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11 Jun 2009 : Column 960W—continued
We are not able to identify the number of fishermen operating in UK waters.
Fisheries: Quotas
Mr. Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what share of the sea fishing quota for (a) plaice, (b) cod and (c) halibut in the Irish Sea is held by fishermen using vessels of under 10 metres. [278892]
Huw Irranca-Davies:
In 2009, the 10 metre and under fleet received an initial quota share prior to adjustments of 4.6 per cent. (30.2 tonnes) for plaice and 1.6 per cent.
(10.6 tonnes) for cod caught in the Irish sea. Irish sea halibut is not subject to a quota. The Marine and Fisheries Agency significantly increases the fishing opportunities of stocks such as Irish sea plaice which are targeted by inshore fishermen.
Fishing Vessels
Mr. Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many fishing vessels of (a) 10 metres and under and (b) over 10 metres are licensed in the UK. [278884]
Huw Irranca-Davies: Latest published information from Table 2.2 of UK Sea Fisheries Statistics 2007 shows that at 31 December 2007 there were 6,670 licensed UK registered fishing vessels. Of these, 1,515 were over 10 metres in length and 5,155 were 10 metres or under in length.
Rats
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on rat prevalence and the frequency of refuse collection from multiple occupation properties in the last three years. [278763]
Huw Irranca-Davies: My Department has not commissioned nor evaluated any research on rat prevalence and the frequency of refuse collection from multiple occupation properties in the last three years. However, the latest report on rodent presence in domestic properties as revealed by the English House Condition Survey data for 2002-03 and 2003-04 is available on DEFRA’s website. Key findings are that the occurrences of rats inside and outside properties in these years are not significantly different from those observed in 2001. The next report covering the period up to 2006 should be available this year, although at present there is no set date for publication. There is no breakdown in the English House Condition Survey to identify rat populations in multiple occupation properties.
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information his Department holds on trends in resistance to poisons in the rat population. [278765]
Huw Irranca-Davies: I am not aware that DEFRA holds any information on trends in resistance to poisons in the rat population that is not in the public domain.
The former Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food funded an assessment of resistance to rodenticides in 1998. This was published in: “Kerins, G.M.; Dennis, N.; Atterby, H.; Gill, J.E. and MacNicoll A.D. (2001) Distribution of resistance to anti-coagulant rodenticides in the Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus Berk) in England 1995-98”. In: “Advances in Vertebrate Pest Management Volume II (Eds. H-J Pelz, D.P. Cowan and C.J. Feare) pages 149-159, Filander Verlag, Furth”.
The Health and Safety Executive is aware from literature that rats may be becoming increasingly resistant to anti-coagulant rodenticides. Although it is aware of the research mentioned above, it is not aware of any new studies and has not itself commissioned any recent work of this nature.
Wales
Departmental Billing
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many and what proportion of invoices his Department has paid within 10 days of receipt in each of the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [278832]
Mr. Hain: The percentage of invoices paid by my Department within 10 days, for the last 12 months is:
| Percentage | |
Changes to payment of invoices were announced by the Prime Minister on 8 October 2008; invoices paid prior to this date had a 30-day payment target for which my Department achieved a 99 per cent. payment score.
Health
Children in Care: Kent
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the former children’s home Kendall House. [278970]
Phil Hope: The Department no longer holds any information on Kendall House. Files including those relating to the social services inspectorates’ inspections of Kendall house were transferred to the then Department for Education and Skills, (now the Department for Children Schools and Families) when responsibility for children’s social services was transferred to that Department in 2003.
Drugs
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what requirements there are upon pharmaceutical companies to report information on medicines for human use to his Department. [278061]
Gillian Merron: All marketing authorisation holders of medicines for human use in the European Union are obliged by law to provide information on the safety of their products under Regulation 726/2004 and Directive 2001/83/EC (as amended). Detailed guidance is provided in Volume 9A of the Rules Governing Medicinal Products in the European Union and is available at the following link:
Obligations relating to reporting in clinical trials are given in Clinical Trials Directive 2001/20/EC, Articles 16 and 17. Some obligations are associated with specific deadlines for provision of information to competent authorities. Those related to safety of medicines include the submission of serious, suspected adverse drug reactions; the submission of Periodic Safety Update reports; and with respect to clinical trials, the reporting of suspected unexpected serious adverse reactions.
Health Services: Coventry
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps he has taken to improve services for (a) cancer, (b) accident and emergency, (c) paediatric and (d) geriatric patients in Coventry. [278802]
Ann Keen: This information is not held centrally. It is for primary care trusts to commission services in line with local needs and the priorities set out in “The Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2009-10”. A copy of this document is already available in the Library.
The target that no patient would spend more than four hours in accident and emergency (A&E) departments from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge was set in the NHS Plan in 2000. The target became an operational standard in 2005.
In 2003, a 98 per cent. minimum operating figure was set for delivery of the access standard to allow for the minority of patients who clinically need more than four hours in A&E.
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps he has taken to improve health services for victims of sexual crimes in Coventry. [278803]
Ann Keen: The Department is working with the Home Office to deliver the Response to Sexual Violence Programme. The aim is to set up more sexual assault referral centres (SARCs) in line with the Home Secretary’s commitment to increasing provision to one per police force area. SARCs are intended to provide a holistic service for the victims of sexual assaults, including meeting the victim’s clinical needs as well as a forensic examination, counselling and the opportunity to give evidence anonymously.
The Department has also announced £1.4 million for the National Support Team on Response to Sexual Violence, which will work in local areas to bring together experts from the health service, forensics services, the Crown Prosecution Service and the police to advise on meeting local needs.
Within the West Midlands area the police and local partners are working together to agree a strategic approach for providing sexual violence services.
Immediate Care
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many immediate care beds there are in England; and in which units such beds are located. [277039]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The phrase ‘hospital services delivering 24 hours, immediate patient care’ was used in the United Kingdom governments’ notification to the European Commission of the intention to take up the option of a derogation under Article 17(5) of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD). The phrase was recommended by the national EWTD Reference Group as the most appropriate descriptor to identify those services most likely to be challenged in implementing rotas for a 48 hour week for doctors in training from 1 August. There is no central collection of data, nor central definition of immediate care beds.
Intensive Care
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are used to allocate funding for intensive care beds. [278491]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: It is for local healthcare providers, working with healthcare commissioners to determine the allocation of funding for intensive care in accordance with their local population characteristics, anticipated case mix and level of elective and emergency activity.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued to hospitals to assist them in determining the optimum number of intensive care beds. [278492]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Local healthcare providers, working with their commissioners and supported by critical care networks determine the optimum number of critical care beds required to meet the needs of their local populations taking account of anticipated case mix and level of activity. They are supported in this by the long-term strategy document published in May 2000 “Comprehensive Critical Care.” A copy has been placed in the Library.
NHS: Public Consultation
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his latest assessment is of the effectiveness of local involvement networks; and if he will make a statement. [278997]
Ann Keen: The legal duty to ensure local involvement network (LINk) activities are carried on rests with local authorities. It is their responsibility to make sure that the contract with the host organisation provides that the support given to the LINk ensures the LINk is as effective as possible.
Each year LINks must produce an annual report setting out what they have achieved, the activities they have undertaken, the money they have spent on their activities and the impact they have had. Reports have to be completed by 30 June and must be made publicly available. Copies have to be sent to the Department and these will be analysed to see what, if any, additional national support would be appropriate.
Patients: Death
Mr. Stephen O'Brien:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients representing what proportion of admissions died in (a) intensive care
units, (b) theatre and (c) other wards in each NHS hospital in each of the last 10 years; and how many and what proportion of people attending accident and emergency departments died while in the department in each accident and emergency department in each such year. [277196]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Afghanistan
Mr. Moore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the operations of provincial reconstruction teams in Afghanistan which are beyond their military remit; and if he will make a statement. [278642]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The mission of Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs) is to extend the ability of the government of Afghanistan to deliver its services and this is conducted in a comprehensive manner by military and civilian personnel. The remit of a PRT is not military in nature, but rather uses military resources to facilitate its activities.
For example, the UK’s PRT spent around £60 million in Helmand in 2008 on stabilisation and development and now has over 80 civilian staff in the province. This assistance has built nearly 2,000 wells benefiting over 400,000 people, contributed to 160 district infrastructure projects reaching over 300,000 families and provided paid work for nearly 19,000 people. The PRT has also supported projects on dispute resolution, which saw considerable progress in 2008: the Helmand Provincial Court is operating more effectively; convictions have risen 400 per cent. since June; and legal representation, including a legal aid office, has been introduced.
China: Censorship
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received on steps taken by the Chinese government to close access to websites commenting on the 20th anniversary of the events in Tiananmen Square; and if he will make a statement. [279104]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: We are aware that access to a large number of foreign and domestic websites in China was blocked in the run up to the 4 June anniversary. Encouraging greater freedom of expression in China, including for domestic and foreign media, remains a priority for us. We urge the Chinese Government to lift restrictions which undermine the fundamental principles of international human rights standards on freedom of expression. We raised the subject of internet access at the last UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in January 2009.
Czech Republic: Treaty of Lisbon
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the Czech government on Czech ratification of the Treaty of Lisbon; and if he will make a statement. [276971]
Chris Bryant: My right hon. Friends the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Europe have regular contact with their EU counterparts in other member states. These discussions include a wide range of bilateral, European and international issues.
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