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Personal Health Budgets

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding streams he plans to include in the personal health budgets due to be piloted from 2009; and if he will make a statement. [247735]


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Mr. Bradshaw: The focus of the pilots will be the use of national health service funds.

Where appropriate, we hope personal health budgets will align with personal budgets for those eligible for social care so that the budget appears as seamless as possible to the individual using health and social care services, and to support a holistic approach to the planning of care and support. One of the goals of piloting personal health budgets is to understand how this could work and we hope local authorities and primary care trusts will work closely together on this issue.

The Government will shortly be launching the personal health budget programme formally, seeking expressions of interest in the pilots and local proposals for how personal budgets could work.

Shingles

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the cost to the NHS of treating shingles and post herpetic neuralgia in people over 50 years of age in the most recent period for which figures are available. [247535]

Dawn Primarolo: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is currently in the process of estimating the cost of treating shingles and post herpetic neuralgia (PHN) within the wider context of the benefits of shingles vaccination, including whether a vaccination programme would be cost effective. It will provide advice in due course.

Sunscreens: VAT

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what discussions he has had with the Treasury on the effects on the level of use of sun protection products for (a) children and (b) adults of the rate of value added tax charged on such products; [247083]

(2) what guidance his Department issues to (a) parents in respect of their children and (b) adults on the use of sun protection lotions; and if he will make a statement. [247084]

Dawn Primarolo: The Government keep taxes under review and introduce reduced VAT rates only where they offer the best targeted and most cost-effective support for its objectives. The Government also work in partnership with Cancer Research UK, which runs SunSmart, the national skin cancer prevention and sun protection campaign, on behalf of the UK Health Departments. The campaign aims to raise awareness and provide information on the risks to health related to ultraviolet radiation exposure.

To enjoy the sun safely, the SunSmart code recommends:

Further information about sunscreen advice is available on the Cancer Research UK website at:


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Tobacco: Children

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on making the purchase of cigarettes under age a criminal offence; and if he will make a statement. [248645]

Dawn Primarolo: We published a report on the “Consultation on the future of tobacco control” on 9 December last year. A copy has already been placed in the Library. This summarised responses, and noted that some respondents suggested there should be new offences for those underage who try to buy tobacco, or who smoke in public.

Work and Pensions

Children: Maintenance

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the two major projects on child maintenance debt referred to by the Comptroller and Auditor General in July 2008 have now been completed; what their main findings were; and if he will place in the Library copies of each project. [241560]

Kitty Ussher [holding answer 9 December 2008]: The Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission is responsible for the child maintenance system. I have therefore asked the Child Maintenance Commissioner to write to the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Stephen Geraghty;

Habitual Residence Test

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many British citizens did not pass the habitual residency test in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [241561]

Mr. McNulty [holding answer 9 December 2008]: In the 12 months to the end of November 2008, 2,948 habitual residence tests were failed by British nationals.
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Jobcentre Plus: Manpower

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) fixed-term and (b) casual temporary staff Jobcentre Plus employs. [245451]

Mr. McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Mel Groves:

Jobcentre Plus: Overtime

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much Job Centre Plus has spent on staff overtime payments (a) in each of the last three financial years and (b) in 2008-09 to date. [245455]

Mr. McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive, Mel Groves. I have asked him to reply to the hon. Member.

Letter from Mel Groves:

Period Amount (£ million)

2005-06

26.4

2006-07

32.9

2007-08

31.6

2008-09

21.8

Note:
2008-09 covers period from 1 April 2008 to 30 November 2008
Source:
DWP financial system

Jobcentre Plus: Telephone Services

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions where each call centre used to answer telephone calls from members of the public to Jobcentre Plus helplines is located; and if he will make a statement. [245447]


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Mr. McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Mel Groves:

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what performance targets have been set to measure the quality of service given to members of the public calling Jobcentre Plus helplines; and if he will make a statement. [245448]

Mr. McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Mel Groves:


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Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the policy of Jobcentre Plus is on the use of recorded messages on helplines used by members of the public. [245453]

Mr. McNulty: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.

Letter from Mel Groves:


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