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4 Mar 2004 : Column 1132W—continued
Overseas Doctors
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many overseas doctors passed their Professional and Linguistic Assessments Board examination in 2002. [156293]
Mr. Hutton: The Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board examination is administered by the General Medical Council. 2,955 overseas doctors passed Part II of the examination in 2002.
Paediatric Training
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many national training numbers have been issued in paediatrics in the last 12 months; and how many he expects to issue in the next 12 months; [156456]
- (2) what estimate he has made of the number of national training numbers needed in paediatrics to comply with the EU Working Time Directive; what advice he has received from the Royal College of Paediatrics on this; and if he will make a statement. [156457]
Mr. Hutton: In 2003–04, 100 locally funded national training numbers (NTNs) were allocated to paediatrics. In 2004–05, a further 15 locally funded NTNs will be allocated. In addition, an extra 155 NTNs have been proposed for paediatrics through other initiatives.
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To support the implementation of the Working Time Directive (WTD), strategic health authorities have agreed further additional training places with trusts, for which we will issue NTNs. The number of these is not yet available.
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has carried out a survey looking into WTD compliance within hospitals providing acute services for children. The Department is considering the results of the survey.
Primary Care Trusts
Mr. Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which constituencies in England are covered (a) in whole and (b) in part by each of the primary care trusts in England. [154139]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 9 February 2004]: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Mr Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how long he expects it to take fully to implement the new funding system for primary care trusts. [158183]
Mr. Hutton: A wide ranging review of the funding formula, used to inform the allocation of resources to primary care trusts (PCTs), has recently taken place.
The new formula was used to set PCT target allocations for the latest round of national health service revenue allocations, covering the period 2000–06.
The Department is committed to bringing PCTs to their target allocation as soon as is practicable.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to question reference 154873, how many patients attending from each primary care trust outside Sussex sending more than 10 patients received (a) financial assistance with travel costs, (b) financial assistance with carers' travel costs and (c) financial assistance with carers' accommodation costs. [157611]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 2 March 2004]: The Department does not collect this information centrally.
Public Bodies
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the costs of the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection in its first five years of operation. [154467]
Mr. Hutton: A preliminary estimate of the cost of the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection's (CHAI) operation for its first year of operation was £60 million. No estimates have been made for subsequent years.
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CHAI, as an independent body, will refine the estimates of its costs for its first three years. These will be contained in its first corporate plan, a copy of which will be placed in the Library when it is published.
Hospital Staff (Attacks)
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many attacks against hospital staff were recorded in (a) all hospitals in England and (b) hospitals in England with the Red Card Scheme in each of the last three years. [153293]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested is not available centrally.
The following statistics on violence within the National Health Service are available for 2002–03.
| Organisation Type | Estimated total number of incidents | Estimated number of incidents per 1,000 staff per month |
|---|---|---|
| Acute Trusts | 38,000 | 6 |
| Primary Care Trusts | 21,000 | 12 |
| Ambulance Trusts | 5,000 | 16 |
| Mental Health and Community Trusts | 51,000 | 34 |
| All Organisations | 116,000 | 11 |
No comparable statistics are available for earlier years.
Speech Therapy
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the effects of Agenda for Change on speech therapists; [154620]
- (2) what research his Department has commissioned into the effects on recruitment and retention of speech therapists of the implications of Agenda for Change for pay levels of speech therapists. [154621]
Mr. Hutton: On average national health service staff will receive a 5.9 per cent., increase in basic pay over time as a result of Agenda for Change (in addition to annual pay uplifts) though this will vary for different staff groups and individuals.
The impact of Agenda for Change for all staff groups, including speech and language therapists, is currently being tested in a range of early implementer sites. The evidence and learning from these sites will be reviewed by the UK Health Departments, NHS trades unions and NHS employer representatives before the planned national roll out in October 2004.
Stroke
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many stroke consultants there are (a) in the NHS and (b) with specialist qualifications in strokes. [154949]
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Mr. Hutton: The Department does not collect numbers of stroke consultants.
Stroke treatment is normally undertaken by consultants specialising in geriatric medicine, neurology and rehabilitation medicine, but it is not possible to say how many of the consultants within these specialties have specialist qualifications in strokes.
Temporary Vacancies
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 11 February 2004, Official Report, columns 1546–47W, on NHS Professionals, what proportion of temporary vacancies in NHS trusts he estimates are filled from NHS Professionals' own bank; what proportion are filled via NHS Professionals passing on the details to approved private agencies; and if he will make a statement. [156354]
Mr. Hutton: In January 2004, NHS Professionals filled 65 per cent. of the vacancies notified to it from its own bank. Private recruitment agencies had access to the remaining 35 per cent., of which they filled 25 per cent. 10 per cent. remained unfilled.
Working Time Directive
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 11 February 2004, Official Report, column 1548W, on the Working Time Directive, whether his Department expects the NHS to be compliant with the Directive for doctors in training from 1 August; and if he will make a statement. [156353]
Mr. Hutton: The Working Time Directive will be a legal requirement for doctors in training from 1 August 2004 and we expect national health service employers to comply with the legislation. Strategic health authorities are currently working with their respective trusts locally on plans to achieve compliance.
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HOME DEPARTMENT
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Afghanistan citizens have (a) applied for asylum, (b) been granted asylum, (c) been granted (i) exceptional leave to remain and (ii) indefinite leave to remain, (d) been refused leave and (e) have been removed in each of the last four years for which figures are available. [142579]
Beverley Hughes [holding answer 8 December 2003]: The table provides the available information, showing the number of asylum applications, initial decisions and removals of Afghans for the last four years. Initial decisions do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same year. Nor do removals necessarily relate to initial decisions or appeal outcomes in the same year.
The United Kingdom Government opened negotiations with the Afghan Transitional Administration on return issues following the change of regime in Afghanistan. These negotiations resulted in the signing of a tripartite Memorandum of Understanding by the UK Government, the Afghan Transitional Administration and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) in October 2002. The MoU establishes a framework for returns from the UK to Afghanistan. Since then, voluntary returns have commenced under the terms of that Memorandum, and from April 2003 regular enforced returns have been successfully implemented. We will continue to work with the Afghan Transitional Administration to ensure that returns to Afghanistan are sustainable.
Information on asylum applications, initial decisions and removals is published quarterly. The next publication will be available at the end of February 2004 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate web site at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
| Applications | Initial Decisions | Grants of Asylum | Grants of ELR | Grants of Humanitarian Protection | Grants of Discretionary Leave | Total refusals(19) | Grants of ELR under backlog criteria(20) | Non compliance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 5,555 | 2,590 | 375 | 695 | n/a | n/a | 1,515 | 10 | - |
| 2001(r)> | 8,920 | 12,365 | 2,320 | 7,500 | n/a | n/a | 2,545 | n/a | n/a |
| 2002(P)> | 7,205 | 8,175 | 115 | 4,765 | n/a | n/a | 3,300 | n/a | n/a |
| 2003(P)> | 2,290 | 3,920 | 40 | 204 | * | 350 | 3,320 | n/a | N/a |
(17) figures rounded to nearest 5, with '*' = 1 or 2.
(18) Information is of initial determination decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions.
(19) May include some refusals under non compliance grounds.
(20) Includes persons departing 'voluntarily' after enforcement action had been initiated against them, persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration, and removals on safe third country grounds
(r) Revised figures
(P) Provisional figures
N/A Not applicable
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002(P) | Jan-Sept 2003(P)(5) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afghanistan | .. | 125 | 395 | 460 |
(21) Includes persons departing 'voluntarily' after enforcement action had been initiated against them, persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration, and removals on safe third country grounds.
(22) Figures rounded to the nearest five, with * = 1 or 2.
(23) Figures may include a small number of dependants leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes.
(24) Figures exclude dependants of asylum seekers removed. Data on dependants removed have only been collected since April 2001.
(25) Data on the nationality of asylum seekers removed in the final quarter of 2003 will be published in May 2004.
(E) Data have been estimated due to data quality issues.
(P) Provisional figures.
(..) Not available.
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