| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
5 May 2009 : Column 114W—continued
—continued| 51 and over | Unknown | |||||||
| Male | Female | Not specified | Not known | Male | Female | Not specified | Not known | |
| All ages | ||||
| Male | Female | Not specified | Not known | |
| Notes: 1. Primary diagnosis: The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and 7 prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. (1) Primary diagnosis codes used: 160 Subarachnoid haemorrhage 161 Intracerebral haemorrhage 162 Other nontraumatic intracranial haemorrhage 163 Cerebral infarction 164 Stroke not specified as haemorrhage or infarction 2. Data quality: HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England. Data are also received from a number of independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. 3. Assessing growth through time: HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. The quality and coverage of the data have improved over time. These improvements in information submitted by the NHS have been particularly marked in the earlier years and need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. Some of the increase in figures for later years (particularly 2006-07 onwards) may be due to the improvement in the coverage of independent sector activity. Changes in NHS practice also need to be borne in mind when analysing time series. For example, a number of procedures may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and may no longer be accounted for in the HES data. This may account for any reductions in activity over time. 4. Ungrossed data: Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in the data, i.e. the data are ungrossed. 5. Discharges: A discharge episode is the last episode during a hospital stay (a spell), where the patient is discharged from the hospital (this includes transfer to another hospital). 6. Finished admission episodes: A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. Finished admission episodes are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 7. Deaths: HES data cannot be used to determine the cause of death of a patient while in hospital. Deaths recorded on the HES database may be analysed by the main diagnosis for which the patient was being treated during their stay in hospital, which may not necessarily be the underlying cause of death. For example, a patient admitted for a hernia operation (with a primary diagnosis of hernia) may die from an unrelated a heart attack. The Office for National Statistics collects information on the cause of death, wherever it occurs, based on the death certificate and should be the source of data for analyses on cause of death. (2) A death in hospital is coded as discharge method = 4 (died). Source: Hospital Episode Statistics {HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care | ||||
Trade Unions
Mr. Maude: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2009, Official Report, column 391W, on trade unions, which trade unions his Department's agencies recognise. [271922]
Mr. Bradshaw: I refer the right hon. Member to the written answer I gave him on 10 March 2009, Official Report, column 391W. There has been no change in the unions recognised by the Department and its agencies since that time.
Work and Pensions
Asbestos: Schools
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what relevant interests were declared by those responsible for (a) advice on and (b) drafting of the Health and Safety Executive report RR624. Further measurements of fibre concentrations in CLASP construction buildings. [271120]
Jonathan Shaw:
This project was funded by HSE to support a working group set up to consider asbestos risks in CLASP and other system-built schools. The working group was made up of specialists from central
and local government organisations—including the author of the report RR624, a Principal Scientist employed as a civil servant by the Health and Safety Laboratory. Individual working group members declared no interests. The working group did however include a representative of SCAPE—the trading arm of CLASP. Input from this commercial organisation was necessary to provide information on the design and location of CLASP buildings.
Benefits Rules
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Government plans to relax the 16-hour rule relating to work and benefits; and if he will make a statement. [261867]
Mr. McNulty: We have no plans to relax the remunerative work rule whereby a person may not claim working-age benefits if they are working for more than 16-hours a week. This rule has been designed to strike a balance between providing for need and maintaining work incentives.
It is inevitable that there must be a cut-off point at which work is regarded as full-time in any income-related scheme intended to help people who are unable to support themselves by working. People on low incomes who work for 16-hours or more a week have access to working tax credit. Furthermore, benefits such as housing benefit and council tax benefit are in-work, as well as out-of-work benefits, and are specifically designed to ensure that people have sufficient encouragement to find and to remain in work, particularly when their income from that employment is low.
Construction: Safety
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria applied to the selection of buildings in the Health and Safety Executive report RR624 - Further measurements of fibre concentrations in CLASP construction buildings; and if he will make a statement. [270420]
Jonathan Shaw: The duty holders for all CLASP system built schools were asked in 2006 to check for asbestos and seal it securely if it was present.
Report RR624 was published in 2008 and contains the results of a sampling survey which was designed to see if remedial work to seal and secure asbestos had been done effectively and if there was any potential for residual risks of exposure to asbestos.
In order to obtain accurate results it was important to complete the sampling in normal school operating conditions. This required considerable disruption to classroom activities. Therefore the research team selected buildings from a number of volunteer organisations who were willing to co-operate in providing access and tolerate the disruption. Seven school buildings were tested where remedial work on asbestos had already been completed but samples were also taken in two locations where no work had been done.
The analysis of 28 air samples from the seven schools did not detect any asbestos.
Departmental Disciplinary Proceedings
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many officials in his Department are suspended; how many are suspended on full pay; for how long each has been suspended; and what the reasons are for any such suspensions. [270506]
Mr. McNulty: As at 21 April 2009, nine people are suspended on full pay.
| Length of time suspended from duty | Number of employees |
The Department for Work and Pensions Records the numbers of staff on suspension under a single category of “absence”. Information is not recorded on our HR System to break this down further.
To provide information in the format requested would be at disproportionate cost and not in line with departmental policy, on the grounds of confidentiality.
Employment: Conferences
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what expenditure under what budgetary headings was incurred by his Department in relation to the Employment Summit held on 12 January 2009. [270545]
Mr. McNulty [holding answer 23 April 2009]: The Employment summit was held at the Science museum in London on 12 January. The total cost of the event was £162,076. The costs are broken down by budgetary headings in the following table.
| Expenditure breakdown of Employment summit held on 12 January 2009 | |
| £ | |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded up to the nearest pound. 2. Event management covers conference organisation, delegate contact, staging, interactive technology, insurance and photography. Source: DWP Communications Directorate. | |
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |