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16 Mar 2009 : Column 897W—continued
Mental Health Services: Finance
Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his announcement of 8 March 2009 on mental health and unemployment, from which budget the £13 million he has allocated will be taken; by what mechanism it will be allocated to local NHS
services; and how it will be broken down between the different measures he has announced. [263633]
Phil Hope: This additional funding is for a package of measures to help the national health service support people with emotional distress or common mental health problems in the economic downturn. It builds on the significant investment we are already making, annual funding rising to £173 million by 2010-11, to train a new workforce and invest in high quality psychological therapy services.
The mechanism to allocate the extra £13 million to the local NHS is yet to be determined, although it will be distributed in the 2009-10 financial year. Departmental officials are working closely with strategic health authorities to ensure the money is used to address the needs of the primary care trusts appropriately.
NHS Treatment Centres: Private Sector
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the cost of residual value payments which may be made to providers of independent sector treatment centres (ISTC) projects contracted under the (a) first and (b) second wave of the ISTC programme. [262979]
Mr. Bradshaw: The current estimate of the residual value payments on all wave 1 contracts is approximately £176 million and in phase II approximately £40 million.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department (a) has issued and (b) plans to issue on the renegotiation of independent treatment sector contracts. [262980]
Mr. Bradshaw: No formal guidance on the renegotiation of independent sector treatment contracts has yet been issued. A degree of national consistency will be necessary as this work is taken forward. Any formal guidance would be developed in discussion with the national health service and the independent sectors. It is expected that decisions will be taken based on local service need and value for money.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the merits of refinancing independent sector treatment centre premises and leasing them back to independent providers. [263137]
Mr. Bradshaw: No assessment has yet been made of the possibility of refinancing independent sector treatment centre premises and leasing them back to independent providers.
As plans develop for the management of contract expiry, all options will be considered.
NHS: Buildings
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what gross internal floor area each NHS organisation held which was attributable to buildings with temporary planning consent in each of the last five years; and what the ERIC code of each organisation is. [263683]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department has collected annual data from national health service trusts through the Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC) relating to:
“The gross internal floor area that is attributable to buildings with temporary planning consent, as defined in the Planning Regulations (normally with up to two years planning consent). Exclude site cabins used by private contractors but include all relevant buildings that are either owned by the NHS Trust or defined within the terms of a lease, service level agreement, or tenancy agreement. Excludes leased out areas.”
The data for 2007-08 have been placed in the Library.
The information provided has been supplied by the NHS and had not been amended centrally. The accuracy and completeness of the information is the responsibility of the provider organisation. Provision of this data was voluntary for all NHS trusts including foundation trusts.
A list of the organisations codes used in ERIC has also been placed in the Library.
NHS: Fairtrade Initiative
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to encourage NHS organisations to purchase fair trade products where appropriate. [263369]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department is committed to the principles of fair and ethical trade. We have already made a clear commitment, in the 2008 Global Health Strategy, to
“support the work of the British Medical Association-led Medical Fair and Ethical Trade Group, foster good practice in the
National Health Service and private healthcare system, and work with industry and other countries to encourage fair and ethical trade”.
In addition, the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency issued “Ethical Procurement for Health” for consultation in December 2008. A copy has been placed in the Library. This encourages NHS organisations to consider labour standards issues within procurement and to adopt appropriate policies and procedures to assure standards are maintained in line with International Labour Organisation conventions.
Pharmacy: Hemel Hempstead
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many licensed pharmacies there were in Hemel Hempstead in each of the last five years. [263066]
Phil Hope: This information is not held in the format requested. However, data are held for the number of community pharmacies in contract with their primary care trust (PCT) at 31 March each year. These data were first published in 2004-05, and are held by PCT area only.
Since 2006, West Hertfordshire PCT has covered Hemel Hempstead constituency. Prior to 2006, West Hertfordshire PCT was made up of Dacorum PCT, Hertsmere PCT, St. Albans and Harpenden PCT and Watford and Three Rivers PCT.
The number of community pharmacies in contract with Hemel Hempstead PCT at 31 March each year for 2006-08, and with Dacorum PCT, Hertsmere PCT, St. Albans and Harpenden PCT and Watford and Three Rivers PCT for 2004-06 is shown in the following table.
| Number of community pharmacies in contract with PCT at 31 March | ||||
| PCT | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
| Notes: 1. Each community pharmacy has an arrangement with a PCT to dispense national health service prescriptions. The arrangement specifies both the premises and the named contractor. 2. Community pharmacies can dispense the full range of drugs and appliances as listed in the monthly Drug Tariff published by the NHS Prescription Services (previously known as the Prescription Pricing Division) of the NHS Business Services Authority. | ||||
Smoking
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) males and (b) females in the age groups (i) 10 to 15, (ii) 16 to 24, (iii) 25 to 49, (iv) 50 to 64, (v) 65 to 79 and (vi) 80 years and over (A) started and (B) ceased smoking in each of the last five years. [262984]
Phil Hope: The information requested is not available in the format requested.
Respondents to the General Household Survey (GHS) aged 16 and over have been asked questions about smoking behaviour since 1974. General trends in smoking are included in the GHS. The overall prevalence of smoking in England among the adult population was 21 per cent. in 2007. This is the lowest prevalence level since records began.
Spinal Injuries
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on publicly funded clinical research into (a) a cure for spinal cord injury and (b) the prevention of secondary complications associated with spinal cord injury between 2003 and 2008. [263005]
Phil Hope: The expenditure data available on research related to spinal injury are shown in the following table:
| £ million | ||
| Medical Research Council (MRC) | Department | |
The MRC figures include projects concerned directly with spinal cord injury and projects investigating related developmental or pathophysiological mechanisms likely to be relevant to understanding mechanisms of repair. They do not include projects related to spinal fracture arising from osteoporosis.
The MRC supports a great deal of basic underpinning research on the structure and function of the nervous system, the cost of which is not included in these figures.
The departmental figures relate to national research programme expenditure. They do not include expenditure on relevant research funded from the research and development allocations made to national health service providers. That information is not held centrally.
Swimming
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what swimming organisations will be invited to be members of the Physical Activity Alliance as part of the Change for Life initiative; and if he will make a statement. [263249]
Phil Hope: The Department has pledged to support the creation of a Physical Activity Alliance and is keen to encourage a membership that spans the physical activity sector. However, it is not the Department's role to be prescriptive as to its membership.
The Physical Activity Alliance will shortly be consulting on how it can best fulfil the role set out in the Physical Activity Plan. We would expect any organisation whose aims are compatible with those of the Alliance and willing to abide by its terms of membership to become eligible to join the organisation. This would extend to any swimming organisation.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultations he has undertaken on the Swim4Life programme as part of the Change for Life initiative; and if he will make a statement. [263250]
Phil Hope: The Change4Life team carried out qualitative research which informed the development of Swim4Life (and other sub-brands).
A toolkit for local supporters is being developed by the Department for Swim4Life to include help, tips and fun pool games for local organisations and families. Materials created by both Swimming Teachers Association and Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) are being reviewed as potential content for this toolkit. ASA are helping us to ensure that all the content that we include in the Swim4Life toolkit is safe and fit for purpose.
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Apprentices
Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what progress the Government has made towards its targets for apprenticeships. [263014]
Mr. Simon [holding answer 12 March 2009]: This Government have rescued and expanded the apprenticeship programme. We will meet our target of 130,000 completions by 2010-11. Completions have more than trebled since 2001-02, from 39,000 to 113,000 in 2007-08. This means that over the 10-year period from 2001-02, to the end of the CSR period in 2010-11, around 900,000 young people and adults will have successfully completed their apprenticeship. Completion rates also reached an all-time high in 2007-08 of 64 per cent., compared to 48 per cent. in 2005-06. By 2020 we aim to deliver over 250,000 apprenticeship starts and 190,000 successful completions in order to meet the Leitch ambition for apprenticeships in England. We are on track to meet this ambition with a record 225,000 apprenticeship starts in 2007-08.
Astra: Redundancy
Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many Astra workers who were made redundant in 1993 had not accepted a change to their redundancy conditions and were still covered by the transfer of undertaking arrangements agreed with the Government at the time. [257441]
Mr. Simon: All of the Astra employees who were made redundant in 1993 received statutory redundancy payments in line with their extant entitlements. I understand that it was a revised condition of service that they had to accept changes to their redundancy entitlement, during the course of their employment by Astra, if they wished to remain Astra employees.
Departmental Bank Services
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills with which banks his Department has or has had contracts for the provision of financial advice, for the financial year 2008-09. [262757]
Mr. Simon: In the 2008-09 financial year, the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills has held a contract with Deutsche Bank for financial advice in respect of the student loan sales programme.
Departmental Public Consultation
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what payments for (a) polling and (b) other services his Department has made to (i) Deborah Mattinson and (ii) Opinion Leader Research Limited since 31 December 2007; and if he will make a statement. [260987]
Mr. Simon:
The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) has not made any direct payments to either Deborah Mattinson or Opinion Leader Research (OLR) since its inception in June 2007. However, there
has been one payment through the Central Office of Information to OLR, on behalf of DIUS. This payment was for OLR to organise two citizens’ juries, which took place on 10 and 11 December 2007 in London and Hull. This was a joint project between the Department for Communities and Local Government, and DIUS.
The final cost, shared between the two Departments, was £59,615. DIUS made a contribution of £29,807 to this amount, these figures are exclusive of VAT.
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