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29 Nov 2007 : Column 705W—continued
Health
Autism
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of the ability of local authorities to meet the needs of people with autism; [168509]
(2) what steps he is taking to ensure that local authority commissioners (a) demonstrate their plans to provide services to people with autism and (b) provide adequate resources to implement those plans; [168517]
(3) what assessment he has made of the ability of the service plans of local authority commissioners to meet the needs of people with autism; and if he will make a statement. [168518]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We have not made any assessment of the ability of local authorities or the ability of the service plans of local authority commissioners to meet the needs of people with autism. It is for local authorities to manage their priorities and decide how resources should be attributed, taking into consideration locally identified needs and assessments of individuals.
As stated in the guidance on eligibility criteria for adult social care, councils have to commission services to meet the needs of people who meet the criteria under “Fair Access to Care Services—Guidance on eligibility criteria for adult social care”. A copy is available in the Library. If there are gaps in services, they should be filled. For 2007-08, the Government have provided £12.5 billion for local councils in respect of adult personal social services.
In addition, “Better services for people with an autistic spectrum disorder: A note clarifying current Government policy and describing good practice” was published on 16 November 2006. It clarifies the nature and intent of existing Government policy as it relates to adults with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). A copy is available in the Library.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he issues to local authorities on support for adults with an autism spectrum disorder. [169622]
Mr. Ivan Lewis:
‘Better services for people with an autistic spectrum disorder: A note clarifying current Government policy and describing good practice’ was
published on 16 November 2006. It clarifies the nature and intent of existing Government policy as it relates to adults with an autistic spectrum disorder. A copy is available in the Library.
Care Homes: Food
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average daily cost to the public purse was of food for each publicly funded patient in a nursing home in the most recent period for which figures are available. [168203]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not collected centrally. Following the nutrition summits I held in March and July this year, the Department launched the Nutrition Action Plan on 30 October to tackle a wide range of issues and barriers to improving nutrition and nutritional care.
Childbirth
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the percentage of births which did not require (a) medical and (b) significant midwifery intervention in each year since 1977; and if he will make a statement. [165442]
Ann Keen: The information requested is not available for all births in the years requested. “NHS Maternity Statistics” were first collected in 1989-90 and include the requested information for births in national health service hospitals only. The latest available data is for 2005-06. This information is available in the Library.
Consent to Medical Treatment
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 November 2007, Official Report, column 820W, on consent to medical treatment, which primary care trusts have put in place procedures for implementing the Mental Capacity Act 2005. [169471]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Resources for the implementation of the Mental Capacity Act were made available to the national health service and to local authorities separately. In addition local authorities were asked to take the lead in creating local implementation networks where all local stakeholders—health, social care, voluntary and private organisations—met and planned the local implementation and the local training to be made available. We expected all primary care trusts to participate in these networks, and have no information to suggest that they have not done so.
Cumbria
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department plans to move any of its offices to the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency. [166565]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department has no plans to move any of its offices to the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency.
Dental Services
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that patients are informed of their entitlement to treatment by an NHS dentist. [165279]
Ann Keen: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for ensuring that their local residents and people seeking services within their area are aware of the range of national health service services available. NHS dental services are a mainstream NHS service. Any United Kingdom resident (or visiting European Union resident under reciprocal arrangements) who is eligible for NHS care is therefore eligible for NHS dental services. PCTs’ methods of promoting NHS dental services range from leaflets to targeted local advertising campaigns. Most also run dental helplines providing advice on how to access services locally. The location and other details of NHS dental practices can be accessed nationally via NHS Direct and NHS Choices or from the local PCT, often through Patient Advisory and Liaison Services.
The Department works with the local NHS continually to improve patient communication. Improving the range and depth of information available via NHS Choices (previously NHS.UK) is one part of this ongoing work. The NHS Choices website is currently being enhanced to include a central contact number for each PCT through which potential patients can access information about the availability of services in their chosen area, in addition to the existing dental query helpline and out of hours contact numbers. We expect this improvement to the existing service to be available later this year, and further improvements will follow next year. The site can be accessed at:
For those unable to access the information in this way, the information is more widely accessible through computerised information systems in libraries and other communal places. It is also anticipated that PCTs will continue to promote the availability of and entitlement to services in more traditional ways, using literature placed in other primary care premises such as general practices and pharmacies, in libraries, and in Yellow Pages wherever possible.
Dental Services: Attendance
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many missed dental appointments there were in each primary care trust area in each year since 1997. [165280]
Ann Keen: This information is not held centrally, and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
Dental Services: Cumbria
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental practices are operating in (a) Cumbria and (b) Copeland. [163013]
Ann Keen: The NHS Business Services Authority's dental services division can provide validated information on the number of NHS dental practices only at disproportionate cost.
Dentistry: Student Numbers
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many students (a) started and (b) graduated from dentistry courses in England in each year since 1997. [165281]
Ann Keen: Information for ‘home fee’ students is provided in the following table:
| Academic year | Admissions | Dental graduates |
Departmental Accountancy
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what policy costing guidance documents were in use within his Department prior to the development of the Department's policy costing handbook, aside from the Policy Appraisal and Health document dated November 2004. [165690]
Mr. Bradshaw: Before the issuing of the Policy Costing Handbook no consolidated costing guidance documents were issued within the Department for policy branches. References to a range of other guidance which referred to costing had been provided through the Department's intranet, such as the Policy Appraisal and Health document, the Treasury's Green Book Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government, NHS Costing Manual (for national health service reference costs) and the annual publication by the Personal Social Services Research Unit, Unit Costs of Health and Social Care.
Departmental Assets
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what departmental assets are planned to be sold in each financial year from 2007-08 to 2010-11; what the (a) description and (b) book value of each such asset is; what the expected revenue from each such sale is; and if he will make a statement. [164168]
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what departmental assets are planned to be sold in each financial year from 2007-08 to 2010-11; what the (a) description and (b) book value of each such asset is; and what the expected revenue from each such sale is. [164517]
Mr. Bradshaw: The following tables of assets in the ownership of the Secretary of State are planned to be sold during 2007-08 and are aggregated for the period 2008 to 2011 as sale dates cannot be confirmed.
The sale price has been given where a property has been sold. Where a property remains to be sold, the anticipated receipt is commercially confidential and therefore has not been provided.
| 2007-08 | |||
| Property | Description | Sale price (£000) | Asset value (£000) |
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