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17 Jan 2008 : Column 1464W—continued
| Table 2: Top 10 NHS trusts with highest management costs | |||
| Total senior managers and managers (Thousand) | Total income ( £000 ) | As percentage of income | |
| Table 3: Top 10 NHS trusts with highest management costs as percentage of income | ||||
| Total senior managers and managers (Thousand) | Total income ( £000 ) | As percentage of income | ||
| Note: Information for NHS Foundation Trusts is not included. For those trusts which moved to foundation trust status during the year the data included in the tables relate to the part year before the move took place. Sources: Annual financial returns (unaudited) of NHS Trusts 2006-07—Total senior managers and managers Audited NHS Trust summarisation schedules 2006-07—Total income. | ||||
Primary Care Trusts
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to enable Surrey Primary Care Trust to meet the Government’s commitment that (a) by the end of 2007 all diabetic patients will have been offered comprehensive retinal screening followed by a programme of treatment for diabetic retinopathy if needed and (b) by the end of March 2008, 80 per cent. of patients will have been screened. [176980]
Ann Keen: The Department has a range of work in hand to support the national health service in delivering this target. Strategic health authorities (SHAs) actively performance manage primary care trusts (PCTs) to ensure they have arrangements in place to ensure delivery. All PCTs are monitored on their progress towards achieving the target. The target is included within the Local Delivery Plan Agreements between SHA and PCTs (which are reviewed quarterly through a data return).
Anne Milton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients were offered
cardiac rehabilitation in (a) Surrey Primary Care Trust, (b) the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority and (c) England following (i) a heart attack, (ii) heart bypass surgery, (iii) angioplasty, (iv) angina, (v) heart failure, (vi) implantation of cardiac devices and (vii) arrhythmias in the last 12 months. [176983]
Ann Keen: The Department does not collect this information centrally.
Chapter 7 of the “Coronary Heart Disease National Service Framework,” published in 2000, issued appropriate guidance to the national health service about the provision of cardiac rehabilitation services. Putting this into practice is a matter for the NHS, working in partnership with stakeholders and the local community. It is the responsibility of NHS organisations to plan, monitor and develop these services based on their specific local knowledge and expertise.
A new national Cardiac Rehabilitation Audit has been introduced across England, jointly sponsored by the British Heart Foundation and the Healthcare Commission. This will provide stronger evidence on effectiveness and encourage local areas to appraise and improve their provision of cardiac rehabilitation.
Mr. Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what his responsibilities and the responsibilities of (a) primary care trusts, (b) acute hospital trusts, (c) local authorities, (d) national expert clinical bodies, (e) local clinicians and (f) public and patient involvement panels are in the configuration of health services and hospital services; [177189]
(2) what the procedure is for the reconfiguration of local health services. [177191]
Ann Keen: Proposals for the reconfiguration of services are a matter for the national health service locally, working in conjunction with clinicians, patients and other stakeholders. The interim report on the NHS Next Stage Review recommends that change should only be initiated when there is a clear and strong clinical basis for doing so.
Reconfiguration proposals are currently subject to a three-month public consultation. The outcome is then subject to scrutiny by local authority Overview and Scrutiny Committees (OSCs), comprising elected councillors.
Where OSCs are unhappy with the consultation process, or do not believe that the changes being proposed are in the interests of the local health service, they can refer the proposals to the Secretary of State for final decision.
On 4 July 2007, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health (Alan Johnson) announced that he would seek the advice of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel, established to advise on contested service change proposals, on all cases referred to him by OSCs.
Very few local reconfiguration decisions are referred to the Secretary of State but such scrutiny will ensure that proposals are made in the best interest of clinical need and patient care.
Sheep Meat: Safety
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to regularise the trade in prepared sheep meat, known as smokies; and if he will make a statement. [179690]
Dawn Primarolo: The Food Standards Agency is investigating whether it is possible to produce ‘skin-on’ sheep meat, known as smokies, in slaughterhouses using safe and hygienic processes. If sufficient supporting evidence is generated it is intended to approach the European Commission to suggest a change in the current law.
Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the value of the illegal trade in prepared sheep meat, known as smokies; [179691]
(2) what estimate he has made of the total value of the market in prepared sheep meat, known as smokies. [179692]
Dawn Primarolo: No estimate has been made of the value of the total illegal trade and the total value of the market in prepared sheep meat known as smokies.
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Post Office Closures
9. Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make a statement on the impact of post office closures on vulnerable people and rural communities. [179529]
Mr. McFadden: It is because the Government appreciates the important social and community role of post offices that we have committed a subsidy of £150 million per year between now and 2011. Where post office closures are taking place, Post Office Ltd. takes into account the location of alternative branches, as well as the access criteria which are intended to ensure reasonable access in both rural and urban areas and include special protections for deprived urban, rural and remote communities.
10. Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what discussions he has had with the Post Office on the length and timing of the consultation period for closures of sub-post offices. [179530]
Mr. McFadden: The Government’s response to the national public consultation on the post office network, published in May 2007, confirmed that the period for local consultations on proposals for post office closures would be six weeks.
Before that local public consultation begins there are discussions in each area with Postwatch, with local authorities and with sub-postmasters themselves.
We have received representations to make the local consultations longer but we are keen to minimise the uncertainty over the network and for sub-postmasters and mindful that the process overall will take some 15 months from beginning to end.
13. Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will make a statement on the Post Office closure programme. [179535]
Mr. McFadden: The process began in October and is being carried out through a series of area plans over a 15 month period. So far, decisions on six area plans have been announced, four have been closed but final decisions have not yet been made and a further four are currently open. We are about a quarter way through the process which is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year.
Business Start-ups
11. Angela Watkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what percentage of small businesses closed within three years of starting up in the latest period for which figures are available. [179532]
Mr. Timms: 29 per cent. of UK businesses registering for VAT in 2002 were no longer registered three years later.
17. Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what assistance his Department provides for the start-up of small businesses. [179539]
Mr. Timms: Business support to a value of two and a half billion pounds per year, including start-up support, is delivered through regional development agencies and business link.
Unscrupulous Lending
12. Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps he is taking to prevent unscrupulous lending practices. [179533]
Mr. Thomas: In 2004 we established two pilot enforcement teams in Birmingham and Glasgow to track down and prosecute illegal money lenders, who were exploiting some of the most vulnerable members of our communities.
Following the success of these pilots I announced in September a national expansion this crack down on illegal lending and there is now a team covering every region of Britain.
Nuclear Power
14. Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what his policy is on the financing of waste management from new nuclear power stations. [179536]
Malcolm Wicks: As my right hon. Friend made clear in the House on 10 January, it will be for energy companies, not the Government, to fund, develop and build new nuclear power stations. That will include meeting the full costs of decommissioning and each operator’s full share of the waste management costs. The Energy Bill includes provisions to ensure that this happens.
Offshore Wind Technology
15. Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Executive on the use of offshore wind technology. [179537]
Malcolm Wicks: BERR has a range of mechanisms in place to facilitate a dialogue with the Scottish Executive regarding offshore wind technology. For example, in recent months, through ministerial correspondence and significant day to day contact at official level. In addition, BERR and Scottish Executive Ministers and officials participate regularly in Government renewables forums, such as BERR’s Research Advisory Board (RAB) and the Forum for Renewable Energy Developments in Scotland (FREDS).
23. Mr. Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, what procedures his Department has for taking account of local opinion in its consideration of applications for wind farms. [179545]
Malcolm Wicks: Companies submitting applications for wind farms to the Secretary of State are required to publicise their proposals. The Secretary of State will take all representations received into account before reaching a decision. Where a local authority objects to an onshore wind farm application within its boundaries, the Secretary of State is obliged to call a public inquiry.
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