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Written Answers to Questions

Tuesday 9 January 2007

Electoral Commission Committee

Parliamentary Questions

Mrs. May: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how many written parliamentary questions to the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission in the 2005-06 session were not answered wholly or in part on grounds of disproportionate cost. [113275]

Peter Viggers: None.

Mrs. May: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how many written parliamentary questions to the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission in the 2005-06 session were answered with a reply that it had not been possible to reply before prorogation, or similar wording. [113276]

Peter Viggers: None.

Health

HIV and AIDS

Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were diagnosed with HIV in each of the last two years; and if she will make a statement. [113239]

Caroline Flint: There were 7,450 people with newly diagnosed HIV in the United Kingdom in 2005, 7,492 people in 2004 and 7,283 in 2003. This suggests that the annual numbers of new HIV diagnoses may be stabilizing.

Health Trusts: North West

16. Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effect of the use of the market forces factor in determining the budgets of health trusts in the north west; and if she will make a statement. [113240]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The advisory committee on resource allocation has commissioned independent research to inform its recommendations on use of the market forces factor from 2008-09. This will consider options for reducing the variation between different organisations within close proximity, and an alternative approach to calculating the staff element using data on NHS costs.


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Diabetes

17. Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to increase the level of diabetes screening. [113241]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The UK national screening committee has recommended that screening certain subgroups of the population who are at high risk of type 2 diabetes is feasible, but that it should be undertaken as part of an integrated programme to detect and manage cardiovascular risk factors. Officials are currently considering the implications of these recommendations.

Stem Cell Research

18. Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on Government policy on stem cell research. [113242]

Ms Hewitt: In March 2005, the Government established the UK stem cell initiative to develop a strategy for stem cell research up to 2015. UKSCI made 11 recommendations. All were accepted by the Government, who allocated an additional £50 million, doubling their total investment, for stem cell research between 2006-08.

Mental Health

19. Meg Hillier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether she expects the introduction of supervised community treatment to improve the care of patients with mental health problems. [113243]

21. Ms Diana R. Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the likely impact of supervised community treatment on the care of patients with mental health problems. [113245]

Ms Rosie Winterton: We are introducing supervised community treatment for patients who have been detained in hospital under the mental health legislation. This is an important change which brings legislation into line with modern service delivery and follows the example of modern practice in other countries around the world.

Carers

20. Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to support those with caring responsibilities; and if she will make a statement. [113244]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Building on the carers strategy that we published in 1999, we have announced in ‘Our Health, Our Care, Our Say’ a range of measures to support carers.

Influenza Pandemic

22. Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made in preparations for dealing with an influenza pandemic. [113246]


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Ms Rosie Winterton: The World Health Organisation has praised the UK Influenza Pandemic Contingency Plan, which is currently being revised to include wider areas of national planning.

We aim to ensure all areas of our planning reflect expert advice and international scientific consensus. In particular, we continue to work closely with all NHS organisations, already have a stockpile of 14.6 million treatment courses of antivirals, and we are stockpiling 3.3 million doses of H5N1 vaccines.

A and E: Greater London

23. Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of accident and emergency departments being re-graded in Greater London. [113247]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Any changes to the provision of emergency care facilities, including accident and emergency departments, are matters for the NHS locally. However, I understand there are likely to be changes to some A and E departments in London as part of reconfiguration proposals to be brought forward, but at present there is no specific number. Any changes to A and E departments will only be made following full consultation with local stakeholders.

Colchester Hospitals

24. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will visit Colchester to discuss the provision of hospital facilities in the town. [113248]

Andy Burnham: 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.

Clear Communications Consultants

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contracts her Department has with Clear Communications Consultants Ltd; and if she will make a statement. [106380]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department has made no payments to Clear Communications.

Consultants

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which 10 consultancy fees charged to her Department since May 1997 were the most expensive. [107164]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department does not collect data on this basis and the analysis required could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost.

Continuing Care

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what her Department’s definition is of continuing care for the purpose of deciding whether patients can continue to receive care from the NHS; [113191]


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(2) what advice her Department gives to (a) hospital trusts, (b) primary care trusts and (c) social services departments on the definition of continuing care. [113192]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Continuing care means care provided over an extended period of time to a person aged 18 or over to meet physical or mental health needs which have arisen as the result of disability, accident or illness.

The Department has run a consultation exercise to produce a new national framework for national health service continuing healthcare and NHS funded nursing care. The consultation ran from 19 June 2006 to 22 September 2006 and we are now considering the responses we received to the consultation. The new framework will promote fair and consistent access to NHS funding across England, irrespective of location, diagnosis or personal circumstances. Transitional guidance on continuing care was issued, to both the NHS and local authorities, on 16 October 2006.

Following the judgement in R (Grogan) v. Bexley NHS Care Trust, the Department published guidance to help strategic health authorities examine the criteria they use to determine continuing care eligibility, and the Department also published transitional guidance on continuing care, on16 October 2006, to cover the period between the SHA reorganisation and the implementation of the national framework. Both sets of guidance were made available on the Department’s website and are accessible to all the organisations mentioned in the question.

Cystic Fibrosis

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what research her Department has carried out into the relative benefits of (a) preventative treatment and (b) treatment once infection has been detected for cystic fibrosis sufferers; what guidance has been issued to hospitals in light of that research; and if she will make a statement; [105159]

(2) what level of funding has been allocated to preventative treatment programmes for cystic fibrosis sufferers in (a) west Sussex and (b) the south-east of England in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08. [105160]

Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 7 December 2006]: We are not aware of any research conducted by the Department into the benefits of preventative treatment for infections in those with cystic fibrosis. However, there is a large body of research and clinical guidance, published in this country and abroad, which supports the effectiveness of preventative treatment programmes to clear airways and teach breathing techniques in the management of this condition.

Information on expenditure levels for CF preventative treatment programmes is not collected centrally. Funding for these services is provided through practice-based commissioning, primary care trust commissioning or specialised commissioning groups.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support her Department gives to preventative treatment programmes for cystic fibrosis
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sufferers; what input her Department has had on the current consultation at the Royal Alexandra hospital for Sick Children in Brighton on the future of the preventative treatment programme at that establishment; and if she will make a statement. [105162]

Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 7 December 2006]: We are not aware of any research conducted by the Department into the benefits of preventative treatment for infections in those with cystic fibrosis. However, there is a large body of research and clinical guidance, published in this country and aboard, which supports the effectiveness of preventative treatment programmes to clear airways and teach breathing techniques in the management of this condition.

The consultation at the Royal Alexandra children’s hospital in Brighton is a local matter.

Delayed Discharges Reimbursement Scheme

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what payments NHS organisations have received from local authority social services departments under the delayed discharges reimbursement scheme in each financial year since 2003-04, broken down by local authority. [106126]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not available.

Departmental Commercial Director

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the move of the Department’s commercial director to a private sector appointment is subject to any (a) Civil Service rules and (b) contractual obligations aimed at preventing (i) conflicts of interest and (ii) unfair advantage. [108711]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: All civil servants must obtain Government approval before taking any form of full, part-time or fee-paid employment in the United Kingdom, or overseas in a public or private company or in the service of a foreign government or its agencies. This rule also applies to former civil servants within two years of leaving Crown employment.

Under the rules on the acceptance of outside appointments by Crown servants, Ken Anderson applied for permission to accept the private sector appointment. The Prime Minister, on the advice of the advisory committee on business appointments, approved the application subject to the conditions that, for 12 months from his last day of service, he should stand aside from any discussion, if any, of the business of UBS or its clients relating to Government or national health service contracts in the United Kingdom health sector and should not become personally involved in lobbying the Department or the NHS on behalf of UBS or its clients.

Hospital Schemes

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospital schemes with a capital value of £29.7 million or over have been built since 1997, broken down by parliamentary constituency. [106129]


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Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information is in the following table


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Constituency( 1) Trust Capital value (£ million at 2006-07 prices)

Copeland

North Cumbria Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

82

Dartford

Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust

116

Chesham and Amersham

Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust

55

Greenwich and Woolwich

Queen Elizabeth NHS Trust

115

City of Durham

County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

75

Halifax

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust

77

Wythenshawe and Sale East

University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust

80

Norwich South

Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Trust

194

Hereford

Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust

77

Chipping Barnet

Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust

65

Worcester

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

104

Bishop Aukland

County Durham and Darlington Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

56

Camberwell and Peckham

King’s College Hospitals NHS Trust

89

South Swindon

Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust

118

Leeds North East

Leeds Mental Health Teaching Hospital NHS Trust

55

Orpington

Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust

141

Reading West

Berkshire Healthcare NHS Trust

34

Brentford and Isleworth

West Middlesex University Hospital NHS Trust

70

Middlesbrough

South Tees Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

143

Tooting

St. George’s Healthcare NHS Trust

54

Gloucester

Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

35

Dudley North

Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust

155

Holborn and St. Pancras

University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

489

Brent

North West London Hospitals NHS Trust

74

Across Many

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership

89

Blackburn

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

117

Coventry North East

University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust

416

Sheffield Hallam

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

29

Reading East

Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust

104

Vauxhall

Guys and St. Thomas Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

101

Stoke-on-Trent Central

North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust

33

Hexham

Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

33

South West Surrey

Surrey Primary Care NHS Trust

33

Putney

Wandsworth Primary Care NHS Trust

79

Aylesbury

Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust

49

Wansbeck

Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust

33

Burnley

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust

32

West Ham

Newham University Hospital NHS Trust

59

Ribble Valley

Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

44

Wolverhampton North East

Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust

61

Regent’s Park and Kensington North

Central and North West London Mental Health NHS Trust

38

Hendon

Barnet Primary Care NHS Trust

45

Bracknell

West London Mental Health NHS Trust

40

Bethnell Green and Bow

East London and The City Mental Health NHS Trust

37

Plymouth, Devonport

Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust

32

Blackpool South

Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre NHS Trust

48

Southampton, Test

Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust

57

(1 )These are the constituencies principally affected by the scheme i.e. those containing a significant element of new build or refurbishment.

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