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11 Jan 2005 : Column 509W—continued
Departmental Costs
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost to (a) his Department and (b) the NHS of (i) theft and (ii) fraud in each year since 1997. [200605]
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Ms Rosie Winterton: Estimates for the cost of theft and total theft in the national health service in England are not available. Estimated figures on fraud levels across the whole NHS in England are not available. However, the NHS counter fraud service (NHS CFS) has an ongoing programme of specialist risk measurement exercises, which is designed to reveal levels of losses and, through repeated exercises, achieve reductions. These exercises concentrated on patient fraud. The tables show the results and are accurate to within plus or minus one per cent. of the losses measured in each of the patient exercises.
Total patient fraud losses have reduced from approximately £170 million to £87 million per year, a reduction of 49 per cent., since the creation of the NHS CFS in 1998.
For the Department, recorded losses through fraud and theft are shown in the following tables.
| (5507190036)Fraud and theft losses | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 61.42 |
| 1998–99 | 66.90 |
(5507190036) For these years, recorded data are for fraud and theft losses combined
| Fraud losses | |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 3.06 |
| 2000–01 | 0.00 |
| 2001–02 | 0.15 |
| 2002–03 | 38.31 |
| 2003–04 | 29.08 |
| Theft losses | |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 45.09 |
| 2000–01 | 56.83 |
| 2001–02 | 34.71 |
| 2002–03 | 35.59 |
| 2003–04 | (5507190037) |
(5507190037) Not yet available
In my response to a similar question from the hon. Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr. Prisk), Official Report, 18 November 2004, column 1992W, I provided information on fraud in the Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). The figures quoted for the Department for the years 1999–2003 included both theft and fraud rather than just fraud.
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The answer should have read as follows.
Table 2 shows figures for fraud, provided by the NHS counter fraud and security management service.
(5507190038) From MHRA this includes a stolen cheque for £162,000, which should be reimbursed by the bank. The case is in the hands of their lawyers. This was included in the 2003–04 Her Majesty's Treasury fraud return.
I have written to the hon. Member to apologise for this error and have placed a copy of that letter in the Library.
Departmental Credit Cards
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many credit cards for official expenditure are held by his Department. [206437]
Ms Rosie Winterton: At present, the Department holds 286 active Government procurement cards that are used for official expenditure and that increase efficiency.
Departmental Equipment
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many items of electrical equipment were used by his Department in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by (a) cost and (b) number of each type of item. [205732]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department has 11,719 electronic items on its Asset Register at a cost of £4,794,455. It has 38,435 other pieces of electrical equipment such as lights and the annual cost of testing these is about £67,000.
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by his Department on lighting in each year since 1997. [205871]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The cost of supplying lighting to the Department's estate cannot be determined. The Department receives a single bill for the supply of all the electricity to each of its buildings.
Departmental Policies
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East constituency of his Department's policies since 8 June 2001. [206836]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
The Government have put in place a programme of national health service investment and reform since 1997 to improve service delivery in all
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parts of the United Kingdom. There is significant evidence that these policies have yielded considerable benefits for the Middlesbrough, South and Cleveland, East constituency.
At the end of October 2004, there were no people waiting more than nine months for in-patient treatment at the South Tees Hospitals National Health Service Trust, while in 1997 there were a total of 1,145 waiting more than nine months in the predecessor trusts, the South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust and the Northallerton Health Services NHS Trust. In June 2001, there was a total of 785 waiting more than nine months.
At the end of September 2004, there were 1,033 patients waiting over 13 weeks for out-patient treatment the South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust, while in 1997 there were a total of 986 waiting more than 26 weeks in the predecessor trusts. In June 2001, there was a total of 1,150 waiting more than 26 weeks.
At the end of October 2004, there were no people waiting more than nine months for in-patient treatment within Langbaurgh Primary Care Trust (PCT), a fall from 210 in June 2002.
At the end of October 2004, there were no people waiting more than nine months for in-patient treatment within Middesbrough PCT, a fall from 324 in June 2002.
At the end of September 2004, the number of patients waiting over 13 weeks for out-patient treatment within Langbaurgh PCT has fallen to 111 from 387 in June 2002.
At the end of September 2004, the number of patients waiting over 13 weeks for out-patient treatment within Middlesbrough PCT has fallen to 277 from 836 in June 2002.
In September 2002, at South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust, 92.5 per cent. of patients spent less than four hours in accident and emergency from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. Figures for September 2004 show an improvement to 97.3 per cent.
Between September 2002 and June 2004, the number of consultants at South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust has increased from 236 to 264. The predecessor trusts had a total of 200 consultants in 1997.
Between September 2002 and September 2003, the number of nurses at South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust has increased from 2,127 to 2,296. The predecessor trusts had a total of 2,077 nurses in 1997.
Figures for October 2004 show that all patients within Langbaurgh PCT are able to be offered an appointment with a primary care professional within two working days.
Figures for October 2004 show that all patients within Middlesbrough PCT are able to be offered appointment with a primary care professional within two working days.
In the Middlesbrough Unitary Authority area death rates from cancer per 100,000 population have fallen from 245 in 1997 to 225.2 in 2001 and to 219.8 in 2003. In the Redcar and Cleveland unitary authority area
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death rates from cancer per 100,000 population have fallen from 243.2 in 1997 to 208.2 in 2001 and 194.8 in 2003.
In the Middlesbrough Unitary Authority area, death rates from coronary heart disease per 100,000 population have fallen from 206.8 in 1997 to 173.4 in 2001 and 133.8 in 2003. In the Redcar and Cleveland Unitary Authority area death rates from coronary heart disease per 100,000 population have fallen from 193.3 in 1997 to 135.9 in 2001 and 141.4 in 2003.
Langbaurgh PCT's allocation has risen to £105.1 million for 2004–05, a cash increase of 6.9 per cent.
Middlesbrough PCT's allocation has risen to £198.4 million for 2004–05, a cash increase of 7.2 per cent.
An additional magnetic resonance imaging scanner was delivered to James Cook University in February 2003.
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