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15 Jun 2010 : Column 400W—continued
| Table 2: The estimated( 1) proportion of defendants proceeded against for rape( 2) at magistrates courts( 3) who were granted bail( 4) by the police following their arrest prior to appearing in court, England and Wales, 2004-08( 5,6) | |||||
| Percentage | |||||
| Court type | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008( 7) |
| (1) It is known that in some police force areas, information on remand decisions is not always readily available to those coding court proceedings returns. In certain cases, the return may be mistakenly coded as if no remand had taken place. For magistrates court proceedings, the number of remands and more importantly, the number which are in custody, are believed to be under-recorded in total. As the breakdown of remands into bail and custody cases for a number of forces is not accurate for a number of forces, estimates have to be made to provide national figures. (2) Includes rape and attempted rape of males and females. (3) Excludes remands/bail data relating to Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. (4) Excludes those remanded in custody at any stage of proceedings at magistrates and Crown courts who may also have been given bail at some stage of those proceedings. (5) Proportions for 2004-08 have been estimated based on pre-committal remand status. (6) The figures presented in this table have been computed using data that exclude those defendants who fail to appear to bail or summons. (7) Indicates that the data are provisional and subject to change. Note: Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source Prepared by Justice Statistics Analytical Services. | |||||
Rape: Disclosure of Information
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans the Government has to provide for anonymity of those accused of rape (a) between arrest and charge, (b) between charge and trial and (c) during trial. [1693]
Mr Blunt: The Government have made clear that they will carefully consider all the options before bringing proposals to Parliament.
Roy Whiting
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how much was spent from the public purse on legal aid to Roy Whiting during his appeal seeking reduction of the length of his sentence; [2548]
(2) what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of the appeal by Roy Whiting against the length of his sentence. [2549]
Mr Djanogly: The full cost to the public purse of the High Court review of Roy Whiting's minimum term of imprisonment is not yet known, as his legal representatives have up to three months within which to submit their claim for legal aid costs following the conclusion of the case. I will write to the hon. Member once further information is available.
Wigan
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice for what public expenditure projects within (a) Wigan constituency and (b) the Metropolitan borough of Wigan his Department had secured Treasury approval between 1 January 2010 and the date of his appointment as Secretary of State. [1691]
Mr Djanogly: I have reviewed the significant new spending decisions taken between 1 January 2010 and the general election, to ensure that they offer good value for money and are consistent with the Government's priorities. No specific spending projects have been approved within (a) Wigan constituency or (b) the Metropolitan borough of Wigan. However, many of the spending decisions are for national initiatives or programmes, which may have an impact for Wigan constituents.
Further announcements will be made in due course.
Young Offender Institutions: Social Services
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many (a) filled and (b) vacant social worker posts there are in each young offender institution. [1763]
Mr Blunt: There is a statutory duty on local authorities to provide social work services to children in need. It is a matter for local authorities how they choose to fulfil these duties. In 2005, a number of dedicated social worker posts in young offender institutions (YOIs) were established by a centrally funded pilot scheme; since this funding came to an end in 2009, the provision of social work services has been determined on a case by case basis at a local level, therefore meaningful data is not available.
Health
Cancer: Screening
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to introduce a cancer screening programme using the oncimmune blood test; and if he will make a statement. [1655]
Mr Burstow: The oncimmune blood test is an assay for the measurement of autoantibodies against a panel of antigens known to be expressed in lung cancer. Research continues into its potential role as part of a strategy including imaging for early detection of lung cancer in individuals at increased risk.
The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the national health service in all four UK countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. The UK NSC draws on latest research evidence and assesses new programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria, covering the condition, the test, the treatment options, the effectiveness and acceptability of the screening programme.
The UK NSC last reviewed screening for lung cancer in July 2006 and is due to review its position on screening again following the publication of the Health Technology Assessment's (HTA) pilot study results which are part of the HTA's UK Lung Cancer Screening Trial (UKLS). The UK NSC will also consider any additional new evidence available at that time.
Care Homes: Abuse
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will ensure that in all cases when allegations are made to social services or health services of abuse of residents of care homes the police are informed; [2450]
(2) if he will hold a meeting with Essex county council to discuss the findings of the Essex Safeguarding Adults Board into the performance of the Greenways Care Home in Colchester; [2451]
(3) if he will undertake an investigation into the appropriateness of the transfer by Essex county council of care homes to care home company Excelcare; and if he will make a statement; [2452]
(4) what recent representations he has received about the standard of operation by Excelcare (a) of care homes nationally and (b) of the Greenways Care Home in Colchester. [2453]
Mr Burstow: Decisions to notify the police of allegations of abuse of a resident in a care home are taken locally by safeguarding adults boards, depending on the nature and severity of individual allegations. The Department does not consider it would be appropriate to introduce a requirement that all such allegations, regardless of circumstances, should be automatically referred to the police.
The transfer or sale of care homes by councils to independent operators is a matter for local consultation and determination. Local councils are free to decide how best to provide care services for their populations, having regard for local need and their budgets. All care homes, whether in the independent or public sectors, must be registered with and regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
The Department has no plans to meet with Essex county council to discuss the findings of the Essex Safeguarding Adults Board into the performance of the Greenways Care Home in Colchester. The Department has received no other recent representations about the standard of operation by Excelcare, either nationally or at the Greenways Care Home in Colchester.
We are informed by CQC that 35 services operated by Excelcare, including 33 residential care and nursing homes, are registered with it. CQC meets with Excelcare regularly to discuss the quality of care services operated by the company.
At the most recent meeting, in late February 2010, 28 of 35 Excelcare services were rated "good", five "adequate" and one was yet to be rated by CQC. One was rated "poor". In the case of this service, CQC was content with the company's action plan for improvement.
The last Government commenced a review of the safeguarding guidance No Secrets. We are considering how to proceed with the review, and will ensure that the case raised by the hon. Member is taken into account. We will make further announcements with respect to No Secrets and safeguarding in due course.
Carers
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he plans to take to assist carers; and if he will make a statement; [2277]
(2) how many people (a) between 18 and 30 years old, (b) between 31 and 40 years old, (c) between 41 and 50 years old, (d) between 51 and 60 years old and (e) over the age of 60 years old were registered as carers in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) England in each year since 1997; [2278]
(3) how many carers (a) work full-time and (b) undertake paid work not on a full-time basis in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) England. [2279]
Mr Burstow: The Department does not centrally hold the number of registered carers nor the number who undertake paid work.
Carers may register with a range of organisations for different purposes. There is no single register for carers.
To assist carers, we will extend the roll out of personal budgets to give people and their carers more control and purchasing power. We will use direct payments to carers and better community based provision to improve access to respite care. We will establish a commission for long-term care which will consider how we ensure responsible and sustainable funding for long-term care.
Carers: Finance
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that money allocated to primary care trusts to support carers goes to carers. [2252]
Mr Burstow:
We are currently analysing information from strategic health authorities about the priority accorded to supporting carers by primary care trusts (PCTs) in 2009-10. However, the Department does not break down PCT revenue allocations by policies at either a national
or local level. It is for PCTs to decide their priorities for investment locally, taking into account their local circumstances and priorities set out in the NHS Operating Framework.
It is this Government's policy to enhance freedom for local government and PCTs as much as possible by reducing the ring-fencing of monies, freeing up resources to concentrate on local priorities and the delivery of essential frontline services. However, it is important that local government and PCTs ensure that they account locally for the priorities they determine.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Health Services
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been provided for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease-related research by his Department in the last five years. [2152]
Mr Simon Burns: The information requested is shown in the following table.
| Expenditure on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease research | ||
| £ million | ||
| Department of Health( 1,2) | Medical Research Council | |
| (1) National Institute for Health Research and Policy Research Programme. (2) Excludes spend by NHS organisations from the research and development funding allocations made directly to them from 2005-06 to 2008-09. That information is not held centrally. (3) An estimated figure. | ||
In addition, the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network is providing national health service research infrastructure support to 57 studies of relevance to the question.
Departmental Internet
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the URL is of each website managed by (a) his Department and (b) each non-departmental public body and agency for which his Department is responsible. [2368]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department is responsible for the following websites:
Non-departmental bodies and agencies for which the Department is responsible, have the following URLs that are in line with Cabinet Office guidance:
In addition the Department is also responsible for reviewing, converging and closing the following websites as part of its commitment to Cabinet Office under Transformational Government:
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