---

20 Mar 2003 : Column 947W—continued

Civil Defence

Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what training and equipment for response to a

20 Mar 2003 : Column 948W

chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear attack is provided for paramedics and other first-response medical personnel; and if he will make a statement; [103435]

(2) what funding, training and expertise have been made available to ensure acute primary care units are fully prepared to handle (a) casualties of a chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incident and (b) mass casualties; and if he will make a statement. [103434]

Mr. Hutton: Since 11 September 2001, national health service preparations have been stepped up to ensure we are as prepared as we can be in responding to a range of possible new threats, such as the deliberate release of chemical or biological agents or incidents associated with radiological or nuclear hazards.

The NHS has increased its preparedness by stockpiling medical equipment, antidotes, antibiotics and vaccines. The Department of Health has issued specific guidance to the NHS on the public health response to the deliberate release of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) incidents, mass decontamination and mass casualties. New protective suits and associated mobile decontamination units have been for use by ambulance and accident and emergency staff working on the decontamination of patients alongside appropriate training for their use.

The Department of Health has made available through the emergency planning section of its website www.doh.gov.uk/epcu a comprehensive package of guidance for clinicians on dealing with the consequences of deliberate release. This information is regularly updated. The website contains a link to the Public Health Laboratory Service website www.phls.org.uk which provides additional clinical and other information.

General Practitioners

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) GPs and (b) GP practices there are in Greater London; and how many there were in May 1997. [101249]

Mr. Hutton [holding answer 6 March 2003]: Greater London is not recognised as an area for which figures are collected. The area covering the Directorate of Health and Social Care—London is given as the nearest alternative and figures are shown in the following table.

General medical practitioners 1 and partnerships in England and London DHSC as at 1 October 1997 and 31 March 2002Numbers (headcount)

	October 1997			March 2002
	All practitioners (excluding GP retainers)	of which: unrestricted principals (UPEs)2	Partnershipsof UPEs	All practitioners (excluding GP retainers)	of which: unrestricted principals (UPEs)2	Partnershipsof UPEs
England Total	29,389	27,099	9,102	30,858	27,956	8,825
of which:
London DHSC Total	4,532	3,849	1,758	4,549	3,970	1,691

Note:-

⁽¹⁹⁾ All practitioners (excluding GP retainers) include UPEs, restricted principals, assistants, GP registrars, salaried doctors (para. 52 SFA) and PMS O GP retainers were first collected in the 1999 census, for reasons of comparability they have been excluded from the table.

⁽²⁰⁾ UPEs include CMS unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs and PMS salaried GPs.

Source:

Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

20 Mar 2003 : Column 949W

We recognise that London has both short and longer term special needs with regard to the recruitment and retention of its general practice (GP) workforce. The NHS Plan target is 255 additional GPs in London by 2004. We are committed to expanding the primary care workforce both through national and local initiatives.

Provisional figures for September 2002 from the Modernisation Board Annual Report show that in England since 1999 there has been an increase 700 GPs.

Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will review guidelines surrounding the charging for certificates signed by general practitioners; and if he will make a statement. [101912]

Mr. Hutton: General practitioners are required to issue specified medical certificates, free of charge. However, GPs also provide a variety of other services, which successive governments have regarded as private matters between an organisation and the doctor providing the service and the doctor is free to make a charge for these non National Health Service services if he or she wishes.

Health Visitors

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to allow direct entry into health visiting rather than through nursing or midwifery. [103515]

Mr. Hutton: The Nursing and Midwifery Council has only the powers to regulate the professions of nursing and midwifery.

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with representatives of health visitors. [103551]

Mr. Hutton: Department of Health Ministers and officials hold regular discussions with health visitor representatives. In recent months these have included discussions on health visitor regulation, child protection and the Laming report, the children and maternity services national service framework, the framework for nursing in primary care, recruitment and retention issues and "Agenda for Change".

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to set up different registers for nurses, midwives and health visitors. [103514]

Mr. Hutton: None. The Nursing and Midwifery Council is the body responsible for making proposals in respect of the parts of the register.

Home Care Charges

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which local authorities in England received no income from home care charges in the latest available year for which figures are available. [100129]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 28 February 2003]: In 2001–02, Cumbria, Isles of Scilly, Southwark, Stockton-on-Tees, Swindon and Wokingham councils did not report any income arising from sales, fees and charges from their home care services.

In 2000–01, Cumbria, Slough, Stockton-on-Tees and Tower Hamlets did not report any income arising from home care.

20 Mar 2003 : Column 950W

In 1999–2000, Coventry, Cumbria, Hammersmith and Fulham, Stockton-on-Tees and Tower Hamlets did not report any income arising from home care.

Needlestick Injuries

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many needlestick injuries there were in the NHS involving the risk of transmission of a blood borne virus in (a) England, (b) each NHS region and (c) each strategic health authority in each of the last six years. [102852]

Mr. Hutton: The Department does not collect these data centrally but relies on data that are already reportable under current legislation and departmental guidance. Data collected on a voluntary basis from national health service trusts between July 1997 and June 2002 identified 1,550 incidents that involved the risk of transmission of blood borne viruses.

Ministers have agreed that new guidance to be published in autumn 2003 will advise NHS employers that they should collect comprehensive and validated data on the incidence of needlestick injuries, via a standardised surveillance programme.

NHS (International Recruitment)

Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) financial and (b) other support is available to overseas nurses in finding suitable accommodation; and if he will make a statement. [103074]

Mr. Hutton [holding answer 17 March 2003]: The guidance on international nursing recruitment sets out national health service trust responsibilities when recruiting nurses internationally. Employers should pay for recruits' air fares and either provide trust accommodation or take steps to seek appropriate accommodation.

The NHS housing initiative, organised through NHS Estates, will provide assistance with key worker accommodation.

NHS Trusts

Mr. Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total income was from private charges in each NHS acute trust in the last year for which figures are available. [103998]

Mr. Hutton: The information has been placed in the Library.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) chief executives and (b) other non-medical staff of NHS trusts are paid in excess of £100,000. [101077]

Mr. Hutton: The audited summarisation schedules of National Health Service trusts in 2001–02 showed 13 non-medical staff with remuneration over 100,000. This figure excludes directors and chief executives for whom information is not available nationally. Some information on chief executives' and directors' salaries is included in the accounts for individual trusts which are published locally.

20 Mar 2003 : Column 951W

---