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Adoption
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children from overseas have been adopted by British citizens living in the United Kingdom in each of the last three years. [118378]
Mr. Hutton: The Department does not hold information about the number of children adopted from overseas, only about the number of inter-country adoption applications that it has processed. These will account for the majority of such adoptions and are set out in the table:
| Year | Number of inter-country adoption applications processed by Department |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 223 |
| 1998 | 258 |
| 1999 | 277 |
NHS Appointments
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will end the practice of inviting hon. Members to comment on the shortlists for appointments to chair NHS trusts and health authorities; [118631]
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- (2) what plans he has to review the role of regional NHS chairmen; [118634]
(3) pursuant to his Department's press release of 22 March on the NHS appointments system, when he will implement his proposal to devolve decisions about local appointments out of the hands of ministers; [118629]
(4) what plans he has to meet the Commissioner for Public Appointments to discuss her report "Public Appointments to NHS Trusts and Health Authorities"; [118632]
(5) what plans he has to commission a fundamental look at the role and purpose of NHS boards and the range of skills and experience required in appointees, in line with the recommendation of the Fritchie report on NHS appointments; [118628]
(6) what steps he has taken to draw up fresh job descriptions and person specifications for chairs and non-executive directors of NHS trusts and health authorities in line with the recommendations of the Fritchie report; [118638]
(7) if he will end the practice of seeking nominations from local authorities for appointments to NHS boards. [118630]
Ms Stuart: We are currently considering the findings and recommendations of the Commissioner's report and a detailed response will be made in due course. We have no plans to meet the Commissioner at present.
Hospital Infections
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost per year to the NHS of hospital-acquired infections. [118563]
Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for North Devon (Mr. Harvey) on 3 April 2000, Official Report, column 354W.
Logistics Management
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has to pilot the clinical applications for logistics management, developed at the Royal Shrewsbury hospital, in other NHS trusts; and if he will make a statement. [118673]
Yvette Cooper: Ministers welcome and want to encourage examples of good practice in the National Health Service. Systems such as Royal Shrewsbury hospital's Clinical Applications for Logistics Management (CALM) system will be studied further by the new patient access teams set up by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health. In addition, work is shortly to be commissioned by the Department on improving bed management.
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment the Emergency Services Advisory Team has made of the clinical applications for logistics management used at the Royal Shrewsbury hospital; and if he will make a statement. [118674]
Yvette Cooper: During 1997, the Emergency Services Advisory Team (ESAT) evaluated all bed management systems in the National Health Service, including the Royal Shrewsbury hospital's Clinical Applications for Logistics Management system.
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I understand that the report by ESAT published in 1998 commended Royal Shrewsbury hospital's innovative, advanced bed management system.
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the clinical applications for logistics management used at the Royal Shrewsbury hospital; and if he will make a statement. [118675]
Yvette Cooper: I am aware that the Clinical Applications for Logistics Management (CALM) system used by Royal Shrewsbury Hospital National Health Service trust was identified as an example of good practice in a National Audit Office report. The system was also awarded beacon status in 1999.
I understand that a visit has been planned by the Department's head of hospital development to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in the near future to make a further evaluation of the CALM system.
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the number of patients annually who would not have operations cancelled if the clinical applications for logistics management, as used by the Royal Shrewsbury hospital, was implemented nationwide. [118672]
Yvette Cooper: Ministers are aware of the reduction in cancelled operations achieved by the Clinical Applications for Logistics Management (CALM) system at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. Other National Health Service hospitals operating their own independent decision support systems for effective bed management also claim improvements in lowering the number of cancelled operations.
Successful replication of systems such as CALM depends at least as much on people, knowledge, commitment and local circumstances as on specific technology. Therefore, it is not possible to extrapolate Royal Shrewsbury Hospital's reduced figures for cancelled operations to all other NHS hospitals.
NVQ (Care)
Mr. Prior: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people who registered for NVQ Level 2 in Care completed and passed the registered course; and what percentage this represented of the number who registered, in the last year for which figures are available; [118635]
- (2) how many care assistants have (i) registered for and (ii) completed NVQ Level 2 in Care in (a) nursing homes and (b) residential homes, in the last year for which figures are available; [118637]
(3) what is the average period taken between registration and completion of NVQ Level 2 in Care. [118636]
Mr. Hutton: Information is not available on numbers of care assistants registering for or completing NVQs by type of care provision. Nor are data available on times of completion for individual candidates.
However, data are available showing that during the 12 month period 1 October 1998 to 30 September 1999, 35,742 candidates were registered for an NVQ Level 2 Care award in the United Kingdom. In the same period, 18,135 candidates received their certificates for this award.
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We have been advised by the National Training Organisation for Social Care that research undertaken on the completion of NVQs has shown that the average period taken to complete an NVQ Level 2 in Care is 18 months.
CABINET OFFICE
Civil Service Appointments
Mr. Maginnis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what is her Government's practice relating to the nationality of personnel who are involved in making appointments to senior positions within the United Kingdom Civil Service; and if he will make a statement. [118092]
Mr. Stringer: Appointments to the Senior Civil Service by open competition are governed by the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Code. The Code does not include nationality requirements for personnel involved in making such appointments.
Appointments to the Northern Ireland Civil Service are a matter for the Northern Ireland Civil Service Commissioners.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Lawyers
Mr. Ieuan Wyn Jones: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many lawyers are employed by his Department; and how many were employed in 1995. [117817]
Mr. Morley: My Department employed 44 lawyers as at 31 March 2000. This figure does not include: three lawyers on career break; two lawyers on maternity leave; two lawyers on secondment and three lawyers on loan to other Government Departments.
On 31 March 1995, my Department employed 55 lawyers. This figure does not include two lawyers who were on secondment.
Organic Food
Mr. Tyler: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent assessment he has made of the demand for organic food in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [118569]
Mr. Morley: We expect the demand for organic produce to be sustained and to that end have made provision for increased expenditure on conversion aid in the England Rural Development Plan.
Mr. Tyler: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assistance he will make available to farmers who wish to convert to organic farming before the Organic Farming Scheme reopens. [118576]
Mr. Morley: We are continuing to fund the provision of free conversion advice, including on-farm visits, by the Organic Conversion Information Service.
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Mr. Tyler: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make new money available to fund organic conversion between now and April 2001. [118575]
Mr. Morley: We are projecting expenditure of £12 million for this financial year on conversion aid in England. I have no plans to increase that figure.
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