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Hospital Waiting Times
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his statement on NHS resources and priorities of 14 November 2000, Official Report, columns 805-08, how many people have been waiting for outpatient treatment for 13 weeks or more; and if he will estimate how many will be waiting by 2002. [138910]
Mr. Denham: At the end of September, 435,768 patients were waiting over 13 weeks for a first outpatient appointment. The number of those waiting more than 13 weeks fell by 80,000 over the past year and we expect further falls next year.
Delayed Hospital Discharges
Mr. Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish, for the period 1 July to 30 September, figures for delayed discharges from hospital of people aged 75 and over in (a) East Kent Health Authority and (b) England. [138647]
Ms Stuart: For that period the rates of delayed discharges for people over 75-years-old were 10.76 per cent. in East Kent Health Authority and 12.99 per cent. in England.
Health Authority Expenditure
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list in rank order expenditure in each health authority by weighted head of population in each of the financial years 1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000 in respect of (a) primary care, (b) secondary care, (c) administration and programme and (d) total expenditure. [139387]
Mr. Denham: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Expenditure per weighted head of population for 1996-97 to 1999-2000, in rank order, is shown for each health authority in England in the tables. Figures are shown for expenditure on primary care, secondary care, administration and programme, and as a total, in each case.
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These figures are not comparable between years or between health authorities as a result of changes in accounting practice and other technical accounting differences.
Euro
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the trusts and health authorities which have submitted to the NHS South East Regional Office their estimates of the cost of changing over from the pound to the euro; and if he will list in respect of each such trust and health authority the estimated cost of the changeover in terms of (a) staff days and (b) non-staff costs. [139366]
Mr. Denham: The position on National Health Service bodies is given in Treasury's Fourth Report on Euro Preparations, published on 6 November 2000.
It is not possible at this stage to provide estimates of the costs of a changeover to the NHS because they would reflect the timing and nature of any future implementation. For example, NHS bodies will as a matter of routine be upgrading systems as they become obsolete and this could provide them with euro compliant systems at minimal cost.
Health Authority Allocations
Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the total health authority allocations for 2001-02 for each health authority in England on a per capita basis. [138863]
Mr. Denham: Health authority allocations for 2001-02 per weighted head of population in each health authority in England are given in the table.
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Care Workers (Child Protection)
Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the vetting of child care workers required by the Protection of Children Act 1999 is operational. [139161]
Mr. Hutton: Yes. The requirement contained in the Protection of Children Act 1999 for child care organisations to check child care workers came into effect on 2 October 2000.
Council of Health Regulators
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the estimated annual cost of the proposed establishment of a UK Council of Health Regulators; and if he will make a statement. [138467]
Mr. Denham: We proposed in the National Health Service Plan that a United Kingdom Council of Health Regulators should be established to provide formal co-ordination between the health regulatory bodies which would, in the first place, act as a forum in which common approaches across the professions could be developed for dealing with matters such as complaints against practitioners. Its role will depend on the willingness of the regulatory bodies to reform. We are therefore still considering the proposed form, functions and cost of this new body.
Community Health Councils
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the financial consequences of abolishing community health councils and replacing them with patient advocacy and liaison services (PALS), patients' forums, local advisory forums and all party scrutiny committees. [138468]
Ms Stuart: The National Health Service Plan sets out a programme of investment and reform to modernise NHS. Chapter 10 of the Plan announced the introduction of a new system of public and patient involvement to
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strengthen the voice of the patient at every level of the NHS. As a consequence, Community Health Councils are to be abolished, subject to legislation.
The aim of the new system is not to cut costs, but to transform the NHS, so that health care services are built around the needs of the patients who use it and citizens that pay for it. The current CHC budget is £23 million per annum, and an additional £10 million per annum has been made available from 2001-02 specifically to assist with the introduction of a Patient Advocacy and Liaison Service.
AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD
Bovine TB
Mr. Gill: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1) if he will invoke the precautionary principle in respect of bovine TB by permitting a cull of badgers in affected areas; [137555]
- (2) what measures he proposes to arrest the spread of bovine TB. [137553]
Ms Quin: The Government fully recognise the economic and financial costs which cattle TB imposes on the farming industry. We are pressing ahead with a comprehensive strategy first detailed in 1998 and on which regular progress reports are given to the House. The Government are keeping the need for additional measures under constant review.
Mr. Gill: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment he has made of the risk to cattle of ingesting grass contaminated by badger urine and excrement. [137583]
Ms Quin: Research is being carried out by the Moredun Research Institute and the Scottish Agricultural College examining the potential routes of M.bovis transmission from pasture contaminated with infected excreta to cattle under controlled conditions. Results will be published when available.
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