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7 Nov 2005 : Column 257W—continued
Health Protection Agency
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget of the Health Protection Agency has been in each year since its inception. [23951]
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Caroline Flint: This information is in the Health Protection Agency's annual report and accounts for 2003–04 and 2004–05, copies of which are available in the Library.
Hepatitis C
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the costs have been of the hepatitis C FaCe It campaign separately identifying (a) the cost of information packs sent to primary health care professionals, (b) the professional fees charged by Munro and Foster, (c) the cost of staging FaCe It events and (d) other expenditure. [20673]
Caroline Flint: The information available on expenditure on the FaCe It campaign is shown in the table.
(93) To 31 October 2005.
(94) Disclosure of this information would be likely to prejudice commercial interests.
Hospices
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much Government funding was made available to (a) children's and (b) adult hospices for 2005–06. [22373]
Mr. Byrne: The Department does not routinely collect the data requested on national health service funding for adult and children's hospices. Data supplied by Help the Hospices shows that NHS funding for adult hospices in 2004 was £97.8 million, an increase of about 50 per cent. over 2000 and that NHS funding for adult hospices averaged 34 per cent. of expenditure.
Hospital Beds
Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of beds available in community hospitals in (a) west Kent, (b) east Kent, (c) Thames Gateway, (d) Medway and (e) Medway and Swale. [24619]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 3 November 2005]: The information requested is not collected in the format requested. However, information on the total number of beds available in all national health service trusts and primary care trusts in England has been placed in the Library.
Influenza Pandemic/Vaccines
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the relative risks to the populations of different primary care trust areas across the country during an influenza pandemic; and if she will make a statement. [22195]
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Caroline Flint: The United Kingdom influenza pandemic contingency plan indicates national risks—UK, England and devolved authorities—and those for the typical numbers in a variety of primary care settings, for example, primary care trusts (PCTs), general practitioner practices, of various sizes assuming everyone is affected equally. The indicative numbers do not take into account the detailed demographics of each PCT or GP practice because until the characteristics of the disease are known there is no reliable way of taking account of local variations in population.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the supply of influenza vaccines available to Kingston primary care trust; and if she will make a statement. [22226]
Caroline Flint: The Department met with vaccine suppliers to discuss supply arrangements and the number of doses required for the flu campaign. This year around 13.4 million doses of vaccine will be made available in the United Kingdom. This is sufficient to provide enough vaccine for those aged over 65 and in at risk groups. General practices are responsible for placing their own orders for supplies of vaccine with manufacturers and for agreeing delivery schedules. The Department holds a central contingency stock, which can be used to address local supply difficulties.
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she expects all those in vulnerable groups who want influenza vaccinations to receive them; and whether she has received reports of shortages of vaccine. [22449]
Caroline Flint: The Department met with vaccine suppliers to discuss supply arrangements and the number of doses required for the flu campaign. This year around 13.4 million doses of vaccine will be made available in the United Kingdom. This amount is based on an estimate of likely uptake among those aged over 65 and in specific at risk groups. The amount of vaccine ordered represents an increase over previous years and we are aiming to increase uptake in the at risk groups.
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the supply of influenza vaccines to primary care trusts, with particular reference to Cheltenham and Tewkesbury primary care trust; and if she will make a statement. [21455]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 25 October 2005]: The Department met with vaccine suppliers to discuss supply arrangements and the number of doses required for the flu campaign. This year around 13.4 million doses of vaccine will be made available in the United Kingdom. This is sufficient to provide enough vaccine for those aged over 65 and in at risk groups. General practices are responsible for placing their own orders for supplies of vaccine with manufacturers and for agreeing delivery schedules. The Department holds a central contingency stock, which can be used to address local supply difficulties.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice her Department offers on the consumption of poultry, with particular reference to avian influenza. [22442]
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Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) advises that poultry should always be cooked thoroughly before being eaten to avoid food poisoning due to Salmonella and Campylobacter.
On the basis of current scientific evidence, the FSA advises that avian influenza does not pose a food safety risk for United Kingdom consumers. This is because for people, the risk of catching the disease is from being in close contact with live poultry that have the disease and not through eating cooked poultry.
Informal Carers
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to improve the training opportunities available to informal carers. [23158]
Mr. Byrne: The Government recognise that many carers would like access to training and support in their caring role or feel that their own personal development and general mental and physical well-being would be enhanced by undertaking training or educational opportunities.
Section two of the Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004, which came into force on 1 April 2005, provides that when assessing a carer's needs, councils must take into account whether the carer works or wishes to work, undertakes or wishes to undertake education, training or leisure activities.
For example, Learning for living" is a City and Guilds course specifically designed for this purpose. It is an online learning resource that can lead to a qualification accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. The level two certificate in personal development and learning for unpaid carers is designed to identify and build on the knowledge, understanding and skills of people who are unpaid carers, either currently or in the recent past. The award provides carers with an opportunity for self-development and confidence building, to prepare for other roles and choices and to transfer the skills acquired from the caring role.
Information Technology (Expenditure)
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 21 July 2005, Official Report, column 2170W, on Information Technology (Expenditure) what the total revenue expenditure was for NHS trusts in 2003–04. [18889]
Mr. Byrne: The total revenue expenditure in national health service trusts was £36,008,134,000 in 2003–04.
2003–04 audited NHS trust summarisation schedules.
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