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29 Jan 2009 : Column 746W—continued
Maria Eagle: The available information on convictions and acquittals under the Weights and Measures Act 1985 for offences relating to the weights and measures provisions is provided in the following table.
It is not possible to identify the number of these convictions and acquittals relating solely to the use of imperial weights and measures from other convictions and acquittals under the Weights and Measures Act 1985.
Enforcement of weights and measures legislation is undertaken by local authority Trading Standards Departments. Local authorities do not report the number of cases under investigations or awaiting trial under weights and measures legislation to my Department.
| Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts, acquitted at Crown courts, found guilty at all courts and the sentences given under the Weights and Measures Act 1985 for offences related to the weights and measures provisions, England and Wales, 2005 to 2007( 1,2) | |||
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| (1) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Evidence and Analysis Unit—Office for Criminal Justice Reform. | |||
Witnesses
John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 20 January 2009, Official Report, columns 1345-6W, what means are used to assess the effectiveness of witness intermediaries. [251847]
Maria Eagle: The Intermediary Special Measure was piloted in six pathfinder areas and extended nationally after an independent evaluation. The evaluation report indicated that feedback from witnesses and carers was uniformly enthusiastic. Support for intermediaries was almost unanimous across the judiciary and among other criminal justice personnel involved in the pathfinder cases. A summary of the evaluation report is available at:
The full report is available at:
http://lexiconlimited.co.uk/PDF%20files/Intermediaries _study_report.pdf
Our intention is that from April 2009 those who commission intermediaries—the police, the CPS and defence—will have the opportunity to provide feedback. This information will be reported to the intermediary governance board on a regular basis and be used to evaluate the service provided by individual intermediaries.
Health
Accidents: Roads
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were admitted to hospital following road traffic accidents in each of the last five years. [252333]
Mr. Bradshaw: This information is not available in the format requested. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Lansley) on 10 September 2008, Official Report, column 1916W. Tables showing the number of people injured in all transport accidents and the number of pedestrians injured in transport accidents respectively have already been placed in the Library.
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on (a) maintaining, (b) decorating and (c) otherwise improving departmental buildings in the last five years; how much has been spent on wallpaper since 2001; and what plans there are for further spending on departmental decoration. [248055]
Mr. Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on (a) maintaining, (b) decorating and (c) otherwise improving departmental buildings in the last five years; how much was spent on wallpaper since 2001; and what plans there are for further spending on departmental decoration.[248797]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department and its executive agencies, the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency and Medical and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has spent the following sums on maintaining, decorating, and otherwise improving departmental buildings.
| £ | |
It is not possible to separate out the costs of maintaining, decorating and improving buildings.
There has been no expenditure on wallpaper since 2001.
Future plans for redecoration are aligned with our overall capital works programme, which is currently under review. Planned expenditure for 2008-09 is £2,343,600.
Departmental Consultants
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of his Department's contracts with management consultants was in each of the last five years. [251371]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department does not collect information on contracts with management consultants in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Correspondence
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's average response time to a letter received from (a) an hon. Member and (b) a member of the public was in each of the last three years. [251438]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department's average response times to letters received are as follows:
| Days | |||
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
Figures for 2008 are not yet available.
The number of letters answered within our Whitehall standard target of responding to 90 per cent. of correspondence within 20 working days is as follows:
| Percentage | |||
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
Figures for 2008 are not yet available.
Departmental ICT
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which ICT projects his Department initiated and abandoned before completion in each year since 1997; what costs were incurred in each project; who the contractors for each were; on what date each was (a) commenced and (b) abandoned; and if he will make a statement. [251394]
Mr. Bradshaw: This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much capital expenditure has been brought forward in response to the economic downturn by his Department, its agencies and non-departmental public bodies to (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11; from which years such expenditure has been brought forward; and if he will make a statement. [251404]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Government announced in their pre-Budget report (24 November 2008) that as part of the £3 billion fiscal stimulus package the Department would bring forward £100 million of capital spending to advance the upgrading of up to 600 general practitioner surgeries to training practices. This spending is being brought forward from financial year 2010-11 to 2009-10.
Departmental Travel
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what expenditure his Department has incurred in providing transport for Ministers between Parliament and departmental premises in each of the last five years. [251876]
Mr. Bradshaw: This information is not collected centrally. Ministers use their official cars in accordance with the ‘Ministerial Code’, July 2007.
Departmental Written Questions
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy where an answer refers to material published on his Department’s website to (a) make a copy available to the hon. Member who tabled the question and (b) place a copy of the material in the Library; and if he will make a statement. [253018]
Mr. Bradshaw: It is our practice that documents containing information requested in a parliamentary question are deposited in the Library and a copy provided for the hon. Member. To be helpful to hon. Members, we may refer in a written answer to more general additional information available on a website and this may not be appropriate for deposit.
Departmental Written Statements
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health at what time of day his Department makes written ministerial statements available to (a) hon. Members and (b) members of the press; and if he will make a statement. [250428]
Mr. Bradshaw: Written statements are issued from 9.30am and copies are made available to the Press Gallery shortly afterwards. Copies may also be made available to other members of the press on request, and details of a written statement may be repeated in a press notice.
Health Services: Wales
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department plans to reply to the Welsh Affairs Select Committee report on the provision of cross-border health services for Wales. [248196]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Government’s response to the Welsh Affairs Committee was laid before Parliament on 26 January 2009.
Hospitals: Admissions
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of emergency readmissions to hospital in each NHS hospital trust in England occurred within 28 days of discharge in each of the last five years. [250688]
Mr. Bradshaw: Information is not available in precisely the form requested. The available information, from the National Centre for Health Outcomes Development, is contained in the tables ‘Emergency readmissions to hospital within 28 days of discharge from hospital’, which have been placed in the Library. This gives figures separately for the age groups 0-15 years and 16 years and over, analysed either by primary care trust or by individual hospital trust.
Hospitals: Waiting Lists
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for a hospital appointment in each primary care trust in Merseyside in each year since 1995. [251457]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information requested is not available in the format requested. However, the following table shows the average (median) waiting times for a first out-patient appointment in Merseyside primary care trusts (PCTs), or organisations in existence at the time, in each year since 1997.
| Ou t- patients seen | ||
| Health authority | Median waiting times (weeks) | |
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