Written Answers to Questions
Thursday 24 April 2008
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Bluetongue Disease: Vaccination
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will hold discussions with the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe on the Government’s bluetongue vaccination strategy. [198119]
Jonathan Shaw: We have no plans to hold discussions with the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe to discuss DEFRA’s vaccination plan.
Coastal Areas: Access
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consideration he has given to the extension of the right to roam to encompass the foreshore; and if he will make a statement. [201271]
Jonathan Shaw: Part 9 of the draft Marine Bill which we published on 3 April 2008 contains provisions for improving access to the English coast. The draft Bill includes provisions to provide a coastal margin, within which people will be able to walk along a long-distance route for the length of the English coast (with certain exceptions, including, for example, developed land). In addition people will have access to coastal land including the foreshore, beaches, cliffs, rocks and dunes, for the purposes of open-air recreation on foot. It is unlikely that the route itself will be established over the foreshore, but the coastal margin (to which the public will have access for open-air recreation) will be.
The right of access under the draft Marine Bill will be established by means of an Order under section 3A of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000, and the approval of a proposal for a long-distance route on a particular stretch of coast will be made under the procedures in the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949.
Departmental Manpower
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) permanent Civil Service posts, (b) permanent non-Civil Service posts and (c) temporary or agency workers in employment there were in his Department in each month since May 2005. [199621]
Jonathan Shaw: The Office for National Statistics publishes Civil Service employment statistics every quarter in the Public Sector Employment First Release. The latest statistics published are for Q4 (December) 2007. These can be viewed at:
Table 6 of the publication provides a breakdown of employment by Government Department. This has been available since Q1 2006, and since Q4 2006 it has included a breakdown of permanent and temporary/casual employees. Links to the on-line publications can be viewed at:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/ReleaseCalendar/findreleases.asp?releasetitle= Public+Sector+Employment&releaseorganisation=42&releasetheme=&daterange=3&sday=18&smonth=03&syear=2008&ShowHits=10&SortOrder=0&ShowYear=2008.
Prior to 2006 Civil Service employment numbers were available on only an annual basis. A link is provided to the Civil Service statistics on the Cabinet Office website:
Civil Service statistics collected are the number of employees and not the number of posts. An employee covering multiple posts is counted only once and no information on vacancies is held.
The ONS does not publish statistics for non-Civil Service posts broken down by Government Department.
Information on employment agency workers could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Flood Control: West Sussex
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate he has made of the value of assets at risk from flooding in Selsey over the next 20 years; and what probability assessment is attached to the estimate. [200158]
Mr. Woolas [holding answer 21 April 2008]: There are currently 1,028 residential properties at risk of flooding between Pagham and East Head, which have an estimated total asset value (based upon work completed to date) of around £250 million. Due to sea level rise, this figure is expected to increase to 1,230 properties by 2028. This equates to an estimated value of £300 million in 2028 at today’s prices.
The existing defences at Selsey East Beach currently provide protection against a one in 200 year storm and it is expected that these will remain in place for at least the next 20 years.
Geographical Information Systems
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 25 March 2008, Official Report, column 126W, on geographical information systems, which Government Departments and agencies other than his own have been given access to the Shared Spatial Information Service. [199509]
Jonathan Shaw: The following organisations outside of DEFRA and its executive agencies have registered users who have access to the Shared Spatial Information Service (SPIRE):
British Waterways
Energy Saving Trust
English Heritage
Environment Agency
Government Office for the English Regions
Joint Nature Conservatory Council
Meat Hygiene Service
Natural England
Ordnance Survey
Pesticide Safety Directorate
Forest Research
Forestry Commission
Health Services
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department provides health or social care services out of public funds, with reference to the Statement by the Minister of State, Department of Health, in the Health and Social Care Bill Committee, of 17 January 2008, Official Report, column 327. [200228]
Jonathan Shaw: DEFRA does not currently provide health and social care services paid for out of public funds.
Natural England: Early Retirement
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many employees of Natural England have (a) been offered and (b) accepted early retirement in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [197076]
Jonathan Shaw [holding answer 26 March 2008]: We do not hold this information as Natural England is a non-departmental public body (NDPB).
I have asked Dr. Helen Phillips the chief executive of Natural England to write to you with the information requested.
Rabies: Disease Control
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he has taken to prevent incidents of rabies in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [201258]
Jonathan Shaw: Under the Rabies (Importation of Dogs, Cats and Other Mammals) Order 1974 (as amended) all dogs, cats and many other mammals must be licensed into quarantine for six months on arrival in the United Kingdom.
The only exception to those that would normally require quarantine is for dogs, cats and ferrets that enter under the Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) rules, or when animals enter the UK as commercially traded animals where they have to comply with other strict requirements.
Health
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evaluation he has made of research on the effects of genetics on people with myalgic encephalomyelitis. [200265]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 23 April 2008]: None.
Dental Services: Stroud
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase access to NHS dentistry in Stroud constituency. [201460]
Ann Keen: It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) to commission health services, including dentistry, to meet the needs of their local populations. My hon. Friend may therefore wish to raise this with the chief executive of Gloucestershire PCT.
Increasing the number of patients seen within national health service dental services is now a formal priority in the “NHS Operating Framework” for 2008-09, and we have supported this with a substantial 11 per cent. uplift in overall allocations to PCTs from 1 April 2008.
Disabled: Children
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families on the provision of short breaks for disabled children; [201345]
(2) what recent guidance has been issued to primary care trusts on support for short care breaks for disabled children. [201346]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: I jointly chair the Aiming High for Disabled Children (AHDC) Ministerial Implementation Group with my noble Friend Lord Adonis, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families. We wrote to primary care trusts (PCTs) and local authorities (LAs) on 19 December 2007, setting out the investment and growth funding put in place to support our commitments and priorities for disabled children set out in the “Children's Plan” and the “National Health Service Operating Framework”. This includes substantial investment to increase the range and number of short breaks. Copies of the letter have been placed in the Library.
We will shortly be issuing guidance to PCTs and LAs to inform their delivery of the AHDC Short Break Transformation programme. The Government are also commissioning a national support body to assist PCTs and LAs in their implementation of the improved provision of short breaks.
Doctors
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to fund the work of specialised pre-hospital doctors outside London. [199405]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 21 April 2008]: The Department acknowledges the valuable support that these doctors offer to the national health service locally, recognising that the availability of medical advice and assistance can bring added advantages to some seriously injured patients. However, it is a matter for the NHS locally to both fund and decide how they use British Association of Immediate Care doctors.
Drugs: Fees and Charges
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate his Department has made of the costs associated with running a further consultation on Part IX of the Drug Tariff; [201227]
(2) when his Department plans to publish its further consultation on Part IX of the Drug Tariff; and if he will make a statement. [201228]
Dawn Primarolo: The costs associated with running a further consultation have been estimated at £393,000. These costs will be for the services of professional advisors. The Department's costs are part of its ongoing operational budget.
The Department intends to publish a further consultation regarding the arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliances—and related services—in primary care towards the end of May 2008. An impact assessment and equality impact assessment will be published alongside this.
Eyes: Diseases
Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people had a diagnosis of keratoconus at the latest date for which figures are available, broken down by primary care trust. [200438]
Ann Keen: The Department does not collect data on the total number of people with a diagnosis of keratoconus. The majority will receive contact lenses or glasses from their optometrist or ophthalmic medical practitioner, and will have their condition managed in the community.
Patients with more advanced keratoconus may be seen by the hospital eye service on an outpatient basis. The Information Centre for health and social care collects data on outpatient attendances but these data cannot be broken down by diagnosis.
A very small proportion of those with keratoconus, mainly those requiring corneal grafting, will be seen as inpatients. The following table shows the count of hospital admissions for those with a primary diagnosis of keratoconus(1) broken by strategic health authority (SHA) area. The data could not be broken down by primary care trust given the small numbers involved.
(1) A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission with the year.
| Current SHA of residence | Total hospital admissions |
HIV Infection
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) males and (b) females aged (i) under 21, (ii) 22 to 35, (iii) 36 to 50 and (iv) over 50 years were diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in each of the last five years, broken down by primary care trust. [201287]
Dawn Primarolo: The information requested, which has been provided by the Health Protection Agency, is only available in the age ranges 15 to 24, 25 to 34, 35 to 44, 45 to 54 and 55 and above and has been placed in the Library.
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