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4 Nov 2003 : Column 590W—continued

Teachers

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many newly-qualified teachers have failed to start an induction year four terms after starting daily supply work since the regulation was introduced; and who is responsible for enforcing this regulation. [136304]

Mr. Miliband: The Department does not collect any data on the number of newly qualified teachers that fail to start an induction year four terms after starting daily supply work.

It is the responsibility of the parties involved in the induction process—heads, governors and local education authorities, as well as the individual teachers themselves, to ensure that the regulations are observed.

Transitional Grants

Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which criteria for the newly announced transitional grants for low funded authorities Poole local education authority does not meet. [136490]

Mr. Miliband: In 2004–05, we are targeting transitional grant at LEAs which have received increases of less than 12 per cent. in Education Formula Spending and DfES grant between 2002–03 and 2004–05. On provisional figures, Poole does not fall into that category. We will be announcing details of the calculations at the time of the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement in mid-November 2003.

Truancy

Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many officials in his Department have been employed on projects to reduce truancy in each year since 1997. [133698]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The number of officials working on the co-ordination and implementation of projects to reduce truancy and improve school attendance has varied between five in 1997 and 11 today.

University Applications

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many applications there were for university places in England and Wales in each year since 1997. [130376]

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Alan Johnson: The latest available information from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), covering those applying for entry to full time undergraduate courses is shown in the table. Over the same period, the number of applicants from England and Wales who were accepted for entry increased by 9 per cent., and the latest figures published by UCAS for 2003 entry indicate that there will be a further rise this year.

Applications through UCAS to full time undergraduate courses in England and Welsh institutions

Year of entry	Number
1997	1,851,316
1998	1,803,032
1999	1,750,075
2000	1,723,836
2001	1,729,702
2002	1,739,875

Note:

Each applicant can make up to six applications in each cycle.

Source:

UCAS

HEALTH

Hospital Acquired Infections

13. Mr. Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent estimate he has made of the number of people who die from infections acquired in hospital. [135981]

Dr. Ladyman: Estimates of the number of deaths associated with these infections cannot be provided as certifying doctors may not have information on where an infection was acquired.

Emergency Calls (East Sussex)

14. Gregory Barker : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what percentage of category A emergency calls were answered within eight minutes in East Sussex in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [135982]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Response times to life threatening calls have significantly improved across the country. Latest information for the year 2002–03 showed that the Sussex Ambulance NHS Trust responded to 72.4 per cent. of life threatening category A calls within eight minutes, compared with 61.3 per cent. in 2000–01.

Foundation Hospitals

15. Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many putative NHS foundation hospital trusts have published material seeking public support for foundation status; and how much was spent in each case. [135983]

Mr. Hutton: The 25 applicants in the first wave for NHS foundation trust status are all currently consulting with patients, the public, staff and partner organisations on their application. The costs associated with this consultation are not kept centrally.

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Phlebotomy Services

16. Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support his Department provides for phlebotomy services in general practice. [135984]

Mr. Hutton: Near-patient testing—including phlebotomy—in general practice depends on ensuring that there are enough doctors with the right support. We have just seen the biggest year-on-year increase in the number of GPs for 20 years, and they are supported by more practice nurses and other health care professionals than ever before.

Care Homes

17. Mr. Andrew Turner : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on the number of care home beds available in counties south of the Thames. [135986]

Dr. Ladyman: The number of care home places in counties south of the Thames at 31 March 2001 was 141,365. This was the last year that the Department of Health collected the data. The National Care Standards Commission now has responsibility for collecting this data.

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the average differential between the cost to local councils of running an old people's care home and the residential fee level for independent care homes, with special reference to Redcar and Cleveland. [134945]

Dr. Ladyman: Data on fees charged for independent care home places are not available centrally.

For 2001–02 (the latest figures available), figures provided by councils suggest that the average gross weekly expenditure on supporting older people in council-run care homes in England was £446 and the corresponding expenditure on places in care homes in the independent sector was £286. Caution is needed in interpreting the difference between these figures. This is covered in "Personal Social Services Expenditure and unit costs: England 2001–2002", a copy of which is available in the Library. For example, the difference may in part reflect differences in the dependency of people cared for. Where council-run services are more expensive than those provided by the independent sector, councils need to demonstrate through best value reviews that those higher costs are justified.

According to information reported to the Department by Redcar and Cleveland council, the current gross cost of providing a place in a council-run care home is £456 per week. The average cost for a place in a care home for older people in the independent sector is £292 per week.

Care (Lancashire)

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) residential care home and (b) nursing home places were available in (i) Lancashire and (ii) Chorley in each of the last five years, broken down by (A) local authority homes, (B) private sector homes and (C) charity and non-profit homes. [135804]

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Dr. Ladyman: The table shows the number of care home places by type of accommodation available in Lancashire as at 31 March for the years 1998 to 2001. Data below local authority and health authority level is not available.

Figures for later years have been collected by the National Care Standards Commission but comparable details broken down by authority are not available.

Number of care home places in Lancashire⁽⁸⁾ by type of accommodation 31 March 1998 to 2001Rounded data

	Residential homes				Nursing homes
	LA	Private	Voluntary	Small(9)	Independent
1998	2,850	10,985	1,080	550	7,555
1999	2,600	11,140	1,080	570	7,315
2000	2,550	11,275	1,045	580	6,930
2001	2,345	11,065	1,035	590	6,185

⁽⁸⁾ For residential care Lancashire has been interpreted as Lancashire, Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool for 1999 onwards; for 1998 it covered Blackburn with Darwen and Blackpool. For nursing care it has been defined as South, East and Northwest Lancashire health authorities.

⁽⁹⁾ Independent registered care homes with less than four places.

Source:

RA and RH(N) form A.

Community Pharmacies

18. Mr. Anthony D. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to enhance the contribution community pharmacies make to the provision of health care. [135987]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Community pharmacy is an integral part of the NHS. Our pharmacy programme, supported by a new contractual framework aimed to be in place next April, sets out a strong, ambitious role for community pharmacy in providing high quality health care services, reducing inequalities and improving access and choice for patients.

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