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Welfare Food Scheme
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children under the age of five years in (a) day care, (b) local authority infant classes, (c) local authority nursery schools or classes, (d) private or voluntary nursery schools or classes and (e) pre-school playgroups benefit
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from the Welfare Food Scheme; and what is the total cost of providing free milk to children in England under the age of five years through the Welfare Food Scheme in (i) schools and (ii) day care. [142113]
Yvette Cooper: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The total annual cost of the nursery milk element of the welfare food scheme was £13,924,000 in England in 1999-2000. This reimburses day care providers who claim under the scheme with the cost of one third of a pint of milk per day. The table shows the percentage of money paid in November 2000 to establishment types as recorded.
| Establishment type | Percentage of total cost to welfare food scheme in November 2000 |
|---|---|
| Registered day care | 49.52 |
| Local education authority school | 41.46 |
| Registered childminder | 4.34 |
| Local education authority nursery | 1.75 |
| Grant maintained school | 1.49 |
| Independent non-maintained school | 0.52 |
| Other | 0.92 |
| Total | 100 |
In addition, children under the age of five in families in receipt of Income Support or income-based Job Seekers Allowance receive a token which is exchangeable for a pint of milk a day.
Non-residential Community Care Services
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many appeals by individuals receiving non- residential community care services have been brought on grounds of excessive levels of charges set by local authorities; and what proportion of these appeals were successfully upheld. [141509]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested is not held centrally.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research his Department has commissioned into the impact of local authority charging policies on the take-up of non-residential community care services. [141510]
Mr. Hutton: The Department has not commissioned any recent research on this issue.
Accident and Emergency Departments
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the turnaround time was for the Ambulance Service admitting patients to accident and emergency for each quarter in the last 12 months in each NHS Trust in London Region with an accident and emergency department. [141505]
Ms Stuart: The information requested is not held centrally by the Department. The hon. Member may wish to contact the Chairman of London Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust direct for this information.
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Social Services Charges
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each local authority recouped from social services charges in each of the last four years. [141511]
Mr. Hutton: Information is available at http://www.doh.gov.uk/public/pss--stat.htm showing a breakdown by local authority and service of income from fees and charges in 1996-97 and 1997-98 and income from sales, fees and charges in 1998-99 (fees and charges is not available separately for 1998-99). Corresponding information for 1999-2000 will be made available at the same address when it is published in spring 2001.
Hardship Policy
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has (a) to modify Social Services Inspectorate advice in respect of changing policies and (b) to take other steps in relation to the prevention of hardship prior to the introduction of statutory guidance. [141497]
Mr. Hutton: We plan to consult on draft statutory guidance on charges for non-residential social services shortly. When issued as statutory guidance, this will supersede the 1994 Advice Note to the Department's social services inspectorate.
The guidance will make clear that it is not acceptable for charges to cause hardship to individual service users. The Audit Commission study, 'Charging with Care', published in May, contains detailed advice to help councils prevent this.
Nurse Training
Dr. Marek: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many places are available at nursing schools for nurse training; and how many of these places are currently taken up. [142505]
Mr. Denham: The forecast number of nurse training places to be commissioned in 2000-01 is 20,325. Confirmation of the number of places taken up will not be available until after the end of the financial year.
- Source:
- Non-Medical Education and Training Levy Quarterly Monitoring Report Q2 2000-01
London Ambulance Service
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to reorganise the basis from which the London Ambulance Service operates. [142205]
Ms Stuart: There are currently no plans to reorganise the basis from which the London Ambulance Service operates. The LAS will continue to serve the London area.
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to encourage retention of staff in the London Ambulance Service. [142203]
Ms Stuart: We are committed to encourage the retention of staff within the National Health Service. We launched the improving working lives (IWL) campaign last year, which encourages employers to enable staff to create a balance between their work, and home lives. This can vary from trust to trust but may include self rostering,
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annualised hours, flexi-time and child care provisions. We have issued tools to employers to help them implement such initiatives.
The IWL standard was launched on 4 October and summarises the commitment Ministers expect from NHS employers to create well-managed, flexible working environments that support staff, and respect their need to manage a healthy and productive balance between their work and their life outside work. It sets a model of good human resource practice against which NHS employers and their staff can measure the organisations's human resource management, and against which NHS employers will be kite-marked. By April 2003 all NHS employers are expected to be accredited as putting the IWL standard into practice. IWL is not exclusive to doctors and nurses and all staff should therefore benefit from it.
The London Ambulance Service NHS Trust has developed a four-year performance implementation programme (PIP) which identifies the need for additional funding. This will be agreed with the health authority commissioners and the NHS Executive London Regional Office how funding for the PIP can be phased.
The PIP includes a number of measures aimed at encouraging staff retention, such as enhanced rates of pay over the winter period, commitment to working with trade union representatives to see how pay can be improved next year and looking at feedback from front line staff. The London Ambulance Service Chief Executive has written to all frontline staff outlining plans for action on pay, crew safety and staff facilities.
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to address shortages of ambulance staff in London. [142209]
Ms Stuart: The London Ambulance Service and commissioners have agreed to 122 more staff on the establishment at the end of this year compared with last year. Sixty-five staff are already in post and a further 70 in training. The remainder will be recruited during the rest of the year 2000-01.
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to invest in more ambulance vehicles for the London Ambulance Service. [142204]
Ms Stuart: This year the London Ambulance Service will have an additional 25 vehicles compared to last year. These will be targeted towards Category A calls. Eleven are already staffed and operational.
Helicopter Ambulance Services
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to expand helicopter ambulance services in London. [142207]
Ms Stuart: There are no current plans to expand helicopter ambulance services in London.
Hepatitis
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many intravenous (a) drug users and (b) insulin users are infected with hepatitis. [142211]
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Yvette Cooper: Routine surveillance of hepatitis B infection is based on laboratory diagnoses. Data on injecting drug users from 1995 to 1999 are given in the table. These data are subject to under-reporting as about 60 per cent. of adult infections are asymptomatic and information about risk factors that may be relevant to the acquisition of infection is not available for about 40 per cent. of reports.
| Injecting drug users | Total | |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 147 | 614 |
| 1996 | 166 | 569 |
| 1997 | 192 | 652 |
| 1998 | 251 | 843 |
| 1999(10) | 230 | 719 |
(10) Provisional data
Source:
Public Health Laboratory Service
Routine surveillance of hepatitis C infection is based on laboratory reports of antibodies to hepatitis C. Data on injecting drug users from 1995 to 1999 are given in the table. These data do not distinguish between resolved and chronic infections and are subject to under reporting as most infections will be asymptomatic. Information about the acquisition of risk factors that may be relevant to the acquisition of infection is available only for about 50 per cent. of reports.
| Injecting drug users | Total | |
|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 815 | 1,662 |
| 1996(11) | 1,220 | 2,544 |
| 1997(11) | 1,432 | 3,059 |
| 1998(11),(12) | 1,761 | 4,466 |
| 1999(11),(12) | 1,961 | 5,554 |
(11) Provisional data
(12) Includes child injecting drug users
Source:
Public Health Laboratory Service
There have been 14 laboratory reports of acute hepatitis B infections in diabetics in the period 1990 to 1999. However in only three of these was the diabetic needle considered a possible source of infection.
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