| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
27 Feb 2009 : Column 1176W—continued
West Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by West Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust on the production of literature relating to the restructuring of local NHS services in the latest period for which figures are available. [259170]
Phil Hope: The information requested is not held centrally. This is a matter for the local national health service.
Wheelchairs
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many wheelchair services are meeting the 18 week pathway for provision of their services; and what funding his Department has provided to primary care trusts to deliver such services in the last 12 months. [259624]
Phil Hope: Funding for all national health service wheelchair services comes out of general allocation funding to primary care trusts (PCTs). This funding is not ring-fenced and it is for each PCT to assess local need and allocate funds accordingly.
Wheelchairs are classified as medical devices and are covered by the 18 weeks referral to treatment commitment where the need for the specialised wheelchair is identified as the first definitive treatment on an 18 weeks referral to treatment consultant-led pathway.
The Department does not collect data separately on the provision of wheelchair services on 18 weeks referral to treatment pathways.
NHS spend on wheelchair services in 2006-07, which is the latest year figures are available for, was £125.8 million.
Duchy of Lancaster
Elderly People
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate he has made of the percentage of households where one or more persons is over 80 years in (a) Eastbourne constituency, (b) East Sussex and (c) England in 2008-09. [258894]
Mr. Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply.
Recent estimates for Eastbourne constituency and East Sussex are not available.
For England, the most recent estimate is that 8 per cent. of all households have at least one member aged 80 or over. This is based on an average of the latest three years of the Survey of English Housing (2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08).
Treasury
Bank Services: Local Government
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the Answer to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar of 17 October 2008, Official Report, column 1577W, on local government: banking services, when (a) his Department and (b) the Financial Services Authority was first informed of the financial vulnerability of Icelandic banking institutions. [258498]
Ian Pearson: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 11 November 2008, Official Report, column 1083W.
Bank Services: Regulation
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date the Financial Services Authority added each Icelandic bank to the list of authorised deposit-takers for local authorities. [258405]
Ian Pearson: The FSA is responsible for authorisation of UK deposit-taking institutions under part IV of the Financial Services and Markets Act (FSMA). Deposit-taking institutions incorporated in other EEA states are authorised by their home state regulator and can establish branches in the UK using ‘passport’ rights under EC law. The FSA does not produce a list of authorised deposit-taking institutions specifically for the guidance of local authorities.
Banks: Finance
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what assessment he has made of the effect on the availability of credit to customers of the credit scoring methodologies of those banks in which the Government holds shares; [258556]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effect on availability of mortgages of the affordability calculations used to determine eligibility for a mortgage made by those lenders in which the Government has a significant shareholding. [259631]
Ian Pearson: Where there is public sector investment in financial institutions these stakes are to be managed on a commercial basis by an arm's length company, UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI). UKFI's objective is to protect and create value for the taxpayer as shareholder with due regard to the maintenance of financial stability and to act in a way that promotes competition. Decisions concerning risk assessment of individual borrowers remain commercial decisions for banks and building societies.
Child Benefit
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps his Department (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to ensure that all relevant staff of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are aware of the new targets relating to time taken to process claims for child benefit; and when he expects the first measures of HMRC performance against these targets to be published. [258637]
Mr. Timms: HMRC’s target to pay 69 per cent. of new child benefit claims in nine working days and all new claims in an average of 20 calendar days was introduced from April 2008.
HMRC made staff aware of the new target at the time it was introduced through a series of management communications and presentations. Individual contributions towards the claims target are also a feature of the annual performance agreements of relevant staff.
Outturn for 2008-09 will be available later in the year.
Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt
Mr. Maude: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many (a) donations and (b) bequests were made to the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt in each month since January 2006; and what the monetary value of each was. [258371]
Ian Pearson:
The following table lists, on a month-by-month basis, the totals of cash and gilts that have been surrendered to the Donations and Bequests account, administered by the Commissioners for the Reduction
of the National Debt, from January 2006 to date. It does not include any donations of cash, gilts or other
property that may still be being administered or processed by the Treasury Solicitor.
| Number of transactions | Month value total (£) | Month value bonds (£) | Month value cash (£) | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |