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13 Mar 2006 : Column 2012W—continued
Departmental Staff
Mr. Llwyd: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many jobs in his Department have been relocated to Wales since 2001. [57691]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The Cabinet Office has not relocated any posts to Wales.
Qinetiq (Contracts)
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many contracts were awarded to Qinetiq by his Department (a) with and (b) without competitive tendering in (i) 2002–03, (ii) 2003–04 and (iii) 2004–05; and what the value of the contract was in each case. [42497]
Mr. Jim Murphy: The Cabinet Office's expenditure with Qinetiq for the years requested is shown in the table.
| Expenditure (£) | |
|---|---|
| 2002–03 | 117,944.00 |
| 2003–04 | 119,109.00 |
| 2004–05 | 85,588.00 |
The information requested relating to contracts cannot be obtained in the format required without incurring disproportionate costs.
HEALTH
Cancer
Mr. Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she collects on survival rates for bowel cancer in other developed countries. [57219]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department does not collect information on survival rates for bowel cancer in other developed countries.
Comparable information on survival rates for bowel cancer survival in countries within the European Union is provided by the EUROCARE study. This covers parts of the United Kingdom and Europe. The most recently published results from this study provide information on survival up to five years after diagnosis for patients diagnosed with cancer of the colon and rectum during 1990–94 and followed up to the end of 1999.
These results were published in: Berrino, F., Capocaccia, R., Coleman M.P., et al. (editors) (2003). Survival of Cancer Patients in Europe: the EUROCARE-3 Study. Annals of Oncology. Volume 14, Supplement 5. And is available online at: www.annonc.oupjournals.org/content/voll4/suppl_5/index.dtl.
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to strengthen the commissioning role of cancer networks. [58286]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Cancer networks have a key role, working together with primary care trusts (PCTs), to plan and commission cancer services in line with national guidance. Many cancer services, such as complex cancer surgery and radiotherapy, are best provided for populations larger than that of an individual PCT and, for these services, it is important that PCTs commission services jointly. Strategic health authorities are responsible for ensuring that effective joint commissioning arrangements are in place.
A national programme of peer review of cancer networks is currently under way. This process seeks to improve the quality of cancer services across the whole system of patient care. This includes consideration of commissioning.
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Carers
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to help carers; and if she will make a statement. [57224]
Mr. Byrne: The Government formally recognised the contribution and concerns of carers through the cross-government national carers' strategy published in 1999. Since then we have supported carers in a number of ways, including the introduction of the carers grant in 1999 to support councils in providing breaks and services for carers. By 2008, we will have invested over £1 billion in services and support for carers. We have also supported legislation that gives carers rights to an assessment of their own needs.
In addition, in our recent White Paper, we have proposed a new deal for carers to improve support for them through a range of measures.
We will update and extend the Prime Minister's 1999 strategy for carers and encourage councils and primary care trusts to nominate leads for carers' services.
We will establish a helpline to offer advice to carers.
In each council's area, we will ensure that a short-term, home-based respite support to carers in crisis or emergency situations is established.
We will allocate specific funding for the creation of an expert carers programme which will provide training for carers to develop the skills they need to take greater control over their own health and the health of those in their care.
Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many successful clinical negligence claims were made against hospitals trusts in the Cheshire and Merseyside strategic health authority in 2004–05. [56406]
Mr. Byrne: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave on 17 November 2005, Official Report, column 1449W.
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the financial position is of each hospital in the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority. [56407]
Mr. Byrne: The latest forecast outturn position for 2005–06, as submitted by national health service organisations (strategic health authorities, primary care trusts and NHS trusts) at the mid-year point, month six, is available in the Library and is also available on the Department's website at:
Community Hospitals
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many intermediate beds there have been in community hospitals in England in each of the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement. [55968]
Mr. Byrne:
The number of intermediate care beds has risen from 4,242 in 1999–2000 to 8,928 in 2004–05 and the number of places in non-residential intermediate
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care schemes has risen from 7,149 to 20,558 over the same period. The information collected on the number of intermediate care beds is not available by type of hospital. Information on intermediate care beds has only been collected since 1999–2000.
Complaints and Advocacy Service
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements her Department has made to ensure that (a) patients in West Lancashire will have access to an independent complaints and advocacy service when the contract with the Citizens Advice Bureau finishes and (b) that there will be a smooth transfer from the current provider to the new provision. [53399]
Mr. Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on Wednesday 22 February 2006, Official Report, column 460W.
Critical Care Costs
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average NHS expenditure per patient per day in critical care was in each of the last three years. [47834]
Jane Kennedy: The information requested is not centrally available.
Dentistry
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken by her Department to improve access to free dental care for children. [35733]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Dentists working in the salaried primary care dental services examine schoolchildren at least three times in their school career. They also contribute to regular surveys, which have shown that the oral health of children is improving.
Where dentists advise that treatment is necessary, children under 16 and young people aged 16, 17 and 18 who are in full-time education are exempt from charges for NHS dental treatment.
Recent and ongoing action to improve access to NHS dentistry, including the recruitment of the equivalent of over 1,450 additional dentists, the establishment of a new university dental school and the introduction of local commissioning responsibilities for primary care trusts, will benefit both children and their families.
Departmental Energy Costs
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by her Department on (a) gas and (b) electricity in 2004–05. [51780]
Mr. Byrne: The total amount spent on gas for the Department's London headquarter buildings in the financial year 2004–05 was £114,256.
The amount spent on electricity was £723,840.
The amount spent on gas for the Department's agency, the NHS Purchasing and Supplies Agency, in financial year 2004–05 was £6,938. The cost of electricity was £39,404.
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