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8 Jan 2007 : Column 56W—continued
Nurses
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the NHS work force nurses represent; and what proportion they represented in 1997. [108073]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The table shows the proportion of the national health service work force in England represented by nurses in 1997 and 2005.
| Headcount | Percentage of NHS staff | |||
| 1997 | 2005 | 1997 | 2005 | |
| (1) Nursing and midwifery figures exclude students on training courses leading to a first qualification as a nurse or midwife. (2) 1997 GP and practice nurse data as at 1 October. Sources: 1. The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census 2. The Information Centre for health and social care Medical and Dental Workforce Census 3. The Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics | ||||
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the proportion of newly qualified nurses entering the NHS in each year since 1997 with a (a) diploma qualification and (b) degree qualification. [108621]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.
Nursing Posts
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing posts are being held open within the NHS. [108302]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.
Parliamentary Questions
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department uses an internal (a) traffic light and (b) colour coded system to answer written parliamentary questions; and whether her Department grades or classifies written parliamentary questions according to their political sensitivity. [108618]
Primary Care Trust Expenditure
Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by the primary care trusts in (a) Suffolk Coastal, (b) Central Suffolk, (c) Ipswich and (d) Suffolk East on (i) salaries and (ii) wages for (A) general and senior managers, (B) nurses and midwives and (C) administrative and clerical staff in each of the last four financial years. [102030]
Andy Burnham: Information is not available in the format requested. However, the following tables show staff cost expenditure; this includes Employers National Insurance contributions, Employers pension contributions and other pensions costs for Ipswich primary care trust (PCT), Suffolk Coastal PCT and Central Suffolk PCT, showing data for 2002-03 and 2004-05 as 2005-06 data are not yet available. This has been supplied because we do not hold data just on salaries and wages centrally.
Suffolk East, Central Suffolk and Ipswich PCTs were all established on 1 April 2002 and the recruitment to management posts was a gradual one resulting in less than half of the established posts being filled at the end of the financial year for 2002-03. The recruitment process continued throughout 2003-04 and it was not until 2004-05 that the PCTs’ full management structures were fully established.
The rise in costs to 2004-05 was due to a change in the numbers used for population. Until 2004-05 the PCTs used weighted head of general practitioner registered population, in 2004-05 we were advised to use the weighted population count as per the Office of National Statistics census.
There is also an inflationary element in the costs of 3.2 per cent. per year.
| Ipswich | |||
| £ | |||
| 2004-05 | 2003-04 | 2002-03 | |
| Suffolk Coastal | |||
| £ | |||
| 2004-05 | 2003-04 | 2002-03 | |
| Central Suffolk | |||
| £ | |||
| 2004-05 | 2003-04 | 2002-03 | |
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the aggregate expenditure of primary care trusts in North Yorkshire was in each year since 1996-97 (a) in cash terms and (b) at current prices; and what estimate she has made of expenditure in 2006-07. [106452]
Andy Burnham: The information is not available in the format requested. However, the table shows the total operating expenses of primary care trusts (PCTs) in North Yorkshire in cash and real terms from 2001-02 to 2005-06. Figures for 2006-07 accounts are not yet available.
| £000 | ||
| Cash terms | Real terms | |
| Notes Expenditure shown does not include all national health service expenditure within the area. Expenditure on general dental services and pharmaceutical services accounted for by the Dental Practice Board and the prescriptions pricing division of the NHS Business Service Authority, respectively, are excluded from the figures. This expenditure cannot be included within the figures for the individual health bodies as they are not included in commissioner accounts. Source: Audited summarisation schedules of Selby and York Primary Care Trust 2001-02 to 2005-06. Audited summarisation schedules of Craven, Harrogate and Rural Primary Care Trust, Hambleton and Richmondshire Primary Care Trust, and Scarborough, Whitby and Ryedale Primary Care Trust 2002-03 to 2005-06 Treasury GDP Deflator used to provide the real terms figures with 2005-06 as the baseline | ||
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding (a) in total and (b) per capita was allocated to each primary care trust (PCT) in England; what the outturn expenditure was in each case; and what the population density is in each PCT area. [106119]
Andy Burnham: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Perinatal Nursing
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many intensive care perinatal nurse posts have been held open in the last year. [105620]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.
PFI Schemes
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the value is of the unitary payments of each private finance initiative scheme overseen by her Department over the lifetime of the contract expressed in constant 2006-07 prices. [101729]
Andy Burnham: The tables, which have been placed in the Library, give details of private finance initiative schemes which have reached financial close including capital value, unitary payments at 2006-07 prices and period of concession.
Pharmaceutical Services
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on recent developments in single-channel pharmaceutical wholesale distribution, with particular reference to (a) security of supplies and (b) cost-effectiveness to the national health service. [110313]
Andy Burnham: We will monitor any new arrangements. If the changes result in shortages, disruptions to supply, any additional costs to the national health service, or have a detrimental affect on funding pharmacy contractors, then we will seek to ensure the corrective action is taken.
Physiotherapy
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of physiotherapy graduates have gained employment in the NHS in each year since 2001. [110395]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.
Prescription Charges
Sir Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department's revenue was from prescription charges paid by people (a) under 25 years and (b) over 25 years in the latest year for which figures are available. [108688]
Andy Burnham: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Sir Peter Soulsby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the National Union of Students will be consulted as part of the review into prescription charges; and what the timescale is for the review. [108693]
Andy Burnham: I plan to meet the National Union of Students early in the new year.
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many internal reviews of the prescription charging system have been carried out since 1997; and what the outcome has been of each. [109489]
Andy Burnham: An internal review of prescription charges was undertaken by departmental officials, in conjunction with HM Treasury, as part of the formulation of Government policy for the 1998 comprehensive spending review. This work fed into the outcome of the comprehensive spending review which was published by HM Treasury. No changes were made to the charging arrangements as a result.
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will initiate a full-scale review of the costs and benefits of (a) alternative systems to the existing prescription charging system and (b) the abolition of prescription charging altogether. [109490]
Andy Burnham: The Government are undertaking a review of prescription charges and will report the outcome of this review by the summer recess 2007. This review will include options to:
revise the list of medical exemptions to prescription charges;
introduce a flat rate prescription charge with no exemptions; and
base exemption to prescription charges solely on income.
These options will be considered on the basis that any changes to prescription charge exemptions, if implemented, are cost-neutral for the national health service.
The Government do not agree that it would be appropriate to abolish prescription charges as this would reduce, by some £430 million, the money available to deliver health priorities.
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what principles underpin the existing exemptions from prescription charging. [109491]
Andy Burnham: The Government's policy on entitlement to help with prescription charges in England is based on the principle that those who can afford to contribute should do so, while those who are likely to have difficulty in paying should be protected. Consequently 87 per cent. of prescriptions in England are dispensed free of charge.
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