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10 Jun 2008 : Column 152W—continued
Organs: Donors
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the names and addresses are of those schools which participated in the Give and Let Live donor education programme in 2007-08; [210162]
(2) to which postholders in secondary schools his Department sent material on the Give and Let Live donor education programme; [210163]
(3) how many hits there have been on the Give and Let Live donor education programme website since it was established. [210164]
Dawn Primarolo: NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) sent a communication to all secondary schools in the United Kingdom about the initiative. The pack was requested by 1,861 schools. Details of the schools participating in the programme are held by NHSBT in accordance with the data management statement produced in conjunction with the schools. NHSBT are unable to release this information.
The 'Give and Let Live' pack was addressed to the heads of Personal Social and Health Education in secondary schools who requested a copy.
Since the 'Give and Let Live' website was established, there have been 463,632 hits. In addition 500 teachers packs have been downloaded from the website.
Palliative Care
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent discussions he has had with primary care trusts on funding for hospices; and if he will make a statement; [205001]
(2) what guidance he has provided to primary care trusts on funding for hospices; and if he will make a statement. [205002]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department has not had any recent discussions with or made representations to primary care trusts (PCTs) regarding funding for hospices.
It is for individual PCTs to decide the level of funding they allocate to end of life care services, including hospices, based on assessments of local needs and priorities. The level of funding a hospice receives is a matter for negotiation between the local PCT and the hospice.
The End of Life Care Strategy for adults, due to be published in the summer, will address the needs of patients, carers and families and will consider, among other things, the role of, and funding for hospices.
Publication of the national Strategy was deferred until the summer to allow us to take account of the important work of strategic health authorities on the Next Stage Review. End of life care is also one of the eight pathways that strategic health authorities have been examining as part of their work on the NHS Next Stage Review.
Palliative Care: Greater London
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of an ageing population on social care budgets in London. [208843]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department has not made any specific assessment of the effect of an aging population on social care budgets in London. The Department commissioned the Personal Social Services Research Unit to analyse the national demographic pressures in respect of older people. The results of this work were fed into the last comprehensive spending review (2007) and this led to an increase in the monies made available to local authorities. The data will also be used as part of the modelling for the future care delivery system about which the Government have recently gone out for public consultation.
Prescriptions: Fees and Charges
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of abolishing prescription charges. [209762]
Dawn Primarolo: Abolishing prescription charges in England would result in the loss of income available to the national health service as a result of revenue raised from prescription charges and prescription prepayment certificates. There may be further, unqualified costs because of behavioural changes leading to increases in the total number of prescription items consumed.
For the period April 2006 to March 2007, the revenue raised from prescription charges collected by pharmacists, appliance contractors and from prescription prepayment certificate fees was £411.7 million. This figure excludes charges collected by dispensing doctors and from hospital out-patients, which is estimated to raise revenue of a further £25.8 million for primary care trusts and NHS trusts over the same period.
Suicide: Mentally Ill
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many suicides of mental health patients there were in each mental health trust in each of the last five years. [209299]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The data requested are not held centrally.
Information on suicides by people in contact with mental health services is collected by the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness (NCI).
Transport
Aircraft: Air Conditioning
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what research she has commissioned into aircraft cabin air quality; whether this research was put out to tender; and what the cost was of commissioning such work. [208913]
Jim Fitzpatrick: Research work and costs to date are:
(i) functionality tests to identify equipment capable of capturing fume events in real time. Research published by Cranfield university on 21 February 2008. Cost: £39,169.
(ii) data analysis study of fume events and operational parameters (this work is in progress—final cost expected to be £25,000).
(iii) substantive phase of real time functionality tests on around 100 cargo and passenger flights to assemble data on substances which may be in cabin air during fume events (this work is due to begin later this year—estimated cost of separate contractual aspects; procurement of equipment, project management, laboratory analysis, expected to total £155,000).
The work was procured under the Department for Transport's single tender procedure as it was new, complex and developmental. We required a project leader to develop the protocols in discussion with Government, the Civil Aviation Authority and airlines. Cranfield university was selected by in discussion with Department of Health, Civil Aviation Authority, BALPA (the main pilots’ trade union) and airlines.
Aviation: Exhaust Emissions
Colin Challen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made on the commitment in the Gleneagles G8 Climate Change Action Plan to support climate science research on specific aviation-related atmospheric issues to inform technological and operational responses; and what responses have resulted. [209774]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport funds aviation related climate change research at Manchester Metropolitan University worth about £350,000 pa. This includes collaborative domestic and international projects on the climate science of aviation emissions and co-leading a major international workshop to assess aviation’s environmental impacts.
A further example of collaboration is the EUs funded programme ATTICA which is assessing transports impacts on climate change. This ensures that the Department’s scientific advice reflects the contribution of other sectors such as the marine sector, power generation and roads.
The Government are supporting project OMEGA, a grouping of seven universities, co-ordinating UK research and dissemination of a wide range of aviations environmental issues in partnership with stakeholders.
The Department also supports a PhD studentship at Oxford University investigating the Microphysics and Aviation Induced Cirrus Cloud.
Application of these investigations through advanced technology and operational changes is for the long-term.
Aviation: Scotland
Mrs. Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2008 to the hon. Member for Bournemouth East, Official Report, columns 1379-80W, on aviation: Scotland, what estimate she has made of the percentage of passengers departing from airports in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and flying to the United States who flew (a) directly, (b) via another UK airport and (c) via another airport in Europe in the latest period for which figures are available. [209261]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The following three tables show percentage of passengers departing from airports in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and flying to the United States.
Bus Services: Concessions
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the policy objectives are of requiring pensioners to renew their concessionary bus passes in 2011; and what the expected cost is of this policy. [209686]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 9 June 2008]: The requirement to have an expiry date on passes is intended to help prevent fraudulent use of passes by ensuring that no pass can simply be used indefinitely.
The expiry date must be no more that five years from the date of issue, but local authorities are free to choose any expiry date within that period. This approach allows local authorities to stagger the expiry dates of passes issued in April 2008 in order to avoid having to re-issue all passes on the same date in five years’ time.
We consulted on the proposal to include an expiry date in 2007. Over 90 per cent. of respondents agreed that there should be an expiry date and over 80 per cent. agreed that five years was an appropriate time.
Of those who did not agree, nearly half felt it should be shorter than five years. The majority of responses to the consultation were received from local authorities, who are responsible for issuing, and paying for, passes.
We estimate that the cost of producing a pass is around £2 per pass though it is not possible to give a definite figure as there are a number of different suppliers who charge varying prices. Just over six million people have received passes to date. It should be recognised that the cost of requiring passes to be renewed regularly will result in saving in the reduction of fraud.
Cycling: Children
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress has been made in her Department's review of the wearing of cycle helmets by children; and when the review will be published. [208779]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department is commissioning a new research project looking at a range of road safety and cycling issues. This will examine the following topics:
road user safety and cycling data;
cycling infrastructure;
attitudes and behaviours; and
bicycle helmets.
The research project as a whole is likely to be three years in duration, but we are aiming to complete the review of cycle helmet effectiveness within two years, so by late 2009.
The Department published the 2006 cycle helmet wearing survey shortly in February. The project report and the research summary 'findings' can be found online at:
Departmental Manpower
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) UK citizens born in the UK, (b) UK citizens born abroad and (c) foreign nationals were employed as staff by her Department and its agencies in each of the last five years. [206545]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Department for Transport have recorded the following split between UK citizens and foreign nationals:
| UK citizens | Foreign nationals | Not stated | Total | |
| (1) The DSA can provide figures only for the last three financial years. | ||||
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