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Security Council Resolutions
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of international compliance
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with UN Security Council Resolution 1373; which countries have not fully complied; and if he will make a statement. [151669]
Mr. Straw: The United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTC) was established in order to encourage and ensure global compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373. The CTC works to promote full implementation of the Resolution by UN member states in a transparent and effective manner. All member states are engaged in this process. Reaching full compliance is an ongoing process with long-term action for many States. The CTC's monitoring of this is continuous.
The CTC reviews and replies to states' reports, which outline the domestic provisions in place and the progress made in fighting terrorism in accordance with the Resolution. In addition to reviewing and replying to states' reports, the CTC promotes compliance with Resolution 1373 by facilitating technical assistance to states, and encouraging co-operation with international and regional bodies to strengthen counter-terrorism capacity building globally.
The Committee is currently reviewing its reporting requirements and mechanism in an effort to encourage fuller and more timely reporting, and further substantive progress, from all member states. The UK remains a strong and active supporter of this effort.
Taiwan
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the country-specific visa code is for Taiwan nationals. [150634]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 26 January 2004]: I have been asked to reply.
The country-specific code used to identify nationals from Taiwan is TWN. This is based on ISO3166 data from UN Statistics Division List 31 July 2003, and International Civil Aviation Organisation Code List 11 February 2003.
Terrorism
Sir Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the states which have (a) signed and (b) ratified the International Convention for the suppression of the financing of terrorism; and if he will make a statement. [151670]
Mr. Straw: To date, 105 states have ratified the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism convention, while a further 46 are signatories. The UK signed it on 10 January 2000 and ratified it on 7 March 2001. Further information on which countries have signed and ratified, and when they did, is available on the UN website: www.untreaty.un.org.
This convention is an important instrument imposing international standards for countering the financing of terrorism. The UK actively encourages international partners to ratify and fully implement its provisions, including through the EU, G8 and the UN.
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United Nations Security Council Resolution 1373 calls on all states to adhere to the suppression of the financing of terrorism convention, as well as a number of other counter-terrorism measures, including the UN's 11 other counter-terrorism conventions. The United Nations Counter-Terrorism Committee monitors member states' adherence to Resolution 1373, including ratifying and implementing the conventions.
HEALTH
"Agenda for Change"
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the projected total (a) wage and (b) administration costs for implementation of the "Agenda for Change" are; and whether these costs have changed after evaluation of the 12 early implementer sites. [150642]
Mr. Hutton: The total annual costs of the proposed new national health service pay system, "Agenda for Change", in England are estimated to be just under £1 billion by 2005–06 (compared with costs in 2002–03). The Department of Health, NHS employer representatives and NHS trades unions are monitoring closely the cost impact in the 12 'early implementer' sites, but it is too early to re-assess the national cost estimates in the light of experience in these sites. The cost estimate excludes non-recurrent costs involved in implementing the new system, which are difficult to estimate accurately and are being tested through the 'early implementer' process.
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money has been allocated to each (a) primary care trust, (b) acute and specialist hospital trust, (c) mental health trust, (d) ambulance trust and (e) strategic health authority in England for each of the next five years to implement the "Agenda for Change" programme. [151143]
Mr. Hutton: Additional funding, worth 0.8 per cent. of main allocations, has been allocated to primary care trusts (PCTs) in 2004–05 and a further 0.8 per cent. in 2005–06 to cover the costs of implementing "Agenda for Change" in acute and specialist hospital trusts, mental health trusts, ambulance trusts and PCTs themselves. Funding for implementation costs in strategic health authorities is currently being assessed but has not yet been allocated.
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost of developing the nationally agreed job profiles for the "Agenda for Change" programme has been. [151145]
Mr. Hutton: National job profiles for the proposed new national health service pay system, "Agenda for Change", have been developed in partnership between representatives of the United Kingdom Health Departments, the NHS Modernisation Agency, NHS trade unions and NHS employing organisations. It is not possible to give an accurate estimate of the costs incurred by these organisations in releasing staff for this purpose.
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Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much his Department has spent on knowledge and skills framework training for staff and managers in the 12 early implementer sites as part of the "Agenda for Change" programme; and what his estimate is of the total cost to the NHS of knowledge and skills framework staff training; [151146]
- (2) how much has been spent on job evaluation training for staff and managers in the 12 early implementer sites as part of the "Agenda for Change" programme; and what his estimate is of the total cost to the NHS for staff training in job evaluation. [151147]
Mr. Hutton: The direct costs so far incurred centrally in providing training in use of the proposed new national health service job evaluation system and NHS knowledge and skills framework are around £256,000. This excludes the costs incurred by NHS organisations in making staff available to receive training.
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff in the 12 early implementer sites have had a reduction in pay consequent on the "Agenda for Change" programme; and how many staff in the NHS (a) immediately after implementation and (b) after April 2011 will have a reduction in pay consequent on the programme. [151148]
Mr. Hutton: As a result of agreed pay protection arrangements, none of the national health service staff in the 12 'early implementer' sites will have had a reduction in pay as a result of the "Agenda for Change" pay modernisation programme, nor will any other NHS staff receive a reduction in pay after implementation of the proposed new pay system. Where, in a minority of cases, staff need to have their pay protected, there will be a review of their skills, knowledge and role as soon as possible during the period of protection. This will be used to assess whether they can be re-assigned to a more highly weighted job or offered development and training to fit them for a more highly weighted job. This is designed to keep to an absolute minimum the number of staff, if any, who are still covered by the protection arrangements immediately before those expire in April 2011.
Agency Staff
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 13 January 2004, Official Report, column 708W, on agency staff, if he will estimate the cost of fraud covered by criminal prosecutions; and what extrapolation has been made from these figures of the wider cost of timesheet fraud. [149853]
Mr. Hutton: The value of detected fraud amounts to £33,465 in those cases resulting in criminal prosecution of agency staff. No wider, meaningful extrapolation can be made from this figure.
Bournemouth and Christchurch (NHS Trust)
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health why the Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Trust had its Commission for Health Improvement assessment reduced from three stars to two stars in July 2003. [150534]
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Mr. Hutton [holding answer 26 January 2004]: The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals national health service trust received a two star rating in July 2002 because its clinical governance review report from the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) did not show enough strengths to allow a three star rating to be awarded by the Department of Health. The trust was awarded a three star rating by CHI in July 2003.
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