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14 Sep 2010 : Column 1017Wcontinued
Philip Davies:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been paid out in respect of (a) settled claims and (b) settled claims arising from
maternity care under the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts. [13939]
Mr Simon Burns: The NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) supplied the information requested in the following table. Before April 2002, the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST) operated 'excess' levels where trusts, rather than the NHSLA, handled and settled claims below the excess level. These data do not include those claims.
Damages paid on all closed( 1) CNST claims and CNST claims settled as a periodical payment( 2) as at 31 August 2010 | |||
£ | |||
Type of settlement | Damages paid | Outstanding damages | Total damages |
(1) Closed claims are claims where final payment has been made. (2 )Periodical payments are claims where ongoing payments are made to the claimant |
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the 100 largest settled claims awarded under the Clinical Negligence Scheme to date are; how much was paid in each case; and which of these claims arose from maternity care. [13940]
Mr Simon Burns: The NHS Litigation Authority provided the information requested in the following table.
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent discussions he has had with (a) Ministers and officials in his Department and (b) representatives of the private and voluntary sectors on prescription charges; [13415]
(2) what recent discussions he has had with (a) Ministers and officials in his Department and (b) representatives of the private and voluntary sectors on the Prescription Pricing Authority. [13416]
Mr Simon Burns: In the period 12 May 2010 to 9 September 2010, there were four discussions with ministerial colleagues and officials in the Department concerning prescription charges and none concerning NHS Prescription Services (formerly the Prescription Pricing Authority). In the same period, Ministers had one discussion with representatives from the private and voluntary sectors on prescription charges but had none concerning the NHS Prescription Services.
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which long-term illnesses qualify people for free prescriptions; whether he plans to amend this list; and if he will make a statement. [14433]
Mr Simon Burns: The list of medical exemptions is contained in SI 2000, No. 620, as amended. In England, a person is entitled to apply for a medical exemption certificate if they suffer from:
a permanent fistula (including caecostomy, colostomy, laryngostomy, or ileostomy) which requires continuous surgical dressing or requires an appliance;
forms of hypoadrenalism (including Addison's disease) for which specific substitution therapy is essential;
diabetes insipidus or other forms of hypopituitarism;
diabetes mellitus (except where treatment of the diabetes is by diet alone);
hypoparathyroidism;
myasthenia gravis;
myxoedema;
epilepsy requiring continuous anti-convulsive therapy;
continuing physical disability which prevents the patient from leaving his residence without the help of another person; or
they are undergoing treatment for cancer, the effects of cancer or the effects of current or previous cancer treatment (from 1 April 2009).
Decisions on any future changes to the system of prescription charges and exemptions in England would need to be taken in the context of the next Spending Review, which is due to report on 20 October.
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the effects of the nursery milk scheme on the health of children under five years; [13593]
(2) what arrangements his Department plans to put in place to mark World School Milk day; [13612]
(3) what recent assessment his Department has made of the likely effects of ending the nursery milk scheme on children from low-income families; [13613]
(4) what recent representations his Department has received from the dairy sector on proposals to end the nursery milk scheme; [13615]
(5) what evidence his Department took into account in its assessment that the nursery milk scheme was not effective; [13616]
(6) if he will place in the Library a copy of each response received from devolved Administrations on proposals to abolish the nursery milk scheme. [13617]
Anne Milton: The Department has no plans to end the nursery milk scheme or to mark World School Milk day. Dairy UK wrote to Ministers on 4 August 2010.
The Department is unaware of any external studies undertaken on the effectiveness of the nursery milk scheme. It is well known that milk is a source of important
nutrients (such as calcium) as part of a balanced varied diet for young children, and we are continuing with the scheme.
A response was sent by the Scottish Government on 6 August 2010 to the Department. The Department received no other correspondence from the devolved Administrations. It is not usual practice to place copies of inter-ministerial correspondence in the Library.
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the future funding of the nursery milk scheme will be included in the Spending Review. [13594]
Anne Milton: The Department has no plans to end the nursery milk scheme.
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many jobs in smoke-free partnerships are funded directly or indirectly by his Department; at what cost to the public purse; and if he will make a statement. [14461]
Anne Milton: This information is not held centrally.
There is no standard template for funding because these partnerships have grown up over the years to reflect the public health priorities in the particular areas which they serve. Smoking is a major cause of early death and disease and we will make clear our priorities in this area in the public health White Paper later this year.
Smoke-free partnerships vary in composition but they have in common close co-operation at the local and regional levels between national health service, local government, other Government Departments such as HM Revenue and Customs, voluntary sector groups and private sector organisations with an interest in tackling smoking.
They have developed as a result of local initiatives to prioritise activity on smoking in those regions which have the highest prevalence and the greatest health burden resulting from smoking. They originally grew out of initiatives in the early 1990s when the White Paper on the health of the nation published in July 1992 encouraged activity at this level. They have evolved into their existing form during the last 10 years. The smoke-free partnership in the south-west has only been operating for the last two years and has the highest level of funding from its agreement with the primary care trusts (PCTs) in the region.
Levels of funding and sources of funding for the partnerships has changed over the years. There have been some years especially between 2004 and 2009 when central funding was made available. In those regions with smoke-free partnerships this central funding would have been added to the funds raised locally.
Those regions which do not have a smoke-free partnership have in recent years been more heavily dependent on central funding and on the activities of the Regional Tobacco Policy Manager. With the changes brought about in response to the current financial situation some regions have dispensed with their Regional Tobacco Policy Managers. The levels of activity on smoking issues therefore varies considerably.
The regions with smoke-free partnerships are currently principally funded from agreements developed with PCTs. Changes in the NHS (as set out in the recently published NHS White Paper) and the ending of PCTs will result in further changes in the immediate future.
The publication of the public health White Paper later this year and the development of the public health service in line with the Government's new priorities will also impact on the smoke-free partnerships, their future work and funding. Whether previous funding arrangements remain appropriate for the future is an issue, which will have to be considered in due course both at national level and by their funders at local and regional level.
James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average annual cost to the NHS of treating spinal problems. [14263]
Mr Simon Burns: Based on returns submitted in reference costs, the estimated cost to the national health service of secondary care relating to spinal surgery and spinal disorders in 2008-09 was £417 million. This does not represent the total cost because it excludes general practitioner consultations, out-patient attendances, prescribing and other costs related to the treatment of spinal problems, which cannot be separately identified.
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much was spent from the public purse on the treatment of (a) multi drug-resistant and (b) extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in each of the last five years; [13519]
(2) what the average cost of treating a patient with (a) drug responsive, (b) multi drug-resistant and (c) extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis was in the latest period for which figures are available. [13520]
Anne Milton: The available information on prescription of drugs for tuberculosis (TB) does not allow identification of the particular diagnosis made in individual patients, as there may be overlap between the drugs used to treat multi drug-resistant TB (MDR-TB) or extremely drug- resistant TB (XDR-TB). It is also likely that patients with drug-resistant TB will receive other drugs that are also used to treat other conditions, and it is not possible to identify what proportion of the use of such drugs would be for such patients.
Information on expenditure on drugs prescribed to treat TB is shown in the table.
Net ingredient cost (£000) | |||
Calendar year | Prescription cost analysis database | Hospital prescribing database | Combined total |
Notes: 1. Net ingredient cost (NIC) is the basic cost of a drug. It does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees, prescription charges income or other costs such as staff time. 2. The table shows the NIC of drugs classified by Prescription Services as being for the treatment of tuberculosis from the prescription cost analysis database, which covers prescriptions dispensed in the community. Data for the same drugs have been extracted from the Hospital Pharmacy Audit Index, which provides an estimate of the cost of drugs used in hospitals. The cost of drugs for hospital use is not necessarily the actual price paid but is the cost of the drugs issued priced using the price lists that apply to prescribing. 3. Hospital dispensing information is provided by IMS www.imshealth.com Source: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care |
A study has estimated that the average costs of managing a case of pulmonary drug sensitive TB or MDR-TB are about £6,000 and £60,000 respectively.(1) Costs of treating XDR-TB are likely to be higher than for MDR-TB, as the cost of drugs may be more expensive, the course of treatment may be longer and other related costs such as for in-patient and out-patient care may be greater.
(1) White, VLC, Moore-Gillon, J. Resource implications of patients with multidrug resistant tuberculosis. "Thorax 2000"; 55: 962-963.
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will place in the Library a copy of the Audit Commission's staff handbook. [15078]
Robert Neill: A copy of the Audit Commission's terms and conditions document has been placed in the Library of the House.
Please note that although this is the current document some changes have been made to the Commission's car scheme in response to the announcement to disband the Commission. All current orders have been cancelled and no new orders will be made. Drivers have been asked to use their current car beyond the normal lease end and any cars returned by redundant staff are being reallocated.
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government for what reasons the Audit Commission made a payment of £10,143.44 to the Labour Party in 2009-10. [15061]
Robert Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to my hon. Friend direct.
Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 14 September 2010:
Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
Payment was made to the Labour Party in 2009-10 for attendance at the Party Conference, as follows:
exhibition space at the Labour Party Conference 2009-£9,100.00
four nights overnight accommodation for our previous Chief Executive, Steve Bundred, at the Hilton Metropole Brighton in the secure zone-£1,043.44
The Chief Executive attended the Liberal Democrat and Conservative Party conferences in 2009 where the Commission also exhibited.
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on pot plants by the Audit Commission in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10. [15067]
Robert Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to my hon. Friend direct.
Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 14 September 2010:
Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
The Audit Commission spent £40,499 excluding VAT on plant displays in 2009/10 as published on the Commission's website.
In 2008/09 the Commission spent £27,814 excluding VAT on plant displays.
Spend on plants in 2008/09 is lower than 2009/10 due to the timing of payments.
Plant displays are used in approximately 20 Audit Commission offices.
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many communications, marketing and press staff are employed by the Audit Commission; and at what cost in the latest period for which figures are available. [15051]
Robert Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to my hon. Friend direct.
Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 14 September 2010:
Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
In the financial year ending 31 March 2010 the Communications directorate had a total of 48 posts, which included a national publishing centre, design team, digital media team, events team, regional communication managers, internal communications team, direct marketing officers and a national press office. Staff costs for this period were £2,352,517.
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much has been spent by the Audit Commission under its contract with Connect Public Affairs. [15060]
Robert Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and 1 have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to my hon. Friend direct.
Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 14 September 2010:
Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
The Audit Commission has spent £66,291.76 (excluding VAT) under its contract with Connect Public Affairs. This contract was terminated in February 2010.
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether directors of the Audit Commission have had meetings with representatives of the Smith Institute in the last 18 months. [15064]
Robert Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to my hon. Friend direct.
Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 14 September 2010:
Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
The Managing Director of Policy, Research & Studies met with Paul Hackett, Director of the Smith Institute on 15 September 2009.
The Managing Director of Communications met with Paul Hackett, Director of the Smith Institute on 4 March 2010.
Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much his Department spent on hospitality for events hosted by each Minister in the Department in each of the last three years. [13473]
Robert Neill: For information in respect of 2008-09 and 2009-10, I refer my hon. Friend to the written ministerial statements made on 21 July 2009, Official Report, column 118WS and on 27 July 2010, Official Report, column 82WS.
Information for earlier years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was spent on pot plants by his Department in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10. [15065]
Robert Neill: The following table identifies how much Communities and Local Government spent on the maintenance of existing pot plants since 2004, including details of the (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10 spend:
Contract year | Cost (£) |
In July 2004, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister signed a contract with Mitie for maintenance of internal plants in Eland House. In July 2010, the Department gave due notice that this contract will be terminated; the contract will formally end in September 2010.
The pot plants are owned by the Department, rather than leased. When the contract ends, as suggested by staff in feedback on departmental cost savings, the
plants will be looked after by departmental staff on a voluntary basis. No new pot plants have been procured since May 2010. A copy of the relevant section of the 2004 contract on internal planting has been placed in the Library of the House.
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions he has had with the Kent and Medway fire and rescue authority on plans to regionalise fire service control rooms. [15159]
Robert Neill: In August I visited Kent and Medway fire and rescue authority and discussed the FiReControl project as one element of a wider discussion on fire related issues.
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals to enable local authorities to assist those in priority groups as defined by the Homelessness Act 2002 into housing in the private rented sector in respect of which the lease is less than 10 years in duration. [15326]
Grant Shapps: Local housing authorities are already able to assist people in the statutory priority need groups who have been accepted as unintentionally homeless by providing them with accommodation leased from a private sector landlord for a period less than 10 years. At the end of June there were around 50,000 households being assisted under the homelessness legislation in temporary accommodation, of which around 61% were in accommodation leased from a private sector landlord. Authorities can also arrange for people in the statutory priority need groups who are unintentionally homeless to be offered assured shorthold tenancies in the private rented sector. Where the applicant makes an informed decision to accept such an offer, the homelessness duty comes to an end.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will bring forward proposals to (a) reduce the number of housing associations operating in individual local authority areas and (b) ensure that housing associations are based in the areas they serve. [14818]
Grant Shapps: Housing associations are private sector bodies. The Secretary of State has no locus in limiting the number of associations operating within a local authority area or in insisting that they are only based in the areas which they own or manage property.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what information his Department holds on the salaries paid to chief executives and other senior officials of housing associations; and if he will make a statement. [14811]
Grant Shapps: Housing associations are obliged by law to publish the salary of their highest paid director in their annual report. We expect housing associations to show restraint when setting or renegotiating remuneration packages for their senior staff. As a Department we will seek to proactively highlight the pay of housing association directors and will invite the NHF to help to highlight excessive housing association executive pay to drive down costs.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will encourage local authorities to cease to employ external public relations companies; and if he will make a statement. [14816]
Robert Neill: I will shortly be consulting on strengthening the statutory Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity so as to stop taxpayers' money being spent on private lobbying contractors, used by local authorities to persuade the public to take a particular view on specific policies.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what consultations are taking place on proposals for local enterprise partnerships. [14083]
Robert Neill: The closing date for submitting local enterprise partnership proposals to the Government was 6 September 2010. I am pleased to confirm that Government received 57 proposals from groups of councils and businesses from across the country. A joint press notice is available on the CLG and BIS websites.
These will be locally owned partnerships, in contrast to the top-down prescriptive approach taken previously by the arbitrary boundaries of regional development agencies. As such it will be up to local areas to assemble partnerships proposals and consult appropriately.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the deadline is for submissions to be made to his Department for consultations on local enterprise partnerships. [14084]
Robert Neill: The closing day for submitting local enterprise partnership proposals to the Government was 6 September 2010. I am pleased to confirm that Government received 57 proposals from groups of councils and businesses from across the country. A joint press notice is available on the CLG and BIS websites.
Ministers have been impressed by many of the proposals which reflect the importance of allowing local areas to determine their own economic development and drive private sector job growth-unconstrained by arbitrary boundaries of regional development agencies and the top-down prescriptive approach taken previously.
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the total number of statutory duties required of local councils in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [13566]
Robert Neill: No estimate has been made. We are committed to reducing top-down burdens on local authorities from legislation, guidance and other forms of prescription.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for the future of local strategic partnerships; and if he will make a statement. [14465]
Robert Neill: Local strategic partnerships are non-statutory groups of local organisations, led by local authorities, coming together voluntarily to work in partnership. Decisions on their future, including composition, accountability and structures, are entirely a matter for local areas themselves.
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Northampton North of 22 July 2010, Official Report, column 487W, on mayors, whether he plans to propose a power for electors to recall an elected mayor. [13784]
Robert Neill: Our plans, as set out in the Structural Reform Plan, published by my Department on 8 July, are to legislate through the localism Bill for directly elected mayors to enable the largest 12 cities in England to have mayors from 2012, subject to confirmatory referendums and full scrutiny by elected councillors.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport the merits of the relaxation by the Arts Council of free entry conditions on capital grants to local authorities to permit the charging of admission to (a) art galleries and (b) other arts venues. [14411]
Robert Neill: This coalition Government have already reduced ring-fencing on grants to local authorities by £1.2 billion in 2010-11 and, in the context of the current spending review, will look to reduce ring-fencing even further. This will increase local authorities' freedom and the flexibility to allocate funding more appropriately to their local conditions and priorities.
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether the public sector mapping agreement supersedes previous agreements between Ordnance Survey and individual local authorities. [14749]
Robert Neill: The public sector mapping agreement (PSMA) will supersede previous agreements between Ordnance Survey and local authorities only where those were part of the current local government mapping services agreement (MSA), which is due to expire on 31 March 2011.
In addition to the MSA, Ordnance Survey has agreements with some individual local authorities for the licensing of data, or usage, not covered by the MSA. It is expected that this type of arrangement will continue outside the PSMA, if local authorities have needs for mapping data not covered by the PSMA.
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2010, Official Report, column 532W, on renewable energy: planning permission, when key decisions and the way forward on amending the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 for small-scale wind turbines and air source heat pumps will be announced. [15394]
Robert Neill: The Government are committed to amending the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 to introduce permitted development rights for small-scale wind turbines and air source heat pumps, as part of our agenda to support renewable energy and low-carbon technologies. There are a number of technical and practical issues that we are considering. We are aiming to resolve these, and to make key announcements and legislative changes as soon as possible.
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many properties in North Swindon constituency were repossessed in each of the last five years. [14792]
Grant Shapps: There are two independent sources of data on actual numbers of mortgage possessions: The Council of Mortgage Lenders (CML) and the Financial Services Authority (FSA). However both are only available for the United Kingdom as a whole.
The Council of Mortgage Lenders latest press release on repossessions is on their website at:
The Financial Services Authority data are available on their website at:
Heidi Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has to consult tenants groups on the future of secure tenancies in social rented housing. [13838]
Andrew Stunell: The Government are absolutely committed to protecting the security of tenure and rights of those currently living in social housing. With a record 5 million people on social housing waiting lists it is right that we should look at ways of improving the system for new tenancies, and consider how best to help the most vulnerable in our society. How we make best use of our social housing should be a matter for open debate and discussion, and we welcome the views of tenant groups as part of this. On 4 August, we announced our plans for a National Affordable Home Swap Scheme, which will allow social tenants to move-such as for family or employment reasons-without losing their footing on the social housing ladder, so increasing the tenure rights and opportunities of those in social housing.
Tristram Hunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether (a) his Department and (b) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies take into account rolling resistance as a performance criterion when purchasing tyres. [13551]
Robert Neill: The Department does not directly purchase tyres.
Fire Service College does not take account of rolling resistance when purchasing vehicle tyres. Its purchasing criteria are based on best value for money.
Planning Inspectorate and Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre do not purchase tyres.
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