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10 Apr 2003 : Column 376W—continued
Health Awareness Courses
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the awareness courses run by the NHS since May 1997; and how much each course has cost. [102087]
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Ms Blears: Public health awareness campaign initiatives run by the Department of Health's communications directorate since April 1997, are shown in the table. Public
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health awareness courses are not run from the Department. Details of any such courses which might be run within the national health service are not held centrally.
| Name of campaign | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Antibiotics | — | * | * | — | * | * |
| Blood donation | * | * | * | — | — | — |
| CALM | * | * | * | * | * | * |
| Flu | * | * | * | * | * | * |
| Immunisation | — | — | — | — | * | * |
| Keep Warm Keep Well | * | * | * | * | * | * |
| Mind Out | — | — | — | — | * | * |
| NHS Direct | * | * | * | * | * | * |
| Organ donation | * | * | * | * | * | * |
| RU Thinking (teenage pregnancy) | * | * | * | * | * | * |
| Sexual health | — | — | — | — | * | * |
| Smoking | — | — | * | * | * | * |
| TB awareness | — | — | — | — | * | — |
* Depicts year of campaign.
Overseas Health Treatment
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost is (a) in a UK hospital and (b) in a German hospital which carries out procedures in agreement with the NHS, (i) including and (ii) excluding the cost of travel to and from the UK and (c) a French hospital (i) including and (ii) excluding the cost of travel to and from the UK of (A) a hip joint replacement, (B) a knee joint replacement and (C) a coronary artery by-pass graft. [105861]
Mr. Hutton: National health service national reference costs are provided on the Department of Health website. The average cost of a primary hip replacement is £4,356, the average cost of a primary knee replacement is £4,818, and the average cost of a coronary bypass is £6,275.
A procurement process identifying spare capacity abroad is currently active, so the costs of specific procedures abroad are commercially sensitive. However, prices are comparable to spot purchasing in the UK private sector.
Pharmacists
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pharmacists have received grant aid to install consultation areas in their premises. [107755]
Mr. Lammy: In general, the provision of consultation areas in pharmacies is primarily a commercial decision for the contractor concerned. Local national health service bodies may have made grants available, but no details are held centrally.
As part of a research project where community pharmacists provide a structured service reviewing medication for patients with coronary heart disease, the Department has provided funding of between £900 and £1,500 towards the costs of providing or improving such areas to five out of 60 participating pharmacies.
We are examining with the pharmaceutical services negotiating committee and the NHS Confederation how premises standards generally and the provision of consultation areas can best be reflected within the new national contractual framework for community pharmacy.
Specialist Services
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when the steady state funding arrangements for specialist services will cease; and what plans he has to monitor the impact of this change; [105564]
- (2) if he will issue guidance to primary care trusts to ensure consistency in the arrangements for commissioning specialist services and continuity of service for patients. [105565]
Mr. Hutton: Steady state funding lasted from April 2002 to March 2003. Strategic health authorities will monitor the effectiveness of primary care trusts' collaborative commissioning arrangements for specialised services.
The responses to the consultation on commissioning arrangements for specialised services were published on 6 March 2003. Guidance was published on 31 March 2003 on commissioning arrangements for 2003–04.
St. Mary's Hospital, London
Diana Organ: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing staff at St. Mary's Hospital, London have worked on extended 14-hour shifts in the last six months; and how many have worked on extended 14-hour shifts more than three times in a row. [107966]
Mr. Hutton: The Department does not collect this information centrally.
HOME DEPARTMENT
Charities
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what information he has collated on how many charities have converted to company limited by guarantee status (a) in order to
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avoid trustee indemnity insurance and (b) for other purposes in (i) each of the last three years and (ii) 2003 to date. [107136]
Beverley Hughes: This is a matter for the Charity Commission as the Government Department responsible for the regulation of charities in England and Wales. The Commission's Director of Policy will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Library.
Trustee Indemnity Insurance
Mr. George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recent representations he has received from charities in relation to trustee indemnity insurance. [107134]
Beverley Hughes: Five representations about trustee indemnity insurance have been received from charities responding to the Strategy Unit Report, "Private Action, Public Benefit: A Review of Charities and the Wider Not-for-Profit Sector" although the issue of indemnity insurance was not raised in the report.
This is also a matter for the Charity Commission as the Government Department responsible for the regulation of charities in England and Wales. The Commission's Director of Policy will write to my hon. Friend and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Library.
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children of asylum seekers under the age of 18 years are being held in the former prison at Dungavel in Scotland; and for what reason. [106114]
Beverley Hughes: A one-off exercise carried out on 2 April 2003 shows that 21 people were being held in Dungavel Immigration Service Removal Centre at that date who were recorded as being under 18 years of age.
Minors are detained only in two limited circumstances: first, as part of a family group whose detention is considered appropriate; second, when unaccompanied, whilst alternative care arrangements are made and normally just overnight.
More detailed information on those in detention at 29 March 2003 is due to be published on 30 May on the Home Office website: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/whatsnew1.html
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) adults and (b) children under the age of 18 are held in each asylum removal centre in the UK; and how many have been held (i) for less than a month, (ii) between one and three months, (iii) between three and six months and (iv) over six months. [107302]
Beverley Hughes: The latest published information on the number of people held in each Immigration Service Removal Centre (IRC) is for 28 December 2002 and is given in the table. Information on the age of individual detainees is not collated centrally therefore information on the length of time that these people have been in detention is not available.
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| Total detainees | Of whom asylum seekers(7) | |
|---|---|---|
| Dover | 190 | 155 |
| Campsfield House | 160 | 95 |
| Harmondsworth | 150 | 110 |
| Hasl.ar | 120 | 100 |
| Lindholme | 90 | 80 |
| Tinsley House | 85 | 45 |
| Dungavel | 80 | 55 |
| Oakington | 40 | 40 |
| Total | 920 | 680 |
Figures are rounded to nearest five.
(7) Persons detained solely under Immigration Act powers who are recorded as having sought asylum at some stage.
Dungavel, Harmondsworth, Oakington and Tinsley House are the only Immigration Service Removal Centres that deal with family cases.
A one-off exercise was carried out on 2 April 2003 to assess the number of children under the age of 18 detained in these IRC's, the results of which are contained in the following table.
| Immigration Service RemovalCentre | Children under 18 years of age in Detention at 2 April 2003 |
|---|---|
| Dungavel | 21 |
| Harmondsworth | 18 |
| Oakington | 14 |
| Tinsley | 3 |
| Total | 56 |
Minors are detained only in two limited circumstances: first, as part of a family group whose detention is considered appropriate; second, when unaccompanied, whilst alternative care arrangements are made and normally just overnight.
More detailed information on those in detention at 29 March 2003 is due to be published on 30 May on the Home Office web-site: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/whatsnew1.html
John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) adults and (b) children are held in each removal centre in the UK. [105765]
Beverley Hughes: The latest information published information on the number of people held in each Immigration Service Removal Centre (IRC) is for 28 December 2002 and is given in the table. Information on the age of individual detainees is not collated centrally.
(8) Persons detained solely under Immigration Act powers who are recorded as having sought asylum at some stage.
Note:
Figures are rounded to nearest five.
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Dungavel, Harmondsworth, Oakington and Tinsley House are the only Immigration Service Removal Centres that deal with family cases. A one-off exercise was carried out on 2 April 2003 to assess the number of children under the age of 1 8 detained in these four IRC's, the results of which are contained in the following table.
| Immigration Service RemovalCentre | Children under 18 years of age in detention at 2 April 2003 |
|---|---|
| Dungavel | 21 |
| Harmondsworth | 18 |
| Oakington | 14 |
| Tinsley | 3 |
| Total | 56 |
Minors are detained only in two limited circumstances: first, as part of a family group whose detention is considered appropriate; second, when unaccompanied, while alternative care arrangements are made and normally just overnight.
More detailed information on those in detention at 29 March 2003 is due to be published on 30 May on the Home Office website: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/whatsnew1.html
Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases have been brought against housing companies used by the Department for asylum seekers. [107318]
Beverley Hughes: The National Asylum Support Service (NASS) has not taken legal action against any of its contractors. NASS is aware that one of its contractors has been involved in a dispute with a former sub-contractor. NASS was not directly involved in this dispute. Their concern was for the safety of asylum seekers placed in accommodation affected by the dispute.
Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidelines are given by the Department to (a) GPs, (b) schools, (c) social services, (d) job centres and (e) the legal profession in respect of asylum seekers. [107323]
- Beverley Hughes: The Home Office is responsible for meeting the direct needs of destitute asylum seekers and their dependants (accommodation and subsistence). Services such as education and health are provided in the same way as they are for anyone else moving into an area. Local Education Authorities (LEAs) have a statutory duty to ensure that education is available for all children of compulsory school age in their area, irrespective of a child's immigration status or rights of residence in a particular location. The Department for Education and
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- Skills has produced guidance on supporting the education of asylum seeking and refugee children which covers good practice at both LEA and school level. The Department of Health is responsible for issuing guidance to primary care trusts/local authority social services respectively. Regional consortia have been established in each region of the UK and these include representatives from local councils, the education authorities and the National Health Service. Generally speaking asylum seekers are not allowed to work whilst their application for asylum is under consideration and no guidance is issued to Job Centres.
The Legal Services Commission has entered into contracts with competent legal representatives to provide legal representation to asylum seekers. The voluntary sector is grant funded by the National Asylum Support Service to provide one stop services in dispersal areas to assist asylum seekers.
Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department's guidelines state that asylum seekers housed in cluster areas must be three miles or less from (a) a main post office and (b) a main rail station. [108008]
Beverley Hughes: The accommodation provided by the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) is chosen on the basis of suitability to house asylum seekers and their dependants within the cluster areas throughout the United Kingdom. The cluster areas are ideally based in towns and cities where suitable accommodation is available and where there is potential to provide a link with existing multi-cultural communities and to develop the support of local voluntary and community groups.
The accommodation within the cluster areas is also located within a three mile radius of the main post office. If the accommodation is located outside of this three mile radius, it is the responsibility of the accommodation provider to cover the cost of travel to the main post office in order for asylum seekers to collect their support payments. There is no requirement for accommodation to be provided within a certain distance of the railway station in each cluster area.
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to be able to deport failed asylum seekers from (a) Northern Iraq and (b) the rest of Iraq. [108022]
Beverley Hughes: It is important that Iraqis start returning to their country once the conflict is over. We will start removing unsuccessful asylum seekers as soon as conditions make this possible.
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