| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
8 May 2003 : Column 813W—continued
Hospital Stays
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the number of (a) pensioners and (b) people on income support who will be helped by the Budget proposals regarding stays in hospital. [111898]
Maria Eagle: The information is not available in the format requested.
8 May 2003 : Column 814W
Over 20,000 pensioners and around 3,000 income support recipients aged under 60 are affected at any one time by reductions in their benefits as a result of a stay in hospital of between six and 52 weeks. All of these people will therefore benefit from the recent announcement which will change the rules so that hospital deductions in respect of certain benefits are made after a stay of 52 weeks in hospital.
- Notes:
- 1. For pensioners, the estimate is based on September 2002 retirement pension administrative data. For people aged under 60, the estimate is based on the latest available income support data (November 2002).
- 2. The above estimates represent the number of people who will benefit at any given time from changes on hospital deductions. It is not possible to estimate reliably the total number of people who will benefit from the recent rule changes over the course of a year.
Winter Fuel Payments
Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of people aged 80 and over in (a) Cleethorpes constituency and (b) Grimsby constituency who will receive the increased winter allowance of £300. [111473]
Maria Eagle: The information is not available in the format requested. However, there are around 4,100 people in Cleethorpes constituency and 3,800 in Grimsby constituency who are aged 80 or over. If these people are entitled to a winter fuel payment, they will also be entitled to an additional payment.
Health and Safety at Work
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many work-related deaths have occurred in each year since 1997; and who is responsible for investigating work-related incidents. [110828]
Mr. Nicholas Brown: The information on the number of work-related deaths which have occurred in each year since 1997, reported to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and local authorities under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 1995, is in the table:
| Employee | Self-employed | Member of the public | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 207 | 80 | 367 | 654 |
| 1997–98 | 212 | 62 | 393 | 667 |
| 1998–99 | 188 | 65 | 369 | 622 |
| 1999–2000 | 162 | 58 | 436 | 656 |
| 2000–01 | 213 | 79 | 444 | 736 |
| 2001–02 (7) | 204 | 45 | 384 | 633 |
| 2002–03(7),(8) | 126 | 35 | 325 | 486 |
(7) Provisional
(8) First nine months.
Notes:
1. Figures refer to Great Britain, and planning years from 1 April to 31 March.
2. Figures for members of the public include acts of suicide and trespass on railway systems. In 2001–02 such incidents accounted for 275 of the total fatal injuries to members of the public.
HSE and local authorities are responsible for investigating work-related health and safety incidents which are reportable to them, according to the Health and Safety (Enforcing Authority) Regulations 1998.
8 May 2003 : Column 815W
HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION
Parliamentary Website
Sandra Gidley: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission which company is contracted to manage the parliamentary website search engine; how many years this company has held the contract; how much has been paid to this company in each year for which figures are available; when the contract is up for renewal; and if he will make a statement. [111871]
Sir Archy Kirkwood: The parliamentary website has two search facilities. The first is a search function supplied as part of the service provided by The Stationery Office Ltd., for the electronic publication of House of Commons publications. The company has provided the service since it was first launched in 1996 and most recently was awarded a five-year contract, with the possibility of extension for up to a further two years, from 1 April 2000. This service was modified in July last year, as part of the redesign of the Parliamentary website, by the provision of a new front end search menu and the inclusion of the ability to search across the remainder of material on the parliamentary website.
The second relates to the more specialised searches that can be undertaken within the POLIS system. This system is due to be replaced by the end of 2004 and, as part of the tendering exercise that is already well under way, options for the replacement of the search facility will be evaluated. In both cases the search functions are part of a larger service and so it is not possible to identify the specific costs incurred in providing them. In any case, as a matter of policy, the House does not disclose the cost of individual contracts, which are commercially confidential.
INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Malaria
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what contributions she has made to the control of malaria in Africa since the Abuja meeting on tropical disease in 2000. [110623]
Clare Short: DFID is committed to the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goal to halt and begin to reverse the incidence of malaria by 2015, as well as to supporting the principles and targets set out at the African Summit on Roll Back Malaria held in Abuja in April 2000.
At the 1998 G8 summit in Birmingham the UK Government pledged 60 million in support of malaria activities, and financial commitments since then have far exceeded this figure. Nearly 48 million has already been disbursed to the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) initiative, and my Department has since reaffirmed our commitment to combating malaria by pledging $200 million over five years to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFATM). DFID also supports malaria control activities at country-level through our bi-lateral country programmes, as well as globally through a number of means such as support to the Medical Research Council
8 May 2003 : Column 816W
(MRC) and to the Malaria Consortium Resource Centre, developing knowledge to improve evidence—based interventions. Further investments have been made in the Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) and other initiatives to help find new low-cost malaria treatments, and to ensure these are made accessible to the poor.
If drugs and commodities for malaria and other diseases are to be accessible to the poor, then it is also vital that health systems are strengthened to deliver these services safely and sustainably. Accordingly DFID focuses much of its health work on building and strengthening health systems and has committed over 1.5 billion since 1997 to this end.
Counselling Services
Mr. Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what arrangements are made in her Department to allow staff to access counselling services. [111932]
Clare Short: DFID has in-house staff counsellors in both its HQ offices in London and East Kilbride, who provide a service to all UK based staff at home and overseas. Staff appointed in country in our regional offices overseas can also access the service by e-mail or telephone if they wish.
We are currently in the process of organising an enhanced counselling service in the form of an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) for all our staff in regional offices.
The Department is committed to helping all its employees deal with their concerns both inside and outside the workplace.
Entertainment Costs
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when she has entertained Labour hon. Members at public expense in the last 12 months; and at what cost. [106399]
Clare Short: I have not entertained Labour Members at public expense in the last 12 months.
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what progress the International Financial Institutions Department within her Department has made on publication of a list of shame of creditors not complying with the HIPC process; and if she will make a statement. [111562]
Clare Short: My Department, together with HM Treasury, has pressed the World Bank and the IMF to take concrete action to secure the full participation of non-Paris Club creditors in the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. Several of these, including, both official bilateral creditors and commercial creditors have yet to deliver debt relief. In response to pressure from us the Bank and Fund now include in their HIPC progress reports details of those creditors who have yet to agree to deliver any HIPC relief. For most HIPC countries, the amounts of relief owed to them by non-Paris Club creditors are small, but the
8 May 2003 : Column 817W
potential costs are much higher, in the form of penalty interest and legal fees. The World Bank and IMF staffs have intensified their discussion with non-participating creditors, and Libya, one of the largest such creditors, has now agreed to participate in the Initiative. Discussions continue with the other creditors.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |