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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 300,00. Managers make up less than 3 per cent. of the NHS work force.
NHS Pension Scheme
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary ofState for Health pursuant to the announcement bythe Secretary of State for Trade and Industry of18 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 bi-lateral 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: 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 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.
Cadet Forces
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the expansion of cadet forces in schools; and if he will make a statement. [80660]
Mr. Dhanda: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is running a pilot project with a small number of state schools to establish new cadet forces (CCF) in these schools. In order to do this the MOD has drawn on an existing list of schools that had already indicated interest. The Department has discussed this list with the MOD.
Funding for this is being provided directly by the Treasury. The Department has therefore not had any discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer around, nor any involvement in the funding of, this pilot project.
Community Sports Facilities
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what cross-departmental discussions have taken place with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on ensuring that the Building Schools for the Future programme delivers effective community sport facilities in new build and refurbished schools. [80597]
Jim Knight: Ministers from this Department meet our Culture Media and Sport counterparts regularly to discuss our joint schools PE and sports strategy, including curriculum matters and the community use of facilities. There is also regular contact between our respective departmental officials, including those from Partnerships for Schools, the delivery body for Building Schools for the Future.
Education Expenditure, Bristol
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average expenditure was per pupil in Bristol in the (a) 1996-97 and (b) 2005-06 financial year. [80589]
Jim Knight: The following table gives a breakdown of the available data for City of Bristol (a) 1996-97. However, the information requested at (b) 2005-06 financial is not yet available. The Department is due to collect the section 52 Outturn data relating to the 2005-06 financial year from August 2006.
| City of Bristol combined local authority and school based expenditure( 1) per pupil( 2) per pupil | |
| £ per pupil | |
| (1)
The combined LA and school based expenditure includes all expenditure
on the education of children in LA maintained establishments and pupils
educated by the LA other than in maintained establishments. This
includes both school based expenditure and all elements of central LA
expenditure except youth and community and capital expenditure from
revenue
(CERA). (2) 1999-2000 saw a change in data source when the data collection moved from the RO1 form collected by the ODPM to the Section 52 form from the DfES. 2002-03 saw a further break in the time series following the introduction of Consistent Financial Reporting (CFR) and the associated restructuring of the Section 52 outturn tables. (3) Pupil figures include all pre-primary pupils, including those under fives funded by the LA and being educated in private settings, pupils educated in maintained mainstream schools and other LA maintained pupils. The pupil data for pupils attending maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools are taken from the DfES Annual Schools Census. Private voluntary and independent (PVI) under five pupil numbers are taken from the Early Years census but are only included from 1999-2000 onwards. Also included are other LA maintained pupils which includes all pupils attending schools not maintained by the authority for whom the authority is paying full tuition fees, or educated otherwise than in schools and pupil referral units under arrangements made by the authority drawn from the Form 8b submitted to the DfES. Also included as other LA maintained pupils are all pupils attending pupil referral units who are not registered at a maintained mainstream school drawn from the DfES Annual Schools Census. All pupil numbers are adjusted to be on a financial year basis. (4) Figures prior to 1999-2000 exclude any expenditure on service, strategy and regulation. For Bristol LA this would add roughly £9 to the 1996-97 unit cost. Note: Figures are rounded to the nearest £10. Cash terms figures as reported by City of Bristol local authority as at 23 June 2006. | |
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding has been allocated to special needs education provision in the Bristol local education authority area in each year since 2000. [80590]
Jim Knight: The information requested is set out in the following table:
Free School Meals
Helen
Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for
Education and Skills what proportion of children in (a) each
local authority which retains grammar schools, (b) each grammar
school within each such
authority and (c) other secondary schools within each authority
received free school meals on the latest date for which figures are
available.
[79798]
Jim Knight [holding answer 26 June 2006]: The information requested has been placed in the House Library.
GCSE (Foreign Languages)
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in which foreign languages pupils were entered in GCSEs for schools in Tamworth in 2005. [80137]
Jim Knight: Pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 in maintained schools in Tamworth constituency were entered in French, German, and Spanish GCSE full courses in 2004/05.
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