| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
20 Nov 2007 : Column 820W—continued
Dental Services: Manpower
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists there were in each constituency in England in each year since 1997; and how many of them (a) admitted new adult patients to their list and (b) treated NHS patients between the ages of 18 and 65 years in each those years. [164110]
Ann Keen: Information is available on the numbers of national health service dentists. Information is available on the number of patients receiving NHS dental services but not in a form that provides information on how many of dentists individually accepted new NHS patients.
Information is available by parliamentary constituency for the period 31 March 1997 to 31 March 2006. For the period 1 April 2006 onwards information is available only at primary care trust (PCT) and strategic health authority (SHA) level. It could be made available only by constituency at disproportionate cost.
Annex G of the “NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report England: 31 March 2006” provides the constituency level data on the numbers of NHS dentists as at 31 March 1997 and each subsequent year
to 31 March 2006. This report is available in the Library and is also available at:
The numbers of NHS dentists at PCT and SHA level as at 31 March 2007 are available in Table El of Annex 3 of the “NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2006-07 report”.
The numbers quoted for both periods are headcounts and therefore do not distinguish between full-time and part-time NHS commitment. Most dentists divide their time between NHS and private dental care.
The inclusion of dentists on trust-led contracts in the data collection following the 2006 reforms means that data for the period since 1 April 2006 cannot be directly compared with data collected under the previous system.
Departmental Accountancy
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which departmental budget items have been reclassified, under Consolidated Budgeting Guidance, following Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 decisions; and what the (a) former and (b) new (i) classification and (ii) sum budgeted is in each case. [164516]
Mr. Bradshaw: There have been no reclassification of departmental budgets as a result of the comprehensive spending review 2007 decisions.
Departmental Flexible Working
Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff (a) have applied to work flexible hours and (b) work flexible hours (i) in the Department and (ii) the executive agencies for which the Department is responsible. [164319]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department encourages staff to work flexibly through providing opportunities for part-time working, job sharing and the use of flexitime, and these practices are widespread. It also encourages other arrangements such as spreading working hours over nine days within a fortnight or four days within a week. It also provides the technology to allow staff to work at home on occasions. The Department also has in place specific arrangements to allow parents, adopters, guardians and foster carers of children under six (or disabled children under 18) to apply to work flexibly. Requests to adopt any of these arrangements, and the approval to do so, are handled locally, so the Department does not have information available centrally on the numbers of people who have applied or have been approved.
In MHRA, requests and approvals are also handled locally, so there is no central record of this information.
NHS PASA has a flexitime system that is available to all staff. Its latest staff survey in 2006 indicated that 63 per cent. of staff have taken up this facility.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisers
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any of his Department’s special advisers have declared a conflict of interest; and if he will make a statement. [164161]
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any of his Department’s special advisers have declared a conflict of interest. [164510]
Mr. Bradshaw: Special advisers are appointed under terms and conditions set out in the “Model Contract for Special Advisers”. Copies of the “Model Contract” are available in the Library.
Departmental Public Participation
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what opinion polls his Department has conducted of (a) the public and (b) staff since 27 June 2007; and what the (i) name of the firm employed to conduct the poll, (ii) purpose and (iii) cost to the public purse was in each case. [164949]
Mr. Bradshaw: Since 27 June 2007 the Department has carried out two pieces of research involving the public:
Title: Perceptions of Our NHS Our Future
Company: GfK NOP
Purpose: Communications research with the public and staff for the “Our NHS Our Future” review.
Cost: £56,958
Title: Public Attitude to NHS
Company: IPSOS MORI
Purpose: A regular tracking study with the public to monitor perceptions of the NHS
Cost: £40,872
Since 27 June 2007 the Department has conducted one small-scale staff survey to gauge perceptions on issues of leadership, morale and motivation. It was administered and analysed by departmental staff rather than engaging a firm to do so.
Departmental Relations
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what means his Department plans to increase its engagement with voluntary organisations through using the Compact. [162440]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: In 2002, the Department wrote to all national health service organisations in England asking them to sign up to, or be working towards, a geographically relevant local compact by 31 March 2004. I made a fresh commitment to the principles of the Compact on 1 December 2006 in a joint statement with Stuart Etherington, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.
Doctors’ and Dentists’ Review Body
Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to Table 2.4 of his Department's evidence to the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists'
remuneration, how many full-time equivalent staff he expects NHS revenue spending on pay for staff who are not directly employed in the NHS to provide in each financial year from 2007-08 to 2010-11. [163379]
Ann Keen: Workforce planning is managed by local national health service organisations. Primary care trusts are responsible for commissioning services to meet the needs of their local population and therefore the workforce required will depend on how local organisations implement NHS priorities.
Doctors: Working Hours
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether the number of places available for Foundation Year 1 doctors reflects a reduction in hours arising from the application of the EU Working Time Directive; [164575]
(2) how many Foundation Year 1 places he plans to provide for junior doctors from August 2008. [164588]
Ann Keen: In England, almost 6,000 foundation places are available to be filled through the national recruitment exercise that began in October. In addition, there are approximately 300 academic places available. Successful applicants will take up these posts in August 2008.
The number of training places for foundation year 1 doctors takes account of the overall likely requirements for doctors in the future including the effect of changing working patterns such as the European working time directive.
Fats: Health Hazards
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the implications for health of hydrogenated fats. [164182]
Dawn Primarolo: We have asked the Food Standards Agency to review the health impacts of trans fats, including those derived from partially hydrogenated vegetable oils by the end of the year.
General Practitioners: Recruitment
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs are to be recruited, and over what period, to practise in the East Lancashire primary care trust area and other doctored areas in England. [162139]
Mr. Bradshaw: Workforce planning is a matter for local determination, as local workforce planners are best placed to assess the general practitioner needs of their local population. The Department continues to ensure the frameworks are in place to support this.
General Practitioners: Telephone Services
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether he plans to issue guidance to general practitioners on the use of 0844 revenue-sharing telephone numbers; and if he will make a statement; [162416]
(2) if he will make a statement on the implementation of the new GP Surgery Line telephone system; [162854]
(3) what guidance his Department has issued to primary care trusts on the use of 0844 revenue-sharing telephone numbers; when such guidance was issued; and if he will make a statement. [162855]
Mr. Bradshaw: The provision of telephone services for patients and the public is a matter for the local national health service. The Department did however issue guidance in December of last year clearly setting out that patients should not be charged more than the equivalent of a local call.
General Practitioners: Training
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors have (a) started and (b) completed training for general practice in each financial year since 1997-98 for which figures are available. [162199]
Ann Keen: This information is not collated centrally. However, the information in the table shows the number of doctors in general practice each year since 1997 and the number of general practitioner (GP) in training (GP registrars), may prove useful.
| Headcount | ||
| GPs (excluding registrars and retainers) | GP registrars | |
| Source: General and Personal Medical Services Census. | ||
Health Services
Mr. David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the draft versions of the updated specialised services national definition set will be circulated for consultation to the wider stakeholder community, including patients’ groups. [164006]
Ann Keen: The national specialised commissioning team will start consulting with stakeholders in December 2007 about the initial eight updated definitions from the specialised services national definition set. Stakeholders will include the relevant patient groups in each service area.
Health Services: Hertfordshire
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was paid out by the NHS litigation authority in respect of each NHS trust in Hertfordshire in each of the last three years. [165275]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information requested is in the following table:
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |