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18 Feb 2008 : Column 310W—continued
NHS: Questionnaires
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Ipsos MORI NHS questionnaires his Department sent out. [181958]
Mr. Bradshaw: In the financial year 2007-08, Ipsos MORI worked with the Department on the following questionnaires. The Department does not send out questionnaires.
Political Impartiality
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) for what purpose his Department records the political opinions of members of his Department's staff; [177308]
(2) for what purpose his Department records the political opinions of (a) staff and (b) the public. [179323]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 10 January 2008]: The Department does not keep records of the political opinions of its staff. Civil servants are required to act in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Code, and section 4.4 of the Civil Service Management Code.
The Department does not keep records of the political opinions of the public. Members of the public who apply for public appointments within the jurisdiction of the Commissioner for Public Appointments are asked to complete a declaration on political activity.
Primary Care Trusts: Procurement
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts are (a) purchasing and (b) considering purchasing commissioning support from the 14 organisations appointed to the Framework for Procuring External Support for Commissioners. [172904]
Mr. Bradshaw: There are currently five organisations that are considering purchase of commissioning support under the FESC process. These are Ashton Leigh and Wigan PCT, North East Lincolnshire PCT, Cambridgeshire PCT, Hampshire PCT and NHS East of England.
Discussions and negotiations between Hillingdon PCT and BUPA have now been completed and a service contract was signed on 30 January 2008.
Sexual Harassment
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints of (a) sexual harassment and (b) sexual discrimination have been made by staff in (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies in the most recent year for which figures are available. [184684]
Mr. Bradshaw: The number of complaints are given in the following table for the calendar year 2007. Where there has been at least one complaint but less than five the exact figure is not provided on grounds of confidentiality. Any such situation is marked <5 in the table. Nil returns are marked zero.
| Type of complaint | Departmental | NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency | Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency |
Urology: Nurses
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the role of specialist urology nurses in infection control. [185556]
Ann Keen [holding answer 7 February 2008]: No assessment has been carried out centrally. National health service organisations are responsible for the skill mix of their work force. They are best placed to assess the health needs of their local health community and must have the freedom to deploy staff in ways appropriate for local conditions.
The Department of Health published updated national evidence based guidelines for preventing health care associated infections in NHS hospitals in England as a supplement of the Journal of Hospital Infection in February 2006. The publication includes guidelines for preventing infections associated with short-term indwelling urethral catheters.
Wheelchairs: Finance
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how the funding element in primary care trust baseline allocations for the improvement of wheelchair provision for children and young people for 2008-09 to 2010-11 will be calculated; and whether such funding will be ring-fenced; [185740]
(2) when he will publish the new model for the delivery of community wheelchair services; [185743]
(3) how much each primary care trust spent on (a) equipment, (b) overheads and (c) staffing costs in relation to the provision of wheelchairs for children and young people in the last year for which figures are available. [185744]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) to determine allocations for the improvement of wheelchair provision for children and young people taking into account local needs, the priorities set out in the national health service operating framework for 2008-09 and other national strategies. The Government recently announced, through the comprehensive spending review, that local authority funding will increase by £2.6 billion by 2010-11 and NHS funding will increase from £35 billion in 1997-98 to £110 billion in 2010-11.
Information on PCT expenditure in relation to wheelchairs for children and young people is not held centrally.
Consideration is being given to the findings and recommendations of the Transforming Community Equipment and Wheelchair services project in relation to wheelchair services with a view to confirming the next steps in due course.
Culture, Media and Sport
Archaeology
Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many representations have been received by his Department since October 2007 from (a) hon. and right hon. Members, (b) Members of the House of Lords, (c) members of the public and (d) organisations on the future of the portable antiquities scheme. [184502]
Margaret Hodge: The Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) recognises that the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) is of national importance. The British Museum (BM) and the MLA are fully committed to the continued success of the PAS and are working together with other stakeholders to ensure that this is achieved.
Since 1 October 2007, this Department has received (a) 131 representations from hon. and right hon. Members, (b) two representations from members of the House of Lords and (c) 109 from members of the public and other organisations on the subject of the Portable Antiquities Scheme.
For the purposes of the Department’s correspondence statistics we do not differentiate between letters from the public and letters from organisations.
Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will transfer the administration of the portable antiquities scheme from the Museums, Libraries and Archives Commission to the British Museum; and if he will make a statement. [184503]
Margaret Hodge: The Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) recognises that the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) is of national importance. The British Museum and the MLA are fully committed to the continued success of the PAS and are working together with other stakeholders to ensure that this is achieved.
The PAS is already administered by the British Museum on behalf of the MLA. Any transfer of responsibility for funding of the PAS could only follow after receipt of a joint request from both organisations concerned. My Department would then need to give full and due consideration to such a request, including the impact on the operation of both organisations and the risks involved in such a transfer. No such request has been submitted to my Department.
Archaeology: Finance
Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will assess the merits of operating the portable antiquities scheme without finds advisers. [184567]
Margaret Hodge: The Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) recognises that the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) is of national importance. The British Museum (BM) and the MLA are fully committed to the continued success of the PAS and are working together with other stakeholders to ensure that this is achieved.
The PAS is administered by the BM on behalf of the MLA. Any decisions about the delivery of the scheme are, therefore, a matter for these organisations. It is not the intention of either the MLA or the BM to operate the PAS without finds advisers.
Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many finds liaison officers (FLOs) under the Portable Antiquities Scheme there are for local authorities in the North East; and where each FLO is based. [184964]
Margaret Hodge: The Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) recognises that the Portable Antiquities Scheme (PAS) is of national importance. The British Museum and the MLA are fully committed to the continued success of the PAS and are working together with other stakeholders to ensure that this is achieved.
There is one finds liaison officer for the north-east region, based at the Museum of Antiquities at the university of Newcastle.
Arts
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people aged 16 years and over (a) from black and ethnic minority groups, (b) with a limiting disability, (c) from lower socio-economic groups and (d) from the total population did not (i) participate in arts activity and (ii) attend an arts event in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and what estimate his Department has made of the most recent level of arts participation in each such group. [186377]
Margaret Hodge: The DCMS ‘Taking Part’ survey provides national data on participation in arts activities and attendance at arts events by adults aged 16 and over. The survey has been running since 2005-06 and the latest available data are from 2006-07. Robust and consistent data relating to the priority groups are not available for years prior to the start of Taking Part.
The following tables show the percentage of people from our priority groups and the population as a whole who did not attend or participate in the arts during the 12 months prior to interview.
| Arts non-participation | ||
| Priority group | 2005-06 (Percentage) | 2006-07 (Percentage) |
| Arts non-attendance | ||
| Priority group | 2005-06 (Percentage) | 2006-07 (Percentage) |
Using the latest data available, the following tables show the percentage of people from our priority groups and the population as a whole who currently did attend and participate in the arts in the 12 months prior to interview.
| Arts participation | |
| Priority group | 2006-07 (Percentage) |
| Arts attendance | |
| Priority group | 2006-07 (Percentage) |
Note that these figures are survey estimates. For further information about the methodology and full definitions of attendance and participation, see the Taking Part annual report at:
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many people aged 16 and over (a) from black and ethnic minority groups, (b) with a limiting disability, (c) from lower socio-economic groups and (d) from the total population (i) participated in arts activity and (ii) attended arts events at least twice a year in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [186378]
Margaret Hodge: The DCMS ‘Taking Part’ survey provides national data on participation in arts activities and attendance at arts events by adults aged 16 and over. The survey has been running since 2005-06 and the latest available data are from 2006-07. Robust and consistent data relating to the priority groups are not available for years prior to the start of Taking Part.
The following tables show the percentage of people from our priority groups and the population as a whole who attended and participated in the arts at least twice during the 12 months prior to interview. This relates to the frequency of engagement rather than the number of activities attended/participated in.
| Arts participation | ||
| Priority group | 2005-06 (Percentage) | 2006-07 (Percentage) |
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