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24 Nov 2005 : Column 2282W—continued
Information Technology
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to fine private companies for cost over-runs on government procured information technology systems. [27241]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 10 November 2005]: Contracts to the value of £6.2 billion over 10 years were let to deliver the national programme for information technology. All the systems being deployed as part of the national programme are proceeding on budget. No additional costs have been incurred.
Junior Doctors
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many junior doctors her Department expects to be displaced from training posts by the transition to modernising medical careers. [28237]
Mr. Byrne: The number of training posts for junior doctors is determined by the needs of patients and the national health service. There is no intention to reduce the number of posts as a result of the proposed modernising medical careers changes to the structure of training programmes.
Literacy and Numeracy
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to promote uptake of the national tests in adult literacy and numeracy among employees of her Department. [23410]
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Jane Kennedy: The Department has not taken specific steps to promote the uptake of national tests. While the Department has not promoted the uptake of these qualifications, policies are in place to support people should they identify a need to do so.
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of new recruits to her Department do not have a level 2 qualification in English and mathematics. [23775]
Jane Kennedy: The Department does not collect this type of data. The Department operates a competency based recruitment system. Candidates are required to demonstrate specific skills and competencies for a particular role.
Members' Surgeries (NHS Premises)
Kitty Ussher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will instruct Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale primary care trust, when deciding whether its premises can be used for an hon. Member's surgery, to take account of the use of the Chai Centre for a ministerial visit in August. [27596]
Mr. Byrne: This is a matter for the Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale primary care trust.
Mental Health
Mr. Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the quality of mental health services in Plymouth; and if she will make a statement. [27400]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 11 November 2005]: The Department has made no direct assessment of the quality of mental health services in Plymouth. In England, the Healthcare Commission is responsible for assessing and reporting on the performance of national health service organisations. The commission published a clinical governance review of Plymouth Teaching Primary Care Trust in October 2004 and the trust is currently implementing an action plan to address the issues identified by the commission in close collaboration with the South West Peninsula Strategic Health Authority.
In the 2005 performance ratings, Plymouth Teaching PCT was awarded two stars as a provider of mental health services.
Additionally, in order to help local services benchmark their progress in implementing the national service framework for mental health with the other mental health service providers across the country, the National Institute for Mental Health in England conducts an annual assessment every autumn and shares the findings with trusts and strategic health authorities.
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many whole-time equivalent mental health nurses have been recruited in each of the last five years. [28230]
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Mr. Byrne: Information on the numbers of qualified full-time equivalent qualified nurses working in psychiatry in each of the last five years is shown in the table. Information on the number of staff recruited each year is not available centrally.
Note:
Full-time equivalent figures are rounded to the nearest whole number.
Source:
Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the members are of the code of practice working group set up to implement a workable model of mental health tribunals proposed in the draft Mental Health Bill; when it has met; and whether she plans to publish its report. [28047]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department has not set up a code of practice working group. We assume the hon. Member is referring to the tribunal project group (TPG) which is an advisory group that is answerable to the mental health legislation implementation group. The TPG's current membership is:
Dr. Pearl Hettiaratchy—Mental Health Review Tribunal Member/General Medical Council/Royal College of Psychiatrists
Officials from the Department and the Department of Constitutional Affairs also attend meetings of the group. The TPG will meet for the fifth time on 17 November, and it is scheduled to meet monthly. It is not within the remit of the TPG to produce a report. It will advise Ministers, through project managers, on the overall direction and management of the tribunal project.
Midwifery
Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 22 March 2005, Official Report, column 762W, to the hon. Member for
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Billericay on midwifery what progress is being made in investigating the feasibility of using the Community Midwifery Model in the NHS. [18126]
Mr. Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on Monday 21 November 2005, Official Report, column 1720W.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the age breakdown of midwives practising in the NHS in England is. [26479]
Mr. Byrne: Information on the numbers of midwives employed in the national health service in England by age-band is shown in the table. The number of midwives training places is increasing and in 2004–05, 2,374 students entered training to become a midwife, 44 per cent. more than in 1996–97.
Source:
Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census.
Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent representations she has received from sufferers of multiple chemical sensitivity; and if she will make a statement; [27604]
(2) what guidance she has issued to general practitioners in the diagnosis of multiple chemical sensitivity; [27605]
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(3) what recent discussions she has had with healthcare professionals on the treatment of multiple chemical sensitivity; [27608]
(4) how many people in the West Yorkshire area have been diagnosed with multiple chemical sensitivity since 1990. [27631]
Mr. Byrne: I am not aware of having received any representations from people alleging that they suffer from multiple chemical sensitivity.
The Department has not issued guidance to, or had discussions with, healthcare professionals on this. The national health service provides a range of services for people suffering from allergies based on an individual assessment of need. This includes, for those with complex cases requiring special facilities for the investigation and management of their condition, six specialist centres run by allergists.
The Department does not collect data on people diagnosed with multiple chemical sensitivity.
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