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Emissions Trading Scheme
Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many carbon dioxide emissions permits have been allocated to hospitals; and what the emissions were for each NHS hospital included in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme in the first year of operation. [86455]
Andy Burnham: 107 hospitals from the United Kingdom were operating in the European Union emissions trading scheme in 2005. A total of 879,241 allowances were issued in 2005 to these hospitals. The total of verified carbon dioxide emissions for these hospitals is 939,256 tonnes.
Epilepsy
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children in England are being treated for epilepsy. [88023]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Information on the number of children being treated for epilepsy is not collected.
Eye Disease
Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of (a) cataracts, (b) cancer of the conjunctiva, (c) pterygium and (d) solar keratopathy resulting from exposure to sunlight; and what the estimated cost to the NHS was for the treatment of these conditions in the most recent year for which figures are available. [86070]
Caroline Flint: The following table provides information on the finished consultants episodes (FCEs) for the four conditions identified in the question. It is not possible to separately identify the cost of the individual diagnoses relating to exposure to sunlight.
| FCEs for 2004-05 for cataracts, cancer of the conjunctiva, pterygium and solar keratopathy | |
| Primary diagnosis | Total episodes |
| Notes:
1. FCEs An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under
one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the
figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have
more than one episode of care within the year. 2. Diagnosis
(primary diagnosis) The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14
(seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the HES data set and
provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital. 3.
Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfall in data
(that is the data was ungrossed). Source: Hospital Episode
Statistics (HES), the Information Centre for health and social
care. | |
Eye Tests
David
Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for
Health how many eye tests were claimed for in (a) England and
(b) each region in each of the last 10
years; and what percentage of those who had eye tests subsequently
received (i) spectacles for the first time and (ii) replacement or
repairs of spectacles.
[88141]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The tables showing the numbers of national health services sight tests, optical vouchers and repairs and replacements claimed for in each of the last ten years for England and broken down by former strategic health authority area have been placed in the Library.
The number of those who receive spectacles for the first time is not collected centrally.
Vouchers are given to those in eligible groups to contribute towards the cost of spectacles or contact lenses. Eligible groups for repairs and replacements are children aged 16 and under, those in full time education under 19 and other low income groups.
Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what average waiting time was for low vision assessments in (a) primary care trusts and (b) social services departments in (i) England and (ii) Shropshire in the last period for which figures are available. [88672]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally.
Fabricated Illness (Children)
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the purpose is of her review of the Safeguarding children in whom illness is induced or fabricated, guidance; and if she will make a statement. [88033]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The guidance, “Safeguarding Children in Whom Illness is Fabricated or Induced” was published in August 2002, as supplementary guidance to “Working Together to Safeguard Children” (Department of Health,1999). The latter was revised in April 2006, to take account of the Children Act 2004.
The purpose of the Department’s project is to review progress of how the guidance on safeguarding children in whom illness is fabricated or induced is being implemented within the national health service. The focus of the project is on health professionals in the context of health systems. There will also be some limited input from statutory agencies such as local authority children services who work closely with health teams on safeguarding children. The project is expected to be completed in 2007. Programme funding to continue the project in 2006-07 in not yet guaranteed.
Foreign Nurses
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many foreign nurses have worked in the NHS (a) in each of the last five years and (b) in 2006-07. [89081]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.
Foundation Hospitals
Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many foundation trust hospitals have given undertakings in respect of Agenda for Change in their five year business plans; and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that current and future foundation trusts implement and work within the framework of Agenda for Change. [85281]
Ms Rosie Winterton: National health service foundation trusts (NHSFTs) which became operational between 1 April and 1 July 2004 gave a commitment to implement agenda for change according to the same national timetable as the rest of the NHS. Applicants for foundation status thereafter were already covered by the national agenda for change agreement and therefore legally their staff on Whitley terms were entitled to the new contract and those on local contracts had to be offered the new terms and conditions. Business plans of NHSFTs are available from respective organisations.
NHSFTs are not bound by any statutory obligation to adhere to Government pay agreements. They are free to deliver healthcare without direction from central Government or performance management by heath authorities. However, as independently regulated organisations with a duty to deliver on national standards and demonstrate financial viability, NHSFTs are expected to be model employers and build on their track record of maintaining and developing high standards of employment practice.
Frank Campaign
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of people who accessed the Frank campaign in each of the last five years. [88715]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Frank was launched in May 2003. Between September 2003 and March 2006, figures for which are available (30 months), Frank’s contribution to drug prevention and increasing participation in treatment was as follows:
61,887 people were provided with information about a suitable local substance misuse service;
35,910 young people and 13,280 parents discussed drug issues with Frank directly. Frank also dealt with 61,713 emails; and
there were seven million hits on the website and 344,663 hits on the drug treatment web pages. The number of hits to the ‘Talk to Frank’ website’s treatment/prevention pages has almost tripled since 2004.
over 2,000 stakeholders use and recommend Frank’s services per year; and
over 5,000 drug and young people professionals receive news and training information about Frank to support local delivery.
General Practitioners
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which localities her Department has identified as being significantly under-provided in terms of GP numbers. [84461]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Those primary care trusts (PCTs) which have fewer than the average number of general practitioners (GP) per 100,000 weighted population are relatively under provided. The White Paper “Our Health Our Care Our Say” further identifies from among these PCTs the 30 which have fewest GPs for their populations. These PCTs, which are listed on page 63 of the White Paper, are being encouraged to make systematic use of their new contractual freedoms to increase their primary medical care capacity.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs there have been (a) in total and (b) per 10,000 population in each primary care trust in each year since 1997. [86212]
Caroline Flint: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) general practitioner surgeries and ( b) single-handed general practitioner surgeries there were in each (i) region and (ii) health authority in each year since 1997. [84910]
Caroline Flint: The information requested up to September 2005 has been placed in the Library. The data relates to strategic health authority areas in existence prior to 1 July 2006, and by primary care trust area since 2001 when they came into being.
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what average annual number of patients were seen by general practitioners in Brent in each of the last five years. [87776]
Caroline Flint: The information requested is not collected centrally.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of GP practices in (a) England and (b) each region had at least 50 per cent. of their patients living three or more miles away in each of the last five years. [88146]
Caroline Flint: This information is not collected by the Department.
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners per head of population there were in (a) South East Cambridgeshire constituency and (b) England in each of the last five years. [88740]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of general practitioners per head of population in the South East Cambridgeshire constituency and in England in each of the last five years is shown in the table.
Haematopathologists
Paul Rowen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken by her Department to ensure that there are sufficient haematopathologists to fulfil the criteria of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence improving outcomes guidance for haematological cancers. [87739]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 24 July 2006]: It is for cancer networks to work in partnership with strategic health authorities and postgraduate deaneries to put in place a sustainable process to assess, plan and review their work force needs and the education and training of all staff linked to local and national priorities for cancer, including the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence’s improving outcomes guidance.
Haemophiliacs
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what service level agreement applies to the provision of recombinant factor VII to haemophiliacs. [85882]
Caroline Flint: Funding for the central budget programme was distributed as a single allocation to strategic health authorities (SHAs) on 25 July 2006. It will be for SHAs, in consultation with local stakeholders, to agree and manage how best to deploy the funding allocated to them. The Department is working with SHA chief executives to finalise the service level agreement that will set out the expected outcomes from this funding.
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