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3 Dec 2007 : Column 1009W—continued
Medical Treatments: Lasers
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department will begin its proposed consultation on deregulating of laser treatment. [170289]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department continues to keep the regulation of independent health care services under review. It is currently considering regulatory changes to some of these services, and expects to publish a formal consultation shortly.
Midwives: Peterborough District Hospital
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that pregnant women’s options to choose to use the midwife-led unit at Peterborough district hospital are maintained and enhanced; and if he will make a statement. [169782]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: It is the responsibility of primary care trusts to ensure that the services they commission meet the needs of the populations that they serve, including maternity services.
The Department has developed a framework document, “Maternity matters: Choice, access and continuity of care in a safe service” which was published in April 2007. It describes a comprehensive programme of improving choice, access and continuity of care in maternity services.
NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2007, Official Report, column 288WA, on the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, if he will list all the citizen and patient representatives who have sat on the board of the Institute and, previously, the NHS Modernisation Agency, stating for each the (a) start date and (b) end date of their period for service. [169873]
Dawn Primarolo: Professor Tony Butterworth was appointed chair of the NHS Institute’s Involvement Think Tank in June 2007 and at that point, assumed the role of citizen and patient representative on the board of the NHS Institute.
The Think Tank met for the first time in October of this year and meets again in February 2008.
The Modernisation Agency did not have a patient representative on its board during its existence.
NHS: Finance
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will quantify the level of commitment required over the next Comprehensive Spending Review period in order to implement (a) the European Working Time Directive and (b) the NHS Connecting for Health programme as stated on page 17 of his Department's NHS Pay Review Body: Review for 2008, published on his Department's website on 2nd November 2007. [166451]
Mr. Bradshaw: The level of commitment required to implement the European Working Time Directive will depend on local service needs and the nature of the solutions utilised to ensure continued high quality patient care.
The NHS Connecting for Heath Programme include both central funding and local expenditure to deliver better, safer care to patients, via new computer systems and services.
A total cost of £12.4 billon (at 2004-05 prices) was identified in the National Audit Office report (June 2006) for total spending on the programme over its lifetime. This includes the comprehensive spending review period 2008-09 to 2010-11.
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to announce his response to the review commissioned by his Department of the market forces factor; and if he will make a statement. [166582]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA) has been reviewing the current allocation formula. ACRA has requested additional time to finalise its work. Given the importance of getting the revenue allocation formula right, ACRA has been granted this extra time. Therefore, allocations for 2008-09, which will be published shortly, will not include the review of the market forces factor.
Once ACRA’s work is complete, ACRA will make recommendations on proposed changes to the formula. Ministers will need to give due consideration to any proposed changes to the formula, as recommended by ACRA.
An announcement on ACRA’s work and the revenue allocations to primary care trusts will be made as soon as is practically possible on completion of ACRA’s work programme.
Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to Table 5 in his Department’s memorandum to the Health Select Committee on Public Expenditure on Health and Personal Social Services 2006, for what reason his Department underspent its hospital, community and family health
services (a) non-cash and (b) near-cash budget in 2006-07; and if he will provide a break down of the underspend in each budget. [167837]
Mr. Bradshaw: The figures provided to the Health Select Committee were based on in-year forecasts, and consistent with the figures published in the 2007 departmental report. The outturn position was published in the 2007 Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper.
The Department’s financial plans for 2006-07 included an £800 million Department Unallocated Provision (DUP) for non-cash items—funds set aside for exceptional and unplanned items. The figures in the departmental report were based on a forecast hospital, community and family health services underspend of £681 million and a £6 million underspend on centrally held and managed services, leaving £687 million of the DUP unused.
The near-cash underspend of £180 million was the combined forecast underspend by the national health service and the central programme.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to Table 57a in his Department’s memorandum to the Health Select Committee on Public Expenditure on Health and Personal Social Services 2006, for what reason allocations in the Centrally Funded Initiatives and Special Services Allocation programme fell in 2006-07. [167838]
Mr. Bradshaw: The 2004-05 and 2005-06 Centrally Funded Initiatives and Special Services Allocation (CFISSA) allocation figures reported in Table 57a of the Department’s memorandum include substantial sums that were added to primary care trust baselines in 2006-07. These resources were therefore no longer included in the CFISSA programme for that year.
NHS: Foreign Nationals
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many foreign nationals received NHS treatment in each of the last three years; and what mechanisms his Department has in place to ensure that those that are required to pay for the treatment do so. [170307]
Dawn Primarolo: It is not possible to provide the information requested. Successive Governments have not required the national health service to provide statistics on the number of foreign nationals seen, treated or charged under the provisions of the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended, nor any costs involved.
The charging regulations place a legal obligation on providers of NHS hospital services to establish whether patients are ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom and, if not, whether they are exempt from charges under the provisions of the regulations or liable to pay for any treatment provided. The Department has provided comprehensive guidance on implementation of the charging regulations to help NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts to discharge their obligations under these regulations.
NHS: PFI
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS has paid in private finance initiative (PFI) charges in each of the last 10 years; and what estimated PFI charges the NHS is liable for in each of the next 10 years. [162865]
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent from his Department's resource budget on unitary charges under the private finance initiative for each financial year since 1997-98 for which figures are available. [162235]
Mr. Bradshaw: Information has been placed in the Library, which gives details of private finance initiative schemes which have reached financial close.
Palliative Care: Finance
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Government expects to publish its comprehensive end-of-life care strategy; and what the timescale is for the doubling of funding for palliative care. [170205]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: End of life care is one of the eight pathways that strategic health authorities are examining as part of the NHS Next Stage Review. The review is being led by local clinical pathway groups and has the potential to inform and strengthen the national strategy. Publication of the strategy will happen in parallel with publication of the Next Stage Review final report scheduled for summer 2008.
The manifesto commitment to double the investment in palliative care is being taken forward as part of the work to develop the End of Life Care Strategy.
Pandemic Influenza
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his statement of 22 November 2007, Official Report, column 1350, on pandemic influenza, how many (a) poultry workers, (b) farm labourers and (c) related staff have been vaccinated for H5N1 since the outbreak of the virus was first discovered in Suffolk on 11 November. [169996]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 28 November 2007, Official Report, column 558W.
Patient Choice Schemes
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on Choose and Book to date; and to which companies payments have been made in respect of Choose and Book. [164598]
Mr. Bradshaw: Total payments to date to Atos Origin relating to the development, delivery and maintenance of choose and book total £85.1 million. This includes £39 million for the development and deployment of the core system by the supplier under the original core contract worth £64.5 million over five years. It also includes a further £46.1 million for approved additional services and functionality identified in the contract, the costs of which are within the budget for the original choose and book business case.
Choose and book is now being used for over 45 per cent. of referral activity from general practitioners to first out-patient appointments. Some 6.2 million bookings have been made to date.
Pharmacy
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what consultation procedures are followed for applications to open pharmacies within a primary care trust area; [167798]
(2) what guidance is given to primary care trusts on who they should consult when considering applications to open new pharmacies in an area; [167799]
(3) whether the NHS Review Panel consults (a) local residents, (b) local councillors and (c) hon. Members when considering appeals relating to applications for pharmacies to be opened in an area. [167816]
Dawn Primarolo: There are no consultation procedures when a pharmacy wishes to open premises. However, if a pharmacy wishes to provide national health service services, there are procedures under the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations (SI 2005/641) for notifying details of pharmaceutical applications, which vary according to the type of application received. Some, such as a minor relocation of existing premises, are decided administratively by the primary care trust (PCT) without prior notification while others are subject to quite extensive notification. The PCT therefore has quite a wide discretion as to which local interests it notifies. Those notified usually have 45 days to respond.
The Department has published extensive guidance for primary care trusts to support implementation of these regulations. The guidance is available on the Department’s website at:
Chapters 3 and 4 give information on notifying the details of pharmacy applications.
The Family Health Services Appeal Unit of the NHS Litigation Authority has been directed to deal with appeals against decisions of primary care trusts relating to pharmaceutical applications on behalf of the Secretary of State (Alan Johnson). The unit will notify appeal details concerning a new pharmacy to the applicant and to relevant primary care professionals and local representative groups who were originally notified of the application by the PCT and who made representations within the stipulated time. However, the unit is not required to notify local individuals who made representation.
Prescriptions
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what dates since January 2007 his Department has had discussions with the Prescription Pricing Division of the NHS Business Services Authority; and what the content was of such discussions. [170072]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department meets with the prescription pricing division of the Business Services Authority on a regular basis at which a range of operational issues are discussed.
Prescriptions: Information and Communications Technology
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made towards determining how the different IT systems in use in England, Scotland and Wales will manage cross-border electronic prescriptions. [167783]
Mr. Bradshaw: The devolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have chosen different approaches to the development of information technology support in their respective health services from those being delivered to the national health service in England. These reflect their own functional requirements and assessment of priorities to meet their own needs.
Paper prescriptions will continue to be available to patients in England who wish to have their prescriptions dispensed in one of the other home countries.
Rehabilitation Centres
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residential drug treatment and rehabilitation centres there are in England and Wales; and how many have been closed in the last five years. [167635]
Dawn Primarolo: 118 residential drug treatment and rehabilitation centres are currently registered on the National Treatment Agency’s online directory of residential rehabilitation services for England and Wales.
Although this is not a comprehensive list of residential rehabilitation services, it represents the vast majority of services commissioned by drug action teams and local authorities for substance misuse treatment.
Information on the number of residential drug treatment and rehabilitation centres that have been closed in the last five years is not collated centrally.
Sex: Health Education
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent of the £50 million allocated to the sexual health advertising campaigns programme announced in 2004, broken down by campaign; and what plans his Department has made for further sexual health advertising campaigns. [163164]
Dawn Primarolo: This information is contained in the following table(1).
(1) The figures relate to the Condom Essential Wear campaign. They exclude HIV prevention work, public and contraception awareness work and the sexual health helpline.
| Campaign name | £ million | |
| (1 )Identified spend so far this financial year. | ||
We have also contributed an average of £2 million per annum in 2006-07 and 2007-08 to the Department for Children, Schools and Families for joint work on teenage pregnancy campaigns.
Plans for the continuation of the campaign in 2008-09 and beyond are currently being drawn up.
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