Written Answers
Liverpool Prison: 10/74 Prisoners
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will give instructions to prison governors not to send any prisoners to Liverpool Prison on a 10/74 for the time being, in view of the serious shortage of stall at that prison.
No. Most prison service establishments are short of staff.
Prisoners Names: Changes By Deed Poll
asked Her Majesty's Government:How many prisoners were allowed to change their name by deed poll in each of the years since 1960.
No statistics are kept on this matter.
Civil Service Grades: Structure
asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the number of (a) Assistant Secretary, (b) Under-Secretary, and (c) Deputy Secretary posts by which the complement of these posts in each department of Government has been reduced as a result of the review of the Civil Service currently being carried out; what percentage of the whole numbers of each group these figures represent; and how these compare with the overall percentage reduction of the Civil Service as a whole.
The current review of the open structure covers all grades from Under-Secretary to Permanent Secretary, but not the grade of Assistant Secretary. This review is not yet complete and the Government have not yet reached conclusions about further reductions in Open Structure staff numbers.
Parents:Legal Aid In Care Proceedings
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will implement further parts of the Children Act 1975 so as to make legal aid available to parents in care proceedings where the court has ordered that the parent shall not be treated as representing the child.
Yes. We intend to implement the relevant parts of Section 64 as soon as the local authorities have been consulted and the necessary amendments made to the rules of court.
Disposable Hypodermic Equipment
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in view of their opinion expressed in answer to his earlier Question (
Official Report, 6th May 1982; col. 1347) that "single-use needles and syringes offer little advantage other than convenience over the re-usable kind…", they now intend to cease issuing disposable needles and syringes to general practitioners and district nurses.
No. General practitioners and district nurses are issued with disposable (single-use) needles and syringes to avoid the risk of cross-infection which could occur if they used the same hypodermic equipment, even after sterilisation, for more than one patient for different kinds of treatment.Diabetic patients following good hygienic practice are not exposed to this risk as each has his own personal set of re-usable hypodermic equipment.House adjourned at two minutes before seven o'clock.