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7 Sept 2004 : Column 1094W—continued
Patient Environment and Assessment Team
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals were (a) put on special measures and (b) offered additional support following inspection by a Patient Environment and Assessment Team (PEAT) in each year since inspections began; and what the overall (i) PEAT score and (ii) star rating were in each case. [185333]
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Mr. Hutton: Since 2000, assessments of hospital cleanliness have been undertaken by patient environment action teams (PEATs). Following these assessments hospitals are allocated a rating on a 'traffic-light' scale—Red equals poor, Amber equals acceptable and Green equals good. Since August 2001, PEATs have confirmed that there are no hospitals where overall standards are less than acceptable.
However, following the PEAT assessments in 2002, some hospitals were identified where, although overall acceptable levels had been achieved, it was felt that there were grounds for additional support to be provided to ensure that standards were maintained and any shortfalls identified remedied. This was also the case in 2003.
In 2002, 51 hospitals were identified where such support was been deemed appropriate and in 2003 this number was 111. The PEAT rating for all of these hospitals was 'Amber'.
The star rating process is applied to the aggregate performance of a trust, whereas the PEAT rating is applied to each hospital within a trust and it is therefore possible that a trust with an overall good star rating may have an individual site where cleanliness standards are a cause for concern.
PFI/PPP Contracts
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many contracts have been let by his Department in each financial year since 2001–02 to (a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte and Touche, (c) KPMG and (d) Ernst and Young for advising his Department on private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts; and what fees were paid in each case. [182266]
Mr. Hutton: The table shows details of the number of contracts and fees paid to PricewaterhouseCoopers, Deloitte and Touche, KPMG and Ernst and Young since 2001–02 by the Department for advising on the private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts.
| PwC | Deloitte and Touche | KPMG | Ernst and Young | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | ||||
| Number of contracts | 1 | 0 | 2 | (59)— |
| Fees (£) | 23,818 | — | 25,000 25,000 | (59)— |
| 2002–03 | ||||
| Number of contracts | 0 | 3 | 0 | (59)— |
| Fees (£) | — | 50,529 20,623 (60)21,803 | 0 | (59)— |
| 2003–04 | ||||
| Number of contracts | 0 | 2 | 1 | (59)— |
| Fees (£) | — | 189,772 71,557 | 58,321 | (59)— |
| 2004–05 | ||||
| Number of contracts | 0 | 0 | 1 | (59)— |
| Fees (£) | — | — | 17,500 | (59)— |
(59) No contracts awarded.
(60) Sub-contracted to Davis Langdon Everest.
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Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many contracts and what fees (a) Barclays, (b) the Royal Bank of Scotland, (c) UBS Warburg and (d) the Bank of Scotland received for advising his Department on private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts in each financial year since 2001–02. [186674]
Mr. Hutton: No contracts have been awarded to any of the companies listed in the question.
Press Officers
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many press officers are employed in his Department. [187159]
Ms Rosie Winterton: There are 21 press officers presently employed in the Department.
Radioactivity (Public Health)
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission a study of cancer incidence in North Essex. [183975]
Dr. Ladyman: We have no current plans to commission a study of cancer incidence in North Essex. Indeed, in line with the "NHS Plan" and the "Shifting the Balance of Power" initiative to devolve funding decisions to the front line, it is now for primary care trusts, in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders, to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services, based on the specialised knowledge they have of the local community.
Recruitment Consultants
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent in (a) 1996–97 and (b) the last year for which figures are available on (i) head-hunters and recruitment consultants, (ii) management consultants, (iii) advertising consultants and (iv) public relations consultants. [184534]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 16 July 2004]: The detailed information requested is not held centrally. Expenditure by the Department on external consultancy services in each year from 1996–97 to 2003–04 is shown in the table.
| Financial Year | Expenditure (£ million) |
|---|---|
| 1996–97 | 14.699 |
| 1997–98 | 12.694 |
| 1998–99 | 7.332 |
| 1999–2000 | 8.132 |
| 2000–01 | 6.531 |
| 2002–02 | 6.800 |
| 2002–03 | 7.266 |
| 2003–04 | (61)10.031 |
(61) This is the latest figure included in the accounts, but the accounts have yet to be authorised.
Rheumatoid Arthritis
Mr. Amess:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Medical Research Council has identified
7 Sept 2004 : Column 1097W
rheumatoid arthritis as a priority area; and how much of its resources are going into (a) research programmes and (b) projects related to this disease. [186279]
Ms Hewitt: I have been asked to reply.
Arthritis and rheumatism is one of 12 disease specific research divisions of the Medical Research Council (MRC).
The MRC spent £6.8 million in the FY 2002–03, on research into arthritis and rheumatism and much of this will be relevant to rheumatoid arthritis.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Government supports the inclusion of rheumatoid arthritis as a priority of research area in the next EU framework programme. [186284]
Dr. Ladyman: The Government has recently consulted on the European Union seventh research and development framework programme. Details are available on the Office of Science and Technology (OST) website at http://www.ost.gov.uk/ostinternational/fp7/index.html. Initial feedback will be published on the OST website shortly.
The Government plans to produce a position paper on the seventh framework programme in early Autumn 2004. That paper will also be published on the OST website.
Scoliosis
Mr. Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the incidence of scoliosis among teenagers; and what steps are being taken to develop appropriate treatment of the condition. [185280]
Dr. Ladyman: Scoliosis is a descriptive term rather than a specific diagnosis, which can be wide-ranging from simple to very complex conditions. Information is not collected centrally by the Department on the incidence of all types of scoliosis. However, it has been estimated that idiopathic adolescent scoliosis, which is one of the accepted classifications in which scoliosis can be the only finding, has an incidence of two per thousand children.
A range of services for the treatment of scoliosis is available across the country, including spinal corrective surgery for children. A review of services for children with spinal deformity, including scoliosis, is being undertaken by a project group with wide stakeholder representation. The group, led by the North Central London Strategic Health Authority, produced its first report in May 2004 and is looking to take recommendations forward.
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