| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
25 Jun 2003 : Column 828W—continued
Sports Clubs
Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has made to ministerial colleagues in the (a) Treasury and (b) Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on rate relief for sports clubs; and if she will make a statement. [121406]
Mr. Caborn: The Government recognise the desire of many in sport for a rate relief measure for community amateur sports clubs. Under revised Charity Commission guidance announced in April 2002, amateur clubs may benefit from 80 per cent. mandatory relief from business rates if they successfully apply for charitable status.
This Department has considered the case made by some in sport for a more general rate relief measure, as part of a wider consideration of possible financial incentives for sport at all levels. This has informed my discussions with Ministers in other interested Departments.
Sunset Clauses
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make it her policy to include a sunset clause in all new legislation unless a specific case can be made to exclude a sunset clause. [120858]
Mr. Caborn: The revised RIA guidance 'Better Policy Making: A Guide to Regulatory Impact Assessment' was published on 28 January 2003. It advises policy officials to consider time limiting or sunsetting at an early stage of policy development and gives specific examples of where sunsetting may be appropriate.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport actively promotes the better regulation agenda. When we do regulate we aim to do so in a light touch way. We will use sunsetting where it makes sense to do so.
Tyntesfield Estate
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which Government Departments were consulted by the National Heritage Memorial Fund in advance of the decision to provide a grant to the National Trust to purchase the Tyntesfield estate. [120419]
Mr. Caborn: The National Heritage Memorial Fund consulted the following Government Departments and Government agencies/national museums during the assessment of the application from the National Trust to purchase the Tyntesfield estate:
- The Department of Culture Media and Sport;
The Capital Taxes Office;
Resource: the Council for Museums, Archives and Libraries;
District Valuation Office (Executive Agency Inland Revenue);
English Heritage;
The Countryside Agency; and
The Victoria and Albert Museum.
Volleyball
Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to promote increased participation in volleyball in schools and sports clubs. [121407]
25 Jun 2003 : Column 829W
Mr. Caborn: Games activities (which may include volleyball; the National Curriculum does not specify which games must be taught) are a compulsory part of the Physical Education National Curriculum and must be taught to all pupils aged 5–16. School Sport Co-ordinator partnerships are encouraged to make links with local clubs, which may include volleyball clubs.
Beyond schools, Sport England supports the English Volleyball Association (the recognised national governing body in England) with an Exchequer grant that includes an allocation for youth development and adult participation. Sport England has also included volleyball in the DCMS project for volunteers "Step into Sport" As a designated Sport England Partnership sport, volleyball can also benefit from services provided by County Sports Partnerships.
HEALTH
Acute Healthcare (East Kent)
Mr. Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the report of the Independent Review Panel investigation into acute healthcare in East Kent will be published. [119721]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 17 June 2003]: The Independent Reconfiguration Panel will publish its report on the modernisation of hospital services in East Kent shortly.
Care Standards
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 19 June 2003, Official Report, column 427W, on care standards, when he expects to commence consultation on draft guidance. [121746]
Dr. Ladyman: We plan to consult on draft guidance towards the end of the summer.
Childhood Diseases
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children suffered from (a) chickenpox, (b) measles, (c) mumps, (d) rubella and (e) whooping cough in each year since 1997. [120102]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The numbers of laboratory confirmed cases of measles, mumps, rubella, and pertussis (whooping cough) between 1997 and 2002 are shown in the table. Notifications (clinical diagnosis only) of whooping cough are also given. The data for 2002 are provisional and therefore subject to change.
| Year | Laboratory confirmed casesmeaslesmumpsrubellapertussis | Notifications of whooping cough | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 177 | 180 | 99 | 715 | 2,989 |
| 1998 | 56 | 118 | 122 | 375 | 1,577 |
| 1999 | 94 | 366 | 161 | 330 | 1,139 |
| 2000 | 100 | 697 | 60 | 199 | 712 |
| 2001 | 71 | 767 | 41 | 298 | 888 |
| 2002(19) | 308 | 482 | 63 | 245 | 882 |
(19) Provisional data
25 Jun 2003 : Column 830W
Chickenpox is not a notifiable disease and laboratory reports are not available. Since chickenpox is so common in childhood, 90 per cent. of adults are immune.
Communicable Disease Report
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 10 June 2003, Official Report, column 831W, on the Communicable Disease Report, what the previous circulation of paper copies of the report was. [119910]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The geographical distribution figures for the circulation of paper copies of the Communicable Disease Report (CDR) for 1999 (the latest available) were:
| England and Wales | 3700 copies |
| Scotland | 100 copies |
| Northern Ireland | 80 copies |
| Irish Republic | 100 copies |
| Europe (EU) | 100 copies |
| Europe (non-EU) | 60 copies |
| Rest of World | 200 copies |
The distribution policy was that copies were distributed to the following organisations and personnel:
- Public health laboratories
- Other reporting microbiology laboratories
- Consultants in Communicable Disease Control DCs
- Directors of Public Health
- Environmental health departments
- UK armed forces laboratories
- Other reporting and collaborating physicians
- Veterinary investigation centres
- Appropriate academic departments
- Appropriate Government departments
Distribution of paper copies of the CDR stopped at the end of 2000.
Comparative Costs
Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS was in each of the last two financial years of treating (a) hypertension, (b) varicose veins, (c) cataracts and (d) muscular degeneration. [120679]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 20 June 2003]: This information is not collected centrally.
Council of Ministers
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) on how many occasions since May 1997 the Department's vote in the Council of Ministers against a legislative proposal (a) was sufficient and (b) was not sufficient to achieve with other member states a blocking minority; [117220]
- (2) on how many occasions since May 1997 the Department abstained in the Council of Ministers on a legislative proposal which was passed by qualified majority voting; [117227]
25 Jun 2003 : Column 831W
(3) on how many occasions since May 1997 the Department has been outvoted by qualified majority voting in the Council of Ministers; and if he will list the legislation by year; [117243]
(4) on how many occasions since May 1997 the Department indicated dissent from a proposal in the Council of Ministers but did not register a vote or abstention. [117262]
Mr. Hutton: Since 1997, our records indicate that the United Kingdom Government have voted against a legislation proposal only once in the Health Council and subsequently, the health element of the Employment, Social Policy Health and Consumer Affairs Council. This was for the Advertising and Sponsorship of Tobacco Products Directive in 2002, the text of which we believed could have been clearer and could have gone further. We were outvoted, by a qualified majority, and the measure was adopted. We have not abstained or indicated dissent on a proposal in that time.
Dental Services
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists there were per head of population in (a) Suffolk, (b) Norfolk, (c) Essex and (d) Cambridgeshire in each year since 1997. [120425]
Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the table. These figures are on a headcount basis rather than a whole time equivalent (wte) basis and therefore take no account of part-time working. NHS dentists cover dentists working in the general dental service (GDS), hospital dental service (HDS), community dental service (CDS), personal dental service (PDS) and salaried service of the GDS. Dentists have been counted in each dental service in which they practice, apart from dentists working in the PDS and GDS, who are counted as GDS dentists.
| Number of dentists per 100,000 population | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| At 30 September | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 |
| Suffolk | 36 | 38 | 39 | 39 | 38 |
| Norfolk(20) | n/a | n/a | 40 | 40 | 42 |
| Essex | 36 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 |
| Cambridgeshire(20) | n/a | n/a | 38 | 39 | 42 |
| Cambridgeshire and Norfolk(20) | 31 | 32 | 39 | 40 | 42 |
(20) Separate information is not available for Norfolk and Cambridgeshire for 1997 and 1998 because the health authority data cannot be separated into the two county areas. An HA re-organisation in April 1999 allows separate data to be produced.
Note:
1. Dentists in the General Dental Service are assigned to the main area in which they work.
2. Population estimates are based on the 2001 census
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |