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40 to 59-year- olds not in education, employment or training
	NEET
	Number					Percentage
40-59	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007
Gateshead	13,000	13,000	13,000	13,000	13,000	26	27	25	25	24
Newcastle upon Tyne	18,000	18,000	16,000	16,000	17,000	27	28	25	26	26
North Tyneside	12,000	12,000	13,000	13,000	12,000	24	23	23	23	21
South Tyneside	11,000	11,000	11,000	12,000	10,000	30	28	26	28	24
Sunderland	24,000	24,000	22,000	24,000	20,000	30	29	27	29	25
Hartlepool	7,000	7,000	8,000	7,000	7,000	31	30	30	29	28
Middlesbrough	10,000	10,000	11,000	10,000	10,000	28	28	30	28	25
Redcar and Cleveland	12,000	10,000	10,000	10,000	9,000	30	26	25	26	24
Stockton-on-Tees	12,000	11,000	9,000	10,000	12,000	24	22	18	19	23
Durham	40,000	38,000	34,000	33,000	35,000	29	27	24	23	24
Darlington	6,000	5,000	6,000	5,000	5,000	24	20	22	18	18
Northumberland	19,000	20,000	19,000	21,000	16,000	21	21	20	22	17
North East	186,000	180,000	171,000	175,000	164,000	27	26	24	25	23
England	2,627,000	2,617,000	2,557,000	2,612,000	2,591,000	20	20	19	19	19
Source: Annual Population Survey

Vocational Training: ICT

Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps he is taking to improve access to IT training in Kent Thameside. [263239]

Mr. Simon: The Government recognise that information communication and technology (ICT) training has a major role to play in helping to deliver our ambition to become a world leader in skills. With regard to ICT user skills, the recent publication “Skills for Life: Changing Lives” outlines how DIUS is considering with partners the development of a national strategy for ICT as a skill for life. More details will be provided shortly when the Informal Adult Learning White Paper is published. Plans for the development of digital skills more widely are being prepared with advice from sector skills councils following publication of “Digital Britain: The Interim Report” in January 2009 and will be presented in the final report to be published by the summer.

With regard to Kent Thameside more specifically, it is recognised that a mismatch between skills and opportunities could be a significant potential barrier to local regeneration. The Kent Thameside Regeneration Framework has a specific objective to raise the standards of learning and skills.

IT training will play a critical part in up-skilling local residents to take advantage of the opportunities that will become available through regeneration. There is a range of projects located in local communities across Kent Thameside aimed at raising the skills of local people. The Gateway Knowledge Alliance is part of a partnership delivering targeted IT provision with Learn IT to unemployed learners in deprived communities. It is also working as part of Employ North Kent on a SEEDA funded initiative. Starting from April 2009, the project will involve jobs-matching and the delivery of suitable courses that have been identified, which could include IT. In Dartford, a new state-of-the-art adult education centre was officially opened in February. The centre includes a new IT suite and aims to allow adults
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to gain the skills that employers are looking for, particularly during this economic downturn. There has been a big uptake in the number of people taking part in courses for the key employability skills of maths, IT and basic English. In Dartford alone, there has been a 20 per cent. increase in the number of people enrolling on these courses since September.

Young People: Unemployment

Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what his most recent assessment is of the effect of the recession on the number of 18 to 24 year olds who are not in education, employment or training. [264161]

Mr. Simon [holding answer 17 March 2009]: Data from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) suggest that the employment rates for 18 to 24-year-olds not in full-time education have fallen slightly faster than for other age groups. However, it is too early to say that young people are or will be disproportionately affected by the current downturn, and the data may be affected by sample size fluctuations.

Over the last year increases in ILO unemployment have been spread quite evenly across different age groups. The claimant count, which tends to be more reliable than the LFS for looking at short-term economic trends, shows that the rise in inflows to job seeker’s allowance (JSA) has also been spread evenly by age.

There has been an increase in the percentage of 18 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training from 2007 to 2008, from 14.6 per cent. to 15.6 per cent., however due to the small samples involved, this is likely to include some degree of sampling error.

Health

Antidepressants: Children

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children aged under 16 years old were prescribed anti-depressant medication in (a) England, (b) the North East, (c) Tees Valley district and (d) Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland constituency in each of the last five years. [265338]

Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.

Arthritis: Waiting Lists

Ms Angela C. Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking in respect of waiting times for follow-up treatment for patients with rheumatoid arthritis. [264764]

Ann Keen: Clinical priority is, and remains, the main determinant of when patients should be treated. We have repeatedly stated that those patients who are in greatest need should continue to be treated first. Good waiting list management is based on treating clinically urgent patients urgently and all other patients in turn chronologically. Working with their lead commissioner, primary care trusts need to ensure they have the necessary capacity in place to support this.

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Baby Care Units: Nurses

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average annual salary is of a neonatal nurse employed by the NHS in England; and if he will make a statement. [265421]

Ann Keen: It is not possible to identify from central data the average annual salary of a neonatal nurse employed by the national health service in England. The role of a neonatal nurse can vary locally and any particular role would need to be job evaluated, based on the demands of the job. From 1 April 2009 under Agenda for Change, the terms and conditions on which neonatal nurses are employed, salaries can range from Band 5 for a newly qualified nurse (£20,710 minimum) to Band 9 for a nurse/midwife consultant higher level (£95,333 maximum).

Dementia

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what timetable he has set for implementation of his Department’s commitments contained in the National Dementia Strategy. [265719]

Phil Hope: The impact assessment for the National Dementia Strategy assumes implementation of the strategy over a five year period.

The decisions about implementation of the Department’s commitments in the National Dementia Strategy will be taken during 2009-10.

Departmental Buildings

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what properties (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) NHS trusts have sold in each of the last five years; and how many have been sold for housing developments. [265117]

Mr. Bradshaw: Details of the larger properties sold by the Department in each of the last five years are provided in the following table. While it will be up to the purchaser to decide on the future use of the properties, information is provided where it is considered the properties may be developed for housing. No properties were sold by the Department’s agencies during this period. Information is not held centrally in respect of properties sold by national health service trusts.

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