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20 Apr 2009 : Column 481W—continued
Smoking
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what data his Department collects on the number of NHS patients who have ceased smoking as a result of advice given by their GP in (a) each London borough and (b) England in the latest period for which figures are available. [269266]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Data are available on the number of people who have stopped smoking through NHS Stop Smoking Services. This is reported on quarterly and annually at national, strategic health authority and primary care trust level by the NHS information centre for health and social care (IC) and the reports can be found on the NHS IC website at:
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) omnibus survey collects information on adult smokers in the general population who have had advice from their general practitioner about smoking. The annual report smoking-related behaviour and attitudes is available on the ONS website at:
Social Services
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2009, Official Report, column 251W, on social care: research, whether the research being undertaken by the Personal Social Services Research Unit to make projections of likely future demand for long-term care has been completed. [269772]
Phil Hope: The personal social services unit (PSSRU) is currently in the early stages of producing a report detailing the results around the projections of likely future demand for long-term care. We expect PSSRU to publish this report within the next few months.
Social Services: National Skills Academies
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answer of 20 June 2008, Official Report, column 1236W, whether the Social Care Skills Academy is operational. [269771]
Phil Hope: The National Skills Academy for Social Care is currently involving a broad array of sector employers and people who use services to ensure its programmes and activities meet the needs and expectations of those who will benefit most from its creation. It has recently appointed a permanent director and is currently rolling out its first programmes. The Skills Academy is expected to be fully operational by autumn 2009.
Social Workers
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many social workers the NHS employs; and how many of them completed their training (a) in the UK and (b) abroad. [269724]
Phil Hope: The information is not collected centrally.
South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when South Staffordshire NHS Trust applied to Monitor for foundation status; [268051]
(2) when Monitor (a) began and (b) completed its intensive assessment of the application for foundation status by South Staffordshire NHS Trust; [268052]
(3) when Monitor granted foundation status to South Staffordshire NHS Trust; [268053]
(4) if he will place in the Library a copy of Monitor’s assessment of the arrangements made by the board of South Staffordshire NHS Trust for monitoring and continuously improving the quality healthcare provided to the hospitals patients. [268054]
Mr. Bradshaw: We are informed by the chairman of Monitor (the statutory name of which is the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts) that the trust wrote to Monitor to formally apply for NHS foundation trust (NHS FT) status on 23 January 2006.
Monitor began its assessment work on 25 January 2006 when the 'kick-off meeting was arranged with the trust, and completed its work on 24 April 2006 which was the date of the decision board.
South Staffordshire and Shropshire NHS FT was authorised on 1 May 2006.
The requirement for an assessment of arrangements for monitoring and continuously improving the quality of healthcare, which is set out in appendix B12 of the Guide for Applicants dated November 2008, was not in place at the time of the South Staffordshire assessment in 2006. Therefore it is not possible to place this in the Library.
Suicide
Dr. Ladyman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the Suicide and Injury of Undetermined Intent Mortality Rate indicator was withdrawn; and what assessment he has made of the effect of its withdrawal on the anti-suicide strategy. [269104]
Phil Hope: The 2008-09 National Health Service Operating Framework includes a measure for strategic health authorities (SHAs) to reduce the death rate from injury and undetermined death by at least 20 per cent. from a 1995-97 baseline figure by 2010. SHAs are expected to have plans in place with the Department to achieve this reduction.
However, as primary care trusts (PCTs) do not have equivalent plans, the Healthcare Commission (now Care Quality Commission) agreed to withdraw this indicator from 2008-09 national priorities for PCTs. PCTs are expected to support SHAs in delivery on their agreed priorities, and their suicide rates are monitored as part of the Vital Signs set.
Progress with implementation of the suicide prevention strategy and the target is published in the departmental report each year, and also in the Suicide Prevention Strategy annual report. The overall rate of suicide amongst the general population is at the lowest rate on record and among the lowest in Europe.
Teenage Pregnancy: Hillingdon
Mr. Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many teenage pregnancies there were in the London Borough of Hillingdon in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [268586]
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 April 2009:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many teenage pregnancies there were in the London Borough of Hillingdon in each of the last five years for which figures are available. (268586)
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 number of conceptions to women aged under 18 in the London Borough of Hillingdon for the years 2003-2007 (the most recent year for which figures are available), are shown in the attached table. Figures for 2007 are provisional.
| Number of conceptions to women aged under 18 in the London borough of Hillingdon, 2003 to 2007 | |
| Number | |
| (1) Figures for 2007 are provisional | |
International Development
Conflict Prevention
John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what change in funding for (a) the Conflict Prevention Pool budget and (b) each activity funded under that budget is planned for 2009-10; what discussions he has had with his Ministerial colleagues on the subject; and if he will make a statement. [268808]
Mr. Thomas: The Secretary of State has discussed changes to the Conflict Prevention Pool (CPP) Budget with the Foreign and Defence Secretaries. The agreements reached are set out in the written ministerial statement submitted to Parliament by the Foreign Secretary on 25 March 2009, Official Report, columns 17-19WS. The statement sets out a new structure for conflict funding in 2009-10. This includes merging the Stabilisation Aid Fund Iraq and Afghanistan programmes with certain CPP programmes. It also sets out the overall funding levels available for conflict-related activity in 2009-10.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his latest estimate is of his Department’s capital expenditure in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10, (c) 2010-11 and (d) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [268123]
Mr. Michael Foster: The latest estimates of expenditure against capital departmental expenditure limits (CDEL) were published on page 214 of the pre-Budget report in November 2008. The Department for International Development estimates that the Department’s expenditure within CDEL will be as follows:
| £ million | |
Capital DEL budgets for 2011-12 and beyond are a matter for the next spending review.
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether funding under the Returns and Reintegration Fund is classified as official development assistance; and if he will make a statement. [268867]
Mr. Michael Foster: Most of the projects funded by the Returns and Reintegration Fund do not count as Official Development Assistance (ODA).
Departmental Publications
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the (a) production and printing and (b) other costs to his Department of producing its most recent (i) departmental annual report and (ii) autumn performance report. [266690]
Mr. Michael Foster: The cost of the Department for International Development's (DFID) most recent Annual and Autumn Performance Reports were as follows:
| £ | ||
| (a) Production and printing( 1) | (b) Other costs( 1) | |
| (1) Including VAT | ||
Departmental Training
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which training courses were (a) available to and (b) taken up by (i) civil servants and (b) Ministers in his Department in the last 12 months. [265305]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Staff at the Department for International Development (DFID) are able to attend a range of internal and external training courses. It is not possible to provide specific details of all courses available and taken up by civil servants without incurring disproportionate costs.
On training courses undertaken by Ministers, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 2 February 2009, Official Report, column 861W.
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on the provision of training for Ministers and civil servants in each of the last three years. [266214]
Mr. Michael Foster: Information on the costs of staff training are not recorded centrally and cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.
On training courses undertaken by Ministers, I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 30 March 2009, Official Report, column 865W.
Developing Countries: Drugs
Sir Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on the creation of a patent pool to enable access to generic copies of drugs by governments in developing countries. [267910]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The UK Government support the recommendation in the World Health Organization’s Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property to
“examine the feasibility of voluntary patent pools of upstream and downstream technologies to promote innovation of and access to health products and medical devices”.
We have therefore welcomed the investigation of a patent pool for HIV/AIDS treatments being carried out by UNITAID, the international drug purchase facility. This has the objective of making HIV/AIDS drugs more widely available, and of promoting the development of new fixed dose combinations, in particular those suitable for use by children.
We also welcome the recent proposal by GlaxoSmithKline to create a patent pool to facilitate research on neglected tropical diseases, and its intention to place over 800 patents (and patent applications) in such a pool.
Developing Countries: Water
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what consideration was given to holding discussions on the issue of poor water and sanitation in the developing world at the London G20 summit. [268963]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The concerns of developing countries and the poorest people were central to discussions at the G20 London summit. This is reflected in the number of positive outcomes for international development and global poverty reduction achieved at the summit.
These outcomes included G20 Leaders agreeing substantially more funds for poor countries at a time when they are being badly hit by the economic crisis. The headline figure is an additional $50 billion to safeguard development and boost growth in the poorest countries. These additional resources secured for developing countries at the London summit are available to support progress towards the MDGs, including improved water and sanitation in the developing world.
G20 Leaders also recognised our collective responsibility to address the social impact of this crisis—alongside the economic impact. The summit highlighted the importance of providing resources for social protection for the most vulnerable. A special mechanism will also be set up by the UN to track the impact of the crisis on the poor at the household level so we can ensure that assistance is properly targeted.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent steps the Government has taken to improve access to clean water and sanitation in the developing world. [268964]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department for International Development (DFID) is committed to improving access to water and sanitation in the developing world.
The 2008 Water Policy: “Water: An increasingly precious resource, Sanitation: A matter of dignity” sets out the steps DFID is taking to meet its £200 million commitment to address the serious water and sanitation challenges.
The policy is available on the DFID website at:
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