House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 16 Jun 2003 (pt 20)

16 Jun 2003 : Column 74W—continued

Paediatric Nurses

Dr. Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many nurses with specialist qualifications in paediatric medicine are working in the NHS; [117768]

Mr. Hutton: Information on the number of nurses with specialist qualifications in paediatric medicine employed in the national health service is not collected centrally.

As at September 2001, the latest available data, there were 17,640 nurses employed in the paediatric nursing area of work. This represents 36 per 100,000 population and is a 15 per cent. increase since 1997.

Primary Care Resources

Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he is proposing to ensure that all primary care resources allocated to PCTs are passed to front line patient care providers. [117413]

Mr. Hutton: If the new general medical services contract is accepted by the profession, expenditure on primary care will increase from £5 billion in 2002–03 to £6.8 billion in 2005–06. There will be a Gross Investment Guarantee that these resources will be delivered. To ensure delivery, the pricing of the contract could be adjusted.

16 Jun 2003 : Column 75W

A joint Health Departments and British Medical Association technical steering committee will monitor the level of investment. This monitoring will include investment in enhanced services, which will also be performance managed by strategic health authorities.

Primary Care Trusts

Mr. Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when setting weighted capitation targets for resource allocation to primary care trusts, what account is taken of the unavoidable geographical variations in the cost of providing services. [118952]

Mr. Hutton: The weighted capitation formula used to inform the allocation of resources to primary care trusts includes a market forces factor. The market forces factor takes account of unavoidable variations in the cost of providing services due to location.

Further information on the market forces factor is available in "Resource Allocation: Weighted Capitation Formula". Copies are available in the Library.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many numbered training places were available for trainee consultants specialising in rheumatoid arthritis in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [118454]

Mr. Hutton: Rheumatoid arthritis is a condition covered by the rheumatology specialty. We are unable to determine how many trainee specialists, with national training numbers (NTNs) in rheumatology, specialise in rheumatoid arthritis.

The table shows the number of NTNs in rheumatology in each of the last five years.

Numbered training places in Rheumatology 1998 to 2002

Year⁽⁵⁾ Number of numbered training places

1998⁽⁶⁾ 185

1999⁽⁶⁾ 188

2000⁽⁶⁾ 183

2001 198

2002 206

Year⁽⁵⁾	Number of numbered training places
1998⁽⁶⁾	185
1999⁽⁶⁾	188
2000⁽⁶⁾	183
2001	198
2002	206

⁽⁵⁾ As of March

⁽⁶⁾ May be missing small number of unassigned Numbered Training Places

For 2003–04, trusts will have the opportunity to create up to 40 additional locally funded specialist registrar (NTN) training opportunities in rheumatology.

Between September 1997 and March 2002, the number of consultants in rheumatology increased by 27 per cent.

School Nurses

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many school nurses there were in each year since 1997. [117576]

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Mr. Hutton: Separate information on the number of school nurses employed in the national health service is not collected centrally.

Between 1997 and 2001, the number of qualified nurses employed in community services, which includes most school nurses, has increased by 6,500, or 14 per cent., to 52,400.

Somali People

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates he has made of the number of Somali-speaking people who are (a) registered with GPs in each London health district and (b) the number who cannot be placed on the GPs' register. [117692]

Mr. Hutton: Anyone who is ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom is entitled to register with a general practitioner for general medical senvices or with a personal medical services (PMS) pilot provider to receive PMS. A person is 'ordinarily resident' for this purpose if lawfully living in the UK for a settled purpose for at least six months. Anyone coming to live in this country on this basis would qualify as ordinarily resident.

If a person is having difficulties registering with a GP, they should contact their local primary care trust (PCT), which will be able to provide a list of doctors to whom they can apply. PCTs also have the power to allocate a person to a GP.

St. George's, Tooting

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department has given to St. George's Hospital NHS Trust, Tooting since May 1997. [118929]

Mr. Hutton: National health service trusts do not normally receive funding from the Department of Health but receive income for service provision from primary care trusts. The figure given is the total income, including all income from activities and all other operating income, for St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust.

Income for the latest five years for St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust, for which figures are available, is shown in the table.

£000

Total income

2001–02 251,017

2000–01 223,195

1999–2000 227,622

1998–99 185,927

1997–98 173,135

	Total income
2001–02	251,017
2000–01	223,195
1999–2000	227,622
1998–99	185,927
1997–98	173,135

Source:

Audited summarisation schedules of the St. George's Healthcare NHS Trust 1997–98 to 2001–02.

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Theft (Hospitals)

Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many instances of theft from corpses in NHS hospitals were recorded in each of the last five years for which there are records. [118183]

Mr. Hutton: This information is not routinely collected centrally.

Private Hospital Invoices

Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how invoices for operations carried out in private hospitals are raised. [117199]

Mr. Hutton: This information is not held centrally. The arrangements for invoicing are the commercial responsibility of individual private hospitals.

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NORTHERN IRELAND

Attacks on Politicians

Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the attacks on (a) the person and (b) the property of those involved in democratic politics in Northern Ireland since 1 January, broken down by (i) the nature of the attack, (ii) the weapon or amount and type of explosive used and (iii) the judgement of the PSNI as to the organisation responsible. [115898]

Jane Kennedy: The Government unreservedly condemns all attacks on the democratic process. The following attacks were carried out on those involved in democratic politics since 1 January 2003:

(a) Attacks on persons involved in democratic politics 1 January 2003 to date

16 April An explosive device consisting of 2 pipe bombs attached to a gas cylinder was placed outside the constituency offices of Nigel Dodds MP for Belfast, North. The attack was subsequently claimed by CIRA.

17 April The unknown occupant of a van, which drew up alongside Nigel Dodds MP on the Limestone Road, used abusive and threatening language.

12 May A parcel bomb was sent to the right hon. David Trimble MP at the Offices of the UUP Headquarters, Holy wood Road, Belfast. Two shotgun cartridges were to be ignited by matches but only the matches ignited. RIRA claimed responsibility for the attack.

(b) Attacks on the property of those involved in democratic politics 1 January 2003 to date

16 January An elaborate hoax device was placed outside the home of Mrs Brid Rodgers in Craigavon. Police believe this was an attempt by local youths to draw the police into the area to initiate some form of riot or other attack on the security forces.

18 February Bomb hoax at Sinn Fein Offices on Andersonstown Road, Belfast. The call was made by a person claiming to be from the Continuity IRA.

Bomb hoax at Sinn Fein Offices on Sevastopol Street, Belfast. The timing suggests that the two incidents were linked. Nothing was found in either incident.

25 March There was an attack on the home of Anne Bell, SDLP Councillor and member of Strabane District Policing Partnership. A car belonging to Councillor Bell's daughter was destroyed by arson attack; an accelerant is believed to have been used. It is believed dissident republicans were responsible.


16 April	An explosive device consisting of 2 pipe bombs attached to a gas cylinder was placed outside the constituency offices of Nigel Dodds MP for Belfast, North. The attack was subsequently claimed by CIRA.
17 April	The unknown occupant of a van, which drew up alongside Nigel Dodds MP on the Limestone Road, used abusive and threatening language.
12 May	A parcel bomb was sent to the right hon. David Trimble MP at the Offices of the UUP Headquarters, Holy wood Road, Belfast. Two shotgun cartridges were to be ignited by matches but only the matches ignited. RIRA claimed responsibility for the attack.


16 January	An elaborate hoax device was placed outside the home of Mrs Brid Rodgers in Craigavon. Police believe this was an attempt by local youths to draw the police into the area to initiate some form of riot or other attack on the security forces.
18 February	Bomb hoax at Sinn Fein Offices on Andersonstown Road, Belfast. The call was made by a person claiming to be from the Continuity IRA.
	Bomb hoax at Sinn Fein Offices on Sevastopol Street, Belfast. The timing suggests that the two incidents were linked. Nothing was found in either incident.
25 March	There was an attack on the home of Anne Bell, SDLP Councillor and member of Strabane District Policing Partnership. A car belonging to Councillor Bell's daughter was destroyed by arson attack; an accelerant is believed to have been used. It is believed dissident republicans were responsible.

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