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13 Jun 2007 : Column 1104W—continued


Mentally Ill: Community Care

Mr. Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the merits of bringing forward amendments to the Mental Health Bill to enable a patient issued with a community treatment order to appeal against restrictions imposed by that order. [135493]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The amendments to which my hon. Friend refers were debated at the tenth sitting of the Public Bill Committee on the Mental Health Bill on the 10 May 2007, when I set out the Government's views on this matter. The Government have also replied fully to the Joint Committee on Human Rights on this point.

As I outlined in Committee, given the nature of the conditions and the involvement of patients in setting the conditions for supervised community treatment, the Government do not believe that a third party appeals process would be appropriate.

NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency: Manpower

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff funded by the public purse in the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency are classified as people without posts. [141643]

Andy Burnham: There are three staff in the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency who are classified as people without posts. All three are returning from long-term secondments and in formal redeployment.

NHS Treatment Centres: Private Sector

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost has been to date of the negotiation, tendering and legal requirements for Wave 2 independent sector treatment centres. [138421]

Andy Burnham: The Phase 2 independent sector treatment centre (ISTC) programme was first announced in October 2004. The total cost of the procurement at the end of March 2007 was approximately £72 million. This figure includes all assessment, scoping, procurement and associated management, professional advisory and support costs.

It is expected that the procurement costs as a percentage of the total investment in Phase 2 will be low and will compare favourably with other Government procurement programmes.

NHS: Drugs

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 May 2007, Official Report, column 606W, on NHS: drugs, (1) what assessment she has made of the role of (a) general practitioners and (b) pharmacists in over-prescribing medicines; [138868]

(2) what steps are being taken to reduce the amount of unused medicines; [138869]

(3) what guidance her Department has issued to general practitioners on over-prescribing of medicines; [138871]


13 Jun 2007 : Column 1105W

(4) what assessment she has made of the role of pharmaceutical companies in the over-prescribing of medicines; [138872]

(5) what assessment she has made of the responsibility of patients in the over-prescribing of medicines. [139027]

Caroline Flint: The Department is concerned about the amount of unused medicines and supports a range of initiatives to help patients get the most from their medicines, while at the same time minimising the amount of unwanted medicines returned to pharmacies.

The new contractual framework for community pharmacy includes repeat dispensing as an essential service, which means that all community pharmacies in England must be in a position to dispense a repeatable prescription if presented with one. This service together with medicines use reviews, an advanced service provided by accredited pharmacists in premises that have been accredited, should both help to reduce the amount of medicines wasted.

The National Audit Office in their recently published report “Prescribing costs in primary care” focused on the potential savings that could be achieved by reducing the amount of medicines wasted. It has recommended that the Department conduct some research to estimate the scale of medicines wastage, and provide better information on why patients do not take their medicines. This is a complex area and we intend to commission research to establish the extent of medicines waste and the complex and varied reasons for it. This may include the part played by patients and the pharmaceutical industry. We have not issued any guidance on over-prescribing.

NHS: Finance

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what surpluses or deficits were generated by NHS services in each strategic health authority area in 2006-07. [141743]

Andy Burnham: The NHS financial performance report for quarter four of 2006-07 was published on 6 June. Copies are available in the Library.

NHS: Reorganisation

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library a copy of Sir Ian Carruthers’ report on limiting the damaging effects of organisational change. [141981]

Andy Burnham: Sir Ian was asked by the chief executive of the national health service (David Nicholson), to conduct a review of how the NHS managed reconfigurations. Far from damaging effects, it was clear that when managed and delivered well, reconfigurations have a positive effect on patient care. A copy of the report, setting out his findings, has now been placed in the Library.

NHS: Welsh Language

Mr. Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much English NHS trusts spent on Welsh translation services in each of the last five years. [135034]


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Andy Burnham: There is currently no mechanism for recording this information centrally within the Department and to attempt to do so would incur disproportionate cost.

Primary Care Trusts: Finance

David Heyes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much Spearhead funding has been allocated to (a) Oldham primary care trust and (b) Tameside and Glossop primary care trust; if she will provide a breakdown of how such funding has been spent; and what assessment she has made of the effect of such funding on health inequalities in the areas served by the primary care trusts. [140652]

Caroline Flint: There is no funding stream that exclusively supports the Spearhead initiative.

However, the 2006-07 and 2007-08 revenue allocations to primary care trusts (PCTs) separately identify £211 million in 2006-07 and £342 million in 2007-08, around half of the £1 billion promised, to support implementation of the “Choosing Health” White Paper initiatives. The funding has been targeted on the most deprived areas, including PCTs in spearhead areas.

The following table shows the White Paper funding separately identified in the 2006-07 and 2007-08 revenue allocations for Oldham PCT and Tameside and Glossop PCT.

£000
S eparately identified White Paper funding
Organisation name 2006-07 2007-08 Total 2006-08

Oldham PCT

1,618

1,949

3,567

Tameside and Glossop PCT

1,598

1,925

3,523


The White Paper funding is not ring-fenced within the PCT revenue allocations, as it is for PCTs to determine how to use the funding allocated to them to commission services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations.

Revenue allocations are made on the basis of a weighted-capitation formula. The aim of the formula is to provide equal access to services for equal need, and to reduce health inequalities.

The following table sets out the 2006-07 and 2007-08 revenue allocations to Oldham PCT and Tameside and Glossop PCT.

A llocation (£ million) Two year increase
Organisation name 2006-07 2007-08 £ million Percentage

Oldham PCT

304.1

332.6

54.7

19.7

Tameside and Glossop PCT

308.6

337.3

55.3

19.6


No assessment has been made on the impact of local expenditure on health inequalities outcomes.


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Revascularisation

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 8 March 2007, Official Report, column 2219W, on revascularisation, if she will publish the results of the cardiac stock-take which reviewed capacity in different parts of London and the South-East. [139242]

Ms Rosie Winterton: 10 strategic health authorities across London and the south east conducted a stock-take of capacity for that area in 2005-06. This work was supported by the Department’s vascular programme. The results from the stock-take were made available to all of the participating authorities in March 2006. It is now a year since the work was completed and there are no plans for formal publication. A compact disc providing details of the stock-take, the final report and supporting mapping and data analysis is available to interested bodies within the national health service.

Work and Pensions

Cemeteries: Inspections

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the latest guidelines are for cemetery memorial inspections; and when they were last issued. [140521]

Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 4 June 2007]: There are a number of industry produced guidelines available the latest of which is the British Standard 8415, ‘Specifications for monuments within burial grounds’, published in 2005.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the minimum technical specifications are for a gravestone topple tester; and what the qualifications are for the (a) operative and (b) data recorder. [140520]

Mrs. McGuire: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not consider the risk posed by toppling gravestones to be a priority as compared with other workplace risks. Therefore, HSE has not produced any guidelines on the minimum technical specifications for topple testers. However, the Management of Health and Safety Regulations 1999 require that a risk assessment is undertaken by a competent person to identify any measures needed to control the risks caused by a workplace hazard. In undertaking an assessment of the stability of gravestones the competent person will need to apply an appropriate test.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many registered inspectors of gravestones and memorials there are in each of the English regions. [140523]

Mrs. McGuire: The Health and Safety Executive are not aware of any national scheme specifically for the registration of inspectors of gravestones and memorials.


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Child Support Agency: Pay

Mrs. May: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many bonuses were awarded to senior civil servants working at the Child Support Agency in each year between 1997 and 2006; and what the total cost was of those bonuses in each year. [132830]

Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the right hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Jos Joures, dated 13 June 2007:

£
Number of bonuses awarded Total bonus payments

2001-02

4

13,192

2002-03

7

47,000

2003-04

7

38,120

2004-05

10

38,550

2005-06

11

83,024


Children: Maintenance

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many Child Support Agency claimants in Bassetlaw are awaiting their first payment of maintenance. [139657]


13 Jun 2007 : Column 1109W

Mr. Plaskitt: The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the Chief Executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Stephen Geraghty, dated 13 June 2007:


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