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Care Homes
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many local authority (a) residential homes, (b) nursing homes and (c) dual registered homes have been voluntarily deregistered in each (i) local authority and (ii) region in each of the last five years. [45639]
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Jacqui Smith [holding answer 26 March 2002]: The information centrally available on establishment closures will be placed in the Library. It is not possible to distinguish voluntary deregistrations from these statistics.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many single bed care homes there are in (a) England and (b) each local authority. [68445]
Jacqui Smith: Information on the number of care homes with only one bed is not collected centrally.
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the availability of qualified staff before implementing Regulation 19(5)(b) in respect of care homes. [70315]
Jacqui Smith: Regulation 19(5)(b) requires that care home staff have qualifications suitable to the work they are to perform, and the skills and experience necessary for such work. The regulation does not specify the types and levels of qualifications which may be required, this depend on the type of care home and the needs of the residents. The regulations were extensively consulted on and the Department has no evidence to suggest that large numbers of care homes will be unable to meet this requirement.
To support training, a new fund—the training strategy implementation fund—was set up in April 2001. It is available to all social care employers—whether they are in the voluntary, private or statutory sectors. There was £2 million in this fund for 2001–02 and this has been used to support and embed induction standards in the social care field. The amount available within this fund has increased to £15 million for 2002–03. On 23 July this year my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health announced that the national training strategy implementation fund will rise to £70 million by 2006.
Foster Care
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 18 July 2002, Official Report, column 540W, how much his Department has spent on recruitment campaigns to encourage people to become involved as foster carers since 1997. [72839]
Jacqui Smith: Since 1997 the Department has spent £2 million to fund a national foster carer campaign, which was launched in July 2000. The campaign focused on addressing the national shortage of foster carers in England.
Additionally, this Department is currently funding fostering network, a voluntary organisation through the section 64 general scheme grant. The three-year project called placement choice for children aims to work with local authorities on effective foster care recruitment. The three year project which began in 1999 has been funded for £90,000 per year.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what change there has been in the number of children being placed in foster care over the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [71737]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 22 July 2002]: The table shows the number of looked after children in foster placements over the past 5 years.
Excludes placements forming part of an agreed series of short term placements.
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Information Campaigns
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on information literature, advertising and campaign material in financial year 2001–02; if he will list the campaigns that spent over £250,000; and if he will make a statement. [70202]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 22 July 2002]: The Department spent £27.872 million on information literature, advertising and campaign material in financial year 2001–02.
Campaigns, which had an expenditure of over £250,000 during 2001–02, are listed as follows:
National Health Service including nurse recruitment
Drugs (Import Restrictions)
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proportion of drugs used in (a) the hospital service and (b) the community through the NHS are the subject of parallel importation from other European member states; what assessment he has made of the effect on the NHS of national quotas imposed by multinational drug companies to impede such activity; and if he will make a statement. [71729]
- (2) what representations he has made to the European Commission in respect of the decision by Eli Lilly to impose a quota system in the supply of the drug Zyprexa in other European Union member states; [71730]
(3) what assessment he has made of the impact on the price of the drug Zyprexa to the NHS of the restriction of imports of the drug from other European member countries. [71731]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 22 July 2002]: Full information on the proportion of parallel imported medicines used by the National Health Service is not available but it is estimated that parallel imports into the United Kingdom are 13 per cent. of total sales. Parallel imported products represent approximately 11 per cent. of NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency pharmaceutical contracts for secondary care. No assessment has been made on the effect on the NHS of national quotas imposed by pharmaceutical companies.
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The European Community Commission is already looking at quota policies to determine whether they are compatible with European Union competition law. We have neither received nor made representations in respect of the decision by Eli Lilly to impose a quota system in the supply of the drug Zyprexa in other EU member states.
The NHS reimbursement price of Zyprexa is unchanged.
Hague Convention on Inter-Country Adoptions
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the United Kingdom Government will be in a position to ratify the Hague Convention on inter-country adoptions. [71487]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 22 July 2002]: The Government remain fully committed to ratifying the Hague Convention. All countries within the United Kingdom are working hard to ensure that the UK as a whole will be able to ratify the Convention as soon as possible. The Department has already consulted on draft regulations for England and Wales, and we are currently working on final regulations, taking account of the consultation responses that we received. Once final regulations have been made and laid in each of the respective parliaments, notice will be given to The Hague that the UK wishes to ratify in accordance with Article 46 of the Convention. The Convention will come into force three months after formal notification has been given. We anticipate that this will be at the beginning of next year.
NHS Bank
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the management of the NHS Bank will be franchised to the private sector. [71873]
Mr. Milburn [holding answer 22 July 2002]: The future management arrangements for NHS Bank have yet to be determined.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the activities of the NHS Bank since 15 May. [71886]
Mr. Milburn [holding answer 22 July 2002]: The NHS Bank has been established and is operating in shadow form. This year the Bank is offering grants and loans to National Health Service organisations, with a direct link to helping NHS organisations to deliver the NHS Plan.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money has been lent by the NHS Bank since it commenced operation on 15 May. [71881]
Mr. Milburn [holding answer 22 July 2002]: The shadow NHS Bank has been established with an allocation of £100 million. The distribution between grants and loans has yet to be determined.
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Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what interest rate will be charged on amounts borrowed from the NHS Bank. [71879]
Mr. Milburn [holding answer 22 July 2002 2002]: The future basis and terms for loans from the NHS Bank have yet to be determined.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the NHS Bank will be accountable to Parliament. [71877]
Mr. Milburn [holding answer 22 July 2002]: The NHS Bank will be accountable to Parliament through the Secretary of State for Health.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether trusts investing surplus cash with the NHS Bank will earn interest on new deposits. [71875]
Mr. Milburn [holding answer 22 July 2002]: The future basis and terms for any deposits with NHS Bank have yet to be determined.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets have been set for the NHS Bank. [71882]
Mr. Milburn [holding answer 22 July 2002]: The shadow NHS Bank's initial remit is to manage the £100 million allocation it has been given.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the NHS Bank will be accountable to the Chancellor of the Exchequer through public service agreements. [71884]
Mr. Milburn [holding answer 22 July 2002]: No. The NHS Bank will be accountable to the Secretary of State for Health.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much cash has been deposited with the NHS Bank by trusts. [71885]
Mr. Milburn [holding answer 22 July 2002]: None.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the expected composition of the board of the NHS Bank. [71874]
Mr. Milburn [holding answer 22 July 2002]: The shadow NHS Bank is being overseen by four strategic health authority chief executives and the Department's director of finance and investment.
The future arrangements are under consideration.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Office for National Statistics on the accounting treatment of the borrowings of the NHS Bank. [71872]
Mr. Milburn [holding answer 22 July 2002]: None.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health over what period repayments of money borrowed from the NHS Bank will be made. [71880]
Mr. Milburn [holding answer 22 July 2002]: The future basis and terms for any loans from the NHS Bank have yet to be determined.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the NHS Bank will have the authority to borrow from sources other than the Government. [71878]
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Mr. Milburn [holding answer 22 July 2002]: The shadow NHS Bank does not currently have the power to borrow from non-Government sources.
The future arrangements are under consideration
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who will determine the criteria to be met by successful applicants for loans from the NHS Bank; and what those criteria will be. [71876]
Mr. Milburn
[holding answer 22 July 2002]: An application to the shadow NHS Bank will only be permitted where:
(i) the application has been validated by the relevant director of health and social care;
(ii) the applicant can demonstrate that all other options including local support arrangements have been fully considered;
(iii) there is commitment by the strategic health authority to deliver performance targets in 2002–03;
(iv) the problem to be addressed is of a scale and nature that is fundamentally different from those faced by other health organisations;
(v) there is a clear, realistic and deliverable plan for resolution of the problem that has led to the need for support;
(vi) the relevant chief executive(s) within the health economy personally commit to and are willing to be held accountable for delivery against agreed milestones;
(vii) there is support for the plans from the respective National Health Service trust and primary care trusts boards and a clear endorsement by clinicians; and
(viii) the directorate of health social care and any person nominated by the shadow NHS Bank are given full open book access to the applicant organisation(s).
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether it is expected that the Government will deposit further sums at the NHS Bank. [71883]
Mr. Milburn [holding answer 22 July]: The disposition of overall resources for 2003–04 onwards has yet to be determined.
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