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9 Mar 2006 : Column 1776W—continued
Spending Review (Efficiency Targets)
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much of the agreed efficiency target for her Department set out in the 2004 Spending Review is to be cashable; and under what budget headings these cashable efficiency savings will be re-spent; [52835]
(2) what total efficiency savings were achieved by her Department in 2004–05; and whether these count towards the agreed efficiency target for her Department set out in the 2004 Spending Review; [52856]
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what baseline figures she is using for assessing progress on her Department's targets to (a) make better use of (i)staff time and (ii) NHS buying power, (b) ensure NHS organisations can share and rationalise back office services and (c) improve commissioning of social care; what progress has been made towards these targets to date; and what the total efficiency savings achieved to date are for these targets. [52921]
Jane Kennedy:
Our efficiency technical Note, first published in October 2004 and updated in December 2005 confirms that at least 50 per cent. of our £6.5 billion
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target should be cashable. Cashable efficiency savings have not been allocated to specific national health service budget headings.
In our autumn performance report published in December 2005, we confirmed that £1,031 million of savings were achieved in 2004–05. These savings do contribute to the 2008 target in line with the commitments made in the Gershon Report, Releasing Resources to the Front Line" and confirmed in the 2004 Spending review settlement.
The efficiency technical note sets out the specific measurement processes, indicators and their baseline dates for calculating efficiency gains. There are over 30 separate processes and indicators appropriate to the different types of efficiency gains. Baseline dates for all efficiency measures are March 2004.
The 2005 autumn performance report summarises efficiency savings achieved by work-stream to September 2005. The total saving up to this date was £1,709 million.
United Health Europe
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the contract awarded by North Eastern Derbyshire Primary Care Trust to United Health Europe to run GP practices in Europe was advertised; how many organisations tendered for the contract; how many organisations were shortlisted; and what the criteria were for shortlisting. [53686]
Mr. Byrne: The information requested is not held centrally.
The North Eastern Derbyshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) is responsible for the alternative provider medical services contract in its locality. I refer the hon. Member to the North Eastern Derbyshire PCT.
Waiting Lists/Times
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances a patient can be removed from an in-patient waiting list; and what alternative lists they are transferred onto in those circumstances. [51575]
Jane Kennedy: A patient can be removed from an in-patient waiting list for the following reasons:
In each of the four circumstances detailed, the patient would not be transferred on to an alternative waiting list.
Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 November 2005, Official Report, column 1179W, on waiting lists/times, what the
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framework of milestones is which has been agreed with strategic health authorities and against which progress towards the 18-week waiting time target will be measured. [52953]
Jane Kennedy: The framework of milestones agreed with strategic health authorities as part of the local delivery plan guidance is that:
Out-patient waits should generally be less than:
Diagnostic waits should generally be less than:
26 weeks by March 2006, for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computerised topography (CT) scans;
In-patient waits should generally be less than:
By December 2008, the patient pathway should be 18 weeks inclusive of out-patients, diagnostics, and in-patients waits. National health service organisations are developing local plans to achieve this pathway. The milestones themselves are not targets and as such there is discretion locally as to how best to progress towards 18 weeks overall.
Working with Children
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individuals who are on the sex offenders' register are currently working in the (a) NHS, (b) social services departments and (c) children's services departments. [44479]
Mr. Byrne: The responsibility for carrying out pre-employment checks, including Criminal Records Bureau, Protection of Children's Act and Protection of Vulnerable Adults checks where applicable, rests with the relevant employer whether an national health service organisation or social services department or other regulated provider of health or social care. The NHS is required to follow the guidance, Safer Recruitment" issued in May 2005, which covers all the pre-and post-appointment checks that NHS employers are required to make before appointing anyone, including employees, volunteers, students, trainees, to a position in the NHS. In regulated social care, we expect providers to comply with regulations on pre-employment checks made under the Care Standards Act 2000, which came into force in April 2002.
Part 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 replaced Part1 of the Sex Offenders Act 1997 and Schedule 3 to the 2003 Act came into force on 1 May 2004. The act requires convicted sex offenders to report each year to their local police and inform the police if they change their name or address within three days instead of the previous 14days.