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20 May 2003 : Column 743W—continued

Housing Benefit

Mr. Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received regarding the loss of entitlement to housing benefit by people with learning disabilities whose accommodation has been registered by the National Care Standards Commission; and if he will make a statement. [113967]

Jacqui Smith: I have received three representations regarding people with learning disabilities who may lose entitlement to housing benefit as a result of their accommodation being registered as a care home by the National Care Standards Commission.

Mental Health

Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to ensure that mental health patients are given information about (a) the treatment and medication available to them and (b) the opportunity to choose which course of treatment or medication to take. [113712]

Jacqui Smith: People of working age who are in contact with specialist mental health and social care services have all aspects of their care and treatment, including after care, co-ordinated under the care programme approach.

All people under the care programme approach have the right to a thorough assessment of their needs, the development of a care plan and a review of that care by the professionals involved in their care.

Care plans should provide information about the patient's condition, treatment, and steps to be taken in an emergency. It is envisaged that care plans should be drawn up with the involvement of the service users, and where appropriate, their carer. Service users should be given the opportunity to sign the agreed care plan and receive a copy. Any refusal to accept treatment or medication should be noted in the care plan along with the service user's reasons for refusal.

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Any local audit of the care programme approach will need to include the views of service users, who should be given the opportunity to contribute to the setting of quality standards and measures.

Milk Tokens

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many milk tokens have been issued to qualifying families with the child tax credit to date. [113579]

Ms Blears [holding answer 15 May 2003]: No milk tokens have been distributed yet. The volume of applications received by the Inland Revenue for new tax credits has delayed the distribution of milk tokens to families who qualify through child tax credit. We are working with the Inland Revenue to ensure that milk tokens are distributed as soon as possible. Those people eligible for this scheme will receive a cheque as a cash payment for any backdated entitlement.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the NICE guidelines are for the use of biologic drugs as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis; and when the NICE Committee will next meet to discuss the use of such drugs as an early treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. [113799]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 19 May 2003]: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) published guidance on biologic drugs as a treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in March 2002 entitled "Guidance on the use of etanercept and infliximab for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis". The full guidance can be found on the NICE website at http://www.nice.org.uk/pdf/RA-PDF.pdf.

NICE is due to review the guidance in March 2005. Neither etanercept nor infliximab are licensed for the early treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and so will not be considered for this indication.

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the local government of Havering regarding contingency plans in the event of an outbreak of SARS in that area. [111301]

Ms Blears: All regions have existing plans in place for dealing with outbreaks of communicable diseases. There is also a national communicable disease outbreak and incident plan in preparation. As we learn more about severe acute respiratory syndrome we will be reviewing all contingency plans. It is important to stress that this is an evolving situation and we are constantly reviewing our plans as we learn more about the disease.

Suicide

Mr. Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what resources he will make available for the provision of services to people bereaved by suicide; [113915]

(2) what plans he has to promote services that support individuals bereaved as a result of suicide. [113917]

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Jacqui Smith: We are working with a range of relevant organisations to develop a support pack for people in contact with families bereaved by suicide—such as general practitioners, the police and religious leaders—as part of our work to implement the National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England.

We have, in addition, published a national service framework for mental health and set targets through the planning and priorities framework that are designed to improve access to a range of effective treatment and care and improve the quality of services for all those who need them, whatever the reasons for their need, based on an individual assessment, free at the point of contact. We have also published an evidence-based guideline on treatment choice in psychological therapies and counselling for referrers, and a booklet for service users to help them know the questions to ask.

Mr. Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what resources will be made available for the development of (a) local and (b) national suicide prevention strategies. [113916]

Jacqui Smith: A key objective of the mental health modernisation programme is to deliver on the targets outlined in the national service framework for mental health and the NHS Plan. The NHS Plan provides an extra investment in mental health of over £300 million by 2003–04, which includes resources to enable us to meet our commitment to reduce the mortality rate by suicide and undetermined injury by at least 20 per cent. by 2010. In addition, resources will be made available both centrally and through the National Institute for Mental Health in England's eight development centres for specific pieces of work to help implementation of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy.

Whistleblowers

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on procedures for protecting whistleblowers in the national health service. [113469]

Mr. Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the response I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Ilford, North (Linda Perham) on 19 May 2003.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Benefit Agency Offices (Sign Language)

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employees in benefit agency offices are qualified as British Sign Language interpreters; and if he will make a statement. [110878]

Maria Eagle: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Acting Chief Executive, Clare Dodgson. I have asked her to reply to the hon. Member.

Letter from Clare Dodgson to Mr. Gibb, dated 20 May 2003:

As Jobcentre Plus is an Executive Agency, the Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question concerning the number of employees in benefit agency offices who are qualified as British

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Sign Language interpreters. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of the Agency.

The working age parts of the Benefits Agency became part of Jobcentre Plus in April 2002. Some Jobcentre Plus offices include staff who have received training in British Sign Language, but we do not currently collect information on their numbers.

The Jobcentre Plus Customer Charter states that a British Sign Language Interpreter or other suitable communicator will be provided when needed. In addition all Districts have a textphone service available. The textphone number for each District is included in all their customer correspondence.

Obtaining figures on the numbers and the level to which people have been trained in both Jobcentre Plus and the Department for Work and Pensions as a whole will be incorporated as one of the initiatives we are planning as part of the European Year of Disabled People.

I hope this is helpful.

Benefits

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for North-East Hertfordshire (Mr. Heald) of 6 May 2003, Official Report, columns 544–45W, on benefits, what steps he has taken to inform customers who use a casual agent to collect their benefit that they will have the option of keeping their order books; and for how long he expects this arrangement to remain in place. [113099]

Malcolm Wicks: All customers will be supplied with information on all of the account options available to them. This will enable them to choose the most suitable account for their needs and circumstances.

Those customers who feel that the account options available do not meet their particular needs should contact the Customer Conversion Centre on the freephone number, provided in their invitation letter, to discuss their circumstances.

Order books are being phased out and will no longer be available after 2005. We are currently developing an alternative payment method to pay the small number of customers who are unable to open or manage an account.

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