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10 Dec 2009 : Column 550W—continued
Mental Health Services
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the level of implementation of the National Service Framework for mental health; and if he will make a statement. [305913]
Phil Hope: No recent assessment has been made of the level of implementation of the National Service Framework (NSF). However, we know that the NSF has led to an impressive range of policy initiatives in a previously neglected area of service provision. We have seen many benefits for people who use mental health services in the form of more money, with real terms investment in adult mental health services increasing by 44 per cent. (or £1.7 billion), since 2001-02. We also know that more patients have been helped, with crisis resolution teams providing over 106,000 home treatments to patients in the year 2007-08.
Further, because of the NSF the national health service now has 64 per cent. more consultant psychiatrists, 71 per cent. more clinical psychologists and 21 per cent. more mental health nurses than it had in 1997, and over 740 new community mental health teams offering home treatment, early intervention, or intensive support for people who might otherwise have been admitted to hospital.
Mental Health Services: Finance
Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been allocated to the provision of cognitive behavioural therapy in each primary care trust in each of the last five years. [305483]
Phil Hope: The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme's principal aim is to support primary care trusts (PCTs) in implementing National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines for people suffering from depression and anxiety disorders.
To date, IAPT has focused solely on the provision of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). IAPT has allocated funds centrally to the national health service in each of the last two years, rather than directly and individually to each PCT.
This centrally allocated money has seen £33 million allocated in 2008-09, with 35 IAPT services established. A further £70 million (to a total of £103 million) has been centrally allocated in 2009-10, with 115 IAPT services established. In 2010-11, a further £70 million (to a total of £173 million) will be allocated.
The expansion of sites are part of a phased roll-out and services will be beginning to be implemented in every PCT by 2011 and the NHS is committed to delivering universal coverage in the period after 2011. Prior to the start of the IAPT programme in 2008, CBT provision was not funded through centrally allocated money. Information about spending on CBT prior to 2008-09 is not collected by the Department but is held by PCTs.
Neuroblastoma
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy that monoclonal antibody therapy is available to NHS patients diagnosed with neuroblastoma. [305803]
Ann Keen: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has not issued any guidance on monoclonal antibody therapy for the treatment of neuroblastoma.
In the absence of NICE guidance, it is a matter for local national health service organisations to decide whether to fund a particular drug or treatment. The NHS Constitution gives patients the right to expect local funding decisions on the availability of drugs and treatments to be made rationally following consideration of the available evidence.
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the number of children who have neuroblastoma. [305804]
Ann Keen: Information on the number of patients with neuroblastoma (prevalence) is not held centrally, nor has any estimate been made.
However, the following table shows the number of children and young people aged 19 and under diagnosed with an unspecified adrenal gland cancer, which could include neuroblastoma, during 2007. This is the latest year for which incidence data are available.
| Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of adrenal gland, unspecified cancer( 1) , in persons aged 19 years and under by age group in England( 2) during 2007( 3) | |
| Age of person diagnosed (years) | Number of cancers diagnosed |
| (1) Adrenal gland, unspecified cancer (including neuroblastoma) is coded as C74.9 in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (2) Based on boundaries as of 2009. (3) Newly diagnosed cases registered in 2007. (4 )For young people aged 15-19, the reported incidence levels indicate less than three individuals. Due to this small cell count, the data have been suppressed to avoid the risk of disclosure. Source: Office for National Statistics | |
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Government have allocated to research to find a cure for neuroblastoma. [305805]
Gillian Merron: The Department's National Institute for Health Research is undertaking translational research specifically concerned with neuroblastoma at two of its Biomedical Research Centres; and via its national cancer research network is currently supporting some nine studies into the condition. The Department has additionally invested over £1 million in experimental cancer medicine centres specifically to support early-phase clinical trials for children with cancer, including trials for children with neuroblastoma. It is not possible to disaggregate the cost of these research activities.
Social Services
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the economic modelling used for the Shaping the Future of Care Together consultation. [305697]
Phil Hope: The Department is working towards publishing a White Paper on care and support in early 2010. They have been working with the Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU) to provide the modelling and analysis to underpin our policy development. We were provided with an interim report from PSSRU in November but that report was based on a view of the system when the Green Paper was published. Our core modelling assumptions have changed quite significantly since then as a result of our stakeholder engagement, responses to our consultation and developments such as the Prime Minister's announcement on free personal care. The report is therefore only part of the story and we have come to the conclusion that to publish it now could be unhelpful to the wider debate on the future of care and support.
PSSRU continue to model the costs and benefits of a new National Care Service based on revised assumptions.
The whole methodology of the interim report was published in July on the PSSRU's website at:
The top level costs and benefits are in the impact assessment published with the Green Paper and available on the Big Care Debate website at:
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent consideration he has given to raising the charges for lower levels of need in order to subsidise free personal care at the critical level. [305740]
Phil Hope: Setting charges for social care is a matter for local authorities. Free personal care will be funded by an additional £420 million from central Government and £250 million from local government efficiency savings.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to paragraph 5.14 of the impact assessment for the Personal Care at Home Bill; what assessment he has made of the likely effect on small businesses in the care sector if individuals and local authorities do not use money that would have been spent on personal care for other purchases. [305742]
Phil Hope: The impact assessment published alongside the current consultation document, "Personal Care at Home: a consultation on proposals for regulations and guidance", sets out the current considerations on the impact on small firms. Both documents have already been placed in the Library.
The consultation will close on 23 February 2010 and a response to the document will be published subsequently. We will also be undertaking direct stakeholder engagement alongside the consultation process and this will be considered as part of this.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the purposes set out for the Personal Care at Home Bill vary between page two of the impact assessment, paragraph 7.2 of the impact assessment and the human rights section of the relevant explanatory note. [305751]
Phil Hope: The different sections of text referred to are intended to detail differing aspects of the Personal Care at Home Bill. Therefore, differing explanations are required to appropriately define each section of the text. There are no inconsistencies between them.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the impact assessment for the Personal Care at Home Bill, what recent assessment he has made of the risk of catastrophic costs being incurred. [305976]
Phil Hope: Paragraph 5.6 of the impact assessment recognises that the costs of meeting personal care needs will be greater for individuals in higher need and that, if these costs are incurred over an extended period of time, they may sum to a significant and in some cases catastrophic, amount.
It is this risk, which cannot be well insured against in the current market, that the Personal Care at Home Bill is seeking to reduce for individuals in highest need.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he had with Ministerial colleagues in respect of the formulation of his policy on the provision of free personal care at home. [305977]
Phil Hope: In formulating policy proposals as part of the Personal Care at Home Bill, there were appropriate ministerial level discussions and clearances.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect of future demographic changes on the provision of free personal care; and if he will make a statement; [306151]
(2) what models his Department has commissioned to assess the future provision of free personal care for those people with the highest needs; and if he will make a statement. [306154]
Phil Hope: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O'Brien) on 7 December 2009, Official Report, column 166W.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made of the geographical distribution of the provision of free personal care; and if he will make a statement. [306152]
Phil Hope: I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave to the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O'Brien) on 8 December 2009, Official Report, column 294W.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how his Department defines eligibility in relation to the provision of free personal care; and if he will make a statement. [306153]
Phil Hope: Eligibility in relation to the provision of free personal care is set out in the consultation document, "Personal Care at Home: a consultation on proposals for regulations and guidance" and comments are invited. The consultation will close on 23 February 2010 and will inform the drafting of regulations which will define the scheme.
The consultation document has already been placed in the Library.
Energy and Climate Change
Christmas
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many Christmas trees were purchased by his Department in each year since its establishment; what the cost was of those trees in each year; from where the trees were sourced; what account was taken of the sustainability of the sources of the trees; and by what process the trees were disposed of. [305644]
Joan Ruddock: The Department has purchased no Christmas trees.
Climate Change
Mr. Dai Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department attended the Copenhagen Climate Change Summit; what methods of transport each used to travel (a) to and (b) from the
Summit; and whether he has applied carbon offsets to carbon footprint of the collective travel of the UK delegation to the Summit. [305847]
Joan Ruddock: Two Ministers and 38 officials from the Department of Energy and Climate Change are in Copenhagen, or will be shortly arriving in Copenhagen, to attend the UNFCCC summit on Climate Change. Seven delegates travelled by rail, 28 by plane, and five have yet to determine their method of travel. All of DECC's travel emissions are offset.
Departmental Electronic Equipment
Mr. Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many plasma screen televisions his Department has purchased since its inception; and what the cost has been of purchasing and installing such screens. [306086]
Joan Ruddock: The Department has purchased no plasma screen televisions.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the cost was of his Department's 1st Anniversary Stakeholder Reception held on 12 October 2009. [303405]
Joan Ruddock: The cost of the 12 October 2009 DECC 1st anniversary party was £21,937.71 +VAT.
Departmental Publications
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he has taken to (a) inform interested parties of and (b) distribute his Department's publication The arrangements for the management and disposal of waste from new nuclear power stations: a summary of evidence; and how many copies of the document have been printed. [304416]
Mr. Kidney:
The Planning Act 2008 requires the Government to consult the public and stakeholders on
the National Policy Statements (NPSs) before they can be designated. The waste assessment summary evidence paper is part of a suite of documents supporting the draft Nuclear NPS, which is currently subject to a wide ranging national consultation lasting 15 weeks. As part of this programme the Government have corresponded with statutory consultees, have set up a dedicated NPS website and are conducting national and local engagement events targeting key stakeholders and members of the public. These have been widely advertised through print, broadcast and online media, as well as by generating PR coverage and targeted communications including leaflets and an email campaign.
The waste assessment summary evidence paper has not been printed in large quantities The document is available on the NPS consultation website for viewing or download, and DECC has so far printed over 100 copies from this source and made them available at local exhibition events.
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