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Independent Living Funds

Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made in setting up pilots for independent living funds announced in the strategy unit report on transforming the life chances of disabled people. [17604]

Mr. Byrne [holding answer 17 October 2005]: There are no plans to set up pilots for independent living funds. However, the strategy unit report did announce pilots for individual budgets. The first individual budget pilot will focus on older people and will begin in December this year. The remaining sites, of which there will be around 12, are in the process of being selected. They will come on stream throughout 2006 and will continue for between 18 months and two years.

The programme of pilots is being developed with input from stakeholders, including people who use services, and an academic research and evaluation team. The pilots are being comprehensively evaluated in order to ensure that they can provide us with the evidence we need to make decisions about a future roll-out.

Locum Doctors

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she plans to grant negotiating rights to the Locum Doctors Association. [18357]

Mr. Byrne: We have no plans at present to grant negotiating rights to the Locum Doctors' Association.

Male Breast Reduction

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many male breast reduction operations were carried out in the last year for which figures are available. [17344]

Jane Kennedy [pursuant to the reply, 17 October 2005, Official Report, c. 764W]: There were 61 finished consultant episodes (a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provide) during 2003–04 of male breast reduction operations provided by the national health service for clinical reasons. These figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year. The Department does not collect figures on male breast reduction operations carried out in the independent sector for cosmetic reasons.

Medical Training (Anatomy)

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of the changes introduced in "Tomorrow's Doctors", published by the General Medical Council in 1993, on the standards of doctors' training, with specific reference to knowledge of anatomy. [18365]

Mr. Byrne: The General Medical Council's (CMC) recommendations on undergraduate medical education contained in "Tomorrow's Doctors" the latest version of which was published in July 2002, provide a valuable framework for medical schools to use in designing detailed curricula and schemes of assessment. It clearly
 
21 Oct 2005 : Column 1275W
 
sets out the standards that the GMC will use to judge the quality of undergraduate teaching and assessments at individual medical schools.

The publication of "Tomorrow's Doctors" signalled a significant change in emphasis from gaining knowledge to a learning process that includes the ability to evaluate data as well as to develop skills to interact with patients and colleagues. Medical schools have welcomed the guidance and introduced new, ground breaking curricula.

It is the responsibility of the medical schools to ensure that specialist teaching meets the standards set out in Tomorrow's Doctors in order to retain GMC recognition of their course. This includes teaching in specific areas such as anatomy.

Mental Health

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many beds for female medium security mental health patients are available, broken down by region; what the occupancy levels were in the last year for which figures are available; how many of these beds were not available in the first half of this year; and if she will make a statement. [19532]

Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 20 October 2005]: Information is not available in the requested format. In 2004–05, the average daily number of available beds for adults, excluding the elderly, in secure mental illness wards was 2,696.

The average occupancy rate for this period was 91.9 per cent. Information on the average daily number of available beds in secure mental illness wards, broken down by National Health Service organisations, has been placed in the Library.

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects the Mental Health Bill to be introduced. [19494]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Mental Health Bill will be introduced when the legislative timetable permits.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions for anti-depressants were given by general practitioners in (a) 1994 and (b) 2004. [18801]

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the Member for Lewes (Norman Baker) on 27 June 2005, Official Report, column 1338W.

NHS Beds

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total number of beds has been in the NHS in each year since 1997–98, (a) in total and (b) broken down by (i) strategic health authority and (ii) NHS trust. [18071]

Mr. Byrne: The data are available on the Department's website at: www.performance.doh.gov.uk/hospitalactivity/.

Strategic health authorities (SHAs) were established in 2002 and data on beds by SHA were published from 2002–03.
 
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NHS Finance

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will provide details of the incentive scheme run by the NHS Bank to encourage NHS organisations to generate surpluses in the current financial year. [18077]

Mr. Byrne: An incentive scheme has been introduced for 2005–06, with the aim of encouraging good financial management. Strategic health authorities (SHAs) that generate a surplus will be rewarded by receiving an uplift to their carry forward, which will be available for spending in the next financial year. The scheme was agreed in consultation with the 28 SHAs, and the NHS Bank has been asked to manage the scheme. Arrangements with national health service trusts or primary care trusts are for individual SHAs to manage. Any SHA taking advantage of the incentive scheme will need to demonstrate satisfactory delivery of key performance targets.

Ophthalmic Operations

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) cataract operations and (b) other ophthalmic operations were carried out in NHS hospitals and clinics during the last year for which figures are available. [17371]

Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 17 October 2005]: The number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) that took place in national health service hospitals in England in 2003–04 is shown in the table.

Operations	FCEs 2003–04 (Thousand)
Cataract operations	301,664
Other ophthalmic operations	175,918

Notes:
A finished consultant episode is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. The figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.

Overseas Visitors (Charges)

Mr. Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have (a) been refused treatment because of residential status and (b) declined treatment because they were told that there would be a charge under these regulations since the change to the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations were amended. [18985]

Jane Kennedy [holding answer 18 October 2005]: Successive Governments have not required the national health service to provide statistics on the number of overseas visitors seen or treated under the provisions of the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended, or on the numbers of people who have declined treatment after being informed of the charges. It is therefore not possible to provide the information requested.

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