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1 Jul 2003 : Column 237W—continued
Pharmacies
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take lead responsibility for the Government response to the Office of Fair Trading report on pharmacy contract limitation. [121321]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government intends to come forward with proposals in response to the Office of Fair Trading's study on retail pharmacies before the summer recess. The Department of Health is working closely with the Department of Trade and Industry, which is co-ordinating that response.
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Prescription Charging
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review the system of prescription charging; and if he will make a statement. [121637]
Ms Rosie Winterton: We have no plans to review the prescription charging arrangements.
Radiotherapy
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the ratio of linear accelerators to catchment area population is in each hospital trust area operating such equipment in England. [120379]
Miss Melanie Johnson: the number of radiotherapy centre treatment machines (linacs) serving catchment populations is published at www.canceruk.net/reports/rtsurvey2002/index.htm.
This information was derived from a survey of radiotherapy departments carried out in June 2002 by the National Cancer Services Analysis Team under the direction of the Royal College of Radiologists.
Three major initiatives are on-going in the provision of radiotherapy treatment machines which are leading to an increase in the numbers of such machines in clinical use.
Sunset Clauses
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to include a sunset clause in all new legislation promoted by his Department unless a specific case can be made to exclude a sunset clause. [120843]
Mr. Hutton: The Department actively promotes the better regulation agenda. Measures to improve regulation that are considered during policy development include sunset clauses and time limiting of regulations.
Work-related Stress
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what services are available to NHS staff suffering from work-related stress; what plans there are to advise trusts to operate fast track referral systems for such staff; and if he will make a statement. [120627]
Mr. Hutton: The Department's long term plans for reducing organisational stress in the National Health Service are based around the improving working lives (IWL) programme. This covers a range of issues, including the provision of childcare, flexible working, improvements to work/life balance as well as ensuring the provision of counselling services for all staff.
The National Audit Office report, "A Safer Place to Work: Improving the Management of health safety risks to staff in NHS Trusts", reported that 68 per cent. of NHS trusts already operate some form of "fast tracking" for staff. This is to ensure the earliest possible treatment for staff injured at work to facilitate their quick return to duty and maximise staff resources.
The Department will be producing new guidance in the autumn of 2003, which will draw further attention to the use of quicker access services for those who aren't already implementing such systems.
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Waiting Lists/Times
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time for an out-patient appointment was in each strategic health authority in England in each year since 1998. [120421]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested for 1998–99 to 2002–03 has been placed in the Library. The tables show the estimated median waiting time, in weeks, for first outpatient appointments following written referral by general practitioner from 1998–99 to 2002–03. Over this period the number of people waiting over 26 weeks for their first outpatient appointment fell from 144,200 at end March 1999 to 17 at end March 2003.
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets have been set on the maximum length of time patients should wait for their complaints
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to be resolved; and what the performance against these targets was in the last year for which figures are available. [121750]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Guidance issued by the Department in the document, "Complaints—Listening Acting Improving", recommends various time limits for the handling of complaints. A list of these is shown in the table. These are for guidance only; there is no specific maximum length of time prescribed.
In 2002–03, the last year for which figures are available, the performance target for local resolution of written complaints by trusts and health authorities was achieved in 62.9 per cent. of cases. Similarly, in 2002–03, the performance target for independent review panels to manage requests for independent review was achieved in 19.3 per cent. of cases.
| Event | Time recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| Local Resolution | ||
| Oral complaint | Dealt with on the spot or referred | |
| Acknowledgement | Two working days of receipt, or full reply within five working days | |
| Full response by trust/health authority, or family health service practitioner | 20 working days of receipt, or 10 working days for practice-based complaints, with extended period if health authority becomes involved | |
| Independent Review for trust/health authority complaints | ||
| Acknowledgement by convener of request for Independent Review | Two working days of receipt | |
| Decision by convener to set up panel, or not | 20 working days of receipt of request | |
| Appointment of panel members | 20 working days of decision by convener to establish a panel | |
| Draft report of panel | 50 working days of formal appointment of panel and assessors | |
| Final report of panel | 10 further working days | |
| Response to complainant by trust/health authority | 20 working days of receipt of panel's report | |
| Independent Review for family health services practitioner complaints | ||
| Acknowledgement by convener of request for Independent Review | Two working days of receipt | |
| Decision by convener to set up panel, or not | 10 working days of receipt of request | |
| Appointment of panel members | 10 working days of decision by convener to establish a panel | |
| Draft report of panel | 30 working days of formal appointment of panel and assessors | |
| Final report of panel | 10 further working days | |
| Final report sent to complainant by chief executive of health authority | Five working days of receipt of panel's report | |
CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT
Commission for Architecture andthe Built Environment
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on (a) the performance-related targets her Department has set for the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment and (b) the performance against those targets for the most recent year for which data are available. [121424]
Mr. Caborn: CABE's performance-related targets for the current year 2003–04 are set out in CABE's Corporate Strategy, a summary of which will shortly be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
I will write to the hon. Member with details of performance against target for the most recent period for which such data are available, namely, 2001–02.
This date will be updated in CABE's Annual Report 2002–03. This is due to be published by the end of July 2003 and copies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Community Fund
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent discussions she has had with the Community Fund on funding for village halls. [122203]
Estelle Morris: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had no recent discussions with the Community Fund on funding for village halls. However, my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for Rural Affairs, who has lead policy responsibility for village halls, is chairing a group looking at the issues that currently face village halls. Officials from this Department, as well as representatives from the Community Fund sit on the group along with other external stakeholders. The group first met in February 2003 and plan to meet again in July.
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Departmental Ministers
Mr. Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many Ministers there were in her Department in each year since 1996. [120992]
Mr. Caborn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Alexander) on 24 June 2003, Official Report, column 661W.
Football Clubs
Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the impact of financial pressures on small football clubs which receive funding from her Department and its agencies. [122830]
Mr. Caborn: The Government do not subsidise the sporting or business activities of professional football clubs from public funds, either directly or through its agencies. Public funding to football is channelled through the Football Foundation, and is used for grassroots development, community and education projects, and essential stadium safety work. The Government agreed to the Foundation making a £20 million grant to Football League clubs last November, on the conditions that it was made entirely from the contributions of the Football Association and the FA Premier League, and that the Foundation's funding activities in other areas would not be adversely affected.
The Government are encouraging local communities to come to the assistance of struggling football clubs through the work of Supporters Direct. Supporters Direct is wholly funded from public sources under the Reduction in Pool Betting Duty.
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