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Research Papers
Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many series of research papers his Department produces; and what are the names of each of these series of research papers. [62051]
Ms Jowell: The Department takes a number of steps to ensure that the research it supports is widely disseminated:
- The National Health Service research and development health technology assessment programme produces a series of monographs reporting on research findings from projects that it has commissioned. This series called "Health Technology Assessment", is indexed in MEDLINE and EMBASE. The NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination and the University of York produce a series of systematic reviews of research. Both of these are funded by the Department.
- Other Departmental/NHS research and development programmes produce special publications when the need arises. These cover individual projects or more general themes.
- The Department actively encourages all of the researchers it funds to publish their findings in peer reviewed journals.
- The Department places particular emphasis on reviews of research and on producing accessible databases of research outputs. The Department funds the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination to produce the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE), which is available on the Internet. The Department also funds the UK Cochrane Centre (which is a major contributor to the international Cochrane Collaboration). The "Cochrane Library", which is available on CD Rom, contains the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
- The White Paper "The New NHS" undertook to make research findings from the NHS research and development programme available in a user-friendly format. We are now considering how this can be done and how all of the above can be brought together via the new national electronic library for health.
Electric Wheelchairs
Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government have to increase the provision of electric wheelchairs; and if he will make a statement. [62297]
Mr. Hutton:
Electrically powered chairs for indoor use have always been among the range of wheelchairs available through the National Health Service. In 1996, additional funding of £27 million was announced for the provision of electrically powered indoor/outdoor
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wheelchairs. This funding was made available over a four-year period starting in 1996-97. From 1999-2000, the sum of £6 million for the electronically powered indoor/outdoor scheme will become recurrent, allowing maintenance of the increased number of disabled people being supplied with powered wheelchairs.
Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his proposals for increasing nurses' pay. [62491]
Mr. Milburn:
Nurses' pay is recommended by the independent review body for nursing staff, midwives, health visitors and the professions allied to medicine. We want to see a fair pay rise for nurses, which is affordable and which will support the modernisation of the National Health Service. We have asked the review body in particular to consider improvements to the starting pay of qualified nurses within an affordable overall pay uplift recommendation for all nurses. The recommendations of the review body will be fully considered when received in the new year.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many persons diagnosed as having MS have their continuing health care managed by a neurologist in association with their general practitioner; and if he will make a statement. [62533]
Mr. Hutton:
The information is not available in the form requested. Health care for people with Multiple Sclerosis is the responsibility of relevant health care professionals. Patterns of care vary according to local arrangements for diagnosis, treatment and care and a wide range of National Health Service services are available to people with disabilities and long-term health care needs.
Mr. Webb:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for funding the Diana nurses beyond the initial three year period; and if he will make a statement. [62245]
Mr. Hutton:
Following evaluation of the first pioneering teams, it is intended that Diana Community Children's Nursing teams will be extended to provide care to people across the United Kingdom. These teams will become a permanent memorial to Diana, Princess of Wales. The experience of the early pioneering teams will be used to determine the level of funding in future years.
Mr. Winnick:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the hon. Member for Walsall, North will receive a reply to his letter of 22 October regarding a constituent (Ref. POH(2)5608/15.). [62788]
Mr. Milburn:
I regret the delay and will be replying to my hon. Friend shortly.
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Mr. Pond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what is the objective of the Employment Service's computer terminal Open Access programme; [62326]
(2) for how long the pilot of the Employment Service Open Access programme has been running; and what plans he has to make the programme available nationally. [62327]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its Chief Executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Leigh Lewis to Mr. Chris Pond, dated December 1998:
Mr. Pond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what plans he has to prepare the Employment Service for the introduction of the National Minimum Wage in April 1999; [62325]
(3) what measures the Employment Service is taking to promote the enforcement of the National Minimum Wage. [62324]
Mr. Andrew Smith:
Responsibility for the subject of the question has been delegated to the Employment Service agency under its Chief Executive. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
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As the Employment Service is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State for Education and Employment has asked me to reply to your questions regarding the Employment Service's computer terminal Open Access Programme, how long the pilot has been running and what plans he has made to make it available nationally. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of the Agency.
The key objective of the Open Access pilot programme, which has been running in ten Jobcentres in our Newcastle, Manchester South and Wiltshire districts since March, is to trial the use by jobseekers of self-service technology to search out and apply for jobs. The kiosks replace the system of displaying printed vacancy cards, which generally contain limited information, on boards in Jobcentres. Using the kiosks jobseekers can obtain detailed information about a job, print it out, and contact an employer directly from the kiosk telephone.
We are currently evaluating the results to date of these pilots in order to assess their effectiveness. At the same time, together with our strategic IT partner, EDS, we are looking at how we can best make use of new technology more widely, including kiosks, public use PCs and the Internet, to ensure that our further development of open access technology can make the most effective use of all of these information media. We hope to reach interim conclusions early next year.
I hope this is helpful.
(2) what measures he proposes to ensure that the Employment Service does not advertise jobs at a wage below the legal minimum; [62323]
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