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16 July 2009 : Column 661W—continued
Health Services: Children
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to reduce inequalities in access to health services for children. [287304]
Ann Keen: "Healthy lives brighter futures", the strategy for children and young people's health identified tackling inequalities as a key area for improvement. It sets out plans for universal, targeted and specialist support across three life stages-early years and pregnancy, schools age and young people-as well as the additional support for children and young people in need of acute or ongoing health care, including a range of measures to address inequalities. It is for primary care trusts working with local authorities and other local partners to ensure their local needs assessment and planning addresses the full range of local needs, and that the local service offer is communicated to all families. A copy of the strategy has already been placed in the Library.
Examples of specific initiatives include the family nurse partnership, while the universal programme for all, the Healthy Child programme, includes preventative services for children with additional risks.
Tackling health inequalities in children is also a key theme of the national health inequalities strategy, the "Programme for Action", and reducing the infant mortality gap between routine and manual group and the whole of the population is part of the health inequalities 2010 public service agreement target. A national support team for infant mortality designed to improve infant and maternal health outcomes and service delivery in disadvantaged areas was launched on 22 April 2009. A copy of "Programme for Action" has been placed in the Library.
Health Services: Domestic Visits
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department visited (i) a dental practice, (ii) an optometrist, (iii) a GP surgery, (iv) a pharmacy and (v) an NHS walk-in centre in the last 12 months. [286787]
Phil Hope: The following visits occurred during the period 1 June 2008 to 9 July 2009. Visits by each Minister were:
| Alan Johnson (until June 2009) | |
| Type of organisation | Number of visits from 1 June 2008 to 9 July 2009 |
| Andy Burnham (from June 2009 onwards) | |
| Type of organisation | Number of visits from 1 June 2008 to 9 July 2009 |
| Ben Bradshaw (until June 2009) | |
| Type of organisation | Number of visits from 1 June 2008 to 9 July 2009 |
| Mike O'Brien (from June 2009 onwards) | |
| Type of organisation | Number of visits from 1 June 2008 to 9 July 2009 |
| Ann Keen | |
| Type of organisation | Number of visits from 1 June 2008 to 9 July 2009 |
| Dawn Primarolo (until June 2009) | |
| Type of organisation | Number of visits from 1 June 2008 to 9 July 2009 |
| Gillian Merron (from June 2009 onwards) | |
| Type of organisation | Number of visits from 1 June 2008 to 9 July 2009 |
| Ivan Lewis (until October 2008) | |
| Type of organisation | Number of visits from 1 June 2008 to 9 July 2009 |
| Phil Hope (from October 2008 onwards) | |
| Type of organisation | Number of visits from 1 June 2008 to 9 July 2009 |
| Lord Darzi | |
| Type of organisation | Number of visits from 1 June 2008 to 9 July 2009 |
Health Services: Private Sector
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines the NHS issues to trusts on procedures for the recovery of debts incurred by private patients. [285461]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Department does not provide specific guidelines to national health service trusts in respect of the recovery of debts incurred by private patients.
However, the Department does issue to NHS organisations a model financial governance framework that refers to debt management.
Health Services: Reciprocal Arrangements
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to Lord Laird of 1 June 2009, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA31, on health: former UK residents, what methodology was used to calculate the UK average cost for pensioners and their dependants; and what information his Department has received from the government of the Republic of Ireland on the calculation of its average cost. [283879]
Gillian Merron: The United Kingdom's average cost for pensioners and their dependents, is based upon the number of these people living in the UK (using Office for National Statistics data for the relevant year) and the expenditure that relates to national health service health care provided to them (using information from departmental and NHS accounts). The Department does not have access to the full methodology used by the Republic of Ireland for calculating its average costs, as under European Union rules there is no obligation on one member state to share this with another.
EU regulation 1408/71 covers how citizens visiting, working and retired in other EEA (European economic area) member states access health care.
Under these regulations, member states bill each other back for health care provided to pensioners and their dependents, on the basis of an average cost. Each member state calculates its own average costs, taking
into account the overall amount they spend on their health care system and the size and profile of their population.
Member states have their average costs scrutinised and agreed by an EU-level group of which the UK is a member.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to Lord Laird of 1 June 2009, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA32, on health: former UK residents, for what reasons the UK has not made claims against other EU member states in relation to overseas visitors treated by the devolved health authorities; and what estimate he has made of the cost of treatment provided by devolved health authorities in respect of which the UK has not made a claim in each of the last 10 years. [284280]
Gillian Merron: So far, it has not been possible to establish why claims have not been raised by the United Kingdom in respect of treatment provided by the devolved health authorities. However, the Department is working with the Ministry of Justice to identify the information requirements from the devolved Administrations so that this matter can be resolved. As referred to in the answer to Lord Laird of 1 June 2009, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA32, departmental officials are currently exploring the scope for obtaining the necessary data. Until systems are in place, it is not possible to make a meaningful estimate of the cost of treatment not historically claimed for.
HF&E Bill 1990 Hansard
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will place in the Library a copy of each document in his Department's file INW0014/0030/0012/VO2 HF&E Bill 1990 Hansard; and if he will make a statement; [285547]
(2) if he will place in the Library a copy of each document in his Department's file INW0014/0030/0012 HF&E Bill 1990 Hansard; and if he will make a statement. [285549]
Gillian Merron: Volume 1 of file INW 14/30/12, HF&E Bill 1990, Hansard, contains only copies of the daily House of Lords official reports published in 1989 and 1990, editions as shown in the table:
| Registered File INW 14/30/12, HF&E Bill 1990, Hansard, VOL 1 | |||
| Lords/Commons | Date | Volume Number | Edition Number |
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