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8 Jun 2005 : Column 583W—continued
CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
Legal Aid
Keith Vaz:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will take steps to ensure that the quality of (a) civil aid service and (b) criminal aid service available to local communities is not reduced
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as a result of the Legal Services Commission's proposals to introduce price competitive tendering to the legal aid system. [1799]
Bridget Prentice: Both the Department for Constitutional Affairs (DCA) and the Legal Service Commission (LSC) are confident that proposals to introduce price competitive tendering (PCT) will not adversely impact on the existing provisions of legal aid service to local communities as a whole. By using peer review as a measure of the quality of service provided to clients, the LSC will be asked to monitor the impact of the new arrangements, and where necessary, to respond to any concerns that may arise.
Local Government Elections
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) what the estimated cost was to public funds of administering the local elections in 2005; [87]
(2) what estimate the Government have made of the cost to public funds of postal voting in the local elections in (a) 2003, (b) 2004 and (c) 2005. [88]
Ms Harman: This information is not collected centrally.
Travellers
Mr. Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs if she will make a statement on the provision of legal advice services to Travellers funded by the Department. [1758]
Bridget Prentice: The eligibility criteria for Gypsies and Travellers for civil legal aid are the same as for other individuals. The Legal Services Commission aims to ensure that all socially excluded groups including Gypsies and Travellers are able to access the legal advice for which they are eligible. To this end the Commission provides funding for a national helpline for Gypsies and Travellers for legal advice on housing matters and a pilot scheme to facilitate information and advice services for Gypsies and Travellers in Cambridgeshire on matters of social welfare law. The provision of early legal advice can lead to more timely and cost-effective resolution of disputes.
HEALTH
Chiropody
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which primary care trusts have introduced simple and routine chiropody services through measures other than by a registered podiatrist or chiropodist; and how many NHS patients have received chiropody treatment through measures other than by a registered podiatrist or chiropodist in each of the last 10 years; [2160]
(2) what assessment she has made of the provision of simple and routine NHS chiropody services by primary care trusts other than by a registered podiatrist or chiropodist; and if she will make a statement; [2161]
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(3) what mechanisms have been put in place to assess the provision of simple and routine chiropody services by primary care trusts other than by a specialist podiatrist or chiropodist; and if she will make a statement; [2162]
(4) what definition of simple and routine services she uses in relation to chiropody services; and if she will list NHS chiropody treatments which are included within the definition. [2163]
Mr. Byrne: The information requested is not collected centrally. Access to chiropody and podiatry services is a matter for primary care trusts.
Commission for Social Care Inspection
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes there have been to fees charged by the Commission for Social Care Inspection since 1997; what representations she has received on charges; and if she will make a statement. [407]
Mr. Byrne: The current fee structure for regulated social care providers has been in place since 1 April 2002. The National Care Standards Commission was the regulator until 1 April 2004 when it was succeeded by the Commission for Social Care Inspection. The fee structure has remained broadly the same during that period except for the introduction of fees for services being regulated for the first time. The fees were increased by 20 per cent. across the board with effect from 1 April 2003, 1 April 2004 and again from 1 April 2005.
The changes to the fee structure were consulted on in 2001. Some 165 responses were received. On each occasion the fees are increased, ministers receive some representations.
However, we have made special concessions for small care homes, adult placements, small domiciliary care agencies, and small nurse agencies. We have lowered the annual fee for small care homes and adult placements (£173 instead of £259), for small domiciliary care agencies (£540 instead of £1,080), and for small nurses' agencies (£360 instead of £720).
Continuing Care
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her estimate is of the cost in England of providing (a) free personal care and (b) free long-term care in each year until 2015. [2283]
Mr. Byrne: In England, the Government have accepted each of the recommendations of the Royal Commission on Long Term Care except the recommendation to provide free personal care in all settings.
People who are eligible for national health service continuing care and those whose assets fall below the lower threshold used in the residential care means test automatically receive free personal care.
Making personal care free for everyone carries a very substantial and increasing cost, but would not raise the standard or range of services available. The estimated cost for 2003–04 is £1.5 billion.
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The estimated costs for future years are shown in the table using 2003–04 constant prices. The projections take account of demographic change, in terms of numbers of older people by age, gender, household type and housing tenure. They assume that cost of care will rise by 2 per cent. per year in real terms, in line with average earnings. As with any projections, the figures should only be taken as broad estimates of the cost because of the uncertainty of projecting over such a long time scale.
Research conducted by personal social services research unit and the university of Leicester, for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, suggest that free personal and nursing care would increase United Kingdom public spending on long-term care for older people to £42.6 billion in 2051 (1.45 per cent. of gross domestic product (GDP)) as opposed to £35.4 billion (1.20 per cent. of GDP) under the current funding system (without free personal care). These projections are at constant 2000 prices.
| £ billion | |
|---|---|
| 2003 | 1.5 |
| 2004 | 1.6 |
| 2005 | 1.7 |
| 2006 | 1.8 |
| 2007 | 1.9 |
| 2008 | 2.0 |
| 2009 | 2.0 |
| 2010 | 2.1 |
| 2011 | 2.2 |
| 2012 | 2.3 |
| 2013 | 2.4 |
| 2014 | 2.5 |
| 2015 | 2.6 |
Source:
Department of Health analysis using projections supplied by personal social services research unit.
We have not made projections of the costs of making long-term care free.
General Practitioners
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many single-handed general practitioners practices there were in England in each year since 1997. [231]
Mr. Byrne: The information requested can be found at www.dh.gov.uk/workforcestatistics
GP Appointments
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of the 48 hour access targets for general practitioners on availability of pre-booked routine appointments; what plans she has to revise those targets; and if she will make a statement. [2135]
Mr. Byrne:
Latest monitoring data for April 2005 shows that about 1.5 per cent. of patients do not have the opportunity to book advance appointments. This is not acceptable practice and the Department is continuing to work with strategic health authorities to
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get primary care trusts to tackle the issue locally and ensure practices offer patients flexible as well as fast access.
High Dependency Care
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what percentage of the overall national budget for NHS hospitals the total annual cost for patients in intensive care and patients in high dependency care represent; [1513]
(2) what is the daily cost per NHS high dependency bed [1514]
Mr. Byrne: The cost of intensive and high dependency care is not separately identified from the annual financial returns of national health service providers.
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many high dependency beds there were in England and Wales in the most recent year for which there are records; [1520]
(2) how many intensive care beds there were in England in the most recent year for which records are held. [1543]
Mr. Byrne: As of 13 January 2005, there were 1,426 high dependency beds and 1,787 intensive care beds in England. Further data is available on the Department's website at: www.performance.dh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/index.htm. It is for the Welsh Assembly to provide the appropriate information for Wales.
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