| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
26 Mar 2003 : Column 265W—continued
HEALTH
Beds
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute beds there are per 1,000 residents in (a) Buckinghamshire, (b) Berkshire and (c) Oxfordshire. [103768]
Ms Blears: The information requested is not collected centrally. Bed numbers are collected by national health service trust and can not be aggregated to county boundaries. Information on bed numbers for NHS trusts are published annually on the Department of Health website at www.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity.
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the bed occupancy rates for (a) all beds, (b) general and acute beds, (c) acute beds,
26 Mar 2003 : Column 266W
(d) mental health beds, (e) learning disability beds and (f) maternity beds in (i) 1979 and (ii) each year since 1990. [100852]
Mr. Hutton: Information on bed occupancy was collected from 1996–97 and is published annually on the Department of Health website at http:///www.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity.
Homoeopathic Treatments
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what incentives his Department provides to increase the numbers of homoeopathic practitioners that are professionally registered. [99921]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 3 March 2003]: The Department provides no direct incentives to individual homeopaths to encourage them to join professional registers. However, national health service organisations take into account whether complementary and alternative medicine practitioners are members of an appropriate voluntary regulatory scheme when deciding whether to commission their services.
The Department is still awaiting reports from the two regulatory working groups that have been established to develop proposals specifically on the statutory regulation of herbalists and acupuncturists. When we have consulted on their recommendations, we will be in a position to consider whether there is a case for the statutory regulation of homeopaths and any other complementary and alternative medicine professions.
NHS Funding
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the last three (a) full and (b) interim collections of brokerage figures for each NHS trust in respect of cash brokerage requirement and projected outturn against budget were, broken down by NHS Region and Strategic Health Authority. [100709]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 5 March 2003]: Details of national health service trusts' cash brokerage in 2001–02 has been placed in the Library. For details of NHS trusts' cash brokerage for the financial years 1996–97 to 2000–01, I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) on 17 April 2002, Official Report, columns 1013–14W.
Cash brokerage between NHS organisations occurs throughout the financial year. The Department does not therefore make full or interim collections of brokerage data. Brokerage is self-financing, so there is no outturn against a brokerage budget.
26 Mar 2003 : Column 267W
Patients Advice and Liaison Service
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the NHS trusts and primary care trusts which have established a patients' advice and liaison service; how many staff each trust employs in each service; and if he will make a statement. [103325]
Mr. Lammy: 96 per cent. of trusts provide a patient advice and liaison service. A list of patient advice and liaison services is available at: http://www.doh.gov.uk/patientadviceandliaisonservices/.
The Department does not hold details of the number of staff working within patient advice and liaison services. Trusts are responsible for establishing and staffing their own services.
Smallpox
Sir John Stanley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether smallpox vaccination is available on the NHS through family doctors. [102512]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 12 March 2003]: Smallpox vaccination is not available on the national health service through family doctors. General practitioners do not hold stocks of the vaccine. It is not required because the disease was declared eradicated in 1980. The Department holds a strategic stock for use in
26 Mar 2003 : Column 268W
an emergency which can be disseminated quickly in the event of a bio-terrorism incident involving smallpox. The situation is being kept under the most careful review. The Government is following World Health Organisation guidance on the best approach in protecting the public against smallpox.
We have already announced that a small number of key frontline health service staff and military personnel are being vaccinated. These front line personnel would provide the first response in the event of a confirmed, suspected or threatened release of smallpox.
Our contingency plans for dealing with smallpox are detailed in the draft guidelines on smallpox available on http://www.doh.gov.uk/epcu/cbr/biol/smallpoxplan.htm.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Council Tax
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average council tax was for every band in (a) Suffolk and (b) England in each year since 1996–97. [104806]
Mr. Leslie: The following table shows the average council tax for every band in Suffolk since 1996–97.
| Band A | Band B | Band C | Band D | Band E | Band F | Band G | Band H | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 407 | 475 | 543 | 610 | 746 | 882 | 1,017 | 1,221 |
| 1997–98 | 434 | 507 | 579 | 651 | 796 | 941 | 1,086 | 1,303 |
| 1998–99 | 471 | 549 | 628 | 706 | 863 | 1,020 | 1,177 | 1,413 |
| 1999–2000 | 507 | 592 | 677 | 761 | 930 | 1,100 | 1,269 | 1,522 |
| 2000–01 | 544 | 635 | 726 | 816 | 998 | 1,179 | 1,360 | 1,632 |
| 2001–02 | 582 | 679 | 776 | 873 | 1,067 | 1,261 | 1,455 | 1,747 |
| 2002–03 | 654 | 764 | 873 | 982 | 1,200 | 1,418 | 1,636 | 1,963 |
| 2003–04 | 776 | 905 | 1,034 | 1,164 | 1,422 | 1,681 | 1,939 | 2,327 |
The following table shows the average council tax for every band in England since 1996–97.
| Band A | Band B | Band C | Band D | Band E | Band F | Band G | Band H | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 431 | 502 | 574 | 646 | 790 | 933 | 1,077 | 1,292 |
| 1997–98 | 459 | 535 | 612 | 688 | 841 | 994 | 1,147 | 1,376 |
| 1998–99 | 498 | 581 | 664 | 747 | 913 | 1,079 | 1,245 | 1,494 |
| 1999–2000 | 532 | 621 | 709 | 798 | 975 | 1,153 | 1,330 | 1,596 |
| 2000–01 | 565 | 659 | 753 | 847 | 1,035 | 1,223 | 1,412 | 1,694 |
| 2001–02 | 601 | 701 | 801 | 901 | 1,101 | 1,301 | 1,502 | 1,802 |
| 2002–03 | 651 | 759 | 868 | 976 | 1,193 | 1,410 | 1,627 | 1,952 |
| 2003–04 | 735 | 857 | 979 | 1,102 | 1.347 | 1,591 | 1,836 | 2.204 |
Green Belt (South Bedfordshire)
Andrew Selous: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the existing green-belt land in South Bedfordshire district council will be maintained as1jysuch. [104540]
Mr. McNulty: The future development strategy for Bedfordshire, including whether existing green belt boundaries are altered, will be considered through the regional, sub-regional and local development planning processes, as required by Planning Policy Guidance note 2: Green Belts.
Local Authority Allocations
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his Answer of 13 March 2003, Official Report, columns 424–25W, what the value is of the allocation to each authority. [105003]
26 Mar 2003 : Column 269W
Mr. Raynsford: The table shows the Formula Spending Shares (FSS) allocation as a result of coastline for each authority. The allocation is zero for all other authorities.
| Authority | Coastline allocations |
|---|---|
| Merseyside | 655,329 |
| Tyne and Wear | 367,787 |
| Isles of Scilly | 387,848 |
| Cornwall | 4,433,500 |
| Cumbria | 1,638,322 |
| Lincolnshire | 1,297,284 |
| Norfolk | 1,364,154 |
| Northumberland | 1,404,276 |
| Somerset | 682,077 |
| Suffolk | 635,268 |
| West Sussex | 528,275 |
| Isle of Wight Council | 896,062 |
In addition the following authorities as part of combined fire authorities:
| Authority | Allocation | Total for combined fire authority |
|---|---|---|
| Bath and North East | 112,750 | — |
| Somerset | — | — |
| Bristol | 216,853 | — |
| South Gloucestershire | 153,484 | — |
| North Somerset | 125,432 | — |
| As part of Avon Fire Authority | — | 608,520 |
| Hartlepool | 66,193 | — |
| Middlesbrough | 97,979 | — |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 104,237 | — |
| Stockton-on-Tees | 139,500 | — |
| As part of Cleveland Fire Authority | — | 407,909 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 576,576 | — |
| Kingston upon Hull | 352,831 | — |
| North East Lincolnshire | 241,057 | — |
| North Lincolnshire | 247,186 | — |
| As part of Humberside Fire Authority | — | 1,417,650 |
| York | 165,230 | — |
| North Yorkshire | 563,657 | — |
| As part of North Yorkshire Fire Authority | — | 728,886 |
| Bournemouth | 252,249 | — |
| Poole | 227,947 | — |
| Dorset | 676,660 | — |
| As part of Dorset Fire Authority | — | 1,156,856 |
| Darlington | 23,850 | — |
| Durham | 109,891 | — |
| As part of Durham Fire Authority | — | 133,741 |
| Brighton and Hove | 221,504 | — |
| East Sussex | 480,634 | — |
| As part of East Sussex Fire Authority | — | 702,138 |
| Portsmouth | 61,293 | — |
| Southampton | 67,604 | — |
| Hampshire | 506,371 | — |
| As part of Hampshire Fire Authority | — | 635,268 |
| Plymouth | 591,031 | — |
| Torbay | 371,694 | — |
| Devon | 2,146,744 | — |
| As part of Devon Fire Authority | — | 3,109,469 |
| Southend-on-Sea | 182,882 | — |
| Thurrock | 148,079 | — |
| Essex | 1,541,407 | — |
| As part of Essex Fire Authority | — | 1,872,368 |
| Medway | 173,033 | — |
| Kent | 1,050,693 | — |
| As part of Kent Fire Authority | — | 1,223,726 |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 41,712 | — |
| Blackpool | 48,372 | — |
| Lancashire | 398,069 | — |
| As part of Essex Fire Authority | — | 488,153 |
The allocation in combined fire authorities has been split in relation to taxbase and does not reflect the length of coastline in constituent authorities.
26 Mar 2003 : Column 270W
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |