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Obesity

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department spent on reducing obesity in each of the last 30 months; how much the Department plans to spend on reducing obesity in the next 12 months; and if she will make a statement. [32752]

Caroline Flint: It is not possible to separate out the total amount spent by the Department on reducing obesity over the last 30 months. However, a number of nutrition and physical activity interventions have contributed to tackling obesity. The 2005–06 cost of these include £2 million for the Five-a-day programme, £135 million for Healthy Start, £36.8 million for the school fruit and vegetable scheme, £1.2 million for local exercise action pilots (LEAP) and £1 million for pedometers. Primary care trusts have also received £3 million for training on obesity.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will list the incentives available to general practitioners to (a) identify and (b) treat obesity in children; [33111]

(2) what incentives are available to general practitioners (a) to identify and (b) to manage obesity in children. [33351]

Caroline Flint: There are no specific incentives for identifying or treating childhood obesity in the current general medical services (GMS) contract. However, under the new GMS contractual arrangements, general practitioners must provide essential services that would include the provision of advice in connections with the care of obese children, including relevant health promotions advice.
 
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Ostomy, Incontinence and Wound Care

Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to change the arrangements for the provision of (a) ostomy, (b) incontinence and (c) wound care services and related products; and if she will make a statement. [34052]

Jane Kennedy: The Department is conducting a formal consultation about possible changes to the arrangements for the provision of dressings, incontinence appliances, stoma appliances, chemical reagents and other appliances to primary and secondary care.

The consultation was published on 24 October 2005 and closes on 23 January 2006.

Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in England are receiving (a) ostomy, (b) incontinence and (c) wound care (i)products and (ii) services from the NHS. [34054]

Mr. Byrne: The information requested is not collected by the Department.

Postnatal Care

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average length of stay in hospital is after delivery for women who have given birth. [34430]

Mr. Byrne: The length of stay in hospital after delivery for women who have given birth is a decision for the medical professionals involved and will vary depending on the medical circumstances of each individual case. In 2003–04, about 15 per cent. of women left hospital on the same day as delivery took place, about 35 per cent. left the next day, 20 per cent. two days later and 15 per cent. three days later.

Poverty-induced Ill Health

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to (a) commission and (b) evaluate research on the relationship between poverty and ill health; and if she will make a statement. [34689]

Caroline Flint: The Department is not currently funding and has no plans to commission studies specifically related to poverty and health.

The Department has supported and continues to support a range of studies looking at associated issues. Over the last eight years, research has been commissioned on both the impact of socio-economic circumstances on health, and also on the impact of mainstream and targeted services. For example, projects have been supported on inequalities in the outcome of pregnancy; the health effects of welfare advice in primary care, and on the effect of out of home day care on the health of disadvantaged families. A project on inequalities in the health of older people looked at the association between health and material and social well-being among older people using various indicators.

In addition, the Department is the principal funder, with other Government Departments, of the five-year English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. The study was
 
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begun in 2003 and is gathering data on income, housing, health and other areas from its representative sample of some 12,000 people aged 50 and over.

Primary Care Trusts

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects final proposals for the reconfiguration of primary care trusts to be published; whether these proposals will be put out for public consultation; and when she expects the proposals to be given effect. [25108]

Mr. Byrne: On 15 October, strategic health authorities (SHAs) submitted their proposals for the reconfiguration of primary care trusts (PCTs), which set out how they intend to strengthen their commissioning function. These proposals were assessed by an independent external panel drawn from and representing a wide range of stakeholder interests, to determine whether the SHA proposals meet the criteria stipulated in Commissioning a Patient-Led NHS" (July 2005).

Following consideration by the external panel and Ministers, proposals for PCT reconfiguration will go forward for local consultation in December. The consultation period will begin on 14 December, running for 14 weeks.

No decisions on the reorganisation of PCTs will be taken until this process has been completed. However, we anticipate, subject to local consultation, that the first organisational changes will come into effect from early summer.

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she plans to grant strategic health authorities powers (a) to remove the chief executives of primary and acute trusts and (b) to require primary care trusts to outsource or market test services; and if she will make a statement. [28655]

Mr. Byrne [holding answer 15 November 2005]: We have no plans to extend powers to strategic health authorities to remove the chief executives of primary and acute trusts.

There is no requirement for primary care trusts to outsource or market test services.

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what administrative savings have been made by the Burntwood, Lichfield and Tamworth primary care trust since its inception; and what the forecast figures were for such savings. [32040]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department does not hold information on administrative savings or on forecast savings figures for primary care trusts.

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department is able to offer additional support to a primary care trust which has failed to pay (a) sums it owes to a social services authority under an agreement under section 31 of the Health Act 1999 and (b) its business rates; and if she will make a statement. [33468]

Mr. Byrne [holding answer 1 December 2005]: All national health service bodies are required to pay undisputed invoices within a reasonable time period.
 
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Strategic health authorities monitor the performance of individual NHS bodies and work with poor performance organisations to achieve and maintain a level of payment performance consistent with government accounting regulations and the Better Payment Practice Code.

The growth in financial allocation to primary care trusts (PCTs) for 2005–06, 2006–07 and 2007–08 was 9.6 per cent., 9.2 per cent. and 9.4 per cent. respectively. The Department does not plan to offer any additional support to PCTs.

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the revised proposals for the reconfiguration of strategic health authorities and primary care trusts in (a) Lancashire and Cumbria and (b) elsewhere in England meet the 15 per cent. savings criteria set out in Sir Nigel Crisp's letter of 28 July; and if she will make a statement. [35206]

Mr. Byrne [holding answer 6 December 2005]: Each strategic health authority has submitted for consultation reconfiguration proposals which will achieve their share of the required £250 million savings.

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff were employed in communication roles in each primary care trust on 1 October (a) 2003, (b) 2004 and (c) 2005; and if she will make a statement. [32629]

Mr. Byrne: The requested information is not collected centrally.

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