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26 Nov 2008 : Column 2130W—continued
Syringes: Injuries
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many needlestick injuries to health care staff have been recorded in each trust in each of the last five years; [239846]
(2) how much time off work health care staff in each trust have taken due to needlestick injuries in the last 12 months. [239847]
Dawn Primarolo: Data on the number of days of absence relating to needlestick injuries to national health service staff are not collected centrally. However, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) collects information on surveillance of significant occupational exposures to blood borne viruses in health care workers in the United Kingdom; its latest report is available on the HPA’s website at:
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 13 June 2008, Official Report, columns 585-86W.
Thrombosis
John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many strategic health authorities have met the Chair of the national venous thromboembolism (VTE) implementation working group to discuss their strategies for implementing VTE risk assessment in their hospitals; [238911]
(2) what measure is being used to assess the uptake by NHS acute trusts of the Chief Medical Officer's venous thromboembolism risk assessment tool; [238912]
(3) what plans he has to introduce a hospital admission code for patients readmitted to hospital with a deep vein thrombosis acquired following a hospital stay; [238913]
(4) what financial support his Department is supplying to the NHS venous thromboembolism exemplar centres; [238914]
(5) what the costs to the NHS of treating venous thromboembolism were in each of the last five years; [238915]
(6) whether he plans to recommend the inclusion of venous thromboembolism as a measurable indicator in the annual Healthcare Commission's Annual Health Check. [238916]
Dawn Primarolo: Dr. Anita Thomas, the chair of the venous thromboembolism (VTE) Implementation Working Group (IWG) has had discussions with four strategic health authorities since July 2008. We are currently looking at the options that are available for assessing the uptake of the Departments policy of a risk assessment on admission for all patients, and we also keep under review the necessary support for the Exemplar Centres as mentioned in the VTE Expert Working Group's report and the VTE strategy as a whole. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library.
The IWG is working closely with Professor Jarman at Imperial College on VTE metrics and how these can be improved so that data collection is as effective and accurate as possible. The cost of VTE to the national health service was estimated at £640 million per year based on 2004 data. We do not have more recent data at present.
The annual health check reflects performance against the Government's priorities as set out in vital signs tier 1 and tier2. Vital signs can be found in Operational Plans 2008-09 to 2010-11. A copy of this document has been placed in the Library.
Tobacco: Sales
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prosecutions of (a) vending machine operators and (b) premises managers there have been for the sale of tobacco to minors from vending machines since the age of sale was raised to 18 years. [239211]
Dawn Primarolo: The Ministry of Justice does not keep separate data on sale of cigarettes to young people under 18. Figures on such prosecutions are included in overall data on prosecutions for under-age sale of tobacco. 2007 figures are not yet available. Trading standards departments do not prosecute routinely for such offences as the preferred approach is to advise and educate retailers and managers of premises where vending machines are sited.
However, a recent survey from the Local Authority Coordinators of Regulatory Services found that in over 40 per cent. of test purchases, children under 18 were able to access cigarettes from vending machines, with a number of local authorities reporting a 100 per cent. failure rate in test purchases from vending machines.
Vending machines remain a significant source of cigarettes for children who say they are regular smokers, with 17 per cent. of 11 to 15-year-old smokers reporting in 2006 that they are their usual source of cigarettes.
Tobacco: Young People
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward legislative proposals to criminalise the purchase of tobacco on behalf of those under 18 years. [237637]
Dawn Primarolo: Legislation making it illegal to sell tobacco to young people under the age of 18 came into force on 1 October 2007.
The issue of making it illegal for young people to buy tobacco was considered by Parliament in the spring of 2008 during a debate on the tobacco provisions of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008. An amendment to introduce such an offence was debated in both Houses and was subsequently withdrawn in the House of Lords. Serious concerns were expressed that this would unnecessarily criminalise young people. The issue was also included in the Department’s recent consultation on the future of tobacco control. Stakeholders were given an opportunity to submit their views on the issue and the results are being considered by Ministers.
World War II: Chemical Weapons
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on research into the health effects on workers who were employed in the manufacture of mustard gas during the Second World War. [238626]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department holds no such information.
Energy and Climate Change
Airwave Service
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what organisations for which his Department is responsible (a) use and (b) are planning to use Airwave handsets. [234703]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: No organisations for which the Department for Energy and Climate Change has responsibility either use or are planning to use Airwave handsets.
British Energy: EDF
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether his Department has offered compensation to EDF in exchange for the sale of land to potential new-build competitors at existing British Energy sites; and what discussions his Department has had with other shareholders in British Energy over the sale of British Energy to EDF. [239180]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 25 November 2008]: No. The undertaking agreed with EDF provides for it to release BE sites that would be surplus to its requirements and allows it to retain the proceeds of a sale and so the issue of compensation has not arisen. The only discussion that HMG has had with other shareholders in BE was a meeting held in August with Invesco, at Invesco’s request.
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether the Office of Fair Trading has contacted his Department concerning potential monopoly issues relating to the sale of British Energy and access to sites by competitors; and what discussions he has had with EDF over referring its buyout of British Energy to the EU Competition Commission. [239181]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 25 November 2008]: The Office of Fair Trading has not contacted my Department concerning potential monopoly issues relating the to sale of British Energy. In accordance with EU regulations, EDF has notified its proposed acquisition British Energy to the European Commission which is in the process of conducting an inquiry. EDF has kept my officials broadly informed about the process for seeking competition clearance.
British Energy: Nuclear Liabilities Fund
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what his most recent estimate is of the monetary value of the British Energy bonds held by the Nuclear Liabilities Fund. [234611]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The market value of the British Energy bonds held by the Nuclear Liabilities Fund was £208,345,642 as at September 2008.
Carbon Emissions
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the greenhouse gas emissions of the UK, including shipping and the UK's aviation sector, including domestic and international flights, were in the latest period for which figures are available. [227861]
Joan Ruddock: In 2006, the UK’s published emissions of the basket of six greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol were estimated to be 652.3 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent. In 2007, these emissions were provisionally estimated to be 639.4 million tonnes carbon dioxide equivalent. The final results for 2007 are due to be published in January 2009.
The basket of greenhouse gases consists of carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, hydrofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons and sulphur hexafluoride, all of which are weighted by global warming potential (GWP). The GWP for each gas is defined as its warming influence relative to that of carbon dioxide. Emissions are presented as carbon dioxide equivalent, in line with international reporting and carbon trading protocols.
Reporting of greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto Protocol is based on emissions in the UK, and those Crown Dependencies (Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man), and Overseas Territories (Bermuda, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar and Montserrat) that are party to the UK ratification of the Kyoto Protocol.
Greenhouse gas emissions from domestic aviation and shipping in 2006 were estimated at 2.5 and 5.7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent respectively. There are no provisional estimates for 2007.
Emissions from international aviation and shipping can be estimated from refuelling from bunkers at UK airports and ports, whether by UK or non-UK operators. These are recorded as memo items in the UK’s Greenhouse Gas Inventory, as reported to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), but do not count towards national totals. There is no agreement on how, or whether, to allocate emissions from international aviation and shipping sources to individual countries.
In 2006, as memo items in the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory, UK greenhouse gas emissions from international aviation and shipping bunkers were estimated at 36 million tonnes and 6.9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent respectively.
These figures are for total greenhouse gas emissions from international aviation and shipping bunkers and will differ from those figures which are given for carbon dioxide only. For example, the estimated 2006 figures for carbon dioxide emissions for international aviation and shipping bunkers are 35.6 and 6.8 million tonnes respectively.
I refer the hon. Member to the detailed statistics provided very recently in my answer to my right hon. Friend the Member for Oldham, West and Royton (Mr. Meacher).
Carbon Emissions: Scotland
Mr. Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the Answer of 5 November 2008, Official Report, column 570W, on carbon emissions: Scotland, which individual projects based in Scotland have been funded under the UK Environmental Transformation Fund; how many Scotland-based projects are currently being considered for funding; and how much has been allocated to Scotland-based projects to date. [236128]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 20 November 2008]: DECC provides capital grant and other funding for the demonstration and pre-commercial deployment of low carbon and renewable energy technologies under the Environmental Transformation Fund, which has a budget of £400 million over the 2008-11 CSR period. This includes support for the Carbon Trust innovation portfolio. A number of existing BERR and DEFRA programmes were brought into the Environmental Transformation Fund when it started operating on 1 April 2008. The answer lists projects that were running on or after 1 April 2008 when the ETF was formally created.
Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 1
The following projects in Scotland received funding under Phase 1 of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme to April 2008.
| Technology | |
The following numbers of grants have been paid to householders in Scotland to April 2008.
| Technology | Number |
In addition, there are £1,277,000 outstanding offers for 14 larger projects in Scotland made before 1 April 2008.
The following projects in Scotland received funding under Phase 1 of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme from April 2008.
| Technology | |
The following numbers of grants have been paid to householders in Scotland from April 2008.
| Technology | Number |
£272,000 has been allocated to Scotland-based projects to April 2008. £11,000 has been allocated to Scotland-based projects from April 2008.
Only the Householder stream remains open for new projects. Instant decisions on funding are given.
Low Carbon Buildings Programme Phase 2
The following projects in Scotland received funding under Phase 2 of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme to April 2008
Mid Annandale Playcare (MAP)
Moray Art Centre
Scottish Seabird Centre
Scottish Court Services
Scottish Court Services
The following projects in Scotland received funding under Phase 2 of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme from April 2008
Bankier Primary School
Scottish Seabird Centre
South Ayrshire Council
South Ayrshire Council
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