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16 Jul 2003 : Column 425W—continued
Strategic Health Authority Debt
Mr. Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level of indebtedness of each strategic health authority was in the last year for which figures are available; what assistance the Government is providing to meet (a) capital and (b) revenue expenditure relating to those debts; and what assessment he has made of the effects of historic indebtedness on service delivery in each authority. [124867]
Mr. Hutton: Strategic health authorities were established in 2002–03. Information from the individual audited accounts of these bodies will be available locally in September and centrally in autumn 2003.
Tooth Decay
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 2 July 2003, Official Report, column 355W, on tooth decay, to what extent Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust have achieved (a) Target 1 and (b) Target 2. [124869]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The two national targets for tooth decay in children aged five years are:
- a reduction in the average number of decayed, missing and filled teeth to 1.0 teeth by 2003; and
an increase in the proportion of children with no experience of cavities to 70 per cent. by 2003.
Waiting Lists
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been removed from NHS waiting lists in each of the past three years. [116879]
Mr. Hutton: The table shows the number of patients removed from the elective inpatient waiting list. Patients may be removed from waiting lists for a number of reasons such as the patient already having been admitted as an emergency for the same condition, the patient no longer requires the treatment, or the patient has died.
| Removals | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 613,931 |
| 2001–02 | 594,666 |
| 2002–03 | 600,759 |
Source:
Department of Health form KH06
16 Jul 2003 : Column 426W
Xenotransplantation
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the review commissioned by UKXIRA from Professor Sheila McLean into xenotransplantation; and if he will make a statement. [125181]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department of Health commissioned a series of three reviews on different aspects of xenotransplantation on behalf of the United Kingdom Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority (UKXIRA) between 1999 and 2001. The first two—on infection and on physiology—were published 2001 and 2002. A third review, on the legal and ethical aspects of xenotransplantation, was commissioned from Professor Sheila McLean of the University of Glasgow, who was also a member of the UKXIRA from 1997 to 2002.
The UKXIRA has considered the review and concluded that it made some useful discussion points and that the summary of the research papers should be placed on the UKXIRA website. While there are no plans to publish Professor McLean's whole review as a Department of Health/UKXIRA document, Professor McLean is free to publish it if she wishes.
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on xenotransplantation. [125281]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The United Kingdom Xenotransplantation Interim Regulatory Authority was established in 1997 to advise the Government on the acceptability of specific applications to undertake xenotransplantation procedures (the transplantation of live cells, tissues and organs from a non-human source into a human). It also acts as a focal point for xenotransplantation issues. Organisations undertaking research into xenotransplantation in the United Kingdom are required to comply with all relevant legislation. No clinical trials involving humans have yet been approved in the UK and currently no relevant organ transplant research is licensed in the UK under the Animals (Science Procedures) Act 1986.
CABINET OFFICE
Asbestos
Dr. Cable: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to his answer of 17 June 2003, Official Report, column 155W, on asbestos, if he will list the buildings which have been identified as containing asbestos. [122987]
Mr. Alexander: Asbestos is present in a number of historic Cabinet Office buildings going back many years to a time when asbestos was commonly used in the building profession. It is managed in accordance with the current regulations and we are on target to meet the requirements of the "Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002" when they come fully into force next year. The buildings identified as containing asbestos are:
- 36 and 70 Whitehall
2 Little Smith Street
Downing Street
Admiralty House
CMPS Residential Training Centre at Sunningdale.
16 Jul 2003 : Column 427W
Written Ministerial Statements
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many written ministerial statements have been made by the Office since 29 October 2002. [126612]
Mr. Alexander: Since 29 October 2002 I have made 24 written ministerial statements to Parliament.
WORK AND PENSIONS
Benefits Payments
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the oral answer from the Minister for Work, of 7 July 2003, Official Report, column 738, if he will list the (a) objectives referred to by the Minister and (b) time by which each such objective is to be met. [125385]
Mr. Pond [holding answer 11 July 2003]: The Department has a published Public Service Agreement that by 2005, 85 per cent. of customers will have their benefits paid by Direct Payment. The successful introduction of Universal banking services on 1 April 2003 has ensured that customers will continue to be able to access their money at the Post Office if they wish—just as they do now.
Benefits/Tax Credits
Mr. Flight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the total United Kingdom benefit and tax credit expenditure which forms the last line of Table 1: Benefit and Tax Credit expenditure by DWP objective (nominal terms) in the Benefit Expenditure Tables found at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure.htm, if he will list the types of tax credit, benefits payment and other components which comprise the quoted figures; for each type of tax credit, benefit payment and other component, whether, according to the accounting methods employed in the 2003 Budget, they are classified as negative tax revenues, Government spending or a combination of the two; and for each tax credit, benefit payment and other component, what amount of tax was refunded and Government spending was incurred for each year since 2001–02 to the latest year for which figures are projected. [121328]
Malcolm Wicks: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General on 3 July 2003, Official Report, columns 378–79W.
Child Support Agency
Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the policy of the Child Support Agency is in respect of making applications for reciprocal enforcement of maintenance orders against absent parents resident overseas; and how many such applications the CSA has made in each of the last five years. [125671]
16 Jul 2003 : Column 428W
Mr. Pond: The Department for Constitutional Affairs is responsible for administering reciprocal enforcement of maintenance orders for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Within Scotland, this function is performed by the Scottish Executive.
The Child Support Agency does not have jurisdiction over cases where the non-resident parent is habitually resident outside the UK, except if he or she is employed by a British-based employer.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his oral answer of 7 July 2003, Official Report, column 733, when he plans to make a further report on the performance of the Child Support Agency. [125365]
Mr. Andrew Smith: I stated on 7 July 2003 during oral questions, Official Report, column 733, that I would shortly report to the House on progress in implementation of the new child support scheme. I have today placed that report in the Library.
Disability Living Allowance
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much money was claimed in disability living allowance in Scotland in 2002–03, broken down by local authority. [125555]
Maria Eagle: The information is in the table.
| Local authority | Expenditure |
|---|---|
| Aberdeen City | 25 |
| Aberdeenshire | 25 |
| Angus | 12 |
| Argyll and Bute | 10 |
| The Scottish Borders | 11 |
| Clackmannanshire | 9 |
| West Dumbartonshire | 19 |
| Dumfries and Galloway | 22 |
| [Dundee City | 24 |
| East Ayrshire | 21 |
| East Dumbartonshire | 12 |
| East Lothian | 13 |
| East Renfrewshire | 8 |
| City of Edinburgh | 53 |
| Falkirk | 23 |
| Fife | 54 |
| Glasgow City | 140 |
| Highland | 24 |
| Inverclyde | 16 |
| Midlothian | 14 |
| Moray | 8 |
| North Ayrshire | 23 |
| North Lanarkshire | 70 |
| Orkney Islands | 2 |
| Perth and Kinross | 13 |
| Renfrewshire | 31 |
| Shetland Isles | 2 |
| South Ayrshire | 17 |
| South Lanarkshire | 54 |
| Stirling | 13 |
| West Lothian | 27 |
| Comhairle nan Eilean Siar | 3 |
| Total Scotland | 800 |
1. Expenditure has been assigned to local authority areas by matching postcodes against the relevant Office of National Statistics postcode directory.
2. Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
3. Because of relatively small sample sizes at local authority level, the figures are subject to a greater margin of error than would be associated with national level expenditure estimates; all results are rounded to the nearest £1 million, but may not be accurate to this level.
4. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
Source:
Information and Analysis Directorate, GB estimated outturn expenditure for 2002–03 apportioned using local authority data from the DLA Quarterly Statistical Enquiry.
16 Jul 2003 : Column 429W
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