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13 Jun 2006 : Column 1176W—continued
Nurses
Mr. Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses are employed by NHS Direct in (a) England and (b) the North West region; and if she will estimate how many nurses will be employed by NHS Direct in (i) England and (ii) the North West region in April 2007. [75660]
Ms Rosie Winterton: As at 30 September 2005, the most recent centrally collected information available, there were 1,909 qualified non-medical nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff employed by NHS Direct in England. Regional information is not collected centrally but may be available from the Chairman of NHS Direct Special Health Authority.
NHS Direct began a 12-week consultation period with staff and staff side representatives on 16 May 2006 on proposals to ensure that its organisational structure, estates and staffing are fit for purpose to meet future developments and demand. The consultation period is due to end on 16 August 2006. The outcomes of the consultation will be made public thereafter.
OFT Annual Plan
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who is responsible for progress on each of the objectives set out on pages nine to 21 of the Office of Fair Trading Annual Plan 2006-07; to whom each person reports; what recent discussions he has had about implementation of each objective; and if he will make a statement. [71960]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government's response to the recommendations made by the Committee of Public Accounts in their “Nineteenth Report Tackling Cancer: improving the patient journey” (HC 790) was made in “Treasury Minutes on the Eighteenth to Twenty-first Reports from the Committee of Public Accounts 2005-06”.
The Treasury Minutes detail on-going actions and discussions in response to the recommendations made in HC 790. Sir Ian Carruthers, as the acting Permanent Secretary and Accounting Officer, is responsible for progress on the actions set out in that response.
Obesity
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the likely cost to the NHS of the consequences of childhood obesity in the next 20 years. [74430]
Caroline Flint: The joint report from the Audit Commission, Healthcare Commission and the National Audit Office (NAO) published in 2006 estimated that, at present, the direct cost to the NHS is £1 billion a year and the indirect cost to United Kingdom the economy is a further £2.3 to £2.6 billion. Furthermore, it estimated that should the present trend continue, the annual cost to the economy could be £3.6 billion a year by 2010.
The Health Select Committee revisited the NAO figures in 2004, and they estimated the overall cost for overweight and obesity to be nearer £6.6 to £7.4 billion per year.
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the percentage of (a) adults and (b) children who are (i) obese, (ii) overweight and (iii) underweight in (A) each region in England and (B) the Tees Valley. [67197]
Caroline Flint:
The main source of data on the prevalence of obesity is the Health Survey for England (HSE). The data is not available in the format
requested. However tables 1 to 4 provides the most comparable data.
| Table 1: Age-standardised overweight and obesity prevalence among adults aged 16 and over, by Government office region and sex, England 2003 | ||||||||||
| Percentage | ||||||||||
| North East | North West | Yorkshire and the Humber | East Midlands | West Midlands | East England | London | South East | South West | England | |
| Source: Health Survey for England 2003. | ||||||||||
| Table 2: Overweight and obesity prevalence among adults aged 16 and over, by sex, England 2004 | |
| Percentage | |
| Source: Health Survey for England 2004. | |
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