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Leeds Community and Mental Health Trust

Mr. Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether the Leeds Community and Mental Health Trust has received the additional £5 million allocated after the external review of services in 1999; [214904]

(2) what assessment he has made of the Leeds Community and Mental Health Trust's financial position; and if he will make a statement; [214906]

(3) what assessment he has made of the impact on services at the Leeds Community and Mental Health Trust of its financial deficit. [215214]

Miss Melanie Johnson: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 21 February 2005, Official Report, columns 161–62W.

Malnutrition

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many elderly people were diagnosed as suffering from malnutrition in (a) Greater London, (b) each London borough and (c) England in each year since 2002–03. [220179]

Dr. Ladyman: In 2002–03, eight London residents aged 65 years or more were admitted to hospitals and diagnosed as suffering from malnutrition. In 2003–04, the number was 11. The corresponding figures for England are 112 and 116 respectively. Figures for individual London boroughs are not available.

Meat Hygiene

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures the Meat Hygiene Service has put in place to ensure that trade union health and safety representatives can inspect all premises on which Meat Hygiene Service staff work. [219000]

Miss Melanie Johnson: I am advised that the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) has no legal basis upon which to authorise its appointed Unison trade union safety representatives to enter or inspect licensed fresh meat premises which are owned by a third party, and in which MHS staff are deployed. In partnership with Unison, the MHS has pursued this matter with the Health and Safety Executive and legal advisers, including seeking voluntary access agreements with industry representative bodies. The MHS understands that some plants have agreed access on this basis. However, as it stands, and pending any future changes to the relevant health and safety legislation, there is no further action that the MHS can take. Unison representatives were advised accordingly in January 2003.
 
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David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what facilities the Meat Hygiene Service makes available to its inspection staff at meat plants to ensure that staff can store foodstuffs and consume meals and other refreshments in a clean, safe and hygienic environment; [219001]

(2) what facilities the Meat Hygiene Service makes available to its inspection staff to (a) wash, (b) shower and (c) ensure personal hygiene and cleanliness, in line with the MHS zoonosis risk guidance, when undertaking their duties at meat plants. [219002]

Miss Melanie Johnson: I am advised that the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) enforces the provisions of the Fresh Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 (as amended); the Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995 (as amended); and the Wild Game Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995; which require that adequate facilities" are provided by plant operators to enable MHS inspection staff to carry out their duties. These facilities include those required to enable MHS staff to wash, shower and ensure their personal hygiene and cleanliness.

In ensuring that adequate facilities are provided, the MHS also has an obligation to ensure that premises, including plants in which its inspection staff work, comply with the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 (as amended). Regulations 22 and 25 place a responsibility on all plant operators to provide facilities for rest and eating meals in the premises they control or own.

The plant operator is the primary duty holder under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations. Some plant operators provide canteen facilities which are available to be shared by MHS inspection staff. Where shared eating facilities are not available, the MHS has provided refrigerators in some plants exclusively for the storage of food by inspection staff, and has also provided items such as microwave cookers and electric kettles for their usage.

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment has been undertaken by the Meat Hygiene Service of the ergonomic and manual handling risks to its meat inspection staff; [219010]

(2) what measures the Meat Hygiene Service has put in place to remove the ergonomic risks to its inspection staff. [219011]

Miss Melanie Johnson: I am advised that an ergonomic aspects of work policy supported by guidance and an inspection/risk assessment checklist was agreed with UNISON and issued by the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) in June 2002. In accordance with this policy, any individual who considers their health is at risk from ergonomic factors would be referred to BMI Services Ltd. for an assessment. In the light of their report, adjustments to the working conditions would be made where these were considered reasonable as required by statute. Where ergonomic
 
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factors in a licensed meat plant are of general concern, a report from BMI Services Ltd. may be commissioned. This would be referred to the MHS regional office for consideration with the plant operator before being reviewed by the joint MHS/UNISON health and safety committee for any recommendations they wish to make. The MHS has also provided ergonomic/manual handling training at both instructor and risk assessor level to 20 employees who will be deployed to review potential risks in licensed premises as appropriate.

MRSA

Mr. Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals in (a) England and (b) Leicester South conduct regular checks to identify cases of MRSA. [217981]

Miss Melanie Johnson: All acute national health service trusts are required to report methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections as part of the mandatory surveillance system introduced by this Government in April 2001.

National Electronic Library

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the reasons are for the decision to terminate access to the Drug and Therapeutics bulletin database on the National Electronic Library for Health in May; and if he will make a statement. [216254]

Ms Rosie Winterton: There are no plans to terminate access to the electronic version of the Drug and Therapeutics bulletin available via the National Electronic Library for Health. This version of the bulletin will remain available to all national health service health professionals in England.

NHS Appointments

Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role the NHS Appointments Board has in the approval of a foundation trust's chairman elected from within the Board of Governors; and if he will make a statement. [219519]

Mr. Hutton: None.

NHS Counter Fraud Compliance Unit

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date the NHS Counter Fraud Compliance Unit was proposed for closure in the Arm's Length Body review; what recent transitional arrangements have been proposed; and if he will make a statement. [218034]

Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 24 February 2005]: The devolution of the work of the National Health Service Counter Fraud and Security Management Service (CFSMS) compliance unit was intended to be 31 March 2005, with closure of the unit at the same time.

Unfortunately, an error occurred at the time of publication of An Implementation Framework for Reconfiguring the Department of Health's Arm's Length Bodies" and the date for closure was shown as 1 October 2005, not 31 March 2005 as previously
 
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indicated in communication to compliance unit staff. Staff in the compliance unit were contacted once it became clear that an error had been made.

The CFSMS is continuing to consult with UNISON regarding transitional arrangements. These include retaining a small number of staff to undertake work on decommissioning the compliance unit for a limited period of time. This is in addition to the nine members of staff who will be retained to form a patient fraud support unit.

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