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23 Feb 2010 : Column 398W—continued

Autism: Health Services

Mr. Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received in relation to his proposed autism strategy. [318141]


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Phil Hope: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State (Andy Burnham) and I have recently and independently met Mark Lever, chief executive of the National Autistic Strategy and Chair of the External Reference Group, and the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham (Mrs. Gillan) to discuss the development of the autism strategy.

Departmental Disabled Staff

Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of staff in (a) his Department and (b) the executive agencies for which he is responsible are disabled; and what the average salary in (i) his Department and (ii) the executive agencies is of (A) full-time disabled staff, (B) full-time non-disabled staff, (C) part-time disabled staff and (D) part-time non-disabled staff. [317892]

Phil Hope: The information requested was published in the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES) statistics produced by the Office for National Statistics on 20 January 2010. This can found at:

The relevant Annexes of the document have been placed in the Library.

Because disability is voluntarily self-reported and the fact that there is a subset of civil servants whose disability status is unknown or undeclared, care should be exercised when drawing conclusions based on these statistics.

Care should also be exercised when making comparisons of salaries between part-time and full-time disabled and non-disabled staff. For example, a simple comparison of median salary by disability status and working pattern does not take account of the different responsibility levels of the individuals concerned.

Drugs: Alcoholic Drinks

Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect on health of the combination of polydrug and alcohol abuse by those under the age of 18 years old. [317552]

Gillian Merron: The health effects of drug use, including polydrug use, and alcohol abuse are set out in the 2008 Drug Strategy, "Drugs: protecting families and communities" and can be found on the Home Office website at:

This includes greater levels of ill-health or risk-taking behaviour leading to accidents, infection or pregnancy, with the potential for mental health problems and psychosis, developmental damage and even overdose or death.

Health Services: Derby

Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what work the Co-operation and Competition Panel is carrying out in relation to proposals for the re-organisation of community services in Derby; and if he will make a statement. [317002]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: We understand that the Co-operation and Competition Panel (CCP) is not undertaking any work in relation to proposals for the re-organisation of
23 Feb 2010 : Column 400W
community services in Derby, following Derby City primary care trust's decision to revise its plans for divestment of community services and therefore to withdraw its merger notification. Up-to-date details of the casework currently under investigation by the CCP are available on its website at:

NHS: Expenditure

Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what indications for planning purposes his Department has given to strategic health authorities in England for NHS spending for the next (a) three and (b) five years in (i) cash and (ii) real terms; and what assumptions have been made for (A) inflation and (B) efficiency savings. [317988]

Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Department set out financial planning assumptions for the national health service in the NHS "Operating Framework for England 2010-11" published in December 2009. A copy of this has already been placed in the Library.

As an interim step, the 2009 pre-Budget report announced that value for money savings of around £10 billion per year will be delivered by 2012-13 through the work under way within the NHS, and through the Public Value Programme (PVP), Operational Efficiency Programme (OEP), and other value for money initiatives.

"NHS 2010-2015: From Good to Great" set out the approach to identifying and delivering these savings.

The Department bases its assumptions about general inflation on the forecasts which HM Treasury publishes for the gross domestic product (GDP) deflator on its website. The following table sets out HM Treasury forecasts for GDP deflator increases at the pre-Budget report 2009 for 2010-11 to 2013-14.

Financial year Forecast GDP deflator (Percentage)

2010-11

23/4

2011-12

11/2

2012-13

21/2

2013-14

23/4


Strokes: Health Services

Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to implement the proposals of the English Stroke Strategy on psychological support and regular reviews for everyone who has had a stroke. [317928]

Ann Keen: The National Stroke Strategy, published in 2007, recognised the need to develop long-term psychological and emotional support for stroke survivors with a co-ordinated approach across health and social care. To accelerate improvements in stroke care, the Department's National Quality Board has established a sub-group that will focus on joint working across the health and social care interface and on improving access to psychological support across all long-term conditions including stroke.


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Strokes: Mental Health

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of cases of (a) stroke, (b) dementia and (c) depression per 1,000 of the population; and in how many such cases the consumption of alcohol is estimated to be a direct causal factor. [316297]

Gillian Merron: No estimate has been made of the number of cases of stroke, dementia, depression, heart disease or cancer of the mouth, oesophagus, larynx or breast per 1,000 of the population.

Women and Equality

Departmental ICT

Mr. Hurd: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how much the (a) Government Equalities Office and (b) Equality and Human Rights Commission has spent on font licensing since its creation. [315533]

Michael Jabez Foster: Neither (a) the Government Equalities Office or (b) the Equality and Human Rights Commission has incurred expenditure on font licensing.

Departmental Information Officers

Grant Shapps: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality how many (a) press officers and (b) communications staff were employed by the Government Equalities Office in each year since it was established; and what the cost of employing these staff was in each such year. [309928]

Michael Jabez Foster: The number of staff employed and salary costs since GEO was established in October 2007 are set out in the table. These numbers reflect staff changes during the years, including a number of temporary press officers on short-term contracts while recruitment exercises were undertaken. A more meaningful figure is the number of press officer and communications staff posts and these are shown in brackets.

GEO Division Press officers Communications staff

2007-08( 1)

Number of staff

3(2)

3(3)

Total salary costs (£)

5,738

19,064

2008-09

Number of staff

5(3)

8(3)

Total salary costs (£)

151,038

187,954

2009-10( 2)

Number of staff

8(6)

6(4)

Total salary costs (£)

213,708

185,652

(1) 12 October 2007 to 31 March 2008
(2) As at 31 December 2009

On its establishment in October 2007 the GEO supported two Ministers. The GEO now supports four Ministers and the increase in the number of press and communications posts since March 2009 reflects this.


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Departmental Pay

Dr. Cable: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality pursuant to the answer of 24 November 2009, Official Report, column 57W, on departmental pay, how many staff in the Department received both an annual performance bonus and an in-year bonus in 2008-09; what proportion of the total workforce they represented; what the largest combined bonus payment to an individual was; and who was responsible for awarding such bonuses. [313125]

Michael Jabez Foster: In the financial year 2008-09, 10 GEO members of staff received both an in-year bonus and an annual performance bonus. This total represented 9.5 per cent. of the total work force. The highest combined total awarded was £1,250. Special bonuses are agreed by GEO's senior management team through nominations made by line managers. Annual performance bonuses are agreed through the Department's end of year staff reporting process.

Cabinet Office

Cancer

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what estimate she has made of the number of people per 1,000 expected to develop cancer of the (a) mouth, (b) oesophagus and (c) larynx; and in how many such cases the consumption of alcohol is expected to be a direct causal factor; [316298]

(2) what estimate she has made of the number of people per 1,000 expected to develop (a) breast cancer and (b) heart disease; and in how many such cases the consumption of alcohol is expected to be a direct causal factor. [316299]

Gillian Merron: I have been asked to reply.

No estimate has been made of the number of cases of stroke, dementia, depression, heart disease or cancer of the mouth, oesophagus, larynx or breast per 1,000 of the population.

Treasury

Alcoholic Drinks: Fraud

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the estimated total cost is of delivering the alcohol fraud strategy. [316990]

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Estimates of expenditure on activity to tackle alcohol fraud in 2007-08 and 2008-09 total approximately £22 million. The projected cost for 2009-10 indicates an increase in HMRC and UKBA expenditure of around 12 per cent., to approximately £25 million. This reflects the introduction of new enforcement capabilities, such as specialist teams to carry out civil investigations of fraud, and the establishment of a dedicated inland detection force.

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made of links between alcohol fraud and serious organised crime. [316992]


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Sarah McCarthy-Fry: There are no estimates available for the proportion of alcohol duty losses attributable to serious organised crime, compared to other forms of fraud. However, HMRC assessments of the threats to the alcohol regime suggest that organised criminality has become a significant element in the fraud. HMRC's response, with other law enforcement agencies, is to target these criminals and the networks through which they operate to disrupt, dismantle, penalise and wherever possible prosecute those involved.

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment has been made of the relationship between the levels of alcohol duties and levels of alcohol fraud. [316993]

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: No assessment has been made of the relationship between the levels of alcohol duties and levels of alcohol fraud.

Departmental Disabled Staff

Mr. Harper: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many and what proportion of staff in (a) his Department and (b) the executive agencies for which he is responsible are disabled; and what the average salary in (i) his Department and (ii) the executive agencies is of (A) full-time disabled staff, (B) full-time non-disabled staff, (C) part-time disabled staff and (D) part-time non-disabled staff. [317905]

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: The information requested can be found in the Annual Civil Service Employment Survey (ACSES) published by the Office for National Statistics on 20 January 2010 and available at:

Departmental Manpower

Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many layers of management reporting from the most senior to the most junior there are in his Department and each of its agencies; how many officials are employed in each such layer; and how much was spent on salaries and associated employment costs of staff at each such layer in the latest year for which information is available. [312818]

Sarah McCarthy-Fry: HM Treasury and the Office of Government Commerce operate pay ranges in line with civil service guidelines. Staff at all layers within each organisation's pay grading structure may have management responsibilities, except those at the lowest grade; not all staff in any pay grade will have management responsibilities. Where data relate to fewer than five staff, pay ranges have been combined. The UK Debt Management Office does not use comparable pay ranges.

The following tables give the information requested for HM Treasury, the Office of Government Commerce and the UK Debt Management Office, showing the number of posts at each management grade or level.


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Table 1: HM Treasury full-time equivalent staff by pay range as at April 2009 (annualised costs)

Staff (FTE) Cost (£ million)

Perm Sec and SCS 3

7.0

1.1

SCS 2

18.9

2.4

SCS 1

81.9

7.9

Range E

376.0

22.9

Range D

439.0

15.4

Range C

162.0

4.9


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