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Valuation Office Agency
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which companies and organisations have supplied the Valuation Office Agency with geographic data in the last three years. [83009]
Dawn Primarolo: The Valuation Office Agency (VOA) receives geographic data from Ordnance Survey through its membership of the Pan Government Agreement on Mapping Products. In addition it takes ‘X-Y Co-ordinates’ from the National Land and Property Gazetteer (NLPG).
Information received but neither incorporated into the VOA database nor used in VOAs Automated Valuation model are flood plain “polygons” from the Environment Agency and ACORNā"¢ data from CACIā"¢ Information Solutions.
Venture Capital Funds
Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been allocated to regional venture capital funds in each year since 1999; and on what basis such allocations were made. [84791]
Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
Allocations to
the Regional Venture Capital Funds were £37.375 million in the
financial year 2001-02, £31 million in 2002-03 and
£6 million in 2003-04. The
allocations were made as a result of a competitive bidding exercise in
each English
region.
Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much of the £20 million fund allocated to aid the start-up of high tech venture capital funds has been spent in each year since 1999; and if he will make a statement. [84794]
Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
The Government's total investment commitment to the UK High Technology Fund was drawn down in the financial year 2000-01 (£12 million in 2000 and a further £8 million in early 2001).
Mr. Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much high tech venture capital funds have been set up in (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland in each year since 1999 as a result of the start-up funding announced in the 1999 Budget. [84795]
Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
The UK High Technology Fund was established in 1999 and has invested in nine existing high technology-based venture capital firms based in the UK. All of these funds can invest across the UK.
Health
Health Inequalities
15. Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made in tackling health inequalities and variations in life expectancy. [85853]
Caroline Flint: Life expectancy is improving across England for all but is currently improving more slowly in the spearhead areas with the worst deprivation. Some spearhead areas are on track to meet the 2010 health inequalities target and we are working to ensure this best practice is spread not only to enable more people to live longer but to narrow the health inequalities gap.
Waiting Times
16. Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients normally resident (a) in England, (b) in Wales and (c) elsewhere have been waiting more than six months for an NHS in-patient operation at English hospitals. [85854]
Andy Burnham: The following table details the number of patients who had been waiting more than six months for in-patient admission within English national health service provider trusts at the end of May 2006. The data are split to show the country in which the patient's general practitioner practice is located.
| Number | |
Colchester General Hospital
17. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will visit Colchester to discuss the provision of health facilities at Colchester General Hospital. [85855]
Andy Burnham: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no immediate plans to visit Colchester general hospital. However, should the chair of the hospital board wish to invite a Minister to visit it would be given due consideration.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to her answer of 26 June 2006, Official Report, columns 221-2W, on Colchester general hospital, whether discussions have taken place with (a) the Essex Rivers Healthcare Trust and (b) the private sector partner since that date; and if she will make a statement. [86161]
Andy Burnham: To date no discussions have taken place between the Department, the Essex Rivers healthcare national health service trust and the former preferred private finance initiative bidder.
Mental Health Institutions
18. Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements are in place to ensure the safety of female patients in NHS mental health institutions. [85857]
Ms Rosie Winterton: There have been increasing steps to improve the safety and privacy of women when they are admitted to in-patient units, and there are now more acute in-patients services that provide either self-contained women-only wards, or solely single-sex wards, reflecting the clear preference of the majority of women service users.
Mental Health Services
19. Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on mental health services in the West Midlands. [85858]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Total investment in mental health services within the new West Midlands strategic health authority has increased to over £499 million in 2005-06. This represents an increase of 5.1 per cent. from the £475 million investment in the three former strategic health authorities in 2004-05.
Eastbourne District General Hospital
20. Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the delivery of services by the Eastbourne district general hospital. [85859]
Caroline Flint: The Eastbourne district general hospital, part of the East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust, provides a full range of acute services for the residents of Eastbourne and the surrounding areas.
Mesothelioma
21. Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence’s recent decision regarding the provision of Alimta for people with mesothelioma. [85860]
Andy Burnham: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published its final appraisal determination on pemetrexed disodium (Alimta) for mesothelioma on 26 June. Consultees were given until 10 July to lodge an appeal against NICE’s determination. NICE will not issue final guidance to the NHS until any appeals have been heard.
Alzheimer's Disease
23. Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she next expects to meet representatives of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to discuss drugs for people with Alzheimer’s disease. [85862]
Andy Burnham: I have no meetings planned with representatives of NICE on this issue. I am due to meet with the chair and chief executive of NICE on 20 July for a general discussion about the Institute’s work.
Community Hospitals
24. Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contribution she expects community hospitals to make to the provision of patient care closer to where they live. [85863]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: I expect community hospitals to make a significant contribution to the provision of convenient, high quality and local care for patients. As such we are evaluating the contribution community hospitals can make to shifting care as part of the Care Closer to Home Demonstration Project. Furthermore “Our Health Our care Our Community: Investing in Community Hospitals and Services” set out our programme for the future of community hospitals and their role in the provision of local and convenient patient care.
Assisted Reproductive Technology
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many babies have been born in each region in England through assisted reproductive technology in each year since 1997. [85321]
Caroline
Flint [holding answer 17 July 2006]: The
information requested is not collected centrally. The Human
Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) does collect data on live
births reported to it
by HFEA licensed clinics resulting from treatment cycles involving in
vitro fertilisation and donor insemination. Data, by region, are shown
in the
table.
| Live births resulting from in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and donor insemination (DI) treatment cycles from 1997 to 2004( 1) | ||||||||
| District( 2) | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
| (1
)2004 is the most recent year for which information is
available. (2) The table identifies the total number of babies born according to their date of birth. HFEA has used the “Patients Guide To Infertility” of regions, which relates to the location in which the IVF or DI treatment took place. This is not necessarily the location of the birth or the place of residence of the patient. Source: Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority | ||||||||
Canary Wharf Walk-in Centre
Mr. Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the total value is of the contract awarded to Atos Origin to run the NHS walk-in centre at Canary Wharf; and what the cost is in each of the five years of the contract; [82638]
(2) whether the value of the contract for the walk-in centre at Canary Wharf changes according to throughput; whether it is (a) a fixed price block contract, (b) a cost and volume contract and (c) a payment by results contract with a fixed sum per case seen; [82640]
Caroline Flint: The value of the contract depends on use of the service as the contract price is a combination of fixed cost elements and a price per patient. The total value of the contract is commercial in confidence.
Mr. Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when Tower Hamlets primary care trust will have to fund the contract for the walk-in centre at Canary Wharf. [82639]
Caroline Flint: This national health service walk-in centre is intended to provide services for commuters and local people. It is now funded centrally by the Department and our intention is that, in time, it should be funded locally, with costs shared between the primary care trusts whose patients use it. That is not possible yet and we have guaranteed central funding for at least three years.
Mr. Galloway: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been seen in each week since the walk-in centre at Canary Wharf was opened; and how many of those seen were (a) Tower Hamlets residents and (b) those who commute into the area to work. [82641]
Caroline Flint: Information on the weekly number of episodes of care provided at the Canary Wharf national health service walk-in centre is shown in the following table.
| Week commencing | Episodes of care |
| Notes:
1. The Canary Wharf walk-in centre commenced services on 21 April
2006. 2. Data for April and May, the latest available,
indicates that 58 per cent. of the people using the service are local
to the area of Tower Hamlets primary care
trust. | |
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