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Performance Targets
Tony Wright: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will list the performance targets that his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies are required to meet, apart from those set out in the public service agreements for 1999 to 2002 and 2001 to 2004; and if he will specify for each target (a) who sets it and (b) who monitors achievement against it. [60535]
Mr. Alexander: The Cabinet Office has no performance targets other than those public service agreements (PSA) agreed as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review and listed in document Cm 4181—Public Service Agreements 1999–2002. Some of these targets were subsumed into new public service agreements, agreed as part of the Spending Review 2000, and are listed in document Cm 5119. Copies of both documents are held in the House of Commons Library.
The Government Car and Despatch Agency (GCDA), which is an executive agency of the Cabinet Office, and the Central Office of Information (COI), which is an executive agency and separate Government department, both report through the Cabinet Office.
The strategic performance targets for GCDA are published annually in the agency's annual report and accounts. Copies of these are held in the House of Commons Library, or can be accessed via the GCDA website.
Key performance targets for GCDA are set annually by the Minister when he approves the agency's corporate and business plans. These were announced on 24 May 2002, Official Report, column 677W.
The chief executive is directly responsible to the Minister for ensuring that the agency achieves its performance target. Quarterly performance reports are submitted to the Minister via the Agencies Unit of the Cabinet Office, and the Permanent Secretary.
Details of performance targets for COI are listed in the COI's annual reports and accounts. Copies of these are held in the House of Commons Library, or can be accessed via the COI website.
Targets are formulated by the COI chief executive, submitted for approval by the Minister, and notified to Parliament.
The five-year corporate plan sets out the COI's main strategic objectives and the means of progressing towards them. This is rolled forward and updated each year by means of a corporate plan and annual business plan. These plans are commercially sensitive and are not published. However, published targets for 2001–02 were announced on 3 May 2001. Targets for the period 2002–03 will be announced shortly.
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The chief executive is directly accountable to the Minister for ensuring that the agency achieves its performance targets. Quarterly performance reports are submitted to the Minister via the Agencies Unit, and the Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Office.
The achievement against targets is audited by the National Audit Office as part of its audit of COI's annual report and accounts.
None of the non-departmental public bodies are executive; therefore they are included within the main departmental targets.
Departmental Expenditure Limit
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much and what proportion of the departmental expenditure limit for 2002–03 had been spent by 31 May; what the figures were for 2001–02; and if he will make a statement. [61005]
Mr. Alexander: I refer the hon. Member to the answer which my right hon. Friend the Member for Oxford, East (Mr. Smith) gave to the hon. Member on 17 June 2002.
Better Regulation Task Force
Mr. Allen: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office who the members of the Better Regulation Task Force are; what their other occupations are; and what the date of their appointment was. [58006]
Mr. Alexander [pursuant to the answer 21 May 2002, c. 290]: I regret that the information provided was incorrect—one member of the Better Regulation Task Force, Rex Symons, was not included.
A register of members' interests is available on the task force website at http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/ regulation/TaskForce/members.htm.
PRIVY COUNCIL
Members' Travel Costs
John Mann: To ask the President of the Council what percentage of hon. Members' UK travel costs were for travel (a) by car, (b) by rail and (c) by aeroplane in the last financial year for which figures are available. [62357]
Mr. Robin Cook: For the financial year ended 31 March 2002, hon. Members' UK travel costs for (a) car, (b) rail and (c) aeroplane were £3,231,432 (50 per cent.), £1,784,303 (27 per cent.) and £1,507,598 (23 per cent.) respectively.
HEALTH
Paediatric Pathology
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors were working in paediatric pathology in (a) March 1997, (b) March 1998, (c) March 1999, (d) March 2000, (e) March 2001 and (f) March 2002. [61456]
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Mr. Hutton: The numbers of doctors working in paediatric pathology is not collected centrally. Census data are collected on 30 September of each year and the 2002 census will be available early 2003.
Paediatric pathology is a sub-specialty of histopathology. The numbers of doctors working in histopathology is shown in the table.
| At 30 September | Number |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 770 |
| 1998 | 830 |
| 1999 | 840 |
| 2000 | 860 |
| 2001 | 920 |
Note:
Figures are rounded to the nearest 10
Source:
Department of Health medical and dental workforce census
We continually review future requirements for trained specialists as part of the national health service's new multi-disciplinary work force planning processes. These will look at the requirements for doctors alongside other staff focusing on the potential for new ways of working and developing new roles.
The children's care group work force team will be reviewing paediatric services as part of its role in supporting the children's national service framework team in developing the work force aspect of the new national service framework.
Hip Replacements
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of an elective primary hip replacement in each NHS (a) trust and (b) hospital was in 2000–01. [61436]
Mr. Hutton: Details of national average costs related to specific treatments and procedures for 2000–01 are to be found in Reference Costs 2001, a copy of which is available in the Library.
Medical Education
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on medical education post reductions in relation to the strategic alliance between the Department of Health and the Higher Education Funding Council for England. [61466]
Mr. Hutton: The strategic alliance for health and social care was concluded between the Department and the higher education funding council for England in April 2002. It will build on existing arrangements for consultation and liaison between the Department and the higher education funding council for England.
Within the framework of the strategic alliance the Permanent Secretary of the Department and the chief executive of the higher education funding council for England will be meeting on 3 July 2002. Delivery of the medical school expansion programme, a key element of the NHS Plan, will be among the issues to be discussed.
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Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meeting he has had with the Secretary of State for Education and Skills to discuss the implications of staffing reductions at medical schools. [61463]
Mr. Hutton: Regular meetings take place at official and ministerial level between the Department of Health and Department for Education and Skills (DFES). I am scheduled to meet with my hon. Friend the Minister of State at DFES on 26 June and staffing levels at medical schools will be among the issues to be discussed.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role medical schools have in implementing the National Plan's human resources priorities. [61469]
Mr. Hutton: Medical schools have an important role in implementing the NHS Plan human resources priorities. In particular, the implementation of medical school expansion will support the increase in the number of medical school places outlined in the Plan.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many medical students have graduated in each of the last five years; and how many in each year worked within the NHS upon graduating. [61433]
Mr. Hutton: The numbers of graduates from English medical schools in each of the last five academic years is shown in the table. The graduates referred to in the answer will almost all have entered medical school between autumn 1991 and autumn 1996.
| Academic year | Number of English medical school graduates |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 3,025 |
| 1997–98 | 3,261 |
| 1998–99 | 3,097 |
| 1999–2000 | 3,373 |
| 2000–01 | 3,286 |
In order to become fully registered with the General Medical Council, all medical school graduates need to satisfactorily complete a year as a Pre-Registration House Officer (PRHO). Virtually all graduates of English medical schools undertake their PRHO year in the national health service.
The number of PRHOs in the NHS in England in each of the last five years is shown in the table.
| Academic year | Number of PRHOs in post |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 3,356 |
| 1997–98 | 3,447 |
| 1998–99 | 3,543 |
| 1999–2000 | 3,641 |
| 2000–01 | 3,685 |
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