| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
19 Feb 2008 : Column 682W—continued
Tattooing
Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people admitted (a) to NHS accident and emergency departments and (b) for NHS plastic surgery as a result of tattooing and piercing procedures in the latest period for which figures are available, broken down by strategic health authority. [186129]
Dawn Primarolo: The information requested about national health service plastic surgery is not collected centrally. In relation to the information requested about NHS accident and emergency admissions, I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to her on 5 February 2008, Official Report, column 1087W.
Transplant Surgery: Ethics
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration his Department has given to the ethical implications of face transplants; and if he will make a statement. [182263]
Dawn Primarolo: Clinicians need to be sure that any procedure is safe and that the patient is fully informed of any risks or limitations, in accordance with good professional practice, and in line with General Medical Council guidance. Necessary consent arrangements and tissue matching would need to be in order, as for any other type of transplant. If the procedure is being carried out in the context of research, it would need the approval of the local Research Ethics Committee.
In the particular case of a face transplant, in addition to ethical approval, doctors may need to get agreement from the Interventional Procedures Advisory Committee which is part of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. The Royal College of Surgeons have now published their report which expressed concerns about the substantial risk of acute or chronic rejection but believed that face transplants could go ahead providing certain conditions were met.
Urology: Nurses
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the likely effects of a cap on specialist urology nurse visits, as proposed in the Department of Health consultation on Part IX of the Drug Tariff; [185557]
(2) pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2008, Official Report, column 343W, on incontinence: medical equipment, how much of the £487 million per annum is (a) Part IX dressings and reagents expenditure, (b) Part IX stoma expenditure, (c) Part IX incontinence expenditure and (d) any other Part IX expenditure; and if he will make a statement. [185585]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 7 February 2008]: The proposed cap does not relate to patient visits made by specialist nurses who work for the national health service. While not covered by their terms of service, many appliance contractors do provide services above basic dispensing, such as home delivery and specialist nurse visits.
One objective of the review is to ensure that such services are provided to the same standard and that remuneration for services is transparent.
As contractors’ nurse visits are not remunerated directly today, the Department has had to make an assessment of the number of specialist nurse visits these contractors provide. This assessment has been based on information provided by those contractors through the consultation process.
Proposals regarding payment for specialist nurse visits were set out in the consultation entitled Arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the
provision of stoma and incontinence appliances - and related services - to Primary Care. Revised Proposals that closed on 28 December 2007.
The Department is currently analysing these responses. They will help to inform an assessment of how the cap might impact patient care.
The part IX expenditure that has been under review totals £487 million. A breakdown is shown in the following table.
| £ million | |
| Source: Prescriptions Pricing Division, NHS Business Services Authority. | |
Duchy of Lancaster
Admiralty House: Empty Property
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 17 December 2007, Official Report, column 1080W, on Admiralty House: empty property, which Minister previously occupied the flat in Admiralty House which was occupied by the former Lord Chancellor before his departure from Ministerial office. [183453]
Mr. Watson: The flat in Admiralty House which was used by the former Lord Chancellor before his departure from ministerial office was previously occupied by my right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett).
Adult Education: Social Exclusion
Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what recent discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the role of non-accredited adult learning in tackling social exclusion; and if he will make a statement. [184663]
Phil Hope: Ministers and civil servants meet regularly as part of the process of policy development and advice. It is not normal practice to disclose details of such meetings. However, Cabinet Office Ministers will continue to work closely with colleagues to ensure that people can lead healthy and fulfilling lives by participating fully in training, education and work.
The Families at Risk Review demonstrates the importance of parental learning to improve outcomes for all family members and participation in non-accredited learning is often the first step into more formal learning programmes for many disadvantaged adults and parents. Both formal and non-accredited learning have the potential to improve economic opportunity, health and well-being as well as promoting social and community cohesion, helping to improve the life chances of disadvantaged families.
Cabinet Office: Advertising
Mr. Jeremy Browne: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what percentage of the Cabinet Office’s expenditure was on advertising in each of the last 10 years. [182991]
Mr. Watson: Advertising costs as a percentage of the Cabinet Office’s expenditure since 1997-98 can be found in the table as follows:
| Percentage | |
The increase in advertising spend in 2001-02 was due to expenditure incurred by the Office of the E-Envoy (now known as Transformational Government) for the UK Online advertising campaign, encouraging the public to use the internet, and offering help to those wanting to do so.
Civil Service Agencies: Publicity
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) if he will take steps to ensure that the executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies listed in the Central Office of Information's White Book include full details of their press and communication officers; [181307]
(2) which executive agencies and non-departmental bodies are not listed in the Central Office of Information's White Book. [181308]
Mr. Watson: The extent of the contract details provided in the White Book is decided by those bodies listed in it.
The White Book contains entries for 370 organisations, including some non-government organisations that deal with Government.
Government entries include a range of functions, such as providing information to the public through publications, websites and campaigns around issues such as road safety, public health and smoking.
A full list of non-departmental public bodies is available on the civil service website at:
and Government Departments and executive agencies are listed on the Cabinet Office website at:
Civil Service Appeal Board
Mr. Hoban:
To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many (a) successful and (b) unsuccessful appeals were made to the Civil Service Appeal board against (i) dismissal, (ii) early retirement,
(iii) non-payment of compensation or amount of compensation paid on dismissal, (iv) refusal to allow participation in political activities and (v) forfeiture of superannuation in each year since 1997. [184782]
Mr. Watson: Statistics for each of the last 10 years can be found in Appendix 3 of each of the Civil Service Appeal Board’s annual reports. These are available on the Board’s website at http://www.civilserviceappealboard.gov.uk. Copies are also available in the Library of the House.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what percentage of appeals were heard by the Civil Service Appeal Board within 18 weeks of receipt of the appeal in each of the last 10 years. [184790]
Mr. Watson: Statistics for each of the last 10 years can be found in Appendix 5 of each of the Civil Service Appeal Board's Annual Reports. These are available on the board's website at http://www.civilserviceappealboard.gov.uk. Copies are also available in the Library.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what percentage of decision letters were sent out by the Civil Service Appeal Board within 24 hours of the relevant hearing in each of the last 10 years; [184792]
(2) what percentage of reports of hearings were sent out within 20 days of hearings by the Civil Service Appeal Board in the latest period for which figures are available. [184794]
Mr. Watson: Statistics for each of the last 10 years can be found in Appendix 5 of the Civil Service Appeal Board’s annual reports. These are available on the Board’s website at http://www.civilserviceappealboard.gov.uk. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what percentage of compensation awards were issued within 15 working days by the Civil Service Appeal Board following receipt of representation on contributory fault in the latest period for which figures are available. [184791]
Mr. Watson: This information can be found in Appendix 5 of the Civil Service Appeal Board's Annual Reports from 2003-04 when this performance target was introduced. These are available on the board's website at http://www.civilserviceappeal board.gov.uk. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the value of compensation awards issued by the Civil Service Appeal Board was in each of the last 10 years. [184795]
Mr. Watson: Statistics for each of the last 10 years can be found in Appendix 4 of the Civil Service Appeal Board's Annual Reports. These are available on the board's website at http://www.civilserviceappeal board.gov.uk. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.
Departmental Contracts
Jim Cousins: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the (a) objective and (b) value was of each contract placed with (i) Deloitte and Touche, (ii) Ernst and Young, (iii) KPMG, (iv) PricewaterhouseCoopers and (v) PA Consulting by his Department and its agencies in each year since 2004-05. [179032]
Mr. Watson: The information requested for the Cabinet Office with regards to the objective of each contract placed with (i) Deloitte and Touche, (ii) Ernst and Young, (iii) KPMG, (iv) PricewaterhouseCoopers and (v) PA Consulting in each year since 2004-05 is not readily available and may not be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs.
The following table shows all expenditure (inclusive of VAT) incurred by the Cabinet Office with (i) Deloitte and Touche, (ii) Ernst and Young, (iii) KPMG, (iv) PricewaterhouseCoopers and (v) PA Consulting for the financial years 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2006-07.
| £ | |||
| 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | |
Departmental Internet
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many Wikipedia entries have been (a) created and (b) amended (i) by (A) special advisers, (B) Ministers and (C) communications officials and (ii) from IP addresses of (1) special advisers, (2) Ministers and (3) communications officials in (x) his Department and (y) its agencies since August 2005. [185528]
Mr. Watson: The Department does not hold this information.
Departmental Legal Opinion
Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 14 January 2007, Official Report, columns 911-2W, on departmental legal opinion, what the cost to the public purse was of external legal advice provided to special advisers in relation to the police investigation into allegations of cash for peerages. [181723]
Mr. Watson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Phil Hope) to the right hon. Member for Horsham (Mr. Maude) and the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb) on 10 January 2008, Official Report, columns 755-6W. To protect the privacy of the individuals involved, it would not be appropriate to provide further breakdown of the costs.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |