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1 Jun 2009 : Column 130W—continued
Performing Arts
John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has engaged any (a) actors, (b) musicians and (c) other performers to support its initiatives over the last five years. [264059]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department has engaged actors, musicians and other performers for advertising and publicity activities (for example, public health campaigns) and for staff learning and development activities (for example, to conduct role plays during training courses).
It is not possible to provide the information in the format requested. The information that is available is included in the following table.
Total campaigns cost was £95.9 million.
Total celebrity costs were £89,384.
The percentage of campaigns costs spent on celebrities was 0.09 per cent.
Schizophrenia
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of psycho-educational therapies in the treatment of those diagnosed with schizophrenia. [276713]
Phil Hope: The National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published updated clinical guidance on schizophrenia in March, which identifies no new robust evidence for the effectiveness of psycho-education on any critical outcomes. NICE has not, therefore, recommended psycho-education for treating schizophrenia.
This guidance is available online from NICE at:
Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Prisoners
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many incidents of sexually transmitted infections have been recorded in prisons amongst (a) men and (b) women inmates in each of the last five years. [276699]
Phil Hope: The Department does not have a complete dataset on the number of sexually transmitted infections among prisoners (male or female) in the last five years. The issue of disaggregating data by prison is currently being explored with the Health Protection Agency.
Sight Impaired: Gloucestershire
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the number of people in (a) Forest of Dean constituency and (b) Gloucestershire who (i) have a visual impairment and (ii) are registered blind. [277224]
Phil Hope: The information on the number of people in Forest of Dean constituency and Gloucestershire who have a visual impairment and are registered blind is not available in the format requested. Information is only available for councils with social services responsibilities. The number of people registered as blind and partially sighted in Gloucestershire council at 31 March 2008 was 1,530 and 1,885 respectively.
Swine Flu
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps are being taken to ensure that hospitals are able to deal with a swine influenza pandemic; [276620]
(2) what his latest estimate is of the likelihood of a swine influenza pandemic; [276630]
(3) what steps his Department has taken to prepare for a possible swine influenza pandemic. [276631]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department has already provided a great deal of support to hospitals in the form of guidance and on-going workshops to ensure that contingency and business continuity issues have been thought through in advance of a pandemic and addressed. Model exercises have been provided to support the national health service in raising awareness and testing the robustness of these plans. Each primary care trust also has a designated flu lead to assist organisations with planning across their geographic area.
We have published guidance on infection control in hospitals and surgeries, and advice to staff treating or caring for patients with flu symptoms. A copy has been placed in the Library. We have also issued guidance to ambulance trusts. A copy of this guidance has already been placed in the Library.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State stated on 14 May 2009, Official Report, columns 1059-1095, that the likelihood of the current outbreak developing into a full blown pandemic remains high, but there are still many uncertainties about the virus. That is still the case. Scientists are learning more every day and we are continuing to monitor the situation so that if the virulence or severity of the virus worsens we can react quickly.
The Department has been planning for a possible influenza pandemic for some time and has robust plans in place. We have enough antiviral stocks to cover 50 per cent. of the population (some 33.5 million courses); we are further increasing the stockpile so that it is enough to cover 80 per cent. of the population (some 50 million courses).
We also expect flu line, which will be used to assess symptoms and authorise anti-virals for individuals, to be operational by the autumn, thus ensuring we have additional capability to respond to a re-emergence of the virus.
On 15 May, the Government also announced the signing of agreements with vaccine manufacturers for up to 90 million doses of a pre-pandemic vaccine based on the current H1N1 strain. The agreements could provide enough vaccine to protect the most vulnerable groups in our population before a pandemic is likely to arrive. In the event of a pandemic, the advanced purchase agreements previously signed with Baxter and GlaxoSmithKline will be activated; these will enable the United Kingdom to purchase enough vaccine to cover 100 per cent. of the UK population.
In addition, we are increasing our stocks of facemasks, respirators and antibiotics to ensure we have sufficient stocks of countermeasures to tackle a re-emergence of swine influenza later in the year.
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on distribution to households of information leaflets on swine influenza to date; when he expects national distribution to be complete; and if he will make a statement. [277246]
Dawn Primarolo: The distribution of the swine influenza information leaflets to households has been completed for the vast majority of the United Kingdom. We are awaiting confirmation of delivery to a few outstanding areas.
Treatment Centres
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is issued to primary care trusts on conducting value for money assessments of their contracts with companies running independent sector treatment centres. [277333]
Mr. Bradshaw: Value for Money tests were conducted during the procurement of all Wave One and Phase Two Independent Sector Treatment Centre (ISTC) contracts.
Robust contract management also takes place throughout the life of an ISTC contract. All ISTC providers have a contractual obligation to provide key performance indicator information to both the Department and the local national health service. This information is monitored to ensure that contracts are effectively delivered.
The Department has not issued guidance to primary care trusts in England on conducting value for money assessments of their contracts with companies running ISTC.
Culture, Media and Sport
Brass Bands: Finance
Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Arts Council England awarded in grants to brass bands in each of the last five years. [275823]
Barbara Follett: Arts Council England have advised that they have awarded grants to brass bands in each of the last five years as follows:
| £ | |||
| Grants for the arts | Regularly funded organisations | Total | |
Dance: Education
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what progress his Department has made towards establishing six new Centres of Advanced Training for dance. [277136]
Barbara Follett: Government responsibility for Centres for Advanced Training (CATs) in dance falls to the Department for Children, Schools and Families, who advise that the Department's Dance Scheme currently supports seven CATs in dance with two more centres coming on stream during school year 2009-10. There will then be dance CATs serving every region of the country, with CATs in the south-east and south-west also establishing satellite centres to enable even more young people to benefit from the training on offer.
Film: EU Grants and Loans
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport which EU grant programmes provide funding for the EU film industry. [277189]
Barbara Follett: MEDIA 2007 is the European Commission's funding programme to support the European audiovisual industries, which runs from 2007-13.
Gyms: Elderly
Mr. Cash: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if he will make it his policy to provide free gym access for those over the age of 60 years. [275834]
Andy Burnham [holding answer 15 May 2009]: The Government have no present plan to extend the Free Swimming Programme to provide free gym access for those over the age of 60 years. Around 10 million people aged 60 or over in England stand to benefit from the Government’s Free Swimming Programme. We will be monitoring closely the impact of the scheme on levels of participation.
Internet
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent estimate he has made of the number of households which have access to (a) the internet and (b) digital television. [276248]
Andy Burnham: The information requested is as follows.
(a) There is narrowband internet available to all of the UK. The Universal Service Obligation means that a fixed line is available to every UK household. Total Internet take up is at 65 per cent. of UK households.
(b) At present, 80 per cent. of UK households have access to digital terrestrial television. When switchover is complete it will be 98.5 per cent.
Digital satellite coverage is 98 per cent. Virgin Media states that 49 per cent. of households in the UK were able to get cable services at the end of 2007.
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