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5 Nov 2003 : Column 696W—continued
Sick Leave
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many sick leave days were taken in each London NHS Trust by (a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) other health professionals and (d) other employees in (i) 1988, (ii) 1993, (iii) 1998 and (iv) for the most recent period available; and if he will make a statement. [135153]
Mr. Hutton: National data on sickness absence levels in the national health service have been collected only since 1999. Information on working days lost in the NHS due to sickness of less than three days duration is not held centrally, but may be available from individual NHS employers.
Action is being taken across the NHS to reduce sickness absence levels. A national improvement target has been set for all NHS employers to reduce sickness absence levels by 30 per cent. by 2003.
Sexual Health
Mr. John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who is responsible for matters of sexual health for the Birmingham and Black Country Strategic Health Authority area; and whether that authority has plans for the development of paediatric services. [135885]
Dr. Ladyman: The medical director of the Birmingham and the Black Country Strategic Health Authority (SHA) is responsible for sexual health services in that area. The SHA is in the process of setting up a clinical network to support development of these services.
The SHA is currently working on its strategic framework, to be completed for full consultation by the end March 2004. Children's services are being addressed as part of that.
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many teenagers were treated for sexually transmitted diseases in the (a) Eastbourne and (b) Surrey and Sussex Health Authority in each of the last 10 years. [133383]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information about the number of teenagers treated for sexually transmitted diseases is available only at health authority level, and is collected based on the residency of patients. This is shown in the tables.
Data have been provided only since 1995–96 as, prior to 1995, the coding of diagnoses was different and so data would not be comparable.
| Regional health authorities of residence Sussex and Surrey | Number | |
|---|---|---|
| G21 | East Sussex, Brighton and Hove | 3 |
| H20 | West Surrey | 2 |
| H21 | East Surrey | 3 |
| Total | 8 | |
5 Nov 2003 : Column 697W
| Regional health authorities of residence Sussex and Surrey | 1996–97 | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QAK | East Surrey | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| QAL | West Surrey | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| QAM | East Sussex, Brighton and Hove | 6 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| QAN | West Sussex | 2 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 12 | 9 | 17 | 15 | 10 | 3 | |
Notes:
1. The figures for 1995–96 are based on old health authority areas.
2. Admissions are defined as the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. They do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
3. The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002–03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
4. Figures are grossed for both coverage and missing/invalid clinical data, except for 2001–02, which is not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.
Smoking
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of smoking-related deaths were due to (a) lung cancer, (b) heart attack, (c) stroke and (d) chronic lung disease in 2002. [133924]
Miss Melanie Johnson: These data are not available in the form requested. However, an estimate of the proportion of deaths in the United Kingdom that were caused by smoking was made by the Health Education Authority in its 1998 report: "The UK Smoking Epidemic: Deaths in 1995". The table shows the proportions of all deaths caused by smoking for each of these diseases for people aged 35 and over.
| Disease | Number of deaths | Percentage of total (net) deaths |
|---|---|---|
| Total (net) | 121,700 | 100 |
| Total (gross) | 123,000 | |
| Deaths from diseases caused by smoking: | ||
| Cancer | 46,500 | 38 |
| Respiratory | 34,300 | 28 |
| Circulatory | 40,300 | 33 |
| Digestive | 1,900 | 2 |
Note:
The percentages add up to 101 per cent. because the percentages have been based on the net total number of deaths. The net number of deaths takes into account the estimated number of deaths which may be prevented in part by smoking.
Source:
Health Education Authority: "The UK Smoking Epidemic: Deaths in 1995".
Urinary Tract Infections
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Chief Medical Officer's strategy for tackling healthcare associated infections will address catheter-associated urinary tract infections; and if he will make a statement. [134195]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Chief Medical Officer's strategy will be published shortly and will set out actions aimed at controlling all healthcare associated infections.
5 Nov 2003 : Column 698W
Walk-in Centres
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 14 October 2003, Official Report, column 58W, to the hon. Member for Oxford, West and Abingdon (Dr. Evan Harris), on walk-in centres, what protocol covers whether clinical information should be shared with a patient's general practitioner. [133402]
Mr. Hutton: National health service walk-in centres are expected to work with their local Caldicott Guardian and are bound by the Data Protection Act 1998 and the Access to Health Records Act 1990.
Worcestershire Royal Hospital
Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the deficit at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital; and what timetable he has agreed for its repayment. [135498]
Dr. Ladyman: The West Midlands South Strategic Health Authority is currently developing a financial strategy, with the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals national health services trust and the three primary care trusts within Worcestershire, to address the financial challenges affecting the local health economy.
In line with NHS finance regulations it is intended that Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS trust will return to recurrent financial balance within three years.
EDUCATION AND SKILLS
Early-years Education
Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of three and four year-olds are receiving nursery or full time education. [135008]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 30 October 2003]: Around 96 per cent. of the three and four-year-old population in England receives funded early years education provided by a maintained school, a private and voluntary provider or an independent school in January 2003.
5 Nov 2003 : Column 699W
We have made the commitment that by April 2004, six months ahead of our original target, all three-year-olds whose parents want one, will have access to a free, part-time early education place. Around 88 per cent. of three-year-olds are now benefiting from free early education.
The latest figures on early years provision in England were published by the Department in the Statistical First Release 15/2003 "Provision For Children Under Five Years Of Age In England—January 2003 (Provisional)", copies of which are available from the Library and the Department's website, www.dfes.gov.uk/statistics.
Education Provision(Bath and North East Somerset)
Dan Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money Bath and North East Somerset received in total capital funds from central government in (a) 1996–97 and (b) 2003–04; and if he will list the main components of that spending. [136318]
Mr. Miliband: The following table sets out the capital allocations made by this Government to Bath and North East Somerset local education authority (LEA) and its schools in 1996–97 and 2003–04. The LEA determines investment of these funds by prioritising the capital requirements of its schools in an asset management plan.
| 1996–97 | 2003–04(13) | |
|---|---|---|
| LEA Co-ordinated Voluntary Aided Programme | — | 140 |
| Basic Need | 1,545 | 1,364 |
| NDS Condition | — | 1,519 |
| NDS Devolved Formula | — | 2,383 |
| NDS Modernisation | — | 864 |
| Schools Access Initiative | 45 | 334 |
| Schools Renewal Challenge Fund | 511 | — |
| Seed Challenge | — | 224 |
| Staff Workspace | — | 96 |
| Supplementary Credit Approvals | 425 | — |
| Targeted Capital Funding | — | 4,924 |
| Teaching Environments for the Future | — | 350 |
| Voluntary Aided School Grant | 750 | — |
| Total | 3,276 | 12,198 |
(13) Figures for 2003–04 are to date.
Dan Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what the pupil-computer ratio was in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Bath and North East Somerset in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2003; [136335]
- (2) how many computers there were in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Bath and North East Somerset in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2003. [136336]
Mr. Miliband: Information on the pupil-computer ratio and the number of computers in schools is not available in the form requested. Figures for England, which were derived from a sample of schools, are shown in the table.
5 Nov 2003 : Column 700W
| Maintained primaryschools | Maintained secondaryschools | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average number of computers per school | Average number of pupils per computer | Average number of computers per school | Average number of pupils per computer | |
| 2003 | 28.6 | 7.9 | 192.7 | 5.4 |
| 1998 | 13.3 | 17.6 | 100.9 | 8.7 |
(14) Full-time equivalent numbers of pupils within maintained primary and secondary schools.
The latest information on ICT in schools was published in Statistical Bulletin "Survey of Information and Communications Technology in Schools 2003", which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/statistics.
Dan Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) three-year-olds and (b) four-year-olds were in receipt of free nursery education in Bath and North East Somerset in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2003; and if he will estimate what proportion of the local three-year-old population these figures represent. [136337]
Mr. Miliband: Information is not available in the form requested. The available information is shown in the table.
| 1997 | 2002 | |
|---|---|---|
| Three-year-olds | (16)310 | 730 |
| Four-year-olds | 1,700 | 1,800 |
(15) Part-time equivalent number of children.
(16) Only includes three-year-olds attending maintained nursery and primary schools. (There was no Nursery Education Grant available for places for three-year-olds in 1997.)
In every local education authority area, there is an early education place for every four year old whose parents want one in either the maintained, private or voluntary sector. We have made the commitment that by April 2004, six months ahead of our original target, all three-year-olds whose parents want one, will have access to a free, part-time early education place.
Latest figures on three-year-olds and four-year-olds in early years providers were published by the Department in the Statistical Bulletin 'Provision for Children under five years of age in England—January 2002' (08/02) in December 2002, a copy of which is available from the Library. An electronic copy of this publication is also available on the Department's website (www.dfes.gov.uk/statistics).
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