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11 Nov 2009 : Column 435W—continued
Violent and Sex Offender Register
Mr. Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many offenders with records on the violent and sex offender register whose nationality is not British are recorded as residing at a UK address; [298084]
(2) how many offenders of each nationality have records on the violent and sex offender register. [298085]
Mr. Alan Campbell: For the purposes of the register, it is not mandatory to record the nationality of the offenders concerned. The information requested is not otherwise held centrally, and could be obtained through comparison of individual records with other databases only at disproportionate cost.
Wickham Research Laboratories: Animal Experiments
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many visits by inspectors of scientific procedures on animals have been made to Wickham Laboratories in the last two years; how long each visit lasted; and what report inspectors made on each visit. [298182]
Meg Hillier: Wickham Laboratories was visited by a Home Office inspector four times in 2007 and four times in 2008. There have also been four visits in 2009 to date.
At present we do not have details of how long each visit lasted and what report inspectors made on each visit. We will write separately as soon as the information is available.
Health
Alcoholic Drinks: Death
Mr. Tom Clarke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps his Department has taken to reduce alcohol-related deaths. [298797]
Gillian Merron: The Government have a comprehensive strategy, "Safe. Sensible. Social. The next steps in the National Alcohol Strategy", to tackle alcohol harm, including alcohol-related deaths. This is based on informing and supporting people to make healthier and more responsible choices, creating an environment in which the healthier and more responsible choice is the easier choice, providing advice and support for people most at risk and providing a delivery system that effectively prioritises and delivers action on alcohol misuse. Key actions include:
the Government's "Know Your Limits" campaign to challenge "binge drinking' and the public acceptability of drunkenness by highlighting the attendant personal and social consequences, and improving the public's knowledge of alcohol units and of the heath risks associated with regular drinking of alcohol above the recommended guidelines;
the development of a range of new kinds of information and advice, such as interactive web-based support and advice, available nationally;
publishing the School of Health and Related Research review assessing the effects of alcohol price and promotion on health, crime and employment;
investing £8 million through a directed enhanced service in primary care nationwide to promote early identification of drinking alcohol linked to health harm and brief interventions to reduce excessive drinking;
identifying a series of High Impact Changes (HIC) on alcohol for primary care trusts (PCTs) to help them identify the key actions they can undertake to reduce alcohol-related health harms, including improving the effectiveness and capacity of specialist treatment for dependence on alcohol;
on 5 November 2008, we launched the Alcohol Improvement Programme, which includes new funding for regional alcohol managers to coordinate the Alcohol Improvement Programme in each region; the Alcohol Learning Centre, an on-line resource which promotes sharing of good practice; and a National Support Team for Alcohol providing support to local commissioners;
from April 2008, a new NHS Indicator to reduce alcohol-related hospital admissions, which provides a real incentive for local PCTs to provide alcohol prevention and treatment services. 99 PCTs and 75 local authority areas have returned plans showing that they have retained or adopted this indicator for 2009-10;
in June 2008, we established World Class Commissioning (WCC) competencies against which all PCTs are assessed, with prevention of alcohol-related harm appearing as one of the 10 most frequently chosen outcome measures; and
in July 2009, we published 'Signs for Improvement', which provides alcohol-specific commissioning guidance, built on WCC principles, specifically for PCTs to aid them in commissioning appropriate and effective interventions and treatment. A copy has been placed in the Library.
The Department supports Government-wide action such as the recent consultation by the Home Office on a mandatory code for alcohol retailers. This includes proposals to restrict irresponsible alcohol promotions.
Barnet Primary Care Trust
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many requests for treatment outside service level agreements were made to Barnet primary care trust in each of the last three years; what estimate was made of the cost of meeting such requests in each such year; how many requests were (a) granted and (b) refused in each year; what the cost was of the treatment provided in each year; and if he will make a statement. [298700]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: This information is not held centrally.
Barnet Primary Care Trust: Drugs
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much Barnet primary care trust spent on pharmaceutical drugs in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [298701]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The net ingredient cost of drugs prescribed in Barnet primary care trust, for the most recent three financial years is given in the following table.
| Barnet primary care trust: prescribing in British National Formulary Chapters 1-19 | |
| Financial year | Net ingredient cost £000 |
Blood: Screening
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will review the scope of the current routine blood test for the purposes of extending it to include testing for levels of B12 serum; and if he will make a statement. [298278]
Ann Keen: The particular blood test or tests a clinician requests will vary according to the circumstances of an individual patient's case including the symptoms with which they present, their medical history, and information about their family or occupation.
Cancer: Diagnosis
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr. Lansley) of 12 October 2009, Official Report, column 803W, on cancer: diagnosis, what his capital and revenue cost estimates are for (a) new buildings, (b) new equipment and (c) additional staff; and from which of his Department's budgets any additional revenue costs will be drawn. [295769]
Ann Keen: Further work is being undertaken to finalise the costs of implementing these plans, and to refine the modelling and assumptions that underlie them. This will take account of the investment made to date in improving cancer and diagnostic services and new models of delivery.
Initial estimates are as follows:
Capital costs will be about £650 million between the periods 2011-12 and 2014-15; and
Early estimates of revenue costs are in the region of £1,250 million between the periods 2011-12 and 2015-16. (This corrects my written answer given to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire on 13 October 2009, Official Report, column 802W in which it was stated that the revenue costs were for the period 2011-12 and 2014-15).
Final costing requirements and profiling will be worked up over the coming months in consultation with the national health service taking into account new models of delivery and changes in working practices.
Care Quality Commission: Political Activities
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2009, Official Report, column 1268W, on party conferences, how much the Care Quality Commission spent sending representatives to attend each of the party political conferences in 2009; and whether the Care Quality Commission obtained prior permission from the Cabinet Office to attend. [298713]
Phil Hope: As required by Cabinet Office guidance, the Care Quality Commission gained approval from the Department of Health to attend the three main party conferences. This approval was obtained from the Department of Health prior to attendance at these conferences.
The amounts spent were as follows:
| £ | |||
| Liberal Democrat party conference | Labour party conference | Conservative party conference | |
| Note: All amounts have been rounded off to the nearest pound. | |||
Colindeep Lane Clinicenta
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the level of clinical activity at the Colindeep lane Clinicenta; what treatments are available at the centre; and how many patients from each postcode area have been treated at the centre. [298873]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: This information is not held centrally.
Dental Services: Gloucestershire
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust has access to a consultation in public health dentistry. [299242]
Ann Keen: It is for primary care trusts to plan and commission services to meet the needs of their local population.
However, we are advised by the South West Strategic Health Authority that Gloucestershire Primary Care Trust has assigned a consultant in public health to work with its dental commissioning team in identifying oral health needs and targeting services appropriately.
The Department recognises that there is a shortage in consultants in dental public health. The Chief Dental Officer has commissioned a review of the dental public health work force to show how we can best address this problem.
Dental Services: Stroud
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what progress is being made in the provision of NHS dentistry in the Stroud area through the dental access programme; and what interest has been shown in the forthcoming tender by existing local dentists; [299235]
(2) what plans he has to increase access to NHS dentistry in the Stroud area; and what target he has set for the number of patients having access to an NHS dentist. [299236]
Ann Keen: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available has been placed in the Library.
It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) to plan and commission services to meet the needs of their local population.
'The NHS in England: The operating framework for 2009-10', a copy of which has already been placed in the Library, commits all PCTs to ensuring access to national health service dentistry for all who actively seek it. In January this year, the NHS committed to delivering this by at the latest March 2011. Delivering the 2011 goal requires every PCT to assess the level of local demand for NHS care. A dental access programme has been set up to support PCTs in increasing local provision of services where this is needed.
Departmental Information and Communications Technology
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with which organisations his Department has had exclusivity agreements relating to information technology (a) hardware and (b) software in each of the last five years. [299360]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: Over the last five years the Department has not held contracts which contain exclusivity agreements for the provision of information technology hardware or software.
Departmental Official Cars
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of provision of Government cars to special advisers in his Department was in the last 12 months. [299589]
Phil Hope: No special advisers are provided with an allocated Government car and driver. As with all civil servants, special advisers may use an official care or taxi in properly defined circumstances. Details of such use is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Rail Travel
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2009, Official Report, column 1261W, on departmental rail travel, how many (a) journeys were paid for and (b) people travelled in each year; whether any nugatory expenditure was incurred in each year; and if he will make a statement. [298176]
Phil Hope: The following figures represent travel booked through the central booking system which constitutes the vast majority of how travel is booked and paid for. Information on nugatory expenditure can only be provided at disproportionate cost.
| Journeys paid for | Number of passengers | |
Departmental Travel
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many miles (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department travelled by (i) car, (ii) rail and (iii) air on Government business in each year since 1997. [298546]
Phil Hope: The data requested before 2007 is not held centrally. Data for 2007-08 and 2008-09 is available from our central booking systems but this does not represent all the travel conducted by Ministers and officials this could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Information from our central booking systems is as follows:
| Miles | |||
| Car | Rail | Air | |
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