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13 July 2006 : Column 2073W—continued
NHS Pension Scheme Penserver Development
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the timetable was for the NHS Pension Scheme Penserver development prior to July 2005; [79644]
(2) how the requirements of the NHS pension scheme changed during the roll-out of the Penserver development; and if she will make a statement; [79645]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
During the Penserver development programme the NHS Employers Organisation entered into consultation with national health service trade unions over the modernisation of the NHS Pension Scheme. The managers of the NHS Pension Scheme administration identified this as a significant change programme and commissioned a technical solutions health check. The main recommendation from this review was that further
phases of Penserver development should be combined with the overall change programme for pension scheme modernisation.
Penserver phase one was introduced in July 2003 and Penserver phase two in October 2005, as a result.
NHS Performance
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her oral statement of 7 June 2006, Official Report, column 264, on NHS performance, what assessment her Department has made of the extent to which the budget available to the Royal Cornwall Hospital Trust reflects the health needs of the local population; what assessment she has made of the reasons for its deficit; and who is responsible for tackling the deficit. [81959]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department makes revenue allocations to primary care trusts (PCTs) but not to national health service trusts. PCTs commission services from trusts, which are the providers.
In the past, a provider’s income was determined by historical cost and the negotiating ability of local managers. Payment by results is a fairer and more transparent method of rewarding providers.
Under payment by results, the income of the Royal Cornwall Hospitals NHS Trust is determined by the amount of activity which takes place, paid for at the rates specified in the national tariff, and adjusted by the market forces factor. For activity which is outside the scope of the national tariff, prices are agreed locally.
It is for the NHS South West to make any such assessment, and take the necessary action in co-operation with the local NHS. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health was advised by KPMG as part of the initial assessment for turnaround in February 2006 that Royal Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust was a category one organisation, and would thus require immediate support to deliver a turnaround.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 21 June 2006, Official Report, column 1948W, on NHS performance, what adjustments she has made to the resource limits of primary care trusts and strategic health authorities under section 97 of the National Health Service Act 1977, as amended, broken down by NHS organisation. [83920]
Andy Burnham: To date there have been no adjustments made in the 2006-07 financial year relating to the transfer of surpluses between primary care trusts and strategic health authority (SHA) reserves. The total planned transfers from primary care trusts to SHA reserves for 2006-07 have yet to be finalised.
NHS Professionals
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS Professionals is registered with the Commission for Social Care Inspection. [84708]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 12 July 2006]: NHS Professionals is not required to register with the Commission for Social Care Inspection.
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the market share of NHS Professionals. [84709]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 12 July 2006]: The National Audit Office estimates that NHS Professionals’ penetration of the acute trust nursing market was 27 per cent., in May 2006.
NHS Repairs
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will set a target to eliminate the NHS estate repair backlog by April 2011. [83056]
Andy Burnham:
There are no plans to set a target to eliminate the national health service estate repair
backlog as this work is the responsibility of each NHS body who make decisions locally based on their estate investment planning programme.
Non-medical Workforce Census
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which types of staff work in the community services subgroup of the NHS non-medical workforce census, published on 24 April 2006. [74065]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested concerns community matron, district nurses, health visitors, school nursing service nurses and other qualified community service nurses. In addition there are other nurses working in the community: practice nurses, community psychiatric nurses and community learning disability nurses. The total of these community nurses in September 2005 was 105,753 compared with 77,249 in 1997.
Nut Allergies
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are being taken to tackle the causes of (a) nut allergy and (b) other allergies. [84266]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The underlying causes responsible for people being allergic to various substances are unknown, although it is thought genetics and environmental factors may play a part.
On 12 May 2006, the Medical Research Council (MRC) announced £2.3 million funding over three years to the MRC asthma United Kingdom centre in allergic mechanisms of asthma. The main aim of this research is to advance the understanding of allergic mechanisms in order to inform the development of new treatments.
Nutrient Profiling Model
Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she has accepted the Food Standards Agency’s recommendation that its nutrient profiling model should be the basis of any further regulation of television advertising to children for health purposes. [82567]
Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 22 June 2006, Official Report, column 2104W.
Obesity
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of (a) children and (b) adults in (i) Yeovil constituency, (ii) Somerset and (iii) the South West are (A) obese and (B) overweight when measured by body mass index according to the Government’s most recent health survey figures. [82144]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
The main source of data on the prevalence of obesity and overweight among children and adults is the Health Survey for England (HSE). Data are not available in the format requested. Tables 1
to 4 set out the most recent data on the prevalence of obesity and overweight in children and adults.
Table 1 presents the data on overweight and obesity among adults in Somerset and Dorset (the strategic health authority (SHA) which contains Yeovil). The sample size of the HSE does not allow figures to be produced below SHA level, nor does it allow an SHA breakdown for children. Body mass index (BMI) is a common method of evaluating individual people to see if they are overweight or obese. A BMI between 25 to 30 is overweight and over 30 is referred to as obese.
| Table 1: Prevalence of overweight and obesity among adults aged 16 and over in Somerset and Dorset SNA (three-year average), 2000-02 | |
| Percentage | |
| Source: Health Survey for England: Health and Lifestyle indicators for SHAs 1994 to 2002, Department of Health. | |
Table 2 shows the proportion of adults who were overweight and obese in South West Government office region (GOR) in 2003.
| Table 2: Prevalence of overweight and obesity among adults aged 16 and over in South West GOR by gender, 2003 | |
| Percentage | |
| Source: Health Survey for England 2003. Department of Health. | |
Tables 3 and 4 show the most recent available data on the prevalence of overweight and obesity among adults and children in England in 2004.
| Table 3: Prevalence of obesity and overweight among adults aged 16 and over by gender, England 2004 | |
| Percentage | |
| Note: Figures for all adults are not provided as dataset is not available to do the statistical analysis. Source: Health Survey for England 2004. The Information Centre for health and social care. | |
| Table 4: Prevalence of obesity and overweight among children aged two to 15 by gender, England 2004 | |
| Percentage | |
| Note: Figures for all adults are not provided as dataset is not available to do the statistical analysis. Source: Health Survey for England 2004—updating of trend tables to include 2004 data. The Information Centre for health and social care. | |
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