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7 Feb 2003 : Column 471W—continued
Medium-Secure Units
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost per patient per week of (a) a place in an NHS medium-secure unit and (b) a place purchased by the NHS in a medium-secure unit in the independent sector was in the last period for which both figures are available. [95905]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 6 February 2003]: The latest available figures on the average cost per week, at 31 December 2001, indicate that the cost of a place in a national health service medium-secure unit ranges from £1,390 to £2,750 per week. A place purchased by the NHS in a medium-secure unit in the independent sector ranges from £2,450 to £3,220 per week.
National Service Framework
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the procedures in place
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to ensure that accurate figures are being obtained on which to monitor the milestones for the National Service Framework for Older People; and if he will make a statement. [94603]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 31 January 2003]: "Improvement Expansion and Reform", the priorities and planning framework for 2003–06 has the main milestones on stroke, falls, mental health and intermediate care services as key targets. Progress will be closely monitored. Other aspects of the national service framework will be monitored through existing information collections, discussions with the field and through a network of older people national health service and social care leads.
Nursing and Midwifery Council
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people applied to be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council during 2002; what the average waiting time for applications to be processed is; how many applications have been subject to a delay in processing; and what measures are being taken to reduce delays in the application process. [93396]
Mr. Hutton: Since 1 April 2002 to present date the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has received 88,013 applications for registration.
The normal target processing times for applications for registration are 21 working days for United Kingdom applicants and 108 working days for overseas applicants.
Applications received since 1 April 2002 may have been delayed due to the problems encountered by the new council. However, it is not possible to quantify the exact number of applications which experienced some form of delay. The NMC is taking steps to improve the information which can be obtained from the new system.
The NMC has taken action to resolve the issues including improving communications, targeting resources to tackle the backlogs and undertaking a review of systems and processes to continue improvements in the registration process.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Crime Prevention (Wandsworth)
Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the heads under which Wandsworth Borough has received money to help tackle crime; and how much was received in each year between 1997 and 2003. [94712]
Mr. Denham: The table outlines the levels of funding that have been provided to Wandsworth Borough under crime reduction initiatives since 1997.
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| Name of project/allocation | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | 2003–04 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CCTV—projects in Lennox Estate, St. George's Hospital and Battersea Park extension | ||||||
| Allocation | — | 131,000 | 180,000 | — | — | 311,000 |
| Reducing Burglary Initiative—projects targeting the over 60s, Balham Ward and West Putney Ward | ||||||
| Allocation | — | 22,300 | 29,300 | — | — | 51,600 |
| Street Wardens | ||||||
| Allocation | — | — | 48,000 | 198,000 | 199,000 | 445,000 |
| Street Crime Wardens | ||||||
| Allocation | — | — | — | 123,210 | 399,130 | 522,340 |
| Partnership Development Fund | ||||||
| Allocation | — | 11,050 | 50,000 | 40,000 | — | 101,050 |
| Communities Against Drugs | ||||||
| Allocation | — | — | 274,100 | 274,100 | — | 548,200 |
| Communities Against Drugs Street Crime Funding | ||||||
| Allocation | — | — | — | 454,978 | — | 454,978 |
| Safer Communities Initiative | ||||||
| Allocation | — | — | — | 126,727 | — | 126,727 |
| Total | 24,232,000 | 23,911,350 | 25,275,400 | 26,568,015 | 598,130 | |
Further to the funding in the table, allocations of £414,147 and £343,155 have been made to Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships and Basic Command Units respectively for 2003–04. This does not include funding provided to the Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) to fund policing in London, including Wandsworth.
Criminal Records Bureau
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his department has paid Capita plc for work on Criminal Records Bureau checks; how much work is outstanding; and what penalty clause arrangements apply and on what basis. [88523]
Hilary Benn [holding answer 7 January 2003]: Since 11 March 2002 when the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) launched its disclosure service, Capita Plc has been paid a total of £15,737,771.87 for their work on CRB checks. This figure includes the costs associated with processing registration applications, counter-signatory applications and disclosures.
The CRB has received some 1,284,891 disclosure applications and has issued 1,058,572 disclosures. This leaves a total of 226,819 that have not been completed, although a substantial number of these are back with customers to provide missing information.
There is provision under the terms of the contract between Capita and the Home Office for penalties for delay or poor performance. Capita has incurred liquidated damages although the details remain commercial in confidence. The main priority is for the CRB and Capita to collaborate in order to achieve further improvement in the quality of service. Capita shares operational responsibility with the CRB agency and the police for the delivery of the CRB service.
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Fraud and Theft
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money has been lost by his Department and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies through (a) fraud and (b) theft for each year since 1996–97. [92445]
Mr. Blunkett: The money lost by the Home Office, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies through fraud and theft is set out in the table:
| Accounting period | Fraud | Theft | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | (1)— | (1)— | (1)— |
| 1997–98 | 13 | 100 | 113 |
| 1998–99 | 84 | 104 | 188 |
| 1999–2000 | 140 | 230 | 370 |
| 2000–01 | 47 | 117 | 164 |
| 2001–02 | 109 | 34 | 143 |
(1) Information is not readily available.
The Home Office has a comprehensive anti-fraud and corruption policy and a response plan that is applied rigorously. All cases of reported fraud and theft are investigated with follow-up action taken, which includes prosecution where appropriate.
Industrial Action/Illness
Mr. Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many working days have been lost in his Department and its predecessors owing to (a) industrial action and (b) illness in each year since 1997–98. [94936]
Mr. Blunkett [holding answer 4 February 2003]: Four days (by 69 staff) were lost to industrial action in the Home Office and its agencies during 1997–98. No days have been lost to industrial action in the Home Office and its agencies during subsequent years.
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The average number of lost working days owing to sickness in the Home Office and its agencies is as follows:
- 1997—11.4 working days
1998—10.4 working days
1999—11.1 working days
2000—11.2 working days
2001—8.0 working days.
Scottish Executive
Mr. Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms are in place for co-ordinating emergency planning guidance and procedures with the Scottish Executive. [90407]
Mr. Blunkett: Emergency planning in Scotland is a devolved responsibility. The devolved administrations are involved in the relevant cabinet committees and sub-committees dealing with emergency planning in the UK, and thus have a full opportunity for appropriate input at strategic level.
The core guidance document for contingency planning arrangements for Scotland, including assessment, prevention, planning response and recovery is "Dealing With Disaster Together" (Scottish Executive Justice Department). This draws heavily on the guidance for England and Wales, "Dealing With Disaster" (Third edition).
Formal consultation arrangements are in place at management and editorial levels between the Cabinet Office Civil contingencies Secretariat and the Scottish Executive Justice Department to ensure that any alterations or addenda to either document are made only after full consideration and input from either party.
"Dealing with Disaster" is currently being updated to reflect changes in data, legislation and Lead Government guidance. The Scottish Executive Justice Department has been given full access to proposed changes so that these, where appropriate, can be incorporated into its core guidance.
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