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Kosmed System

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the Kosmed system of treatment produced by Eumedic Ltd.; [66795]

(2) what plans he has to assess the Kosmed system of treatment produced by Eumedic Ltd. [66796]

Ms Blears [holding answers 4 July 2002]: None.

Child Welfare

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) intends to commission into the cost savings which could be achieved for the NHS relating to effective measures to prevent the physical and emotional abuse of children; [67951]

(2) what recent assessment he has made of the mental health consequences and the costs to the NHS associated with mental health problems consequent upon the physical and emotional abuse of children. [67950]

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Jacqui Smith [holding answers 8 July 2002]: No such research has been commissioned or is currently planned. Child and adolescent mental health services would be expected to assess the mental health problems of physically or emotionally abused children who are referred to them and to provide an appropriate service response.

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement concerning his evaluation of the 24 CAMHS innovation projects. [68163]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 11 July 2002]: Each child and adolescent mental health service (CAMHS) innovation project is required to submit an annual report, receive annual monitoring visits and be individually evaluated. These individual evaluations are now approaching completion. The Department is working with YoungMinds on an overall evaluation of the programme and this overview report is due to be published in autumn 2002. This report will be launched at a national conference as part of the overall dissemination plan for the CAMHS innovation programme.

Looked-after Children

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 23 April 2002, Official Report, column 240W, on looked-after children, if he will set out his definition of (a) children in care and (b) children looked-after; and if he will make a statement. [67175]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 8 July 2002]: Children in care are those who are being looked after by the local authority as the result of a care order made by the court under section 31 of the Children Act 1989.

Children looked after is a term used to include both those children defined in (a), and those provided with care by a local authority and placed in accommodation under section 20 of the Children Act (voluntarily accommodated).

Mr. Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children have looked-after children status in (a) the Isle of Sheppey, (b) Kent and (c) England. [67703]

Jacqui Smith: At 31 March 2001 there were 58,900 looked-after children in England, and 1,770 in Kent. These figures exclude children who were accommodated under an agreed series of short-term placements.

Figures for the Isle of Sheppey are not available.

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 8 February 2002, Official Report, column 1229W, on examination results (children in care), how many of those children who obtained (a) no GCSEs and (b) fewer than five GCSE passes at grade A to C went on to take resits. [67623]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 8 July 2002]: The Department's data on the educational qualifications of looked-after children does not separately identify those children who re-sat GCSE examinations.

Working Minds

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has evaluated the Working Minds programme. [67954]

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Jacqui Smith [holding answer 8 July 2002]: An evaluation of the 'mind out for mental health' campaign, including the Working Minds programme, has been undertaken by an independent research company. We are currently considering the findings of this evaluation. A summary of the results has been shared with campaign partners and stakeholders.

High Secure Hospitals

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have moved from high secure hospitals to more appropriate accommodation since 1 April 2001. [68058]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 8 July 2002]: 238 patients considered to no longer require care and treatment in the high security hospitals have moved to more appropriate settings since 1 April 2001. This includes patients moving to other national health service or private hospital facilities, returning to prison or being discharged into the community.

Mycobacterium Bovis

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of mycobacterium bovis were found in humans in the United Kingdom in (a) 2000 and (b) 2001. [68506]

Ms Blears [holding answer 9 July 2002]: Information provided by the Public Health Laboratory Service show the number of cases of mycobacterium bovis (bovine TB) in humans for 2000 was 28. Data for 2001 are still being collected.

Acute Capacity

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the funding given to the NHS in 2002–03 to expand acute capacity was used to pay for the consequential costs in social care. [68517]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 10 July 2002]: In 2002–03, health authorities received an average increase of 9.9 per cent. in their unified allocations. From this growth in funding it is for local organisations to decide how much to invest in the consequential costs in social care depending on local circumstances.

Henoch Schonlein Purpura

Mr. Keith Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children broken down by age, have been diagnosed with Henoch Schonlein Purpura in each of the last 10 years. [68932]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 11 July 2002]: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Care Homes

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of the questionnaire that is being sent to residents in care homes as part of the annual residents' report by the NCSC; and if he will make a statement on the cost of the questionnaire. [68776]

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Jacqui Smith [holding answer 11 July 2002]: The National Care Standards Commission is consulting service users and representative organisations as part of its inspection process.

This is a considerable challenge to a new organisation, given the wide range of service users receiving care in care homes.

Service user feedback is essential to ensure that the Commission's approach is right and a range of survey material will be produced to meet different needs. One of the approaches currently being used is a simple feedback card with six 'tick box' questions. This is based on similar cards used in the past, although it is subject to review and change.

The pre-paid method of returning these cards is currently being costed.

Local Government Finance

Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what ring-fenced grants were made available to local authorities in financial year 2001–02. [68291]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 11 July 2002]: The table shows what ring-fenced grants were made available to local authorities by the Department in the financial year 2001–02.

Grant	£000
AIDS Support Grant	16,500
Drugs and Alcohol Specific Grant	8,850
Mental Health Grant	149,443
Training Support Programme	47,500
Children's Services Grant	291,750
Secure Accommodation Grant	6,228
Promoting Independence Grant	296,000
Carers' Grant	70,000
Care Direct Grant	2,000
Deferred Payments Scheme	15,000
Improving Information Management Grant	3,000
Young People's Substance Misuse Planning Grant	4,500
Building Care Capacity Grant	100,000
Invest to Save Grant	1,330

Children's National Service Framework

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for the mental health component of the children's national service framework; and if he will make a statement. [68164]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 11 July 2002]: The acute care module of the children's national service framework (NSF) will be published later this year. A timetable has yet to be finalised for publication of the rest of the children's NSF.

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what further meetings are planned in 2002 of the child and adolescent mental health working group of the children's national service framework. [68105]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 11 July 2002]: The next meeting of the child and adolescent mental health working group of the children's national service framework will be held on 11 and 12 September.

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