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26 Feb 2003 : Column 629W—continued
NHS Finance
Mr Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what financial assistance primary care trusts receive to meet (a) Government requirements and (b) PSA targets; [98301]
- (2) how much financial support his Department gives Strategic Health authorities to meet PSA targets. [98307]
Mr. Hutton: Revenue allocations are made directly to primary care trusts (PCTs). The revenue allocations for 2003–04 to 2005–06 were announced on 11 December 2002. PCTs received growth of £12.7 billion or 30.8 per cent. in these allocations over the three years.
None of the revenue growth money has been identified for specific purposes. PCTs will be able to use these extra resources to deliver on both national and local priorities.
Capital allocations for 2003–04 to 2005–06 were announced on 8 January 2003. These include operational capital allocated to primary care trusts and National Health Service trusts and strategic capital allocated to strategic health authorities. Operational capital increased by £254 million or 33 per cent. and strategic capital by £263 million or 43 per cent. over the three years. £100 million of capital allocations has been earmarked as the access fund to reward organisations making progress towards improving access.
NHS Magazine
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) gross and (b) net cost is of (i) production and (ii) distribution of NHS magazine; and what its circulation is. [98812]
Mr. Lammy: NHS magazine has two editions; NHS magazine, distributed to 27,000 senior staff in acute and secondary health care teams and primary care magazine, distributed to 30,000 staff in primary health care teams.
Production and distribution costs can be different for different issues, depending on content, advertising revenue and whether any specific staff groups are being sent material of specific interest.
Costs for each issue are reduced by income from advertising. Publications are not subject to value added tax.
The normal average costs of production and distribution are shown in the table.
| NHS magazine | Primary care magazine | |
|---|---|---|
| Production | 50,386 | 32,876 |
| Distribution | 12,500 | 13,500 |
| Total (gross) | 62,386 | 46,376 |
| Income from advertising | 7,900 | 7,900 |
| Total (net) | 54,486 | 38,476 |
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NHS Managers (Payment)
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on Agenda for Change in relation to the payment of NHS managers. [98958]
Mr. Hutton: The Department is developing a new framework governing pay and contractual arrangements for national health service chief executives, board-level directors and other senior posts of comparable job weight immediately below board level. The "Agenda for Change" pay reforms that were successfully negotiated last year will apply to other NHS managers. Both the new framework for board-level posts and the "Agenda for Change" reforms will be based on a new system of job evaluation to ensure fair and transparent links between the basic pay that staff receive and the levels of responsibility, knowledge, skills and effort required in their jobs.
NHS Pensions Agency
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 23 January 2003, Official Report, column 478W, on the NHS Pensions Agency, how many applications for permanent injury benefit for a disorder have been submitted in each year since 1997. [96044]
Mr. Hutton: The number of permanent injury benefit applications in respect of a disorder or injury for the financial years April 1997 to March 2002 is shown in the table.
| Applications | Number of applications |
|---|---|
| 1 April 1997 to 31 March 1998 | 1,161 |
| 1 April 1998 to 31 March 1999 | 989 |
| 1 April 1999 to 31 March 2000 | 846 |
| 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001 | 723 |
| 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 | 575 |
| Total | 4,294 |
NHS Project Finance
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding he plans to give to PCTs for extra capital for new hospital projects. [98306]
Mr. Hutton: National health service capital allocations to primary care trusts for the period 2003–04 to 2005–06 were announced on 8 January. These capital allocations will provide funding for new hospital projects along with other capital investments within the NHS.
This investment will be supplemented by capital allocated to strategic health authorities for larger developments, and by investment from the Private Finance Initiative. Nationally, strategic capital increased by 13 per cent., 11 per cent., 14 per cent. in the years 2003–04 to 2005–06. Figures are not available for individual StHAs, but those in the south west received average increases of 15 per cent., 22 per cent., 22 per cent. over this period.
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NHS Treatment (Europe)
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health [pursuant to his answer of 10 February, ref 92556], what types of operation were carried out on the 190 patients in (a) France and (b) Germany; and whether the £1.1 million includes travelling costs of patients and accompanying relatives. [98156]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 24 February 2003]: Of the 190 patients that were referred for treatment abroad as part of the overseas pilot, 109 were treated in France, and 81 were treated in Germany. Of the patients that were treated in France, 37 were ophthalmology patients, and 72 were orthopaedic patients. All of the patients treated in Germany were orthopaedic patients.
The figure of £1.1 million quoted in the answer of 10 February, includes the costs of both treatment and travel for patients. The lead commissioners do not have a general power to fund travel and accommodation costs for companions. Companions can only be funded if it can be demonstrated that it is medically necessary that the patient be accompanied.
NHS Waste Report
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the report on waste in the NHS produced by the head of the Downing Street Delivery Unit. [96066]
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Ms Blears: There is no report on waste in the National Health service.
The delivery unit report is produced by the head of the Downing Street delivery unit twice a year and is an internal discussion and advice document which is exempt from publication under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information (Exemption 2).
NICE
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average length of a technology appraisal has been by NICE since its establishment. [95687]
Ms Blears: The average time taken to complete an appraisal is 13.76 months.
Nursing Vacancies (Derbyshire)
Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing vacancies there were in each Derbyshire NHS trust in (a) 1997 and (b) 2002; and if he will make a statement. [98891]
Mr. Lammy: There is no data available on nursing vacancies prior to 1999. Since March that year the National Health Service has regularly conducted a vacancy survey. This survey collects information on the number of posts that the trusts are actively trying to fill which have been vacant for three months or more.
The tables show data collected from surveys that were carried out in March 1999 and March 2002.
| 3 month vacancy rate (percentage) | 3 month vacancy number | |
|---|---|---|
| March 1999 | ||
| England (excluding HA staff) | 2.8 | 7,147 |
| North Derbyshire HA | 1.8 | 25 |
| Chesterfield and North Derbyshire Royal Hospital NHS Trust | 3.5 | 25 |
| Community Health Care Services (North Derbyshire) NHS Trust | 0.0 | 0 |
| South Derbyshire HA | 0.0 | 0 |
| Community Health Services (South Derbyshire) NHS Trust | 0.0 | 0 |
| Derbyshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust | 0 | |
| Southern Derbyshire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust | 0.0 | 0 |
| Southern Derbyshire Mental Health NHS Trust | 0.0 | 0 |
Note:Three month vacancies are vacancies which trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole time equivalents), expressed as a percentage of three month vacancies plus staff in post
Sources:
Department of Health Vacancies Survey, March 1999
Department of Health Vacancies Survey, March 2002
26 Feb 2003 : Column 633W
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