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26 Feb 2004 : Column 565W—continued

Hospital Waiting Lists

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people who have received a referral from their general practitioner are waiting to be accepted onto a hospital waiting list after (a) one month, (b) two months, (c) three months and (d) six months, broken down by NHS trust. [155153]

Mr. Hutton: The information requested is not available.

National health service trusts should place patients on their waiting list upon receipt of referral from a general practitioner. There should therefore be no significant delay between a GP making a referral and the trust placing the patient on the waiting list.

By 31 December 2005, all patients will be able to book their appointment at the point of referral. GPs will be able to book an appointment direct from their surgery while the patient waits, or, if preferred, the patient can telephone a call centre to book their hospital appointment when they get home.

Out-patient waiting time data are available in the Library.

Hospitals (Star Ratings)

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the performance indicators for the 2003–04 star ratings exercise for hospitals. [155871]

Mr. Hutton: The indicators to be used in the 2003–04 National Health Service performance ratings were published by the Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) on 18 December 2003. Full details can be found on the CHI website at: www.chi.nhs.uk. The results of the 2003–04 assessment will be published by the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection.

National Health Statistics

Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2003, Official Report, columns 1128–30W, on national health statistics, whether decisions have now been made on NHS statistical collections which will be discontinued. [155030]

Mr. Hutton [holding answer 23 February 2004]: The Department's review of national health service statistical collections is continuing, and final decisions on discontinuing returns have not yet been made.

26 Feb 2004 : Column 566W

Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 December 2003, Official Report, columns 1128–30W, on national health statistics, if he will publish, for each set of statistics which the Department has not collected since 1999, the figures for each of the five years prior to collection being discontinued. [155031]

Mr. Hutton [holding answer 23 February 2004]: The information on each set of statistics is as follows.

Professional advice and support programmes: Community Maternity Services (KC54): statistics were published in the series "Community Maternity Services: summary information for England" for each year 1995–96 to 1999–2000. The most recent is available at www.publications.doh.gov.uk/public/kc549900.htm

Clinical psychology (KT24): statistics were published in the series "Clinical Psychology: summary information for England" for each year 1999–2000 to 2002–03. The three most recent publications are available at:

www.publications.doh.gov.uk/public/kt240001/index.htm

www.publications.doh.gov.uk/pubLic/kt240102/index.htm

www.publications.doh.gov.uk/public/kt240203/index.htm

Summary of patient activity (KP70): statistics were published in the series "Ordinary and day case admissions" for each year 1994–95 to 1997–98. Figures on ordinary and day case admission are available from the Hospital Episode Statistics system for 1998–99 onwards at: www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsandStatistics/Statistics/HospitalEpisodeStatistics

General ophthalmic services (GOS) losses and recoveries.

GP fundholding budget and expenditure (PC1–01 to 04).

These two returns were used for internal management purposes at the Department of Health and the information was not published. Figures could be provided now only at disproportionate cost.

Monitoring of delayed discharges (CC MON). This return was collected by the NHS Eastern Regional Office (which no longer exists) as an internal management tool; the information was not published.

Availability of dentistry: Quarterly Monitoring Report (A6). Statistics were produced for the period 1997 to 2002 quarter 1, but were not routinely published. Figures are given in the table.

26 Feb 2004 : Column 567W

General Dental Services: Number and whole time equivalent of salaried dentists at the last day of each quarter until 2002 quarter one, England

	Number	Whole time equivalent
1997
Q1	179	98.5
Q2	182	98.8
Q3	189	104.1
Q4	187	103.7
1998
Q1	192	105.1
Q2	190	107.3
Q3	186	104.9
Q4	178	94.6
1999
Q1	179	94.4
Q2	137	81.2
Q3	137	78.8
Q4	125	77.1
2000
Q1	122	68.2
Q2	118	67.2
Q3	132	69.4
Q4	115	63.9
2001
Q1	111	52.4
Q2	101	52.4
Q3	85	33.9
Q4	77	31.1
2002
Q1	63	24.0

26 Feb 2004 : Column 568W

All publications are available in the Library.

NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department will respond to the consultation on proposals to reform and modernise the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 1992. [156714]

Ms Rosie Winterton: We are considering carefully the report, received in January 2004, of the expert advisory group set up to advise how best to implement our proposals to reform the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 1992. The group considered views received on the Department's consultation document issued in August 2003. We will make further announcements as soon as possible.

NHS Budgets

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the centrally funded initiatives and services and special allocations budget for 2003–04 (a) has not been spent and (b) has been transferred into another budget. [151686]

Mr. Hutton: The Centrally Funded Initiatives and Services and Special Allocations (CFISSA) programme is fully committed in 2003–04. Approximately £37 million remains to be formally allocated to primary care trusts. In addition, further scheduled payments still need to be made in the period to 31 March 2004 in fulfilment of existing contracts and service level agreements.

The table shows the transfers to and from the CFISSA programme in 2003–04.

Transfer record for the CFISSA Programme—2003–04 £ millions

Overall CFISSA Programme announced in HSC 2002/012 (18 December 2002)	8,645
Less amount included in PCT initial resource limits	-207
Less amount included in PCT allocations for cost of living addition	-109
Other net changes to overall programme before February 2003	29
Starting point for 2003–04	8,358
In year changes to the programme
Net effect of in-year transfers to/from other Government Departments	338
Net transfers from FHS non-discretionary funds	1,656
Net transfers to/from Central Health and Miscellaneous Services programme	-30
Net transfers to/from Personal Social Services, Centrally Financed Services programme	40
Transfer from Capital	318
Net transfers to/from Admin	-6
Additional expenditure funded by higher levels of receipts	10
Reductions in PCT allocations to fund additional central expenditure	33
Pensions Indexation (additional funds from Treasury)	1,664
Cost of Capital and Discount Rate changes (additional funds from Treasury)	305
Inter-Year Flexibility as applied to the CFISSA programme	344
Overall effect of in-year changes	4,672
Revised level of CFISSA programme	13,030

NHS Closures

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the (a) hospitals, (b) doctors' surgeries and (c) other NHS clinics which have been closed since 1997. [154401]

Mr. Hutton: Information on hospital closures ceased to be collected in 1991 following the introduction of the national health service internal market and trusts. Hospital reprovision will often lead to fewer hospital buildings (for example, because of consolidation on a single site), but the resulting modernised, fit-for-purpose new facilities will offer better patient care and better quality services.

Information on the closure of doctors' surgeries is not held centrally. Primary care trusts (and their health authority predecessors) will be aware of individual

26 Feb 2004 : Column 569W

closures. Modernisation of primary care facilities will often lead to fewer, larger premises (for example, one-stop centres providing a wider range of services to patients).

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