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Public Bodies

Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list (a) the (i) executive agencies, (ii) non-departmental public bodies and (iii) local public spending bodies within his Department's remit, (b) the contractors employed by his Department and (c) the NHS bodies whose work (1) has been transferred since 1992 and (2) is planned to be transferred in the next 12 months (y) to and (z) from the Northern Region. [121051]

Ms Stuart: (a) (i) The Department sponsors the following executive agencies:






(a) (ii) The Department sponsors the following non-Departmental public bodies (NDPBs):

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Executive NDPBs
Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work
Commission for Health Improvement
English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority
Medical Practices Committee
National Biological Standards Board
National Radiological Protection Board
Public Health Laboratory Service Board
Advisory NDPBs
Administration of Radioactive Substances Advisory Committee
Advisory Board on the Registration of Homoeopathic Products
Advisory Committee on Borderline Substances
Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens
Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards
Advisory Committee on Genetic Testing
Advisory Committee on Hepatitis
Advisory Committee on NHS Drugs
Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Foods
Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy
British Pharmacopoeia Commission
Committee for Monitoring the Agreements on Tobacco Advertising and Sponsorship
Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy
Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment
Committee on Medical effects of Air Pollutants
Committee on the Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment
Committee on the Safety of Medicines
Committee on the Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment
Dental Rates Study Group
Expert Advisory Group on AIDS
Gene Therapy Advisory Committee
Genetics and Insurance Committee
Human Genetics Commission
Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation
Medical Workforce Standing Advisory Committee
Medicines Commission
National Centre for Continuing Professional Education of Dentists
Pharmacists' Review Panel
Review Body for Nursing Staff, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine
Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration
Standing Dental Advisory Committee
Standing Medical Advisory Committee
Standing Nursing and Midwifery Advisory Committee
Standing Pharmaceutical Advisory Committee
Steering Committee on Pharmacy Postgraduate Education
UK Advisory Panel for Health Care Workers Infected with Bloodborne Viruses
United Kingdom Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority
Unrelated Live Transplant Regulatory Authority
Wider Health Working Group
Tribunals
Mental Health Review Tribunal
National Health Service Tribunal
Protection of Children Act Tribunal
Registered Homes Tribunal

(a) (iii) Local public spending bodies within the Department's remit:

There are currently 99 Health Authorities, 364 NHS Trusts, and 17 Primary Care Trusts operational in England.

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(b) The contractors employed by the Department:

The information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

(c) NHS bodies:

On 1 April 1996 the Northern and Yorkshire Regional Health Authority became the Northern and Yorkshire Regional Office of the National Health Service Executive, Department of Health. At the same time its offices were relocated from Newcastle and Harrogate to a single site in Durham City.

Community Midwives

Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve the pay and conditions of community midwives. [121068]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 5 May 2000]: The Review Body for Nursing Staff, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine (NPRB) make recommendations on pay for community midwives employed on national terms and conditions. For the second year running, the Government have accepted in full the pay increases recommended by The Review Body for Nursing Staff, Midwives Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine--an across the board increase of 3.4 per cent. for 2000-01, and for the second year running these increases will be paid in full without staging.

The Government's proposals for modernising the NHS pay system "Agenda for Change" were published last year. For nurses, midwives and health visitors this will mean a new career structure to replace outdated clinical grades, better career progression, fairer rewards for team working, developing new skills and taking on extended roles. The proposals are currently under negotiation with the unions and professional organisations.

Antidepressants

Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to reduce deaths resulting from (a) Dothiepin and (b) other antidepressants. [120929]

Ms Stuart: The majority of deaths recorded in association with antidepressants are as a result of suicide. We take the issue of suicide very seriously. The development of strategies to reduce suicide and improve the mental well-being of the general population are a major part of our programme outlined in the White Paper--"Saving Lives: our Healthier Nation"--and in the National Service Framework for mental health.

Advice is given to health professionals in British National Formulary which advises that patients treated for depression should be assessed frequently for suicidal tendencies and that limited quantities of antidepressant drugs should be prescribed at any one time to reduce the risk of overdosage. The Summaries of Product Characteristics for antidepressants warn that patients at risk of suicide should be monitored closely. As with all medicines, the safety of antidepressants is continually monitored by the Medicines Control Agency and the independent expert advisory body, the Committee on Safety of Medicines.

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NHS Trusts (London)

Mr. Gareth R. Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the board members of each NHS trust in the London NHS region with responsibility for (a) corporate governance and (b) maintaining a register of interests for (i) all senior staff and (ii) consultants. [121203]

Mr. Denham: The information is not collected by the Department. However, it is commonly the board secretary who has responsibility for these issues.

Metered-dose Inhalers

Mr. Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of migrating all recipient patients from metered dose inhalers to alternative pharmaceutical delivery systems. [120424]

Ms Stuart: No estimate has been made because such costs cannot be readily quantified.

Operating Theatres (Chemicals)

Mr. Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussion he has had with safety experts and clinicians concerning the use of (a) ammonia and (b) hydrocarbons in hospital theatres. [120425]

Ms Stuart: The use of ammonia and hydrocarbons in hospitals is a matter for individual hospital trusts in conjunction with the Health and Safety Executive. All hospitals are required to undertake risk assessments under the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health regulations. This covers assessment of all potentially dangerous chemicals, including ammonia and hydrocarbons, in all hospital areas, including theatres.

Nurses

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the cost was of the television advertising campaign which described the average nurse as earning over £20,000 per year; [121128]

Mr. Denham: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State authorised the recent nurse recruitment campaign

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which cost £4.2 million and was launched on 28 February, and included television advertising. The campaign will run for three years. The current campaign follows on from the success of last year's recruitment campaign. Over 45,000 people have inquired about a career in the National Health Service, or returning to the NHS, as a result of it.

Recruitment campaigns including local campaigns, are not a one-off exercise and we expect them to become a regular feature of what the NHS does. We will continue to review the success of television advertising and other ongoing activity to recruit and retain staff.

The original television advertisement stated "The average full-time qualified nurse earns over £20,000 per annum". This figure was drawn from the Department of Health annual earnings surveys, which show that from April 1999 gross average annual earnings for qualified nurses working full-time in the NHS were around £20,700.

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This figure includes allowances paid for working unsocial hours, but excludes earnings from overtime, earnings for the more senior clinical H and I grades, and nurses in management posts. The average basic salary for all full-time qualified nursing staff, after implementation of the April 2000 pay award is £19,500. Unsocial hours payments bring average earnings for full-time qualified nurses to over £20,000.

Fewer than 20 people have made representations about the advertising campaign. We also received representations from the ITC about the television advertisement. Departmental officials met with the ITC. The ITC accepted our statement was factually correct. To reflect the increase in nurses' pay arising from the 2000-01 pay settlement the wording was changed. This wording was agreed with the ITC. The agreed working was: "From April (2000) average annual earnings for full-time qualified nurses are over £21,000, including allowances".