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Helplines

Mr. Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many telephone helplines are sponsored by his Department; and which of these helplines are charged at (a) national rate, (b) premium rate and (c) local rate. [95716]

Mr. Lammy: The Department currently sponsors 40 helplines. Of those, 17 are freephone numbers, 14 are charged at local rate and nine are charged at national rate. None are charged at premium rate.

Hospitals

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which of the six key targets under the Better Hospital Food Programme will have been fully delivered by the end of December 2002 in each (a) region and (b) health authority. [96725]

Mr. Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave on him 14 October 2002, Official Report, volume 390, columns 481–82W.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Burstow) of 22 January, Official Report, column 393W, on hospital hygiene, how long it took to produce the "Process Mapping the Housekeeper Service—A Toolkit for Change" guidance; and whether this superseded previous guidance on this issue. [96046]

Mr. Lammy: The guide, "Process Mapping the Housekeeper Service—A Toolkit for Change", was produced to assist trusts when introducing housekeeping services. It was developed in conjunction with the National Health Service over a period of time following publication of the NHS Plan and was launched by the Chief Nursing Officer, Sarah Mullally, in November 2002. The development included a period of feedback and consultation.

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The toolkit is not prescriptive. Its aim is to help trusts examine their own service and develop local solutions. Information included about the withholding of payment or termination of contracts expands upon but does not supersede any previous guidance or local service level agreements. It makes clear that nurses have a major role to play in setting and monitoring standards of cleanliness at ward level.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals he visited in 2002. [90039]

Mr. Lammy: In 2002, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, had the opportunity to visit the following hospitals, some on more than one occasion.

Epsom General Hospital, Maidstone Hospital, St Thomas' Hospital (London), Liverpool Women's Hospital, Peterborough District Hospital, St Mary's Hospital (London), Worcester Royal Hospital, Ilkeston Community Hospital, King's College Hospital (London), The Whittington Hospital (London), Addenbrookes Hospital, St George's Hospital (London), The Royal Marsden Hospital, Alder Hey Children's Hospital, Medway Hospital, Barnet General Hospital (London), Chase Farm Hospital and Darlington Memorial Hospital.

Independent Complaints Advocacy Services

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has permanently to establish the Independent Complaints Advocacy Services once its pilot ends. [96719]

Mr. Lammy: An independent complaints advocacy service will be established. Decisions on the operational arrangements for this new service are being finalised. The Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health will be involved in providing advice and setting standards for independent complaints advocacy services.

Infectious Diseases (Home Treatment)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the pilot project in Warwickshire to treat patients with infectious diseases in their own homes. [96513]

Mr. Lammy: The proposed pilot project in Warwickshire, led by the South Warwickshire General Hospitals National Health Service Trust, would treat selected patients who have presented at the hospital with infections of the skin, wound or bone. The service is for patients who would be in hospital only to receive intravenous antibiotic therapy. The hospital's clinical teams would still carefully manage the patients. Patients with highly contagious infections who require isolation in hospital will continue to be treated as inpatients.

This project is patient-centred and offers a choice to both patients and carers. The patient would have a reduced risk of hospital-acquired infection and conversely existing patients would not be exposed to the infection.

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Inventures (Bidding Process)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the report of the National Audit Office into the bidding process for Inventures will be completed; and whether it will be published in full. [97872]

Mr. Lammy: The National Audit Office (NAO) work on the bidding process should be completed in February 2003. A response will then be sent by the NAO to the Pears Group, the complainant.

In addition, the NAO will send an internal management report to the Department of Health, summarising their findings and conclusions. No decision has yet been taken as to whether the report will be published.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to finalise the details of the sale of Inventures to the Miller Group; and when he will publish the details. [97917]

Mr. Lammy [holding answer 13 February 2003]: The sale is expected to be finalised by September 2003, provided value for money is demonstrated.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those NHS properties which have so far been agreed as being included in the list of sites to be transferred from NHS Estates to the Miller Group. [97918]

Mr. Lammy [holding answer 13 February 2003]: Details of the proposed contractual Joint Venture with the preferred partner are currently being finalised.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many properties being sold by NHS Estates to the Miller Group will be sold with planning permission. [97919]

Mr. Lammy [holding answer 13 February 2003]: Details of which properties will be the subject of the proposed contractual Joint Venture between NHS Estates and Miller/Bank of Scotland are still being finalised.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list (a) the members of senior management and (b) the number of employees, who formerly worked for Inventures, whose employment has been transferred to the Miller Group Consortium. [97921]

Mr. Lammy [holding answer 13 February 2003]: The proposed contractual Joint Venture between NHS Estates and Miller/Bank of Scotland is still being progressed and no staff have been transferred.

Doctors

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many and what percentage of those entering medical training to qualify as doctors in each of the past 10 years were (a) men and (b) women; [97580]

(2) what percentage of those entering medical training were (a) men and (b) women in the last year for which figures are available. [97579]

Mr. Lammy: The information requested is shown in the table.

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Number and gender of English medical school intake 1991–92 to 2001–02

Academic		Male		Female
Year	Total	Number	Percentage	Number	Percentage
1991–92	3,191	1,615	50.6	1,576	49.4
1992–93	3,263	1,542	47.3	1,721	52.7
1993–94	3,374	1,654	49.0	1,720	51.0
1994–95	3,514	1,701	48.4	1,813	51.6
1995–96	3,486	1,777	51.0	1,709	49.0
1996–97	3,594	1,711	47.6	1,883	52.4
1997–98	3,749	1,697	45.3	2,052	54.7
1998–99	3,735	1,690	45.25	2,045	54.75
1999–2000	3,972	1,748	44.0	2,224	56.0
2000–01	4,300	1,826	42.5	2,474	57.5
2001–02	4,713	1,959	41.5	2,754	58.5

Intake to English medical schools has risen by 1,522 during the past 10 years to its current level of 4,713, an increase of 48 per cent.

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what figures he has collated on how many qualified medical doctors cease to work in the profession (a) during the first five years after qualifying and (b) during the first 10 years after qualifying, broken down by gender; [97583]

(2) how many and what percentage of those who qualified as medical practitioners but who did not enter and work in the profession in the last year for which figures are available were (a) men and (b) women. [97584]

Mr. Lammy: We do not collect data on the number of medical graduates who do not enter the medical profession, nor do we collect data about the number of doctors who cease to work in the profession. However, the medical careers research group in the University of Oxford have undertaken cohort studies based on data collected by questionnaires sent to individual doctors emerging from United Kingdom medical schools.

Of a 25 per cent., sample survey of the qualifiers of 2000, the latest data available, only tworespondents did not start working as a pre-registration house officer. Both were female.

Data from 1996 qualifiers shows that, of those surveyed five years after qualification, 2.4 per cent., of men and 4.2 per cent, of women were not working in medicine.

Data from 1988 qualifiers shows that of those surveyed 10 years after qualification, 0.9 per cent., of men and 5.3 per cent., of women were not working in medicine.

Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of those entering medical education who completed their studies and qualify to practise in the last year for which figures are available were (a) men and (b) women. [97582]

Jacqui Smith: The latest figures from the Higher Education Funding Council for England show that at 31 July 2002, the number obtaining the first registerable medical qualification in England was 3,280; 1,467, or 45 per cent., of whom were male and 1,813, or 55 per cent., were female.

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