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19 Sept 2002 : Column 329W—continued
Tracer/Watchkeeper Programmes
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost has been to date of the (a) Tracer and (b) Watchkeeper programmes. [70667]
Dr. Lewis Moonie [holding answer 17 July 2002]: The cost of the Tracer programme to the United Kingdom to the end of June was some £120 million. By the time the assessment phase contract is concluded at the end of July 2002 we expect to have spent a further £11 million. Although in October 2001 the Ministry of Defence agreed with the United States DoD not to proceed beyond the assessment phase with this collaborative programme, we expect to apply directly the technical maturity and military utility of a number of key armoured vehicle technologies to the Future Rapid Effect System programme.
Expenditure to date on the Watchkeeper programme is some £26 million.
Galileo Satellite Navigation System
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what strategic military implications he estimates the proposed Galileo satellite navigation system is likely to have. [70699]
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Dr. Moonie: The EU Transport Council has called for interoperability between the civil Galileo programme and the United States Global Positioning System, which is used by NATO for military purposes, to be guaranteed by an EU/US agreement. Accordingly, I do not anticipate that Galileo will have strategic military implications for the United Kingdom or for our allies and partners.
ScanEagle
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans there are to use the ScanEagle system for British reconnaissance missions; and if he will make a statement. [70428]
Dr. Moonie: ScanEagle is part of a wider system of UAVs currently being considered, along with a number of other approaches, as a possible contender for the Maritime Airborne Surveillance and Control (MASC) capability. MASC is due to enter service in 2012 and no decision will be taken on the preferred solution prior to the Main Gate approval currently scheduled for 2006.
HEALTH
Lactose Intolerance
Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many lactose-intolerant children between the ages of (a) 0 to 5, (b) 5 to 11 and (c) 11 to 18 there were in each of the last 15 years. [72656]
Jacqui Smith: Data from the Department's Hospital Episode Statistics show the number of children between the ages 0–5, 6–11 and 12–18 years admitted for lactose intolerance in National Health Service Hospitals in England during the period 1989–90 to 2000–01 is shown in the table. Data from 1986 to 1988 are not available.
| Age of children (years) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 0–5 | 6–11 | 12–18 |
| 1989–90 | 184 | 13 | 12 |
| 1990–91 | 235 | 11 | 4 |
| 1991–92 | 213 | 15 | 6 |
| 1992–93 | 188 | 22 | 10 |
| 1993–94 | 163 | 23 | 9 |
| 1994–95 | 140 | 15 | 8 |
| 1995–96 | 113 | 14 | 7 |
| 1996–97 | 123 | 13 | 8 |
| 1997–98 | 113 | 7 | 6 |
| 1998–99 | 123 | 18 | 5 |
| 1999–2000 | 124 | 11 | 8 |
| 2000–01 | 88 | 13 | 4 |
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health
Temporary Staff
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many employees under contract from temping agencies worked within his Department; and how much was spent on temporary staff (a) as a total and (b) as a percentage of the total staffing budget in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [72650]
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Mr. Lammy: The Department does not hold information on the number of employees under contract from temping agencies.
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The amount spent on staff from temping agencies for the period requested is shown in the table.
| 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (a) As a total 2 | see note 1 | £6,699,209 | £8,776,817 | £7,339,730 | £7,589,927 |
| (b) as a percentage of the total staffing budget | see note 1 | 5 per cent. | 6 per cent. | 5 per cent. | 5 per cent. |
Source:
Figures are taken from the department's accounting system.
1 Comparable figures for 1997–98 is not available.
2 Includes staff obtained from agencies to cover work of messengers and typists. Also includes cost of information technology staff employed from agencies and IT contractors.
Looked-after Children (Portsmouth, South)
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children have looked-after status in the Portsmouth, South constituency; and if he will make a statement. [72672]
Jacqui Smith: There were 250 looked-after children in the unitary authority Portsmouth at 31 March 2001. This excludes children looked after in an agreed series of short-term placements.
Waiting Times
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will rank NHS trusts in England in order of the highest waiting times for hospital operations, according to the numbers waiting (a) over six months and (b) over 12 months for in-patient treatments, at the latest date for which figures are available. [72668]
Mr. Hutton: Information on the number of patients waiting over six months and over 12 months for elective admission at National Health Service trusts in England as at 31 May 2002 has been placed in the Library. The trusts are ranked, with the trust with the highest number of six month waits at the top.
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when information on waiting times data from primary care trusts will be published. [72669]
Mr. Hutton: Waiting times data about primary care trusts that provide consultant inpatient and consultant outpatient services have been published since April 2001.
Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been waiting over one year for inpatient treatment in West Surrey. [71910]
Ms Blears: Figures for Quarter 4 of 2001–02, March 2002, show that 558 patients in the former West Surrey Health Authority area had waited over twelve months for inpatient treatment.
Chronic Respiratory Diseases
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action his Department is taking to improve services for pulmonary rehabilitation for those suffering from chronic respiratory diseases. [72928]
Ms Blears: We are aware that provision of pulmonary rehabilitation is a service increasingly offered by local departments of respiratory medicine.
It is a decision for primary care trusts, in partnership with other local stakeholders, to assess the health needs of their populations, including those needing pulmonary rehabilitation, and to commission services to meet those needs.
We have also commissioned the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to prepare clinical guidelines for the National Health Service in England and Wales for the prevention, diagnosis, management and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is expected that the guidelines should be issued around February 2004.
Hospital Appointments
Mr. John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the practice of hospital appointments officers deferring putting patients on waiting lists until a time nearer an available appointment, with particular reference to the case of Mr. William Wood of Solihull. [73449]
Mr. Hutton: Patients referred for a first outpatient appointment with a consultant should be placed on the outpatient waiting list from the date the referral was received by the Trust. Inpatients should be placed on the inpatient list from the date a consultant makes a decision to admit.
Unfortunately, Birmingham Heartlands and Solihull National Health Service trust have been unable to identify the individual patient referred to. Mr. Woods may wish to contact the trust, who would be happy to look into his circumstances. Alternatively, if the hon. Member would like to write to me giving further details and Mr. Wood's written consent to investigate, I will instruct my officials to look into the matter further.
Golden Hellos
Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many golden hello awards of £10,000 have been paid to qualifying medical practitioners, broken down by (a) month and (b) health authority, since April 2001; [73500] (2) how many golden hello awards have been refused to medical practitioners, broken down by (a) month and (b) health authority, since April 2001; for what reasons; and if he will make a statement. [73501]
Mr. Hutton: Information relating to when health authorities make payments in respect of this scheme is not held centrally. Application forms forwarded to the
19 Sept 2002 : Column 333W
Department by health authorities for monitoring purposes indicate that at least 630 general practitioners (GPs) have received a payment of £10,000. Information broken down by health authority is shown in the table.
Information on applications that have been refused by health authorities or primary care trusts is not held centrally.
It is for health authorities/primary care trusts to determine whether a GP is eligible to receive payment, in accordance with the guidance issued by the Department.
Number of £10,000 Payments made by Health Authorities
Note:
Due to the reconfiguration of health authorities into strategic health authorities on 1 April 2002, this information has been broken down into two financial years.
19 Sept 2002 : Column 334W
| Financial year 2002–03 | |
|---|---|
| Strategic Health Authority | No. |
| Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 5 |
| Birmingham and Black Country | 3 |
| Cheshire and Merseyside | 7 |
| County Durham and Tees | 14 |
| Coventry Warwickshire Herefordshire | |
| and Worcestershire | 3 |
| Cumbria and Lancashire | 16 |
| Essex | 13 |
| Greater Manchester | 16 |
| Kent and Medway | 11 |
| Leicestershire Northamptonshire and Rutland | 8 |
| Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire | 8 |
| North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 5 |
| North Central London | 1 |
| North East London | 19 |
| North West London | 6 |
| Northumberland, Tyne and Wear | 20 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 9 |
| South East London | 25 |
| South West London | 8 |
| South West Peninsula | 6 |
| South Yorkshire | 11 |
| Surrey and Sussex | 27 |
| Trent | 6 |
| West Yorkshire | 2 |
| Total for 2002–03 to date | 249 |
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