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9 Mar 2005 : Column 1907W—continued

Practice Closures

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in (a) England and (b) each primary care trust have had to be allocated to a GP list in each year since 1996. [218164]

Mr. Hutton: The Department does not collect this information.

Prescription Costs

Peter Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average costs (a) per patient and (b) per unit were of prescriptions issued by (i) dispensing and (ii) non-dispensing general practitioners for each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [220474]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The average cost per patient and per general medical practitioner (GMP) of prescriptions issued by dispensing and non-dispensing doctors in each year since 1998, is shown in the table.

	Average cost per patient (£)		Average cost per GMP (£)
	Dispensing doctors	Non-dispensing doctors	Dispensing doctors	Non-dispensing doctors
1998	100	90	79,500	181,900
1999	110	100	83,800	205,100
2000	130	100	86,700	214,900
2001	130	110	93,100	234,300
2002	140	130	102,000	261,000
2003	150	140	108,300	281,100

Note:
Data for 1997 is not available.





 
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Queen's Flight

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions his Department's Ministers used the Queen's Flight in each of the past five years. [213700]

Ms Rosie Winterton: None.

Radiation Risks

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes his Department plans to make to its (a) policies and (b) regulatory practices following the recommendations of the Report of the Committee Examining Radiation Risks of Internal Emitters, with particular reference to risk estimates. [220590]

Miss Melanie Johnson: I have considered the report from the Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) about the final report from Committee Examining Radiation Risks of Internal Emitters (CERRIE). I accept COMARE's view that:

"In the field of radiological protection in general, the precautionary approach has been standard practice and models have been refined as new information has become available."

I therefore do not consider that there needs to be a change in the Department's policies. Similarly, I consider that current regulatory practices, in particular the environmental regulatory framework regulated by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, are sound.

SSRI Review Group

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) membership and (b) attendance record of
 
9 Mar 2005 : Column 1909W
 
each member of the Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor review group is. [213094]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Committee on Safety of Medicines' (CSM) expert working group on the safety of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors was established in May 2003. The membership included experts in psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry/epidemiology, statistics and general practice, and lay membership. A total of 17 meetings have been held.

The membership of the group and the number of meetings each member attended is shown in the table.

Member	Number of meetings attended
Professor Ian V. D. Weller (Chair)	(34)16
Professor Deborah Ashby	17
Mr. Richard Brook(35)	9
Professor Mary G. A. Chambers	7
Dr. Jonathan D. Chick	15
Professor Colin Drummond	8
Professor David J. Gunnell	12
Professor Klaus Ebmeier	16
Ms Hilary Hawking(36)	3
Dr. Elizabeta Mukaetova-Ladinska	11
Mr. Eamonn O'Tierney(37)	3
Dr. Ross J. Taylor	14
Dr. Ann York	13
Dr. Morris Zwi	10

⁽³⁴⁾ Professor Gordon Duff, chairman of the CSM, chaired the first meeting of the group.
⁽³⁵⁾ Resigned in March 2004.
⁽³⁶⁾ Appointed in September 2004.
⁽³⁷⁾ Mr. O'Tierney was unable to continue as an active member of the group from July 2003 for personal reasons.

Staff Costs

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of (a) medical and dental staff and (b) administration and estates staff was (i) in cash terms and (ii) as a proportion of total NHS expenditure in each year since 1991. [218121]

Mr. Hutton: The information requested is shown in the tables.
Hospital and community health services (HCHS) expenditure on medical and dental staff in England: 1991–92 to 2003–04

	Total expenditure (£ billion)	Total NHS expenditure (£ billion)	Percentage of total expenditure asa proportion of total NHS expenditure
1991–92	1.926	25.353	7.60
1992–93	2.220	27.968	7.94
1993–94	2.295	28.942	7.93
1994–95	2.419	30.590	7.91
1995–96	2.614	31.985	8.17
1996–97	2.838	32.997	8.60
1997–98	3.022	34.664	8.72
1998–99	3.301	36.608	9.02
1999–2000	3.665	40.201	9.19
2000–01	4.138	43.932	9.42
2001–02	4.791	49.021	9.72
2002–03	5.445	54.042	10.02
2003–04	6.491	63.667	10.20

 
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HCHS expenditure on administration and estates staff in England: 1991–92 to 2003–04

	Total expenditure (£ billion)	Total NHS expenditure (£ billion)	Percentage of total expenditure as a proportion of total NHS expenditure
1991–92	2.035	25.353	8.03
1992–93	2.125	27.968	7.60
1993–94	2.432	28.942	8.40
1994–95	2.555	30.590	8.35
1995–96	2.747	31.985	8.59
1996–97	2.899	32.997	8.79
1997–98	2.962	34.664	8.54
1998–99	3.122	36.608	8.53
1999–2000	3.369	40.201	8.45
2000–01	3.706	43.932	8.43
2001–02	4.175	49.021	8.47
2002–03	4.711	54.042	8.67
2003–04	5.211	63.667	8.18

Notes:
Administration and estates staff includes:
Administration and clerical staff.
Maintenance and works staff.
Senior managers and managers.
Total NHS expenditure:
1. Expenditure pre 1999–2000 is on a cash basis.
2. Expenditure figures from 1999–2000 to 2002–03 are on a stage 1 resource budgeting basis (and consistent with figures published in tables 3.4a of the Departmental report 2004).
3. Expenditure for 2003–04 is on a stage 2 resource budgeting basis (and consistent with table 3.4b of the Departmental report 2004).
Source of expenditure on medical and dental staff and administration and estates staff:
1. Annual financial returns of NHS trusts 1991- to 2003–04.
2. Annual financial returns of the regional and district health authorities and special health authorities for the London postgraduate teaching hospitals 1991–92 to 1995–96.
3. Annual financial returns of health authorities 1996–97 to 2001–02.
Annual financial returns of strategic health authorities 2002–03 to 2003–04.
Annual financial returns of primary care trusts 2000–01 to 2003–04.

Targets

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce emergency bed days by 5 per cent. by 2008, through improved care in primary care and community settings for people with long-term conditions will be met; [219079]

(2) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to ensure that no-one waits more than 18 weeks from general practitioner referral to hospital treatment by 2008 will be met; [219080]

(3) whether the public service agreement target to guarantee access to a primary care doctor within 48 hours from 2004 has been met; [219226]

(4) whether the public service agreement target to guarantee access to a primary care professional within 24 hours from 2004 has been met; [219225]

(5) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to make it easier for patients and their general practitioners to choose the hospital and consultant which best meets their needs will be met by the end of 2005; [219228]
 
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(6) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to ensure that every hospital appointment will be booked for the convenience of the patient will be met by the end of 2005; [219227]

(7) whether the public service agreement target of reducing the proportion of those waiting for over one hour in accident and emergency was met; [219224]

(8) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce the maximum wait for an in-patient appointment to six months will be achieved by the end of 2005; [219221]

(9) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce the maximum wait for an out-patient appointment to three months will be achieved by the end of 2005; [219220]

(10) whether the public service agreement target to reduce the maximum waiting in accident and emergency from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge to four hours by the end of 2004 was met; [219223]

(11) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce the maximum in-patient and day case waiting time to three months will be achieved by 2008; [219222]

(12) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to improve health outcomes for people with long-term conditions by offering a personalised care plan for vulnerable people most at risk. [219250]

Mr. Hutton: The Department's autumn performance report, published in December 2004, sets out the latest assessment for delivery of targets agreed as part of the Department's spending review 2002 public service agreement. This report is available in the Library.

The March 2005 data due for publication in mid May will be the first opportunity to assess sustained delivery of those targets due at the end of 2004.

Plans for delivery of targets agreed as part of the spending review 2004 are now being developed in discussion with the national health service as part of the process for agreeing local delivery plans for 2005–08.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to increase the number
 
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of older people being supported to live in their own homes by 1 per cent. annually in 2007 and 2008 will be met; [219081]

(2) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to increase the number of older people supported intensively to live at home to 34 per cent. of the total being supported by social services at home or residential by 2008 will be met; [219082]

(3) what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to increase the number of older people supported intensively to live at home to 30 per cent. of the total being supported by social services at home or in residential accommodation will be met by March 2006. [219237]

Dr. Ladyman: The public service agreement (PSA) target to increase, by March 2006, the number of those supported intensively to live at home to 30 per cent. of all those being supported by social services at home or in residential care, rose from 29 per cent. to 30 per cent. in 2003–04; this means the target was met two years ahead of the target date. This PSA target was changed to 34 per cent. by March 2008, following the 2004 spending review. Information for 2004–05 showing progress towards this target will be available in autumn 2005. The final position on this target will be assessed in the autumn of 2008, when the data for 2007–08 is available.

Data are not yet available to assess progress against the PSA target to increase the number of older people being supported to live in their own homes by 1 per cent. annually in 2007 and 2008. The baseline for the target will be calculated for the year 2005–06 by the end of 2006, when the data are published. We will be able to measure the final position at the end of 2008.

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce the mortality rate from suicide and undetermined injury by at least 20 per cent. by 2010 will be met. [219235]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The national suicide prevention strategy for England annual report on progress 2004, published on 21 January 2005, stated that the overall death rate from suicide in the most recent period (2001–03) has fallen to 8.6 deaths per 100,000 population. This marks a reduction of 6 per cent. from the baseline rate in 1995–97 of 9.2 deaths per 100,000. The rate has been steadily falling for the past five years and if this trend were to continue, the target would be met. The strategy is a co-ordinated set of activities, which will take place over several years and is subject to regular annual review and evaluation. A copy of the annual report has been placed in the Library.

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