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Pathology
Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the (a) functions and (b) terms of reference of the Policy Advisory Board for Forensic Pathology are; how, and for how long, the board was appointed; what the membership is and who the officers of the board are; how it is serviced; and how many times it has met in the last year; [41103]
- (2) how many pathologists are approved for working with the police and coroners on suspicious deaths; what qualifications are required for a pathologist to be approved; in what circumstances a pathologist may be removed from the approved list; on how many occasions the disciplinary tribunal has met in the past 10 years; and what the results were of its deliberations. [41104]
Mr. Denham [holding answer 18 June 2002]: The Police Advisory Board for Forensic Pathology, advises the Home Secretary on forensic pathology matters with particular reference to the national aspects of forensic pathology services in England and Wales, such as appointment and accreditation, quality assurance, training and Research and Development. The Board was set up by the then Home Secretary in 1990; there was no specified time limit to the Board.
A copy of the Terms of Reference of the Board and a list of the current numbers has been placed in the Library.
Officers of the Board are Anthony Whitehead (chair) who is also the head of Science and Technology Unit (STU) in the Home Office and Trevor Rothwell (Secretary). The Board is served by the two officers and STU. The Board meets annually. It last met in January 2001.
There are currently 48 pathologists on the Home Office Register of Forensic Pathologist approved for working with the police on suspicious deaths.
Before applying to be put on the register pathologists must:
- have a medical degree
be a member of the Royal College of Pathologists
have at least six months experience at an approved centre for training.
- the Diploma in Forensic Pathologists (through the Royal College of Pathologists)
- the Diploma in Medical Jurisprudence (through the Society of Apothecaries).
In the last 10 years a disciplinary tribunal has been convened once. This Tribunal recused itself before the completion of the hearing.
15 Jul 2002 : Column 110W
WORK AND PENSIONS
Press Subscriptions
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the newspapers subscribed to (a) Monday to Saturday and (b) on Sunday by his Department, stating for each subscription (i) the number of copies taken, and (ii) the annual cost. [52835]
Mr. Nicholas Brown [holding answer 26 April 2002]: The information requested is in the table.
| Newspaper | Number | Cost (£) |
|---|---|---|
| Monday-Friday | ||
| Financial Times | 27 | 6,480.00 |
| Times | 21 | 2,016.00 |
| Daily Telegraph | 18 | 2,160.00 |
| Guardian | 19 | 2,280.00 |
| Independent | 18 | 2,160.00 |
| Daily Mail | 13 | 1,248.00 |
| The Express | 8 | 672.00 |
| Daily Mirror | 12 | 844.80 |
| Sun | 11 | 792.00 |
| Eastern Daily Press | 1 | 240.00 |
| Le-Monde | 1 | 240.00 |
| Daily Star | 7 | 504.00 |
| Daily Record | 3 | 252.00 |
| Evening Standard | 8 | 756.00 |
| Evening Standard—News extra | 10 | 840.00 |
| Scotsman | 4 | 480.00 |
| Morning Star | 2 | 288.00 |
| Liverpool Echo | 2 | 480.00 |
| Manchester Evening News | 1 | 240.00 |
| Total number and (annual costs) | 186 | 22,972.80 |
| Saturday | ||
| Times | 2 | 67.20 |
| Daily Telegraph | 2 | — |
| Guardian | 2 | 96.00 |
| Independent | 2 | 86.40 |
| Daily Mail | 1 | 28.80 |
| The Express | 2 | 24.00 |
| Daily Mirror | 1 | 21.60 |
| Sun | 1 | 19.20 |
| Le-Monde | 1 | 48.00 |
| Daily Star | 1 | 16.80 |
| Daily Record | 1 | 19.20 |
| Scotsman | 1 | 48.00 |
| Total number and (annual costs) | 17 | 475.20 |
| Sunday | ||
| Sunday FT | 8 | 384.00 |
| Sunday Times | 2 | 115.20 |
| Sunday Telegraph | 2 | 96.00 |
| Sunday Observer | 2 | 115.20 |
| Sunday Independent | 2 | 115.20 |
| Mail on Sunday | 1 | 52.80 |
| The Sunday Express | 1 | 48.00 |
| Sunday Mirror | 1 | 48.00 |
| News of the World | 1 | 31.20 |
| Sunday People | 1 | 31.20 |
| Sunday Post | — | 31.20 |
| Scotland on Sunday | — | 38.40 |
| Sunday Business | 1 | 24.00 |
| Total number and (annual costs) | 22 | 1,130.40 |
15 Jul 2002 : Column 111W
Ministerial Meetings
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which Ministers and officials had meetings with representatives of (a) the Confederation of British Industry, (b) the Engineering Employees Federation, and (c) the Engineering Marine Training Authority during the last year; who they met; and what the subjects and outcomes of their discussions were. [62208]
Maria Eagle: During the last year Ministers and officials have met with all three of these organisations on a number of occasions.
New Deal
Mr. Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many New Deal schemes (a) he and (b) his Ministers have visited since 7 June 2001; and if he will make a statement. [63447]
Maria Eagle: Since 7 June 2001, Ministers in this Department have made over 30 visits to New Deal schemes and related events.
Carers
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was paid to carers through benefits and services in each of the last five years. [65138]
Maria Eagle: The requested information about benefit expenditure on carers is in the table.
Carers can also be supported by services provided by local authorities and the NHS. In addition, local authorities in England were given powers to make direct payments to carers and people with parental responsibility for disabled children in April 2001. Information about the amount of money disbursed as direct payments was not collected centrally. Expenditure on such payments made by local authorities in Scotland and Wales are matters for the Scottish Executive and for the National Assembly for Wales, respectively.
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 18,300 |
| 1997–98 | 16,950 |
| 1998–99 | 18,650 |
| 1999–2000 | 19,400 |
| 2000–01 | 19,400 |
Notes:
Based on estimates from the Family Resources Survey (FRS), 1996–97 to 2000–01, applied to actual benefit expenditure.
1. Figures are estimates based on the Family Resources Survey (FRS), applied to outturn expenditure on each benefit. 2000–01 is the latest year for which data are available.
2. Carers are those who give help on an informal basis, not as part of a paid job. This includes children who care for others.
3. On the FRS survey, what should be counted as care is not prescriptively defined. Respondents are asked about care between household members, and about care given to those outside the household.
4. The estimates are based on sample counts that have been adjusted for non-response using multi-purpose grossing factors that control for region, council tax band and a number of demographic variables. Estimates are subject to sampling error and to variability in non-response.
5. Benefit receipt on the FRS is based on self-assessment and therefore may be subject to misreporting.
6. Figures are rounded to the nearest £50 million.
15 Jul 2002 : Column 112W
The carer status is a result of what the respondent says rather than the application on an objective definition.
Castle Award
Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if his Department has applied for a Castle award for equal pay. [65223]
Mr. McCartney: The Department for Work and Pensions has not applied for a Castle award for equal pay. The Department is however, fully committed to ensuring that equal pay remains a priority. To achieve this objective, an equal pay review was commissioned in 2001–02, undertaken by independent consultants. The review was completed earlier this year and the findings are currently under consideration.
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