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12 Sep 2007 : Column 2084W—continued
Primary Care Trusts: Drugs
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of local drug anti-wastage practices in primary care trusts; [155159]
(2) pursuant to the answer of 13 June 2007, Official Report, columns 1104-05W, on the NHS: drugs, what progress has been made on commissioning research to establish the extent of medicines waste and the complex and varied reasons for it. [155184]
Alan Johnson: The Department has made no assessment of the effectiveness of local anti-wastage drug practice in primary care trusts. However, we intend to commission new research on the scale, costs and causes of waste medicines to inform policy development for influencing both health professionals and members of the public to reduce the amount of unwanted medicines. A research specification is under development.
Tinnitus: Health Services
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many tinnitus clinics there are in England. [155220]
Alan Johnson: This information is not collected centrally.
Tinnitus: Research
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on research into tinnitus in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement. [155221]
Alan Johnson: The information requested is not available. Details of individual national health service supported research projects including a number concerned with tinnitus are available on the national research register at:
The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research. The MRC is an independent body that receives its grant-in-aid from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
Although the MRC is not currently funding any research specifically relating to tinnitus it has a large portfolio of hearing and deafness research, some of which may lead to further understanding of the condition.
MRC expenditure on hearing and deafness research since 1997 is shown in the following table.
| £ million | |
| n/a = not available | |
West Sussex Primary Care Trust: Resignations
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reasons he was given for the resignation of the chairman of the West Sussex primary care trust, Mr. David Taylor. [155219]
Alan Johnson: I understand that a press release issued by West Sussex primary care trust on 26 July 2007 states that Mr. David Taylor resigned from the post of chairman for personal reasons.
Wheelchairs
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines have been produced by his Department which would indicate NHS funding for wheelchair users should be awarded on the basis of home-use only. [155198]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department has not produced any guidelines to indicate how national health service funding for wheelchair users should be awarded.
Eligibility is based on local criteria, which should include clinical and lifestyle needs and the ability of the client to use the specified chair safely.
Worthing Hospital: Maternity Services
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health where Worthing hospital maternity service is positioned in the national rates of still births and neonatal mortality; and how many qualified consultants' hours were available to Worthing hospital maternity service per week in the latest period for which figures are available. [155272]
Alan Johnson: We have not calculated a national league table of rates of stillbirths by hospital. However, we can say that the rates of stillbirths and neonatal deaths at Worthing hospital are much lower than the rates for England and Wales. The following table shows number and rate for stillbirths and neonatal deaths in England and Wales and at Worthing Hospital.
| Stillbirths number and rate, 2005 (latest year available) | ||
| Number | Rate( 1) | |
| Neonatal deaths number and rate, 2002-05( 2) | ||
| Number | Rate( 3) | |
| (1) Per 1,000 live and still births. (2) It is not possible to provide number of neonatal deaths in Worthing hospital for 2005 alone because of the risk of disclosing individual's information due to the very small number of deaths. (3) Per 1,000 live births. | ||
Neonatal survival rates of very preterm babies have improved over the past 10 years. In 2005, the stillbirth rate was 5.4. We are funding research linked to premature births from the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit. Some parts of this research have received additional funding from agencies such as the Medical Research Council. A simple guideline from National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is being used to help interpret monitoring in labour to identify babies at risk—such babies are then delivered as early as possible.
Data on how many qualified consultants' hours were available to Worthing hospital maternity service per week are not held centrally.
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Hertfordshire University: Business
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what role Hertfordshire University has in the development of policy on business facing universities. [151888]
Bill Rammell: The Government set out their strategic priorities for the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) in setting out the funding made available to it for 2007-08. These included the need to respond to the challenges set out by the Leitch Review of Skills concerning developing a high-skills workforce.
HEFCE has a two-phase approach to developing a strategy for employer engagement leading from a pilot exploratory phase to a full strategy shared with the Council, the higher education (HE) sector, and its key partners. This approach recognises that there are a broad range of collaborations which exist between HE and public and private sector organisations, as explored in the Lambert Report on Business-University Collaboration (2003).
This first phase supports a range of project activity, including three regional ‘Higher Level Skills Pathfinders’ and a group of currently 8 ‘employer engagement pilots’ (one of which the University of Hertfordshire is undertaking). The experience of institutions like The University of Hertfordshire will both help to inform HEFCE’s strategy for employer engagement, and provide valuable lessons for other HE institutions looking to collaborate with employers.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the employability of Hertfordshire university graduates following the business-facing university pilot. [151889]
Bill Rammell: The Department has made no assessment of the employability of graduates from the university of Hertfordshire. The university is receiving funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England for its ‘UHEvolution’ project, which is engaging employers in a variety of ways and which may in due course result in improved employment outcomes for its graduates. However, this project is in its early stages and its outcomes have yet to be assessed.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the pilot making Hertfordshire university a business facing university. [151890]
Bill Rammell: The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has not yet made any assessment of the impact of the activities it funds under the ‘UHEvolution’ project. The university is undertaking this project to help it become ‘business-facing’.
Higher Education: Business
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps are being taken to encourage co-operation between universities and business. [151852]
Bill Rammell: The Department has a policy of encouraging higher education institutions (HEIs) to increase their interaction with business and with employers generally.
The Higher Education Innovation Fund, which provides funding to all HEIs in England is a key incentive. Funding for this programme has increased from £187 million for the two academic years 2004/05-2005/06 to £238 million for 2006/07-2007/08. The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has allocated £60 million of its research funding in 2007/08 by reference to research grants and contracts from business.
HEFCE also fund a range of projects that are helping to identify, respond to, and increase employer demand for workforce development at HE-level, in line with its strategy for employer engagement and our plans for implementing the Leitch Review of Skills.
Higher Education: Innovation
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether his Department takes any measures to encourage social entrepreneurship at universities. [152255]
Bill Rammell: The Department is supporting social entrepreneurship by funding three initiatives. We provide financial support to the National Council for Graduate Entrepreneurship for its Flying Start programme which includes workshops aimed specifically at social entrepreneurs.
Departmental funding is provided through the Higher Education Funding Council for England for 10 of the Higher Education Academy’s subject centres to encourage and teach entrepreneurship as part of existing HE courses.
The Department also funds the Higher Education Funding Council for England to support two Centres for Excellence in Teaching and Learning (the Institute for Enterprise and the White Rose Centre) both of which support enterprise education communities.
Schools: Fire Prevention
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many colleges (a) have sprinklers and (b) do not have sprinklers fitted within them. [151480]
Bill Rammell: The Department is not responsible for compiling information on how many colleges have or do not have sprinklers fitted within them.
Vocational Training: Leeds
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether he plans to commission research on skills deficiencies and training needs within the Leeds, West, constituency in the light of the Leitch Report; and if he will make a statement. [148648]
Mr. Lammy: The Department does not plan to commission any such research. However, the Regional Skills Partnership for Yorkshire and the Humber will shortly be undertaking an analysis of skill needs and demand for skills across the region.
Justice
Burglaries: Surrey
Mr. Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of those convicted for a burglary committed in Surrey in each of the last five years were sentenced to a custodial sentence; and how many were under 21 years when convicted. [155327]
Mr. Wills: Data showing the proportion of those convicted for a burglary committed in Surrey from 2001 to 2005 who received a custodial sentence are shown in the following table. Data are provided for all ages and for defendants aged under 21 years when convicted.
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