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29 Jan 2008 : Column 343W—continued
Influenza
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doses of the antiviral drug Tamiflu have been bought by each Government Department for use by its staff in the event of an influenza pandemic. [167328]
Dawn Primarolo: Government Departments with a significant overseas presence, such as the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development, have bought Tamiflu for its members of staff and their dependents overseas. Approximately 48,000 treatment courses are available for use in the event of a pandemic. However, no Home Civil Service Departments have bought Tamiflu for the use of their staff.
Meat Hygiene Service: Finance
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the operating budget of the Meat Hygiene Service (a) is in 2007-08 and (b) was in (i) 2004-05, (ii) 2005-06 and (iii) 2006-07. [181445]
Dawn Primarolo: The gross expenditure of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) is as follows:
| £ million | ||
| Forecast | Actual | |
| (1) Excluding transformation costs. Note: The MHS is currently implementing a significant transformation programme in order to carry out its role at less cost, in line with Food Standard Agency’s review of the delivery of official controls. | ||
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the operating budget for the Meat Hygiene Service is in (a) England, (b) Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) each region in 2007-08. [181446]
Dawn Primarolo: The gross expenditure of the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) is not budgeted by country. Analysis is however undertaken following the finalisation of the annual accounts to show gross expenditure by country. For 2006-07 this was:
| Gross expenditure (£ million) | |
The MHS gross expenditure budgets by region for 2007-08 are:
| Gross expenditure (£ million) | |
| (1) The MHS Wales region includes parts of Gloucestershire and Herefordshire. (2) The MHS Scotland region includes part of Cumbria. | |
The gross expenditure budget for the corporate overhead for 2007-08 is £14 million.
Midwives: Training
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwifery training places there were in each English region in the academic year 2007-08. [182705]
Ann Keen: The information requested is shown in the following table, which shows the planned number of midwifery training places for each strategic health authority (SHA) for the academic year 2007-08.
| Training places academic year 2006-07 | ||||
| Midwifery degree | Diploma | 18 month diploma | Total | |
National User Forum on Mental Health
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the work of the National User Forum on mental health. [179510]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The National User Forum on Mental Health, announced in 2000, was to be run by service users appointed within the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE). The national clinical director for Mental Health, Louis Appleby, held initial meetings with user groups which established their preference to be a part of integrated mental health reform, and laid out a programme of work linking in to other NIMHE initiatives.
The NIMHE has been working for some time to strengthen its involvement of service users and carers in its work. NIMHE commissioned a report from Health and Social Care Advisory Service to review service user and carer involvement in NIMHE. The resultant ‘Making a Real Difference’ (MARD) report (April 2005) made 20 recommendations to take forward service user and carer involvement in NIMHE. The main focus of the MARD Programme was in strengthening NIMHE’s own service user and carer involvement, ensuring good levels of involvement at national level, in its national programmes and regional work.
User groups have been involved in many individual elements of mental health policy, including legislation and, currently, the development of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme.
As we consider what is to replace the national service framework for mental health from 2009, we shall include service users in discussions and the resultant consensus.
Neurological Conditions
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the future of the National Service Framework for long term neurological conditions; and what the responsibilities of primary care trusts are with regard to the Framework. [181496]
Ann Keen [holding answer 24 January 2008]: The national service framework (NSF) for long-term conditions has a 10 year implementation programme from its publication in March 2005, with flexibility for primary care trusts to set the pace of change locally to take account of local priorities and needs. The NSF good practice guide demonstrates that that a number of organisations have successfully addressed aspects of service delivery outlined in the NSF.
NHS: Allowances
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions have taken place on introducing an interim adjustment in mileage allowances payable to NHS staff before the national review group reports. [180494]
Ann Keen [holding answer 21 January 2008]: NHS employers issued guidance on 10 December recommending increases to certain rates of national mileage allowances. This followed discussions between employer and staff representatives on 29 November. This is interim action, pending the outcome of the review of national health service mileage allowances being conducted by the NHS Staff Council.
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the review group investigating mileage allowances payable to staff in the NHS will report. [180495]
Ann Keen [holding answer 21 January 2008]: The sub-group of the national health service staff council which is reviewing mileage allowances will report to the meeting of the council on 11 March.
NHS: Drugs
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase the availability of lactose-free medication; and what his Department's policy is on lactose-free prescribable pharmaceuticals. [177634]
Dawn Primarolo: The availability of lactose-free medication is a matter for the pharmaceutical industry. The majority of people with lactose intolerance are able to tolerate small amounts of lactose in their diet and the relatively small amounts that might be present in medicines. Medicines containing lactose must have that ingredient declared on the labelling and the information leaflet in the pack should recommend that the patient contact their doctor before taking such a medicine if they have been told they have an intolerance to some sugars.
NHS: Film
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS Connecting for Health video on the Summary Care Record cost to make; how many actors were involved in the making of the film; and which parts each played. [181829]
Mr. Bradshaw: The film, ‘The Summary Care Record—the story so far’ cost £32,000 to make. It was made in response to requests from national health service staff for a tool to support local clinical engagement work describing the purpose and benefits of summary care records from the standpoint of real life experience.
The film did not use actors. All those interviewed are real NHS staff or patients. Using genuine NHS staff and patients to talk from their own experience was seen as a crucial component contributing to the credibility and usefulness of the film.
NHS: Procurement
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the Ernst and Young report on collaborative procurement hubs to be published. [182938]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 28 January 2008]: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O’Brien) on 7 January 2008, Official Report, column 127W.
NHS: Public Appointments
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances he may suspend (a) a chairman and (b) a non-executive director of an NHS (i) trust or (ii) primary care trust using powers under sections 66 and 67(3) of the National Health Service Act 2006. [178627]
Ann Keen: The Secretary of State for Health can suspend a chairman or director of a national health service trust or a chairman or member of a primary care trust, by using powers under sections 66 and 67(3) of the National Health Service Act 2006 to make an intervention order.
An intervention order under section 66 may be made if the Secretary of State considers that the trust is not performing one or more of its functions adequately or at all, or that there are significant failings in the way it is being run, and the Secretary of State is satisfied that it is appropriate for him to intervene under section 66.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what statutory provisions provide him with powers to suspend an (a) chairman and (b) non-executive director of an NHS (i) trust or (ii) primary care trust other than those under sections 66 and 67(3) of the National Health Service Act 2006. [178628]
Ann Keen: The Secretary of State has power to make regulations to provide for the tenure of office of the chairman and other members of a primary care trust (PCT), including the circumstances in which they cease to hold office or may be removed or suspended from office. The powers are contained in the National Health Service Act 2006, schedule 3, paragraph 4(l)(a).
The Secretary of State has power to make similar regulations in respect of the chairman and directors of an NHS trust, under the National Health Service Act 2006, schedule 4, paragraph 4(l)(a).
The current regulations do not generally provide power to suspend the chairman or non-officer members of PCTs, or the chairman or non-executive directors of any NHS trusts.
Suspension is required however in cases where the PCT or NHS trust concerned has been designated a care trust under section 77 of that Act, and the chairman or non-executive is a member of a local authority who has been suspended from being a member of that authority by virtue of a decision of a case tribunal under the Local Government Act 2000.
The relevant provision for suspension in such cases is (for PCTs), regulation 4(11) of the Primary Care Trusts (Membership, Procedure and Administration Arrangements) Regulations 2000. For NHS trusts the relevant provision is regulation 9(11) of the National Health Service Trusts (Membership and Procedure) Regulations 1990.
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