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Castle Award for Equal Pay
Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department has applied for a Castle award for equal pay. [65226]
Mr. Lammy: The Department has not applied for a Castle award in 2002. We are committed to review our pay systems in response to the Equal Opportunities Commission Task Force "Just Pay" report, in which the Government have committed Departments and Agencies to review their pay systems by April 2003 and prepare action plans to close any equal pay gaps.
CJD
Mr. Plaskitt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish the tenth annual report of the National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit. [69001]
Ms Blears: The National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit's tenth annual report has been published today. The report documents the unit's findings in relation to sporadic, familial and iatrogenic Creutzfeldt-Jakob
9 Jul 2002 : Column 936W
Disease (CJD), and also variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), up to 31 December 2000. Copies have been placed in the Library, and are available on the unit's website at www.cjd.ed.ac.uk
Care Leavers
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 27 June 2002, Official Report, column 1047W, on leaving care, how many care leavers have been assisted by their local authority to stay within education and training on an agreed programme by health authority. [67622]
Jacqui Smith: Further to my previous reply of 24 June 2002, Official Report, column 736W, we do not hold this information centrally at present. However, we will be publishing, in the autumn, information on care leavers in education and training. This will include data on the percentage of those young people who were looked after on 1 April in their 17th year (aged 16) who were in education, training or employment at the age of 19. These data will show how progress is being made towards the Government's objective of increasing the level of employment, training or education among young people aged 19, who were looked after at age 16.
Radiotherapy Waiting Lists
Mr. Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the meetings he and his Ministers (a) have had and (b) propose to have with NHS trust and health authority chairmen and chief executives to discuss (i) reducing radiotherapy waiting lists and (ii) the associated financial implications of such action. [59286]
Ms Blears: Ministers have not met chairmen and chief executives specifically to discuss reducing radiotherapy waiting times. However, we are taking wide-ranging action to improve radiotherapy waiting times, including a number of initiatives aimed at tackling the shortage of professionals associated with radiotherapy delivery, major investment in radiotherapy equipment, streamlining radiotherapy delivery through the cancer services collaborative and increasing the number of training places for radiographers.