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26 Nov 2009 : Column 347W—continued
Cancer: Health Services
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated total expenditure on (a) cancer care and (b) breast cancer care was in (i) England, (ii) each cancer network area and (iii) for each primary care trust in each of the last five years; and how much was spent on (A) inpatient costs excluding those relating to surgery, (B) surgery including daycare and inpatient stays, (C) drugs, cost of medicine preparation and administration, (D) outpatients, diagnostics, first and follow-up appointments, (E) screening, (F) radiotherapy, (G) specialist palliative care (excluding voluntary sector) and (H) other, calculated through the same method as that used to calculate the chart on page 119 of his Department's Cancer Reform Strategy, published on 3 December 2007 in each year. [300552]
Ann Keen: Tables showing estimated expenditure on cancer care and breast cancer care for England, primary care trusts (PCTs) and cancer networks have been placed in the Library.
Information on cancer care has been provided for England and PCTs for the last five years. Information on cancer care has been provided for cancer networks from 2004-05, as this is the first year that the information became available. Information for breast cancer care has been provided from 2006-07 as this is the first year that data were collected at sub-category level for a number of tumour types.
The information requested on in-patient costs excluding those relating to surgery, surgery including daycare and in-patient stays, drugs, cost of medicine preparation and administration, outpatients, diagnostics, first and follow-up appointments, screening, radiotherapy, specialist palliative care (excluding voluntary sector) and "other" is not routinely available.
The estimated total national health service spend on cancer care represented in the graph on page 119 of the Cancer Reform Strategy was an analysis commissioned specifically for inclusion in the strategy. It was based on a wide range of data from 2005-06, and the sources of these data are quoted in the strategy. An estimated NHS spend on cancer care under the same categories of that graph is not available for any other years, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Cholesterol
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidance his Department has given to primary care trusts on the delivery of cascade testing for families of patients diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia; [300465]
(2) what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of provision of cascade testing for families of patients diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia
by primary care trusts in England, as recommended in the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guideline 71; [300466]
(3) what measures his Department has in place to monitor the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on familial hypercholesterolemia; and if he will make a statement. [300467]
Ann Keen: The Department has not made any assessment or given any guidance to primary care trusts on the delivery of cascade testing for families diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia and has no plans to do so.
The Department has no measures in place to monitor the implementation of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on familial hypercholesterolemia. We are facilitating work on a Primary Care Services Framework on familial hypercholesterolemia which is underway at the moment.
The Department has commissioned NHS Primary Care Commissioning to develop, with stakeholders, a Primary Care Service Framework (PCSF) on Familial Hypercholesterolemia (FH). PCSFs are model specifications (without benchmark prices) that provide a source of guidance, advice and support to primary care trusts and other National Health Service organisations to effectively commission and provide services using local contacts.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Ms Barlow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will consider the merits of inclusion of the therapeutic strategy of pacing as part of the treatment packages offered by specialist chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalopathy services. [300271]
Ann Keen: It is the responsibility of health professionals, working in conjunction with the wishes of individual patients, to use their clinical judgement to decide on the most appropriate treatment package for those living with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME).
Detailed guidelines on the treatment and diagnosis of CFS/ME were published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in August 2007.
Departmental Food
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the proportion of (a) lamb, (b) beef, (c) chicken, (d) pork, (e) turkey, (f) other meats, (g) vegetables and (h) fruit procured by his Department that was produced in the UK in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement; [300190]
(2) how many Christmas parties his Department plans to host in 2009; what has been budgeted for each such reception; what estimate he has made of the proportion of (a) lamb, (b) beef, (c) chicken, (d) pork, (e) turkey, (f) other meats, (g) vegetables, (h) fruit and (i) alcohol to be served at each such function which is produced in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [300873]
Phil Hope: The proportion of domestically produced food procured by the Department has gone up from 58.5 per cent. in 2006-07 to 74 per cent. in 2007-08. Figures for 2008-09 are not currently available.
Quadrant Catering provides the staff restaurant and hospitality catering at the Department of Health sites in London and Eurest Services provides the same services to the Department of Work and Pensions, which includes the Quarry House site in Leeds where some Health employees are based. Both Quadrant Catering and Eurest Services are part of Compass Group UK and Ireland, one of the United Kingdom's largest contract caterers.
Specific information about British products used within the Department of Health and Department of Work and Pensions contracts is listed as follows. This information was made publicly available in late 2008 and there will be another report produced towards the end of 2009.
All expenditure by civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the "Civil Service Management Code" and in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety. The Department does not fund internal Christmas parties for officials, and staff are expected to
fund these parties themselves. The Department does not collect information about the Christmas functions hosted or attended by officials in the Department and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
Departmental Internet
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) page hits and (b) visitors his Department's website received in 2008-09. [301854]
Phil Hope: The following table shows the number of page hits, visits and unique visitors by month to the Department's website from April 2008 to March 2009.
The annual total of page hits for the year was 65,456,247. The annual total of visits for the year was 15,298,880.
A visit commences when a user, having opened their browser, loads a page for the first time. On closing their browser, the visit is ended. Thus a session can include multiple page hits.
The table also shows the number of unique visitors for each month. Unique visitors are visitors loading pages from the site during the specified time scale (in this case a calendar month). A unique visitor is counted once within the time scale, and can make multiple visits during the time scale.
| Unique visitors in month | Visits in month | Page hits | |
Departmental Pay
John Mason: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) bonuses and (b) incentives have been paid to (i) consultants and (ii) contractors engaged by his Department in each of the last three years. [300637]
Phil Hope: The Department does not directly employ consultants or contractors. Consequently, details of their salaries are not held by the Department as they are a matter for individuals and their employing company.
Management consultancy organisations are commercially contracted by the Department. Contracts are based on satisfactory completion of set tasks defined in the contracted scope of works. Unsatisfactory delivery of these tasks would result in payment being withheld by the Department in line with the terms of each contract.
Contractors are engaged through commercial contracts by individual directorates. While there may be instances where incentives relating to successful outcomes have been used, information breaking down costs paid to individual contractors is not held centrally on the Department's business management system.
Departmental Recruitment
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of jobs advertised by his Department in the last 12 months were online only applications; and what provision his Department makes for those wishing to apply for jobs in his Department who do not have access to the internet. [301551]
Phil Hope: The Department does not routinely collect this information centrally.
The Department follows the Civil Service Commissioners' Recruitment Principles when advertising all vacancies externally.
Departmental Taxis
Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contracts his Department has with private hire taxi companies; and what expenditure his Department has incurred against each such contract in each of the last three years. [300828]
Phil Hope: The Department had contracts with Addison Lee over the last three years and with GDCA Green Cars during 2008-09.
The expenditure against each contract is as follows:
| £ | ||
| Addison Lee | GDCA Green Cars | |
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