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Epsom Riding for the Disabled Association

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 14 February 2002, Official Report, column 671W, if the district valuer has completed the work required for the Epsom Riding for the Disabled Association to take a final decision on the acquisition of the site. [39131]

Ms Blears: Negotiations with the Epsom Riding for the Disabled Association are at an advanced stage. It is hoped that these will be finalised shortly and that a sale to them can be concluded.

Repair and Maintenance Backlog

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the outstanding repair and maintenance backlog figures were (a) in each NHS region and (b) in England in each of the last five years. [39143]

Jacqui Smith: While backlog maintenance costs have risen since 1994–95 the bringing into use of new health care buildings resulting from the major capital investment programme within the NHS, in the order of £7 billion by 2010, should see a marked decrease in backlog maintenance costs. This is already evident in the smaller rate of change seen recently in backlog maintenance costs. It is estimated that the impact of this planned major capital investment, together with contributions from block capital issued directly to NHS trust should, if fully implemented, see the virtual eradication of most backlog maintenance costs within the NHS by 2010.

Combined SHA

Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the benefit to Somerset of having a strategic health authority with Dorset. [38480]

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Ms Blears: The benefits of creating a new Health Authority for Somerset and Dorset were set out in the consultation document "Modernising the NHS: Shifting the Balance of Power in Somerset and Dorset". This was the subject of public consultation last year by the South West Regional Office of the Department of Health. Following consideration of the responses received during the consultation exercise the boundaries of the new health authority were announced on 18 December 2001.

Non-Governmental Organisations

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list non-Governmental organisations operating in the south-west region that receive public funds from his Department; and what amount of annual funding they received in the most recent year for which figures are available. [39186]

Ms Blears: The information requested cannot be identified from information held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Asbestos

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to recompense hospitals who face major new expenditure, if the proposed new Health and Safety Executive regulations on asbetos come into effect. [39297]

Ms Blears [holding answer 1 March 2002]: Regulations to protect against the exposure to asbestos are already in existence. Under the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 1987, it is the duty of all employers to prepare risk assessments and make arrangements to protect workers and, in the case of the NHS, patients. The proposed new regulation, which will formalise and expand upon existing regulations, will better protect against the risks of exposure to asbestos by imposing more rigorous management arrangements on employers. The regulations will ensure that where there is evidence of asbestos, it is managed effectively and safely so as not to cause risk of harm to anyone.

Cost analysis of the proposed new regulation indicates that the financial burden on the NHS will not be major. Hospitals will be expected to pay for such work out of their normal running cost allocation budgets.

Waiting Time (Avon)

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting times for people in need of orthopaedic surgery in the Avon health authority have been in each of the last five years. [40429]

Ms Blears: The average median waiting times, from the date of a decision to admit a patient for treatment for the trauma and orthopaedics specialty to the admission date, in Avon health authority are shown in the table:

Median waiting time in days
1996–97101
1997–98112
1998–99125
1999–2000104
2000–01117

Source:

Health Episode Statistics database


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The figures are based on elective hospital in-patients admitted with a specialty code 110—trauma and orthopaedic. There is currently no separate specialty code for orthopaedics alone.

NHS Dentistry

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of people in (a) England and (b) each health authority were registered with an NHS dentist in (i) each year since 1997, (ii) 1979 and (iii) 1992. [40409]

Ms Blears: Arrangements are now in place to ensure that patients can gain access to NHS services simply by calling NHS Direct. This means that even if a patient chooses not to register with a dentist it will still be possible for that patient to access all forms of dentistry that are provided by the NHS.

The percentage of people registered with a general dental service (GDS) dentist per head of population by family health service authority is shown in table 1 for England at 30 September 1992.

The percentage of people registered with a GDS dentist per head of population by health authority is shown in table 2 for England at 30 September for each year since 1997.

Registrations were first introduced in October 1990, and therefore figures for 1979 are not available. From September 1996, the registration period was changed from 24 months to 15 months for adults, and from 12 months to 15 months for children. As a result of this, data held on registration numbers after 1997 is not comparable to earlier years. The data may also be affected by gradual improvements in the methods used for the removal of duplicate registration records, which were first employed by the dental practice board in 1993.

Table 1: general dental service: number of patients registered as a percentage of the population by family health service authority at 30 September 1992

Family health service authorityPercentage
England59
Avon Health66
Barking and Havering51
Barnet44
Barnsley54
Bedfordshire49
Berkshire Health Commission56
Birmingham60
Bolton58
Bradford59
Brent and Harrow56
Bromley42
Buckinghamshire58
Bury59
Calderdale66
Cambridgeshire60
Camden and Islington59
Cheshire65
City and East London48
Cleveland64
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly64
County Durham Health Commission57
Coventry63
Croydon Health60
Cumbria60
Derbyshire56
Devon66
Doncaster63
Dorset Health Commission67
Dudley56
Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow55
East Sussex64
Enfield and Haringey53
Essex55
Gateshead55
Gloucestershire67
Greenwich and Bexley Heath56
Hereford and Worcester61
Hertfordshire63
Hillingdon58
Humberside57
Isle of Wight Health Commission63
Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster47
Kent56
Kingston and Richmond46
Kirklees60
Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham Health Commission58
Lancashire60
Leeds63
Leicestershire60
Lincolnshire61
Liverpool59
Manchester Health Commission67
Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth53
Hampshire63
Newcastle upon Tyne56
Norfolk63
North Tyneside62
North Yorkshire64
Northumberland53
Northamptonshire57
Nottinghamshire61
Oldham59
Oxfordshire55
Redbridge and Waltham Forest55
Rochdale60
Rotherham54
Salford63
Sandwell56
Sefton64
Sheffield61
Shropshire66
Solihull Health54
Somerset67
South of Tyne Health Commission56
St. Helens and Knowsley61
Staffordshire57
Stockport Health Commission69
Suffolk65
Sunderland Health Commission55
Surrey59
Tameside59
Trafford74
Wakefield59
Walsall51
Warwickshire59
West Sussex66
Wigan62
Wiltshire58
Wirral64
Wolverhampton Health Executive54

Notes:

1. Based on the number of registrations at 30 September 1992.

2. ONS mid year population estimates for 1992 are used to calculate the percentage of patients registered.

3. Registration rates reflect a 24 month registration period for adults whereas children's registrations lapsed at the end of the following calendar year. The basis of the later figures in table 2 are for a 15 month registration period for both adults and children.


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Table 2: general dental service: number of patients registered as a percentage of the population by health authority at 30 September for the years 1997 to 2001
Percentage

Health authority19971998199920002001
England5447474747
Avon5952515050
Barking and Havering5041414242
Barnet, Enfield and Haringey4739373739
Barnsley5852525353
Bedfordshire4639404040
Berkshire4538393835
Bexley, Bromley and Greenwich4539383838
Birmingham5750494847
Bradford5649494949
Brent and Harrow5745464646
Buckinghamshire4338373737
Bury and Rochdale5850494949
Calderdale and Kirklees6256545555
Cambridge and Huntingdon(27)5043
Cambridgeshire(27)444445
Camden and Islington5846444443
Cornwall and Isles Of Scilly5345434243
County Durham5650505150
Coventry5849494849
Croydon5444434342
Doncaster6559565858
Dorset5954545453
Dudley5247474747
Ealing, Hammersmith and Hounslow5343404142
East Kent4843424343
East Lancashire5750504945
East London and The City4434333332
East Norfolk(27)5752
East Riding5146464747
East Surrey4943394140
East Sussex, Brighton and Hove5649474847
Gateshead and South Tyneside6053545455
Gloucestershire4438383836
Herefordshire6454555351
Hertfordshire5951515151
Hillingdon5748474645
Isle Of Wight, Portsmouth and South-east Hampshire5146454444
Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster4031312928
Kingston and Richmond4336353432
Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham5444404040
Leeds5752525251
Leicestershire5650494850
Lincolnshire5751515253
Liverpool6051505150
Manchester6251525150
Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth5041394141
Morecambe Bay5549495051
Newcastle and North Tyneside5951535352
Norfolk(27)495051
North and East Devon5448505353
North and Mid Hampshire5245434545
North Cheshire6051515151
North Cumbria5248505152
North Derbyshire5045454545
North Essex5448495049
North Nottinghamshire6056575859
North Staffordshire4741424343
North West Anglia(27)4642
North West Lancashire6054555452
North Yorkshire5853525353
Northumberland5651515253
Northamptonshire5849525353
Nottingham6256545655
Oxfordshire3934343738
Redbridge and Waltham Forest5446454746
Rotherham5650495151
Salford and Trafford6354535351
Sandwell5349505152
Sefton6560595655
Sheffield6256565756
Shropshire5144434341
Solihull4636394040
Somerset6053515351
South and West Devon5548464749
South Cheshire6048495051
South Derbyshire5148474948
South Essex4843454646
South Humber5651525353
South Lancashire4843444546
South Staffordshire5448474645
Southampton and South-west Hampshire5953514949
St. Helens and Knowsley6052524949
Stockport6660606059
Suffolk6054555555
Sunderland5850515152
Tees6759596060
Wakefield6456555554
Walsall4944444544
Warwickshire5346434345
West Kent4541414143
West Pennine6052535352
West Surrey4944434242
West Sussex5548484748
Wigan and Bolton6156555554
Wiltshire4840434444
Wirral6459595858
Wolverhampton5548495049
Worcestershire5650494949

(27) Three health authorities Cambridge and Huntingdon, East Norfolk and North West Anglia were replaced by two health authorities Cambridge and Norfolk in April 1999.

Notes:

1. Based on the number of registrations at 30 September each year.

2. ONS mid year population estimates for 1997 to 2000 are used to calculate percentage of patients registered.

3. Registration rates reflect a 15 month registration period.


19 Mar 2002 : Column 305W


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