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Contraceptive Pills
Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review the advice given to doctors about appropriate prescribing of contraceptive pills containing desogestrel and gestodene. [32086]
Ms Jowell: The matter is already under review as part of a statutory regulatory process.
Midwives
Mrs. Ballard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the numbers of training places, by region, for midwives in (a) 1995-96, (b) 1996-97 and (c) 1997-98. [32830]
Mr. Boateng: The information requested is not available centrally.
I refer the hon. Member to the English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting for the information that is currently available on the numbers of midwifery training places by region.
Mrs. Ballard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each of the past three years the percentage of expectant mothers who have had a named midwife. [32829]
Mr. Boateng:
In 1995, 69 per cent. of mothers had a named midwife. In 1996, the figure had risen to 98 per cent. No figure is available for 1997.
These figures are taken from the English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting 1995 and 1996 annual progress reports "Developments in
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Midwifery Education and Practice". The figure for 1995 is based on the results of a questionnaire sent to every maternity service in England. The 1996 figure is based on information collected from 54 maternity sites.
Copies of both these reports have been placed in the Library.
Mrs. Ballard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives are below F grade. [32831]
Mr. Boateng:
There were 18,260 registered midwives employed by the National Health Service hospital and community health services in England at September 1996. However, it is not possible to sub-divide this number by clinical grade as the Department's non-medical workforce census, the source of this statistic, does not collect information by clinical grade.
Mr. Chope:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if the additional funds announced to reduce infant class sizes in 1998-99 will be available to the same education authorities in subsequent years. [32694]
Mr. Byers:
No decision has yet been taken on how additional funds will be allocated to LEAs in 1999-2000 and subsequent years.
Mr. Chope:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list by education authority the sum requested in each bid for additional funds to reduce infant class sizes in 1998-99. [32695]
Mr. Byers:
The details of individual Standards Fund applications are a matter for individual authorities.
Mr. Chope:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will publish the details of the calculation which informed his statement of 11 February that the additional funds allocated to Dorset County Council to reduce infant class sizes in 1998-99 will result in 800 pupils being kept out of classes greater than 30 children. [32693]
Mr. Byers:
Dorset's application set out how many pupils would benefit from the allocation of different sums. From this the Department calculated on a pro rata basis the number of pupils who would benefit from the £324,000 allocated to Dorset.
Mr. Chope:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many pupils aged five, six or seven years in each local education authority in England are currently in classes containing more than 30 children. [32700]
Mr. Byers:
The information is not available in the form requested.
Mr. Chope:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is his estimate of the number of pupils aged five, six or seven years in each local education authority area in England who will be in classes of size greater than 30 children in the academic year 1998-99. [32697]
Mr. Byers:
This information is not yet available.
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Mr. Chope:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many pupils would have been kept out of classes greater than 30 children if all the bids by local education authorities for additional funds to reduce infant class sizes in 1998-99 had been accepted in full. [32696]
Mr. Byers:
This information was not supplied by the individual local education authorities.
Mrs. Ann Cryer:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what measures he is taking to promote sex education for males in relation to unwanted pregnancies. [32587]
Ms Estelle Morris:
We are, with the Department of Health, developing a national strategy for reducing unwanted teenage pregnancies which will focus, among other things, on sex and relationships education. The consultation document "Reducing the Rate of Teenage Conceptions--Towards a National Programme", which was issued by the Department of Health, recognises the importance of addressing both sexes.
Mr. McNulty:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department, what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the recommendations of the National Heritage Committee in its second report of Session 1996-97, "Press Activity Affecting Court Cases"--HC 86. [31327]
Mr. Hoon:
The Government are committed to obtaining an appropriate balance between the due administration of justice, on the one hand, and freedom of speech, on the other. They have concluded that the Committee's recommendations maintain that balance and have therefore accepted them in principle.
The report recommended that there should be legislation forbidding payments to witnesses; and that section 2 of the Contempt of Court Act 1981 should be strengthened so that it covers the collective and cumulative effect of pre-trial publicity in risking prejudicing a trial, as well as the effect of individual articles. This means that newspapers could not escape liability, as one case held they could, because a number of them had acted in a similar way and together had caused the prejudice.
Work is proceeding on the form that the necessary legislation should take. It will be brought forward when a suitable opportunity is found.
Mr. Garnier:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what is the maximum number of guests that can be accommodated for (a) official receptions and (b) official lunches and dinners in the Lord Chancellor's residence in the Palace of Westminster. [31453]
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Mr. Hoon:
There are two rooms which will be used for functions in the Lord Chancellor's Residence. The Dining Room will sit 16-18 for official lunches and dinners. The River Room will sit up to 50 people, depending on the nature of the function. For a reception, the maximum number of guests who could comfortably be accommodated is 100. One of the key attractions of the rooms is their location in the Palace of Westminster with views of the River Thames.
Mr. Garnier:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department from which date the official residence of the Lord Chancellor will be opened for public view; and on which days of the week and during which hours of those days it will be open to the public. [31454]
Mr. Hoon:
The restoration of the Lord Chancellor's Official Residence is likely to be completed by the end of the Easter Recess. Arrangements for public viewing will be in place as soon as possible thereafter.
The precise arrangements for the opening will be announced in due course: it is currently envisaged that during parliamentary sessions the Residence will open for two mornings a week, between 10 and 11.30 am. More frequent access will be possible during parliamentary recesses. Regular use will be made of the Residence by charities for fund raising occasions.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what consultations he carried out before deciding not to proceed with the establishment of a judicial appointments commission. [31580]
Mr. Hoon:
Last summer, officials in the Lord Chancellor's department consulted informally with various groups and individuals about the issues relating to the possible creation of a judicial appointments commission. Following this consultation and in view of the other substantial priorities facing the Department, the Lord Chancellor decided that it was right to concentrate on making the changes which he considered most urgent in the existing judicial appointments system to improve its openness, flexibility and effectiveness. The Lord Chancellor therefore announced in October that he had decided not to proceed further with work on a possible commission. Among the measures that the Lord Chancellor has already taken to improve the judicial appointments system are: introducing advertising for High Court appointments; increasing the upper age limit for appointment as lay magistrate so as to achieve a better social and political balance on the bench; opening the magistracy to blind candidates on an experimental basis; and involving lay people in the shortlisting of judicial candidates for interview. Other measures announced in October are in the process of implementation.
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