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4 Apr 2003 : Column 892W—continued
HEALTH
Public Benefit Corporations
Mr. Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether the members of a public benefit corporation will have any role other than to (a) appoint and (b) elect the board of governors; [105120]
- (2) whether the members of a public benefit corporation will have a role other than to appoint or elect the board of governors. [105591]
Mr. Hutton: Subject to parliamentary approval, national health service foundation trusts will be set up as public benefit corporations. The minimum requirements for the constitution of public benefit corporations, including the role and function of the membership, are set out in Schedule 1 of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill. Subject to approval by the Independent Regulator, individual NHS foundation trusts may add to these minimum requirements under their constitution.
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Mr. Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has for the legal status of bodies corporate formed using investment by NHS Foundation Trusts. [105119]
Mr. Hutton: Subject to parliamentary approval, subsections (4) and (5) of clause 17 of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Bill will give national health service foundation trusts financial and investment powers, including powers to invest money, form subsidiaries and enter into joint ventures, subject to any terms set in their authorisation by the Independent Regulator. Unlike for NHS trusts, for NHS foundation trusts the power to enter into joint ventures or subsidiaries will not be subject to the approval of the Secretary of State.
Asthma
Mr. Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of general practices (a) have a nurse with an asthma diploma and (b) have a nurse-led asthma service where the nurse does not have an asthma diploma; and if he will make a statement. [106616]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested is not collected centrally. The Government is investing significantly in training provision in the National Health Service, which includes diploma programmes in the nursing management of asthma. Over the next three years, 2003–04 to 2005–06, an extra £96 million will be made available to ensure that all health professionals, including those working in primary care, have the right knowledge and skills to meet the changing and specific healthcare needs of all patients. The Department will be working with workforce development confederations to ensure that optimum use is gained from this investment and good practice is disseminated.
Co-payments
Mr. Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what way a co-payment for health or social services will differ from a charge. [102151]
Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce co-payments for the public services for which he is responsible. [102200]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 10 March 2003]: As my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister made clear on 2 April 2003, Official Report, columns. 914–15, we have no intention of introducing co-payments or extending charges whereby patients or users pay for a proportion of their treatment or care, beyond those services such as prescriptions and dentistry to which they already apply and which have been in place for some time.
Consultants
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultants there are on average in an accident and emergency department in (a) England and (b) each strategic health authority. [106206]
Mr. Hutton: Information relating to the average number of accident and emergency consultants, within trusts that have an accident and emergency department, in England and in each strategic health authority, is shown in the table.
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| Health authority | Averages(1) |
|---|---|
| England | 2.8 |
| Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire | 2.5 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 3.8 |
| Birmingham and The Black Country | 2.9 |
| Cheshire and Merseyside | 3.2 |
| County Durham and Tees Valley | 3.0 |
| Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire | 3.6 |
| Cumbria and Lancashire | 2.7 |
| Dorset and Somerset | 1.4 |
| Essex | 1.8 |
| Greater Manchester | 2.8 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 2.2 |
| Kent and Medway | 3.5 |
| Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland | 2.7 |
| Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire | 2.0 |
| North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire | 2.4 |
| North Central London | 3.2 |
| North East London | 3.4 |
| North West London | 2.9 |
| Northumberland, Tyne and Wear | 3.4 |
| Shropshire and Staffordshire | 1.4 |
| South East London | 2.8 |
| South West London | 3.0 |
| South West Peninsula | 2.8 |
| South Yorkshire | 3.2 |
| Surrey and Sussex | 2.2 |
| Thames Valley | 2.8 |
| Trent | 3.4 |
| West Yorkshire | 5.3 |
(1) Averages were calculated using the number (headcount) of A&E consultants within trusts that have A&E departments.
Sources:
Department of Health 2001 medical and dental workforce census
Department of Health form KH12, 2001–02
Diabetes
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the terms of reference are of the new diabetes tsar. [106629]
Mr. Lammy: The terms of reference for the national clinical director for diabetes are set out in the 'National Service Framework for Diabetes: Delivery Strategy' which was published in January 2003.
The national clinical director for diabetes, Dr Sue Roberts, will oversee the implementation of the national service framework for diabetes by:
- Supporting National Health Service clinicians and managers in reaching the standards and delivering the targets
Ensuring clinical commitment through professional leadership at national level
Advising Ministers and officials in the Department on priorities and progress
Working with the NHS Modernisation Agency, the National Institute for Clinical
Excellence, the Commission for Health Improvement and the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection when it is established in 2004, and other bodies to support delivery
Drugs Education
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether it is his Department's policy to include organisations which support the legalisation of cannabis in the list of organisations it recommends to schools for providing advice to young people on drugs. [107210]
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Ms Blears: Poster 31166 was not produced for schools, although teachers could register to receive it. The Department is not aware of any material produced by organisations listed on poster 31166 that explicitly promotes the legalisation of cannabis.
Policy on recommending to schools who should provide advice to young people on drugs is the responsibility of the Department for Education and Skills (DfES). DfES do not recommend or endorse specific organisations for providing advice to young people on drugs, although they do fund training for schools. This is to ensure that schools have the knowledge and skills to make such decisions based on the needs of their pupils and the policy of their school governors.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much it cost to produce the poster for schools 31166—Where to find resources; how widely it was distributed; and what representations he has received about it. [107211]
Ms Blears: The poster was not produced for schools, although teachers could register to receive it. The total production and distribution cost for poster 31166 was (fully inclusive of all mailing costs) £7,200, at a unit cost of 16p. 45,000 copies were produced.
The poster was distributed to people who had registered to receive general health promotion information and to health promotion units. Two thirds of the original print run have been distributed. The poster is available on the Department's website. While there are no plans to print further copies at this stage, updates and corrections will be made to the document displayed on the Department's website. I am not aware of any further representations about this poster.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria the Department used to decide which organisations to include as resources on drugs on the Department's poster for schools 31166—Where to find resources. [107213]
Ms Blears: The poster was not produced for schools, although teachers could register to receive it. The list of contacts included covered larger national organisations that produce information for the public on a range of health issues, including drugs. As poster 31166 clearly states, this list is not exhaustive and inclusion does not signify endorsement by the Department.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the criticisms of Lifeline Drug Information and Advice contained in paragraph 207 of the Third Report from the Home Affairs Committee, Session 2001–02. [107214]
Ms Blears: Following the Home Affairs Committee's report, the Government gave a commitment to review its rules on the use of public money to fund drugs communications with young people. The review was undertaken by officials from the Home Office, the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills, as well as voluntary sector partners, academic and communications experts. The new rules have now been approved by Ministers and will be made public shortly.
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Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department had with the Home Office before producing poster 31166—Where to find resources; when the last meeting took place between his Department and the Home Office to discuss drug education in schools and how frequently such meetings take place. [107212]
Ms Blears: Officials from the Department of Health and the Home Department are in regular contact over matters of drug policy, and meet frequently. The Departments work closely together to co-ordinate delivery of the national drug strategy although this would not include detailed discussions on each piece of work.
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