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Public Service Agreements
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in meeting the public service agreement target to increase in each year the proportion of drug users successfully sustaining or completing treatment programmes. [1560]
Caroline Flint: The Department is currently on track to meet its target to increase each year the proportion of drug users successfully sustaining or completing treatment programmes.
It is estimated that the total number of individuals successfully completing or being retained in treatment in 2003–04 was 90,511.
This is an increase from the 80,600 problem drug misusers who successfully completed or were retained in treatment in 2002–03, the first year for which these figures were available.
Smoking
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment the Government have made of the impact of smoking in the workplace on (a) individuals and (b) the NHS; [47]
(2) what steps the Government are taking to encourage smoke-free working environments. [48]
Caroline Flint: The most recent estimate of the number of workplace deaths caused by second-hand smoke was published in the British Medical Journal on 2 March 2005 in a report by Professor Konrad Jamrozik. This gave an estimate of 617 deaths a year in the United Kingdom. The author acknowledges that the results are distinctly sensitive" to some of the underlying assumptions. A copy of the paper is available in the Library.
The cost to the national health service of treating illness and disease caused by smoking is between £1.4 billion and £1.7 billion a year.
In the Queen's speech, the Department has set out plans for legislation to make the vast majority of enclosed public places and workplaces smoke-free within the next four years.
A partial impact regulatory assessment (RIA) has been published alongside the Choosing Health White Paper, which gives initial estimates of the possible impact on smoking prevalence. This estimates that the proposal outlined in the White Paper might reduce smoking rates by between 0.7 and 1.7 percentage points. The RIA contains estimates of costs and benefits of a ban on smoking in the workplace. A copy is available in the Library.
Surplus Sites
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list those sites in England and Wales, within her responsibility, which have been identified as surplus to requirements; what plans have been identified as theirpossible future use; what consultative process will be followed in each case; and if she will make a statement. [2058]
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Jane Kennedy: The list shows the larger sites that are surplus to the requirements of the national health service in England and in the ownership of Secretary of State for Health.
The list includes 22 sites that are due to transfer to English Partnerships (EP) as part of a wider agreement with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and in support of the Government's sustainable communities plan. 67 surplus NHS sites have already been transferred to EP this year, as part of the same programme. It will be for EP to decide how to take forward all these sites subject to the normal planning process.
The list also includes other larger sites which are surplus to the requirements of the NHS but which are not being transferred to EP. Arrangements for the disposal of these sites are at various stages and it is not clear in every case exactly what the future use will be. It is likely that most will be redeveloped for residential purposes; the manner of development will be the subject of local consultation and the planning process.
CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
Postal Voting
20. Mr. Robathan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make it her policy to end postal voting on demand. [1908]
Ms Harman: It is not the Government's policy to end postal voting on demand but it is our policy to tighten the security of postal voting.
23. Mr. Francois: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what her policy is on all-postal vote elections. [1912]
Ms Harman: In relation to postal voting we have no plans to change the provisions of the Representation of the People Act 2000 which requires the Secretary of State to consider any application to pilot all postal voting.
24. Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what (a) the earliest and (b) the latest date was on which returning officers were able to dispatch postal votes to voters during the recent general election. [1913]
Ms Harman: In the general election last month, the earliest date on which postal votes could be dispatched to voters was 19 April. They cannot be printed or dispatched until close of nominations and the latest date they could be dispatched was 4 May—for replacements where the original had gone astray.
House of Lords
21. Mr. Beith: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on House of Lords reform. [1910]
Ms Harman: We intend to continue with reform of the House of Lords to create an effective legitimate chamber while maintaining the primacy of this House.
Voter Registration
22. Mr. Hunt: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what her policy is on individual voter registration. [1911]
Ms Harman: We want to ensure that we have electoral registers which are comprehensive and secure. We are proposing that to be included on the register an individual should give a signature and date of birth. We currently propose to stick with one form per household.
25. Ms Keeley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate she has made of the level of voter registration for the recent general election. [1914]
Ms Harman: The number of UK registered electors at the general election was 44,261,545. This figure excludes the registered electors of the Staffordshire South constituency who numbered 69,604 as at 26 May 2005.
Our estimate based on departmental research is that 93 per cent. of those are eligible to vote.
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