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14 Dec 2005 : Column 2173W—continued
Strategic Health Authorities
Mr. Maude:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what capital allocations she expects to be made to the
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Surrey and Sussex strategic health authority over the next three years; and for what purpose each allocation will be made. [35161]
Caroline Flint: No decisions have yet been made on national health service capital allocations for 2006–07 onwards.
The last round of capital allocations was announced in January 2003, covering 2003–04, 2004–05 and 2005–06.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are employed in the NHS in each strategic health authority in London. [35621]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested is shown in the table as national health service staff by main staff group for London Government office region by strategic health authority, as at 30 September 2004.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether strategic health authorities have a duty to report problems experienced by their constituent trusts in paying their suppliers to her Department. [34282]
Mr. Byrne: Strategic health authorities are required to monitor the performance of individual national health service bodies and work with poor performing organisations to achieve and maintain a level of payment performance consistent with Government accounting regulations and the better payment practice code.
SHAs do not have a specific duty to report problems experienced by NHS trusts and primary care trusts within their health economy to the Department, but, they do report to the Department on all aspects of performance.
Sunset Clauses
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her policy is in respect of the use of sunset clauses in legislation. [34136]
Jane Kennedy: The appropriateness of a sunset clause for the whole or part of any proposed legislation is considered on a case by case basis. It is also addressed when a regulatory impact assessment relating to legislation is being prepared.
Temporary/Agency Staff
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) temporary and (b) agency staff there were in the Department in each year since 2002. [36921]
Jane Kennedy: For information on temporary staff, I refer my hon. Friend to table A in Civil Service Statistics which covers permanent and temporary staff numbers (full-time equivalent basis) in the Department. Civil Service Statistics are available in the Library and on the Cabinet Office Statistics website at:
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management_of_the_civil_service/statistics/civil_service_statistics/index.asp
Information on agency staff is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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However, we are currently in the process of improving the data coverage of our human resource system and will in future include information on all non-permanent departmental staff.
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to reduce the number of (a) agency and (b) non-permanent staff employed in her Department. [37216]
Jane Kennedy: The Department reports regularly to its managers on its establishment and vacancy factors to enable them to manage resources effectively. Recruitment controls that were in place during the Department's change programme have been relaxed to allow managers to recruit to posts, thus reducing the need for temporary cover.
Urology Services
Mr. Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral statement of 20 July 2005, Official Report, column 503WH, on the review of urology services at the Kent and Canterbury hospital, when she expects an announcement to be made on the future of the services. [35002]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 8 December 2005]: This is a local matter. However, the Kent and Medway strategic health authority has advised that it is anticipated that an announcement on the outcome of the review of urology services at Kent and Canterbury hospital will be made following a meeting to be held on 19 December 2005.
Worcestershire NHS Mental Health Trust
Miss Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget was for the Worcestershire NHS Mental Health Trust in each year since 1997. [32460]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Worcestershire Mental Health Partnership National Health Service Trust was established (as the Worcestershire Community and Mental Health NHS Trust) on 1 April 2000. Comparable figures are not available prior to 2000–01.
The following tables show the total income for the trust each year.
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 82,692 |
| 2001–02 | 89,824 |
| 2002–03 | 52,241 |
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 49,971 |
| 2004–05 | 58,808 |
Source:
Audited summarisation schedules of the Worcestershire Community and Mental Health NHS Trust and the Worcestershire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust.
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Working Time Directive
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment she has made of the impact of the European working time directive on the quality and depth of training received by junior doctors; [33313]
(2) what assessment she has made of the impact of the European working time directive on continuity of patient care. [33315]
Mr. Byrne: This Government are committed to the overall aims of the working time directive (WTD) and ensuring fair working hours for doctors in training.
The national health service is introducing changes to the way that hospitals are organised that improves continuity of care, including the hospital at night project. Changes to working patterns means it is increasingly important to make best use of training opportunities throughout the whole of the working day. The better managed, better structured and more robust training arrangements set out in modernising medical careers (MMC) will lead to more meaningful and focused training. This should be a benefit in developing rotas to support the implementation of the working time directive.
Standards for postgraduate medical training are set by the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board. A doctor cannot be entered on the specialist register until these standards have been met.
Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment she has made of the workload of (a) consultants and (b) registrars following implementation of the European working time directive; [33316]
(2) what assessment she has made of the impact of the European working time directive on clinical exposure for surgical trainees; [33317]
(3) what research her Department has undertaken into the impact of the European working time directive on (a) junior doctors and (b) surgical trainees. [33318]
Mr. Byrne: The working time directive (WTD) was implemented for the vast majority of national health service staff groups in 1998 in accordance with regulations. The Government negotiated an extension to the WTD for doctors in training to enable phased implementation from August 2004.
Implementation of the WTD is the responsibility of NHS trusts, and all employees are entitled to appropriate working hours and rest breaks.
However, the Department of Health in England worked with the health professions and NHS employers to provide joint guidance and invested an extra £46 million to support WTD implementation, including 20 national pilots and the hospital at night project. We are also funding independent research on the impact of WTD on medical training.
Standards for postgraduate medical training are set by the Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board. A doctor cannot be entered on the specialist register until these standards have been met.