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3 Nov 2004 : Column 327W—continued
Taiwan (World Health Organisation)
Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department supports the request by Taiwan to be given observer status at the World Health Organisation; and if he will make a statement. [194631]
Mr. Hutton: As a United Nations specialised agency, the World Health Organisation (WHO) requires statehood as a prerequisite for full membership. At the World Health Assembly last May, the Presidency of the European Union Council expressed the hope that the WHO secretariat and others organising technical and working groups under WHO auspices would show flexibility in finding mechanisms to allow Taiwanese medical and public health officials to participate in these activities. Her Majesty's Government will continue to look at ideas for finding that flexibility.
Waiting Lists/Times
Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been waiting for 12 weeks or more for their first appointment with a consultant at St. George's Hospital, Tooting. [194630]
Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is not available centrally.
At quarter ending June 2004, there were 518 patients waiting 13 weeks and over at St. George's Healthcare National Health Service Trust for their first consultant out-patient appointment following general dental practitioner referral.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in Essex are waiting for cardiac surgery. [194926]
Dr. Ladyman: The requested information is collected on a provider basis. There are no patients waiting at providers within the Essex strategic health authority area.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in Essex are waiting for (a) knee and (b) hip replacements. [194927]
Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is not held centrally.
NORTHERN IRELAND
Cancer Screening
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the uptake rate is for breast cancer screening in Northern Ireland. [195420]
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Angela Smith: The uptake rate for breast screening in Northern Ireland during the three years ending 31 March 2004 was 75 per cent., and is in respect of all women aged 50–64 who were invited for screening.
Mr. Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the extent to which those with learning difficulties in the Province make use of screening programmes for (a) breast and (b) cervical cancer. [194525]
Angela Smith: All women in Northern Ireland who are in the screening age group are routinely invited for breast and cervical screening. Routine data are available to show the uptake and coverage rates for the breast and cervical screening programmes as a whole. Data specifically relating to the number of women with learning difficulties being screened are not routinely collected as there is no single database that will provide a comprehensive list of women with learning difficulties.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the coverage is of the cervical screening programme in Northern Ireland. [195419]
Angela Smith: The cervical screening programme in Northern Ireland covers women aged 20–64. Over the five-year period ending March 2003 (the latest date for which such information is available), 72 per cent. of women in that age group had been screened.
Carers
Rev. Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans the Government have to introduce a non-means tested payment for carers who stay at home to look after elderly parents and relatives; and if he will make a statement. [195217]
Mr. Spellar: Carer's allowance, which is a non-means tested social security benefit, is already available to carers aged 16 or over who provide regular and substantial care to people, including older people, in receipt of attendance allowance, or the equivalent rates of disability living allowance care component, or an equivalent benefit paid under the war disablement pensions scheme, or the industrial injuries disablement benefit scheme.
Child Care Provision
Mr. Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether a review of out-of-school play care provision within Northern Ireland has been conducted; and if he will make a statement. [195778]
Angela Smith: Any review of out-of-school hours provision in Northern Ireland will be undertaken within the context of the overall review of "Children First"—the Northern Ireland Childcare Strategy. As this review will be comprehensive in its remit, one of the specific areas it will look at is that of out-of-school hours provision.
Child Support Agency
Mr. Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to tackle problems within the Child Support Agency in Northern Ireland. [194613]
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Mr. Spellar: The Child Support Agency is continuing to work closely with Electronic Data Systems (EDS) to remove the defects within EDS's computer service and which are causing many of the current delays in processing cases. They have implemented a number of software releases and hardware upgrades that are progressively improving that service. There are plans for further releases later this year and in the early part of next year. EDS are also providing further guidance, advice and coaching to members of teams handling new applications with a view to increasing their productivity even within the constraints of the existing computer service.
Contractors (Security Clearance)
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) contractors, (b) sub-contractors and (c) their employees have (i) been refused and (ii) had withdrawn security clearance to work in prison and security force establishments in each year since 2000, to date. [195051]
Mr. Pearson: Statistics for contractors who have been refused security clearance by the Northern Ireland Prison Service from 2000 to 2004 are as follows.
| Security clearance refusals | |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 4 |
| 2001 | 5 |
| 2002 | 1 |
| 2003 | 9 |
| 2004 | 29 |
The increase in the number of refused applications is due to some applicants not disclosing all previous convictions.
The PSNI does not vet companies for security clearance but does vet individuals that companies propose to employ on police sites. The following table provides a breakdown of the 453 individuals who have been refused clearance to work on police sites since 2000:
| Security clearance refusals | |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 46 |
| 2001 | 75 |
| 2002 | 62 |
| 2003 | 142 |
| 2004 (to 27 October) | 128 |
The PSNI do not keep a separate record of contractor employees whose clearance has been withdrawn.
Statistics are not available separately for contractors, sub-contractors or employees nor for the number of security clearance applications withdrawn. Producing such figures would incur disproportionate costs.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has also advised me that for the year 2004 to date there were 1,519 applications for contractor's clearance on to security force establishments with 42
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denials. Figures prior to that year are not readily available and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
Crimestoppers
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people called Crimestoppers in Northern Ireland in each of the past four years; and what budget allocation has been made in each year to cover the costs of the scheme. [193554]
Mr. Pearson: The total number of calls made to Crimestoppers in each of the past four years are as follows.
| Total calls | |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 19,126 |
| 2001 | 19,019 |
| 2002 | 16,188 |
| 2003 | 27,262 |
| 2004 (until 30 September) | 17,663 |
Crimestoppers is a registered charity and as such its general running costs are not met from public funds although some funds have been made available to finance publicity campaigns.
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