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29 Apr 2003 : Column 338W—continued
CABINET OFFICE
Civil Service
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will report progress on meeting targets for the proportion of disabled people in senior civil service positions. [110058]
Mr. Alexander: As at October 2002, 1.7 per cent. of staff at Senior Civil Service level are disabled, compared with 1.5 per cent. in 1998.
We have set a target to increase the proportion of disabled staff at SCS level to 3 per cent. by 2005, and we are taking steps to increase the rate of progress.
This includes refocusing the centrally-run Bursary Scheme for Disabled Staff on staff with potential to reach the Senior Civil Service; producing guidance to support managers on a range of issues including recruitment of
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disabled people, mental health issues and providing reasonable adjustments; and running a Summer Placement Scheme in 2003 to provide work placements for 60 disabled graduates and undergraduates across the Service.
Public Service Agreement
Mr. John Bercow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (a) how many and (b) what grades of officials are responsible for the monitoring of progress towards the public service agreement targets of the Department. [109468]
Mr. Alexander: Monitoring progress towards the department's PSA targets is undertaken by a wide variety of staff at all levels of the organisation.
SCOTLAND
North Sea Oil and Gas
Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to her answer to the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight (Mr. Turner) of 8 April 2003, Official Report, column 120W, on North Sea oil and gas, how much has been invested by industry in each year since the PILOT initiative was introduced; and if she will make a statement on how the Government has contributed to the progress of the initiative's objectives. [109364]
Mr. Wilson: I have been asked to reply.
PILOT, the successor body to the Oil and Gas Industry Task Force, was formed in January 2000 and works in close partnership with industry to ensure the sustainability of the UK oil and gas industry to 2010 and beyond. The areas of interest to PILOT can be broadly grouped as Activity/Investment, Supply Chain, People and Jobs, Sustainable Development and Technology and Innovation. A number of challenging targets have been set for 2010 and a significant level of work invested by both Government and industry in reaching these targets. They are as follows:
- Production of £3 million boe per day in 2010
CAPEX investment maintained at £3 billion per year to 2010
50 per cent. increase in the value of industry-related exports by 2005
£1 billion of revenue from New Business by 2010
100,000 more jobs than there would have been in 2010
Operator total spend on new and existing UK oil and gas fields, as provided by UKOOA, are as follows:
| Calendar year | £ billion |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 8 |
| 2001 | 9 |
| 2002 | 9 |
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HEALTH
Autism
14. Dr. Ladyman : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve the (a) assessment and (b) screening of children for autism. [109815]
Jacqui Smith: These issues are addressed by the National Autism Plan for Children. This Plan will inform the care pathway for autism that is being developed for the forthcoming Children's National Service Framework.
Prison Health Care
15. Mr. Paul Marsden : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the provision of prison health care. [109816]
Jacqui Smith: Standards of prison health care have already been much improved since the establishment in April 2000 of the partnership between the Prison Service and the NHS. My Department's assumption of budgetary responsibility for prison health care from 1 April 2003 will lead to increased investment and further improvements in services.
Agency Nurses
16. Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses he expects to be recruited from agencies in the year to April 2004. [109817]
21. Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses were recruited from agencies in 2002. [109822]
Mr. Hutton: The information is not collected centrally.
Hospital-acquired Infections
17. Mr. Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients (a) died and (b) had limbs amputated as a result of infections acquired in NHS hospitals in the most recent year for which estimates are available. [109818]
Mr. Lammy: There are no centrally held statistics on the number for deaths or amputations caused by hospital acquired infections.
Prescription-plus System
18. Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the progress of the prescription plus system. [109819]
Mr. Lammy: There are 64 specialist neurology centres designated to initiate treatment under the risk-sharing scheme and the majority are now doing so. We estimate that around 300 new patients each month are starting to receive a drug treatment for their multiple sclerosis.
Food Safety (Acrylamide)
19. Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the prevalence of acrylamide in cooked and prepared food. [109820]
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Ms Blears: The Food Standards Agency is taking a central role in co-ordination of international efforts to determine the extent of acrylamide formation in foods.
Food Standards Agency funded research includes a survey of acrylamide in the UK diet, which will be reported in autumn 2003.
Performance Star Ratings
20. Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the NHS performance star ratings in 2003 will take the same form as in 2002. [109821]
Mr. Hutton: From this year, the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) will be responsible for publication of NHS Performance Ratings. CHI will broadly follow the methods used for 2001–02. This year will also be the first time that full performance ratings will be given to Mental Health and Primary Care Trusts.
PET Scanners
22. Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the use in the NHS of PET scanners. [109823]
Ms Blears: There are five PET scanners in NHS hospitals in England that are used routinely for clinical assessment. In addition there are four PET scanners located in dedicated research facilities as well as three private facilities available for NHS patients.
Lymphoedema
23. Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the availability of training for NHS nurses in the practical elements of treatment for lymphoedema. [109824]
Mr. Hutton: We will be investing in the region of £90 million per year over the next three years in training for qualified nurses in the national health service. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence breast cancer guidance published last summer addressed the management of lymphoedema. This will guide local decisions on appropriate staffing for a lymphoedema service and associated needs such as training.
Agency Staff
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many letters he has received from (a) hon. Members and (b) NHS trust chief executives regarding the need to employ agency staff to cover vacancies. [100499]
Mr. Hutton: The Department has received 59 letters from hon. Members and 15 from members of the public concerning issues around the use of agency staff between April 2002 and March 2003. It is not possible to separately identify letters from trust chief executives.
Alzheimer's Disease
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the level of public funding for research into Alzheimer's disease in each of the last six years. [109964]
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Jacqui Smith: The main Government agency for research into the causes and treatments of disease is the Medical Research Council (MRC), which receives its funding from the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Technology. The MRCs expenditure on research into Alzheimer's disease, general dementia and related conditions is shown in the table.
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 5.5 |
| 1998–99 | 6.0 |
| 1999–2000 | 7.2 |
| 2000–01 | 8.2 |
| 2001–02 | 6.6 |
| 2002–03 | not available |
The Department funds research to support policy and the delivery of effective practice in health and social care. The Department's expenditure on research into Alzheimer's disease and dementia is shown in the table.
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 0.4 |
| 1998–99 | 3.2 |
| 1999–2000 | 1.0 |
| 2000–01 | 4.7 |
| 2001–02 | 2.9 |
| 2002–03 | 1.6 |
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