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6 Apr 2010 : Column 1310W—continued
Valuation Office Agency: Visits Abroad
Robert Neill:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer with reference to the answer of 9 February 2009, Official Report, columns 1629-30W, on the Valuation Office: overseas visits, what overseas visits representatives of the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) have undertaken in the last 12 months; what the (a) purpose, (b) destination and (c) cost was of each such
visit; and if he will place in the Library a copy of each (i) presentation made and (ii) handout distributed by VOA staff at each overseas conference attended in the last 12 months. [323090]
Ian Pearson: During the last 12 months staff from the Valuation Office Agency have visited the following locations:
Written Questions: Government Responses
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to answer question 305530, tabled by the hon. Member for Runnymede and Weybridge on 4 December 2009, on alcohol and entertainment. [321186]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: I have now replied to the hon. Member and apologise for the delay in doing so.
Health
Blood
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that haemophilia patients will not be required to switch blood products as a consequence of the outcome of his Department's recent tendering exercise in respect of blood products. [325451]
Gillian Merron: Patients with haemophilia are no longer generally treated with products manufactured from human plasma (blood products). Almost all are now treated with recombinant (biosynthetic) factor VIII. It is expected that about 50 per cent. of patients will change from one brand of recombinant product to another, following the tendering exercise.
Some small children with haemophilia will not change products either because they have always been treated with the same brand or because they are having treatment for a factor VIII inhibitor. Patients have now been notified by their haemophilia centres of the proposal to either change their brand or to continue to prescribe the brand that they are already receiving and to invite them to consult the centre if they have any concerns.
The tender has taken place with the full support and active involvement of the Haemophilia Society representing patients and the UK Haemophilia Centre Doctors' Organisation (UKHCDO). UKHCDO have advised that all of the available brands of recombinant products are equally safe and effective.
Breast Cancer: Ethnic Groups
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what models his Department uses to assess prevalence of breast cancer by ethnic minority grouping. [325546]
Ann Keen: We do not hold information on the prevalence of breast cancer by ethnic minority grouping. However, we are working on models to allow us to assess prevalence by ethnic minority grouping.
Cancer: Health Services
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which cancer centres are located in a hospital building without the ancillary services of an acute hospital; [325010]
(2) which gynaecological cancer centres are located within (a) a maternity hospital and (b) an acute hospital; [325011]
(3) which gynaecological cancer centres lack an on-site intensive therapy unit (ITU); and whether he plans to relocate any such centres to hospitals which do have an on-site ITU. [325012]
Ann Keen: Information concerning the location of cancer centres within hospital buildings is not collected centrally.
Decisions regarding the placement of cancer centres are the responsibility of local national health service hospital trusts and primary care trusts and are made in conjunction with cancer networks and other stakeholders.
Cancer: Waiting Lists
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average time was that patients in Merseyside waited for the start of treatment for ovarian cancer in the most recent year for which figures are available. [325003]
Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.
Civil Servants
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which senior civil servants in his Department left to take up jobs in the for-profit or not-for-profit healthcare sector in the last two years. [324999]
Phil Hope: The Department does not hold records on the employment of former staff after they leave the Department.
Rules on civil servants taking up outside business appointments are published in the Civil Service Management Code (section 4.3) which can be found at:
Section 4.3 annex A contains the full guidance on accepting outside business appointments. The Department complies fully with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code in ensuring adherence to the business appointments procedure.
These rules are also referred to in the Directory of Civil Service Guidance, available at:
Standard employment contracts for all senior civil servants refer to the rules on outside business appointments.
Dementia
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many letters he has received on his Department's most recent dementia awareness campaign in the last six months. [324894]
Phil Hope: Information about the number of letters of correspondence on the information campaign is not collected centrally.
Dental Services: Bognor Regis
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons dentists at the Maywood Surgery and Flansham Park Surgery in Bognor Regis were not invited to bid for the contract to provide dental services in the Bognor Regis area. [325655]
Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally. Primary care trusts are responsible for commissioning dental services to meet the needs of their population.
Departmental Buildings
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department and its agencies have spent on rooms for staff leisure in each of the last five years. [324440]
Phil Hope: The Department and its agencies spent the following on rooms provided for staff leisure in the last five years:
| £ | |
These are the full costs of providing these rooms and have been calculated and based on a square metre percentage of the overall costs for the buildings where leisure facilities are available.
The response covers the Department's central administrative London estate of Richmond house, Wellington house and Skipton house, the properties of the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency, and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority.
The Department is a minor occupier in New Kings Beam house (HM Revenue and Customs) and Quarry house in Leeds (Department for Work and Pensions) and the data for these sites are not available to us.
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department provides subsidised gym facilities for its staff. [324560]
Phil Hope: There are gym facilities in two of the Department's buildings-Skipton house in London and Quarry house in Leeds. Staff who are members of HASSRA, the sports and social association for staff working in the Department and its Executive agencies can access these facilities. HASSRA owns the gym equipment in Skipton house and the gym is run by club members. HASSRA does not own the gym at Quarry house, which is run by a private company.
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on interior design in relation to office refurbishments undertaken in each of the last five years. [324678]
Phil Hope: Like most organisations, the Department has a rolling refurbishment programme. It is not possible to identify separately, in all cases, the elements within this programme that relate to interior design, because it is often commissioned by the main contractor responsible for carrying out the refurbishment.
In the last five years, the Department employed interior designers directly on two occasions. This was in financial year 2005-06, at a total cost of £94,251.
Departmental Energy
Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) voltage optimisers and (b) equivalent technologies are used within buildings occupied by his Department. [324975]
Phil Hope: The Department is currently looking at the feasibility of installing voltage optimisers across the Department's London estate as part of our Carbon Management Programme to reduce energy consumption.
There are no equivalent technologies used within buildings occupied by the Department in its central administrative estate which consists of Richmond house, London SW1A, Wellington house, London SE1, and Skipton house, London SE1. The Department is a minor occupier in New Kings Beam house, London SE1 (a HM Revenue and Customs building) and Quarry house in Leeds LS2 (a Department for Work and Pensions building).
Departmental Food
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what account his Department's food procurement policy takes of animal welfare. [325528]
Phil Hope: In line with DEFRA guidance regarding sustainable development and animal welfare issues, the Department of Health works with its catering and hospitality suppliers to ensure that they abide by the highest standards of animal welfare in their food procurement policy.
Quadrant Catering and Eurest Services provide staff restaurant and hospitality catering for Department of Health staff and are both part of Compass Group United Kingdom and Ireland, one of the United Kingdom's largest contract caterers, who have an excellent record in ethical food procurement.
Departmental Furniture
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has incurred expenditure on antique furniture in the last five years. [325108]
Phil Hope: No expenditure has been incurred by the Department on antique furniture in the last five years.
Departmental Internet
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints his Department received regarding difficulties using its website in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [325196]
Phil Hope: The Department received the following number of complaints regarding difficulties operating the Department's website in each of the last three years.
| Number | |
| (1) Figures for March 2010 are not yet available. | |
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on external website design consultants in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [325214]
Phil Hope: The Department operates two main websites:
1. The Department's corporate website
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