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22 May 2007 : Column 1231W—continued
Consultants
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2006 to the hon. Member for North West Cambridgeshire, Official Report, column 671W, on consultants, for what reasons her Department does not collect information from the NHS on expenditure on external consultants. [133646]
Andy Burnham: The Department is committed to ensuring the value of information collected fully justifies the cost of collection, while also ensuring that information required to manage the service, monitor performance and measure activity within the national health service is available. As priorities change, statistical collections are reviewed and may be dropped or revised, or new collections may be implemented.
The Information Centre for health and social care is responsible for the regulation of all requests for information from the national health service by the Department, its associated arms length bodies, other public bodies and the private sector. The Information Centre's review of central returns process ensures that central collections of information are appropriate to their purpose, do not duplicate existing collections, and minimise the burden on the NHS in submitting the data.
Departments: Communication
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library a copy of the Permanent Secretary's communications plans, referred to on page 26 of her Department's 2007-08 Business Plan, published on 30 March. [135871]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Permanent Secretary's Communications Plan is currently in development.
Departments: Private Finance Initiative
Stewart Hosie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total value of private finance initiative projects included in her Department’s balance sheet (a) is in 2007 and (b) was in each of the last five years, broken down by project. [137808]
Andy Burnham: A small number of national health service private finance initiative (PFI) schemes are regarded under accounting standards as on balance sheet. These are listed as follows; 100 per cent. of the capital value of these schemes and the corresponding liabilities are on the NHS’s balance sheet.
Doctors: Manpower
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how workforce planning for doctors in the National Health Service is undertaken; and if she will make a statement. [135691]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 15 May 2007, Official Report, column 736W.
Food: Hygiene
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what successful prosecutions for bio-security failures, which are not the subject of continuing legal proceedings, there have been since 2001. [136555]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 10 May 2007]: Within its area of responsibility the Food Standards Agency has brought six successful prosecutions since 2001 in relation to failures of food waste handling at approved slaughterhouses and cutting plants for breaches of the Animal By-Products Regulations 2003, the Animal By-Product (Identification) Regulations 1995 and the Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and Inspection) Regulations 1995.
Health Professions: Training
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reviews related to Modernising Medical Careers are under way in her Department; and when each is due to report its findings. [135692]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
A review into Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) recruitment and selection into specialty training made through the Medical Training and Application Service (MTAS) in 2007 is
being led by Professor Neil Douglas, vice-chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges and President of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The review will report when the work is completed—the timetable for which is under discussion.
An independent review chaired by Professor Sir John Tooke, Dean of the Peninsula Medical School, chair of the Council of Heads of Medical Schools and chair of the United Kingdom Health Education Advisory Committee, will examine the processes underlying MMC and make recommendations to Ministers to ensure that we can implement any necessary improvements for 2008 and beyond. The review will report on an interim basis in September 2007, but the final report date for the review has yet to be determined.
Hospitals: Mobile Phones
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice her Department has issued to hospitals on the use of mobile phones on hospital premises. [137478]
Andy Burnham: To date, the Department has issued two pieces of advice to the national health service on the use of mobile phones in health care premises in the form of good practice guidance. A first set of guidance was issued in August 2006, following a request by Ofcom. The set piece of guidance was issued in May 2007, following a recommendation by the Patient Power review group.
The guidance issued in May 2007 is available on the Department’s website at:
Copies have also been placed in the Library.
Hospitals: Waiting Lists
Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average hospital waiting times were in (a) Cornwall and (b) England, broken down by speciality function in (i) 1992, (ii) 1997 and (iii) 2007 to date. [137207]
Andy Burnham: The figures are shown in the table.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will answer the letter from the hon. Member for Billericay dated 29 March, on professional indemnity insurance for independent midwives. [136425]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: A reply was sent on 14 May 2007.
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