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16 May 2003 : Column 481W—continued
Hysterectomies
Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the latest waiting times for urgent hysterectomies in Worcestershire. [112645]
Mr. Lammy: Information on urgent hysterectomy operations is not collected centrally.
We are reducing outpatient waits for urgent referrals and have embarked on the biggest ever programme to replace and update screening, diagnosis and treatment equipment. Within new guaranteed maximum waiting time backstops, patients are treated according to individual clinicians' assessment of clinical urgency and need.
NHS Dentistry
Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many extra NHS dental places have been funded in (a) East Staffordshire and (b) England since 1997. [113149]
Mr. Lammy: Since 1997, the funding initiatives to increase the number of national health service dental treatment places in England have been:
| Initiative | Date | Funding |
|---|---|---|
| Investing in Dentistry Scheme | 1999–2000 | 11 |
| Dental Care Development Fund | 2000–01 | 4 |
| Modernisation Fund | 2001–02 | 35 |
| Dental Action Plan | 2001–02 | 10 |
These grants were distributed to health authorities (HAs) based on the existing provision of dental services and the estimated need for future services. The HAs were then responsible for distributing this money in the form of grants to general dental service dentists who would undertake to treat an agreed number of additional NHS patients. Information on the number of additional patients is not held centrally.
South Staffordshire HA, the authority responsible for the East Staffordshire area, was awarded £108,000 from the Investing in Dentistry scheme, £50,000 from the
16 May 2003 : Column 482W
Dental Care Development Fund, £364,000 from the Modernisation Fund and £65,000 from the Dental Action Plan.
Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists there are per head of population in (a) Staffordshire and (b) England. [113151]
Mr. Lammy: The number of NHS dentists working in North Staffordshire Health Authority, South Staffordshire Health Authority and England at 30 September 2001 and the number of dentists per 100,000 population is shown in the table. These figures are on a headcount basis rather than whole time equivalent and take no account of part-time working. Dentists working in more than one dental service are included in each service, apart from dentists working in both the personal dental service (PDS) and the general dental service (GDS) who are counted in the GDS only.
Dentists working solely in private dentistry are not covered in these figures.
| NHS dentists | North Staffordshire HA | South Staffordshire HA | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| General Dental Services(4) | 126 | 178 | 18,354 |
| Salaried service of GDS | 0 | 0 | 86 |
| Personal Dental Services(5) | 15 | 11 | 467 |
| Community Dental Service(6) | 0 | 10 | 1,348 |
| Hospital Dental Services(6) | 0 | 10 | 2,184 |
| Number of dentists per 100,000 population(7) | 31 | 37 | 46 |
(4) The General Dental Service (GDS) figures cover principals on a HA list, assistants and vocational and dental practitioners.
(5) The Personal Dental Service (PDS) covers dentists working in the PDS who are not working in the GDS.
(6) Figures by Health Authority are rounded to the nearest 10.
(7) Using ONS mid-year population estimates based on the 2001 census.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the population in the Shropshire County Primary Care Trust has been registered with a dentist in each of the last five years. [113169]
Mr. Lammy: At 28 February 2003, 39.3 per cent. of the population for Shropshire County Primary Care Trust were registered with a general dental service (GDS) dentist. The information in the table shows the percentage of population registered with a dentist for Shropshire health authority area at 30 September for the years 1998 to 2001 and for 31 August 2002.
| At 30 September | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 1998(8) | 44.4 |
| 1999(8) | 43.2 |
| 2000(8) | 42.7 |
| 2001(9) | 40.7 |
| 2002(10) | 41.4 |
(8) 1998–2000 ONS mid year population estimates based on the 1991 census.
(9) 2001 ONS mid year population estimates based on the 2001 census.
(10) 2002 data is at 31 August 2003.
16 May 2003 : Column 483W
Registrations lapse if patients do not return to their dentist within 15 months and so the registration figures exclude patients who have not been to their GDS dentist within the past 15 months. Also excluded from the figures are patients who receive dental treatment from other national health service dental services including dental access centres.
Some of the reduction in recorded registration numbers is due to improvements in the methods of removing duplicate registration records, which were first employed by the Dental Practice Board in 1993.
Hospitals
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations have been cancelled at the (a) Princess Royal hospital and (b) Royal Shrewsbury hospital in the last 12 months. [113165]
Mr. Lammy: The number of last minute cancellations for non clinical reasons in the period January to December 2002, which is the latest information available, was 79 at the Princess Royal hospital national health service trust and 352 at the Royal Shrewsbury NHS trust. Last minute means on the day patients were due to arrive, after the patient has arrived in hospital or on the day of their operation/surgery.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are waiting for in-patient treatment at (a) Royal Shrewsbury hospital and (b) Princess Royal hospital. [113168]
Mr. Lammy: At the end of February 2003, there were 1,392 patients waiting for inpatient treatment at Princess Royal hospital national health service trust and 3,698 waiting at Royal Shrewsbury hospitals NHS trust.
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the value of settled negligence claims brought against the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital was in each year since 1997. [113049]
Mr. Lammy: This information is not collected centrally.
Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to confirm the dates by which the Worcestershire Acute hospitals NHS trust must (a) bring its annual expenditure into balance and (b) repay its accumulated deficit; and if he will make a statement. [112665]
Mr. Lammy: In line with this Government's policy of "Shifting the Balance of Power", discussions about individual health organisations financial positions are undertaken locally with relevant commissioners and if required the local strategic health authority (SHA). In this case West Midlands South SHA.
SCOTLAND
Departmental Catering Services
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the cost was of (a) in-house canteen and (b) other catering services provided by the Department in 2002. [104261]
16 May 2003 : Column 484W
Mrs. Liddell: My Department does not provide in-house canteen or other catering services. Scotland Office staff have access to canteen and catering facilities in those buildings shared with the Scottish Executive.
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what her estimate is of the expenditure of her Department on newspapers, magazines and periodicals in 2002. [106307]
Mrs. Liddell: Estimated expenditure on newspapers, magazines and periodicals purchased centrally by my department in 2002–03 is £12,846.
Departmental Invoices
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will list the occasions on which her Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies failed to pay valid invoices within 30 days or after the agreed credit period in the financial year 2001–02. [104309]
Mrs. Liddell: The only non-departmental public body for which my Department has responsibility is the Boundary Commission for Scotland. Payment performance details for the Commission are not recorded separately and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Running Costs
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the running costs in 2002 were of (a) her Ministers' private offices, separately identifying expenditure on staff, and (b) her Department. [106000]
Mrs. Liddell: The running costs of my Department's private offices in 2001–02 were £614,146, of which £325,982 related to staff costs. The figures do not take account of accommodation costs and other overheads.
The running costs (administration costs) of the Department in 2001–02 were £6.6 million, of which £3.8 million was staff costs.
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