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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.








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]

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).

Region/TrustProject description
Northern and Yorks
Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS TrustCompletion of Reconfiguration of Acute Hospital Services in Newcastle
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS TrustImplementation of Leeds Acute Services Reconfiguration Strategy
North Durham Health Care NHS TrustChester-le-Street Community Hospital
Huddersfield and Calderdale NHS TrustsEPR (Electronic Patient Record) scheme
Leeds Teaching HospitalsEPR scheme
Bradford Hospitals NHS Trust and Airdale NHS trustEPR scheme
Trent
Southern Derbyshire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust (2, 3)Acute Reconfiguration
Nottingham Healthcare NHS TrustElderly Mental Health
Doncaster and South Humber NHSMental Health Services
Nottingham City Hospital NHS TrustStaff residences
Eastern
East and North Hertfordshire NHS TrustAmbulatory Care Centre
Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS TrustStaff accommodation
London
Havering Hospitals NHS TrustRedevelopment of Hospital Facilities
Newham Healthcare NHS TrustRationalisation
The Whittington Hospital NHS TrustRedevelopment of Acute Hospital Services
Parkside Health NHS TrustWillesden
West London Pathology ConsortiumPathology Systems
Havering Hospital NHS TrustEPR scheme
King's Healthcare NHS TrustEPR scheme
Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital NHS TrustEPR scheme
Lewisham Hospital NHS TrustEPR scheme
South East
Portsmouth Hospitals NHS TrustAcute rationalisation
Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS TrustRadcliffe infirmary relocation to John Radcliffe Hospital Site
Stoke Mandeville Hospital NHS TrustPartial Redevelopment
Newbury Primary Care NHS TrustConsolidation of sites in Newbury
Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre NHS TrustOrthopaedic/Medicines redevelopment
Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS TrustMental Health Acute Hospital reprovision
East Kent Community NHS TrustWest View Reprovision Joint NHS/Local Authority
Brighton Health Care NHS TrustRenal Unit Reprovision
Northampton Community Healthcare NHS TrustDanetre Community Health Centre Joint NHS/Local Authority
Invicta Community Care NHS TrustMental Health Reprovision
Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS TrustAcute Mental Health Ward reprovision
Brighton Health Care NHS TrustBrighton Education Centre
Bournewood Community and Mental Health NHS TrustWalton and Chertsey Health Centres
Ashford and St. Peter's NHS TrustEnergy Management Scheme
Mid-Sussex NHS TrustLow Secure Unit
Royal Berkshire and Battle Hospitals NHS TrustRBBH Pas
Royal Surrey County HospitalEPR scheme
Heatherwood and Wexham Park NHS TrustEPR scheme
Milton Keynes General NHS TrustEPR scheme
South Buckinghamshire NHS TrustEPR scheme
Stoke Mandeville NHS TrustEPR scheme
North Staffordshire Hospital NHS TrustEPR scheme
South West
Gloucestershire Royal NHS TrustSite re-development
Exeter and District Community Health Services NHS TrustTiverton Hospital
Cornwall Healthcare NHS TrustWestern Mental Health, Cambourne and Redruth
Wiltshire and Swindon Health Care NHS TrustBradford-on-Avon Hospital
South West Regional ProcurementEPR systems
Swindon and MarlboroughEPR scheme
West Midlands
University Hospitals Warwickshire and Coventry NHS TrustNew DGH
City Hospital NHS TrustAmbulatory Care Centre
Mid-Staffordshire General Hospitals NHS TrustEPR scheme
North West
Central Manchester Healthcare NHS TrustService Reconfiguration
Blackburn, Hyndburn and Ribble Valley Healthcare NHS TrustSite Rationalisation
Countess of Chester Hospital NHS TrustStaff Residential Accommodation
Christie NHS TrustEPR scheme
Blackburn NHS TrustEPR scheme
Burnley NHS TrustEPR scheme
North Manchester NHS TrustEPR scheme
Chorley and Preston NHS TrustEPR scheme
Salford Mental Health NHS TrustEPR scheme

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