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9 Dec 2009 : Column 498W—continued
South East Coast Strategic Health Authority
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the capitation cost was of (a) the Director and (b) other staff in Communications and Engagement of the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority in the latest year for which information is available. [304300]
Gillian Merron: The last full year for which information about remuneration for the Director of Communications and Engagement of the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority (SHA) is available is 2008-09. This is published in the SHA's 'Annual Report 2008-09', a copy of which has been placed in the Library. Information about costs relating to the SHA Director of Communications and Engagement's staff is not collected centrally.
Mr. Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority paid to public relations companies in (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09; and what budget has been set for such expenditure in 2009-10; [304532]
(2) what the cost was of the recent independent survey of the regional stakeholders of the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority undertaken as part of the Healthier people, excellent care programme; [304533]
(3) how much the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority spent on gathering public opinion and opinion polling in (a) 2006-07, (b) 2007-08 and (c) 2008-09; and what budget has been set for such expenditure in 2009-10. [304534]
Gillian Merron: The information requested is not collected centrally. These are matters for the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority.
Swine Flu: Vaccination
Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of people to whom it plans to offer the swine influenza vaccination (a) in the Stockport Primary Care Trust area and (b) nationally. [304126]
Gillian Merron: The estimated number of people in the Stockport Primary Care Trust area who fall into a priority group for H1N1 influenza vaccination is about 55,000. There are an estimated 15,000 children aged over six months and under five years that would fall into the extended H1N1 vaccination programme.
The estimated number of people in England who fall into a priority group for H1N1 influenza vaccination is about 9.5 million. The estimated number of children in England who fall into the group aged over six months and under five years is about 2.75 million.
Health care workers involved in direct patient care can also receive the H1N1 vaccine. This applies to about 1 million individuals in England. There are an estimated 4,000 people who fall into this category working in Stockport national health service trusts.
Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doses of swine influenza vaccine had been distributed to health centres (a) in the Stockport Primary Care Trust area and (b) nationally by 1 December 2009. [304192]
Gillian Merron: By 1 December 2009, 68,000 doses of swine influenza vaccine have been delivered to the Stockport primary care trust area. By the same date 8.8 million doses of swine flu vaccine had been delivered nationally.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria are used by primary care trusts to prioritise individuals for swine influenza vaccinations. [304258]
Gillian Merron:
The priority groups for swine flu vaccination were identified in the letter from the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) dated 13 August 2009, and this
has been reiterated in subsequent communications to National Health Service staff. A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library.
The following groups were initially prioritised for vaccination in the following order:
individuals aged six months and up to 65 years in the current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at-risk groups;
all pregnant women;
household contacts of immunocompromised individuals; and
people aged 65 and over in the current seasonal flu vaccine clinical at-risk groups.
These groups were selected because they are at highest risk of severe illness. As vaccine became available, in some areas priority groups i to iii have been vaccinated concurrently, rather than in order of priority.
In addition to these groups, frontline health and social care workers have been offered the vaccine at the same time as the first clinical risk group as they are at increased risk of infection and of transmitting that infection to susceptible patients.
On 19 November 2009 the Department announced Phase 2 of the vaccination programme. The programme will be extended to children over six months and under five years, after the initial priority groups have been vaccinated. It will also be extended to main carers of older and disabled people, subject to discussions with carers' organisations.
Transplant Surgery
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many transplants were performed in private clinical practice using solid organs from living donors removed (a) in NHS facilities and (b) in other facilities in each of the last 10 years. [304249]
Ann Keen: All organ retrieval and organ implantation in the United Kingdom is notified to NHS Blood and Transplant. All living donation in the UK is approved by the Human Tissue Authority to safeguard against coercion and trafficking.
The method of payment for transplant operations carried out using organs taken from living donors in national health service trust facilities is not recorded. Therefore, it is not possible to provide data on the number of transplants that were performed privately using organs retrieved from living donors in NHS facilities.
The following table shows organs retrieved from living donors in non-NHS facilities for transplants performed in private hospitals in the UK in each of the last 10 years. With one exception as detailed, all organs were retrieved in the same private hospital where they were transplanted.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Adult Education: Further Education
Mr. Harper: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects the independent review commissioned by the Learning and Skills Council and undertaken by the Institute for Employment Studies, of the provision of further education courses for people aged 19 years and over with learning difficulties or disabilities to be published. [302788]
Kevin Brennan [holding answer 30 November 2009]: The IES report raised a number of very important questions and issues that my officials have been considering against current policies. They have been discussing this further with colleagues in the Learning and Skills Council and I expect this work to be concluded very shortly. The report will be published by the end of December.
Apprentices
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships were awarded in each subject sector in the last 12 months. [304505]
Kevin Brennan: The following table shows apprenticeship achievements by Sector Subject Area for 2007/08, the latest year for which we have complete data. Final information for the 2008/09 academic year will be released on 17 December. In-year information for 2008/09 can be found in a Statistical First Release, at:
Apprentices: Accountancy
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeships in accounting were awarded by each awarding body in the last 12 months. [304504]
Kevin Brennan: There were 2,700 achievements in the accountancy apprenticeship framework in 2007/08, the latest year for which we have complete data. Final data for the 2008/09 academic year will be published on 17 December. In-year data for 2008/09 can be found in a Statistical First Release at:
Information on apprenticeship achievements by awarding body is not available.
Apprentices: Bexley
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) the London Borough of Bexley, who lost their apprenticeship place in the last 12 months, have found new apprenticeship places with other employers. [300236]
Kevin Brennan: I refer to the answer I gave to him on 5 November 2009, Official Report, column 1232W, when I explained that data about the number of apprentices made redundant are not currently available. We have put in place for this academic year, from 1 August, arrangements to record the number of apprentices who are made redundant. We expect these data to be available from early in 2010. Currently, the National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) has not been approached by providers, employers or individuals in Bexleyheath and Crayford or in Bexley to support any redundant apprentices.
The London NAS has commissioned an ESF-funded Apprentice Redeployment Support Programme to cover the whole of London. It will support up to 1,000 apprentices, from all sectors, who have been made redundant or are under notice of redundancy, with a work-based training placement to enable them to complete their framework and enhance their opportunity to secure alternative employment. The programme, which started in September, is due to run until 2010, and is being delivered by South London Business and Examplas. Performance data are not yet available.
Apprentices: Environment Protection
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many apprenticeship schemes in green jobs have been established since 1997. [304528]
Kevin Brennan: The skills required in green jobs are usually delivered through existing frameworks, for example through engineering or electro-technical apprenticeships. Information on the number of starts or achievements on apprenticeship frameworks is published in a Statistical First Release, and can be found at:
Work is currently under way to develop existing and new frameworks in green areas such as low-carbon and renewable energy industries, for example wind-turbine and solar photovoltaic panel installation jobs.
Broadband
Mr. Lancaster: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the average speed of broadband services available in (a) England and (b) Milton Keynes. [304345]
Mr. Timms: This Department has not made an estimate of the average speed of broadband services available in (a) England and (b) Milton Keynes. However, Ofcom's Broadband Speed report indicates that in April 2009 average broadband speeds in the UK were 4.1 Mbit/s.
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