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7 Mar 2003 : Column 1257W—continued

Overseas Pensioners

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if all non-ACT pension payments to UK citizens living abroad are being made on time; and if he will make a statement. [99730]

Mr. McCartney: This is a matter for Alexis Cleveland, Chief Executive of The Pension Service to reply. She will write to the hon. Member.

Letter from Alexis Cleveland to Mr. Steve Webb, dated 26 February 2003:

The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to respond to your recent Parliamentary Question asking if all non ACT pension payments to UK citizens living abroad are being made on time; and if he will make a statement.

During 2002, the Department for Work and Pensions International Mail contract was responsible for over 115 million items of mail to overseas destinations. Of these, 1,565,172 items related to retirement pensions.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure items destined for overseas customers arrive at their destination within the designated timescales, (5 calendar days for Europe and 10 calendar days for rest of the world destinations) unfortunately, sometimes delays are experienced.

The most common causes of delay to overseas customers payments are: problems within foreign postal authorities. For example, strikes and adverse weather conditions, which affect the transportation of mail. Also national holidays in the receiving country can add delay. In addition to this, many foreign destinations have introduced an increased security policy at ports and airports, which is resulting in delays before the mail enters the recipient country.

The Department for Work and Pensions has little influence in preventing delays in the receipt of payments once the items are handed over to the foreign postal authority.

However, all delays reported by customers are taken very seriously and every effort is made to ascertain the reason for the delay, and an estimation of the severity of the problem, although we are reliant on foreign postal authorities communicating delays or problems within their delivery network.

I hope that this is helpful.

Health and Safety Executive

Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) staff and (b) inspection staff were employed by the Health and Safety Executive in each year since 1997. [99763]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: The information requested is as follows:

	Inspectors	Staff in post (inc Insp)
1st April 1997	1442	4077
1st April 1998	1437	3932
1st April 1999	1497	3880
1st April 2000	1507	3937
1st April 2001	1534	3894
1st April 2002	1625	4050

Unemployment

Mr. Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what further measures he will take to help communities with high levels of long term unemployment. [96376]

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Mr. Nicholas Brown: Our active labour market policies, delivered by Jobcentre Plus, are helping people move from welfare into work in all parts of the country.

Since April 2002, Jobcentre Plus has helped over a million people into jobs and, since they started, the New Deals have helped more than three quarters of a million people move from welfare into work.

We are building on this success, providing more help for those who face the greatest barriers to work. Last year, for example, we launched StepUP in 20 pilot areas to provide transitional jobs for long-term unemployed people who have not secured sustained employment through the New Deals.

We have introduced Employment Zones specifically to help long-term unemployed people. These are based in some of the most employment deprived areas in the UK. The 15 Zones have already helped over 30,000 people move into jobs. From October 2003 we are extending the Employment Zone approach to lone parents and New Deal returners in existing Zone areas.

In addition, Action Teams for Jobs are assisting jobless people from a range of disadvantaged groups in the most employment deprived areas of the country. So far, the Teams have helped over 60,000 people move into work. We are enhancing the support provided by Action Teams, investing new funds, worth some £7 million per year, to help them support employment and transport projects that will benefit their local communities.

We are continuing to improve and extend the range of help available to people living in disadvantaged neighbourhoods. Beginning next year, we will pilot a programme of intensive support for people living in some of those areas that have the highest concentrations of worklessness.

HEALTH

Primary Care Services

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 18 January, Official Report, column 285W, on primary care services, what impact he expects this policy to have on the number of acute hospitals in England and Wales. [91591]

Mr. Hutton: Our intention is to provide more consultations and procedures outside hospitals and closer to where patients live. It is for local health communities to consider how their development of primary care services will affect demand for secondary care but the development of new or expanded services in primary care can be funded from the increased resources for primary care trusts which was announced in December 2002.

On 14 February, we published new guidance on configuring hospital services "Keeping the NHS local: a new direction of travel." It showed how smaller hospitals in particular have the potential to offer a wider range of services for local people than has previously been thought possible.

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Research Ethics Committees

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the annual reports of multi-centre research ethics committees have been (a) written, (b) circulated to local research ethics committees and (c) made available for public inspection. [94745]

Mr. Lammy: The Central Office of Research Ethics Committees (COREC) has received annual reports for 2001–02 from all ten multi-centre research ethics committees in England. These reports are held by and available on request from COREC.

Specialised Health Services

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the statement made by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary during the Adjournment debate on 21 January on brain injury, Official Report, columns 50–52WH, what factors underlay his decision to postpone until 2004–05 the transfer of responsibility for specialist commissioning to consortiums of PCTs. [96768]

Mr. Hutton: No decision has been taken to postpone the transfer of responsibility for commissioning specialised services to primary care trust (PCT) consortia. PCTs have been commissioning specialised services since April 2002 on a collaborative basis via their regional specialised commissioning groups (RSCGs) and their local specialised commissioning groups. RSCG membership is made up of PCT representatives, who replaced health authority representatives last April.

Waiting Times

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Greater London have been waiting more than 13 weeks to see a consultant at the latest available date. [97836]

Mr. Hutton: At 31 December 2002, within the London Directorate of Health and Social Care area, 45,222 patients where waiting more than 13 weeks for first consultant outpatient appointment following general practitioner written referral.

Call-up of Medical Reservists

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess which (a) strategic health authorities, (b) NHS trusts and (c) primary care trusts will be particularly affected by the loss of medical reservists if they are called up; and if he will make a statement. [99364]

Mr. Hutton: The number of medical reservists likely to be called-up is small. The Department is working closely with the Ministry of Defence and the National Health Service to ensure the effect of these call outs is kept to a minimum.

Clinical Waste

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what responsibility is retained by NHS trusts for clinical waste handled by a contractor. [99557]

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Mr. Hutton: Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 places ''duty of care'' requirements on importers, producers, carriers, keepers, treaters or disposers of ''controlled waste''. As waste producers, National Health Service trusts have responsibility to take all such measures as are reasonable in the circumstances to prevent unlawful depositing, handling or disposal of waste; the escape of waste from their control; to ensure the waste is only transferred to authorised persons and that appropriate records are maintained.

Where a NHS trust employs a waste disposal contractor to dispose of its waste it must satisfy itself by a process of monitoring and auditing that the clinical waste collection and disposal process is adequate and complies with appropriate legislation.

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the procedure for disposing of waste human tissue from the NHS. [99556]

Mr. Hutton: Identifiable human tissue is classified as clinical waste and needs to be dealt with by an authorised waste handling facility. The only appropriate treatment for identifiable human tissue is incineration.

The National Health Service will follow recognised procedures for appropriate segregation and disposal of waste human tissue, as laid down in advice and guidance documentation. NHS Estates has published Safe disposal of clinical waste—whole hospital policy guidance and the Health and Safety Commission has published Safe disposal of clinical waste.

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will list the current contracts entered into by the NHS for the disposal of waste human tissue; and if he will place the terms of the contracts in the Library. [99555]

Mr. Hutton: This information is not collected centrally. The National Health Service Purchasing and Supply Agency (PASA) has no national contract in place and so NHS trusts negotiate their own contracts in this area.

Because of this, we are not able to place the terms of these contracts in the Library.

However, in the last 24 months waste management has been highlighted by PASA as an area with significant national spend and supply chain dynamics, suggesting that a national purchasing strategy should be developed. To this end, PASA has produced a procurement guide for total waste management and is working on a common set of terms and conditions for all trusts to use.

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the judgement in the case of R v. Eurocare Environmental Services Ltd, at Chester Crown Court on 14 February. [99776]

Mr. Hutton: Any breach of the law with regard to clinical waste is a serious matter. We will consider the judgment carefully and identify any further action we should take.

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