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Mr. Needham : My Department has drawn up a code of practice on export control compliance which I will publish tomorrow and place in the Library of the House.
Film Distribution Industry
Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what recent representations he has received about unfair trading practices in the film distribution industry ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Neil Hamilton [holding answer 23 April 1993] : My right hon. Friend the President of the Board of Trade has received two representations about the film distribution industry. The Office of Fair Trading, however, which is responsible for investigating alleged anti- competitive practices, has received a number of representations from small independent cinemas and is currently making inquiries into the supply of films for exhibition in cinemas.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will refer to the Director General of Fair Trading the points raised with him in correspondence by the hon. Member for Macclesfield relating to unfair trading practices in the film distribution industry ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Neil Hamilton [holding answer 23 April 1993] : The points raised by my hon. Friend in his correspondence have been referred to the Director General of Fair Trading, who is currently investigating the supply of films for exhibition in cinemas. It would be inappropriate to make a statement until the DGFT has concluded his inquiries.
Mr. Nicholas Winterton : To ask the President of the Board of Trade if he will make a statement on his policy on the encouragement of fair trading practices within the film distribution industry ; and if he will list those regulations, in the United Kingdom and in Europe, which are designed to bring about such fair trading practices.
Mr. Neil Hamilton [holding answer 23 April 1993] : Under United Kingdom legislation, investigation of allegedly anti-competitive or monopolistic behaviour is the responsibility of the Director General of Fair Trading. The DGFT may consider this behaviour under either the Fair Trading Act 1973 or the Competition Act 1980.
Anti-competitive practices which affect trade between member states are handled by the European Commission under articles 85 and 86 of the treaty of Rome.
British Geological Survey
Mr. Dalyell : To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to market test areas of work that have historically been the prerogative of the British Geological Survey.
Mr. Eggar [holding answer 26 April 1993] : The Department is preparing to seek competitive bids for work under the hydrocarbons programme, which has previously been let to the British Geological Survey.
Column 335
ENVIRONMENT
Homelessness
Mr. Callaghan : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment how many persons were registered as homeless in the Greater Manchester area in 1979 and in 1992.
Mr. Baldry : Local authorities report the number of households for whom they accept responsibility for securing permanent accommodation under the homelessness provisions of the Housing (Homeless Persons) Act 1977 and the Housing Act 1985 in their quarterly P1(E) returns. The numbers of households accepted as homeless in Greater Manchester in 1979 and 1992 were 3,370 and 14,120 respectively. A new reporting system was introduced for metropolitan authorities from the third quarter of 1982. In addition the definition of acceptances was altered from the second quarter of 1991 to exclude intentionally homeless households. For these reasons figures for 1979 are therefore not strictly comparable with those for 1992.
Council Tax
Mr. Harris : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what representations he has received from the council of the Isles of Scilly regarding the council tax ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Robin Squire : My Department has received a number of letters and telephone calls from the Isles of Scilly Council about the council tax. In addition, I met my hon. Friend, together with a delegation from the Isles of Scilly Council, on 9 December 1992 and again on 27 April.
Ms Short : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if the weekly £10 premium paid to participants on training for work and on the community action programme will be disregarded for council tax purposes ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Burt : I have been asked to reply.
The £10 a week training premium is fully disregarded in council tax benefit. The £10 a week premium for people on the community action programme will be similarly disregarded when it is introduced later this year.
Housing Management
Mrs. Jane Kennedy : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to introduce a national licensing scheme of persons managing houses in multiple occupation ; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. Baldry : The Department has no plans to introduce a national licensing scheme for houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). Local authorities already have sufficient powers under Part XI of the Housing Act 1985 to control standards in HMOs.
Disabled Workers
Mr. Sheerman : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what steps he is taking to prevent disabled workers being discriminated against within the terms of compulsory competitive tendering procedures.
Column 336
Mr. Robin Squire : It is this Government's intention that local authorities be given every encouragement to employ the disabled. Regulations governing the operation of compulsory competitive tendering, laid before the House on 29 March, allow local authorities to take into account, for the purposes of tender evaluation, the net additional costs of employing both the registered disabled and those eligible to register under the 1944 Act.
Buying Agency
Sir Fergus Montgomery : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what objectives and targets have been set for the Buying Agency for 1993.
Mr. Baldry : I have asked the new chief executive, Stephen Sage, to review the strategic direction of the Buying Agency over the next few months. As part of this, I have asked him to work to the following objectives and targets for 1993 :
PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES AND TARGETS 1993 --to manage the Agency's operations efficiently and to give its customers best value for money ;
--to implement systems to identify more closely individual customers and their procurement requirements, within the public sector and particularly within central Government ;
--to develop better systems to monitor suppliers' delivery performance against direct call-off orders ;
--to continue to develop awareness within the public sector, particularly within central Government, of the benefits and services available from TBA ;
--through achieving these objectives, to develop and expand TBA's customer base and to monitor its progress in doing so.
In support of these objectives I have set the agency challenging key targets for 1993 :
--an overall profit after interest in current cost terms of not less than 1.5 per cent. of the total sales value of goods and services procured ;
--an increase in the total attributable sales volume from £131 million in 1992 to £145 million for 1993 ;
--at least 90 per cent. of orders which TBA handles directly on behalf of customer departments to be delivered by the due date ; --to acknowledge all customer complaints within two working days of receipt, indicating a proposed course of action ; thereafter, to keep the customer regularly informed of progress (no less frequently than every 10 working days) ; to resolve 75 per cent. of complaints within one month of receipt and the remainder within three months.
Property Services Agency
Mr. David Evans : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what progress has been made in privatising the PSA's building management businesses.
Mr. Redwood : A shortlist of bidders has been selected for each business from those making indicative bids. Shortlisted bidders include a Management Buyout (MBO) team for BM Scotland. In lne to make detailed practical bids. We hope to exchange contracts as soon as practicable thereafter. Staff will then have the opportunity to decide whether to transfer with their businesses into the private sector and we expect the sales to be completed about two months after exchange of contracts.
Column 337
Water Disconnections
Mr. Hain : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will give figures for the number of disconnections in England of domestic water supply for each year since 1987.
Mr. Maclean [holding answer 26 April 1993] : The information is set out in the following table. Information on disconnections prior to privatisation was only collected by the Department for water authorities as part of the water authorities' annual charges returns, and comprises total disconnections (domestic and non-domestic). Information on statutory water company disconnections was not collected by the Department prior to 1988- 89.
|Number
----------------------
Water authorities only
non-domestic)
1987-88 |7,447
Domestic and non-domes
1988-89 |14,006
1989-90 |7,070
1990-91 |6,368
1991-92 |18,331
<1>1992 |7,212
<1> April to
September.
Housing Capital Expenditure
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, pursuant to his answer of 14 December 1992, Official Report, columns 57-60, if he will update the table on housing capital spending by region for 1992- 93.
Mr. Baldry [holding answer 26 April 1993] : The available information, which covers the first three quarters of 1992-93 only, is given in the table. The latest estimate for local authority housing capital expenditure for the whole of 1992-93 is £2.7 billion.
Local authority housing capital expenditure by region,
April-December 1992. £ million
|Current prices|<1>1981 prices
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
North (excluding Cumbria) |81 |43
Yorkshire and Humberside |141 |75
East Midlands |96 |51
Eastern |138 |74
Greater London |317 |169
South East |177 |94
South West |114 |61
West Midlands |170 |91
North West |237 |126
Unallocated |61 |32
|--- |---
|1,532 |817
<1>Current price figures have been converted to 1981 prices by
excluding the effect of general inflation as measured by the GDP
market prices deflator.
DUCHY OF LANCASTER
Agencies
Mrs. Dunwoody : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will update the list of next steps agencies.
Mr. Waldegrave : The information requested is as follows :
Column 338
Next Steps Agencies established to date
Agency |Launch date
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Accounts Services Agency |1 October 1991
ADAS Agency |1 April 1992
Army Base Repair Organisation |1 April 1993
Building Research Establishment |2 April 1990
Cadw (Welsh Historic Monuments) |2 April 1991
Central Office of Information |5 April 1990
Central Science Laboratory |1 April 1992
Central Statistical Office |19 November 1991
Central Veterinary Laboratory |2 April 1990
Chemical and Biological Defence Establishment |2 April 1991
Chessington Computer Centre |1 April 1993
Civil Service College |6 June 1989
Companies House |3 October 1988
Compensation Agency |1 April 1992
Defence Analytical Services Agency |1 July 1992
Defence Operational Analysis Centre |1 July 1992
Defence Postal and Courier Services |1 July 1992
Defence Research Agency |2 April 1991
Directorate General of Defence Accounts |1 April 1991
Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency |2 April 1990
Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency |1 April 1992
Driving Standards Agency |2 April 1990
Duke of York's Royal Military School |1 April 1992
DVOIT |1 April 1992
Employment Service |2 April 1990
Fire Service College |1 April 1992
Forensic Science Service |1 April 1991
Government Property Lawyers |1 April 1993
Historic Royal Palaces |1 October 1989
Historic Scotland |2 April 1991
Her Majesty's Prison Service |1 April 1993
HMSO |14 December 1988
Hydrographic Office |6 April 1990
Insolvency Service |21 March 1990
Intervention Board |2 April 1990
Laboratory of the Government Chemist |30 October 1989
Land Registry |2 July 1990
Medicines Control Agency |11 July 1991
Meteorological Office |2 April 1990
Military Survey |2 April 1991
National Physical Laboratory |3 July 1990
National Weights and Measures Laboratory |18 April 1989
Natural Resources Institute |2 April 1990
Naval Aircraft Repair Organisation |1 April 1992
NEL |5 October 1990
NHS Estates |1 April 1991
NHS Pensions Agency |20 November 1992
Northern Ireland Child Support Agency |5 April 1993
Occupational Health Service |2 April 1990
Ordnance Survey |1 May 1990
Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland |1 April 1992
Patent Office |1 March 1990
Paymaster General's Office |1 April 1993
Pesticides Safety Directorate |1 April 1993
Planning Inspectorate |1 April 1992
Public Record Office |1 April 1992
Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre |6 July 1989
Queen Victoria School |1 April 1992
Radiocommunications Agency |2 April 1990
RAF Maintenance |2 April 1991
Rate Collection Agency |1 April 1991
Recruitment and Assessment Services Agency |2 April 1991
Registers of Scotland |6 April 1990
Royal Mint |2 April 1990
Royal Parks |1 April 1993
Scottish Agricultural Science Agency |1 April 1992
Scottish Fisheries Protection Agency |12 April 1991
Scottish Office Pensions Agency |1 April 1993
Scottish Prison Service |1 April 1993
Scottish Record Office |1 April 1993
Service Children's Schools (North West
Europe) |24 April 1991
Social Security Agency (Northern Ireland) |1 April 1992
Social Security Benefits Agency |2 April 1991
Social Security Child Support Agency |5 April 1993
Social Security Contributions Agency |2 April 1991
Social Security Information Technology
Services Agency |2 April 1990
Social Security Resettlement Agency |24 May 1989
Teachers' Pensions Agency |1 April 1992
The Buying Agency |31 October 1991
Training and Employment Agency (Northern
Ireland) |2 April 1990
Transport Research Laboratory |2 April 1992
United Kingdom Passport Agency |2 April 1991
Valuation and Lands Agency |1 April 1993
Valuation Office |30 September 1991
Vehicle Certification Agency |2 April 1990
Vehicle Inspectorate |1 August 1988
Veterinary Medicines Directorate |2 April 1990
Warren Spring Laboratory |20 April 1989
Wilton Park Conference Centre |1 September 1991
HM Customs and Excise<1> (30 Executive
Units) |1 April 1991
Inland Revenue<1> (34 Executive Offices) |1 April 1992
<1> Departments operating fully on next steps lines.
Food Research and Development
Dr. Strang : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list total Government expenditure on food research and development for each year from 1978-79 to 1992-93 in (a) cash and (b) constant prices and set out projected Government expenditure on food research and development for each year from 1993-94 to 1996-97 in (i) cash and (ii) constant prices.
Mr. Robert Jackson [holding answer 21 April 1993] : Government funding for food research and development is mainly directed through the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food, the Agricultural and Food Research
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Council, the Scottish Office Agriculture and Food Department and the Department of Agriculture, Northern Ireland. The aggregated expenditure classified as food research and development from these sources in the past three years is as follows :
£ million
|1990-91|1991-92|1992-93
-----------------------------------------------
Cash prices |33.4 |34.7 |38.6
1992-93 Prices |36.9 |35.9 |38.6
Figures for years before 1990-91 and estimates of future expenditure are not held centrally.
A number of other Government bodies fund research into food research but figures on their expenditure are not held centrally. Although comprehensive figures on Government funded research and development are published in the Annual Review of Government Funded Research and Development, food research and development is not a classification that is used.
Agriculture and Food Research Council
Dr. Strang : To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what are the total numbers of (a) science group staff and (b) non-science group staff employed at each of the Agriculture and Food Research Council institutes for each year since 1979 ; and if he will give estimates up until 1995.
Mr. Robert Jackson [holding answer 21 April 1993] : Figures given in the two tables show the institute structure prior to and after the major restructuring which took place in 1986-87.
Column 339
Agriculture and Food Research Council institute staffing
1979-1986<1>
1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986
Institute |Science |Non-science|Science |Non-science|Science |Non-science|Science |Non-science|Science |Non-science|Science |Non-science|Science |Non-science|Science |Non-science
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABRO |99 |113 |77 |138 |63 |131 |64 |130 |57 |119 |62 |92 |70 |79 |85 |78
IRAD |137 |189 |132 |191 |117 |175 |119 |175 |122 |165 |109 |140 |97 |127 |80 |115
IAP |152 |146 |188 |178 |189 |175 |191 |173 |187 |175 |174 |174 |165 |153 |199 |143
FRI (IFR, N) |109 |66 |126 |66 |140 |64 |154 |64 |168 |72 |207 |79 |195 |78 |- |-
MRI (IFR, B) |124 |83 |125 |83 |115 |88 |122 |88 |128 |79 |137 |85 |143 |74 |- |-
PRC |109 |114 |107 |114 |114 |102 |115 |101 |115 |97 |116 |94 |111 |83 |106 |68
LL |77 |37 |78 |37 |76 |45 |80 |44 |80 |43 |68 |36 |- |- |- |-
WRO |95 |54 |91 |57 |84 |50 |88 |52 |86 |52 |75 |45 |- |- |- |-
Units |160 |45 |123 |19 |136 |22 |132 |22 |129 |30 |135 |34 |141 |39 |122 |35
AVRI |126 |180 |131 |176 |111 |171 |110 |171 |110 |171 |110 |170 |95 |129 |88 |118
EMRS |180 |184 |174 |188 |164 |185 |161 |176 |162 |176 |153 |169 |141 |157 |- |-
GCRI |141 |109 |140 |124 |138 |122 |138 |122 |137 |122 |133 |120 |123 |106 |- |-
GRI (AGRI) |187 |114 |178 |110 |178 |111 |186 |124 |183 |124 |182 |119 |262 |186 |249 |173
HRD |8 |- |8 |- |6 |- |7 |- |7 |- |6 |- |5 |- |- |-
HPRS |90 |130 |88 |123 |91 |114 |90 |114 |90 |113 |90 |107 |90 |101 |92 |80
JII |84 |77 |84 |78 |86 |78 |85 |82 |85 |77 |78 |73 |86 |63 |120 |65
LARS |163 |114 |163 |115 |159 |114 |169 |119 |158 |115 |152 |116 |197 |143 |152 |101
NIAE |149 |267 |148 |271 |140 |256 |145 |270 |141 |273 |198 |264 |129 |268 |144 |245
NIRD (IFR, R) 271 224 261 226 261 232 266 238 262 232 261 234 121 82 - -
NVRS |140 |74 |139 |73 |135 |73 |146 |77 |144 |79 |144 |76 |129 |70 |- |-
PBI<2> |169 |79 |157 |80 |163 |82 |162 |82 |159 |81 |151 |76 |139 |77 |160 |73
RES |426 |211 |421 |214 |415 |214 |420 |212 |391 |189 |373 |188 |371 |182 |347 |179
SSLRC<3> |65 |15 |65 |15 |63 |15 |63 |14 |62 |15 |63 |15 |60 |15 |34 |6
WPBS |156 |115 |156 |123 |154 |122 |158 |119 |153 |119 |149 |117 |132 |113 |125 |99
IFR |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |534 |226
IHR |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |360 |315
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |3,417 |2,740 |3,360 |2,799 |3,298 |2,741 |3,371 |2,769 |3,316 |2,718 |3,326 |2,623 |3,002 |2,325 |2,997 |2,119
<1>Pre restructuring.
<2>Part of the PBI was transferred to Unilver plc from 1 October 1987.
<3>The SSLRC became part of the Cranfield Institute of Technology on 1 July 1987.
Notes:
1. Figures show staff in post and vacancies, as at 1 April each year.
2. Figures exclude Agriculture and Food Research Council central office.
3. Information was not maintained for externally-funded or short-term posts prior to 1987.
Column 341
Agriculture and Food Research Council institute staffing
1987-1995
1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 <1>1994 <1>1995
Institute |Science |Non-science|Science |Non-science|Science |Non-science|Science |Non-science|Science |Non-science|Science |Non-science|Science |Non-science|Science |Non-science|Science |Non-science
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
IAH |296 |294 |302 |282 |285 |260 |318 |252 |348 |254 |373 |261 |350 |248 |343 |243 |343 |243
IACR<2> |540 |262 |495 |253 |483 |251 |464 |257 |467 |252 |458 |252 |449 |249 |440 |244 |440 |244
IAPGR |274 |237 |264 |235 |282 |233 |353 |250 |335 |235 |361 |233 |- |- |- |- |- |-
BI |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |208 |130 |200 |130 |200 |130
RI |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |150 |103 |151 |98 |151 |98
IFR |514 |222 |517 |213 |463 |207 |425 |180 |308 |133 |338 |136 |335 |136 |328 |133 |328 |133
IGER |408 |277 |400 |278 |383 |270 |329 |236 |303 |221 |252 |140 |248 |137 |243 |134 |243 |134
IHR<3> |310 |86 |300 |101 |289 |106 |266 |125 |284 |130 |298 |139 |305 |139 |299 |136 |299 |136
SRI |128 |218 |112 |217 |123 |217 |129 |207 |113 |180 |110 |163 |106 |160 |103 |155 |103 |155
IPSR |327 |300 |336 |282 |341 |263 |304 |288 |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |-
|------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------
Total |2,797 |1,896 |2,726 |1,861 |2,649 |1,807 |2,588 |1,795 |2,158 |1,405 |2,190 |1,324 |2,151 |1,302 |2,107 |1,273 |2,107 |1,273
<1>Planned.
<2>Figures for IACR from 1990 include the Broom's Barn Experimental Station. Prior to that, Broom's Barn was not part of the Agriculture and Food Research Council complement.
<3>IHR became part of Horticulture Research International, a MAFF-controlled NDPB, from 1 April 1990.
Notes:
1. Figures show staff in post and vacancies, as at 1 April each year.
2. Figures exclude Agriculture and Food Research Council central office.
3. Information was not maintained for externally-funded or short-term posts prior to 1987.
4. The SSLRC became part of the Cranfield Institute of Technology on 1 July 1987.
HEALTH
Dentistry
Mr. McCartney : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy that any patient unable to afford the patient's contribution under any new service arrangements for dentistry which are introduced following her consideration of the Bloomfield report will continue to be eligible for the full range of dental treatment.
Dr. Mawhinney : We are consulting widely on the Bloomfield report and will announce our conclusions in due course.
Deafness
Ms Lynne : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate she has of the number of elderly people in the United Kingdom who would benefit from hearing aids ;
(2) what plans she has to improve the availability of, and access to, hearing aids for the elderly.
Mr. Yeo : The Institute of Hearing Research estimates that the number of people who could benefit from a hearing aid is about 4.4 million. The majority of these are likely to be elderly people. Hearing aids are available through the national health service, normally on referral from hospital ear, nose and throat departments. We have funded a number of pilot projects for direct referral by general practitioners to audiology departments. The result of the projects will be available shortly.
Mr. Byers : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she will take to ensure that war pensioners in the Newcastle area suffering from deafness have access to
Column 342
adequate ear, nose and throat facilities ; and how meeting the present demand affects the NHS provisions for the general public who are hearing impaired or profoundly deaf.Mr. Yeo : District health authorities are responsible for purchasing services, including ear, nose and throat services, to meet the health needs of their resident population. There is a long-standing arrangement whereby, subject to considerations of clinical need, war pensioners receive priority in examination and treatment in national health service hospitals, in connection with the condition(s) for which they receive a pension or gratuity. I understand that special clinics for war pensioners have been set up at the Freeman NHS trust and there has been no reduction in the service offered to other patients.
Mental Hospitals
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes there have been since 1986 in the collection of figures on closures of mental hospitals and loss of beds in mental hospitals ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr Yeo : In April 1987 a new system of data collection covering hospital activity and facilities was introduced followed the recommendations of the Korner committee. The new inquiry into available beds in England replaced an earlier inquiry discontinued after 1986. The new inquiry differed in being on a financial year basis and in classifying beds according to ward type, but figures for beds in mental illness wards continued to be separately collected. The information on the closure of mental hospitals has not been collected centrally on a routine basis since 1991. In order to carry forward its work, the mental health task force led by David King will in future need to collect information of this type.
Column 343
Secure Accommodation (Juveniles)
Lady Olga Maitland : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list those dates in the last year where no secure accommodation was available for juveniles at the time the request was made.
Mr. Yeo : This information is not available centrally. Figures on the levels of occupancy of individual secure units throughout the year are published in "Children Accommodated in Secure Units, year ending 31 March England". A copy is available in the Library.
Unemployment
Dr. Goodson-Wickes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies she has undertaken to assess a possible association between ill- health and unemployment ; and if she will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave him on 19 January at col 224.
Administrative Staff
Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff were employed within the national health service in administration and management, by (a) hospitals and (b) family health service authorities in each of the years 1990, 1991 and 1992 ; and what the costs were in each year.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information available is shown in the tables.
Staff numbers in England at 30 September each year
(whole-time equivalents)
Administrative General and
and clerical senior<1> managers
|1990 |1991 |1990 |1991
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Hospitals and<2>
community health services |111,640|118,810|8,990 |12,400
Family health service
authorities |4,350 |4,650 |640 |820
Source: Annual Census of Non-Medical Manpower.
Notes:
<1> In 1991 administrative and clerical staff represented
approximately 15.9 per cent. of the total NHS work force; general
and senior managers approximately 1.7 per cent. General and senior
manager figures include some redesignation between staff groups,
for example from nursing and midwifery.
<2> Staff numbers solely for hospitals are not centrally available.
The figures in the table include staff in regional and district
health authority headquarters and the London postgraduate teaching
hospitals but exclude staff in other special health authorities and
the London ambulance service.
<3> Figures for 1991 include staff in NHS trusts.
<4> Figures for 1992 are not yet available.
Staff salaries and wages costs in England for the financial years
1990-91 and 1991-92
Administrative General and
and Clerical (£000) Senior Managers
(£000)
|1990-91 |1991-92 |1990-91 |1991-92
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Hospitals and<1>
community
health
services |1,187,029|1,382,758|251,475 |383,380
Column 344
Administrative and Management Grades<2>
|1990-91|1991-92
|(£000) |(£000)
----------------------------------------------------------
Family health service authorities |66,253 |79,942
Sources: Annual accounts (1990-91) and annual financial
returns (1991-92) of family health service authorities
and of regional and district health authorities in
England and those of the special health authorities for
the London postgraduate teaching hospitals. Annual
financial returns of the first-wave NHS trusts (1991-92).
<1>HCHS covers the total expenditure on salaries and
wages by health authorities and NHS trusts including
hospital, community health, patient transport (ie
ambulances), blood transfusion and other services. The
figures are for gross pay costs including employers'
national insurance and superannuation contributions.
<2>It is not possible to disaggregate the figures for
administrative and clerical staff and general and senior
managers in the family health service authority figures.
The figures include the costs of a small number of
nursing and other staff.
Notes:
(1) The figures for 1991-92 include costs for staff in
NHS Trusts.
(2) Figures for the 1992-93 financial year are not yet
available.
(3) In 1991-92, Administrative and Clerical pay costs
represented approximately 11 per cent. of total HCHS
staff costs and those for general and senior managers
approximately 3 per cent.
General Practitioners
Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff in respect of whom 70 per cent. of salaries were reimbursed were employed by general practitioners in England and Wales at the most recent convenient date.
Dr. Mawhinney : At 1 April 1992 there were 79,092 whole and part- time staff employed by general practitioners in England, whose salary costs were reimbursed in whole or part by family health services authorities (FHSAs). From 1 April 1990 FHSAs have had discretion to vary the level of reimbursement taking account of all relevant factors. Information on practitioners' staff in Wales is a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales.
Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish figures showing the number of general practitioner trainers and the number of general practitioner trainees, together with the cost per annum, for each of the years since 1980.
Dr. Mawhinney : The information is shown in the table.
Year |Trainers |Trainees |Grants to trainers |Trainee salaries and
|expenses
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1980 |1,856 |1,353 |2,483,956.09 |9,917,847.78
1981 |2,040 |1,561 |3,668,541.79 |15,338,492.27
1982 |2,236 |1,577 |4,823,773.39 |19,313,059.64
1983 |2,335 |1,624 |5,564,119.18 |21,286,172.31
1984 |2,370 |1,703 |5,694,568.18 |23,767,572.27
1985 |2,451 |1,758 |5,886,779.28 |26,475,607.37
1986 |2,496 |1,654 |6,242,737.30 |28,517,366.98
1987 |2,527 |1,710 |6,356,385.12 |30,669,887.79
1988 |2,469 |1,685 |6,470,457.00 |33,358,905.00
1989 |2,472 |1,735 |6,928,037.00 |36,449,935.00
1990 |2,726 |1,562 |7,735,844.00 |40,457,508.00
1991 |2,824 |1,639 |7,939,576.00 |42,264,385.00
1992 |2,940 |1,613 |8,162,085.00 |46,083,103.00
Notes:
Financial data relates to the period ending 31 March each year and is taken from summarised accounts.
Data relating to numbers is at 1 October each year and the 1992 figure is provisional.
All data relates to England only.
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Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions general practitioners provided maternity services, and what payments were made to them, in respect of (a) complete care, (b) ante-natal care only, (c) confinement only, (d) pre-natal care and (e) miscarriage, in each year since 1980.
Dr. Mawhinney : Information on maternity medical services is not available centrally at the level requested. The gross cost of maternity medical services in England since 1980 is shown in the table.
General medical services-maternity medical services
fees
|Maternity medical
|services
|(£000s)
------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |19,072
1980-81 |25,643
1981-82 |28,238
1982-83 |30,423
1983-84 |32,399
1984-85 |36,868
1985-86 |41,580
1986-87 |42,948
1987-88 |48,564
1988-89 |53,733
1989-90 |57,983
1990-91 |65,945
1991-92 |69,045
Data taken from summarised accounts.
Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many night visits were undertaken by general practitioners ; and what expenditure was incurred by such visits in (a) the higher rates and (b) the lower rates for deputising services.
Dr. Mawhinney : The cost and estimated number of night visits in each financial year since 1980 is shown in the table.
General medical services-night visit fees
Year |Night visit payment|Night visit fee |Number of visits
|£ million |£ million
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |3,812 |6.75 |564,700
1980-81 |6,059 |10.50 |577,032
1981-82 |7,226 |11.80 |612,399
1982-83 |8,278 |12.75 |649,292
1983-84 |9,023 |13.24 |681,531
1984-85 |10,510 |14.70 |714,941
1985-86 |12,402 |15.55 |797,524
1986-87 |12,282 |16.10 |762,828
1987-88 |14,185 |17.20 |824,732
1988-89 |16,922 |18.75 |902,480
1989-90 |18,958 |20.25 |936,187
1990-91
Higher |49,275 |45.00 |1,095,003
Lower |6,725 |15.00 |448,303
1991-92
Higher |52,198 |45.00 |1,159,956
Lower |8,376 |15.00 |558,428
1. Data taken from summarised accounts.
2. In 1990 the new GP contract extended the period night visits fees could be claimed for by two
hours, consequently the numbers of visits in 1989-90 and 1990-91 are not directly comparable.
Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total expenditure incurred in each of the years 1990, 1991 and 1992 in respect of additional payments made to general practitioners for (a) meeting target
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figures respectively, for immunisation and cervical smears, (b) health promotion clinics, (c) new patient check-ups, (d) minor surgery, (e) teaching medical students, (f) vaccination and immunisation fees and (g) contraception treatments, giving respectively, annual fees for ordinary and intra-uterine device treatment.Dr. Mawhinney : The information for years 1990-91 and 1991-92 on an accruals basis is shown in the table. The 1992-93 data are not yet available.
Expenditure on selected items
All figures taken from the summarised accounts
|1990-91 |1991-92
|£ million |£ million
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(a) |Targets
|Childhood immunisation Higher |35.602 |38.257
| Lower |3.636 |1.556
|Pre-school boosters Higher |11.108 |10.916
| Lower |1.507 |0.860
|Cervical cytology Higher |42.423 |46.262
| Lower |6.543 |3.052
(b) |Health promotion |44.309 |64.024
(c) |Registration (new patient check-ups)|15.264 |19.955
(d) |Minor surgery |16.645 |21.324
(e) |Teaching students |7.940 |8.162
(f) |Vaccination and immunisation |33.746 |24.405
(g) |Contraception
|Ordinary (£12.75)<1> |37.634 |39.923
|IUD (£42.75)<1> |4.461 |4.343
<1>Annual fees 1990-91 and 1991-92.
Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the average income of a general practitioner in England and Wales for each year since 1980.
Dr. Mawhinney : The average net income of general practitioners in Great Britain is listed together with the average gross income of general praes.
Information on GP income 1979-80 to 1991-92
|Average income |Average net income
|(England) including|(GB) excluding
|expenses |expenses as
|reported by DDRB
|£ |£
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1979-80 |19,942 |11,902
1980-81 |28,306 |15,608
1981-82 |31,775 |17,793
1982-83 |35,075 |19,940
1983-84 |37,092 |20,404
1984-85 |41,483 |22,687
1985-86 |44,241 |23,849
1986-87 |46,221 |24,601
1987-88 |50,148 |26,508
1988-89 |55,380 |28,979
1989-90 |61,266 |31,388
1990-91 |76,045 |<1>37,204
1991-92 |<1>87,873 |n/a
<1> Provisional figures.
Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioner practices are now general practitioner fund holders ; and how many individual general practitioners that figure embraces.
Dr. Mawhinney : At 31 March 1993 there were over 3,000 general practitioners in 585 GP practices in the GP fund holding scheme. Final figures are not yet available for 1993-94 but provisional figures show more than double this number of GP practices have been offered and have accepted budgets from 1 April 1993.
Mr. Sims : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has as to the range of surpluses accumulated by general practitioner fund-holding practices during the most convenient recent period.
Dr. Mawhinney : In 1991-92 general practitioner fund holders nationally achieved surpluses on their budget of about four per cent. Regional averages ranged from 9.1 per cent. to 1.5 per cent.
Prescription Charges (Students)
Ms Coffey : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will allow free prescriptions to students in receipt of income below the income support level and suffering from (a) cystic fibrosis, (b) ankylosing spondylitis or (c) other chronic illnesses not on the list of medical conditions which confer exemption from prescription charges ; and if she will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : Young people under 19 and in full-time education are exempt from national health service charges. Remission of NHS charges, including those for prescriptions, is available under the NHS low income scheme to students aged 19 or over who are of limited means and irrespective of their medical condition.
Trust Hospitals
Mr. William O'Brien : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is her Department's recommended procedure for hon. Members to meet chief executives of trust hospitals to discuss cases involving and affecting their constituents ; and if she will make a statement ;
(2) what advice she has given chairmen and chief executives of trust hospitals on meeting hon. Members to discuss problems raised with them by constituents ; and if she will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : The Department encourages trusts to develop good communications with local Members of Parliament. The precise arrangements are matters for individual trust boards.
EDUCATION
English
Mr. Win Griffiths : To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will arrange for the key stage 3 English proposals of the Curriculum Council for Wales to be sent to all secondary schools in England.
Mr. Forth : No. The recommendations of the Curriculum Council for Wales (CCW) for the revision of
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the National Curriculum Order for English are addressed to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales. In most respects they are in agreement with the recommendations of the National Curriculum Council, which my right hon. Friend and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Wales adopted as the basis of the proposals which they published for consultation on 15 April. The CCW did, however, recommend certain differences which were indicated in my right hon. Friends' proposals. The chief of these were requirements relating to spoken standard English and the range of pupils' reading which were recommended by the CCW as more appropriate to pupils learning English in Wales. The CCW recommendations are therefore being circulated to all schools in Wales, to inform the consultation on my right hon. Friends' proposals in that country. Those proposals are for a single order, to apply to schools in England and Wales, but they raise the question whether the lists of required or recommended reading in the programmes of study should allow some variation for pupils in Wales to include appropriate representation of work in English by Welsh writers.Student Finances
Dr. Wright : To ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what plans he has to increase the value of student grants to take account of the Budget proposal to level VAT on domestic heating ; (2) what estimate he has made of the impact on student indebtedness of the proposal in the Budget to levy VAT on domestic heating.
Mr. Boswell : I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Lewisham, Deptford (Ms Ruddock) on 24 March, Official Report, column 603.
Pupil-Teacher Ratios
Mr. Callaghan : To ask the Secretary of State for Education what are the current pupil-teacher ratios (a) in England and (b) in the Greater Manchester area.
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