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HEALTH

Quality Protects

Ms Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the outcome is of the evaluation of the quality protects management action plans submitted to his Department by local authorities; and if he will make a statement. [160257]

Mr. Hutton: All local authorities with social services responsibilities submitted their Quality Protects Management Action Plans (MAPs) to the Department of Health by the end of January. The Social Services Inspectorate has now completed its evaluation of the MAPs and I have considered their findings. The MAPs from all 150 local councils have reached an acceptable standard. I have today written to the chief executives of the authorities to confirm that, subject to normal grant procedures, they will receive payment of their allocation of the children's services grant for 2001-02.

The evidence nationally shows that Quality Protects is beginning to make a real difference to children's lives. Children who are looked after are experiencing fewer placement moves; more of them are finding new permanent families through adoption; and fewer are leaving care prematurely when they reach 16. We shall be publishing a national overview report on the evaluation of MAPs in the summer.

Porton Down

Mr. Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 6 March 2001, Official Report, columns 188-89W, on Porton Down, if he will request officials in his Department to conduct an evaluation of the 1993 report by the US Institute of Medicine entitled, Veterans at Risk - the Health Effects of Mustard Gas and Lewisite. [157402]

Yvette Cooper: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 6 March 2001, Official Report, columns 188-89W. As I made clear, the purpose of the Department's message was only to make general practitioners aware of the Ministry of Defence's medical assessment programme. The Department has no plans to review in detail the health effects of the chemicals that may have been used at Porton Down or international reports on such chemicals as this is a matter for the MoD.

Ministerial Visits

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many visits abroad were made by his Department's Ministers on departmental business (a) in the three years up to 30 April 1997 and (b) in the 12 months up to 30 April 1997. [157616]

2 May 2001 : Column: 646W

Ms Stuart: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Non-departmental Public Bodies

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total gross running costs were to his Department of the NDPBs accountable through his Department in the financial year 1996-97. [157615]

Ms Stuart: The table is extracted from data in "Public Bodies 1997" and shows a total departmental contribution of £118.6 million to the gross expenditure of Department's executive non-departmental public bodies in the financial year 1996-97.

NDPBs--gross expenditure funded by Government, 1996-97

	£ million
Central Council for Education and Training in Social Work	37.7
English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting	6.6
Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority	1.8
Medical Practices Committee	0.5
National Biological Standards Board	10.4
National Radiological Protection Board	6.2
Public Health Laboratory Service Board	55.4
Total	118.6

Running Costs

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total gross running cost to his Department was in the 12 months ending 30 April 1997 of (a) stationery and (b) printing and publishing. [157623]

Ms Stuart: During the financial year 1996-97 the Department spent £3,175,246 on printing and publishing and £1,589,895 on stationery.

Sefton Health Authority

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged over 60 years have had eye tests in each year since 1995-96 in Sefton health authority. [158529]

Mr. Denham: From information obtained on the age of patients from an annual, national sample survey of opticians' work load, we estimate that the following numbers of sight tests were carried out among the 70,500 people, aged 60 and over, whom we estimate are resident in Sefton.

Year	Number of sight tests
1995-96	26,200
1996-97	27,000
1997-98	29,700
1998-99	28,100
1999-2000	32,500

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individuals within the Sefton Health Authority have had (a) hip replacements, (b) knee replacements, (c) hernia operations and (d) cataract

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operations each year since 1996-97; what the age profile was of the people undergoing these operations; and what the average cost of these operations is in the private sector. [158515]

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Mr. Denham: Consultant episodes by operation and age for the period 1996-97 to 1999-2000, the latest data available, are shown in the table. Data on private sector costs are not available.

2 May 2001 : Column: 647W

Finished consultant episodes by operation and age where the patient was resident in Sefton health authority NHS hospitals, England1996-97 to 1999-2000

	Age
Year/operation	0-4	10-14	15-44	45-64	65-74	75-84	85 and over	Total
1996-97
Hip replacement	0	0	--	82	123	127	64	400
Knee replacement	0	0	--	40	64	51	6	161
Hernia	36	27	7	143	89	52	14	437
Cataract	2	3	2	112	277	477	224	1124
1997-98
Hip replacement	0	0	--	85	131	136	79	440
Knee replacement	0	0	--	29	66	45	9	149
Hernia	39	20	9	145	108	54	8	465
Cataract	4	0	--	109	251	479	224	1074
1998-99
Hip replacement	0	0	1	87	116	133	69	418
Knee replacement	0	0	--	33	84	63	3	184
Hernia	31	29	8	148	88	66	4	449
Cataract	0	1	1	137	362	616	274	1403
1999-2000
Hip replacement	0	0	--	71	113	138	81	410
Knee replacement	0	0	--	45	76	53	7	181
Hernia	37	20	9	133	103	64	13	461
Cataract	3	0	2	137	374	576	257	1369

Note:

An FCE is defined as a period of patient care under one consultant in one health care provider. The figures do not represent the number of patients, as one person may have several episodes within the year.

2 May 2001 : Column: 647W

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many qualified nurses are working in the NHS in the Sefton health authority; and what the number was in 1997. [158510]

Mr. Denham: The information requested is given in the table.

National health service hospital and community health services: Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff and general medical service practice nurses employed within the Sefton health authority area as at 30 September each year

	Headcount	Whole-time equivalents
1997
Total Qualified Nurses	2,420	1,840
Of which:
HCHS Nurses	2,360	1,790
	60	40
2000
Total Qualified Nurses	2,160	1,970
Of which:
HCHS Nurses	2,080	1,940
Nurses	80	30

Notes:

1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10

2. Figures exclude learners and agency staff

Source:

Department of Health non-medical workforce census

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors worked in Sefton health authority in (a) 1996-97 and (b) 2000-01; and what the forecast is for 2001-02. [158511]

2 May 2001 : Column: 648W

Mr. Denham: The number of all National Health Service doctors in the Sefton health authority as at 1 October 1996 and 30 September 2000 is shown in the table. The Department does not currently produce projections of total doctor numbers for individual health authorities.

All NHS doctors in the Sefton health authority 1996 and 2000

		Headcount
	1996	2000
All NHS doctors	660	820
Of whom:
General Medical Practitioners(11),(12)	160	160
HCHS(13) medical and dental staff(14)	510	650
Of whom:
Consultants	210	270

⁽¹¹⁾ General Medical Practitioners includes UPEs, Restricted Principals, Assistants, GP Registrars, Salaried Doctors (para 525FA), and PMS others

⁽¹²⁾ Excluding GP Retainers

⁽¹³⁾ Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Service staff

⁽¹⁴⁾ Excludes Hospital Practitioners and Clinical Assistants who are normally GMPs and has already been counted

Note:

Figures rounded to the nearest 10

Sources:

Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics as at 1 October 1996 and 30 September 2000

Department of Health medical and dental workforce census as at 30 September

2 May 2001 : Column: 649W

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultants were working in the NHS in Sefton health authority in 1996-97; and what the number is for 2000-01. [158512]

Mr. Denham: The number of all National Health Service doctors, including consultants, in the Sefton health authority as at 1 October 1996 and 30 September 2000 is shown in the table. The Department does not currently produce projections of total doctor or consultant numbers for individual health authorities.

All NHS doctors in the Sefton health authority, 1996 and 2000

		Headcount
	1996	2000
All NHS doctors	660	820
of whom:
General Medical Practitioners(15) (excluding GP Retainers)	160	160
HCHS(16) medical and dental staff(17)	510	650
of whom:
Consultants	210	270

⁽¹⁵⁾ General Medical Practitioners includes UPEs, Restricted Principals, Assistants, GP Registrars, Salaried Doctors (para. 525FA), and PMS others

⁽¹⁶⁾ Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Service staff

⁽¹⁷⁾ Excludes Hospital Practitioners and Clinical Assistants who are normally GMPs and has already been counted

Note:

Figures rounded to the nearest ten

Sources:

Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics as at 1 October 1996 and 30 September 2000

Department of Health medical and dental work force census as at 30 September

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