could be brought into use to give relief in the north-west.
Probation Service
Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the code of professional conduct which serves to guide probation officers in their dealings with the general public.
Mr. John Patten : The professional conduct of probation officers is a matter for the employing probation committee. It has therefore not been considered necessary for the Home Office to issue such guidance.
Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines he has issued concerning the relationships between probation committees and the probation service.
Mr. John Patten : Under paragraphs 2 and 3 of schedule 3 to the Powers of Criminal Courts Act 1973 a probation committee is a body corporate responsible for the running of the probation service in a probation area. The constitution and duties of probation committees are set out in parts II and III of the Probation Rules 1984, as amended. Under section 74 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991 the Secretary of State may make an order requiring a probation committee to carry out any of its statutory
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duties if it is in default. The decision document "Organising Supervision and Punishment in the Community" published by HMSO in 1991 puts forward proposals for reorganising the probation service to increase its efficiency and effectiveness, including reshaping the role of probation committees. These proposals are currently under discussion with the probation service and others.Bail Hostels
Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the Government's policy concerning the maximum desirable size of any new bail hostel, having regard to the ability of the local probation service to supervise both the conduct of bailees and the interaction between bailees.
Mr. John Patten : The maximum desirable size of a new bail hostel is determined by practical considerations such as the demand for places. These considerations have led to hostels of different size in different localities and the largest currently offers 32 places.
Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to monitor and evaluate the bail hostel expansion programme and its effects upon the host areas.
Mr. John Patten : A thematic inspection of bail hostels will be carried out by Her Majesty's inspectorate of probation in 1992. This will examine local management and regimes including supervision arrangements.
There are no plans to monitor or evaluate centrally any effects on host areas. However, rule 18(1)(b) of the Approved Probation Hostel and Home and Bail Hostel Rules 1976 requires that a log book is kept in which every event of importance connected with the hostel is entered. Rule 18(2) requires that the log book shall be laid before the managing committee at each of their meetings. This identifies any incidents within the local community. Managers are encouraged to invite local residents to sit on the management committee.
Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the experience necessary for a member of the probation service to set up and run a bail hostel.
Mr. John Patten : Bail hostels managed by the probation service are normally run by a senior probation officer warden, but someone with equivalent qualifications and/or experience would not be excluded. Oversight is provided by an assistant chief probation officer who is accountable through the area chief probation officer to the local probation committee.
Currently there is one bail hostel managed by a voluntary managing committee. The warden is a senior probation officer seconded from the local probation service. A senior member of the probation service also sits on the voluntary managing committee.
Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much each county probation service is paid for the accommodation of each bailee in a bail hostel, per night, per occupant ; and what are the numbers overall.
Mr. John Patten : The most recently available information is that in 1989-90 each approved hostel,
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including bail hostels, was able to charge residents up to £5.66 per night and probation committees £6.20 per night as a local authority flat rate payment. The Home Office revenue contribution per approved hostel place is not separately identified according to the type of resident, but the average grant paid per resident night for 1989-90 was £20.36.Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the average operating cost per occupied place for the bail hostel system compared with the average operating cost per occupied place for the prison system.
Mr. John Patten : On the most recently available information the average annual running cost of an occupied place in bail and probation/bail hostels to the Home Office and local authorities in 1989-90 was £9,696.
The average operating cost per inmate for local prisons and remand centres in 1989-90 was £16,068.
Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the effect of the Children Act 1989 upon the long-term policy of the Home Office relating to bail hostels.
Mr. John Patten : None. The Children Act does not contain provisions bearing upon the occupancy of bail hostels.
Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what level of Home Office funding was given to Shropshire probation service for the services of a management consultancy involved in the Twyford house application for change of use to a bail hostel.
Mr. John Patten : So far £2,722.50 has been approved as payment for work undertaken by architects, up to 30 September 1991, in respect of the application for the change of use of Twyford house to a bail hostel.
Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list staffing levels and the numbers of residents in all existing bail hostels.
Mr. John Patten : The levels of supervisory staff and the numbers of places in existing bail hostels are as shown in the table.
|Wardens |Deputy |Assistant |Places
|wardens |wardens/
|night super-
|visors
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Basildon |1 |1 |7 |<1>25
Blackburn |1 |1 |4 |18
Brighton |1 |1 |3 |15
Chorlton |1 |1 |6 |27
Clarks House |1 |1 |5 |26
Corfton Road |1 |1 |5 |20
Curtis House |1 |1 |3 |15
Cuthbert House |1 |1 |4 |16
Dickson House |1 |1 |6 |28
Dover Bail |1 |1 |4 |18
Dudley Centre |1 |1 |5 |22
Emroch House |1 |1 |4 |15
Howard Lodge |0.5 |1 |4 |20
Howden House |1 |1 |6 |27
Kelley House |1 |2 |4 |28
Kew |1 |1 |3 |14
Lichfield Road |1 |1 |4 |16
Marshall House |1 |1 |5 |22
Pennywell |1 |1 |5 |22
Ryecroft |1 |1 |4 |16
South Bank |1 |1 |6 |27
Stonnall Road |1 |1 |3 |12
Sycamore Lodge |1 |1 |6 |32
Townmoor |1 |1 |5 |22
Tulse Hill |1 |2 |7 |27
Ty Newydd |1 |1 |3 |12
Walmer Villas |1 |1 |4 |18
Welford House |1 |1 |5 |26
Wilton |1 |1 |5 |22
<1> Expanding to 32 places shortly.
Bail
Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the amounts of public funds allocated to bail information schemes.
Mr. John Patten : With effect from April 1992 probation service expenditure will be cash limited and areas will receive hypothecated grant for bail information schemes. The level of hypothecated grant for each probation area in 1992-93 is shown in the table. Expenditure on bail information schemes was not separately identified prior to 1992-93.
Probation area |Hypothecated
|grant £
-----------------------------------------------------
Avon |71,014
Bedfordshire |52,472
Berkshire |129,462
Buckinghamshire |47,118
Cambridgeshire |0
Cheshire |23,202
Cleveland |23,724
Cornwall |0
Cumbria |77,905
Derbyshire |37,108
Devon |96,807
Dorset |59,446
Durham |25,958
Essex |16,062
Gloucestershire |0
Hampshire |38,538
Hereford and Worcester |45,609
Hertfordshire |45,174
Humberside |59,142
Kent |0
Lancashire |26,985
Leicestershire |51,356
Lincolnshire |55,824
Greater Manchester |196,702
Merseyside |238,994
Norfolk |88,616
Northamptonshire |0
Northumbria |118,462
Nottinghamshire |0
Oxfordshire |0
Shropshire |77,842
Somerset |34,200
Staffordshire |74,289
Suffolk |37,461
Surrey |30,598
East Sussex |76,443
West Sussex |67,181
Warwickshire |23,928
West Midlands |322,184
Wiltshire |25,678
North Yorkshire |0
South Yorkshire |99,851
West Yorkshire |166,907
Dyfed |22,265
Gwent |0
North Wales |20,746
Powys |0
South Glamorgan |36,352
Mid Glamorgan |0
West Glamorgan |51,697
Inner London |457,172
North East London |27,831
South East London |48,283
South West London |14,959
Middlesex |111,198
|-------
Total |3,452,745
Mr. Conway : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what is the definition of low and high risk bailees ; and what information sources magistrates have available to them in order to decide whether or not to remand in custody or on bail.
Mr. John Patten : There is no such definition. Relevant information is provided to magistrates by the Crown prosecutor and the defendant or a legal representative. Magistrates may also call for information from court duty probation officers, police officers, sureties and others.
Police Manpower
Mr. Michael : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what calculations were made to allow for demographic and other trends since 1981 to ensure that the use of census figures on unemployment accurately reflected the current situation in communities within the South Wales police area ;
(2) if he will give the figures and percentages for unemployment in the South Wales police area (a) given by the Government at the time of the 1991 census, (b) given in the census reports and (c) given by the Government at the time of his Department's recent review of police manpower and describe the extent to which these figures were taken into consideration in the review ;
(3) if he will give the specific figures and percentages of unemployment (a) in the South Wales police area and (b) in each district within the South Wales police area which were taken into consideration in arriving at a formula figure for police manpower needs in the South Wales constabulary during the course of his Department's recent review of police manpower ;
(4) if he will list the figures for single-parent families (a) in the South Wales police area and (b) in each district within the South Wales police area which were taken into account in constructing the index figure in the formula used in the recent Home Office review of police manpower ;
(5) what assumptions were made about the increase in the number of single- parent families in the South Wales police area over the last 10 years to ensure that accurate assumptions were being made on this matter during the recent Home Office review of police manpower.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I will write to the hon. Member.
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Police Vehicles (Fatal Accidents)
Mr. Tony Banks : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide details on the number of fatal accidents involving motor vehicles driven by police in the course of their duties for the most recent 12-month periods for which statistics are available.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : In the year ending 31 December 1990 outside the Metropolitan police district there were 17 civilian fatalities. These fatalities arose in the course of either police pursuits or responses to emergency calls. The figures do not show the number of accidents in which fatalities occurred.
In the same period in the Metropolitan police district there were six civilian and one police officer fatalities.
Motor Insurance
Mr. David Young : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what figures are available to show the number of people without motor insurance in England and Wales ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. John Patten : In 1989 there were 210,551 findings of guilt at all courts in England and Wales for the offence of using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks. Further information is contained in the Home Office publication, "Offences relating to motor vehicles England and Wales 1989, Supplementary tables", a copy of which is in the Library.
Mr. David Young : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what checks are made to ensure that all who drive carry the requisite motor insurance.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Police officers may check insurance details, along with other driver documents, when stopping vehicles and when investigating road traffic accidents or offences. If the driver concerned does not have evidence of insurance with him at the time, he is required under section 165 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to produce it within seven days at a police station. Failure to produce the evidence within that period is an offence.
Asylum Bill
Mr. Bernie Grant : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which organisations and individuals have made submissions concerning the Asylum Bill ; and whether he will place copies of the major submissions in the Library.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : Since July we have received representations from various organisations concerning the Asylum Bill. These include Amnesty International, Asylum Rights Campaign, Charter '87, citizens advice bureaux, church groups, the Council for Racial Equality, the General Council of the Bar, Justice, the Refugee Council and UNHCR. We have also received approximately 1,000 letters from members of the Refugee Council and UNHCR. We have also received approximately 1,000 letters from members of the public many of whom are members of one of the above-named organisations and who have submitted pro-forma letters.
I have no plans to place items of correspondence in the Library.
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HEALTH
Visual Handicap
Mr. Roy Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has given to the recent survey of the Royal National Institute for the Blind concerning provision for the needs of the blind ; if he is proposing any new measures ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Dorrell : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the right hon. Member for Manchester, Wythenshawe (Mr. Morris), on 11 December at column 448.
Executive Agencies
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the quality of service performance indicators adopted by each of his Department's executive agencies since their establishment and separately identify those quality service performance indicators already operative prior to agency status.
Mr. Dorrell : Key quality of service performance indicators have been set for the Department's executive agencies as follows : NHS Estate Management and Health Building Agency
(NHS Estates)
--Delivery on time of contracts by number and value.
--Other quality of service indicators will be set to cover the level of NHS and other customer requirements and quality assurance systems to define and maintain high quality product and service standards. The quality of service will be reviewed periodically with those customers.
Before the establishment of NHS Estates, the estates directorate of the Department of Health was working to meet a number of objectives of which the key was to promote effectiveness, efficiency and economy in the NHS estate.
Medicines Control Agency (MCA)
Safety and Quality :
--Rate of response to reports and enquiries about adverse drug reactions.
--Number and frequency of inspection of manufacturers.
--Introduction of quality control processes.
Standard of Service :
--Waiting time from receipt of paid up abridged licences to start of professional assessments.
--Assessment time for abridges product licence applications. --Assessment time for all new active substance licence applications.
Although the MCA has always sought to improve standards and efficiency, quality of service indicators were not established in this form before 1991 -92.
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will state the first degree obtained by the chief executive of each of his Department's executive agencies and from which university or polytechnic it was awarded.
Mr. Dorrell : The chief executive of the NHS Estate Management and Health Building Agency (NHS Estates) does not hold a degree but is a fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors.
The first degree obtained by the chief executive of the Medicines Control Agency was a bachelor of medicine/bachelor of surgery from the university of Wales.
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Dental Anaesthesia
Mr. Canavan : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list, for each year since 1965, the number of children under the age of 16 years who have died in England and Wales while undergoing, or shortly after undergoing, general anaesthesia for dental treatment in (a) dentists' surgeries and (b) hospitals.
Mr. Dorrell : The available information is set out in the table.
Child deaths associated with dental treatment
England and Wales
Year Number of Place of operation
|child deaths
|including |Dentists |Hospital
|general |surgery
|anaesthesia
-----------------------------------------------------------------
1965 |<1>0 |0 |0
1966 |2 |<2>n/a |n/a
1967 |1 |<3>1 |0
1968 |4 |4 |0
1969 |1 |1 |0
1970 |4 |<2>1 |1
1971 |2 |1 |1
1972 |3 |3 |0
1973 |0 |0 |0
1974 |4 |<2>1 |2
1975 |1 |1 |0
1976 |4 |3 |1
1977 |3 |2 |1
1978 |1 |1 |0
1979 |0 |0 |0
1980 |2 |1 |1
1981 |1 |1 |0
1982 |1 |1 |0
1983 |1 |1 |0
1984 |1 |1 |0
1985 |4 |1 |3
1986 |2 |2 |0
1987 |2 |1 |1
1988 |0 |0 |0
1989 |3 |1 |2
<1> Figures relate to number of children,
(i) prior to 1982 under 15 years of age,
(ii) from 1982 under 16 years of age.
<2> Information not always available on place of operation.
<3> Nature of anaesthetic not always stated.
Source: Office of Population Censuses and Surveys.
Health Authority Chairman
Mr. Pike : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will announce the name of the new chairman of Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale health authority.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The new chairman of Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale health authority is Mr. William Ashworth, whose term of office runs up to 31 March 1994.
Complementary Therapies
Mr. Rost : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how he propose to circulate to health authorities, community health councils and family practitioners, his statement on the clarification for the provision of complementary therapies, which he has released in a letter to the hon. Member for Erewash on 3 December ;
(2) if he will publish in the Official Report the clarification on the provision of complementary therapies
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through the family practitioner service which he has released in a letter to the hon. Member for Erewash on 3 December.Mr. Dorrell : The clarification of the position of alternative and complementary therapies within the NHS, given in the letter to my hon. Friend of 3 December, was also publicised in a press release of the same date. Copies of the press release have been sent to each regional health authority. A copy of both the press release and the letter have been placed in the Library.
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
EC Framework Programme
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions Her Majesty's Government and the European Community have had in relation to full membership for Switzerland of the European Community framework programme.
Mr. Leigh : Under the provisions of the European economic area treaty between the EC and EFTA which I hope will be signed shortly, all EFTA countries, including Switzerland, will be eligible to participate fully in the EC's research and development framework programme with effect from 1 January 1993. This will build on existing EFTA participation in individual EC R and D projects and programmes.
DEFENCE
Executive Agencies
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what bonus scheme is in operation in the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment, the Defence Research Agency, the Directorate General of Defence Accounts, the Hydrographic Office, the Meteorological Office, the Military Survey, Royal Air Force Maintenance and Service Children's Schools (NWE) ; and if he will state for each the cash amount per person awarded in the last year for which figures are available, and the conditions attached to its award.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : The executive agencies and defence support agencies can participate in the special bonus scheme in operation in the Ministry of Defence. As participation is a matter for chief executives, I have asked the chief executives to write to the hon. Member about their use of this scheme and any others that they may have introduced in their particular agency.
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the quality of service performance indicators adopted by Service Children's Schools (NWE), Royal Air Force Maintenance, the Military Survey, the Meteorological Office, the Hydrographic Office, the Directorate General of Defence Accounts, the Defence Research Agency and the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment since their establishment as executive agencies ; and separately indentify for each those quality of service performance indicators already operative prior to agency status.
Column 587
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : Quality of service performance indicators are included among the key targets which were set out when the individual agencies were established. I refer the hon. Member to the following Hansard entries :Executive/Defence Support |Hansard Agency ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Service Children's Schools |23 April 1991, Column 380 (NWE) Royal Air Force Maintenance |28 March 1991, Column 570-571 Military Survey |27 March 1991, Column 479-480 Hydrographic Office |25 July 1991, Column 935 Directorate General of Defence |23 April 1991, Column 379-380 Accounts Defence Research Agency |26 March 1991, Column 401 Chemical and Biological |26 March 1991, Column 397-399 Defence Establishment
The key targets for the Meteorological Office, which were set out in Hansard, column 443-44 of 2 April 1990, have been refined since the establishment of this organisation as an executive agency. Current targets for the period 1992-97 which concern quality of service are as follows :
(a) To increase efficiency by an average of 3 per cent. per annum during the period, to be achieved through required improvements in quality of service, increased service volumes and reduced unit costs.
(b) To reduce by 15 per cent. cumulatively the standard error of 48-hour forecasts of mid-tropospheric pressure fields over the north Atlantic and north-west Europe.
(c) To provide authoritative advice on climate change issues to Ministers and the general public.
In overall terms there were no such formal targets in existence before the individual agencies were established, although most of the elements of performance review were included in departmental plans.
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the new forms of alternative working patterns introduced into the Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment, the Defence Research Agency, the Directorate General of Defence Accounts, the Hydrographic Office, the Meteorological Office, the Military Survey, Royal Air Force Maintenance and Service Children's Schools (NWE), since their establishment as executive agencies ; and provide for each a breakdown by grade of the numbers of staff taking up each new working pattern.
Mr. Kenneth Carlisle : This a matter for the chief executives of the executive agencies and defence support agencies. I have asked them to write to the hon. Member.
Mr. McAllion : To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will state the first degree obtained by the chief executive, along with the university or polytechnic from which it was awarded, of each of the agencies in his Departments.
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