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Governing Bodies
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he last met the (a) chairman of the council of the BMA, (b) president of the Royal College of Physicians, (c) president of the Royal College of Surgeons, (d) president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, (e) president of the Royal College of General Practitioners, (f) president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and (g) president of the Royal College of Nursing. [13857]
Ms Blears [holding answer 12 November 2001]: Dates of the latest meetings with my right hon. Friend are shown. Where there have been no meetings with my right hon. Friend, the latest meetings with other ministerial colleagues are shown.
- (a) Chairman of the Council of the BMA: 11 July 2001
- (b) President of the Royal College of Physicians: 10 July 2001
- (c) President of the Royal College of Surgeons: 19 July 2001 (my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Lords), Lord Hunt)
- (d) President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists: 18 July 2001 (my right hon. Friend the Minister for Health (Mr. Hutton))
- (e) President of the Royal College of General Practitioners: 10 July 2001
- (f) President of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
- (g) President of the Royal College of Nursing.
NHS Budget (Hertfordshire)
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the amount by which Hertfordshire will overspend on the NHS budget in the current financial year. [13244]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 12 November 2001]: The estimated projected overspend across Hertfordshire in 2001–02 is £8 million of which £5.1 million is for East and North Hertfordshire National Health Service Trust and £2.9 million in respect of prescribing. There are long standing financial issues that affect Hertfordshire and the NHS eastern regional office is actively involved in agreeing a financial recovery plan.
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Hampshire and Surrey Ambulance Services
Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of the consultation exercise on the proposed merger of Hampshire and Surrey ambulance services. [13503]
Ms Blears [holding answer 12 November 2001]: The information requested is not available.
Smallpox
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the World Health Organisation regarding contingency plans for combating an outbreak of smallpox in the UK. [12253]
Jacqui Smith: Ministers and officials have frequent formal and informal contacts with the World Health Organisation on a range of health-related topics including issues around the health threats posed by a bioterrorist threat. Within the framework of these ongoing contacts, we have had no specific discussions on contingency planning for combating an outbreak of smallpox in the United Kingdom, although we are aware of the guidance WHO has published on these matters. As part of our contingency planning we will keep open our contacts with WHO so that we can call upon their advice and technical assistance as necessary.
Stoke Mandeville Merger
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his policy towards the proposed merger of the Stoke Mandeville Hospital and South Buckinghamshire NHS Trust. [14710]
Ms Blears: The merger of Stoke Mandeville Hospital national health service trust and South Buckinghamshire NHS trust has been proposed by the trusts and Buckinghamshire health authority. The proposal is currently with Ministers for consideration.
Primary Care Trusts
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements have been made for the transfer of funding streams from district health authorities to PCTs . [14340]
Mr. Hutton: At present my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State allocates resources to health authorities. Health authorities then allocate resources to their primary care trusts. In the future, as part of our programme to devolve power to frontline organisations, we intend that the Secretary of State will allocate resources direct to primary care trusts. The National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Bill, currently before Parliament, seeks to give effect to this.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements have been made to ensure the continuity of employment of staff transferring from district health authorities to component PCTs. [14341]
Mr. Hutton: For staff transferring from health authorities to primary care trusts under Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment (TUPE) Regulations 1981 or by terms reflecting TUPE principles (Transfer Orders), continuity of service will automatically
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apply. This means that there will be no break in service and existing pay and terms and conditions of employment will be protected at the point of transfer.
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to make decisions regarding the confirmation of primary care trusts in Cambridgeshire. [14023]
Mr. Hutton: The process of approving applications for primary care trust status is contained in Health Service Circular 1999/167. Primary care trust applications are currently being assessed and will be considered for approval against the published national criteria over the next two months.
Social Services Staff Training
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to overhaul training courses available to social services staff. [14343]
Jacqui Smith: Guidance on the training and qualifications that all social care staff should undertake is given in the National Training Strategy document: "Modernising the Social Care Workforce" which the National Training Organisation for Social Care published, with endorsement from the Minister of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for Barrow and Furness (Mr. Hutton), in July 2000.
In March 2001 we also announced the development of a three-year degree level qualification in social work to replace the current two-year Diploma course. The degree level qualification will be introduced in England from September 2003.
GP Recruitment (Financial Incentives)
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) for what reason Worthing is not included in areas eligible for his new incentive scheme for recruiting GPs to work in areas of high shortages; [14345]
- (2) if he will list those areas eligible for his scheme to provide financial incentives to general practitioners to work in areas of high shortages; and what sums are available in each. [14344]
Mr. Hutton: There are incentives for all areas of up to £5,000 per eligible general practitioner. Those areas deemed as underdoctored will attract an additional payment of up to £5,000 more per eligible GP.
The primary care trusts/groups eligible for the underdoctored additional payment are those that have fewer than the national median number of GPs (GP principals or equivalent on whole-time equivalent basis) per 100,000 weighted population. The national PCT/G median is 52.695 GPs per 100,000 weighted population, Worthing PCG has 54.35 GPs per 100,000 weighted population and therefore each newly appointed GP will receive up to £5,000.
There is no cap to the amount of money available to any area under this scheme.
The list of areas eligible to receive the additional payment for being an underdoctored area, along with guidance on the golden hello scheme is available on
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the Department of Health website at www.doh.gov.uk/ pricare/goldenhello. A copy is also available in the Library.
Public-private Projects
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those public-private projects being negotiated within the national health service. [14338]
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Mr. Hutton: Many contracts are negotiated every year between national health service bodies and private sector suppliers for a wide range of services and equipment. Information is only held centrally on private finance initiative (PFI) projects with a capital value of £1 million or greater. These are listed in the table (in negotiation is interpreted as any stage between OJEC notice and financial close).
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