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7 Apr 2003 : Column 98W—continued

Community Pharmacies

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many community pharmacies in the Buckinghamshire health authority (a) closed and (b) opened in 2001–02. [106954]

Mr. Lammy: In the year ending 31 March 2002, two community pharmacies in contract with the national health service to dispense prescriptions opened in Buckinghamshire health authority and two closed.

Consultants

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued on the (a) minimum and (b) optimum number of consultants needed to staff an accident and emergency department; and if he will make a statement. [106174]

Mr. Lammy: The Department has not issued any specific guidance on the number of consultants needed to staff an accident and emergency department.

Dentists

Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what levels of professional indemnity cover (a) dentists from EU countries practising in England and (b) dentists trained in England receive. [106885]

Mr. Hutton: All dentists working in the United Kingdom must be registered with the General Dental Council (GDC). The GDC's guidance to dentists states that:


The GDC makes no distinction in this about where a dentist was trained.

Departmental Budget

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the internal departments, agencies and other public sector organisations which receive funding from his departmental budget. [106622]

Mr. Hutton: At 1 April 2003, in addition to the main Department itself, the departmental budget funds the following statutory bodies in whole or in part.

Executive Agencies:


Strategic Health Authorities.

Primary Care Trusts.

Special Health Authorities:


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Dental Practice Board.

NHS Trusts.

Executive and Tribunal Non Departmental Public Bodies:


Local Authorities responsible for social services.

Certain Statutory Inquiries:


In addition, funding support is provided towards the transitional costs of establishing the Nursing and Midwifery Council and the Health Professions Council (self-funding independent statutory bodies established in April 2002), to a number of advisory non-departmental public bodies and to statutory Inquiries run by NHS bodies.

The information above excludes cases where payments are made to other statutory bodies in respect of goods or services provided.

Departmental Expenditure

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the expenditure of his Department on newspapers, magazines and periodicals in 2002. [106308]

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Mr. Lammy: The estimate of expenditure on newspapers, magazines and periodicals in 2002–03 was £419,680.

The expenditure covers central purchasing through the Departments library and direct purchasing by individual units. The figures do not include expenditure by agencies or official publications which are published weekly, monthly or quarterly by Her Majesty's Stationery Office.

E-prescriptions

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what model his Department intends to roll out for e-prescriptions; what timetable has been set for the roll out; and what the budget was in each of the last three years. [106789]

Mr. Lammy: To take forward the Government's commitments to electronic transmission of prescriptions (ETP) made in "Information for Health, Pharmacy in the Future—Implementing the NHS Plan and Delivering 21st Century FT Support for the NHS", three pilots were initiated in June 2002. While the three pilots are currently working on different technical solutions in respect of information flows, lessons already learnt from the pilots are contributing to the development of a national model for ETP. This means that appropriate technical standards are being developed covering such areas as the format and content of the electronic prescribing message and security standards. In January 2003 the Department authorised a six-month extension to the pilots to further explore the issues associated with the development of a national model.

"Delivering 21st Century IT Support for the NHS" called for a phased implementation of e-prescribing. The plan envisages that 50 per cent. coverage will be achieved by the end of December 2005, with national coverage being achieved by December 2007, with full clinician and patient functionality.

The Department's contribution to the pilots has largely involved funding the costs of pharmacy connections to the NHSnet, the independent evaluation, and the re-engineering of the Prescription Pricing Authority. The costs of setting up and running the pilot has been met fully by the consortia themselves, based on business justification.

General Practitioners

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that GP practices have systems for reviewing medicines prescribed to older people; and what assessment he has made of the implications on the over medication of older people in (a) their own homes and (b) care homes. [106073]

Jacqui Smith: A number of steps have been taken nationally and locally, to support general practitioner practices in reviewing the medicines prescribed to older people. For example the National Collaborative for Medicines Management is introducing medication reviews as part of its programme.

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Information is not routinely collected on the over-medication of older people. We are aware of the concerns about inappropriate use of medications among older people, within care homes in particular. Medication reviews will play an important part in preventing inappropriate use of the medication.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what policies are in place to encourage GP surgeries to open for longer hours and at weekends. [106565]

Mr. Hutton: The NHS Plan and Planning and Priorities Framework 2003–06 makes it clear that development of fast, convenient and responsive primary care services is a key priority for primary care trusts (PCTs). It is, however, for PCTs, working with their local practices and other providers to decide how to achieve this whether through general practice or by promoting alternative service models including use of personal medical services, salaried doctors, NHS walk-in centres or local walk-in services.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent guidance he has issued to primary care trusts on longer opening hours for GP surgeries. [106566]

Mr. Hutton: None.

Gulf War

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what impact the deployment of NHS professionals to the Gulf has had on the provision of services in accident and emergency departments. [106636]

Mr. Hutton: So far, the impact on the provision of services in accident and emergency departments across the National Health Service as a whole resulting from the deployment of NHS professionals to the Gulf has been minimal. The Department is working closely with the Ministry of Defence and the NHS to ensure this continues to be the case.

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how he expects the deployment of NHS staff to the Gulf to affect levels of NHS activity. [106637]

Mr. Hutton: The Department has worked with the Ministry of Defence and the National Health Service to put in place contingency arrangements designed to minimise the impact of the deployment of NHS staff to the Gulf. It is expected that levels of NHS activity will be maintained.

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