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28 Jun 2006 : Column 460W—continued
I understand that the new hospital building is relatively low rise and is positioned centrally on the site, with the public open space wrapping around it, which together with appropriate landscaping thereby minimises the visual impact. The new hospital
incorporates traditional materials such as brick and timber, thereby creating a softer visual statement.
The trust reports that the new hospital is built with the latest Building Control Part L regulations concerning heat loss, which together with use of combined heat and power technology, will create a building substantially more efficient that the buildings to be vacated.
Hearing Aid Council (Amendment) Act
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the operation of the Hearing Aid Council (Amendment) Act 1989; what recent representations she has received about the operation of this Act; and whether she has plans to amend this Act. [80197]
Mr. McCartney: I have been asked to reply. The Department is happy with the operation of the said Act. As might be expected, there were protests earlier this year when the retention fee for dispensers was increased, but no Act amendment representations have been received. The Hampton report in 2004 suggested for economies of scale that the possibility of merging the duties of the Hearing Aid Council into other bodies should be considered, and the department, in conjunction with the council, continues to explore this.
Legislation
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which Government Bills sponsored by her Department are still to be introduced during the current Session; and when, and into which House, each will be introduced; [77514]
(2) what plans she has for legislation in the next session of Parliament; and if she will make a statement. [77515]
Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 16 June 2006, Official Report, column 1431W by my right hon. Friend the Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Straw).
Macugen
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are in place for provision on the NHS of the drug Macugen for age-related macular degeneration in advance of a decision on licensing and National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence appraisal; and if she will make a statement. [80635]
Andy Burnham: The Department has made it clear that patients should not be refused a treatment simply because guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is unavailable. In these circumstances, we expect primary care trusts to take full account of available evidence when reaching decisions on whether to provide the treatment.
Mantoux Skin Test
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking in relation to the use of the Mantoux skin test for tuberculosis within the NHS in advance of the manufacturers of the purified protein derivative utilised in the test applying for a licence for the product. [80314]
Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O’Brien) on 26 June 2006, Official Report, columns 239-40W.
Maternity Units
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment she has made of the likely impact on the number of home births if Stroud maternity unit closes; [75989]
(2) if she will carry out an evaluation into the closure of Stroud maternity unit, including evidence from service users. [76079]
Caroline Flint: The Government are committed to offering, by 2009, all women the choice of how and where they give birth, including in hospital, a midwifery-led unit and at home.
It is for primary care trusts and national health service trusts to determine the appropriate pattern of service-provision locally, taking into account the needs of local people, evidence of effectiveness and available resources.
Ministerial Meetings
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings Ministers in her Department have held with hon. Members in each of the last three years, broken down by political party. [80026]
Ms Hewitt: The information requested for the past three years could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, we can provide the number of meetings Ministers have had with hon. Members for the last six months. Since 1 January 2006, Ministers in the Department have met with 191 Labour hon. Members, 37 Conservative hon. Members and six Liberal Democrat hon. Members.
NHS Managers
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many managers were employed in the NHS in England on 1 April (a) 1997 and (b) 2006. [65309]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In the same period, the national health service budget has grown from £33 billion in 1996-97 to £77.8 billion in 2005-06; and the number of staff has increased by over 300,000. Managers make up less than 3 per cent. of the NHS work force.
NHS Pension Scheme
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the announcement by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry of 18 October 2005 on public service pensions, that all sector scheme negotiations would be completed by March 2006, when she will announce the details of the consultation on the new proposed benefit structure for new entrants for the NHS Pension Scheme; whether the negotiations have been completed; and if she will make a statement. [78008]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Negotiations are continuing between NHS employers, on behalf of the Department and the NHS staff side. Following completion of the negotiations, consultations will take place on the proposals including time scales for implementation of a new pension scheme.
NHS Staff
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many newly qualified (a) nurses and (b) doctors have not been able to find relevant employment within six months of qualifying in each of the last three years; and if she will make a statement. [78357]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.
Obesity
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions she has had with ministerial colleagues on promoting the cross-Government campaign to raise public awareness of the health risks of obesity. [67329]
Caroline Flint: At a bilateral meeting on 15 June, my hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and I discussed further development of the cross-Government campaign to promote every-day activity and to raise public awareness of the health risks of obesity.
Opencast Sites
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment has been made of health effects on people living close to open-cast sites; and whether differences have been observed in health effects during different seasons of the year. [80422]
Caroline Flint:
No assessment has been made since 1999 when a statement appertaining to the possible effects of exposure to particles generated by open-cast
mining was placed on the committee on medical aspects of air pollution’s (COMEAP) website. No assessment of seasonal factors has been made. The COMEAP opinion may be found on the COMEAP’s website at:
www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/comeap/.
Operations
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 17 May 2006, Official Report, column 1117W, on operations, if she will publish the same data for the years 1988-89 to 1996-97 for England only. [74122]
Andy Burnham: The information requested has been placed in the Library. 1989-90 is the earliest year for which data is available. In more recent years as more activity has shifted from in-hospital settings to out-patients and primary care, growth in day cases has slowed and ordinary admissions have started to reduce. This trend is expected to continue.
Patient Transport
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the average ambulance travel times between (a) the centre of Littlehampton, (b) Rustington and (c) Wick and (i) St. Richards hospital in Chichester and (ii) the Royal Sussex County hospital in Brighton. [80626]
Caroline Flint: The information requested is not collected centrally.
PM2.5 Particulates
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment has been made of the health effects of PM2.5 particulates, with particular reference to (a) respiratory and (b) cardiovascular health. [80420]
Caroline Flint: The committee on the medical effects of air pollutants (COMEAP) has recently published a report on air pollution and cardiovascular disease. This report focuses on particulate matter and, in so far as the available data permit, on particulate matter that is 2.5 micrometres or smaller in size (PM2.5). The comprehensive report can be found on COMEAP’s website at www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/comeap/. No recent assessment of effects of PM2.5 on the respiratory system has been made. This will be addressed during COMEAP’s work on the quantification of effects of air pollutants on health. Work so far has focused on PM2.5 and effects on mortality. It seems that the majority of the effects reported in the literature reflect the effect of particles on the cardiovascular system.
Policy Research Programme
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding is available to the policy research programme within the Department in 2006-07. [80705]
Andy Burnham: The policy research programme budget is currently £32.5 million per annum.
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the mental health research priorities are within the policy research programme. [80706]
Andy Burnham: Current priorities in mental health for the policy research programme are:
research to support the national suicide strategy;
new roles in the mental health work force;
mental health legislation;
adolescent mental health; and
evaluating the care services improvement partnership.
Primary Care Trusts
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what population is served by each primary care trust. [77519]
Andy Burnham: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 May 2006, Official Report, column 1762W, on primary care trusts, what range of work is in hand; and what arrangements Surrey and Sussex strategic health authority have in place to ensure delivery. [79763]
Caroline Flint: The Department is supporting the national health service in delivering the Government’s targets on retinopathy screening by supporting local delivery with a United Kingdom national screening committee (NSC) programme, carried out with professional organisations and Diabetes UK, which aims to reduce variability, help the development of a systematic approach where none exists and improve performance and quality. This includes Surrey and Sussex strategic health authority (SHA).
Funds have also been made available to support the purchase of digital cameras and related equipment for diabetic retinopathy screening. The capital funds increase so that the largest sum is available from April 2005—£5 million in 2003-04, £9.6 million in 2004-05 and £12.4 million in 2005-06.
Furthermore, primary care trusts (PCTs) are monitored on their progress towards achieving the target. The target is included within the local delivery agreements between SHA and PCTs, which are reviewed quarterly through a data return to the Department.
Public Health Pilots
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was allocated by her Department to pilot projects targeting public health, including those relating to obesity, in each of the last two years; how much is projected to be allocated during the next 12 months; and if she will make a statement. [68841]
Caroline Flint: The Department has allocated central funding to a range of pilot projects aimed at improving public health. Examples of public health related pilots include HIV and syphilis community testing, early abortion and genito-urinary medicine development pilots, local exercise action pilots, school pedometer pilots and piloting the new healthy start scheme. An exact funding figure is not available, but in excess of £3 million was allocated in 2005-06 and similar funding is expected in the coming 12 months.
Special Advisers
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what role is played by special advisers in answering parliamentary questions asked of her Department. [80653]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: [holding answer 27 June 2006]: Special advisers conduct themselves in accordance with the requirements of the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers.
Education and Skills
Bullying
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures his Department is taking to tackle the bullying of autistic children in schools. [79330]
Jim Knight: This Government makes it clear that all forms of bullying are unacceptable. We have introduced a series of measures to prevent and tackle bullying in our schools as well as providing support for the victims of bullying. We intend to issue guidance for schools and local authorities in the coming months on how to draw up and implement an effective anti-bullying policy, and this will look at how to address the needs of all bullied children including those with autistic spectrum disorders.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many incidents of racist bullying were recorded by (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each of the last five years. [80513]
Jim Knight: We are unable to provide this information as we do not collect these data centrally. However, individual schools are required to record all incidents of racist bullying and local authorities may keep records for their own area.
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