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16 Dec 2004 : Column 1329W—continued
Special Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether he has been informed of breaches of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers in his Department since its implementation; [201298]
(2) how many appeals were made by civil servants to the Civil Service Commissioners regarding special advisers in his Department between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004; and when each appeal was lodged. [201381]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 8 December 2004, Official Report, column 578W by the then Minister for the Cabinet Office, Ruth Kelly.
Temporary Medical Staff
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the total cost of temporary (a) nurses, (b) doctors and (c) staff in the NHS in (i) England and (ii) each primary care trust in each year since 1997. [199924]
Mr. Hutton: The figures shown in the table relate to all costs of temporary staff employed in the national health service since 1997. Figures for 2003–04 are provisional and unaudited. Primary care trust (PCT) data are available from 2000 and information about temporary staffing spend has been placed in the Library.
(41) Temporary nurses = non-NHS nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff.
(42) Temporary doctors = non-NHS medical staff.
(43) Total temporary staff = total non-NHS staff.
(44) 2000–01 is the first year for which PCT data are available.
(45) 2003–04 data are provisional.
Sources:
Annual financial returns of health authorities 1997–98 to 2001–02.
Annual financial returns of strategic health authorities 2002–03 to 2003–04.
Annual financial returns of NHS trusts 1997–98 to 2003–04.
Annual financial returns of primary care trusts 2000–01 to 2003–04.
16 Dec 2004 : Column 1330W
Third-world Health
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what aid his Department is giving to third world countries on health issues. [204671]
Mr. Hutton: The provision of aid to the developing world is an issue where the Department for International Development (DFID) leads. We work with DFID to ensure the priorities of international organisations, such as the World Health Organisation, take full account of the requirements of developing countries.
Travel Costs
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total travel costs to his Department have been for (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials for each year since 1997. [203775]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 9 December 2004]: Since 1999, the Government publishes, on an annual basis, the total costs of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500. Copies of the lists are available in the Library. Travel costs for those special advisers who
accompany their Ministers overseas are included in the annual list on Overseas Travel by Cabinet Ministers.
The travel costs given for Ministers' offices include Ministers, their officials and special advisors where appropriate. The Department's finance systems do not maintain information by individual Minister or special advisor. Information on travel costs has not been maintained, separate from other business expenses, since April 2004.
| Ministers' offices Year | Expenditure (£) |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 376,376 |
| 1998–99 | 427,970 |
| 1999–2000 | 508,932 |
| 2000–01 | 557,042 |
| 2001–02 | 480,855 |
| 2002–03 | 511,899 |
| 2003–04 | 595,043 |
| Department Year | Expenditure (£) |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 6,592,081 |
| 1998–99 | 5,814,365 |
| 1999–2000 | 7,080,034 |
| 2000–01 | 7,295,706 |
| 2001–02 | 7,972,843 |
| 2002–03 | 7,607,890 |
| 2003–04 | 8,211,382 |
All travel is undertaken in accordance with the guidelines set out in the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code.
16 Dec 2004 : Column 1331W
Treatment Funding
Andy King: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has given to primary care trusts of the consequences of refusing to fund medical treatments or technologies solely because they have not been approved by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence. [204099]
16 Dec 2004 : Column 1332W
Ms Rosie Winterton: Health Service Circular 1999–176, issued in August 1999, indicates that national health service bodies should continue with local arrangements for the managed introduction of new technologies where guidance from National Institute for Clinical Excellence is not available at the time the technology first becomes available. These arrangements should involve an assessment of the available evidence.