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Refugee Doctors Steering Group

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been disbursed by the refugee doctors steering group since its establishment; and how much of its funds are still to be disbursed. [43417]

Mr. Hutton: The refugee health professionals' steering group has disbursed all £500,000 allocated for the year 2001–2. This has been given to projects targeting all health professionals, not just doctors. The funded projects provide services to help refugee health professionals prepare to take up work in the UK. A further £500,000 has been provided for 2002–03 and bids will be invited in April.

New Status Health Authorities

Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role PCTs will play in the new status health authorities. [43397]

Mr. Hutton: From 1 April 2002, primary care trusts have taken on the majority of functions previously undertaken by health authorities. Subject to progress with the NHS Reform and Health Care Professions Bill, the new health authorities that were established on 1 April 2002 will be re-designated as strategic health authorities, from around October 2002, with further functions devolved at that stage to primary care trusts.

The new health authorities have assumed some of the functions previously exercised by NHS Regional Offices. They are responsible for creating a strategic framework for the delivery of the NHS Plan locally; securing annual performance agreements with, and performance

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managing, local NHS bodies, including primary care trusts and NHS Trusts; and building capacity and supporting performance improvement locally.

Primary care trusts are responsible for improving the health and well-being of the community, developing primary care, securing the provision of high quality services and integrating health and social care locally. Subject to legislation, primary care trusts will be given new powers and control over resources to shape and secure the provision of services across hospital, community and primary services and from the whole range of possible providers in public, private and voluntary sectors.

Primary care trusts will also be responsible for the delivery of the public health service at a local level. All primary care trusts will have a Director of Public Health appointed to their Boards who will lead a multi-disciplinary public health team. The style and approach of public health at a primary care trust level will be an operational one with a focus on community engagement and empowering frontline clinicians.

Clinicians (Overspends)

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the level of unnecessary overspends by individual clinicians; and what measures are in place to reduce them. [44013]

Mr. Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Social Care Workers

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who is responsible for outlining the new code of practice for the National Register of Social Care Workers; and if he will make a statement. [44636]

Jacqui Smith: The general social care council (GSCC) is required, under section 62 of the Care Standards Act 2000, to publish codes setting down standards of conduct and practice for social care workers and their employers. The GSCC issued draft codes for consultation on 9 January 2002.

General Practitioners

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many whole-time-equivalent general practitioners per 100,000 population there were in (a) 1997, (b) 1998 and (c) 2001. [44276]

Mr. Hutton: The number of whole-time equivalent general practitioners (GPs) excluding GP retainers and GP registrars (the NHS Plan group) per 100,000 population were (a) 53.5 in 1997, (b) 53.5 in 1998, and (c) 53.0 in 2001.

The total number of whole-time equivalent general practitioners (excluding GP Retainers) per 100,000 population for these years were (a) 56.1 in 1997, (b) 56.3 in 1998, and (c) 56.6 in 2001.

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average annual increase of whole time equivalent general practitioners was in percentage terms in England in each year since 1996, including the latest year for which figures are available. [45717]

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Mr. Hutton [holding answer 25 March 2002]: Information is shown in the table, a copy of which is in the Library. Between 1996 and 2001 there was an average annual increase of whole time equivalent general practitioner's (excluding GP Retainers) of 0.6 per cent and an average annual increase of whole time equivalent unrestricted principals and equivalents (UPEs) of 0.3 per cent.

Domiciliary Oxygen Therapy

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish the consultation document on the Review of Domiciliary Oxygen Services. [44303]

Ms Blears: We expect to consider possible options arising from the review of the domiciliary oxygen service shortly.

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the different forms of domiciliary oxygen therapy available on the NHS drugs tariff for prescription to people who are on longterm oxygen therapy. [44300]

Ms Blears: Long term oxygen therapy should, wherever possible, be provided by an oxygen concentrator installed in the patient's home. Gaseous oxygen in cylinders is also available, but is primarily intended for patients needing intermittent therapy.

Cardiac Services

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals used by the NHS for cardiac services meet the 400 CABGs standard identified by the NSF for coronary heart disease; and if he will list those that do not. [44284]

Yvette Cooper: According to Hospital Episode Statistics for 2000–1, 28 National Health Service (NHS) Trusts meet the national service framework standard. One trust, the Royal Free Hampstead Hospitals NHS Trust, has fewer than 400 coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) procedures recorded. However, that trust stopped performing CABGs early in the year. Other trusts do not carry out CABGs.

Figures for operations carried out by hospitals in the independent sector used by the NHS are not collected centrally at the present time.

Hepatitis B Vaccines

Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the criteria to be met for people to receive Hepatitis B vaccines free of charge. [44657]

Yvette Cooper: Hepatitis B immunisation is provided free of charge, if in a general practitioner's clinical opinion, the procedure is medically necessary. Some groups typically at risk from infection are health care workers, medical students, injecting drug misusers, haemophiliacs and patients with chronic renal failure.

Criminal Damage

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost has been of criminal damage to his Department's buildings in each of the last four years. [44846]

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Ms Blears: The recorded costs of repair to the Department's buildings attributable to criminal damage within the last four financial years are:

	£
1997–98	£3,698
1998–99	£5,908
1999–00	£1,650
2000–01	£3,289

Care Homes

Mr. David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) residential and (b) nursing care homes and their beds there were in the borough of Bournemouth from 1997 to 2001. [45952]

Jacqui Smith: Information on the total number of residential care homes and places in Bournemouth for the years 1997 to 2001 is shown in Table 1. Information on the number of nursing homes and places is collected by health authority only. Figures for Dorset Health Authority are in Table 2.

Table 1: Residential care homes and places Bournemouth at 31 March 1997 to 2001

					Number
Year	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Residential:
Homes	—	261	211	181	166
Places	—	3,339	3,043	2,662	2,520

— Not available

Table 2: Nursing care homes and places Dorset at 31 March 1997 to 2001

					Number
Year	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001
Nursing:
Homes	144	124	133	125	117
Places	3,496	3141	3,414	3,126	3,086

— Not available

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish the guidance on the decision to admit someone to a care home; and if he will make a statement. [41604]

Jacqui Smith: It is anticipated that guidance on eligibility criteria for adult social care will be published shortly.

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