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Wheelchair Service

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the growth pressures on the wheelchair service; in which geographical areas these are unusually intense; and if he will make a statement on future funding. [18349]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 27 November 2001]: The information requested is not available centrally. Funding for wheelchairs is included in allocations to health authorities. Funding decisions and allocations for 2002–03 will be made in time to allow health authorities, in conjunction with primary care groups and primary care trusts, to make plans for delivering services for that financial year.

Care Home Closures

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice he is offering local authorities on the impact of the closure of care homes. [18359]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 27 November 2001]: Government advice on the impact of the closure of care homes was published on 9 October in "Building Capacity and Partnership in Care". Commissioners and providers should share information about services that may no longer be needed, or may be about to be withdrawn. In all cases, the aim must be to minimise the impact on the

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patient or service user. Care homes closing at short notice can be particularly distressing for the residents of those homes. If services have to be withdrawn, commissioners and providers should seek to achieve this in a planned way.

Private Care Homes

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will launch an initiative to provide help and advice for private care home users through (a) a telephone hotline service and (b) local health/social services teams. [18360]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 27 November 2001]: From April 2002 the independent National Care Standards Commission will regulate, inspect and register social and health care services previously regulated by local councils and health authorities. In doing so the commission will apply comprehensive new national minimum standards for all care homes. The standards for older people's care homes were published in March and provide for homes to have a specified complaints procedure and to provide information to service users on how to refer a complaint to the commission.

The Department is also piloting care direct in six councils in the south west. This new service is designed to provide help and advice for all older people, their relatives and carers about social care, health, housing and social security benefits. We plan to extend care direct to cover the whole of England by 2005.

Health Action Zones

Mr. Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the future of health action zones; and when he will announce the funding for future years. [17915]

Ms Blears [holding answer 27 November 2001]: The long-term future of health action zones (HAZs) will be determined as part of the Cabinet Office Regional Co-ordination Unit-led review of area based initiatives (ABIs) which is expected to be complete early in the New Year. The HAZ element of this review will examine the ways in which HAZs work and assess their effectiveness and co-ordination with other ABIs.

Decisions on health authority allocations and central revenue budgets (including HAZs) will be announced shortly for 2002–03. Decisions on funding for 2003–04 and beyond will be made as part of the Department's work on the 2002 spending review.

Asylum Seekers

Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 31 October 2001, Official Report, column 828W, on asylum seekers, if he will list the local authorities participating in the children in need census. [17821]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 27 November 2001]: All authorities are expected to participate in the Children in Need census.

Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2001, Official Report, column 875W, on asylum seekers, what representations he has received to extend the Children

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(Leaving Care) Act 2000 so that local authorities have (a) duties and (b) powers to assist 18 to 21-year-old unaccompanied asylum seeking children cared for under section 17 of the Children Act 1989. [17812]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 27 November 2001]: None. The Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 applies only to children who have been looked after under section 20 or section 31 of the Children Act 1989, or who have been remanded into care by a court. It applies to unaccompanied asylum seeking children who meet these criteria. Such children, who come to the attention of local authorities, should have their needs assessed in accordance with Government guidance, the "Framework for the Assessment of Children in need and Their Families", in the same way as would a local child, and their needs should be responded to on the basis of the outcome of that assessment.

Food Standards Agency

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to amend the Food Standards Agency (a) departmental expenditure limit and (b) administration costs limit for 2001–02. [19695]

Ms Blears: Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate for the Food Standards Agency (FSA) the overall resource Departmental Expenditure Limit for 2001–02 will be increased by £10,911,000 (of which £4,274,000 is administrations costs) from £111,243,000 to £122,154,000.

The increase is the net effect of the addition of the FSA's End Year Flexibility (EYF) entitlement. Delays in appointing external Board Members meant that the overall FSA strategy, and hence certain projects, were also delayed. This amounts to £6,637,000 programme and £2,867,000 administration costs. Additionally, transfers from Scotland (£783,000) and Wales (£609,000) are needed to cover the estimated fall in Meat Hygiene Service income in these countries resulting from the revised charging methodology recommended in the Maclean report. A transfer of £15,000 administration costs from the Department of Health is needed as contribution towards the cost of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition. Finally, the FSA's EYF capital entitlement needs to be incorporated. The move of the FSA to a new office in central London was later than anticipated, caused by building delays. This has resulted in the need to incorporate £433,000 EYF capital expenditure.

As a result of these changes the gross administration cost limit for the FSA has increased by £4,274,000 from £48,908,000 to £53,182,000.

Departmental Expenditure Limits

Laura Moffatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to amend his Department's (a) departmental expenditure limit and (b) administration costs limit for 2001–02. [19696]

Mr. Milburn: Subject to Parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Department of Health Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be increased by £768,348,000 from £49,805,054,000 to £50,573,402,000 and the Administration Cost Limit

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will be increased by £9,701,000 from £312,234,000 to £321,935,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital is set out in the table:

£000

	Resources	Capital
Change	617,391	150,957
New DEL	48,334,111	2,239,291
Of which:
Voted	48,923,590	254,195
Non-voted	-589,479	1,985,096

The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from the take up of end year flexibility £359,377,000 (£9,000,000 administration costs) as set out in Table 6 of the Public Expenditure 2000–01 Provisional Outturn White Paper Cm 5243 published in July 2001.

Transfers of provision from the Home Office of £21,173,000 (£400,000 administration costs) mainly for the National Treatment Agency and drug treatment services and research. A net transfer from the Scottish Executive comprising an increase of £1,188,000 (£128,000 administration costs) for contributions to the cost of Non-departmental Public Bodies, committees, the high security infectious disease unit, HIV surveillance funding and postgraduate medical education, offset by £819,000 for out of area treatment costs. A net transfer from the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions of £4,950,000 (£5,100,000 of which £100,000 administration costs) mainly for the teenage pregnancy unit, offset by £150,000 for mobility centres. From the Office of Government Commerce £50,000 for Avonbridge House. From the Office of Science and Technology £45,000 (administration costs) for a contribution to the Human genetics Commission. To the Department for Education and Skills £4,097,000 for education health partnerships and educational advisers. A net transfer from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs £1,000,000 for research offset by a transfer of £100,000 for a contribution to rural stress action teams. To the Department for Work and Pensions £509,000 for the costs of Care Direct and preserved rights cases. A transfer to the Food Standards Agency £15,000 (administration costs) for the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition. A change in the level of non DEL provision for NHS Trust depreciation of £240,000,000 now reclassified as part of DEL and a reallocation from resources to capital of £4,852,000 for costs associated with the National Care Standards Commission and Social Care Institute for Excellence.

The administration cost limit has been increased by £9,701,000 from £312,234,000 to £321,935,000. In addition to the changes detailed above there is a further net increase of £43,000 comprising an increase in the Medical Device Agency's costs of £223,000 for assessment and evaluation of devices, offset by a reduction of £180,000 in respect of the NHS Appointments Commission.

The change to the capital element of the DEL arises from the take up of end year flexibility £95,632,000 as set out in Table 6 of the Public Expenditure 2000–01 Provisional Outturn White Paper Cm 5243 published in July 2001. From the Capital Modernisation Fund £50,000,000 to support the NHS capital programme and

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a reallocation from resource DEL of £4,852,000 and a transfer from the Scottish Executive of £50,000 for a contribution to non-departmental public bodies.

The take-up of non-voted supplementary credit approvals for personal social services in England has increased by £423,000 from £18,700,000 to £19,123,000 in respect of the take up of end year flexibility entitlement mentioned above.

The increases will be offset by inter-departmental transfers and will not therefore add to the planned total of public expenditure.

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