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Media Ownership Rules
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will publish the results of the recent consultation on media ownership rules. [46681]
Tessa Jowell: I am today publishing a summary of the responses to the Consultation on Media Ownership Rules published by my Department in November 2001. This will be available on the Department's website (www.culture.gov.uk). The summary is intended to help
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all interested parties understand the issues and the arguments that have been put forward on this complex and important area. The Government's decisions on these issues will be announced alongside the draft Communications Bill which we hope to publish around the end of April.
I am arranging for copies of the summary to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Lottery Grants (Distribution)
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) if she will take steps to improve the levels of Lottery grants to (a) Barrow-in-Furness and (b) Wear Valley; [46422]
- (2) what appraisal she has made of Lottery funding levels for (a) Barrow-in-Furness and (b) Wear Valley; [46420]
(3) if she will discuss with Lottery distributing bodies the level of grants to (a) Barrow-in-Furness and (b) Wear Valley. [46421]
Mr. Caborn: According to the information supplied to us by the distributing bodies for the national lottery awards database, Lottery funding per capita made to date in the Barrow-in-Furness and Wear Valley local authority areas is #144.03 and #89.77 respectively. This compares to a median value of #91.76 per capita for UK local authorities. The Government is committed to ensuring that all areas in the UK benefit from Lottery funding and is working with distributors to achieve this.
PFI/PPPs
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what the difference was between the price offered in reaching preferred bidder stage and the final contract price for PPP contracts let by her Department in each of the last four years; and if she will make a statement; [45611]
- (2) what the difference was between the price offered in reaching preferred bidder stage and the final contract price for the five largest PFI contracts let by her Department in each of the last four years; and if she will make a statement. [45596]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 25 March 2002]: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport, has had no involvement with Private Finance Initiative contracts in any of the last four years.
Correspondence
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she will reply to the letter of 19 December 2001 from the hon. Member for Fareham, concerning his constituent Mrs. Miolk. [45804]
Dr. Howells: I replied to the hon. Member on 25 March 2002 and I apologise for the delay in replying.
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HEALTH
MRSA
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the extent of MRSA in NHS hospitals. [43728]
Yvette Cooper: Early data on Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus rates for every acute trust in England were published on 8 February 2002 in the Public Health Laboratory Service Communicable Diseases Report. This is the first phase of a comprehensive and mandatory surveillance system for healthcare associated infection.
Barnsley Primary Care Trust
Mr. Illsley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce the shortfall in the 2002–03 budget of the Barnsley primary care trust. [43729]
Ms Blears: South Yorkshire Strategic Health Authority and the Northern Directorate of Health and Social Care are currently working with the Barnsley health community to tackle the financial situation.
NHS Beds (North-West)
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what change there has been in the number of NHS beds in hospitals in the north-west since 1997. [43732]
Jacqui Smith: There has been a marked increase in the number of acute hospital beds.
In 1996–97, there were 16,792 acute beds in hospitals in the North West of England (excluding North Cumbria Health Authority) and by 2000–01, this had increased to 17,224. This represents an increase of 432 (2.6 per cent.).
The figures for total beds, given in the following table, show a more appropriate provision of care outside the hospital environment.
| 1996–97 | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acute | 16,792 | 17,006 | 17,082 | 17,094 | 17,224 |
| Geriatric | 4,251 | 3,748 | 3,462 | 3,466 | 3,565 |
| Maternity | 5,171 | 5,030 | 4,748 | 4,636 | 4,499 |
| Learning disability | 925 | 644 | 572 | 492 | 414 |
| Mental health | 1,667 | 1,616 | 1,496 | 1,463 | 1,399 |
| Total beds | 28,806 | 28,044 | 27,360 | 27,150 | 27,101 |
| Total general/ acute beds | 21,043 | 20,751 | 20,544 | 20,560 | 20,790 |
Note:
Excludes North Cumbria HA
Nursing Home Charges
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the average level of nursing home charges. [43733]
Jacqui Smith: The level of nursing home fees will vary from area to area and will reflect local market conditions. According to Laing & Buisson, consultants
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in health and community care, the average weekly nursing home fee in private homes for older people in the United Kingdom in March 2001 was #393 per week.
Health Service Accountability
Roger Casale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to promote public accountability in the health service; and if he will make a statement. [43734]
Ms Blears: We are giving members of the public the chance to monitor review and make reports and recommendations on the local health service through Patients' Forums; setting up the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health to ensure everyone gets the opportunity to be involved; and giving locally elected councillors the role of scrutinising local health services.
Hospital Mergers
Mr. Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to analyse the impact of hospital mergers on health outcomes for patients. [43735]
Mr. Hutton: Achieving good health outcomes for patients must be the most important consideration in any service change.
New arrangements following the Health and Social Care Act 2001 mean that local authority Overview and Scrutiny Committees (OSCs) will have power to scrutinise local services.
Where a proposed service change is contested by the OSC, I am establishing an Independent Reconfiguration Panel, to provide independent advice on the suitability of the proposed service changes. Its recommendations will assess proposed changes against clear criteria, including quality of care, community health needs, accessibility and resourcing.
Cancer Treatment
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to visit Southend Hospital to discuss the provision of cancer treatment for people in South East Essex. [43737]
Jacqui Smith: A meeting has been arranged for 28 March by Eastern Regional Office to which local hon. Members, councillors and officials from Essex Strategic Health Authority designate have been invited to allow fuller discussion of the provision of cancer treatment for people in South East Essex.
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will announce whether the targets of (a) a maximum one month wait for breast cancer treatment and (b) a maximum one month wait for urgent GP referral to treatment for children's and testicular cancers and acute leukaemia have been met in England. [42498]
Yvette Cooper: The standards of a maximum wait of one month from diagnosis to first definitive treatment for breast cancer and one month from urgent general practitioner referral to treatment for children's and testicular cancers and acute leukaemia came into effect
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at the end of December 2001. Central monitoring began on 1 January 2002 and data will be published on a quarterly basis.
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his policy on waiting times for cancer treatment. [43747]
Yvette Cooper: The NHS Cancer Plan sets out our strategy to reduce waiting times for cancer patients. The ultimate goal is that no one should wait longer than one month from an urgent referral for suspected cancer to the beginning of treatment except for a good clinical reason or through patient choice. There is a series of staged milestones towards this goal: new targets introduced for 2001 were a maximum one month from diagnosis to treatment for breast cancer and a maximum one month from urgent GP referral to treatment for acute leukaemia and children's and testicular cancer. By 2005 there will be a maximum one month wait from diagnosis to treatment and a maximum two month wait from urgent GP referral to treatment for all cancers. Achievement of these targets will be supported by investment in workforce and equipment, and by service redesign through the Cancer Services Collaborative.
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of progress towards the reduction of waiting times for cancer treatment. [43753]
Yvette Cooper: The NHS Cancer Plan sets out a series of staged milestones towards the goal that no one should wait longer than one month from an urgent referral for suspected cancer to the beginning of treatment except for a good clinical reason or through patient choice. A two week outpatient waiting time standard was introduced in December 2000 and in the last quarter 95.1 per cent. of urgent referrals for suspected cancer were seen within two weeks. Standards of a maximum wait of one month from diagnosis to first definitive treatment for breast cancer and a maximum one month from urgent GP referral to treatment for children's and testicular cancers and acute leukaemia came into effect at the end of 2001. Central monitoring of these standards began on 1 January 2002 and data will be published on a quarterly basis.
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