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7 Apr 2003 : Column 111W—continued
Student Location
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to maintain students at the best performing hospitals within the present NHS structure. [106509]
Mr. Hutton: Student placements are a vital component of our strategy for training the future national health service work force. NHS organisations and their partners in the education sector will continue
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to work together with work force development confederations to maintain the availability and quality of practice placements at all hospitals.
Travel Costs
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of travel by train by staff in his Department in 2002. [106346]
Mr. Lammy: Information about the costs of rail travel is available in the Department's central accounting system which holds details for the main Department, the Medical Devices Agency and the Purchasing and Supply Agency. Accounts are not produced on a calendar basis but for a financial year ending 31 March. The amounts spent on travel by train in the current financial year up to February 2003 and in the previous financial year were as follows:
| Financial year | Amount (£) |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 3,744,913 |
| 2002–03(25) | 3,465,786 |
(25) To February 2003.
As well as including expenditure for all staff these amounts also comprise rail expenses incurred by other travellers authorised to undertake business on behalf of the Department such as consultants and members of departmental committees.
The Department ensures that all business travel is made by the most economic means, taking into account any management benefit and the needs of staff with disabilities.
Treatment Guidelines
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the guidelines for doctors issued by the British Medical Association and the General Medical Council on withdrawing tube feeding and hydration from patients who are not dying. [106539]
Mr. Lammy: Artificial nutrition and hydration are a form of medical treatment and are subject to the same principles as those governing medical treatment. There is no lawful justification for giving or continuing treatment that is not in the best interests of a patient who is unable to consent. The guidance from the British Medical Association and the General Medical Council is in line with this legal position.
Type 2 Diabetes
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of Type 2 diabetes were recorded in school children in each year since 1997. [107728]
Mr. Lammy: An estimated 3.2 per cent. of the adult population in England (around 1.3 million people) have diagnosed diabetes. Approximately 15 per cent. of people with diabetes have Type 1 and 85 per cent. have Type 2. Information on the number of school children with Type 2 diabetes is not collected centrally.
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Waiting Lists
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what resources are being made available to reduce waiting lists for knee operations; and if he will make a statement on waiting times in North Staffordshire. [106203]
Mr. Lammy: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for decisions about what healthcare to commission for their local population using available resources and each PCT's budget will grow by a minimum of 28.08 per cent. over the next three years.
The Government are aware that orthopaedics is a particularly challenged speciality in terms of waiting times. We are working with a group of 43 of the most challenged trusts in this speciality to support them in analysing the size of the problem that they face. Through this work, we will help them to create an action plan to enable them to meet the waiting times targets for 2005 for their orthopaedic patients.
The Government are also actively working with the British Orthopaedic Association to look actively at the supporting issues in orthopaedics, e.g. workforce and epidemiology and benchmarking of services.
Significant headway has been made on the key Government targets of waiting times for inpatient and outpatient appointments within the Shropshire and Staffordshire Strategic Health Authority (StHA) area. I understand from the StHA that it expects to meet the key waiting list targets and currently has no English person waiting more than 12 months for an inpatient appointment or more than 21 weeks for an outpatient appointment.
Worcester Acute Hospitals NHS Trust
Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 27 March 2003, ref 104986, what the latest date is which he will accept for the eradication of the cumulated deficit of the Worcestershire Acute Hospital NHS Trust. [106588]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 1 April 2003]: This is a matter for West Midlands South Strategic Health Authority (StHA). The StHA is currently agreeing a date by which the cumulated deficit of the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals National Health Service Trust will be eradicated.
DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
Council Tax
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the level of council taxes in England for the 2003–04 financial year. [106016]
Mr. Leslie: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Minister for Local Government and the Regions, the right hon. Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Mr. Raynsford) to the hon. Member on 2 April 2003, Official Report, column 901W.
Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average rate of council tax increase was in each financial year since 1996–97. [107031]
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Mr. Leslie: The table sets out the average council tax increase and change in increase in average council tax on the previous year (in percentage points) for each year.
| Increase in average council tax (percentage) | Change in increase in average council tax on previous year (percentage points) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 6.1 | 1.1 |
| 1997–98 | 6.5 | 0.4 |
| 1998–99 | 8.6 | 2.1 |
| 1999–2000 | 6.8 | -1.7 |
| 2000–01 | 6.1 | -0.7 |
| 2001–02 | 6.4 | 0.2 |
| 2002–03 | 8.2 | 1.9 |
| 2003–04 | 12.9 | 4.7 |
Crime
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps his Department is taking to combat the fear of crime among (a) women, (b) men, (c) the elderly and (d) young people. [106818]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I have been asked to reply.
The latest statistics from the British Crime Survey (BCS) report that levels of fear of crime in the key categories of burglary, vehicle and violent crime have fallen compared to 2001–02. 15 per cent. of adults had high levels of worry about burglary (compared with 16 per cent.), 17 per cent. had high levels of fear about car crime (compared with 19 per cent.) and 21 per cent. had high levels of fear of violence (compared with 22 per cent.).
We are addressing misperceptions about crime by promoting the facts about crime levels and common sense precautions which individuals can take to prevent becoming a victim of crime. In order to do this, we are working with Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs), other Government Departments and organisations representing vulnerable groups including women, young people and the elderly.
A Fear of Crime Toolkit will be published on the Home Office Crime Reduction website in May 2003 to aid the further dissemination of this message, as well as provide best practice to all practitioners who are working towards reducing fear of crime within communities and vulnerable groups.
Grants
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 18 March 2003, Official Report, columns 743–8, how much has been provided each year, in aggregate, for grants aimed at (a) ethnic minorities and (b) asylum seekers; and what value of the aggregate rate support grant is directed to local authorities in accordance with criteria based on those factors. [105004]
Mr. Raynsford: The information is as follows:
The following table shows the amount in millions provided to local authorities by central Government in specific grants for ethnic minorities and asylum seekers.
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| Ethnic minorities | Asylum seekers | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Race equality(26) | Education(26) | Total | Education | Race equality | Adults and families(27) | UASC(28) | Total | |||
| 1997–98 | 70 | — | 70 | — | — | 70 | — | 70 | ||
| 1998–99 | 105 | — | 105 | — | — | 190 | — | 190 | ||
| 1999–2000 | — | 91 | 91 | — | 36 | 217 | — | 253 | ||
| 2000–01 | — | 94 | 94 | — | 6 | 557 | 18 | 581 | ||
| 2001–02 | 7 | 90 | 97 | 2 | — | 415 | 110 | 527 | ||
| 2002–03 | — | 89 | 89 | 4 | — | (29) | (29) | (29) | ||
(26) The figures given represent the amount provided by central government, elements of this money required matched funding from local authorities.
(27) As central Government accounting practice changed in 2001–02, until that year figures for adults and families and UASC are on a cash basis and after they are given on an accruals basis.
(28) Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children.
(29) Figures for 2002–03 are not yet available for Adults and Families or UASC.
Revenue Support Grant and redistributed business rates are distributed through Formula Spending Shares (FSS). The Education, Personal Social Services, and Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services block all use indicators which relate to ethnic minorities. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not distinguish asylum seekers in any of the formulae.
Since 2001–02, following the FSS calculation of grant, floors and ceilings have been applied to ensure that all authorities receive at least a certain level of grant. For example in 2003–04 authorities with education responsibilities receive at least a 3.5 per cent. increase in general grant. As a result it is not possible to calculate the amount of Revenue Support Grant that is paid out to local authorities as a result of the inclusion of ethnicity indicators in the FSS formulae.
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