| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
17 Nov 2004 : Column 1691W—continued
NHS Professionals
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the cost to date of running NHS Professionals has been; [197921]
(2) what estimate he has made of (a) the cost to date of recruiting through NHS Professionals and (b) what the cost would have been of recruiting over the same period using outside agencies. [197923]
Mr. Hutton: NHS Professionals was initially allocated £7 million to support the start up of pilot sites. A further £24 million was invested in 2002–03 to support roll out. The Department allocated £26.6 million to the new NHS Professionals special health authority for 2004–05. This, taking into account monies from the previous year, brings the total investment to £32.6 million for 2004–05. It is anticipated that NHS Professionals will be self-financing by 2007–08.
Estimates of the cost to date of recruiting through NHS Professionals and how this would compare with outside agencies are not available centrally, but provisional figures for spending on temporary staffing shows a reduction of £65 million for 2003–04.
NHS Staff
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how average pay for (a) nurses and (b) ancillary hospital workers has changed in North Staffordshire since 1997. [198563]
Dr. Ladyman: This information is not held centrally.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training is available to nurses before qualifying as nurse prescribers. [197983]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Higher education institutions provide training courses for nurses to qualify as nurse prescribers. The Nursing and Midwifery Council has an agreed set of standards for the training and preparation of nurse, midwife and health visitor prescribers and is responsible for quality assuring training programmes.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurse prescribers have been designated. [197984]
17 Nov 2004 : Column 1692W
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) hold details of the numbers of nurse prescribers qualified and registered with it. The NMC's contact details can be found on its website at www.nmc-uk.org.
Official Discussions
Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his officials have had with representatives of (a) the food and drink industry and (b) the advertising industry since January. [193469]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Officials at various levels working in the health improvement and prevention division of the Department meet regularly with representatives from a wide range of the food and drink industry and Advertising Association.
Since January 2004, over fifty meetings have been held with representatives from the food and drink industry and less than five meetings have been held with the Advertising Association.
Over-30 Month Scheme
Mr. Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will respond to the Food Standards Agency's recommendation of 10 July 2003 that it would be acceptable on public health grounds to replace in two stages the over-30 month scheme with BSE testing of cattle older than 30 months; and if he will make a statement. [198916]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Government is considering the Food Standards Agency's advice on the over-30-months rule and an announcement will be made in due course.
Pain Relief
Mr. Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are registered with the Easington primary care trust to attend (a) pain clinics and (b) appointments with consultants for pain relief on a regular basis. [198134]
17 Nov 2004 : Column 1693W
Miss Melanie Johnson: This information is not held centrally.
Palliative Care
Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his response to the Report of the Health Select Committee on Palliative Care, if he will implement a strategy to test the cost-benefits arising from a shift towards more patients dying in their homes as recommended by the Committee. [195289]
Miss Melanie Johnson: This particular recommendation from the Health Select Committee followed on from an economic analysis conducted by Marie Curie Cancer Care. In its response to the Committee, the Government agreed with the analysis that the research evidence on costs of care is weak and the data complex. We also agreed in principle with the suggestion that overall savings will only be realised if there is a switch of funding from secondary to primary care and shared the acknowledgment that realistically this may be difficult to achieve.
The national partnership group for palliative care is undertaking work with regard to palliative care costs; these will inform the wider work being undertaken by the Department on healthcare resource groups. The potential cost benefits of a shift of end of life care from inpatient care to the community are for individual primary care trusts to consider. However, the Government wishes to support strategies that enable more patients to exercise choice in where they are cared for and die and is funding specific initiatives in this area. These include a £12 million investment over three years in the end of life care programme and a £6 million investment in integrated cancer care pilots.
Private Finance Initiative
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Private Finance Initiative contracts have been concluded in respect of NHS projects in each of the last six years; and what the total value of those contracts has been in each of those years. [197953]
Mr. Hutton: The number of private finance initiative (PFI) hospital schemes with a capital value of £10 million and over, together with their total approximate capital values, which have reached financial close in each of the last six years is shown in the table.
| Number of Schemes | Total Capital Value | |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 12 | 1003 |
| 2003 | 7 | 683 |
| 2002 | 11 | 598 |
| 2001 | 6 | 300 |
| 2000 | 11 | 615 |
| 1999 | 10 | 618 |
Optometrists
Linda Perham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the efficacy of the 2003 review by the General Optical Council of its regulations
17 Nov 2004 : Column 1694W
for professional accreditation of new optometrists, with particular reference to the effectiveness of the PQE1 examination procedure. [197842]
Mr. Hutton: None. The General Optical Council is a statutory regulatory body independent of the Department.
Prescriptions
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the eligibility criteria are for obtaining a pre-payment certificate for prescription charges. [198234]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Anyone who has to pay prescription charges can purchase prescription charge pre-payment certificates.
Pylons
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what discussions he has had with National Grid Transco on the health effects of electricity pylons; [196751]
(2) if he will make a statement on the health effects of overhead electricity lines and pylons, with particular reference to children's health. [196752]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Recent advice on high voltage power lines and children's health comes from the National Radiological Protection Board's publication, "Review of the Scientific Evidence for Limiting Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields", produced in support of its advice issued in March 2004 (Documents of the NRPB Vol. 15 No. 2 2004). In addition to recommending the adoption of harmonised international guidelines, the advice noted that, at levels below the guidelines:
"association between prolonged exposure to intense power frequency magnetic fields and a small raised risk of childhood leukaemia has, however, been found, the scientific reasons for which are presently uncertain. In the light of these findings and the requirement for additional research, the need for precautionary measures should be considered by government."
The Department and National Grid Transco have instigated a programme of stakeholder discussions in order to develop appropriate practical policies.
The possible application of precautionary measures are currently being considered by departmental officials in association with a large number of stakeholders, including other Government Departments, the devolved Administrations, the electricity supply industry, the electricity supply regulators and a number of non-governmental organisations and public concern groups.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |