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23 Nov 2009 : Column 25W—continued
Mobile Phones: Health Hazards
Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department plans to revise its leaflet on mobile telephones and health. [300228]
Gillian Merron: The Department does not intend to change the leaflet on mobile telephones and health. The advice given to the public remains as in our current leaflet on mobile phones, which can be viewed on the Department's website at:
and companion leaflet on base stations at:
Copies of both leaflets have been placed in the Library.
The Department keeps these leaflets under review.
North Central London Service and Organisational Review
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what targets have been set in relation to the savings to be made as a consequence of the North Central London Service and Organisational Review; and if he will make a statement; [300417]
(2) what timetable has been set for the public consultation on the North Central London Service and Organisational Review; and if he will make a statement. [300418]
Phil Hope: These are matters for the local national health service.
Pregnancy: Influenza
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make it his policy to ensure that Celvapan will be made available to pregnant women who have declined to be vaccinated with Pandemrix; [300461]
(2) what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) Pandemrix and (b) Celvapan are made available to pregnant women by primary care trusts. [300462]
Gillian Merron: Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to complications should they get swine flu and so the Department strongly recommends that pregnant women should have the vaccine. Health care staff have been given the extensive information to provide to their patients about the vaccine, how it will protect them and how it has been tested to ensure safety. This information is available at:
The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has recommended that pregnant women should be given Pandemrix since a one-dose schedule with this vaccine appears to give adequate levels of antibodies and thereby confers more rapid protection than would be afforded by a two-dose schedule. Expert scientific advice is clear that thiomersal-containing vaccines, such as Pandemrix, do not present a risk to pregnant women or their offspring. However, as it is better to be vaccinated than not at all, if a pregnant woman does not wish to receive Pandemrix despite receiving clear advice about the more rapid protection this would offer, we have advised that primary care trusts should ensure that there are arrangements in place for the woman to be able to receive Celvapan, and that general practitioners are aware of these.
Swine Flu: Vaccination
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the number of (a) children, (b) adults aged between 18 and 65 years and (c) older people who (i) have and (ii) have not been vaccinated against swine influenza in (A) England and (B) each county and metropolitan area. [300661]
Gillian Merron: At this stage, no national health service wide data are available on the uptake of swine flu vaccinations given either by general practitioners (GPs) to priority groups or by trusts to frontline health and social care workers.
The Department plans to release NHS-wide vaccine uptake data on a regular basis both for vaccinations administered by GPs to priority groups and by trusts to frontline health and social care workers once these data have been collected, collated and validated. We anticipate that data will be available for publication in December 2009.
Townlands Hospital
John Howell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable for re-development of Townlands Hospital in Henley-on-Thames is; what funding will be allocated to ensure its completion; and what risk assessment has been undertaken in relation to future revenue funding for the hospital. [300361]
Phil Hope: This information is not collected centrally. Planning for services is a matter for the local national health service.
Whittington Hospital
Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether all of the proposals made to the North Central London Service and Organisation Review include the Whittington Hospital, Islington, having a (a) 24 hour accident and emergency unit and (b) full intensive care unit; and if he will make a statement. [300416]
Phil Hope: This is a matter for the local national health service.
International Development
United Nations: Females
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans there are to consult civil society organisations on the structure and mandate of the new single UN agency for women. [300425]
Mr. Michael Foster: The UK Government have worked tirelessly alongside groups such as the Gender Equality Architecture Reform Campaign (GEAR) for the General Assembly agreement on a single United Nations agency for women.
The current task is to make this agency a reality. We are continuing to consult GEAR members and other civil society groups such as the Gender and Development Network (GAD), Women's National Commission (WNC) and United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) UK in this task. Consultations with civil society groups on the structure and mandate of the new agency will continue as the negotiations go on in the General Assembly.
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions his Department has had with the UN Secretary General on the appointment of an Under Secretary General to head the new single UN agency for women; when he expects that post to be filled; and if he will request the UN Secretary General to adopt the selection criteria presented to him by the Gender Equality Architecture Reform coalition. [300426]
Mr. Michael Foster: The UK Government have been in regular contact with the Secretary-General and Deputy Secretary-General's office in recent months about the appointment of the Under-Secretary-General to head the new gender agency. We are pressing for an appointment to be made before the Beijing +15 review in March 2010.
The UK, along with other member states, is encouraging the Secretary-General to adopt an open and transparent recruitment process that will select the best candidate for the job against agreed criteria, and to encourage as strong a field of candidates as possible.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Cast Iron: Manufacturing Industries
Malcolm Wicks: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) supply and (b) quality of cast iron for use in UK industry. [300245]
Ian Lucas:
We have made no such assessments. The foundry sector has reduced in size slightly in recent years as most basic iron casting work is now carried out by producers in low cost countries such as China. However, the UK does have a number of successful castings companies concentrating on higher value-added products for use in a wide range of technically-demanding applications including aerospace, oil, gas and power generation. The quality of these products is
regarded as world-class and the UK also benefits from a leading R and D organisation, Castings Technology International.
The castings sector has faced serious challenges as a result of the economic downturn and although this has resulted in some short time working and redundancies, particularly amongst companies supplying the automotive and construction sectors, a recent recovery in order books has left many foundries in a better shape than they might otherwise have been.
Company Liquidations
Mr. Weir: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many liquidations commenced in each of the last five years. [300786]
Ian Lucas: The number of liquidations started in each of the last five years is given in the following table.
| Total liquidations | Compulsory liquidations | Creditors voluntary liquidations | |
This information has been taken from the Insolvency Services' Official Statistics for Company Liquidations, which are available on their website at:
Departmental Contracts for Services
John McDonnell: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 9 September 2009, Official Report, column 2070W, on departmental pay, in respect of staff employed in London working for his Department on contracted out services, what the name was of each employer, including in respect of contracts that have been sub-let and business that has been awarded where the contract is not exclusive to London; what the nature was of the work undertaken on each contract; how many staff of each grade were employed at each location on each contract; what the length was of the contract in each case; and what union recognition agreements are in place with each contractor. [300826]
Mr. McFadden: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Internet
John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people took part in paid market research to improve the Department's website at the end of October 2009; and how much each person was paid to take part in such research. [300746]
Mr. McFadden: 31 people took part in a series of focus groups. Each participant was paid £60. A number of BIS staff were also involved in this phase of research, but none received payment.
Eight people took part in a series of one-to-one sessions. Each was paid £50.
The rates paid in both phases are in line with industry standards, as recommended by the research agency.
John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will publish the results of the paid market research undertaken at the end of October 2009 to improve the Department's website; and what changes (a) have been and (b) are planned to be made to the website as a consequence of that research. [300747]
Mr. McFadden: The research is being used to inform the design of the new BIS website, due to be launched in March 2010.
The results of the research are currently being analysed, so no changes have yet been made or planned.
A summary of the research results will be published once the analysis phase has been completed.
Higher Education: Bexley
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many applicants from (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London Borough of Bexley did not get a place at university in (i) 2008-09 and (ii) 2009-10. [300235]
Mr. Lammy: The information is not held centrally.
Higher Education: Historic Buildings
Mr. Frank Field: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 9 November 2009, Official Report, columns 169-170W on higher education: historic buildings, how much each university received from the Higher Education Funding Council for England to support old and historic buildings under the fixed targeted allocation in 2008-09; and if he will make a statement. [300338]
Mr. Lammy: The allocations for 2008/09 are as follows.
| £ | |
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