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12 Nov 2009 : Column 712W—continued
Care Homes: Standards
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of care homes in each region which do not meet national minimum standards of care. [299642]
Phil Hope: We are informed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that, when inspecting care homes against the national minimum standards (NMS), CQC rates their performance using a four point system:
1-Standard not met with major shortfalls
2-Standard not met with minor shortfalls
3-Standard met
4-Standard exceeded.
There are two sets of NMS-for care homes for older people, which comprise 38 different standards and for care homes for younger adults, which comprise 43 standards. CQC will decide which set of NMS to inspect against depending on the age profile of residents of a home.
Care homes are scored against each standard but they are not given an overall score so it is not possible to give information on the number of care homes that fail the standards. The following table shows the numbers of scores of 1 and 2 (i.e. instances where a standard was failed) for the year ending 31 March 2009-the latest
available information-as a percentage of the total number of scores in each region (i.e. the total number of standards assessed across all care homes of each type in the region).
| Percentage | ||
| CQC region | Care homes for older people | Care homes for younger adults |
| Source: CQC database at 31 March 2009 | ||
Cervical Cancer: Screening
Chloe Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average frequency was of screening for recurrences of cervical cancer in the latest period for which figures are available. [298161]
Ann Keen: The information requested is not held centrally.
The cervical screening process stops at the point a woman is diagnosed with cervical cancer, when the local gynaecological multi-disciplinary team (MDT) assume responsibility for her care. The follow-up regimen for that particular woman, which may include cervical screening depending on the form of treatment received, is decided on by the clinical decisions of the MDT.
Christmas
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have spent on Christmas (i) cards, (ii) parties and (iii) decorations in the last 12 months. [299268]
Phil Hope: The amount spent on purchasing ministerial Christmas cards for 2008 (inclusive of VAT) was £2,701.37. This does not include postage costs which are not available due to some cards being included with other correspondence or being hand delivered.
In December 2008, the Department spent £2,903.75 on Christmas trees and decorations.
Under the Department's Code of Business Conduct, public money must not be used to fund occasions such as social gatherings, retirements or office parties.
All expenditure incurred in the purchase of Christmas cards and decorations is incurred in accordance with the principles set out in Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
Information on what agencies spend on these items is not held centrally.
Contraceptives
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) total number of and (b) net ingredient cost of each type of (i) contraceptive and (ii) contraceptive device dispensed in the community was in each primary care trust area in England in each year since 1997. [299059]
Gillian Merron: Information at primary care trust level is not available for further than five years back. The current data-set covers September 2004 to August 2009. Figures for this period, taken from the Prescribing Analysis and CosT tool (PACT) system, have been placed in the Library.
Dental Services
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answers of 3 November 2009, Official Report, columns 914-15W, on dental services, which individuals (a) represented the working group and (b) were interviewed in the case of each hospital; and in what format the notes of those meetings were recorded. [299759]
Ann Keen: The members of the working group who visited each hospital were:
Royal Lancaster Infirmary Barry Cockcroft (Chief Dental Officer England) Peter Rubin (Chairman PMETB) and Rachel Noble (PMETB Secretariat);
Great Western Swindon Barry Cockcroft Peter Rubin and Rachel Noble;
Royal Sussex Brighton Barry Cockcroft Rajiv Anand (Oral and Maxillofacial Fellows in Training representative) and Jerry Read (Section Head Oral Health and Dental Education Department of Health);
Sunderland Royal Infirmary Barry Cockcroft Ian Cumming (Deputy Chairman, PMETB) Ian Martin (Chairman of Council, British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery) and Rachel Noble;
The Royal London Barry Cockcroft Jerry Read and Rachel Noble; and
Southern General Glasgow Aileen Keel (Deputy Chief Medical Officer Scotland and PMETB Observer) Ian Cumming and Rachel Noble.
They met with clinicians and managers working in the oral and maxillofacial surgery units of these hospitals. Notes were taken in manuscript at the scene of the visits.
Departmental Billing
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of invoices from suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt in (a) September and (b) October 2009. [299556]
Phil Hope: The percentage and value of invoices paid within 10 days to commercial suppliers in September and October is shown in the following table.
| Percentage of invoices paid within 10 days to commercial suppliers | Total value of invoices paid within 10 days to commercial suppliers | |
Departmental Data Protection
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department's information assurance procedures have been subject to an independent audit. [299377]
Phil Hope: The Department carried out an audit of its information assurance procedures in May 2009. This audit was guided by an independent external accreditor.
Departmental Energy
Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) energy rating and (b) energy band of each building occupied by his Department and its agencies was in each year for which figures are available. [299700]
Phil Hope: The ratings and energy bands for Departmental buildings are as follows:
| 2008 rating | 2008 energy band | 2009 rating | 2009 energy band | |
| (1) = Pending. | ||||
Departmental Freedom of Information
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the answers of 1 July 2008, Official Report, column 862W, and 1 September 2008, Official Report, column 1675W, on departmental freedom of information, if he will place in the Library a copy of the information provided on each topic in respect of which the request was (a) agreed to and answered in full and (b) agreed to and answered in part since April 2009; and if he will make a statement. [298342]
Gillian Merron:
The following table provides a breakdown of the number of requests under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act to the Department of Health since April 2009: (a) requests agreed to and answered
in full; and (b) agreed to and answered in part since April 2009. A copy of the material provided in each case has been placed in the Library.
| FOI requests to the Department of Health for information on abortions; reproductive health, contraception and euthanasia; requests agreed to and answered in full; and agreed to and answered in part since April 2009 | |
| 1 April to 5 November 2009 | |
Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff in his Department were employed on the management of freedom of information requests submitted to his Department in each year since 2005; and how much his Department spent on the management of such requests in each such year. [299142]
Phil Hope: Information on numbers of staff is shown in the table, and is based on for those staff for whom management of freedom of information requests comprises more than 50 per cent. of their substantive role:
| Financial year | Number of staff |
| (1)( )8 from June 2008. (2 )11 from October 2009. | |
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