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22 Jan 2003 : Column 395W—continued
PHLS Laboratories
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) in how many cases discussions about the financial terms of the transfer of a PHLS laboratory to the relevant NHS trust have not begun; [90060]
- (2) how many agreements have been reached between NHS trusts and the PHLS about the financial details of the transfer of laboratories; and in how many cases such agreements are outstanding. [90059]
Ms Blears: Detailed discussions about all the laboratory transfers are well advanced between Public Health Laboratory Service group directorates and national health service trusts. All are due to be completed by 31 March 2003.
Prostate Cancer
Mr. Lidington : To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to begin his Department's public awareness campaign on prostate cancer. [92634]
Ms Blears: The national health service prostate cancer programme stated that an education programme for the public, patients and professionals on the risks associated with individual testing for prostate cancer will be introduced.
This has been achieved through the prostate cancer risk management programme, which sent out evidence-based primary care resource packs to all general practitioners in England from 23 September 2002 to aid them in counselling men who are worried about prostate cancer. This ensures that men make an informed choice about whether or not to have a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test based on an information leaflet developed specifically for men about the advantages and disadvantages of having a PSA test.
The Department is funding a Section 64 grant to the Prostate Cancer Charity to increase further information about prostate cancer. This is supporting the creation, review, provision and dissemination of a range of awareness material, supported by £135,000 over three years.
Red Alert Status
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the hospitals that have been on red alert on each day since 1 November 2002 in England and Wales. [91469]
Mr. Lammy: The term "red alert" is used by very few trusts and does not have a standard definition.
All hospitals have escalation procedures, which are activated during times of increasing pressure. However, details of these procedures will depend on local circumstances and are not held centrally.
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Retained Organs Commission
Mr. Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the members of the Retained Organs Commission are; and what their (a) profession and (b) attendance records are. [91315]
Mr. Lammy: Details of all Retained Organs Commission board members, including their names and curricula vitae, are available on the Commission's website at www.nhs.uk/retainedorgans
The official minutes of each board meeting record those members who attend, and these are also published on the Commission's website. I have asked the Chair of the Commission to write to the hon. Member with further details of Commissioner's attendance.
Sickness Absence
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many days were lost due to sickness absence in the Department in 2002. [90538]
Mr. Lammy: The statistics on days lost due to sickness absence within the Department of Health during the year 2002 will be available in due course. The figures will be available through the "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service 2002" produced by the Cabinet Office. The report will be available on the Cabinet Office website and will be placed in the Library.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many working days have been lost due to illness in his Department in (a) 2002 and (b) each of the preceding five years. [90969]
Mr. Lammy: The statistics on days lost due to sickness absence within the Department of Health during the year 2002 will be available in due course. The figures will be available through the "Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service 2002" produced by the Cabinet Office. The report will be available on the Cabinet Office website and will be placed in the Library.
The average number of working days lost since 1997 are shown in the table.
| Average(18) days lost per employee through sickness (per staff year) | |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 7.8 |
| 1998 | (19)9.2 |
| 1999 | 6.6 |
| 2000 | 5.5 |
| 2001 | 6.5 |
(18) Working days absences exclude weekends and bank holidays for staff working a "Monday to Friday" week.
(19) Based on pre-audit data and methodology. In 1998 Civil Service departments and agencies undertook an audit of their monitoring systems following the 'Working Well Together' report. The re-worked figures were not submitted in time for publication of the 1998 report and unadjusted figures were published in this year.
Source:
Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service BMI Health Services report (1997 Table I, 1998 Table K), Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service BIOSS report Table H (1999), Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service BIOSS report table H (2000), Analysis of Sickness Absence in the Civil Service AON report table E (2001).
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The Department is committed to meeting its public service agreement targets for reducing sickness absence and will be conducting a review of its guidance for both long-term and short-term sickness absence management.
Timber
Ms Walley : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of the NHS PASA report on timber. [89674]
Mr. Lammy: The National Health Service Purchasing and Supply Agency has not published a specific report on timber. The Agency has published its second environmental report for 2001–02, which includes a comprehensive section on timber. This report has been placed in the Library. The Agency also gives details of its policy on timber, and the environmental issues relating to timber and purchasing in the NHS, on its website. Members of the public can also also obtain such details by writing to Corporate Affairs, National Health Service Purchasing and Supply Agency, 80 Lightfoot Street, Chester CH2 SAD.
Type 2 Diabetes
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new cases of Type 2 diabetes have been diagnosed in each of the last five years in (a) males
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under 30, (b) males 30 and over, (c) females under 30 and (d) females 30 and over; and if he will make a statement. [91648]
Mr. Lammy: This information is not collected in the form requested.
Waiting Lists
Mr. Flook : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the Taunton and Somerset NHS trust area were waiting for in-patient treatment on the latest available date. [91945]
Ms Blears: At the end of November 2002, the number waiting for in-patient treatment at the Taunton and Somerset national health service trust was 6,408.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Arson
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many (a) malicious vehicle fires, (b) incidents of arson and (c) incidents of arson in educational establishments there were, broken down by local authority fire brigade area, in England and Wales, in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2001. [92497]
Mr. Raynsford: The information requested is in the following table.
(20) Including late call and heat and smoke damage incidents.
(21) Figures are based on sampled data weighted to true brigade totals.
(22) Figures are provisional
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