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Multiple Sclerosis

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when the co-ordinator for the prescription plus scheme for sufferers of MS will be in post. [71203]

(2) what data his Department plans to collect to monitor the progress of the prescription plus scheme. [71200]

Mr. Lammy [holding answer 22 July 2002]: Sheffield University's school of health and related research (ScHARR) has been appointed to co-ordinate monitoring under the risk-sharing scheme for drugs for multiple sclerosis announced in Health Service Circular 2002–04. ScHARR will shortly be approaching neurology centres about the data requirements of the scheme and the arrangements for their collection.

Stroke

Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanism will be used to monitor progress against the milestones contained in Standard Five of the National Service Framework for Older People, for every general hospital treating stroke patients to have a plan to introduce a specialised stroke service by April 2002. [59351]

Jacqui Smith: The monitoring of this April milestone through the new health and social care directorates will be part of the service and financial framework return (SaFFR) process. This milestone will be monitored in the first quarter of the SaFFR which should be available at the end of July 2002.

Informal reports from regional offices indicate that the milestone should be met in all by a few cases. Any hospital identified by the strategic health authority in the monitoring process, as not having plans will be offered appropriate advice.

Childcare Staff

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 17 June 2002, Official Report, column 148W, on childcare staff if he will provide a breakdown of whole time equivalent staff in child and family services by (a) grade, (b) job description and (c) salary band; and if he will estimate how many of these staff are frontline staff. [63877]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 24 June 2002]: The annual return that local authority social services departments in England complete only provides data on the number of staff by job description. It does not give numbers of staff by grade or salary band. The numbers of staff by job description are shown in the attached table. All the staff shown in the attached table work in front line teams.

	1999	2000	2001
STAFF IN OPERATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS/NOT ESTABLISHMENT BASED
Provision specifically for children's services
Team leaders/managers	2,300	2,410	2,575
Assistant team managers/senior social workers	2,040	2,225	2,340
Care managers	350	285	345
Field social workers	9,925	9,890	9,675
Social services officers/social work assistants	1,755	1,980	2,245
Child protection, family placement, juvenile/youth justice workers	2,705	2,950	3,175
Community workers	455	480	530
Occupation therapists	90	105	105
Occupation therapist assistants, aids and other officers	275	360	310
Technical officers	45	95	60
Total of above	19,935	20,780	21,360
Guardians ad litem
Total staff employed within GAL	170	195	20
DAY CARE PROVISION
Family centres
Officers in charge	335	335	325
Deputy officers in charge	300	305	295
Social workers based in family centres	355	340	240
Family centre workers, family aides and other staff	2,265	2,345	2,285
Other support services staff	565	585	570
Total of above	3,825	3,910	3,715
Staff in day nurseries
Managers and officers in charge and nursery group leaders	195	185	140
Deputy officers in charge	230	315	245
Nursery officers, students and assistants	1,730	1,565	1,285
Other support officers staff	480	445	395
Total of above	2,635	2,510	2,060
Staff in playgroups
Playgroup leaders and assistants	120	125	70
Other support officers staff	5	5	0
Total of above	125	135	70
Nursery centres where funded by social services
Teachers (whether qualified or not)	10	0	0
Managers and officers in charge	25	10	10
Deputy officers in charge	25	15	10
Nursery officers, students and assistants	140	80	80
Other support officers staff	40	35	25
Total of above	240	145	130
CARE IN RESIDENTIAL ESTABLISHMENTS
Staff of homes and hostels mainly for children with learning disabilities
Managers and officers in charge	105	100	100
Deputy officers in charge	160	155	140
Other supervisory staff (e.e. senior care officers)	385	375	380
Care staff	1,210	1,160	1,165
Other support officers staff	270	285	260
Total of above	2,130	2,075	2,045
Staff of community homes for children looked after (including observation and assessment centres where mainly residential)
Managers and officers in charge	595	595	595
Deputy officers in charge	690	645	640
Other supervisory staff (e.e. senior care officers)	1,550	1,395	1,540
Child care staff	4,765	4,775	4,660
Teaching staff	105	90	95
Other support officers staff	1,140	1,155	1,155
Total of above	8,850	8,655	8,685
SPECIALIST NEEDS ESTABLISHMENTS
Mainly for children (includes observation and assessment centres not included above)
Managers and officers in charge	90	75	60
Deputy officers in charge	65	60	60
Other supervisory staff (e.e. senior care officers)	255	200	150
Child care staff	775	720	600
Teaching staff	50	50	55
Other support officers staff	230	245	190
Total of above	1,465	1,340	1,110
Total staff involved with children and families	39,375	39,745	39,195

Notes:

All these figures represent the number of whole time equivalent (wte) staff. The actual numbers of staff employed by local councils are greater than the figures shown as some of the staff work part-time.

Figures are rounded to the nearest five wte staff.

Guardian's Ad Litem became part of the Children and Family Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) in April 2001.

24 Jul 2002 : Column 1425W

24 Jul 2002 : Column 1427W

Children in Care

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) agency staff, (b) positions unfilled for (i) one month and (ii) three months and (c) staff in children in care settings there were in each quarter of each of the last three years. [61368]

Jacqui Smith: Pursuant to my reply on 17 June 2002, shown in the Official Report, column 148W: I regret that my reply was incorrect. It should have read:

We do not collect information on the numbers of agency staff who work in child care settings. Information about the number of child care positions unfilled is not collected on a regular basis. Ad-hoc surveys have been undertaken in the past which have determined the vacancy rates in child care posts in social services departments or in the private sector. The last survey undertaken in this area was for community homes for children looked after run by local authorities in England and Wales and it was undertaken in 1999. This survey stated that in England the overall full-time and part-time vacancy rates were both 10.3 per cent.

However, local authority social services departments in England complete an annual return giving information about the staff they employ as at 30 September. The data from this return gives the numbers of whole time equivalent staff employed in child and family services as follows:

1999	39,375
2000	39,745
2001	39,195

Notes:

The actual numbers of staff employed by local councils are greater than the above figures as some of these staff only work part-time.

The above figures do not take into account those central and strategic staff and certain other categories of staff who provide more generic services across a range of council responsibilities.

Commission for Health Improvement

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the salaries are of the Chief Executive of the Commission for Health Improvement and other senior executives; [72479]

(2) what has been the cost of the Commission for Health Improvement since its inception. [72477]

Mr. Lammy [holding answer 23 July 2002]: The cost of the commission for health improvement (CHI) between its inception on 1 November 1999 and 31 March 2002 is £39.4 million. This total includes a proportionate contribution from the National Assembly for Wales.

The breakdown of expenditure in each year is shown below:

Year	Amount (£ million)
November 1999–March 2000	2.3
April 2000–March 2001	11.4
April 2001–March 2002	25.656

The commission's accounts for the period 2001–02 are published with their annual report, copies of which are available in the Library.

Details of the salaries of the chief executive and directors are published as part of the commission for health improvement's annual accounts

The figures for the financial year 2001–02 are as follows:

24 Jul 2002 : Column 1428W

	Remuneration for year ended 31/03/02
	(£)
Chief executive	135,458
Director of policy and development	100,717
Director of nursing	93,788
Director of communications	75,893
Director of operations	84,833
Director of human resources	85,576
Director research and information	79,330
Medical director	115,468
Joint director of finance and information technology	104,232

Remuneration includes gross salary and any other allowances subject to UK taxation.

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