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20 Jan 2005 : Column 1110W—continued
Industrial Training Boards
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average time taken for employers seeking to be taken out of the scope of an industrial training board was in the last year for which figures are available. [209440]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The last time employers were taken out of the scope of an industrial training board was in 1992, when the Construction Board Order was amended. It is not possible in the time available to obtain the information requested but I will write to the hon. Member as soon I have it.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions (a) she and (b) her officials have held since January 2004 with the British Exhibition Contractors Association on the requirements for their members to be registered with the Construction Industry Training Board; and if she will make a statement. [209441]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: I have had no discussions with the British Exhibition Contractors Association. My officials met with a representative of the association in October 2004 to discuss the position of his members in relation to the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). It was agreed that the association would set out for me the arguments for removing exhibition contracting from the scope of the CITB. I have not yet received any proposal from them.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the requirement for exhibition contractors to be registered with the Construction Industry Training Board was last reviewed; and if she will make a statement. [209442]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
The requirement would only be reviewed at the request of either the employers concerned or the Construction Industry Training
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Board. I have received no such request but am expecting one shortly from the British Exhibition Contractors Association on behalf of the employers.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many exhibition construction companies have appealed to industrial tribunals since May 1997 seeking exemption from the Industrial Training Act 1982; and what the results were. [209443]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Since May 1997 four exhibition contractors have appealed to Industrial Tribunals seeking exemption from paying levy to CITB. Of these, three were withdrawn before a hearing, and one had its appeal upheld.
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the procedure to be followed is for companies seeking exemption from the requirements of the Industrial Training Act 1982. [209444]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The procedure to be followed by companies seeking to be removed from the scope of an Industrial Training Board is as follows;
The detailed arguments should be set out in writing to my Department, along with information on how the companies would organise and fund their training needs if they were no longer covered by the ITB.
I will consult with the industry and other relevant bodies and also with Ministers in the Devolved Administrations.
I will decide, taking all relevant issues into account, whether the request should be agreed and write to the applicants informing them of my decision.
Pay TV
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pay television subscriptions the Department had in each year since 1997; and what the cost was in each year. [207657]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: My Department receives a parliamentary broadcast package consisting of 27 channels. The package is supplied by Initial Communications and has been since 1994 at nil cost. The Sky channels that are part of the package are also supplied at nil cost. In addition, the department pays for a satellite subscription for use at our contingency site at Croydon. This arrangement has only been set up since September 2001 and the costs incurred are as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 4,000 |
| 2003–05 | 6,000 |
Press Officers
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many press officers are employed in the Department. [206524]
Derek Twigg:
The Department for Education and Skills has 17 press officers.
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Primary Schools (Watford)
Claire Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the standards of numeracy and literacy in primary schools in Watford were (a) in 1997 and (b) on the latest date for which figures are available. [209685]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: The proportion of 11-year-olds in Watford achieving the expected level at Key Stage 2 English rose from 68.6 per cent. in 1997 to 81.5 per cent. in 2004. For mathematics, the proportion rose 63.8 per cent. in 1997 to 77.7 per cent. in 2004.
HEALTH
Acute Hospital Beds
Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute hospital beds are available at NHS hospitals within the Greater London area. [209408]
Dr. Ladyman: In 2003–04, there were 16,676 acute beds available in the five London strategic health authorities.
Cancer Services
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has commissioned into the frequencies with which (a) men and (b) women access primary care for cancer. [208412]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 14 October 2004, Official Report, column 356W to my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Dudley, North (Ross Cranston).
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the commitment to spending an extra £570 million on cancer services by 2004 in the September 2000 NHS Cancer Plan was fulfilled; and how extra money relating to cancer services since the publication of that plan has been spent. [208775]
Miss Melanie Johnson: An exercise to identify how the additional £570 million announced in the national health service cancer plan was spent in 2003–04 is currently underway. Results will be published soon. However, we are confident that the £570 million figure will be met.
Dentists
Mr. Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department has made to agreeing an NHS dentistry charging system to reflect future preventative treatment patterns, as recommended in the National Audit Office report, Reforming NHS Dentistry: Ensuring Effective Management of Risks. [206721]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
The Department has received a report on options for a future system of dental patient charges from a working group chaired by Harry Cayton, the Department's director for patients and the
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public. Harry Cayton's group was asked to devise a system, which was straightforward and easy to understand by patients and dentists, was easy to operate and implement and which raised the same proportion of charges revenue as now. We will be consulting on proposals for the new charging system later this year.
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Department spent on lawyers in each year since 1997; broken down by (a) number of actions, (b) number of settlements, (c) number of court cases and (d) the costs of each settlement. [206454]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table. Data concerning case numbers, court cases and settlements could only be obtained by calling up individual cases and this would involve disproportionate cost.
The information provided refers only to amounts spent on litigation, not advisory work.
| Amount (£) | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 1,352,385.50 |
| 1998–99 | 1,986,723.60 |
| 1999–2000 | 3,404,369.20 |
| 2000–01 | 2,602,100.40 |
| 2001–02 | 2,058,405.07 |
| 2002–03 | 1,623,688.92 |
| 2003–04 | 2,396,356.84 |
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the running costs of the Department were in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) electricity, (b) water, (c) gas, (d) telephones, (e) mobile telephones and (f) televisions. [206677]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information shown on the various elements of the Department's running costs are those available from its accounting system.
The costs for the principal buildings on the Department's London estate are as follows:
Note:
The cost of water is not maintained separately.
20 Jan 2005 : Column 1114W
The running costs for telephones are not available as they cannot be separated out from other telecommunications data costs.
| Cost (£) | |
|---|---|
| 2001–02 | 265,000 |
| 2002–03 | 275,000 |
| 2003–04 | 300,000 |
Note:
The cost of mobile phones is not available prior to 2001.
The annual cost is£ 27,739.40 (inclusive of value added tax).
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