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19 Dec 2005 : Column 2651W—continued
Ward Closures
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals are planning ward or capacity closures. [32188]
Mr. Byrne: The Department does not routinely collect and hold centrally operational management information on proposals to change wards or capacity.
Warrington Primary Care Trust
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Healthwhat briefings have been given to members of Warrington primary care trust on possible changes to acute services in the area; and what options have been considered during those briefings. [37877]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 15 December 2005]: The responsibility for briefing members of the Warrington primary care trust on any possible changes to acute services in the area resides with the local national health service.
Wind Turbines
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has evaluated on the impacts on health of wind turbines. [37242]
Caroline Flint: The Department has not undertaken work on wind turbines. Defra has undertaken studies and officials in this Department are in contact with the leading United Kingdom authority on low frequency noise (LFN), a frequent subject of complaint. There is currently very little or no evidence to suggest that exposure to noise generated by wind turbines is damaging to health though it may cause annoyance.
Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust
Dr. Richard Taylor:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral statement of the
19 Dec 2005 : Column 2652W
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health of 15 November 2005, Official Report, column 226WH, on Worcestershire Acute Hospitals Trust, when she will write to the hon. Member for Wyre Forest (Dr. Taylor) on trusts that are in the upper quartile in relation to length of stay. [34690]
Caroline Flint: The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health wrote to the hon. Member on 13 December 2005.
Your Health, Your Care, Your Say
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she issued to strategic health authorities for the conduct of the Your Health, Your Care, Your Say" consultation exercise; and if she will make a statement. [26381]
Mr. Byrne: The Department wrote to chief executives of strategic health authorities (SHAs) on 23 August 2005 inviting a nominated contact who could co-ordinate activity across their area in partnership with local authority colleagues. The Department and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister jointly wrote to a range of stakeholder organisations, including the chief executives of SHAs on 8 September 2005 giving details of a website which provided guidance on running local events and about the importance of working with local partners. Nominated contacts in SHAs were also copied into a letter to stakeholders dated 27 September 2005 encouraging the organisation of local events for staff and service users.
A resource pack website was set up to support those organisations running or facilitating local deliberative consultation events. SHA nominated contacts were invited to a briefing event on the website's use and the consultation process in general on 8 September 2005.
Copies of all three letters have been placed in the Library.