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National Blood Service

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 4 April 2006 to question 59146 on the National Blood Service, what estimate the National Blood Service has made of the number of calls made from call centres in her Department in 2004–05 using predictive dialling; and how many such calls resulted in silent calls. [64848]

Caroline Flint: Data for the year 2004–05 can be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, the National Blood Service (NBS) has provided data for thepast year.

The NBS made 1,467,382 calls between 1 March 2005 and 21 April 2006. Over this time period, 3.7 per cent. of these calls were abandoned, representing those occasions when the called person answers and it appears no-one is there, due to the slight delay before an operator comes on the line. The NBS continues to improve its abandonment rates, which have dropped to three per cent, in January 2006. These levels are within Ofcom's guidelines of no more than 5 per cent. silent calls.

NHS Accredited Health Trainers

Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the availability of NHS accredited health trainers. [67418]

Caroline Flint: Following the successful completion of the early adopter phase, 88 spearhead primary care trust (PCTs) are now in a position to start recruiting, training and deploying health trainers.

Choosing Health money has been allocated to provide 1,200 national health service health trainers by the end of financial year 2006–07.

However, it is up to individual PCTs to make decisions about where they allocate resources and how many health trainers they will need to meet the needs of their local population.

Nuffield Speech and Language Unit

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with (a) the Royal Free
 
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Hampstead NHS Trust and (b) the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear hospital about the form of the public consultation process on the future of the Nuffield Speech and Language Unit. [66669]

Jane Kennedy: No discussions have been held between Ministers and the Royal Free Hampstead National Health Service Trust or the Royal National Throat, Nose and Ear hospital about the form of the public consultation process on the future of the Nuffield speech and language unit.

However, my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Community Care (Liam Byrne) held a discussion with the hon. Member during a debate on this matter held on 25 April.

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Healthif she will place copies of letters she has received about the Nuffield Speech and Language Unit in the Library. [66670]

Jane Kennedy: Under the Data Protection Act, permission to make letters public would need to be sought from each correspondent. This can be carried out only at disproportionate cost.

Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her statement of 25 April 2006, Official Report, column 549, on the Nuffield Speech and Language Unit, how many patients waited more than six months for hospital in-patient treatment according to the February figures. [67279]

Jane Kennedy [holding answer 2 May 2006]: The Nuffield speech and language unit is part of the Royal Free Hampstead National Health Services Trust. The trust did not report any patients waiting over six months for inpatient admission at the end of February 2006.

Nurses

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people training to become Registered General Nurses are enrolled on pre-registration nursing courses and will complete their courses in (a) the 2006–07 academic year, (b) the 2007–08 academic year and (c) the 2008–09 academic year, broken down by strategic health authority area; and if she will make a statement. [66398]

Mr. Byrne [holding answer 27 April 2006]: It is not possible to say how many people will complete their training in a given year. Most students complete training in three years but each year a proportion either delay completion or leave the course.

Obesity (Taxation)

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received on (a) a tax on foods with a very high fat content and (b) an obesity tax based on an individual's body mass index. [65177]

Caroline Flint: The Department has received representations on tax on foods with a very high fat content through the consultation processes on the Choosing Health White Paper and the Food and Health Action Plan.
 
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We have not received any representations on an obesity tax based on an individual's body mass index.

Osteopaths

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to amend the arrangements for the regulation of osteopaths; and if she will make a statement. [67701]

Jane Kennedy: Changes to the structure, functions and number of regulators were considered as part of the recent review of non-medical professional regulation. An announcement about the review will be made shortly.

Prevenar

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received concerning her consultation with experts on how to introduce Prevenar on the NHS. [40963]

Caroline Flint: A letter was sent to health professionals on 8 February 2006.

The Department's plans to introduce important changes to the childhood immunisation programme will start later this year. These changes will ensure that young children in this country are offered the best protection against serious vaccine-preventable diseases.

We propose to introduce these changes in the summer, and a firm date will be announced as soon as vaccine supply and other issues have been finalised. A further detailed Chief Medical Officer/Chief Nursing Officer/Chief Pharmaceutical officer letter, with supporting documentation, will follow as soon as possible.

Primary Care Trusts

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of dental practices are accepting new NHS adult registrations in each primary care trust in England. [67669]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Recombinant Factor VII

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the three-year funding period for recombinant factor VII for adult haemophiliacs is due to come to an end; who is responsible for the decision on further funding; and what decisions have been made. [66731]

Caroline Flint: On 12 February 2003, the Government announced an extra £88 million over three years to extend the availability of recombinant clotting factors for adult haemophiliacs in England. We remain committed to the recombinant roll-out programme and I announced on 19 April that further funding for recombinant treatment will continue.

Smoking

Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultations her Department has carried
 
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out with (a) the theatre, (b) film and (c) television industry regarding possible exemptions to the ban on smoking in public places for the purposes of artistic productions; and if she will make a statement. [65735]

Caroline Flint: During last year's consultation on proposals for the Health Bill we received representations that particular theatrical performances and television/film recordings should be exempted from the smoke-free provisions of the Bill.

We are minded to allow an exemption where smoking is an integral part of the storyline of a performance or recording.

I wrote to the Theatrical Management Association and Equity along these lines on 18 April. A copy of these letters is available in the Library.

Social Services

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expected year-end financial position of social services departments in England is in 2005–06 (a) in total and (b) broken down by local authority area; and what the year-end outturn position has been in each year since 1997–98. [60394]

Mr. Byrne: The year-end financial position of social services departments in England in 2005–06 is not available.

The Department does hold social services expenditure data centrally and in answering this question, we have assumed that year-end outturn equates with total local authority expenditure on social services.

Forecast outturn figures for the 150 local authorities with social care responsibilities in 2005–06 will not be available until early in 2007. The most recent available expenditure information held by the Department is for 2004–05.

Full details of the outturn figures for 1997–98 to 2004–05 for social services departments are available on the NHS Health and Social Care information Centre's website at www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/persocservexp2005. Summary tables of outturn figures are available in the Library.

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