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8 Jun 2004 : Column 356W—continued
Water/Sewage Pipes
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the annual cost of leaking or damaged water and sewage pipes in each of the last five years. [168193]
Mr. Spellar: The Chief Executive of Water Service (Mrs. Katharine Bryan) has written to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
Letter from Mrs. Katharine Bryan to Mr. Roy Beggs dated 27 April 2004:
You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question (No. 1259) about the annual cost of leaking or damaged water and sewage pipes in each of the last five years. I have been asked to reply as Chief Executive of the Water Service.
Water Service undertakes regular and extensive maintenance and repair work on the water and sewerage infrastructure, including repairs to burst watermains and blocked sewers, maintenance of valves and hydrants and desilting of sewers. Over the last five years Water Service has spent £76.1 million on such work. The annual breakdown is as follows:
| Cost (£ million) | |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 13.8 |
| 2000–01 | 13.8 |
| 2001–02 | 15.6 |
| 2002–03 | 16.3 |
| 2003–04 | 16.6 |
In addition to maintenance and repairs, Water Service has also invested £282 million on upgrading watermains and sewers over the last five years, as part of the ongoing investment programme to comply with EU Directives, protect the environment and deliver customer service improvements.
HEALTH
Dentistry
11. Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on access to NHS dentists in Shropshire. [177295]
Ms Rosie Winterton: There are currently 100 general dental services dentists providing National Health Service dental care in Shropshire County Primary Care Trust.
There is a dental access centre in Shrewsbury and six further outreach centres throughout Shropshire County.
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18. Mr. David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on his Department's consultation with the dental profession regarding the changes to the way NHS dentistry will be organised from April 2005. [177302]
Ms Rosie Winterton: We are implementing the biggest reform of NHS dentistry since 1948. We have just completed a consultation with representative bodies of the dental profession on our "Framework Proposals for Primary Care Dental Services in England"; this concluded on the 30 of April.
NHS Funding
17. Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of funds available to NHS trusts in East Sussex. [177301]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Between 2003–04 and 2005–06, the seven primary care trusts across Sussex will receive increases of £280 million. PCTs, in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders, determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services.
23. Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the financial situation of NHS trusts in Cornwall and Scilly. [177307]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In line with the Government's policy of shifting the balance of power, the responsibility for the performance and financial management of NHS Trusts rests with Strategic Health Authorities. The latest financial returns submitted by the South West Peninsula Strategic Health Authority forecasts an overall end of year deficit of £14 million for all organisations within the South West Peninsula health economy. The Strategic Health Authority is working closely with the NHS organisations in Cornwall in order to achieve financial recovery, while ensuring that the local health community continues to achieve its key targets.
Diabetes
19. Tony Lloyd : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on best practice for the delivery of services for diabetics. [177303]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The National Service Framework for Diabetes sets out the Government's vision for making the best practice in diabetes services already offered in some places in the National Health Service the norm throughout. The National Service Framework sets out the steps that the NHS locally can take to ensure that this vision becomes a reality.
NHS Staff (Overseas Recruitment)
20. Mrs. Roe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the number of health workers in the NHS who have been recruited from overseas. [177304]
Mr. Hutton:
This information is not held centrally. Regulatory Bodies provide statistical analyses annually of those health care professionals entitled to practice in the United Kingdom.
8 Jun 2004 : Column 358W
International recruitment makes a key contribution to services in the national health service and is a two way process. Welcoming staff from abroad enables the transfer of experience and the sharing of ideas.
Nurses
21. Mrs. Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on developing the role of nurses in the delivery of health care. [177305]
Mr. Hutton: Developing the role of nurses has been at the centre of the government's plans for improving health services. Patients are benefiting from the most comprehensive programme ever that is increasing the number of nurses, creating new roles such as nurse consultants, and extending their responsibilities in prescribing, ordering investigations and referring patients to other professionals.
Community Pharmacists
22. Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the Government's plans for community pharmacists. [177306]
Ms Rosie Winterton: We are currently negotiating a new contractual framework for community pharmacy with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee. We want to implement this as soon as is practicable.
We have considered the report of the expert Advisory Group on reforming the current NHS regulatory system and will make further announcements shortly.
Private Finance Initiative (West Yorkshire)
24. Mr. Bill O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the private finance initiative development in the area of Mid Yorkshire Acute Trust; and what bed provision will be made in the three areas covered by the Pontefract, Wakefield and Dewsbury Trust. [177308]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Mid Yorkshire NHS Trust is working with its partner Primary Care Trusts to agree a final design brief for the Private Finance Initiative scheme. The trust expects to announce its preferred bidder for the PFI scheme by October 2004. The provision of acute beds will reflect good practice in the care of patients across community and hospital settings.
Residential Care
25. Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the availability of residential care for the elderly. [177309]
Dr. Ladyman: The National Care Standards Commission report "How do we care?", published in March 2004, reported that there were 12,990 registered care homes with 371,200 places for older people at 31 October 2003.
Apnoea
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of sleep apnoea patients being treated with continuous positive airway pressure machines. [176858]
8 Jun 2004 : Column 359W
Dr. Ladyman: The information is not available centrally in the form requested.
The figures showing counts of admissions to hospital for sleep apnoea are shown in the table.
| Diagnosis | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | 2002–03 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G47.3 | Sleep apnoea (excluding newborns) | 10,709 | 11,098 | 11,479 |
| P28.3 | Primary sleep apnoea of newborn | 67 | 60 | 57 |
| Total | 10,786 | 11,158 | 11,536 |
Notes:
1. A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
2. The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002–03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
3. Figures are grossed for both coverage and missing/invalid clinical data for 2000–01. For 2001–02 and 2002–03, figures are not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many sleep apnoea clinics there are within the NHS. [176860]
Dr. Ladyman: That information is not available centrally.
Primary care trusts and other local stakeholders are responsible for assessing the health needs of their populations, including those with sleep disorders, and commissioning services to meet those needs. Sleep services are provided as part of the overall service package that primary care trusts and other local stakeholders develop for their local populations.
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