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PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL

Millennium Compliance

Mr. Hawkins: To ask the President of the Council when she last met Treasury Ministers to discuss the cost of millennium compliance. [32591]

Mrs. Ann Taylor: I have not discussed the cost of millennium compliance with Treasury Ministers.

WALES

Local Government Finance

Mr. Opik: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will list, for each Welsh local authority with responsibilities for education, the amount by which the increase in revenue support grant adjusted for changes in nursery voucher funding and increased NNDR differs from the amount that has been passported through the capping regime to raise standards in schools; what is the total figure for all local authorities; and if he will make a statement. [31541]

Mr. Hain: Both the £37.1 million in re-instated nursery voucher funding and the £49.4 million of extra schools money which is being distributed to local authorities as

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standard spending assessments are included, pound- for-pound, in revenue support grant. No authority receives less in spending power under provisional capping principles than it will receive in revenue support grant.

A breakdown of 1998-99 local authority capping limits is set out in the table. The information was placed in the House of Commons Library and issued to all local authorities on 9 February.

Local authority 1997-98 budget requirements (column 1)--to which the 3 per cent. basic capping increase is applied--have been adjusted upwards to reflect the re-instatement of the £37.1 million nursery voucher money. The 3 per cent. basic increase (column 5) takes full account of the £49.4 million of extra schools money included in standard spending assessments.

Passporting (column 6) ensures that individual authorities get the full benefit of SSA increases in their spending power. Under the passporting system capping limits take account of the cash increase in SSAs or the cash increase allowable under the basic increase and specific provisos (column 7), whichever is the greater.

Increases in individual SSAs are the result of an increase in the overall amount available for distribution (including the extra schools' money), distribution formula changes, and changes in non-financial data such as relative population increases. It is not possible to isolate in any meaningful way the extent to which the schools' money has impacts on individual authorities' passports.

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1998-99 County and County Borough provisional capping limits

					Components of budget increase
	1997-98 adjusted budget (Notional amount(11) £000	1998-99 Capping limit £000	Maximum cash increase £000	Maximum per cent. increase	Basic increase (3 per cent.) £000	Headroom for SSA increase (passporting) £000	Headroom for specific expenditure (provisos)(12) £000
Isle of Anglesey	63,405	66,272	2,867	4.5	1,902	343	622
Gwynedd	115,746	120,356	4,610	4.0	3,472	0	1,138
Conwy	94,054	98,484	4,430	4.7	2,822	489	1,119
Denbighshire	85,490	91,721	6,231	7.3	2,565	2,760	906
Flintshire	122,728	132,896	10,168	8.3	3,682	5,263	1,223
Wrexham	106,584	111,827	5,243	4.9	3,198	921	1,124
Powys	121,825	126,590	4,765	3.9	3,655	0	1,111
Ceredigion	65,874	71,856	3,982	5.9	2.036	1,341	605
Pembrokeshire	105,336	110,386	5,050	4.8	3,160	878	1,012
Carmarthenshire	161,048	167,955	6,907	4.3	4,831	440	1,635
Swansea	205,846	214,113	8,267	4.0	6,175	0	2,091
Neath Port Talbot	134,744	140,138	5,394	4.0	4,042	0	1,352
Bridgend	118,976	123,715	4,739	4.0	3,569	0	1,170
The Vale of Glamorgan	98,919	105,804	6,885	7.0	2,968	2,897	1,020
Rhondda, Cynon, Taff	231,864	241,049	9,185	4.0	6,956	0	2,229
Merthyr Tydfil	60,953	63,341	2,388	3.9	1,829	0	559
Caerphilly	156,973	163,193	6,220	4.0	4,709	0	1,511
Blaenau Gwent	72,132	74,979	2,847	3.9	2,164	0	683
Torfaen	82,634	87,002	4,368	5.3	2,479	1,083	806
Monmouthshire	66,863	71,347	4,484	6.7	2,006	1,767	711
Newport	121,906	126,764	4,858	4.0	3,657	0	1,201
Cardiff	266,235	279,815	13,580	5.1	7,987	2,860	2,733
Total	2,662,135	2,789,603	127,468	4.8	79,864	21,043	26,561

(11) 1997-98 budget requirements adjusted upwards for return of £37.1 million for nursery vouchers.

(12) Additional community care (£21 million), 4 year old provision (£4.4 million) and national grid for learning (£1.2 million).

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Overseas Travel

Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what is his estimate of the cost of Ministerial overseas travel in his Department in (a) 1995-96, (b) 1996-97 and (c) 1997-98 to date. [26617]

Mr. Ron Davies [holding answer 5 February 1998]: The costs of Ministerial travel on inward investment and trade missions is as follows:

1995-96: £9,600

1996-97: £14,400

1997-98 to date: £6,100.

"Putting Patients First"

Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will estimate the total cost of implementing the health reforms proposed in his recent White Paper "Putting Patients First". [31366]

Mr. Win Griffiths: The reforms introduced by the White Paper "Putting Patients First" have estimated start up costs of £10 million and are expected to cost £7 million per annum. However, they are intended to release recurrent savings which, over the lifetime of this Parliament, are expected to provide up to £50 million for reinvestment in direct patient care.

NHS Consultants

Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what measures he is taking to improve the statutory procedures for the appointment of consultants at NHS hospitals in Wales. [31739]

Mr. Win Griffiths: Procedures for consultant appointments are governed by regulations which were framed after detailed discussion with the profession, and which do not detract from an Authority's or Trust's normal responsibilities as an employer. Since 1996, it has been an explicit requirement that an employing body should check not only that a prospective appointee is registered with the General Medical Council but also that he or she is on the Specialist Register. I shall consider any representations made to me about the procedures.

HEALTH

Wheelchairs

Mr. Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what level of funding will be provided for the electrically-powered indoor/outdoor wheelchair scheme after the year 2000. [31720]

Mr. Boateng: Additional funding has been made available to health authorities over the years 1996-97 to 1999-2000 to enable the National Health Service to introduce the provision of electrically-powered wheelchairs for severely disabled people. The sum of £6 million in additional funding will be made recurrent in 1999-2000. From 2000-2001 the additional funding will be included in the total allocations made to health authorities.

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Mr. Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding has been distributed to health authorities in respect of the wheelchair voucher scheme since April 1996; and how much will be distributed in 1998-99 and 1999-2000. [31725]

Mr. Boateng: Health authorities received £962,000 in respect of the wheelchair voucher scheme in 1996-97; and have received, so far, £4,959,500 in 1997-98. For 1998-99 and 1999-2000 they are due to receive £8 million in each year.

Mr. Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vouchers have been issued under the electrically powered indoor/outdoor wheelchair scheme since April 1996; and what is the target number of vouchers for the four-year programme. [31724]

Mr. Boateng: The National Health Service voucher scheme does not currently extend to the provision of electrically powered indoor/outdoor wheelchairs. This may be reviewed once both schemes have become established.

Mental Health Act

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review the Mental Health Act 1983; and if he will make a statement. [32066]

Mr. Boateng: We will be considering carefully the case for reviewing the Mental Health Act 1983 in the context of work on development of the Government's new mental health strategy.

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