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28 Feb 2007 : Column 1400W—continued
Winter Fuel Payments: Stafford
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many winter fuel payments were made to people in Stafford constituency in the winter of 2006-07. [122237]
James Purnell: Last winter 2005-06, 19,460 people in Stafford constituency received a winter fuel payment. Figures are not yet available for this winter but we expect the numbers to be similar.
Notes:
1. Figures rounded to the nearest 10.
2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.
Source:
Information directorate 100 per cent. sample.
Northern Ireland
Assets Recovery Agency: Serious Organised Crime Agency
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent discussions he has had with the Assets Recovery Agency on its merger with the Serious Organised Crime Agency. [121774]
Paul Goggins: I have had a number of discussions with staff at both the Assets Recovery Agency and the Serious Organised Crime Agency on the merger, including a meeting with staff at the Assets Recovery Agency's Belfast office.
I have also written to the leaders of the four main political parties in Northern Ireland to reiterate the assurances given by the Home Secretary on asset recovery work in Northern Ireland. There will be no diminution in resources for asset recovery work in Northern Ireland, and it will be focused against local priority targets to take account of local circumstances.
In addition, there will be a Serious Organised Crime Agency officer designated for asset recovery work in Northern Ireland, and I am currently in discussions with the Home Office on developing an Asset Recovery Action Plan for Northern Ireland.
Conditions of Employment
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the implementation of the Workplace 2010 scheme in Northern Ireland; and what estimate his Department has made of the costs of implementing the scheme. [123492]
Mr. Hanson: The Workplace 2010 procurement is continuing and it is currently estimated that the contract will be awarded at the end of 2007. In terms of finance the contract will provide a major injection of capital funding to the Northern Ireland block. It will also be resourced largely from within existing budgets with the potential to realise significant savings over the lifetime of the contract.
Dental Services
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of dentists in each local health trust area were accepting NHS patients in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [123513]
Paul Goggins: The following information refers only to those dentists registered to provide general dental services (health service dentistry) during each of the three years. Information is not collected on wholly private dentists or privately treated patients in Northern Ireland. Table 1 provides information on the total number of dentists registered each year who have had new health service (HS) patient registrations as at December of each year, as a percentage of the total number of registered HS dentists.
| Table 1: percentage of HS dentists( 1,2) with new health service patient registrations( 3) | |||
| Percentage | |||
| December | |||
| Health and social services trust | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
| 1 Includes principal dentists only—excludes assistants and vocational dental practitioners. 2 Dentist numbers taken from the list of all dentists registered to provide health service dentistry during each of the three years. 3 Includes HS dentists with registered health service patients at December who were not registered at January of the same year (i.e. new registrations). Source: Central Services Agency | |||
Departments: Consultants
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what payments his Department has made to (a) Solutions in Staffing and Software and (b) SThree in each year since 1997. [123004]
Mr. Hain: The Northern Ireland Office, excluding its Agencies and NDPBs, has not made any payments to (a) Solutions in Staffing and Software or (b) SThree.
Departments: Theft
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what items valued at above £100 were reported as stolen from his Department's buildings or premises in the last 12 months. [121975]
Paul Goggins: No items valued at above £100 were reported stolen from my Department's premises in the last 12 months.
Eyesight Testing
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people in Northern Ireland attending for eye examination who completed the section of the form for those eligible for free eye testing in 2006 were subsequently found not to be so entitled. [123799]
Paul Goggins: In Northern Ireland during the 2005-06 financial year, some 359,698 free eye tests were carried out.
During the same period, the Counter Fraud Unit of the Central Services Agency performed checks on a sample of 3,733 patient claims to free sight tests and glasses. Of this sample, 275 patients were found not to be entitled.
Hospital Wards
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many mixed sex wards are in operation within the health service in Northern Ireland; and in which hospitals. [123514]
Paul Goggins: The following table shows the number of mixed sex wards that there were in each hospital in Northern Ireland at 22 February 2007.
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