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28 Jun 2010 : Column 407W—continued
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the implementation of recommendations of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel. [3875]
Mr Simon Burns: It is the responsibility of the local national health service to ensure implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel, provided those recommendations are first endorsed by the Secretary of State for Health.
Hospitals: Telephones
Miss Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will undertake an investigation into the standard of provision and cost of bedside telephones in hospitals; and if he will make a statement. [3097]
Mr Simon Burns: The provision of these services is a local matter between individual national health service trusts and their chosen supplier. The Department is not party to these contracts. As set out in 'The Coalition: our programme for government', we want to free NHS staff from political micromanagement.
The bedside television and telephone systems provide additional choice for patients and enable them to enjoy benefits they expect to have while in hospital. There is a charge for the provision of these services, which the patient pays directly to the supplier, should they choose to use the services.
King George Hospital Ilford
Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has received the report of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel on the future of King George Hospital, Ilford; whether he plans to publish the report; what recent representations he has received on the future of the hospital; and what plans he has to change the range of services provided at King George Hospital, Ilford. [4354]
Mr Simon Burns: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has considered and endorsed the initial advice from the Independent Reconfiguration Panel following the referral made by the London borough of Redbridge Health Scrutiny Committee. The advice of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel was subsequently published on its website on 24 June 2010. This can be viewed at:
There have been no recent representations received by the Department on the future of King George hospital. Any proposals to change the range of services at King George hospital will be considered as part of the review of all service change proposals affecting London recently announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State.
Lipoedema: Health Services
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent (a) representations he has received and (b) guidance his Department has issued to primary care trusts on the treatment of classic lipoedema in the UK. [4534]
Mr Burstow: The Department has received no representations and has issued no guidance to primary care trusts (PCTs) on classic lipoedema. It is for PCTs to assess the health needs of their populations and take that into account when commissioning services. Information on this condition for patients and clinicians is available from the website of the Lymphoedema Support Network and other sources.
Mental Health Services: Children
Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how he plans to ensure that primary care trusts involve (a) children and young people who access mental health services, (b) parents of children and young people who access mental health services and (c) mental health professionals working in child and adolescent mental health services in the process for commissioning child and adolescent mental health services at local level. [4177]
Mr Burstow: The Government are committed to ensuring a stronger voice for patients and enabling general practitioners (GPs) to commission care on their behalf. The details of what will be required under GP commissioning and during the transition period for primary care trusts are currently being considered.
The National CAMHS Support Service has been funded to carry out a project promoting the participation of children and young people in Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS). The project promotes user participation standards for CAMHS, maps the extent and level of user participation activity in CAMHS, and will develop an online tool for commissioners and providers to improve interaction with children and young people.
NHS: Pay
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many and what proportion of national health service employees in Colchester constituency will have their pay frozen as a result of the decision to freeze the wages of public sector workers; [4568]
(2) how many and what proportion of national health service employees will have their pay frozen as a result of the decision to freeze the wages of public sector workers. [4576]
Mr Simon Burns: In England, an estimated 820,000 NHS employees currently earn a full-time equivalent (FTE) salary of over £21,000. This is approximately 64% of the Health and Community Health Services (HCHS) work force.
Information on pay is not collected by constituency. Of the HCHS staff employed in the North East Essex primary care trust and the Colchester university hospital NHS trust, 64% currently earn an FTE salary of over £21,000. This equates to an estimated 3,200 HCHS staff.
Prescription Drugs
Mr Bone:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on allowing patients access to drugs recommended by a consultant but not yet evaluated by
the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. [4581]
Mr Simon Burns: Where the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has not issued guidance on a particular drug or treatment, it is for primary care trusts to make decisions on the funding of such treatments. The Department has made it clear in good practice guidance that an absence of NICE guidance alone is not an acceptable reason to refuse funding for a treatment and patients have a legal right to expect funding decisions to be made rationally following a proper consideration of the available evidence.
Business, Innovation and Skills
Automotive Council
Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what funding he intends to allocate to the Automotive Council to implement the recommendations of the recent report of the New Automotive Innovation and Growth Team; [4561]
(2) what plans he has for the future of the Automotive Council; and if he will make a statement; [4562]
(3) whether he plans to implement the recommendations of the recent report of the New Automotive Innovation and Growth Team on the Future of the Automotive Industry in the UK. [4563]
Mr Prisk: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State (as Joint Chair) and I will be attending the Government/industry Automotive Council meeting on 1 July where we will discuss a range of issues on the Council work plan. Strengthening the UK-based automotive supply chain and maximising the benefit to the UK of new and green automotive technologies were two key areas on which the New Automotive Innovation and Growth Team recommendations focused and the Council is already taking work forward in these two areas; working with the Government and with the support of the members of the Supply Chain Working Group and the Technology Working Group. These work areas will continue to be the two priorities.
Broadband: Witham
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of (a) households and (b) businesses in Witham constituency have access to internet broadband speeds of 2 megabits per second or higher. [3749]
Mr Vaizey:
Based on the data available to BIS, which estimates service availability based on length of telephone lines, approximately 89% of households and 84% businesses have access to broadband at 2 Mbps via BT exchanges in the Witham constituency. Access to this speed would be dependent on distance from the exchange, peak time use and wiring in the home. There is also wireless provision in this constituency, which would potentially enable more households and
businesses to have access to a 2 Mbps service. Only a physical test of a line would determine its actual service performance in each case.
Business: Government Assistance
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding will be available from the new Enterprise Capital Fund in (a) England, (b) the North East and (c) Newcastle. [4822]
Mr Prisk: The new Enterprise Capital Fund will provide up to £25 million of Government funding towards a total fund size of up to £37.5 million. Capital for Enterprise Limited will continue final stages of due diligence before a mandate is awarded. This fund will support early stage entrepreneurial growth businesses from across the UK and will have no specific allocations either at national, regional or city level.
Business: Greater London
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses in (a) London Borough of Bexley and (b) Greater London were registered for VAT in each of the last three years for which figures are available; and how many new businesses registered for VAT in the same period. [3922]
Mr Gauke: I have been asked to reply.
Between 2005 and 2007, the number of businesses which registered for VAT during the year in (a) the borough of Bexley and (b) Greater London were as shown in the following table:
| New VAT registrations | |||
| Number | |||
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | |
| Source: 'Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations', published by the Department for Businesses Enterprise and Regulatory Reform in November 2008. This report is no longer published. | |||
It is not possible to tell how many of these new VAT registrations were for business start-ups rather than businesses which were previously operating below the VAT registration threshold, or are a component of another established business.
Companies House: Nantgarw
Owen Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the likely effects on the South Wales Valleys of the proposed closure of the Nantgarw office of Companies House; and if he will make a statement. [4277]
Mr Davey: None. Companies House has taken the operational decision to establish a project to consider early closure of its Nantgarw office. There will be no resultant job losses but the project will assess all costs and benefits arising from the prospective closure.
Competition
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the introduction of a provision to ensure that mergers and takeovers operate in the public interest. [3784]
Mr Davey: The Government believe the rules governing takeovers should be examined to ensure they are appropriate. The takeover panel's current consultation on options for amending the Takeover Code is very welcome in this regard. The outcome of that work will inform the Government's thinking about what, if any, further measures it might take.
Co-operatives and Social Enterprises
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on support for (a) co-operatives and (b) social enterprises. [2886]
Mr Prisk: The coalition agreement commits us to supporting the creation and expansion of co-operatives, mutuals, charities and social enterprises, and enabling these groups to have a much greater involvement in the running of public services. BIS Ministers will work closely with the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, my hon. Friend the Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (Mr Hurd) on this agenda, and in particular to ensure that Government are creating the right conditions to stimulate growth, support business enterprise, promote innovation and improve access to finance in order to meet the new economic and social challenges we are currently facing.
Departmental Mobile Phones
Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for West Bromwich East (Mr Watson) of 17 June 2010, Official Report, column 501W, on departmental mobile phones, what the (a) purchase cost of the handset, (b) network provider, (c) type of tariff and (d) name of the supplier is in respect of the mobile device issued to each Minister in his Department. [4068]
Mr Davey [holding answer 24 June 2010]: The information requested is as follows:
(a) The purchase cost of handsets is nil.
(b) The network provider is Vodafone.
(c)The tariffs are standard Government tariffs.
(d) The supplier of the mobile devices is Vodafone.
Mr Watson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 17 June 2010, Official Report, column 534W, on departmental mobile telephones, what the (a) purchase cost of the handset, (b) network provider, (c) type of tariff and (c) name of the supplier is in respect of the (i) mobile telephone issued to the Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning and (ii) the BlackBerry devices issued to (A) him, (B) the Minister of State for Universities and Science, (C) the Minister of State for
Business and Enterprise, (D) the Minister for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Affairs and (E) the Parliamentary Secretary for Business, Innovation and Skills. [4684]
Mr Davey: The information requested is as follows:
( a) The purchase cost of handsets is nil.
( b) The network provider is Vodafone.
( c) The tariffs are standard Government tariffs.
( d) The supplier of the mobile devices is Vodafone.
Departmental Recruitment
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the advertisement of job vacancies within his Department; and if he will make a statement. [3974]
Mr Davey: Any internal vacancy arising in the Department would first be offered to surplus members of staff (those without a post but actively seeking another position) and then advertised within the Department to eligible members of staff. No post will be advertised to non-civil servants unless I have agreed that the post is business critical or is a front line post that directly delivers a service to the public or to business.
Dietary Supplements: Channel Islands
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has made a recent estimate of the monetary value of the trade in food supplements and other health products from the Channel Islands which are imported into the UK. [3998]
Mr Davey: This information is not available. For the purposes of the Overseas Trade Statistics, 'UK' is defined as Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands and the UK part of the Continental Shelf, so the Overseas Trade Statistics do not cover trade between these places.
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