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Waiting Times

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the waiting time statistics for (a) inpatient, (b) outpatient, (c) community and (d) treatment centre dental treatment in (i) England and (ii) each region in each of the last six years; and if he will make a statement. [156327]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The available information has been placed in the Library.

Information is not collected centrally on waiting times in the community and for treatment centre dental treatment.

Weston Area Health Trust

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies for (a) district nurses, (b) health visitors and (c) midwives there were in the Weston Area Health Trust in each year since 1997. [165602]

 
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Ms Rosie Winterton: Figures for three-month vacancies for district nurses, health visitors and midwives in Weston Area Health National Health Service Trust as at 31 March each year have been collected since 1999 and are shown in the table.
NHS hospital community health services: three-month vacancies for district nurses, health visitors and midwives in the Weston Area Health NHS Trust as at 31 March each year whole-time equivalent

	District nurses	Health visitors	Midwives
1999	0	0	0
2000	0	0	0
2001	0	0	0
2002	1	0	0
2003	0	0	1

Note:
Three-month vacancies are vacancies which trusts are actively trying to fill which had lasted for three months or more (whole-time equivalents)
Source:
Department of Health Vacancies Survey

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) district nurses, (b) health visitors and (c) midwives there were in the Weston Area Health Trust in each year since 1997 broken down by (i) headcount and (ii) whole-time equivalent. [165603]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is shown in the table.
NHS hospital community health services: district nurses, health visitors and midwives employed within Weston Area Health NHS Trust as at 30 September each year

	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003
Whole-time equivalent
District nurses	26	27	6	29	28	0	0
Health visitors	23	23	0	22	22	2	3
Midwives	8	7	3	8	8	9	12
Headcount
District nurses	31	36	7	35	33	0	0
Health visitors	29	30	0	29	29	4	6
Midwives	10	8	4	9	10	14	25

Note:
The change in staff numbers from 2001 to 2002 is because in April 2002 community staff (including district nurses and health visitors) transferred from Weston Area Health NHS Trust to North Somerset PCT.
Source:
Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many intensive care beds there were in the Weston Area Health Trust in each year since 1997. [165605]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is only available centrally from 1999 and is shown in the table.
Available adult critical care beds on the census day, Weston Area National Health Service Trust

Date	Open and staffed adult critical care beds
March 1999	3
September 1999	3
January 2000	3
July 2000	3
January 2001	4
July 2001	4
January 2002	5
July 2002	5
January 2003	5
July 2003	5
January 2004	5

Source:
Department of Health form KH03a.

Working Time Directive

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 17 March, Official Report, column 396W, on the Working Time Directive, if he will list the problems raised with him caused by the decisions of the European Court of Justice on the SIMAP/Jaeger cases; and if he will set out his Department's response to those representations. [164901]

 
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Mr. Hutton: The two European Court of Justice decisions have raised particular problems for the National Health Service by ruling that residential on-call work, even if the doctor is resting or sleeping, has to be counted as work and also by stipulating that compensatory rest has to be taken immediately. This has
 
19 Apr 2004 : Column 234W
 
made compliance with the Working Time Directive for doctors in training from August 2004 more difficult given the substantial reliance on resident on-call rotas to provide round the clock cover in acute services. These difficulties are most apparent in small isolated hospitals and some specialities.
 
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CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Weddings (Non-Anglican Communicants)

Paul Flynn: To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners what plans the Commissioners have to increase the number of (a) church and (b) church-owned premises that are available for wedding ceremonies for those who have not been baptised in the Anglican communion. [166160]

Sir Stuart Bell: The legal rules on where Church of England weddings may take place are not a matter for the Church Commissioners.

However, I can tell my hon. Friend that, subject to a limited number of statutory exceptions, parishioners in England have a right to be married by the Church of England in their own parish church. This applies irrespective of whether the bride and groom have been baptised.

ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Electoral Registration

26. Mr. Barnes : To ask the honourable Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission what proposals the Electoral Commission has to encourage electoral returning officers to canvass local residents in order to update electoral registration. [166168]

Mr. Viggers: The Commission published a report last year on the electoral registration process, which made a number of recommendations for changes to the law and identified good practice in the management of the electoral registration process. The Commission also intends to issue practice guidance to electoral registration officers on what is possible and desirable within the current statutory framework to improve the accuracy of the register.

Voting Age

Mr. Allen: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission when the Electoral Commission's report on the age of voting and candidacy will be published. [166767]

Mr. Viggers: The Electoral Commission's report on the age of voting and candidacy is being published today. The Commission has sent copies to all Members of Parliament and has placed copies in the Library.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Electricity Consumption

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what the total electricity consumption for the House has been for each year from 1997 to date; and what percentage in each year was derived from renewable sources. [165925]

 
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Sir Archy Kirkwood: The total electricity consumed each year on the parliamentary estate has been:

	Million kWh
1997–98	16.1
1998–99	17.1
1999–2000	17.2
2000–01	19.8
2001–02	21.1
2002–03	23.4

During this period the Parliamentary Estate has grown with the occupation of additional premises, so the figures are not directly comparable.

Since 2002 some 11 per cent. of our electricity has come from renewable sources.

Recycling

Norman Baker: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission (1) what steps the Commission takes to facilitate the recycling of (a) glass and (b) cans within the House; [165923]

(2) what volume of paper collected from the House of Commons in 2003 was sent for recycling; [165926]

(3) what steps he takes to ensure that paper placed in containers for recycling is recycled. [165927]

Sir Archy Kirkwood: Glass for recycling is collected and crushed in the waste centre off Peers Court. 154 tonnes were recycled in the 11 month period from April 2003 to February 2004. Metal cans for recycling are separated from general waste at our waste contractor's works.

In the 11 month period from April 2003 to February 2004, 347 tonnes of waste paper were sent for recycling.

Recycling bins are available for all offices on the parliamentary estate. Cleaners and waste centre attendants have been instructed accordingly. Members of the Waste Recycling Steering Group work within their respective parts of the estate to encourage maximum recycling.

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