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Home Carers
Mr. Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to (a) investigate the quality of care being provided to people in their homes, (b) introduce a regulatory system to supervise the provision of care by home carers and (c) apply such a system throughout the UK. [122692]
Mr. Hutton: In England we are committed to introducing a regulatory framework for home care services. Proposals for this are included in the Care Standards Bill, which was recently introduced in the House.
All domiciliary care agencies will be required to register, if they provide personal care services. They will be inspected annually by a national care standards commission, established in this Bill.
The responsibility for information relating to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved administrations.
Child Prostitution
Mrs. Heal: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to ensure that children are protected from abuse through prostitution and that those who coerce children into prostitution are (a) investigated and (b) prosecuted. [123051]
Mr. Hutton: The Government have today published new Guidance, "Safeguarding Children Involved In Prostitution--Supplementary Guidance to Working Together to Safeguard Children". It establishes that the primary law enforcement effort must be against those who coerce children into and abuse them through prostitution. Children involved in prostitution should be treated primarily as victims of abuse.
The Guidance sets out an inter-agency approach, based on local protocols, to address this type of abuse. The identification of a child involved in prostitution, or at risk
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of being drawn into prostitution, should always trigger the agreed local Area Child Protection Committee procedures to ensure the child's safety and welfare, and to enable the police to gather evidence about abusers and coercers. The Guidance forms an important part of the Government's strategy to combat the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Copies of the Guidance will be placed in the Library.
Cancelled Operations
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were cancelled, and in respect of such operations how many patients involved were not re-admitted within one month, in each quarter since 1995 in (a) England and (b) each health authority in London; and if he will list the percentage change for each year. [122712]
Mr. Denham [holding answer 19 May 2000]: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
The table shows the information for England. Information for the fourth quarter of 1999-2000 is not yet available.
Information for London is not available in the format requested as the definition of 'London' health authorities before the London region was established in January 1999 is subject to interpretation. The information in the Library can be used to generate comparisons but these will vary according to the definition of 'London' health authorities used.
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Accident and Emergency Departments
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many accident and emergency departments there were in each year since 1979 for which the figures are available (a) for England, (b) for each health authority in London and (c) for each NHS trust in London; and if he will list the percentage change for each year. [122713]
Ms Stuart: Department of Health statistics provide a count of the number of National Health Service trusts with accident and emergency services. They do not count how many individual Departments there are.
Information on the type of accident and emergency service provided is published in "Bed availability and occupancy, England 1998-99" and information on numbers of accident and emergency attendances is published in "Outpatients and ward attenders, England 1998-99". Copies of both are available in the Library.
Social Services
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 15 May 2000, Official Report, column 18W, on the Audit Commission report, Charging with Care, if the options he is considering include taking additional legislative powers. [122843]
Mr. Hutton: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced during debate on the Second Reading of the Care Standards Bill on 18 May 2000 that we will propose an amendment to that Bill that will allow guidance to be issued to councils about charging for non-residential services under section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 15 May 2000, Official Report, column 18W, on standard spending assessments, if he will list the ways in which the formula has materially changed in each year since 1997. [122842]
Mr. Hutton: The major changes to the standard spending assessment formula for residential care services for older people and the SSA formula for non-residential services for older people since 1997 are as follows.
For 1998-99 SSAs, the residential care services SSA was revised on the basis of research commissioned from the University of Kent. Previously, four factors influenced the allocation: the number of older people in the authority (including those in institutional settings), the proportion of older people who have a long-term illness, the proportion of older people living in rented accommodation, and the proportion of older people with preserved rights to higher rates of Income Support. In the new formula, the last factor was dropped as the number
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of preserved rights clients is far less of an influence several years into the community care reforms. The first three factors were retained but four further factors were added:
- the proportion of pensioners living alone;
- the proportion of older people receiving Income Support;
- the proportion of pensioners who are living with someone, but not as a couple;
- the proportion of older people in receipt of Attendance Allowance.
Also for 1999-2000 the non-residential services SSA was changed to include an allowance for population sparsity and to reflect each authority's potential to raise income from charges.
There were no changes to the SSA formulae in 2000-01.
Construction Contracts
Mr. Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what construction contracts his Department has awarded to the Joannou and Paraskevaides Group in the last three years. [123142]
Ms Stuart: The Department has no record of any construction contract awarded to any firm of this name in the last three years.
So far as the wider National Health Service is concerned, there are no centrally held records of construction contracts entered into by NHS trusts or health authorities and to survey all of them to answer this question would be at disproportionate cost.
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