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NHScat

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will announce a decision on the creation of NHScat. [151577]

Mr. Denham: The project to create NHScat has been under way since June last year.

NHScat will be available to use by the National Health Service from 1 October 2001.

Norfolk Area Health Authority

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to ensure that targeted moneys from Government to the Norfolk area health authority are not diverted from such targets. [151680]

Mr. Denham: Norfolk health authority's allocation for 2001-02 is £550 million of which £15 million has been designated for policy programmes to support the implementation of the NHS Plan.

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This will all be used to support NHS Plan initiatives. Negotiations about exactly how this money will be allocated will form part of the discussions surrounding the Norfolk health economy service and financial framework for 2001-02.

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Norfolk area health authority on (a) the running costs of and (b) the purchase of equipment for the new PFI hospital in Norwich. [151682]

Mr. Denham: The Eastern Regional Office of the National Health Service Executive is in discussion with the Norfolk health system regarding the funding of the increased running costs of the new Norfolk and Norwich hospital as part of the 2001-02 service and financial framework negotiations.

In addition a package of funding has already been agreed with the Norfolk health system for new and replacement equipment. This will be funded from a combination of trust block allocation, regional strategic capital, equipment leasing and a proportion of the sales proceeds from the old hospital site.

Primary Care Groups (Norfolk)

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that primary care groups in Norfolk are not disadvantaged by the development of the new PFI hospital in Norwich. [151764]

Mr. Denham: The decision to proceed with the private initiative scheme was a health economy decision that all relevant health organisations were involved in.

Although primary care groups had not been established when the first business case for the new Norfolk and Norwich hospital was agreed, they subsequently ratified their support for the new hospital by approving the supplementary business case for 144 extra beds, and its financial consequences.

The National Health Service Executive is providing smoothing and transitional support for the higher initial costs of the new hospital. This is in accordance with the undertakings given at the time of approval to ensure other local services would not suffer.

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Barnet General Hospital

Sir Sydney Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what annual interest is paid by the Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS trust to the consortium developing Barnet general hospital's phase 1b project. [151772]

Mr. Denham: The Barnet hospital phase 1b private finance initiative project will not be completed and brought into use until April 2002. There is no payment made to the consortium in respect of phase 1b until the facilities are available for use, and therefore no annual interest is being paid.

NHS Recruitment

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the annual (a) salary and (b) support costs are of his Department's Director of International Recruitment for Health Services. [151791]

Mr. Denham: The Director of International Recruitment is on detachment from her post as executive nurse director at Hammersmith Hospitals National Health Service Trust. The trust publishes salary details of its senior staff in its annual report. A budget of £37,000 has been secured this year to fund salary, travel and subsistence, support and conference costs.

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets have been set for the Director of International Recruitment for Health Services for the number of foreign recruited nurses working in the NHS. [151790]

Mr. Denham: The level of international nurse recruitment required will be assessed in the light of the impact on staffing levels of the increased training places since 1997, and the success of the retention and returner initiatives already in place.

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that nurses are not recruited by the NHS from developing countries where there are shortages of trained nursing staff. [151789]

Mr. Denham: The Department issued guidance on the recruitment of nurses from developing countries in the international nurse recruitment guidance published in November 1999. A copy was placed in the Library. The guidance will be reinforced for all healthcare professions in the Code of Practice for International Recruitment which is due to be published shortly.

Mr. Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the representations he has received from foreign Governments about recruitment for the NHS of (a) nurses and (b) doctors in their countries. [148276]

Mr. Denham: Over the last year we have received representations from the Spanish Government with regards to the possibility of recruiting both doctors and nurses from Spain to work in the National Health Service.

A Government to Government agreement was signed with Spain in November 2000 to promote closer working between the two countries. As part of this agreement, the first 63 nurses arrived in the north-west from Spain on 19 January 2000 to work in four NHS trusts. Following

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this successful recruitment, the initiative is being extended to medical staff through a pilot project also being led by North West Region.

I am also aware that the Department has received representations over the last year from:









Representations made by South Africa and Zimbabwe stipulated that both health sectors need the services of nurses and stressed that their recruitment outside of the country could not be supported.

Guidance was issued by the Department on international recruitment stressing how essential it is that all NHS employers ensure that they do not actively recruit from developing countries who are experiencing nursing shortages of their own.

AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD

Common Agricultural Policy

Dr. Naysmith: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what recent representations he has received on his plans to create a new CAP paying agency; and if he will make a statement. [150866]

Ms Quin: We have received no recent representations on the Ministry's plans to create a new CAP paying agency. A summary of the responses to the consultation exercise which we carried out last summer is available on the MAFF website.

Plans for creating the new CAP paying agency are progressing well. We are providing monthly updates to staff affected by the creation of the new agency, and will shortly be inviting key external stakeholders to the first meeting of a CAPPA users' group. This group will provide a forum to help us to ensure that the new agency takes full account of the needs of its customers.

We will be writing to all our customers next months with details of how the restructuring of MAFF's presence in the regions will affect them.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Public Relations (Expenditure)

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total expenditure and the breakdown of expenditure was in his Department for the financial years (a) 1996-97, (b) 1997-98, (c) 1998-99 and (d) 1999-2000, and what the planned expenditure and breakdown of expenditure for 2000-01 is on (i) public opinion research, (ii) television, radio and newspaper advertising and (iii) direct mail. [149267]

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Dr. Reid: The total expenditure and the breakdown of expenditure for the Department for the financial years (a) 1996-97, (b) 1997-98, (c) 1998-99 and (d) 1999-2000 can be obtained from the Northern Ireland Office 2000 Departmental Report (CM 4621).

The planned expenditure for 2000-01 is as follows:





Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what discussions have taken place with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission about current powers; what problems they have encountered; and what action is being taken to address such problems; [150652]

Mr. George Howarth: The Northern Ireland Office is in regular contact with the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission on a range of issues, including the extent of its powers under the Northern Ireland Act 1998. Section 69(2) of the Act requires the Commission to submit to the Secretary of State at the end of its first two years of operation recommendations for improving the adequacy and effectiveness of its functions. We have not yet received these recommendations, but expect to do so shortly. We have made clear that we will give full consideration to the Commission's recommendations at that stage. Any subsequent proposals for change will be subject to consultation in the normal way.

Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what resources have been provided to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission for the public consultation about the scope of the Bill of Rights. [150645]

Mr. George Howarth: The annual budget of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission was initially set at £750,000, three times that of the Commission's predecessor, to reflect its increased powers and functions. The consultation on the scope for a Bill of Rights was envisaged as an integral part of the Commission's functions and resources for the consultation have therefore been provided within the Commission's core budget. However, we made clear from the outset that we would be prepared to consider bids for increased funding, provided they were accompanied by a properly costed business case. The Commission's first bid for additional funds--including for the consultation on the scope for a Bill of Rights--was received during the Christmas break. It is currently under consideration, and we hope to meet the Commission shortly to discuss their bid more fully.

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