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16 Dec 2009 : Column 1321W—continued
Phil Hope:
Questions on both funding formulae for councils and equality are included in the current consultation and comments are invited. The consultation
will close on 23 February 2010 and a response to the document will be published subsequently. The equality impact assessment screening template has been published alongside the consultation document. Both documents are available on the Department's website at:
A copy has already been placed in the Library.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to Tables 1 and 2 of the impact assessment for the Personal Care at Home Bill, from which paragraphs of the report by the Personal Social Services Research Unit the figures were taken; and which figures in the impact assessment were taken from modelling which has not yet been published. [306479]
Phil Hope: Table 1 of the Impact Assessment is derived from the English Longitudinal Study of Aging. For further detail of how the figures in table 1 were produced, I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave to him on 8 December 2009, Official Report, column 290W, 9 December 2009, Official Report, column 495W, and 14 December 2009, Official Report, column 762W.
The figures for older people in table 2 of the Impact Assessment are derived from the figures in table 1 and the output of Personal Social Services Research Unit's (PSSRU) micro-simulation model for older people. The specific output from the model used to produce the figures in table 2 is not included in the PSSRU technical report and has not otherwise been published.
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 14 December 2009, Official Report, column 763W for detail on the derivation of the numbers of residential care and informal care switchers. The simple model used to determine the flows into and out of residential care has not been published. The logistic regression model used to estimate the number of informal care switchers is explained in the reply I gave to the hon. Member on 8 December 2009, Official Report, column 290W.
The estimate of 110,000 younger adults eligible for free personal care at home is based principally on the Referrals, Assessments and Packages of care (RAP) data from councils for 2007-08(1).
Fair Access To Care Services (FACS) guidance on eligibility for local authorities establishes four levels of eligibility for services. These are critical, substantial, moderate and low, with critical representing the highest level of social care need.
The RAP data shows 82,000 younger users of local authority home care and 35,000 younger users of direct payments on 31 March 2008-out of 395,000 younger recipients of community-based services. It is not known what proportion of the 117,000 who receive personal care and are in the critical need group, but it is expected that they would be the majority.
Therefore, for the purposes of the impact assessment, it is assumed that there could be some 100,000 younger adult local authority funded users receiving personal care in the critical category. It is likely that most of them receive their care free, as their incomes are generally low. It has therefore been assumed that 90 per cent.,
already receive free personal care at home and that 10 per cent., make a means-tested contribution towards the cost.
Little is known about the number of younger adults who currently fund their own care at home. It has been assumed that approximately a further 10,000 younger adults may be brought under state funding following the introduction of the Personal Care at Home Bill.
No specific estimate of a margin of error has been made. However, the figures have been rounded to the nearest 10,000 to reflect the uncertainty. The figure of 110,000 should therefore be treated as an estimate.
For information on the derivation of the estimated additional administration costs, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 14 December 2009, Official Report, column 765W.
(1) The RAP data for 2007-08 can be found at:
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the regulatory impact assessment for the Personal Care Bill assumes that 14,815 people per month are to be given access to reablement. [307687]
Phil Hope: A flow of 14,815 per month is derived from the modelling assumptions listed in Annex B of the impact assessment. However, since we do not know for certain what proportion of people already benefit from re-ablement, for the purposes of the impact assessment we have assumed that 130,000 people will receive re-ablement over the course of a year. In addition, since we have not formally incorporated the anticipated benefits of re-ablement services in the impact assessment's headline figures, we believe we have been conservative about the number of people that may actually receive re-ablement.
The model referred to in paragraphs 5.12, 5.13 and Annex B of the impact assessment is still under development. For this reason, its output has not been incorporated into any of the figures reported in the impact assessment. The model will continue to be updated and refined as more information becomes available.
We cannot reasonably make these extrapolations because of the levels of uncertainty. Such uncertainties include the unknown detail of any future national care service and the unknown future economic climate.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2009, Official Report, column 166W, on social services, (1) if he will extrapolate the cost in each year to 2030 to the Exchequer of free personal care on the basis that there are no uncertainties and the assumptions of the regulatory impact assessment remains applicable in each year; [307688]
(2) what areas of uncertainty the Department has identified; and whether each one is likely to result in (a) increased or (b) decreased costs; [307689]
(3) pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2009, Officia l Report, column 497W, on social services, what the figure for personal care funded from the public purse in (a) 2015, (b) 2020, (c) 2025 and (d) 2030 for
each year is if the assumptions of the impact assessment of the Personal Care at Home Bill are applied regardless of uncertainty. [307725]
Phil Hope: We cannot reasonably make these extrapolations because of the levels of uncertainty. Such uncertainties include the unknown detail of any future National Care Service and the unknown future economic climate.
It is not possible to reasonably extrapolate what effects such uncertainties may have on costs at the present time.
Swine Flu: Vaccination
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 November 2009, Official Report, columns 1170-1W, on influenza: Herefordshire, how many H1N1 influenza vaccines were delivered (1) to Herefordshire by (a) the end of November 2009 and (b) the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement; [307281]
(2) into his Department's central warehouse by (a) the end of November 2009 and (b) the latest date for which figures are available; how many of the H1N1 influenza vaccines were distributed to locations nationwide; and if he will make a statement. [307282]
Gillian Merron: 31,000 doses (30,000 Pandemrix and 1,000 Celvapan) of H1N1 influenza vaccine had been delivered to Herefordshire by the end of November 2009. As at 9 December 2009, 38,500 doses (37,500 Pandemrix and 1,000 Celvapan) had been delivered to Herefordshire.
16.3 million doses (14 million Pandemrix and 2.3 million Celvapan) of H1N1 influenza vaccines were delivered into the Department's central warehouse by the end of November 2009. As at 9 December 2009, 19.2 million doses (16.1 million Pandemrix and 3.1 million Celvapan) had been delivered into the Department's central warehouse. At midday on 9 December 2009, 13.2 million doses (12.6 million Pandemrix and 0.6 million Celvapan) of H1N1 influenza vaccines had been distributed to locations nationwide.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the number of health service staff eligible for the H1N1 influenza vaccine; and how many health service staff have received the H1N1 influenza vaccine to date. [307283]
Gillian Merron: The estimated number of frontline national health service health care workers involved in direct patient care in England eligible for H1N1 swine flu vaccination is about one million.
By week ending 6 December 2009, an estimated 300,000, NHS frontline health care workers involved in direct patient care had received H1N1 vaccine.
Written Questions: Government Responses
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to respond to Question 300313, on commissioning of elective health service treatments, tabled on 18 November for answer on 25 November 2009. [307608]
Gillian Merron: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given on 15 December 2009, Official Report, column 1049W.
Energy and Climate Change
Biofuels
Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what estimate he has made of the monetary value of the average annual allocation of renewables obligation certificates to each of the biomass power stations which are under construction. [307627]
Joan Ruddock: The monetary value of ROCs is dependent on the buy out price and recycle value. However, the actual amount a generator sells a ROC for is subject to commercial negotiation between a generator and supplier. The buy out price for each ROC per MWh is announced in February prior to the obligation period it applies to and the recycle value is determined by the compliance level for that obligation period.
Generators will receive ROCs for each MWh of eligible renewable electricity generated, once they are accredited, depending on the technology type and fuel used. Details can be found on the RO website:
Biofuels: Power Stations
Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the monetary value was of the renewables obligation certificate allocated to each biomass power station in operation in 2009-10. [307628]
Joan Ruddock: The 2009-10 obligation period finishes on 31 March 2010. Records for the number of renewables obligation certificates issued to biomass power stations can be found on the Renewable and CHP Register at:
https://www.renewablesandchp.ofgem.gov.uk/Public/ReportManager.aspx?ReportVisibility=1&;ReportCategory=0
From 1 April 2009 banding of renewable technologies was introduced. As a result of this, dedicated biomass stations using regular biomass will receive 1.5 ROCs per MWh, while those using energy crops will receive two ROCs per MWh.
The monetary value of ROCs is dependent on the buy out price and the recycle value. However, the actual amount a generator sells a ROC for is subject to commercial negotiation between a generator and supplier. The buy out price for each ROC per MWh issued in 2009-10 is £37.19. The recycle value will be determined by the compliance level for the 2009-10 obligation period.
Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent estimate he has made of the monetary value of the average annual allocation of renewables obligation certificates to each biomass power station in operation. [307629]
Joan Ruddock: The 2009-10 obligation period finishes on 31 March 2010. Records for the number of renewables obligation certificates issued to Biomass power stations can be found on the renewable and CHP Register at:
https://www.renewablesandchp.ofgem.gov.uk/Public/ReportManager.aspx?ReportVisibility=1&;ReportCategory=0
From 1 April 2009 banding of renewable technologies was introduced. As a result of this dedicated biomass stations using regular biomass will receive 1.5 ROCs per MWh while those using energy crops will receive 2 ROCs per MWh.
The monetary value of ROCs is dependent on the buy out price and recycle value. However, the actual amount a generator sells a ROC for is subject to commercial negotiation between a generator and supplier.
The buy out price for ROCs per MWh and the recycle value per ROC in the current and preceding obligation periods can be found in the following table.
| Obligation period | Buyout price per MWh (£) | Recycle Value per ROC presented (£) |
| (1 )England and Wales (2) Scotland (3) Current Obligation Period | ||
Capita
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what meetings (a) each Minister and (b) officials in his Department and its predecessors have had with Capita Group plc on the administration of the miners' compensation schemes since the inception of those schemes. [303417]
Mr. Kidney: Capita became the Department's claims handling contractor for the Coal Health Compensation schemes in 2004 following their acquisition of the contract from another supplier. Capita secured the current contract for a further period following a competitive process and that contract commenced in August 2006. The current contract is due to end on 30 July 2011.
Ministers have not been directly involved in operational meetings with Capita but are kept up dated on progress.
At official level the core governance arrangements for managing the contract and Capita's role are by monthly contract and scheme management meetings chaired by the Head of the Coal Liabilities Unit (CLU) in DECC. In addition a range of operational and contract compliance meetings are also held regularly between CLU officials and Capita representatives.
In addition the High Court Judges overseeing the Coal Health Compensation schemes have taken a direct interest in all aspects of the administrative handling of the claims.
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change (1) with reference to the answer of 12 November 2009, Official Report, column 669W, on industrial diseases: compensation, on which occasions Capita Group plc has not received one hundred per cent. of the Service Level Agreement payments which could have been paid to it; and what the reasons were in each case; [303418]
(2) with reference to the answer of 12 November 2009, Official Report, column 671W, on industrial diseases: compensation, who has responsibility for reviewing Capita's performance; which contractual terms Capita has (a) met and (b) not met; how frequently Capita's performance is assessed; and what performance measures are used in such assessments. [303420]
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