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5 Oct 2005 : Column 2836W—continued
Waste Management
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many tonnes of (a) aluminium, (b) wood, (c) paper, (d) green waste, (e) glass, (f) steel and (g) textiles there were in the municipal waste stream in each year since 2001; and how much of each she estimates was (i) recycled, (ii) landfilled and (iii) sent to energy from waste facilities. [14229]
Mr. Bradshaw:
Information on tonnages of specific materials in the municipal waste stream are not available, other than when separately collected for recycling. However, composition analysis of household waste for the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit report "Waste not, want not", November 2002, provided proportions of individual materials in the waste stream. These proportions have been applied to annual
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household waste tonnages from the Defra Municipal Waste Management Survey to produce the estimate for England is shown in the following table.
Data from the Defra Municipal Waste Management Survey show tonnages of different materials from household sources collected for recycling in England.
A high proportion aluminium and steel collected for recycling are reported from the 'mixed cans' category therefore an 'all cans' total has been provided. Co-mingled category has been included, although the exact composition of co-mingled, by definition, is unknown a high proportion of paper is likely and will frequently include cans and plastic.
Wales (Government)
Peter Law: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how she intends to implement Paragraph 3.12 of the White Paper, "Better Governance for Wales" (Cm 6582), in respect of any bill she introduces in the current session of Parliament. [14950]
Mr. Greg Knight: I intend to implement the Government's policy as stated in paragraph 3.12 of the White Paper "Better Governance for Wales" Cm 6582. The Department is in discussion with the Welsh Assembly on the issues concerned.
HEALTH
Alcohol and Drug-related Incidents (Hospital Workers)
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital workers in England have been disciplined for alcohol and drug-related incidents since 1997, broken down by (a) profession and (b) gender. [6210]
Mr. Byrne:
The information requested is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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Alliance Medical
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment of spare capacity at the university hospital North Durham was made before Alliance Medical was awarded a contract to provide scanning services. [10383]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 7 July 2005]: The additional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) capacity commissioned nationally from Alliance Medical Limited was designed to complement existing national health service services and to quickly bring on stream additional capacity to help meet rising demand for MRI examinations and to begin to address waits for MRI services.
It is for strategic health authorities to identify where, when and for how long the mobile units will deploy and for the NHS as a whole to ensure existing NHS diagnostic capacity is used to its full potential in order to bring down waiting times and achieve the 18-week general practitioner referral to start of treatment target by 2008.
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 22 June 2005, Official Report, column 1091W, on Alliance Medical Ltd., whether her Department checks the qualifications of radiologists working in (a) Belgium, (b) South Africa and (c) Spain who assess scan results for Alliance Medical. [12199]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 14 July 2005]: Staffing issues are a matter for Alliance Medical Limited. All radiologists must be on the appropriate specialist register of the General Medical Council.
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 July 2005, Official Report, column 985W, how it is possible to tell that Alliance Medical were able to provide scans at a lower cost than the direct access tariff. [13161]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 18 July 2005]: Financial evaluation of the tenders for the mobile magnetic resonance imaging contract illustrated that the cost of Alliance Medical Ltd.'s scans are less than national health service costs.
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 13 July 2005, Official Report, column 1124W, what systems are in place to ensure Alliance Medical do not recruit staff who have been employed in the NHS in the preceding six-month period. [13495]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 19 July 2005]: An integral part of the contract for the provision of fast-track mobile magnetic resonance imaging services is the additionality rule, whereby staff who have worked for the national health service in a clinical capacity in the preceding six-month period cannot be employed by Alliance Medical Ltd.
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment of suitable sites for a diagnostic scanner were made before the contract for Alliance Medical to provide diagnostic scanning services in the NHS was signed. [13496]
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Mr. Byrne [holding answer 19 July 2005]: A large number of sites were understood to have already existed in the national health service, from which mobile services had already been delivered. Following the award of the contract to Alliance Medical Ltd. a number of potentially suitable existing sites were identified. The Department has continued to work with strategic health authority (SHA) cluster leads to ensure that sites are specifically prepared and to provide advice on new site construction. It is, however, the responsibility of the SHAs to ensure that the sites are available.
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 13 July 2005, Official Report, column 1138W, on MRI scans (Durham), what consultations were carried out with local NHS trusts on utilisation rates of scanners prior to the award of the contract to Alliance Medical. [14428]
Mr. Byrne: A capacity planning exercise was conducted with strategic health authorities in 2004.
The additional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) capacity commissioned nationally from Alliance Medical Ltd. was designed to complement existing national health service services and to quickly bring on stream additional capacity to help meet rising demand for MRI examinations and to begin to address waits for MRI imaging services.
Utilisation rates of NHS scanners are a matter for NHS trusts, in partnership with their local primary care trusts as service commissioners. While the independent sector has a key part to play, NHS providers of diagnostics services also need to ensure that they are using their diagnostic capacity to the full.
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment she has made of the impact of Alliance Medical providing diagnostic scanning services in the NHS on the utilisation of existing diagnostic scanning capacity within the NHS; [11885]
(2) what assessment she has made of the effect on productivity of the provision by Alliance Medical of diagnostic scanning services in the NHS. [12149]
Mr. Byrne [holding answers 12 July 2005 and 14 July 2005]: The number of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans performed on national health service patients has been increasing year on year to over 855,000 in 2003–04. This trend is expected to continue with around 58 per cent. scans taking place in the NHS and 24 per cent. more in the independent sector, for NHS patients, by 2007–08.
Overall, by 2007–08 there will be double the amount of MRI capacity compared with the position in 2003–04. This is of great benefit to NHS patients and will contribute to our commitment to achieving a maximum wait of 18-weeks from general practitioner referral to start of treatment by 2008.
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what discussions have taken place between Chester-le-Street and Durham Primary Care Trust and her Department regarding Alliance Medical; [9395]
(2) what issues were discussed at the last meeting between Chester-le-Street and Durham Primary Care Trust and her Department; [9762]
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(3) what issues were raised by County Durham and Tees Valley strategic health authority during their meeting with her Department in early June; [9763]
(4) if she will list the issues discussed at the last meeting between Derwentside primary care trust and her Department. [10380]
Mr. Byrne [holding answers 4, 5 and 7 July 2005]: The Department's meeting with County Durham and Tees Valley strategic health authority (SHA) in early June was part of regular discussions held with representatives of SHAs about operational issues regarding the provision of independent sector mobile magnetic resonance imaging scanning services.
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when she expects Alliance Medical's diagnostic facility at Consett to be operational; [11537]
(2) where in Consett the diagnostic scanner operated by Alliance Medical will be sited. [14423]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 11 July 2005]: Site location discussions in the North Durham area are ongoing. The Department is awaiting the County Durham and North Tees Valley strategic health authority's response on an option appraisal paper.
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS was of (a) providing and (b) operating mobile scanning units in 2004–05. [10854]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 11 July 2005]: The major costs of running and providing the mobile scanning units are borne by Alliance Medical Limited. However, modest revenue costs are borne by the host national health service trust for utility bills. In addition, the Department allocated central funding to strategic health authority (SHA) clusters to upgrade the sites identified by SHAs, to ensure they were suitable for the mobile units and to allow scanning to commence.
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