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Chiropody
Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on NHS chiropody services in Gloucestershire. [107560]
Mr. Hutton: As part of a package of savings to ensure Gloucestershire Health Authority meets its financial duties, Gloucestershire Health Authority introduced changes to the provision of chiropody on 1 November 1999.
The changes to chiropody services have been reached in agreement with local National Health Service trusts and primary care groups to ensure that patients are affected as little as possible by the need to make financial savings.
All the measures taken have been aimed at ensuring chiropody services continue to be provided to all individuals with an identified medical and chiropodial need for the service.
Gloucestershire Health Authority are continually monitoring the impact of the changes in chiropody and are reviewing the situation early this year and again at the end of April 2000.
Mr. Hope:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when charities will be notified of the outcome of their section 64 applications for projects beginning in the financial year 2000-01. [109046]
Mr. Hutton:
Section 64 applications are still being considered for the financial year 2000-01. The Department hopes to be able to notify decisions before April 2000.
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Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the incidence of (a) serious kidney disease, (b) prostate cancer and (c) cervical cancer (i) in the last 12 months for which figures are available and (ii) five years ago. [108524]
Yvette Cooper:
The category of "serious kidney disease" is not used in the statistics collected. One definition would be those with end stage renal failure, who are receiving renal replacement therapy (dialysis and transplant). The last published national survey of renal units showed the number of such patients treated in England and Wales in 1995 was 473 per million population. The 1999 report of the United Kingdom Renal Registry shows that the most comparable figure for 1998 was 528 per million population. The latest available incidence figures (1996) for prostate and cervical cancer together with data for 1991 for comparison are shown in the table.
| England and Wales | 1991 | (8)1996 |
|---|---|---|
| Incidence of prostrate cancer (ICD9 185) | ||
| Number of newly diagnosed cases | 14,256 | 18,900 |
| Rates per 100,000 population(9) | 49.7 | 63.5 |
| Incidence of cervical cancer (ICD 9 180) | ||
| Number of newly diagnosed cases | 3,592 | 2,600 |
| Rate per 100,000 population(9) | 12.8 | 8.9 |
(8) Provisional data
(9) Directly age standardised to the European standard population
Source:
Office for National Statistics (1999), Report: Registrations of cancer diagnosed in 1993-96, England and Wales, Health Statistics Quarterly 4; 59-70
Child Runaways
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what progress has been made by his Department in developing a joint strategy with the Home Department to provide services for children who run away from home; [108521]
- (2) if he will make it his policy to introduce central monitoring of the number of children running away from local authority care; and if he will make a statement; [108522]
(3) what progress has been made in identifying care placements which have a high rate of children running away; and if he will make a statement. [108523]
Mr. Hutton:
We are taking forward a comprehensive range of measures to prevent children reaching the point where they feel the need to run away from home. These include the Government's Supporting Families programme and the Quality Protects programme to transform social services for children in need and their families. These initiatives will help to reduce the pressures felt by families which can lead to conflict and the breakdown of relationships. Schools have also been asked to pay greater attention to the home circumstances of a child and to liaise with other agencies where a child appears to have problems or difficulties. The proposed youth support service for 13-19 year olds will also have a significant role in identifying and assisting children in difficulty at home or at school.
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It is essential that a holistic multi-agency approach to runaways is taken locally and the Department's Children's Services Planning Guidance advises social services departments to plan services for runaways on a collaborative basis with other agencies. Current provision includes refuges, drop-in centres, advocacy for young children, emergency foster care placements and night-stop accommodation.
Children's Services Planning Guidance also stresses the need for local authorities to monitor incidence and patterns of running away to assist the planning of services and to identify both families and institutions from which children run away repeatedly. From this April we will require local authorities in England to record absences of more than 24 hours from agreed placements for a sample of one third of their looked after children. These data will provide the first national estimate of the incidence of running away.
Mr. David Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish the bed availability statistics for the year to 31 March 1999 in England. [109058]
Ms Stuart:
The information will be published shortly.
Mr. Willis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff were seconded from the private sector to his Department from (a) May 1997 to April 1998, (b) May 1998 to April 1999 and (c) May 1999 to the latest date for which figures are available, stating in each case the companies from which staff have been seconded. [109073]
Ms Stuart:
Secondments and attachments are part of the Interchange Initiative which promotes the exchange of people and good practice between the Civil Service and other organisations. All sectors of the economy are involved: Voluntary, Education, Health, Public and Private. Interchange is a key component of the reform agenda. The Modernising Government White Paper committed us to increasing interchange, in particular by bringing in more people on secondment and sending more of our people out.
| Year | Number | Companies seconded from |
|---|---|---|
| May 1997-April 1998 | 6 | Private Finance Panel Executive (2) Tarmac plc Nabarro Nathanson Pinsent Curtis Rawlings Ophthalmic Opticians |
| May 1998-April 1999 | 6 | Hempsons PriceWaterhouseCoopers Ward Hadaway Beachcroft Stanleys Dickinson Dees Lloyds Bank |
| May 1999 to date | 6 | Addleshaw Booth and Company Berwin Leighton Taylor Woodrow Deloitte and Touche Herbert Smith British Airways |
8 Feb 2000 : Column: 120W
TRADE AND INDUSTRY
World Trade Organisation
Mrs. Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what organisations he has consulted regarding Her Majesty's Government's policy in relation to the Seattle round of negotiations of the World Trade Organisation; and if he will list separately the Scottish organisations in the consultation process. [107467]
Mr. Caborn [holding answer 2 February 2000]: We have consulted a large number of organisations across the UK, including the Scotch Whisky Association. We do not have a separate list of Scottish organisations since many Scottish interests are also represented by UK-wide organisations.
Export Credits Guarantee Department
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will publish a list of those countries excluded from guarantees from the Export Credits Guarantee Department for unproductive expenditure, showing for each (a) the number and (b) the value of credits given for (i) defence and (ii) other unproductive exports in each of the past five years. [108479]
Mr. Caborn: ECGD has supported no defence related business for any of the affected countries in the last five years.
While it is not possible to apply the criteria for productive expenditure retrospectively on a definitive basis, from information readily available, all business supported by ECGD on these markets in the past five years would have met the criteria against which future export credit business with these countries will be assessed.
Mr. Alan Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will list the investigations carried out into allegations of corruption and maladministration in the use of Export Credits Guarantee Department funds. [108798]
Mr. Caborn:
In the last five years ECGD has reported five such cases to HM Treasury. In only one of these cases was it felt necessary to refer the case to the relevant external investigatory body. My hon. Friend will appreciate that it is not possible for me to provide details of individual cases for legal reasons.
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