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9 Jan 2006 : Column 170W—continued
Strategic Health Authorities
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will publish the month six forecast 2005–06 year-end financial position of each strategic health authority area. [31905]
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Mr. Byrne: The 2005–06 forecast financial position at month six for all national health service organisations was announced on 1 December and has been placed in the Library. This information is also available on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/12/40/49/04124049.pdf.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what powers she proposes to give to strategic health authorities to allow them to intervene in the running of primary care trusts; whether she intends to give powers to strategic health authorities to insist that primary care trusts outsource and market-test services; and if she will make a statement; [33846]
(2) what discussions she has had on giving strategic health authorities the powers to remove the chief executives and board members of trusts; and if she will make a statement. [33847]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 2 December 2005]: There are no proposals or plans to give strategic health authorities (SHAs) additional powers to intervene in the running or plans of primary care trusts (PCTs) as a result of the reconfiguration exercise or to insist that PCTs outsource or market test services.
SHAs do not have the power to remove the chief executives and board members of PCTs and there are no plans to change this situation. Under Section 13 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 the Secretary of State
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can make an intervention order if she is not satisfied that an national health service body is performing one or more of its functions adequately.
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the temporary staff costs were for (a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) other healthcare professionals, (d) managers and (e) administrative staff in each strategic health authority in England in each of the last 10 years. [35159]
Mr. Byrne: The Department collects expenditure information on non national health service staff for local NHS organisations including strategic health authorities (SHAs). Non-NHS staff expenditure figures include all agency staff and any other staff not directly employed by these bodies. Information relating to spend for the relevant staff groups in each SHA in England from 2002–03, when these were established is shown in the tables. Information relating to the costs of temporary managers is not collected centrally.
The rise in agency staff spend over the years covered in the tables has tracked the rise in established posts over the period. Data for 2004–05 has not yet been verified but it suggests that expenditure in agency staff in the NHS has dropped significantly.
Reducing agency spend is part of the Department's contribution to the £6.5 billion Gershon efficiency target and the 10 human resource high impact changes as highlighted in, A workforce response to local delivery plans: a challenge for NHS Boards".
(43)Due to being host for Shared Business Services has resulted in £6 million expenditure for temporary staff.
Source:
Annual Financial Returns of Strategic Health Authorities
9 Jan 2006 : Column 173W
Source:
Annual Financial Returns of Strategic Health Authorities
Student Nurses
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many student nurses are waiting to receive a 2005–06 NHS student bursary; and what the average waiting time for receipt of bursaries is. [27398]
Mr. Byrne [holding answer 11 November 2005]: 11,941 student nurses have applied for bursaries for nursing courses which started in September 2005, all of which have now been processed.
The average waiting time for receipt of bursaries in 2005–06 for those student nurses who have been paid was 11 days from course start date. This figure does not reflect any delays in receiving information from the university. Payment cannot be made until the student grants unit receives confirmation of enrolment of individual students from the university and this process can take several days.
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