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Income-related Benefits
Mr. Dennis Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security if he will estimate the cost of raising the children's rates in the various income-related benefits (in addition to normal indexation) by (a) £5 per week in October 2000 and (b) a further £5 per week in April 2001. [115492]
Mr. Bayley: The cost of introducing these increases in Income Support, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit for children under 16, and those aged between 16-19 who remain in full-time non-advanced education, would be approximately £400 million in 2000-01 and £1.5 billion in 2001-02 (figures rounded to nearest £50 million).
These costs do not include the costs of any equivalent increases in working families tax credit but do include the impact that increases to working families tax credit would have on Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.
Fraud
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what action he will take to rectify the performance of local authorities where such performance is judged unsatisfactory by benefits fraud inspectors. [116115]
Angela Eagle:
Following publication of a Benefit Fraud Inspectorate report, the local authority is invited to
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consider and respond to the report and to submit any proposals for improving its performance and remedying any failings that are identified.
The Secretary of State for Social Security has powers under section 139D of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 to direct an Authority as to the standards it is to attain and the time within which they are to be attained. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced in the House on 6 March 2000, Official Report, columns 755-56, councils have been warned that where investigation by the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate identifies persistent failings, he will use those powers to direct them to improve their performance.
Mr. Sanders:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security what means he will use to ensure that the information collected by local authorities to meet the reporting requirements of the housing benefit best value performance indicators for 2000-01 is (a) verifiable and (b) accurate. [116114]
Angela Eagle:
Best value performance indicators will from this April be the main yardstick against which local authorities' performance is judged. Authorities are required to set out each year in published best value performance plans details of past performance against the indicators and challenging targets for future improved performance. These plans and the performance information they contain are subject to statutory audit.
Auditors are responsible for ensuring that authorities have adequate systems in place for producing accurate performance data. In addition, the Department has made arrangements for performance data to be reported periodically by authorities as part of the normal provision of Housing Benefit management information. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has recently announced his intention to use his statutory powers to compel authorities to provide this information. Guidance on the Housing Benefit indicators and revised statistical forms were issued by the Department to all authorities last December.
The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate will also test the robustness of local authority performance data both as part of its on-going cycle of inspections of Housing Benefit administration, and in its role as a best value inspectorate.
Mr. Burns:
To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many men there are in the West Chelmsford parliamentary constituency aged between 60 and 64 years; and when they will receive the £100 winter fuel payments for last winter. [116299]
Angela Eagle:
The Department does not hold data to enable us to determine the number of men aged between 60 and 64 years in the West Chelmsford constituency.
Arrangements regarding payments to those newly eligible for Winter Fuel Payments will be announced shortly.
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14. Mr. Syms:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on cardiac services in England. [115161]
15. Liz Blackman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the national service framework for coronary heart disease. [115162]
Yvette Cooper:
On 6 March my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State launched the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease. This framework is a radical and far-reaching blueprint to transform prevention, diagnosis and treatment of coronary heart disease and will help save 200,000 lives by 2010.
18. Mr. Jack:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the future of cardio- thoracic services in the north-west of England. [115165]
Yvette Cooper:
Cardiothoracic services in the north-west of England will be improved in line with the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease and the Strategy for the Development of Invasive and Tertiary Cardiac Services in the North-West Region (Dargie Report), published in April 1999.
16. Mr. Paterson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on acute waiting lists during the past winter. [115163]
Mr. Denham:
The National Health Service has done this winter what it should always do--it has prioritised emergencies. There are always more pressures on the NHS from emergency admissions in the winter months. The waiting list figures for December and January reflect the fact that the NHS as planned did give priority to emergency cases.
The waiting list is currently 39,000 below the level inherited. We remain on track to achieve our manifesto commitment to reduce waiting lists by 100,000 from the level inherited.
19. Ms Keeble:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the Government's plans to improve adoption procedures. [115166]
Mr. Hutton:
My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has announced that he is to conduct a review of adoption with ministerial colleagues. The review will consider how best to develop a modern adoption system which puts the interests of the child first and provides a sensitive and efficient service, building on the Government's Quality Protects programme for transforming children's services.
20. Mr. David Heath:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many additional intensive care beds have been made available in NHS hospitals since 1 January. [115168]
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Ms Stuart:
More than 100 additional critical care beds were available this winter, and more will be opened next winter, following the current thorough review of critical care services.
21. Mrs. Ann Cryer:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to tackle wide variations in treatment in different parts of the country. [115169]
Yvette Cooper:
Tackling unacceptable variations in performance and treatment is one of the key challenges we have set the National Health Service. We have already established new mechanisms; we are setting standards across the NHS through the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and the National Service Framework programme; ensuring delivery of these locally through clinical governance, and monitoring delivery through the performance assessment framework, the Commission for Health Improvement and a programme of national patient surveys. Over the next few months we will work with key professionals and frontline staff to see how we can improve NHS performance and productivity so that we make the best use of the record increases in NHS funding announced in the Budget.
23. Mr. Love:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many accident and emergency departments are being modernised; and if he will make a statement on progress to date. [115172]
33. Mr. Anthony D. Wright:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many accident and emergency departments are being modernised; and if he will make a statement on progress to date. [115182]
Ms Stuart:
The £115 million capital investment in accident and emergency services is enabling 244 improvement schemes to be carried out in 182 hospital trusts in England. Good progress is being made: almost all the schemes are already under way and 90 (37 per cent.) have now been completed. 194 schemes (80 per cent.) are scheduled for completion by July 2000.
24. Mr. Bob Russell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will increase the number of consultant neurologists. [115173]
Mr. Denham:
We review the requirements for consultants in neurology annually. There are around 150 specialists in training and we expect most of these to become available for consultant posts between 2003 and 2004. This will be 90 more than are needed to replace consultants expected to retire.
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