House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 20 Jul 2004 (pt 12)

20 Jul 2004 : Column 162W—continued

Care Packages

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have received care packages to enable them to stay in their homes in Greater London in each of the last five years. [179394]

Dr. Ladyman: The table shows the estimated number of clients who received a community based service following a community care assessment in Greater London for 2000–01 to 2002–03. Data for previous years are not available.
Estimated number of clients receiving a community based service⁽⁷⁾ in Greater London⁽⁸⁾ Rounded data

Number of clients⁽⁹⁾

2000–01 179,000

2001–02 186,000

2002–03 182,000

⁽⁷⁾ Community based services includes day care, meals, respite care, direct payments, professional support, transport and equipment as well as home care.
⁽⁸⁾ Includes councils with social services responsibilities in inner and outer London.
⁽⁹⁾ Care should be taken when comparing data across the years as recording practices, level of completion and quality may have changed.

	Number of clients⁽⁹⁾
2000–01	179,000
2001–02	186,000
2002–03	182,000

Chiropody Services (Access)

Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he is taking to improve access to chiropody services. [182821]

Mr. Hutton: The Government have taken action to increase numbers of chiropodists working in the national health service and entering training. Between 1997 and 2003, the number of qualified chiropodists employed in the NHS has increased by 16 per cent. and between 1999–2000 and 2003–04, the number of students entering training has increased by 33 per cent. Further increases in the NHS chiropody workforce are

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expected as a result of the "Delivering the NHS Plan" forecast for 30,000 more therapists and scientists by 2008 than there were in 2001.

Consultancy Services

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by (a) his Department and (b) the NHS on consultancy services in each year since 1996. [182412]

Mr. Hutton: Expenditure by the Department and the national health service on external consultancy services in each year from 1996–97 to 2003–04, is shown in the table. However, it is not possible to separate the figures for consultancy and contract staffing for NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs).
£ million

Financial
year Department Strategic health authority NHS trust Primary care trust

1996–97 14.699 ⁽¹¹⁾22.003 ⁽¹¹⁾107.152 ⁽¹³⁾—

1997–98 12.694 ⁽¹¹⁾24.838 ⁽¹¹⁾10.722 ⁽¹³⁾—

1998–99 7.332 ⁽¹¹⁾28.537 ⁽¹¹⁾93.072 ⁽¹³⁾—

1999–2000 8.132 ⁽¹¹⁾35.056 ⁽¹¹⁾93.304 ⁽¹³⁾—

2000–01 6.531 ⁽¹¹⁾42.097 ⁽¹¹⁾105.853 ⁽¹¹⁾0.948

2001–02 6.800 ⁽¹¹⁾66.855 ⁽¹¹⁾125.948 ⁽¹¹⁾16.090

2002–03 7.266 ⁽¹¹⁾19.648 ⁽¹¹⁾149.438 ⁽¹¹⁾59.154

2003–04 ⁽¹⁰⁾10.031 ⁽¹²⁾— ⁽¹²⁾— ⁽¹²⁾—

⁽¹⁰⁾ This is the latest figure included in the accounts, but the accounts have yet to be authorised.
⁽¹¹⁾ Figures for NHS trusts and PCTs include both contract staffing and consultancy services.
⁽¹²⁾ Figures for strategic health authority, NHS trusts and PCTs not yet available for this year.
⁽¹³⁾ PCTs were not in existence for these years.

Financial year	Department	Strategic health authority	NHS trust	Primary care trust
1996–97	14.699	⁽¹¹⁾22.003	⁽¹¹⁾107.152	⁽¹³⁾—
1997–98	12.694	⁽¹¹⁾24.838	⁽¹¹⁾10.722	⁽¹³⁾—
1998–99	7.332	⁽¹¹⁾28.537	⁽¹¹⁾93.072	⁽¹³⁾—
1999–2000	8.132	⁽¹¹⁾35.056	⁽¹¹⁾93.304	⁽¹³⁾—
2000–01	6.531	⁽¹¹⁾42.097	⁽¹¹⁾105.853	⁽¹¹⁾0.948
2001–02	6.800	⁽¹¹⁾66.855	⁽¹¹⁾125.948	⁽¹¹⁾16.090
2002–03	7.266	⁽¹¹⁾19.648	⁽¹¹⁾149.438	⁽¹¹⁾59.154
2003–04	⁽¹⁰⁾10.031	⁽¹²⁾—	⁽¹²⁾—	⁽¹²⁾—

Data Protection

Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what data protection rules apply to the transmission of UK health records to health authorities abroad. [184342]

Mr. Hutton: The Data Protection Act 1998 regulates disclosures, including transfers abroad, of health information about identifiable living individuals. Subject to specified exemptions the Act requires data controllers, including national health service organisations, to comply with the eight 'data protection principles' set out in schedule 1, part 1 to the Act. The first and eighth principles are particularly relevant to transfers abroad. Where the foreign transfer is to a 'data processor', for example, any person or organisation processing data on behalf of the United Kingdom data controller, the seventh principle will also be important.

Among other provisions, these three principles respectively provide that such transfers must be fair and lawful; ensure "an adequate level of protection for the rights and freedoms of data subjects in relation to the processing of personal data" and include "appropriate technical and organisational measures" to protect the information.

Deafblind Awareness Week

Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to be involved in and mark the celebration of Deafblind Awareness Week. [178618]

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Dr. Ladyman: Although I was invited to an event organised by Sense to mark Deafblind Awareness Week, I was unfortunately unable to attend. I recognise the contributions of Sense, Deafblind UK and other organisations in the voluntary sector in raising awareness of the needs of deafblind people.

Dentistry

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have retired from dentistry in each year since 1997 for which figures are available. [180640]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The available information in the table is from the National Health Service Pensions Agency for the number of pensions awarded in England and Wales where a NHS pension has been claimed prior to the scheme's normal retirement age and at the scheme's normal retirement age. These will include pensions paid on the grounds of ill health, premature retirements following redundancy and voluntary early retirement before age 60 (introduced from 6 March 1995).
All dentists' retirements

Total dentist pension awards

1997 359

1998 333

1999 322

2000 314

2001 363

2002 375

2003 363

	Total dentist pension awards
1997	359
1998	333
1999	322
2000	314
2001	363
2002	375
2003	363

Digital Hearing Aids

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many digital hearing aids were fitted in each of the past seven years in each region of England. [180034]

Dr. Ladyman: The national health service fitted very few, if any, digital hearing aids before September 2000. The modernising hearing aid services project began as a pilot project in September 2000, initially in only 20 sites. In the first 18 months of the project to April 2002, about 30,000 digital hearing aids were fitted. A further 42,000 aids were issued in the year to April 2003; and 80,000 were fitted in the year to April 2004. We are unable to give a breakdown of digital hearing aid provision by region.

Free NHS Treatment (Eligibility)

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether there are systematic checks on eligibility for free NHS treatment; [177792]

(2) what assessment has been made of the level of abuse of the NHS by people who have no right to free treatment. [177793]

Mr. Hutton: General practitioner practices need to check details of an individual's residence or previous registration before deciding whether to accept the person as a registered patient, either on a permanent or temporary basis. This is set out in regulations and

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guidance. For hospital services, regulations require the National Health Service Trust providing treatment to make

"such enquiries as it is satisfied are reasonable in all the circumstances, including the state of health of the overseas visitor"

to determine a patient's chargeable status. Guidance makes clear that all patients should be asked baseline residency questions and to produce supporting basic evidence.

Following the launch of the consultation on "Proposals to Exclude Overseas Visitors from Eligibility to Free NHS Primary Medical Services", a copy of which is available in the Library, we are undertaking an evidence gathering study that will seek to identify to what extent visitors to England are obtaining free NHS treatment inappropriately. We are proposing to publish the results of this in conjunction with the outcome of the consultation in autumn 2004. In addition, we have just started a study of 12 NHS trusts across the country, including monitoring impact of use by European Union accession countries.

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