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Transsexual People

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 28 November 2001, Official Report, column 978W, on transsexual people, (1) if he will make it his policy to issue guidance on the protocols of care for transsexual people, irrespective of the issue of funding for gender reassignment surgery for particular individuals; [20845]

(2) if he will make it his policy to issue guidance on the provision of health care for transsexual people, including care for conditions other than that of transsexualism. [20846]

Jacqui Smith: The provision of services for transsexuals has to be very comprehensive as most will require specialist counselling and psychotherapy before surgery takes place, and appropriate care afterwards. The Department does not produce care protocols for treatments, as these are clinical issues and are best left to the professional bodies. The Royal College of Psychiatry has already produced guidelines on child and adolescent gender identity services, and is planning to produce clinical guidelines for adults in 2002.

Decisions on the types of services that should be delivered to meet the needs of a population have to be taken on the front line by the local heath commissioners. It is their responsibility to be aware of the needs of the population and in deciding what services to provide they should take account of resources. However, there should be no blanket ban on the provision of any service and each case should be considered on its merits. Whatever care is being given, all patients are entitled to be treated with dignity and respect for their individual needs.

Surplus Hospital Sites

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health where the money raised from the sale of surplus hospital sites has been spent; and what plans he has for the use of future proceeds. [21000]

Mr. Hutton: Receipts from the sale of surplus hospital sites are distributed equitably across the national health service to be reinvested in land, buildings and equipment. Future proceeds from sales of surplus estate will be distributed this way, and used for new investment.

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Vocational Rehabilitation

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has discussed with the Department of Work and Pensions to develop a National Service Framework for vocational rehabilitation. [20814]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 6 December 2001]: The Department is already working with the Department of Work and Pensions on pilot schemes to use health and employment services to get people back to work, or remain in work, following illness or injury. We shall be exploring ways in which NHS Plus can contribute to this as well.

Wheelchairs

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many accidents have been caused by (a) powered wheelchairs and (b) electric two seater scooters in each of the last two years. [21793R]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 10 December 2001]: The Medical Devices Agency received a total of 7,222 adverse incident reports concerning medical devices between 1 December 1999 and 30 November 2000. Completed investigations so far from these reports show that 424 related to electric-powered wheelchairs. The causes of 317 of these completed investigations had some link to the wheelchair itself or its accessories or its instructions for use.

The MDA received a total of 7,886 adverse incident reports concerning medical devices between 1 December 2000 and 30 November 2001. Completed investigations so far from these reports show that 322 related to electric-powered wheelchairs. The causes of 208 of these completed investigations had some link to the wheelchair itself or its accessories or its instructions for use.

The MDA has no recorded incidents concerning electric two-seater scooters.

Neonatal Staffing Study

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place a copy of the 1999 UK Neonatal Staffing Study in the Library. [21700]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 10 December 2001]: Yes.

Fish and Chip Shops

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason fish and chip shops may be classified under health and safety regulations as dangerous premises for the employment of young people under 16. [22304]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 11 December 2001]: The Children and Young Persons Act 1933, as amended, allows local authorities to introduce byelaws with respect to the employment of children. Such byelaws may prohibit the employment of children in any specified occupation. Local authority byelaws do prohibit children below the minimum school leaving age from working in commercial kitchens and may deem fish and chip shops to come into this category. It would be for individual local authorities to provide a definition of a commercial kitchen in relation to their own byelaws.

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Social Exclusion

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list the competitive grant schemes, administered by his Department and its agencies, open in each year since 1997 to organisations in the voluntary and community sector for the purposes of tackling social exclusion in this country; and, for each scheme in each year (a) the number of applicants, (b) the number of successful applicants, (c) the total of grants awarded, (d) the number of pages in the application form and (e) if the grant can be used to fund the core costs of the applicant organisation; [22382]

(2) if he will publish a list of the grants made under the competitive grants schemes, administered by his Department and its agencies open in each year since 1997 to organisations in the voluntary and community sector for the purposes of tackling social exclusion; [22384]

(3) how many competitive grant schemes, administered by his Department and its agencies were open in each of the last 10 years to organisations in the voluntary and community sector for the purposes of tackling social exclusion; [22381]

(4) what estimate has been made of the administrative cost to (a) the state, (b) unsuccessful applicants and (c) successful applicants of the competitive grant schemes, provided by his Department and its agencies open in each year since 1997 to organisations in the voluntary and community sector for the purposes of tackling social exclusion; [22385]

(5) if he will place in the Library, a copy of the application form for each of the competitive grant schemes, administered by his Department and its agencies open in each year since 1997 to organisations in the voluntary and community sector for the purposes of tackling social exclusion. [22383]

Jacqui Smith: The Department does not run any competitive grant schemes aimed specifically at tackling social exclusion. However, most of what the Department does has great potential to tackle social exclusion by improving health and wellbeing. The Department, through the section 64 general scheme, makes grants to voluntary organisations working in health and social care to tackle health issues which in, for example, reducing health inequalities and reaching disadvantaged groups, assist in tackling social exclusion.

The section 64 general scheme is primarily aimed at national voluntary organisations although local projects of national significance can be funded. The degree to which individual section 64 grants tackle social exclusion would be impossible to calculate. Project, core and capital funding is available. Information is not available on the administrative costs of the scheme. A copy of the latest section 64 application form has been placed in the Library. Information on the number of applications received, approved and their total value for 1996–97 to 2000–01 was in the reply given by the Minister of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for Barrow and Furness (Mr. Hutton) to the hon. Member for Colchester (Bob Russell) on 25 July 2000, Official Report, columns 501–02W. Information on individual grants in payment is routinely displayed on the Department's

12 Dec 2001 : Column: 938W

website at www.doh.gov.uk/sect64/grants. Information on grants in payment for 2000–01 is currently being amended and will shortly be displayed on the website.

The Department also funds the Opportunities for Volunteering Scheme. Under this scheme we make funds available to 17 national agents (voluntary organisations) to enable them to support local projects involving volunteers in health and social care related activities. A number of these national agents deal with vulnerable groups and a particular focus of the scheme is to provide opportunities for unemployed people to undertake voluntary work.

The 17 national agents deal with applications direct from local projects. Administration costs for applicants are not known but the national agents receive approximately £530,000 per annum to cover administration and project support costs.

In 2000–01 some 487 projects were funded. A copy of the scheme's general notes of guidance 2000–03, which sets out the basic principles of the scheme and the types of applications considered by the 17 national agents, and the Annual Review 2000–01, which provides details of the funded projects, have been placed in the Library.

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