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23 Jun 2010 : Column 258W—continued


Strokes: Health Services

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much his Department plans to spend on long term support services for stroke survivors after the ending of the ring-fencing of funding for the National Stroke Strategy; [3300]

(2) how much was spent on stroke services in each local authority in each of the last five years for which figures are available; [3301]

(3) what recent assessment he has made of the effect of support services for stroke survivors on (a) their quality of life and (b) the number of hospital admissions. [3273]

Mr Simon Burns: The National Stroke Strategy was published in 2007 in order to provide advice, guidance and support for commissioners, strategic health authorities, the voluntary sector and social care to improve services across the whole stroke pathway.


23 Jun 2010 : Column 259W

To support implementation of that strategy, £45 million additional central funding was made available from 2008-09 to 2010-11 as grants to local authorities for support to stroke services survivors and their carers. This funding was over and above the general funding local authorities receive to provide social care support for people in their areas. Funding for the period 2011-15 is subject to the spending review.

The NAO revisited stroke services in 2009 and in its report "Progress in improving stroke care" (February 2010) it found that, views on the quality of longer term care were variable, ranging from very good to very poor. They also reported that many local authorities had used the stroke grants to commission support from the voluntary sector for stroke survivors, their families and carers identifying 268 such contracts in 2009 compared with 164 in 2005. However, we have no information on the impact of such services on hospital admissions.

When assessing people for support, local authorities generally provide services on the basis of an assessment of the degree of disability a person has rather than on a medical diagnosis. We therefore do not have information on the overall amount of money they have spent on support for stroke survivors, many of whom will also have other contributing causes to their disabilities. However, the list of allocations made to local authorities from the three year £45 million stroke grant has been placed in the Library.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he had with carers prior to the decision to end the ring-fencing of funding for stroke services. [3302]

Mr Burstow: The decision, as announced recently by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, was taken as part of a wider Government initiative to remove £1.7 billion of grant ring fencing to enable councils to make local decisions around how to deliver essential front line services more flexibly, such as stroke services. The coalition Government value the role of carers and their important contribution to society, and commits the Government to look at providing greater support to the carers.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Agriculture: Subsidies

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department paid to farmers in (a) England, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) Bassetlaw under the Single Payment Scheme in 2009. [3345]

Mr Paice: As of 16 June 2010, £1,830,966,409.73 has been paid under the 2009 Single Payment Scheme (England only).

The Rural Payments Agency does not explicitly record information on payments to farmers on a regional basis. The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, therefore we are unable provide a reply to parts (b) and (c) of this question.

Further information may be found at


23 Jun 2010 : Column 260W

where details of recipients of CAP subsidy payments are reported. The details included relate to all CAP scheme payments, including the Single Payment Scheme (SPS), made to beneficiaries during the years 16 October 2007 to 15 October 2008 and 16 October 2008 to 15 October 2009. This information is published annually in April.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department paid to the individual in (a) England, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) Bassetlaw who received the highest payment under the Single Payment Scheme in 2009. [3346]

Mr Paice: The highest claim paid under the 2009 Single Payment Scheme (England only) was £2,395,356.36.

Further information may be found at

where details of recipients of CAP subsidy payments are published on a single website. The details included relate to all CAP scheme payments, including the Single Payment Scheme (SPS). Details due to be published in April 2011 will include payments made for 2009 Single Payment Scheme between 16 October 2009 to 15 October 2010.

The Rural Payments Agency does not explicitly record information on payments to farmers on a regional basis. The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, therefore we are unable provide a reply to parts (b) and (c) of this question.

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farmers received payments under the Single Payment Scheme in Bassetlaw in 2009. [3347]

Mr Paice: The Rural Payments Agency does not explicitly record information on payments to farmers on a regional basis. The information requested could be obtained only at disproportionate cost, therefore we are unable provide a reply to this question.

Further information may be found at

where details of recipients of CAP subsidy payments are published on a single website. The details included relate to all CAP scheme payments, including the Single Payment Scheme (SPS), made to beneficiaries during the years 16 October 2007 to 15 October 2008 and 16 October 2008 to 15 October 2009.

Animal Health: Expenditure

Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Animal Health Agency has spent on (a) veterinary services, (b) management and consultants and (c) computer programmes and IT in each year since its inception. [3127]

Mr Paice: The amount spent by the Animal Health Agency in each of these categories is displayed in the following tables in £000s.


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2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10

Veterinary Services

(external)

Official Veterinarians (excluding Animal Health veterinary staff)

23,519

25,273

16,774

20,953

21,802

Temporary Official Veterinarians

1,296

932

126

25

5

24,815

26,205

16,900

20,978

21,807

(internal)

Animal Health veterinary staff

14,550

15,753

14,906

15,226

14,832

39,365

41,958

31,806

36,204

36,639

Management

Board member costs-given as a banding as actual cost not disclosed

620-625

745-750

690-695

670-675

900-905

Number of members during the year

9

9

11

11

12

Consultants

Contractor costs-as per the operating cost statement

1,804

3,216

3,708

3,555

9,948

Contractor costs-capitalised and therefore included in IT capitalised costs below

-

1,100

2,200

4,500

4,300

1,804

4,316

5,908

8,055

14,248

Computers programmes and ST

IT-resource costs

1,703

4,459

5,496

2,303

3,736

IT-costs centrally recharged by DEFRA for use of IT infrastructure

7,020

6,879

7,086

9,217

9,425

IT-capitalised costs-includes capitalised contractor cost above

1,882

4,902

16,756

18,103

14,667

10,605

16,240

29,338

29,623

27,828

Source:
Animal Health Annual Report and Accounts

Cereals

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what grain reserves the UK held on 31 March 2010; [3789]

(2) what her policy is on the maintenance of strategic grain reserves. [3790]

Mr Paice: The latest National Statistics produced by DEFRA on the tonnages of wheat, barley and oats held on farms in England and Wales and wheat, barley, oats and maize held by UK ports, co-operatives and merchants were released on 22 April 2010 according to the arrangements approved by the UK Statistics Authority.

It is important to note that stocks held on farms relate to England and Wales on 22 February 2010, and stocks held at ports, co-ops and merchants relate to the UK on 28 February 2010. In previous years the stock level figures related to the end of March.


23 Jun 2010 : Column 262W
Cereal stocks held on farms in England and Wales at the end of February 2010
Thousand tonnes

Own grown Bought in

Wheat

4,781

28

Barley

1,119

26

Oats

202

4


Cereal stocks held in ports, co-ops and merchants in the UK at the end of February 2010
Thousand tonnes

Home grown Imported

Wheat

1,083

116

Barley

848

(1)-

Oats

79

(1)-

Maize

3

54

Barley and oats imported(1)

-

2


The Government have no plans to hold reserves of food. An assessment of UK Food Security was published in August 2009 (and updated in January 2010).


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