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16 Sept 2004 : Column 1761W—continued
NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what long-term plans he has for the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency. [187118]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Proposals for the reconfiguration of the National Health Service Purchasing and Supply Agency (NHS PASA) are outlined in a report, "Reconfiguring the Department of Health's Arm's Length Bodies", published on 22 July 2004. It is proposed that NHS PASA will be reshaped as part of a major programme to support the NHS in handling purchasing and supply more effectively. The Department's commercial directorate has developed plans to streamline the supply chain in the NHS. As these plans are implemented, a transformed NHS PASA will play a crucial role in applying procurement best practice to maximise savings. NHS PASA should be able to take on procurement and contracting functions from other arm's length bodies (ALBs), helping to reduce the cost of the ALB sector.
Osteoporosis
Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when the national screening committee plans to review its advice on osteoporosis screening; [188182]
(2) what plans he has to introduce screening for osteoporosis by means of DEXA scan for those who have specified risk factors for osteoporosis; and if he will make a statement. [188183]
Dr. Ladyman: The United Kingdom national screening committee (NSC) advises Ministers about all aspects of screening policy. The NSC assesses proposed new population screening programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria covering the condition, the test, the treatment options and effectiveness and the acceptability of the screening programme.
The current NSC policy is that there is insufficient evidence to offer population screening for osteoporosis. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has however commissioned a clinical guideline on the prevention, treatment and assessment of osteoporosis for those who have risk factors. The NSC will review its policy on population screening when NICE has published its clinical guideline.
Parliamentary Questions
Paul Farrelly:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will answer questions (a) 187359, (b) 187360
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and (c) 187361 tabled by the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme on 22 July for answer on 7 September. [189269]
Mr. Hutton: I replied to my hon. Friend on Tuesday 14 September 2004.
Personal Social Services
Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average standard spending assessment/formula spending share funding per head has been for personal social services in (a) England and (b) North Somerset in each year since 1997. [188661]
Dr. Ladyman: The personal social services average standard spending assessment/formula spending share (SSA/FSS) allocation per head of total population is shown in the table.
| England | North Somerset | |
|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 152 | 127 |
| 1998–99 | 160 | 135 |
| 1999–2000 | 169 | 139 |
| 2000–01 | 177 | 146 |
| 2001–02 | 181 | 150 |
| 2002–03 | 186 | 155 |
| 2003–04 | 224 | 187 |
| 2004–05 | 246 | 208 |
Note:
The figures are based on the latest available national and sub-national population estimates, which are derived from the 2001 census.
The comparison shows that North Somerset's funding is always less than the England average. Each authority's SSA/FSS allocation depends on a number of factors including whether it has a large or small population, and whether it suffers from relatively high levels of need and deprivation. As a result an authority with a large population and much deprivation receives a far higher funding share than a smaller authority that has relatively low levels of need and deprivation.
Private Sector Treatment
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there are medical conditions which the national health service will not treat if the patient has previously paid for the same treatment in the private sector. [188932]
Mr. Hutton: The national health service would generally pay for any treatment that a patient had previously received as a private patient, so long as it is a treatment normally provided by the NHS and there is appropriate clinical approval.
Specialist Drug Support
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are to be introduced to allow general practitioners easier access to specialist drug support for their patients. [182292]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
The National Treatment Agency (NTA) for substance misuse has introduced a number of measures to allow general practitioners easier access to specialist drug support for their patients.
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The NTA issued guidance to local drug treatment commissioners to ensure that enough drug treatment places are commissioned in line with the NTA guidance "Models of Care" and that each local area has identified referral criteria and routes between primary care and drug treatment specialist services.
Since the introduction of the new general practitioners' contractual arrangements in April 2004, the NTA regional teams have worked hard to ensure that most drug action teams have in place a range of contractual arrangements which specify partnership and support arrangements between primary care and specialist drug treatment services. These include nationally enhanced service contracts and local enhanced service contracts.
The Royal College of General Practitioners also has a range of training courses funded by the Department to train GPs to properly identify, refer and provide treatment for drug misusers.
Temporary Clerical and Administration Staff
Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 1 September 2004 to question reference 185185, on temporary clerical and administration staff, if he will list the benefits to hospital and primary care trusts of using the national framework agreement when hiring temporary clerical and administration staff. [188005]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 13 September 2004]: The use of national framework agreements (NFAs) brings a number of benefits to the national health service, for example:
Competitive commission rates.
Ensuring competitive pay rates for all temporary workers.
The individual trusts no longer have to go through their own tender exercise.
It ensures vetted and verified quality procedures for all agencies.
It provides pre-written specifications and terms and conditions.
The NFA continues to allow trusts the flexibility to form local service level agreements to ensure local variations are accounted for.
The availability of individual trust management information, enabling identification and management of expenditure.
The independent monitoring and review of the NFA and agencies by the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency.
A choice of nine quality providers offering a comprehensive service and assistance with contract administration.
The assurance that all European Union procurement legislation has been complied with.
DEFENCE
C17
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hours the lease contract provided for the Royal Air Force to operate fleet of C17s in each year; and how many flying hours the fleet flew in each six monthly period since it entered service with the Royal Air Force. [188462]
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Mr. Ingram: The lease contract for the RAF's four C-17 aircraft does not restrict the number of flying hours. However, the support arrangements were initially based on an assumed annual fleet usage rate of 3,000 hours; this has been increased to 5,800 hours per annum in response to operational demands.
The C-17 fleet entered Royal Air Force service in September 2001. Since that time, the fleet has flown in excess of 17,000 hours, broken down as follows:
| Flying hours | |
|---|---|
| September 2001 to February 2002 | 2, 159 |
| March 2002 to August 2002 | 3,089 |
| September 2002 to February 2003 | 2,374 |
| March 2003 to August 2003 | 3,586 |
| September 2003 to February 2004 | 2,788 |
| March 2004 to August 2004 | 3,073 |
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost, including the lease, support, manpower and fuel, of operating the fleet of leased C17s was for each six monthly period since it entered service with the Royal Air Force; and what the budgeted cost of each six monthly period was when the lease contract was agreed. [188466]
Mr. Ingram: The following information on the lease and support costs is taken from the Major Project Report (MPR). Information about the lease contract is not recorded historically on a six monthly basis:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 88 |
| 2002–03 | 104 |
| 2003–04 | 102 |
Over the same period, the total manpower and fuel costs to operate and support the fleet are 21 million and 31 million respectively, broken down as follows:
| Manpower | Fuel | |
|---|---|---|
| September 2001 to February 2002 | 3.4 | 3.5 |
| March 2002 to August 2002 | 3.5 | 5.2 |
| September 2002 to February 2003 | 3.5 | 4.2 |
| March 2003 to August 2003 | 3.6 | 7 |
| September 2003 to February 2004 | 3.9 | 5.2 |
| March 2004 to August 2004 | 3.9 | 6.6 |
I am withholding details of the lease costs and underlying aircraft price in accordance with Exemption 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information as they are commercially sensitive.
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