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18 Jan 2007 : Column 1266W—continued

Service Personnel: Telephone Calls

Mr. Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many minutes of free telephone calls service men and women are allowed each week whilst serving on operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. [110305]

Mr. Ingram [holding answer 19 December 2006]: The free welfare telephone allowance for service personnel serving on operations has recently been increased from 20 to 30 minutes per week at a cost of some £l million.

Special Air Service

Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what systems are in place to investigate possible cases of fraud and corruption in the special air service; [114752]

(2) how many investigations into possible fraud in the special air service have been carried out in each of the last three years. [114753]

Mr. Ingram: The systems in place to investigate possible cases of fraud and corruption in the special air service (SAS) are in line with those of the wider Army. Like all other members of the armed forces, SAS personnel are covered by the military criminal justice system and are subject to the service discipline Acts. Primary responsibility for investigating any allegations of fraud or corruption will lie with either the Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch or the Ministry of Defence Police Fraud Squad, depending on the nature and jurisdiction of the alleged offence. There has been one investigation into possible fraud in the SAS in the last three years and this is ongoing.

Thermal Imaging

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 5 January 2007, Official Report, column 110W, on thermal imaging, what his timetable is for the delivery of additional sights to front line troops. [115271]


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Mr. Ingram: An order has been placed to deliver 100 lightweight thermal imaging sights to the Army by the end of February and a further 300 sights by the end of March. The subsequent delivery of this equipment to operational theatres is a matter for military commanders.

Tour Intervals

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average tour intervals were for each unit deployed in (a) Kosovo and (b) Bosnia. [110434]

Des Browne: One unit now deploys into the Bosnia and Kosovo theatre and is known as the Pan Balkans Infantry Battalion. Currently this role is filled by the 1st Battalion, the Welsh Guards, who have an average tour interval of 18 months.

Type 45 Destroyers

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the estimated cost is of the six Type 45 destroyers to be procured by his Department; and what the estimated cost was of the eight which were originally planned to be procured. [114139]

Mr. Ingram: The estimated cost for six Type 45 Destroyers as detailed in Major Project Review (MPR) 2006 is £6,110 million (including cost of capital).

Whilst the Type 45 capability requirement remains for up to eight ships, the Department only currently has an approved programme for six.

Weaponry

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the answer of 7 November 2006, Official Report, column 1502W, on weaponry, which of the weapons listed are capable of being physically carried by personnel in theatre on foot. [114631]

Mr. Ingram: The following can be carried by personnel in theatre on foot:

Health

Bio Products Laboratory

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Bio Products Laboratory spent on the purchase of 24 plasma collection centres belonging to Life Resources Incorporated in the United States in the last five years; what revenue benefit to NHS Blood and Transplant these investments have produced; and what assessment she has made of the future of these facilities. [114498]

Caroline Flint: Bio Products Laboratory has not purchased 24 plasma collection centres belonging to Life Resources Incorporated.


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In December 2002, the Department purchased the United States (US) plasma collector Life Resources Incorporated. This acquisition included the purchase of 24 centres collecting blood plasma from donors across the US. A press release issued on 17 December 2002 provides details of the acquisition including cost and is available at:

A US holding company, DCI Biologicals Inc, was established to manage the business. DCI Biologicals reports to the United Kingdom parent company, Plasma Resources UK Limited, owned by the Secretary of State for Health.

The Department is leading a review to identify and explore opportunities to improve Bio Products Laboratory business and this review includes DCI Biologicals Inc.

Cholesterol

Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in reducing (a) total cholesterol and (b) low density lipoprotein cholesterol levels among patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease in England; and if she will make a statement. [114417]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Information is not available in the form requested. However, the new general medical services (GMS) contract specification encourages primary care practices to identify patients who have suffered from coronary heart disease (CHD), strokes and diabetes and to control cholesterol in those patients. The following tables show the percentage of available points achieved against these indicators across England, demonstrating that general practitioner practices are making good progress in improving control of cholesterol in patients with cardiovascular disease.

The applicable quality and outcomes framework (QOF) indicators and the overall percentages are shown as follows:

CHD 8—the percentage of patients with CHD whose last measured total cholesterol (measured in the last 15 months) is 5mmol/l or less
QOF year Overall percentage CHD 8 for England

2004-05

72

2005-06

78


Stroke 8—the percentage of patients with TIA or stroke whose last measured total cholesterol (measured in the last 15 months) is 5mmol/l or less
QOF year Overall percentage stroke 8 for England

2004-05

63

2005-06

72


DM 17—the percentage of patients with diabetes whose last measured total cholesterol within previous 15 months is 5mmol/or less
QOF year Overall percentage DM 17 for England

2004-05

72

2005-06

79

Note:
Some patients may be excluded from the indicator because of exceptions and exclusions. Only patients registered with a general practice participating in QOF will be included.

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Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will consider adopting the recommendations of the Joint British Societies guidelines on the prevention of cardiovascular disease in clinical practice in relation to (a) total cholesterol levels and (b) low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels for higher risk patients; and if she will make a statement. [114418]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Department policy on cholesterol targets is set out in the national service framework for coronary heart disease (CHD), and reflected in key drivers of practice such as the quality and outcomes framework of the general medical services contract.

The Joint British Societies guidelines are welcomed as a contribution to policy development but they do not update the Department’s policy. The principal mechanism for this is the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE is currently working on guidance on lipid management, due out later this year. That guidance will set out any revisions to current policy on targets for controlling cholesterol.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from (a) organisations and (b) members of the public on the draft National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance for treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis; how many of these representations relate to the possible effect of such guidance on children and young people; and what plans she has to ask NICE to address concerns raised about the draft guidance. [116457]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published its draft clinical guideline on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis for consultation on 29 September 2006. Since that date the Department has received, as of 17 January, 12 written representations concerned with this guideline. Of these, 11 were from hon. Members and the remaining one was from a member of the public.

Information on whether these representations relate to the possible effect of such guidance on children and young people is not readily available.

NICE’s consultation on this guideline closed on 24 November. Comments arising from consultation will be considered by the guideline developers and posted on the NICE website after the final guideline is published.

Data Disaggregation

Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has issued to the NHS on disaggregating data by gender. [116086]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department has not issued specific guidance in this area, but the NHS Data Dictionary produced by Connecting for Health uses the definitions given in the United Kingdom Government data standards catalogue to identify individuals by gender.


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Departmental Staff

Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the effective date is for annual pay awards to her Department’s staff; and what the actual implementation date was in each of the last five years. [116690]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The effective date is 1 August.

The actual dates for payment of increased salaries are as follows:

Pay year Month in which payment made

2002

August 2002

2003

January 2004

2004

November 2004

2005

November 2005

2006

December 2006(1)

(1) Two-year deal.

Equality Act

Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidance she has issued to primary care trusts on meeting the obligations of the Equality Act 2006 on gender equality duty; [116084]

(2) what support she has made available to primary care trusts to enable them to comply with the requirements of the Equality Act 2006 gender duties. [116085]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department has undertaken a number of activities to promote equality issues in the national health service (NHS), including the forthcoming gender equality duty, and particularly to support the NHS in meeting its responsibilities under the gender duty. The Department’s strategy for promoting gender equality in the NHS is to set action on gender issues within the overall framework for planning and delivering the Department’s and the NHS’s priorities.

The Department has worked closely with NHS organisations to prepare them for the gender duty when it comes into force in April this year. A detailed programme of work is in place to ensure the implementation of the gender duty across the whole health sector. These include:


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The participating SHAs launched their local involvement in the programme in November 2006.

Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been issued to primary care trusts on ensuring services provided for the NHS by independent contractors comply with the requirements of the Equality Act 2006 gender duties. [116087]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department’s commercial directorate has negotiated with its contractors a requirement for all independent sector providers of services to operate in accordance with all applicable law including the Equality Act 2006.

The Department is currently developing a gender equality duty guide to assist national health service organisations meet the duties of the gender duty legislation. This guide outlines partnership working between NHS organisations, its partners and its contractors and the need to secure agreement from partners or contractors to give due regard to gender equality in relation to the work of the partnership to allow it to meet its statutory gender duty. This guide will be available at the end of January.

Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she has sent to providers of NHS sexual health services about meeting the requirements of the Equality Act 2006 gender duties. [116088]


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