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3 Nov 2008 : Column 91W—continued
Scarborough and North East Yorkshire NHS Trust: Translation Services
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Scarborough and North East Yorkshire NHS Healthcare Trust spent on translators in (a) 2005, (b) 2006, (c) 2007 and (d) 2008 to date. [232748]
Mr. Bradshaw: This information is not held centrally.
Slaughterhouses: Inspections
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on abattoir inspections in each of the last 10 years, broken down by abattoir. [232493]
Dawn Primarolo: The Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) manages its costs across geographic areas and does not collate costs by individual abattoir.
The gross operating cost of the MHS—including inspection activities in abattoirs, tasks for Government Departments such as Food Standards Agency and Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and administrative and managerial support costs—is shown in the following table:
| Gross operating cost (£ million) | |
| (1) Gross operating cost increased in 2001-02 due to the regulatory requirement for full-time veterinary attendance in abattoirs and the 2001 foot and mouth disease outbreak. (2 )Gross operating cost for 2007-08 excludes costs relating to the MHS modernisation programme. | |
Social Workers: Manpower
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many social workers per 100,000 residents there were in (a) Hemel Hempstead and (b) Hertfordshire in each year since 1997. [231927]
Ann Keen: The following table shows data for the number of whole-time equivalent social workers per 100,000 head of population for Hertfordshire as of the 30 September each year from 1997 to 2007.
Data for 2008 are expected to be published in spring 2009.
| Hertfordshire | |
| As at 30 September each year: | Whole-time equivalent social workers per 100,000 head of population |
| Source: SSDS001 | |
Data are not collected centrally for Hemel Hempstead.
Speech Therapy
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many care episodes related to speech and language therapy there were in each year since 1996-97 for which figures are available. [231714]
Ann Keen: The available information is published in ‘NHS Speech and Language Therapy Services, Summary Information for 2004-05, England’. The document has already been placed in the Library.
As part of the Department's initiative to reduce the burden of data collection on national health service front-line staff, the activity data returns on speech and language therapy were discontinued from April 2005.
Swindon Great Western Hospital: Private Finance Initiative
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the estimated annual cost of private finance initiative contracts associated with the construction and maintenance of the Swindon Great Western hospital is for each year of the remaining duration of these contracts from 2008-09; [230805]
(2) what the annual cost of private finance initiative contracts associated with the construction and maintenance of the Swindon Great Western hospital has been in each year since inception to the end of 2007-08. [230806]
Mr. Bradshaw:
I refer the hon. Member for Bridgwater to the answer given to the hon. Member for Hemel Hempstead (Mike Penning) on 27 February 2008, Official
Report, column 1768W. The list for the private finance initiative (PR) schemes placed in the Library contains the estimated annual payments over the full 28 year operational period of the PFI contract for Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust, based on information held by the Department.
Tumours: Surgery
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of patients who have received robotic radiosurgery treatment for inoperable tumours in NHS hospitals in the last 10 years. [232849]
Ann Keen: The requested information is not available centrally.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received about the provision on the NHS of robotic radiosurgery for inoperable tumours. [232863]
Ann Keen: During 2008, the Department has received seven representations on CyberKnife, a robotic radiosurgery technique, comprising four letters and a parliamentary question from hon. Members and two e-mails from a member of the public.
Upper Gastrointestinal Cancer
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have been referred to each of the new upper-gastro-intestinal cancer centres; and how many of those people have been (a) diagnosed with upper-gastro-intestinal cancer, (b) given treatment which does not include surgery and (c) given surgical treatment. [231149]
Ann Keen: The requested information is not collected centrally.
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of post-operative upper-gastro-intestinal cancer patients in each hospital or other treatment centre died (a) in hospital and (b) within (i) 30 days, (ii) 90 days and (iii) one year of their operation in each of the last three years. [231150]
Ann Keen: The requested information is not available centrally.
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cancer networks have (a) agreed, (b) commenced and (c) completed reconfiguration to comply with upper-gastro-intestinal improving outcomes guidance. [231152]
Ann Keen: Progress on the implementation of improving outcomes guidance is reported in June and December each year. As at June 2008, 21 of the 28 cancer networks across the country had implemented improving outcomes in upper gastro-intestinal cancers. The remaining seven cancer networks had agreed plans with the National Cancer Action Team for the implementation of this guidance.
Treasury
Bank Services
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to ensure that those running businesses in the UK financed by Icelandic banks can continue to use their overdraft facilities. [229068]
Ian Pearson [holding answer 22 October 2008]: As Chancellor announced on 13 October, the Bank of England has provided a short-term loan of up to £100 million to the London branch of Landsbanki. This loan will help ensure an orderly wind-down for Landsbanki which will maximise the returns to UK creditors. We are continuing to work closely with the Icelandic authorities to ensure a fair process for UK creditors.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps are being taken to improve consumer awareness of the extent of deposit coverage. [231015]
Ian Pearson: Consumer awareness of the coverage of the financial services compensation scheme (FSCS) is a matter for the industry itself—the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and the FSCS. The FSA and the FSCS are reviewing how consumers can be better informed about the current compensation scheme (including undertaking research into consumer awareness). If appropriate, the FSA may consult on rule changes to facilitate awareness of entitlement to compensation under the FSCS, alongside any industry-led initiatives.
Bank Services: Loans
Adam Price: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) pursuant to his statement of 13 October 2008, Official Report, columns 540-41, on financial markets, what reference point his Department proposes to use in respect of the requirement for banks supported by the recapitalisation scheme to maintain (a) the volume of lending to and (b) the interest rates charged to homeowners and small businesses at least at 2007 levels; [228814]
(2) whether his Department's agreements with each of the banks participating in the recapitalisation scheme include commitments on the policy of each institution in respect of (a) mortgage arrears and (b) repossessions; [228806]
(3) if he will require banks participating in the recapitalisation scheme to provide funding to independent debt advice centres. [228807]
Ian Pearson: As part of their investment, the Government have agreed with the banks supported by the recapitalisation scheme a range of commitments. Details are available at:
Banking Supervision
Mr. Dai Davies:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will instruct his appointees to the boards of banks in receipt of public funds for recapitalisation to seek measures through the board to (a) recover the bonus
payments made and (b) reduce the pension payments to the chief executives and chairmen of the board of those banks commensurate with their performance. [228370]
Ian Pearson: As part of their investment, the Government have agreed a range of commitments with banks accessing the capitalisation scheme. The Government expect that no cash bonuses will be paid to directors in the current year. Going forward, and to ensure that taxpayers’ interests as shareholders in the bank are protected, and the performance of the company enhanced, directors’ remuneration will be linked to long-term value creation and take account of risk.
The terms have been agreed on a case-by-case basis with banks accessing the recapitalisation scheme, although elements are common to all participating banks.
Banks: Government Securities
Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value is of Government bonds swapped for bank-owned assets under the liquidity arrangements; and what proportion has been swapped with assets of (a) UK banks and (b) other banks. [226205]
Ian Pearson: In order to provide the banking system with sufficient liquidity the Bank of England has extended the scale of its lending in its scheduled money market operations (through for example, an extension in its lending at three-month maturities). In addition, as part of the Government's plan to recapitalise the banking system, the Chancellor announced that at least £200 billion will be made available to banks under the Special Liquidity Scheme (SLS). The Bank does not publish information about the value of lending to specific counterparties but it has said that the total outstanding value of Treasury Bills lent under the SLS will be published after the end of the drawdown period, which is set to close on 30 January 2009.
Banks: Shares
Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what account he takes of (a) changes in the share price of banks and (b) moral hazard in determining what public support to make available to banks; and if he will make a statement; [226555]
(2) if he will make it his policy to ensure that the moral hazard principle is applied to the activities of the banking and finance sector. [226558]
Ian Pearson: Both the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have made it clear that they will do whatever is necessary, whatever is right, to ensure the stability of the financial system. The Chancellor announced the comprehensive and decisive financial support package on 8 October and outlined the specific details on 13 October of the steps taken to ensure financial stability, including the terms of the agreements with those banks participating in the Government's recapitalisation scheme.
Corporation Tax
Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the number of businesses in (a) St Albans, (b) Hertfordshire and (c) the UK which will be affected by the decision to increase the lower rate of corporation tax from April 2009. [231618]
Mr. Timms: Changes to the Small Companies Rate of Corporation Tax were made as part of a broader tax package at Budget 2007, which included the introduction of the Annual Investment Allowance. No authoritative estimate is available of the number of businesses that will be affected by the increase to the SCR from April 2009.
National Statistics for the number of companies by the rate at which corporation tax was charged are published on the HMRC website at:
Counterfeit Banknotes
Mr. David Hamilton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many counterfeit banknotes have been seized in the UK in each of the last five years for which figures are available; and how many purported to be issued by (a) the Bank of England, (b) Scottish banks and (c) banks in Northern Ireland; [232811]
(2) how many counterfeit banknotes purporting to be issued by Scottish banks were seized in (a) England and (b) the rest of the UK in the most recent year for which figures are available. [232812]
Ian Pearson: The Bank of England is responsible for collating statistics on counterfeits of its own banknotes and these are published on the Bank’s website at:
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