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27 Jan 2003 : Column 669W—continued
Delayed Discharges
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds were subject to delayed discharge in each hospital trust in England as at (a) 31 December 2002 and (b) 31 December 2001. [89936]
Jacqui Smith: The table shows the data for England from September 2001 to September 2002. Information for December 2002 is not yet available. The detailed breakdowns of these figures by health authorities and primary care trusts have been placed in the Library.
| Number | Rate (percentage) | |
|---|---|---|
| September 2002 | 5,385 | 5.1 |
| June 2002 | 5,489 | 5.1 |
| March 2002 | 5,473 | 5.2 |
| December 2001 | 6,419 | 6.1 |
| September 2001 | 7,065 | 6.6 |
(37)March 2002, December 2001 and September 2001 figures were collected by health authorities.
Departmental Performance Report
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish his Department's Autumn Performance Report, Service Delivery Agreements and Departmental Investment Strategy. [92157]
Mr. Lammy: In December 2002, the Department published the chief executive's Report to the National Health Service, setting out progress during 2001–02 and for the first six months of the year.
This report sets out clearly how the increased resources within the NHS are being used improve performance by providing more care for patients, improving quality and providing investment for the future. We intend to link this report to Her Majesty's Treasury website and will review it to ensure it covers reporting of public service agreement performance in full.
The Departmental Investment Strategy, which explains the Department's capital investment plans for the years 2003–4 to 2005–6, will be published shortly, before Her Majesty's Treasury's March Budget Announcement.
Departmental Running Costs
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the running costs of (a) the Department and (b) each of its sponsored agencies were in (i) 1997 and (ii) the most recent year for which figures are available. [90711]
Mr. Lammy: Detailed information on administration costs for the Department of Health administration costs expenditure and its agencies, going back to 1998–99 and with projections to 2003–04, is set out in Figure 8.1 of the 2002 Departmental Report (CM5403). Copies are available in the Library.
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Data for years before 1998–99 are not available on the same basis. Provisional out-turn for gross and net administration costs limits were published in Public Expenditure 2001–02 provisional out-turn (Cm 5574), Tables 4 and 5. Updated information, with plans to 2005–06 will be published in the 2003 Departmental Report in the spring.
Departmental Staff
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the distribution of his Department's wholetime equivalent staff was, including the staff in agencies and other bodies reporting to him was in each Government office region and nation of the UK (a) in 1996 and (b) at the most recent available period. [90477]
Mr. Lammy: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office (Mr. Alexander) on 15 January 2003, Official Report, column 609W.
Draft Mental Health Bill
Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proportion of the responses to the draft Mental Health Bill consultation came from Wales; [87732]
- (2) when he plans to publish a summary of the responses to the draft Mental Health Bill consultation. [87731]
Jacqui Smith [holding answers 17 December 2002]: We have received over 1,900 responses to the consultation on the draft Mental Health Bill. We are currently considering them carefully. The results of the consultation will be made public in due course. Approximately 17 per cent., have been identified as from people and organisations based in Wales.
Drugs Budget
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2003, Official Report, column 277W, on the drugs budget, what the budgets were for this provision. [91592]
Mr. Hutton: The answer of 8 January, 2003 Official Report, column 277W, gave figures for the total expenditure on drugs for National Health Service trusts in England between 1998–99 and 2001–02.
The Department does not hold information on resources set aside by NHS trusts for the provision of drugs.
The resource amounts set aside from the unified allocation for drugs are essentially a local decision for NHS trusts to agree, in collaboration with primary care trusts, strategic health authorities and pre 2002–03 health authorities. NHS trust drug budgets are held and managed locally.
Entertainment
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the total spending of his Department on entertainment in each year from 1994–95 to 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [92383]
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Mr. Lammy: Expenditure arises on hospitality and entertainment only in the context of promoting the Department's business objectives. All such expenditure is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government Accounting.
Information in the required form is only available from 1995–96. The total amount spent by the Department of Health on hospitality since 1995–96 is as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1995–96 | 73,516 |
| 1996–97 | 105,192 |
| 1997–98 | 90,883 |
| 1998–99 | 67,953 |
| 1999–2000 | 50,114 |
| 2000–01 | 93,091 |
| 2001–02 | 121,968 |
| 2002–03 | 88,503 |
The 2002–03 figure represents expenditure from April to December.
Fruit and Vegetable Consumption
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 January (ref. 84461), what cost benefit analysis has been carried out on expenditure on promoting consumption of fruit and vegetables. [92006]
Ms Blears [holding answer 20 January 2003]: Increasing intakes of fruit and vegetables could reduce the risk of deaths from chronic disease, such as heart disease, stroke and cancer, by up to 20 per cent.
The two major spending programmes to promote consumption, the national school fruit scheme and local Five-a-day community initiatives, are being funded by the new opportunities fund which will be commissioning detailed evaluations of their effect on diet including consumption of fruit and vegetables.
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 January (ref. 84461), by how much consumption of (a) fruit and (b) vegetables has changed since 2001. [92007]
Ms Blears [holding answer 20 January 2003]: National trends in fruit and vegetable consumption since 2001 cannot as yet be fully ascertained due to the considerable time it takes to undertake dietary surveys and their analyses. The latest national food survey data shows that between 1999 and 2000, household weekly purchase of fruit and fruit juice continued to increase, from 1,063 g to 1,121 g, whereas household consumption of vegetables continued to decrease, from 1,095 g to 1,077 g. This information does not take account of wastage.
National evaluation of pilot five a day community initiatives—one year intervention between 2000 and 2001—showed that the initiatives stemmed a fall in fruit and vegetable intakes. There was no overall change in fruit and vegetable intake in the intervention group but there was a fall in intake by almost half a portion in the control group. The intervention was found to have had a positive effect in people with the lowest intakes. Those who ate less than five a day at baseline increased their intakes by one portion over the course of the study.
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Detailed information on fruit and vegetable intakes was collected as part of the Health Survey for England for the first time during 2002. The collection of this information in future years will allow an examination of national trends by age, sex and geographic region.
Health and Safety
Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what information he has collated on the application to his Department and its agencies of the checklist, circulated by letter by Sir Richard Mottram, referred to under Action Point 12 of the revitalising health and safety strategy statement; and if he will make a statement; [89492]
- (2) whether his Department and its agencies have met the commitment arising from Action Point 13 of the June 2000 Strategy statement on revitalising health and safety to summarise health and safety performance and plans in annual reports from the year 2000–01 onwards. [89490]
Mr. Lammy: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for Work and Pensions (Mr. Smith) on 20 January 2003, Official Report, column 85W.
Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which senior officials within his Department and its agencies take responsibility for health and safety at board or equivalent level; and where their names are publicised. [89491]
Mr. Lammy: Hugh Taylor, the Director of Corporate Affairs, will shortly be appointed by the Chief Executive as the board member with specific lead responsibility for health and safety in the Department of Health. Details of the appointment will be publicised in the annual report and included in the revised health and safety policy statement for the Department. The policy statement will be available on the Department's website.
Roy Alder, Head of Executive Support, is responsible within the Medicines Control Agency (MCA). His name is publicised on the MCA website and in the Agency's published annual report and accounts.
Tom Crawley, Branch Head of Corporate Services, is responsible within the Medical Devices Agency (MDA). His name is publicised in the MDA's annual report, though without specific reference to health and safety.
Peter Wearmouth, Chief Executive of NHS Estates (NHSE), holds overall responsibility within NHSE. This is publicised in the Agency's annual report and to staff at their induction.
John Short, Health and Safety Officer for the NHS Estates Agency, is the executive officer responsible for ensuring Estates complies with British and appropriate European legislation concerning health and safety. This information is publicised on the Estates intranet, on the health and safety law poster and to staff at their induction.
Pat Corless, the acting Chief Executive, has framework document responsibility for health and safety within the NHS Pensions Agency (NHSPA). Nigel Holden, the Resource and Development Director,
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has board level responsibility for health and safety within NHSPA. Nigel Holden is named in the annual report as the lead on health and safety.
Chris Uden, the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency's Director of Corporate Development, is the nominated board level lead for health and safety matters within the Agency. This is publicised within the Agency during staff induction sessions and in the minutes of the health and safety policy group meetings.
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