| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
17 Oct 2005 : Column 782W—continued
Pregnancy (Low-lying Placenta)
Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment (a) she and (b) the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence have made of the merits of providing pregnant women at risk with a low lying placenta screening for vasa praevia concurrently with their standard ultrasound examination; [16609]
(2) what research her Department has undertaken into the early diagnosis of vasa praevia in (a) all pregnant women and (b) pregnant women with a low-lying placenta; and if she will make a statement; [16610]
17 Oct 2005 : Column 783W
(3) if she will meet the Burton Hospital Trust to discuss their procedures for the diagnosis of vasa praevia in pregnant women; [16611]
(4) what discussions she has had with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence with regard to the diagnosis of vasa praevia in pregnant women; and if she will make a statement. [16612]
Mr. Byrne: As vasa praevia is a very rare condition and technically difficult to detect, even for a highly skilled ultrasonographer with the appropriate specialist equipment (a colour Doppler scanner), routine screening of all pregnant women for vasa praevia is not currently advocated by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists. Neither the national screening committee nor the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) have made any assessments into screening for this condition.
The Department has not undertaken any research into the early diagnosis of vasa praevia.
I currently have no plans to meet the Burton Hospital Trust to discuss their procedures for the diagnosis of vasa praevia in pregnant women. This is an issue for the trust, which should be informed by best medical practice.
The Department has not had any discussions with NICE with regard to the diagnosis of vasa praevia in pregnant women. We have no plans to refer the topic of vasa praevia to NICE at this time.
Prescriptions (Pre-payment Certificates)
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pre-payment certificates for prescriptions have been issued in London in each of the last 12 months. [16905]
Jane Kennedy: Information on the number of pre-payment certificates (PPCs) issued for London is not separately identifiable. However, the number of PPCs issued for England, by month for each of the last 12 months is shown in the table.
Pressure Sores
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of progress against the NHS targets of a 5 per cent. reduction in incidence of pressure sores per annum; what figures she has collected on the incidence of pressure sores since instigation of the target; and if she will make a statement. [16567]
17 Oct 2005 : Column 784W
Mr. Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 10 October 2005, Official Report, column 231W.
Primary Care Trusts
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the financial outturn for each primary care trust in England was in 2004–05; and if she will make a statement. [16583]
Mr. Byrne: The 2004–05 final outturn figures for each primary care trust in England have been placed in the Library. These figures have been taken from the 2004–05 final accounts.
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1)how many primary care trusts that inherited deficits of (a) £1 million to £1.999 million, (b) £2 million to £2.999 million, (c) £3 million to £3.999 million, (d) £4 million to £4.999 million and (e) over £5 million from their primary care groups have since come out of deficit; and if she will make a statement; [15535]
(2) what deficit each primary care trust in England inherited from its primary care group; and if she will make a statement. [15537]
Mr. Byrne: Information on any deficits inherited by primary care trusts from primary care groups is not collected centrally.
Mr. Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total funding of primary care organisations has been in each year since 2001, broken down by Government office region; and if she will make a statement. [15536]
Mr. Byrne: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2005, Official Report, columns 798–800W, on the private finance initiative, what total value of assets and liabilities for each of the listed private finance initiatives and public private partnerships is recorded on the Government Balance Sheet; what proportion of assets and liabilities is listed; what the accounting treatment is for assets and liabilities; and whether it is compatible with (a) generally-accepted accounting practices and (b) international financial reporting standards. [15961]
Mr. Byrne: National health service accountants and their auditors, who are independent, determine the correct accounting treatment of their organisations' private finance initiative (PFI)/public-private partnership deals by applying independently set United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice" (UKGAAP).
In particular, accountants are required to apply FRS5, Reporting the Substance of Transactions" and SSAP21, Leases and Hire Purchase Contracts", and are directed to these standards by chapter eight of the NHS capital accounting manual. Their conclusions are checked through the mandatory independent audit of trust and primary care trust (PCT) financial statements.
17 Oct 2005 : Column 785W
National accounts, upon which the fiscal rules are judged, follow the same UKGAAP accounting treatment. Where an asset is provided under a contract that is judged as being off-balance sheet (for example, through a PFI contract or operating lease) then the capital value is not included in measures of public spending but the annual payments do score as public expenditure.
International accounting standards are not currently applicable to the UK public sector, though the financial reporting advisory board is keeping this position under review.
The answer of 20 June 2005, Official Report, columns798–800W, listed schemes of three different types; PFI, NHS local improvement finance trust (LIFT) and independent sector treatment centres (ISTCs), each being a very different type of transaction.
On the list, five schemes are judged as being on-balance sheet" and will appear on their trusts' balance sheets. Individual NHS trust accounts are not currently consolidated within the Department's resource accounts. NHS trust accounts are, however, brought together in the NHS trust summarised account, which is audited and published by the National Audit Office.
17 Oct 2005 : Column 786W
The amounts capitalised are listed in the table. On the opposite side of each trust's balance sheet, there is a corresponding creditor representing amounts expected to be payable in the future.
In NHS LIFT schemes, facilities to be made available to the NHS are owned by a local LIFT company and, in accordance with the accounting standards, NHS accountants and their independent auditors treat them as off balance sheet.
The Department does, however, own a small amount of equity in local LIFT companies through PCTs. Amounts of equity listed in PCTs' accounts are listed in the table. In this case, the corresponding creditor is to the general fund.
17 Oct 2005 : Column 789W
ISTC contracts principally involve the provision of health services to NHS patients, with the capital investment being largely incidental.
The estimated capital costs of the schemes listed in the answer of 20 June sum to around £228 million and are funded by the private sector. Under the relevant accounting standards, these schemes are generally viewed as on-balance sheet. Capital costs will therefore appear as assets on the commissioning authorities' balance sheets, with a corresponding creditor representing amounts that may become due to the private sector.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |