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18 Apr 2006 : Column 266W—continued
Superannuation Liability
Mr. Philip Hammond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what total amount of employers' normal
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contributions accruing superannuation liability charge has been accounted for by her Department in each of the last five years for which data is available. [61363]
Mr. Byrne: The amount of employers' accruing superannuation liability charges in respect of members of the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme in the last five years is shown in the following table.
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| 2004–05(65) | 14,985 |
| 2003–04(65) | 21,096 |
| 2002–03(65) | 20,022 |
| 2001–02 | 21,167 |
| 2000–01 | 19,782 |
(65)From October 2002, new entrants have been able to opt for a partnership pension account, a stakeholder arrangement with an employer contribution. Employers' contributions to partnership pension accounts are not included in the above figures.
Sustainable Building
Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of her Department's building programme budget was allocated to (a) energy self-generation and (b) water recycling measures in the last financial year. [58753]
Mr. Byrne: The Department has not allocated any funds to either energy self-generation or to water recycling measures in the past financial year.
Talking Therapies
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has received on compliance with National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on talking therapies for patients with depression in (a) Birmingham and (b) England; and if she will make a statement. [59111]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
The Department does not routinely collect information on local national health service organisations' compliance with the guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). Local health communities are expected to review their existing practice in the treatment and management of various mental health problems against NICE guidelines. The reviews should consider the resources required to implement any recommendations relating to the use of psychological interventions and the timeline over which full implementation is envisaged. As announced in the recent White Paper, Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community service", the Government are committed to expanding access to psychological therapies. To this end, two demonstration sites are being established for people of working age with mild to moderate mental health problems with the aim of helping them to remain in or return to work. The sites will also aim to establish an evidence base for the effectiveness of such therapies and to support the extension to non-working age people and those with moderate to severe mental illness.
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Telephone and Entertainment Systems
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) composition and (b) remit is of the review group on hospital telephone and entertainment system charges. [60201]
Mr. Byrne: The Department has set up a review group to explore the issue of costs to users of the bedside television and telephone systems in national health service hospitals.
The review group includes representation from the Department, the NHS, Connecting for Health, patient representation, the private sector, the Department's commercial solicitors, the Healthcare Commission and Ofcom.
The terms of reference of the review group are:
Whether it is appropriate for a recorded message to be played in its entirety at the outset of each and every call.
Review the requirement to install, with limited clinical exceptions, units at every bedside within a hospital site, irrespective of use. Could this be altered in respect of all new installations and the repair and renewal of units already installed?
Review the requirement to offer services through a combined unit, offering television and telephone and capable of offering added value services. It should consider not only the extent to which NHS trusts have made use of the added functionality, or could make use in the future, but should consider what the appropriate minimum standards should be for all future installations and renewals.
Review and clarify the guidance issued by the Department in respect of NHS trusts exercising their own discretion in determining the local policy on the use of mobile phones in hospitals.
It will produce its concluding report in June 2006.
Temporary Staff
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the temporary staff costs were for (a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) other health care professionals and (d) administrative staff for each NHS trust in England in each year for which figures are available. [54574]
Mr. Byrne:
Information relating to temporary staffing spend, for the relevant staff groups from 1997–98 to 2004–05, the last year for which information is available, has been placed in the Library.
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Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) temporary staff costs and (b) temporary staff costs as a percentage of total staff costs in the specified staff group, for (i) doctors, (ii) nurses, (iii) other healthcare professionals and (iv) administrative and clerical staff in each strategic health authority area for each year for which figures are available. [47394]
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Mr. Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 9 January 2006, Official Report, column 172W. Information relating to temporary staffing spend for the relevant staff groups, expressed as a percentage of total national health service staff spend for 2004–05, the last year for which information is available is shown in the table.
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