| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
4 Feb 2009 : Column 1365W—continued
NHS East Midlands: Parking
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the workplace parking charges being introduced by Nottingham City Council will be required to be paid by staff of (a) NHS East Midlands and (b) the Commission for Social Care Inspection in whole or in part where those staff work in offices located within the workplace parking charging zone. [253776]
Mr. Bradshaw: This is a matter for Nottingham city council in discussion with relevant stakeholders.
NHS: ICT
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 January 2009, what proportion of the repayment costs for each trust reflect (a) repayment of the capital value and (b) service and other charges; and what the total for each trust is of the additional charges which have been levied through the relevant private finance initiative contract. [254109]
Mr. Bradshaw: Unitary payments on private finance initiative (PFI) schemes are structured and priced to deliver an integrated service. It is not therefore possible to precisely identify costs attributable to each expenditure category.
However, analysis undertaken by officials on a sample of PFI schemes showed that the provision of ‘soft’ facilities management (FM) services (e.g. catering, cleaning, portering) made up on average 26 per cent. of the unitary payment; ‘hard’ FM services (building maintenance) on average 20 per cent. Costs to the private sector in management fees (administering the special purpose vehicles or ‘project companies’) and taking out insurance on the new facilities account for another approximately 4 per cent. Repayment of the annualised total financing debt (i.e. the capital cost and borrowing charges) accounted for on average 50 per cent. of the unitary payment.
There are no additional charges levied under a signed PFI contract private. The payment mechanism in a contract contains a volume element under which the quantity of variable items such as meals or linen provided is directly related to the throughput of patients, so where the volume of services are above those initially stated in the PFI contract, trusts will make additional payments. Under a ‘variation of services’ clause in the contract, trusts can also require a change to the contract, for example, to increase capacity, which is charged for through an increase to the unitary payment.
Organs: Donors
Dr. Kumar:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Government plan to make changes to the
conditions which determine who receives organs donated by those carrying a donor card. [253117]
Dawn Primarolo: We have no plans to change the conditions which determine who receives organs from deceased donors, including those who carry a donor card. The system of allocation differs according to the type of organ, whether it is a heart, lung, kidney, or liver. Patients waiting for a heart or liver who are classified as urgent are given priority. This is because their life expectancy without a transplant can be measured in days or even hours. If there are no urgent patients on the waiting list, the organ is offered for patients on the non-urgent list who are nearest in age and blood group to the donor. The location of donor and recipient is also considered to minimise the delay between retrieving and transplanting organs.
Psychiatry
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many psychotherapists are employed by each primary care trust in (a) the East Midlands and (b) England. [253295]
Phil Hope: The numbers of psychotherapists in England and those employed by each East Midlands primary care trust (PCT) are shown in the following table:
| NHS hospital and community health services: Non-medical qualified psychotherapy staff and medical and dental staff within the psychotherapy specialty in England and the East Midlands strategic health authority area by organisation as at 30 September 2007 | ||
| Non-medical qualified psychotherapy staff | All medical and dental staff within the psychotherapy specialty | |
| ( 1) Denotes zero: Source: The Information Centre for Health And Social Care Medical and Dental Workforce Census | ||
Supporting People Programme
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to include proposals on the Supporting People programme in his forthcoming Green Paper on social care. [254153]
Phil Hope: The Government will publish a Green Paper on care and support reform in spring 2009.
The reaction from stakeholders and the public to various key questions was tested during an engagement process from May until November 2008. The Department clearly put Supporting People within the scope of this engagement by referring to it in “The case for change - Why England needs a new care and support system”, which was published in May 2008. A copy has been placed in the Library. The Supporting People programme was mentioned in the document as one of the wide range of services which, taken together, enable people to live as independently as possible.
The views and comments received during the engagement will help inform the Green Paper and a report of the findings will be published with it. We do not intend to comment on the content of the Green Paper until it is published.
X-Ray Scanners
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dual energy X-ray absorptiometry scanners used to carry out NHS-commissioned scans there are in each (a) strategic health authority and (b) primary trust in England; and what the location of each is. [253576]
Mr. Bradshaw: Data for dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scanners are not collected.
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department provides to primary care trusts on referring patients for dual energy X-ray absorptiometry scans; and if he will make a statement. [253577]
Phil Hope: The National Service Framework for Older People recommends that those patients identified as being at high risk of developing osteoporosis, or an osteoporotic fracture, should be referred for assessment of their bone mineral density, measurable by use of a dual energy X-ray absorptiometry scan, in accordance with guidance issued by the Royal College of Physicians—‘Osteoporosis: Clinical Guidelines for Prevention and Treatment’.
Energy and Climate Change
British Energy: EDF Energy
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the Written Ministerial Statement of 19 January 2009, Official Report, column 19WS, on EDF takeover, whether the £4.42 billion dedicated to the Nuclear Liabilities Fund paid on 19 January by Electricité de France EDF may be used for decontamination of radioactively polluted land on British energy sites; and whether title to the plutonium owned by British Energy has been transferred to EDF as part of the takeover. [250729]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 26 January 2009]: The assets of the Nuclear Liabilities Fund (NLF) will be used to meet certain decommissioning costs and uncontracted liabilities attaching to existing nuclear power plants operated by British Energy. To the extent that any radioactively polluted land is identified during the decommissioning process, decontamination would be paid for by the NLF if it qualified for payment under the terms of the restructuring agreements. Otherwise it would fall to the account of British Energy.
Title to the plutonium owned by British Energy remains with British Energy Generation Limited (BEG). Title will not transfer to EDF as part of the takeover. However, as a result of the takeover the shares in BEG are now controlled, indirectly, by EDF.
Carbon Sequestration
Mr. Denis Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with the power generation companies on carbon capture and storage in the last six months; and if he will make a statement. [252564]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Since the creation of the Department in October 2008, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has met with senior members of the power generation industry in the course of business to discuss energy issues. Carbon capture and storage is one of the areas that has been discussed among others.
Coal: Prices
Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment has been made of the effect of rising energy prices on people who rely on coal as their main energy source. [241573]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 9 December 2008]: The Department does not carry out separate analysis to quantify the effect of rising energy prices on domestic coal users. However, in 2006, around 101,000 households in England that relied on coal and other solid fuel as their primary source for central heating were fuel poor, around 46 per cent. of all such households. This is a slight increase from 45 per cent. of all households reliant on solid fuel central heating in 2005 (or 106,000 households).
Departmental Buildings
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the answer of 17 November 2008, Official Report, column 109W, on departmental buildings, what costs have been incurred in moving staff into 3 Whitehall Place. [242565]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Department has spent £54,000 to date on moving staff to 3 Whitehall Place.
Departmental Internet
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the budget for his Department’s website is for 2008-09; and how many of his Department’s staff are employed to manage the website. [250791]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The current DECC website was put in place at no cost as a temporary measure while a new site for the Department is developed. This current site provides links to the BERR and DEFRA websites where policy content for Energy and Climate Change issues continues to be hosted. £45,000 has so far been allocated for the replacement site for 2008-09. One member of staff is currently employed in managing the website.
Departmental Ministerial Policy Advisors
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what expert advisers have been commissioned by his Department since its inception; on what topic each was commissioned; and whether the adviser so appointed made a declaration of political activity in each case. [246972]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The detailed information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Once the Transfer of Function Order related to the creation of the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has come into force, DECC will sponsor a number of advisory non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) which provide independent expert advice on a number of issues. Appointments to NDPBs are governed by the principles set out in the Commissioner for Public Appointments' Code of Practice. Summary information is published in 'Public Bodies' which can be accessed on line at
or copies are available in the Libraries of the House.
Summary information on the political activity of individuals appointed to posts regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments' Code of Practice is published each year in the Commissioner's Annual Report.
In addition, the Government publish on an annual basis the names and numbers of special advisers in each pay band. For the most recent information I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 22 July 2008, Official Report, columns 99-102WS. DECC will be covered in future such returns.
Electricity Generation
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the Answer of 19 January 2009, Official Report, column 1002W, on electricity generation, what percentage of electricity production in 2007 was from each of the sources classified as other fuels. [251717]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 29 January 2009]: Of the 3.1 per cent. of electricity generation in the United Kingdom attributable to fuels other than coal, gas, nuclear and renewables, 1.2 percentage points were from oil, 1.0 percentage point was from pumped storage, 0.2 percentage points from non-biodegradable wastes, and 0.7 percentage points from coke oven gas, blast furnace gas and waste products from chemical processes. The source of these statistics is the Digest of United Kingdom Energy statistics 2008 a copy of which is available in the Library of the House and also at
Electricty Generation: Nuclear Power
John Robertson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change pursuant to the answer of 19 January 2009, Official Report, column 1002W, on electricity generation, what the UK’s capacity for
electricity production from nuclear energy was in 2007; and how much electricity was produced from nuclear energy in that year. [251718]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 29 January 2009 ]: The generating capacity of nuclear plant in the UK at the end of December 2007 was 10,979 MW, compared with 10,969 MW at the end of December 2006. Electricity generated at these nuclear stations during 2007 amounted to 63,028 GWh. The source of these statistics is the Digest of United Kingdom Energy Statistics 2008, Tables 5.6 and 5.7, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House and also at
Energy: Prices
Mr. Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the adequacy of publicity highlighting reduced domestic energy tariffs under the Government’s agreements with the energy utilities. [243266]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 16 December 2008] : Energy suppliers offer a range of help to their most vulnerable customers such as social tariffs, trust funds and rebates. In April, they agreed with the Government to increase their spend on social assistance and this year they will be spending collectively £100 million, rising to £125 million next year and £150 million by 2011.
In order to facilitate the role of advice organisations, switching sites and other intermediaries in making information available to their clients about social tariffs and other assistance, suppliers agreed in the Fuel Poverty Summit organised by Ofgem in April to provide greater visibility of their offers.
Subsequently Ofgem sought advice from key consumer organisations regarding what information suppliers should include on their websites. Following this process, all suppliers now have relevant information on their websites about their social tariffs and programmes and a contact phone number for consumers to check their eligibility.
Early indication from suppliers is that since this time last year the numbers of customer accounts on social tariffs have at least doubled and will exceed the 600,000 customer accounts originally suppliers estimated that would benefit this winter. This is a good indication of the level of awareness of the assistance suppliers offer, although the Department does not monitor the suppliers’ publicity activity directly.
Mr. Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) if he will seek discussions with energy suppliers regarding the availability of social tariffs to cancer patients; [245815]
(2) what recent estimate he has made of the number of people with a cancer diagnosis who are living in fuel poverty. [245814]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information as to how many people with a cancer diagnosis are living in fuel poverty is not available. People with a cancer diagnosis are classified as long-term sick and the detailed tables of the UK Fuel Poverty Strategy, Sixth Annual Progress Report 2008, available online at:
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |