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The use of brain-stem acoustically evoked responses to predict permanent hearing loss following bacterial meningitis.Dr. A. Robinson, Bacterial Antigens Group, Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research, Porton.
A preliminary investigation into the mechanisms of meningococcal meningitis.
In the last five years the Department of Health has commissioned the following meningitis related research projects :
1. "A Prospective Case-control Study of Meningococcal Disease in Eight West Country Health Districts". Total cost : £58,874. Study undertaken by Bristol and Weston Health Authority ;
2. "Meningoencephalitis Associated with the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) Vaccine." Total estimated cost : £129,195. Study being undertaken by Oxfordshire Health Authority ;
3. "Clinical Trial of Haemophilus Influenzae Vaccine." Total estimated cost £129,275. Study being undertaken by the Public Health Laboratory Service.
It is not possible to break down this expenditure into amounts spent on research, administration and salaries. Money given to the National Meningitis Trust is not intended for research purposes.
Community Nurses
Mr. Hinchliffe : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each years since 1979 the number of community nursing staff employed and the number of visits undertaken to patients over retirement age.
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley [holding answer 6 February 1992] : The information is not available in the form requested. Also, definitional changes between 1979 and 1990 and differences in definition between manpower and activity statistics make detailed comparisons difficult.
Table 1 shows the number of community health care nursing staff between 1979 and 1990. Included in the figures are all primary health care staff, except school nurses, agency staff and midwifery staff : community psychiatric nurses and community mental handicap nurses are included from 1981, the first year for which data were available. Table 2 shows the number of people aged 65 and over who were seen by a home nurse or health visitor between 1979 and 1987-88, and by a district nurse, health visitor, community psychiatric nurse, community mental handicap nurse or other community nurse in 1988-89 and 1989-90, following the introduction of a new data collection system. Figures are not collected centrally on the total number of contacts with community nurses by age.
Table 1
Primary Health Care (Community)
Nursing<1> Staff
at 30 September Each Year
England
Year |Whole-time
|equivalent<2>
------------------------------------------
<3>1979 |29,500
<3>1980 |32,100
1981 |35,700
1982 |35,600
1983 |36,300
1984 |37,000
1985 |39,000
1986 |38,800
1987 |39,000
1988 |39,700
<4>1989 |39,300
1990 |40,700
Source:
Department of Health (SMI3) annual census
of NHS non-medical
manpower.
Notes:
<1> Excludes school nursing, midwifery
and agency staff, but includes
community psychiatric and community
mental handicap nursing
staff.
<2> All figures are independently rounded
to the nearest one hundred
(100) whole-time equivalents.
<3> Not adjusted for reduction in nurses
working hours during 1980-81
(from 40 to 37.5 hours per week).
<4> Understated figure due to errors in
occupation coding at South
East Thames Region.
Table 2
First contacts Home/Community nursing (
thousands) England
Year |First contacts
|with 65s
|and over
---------------------------------------------
1979 |1,819.9
1980 |1,898.7
1982 |1,955.9
1983 |2,005.9
1984 |2,039.8
1985 |2,077.4
1986 |2,018.3
1987-88 |2,030.5
1988-89<1><2> |2,144.0
1989-90 |1,955.0
Sources: LHS 27/3, KC56-59
<1>For 1988-89 and 1989-90, there was a
change in the method of data
collection, and therefore the figures are
not comparable to past years.
<2>This estimate was based on incomplete age
data for the first year of
a new data collection system and appears to
over estimate the true
figure.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Criminal Statistics
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what percentage the levels of notifiable criminal offences and crimes of violence, respectively, changed in Leicestershire during the last 12 months for which records are available.
Mr. John Patten : In the 12 months to September 1991, recorded crime in Leicestershire increased by 29.5 per cent. over the previous 12 months and crimes of violence increased by 9.8 per cent.
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what number and what percentage reported (a) criminal offences and (b) crimes of violence have altered in Leicestershire during the last six months for which records are available.
Mr. John Patten : In the six months to September 1991, recorded crime in Leicestershire increased by 29.6 per cent. over the corresponding six months of 1990. Crimes of violence increased by 14.6 per cent. over the same period.
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) notifiable criminal offences and (b) crimes of violence were notified to the police during the last six months of 1979 and of 1991, respectively.
Mr. John Patten : In the last six months of 1979 there were 1,296, 570 notifiable offences recorded in England and Wales of which 69,023 were crimes of violence. Information for the last six months of 1991 is not yet available.
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Police Manpower
Mr. Janner : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what number and by what percentage the number of police officers in Leicestershire has altered since May 1979.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : At the end of December 1991 police strength in Leicestershire constabulary was 1,808. This is an increase of 107, or 6.3 per cent., since the Government first took office in May 1979.
Press Code of Practice
Mr. Wallace : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to consult the chairman of the Press Complaints Committee on strengthening the code of practice of national newspapers to protect mentally disordered persons from intrusion by the presss ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Peter Lloyd : None. Changes to the code of practice are matters for the newspaper industry to consider. The Government have, however, made it clear that they will review the effectiveness of press self-regulation in the middle of this year.
Poll-Tax (Liability Hearings)
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many liability hearings for outstanding poll tax have so far taken place with the defendant present ; of these how many (a) orders were made or (b) no order were made ; and what is the status of those not falling into either categories (a) or (b) .
Mr. John Patten : Information on liability hearings for non-payment of community charge where the defendant was present is available for the period 1 April 1991 to 31 December 1991. During that period the total number of liability hearings conducted where the defendant was present was about 129,000. Liability orders were made in about 107, 000 of these hearings. Other information about liability hearings with the defendant present is not collected.
Auto Crime
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motor vehicles were (a) broken into and (b) stolen, during the latest year for which figures are available in England and Wales.
Mr. John Patten : The available information relates to thefts of and from motor vehicles recorded by the police in England and Wales. Provisional figures for 1991 show that there were 582,267 thefts of a motor vehicle and 913,706 thefts from a motor vehicle. These figures were released earlier today in Home Office statistical bulletin 2/92, a copy of which will be available in the Library shortly.
Overseas Voters
Mr. Nellist : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what has been the total cost of establishing and publishing the system of overseas voter registrations.
Mrs. Rumbold : Advertising campaigns to inform British citizens living abroad of their voting rights were
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undertaken in 1986, when the overseas franchise was introduced by the Representation of the People Act 1985 ; and in 1990, upon the extension of the qualifying period from five to 20 years, under the Representation of the People Act 1989. The total costs involved were £279,000 and £705,000 respectively. In 1991 a total of £1,400 was spent on updating the posters used in British diplomatic posts abroad.The costs of the passage of the 1985 and 1989 Acts were largely absorbed within existing provision. Estimates of any additional costs involved could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The cost to local authorities of registering overseas electors under the 1989 Act in 1990 and 1991 is estimated to be £172,000. Estimates for the years 1986 to 1989 are not available.
Police Statistics
Mr. Oppenheim : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if he will list, in rank order, for each (i) police authority and (ii) county police authority in England, including average figures (a) the number of police offices in 1979, (b) the number of police offices for the latest year for which figures are available and (c) the difference between the two ranking by (c) ;
(2) if he will list, in rank order, for each (a) police authority and (b) county police authority in England, including average figures (i) the number of police officers in 1981, (ii) the number of police officers for the latest year for which figures are available and (iii) the difference between the two, ranking by (iii).
Mr. Peter Lloyd : I will write to my hon. Friend.
Drugs
Mr. Nelson : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what initiative on drugs is being planned to coincide with the United Kingdom presidency of the European Council in the second half of 1992.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : European drug prevention week will take place on 16 to 22 November, and we shall be playing a full and active part. This initiative was proposed by the United Kingdom, and has been taken up by all our EC partners. In the United Kingdom, a wide range of national, regional and local events is being planned with the overall objective of raising awareness of the dangers of drug and solvent misuse, especially among young people.
Life Sentence Prisoners
Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has established the order in which existing discretionary life sentence prisoners, who are eligible for consideration under the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 1991, will have their cases considered by the Parole Board ; and where the hearings will be held.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : The hearings will be held in the establishments in which the prisoners concerned are located. It will be for the Parole Board to decide the order in which cases are heard. To assist it in this task, I will provide the board with a list of those eligible in each establishment in suggested order of priority for hearing. The lists will be prepared on the following basis. Prisoners due for a review under existing arrangements between now and 1 October, when the new provisions
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come into force, will be offered the opportunity to defer their reviews so that they can benefit from the new arrangements. Those who opt to defer will be at the top of the list, in original date order. Next will be any prisoner for whom the Parole Board has previously made a release recommendation which was not accepted. Thereafter, prisoners will be ranked in order of the month in which, under existing procedures, their next Parole Board review would have been due to commence. Where a number of cases rank equally in the same month, account will then be taken of the length of time served past expiry of the tariff period of sentence, with priority being give to those who have been detained longest. If further fine tuning within the same month is necessary, any prisoner who has previously been released on licence, but recalled to prison, will be placed below others who have previously been detained for the same length of time past tariff. Account will also be taken of any compassionate considerations indicating that an early hearing is appropriate.Police Complaints Authority
Sir John Wheeler : To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements he has made to appoint a successor to Judge Francis Petre as chairman of the Police Complaints Authority.
Mr. Kenneth Baker : Her Majesty the Queen has approved the appointment of Sir Leonard Peach as chairman of the Police Complaints Authority with effect from 1 August 1992 when the current chairman, Judge Francis Petre, retires on 31 July 1992. I welcome this appointment. Sir Leonard Peach, who served from 1986-89 as chief executive of the NHS management board, is shortly to retire from IBM (UK) Ltd. after a distinguished career.
PRIME MINISTER
Women's Issues
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to alter the present departmental structure for consideration of women's issues.
The Prime Minister : I am currently examining existing departmental responsibilities for women's issues.
Value Added Tax
Dr. Marek : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy not to widen the scope of VAT by introducing a positive rate on those items that are presently zero-rated.
The Prime Minister : The Government have no plans to extend the scope of VAT to any items which are currently zero-rated, and no need to do so.
Nuclear Non-proliferation
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to meet with non-governmental organisations which specialise in non-proliferation issues to discuss the outcome of the special session of the United Nations Security Council decisions on nuclear non-proliferation agreed in New York on 31 January.
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The Prime Minister : I have no specific plans to do so. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is in close touch with non-governmental organisations in this field.
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Prime Minister whether the library at 10 Downing street contains a copy of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
Mr. Cryer : To ask the Prime Minister if he will publish the main points of the agreed United Nations Security Council special session policy to control nuclear proliferation held in New York on 31 January ; indicating what plans he has to publicise the strategy agreed on nuclear non-proliferation.
The Prime Minister : The agreed conclusions of the high-level meeting of the Security Council on 31 January are set out in the statement which I made at the time on behalf of all members of the Security Council, and on which I reported to the House on 3 February at columns 21-35. The statement has been published as Security Council document S/23500, a copy of which is in the Library of the House.
Scotland
Mr. Raffan : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the occasions on which he has officially visited Scotland since he assumed his present office, and the engagements he undertook during those visits.
The Prime Minister : I have made five official visits to Scotland, when I undertook a number of different engagements.
Wales
Mr. Raffan : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the occasions on which he has officially visited Wales since he assumed his present office, and the engagements he has undertaken during those visits.
The Prime Minister I have made one official visit to Wales, when I undertook a number of different engagements.
National Health Service Improvements
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Prime Minister how many letters he has received in the past six months seeking improvements in the national health service.
The Prime Minister [holding answer 6 March 1992] : I have received many representations on the national health service. The Government have increased the resources available to the National Health Service with the result that National Health Service spending has risen by 55 per cent. in real terms under this Government and next year National Health Service spending in England will rise to £618 per person, compared with £409 per head--1992-93 prices--in 1979.
The Government's reforms are beginning to deliver improved health care. In 1991-92, the first year of our reforms, the National Health Service is forecast to treat 5.6 per cent. more in-patients and 4.3 per cent. more out -patients than last year.
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Libya
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Prime Minister what assessment Her Majesty's Government have made of the visit to Libya by Vasily Safranchuk, the United Nations envoy.
The Prime Minister [holding answer 25 February 1992] : The United Nations Secretary-General has now reported to the Security Council the outcome of Mr. Safronchuk's recent visits to Libya. That report states that Security Council resolution 731 has not yet been complied with. We agree with that assessment. Libya must comply with United Nations Security Council resolution 731 or face further measures.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
Mr. Trimble : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he will state the total funds made available for research into the causes of myalgic encephalomyelitis in the last five years ; and how much of this has been for research into the physical causes of myalgic encephalomyelitis.
Mr. Hanley : No grant applications for research into the causes of myalgic encephalomyelitis have been received by the Department of Health and Social Services. However, I understand that in the last five years research at the Royal Victoria hospital, Belfast into the physical causes of ME has been supported by grants of approximately £20,000 from the ME Association and other private sources.
Dentistry
Mr. McGrady : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what financial resources will be made available to the dentistry profession in Northern Ireland to implement the Poswillo report.
Mr. Hanley : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Foyle (Mr. Hume) on 5 March, Official Report, column 238.
Heating (Health Problems)
Mr. Beggs : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will support and encourage the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and health boards in Northern Ireland jointly to investigate the cause of asthma and repeated chest infections in children and report on the incidence of these health problems in relation to the type of heating installed in homes.
Mr. Hanley : I am not aware of any evidence of a causal link between asthma or other chest infections and any types of home heating and have no immediate plans to instigate such an investigation unless evidence is forthcoming.
Social Security
Mr. Meacher : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will give, for each year from 1978-79 to the latest available, the total number of staff administering the social security programme.
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Mr. Hanley : The information requested is as follows :
Year |Total number
|of staff
---------------------------------------
1984 |4,488
1985 |4,435
1986 |4,508
1987 |4,692
1988 |4,544
1989 |4,470.5
1990 |4,352.5
1991-92 |4,284
Information prior to 1984 is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Civil Unrest (Compensation)
Mr. McNamara : To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications for compensation under the scheme of compensation for loss of employment through civil unrest have been rejected since 1970 on the grounds that the applicant had not been employed for two years or more and what percentage of rejected applications such rejections represent.
Mr. Needham : I refer the hon. Member to the answer which I gave him on 3 February 1992 ( Official Report, Vol. 203, col. 30).
CIVIL SERVICE
Morale
Mr. Flynn : To ask the Minister for the Civil Service what new initiatives he intends to introduce to improve morale in the civil service.
Mr. Renton : Our aim is to have an efficient, effective and well- motivated civil service. Managers in Departments and agencies continually work to achieve this.
SCOTLAND
Students' Allowances
Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish details of any changes in students' allowances for session 1992-93.
Mr. Michael Forsyth : I am publishing today the main rates of allowances payable under the postgraduate students' allowances scheme for vocational postgraduate courses which do not attract student loans, together with the rates of various supplementary allowances payable to both undergraduate and vocational postgraduate award holders. The main rates of maintenance allowance for undergraduates will remain frozen at their 1990- 91 cash levels following the introduction of student loans.
Details of the new rates have been placed in the Library. The increases in these rates are broadly in line with the 4.5 per cent. increase in the overall provision for student maintenance announced by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Science.
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Agricultural Scientific Services
Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about his plans to establish the agricultural scientific services of the Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department as an executive agency.
Mr. Lang : I have decided that, under the "next steps" initiative, the agricultural scientific services will become an executive agency from 1 April 1992. The agency will be called the Scottish Agricultural Science Agency--SASA--and will continue to be part of the Scottish Office Agriculture and Fisheries Department.
For 1992-93, the first year of operation, I have set the following key performance targets for SASA :
development of a full accruals accounting system by April 1993 ; completion of 95 per cent. of all scientific tests and analyses within the timetable set by the customers ;
evaluation of quality assurance schemes for all laboratory activities leading to accreditation during 1993-94 ;
achievement of at least 1 per cent. efficiency gain ;
establishment of base line figures for quantitative indices of performance including (eg unit cost per sample ; cost per scientist direct hour ; staff utilisation) including the development of a comprehensive work-recording system, leading to an average efficiency gain for these indices of1 per cent. ;
charges for charged services to be set at full economic cost to achieve full cost recovery ; make the progress necessary in the first year to ensure the implementation of full customer-contractor arrangements by 1 April 1994 ;
by a formalised process, secure the views of all customers on the quality of the work done by end March 1993.
Fish Protection
Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will designate more waters under the EC directive for protection or improvement of freshwaters to support fish life.
Mr. Lang : Yes. I have today made arrangements for over 2,300 km of Scottish waters to be added to those already designated for protection or improvement under directive 78/659/EEC. The waters concerned have all been designated as salmonid.
The designations, based on submissions from the river purification boards-- RPBs--bring the total length designated in Scotland to 36,577 km. More than three quarters of the total length of all Scottish rivers are now covered, almost 98 per cent of which conform to the directive's provisions. I should like to pay tribute to the RPBs, local authorities and industry for their contribution towards maintaining and improving the quality of these waters.
Natural Heritage Areas
Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he will issue the statement of the Government's position on the implementation of natural heritage areas in Scotland.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : I have written today to Magnus Magnusson, chairman of Scottish Natural Heritage, to send him the text of the Government's statement on the implementation of the natural heritage areas provision, contained in the Scottish Natural Heritage Act 1991, following the period of public
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consultation last year. In preparing this statement full account was taken of the points made during the passage of the Act, as well as the many views expressed by the public bodies and individuals during the consultation period. A copy of this statement and a summary of the responses to the consultation paper has been placed in the Library of the House.I am very grateful to all who responded formally to the consultation paper. A wide range of views were expressed. Many showed strong support for the principle of natural heritage areas and for the associated concept of integrated management of areas of outstanding importance to the natural heritage in Scotland. Many respondents agreed that the implementation of the designation should be based where possible on the voluntary principle. There was considerable stress on the importance of ensuring the active involvement of local communities in natural heritage areas. It was also generally agreed that there was a need to influence in many areas sensitive and sustainable land management while taking account of the public desire for access. I am confident that the new designation will provide a suitable and successful framework which will allow Scottish Natural Heritage and others to develop successful partnerships which will safeguard and enhance areas of outstanding importance to the natural heritage of Scotland.
A number of respondents doubted whether the natural heritage area concept alone would be sufficient to protect every area of outstanding natural heritage significance in Scotland. The statement of the Government's position makes plain that such designation should only apply where Scottish Natural Heritage has made a clear case that it will provide an effective mechanism for protection and where the proposal for designation has the backing of the relevant interests. If Scottish Natural Heritage were to advise, after careful examination, that another model of administration is necessary for a particular area, I would give that advice most careful consideration.
Water Quality
Mr. Bill Walker : To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement about the quality of Scotland's rivers and other surface waters.
Lord James Douglas-Hamilton : A full report of the wate quality survey of Scotland 1990 is being prepared for publication, but I am pleased to announce that a summary has been published today and copies have been placed in the Library. The results of the survey are like a breath of fresh air in the current climate of pollution scare stories.
Hon. Members will be interested to note the main findings of the survey which was carried out by the river purification boards and is the most comprehensive yet undertaken. They are :
the proportion of Scotland's rivers which are "unpolluted" has risen from 94.9 per cent. in 1985 to 97 per cent. in 1990, representing a net increase of 968 km ;
there has been a 56 per cent. reduction in the length of "grossly polluted" rivers in Scotland between 1985 and 1990 ;
there have been significant improvements in the quality of Scotland's estuaries--96.2 per cent. of estuaries and 91.3 per cent. of coastal waters are of a satisfactory quality.
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