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21 Mar 2005 : Column 612W—continued
Personal Accident Cases
Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will take steps to regulate companies involved in no win, no fee claims in personal accident cases. [222249]
Mr. Lammy:
The claims management sector must be properly regulated. Many claims management companies have failed to demonstrate the commitment I would have hoped to see by now despite the efforts by the Claims Standard Council. I will be considering how best to safeguard consumer interests now and for the future as we take forward the Clementi reforms.
21 Mar 2005 : Column 613W
Sikh Employees
David Taylor: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the Department's policy is on the wearing of the Kirpan by Sikh employees. [221667]
Mr. Lammy: The Department's commitment not to discriminate unfairly on the grounds of religion or belief is set out in its Equality and Diversity Policy. The Department has not issued specific guidance on the wearing of the Kirpan by Sikh employees. General guidance on dress places the responsibility on individual managers to inform their employees of the dress code for their particular office. In devising a dress code the guidance requires managers to consult and ensure that they do not discriminate on any grounds and, where an employee's religion requires them to observe a particular dress code, this should be respected. However, recognition and respect for faith must be balanced against considerations for health, safety and security.
The Department's Corporate Diversity Unit is currently devising a toolkit on religion and belief which is intended to include guidance on the wearing of religious objects including the Kirpan.
Targets
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to focus the asylum system on those genuinely fleeing persecution by taking speedy, high quality decisions and reducing significantly unfounded asylum claims; [219147]
(2) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to ensure the fast turnaround of manifestly unfounded asylum cases; [219148]
(3) whether the public service agreement target to ensure that 75 per cent. of substantive asylum applications are decided within two months by 2004 was met; [219149]
(4) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to enforce the immigration laws more effectively by removing a greater proportion of failed asylum seekers; [219150]
(5) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to reduce unfounded asylum claims; [219157]
(6) what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target to tackle abuse of the immigration laws and promote controlled legal migration. [219158]
Mr. Lammy:
I refer the hon. Gentleman for Buckingham to the answer given by the Minister for Citizenship and Immigration, my hon. Friend the Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun (Mr. Browne) on 15 March 2005, Official Report, column 205W.
21 Mar 2005 : Column 614W
HEALTH
Acute Hospital Beds
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute hospital beds there are in (a) England and (b) Surrey and Sussex; and how many acute beds per 100,000 of population there are in (i) County Durham and Tees Valley Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area and (ii) Surrey and Sussex SHA area. [222962]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested is shown in the following table.
| Acute hospital beds | Number |
|---|---|
| England | 109,846 |
| Surrey and Sussex strategic health authority (SHA) | 4,931 |
| Acute beds per 100,000 population | |
| County Durham and Tees Valley SHA | 250 |
| Surrey and Sussex SHA | 193 |
Source:
Beds data: KH03, Population figures: Office for National Statistics mid-2002 estimates.
Alcohol
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many admissions via accident and emergency to NHS hospitals in England for alcohol-related conditions there were in each year from 1997, broken down by trust; and if he will make a statement. [222545]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Alcohol-related Emergency Admissions (Lancashire)
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many alcohol-related emergency cases there were in hospitals in Lancashire in the last period for which figures are available. [221986]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The table the number of alcohol-related 1 finished admission episodes for acute national health service trusts in Lancashire during 2003–04, where the admission method was emergency.
Notes to table:
1.A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
2.The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002–03) diagnosis fields in the hospital episode statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
3.As well as the primary diagnosis, there are up to 13 (six prior to 20O2–03) secondary diagnosis fields in HES that show other diagnoses relevant to the episode of care.
Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).
Source:
HES, Department of Health.
Note:
(18)ICD-10 codes—alcohol related" as advised by NHS Information Authority clinical coding service. Counts include any of the records where the following listed codes are recorded in the primary or secondary field:
Primary diagnosis:
F10.–Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol
T51.–Toxic effect of alcohol
R78.0–Finding of alcohol in blood Secondary Diagnosis
F10.–Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol
T51.–Toxic effect of alcohol
X45.–Alcohol poisoning and exposure to alcohol
X65.–Intentional self poisoning by and exposure to alcohol
Y90.–Evidence of alcohol involvement determined by alcohol level
Y91.–Evidence of alcohol involvement determined by level of intoxication
R78.0–Finding of alcohol in blood
Z72.1–Alcohol use
21 Mar 2005 : Column 615W
Ambulance Response Times
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average response time for ambulances attending 999 calls was in Coventry in each year since 1997. [222614]
Dr. Ladyman: This information is not collected centrally in the format requested.
Data on response times for West Midlands Ambulance Service, which includes Coventry, is shown in the table.
Further information can be found in the statistical bulletin, Ambulance services, England: 2003–04". A copy is available in the Library and on the Department's website at: www.publications.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0411.htm
| West Midlands | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 61.2 |
| 1998–99 | 61.6 |
| 1999–2000 | 64.0 |
| 2000–01 | 69.5 |
| 2001–02 | 76.0 |
| 2002–03 | 78.3 |
| 2003–04(19) | 76.4 |
| West Midlands | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 96.5 |
| 1998–99 | 96.6 |
| 1999–2000 | 96.9 |
| 2000–01 | 97.1 |
| 2001–02 | 99.3 |
| 2002–03 | 97.3 |
| 2003–04(19) | 96.3 |
21 Mar 2005 : Column 616W
| West Midlands | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 95.9 |
| 1998–99 | 94.8 |
| 1999–2000 | 95.8 |
| 2000–01 | 94.4 |
| 2001–02 | 94.2 |
| 2002–03 | 91.2 |
| 2003–04(19) | 90.5 |
| West Midlands | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 77.8 |
| 1998–99 | 78.9 |
| 1999–2000 | 73.5 |
| 2000–01 | 68.0 |
| 2001–02 | 68.5 |
| 2002–03 | 71.1 |
| 2003–04(19) | 74.6 |
(19)In 2003–04 the area covered by West Midlands Ambulance Service was increased to include Shropshire.
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