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Mr. Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he plans to bring forward proposals to change the rules for the election to the Scottish Parliament that will take place in 2007; and if he will make a statement. [29044]
David Cairns: The Secretary of State for Scotland has no current plans to change the system for elections to the Scottish Parliament.
He has, however, charged the Commission on Boundary Differences and Voting Systems, under the chairmanship of Sir John Arbuthnott, as part of its remit to examine the method of election to the Scottish Parliament. The Commission is due to report to the Secretary of State at the turn of the year.
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Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Foreign Office about the advertisement and recruiting procedure in relation to Scotland for the post of UK ambassador to the Holy See. [28152]
David Cairns: My right hon. Friend has had no discussions on this matter.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the tender for the contract to run the consultation on the Health Outside Hospitals" White Paper was published in the Official Journal of the European Union. [25107]
Mr. Byrne: No tender notice was placed in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) regarding the Your Health, Your Care, Your Say" listening exercise because it was not required. The contract was awarded on behalf of the Department by the Central Office of Information (COI) to a company with whom they hold a framework agreement. COI framework agreements are awarded in compliance with the EU directive, including the requirement to place a notice in the OJEU inviting applicants. Contracts can then be awarded to the holders of such framework agreements without the need to advertise them separately in the OJEU.
In this instance, the contract was awarded following a competitive tender among a number of agencies with whom COI holds framework agreements.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general hospitals offer 24 hour a day, seven days a week acute services in England; how many are planned to offer these services in 201011; and if she will make a statement. [24723]
Mr. Byrne: There were 207 multi-specialty, consultant-led, 24-hour accident and emergency (A&E) departments in England at the end of September 2005. Future location and provision of A&E departments is a matter for local not central decision and there are no forecast of numbers for 201011 available. In planning local provision of A&E services, health communities are expected to observe the general principle that all emergency and urgent care should be delivered where possible as close to home as is compatible with clinical safety.
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute hospitals have provided consultant-led maternity facilities in each year since 1990. [25282]
Mr. Byrne: This information is not collected centrally.
The maternity records collected through the hospital episodes statistics system are usually identified only to trust level, rather than to any specific unit within the trust. Some trusts provide information regarding the
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staff group with lead responsibility for care for example, midwife-led or consultant-led, but this does not allow the identification of consultant-led units.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many alcohol-related admissions there were to Hemel Hempstead hospital in each year since 1997; [25558]
(2) what percentage of attendances at accident and emergency departments run by West Hertfordshire Hospital Trust were alcohol-related in each of the last five years; and if she will make a statement. [25560]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Data for alcohol related admissions in Hemel Hempstead general hospital is not available centrally. Data are not collected at an individual hospital level. However, this data is available at trust level, we have therefore provided the relevant data for the West Hertfordshire Hospital Trust who provide services from several organisations, including Hemel Hempstead general hospital.
This data is shown in the tables.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2005, Official Report, column 165W, on BCG vaccinations, what guidance she has issued to primary care trusts to make information available to parents of children who will no longer receive routine BCG vaccinations on what action they should take should they (a) move from a low risk area to a high risk area and (b) undertake an activity which increases the risk of being exposed to TB. [25480]
Caroline Flint
[holding answer 8 November 2005]: Further to the Chief Medical Officer's letter of 6 July announcing changes to the Bacille Calmette Guerin programme, operational guidance was sent to primary care immunisation co-ordinators on 18 August. A copy is on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/HealthAndSocialCareTopics/Tuberculosis/fs/en
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