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10 Feb 2005 : Column 1692W—continued
LIFT Programme
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the total cost of the NHS LIFT programme to date. [215849]
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Mr. Hutton: Capital for National Health Service Local Improvement Finance Trusts (LIFT) is provided through private finance. 33 schemes have reached financial close with an estimated capital value of £433 million, for their initial schemes. 18 further schemes are in various stages of procurement and it is not possible to estimate a value for them.
Three schemes have also closed on their second wave of buildings and their combined capital value is estimated at £60 million.
The Government have to date made available, from public sources, £177.9 million of enabling funds.
As new LIFT buildings open, primary care trusts are meeting the financial consequences of this from their revenue allocations. Information on this spend is not held centrally.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to extend the NHS LIFT programme to cover dental practices; and if he will make a statement. [215850]
Mr. Hutton: National Health Service Local Improvement Finance Trusts (LIFTs) provide improved primary care facilities for primary care trusts, to support the delivery of services required by their local population, which could include dentistry. Three of the five new LIFT buildings, in East London, Barnsley and Wigan, include, or are planning to include, provision for dentistry.
Mental Health Care
Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the average waiting time is for a mental health appointment in Somerset; [214477]
(2) how many people consulted an NHS mental health doctor in Somerset in each of the last five years. [214478]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.
National Institute for Clinical Excellence
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many reports the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has produced in the last five years. [208358]
(2) how many new (a) technologies and (b) treatments the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has recommended in the last five years. [208359]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
Since the establishment of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) in 1999, it has published 86 technology appraisals, 23 clinical guidelines and 99 pieces of guidance on the safety and efficacy of interventional procedures (as of January 2005). Many NICE guidance publications address more than one technology or treatment.
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To date, hundreds of thousands of people have benefited from the guidance produced by NICE. Its guidance has spanned a wide range of important topics, including technologies to tackle major killers, such as cancer and coronary heart disease. NICE itself is recognised as a world leader in its field and its methodologies for health technology assessment have been commended by the World Health Organisation Further information on the work of NICE is freely available on its website at www.nice.org.uk.
The Department does not hold detailed information on the number of new drugs and treatments covered by NICE guidance.
Parking
Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on (a) provision of parking spaces for civil servants and (b) parking tickets and penalties incurred by civil servants in the Department in each year since 1997. [213808]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The expenditure incurred by the Department on the specific provision of car parking spaces for civil servants is shown in the table.
| Amount (£) | |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 1,000 |
| 1998 | 1,000 |
| 1999 | 1,000 |
| 2000 | 1,000 |
| 2001 | 1,000 |
| 2002 | 0 |
| 2003 | 900 |
| 2004 | 2,240 |
It is departmental policy not to reimburse the cost of parking tickets or penalties for staff.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the question tabled by the hon. Member for Chichester on 6 December 2004, ref. 202257. [210494]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I have replied to the hon. Member today.
Performance Measurement
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health from what sources the data for measuring performance against standards on medicine review in (a) the National Service Framework for Older People and (b) the GP contract are drawn; and what the frequency of collection is in each case. [209801]
Dr. Ladyman: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 3 February 2005, Official Report, columns 1118–119W.
Prevenar
Keith Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when the vaccine Prevenar will be available on the NHS; [209816]
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(2) what recent representations he has received on the effectiveness of Prevenar in preventing pneumococcal disease; [209817]
(3) what the findings were of the research commissioned by the Department on the effectiveness of the vaccine Prevenar. [209818]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has recommended in principle the introduction of pneumococcal vaccine for children, subject to further consideration. Full details can be found at http://www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/jcvi/index.htm.
Since our meeting last year, I have received a total of 10 letters and questions from hon. and right hon. Members on Prevenar.
The JCVI has considered information published in the scientific literature on the effectiveness of Prevenar and also considered some currently unpublished surveillance data on the impact of Prevenar used in the United States.
In addition, phase II clinical trials were carried out with a nine-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine to investigate whether the same level of protection could be
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achieved when the vaccine was given at two, three and four months of age (at the same time as the meningitis C conjugate vaccine) compared with the US primary schedule at two, four and six months of age. The results of this study showed that good protection was achieved using the two, three and four months schedule.
A two-dose primary immunisation schedule of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine given at two and four months was also compared to the three-dose schedule. The results of the trials supported the use of a two-dose primary immunisation schedule, with each dose separated by two months, in the first four months of life. The data also supported a single dose catch up programme for children aged one year and over.
Special Advisers
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004 departmental special advisers travelled (a) domestically and (b) abroad in an official capacity; what places were visited; and how much each visit cost. [202257]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This table shows details of all domestic journeys taken by special advisers, between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004.
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This table shows details of all journeys abroad taken by Special Advisers, between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004.
| Journey | Cost (£) | Rail/air | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 October 2003 | London/Washington | 4,229.00 | Air |
| 16 May 2003 | London/Washington | 510.00 | Air |
| Total | 4,739.00 |
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