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13 May 2008 : Column 1536W—continued
“By 2008, improve health and safety outcomes in Great Britain through progressive improvements in the control of risk in the workplace”.
The PSA target is measured against six sub-targets, including one for ill health incidence—a 6 per cent. reduction in the 2004-05 baseline. The Health and Safety Executive publishes a statistics progress report annually. The latest report for the period 2006-07 indicates that for ill health and self reported HSE is not on track to meet the PSA target.
Pensioners: Overseas Residence
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of retired UK citizens living in countries in respect of which no uprating of pensions agreement has been made. [205354]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Our records do not differentiate UK citizens from other citizens in receipt of a UK state pension.
The latest estimate of the number of UK state pensions paid to pensioners living in frozen rate countries is approximately 530,000.
Source:
March 2007 Retirement Pension and Widows Benefit administrative data, 5 per cent. sample
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost of uprating pensions for retired UK citizens living abroad. [205355]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The UK state pension is uprated for UK pensioners living overseas where there is a reciprocal social security agreement or a legal requirement to do so.
The latest estimate to bring all frozen rate UK state pensions up to the current rate is around £440 million and this would be an ongoing cost increasing year on year.
Source:
March 2007 Retirement Pension and Widows Benefit administrative data, 5 per cent. sample
Poverty: Disabled
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans his Department has to include the additional costs of living with disability in official calculations and indicators of poverty. [200403]
Mrs. McGuire
[holding answer 23 April 2008]: We are committed to tackling all aspects of disability poverty and have already made considerable progress. The number of disabled individuals in households with an income below 60 per cent. of median on an After Housing Cost basis fell by 500,000 in Great Britain
between 1998-99 and 2005-06. On a Before Housing Cost basis the number of disabled individuals in households with an income below 60 per cent. of median fell by around 100,000 over the same period.
In 2005 the Department's report ‘Review of existing research on the extra costs of disability’(1) found that all studies conducted to date have concluded that there are extra costs incurred by disabled people. However, measuring these extra costs is conceptually and methodologically difficult and there is disagreement over what constitutes the extra costs disabled people face. As a result the existing evidence supporting estimates of the extra costs of disability varies widely.
In light of these findings the Department has no further work planned in this area at present, but we will continue to keep abreast of developments.
(1) Working Paper No. 21, September 2005:
Notes:
1. Data are taken from the Households Below Average Income series 2005-06.
2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100,000.
3. The definition of disability used by HBAI changed in 2002-03. It is not possible to separate out definitional and real effects. For 1998-99, available data exclude Northern Ireland, therefore changes across Great Britain between 1998-99 and 2005-06 have been presented.
Social Security Benefits: Foreigners
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many non-UK citizens claimed benefits in each year since 1997, broken down by benefit claimed; and how many of them were living in the UK in each case. [203265]
Mr. Plaskitt: I refer the hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 28 January 2008, Official Report, column 65W.
UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the compatibility of UK legislation with the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities; and if he will make a statement. [204031]
Mrs. McGuire [holding answer 8 May 2008:] I refer my hon. Friend to my written statement of 6 May 2008, Official Report, column 28WS—“UN Convention on Disability Rights”.
Health
Accident and Emergency Departments: Crimes of Violence
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many accident and emergency staff in England were victims of assault while on duty in each of the last three years; [204381]
(2) how many hospital staff in England were hospitalised as a result of assault while on duty in each of the last three years. [204382]
Ann Keen: Since 2004-05, the NHS Security Management Service has collected information on the number of physical assaults reported against national health service staff in England.
Information on the number of assaults against accident and emergency staff and on how many hospital staff have been hospitalised as a result of assault while on duty is not available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The numbers of reported physical assaults in acute and foundation trusts in the last three years for which information is available are shown in the following table:
| Number | |
Accident and Emergency Departments: Diabetes
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital emergency admissions were recorded in England for diabetic ketoacidosis and hypoglycaemic coma in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) age, (b) sex, (c) type of diabetes and (d) primary care trust. [202751]
Ann Keen: Tables showing emergency hospital admissions with a primary diagnosis of diabetic ketoacidosis or hypoglycaemic coma between 2002-03 and 2006-07, the latest year for which data is available, broken down by age, gender, type of diabetes and primary care trust, have been placed in the Library.
Arthritis
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to collect information on the number of newly diagnosed cases of rheumatoid arthritis; what recent representations he has received on the number of persons with rheumatoid arthritis; and if he will make a statement. [205057]
Ann Keen: We have no plans to collect national information on the number of people newly diagnosed with specific medical conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis. Primary care trust commissioners of national health service services should make commissioning decisions by identifying current needs and anticipating future trends. This includes the gathering of quantitative and quantative information that they require to do this.
We have received representations from individuals asking for information on the number of people with rheumatoid arthritis.
Cancer: Urinary System
Christopher Fraser:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 26th February 2008, Official Report, column 1454W, on cancer: urinary
system, (1) when he expects the information submitted by strategic health authorities confirming the position for 31st December 2007 to have been analysed; whether this information is being analysed by (a) his Department and (b) the NHS Cancer Action team; and whether the results of this analysis will be published; [201626]
(2) with which strategic health authorities where deadlines are unlikely to be met to ensure recovery plans are in place, his Department's Recovery and Support Unit is liaising; [201627]
(3) which networks in summer 2007 were (a) already reporting implementation of the Improving Outcomes Guidance and (b) reporting that they were on schedule to implement the Guidance by 31st December 2007. [201628]
Ann Keen: The information submitted by strategic health authorities (SHAs) confirming the position for 31 December 2007 has now been analysed by the cancer action team. There are no plans to publish this analysis.
The recovery and support unit is liaising with six SHAs to ensure recovery plans are in place where deadlines are unlikely to be met. The SHAs concerned are:
East of England;
Yorkshire and the Humber;
South Central;
East Midlands;
West Midlands; and
South east coast.
In summer 2007, the cancer networks reporting implementation of the urological Improving Outcomes Guidance were:
Arden;
Derby and Burton;
Greater Manchester and Cheshire;
Lancashire and South Cumbria;
Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland;
Merseyside and Cheshire;
Mount Vernon(1)
North of England;
North Trent;
Pan Birmingham;
Peninsula;
South East London;
South West London; and
Thames Valley.
In summer 2007, the following cancer networks reported that they were on schedule to implement the urological Improving Outcomes Guidance by 31 December 2007 were: -
Anglia;
Avon Somerset and Wiltshire;
Dorset;
Essex;
North East London;
North London;
Sussex;
Three Counties; and
West London.
(1) Mount Vernon's plans were interim and based on a proposed new build at Hatfield. The new build is not now going ahead and implementation of a revised urology Improving Outcome Guidance action plan for Mount Vernon is expected later this year.
Cardiovascular System: Screening
Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence he has assessed on the (a) health effects and (b) cost-effectiveness of screening the general population for cardiovascular disease. [203932]
Ann Keen: The Department has undertaken modelling work which has confirmed that a universal vascular checks programme for those aged between 40 and 74 years is both cost and clinically effective. It will publish a technical report on the modelling work in summer 2008 which will be the subject of a consultation.
Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the merits of screening specific high risk populations for cardiovascular disease, with particular reference to people with rheumatoid arthritis; and if he will make a statement. [203933]
Ann Keen: The National Screening Committee recommended that a whole population approach be taken to vascular risk assessment. The Department's subsequent modelling has confirmed that a vascular checks programme, as described in ‘Putting Prevention First’, would be both clinically and cost effective for those aged between 40 and 74. However, assessment and management of cardiovascular risk of people with conditions that put them at higher risk of cardiovascular disease may be undertaken as part of their overall clinical management where indicated. Copies of this publication are available in the Library.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Health Services
Dr. Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department plans to take to assess what services are offered to children and adults who are bedbound or housebound due to the effects of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome; [203960]
(2) what steps his Department plans to take to address the geographical gaps which exist in local specialist services for people with myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome; [203961]
(3) what steps his Department is taking to encourage primary care trusts to implement the recommendations of the new guidelines on myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome produced in August 2007 by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. [203964]
Ann Keen: Health professionals are expected to use their clinical judgment taking into account best practice and existing clinical guidelines, including those produced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, to provide the most appropriate treatment for the individual living with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME).
We have made no assessment of the services provided for children and young people.
We have no plans to address any geographical gaps in the provision of local specialist services. Local health bodies have a duty to commission health and social care services to meet the needs of their local population, including those living with CFS/ME.
Dr. Desmond Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to reduce the average time taken to diagnose myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. [203963]
Ann Keen: Diagnosis for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis can be prolonged as there is no specific test for this condition, and therefore other diseases with similar symptoms must be ruled out before a diagnosis can be made. The recent guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence provides a list of medical tests that should be used to rule out other conditions.
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