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24 Mar 2009 : Column 250W—continued
Sight Impaired: Children
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children of each age under 17 years old have been prescribed glasses in each of the last 10 years. [264911]
Ann Keen: National health service funded sight tests and NHS optical vouchers are available to all children under the age of 16 and those aged between 16 and 18 in full time education.
The following table shows the number of optical vouchers redeemed for those aged under 16 and aged between 16 and 18 in full time education over the last 10 years. Statistics are not collected broken down by each age group. The Department does not collect statistics on the number of glasses prescribed following a private sight test.
The total numbers of optical vouchers do not necessarily relate to the number of children as some children will have had more than one optical voucher in any 12 month period.
| Children aged 0 to 15 | Children aged 16 to 18 in full time education | |
Smoking: Hertfordshire
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people resident in (a) Hemel Hempstead and (b) Hertfordshire have received assistance from the NHS to stop smoking in each of the last five years. [265816]
Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not available in the format requested. Data are available on the number of people setting a quit date and successfully quitting through the NHS Stop Smoking Services for West Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) and East and North Hertfordshire PCT in 2006-07 and 2007-08 and for South East Hertfordshire PCT and North Hertfordshire and Stevenage PCT for 2004-05 through to 2006-07.
Information for 2007-08 is available from the annual report “Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services in England, April 2007 to March 2008”. This information can be found in table 3.5 on page 29. This publication has already been placed in the Library.
Information for 2006-07 is available for both the old and new strategic health authority (SHA) and PCT area breakdowns from the annual report “Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services in England, April 2006 to March 2007”. This information can be found in table 2.12 (old breakdown) and table 5.4 (new breakdown) on pages 21 and 66 respectively. This publication has already been placed in the Library.
Information for 2005-06 is available for the old PCT and SHA breakdowns from the annual report “Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services in England, April 2005 to March 2006”. This information can be found in table 4.12 on page 40. This publication has already been placed in the Library.
Information for 2004-05 is available for the old PCT and SHA breakdowns from the annual report “Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services in England, April 2004 to March 2005”. This information can be found in table 19 on page 56. This publication has already been placed in the Library.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the NHS of treating smoking-related diseases in (a) Hemel Hempstead and (b) Hertfordshire in each of the last five years. [265817]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department has not made such an estimate. The hon. Member may wish to raise his query directly with West Hertfordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) and East and North Hertfordshire PCT, which cover Hertfordshire.
Social Care: Research
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009, Official Report, column 253W, on social care: research, when each of the two academic studies are due to be completed; and if he will publish them upon completion. [266224]
Phil Hope: The research undertaken by Professor Mayhew of Cass Business School, concerning financial products that could potentially support private contributions in a new care and support system, was published in January 2009 and is available on following website:
The second piece of research, being undertaken by the Personal Social Services Research Unit to make projections of likely future demand for long-term care, is still ongoing. The intention is that these findings will be published following completion in due course.
Social Services: Elderly
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each local authority spent on (a) residential care and (b) domiciliary care for older people in each of the last 10 years. [265758]
Phil Hope: Data on local authority expenditure on domiciliary and residential care for older people are collected and published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care.
Information showing the total amounts spent on domiciliary and residential care for older people aged 65 and over by local authority from 1998-99 to 2007-08 has been placed in the Library.
Stabilisation Aid Fund
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009, Official Report, column 40W, on the Stabilisation Aid Fund, whether the £15,350,000 transferred to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is counted for the purpose of the calculation of total expenditure on overseas development assistance; and if he will make a statement. [264858]
Mr. Hutton: I have been asked to reply.
The Stabilisation Aid Fund, amounting to £73 million in 2008-09, is required to spend £58 million on Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) eligible activities. Money transferred to the FCO at Spring Supplementary Estimates (SSE) was based on estimated forecast expenditure across a portfolio of projects, a high proportion of which include ODA-eligible activity.
Teenage Pregnancy
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the under-18 year old conception rates were in each (a) ward and (b) local authority area in England in the latest period for which figures are available. [265543]
Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated March 2009:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the under 18 year old conception rates were in each (a) ward and (b) local authority in England in the latest period for which figures are available. (265543)
Available figures are estimates of the number of conceptions that resulted in a live birth and/or stillbirth (a maternity) or a legal termination.
The numbers and rates of conceptions to under 18 year olds by local authority in England for 2007 (the most recent year for which figures are available), are shown in the table. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House. Figures for 2007 arc provisional.
Figures on conceptions to women aged under 18 are not routinely published by wards due to concerns in maintaining the confidentiality of individuals.
University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with university hospitals in Morecambe Bay NHS Trust on the performance of their accident and emergency departments. [265917]
Mr. Bradshaw: Ministers have not had any direct discussions with the University hospitals of Morecambe Bay national health service trust on performance at accident and emergency (A&E) departments within that organisation.
NHS trusts in England are expected to meet the four-hour A&E operational standard of 98 per cent. of patients being seen, diagnosed and treated within four hours of their arrival at A&E. This standard is set out as an existing commitment for the NHS to meet in “The NHS in England: The Operating Framework for 2008/09”, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library. It is for primary care trusts and strategic health authorities to work with NHS organisations to ensure they are providing an appropriate level of high quality care for patients, and work closely with challenged organisations.
Work and Pensions
Carer’s Premium
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the effect on public expenditure of abolishing the carers’ premium element of pension credit in each of the next six years. [257197]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Pension credit tops up income to a minimum of £124.05 for single pensioners (£189.35 for couples) aged 60 and over. People who are entitled to carer’s allowance may benefit from an additional amount which increases their minimum guarantee by £27.75 (which is doubled where both members of a couple are entitled to carer’s allowance).
The table gives estimates of the saving associated with abolishing the additional amount for carers, all else remaining unchanged.
| Estimated savings due to abolishing the carer’s additional amount in pension credit, all else remaining unchanged | |
| £ million | |
| Note: Estimates include the savings on housing benefit and council tax benefit from abolishing the additional amount for carers. Sources: 1. Forecasts of pension credit case loads 2. Modelling using the Policy Simulation Model | |
Cold Weather Payments
Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make an assessment of the merits of extending cold weather payments to other categories of income-related benefits. [264732]
Kitty Ussher
[holding answer 19 March 2009]: To enable us to target limited resources at those who are most in need, eligibility for cold weather payments is based on receipt of a range of income-related benefits. Eligible customers are those in receipt of pension credit or income-related employment and support allowance that includes a work-related activity or support component. Those in receipt of income support, income-based jobseeker’s allowance or income-related employment
and support allowance in the assessment phase are also eligible if they have a pensioner or disability premium included in their benefit or they have a child who is disabled or under the age of five in the family. There are no plans to extend Cold Weather Payments to other categories of income-related benefits.
Cold Weather Payments: East Kilbride
Mr. Ingram: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on what date the postcodes G74, G75 and ML10 were allocated to the Bishopton weather station for determining the payment of cold weather payments; which weather station was used for households in those postcode areas prior to that date; and how the mean average temperature for the East Kilbride and Strathaven area is calculated. [261388]
Kitty Ussher [holding answer 10 March 2009]: Postcodes G74 and G75 were allocated to the Bishopton weather station for determining the payment of cold weather payments from November 1999. Prior to that date these postcodes were allocated to Abbotsinch (Glasgow Airport) weather station.
Postcode ML10 was allocated to Salsburgh weather station from November 1997. Prior to that it was allocated to Abbotsinch (Glasgow Airport) weather station. Postcode ML10 has never been allocated to Bishopton weather station.
The monthly/seasonal temperature averages for East Kilbride for the 30-year period 1971-2000, which is the latest standard 30-year period used for climate statistics, have been calculated using the observed temperatures from the climate station that was open in East Kilbride during that period.
Housing Benefit: Expenditure
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent on housing benefit in each year since 1997 expressed in 2008-09 prices. [265288]
Kitty Ussher: The information requested is in the table.
| Total housing benefit expenditure in Great Britain in real terms, 2008-09 prices | |
| £ million | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are in real terms, 2008-09 prices. 2. Expenditure covers the total amounts paid to beneficiaries, irrespective of the source of funding. This includes benefit spending reimbursed by DWP, spending on rent rebates financed within local authorities’ housing revenue accounts, and benefit spending financed from local authorities’ general funds. Includes expenditure on discretionary housing payments. Source: Local authority subsidy claims | |
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