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15 Jan 2008 : Column 1194W—continued
Physiotherapy
John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information the Department holds on the number of physiotherapy graduates who have graduated in the last two years and who have not found employment as physiotherapists. [178988]
Ann Keen: The number of physiotherapy graduates from 2006 and 2007 registered in the newly qualified health care professionals pools as looking for their first post in the national health service has fallen from a peak of 771 on 10 September 2007 to its current figure of 498 on 10 January 2008.
Prescriptions: Fees and Charges
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish the results of his review of prescription charges. [179133]
Dawn Primarolo: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave on 18 December 2007, Official Report, column 1406W.
Screening
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Prime Minister’s announcement of 8 January 2008, what form of test will be used to screen people for (a) heart disease, (b) kidney disease, (c) stroke and (d) diabetes; and what criteria will apply to whether people will be offered surgery in each case. [177951]
Ann Keen [holding answer 14 January 2008]: As the Prime Minister announced on the 7 January, the Department is currently developing proposals for a screening programme. Any such programme will use an assessment of risk based on a range of known predictive factors including age, gender, smoking status, body mass index, high blood pressure, and cholesterol and glucose, as appropriate. The subject of developmental work at the moment is to make an assessment of the most clinically and cost effective way of offering an integrated set of these tests and measurements. The purpose of the screening programme will be to identify people’s levels of risk for cardiac and vascular disease so that they can be offered preventive measures. Should already established disease be uncovered in the process treatment will be offered as usual in accordance with clinical need and on the basis of current national clinical standards and guidelines.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Health Education
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what expenditure on sexual health campaigns has been in each year since 1979 in (a) nominal and (b) real terms. [174058]
Dawn Primarolo: Direct comparisons of annual expenditure on sexual health campaigns over the last 20 years are not possible because expenditure in the 1980s and early 1990s reflected the high cost of mainstream television and cinema advertising on AIDS awareness campaigns which targeted the whole population. The move in the mid-1990s to targeted HIV health promotion programmes for high-risk groups, in line with the evidence on HIV transmission, resulted in a reduction in expenditure.
Expenditure on sexual health campaigns including HIV public education, contraception awareness, prevention of sexually transmitted infections plus helplines(1) is set out in the following table. Information is not available before 1985-86.
| £ million nominal | £ million real terms in 2006-07 prices | |
| (1) Expenditure from 1987-88 to the early 1990s reflects the high cost of HIV television and cinema advertising for the whole population. Expenditure on mainstream HIV campaigns is not separately identified but it would have accounted for the majority. (3) Identified spend so far. | ||
(1 )Contract for the Sexual Health Information Line (formerly the National AIDS Helpline) is delivered as part of a contract which also includes Drinkline and Frank.
Thrombosis: Medical Treatments
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 26 November 2007, Official Report, column 261W, on thrombosis: medical treatment, what plans he has for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to assess rivaroxaban for the prevention of venous thromboembolism in patients undergoing major orthopaedic surgery of the lower limbs. [177439]
Dawn Primarolo: Rivaroxaban for the prevention of venous thromboembolism after major orthopaedic surgery is currently being considered for referral to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence for appraisal.
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Christmas
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department spent on (a) Christmas cards and (b) postage of Christmas cards in 2007. [176760]
Mr. Lammy: Design: DIUS held a competition for further education college students to design an electronic Christmas card for the Department. The competition was won by Matthew Boulton College. This incurred no significant cost to the Department as colleges were individually invited to participate. The prize—a trip to a design centre or space centre—was donated by our partners.
Distribution: The DIUS Christmas Card was distributed electronically through existing email routes and therefore incurred no significant costs.
Education: Cleethorpes
Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what percentage of 18 to 24-year-olds in Cleethorpes constituency were in full-time education in each year since 1997. [176869]
Bill Rammell: Annual average estimates of the proportion of people in full-time education by age are available at a local level from the annual population survey (APS) and its predecessors the local labour force survey (LLFS) and the labour force survey local area data base (LFS LADB). Estimates for Cleethorpes for 18-24 year-olds for 2006 and back to 2000 are shown in the following table. The data are not available for earlier years at constituency level. These small area estimates are based on very small samples and are therefore subject to high sampling variability. They should therefore be treated with caution and in particular changes from year to year should not be used in isolation from the figures for a run of years. Regional and national estimates have been shown for comparison. These are available back to 1997.
| Percentage of 18-24 year-olds( 1) in full-time education | |||
| Cleethorpes | Yorkshire and the Humber | England | |
| n/a = Not available. (1) Based on age as at the time of the survey. (2) LFS LADB estimates based on the average of the 12 months from March to the following February. (3) LLFS estimates based on the average of the 12 months from March to the following February. (4 )APS estimates are for the average of the calendar year from January to December. | |||
Educational Institutions: Sports
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his policy is on encouraging sport at establishments within the responsibilities of his Department; and if he will make a statement. [178247]
Bill Rammell: The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills recognises the importance of sport and physical activity to us all, for our good health, positive leisure and for our economy.
We are working closely with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Children, Schools and Families to maximise the Government’s substantial investment in school sport and sport for young people.
Further education colleges and higher education institutions are helping to build on the foundations of the Government’s school sport strategy by sustaining participation and supporting talent development for young people beyond school, and by maximising the contribution of their facilities, staff and other resources to sport in schools and the wider community.
We are increasing the number of sport and physical activities available to our young people through the introduction of almost 400 FE sports co-ordinators during 2008-09, linked to the existing national network of School Sport Partnerships. Young people will be encouraged to access an offer of three hours of sporting activity. At the same time, our vocational learning programmes linked to the 14-19 and skills strategies, including the young apprenticeship in sports coaching and the advanced apprenticeship in sporting excellence, aimed at high performing young athletes, will support the growing demands from across the sport and leisure sectors.
We believe that sport can be an agent of regeneration. Through skills development, the sharing of facilities and sporting opportunities, and research and liaison with key partners, our further and higher education institutions are enhancing the education and the quality of life of their students and the wider communities they serve.
In addition, many further and higher education institutions are widening access to their often excellent sports facilities so that more people can enjoy the health and social benefits that participation in sport brings. Where colleges are undertaking substantial new builds, Sport England—in association with the Learning and Skills Council—are working with colleges to identify opportunities to expand and enhance original planned sports facilities—with the aim of opening the facilities to the wider community.
Gemini Observatory: Finance
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) what factors were taken into account by the Science and Technology Funding Council in making its decision to withdraw funding from the Gemini Observatory consortium; [171951]
(2) what assessment he has made of the likely effects of the decision by the Science and Technology Funding Council to withdraw funding from the Gemini Observatory consortium; and if he will make a statement. [171952]
Ian Pearson: The Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) has recently reviewed its participation in the Gemini Observatory in the light of its scientific priorities and overall budget. The Council has indicated that it is planning to withdraw from the Observatory project, but before doing so, it will discuss the implications with its consortium partners.
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