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6 May 2003 : Column 661W—continued

Nurse Prescribers

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his target is for the number of nurse prescribers; when the target was published; when the target is due to be met; what the baseline was for the target; and what progress has been made towards meeting the target. [109997]

Mr. Hutton: We have already met the target set out in the NHS Plan, by enabling over 23,000 nurses with a district nurse or health visitor qualification to prescribe for their patients.

The majority of nurses are able to supply medicines.

Overseas Nurse Advice Line

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his Answer of 11 March 2003, Official Report, column 207–08W, regarding the overseas nurse advice line, which of the organisations listed attended the meeting to decide the continuing funding of the overseas nurse advice line. [110252]

Mr. Hutton: The following organisations have attended the quarterly meeting on the international nurses advice line: Unison, Royal College of Nursing, Trent Workforce Development Confederation, Work Permits (UK), Filipino Community Support Group, Independent Healthcare Association, Registered Nursing Home Association, Department of Trade and Industry and the Philippine Embassy.

Paediatric Pathology

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on staff shortages in paediatric pathology; and if he will make a statement. [109545]

Mr. Hutton: The Department of Health is aware of the challenges facing National Health Service paediatric pathology services, highlighted in the recent report by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health on 'The Future of Paediatric Pathology Services'. Department of Health officials recently met the Presidents of Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Royal College of Pathologists and the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology to discuss strategies for improving long-term staffing levels in this

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specialty. The children's care group workforce team is also considering this issue. The Department is also funding conversion fellowships to support experienced histopathologists to specialise in paediatric pathology. This will help improve staffing levels.

Radiographers

Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many additional diagnostic and therapeutic radiographers have been employed in the NHS in (a) England, (b) each NHS region and (c) each NHS trust in each of the last six years. [110384]

Mr. Hutton: Between 1997 and 2001, the number of diagnostic radiographers employed in the national health service have increased by 800 or 8 per cent. and therapeutic radiographers have increased by 140 or 10 per cent.

Information on the number of diagnostic and therapeutic radiographers employed in the NHS from 1997–2001, broken down by NHS trust has been placed in the Library. Information from the September 2002 census will be available shortly.

Security Incidents

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the number of security incidents in the NHS in England in each year since 1997. [110822]

Mr. Hutton: Information relating to security incidents in healthcare premises has been collected centrally since 1999. The number of security incidents reported since this date is shown in the table.

	Number of incidents
2001–02	166,667
2000–01	112,095
1999–2000	106,935

The increase in the number of incidents reported to 2002 is due, in part, to healthcare organisations initiating better reporting procedures. Historically, there has been significant under reporting of violence towards staff in the national health service. A key objective of the NHS zero tolerance campaign has been to improve levels of reporting among staff. It was acknowledged that the level of recorded incidents was likely to rise in the short term.

Serious Road Accidents

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding is available within his Department for helping the victims of serious road accidents; and if he will make a statement. [109534]

Mr. Hutton: The Department does not allocate specific funding for serious road accident victims.

It is our policy, within the framework set out in the NHS Plan and the 'Shifting the Balance of Power' initiative, to devolve funding decisions to the front line. It is now for primary care trusts, in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders, to determine how best to use their funds to meet

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national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services, based on the specialised knowledge they have of the local community.

Special Advisers

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the salary bill was for special advisers in his Department in 2002–03; and what it is expected to be in 2003–04. [108502]

Mr. Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State, Cabinet Office on 28 April 2003, Official Report, column 45W.

Telemedicine

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether money allocated to local authorities and primary care trusts and the additional extra funding announced as part of the package for the introduction of cross charging from next January will include funding for telecare and telehealthcare devices which promote independent living. [111175]

Jacqui Smith: There is no ring-fenced funding for telecare and telehealthcare devices within the allocations to local authorities and primary care trusts. The use of, and expenditure on, telecare and telehealthcare units in specific instances is a matter for local healthcare providers depending on local working practice and priorities.

There will be no conditions linked to the additional funding for the introdution of cross-charging.

The Carers' Resource, Harrogate

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assistance his Department is giving to primary care trusts so that they can support voluntary organisations, with particular reference to The Carers' Resource in Harrogate. [109712]

Jacqui Smith: Primary care trusts (PCTs) can, at their discretion, provide funding to voluntary organisations from their general funding allocation. On 3 April, the Department of Health reminded PCTs and other health providers of Government policy regarding the critical role carers play.

The Carers' Resource is receiving funding of £42,985 from Craven, Harrogate and Rural District PCT in the current financial year.

Working Time Directive

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff are being taken on by the NHS to manage the transition to the European Working Time Directive. [110944]

Mr. Hutton: The national health service is substantially expanding its staffing to deliver more and improved care for patients including compliance with the Working Time Directive (WTD).

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These additional staff will help the NHS to comply with the WTD. It is equally important to change working practices, so that the additional staff are used in a way which not only delivers WTD compliance but also the extra service activity to meet NHS Plan targets.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Bullying and Harassment

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent investigations he has made into allegations of bullying and harassment of (a) male and (b) female council chief executives for political partisan motives; and if he will make a statement. [110986]

Mr. Leslie: The Standards Board for England has responsibility for investigating allegations that members may have breached the code of conduct, including by seeking to bully employees or otherwise compromise the impartiality of those who work for the authority.

Cheltenham Borough Council

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will ask the Standards Board for England to look into allegations of unlawful practice by members of the Cheltenham Borough Council Cabinet. [110984]

Mr. Leslie: Any person—including hon. Members—may make a written allegation to the Standards Board that a member of a local authority has breached the code of conduct; the Board is statutorily required to consider all such allegations.

Civil Service (People with Disabilities)

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress has been made in meeting targets for the proportion of people with disabilities in senior posts in the Department. [110525]

Mr. Leslie: Along with other Government Departments, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is taking steps to increase the number of people with disabilities in its senior posts by making greater use of open competition to provide a wider pool of diverse applicants from which to recruit to senior posts. The latest Office of the Deputy Prime Minister disability survey showed that 1.9 per cent. of its Senior Civil Service (SCS) have a declared disability (against the corporate SCS target of 3 per cent. by 2005).

Two the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister participants are currently participating in the two year Cabinet Office Bursary Scheme for Talented Civil Servants with Disabilities and one other will begin in the next round.

The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Equality and Diversity Unit have commissioned an internal project to develop a statistical model to assist in the setting of employment targets for people currently under-represented in the organisation (both SCS and below). It does this by taking account both of internal manpower planning and the profile of the wider population.

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The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister also participates in the Cabinet Office Disability Working Group which is looking at issues around data collection and culture change.

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