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1 Dec 2009 : Column 647W—continued
Shared Ownership Schemes: East of England
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many shared ownership purchases have been made by people on social housing waiting lists in (a) Peterborough constituency, (b) Peterborough city council area and (c) Cambridgeshire in each year since 2001; and what proportion of all such sales in each of those areas this represented in each such year. [301995]
John Healey: Information on shared ownership purchases is not available on a constituency basis.
The available information for shared ownership sales in Peterborough unitary authority and Cambridgeshire is shown in the following tables. The numbers exclude sales by registered social landlords with less than 250 units/bedspaces. Information on whether sales were to people on a housing waiting list is missing in some cases, and was only collected up to 2006-07. The percentage of shared ownership sales to people on waiting lists was not calculated due to missing information.
From April 2006, applicants for grant-funded shared ownership properties apply direct to homebuy agents (appointed housing associations) who carry out eligibility and affordability checks and handle the application process.
| Table 2 : Shared ownership completions in Cambridgeshire | ||||
| Of which: | ||||
| Shared ownership sales | Sales to people on housing waiting lists | Sales to people not on housing waiting lists | Sales for which waiting list information is not available | |
| n/a = Not applicable. (1) No reliable estimate due to less than five respondents. Source: CORE (continuous recording) returns to the Tenant Services Authority (TSA) from registered social landlords (RSLs). | ||||
Sustainable Communities Act 2007
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what process will apply to his Department reaching agreement with the Sustainable Communities Act 2007's selector body once bids have been submitted to his Department by the Selector. [302207]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007, before deciding which of the proposals on the short-list should be implemented, the Government are required to consult with the Selector and try to reach agreement. In order to effectively implement the Act, officials have met with representatives from the Selector on a number of occasions. These meetings will continue once the short-list has been received. Ministers will also engage with members of the Selector Panel in order to try to reach agreement before final decisions are made.
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for the second round of bids under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007. [302220]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
The Government are committed to the effective implementation of the Sustainable Communities Act 2007. The first round has generated 301 proposals that are currently being considered by the Local Government Association as Selector, before being submitted to the Secretary of State. We intend to review the first round of proposals once decisions have been taken in order to ensure that implementation of the second round of proposals is as effective as possible. This will allow the second round to benefit from feedback from communities, local authorities, the Selector and the
Third Sector on how the process might be improved. This will ensure that we can be clear from the outset about the way that future proposals will be handled.
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the timetable is for (a) considering and (b) approving the first round of bids under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007. [302285]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government are currently co-operating with the Local Government Association, appointed as Selector, as it draws up a short-list of the proposals from local authorities, under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007, which it believes would improve the sustainability of their local area. I understand the Selector Panel is due to meet on 22 December 2009 and is expected to submit the short-list to the Secretary of State thereafter. The Secretary of State will then consult the Selector and try to reach agreement on which proposals should be implemented.
The timing of these decisions will depend on the number and complexity of the proposals on the short-list.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions he has had with the Local Government Association in its role as Selector under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007. [303205]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Government are currently co-operating with the Local Government Association (LGA), in its role as Selector, as the LGA draws up a short-list of the proposals from local authorities, under the Sustainable Communities Act 2007, which it believes would improve the sustainability of their local area. As part of the co-operation process, officials from the Department for Communities and Local Government have met with the Local Government Association on a number of occasions.
The Government have also shared with the LGA factual information on the proposals, including material on whether proposals are likely to be already within the existing powers of local authorities; whether proposals are likely to require additional public expenditure; information on the cost-benefit and broad impact of proposals; and details of existing policy positions for which the Government are publicly accountable.
These meetings will continue once the short-list has been received. Ministers will also engage with members of the Selector Panel in order to try to reach agreement before final decisions are made.
Tenant Services Authority: Public Relations
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what payments the Tenant Services Authority has made to APCO since its establishment; for what purposes; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each of the contracts under which such payments have been made. [302215]
John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend the Member for Derby, South (Margaret Beckett) gave to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 19 May 2009, Official Report, column 1345W.
Health
Blood: Donors
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will review the criteria relating to donation of (a) blood and (b) bone marrow for the purposes of increasing the number of people eligible to donate. [302036]
Ann Keen: Selection criteria for blood and bone marrow donors are covered by a European Union directive, transposed into United Kingdom law as the Blood and Safety Quality Regulations (2005). Within this framework the Joint Professional Advisory Committee of the UK Blood Transfusion services provides detailed advice on donor and donation acceptability for the protection of both the donor and the recipient patients.
In addition, the independent Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissue and Organs advises the Government on donor selection. These recommendations are based on the most up-to-date scientific evidence and kept under review.
There has not been a shortage of blood in the UK for many years, and the British Bone Marrow Register strategy for maintaining the registry at 300,000 donors is readily attainable without any change to current donor selection guidelines.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals for a pilot project for the registration of stem cell donors (a) up to the age of 60 years and (b) who are blood donors at blood centres. [302037]
Ann Keen: The British Bone Marrow Registry recruits donors aged between 18 and 49. All bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cell donors are recruited from blood donors at blood centres.
The Department does not intend to bring forward any proposals to change current practice.
Botulinum Toxin
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of botox produced in the UK which has been used for (a) cosmetic and (b) medical procedures. [302661]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 30 November 2009]: This information is not collected centrally.
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions botox has been used in medical procedures performed by the NHS in each of the last three years. [302666]
Mr. Mike O'Brien [holding answer 30 November 2009]: The available information is shown in the following table:
Cancer: Health Services
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many breast cancer referral patients have been seen within the two-week waiting time for (a) urgent and (b) routine referrals in each of the last three years. [301709]
Ann Keen: All patients with suspected breast cancer should be urgently referred by their general practitioner in line with the referral guidelines published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. These patients should not be subject to a routine referral. The following table details the numbers of patients covered by this standard and the reported performance for the period April 2006 to December 2008.
| Period | Total seen (where referral was received within 24 hours) | Number of patients seen within 14 Days | Percentage performance |
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