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1 Nov 2010 : Column 636W—continued
Drugs: Rehabilitation
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people who commenced a continuous (a) methadone and (b) buprenorphone/subutex prescription of (i) 12 to 24, (ii) 24 to 48 and (iii) 48 months or more in each year since 2005. [21167]
Anne Milton: The National Drug Treatment Monitoring System (NDTMS) collects information on the number of people receiving substitute prescribing interventions for substance misuse in England, but does not distinguish between methadone and other drugs such as buprenorphine which are also recommended for the treatment of drug misuse by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
The National Treatment Agency took over full responsibility for managing NDTMS in 2004-05. Only the annual data from 2005-06 onwards are considered robust enough to provide detailed information about individual treatment journeys. This means that 2009-10 was the first year that robust data for those in treatment for four years or more are available.
NICE recommends that substitute prescribing should always be accompanied by psychosocial interventions.
In addition, "Drug Misuse and Dependence: UK Guidelines on Clinical Management" (2007), a copy of which has already been placed in the Library, state that any decision to maintain a patient on long-term prescribing should be an active one agreed between the clinician and patient, reviewed at regular intervals, and part of a broader programme of care-planned social and psychological support.
The following table gives a breakdown of the number of people in treatment for opioid dependency, showing how long they have been continuously receiving substitute prescribing.
| Less than 12 months | 1-2 years | 2-3 years | 3-4 years | 4 years+ | Unknown time in treatment | Total | |
| Source: NDTMS. | |||||||
General Social Care Council
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the performance of the General Social Care Council. [19158]
Paul Burstow: Assessment is an ongoing process. A senior official has been nominated to act as sponsor of the General Social Care Council (GSCC) with overall responsibility for oversight of its performance. The Department holds quarterly accountability meetings with the GSCC.
In June 2009, the GSCC notified the Department that a backlog of conduct referrals had been identified. An independent report by the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE) identified significant failings in the conduct function of the organisation and made recommendations for improvement. From September 2009 to April 2010, the Department held monthly accountability meetings with GSCC. The Department consider that GSCC has made progress to address these public protection issues.
On 26 July the Government announced that they intended to abolish the GSCC and transfer its regulatory functions to the Health Professions Council, which will be renamed to reflect its additional responsibilities. We believe that this presents the best way to ensure fair, consistent and proportionate regulation fully independent of Government.
Health Services: Public Expenditure
Dr Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects of the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review effect on the capacity of local healthcare providers to meet the healthcare needs of (a) carers and (b) disabled people; and if he will make a statement. [20055]
Paul Burstow: The Government announced that they would protect health care spending in the spending review. Together with an ambitious programme on efficiency, releasing up to £20 billion of annual efficiency savings over the next four years, this funding will enable the national health service to meet rising demands while improving outcomes. Primary care trusts will be able to prioritise spending to support particular groups according to local need, including carers and disabled people.
Health Services: Wakefield Prison
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the standard of healthcare provided in HM Prison Wakefield to Mr David Kenyon, PC7235 BI-23, a constituent of the hon. Member for Torbay; and if he will make a statement. [20442]
Paul Burstow: Details of individuals are confidential. However, I will write to the hon. Member privately.
In line with the 2006 transfer of commissioning for healthcare in prisons to the national health service, all complaints or concerns about the standard of care received should be dealt with via the NHS complaints procedure.
Health Services: West Sussex
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect on accountability of the NHS of his proposals for decision-making in local NHS services in Crawley and West Sussex. [20853]
Mr Simon Burns: The White Paper, 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS', sets out our vision of a national health service where providers are autonomous and accountable to local commissioners and the patients they serve, rather than being subject to bureaucratic controls. As a result, the NHS will be more accountable for the results it achieves and patients and the public will have greater power to hold healthcare professionals and providers to account. The NHS will also have greater local democratic legitimacy through a new role for local authorities in promoting integration between local NHS services, social care and health improvement.
Healthy Schools Programme: Expenditure
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on the promotion of the Healthy Schools Programme in each year since its inception. [20245]
Anne Milton: The Department of Health and Department for Education jointly fund the Healthy Schools Programme. The amount spent on promotion in the last five years is set out in the following table.
| £ | |
For the period 1999 to March 2006, there was no central expenditure on the promotion of the Healthy Schools Programme. The figures are based on central funding for advertising, conference/exhibition attendance and paid for marketing.
Hepatitis
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether he plans to propose the introduction of pilots for hepatitis C screening, early diagnosis and treatment in his forthcoming public health White Paper; [20487]
(2) whether he plans to include proposals on hepatitis C in his proposed public health White Paper. [20489]
Anne Milton: Later this year, the Department will set out a radical new approach to public health in a White Paper focused on protecting the public from health threats (such as infectious diseases and environmental hazards), improving the healthy life expectancy of the population, and improving the health of the poorest, fastest. This will include consultation on particular aspects of the new system such as how outcomes will be measured.
Professor Martin Lombard, national clinical director for liver disease, is currently leading the Department's programme of work to address liver disease in England, of which hepatitis C is a factor. The Department will then hold a public consultation on proposals.
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to publish a funded hepatitis C action plan. [20490]
Anne Milton: Professor Martin Lombard, national clinical director for liver disease, is currently leading the Department's programme of work to address liver disease in England, of which hepatitis C is a factor. The Department will then hold a public consultation on proposals.
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to (a) (i) collect and (ii) monitor data on the prevalence of hepatitis C over the next 24 months and (b) identify those with the disease who have not yet presented any symptoms. [20488]
Anne Milton: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) collects, monitors and publishes data on the prevalence of hepatitis C in individuals having diagnostic tests, in injecting drug users attending specialist services and in blood donors. This surveillance will continue when the HPA's functions are transferred into the new public health service within the Department.
Since January 2010, the Department has established a number of working groups, which include clinicians and patient representatives, to support the national health service in developing a response to the rising trend in liver disease. As part of this programme, led by Professor Martin Lombard, national clinical director for liver disease, the Viral Hepatitis Cross Cutting Group has been asked to look at the prevalence of hepatitis C and how the NHS can improve the detection and diagnosis of hepatitis C.
Hospitals: Food
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to increase the proportion of domestically produced food supplied to hospitals under contracts negotiated by NHS Supply Chain. [20574]
Mr Simon Burns: For NHS Supply Chain in 2008-09, the proportion of domestically produced food used (by value), of food that can be produced in the United Kingdom was 100% for bakery, eggs, milk, cheese and whole potatoes and more than 70% for roots, onions, brassicas, poultry, beef/veal, bacon and pork.
Under public sector procurement rules, NHS Supply Chain is prohibited from placing a geographical restriction on the origin of food in any food procurement exercise. UK producers can of course compete for any contract tendered by NHS Supply Chain.
Hospitals: Infectious Diseases
Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of hospital-acquired infection were recorded in each NHS trust in each of the last five years. [20503]
Mr Simon Burns: Information on all healthcare associated infections is not collected centrally. Tables showing data for all healthcare associated infections reported under the mandatory surveillance scheme have been placed in the Library:
Glycopeptide-resistant enterococci (GREs) bloodstream infections in acute national health service trusts in England for the five 12-month periods (October 2004 to September 2009);
Trust-apportioned(1) Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections reported in acute NHS trusts in England for the last two financial years (2008-09 and 2009-10);
All MRSA bloodstream infections reported in acute NHS trusts (including cases acquired outside of hospitals) in England for the last five financial years (2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10);
Trust apportioned(1) Clostridium difficile infections (CDI) in people aged two years and over reported in acute NHS trusts in England for the last three(2) financial years (2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10);
All Clostridium difficile infections in people aged two years and over reported in acute NHS trusts (including cases acquired outside of hospitals) in England for the last three(2)( )financial years (2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10);
All Clostridium difficile infections in people aged 65 years and reported in acute NHS trusts (including cases acquired outside of hospitals) in England for the last five financial years (2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10); and
Surgical site infections (selected orthopaedic procedures) reported in acute NHS trusts in England for the five financial years (2005-06, 2006-07, 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10).
(1) By calculating the elapsed time between a patient's admission date and the reported specimen date, the data capture system now allows for indirect identification of cases that may have been acquired within the reporting trust. This became possible for CDI from April 2007, and for MRSA from April 2008.
(2) In April 2007, mandatory surveillance of CDI was expanded from just those aged over 65 to everyone two years and over.
Hospitals: Mortuaries
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals in England with acute services have no mortuary. [20663]
Mr Simon Burns: This information is not collected centrally.
Liver Diseases: Health Services
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to issue his Department's liver strategy. [20486]
Mr Simon Burns: Professor Martin Lombard, national clinical director for liver disease is currently leading work with the national health service and public health specialists to ensure that our response to the rising demand for liver disease services is evidence based, and that we also work to improve the quality and productivity of services. We expect that first formal proposals will be published for consultation in 2011.
Maternity Services
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many non-elective interventions were made by consultants in maternity departments in each hospital in 2009. [20666]
Anne Milton: Information is not available in the format requested.
The following table shows the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) in 2009-10 by hospital provider, where the method of admission was non-elective, where there was an operating procedure or intervention and where the main speciality was obstetrics. A FCE is a
continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider.
It should be noted that FCEs do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year.
Multiple Sclerosis
Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people with multiple sclerosis, including those not diagnosed; how much the NHS has spent on treating multiple sclerosis in each of the last 10 years; and from what sources such figures are derived. [20132]
Paul Burstow: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence estimated, in 2003, that the number of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in England and Wales at between 52,000 and 62,000. The numbers of those with undiagnosed multiple sclerosis is not collected.
Information on the expenditure for treating those with multiple sclerosis is not collected.
Muscular Dystrophy
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to improve care and assistance for people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy; and if he will make a statement. [20772]
Paul Burstow: It is the responsibility of health and care professionals, working in conjunction with patients and their families, to arrange the most appropriate health and social care for those living with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The National Service Framework for long-term conditions (NSF) provides an overview how this care should be provided. The 11 quality requirements of the NSF are compatible with more condition specific standards of care, such as the international TREAT-NMD recommendations for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
In future, outcomes, which the national health service will be expected to achieve, will be set via the NHS Outcomes Framework, and the NHS Commissioning Board will hold general practitioner commissioners to account for delivery through the framework.
National Treatment Agency: Finance
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget for the National Treatment Agency (a) was in 2009 and (b) will be in each of the next three years. [21013]
Anne Milton: Details of the National Treatment Agency's (NTA) accounts are published in their annual report each year and copies for 2008-09 (HC579) and 2009-10 (HC89) are available in the Library. The NTA's budget for 2010-11 have been published in their business plan and a copy of this has been placed in the Library. The budget for 2011-12 have yet to be decided, and from 2012-13, the NTA will be incorporated into the Public Health Service.
NHS: Lobbying
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS bodies have (a) subscribed to and (b) funded organisations with an objective of influencing public policy in each of the last five years; and how much has been paid to each such organisation in each such year. [19406]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department collects accounting data from national health service organisations through:
the audited summarisation schedules; and
the financial returns.
The audited summarisation schedules primarily collect data required by the Department to fulfil its statutory accounting requirements, and the financial returns provide an additional lower level breakdown of this data.
Neither collection contains data on whether NHS bodies have subscribed to and/or funded organisations with an objective of influencing public policy.
NHS: Local Government
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what functions of his Department have been transferred to local authorities since May 2010; what functions he plans to transfer to local authorities in the next 12 months; and what estimate he has made of the likely savings to his Department as a result of such transfers in each of the next three years. [21015]
Mr Simon Burns: No functions of the Department have transferred to local authorities since May 2010. The White Paper 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS' proposed a stronger role for local authorities in supporting joined up working across health and social care and primary care trusts (PCTs) current responsibilities for public health improvement would transfer to local authorities. The responses to consultations related to the white paper are currently being analysed, so no final decisions have yet been taken. The Government intend to bring detailed proposals before Parliament later this year in a Health Bill.
NHS: Sick Leave
Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) sickness absence rate and (b) estimated cost to the NHS of sickness absence was in each NHS trust in each of the last five years. [20502]
Mr Simon Burns: Information is not available in the form requested. The NHS Information Centre publishes quarterly figures on NHS sickness absence drawn from the national health service electronic staff record. Between April 2009 and March 2010, the average sickness absence rate for the NHS in England was 4.38%. The latest NHS Information Centre publication (October 2010) shows the rate of NHS sickness absence (April to June 2010) as 3.89%. However, there is a seasonal element to sickness absence. The Boorman Review of NHS Health and Well-being (November 2009), reported an estimated annual rate of 4.5%.
Individual pay information is not held centrally, and is held locally at trust level. It is therefore not known how many staff are on paid or unpaid sickness. However, the Boorman Review, estimated that reported levels of sickness absence results in a loss of 10.3 million days per year, equivalent to 45,000 whole time equivalent staff and an estimated annual direct cost of £1.7 billion.
NHS: Telephone Services
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many call centres based outside the UK the NHS uses. [20514]
Mr Simon Burns: NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS), which provides business support services to the national health service operates two call centres in India, located in Pune and Noida. These call centres only handle inquiries from internal NHS clients and do not take calls from patients or the public. The Department does not hold information about the remainder of the NHS.
North West Strategic Health Authority: Redundancy
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the redundancy costs which will be incurred as a result of the decision to abolish (a) the North West Strategic Health Authority and (b) Warrington Primary Care Trust. [19907]
Mr Simon Burns: The White Paper 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS' set out proposals for fundamental changes to the way that the national health service is structured and run. The precise costs, at both national and local level, of any redundancies that will be incurred as a result of the decision to abolish the strategic health authorities and primary care trusts are not yet known, though efforts will be made to minimise the number and cost of redundancies.
Four consultations relating to how the new organisations should be designed specifically covering "transparency on outcomes, liberating the NHS: local democratic legitimacy in health and commissioning for patients and regulating healthcare providers" have recently closed and once the results of these have been analysed, we will publish the costs of the new system in an impact assessment.
Organs: Donors
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many organs were donated in each of the last 10 years. [20637]
Anne Milton: The number of organs donated in each of the last 10 years is shown in the following table.
| Number of organs donated in the United kingdom, 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2010 | |||
| Financial year | Organs from deceased donors | Organs from living donors | Total |
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to increase the number of people registered as organ donors; and if he will make a statement. [20771]
Anne Milton:
There are a range of ongoing activities to promote organ donation. In autumn 2009, NHS
Blood and Transplant launched a UK-wide public awareness campaign to encourage more people to join the Organ Donor Register (ODR), and to discuss their wishes in relation to organ donation with family members. NHS Blood and Transplant also work in partnerships with the national health service, commercial and third sector organisations to support local events around the country or national initiatives such as joining the ODR when registering with a doctor, or applying for a driving license.
The Organ Donation Taskforce believed that by implementing the recommendations in their report "Organs for Transplant" published in January 2008, organ donor rates can increase by 50% by 2013 which would enable around 1,200 extra transplants every year.
Steady improvement is being made. During 2009-10, organ donor rates increased to nearly 20% over the baseline year of 2007-08. Our aim is to see organ donor rates continue to rise this year allowing many more people to benefit from a life saving or life enhancing transplant.
Pharmaceuticals
Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria the National Institute for Clinical Excellence uses to determine which pharmaceuticals may be funded to treat extremely rare conditions; and if he will provide funding from the Cancer Drugs Fund for the provision of mifamurtide for the treatment of osteosarcoma. [20074]
Paul Burstow: Following the referral of a topic to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), technology appraisal guidance is developed in accordance with NICE'S published process and methods guides which are available on NICE'S website at:
www.nice.org.uk/aboutnice/howwework/devnicetech/technologyappraisalprocessguides/technology_ appraisal_process_guides.jsp
Funding for specific drugs from the £50 million interim cancer drugs funding made available in the current financial year is a matter for the local clinically-led regional panels based on the advice of cancer specialists.
The Cancer Drugs Fund will be established from 1 April 2011 providing an additional £200 million a year for cancer drugs over the next three years. On 27 October we launched a three month consultation on the operation of the Cancer Drugs Fund. A copy of the consultation document has been placed in the Library and is available on the Department's website at:
Primary Care Trusts: Manpower
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many full-time equivalent staff were employed by primary care trusts (a) on 20 September 2009 and (b) on the most recent date for which figures are available. [20901]
Mr Simon Burns:
The annual national health service work force census shows that at 30 September 2009 there were 207,833 full-time equivalent staff employed by primary care trusts. The latest monthly NHS Hospital
and Community Health Service workforce statistics in England show that in July 2010 there were 205,985 full-time equivalent staff employed by primary care trusts.
Primary Care Trusts: Negligence
Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the financial value of compensation payments was to patients for clinical malpractice in each primary care trust in each year since 2000. [20068]
Mr Simon Burns: The NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) supplied the information requested in tables which have been placed in the Library.
The NHSLA administers schemes, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health, that assist members with clinical negligence claims. All primary care trusts (PCTs) are members. Before April 2002, one of the schemes operated by the NHSLA operated 'excess' levels where trusts, rather than the NHSLA, handled and settled claims below the excess level. Neither the Department nor the NHSLA holds data on claims valued below 'excess'. Additionally, PCTs were introduced on a rolling basis from April 2000, with full coverage from October 2002. Data covering years before April 2003 is therefore not comparable with data covering years from April 2003 onwards.
The NHSLA report that no payments were made on behalf of PCTs in the year 2000-01.
Primary Health Care: Finance
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of his Department's funding in real terms for primary healthcare in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15. [20292]
Mr Simon Burns: Future revenue resource funding for the Department was set out as part of spending review 2010. The national health service will receive funding of £102.6 billion/£105.2 billion/£108.2 billion/£111.1 billion in years 2011-12 up to 2014-15 (see table A10 of statistical annex to the spending review); a cumulative real growth of 1.4% over the four years.
Work is currently ongoing to determine the disposition of this funding including the amount in primary care trust (PCT) allocations. Having set PCT allocations, final decisions on funding growth for primary, community and secondary care are made locally.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of his Department's capital funding for primary health care providers in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15. [20293]
Mr Simon Burns: Future capital funding for the Department was set out as part of spending review 2010. The national health service will receive funding of £4.4 billion/£4.4 billion/£4.4 billion/£4.6 billion in years 2011-12 up to 2014-15 (see Table A6 of statistical annex to the spending review).
Discussions remain ongoing over the disposition of this funding between the different health sectors. Final decisions on the level of capital expenditure in primary and secondary care are determined locally.
Recruitment
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff his Department plans to (a) recruit and (b) transfer to new duties as a result of implementation of proposals for the reform of those non-departmental public bodies within his Department's area of responsibility; and how many redundancies he expects to result from the implementation of those proposals. [19824]
Mr Simon Burns: The reforms to the Department's Executive non-departmental public bodies were announced in the report of "The Arm's Length Bodies Review", published in July 2010. Further work is under way, to plan for implementation of the reforms, before estimates can be made of staff transfers and redundancies, and of the costs entailed.
Reducing Cancer Inequality: Evidence
Mr Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what progress has been made on the implementation of the recommendations of his Department's report on Reducing cancer inequality: evidence, progress and making it happen; and if he will make a statement; [20117]
(2) what steps he is taking to address age inequalities in outcomes for cancer patients; [20118]
(3) if he will commission research into ageism in the treatment of cancer patients; and if he will make a statement; [20160]
(4) what assessment he has made of research by his Department into ageism in cancer treatment; and if he will make a statement. [20161]
Paul Burstow: The NHS Constitution makes clear that a core duty of the national health service is to promote equality, and the Cancer Reform Strategy (CRS) made this a priority for NHS cancer services.
Progress on the recommendations in the report, "Reducing cancer inequality: evidence, progress and making it happen", which was published by the National Cancer Equality Initiative (NCEI) in March this year, will be reported in the review of the CRS which is currently under way. The report will be published in the winter.
The NCEI report identified the need for further research around age inequalities in three areas: firstly, to look at why the reduction in mortality in older people is slower than for younger people and slower compared to other countries; secondly, to examine to what extent poor patient health and patient choice contribute to poorer outcomes; and finally, to look at how effective pre-treatment health assessments would be in reducing adverse outcomes in health inequalities.
Through the National Institute for Health Research, the Department funds a significant amount of cancer research. At this time, we are aware of a research application to the NIHR that intends to examine issues around outcomes for older breast cancer patients.
The Department is working with Macmillan Cancer Support on a jointly funded project that aims to improve appropriate intervention rates for people over 70 who have a cancer diagnosis. The pilot programme aims to identify, test and evaluate ways to assess an older person for cancer treatment; to provide practical support and
information to aid patient/practitioner decision making; and to train professionals involved in the pathway to promote age equality and address age discrimination.
It is anticipated that the pilot projects will run for a 12 month period with the pilots taking place between May 2011 and April 2012. We will then evaluate whether the approaches tested can have a positive impact on intervention and mortality rates for older people.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases: Expenditure
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the National Health Service spent on treatment of sexually transmitted diseases in (a) males and (b) females under 16 years of age in each of the last five years for which information is available. [20246]
Anne Milton: The Department does not collect information on national health service expenditure on treating sexually transmitted infections broken down by age and sex of patients.
Social Services: Finance
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely size of transfer of funds from the health care budget to fund local authority social care as a result of the 2010 spending review. [20294]
Paul Burstow: The spending review set out that, over the spending review period, an additional £3.8 billion will be made available within the national health service to be spent on measures that support social care. The profile, in each of the years from 2011-12 to 2014-15 is as follows: £0.8 billion/£0.9 billion/£1.1 billion/£1.0 billion.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to ensure that funds transferred from health care budgets to local authority social care are spent on social care. [20295]
Paul Burstow: In order to support social care, the national health service will transfer some funding from the health capital budget to health revenue, to be spent on measures that support social care, which also benefits health. Further details about this support will be published alongside the 2011-12 NHS Operating Framework.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what correspondence he has received from (a) local authority leaders, (b) councillors with lead responsibility for social care and (c) local authority directors of social services on the likely effects on the provision of social care of the outcomes of the Comprehensive Spending Review. [20390]
Paul Burstow: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has received no correspondence of this nature since the comprehensive spending review was announced on 20 October 2010.
Mr Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of reductions in local authority social care funding on the level of service provided by such authorities to disabled individuals and their families. [20836]
Paul Burstow: The coalition Government have allocated an additional £2 billion by 2014-15 to support the delivery of social care. This means, with an ambitious programme of efficiency, that there is enough funding available both to protect people's access to services and deliver new approaches to improve quality and outcomes. We expect that this will benefit all users of social care services, including people with disabilities and their families.
Streptococcus: Babies
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department has taken to inform (a) relevant health professionals and (b) pregnant women of the symptoms and prevention of group B streptococcus infections in babies; [21082]
(2) what guidelines his Department issues to NHS trusts on preventing Group B Streptococcal infection in newborn babies. [21098]
Anne Milton: Current guidance for obstetricians, midwives and neonatologists is provided by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), which published its Green-top guideline No. 36 on the prevention of early-onset neonatal Group B Streptococcus disease in November 2003. In 2005, the RCOG, in collaboration with the National Screening Committee, established a national audit to evaluate practice in United Kingdom obstetric units against the recommendations of the guideline. The audit published in January 2007, reported that current practice followed the established patterns of care described in the RCOG guideline.
The Department supports the Standards for Maternity Care published by the RCOG in 2008, which state that maternity services should comply with evidence-based guidelines for the provision of high-quality clinical care.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guidelines for routine antenatal care, published in 2008, recommends that pregnant women should not be offered routine antenatal screening for Group B Streptococcus because evidence of its clinical and cost-effectiveness remains uncertain.
Information for women on Group B Streptococcus is contained in "The Pregnancy Book"-a guide to a healthy pregnancy, labour and childbirth, and life with a new baby, which is given to all pregnant women. Information is also available on the NHS Direct website at:
Women who are concerned about Group B Streptococcus infection are advised to talk to their doctor or midwife.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps are being taken by his Department to increase levels of compliance with the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' guidelines on preventing Group B Streptococcal infection in newborn babies; [21097]
(2) what guidance his Department issues to health professionals on implementation in maternity units of the guidelines issued by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists for preventing Group B Streptococcus infection in newborn babies. [21100]
Anne Milton: We encourage the national health service to take into account the guidance for obstetricians, midwives and neonatologists provided by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), which published its Green-top guideline No.36 on the prevention of early-onset neonatal Group B Streptococcal disease in November 2003. In 2005, the RCOG, in collaboration with the National Screening Committee, established a national audit to evaluate practice in United Kingdom obstetric units against the recommendations of the guideline. The audit published in January 2007, reported that current practice followed the established patterns of care described in the RCOG guideline.
The Department supports the Standards for Maternity Care published by the RCOG in 2008, which state that maternity services should comply with evidence-based guidelines for the provision of high-quality clinical care.
Streptococcus: Pregnancy
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what measures he uses to ensure that high-quality information on group B streptococcus is given to all pregnant women as a routine part of their antenatal care; [21083]
(2) if he will take steps to ensure that pregnant women are informed about Group B Streptococcus as part of their antenatal care. [21101]
Anne Milton: Information for women about Group B Streptococcus (GBS) is contained in 'the Pregnancy Book'-a guide to healthy pregnancy, labour and childbirth, and life with a new baby, which is given to all pregnant women. Information is also available on the NHS Direct www.nhsdirect.nhs.uk and NHS Choices www.nhs.uk websites. Women who are concerned about GBS infection are advised to talk to their doctor or midwife.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues to strategic health authorities on the provision of tests to pregnant women for Group B Streptococcus infection. [21099]
Anne Milton: The Department does not issue guidance to strategic health authorities on the provision of tests to pregnant women for group B streptococcus (GBS) infection.
Current guidance for obstetricians, midwives and neonatologists is provided by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG), which published its Green-top guideline No. 36 on the prevention of early-onset neonatal GBS disease in November 2003.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guidelines for routine antenatal care, published in 2008, recommends that pregnant women should not be offered routine antenatal screening for GBS because evidence of its clinical and cost effectiveness remains uncertain.
Strokes: Health Services
John Mann:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he made of the health outcomes in respect of each of his Department's performance indicators
for emergency stroke admissions in each hospital in the latest period for which figures are available. [20665]
Mr Simon Burns: There is sound evidence that admittance to a stroke unit is the single, most effective intervention for people who have had a stroke to achieve the best possible outcomes.
The Vital Sign for stroke measures the number of people who are admitted to hospital following a stroke who then spend 90% or more of their time on a stroke unit; and the number of transient ischaemic attack cases with a higher risk of stroke who are subsequently assessed and treated within 24 hours in an out-patient setting. The data are published on the Department's website at:
Copies of the two documents have been placed in the Library.
The quarter two figures will be available on this website on 17 November 2010.
The NHS Information Centre does not hold the data requested. Health Episode Statistics does not hold information on outcomes.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that patients admitted to hospital following a stroke are placed in a specialist stroke unit. [20767]
Mr Simon Burns: The National Stroke Strategy and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Quality Standard for Stroke are clear that people with stroke should receive an early multi-disciplinary assessment and have prompt access to a high-quality stroke unit. To reflect this, the Best Practice Tariff for stroke incentivises direct admission to a stroke unit and access to timely brain imaging, and the Tier 1 Vital Sign for stroke measures the proportion of patients who spend at least 80% of their time in hospital on a stroke unit. The Accelerating Stroke Improvement Programme, which is supported by the Department, the Stroke Improvement Programme and the stroke networks, is aimed at making further improvements across the stroke care pathway including ensuring that the majority of patients are treated in stroke units.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve the availability of continuous non-invasive physiological monitoring for patients admitted to hospital following an acute stroke. [20768]
Mr Simon Burns: Intensive physiological monitoring in the early phase of a stroke is important in identifying and supporting early treatment that can halt stroke progression and minimise the degree of brain damage. All acute stroke units should provide high-dependency care including physiological monitoring. The National Stroke Strategy and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence quality standard set out the elements of high quality care. It is for the national health service to ensure that these standards are met, including provision of access to good stroke care out of hours and at week ends. Support is available to implement improvements to acute care from the Stroke Improvement Programme and the stroke networks.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to encourage the training of more stroke specialist registrars. [20811]
Mr Simon Burns: In order to support the implementation of the National Stroke Strategy, the Department provided funding over the last three years to train more stroke specialist physicians. Central funding has been provided for the training of 26 junior doctors and a further tranche will undergo training this year. It is for local national health service organisations to plan and deliver a workforce appropriate to the needs of their local population based on clinical need and sound evidence.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on improving access to specialist early stroke-supported discharge teams. [20812]
Mr Simon Burns: The Accelerating Stroke Improvement Programme, which is supported by the Department, the Stroke Improvement Programme and the stroke networks, is aimed at making further improvements across the stroke care pathway including concentrating effort on the introduction of high quality, early supported discharge across the country so that all stroke survivors who can benefit have access to it. The Accelerating Stroke Improvement Programme was developed in response to Committee of Public Accounts report, "Progress In Improving Stroke Care", which concluded, among other things, that not enough hospitals arrange early supported discharge for stroke patients, even though it provides better outcomes for many patients and can save money.
Swine Flu: Vaccination
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the vaccines and anti-virals purchased in preparation for the swine flu pandemic were not used. [20875]
Anne Milton: The proportion of H1N1 influenza vaccine held centrally for the United Kingdom is 51% of the quantity procured. Part of this stock (8 million doses, representing 18% of the total quantity procured) has date expired or is close to date expiry. H1N1 influenza vaccines continue to be used as recommended in the 2010-11 seasonal influenza immunisation programme.
Antivirals were purchased as part of our overall planning for influenza preparedness rather than being purchased specifically for the H1N1 pandemic. We continue to hold antiviral stockpiles for over 50% of the population as part of our preparedness planning for the next influenza pandemic.
Thromboembolism
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of (a) venous thromboembolism characterised by (i) deep vein thrombosis and (ii) pulmonary embolism, (b) MRSA and (c) clostridium difficile were recorded in patients in NHS facilities in each of the last five years. [19844]
Mr Simon Burns:
There is currently no single definition of venous thromboembolism (VTE) available in the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision
(ICD-10) system used to classify diseases. Therefore, we have provided data on deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) in the following table.
Patients treated by their general practitioner or as out-patients are not included. Some DVTs manifest themselves as PE. This means that a number of the patients who have been diagnosed with PE will also have been diagnosed with a DVT. It would not be advisable to sum the number of episodes for PE and DVT because of the potential for double-counting.
| Count of finished consultant episodes( 1) with a main or secondary diagnosis( 2) of DVT and PE, 2004-05 to 2008-09, England( 3) | |||
| Finished consultant episodes by diagnosis( 4) | |||
| DVT( 5) | |||
| All relevant ICD codes | ICD-10 I 80.2 | PE( 6) | |
| (1) A finished consultant episode (FCE) is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year. (2) The information is the number of episodes where this diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 (14 from 2004-05 to 2006-07) primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) record. Each episode is only counted once, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record. (3) Activity in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. (4) Counts for the different diagnoses shown are not necessarily mutually exclusive and therefore summing the different diagnoses is not possible (e.g. a patient may have a DVT and a PE in a single episode, and would be counted once in each relevant column-double counting would occur if the values were summed). (5 )Diagnosis is recorded in HES using ICD-10 codes. ICD-10 code I80.2 is used for a diagnosis of DVT where there is no further information on the site of the thrombosis. However DVT may also be recorded under a number of different codes, although these codes may also include cases which are not considered deep. The full list of relevant ICD-10 codes is as follows: I80.0 Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of superficial vessels of lower extremities I80.1 Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of femoral vein I80.2 Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of other deep vessels of lower extremities I80.3 Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of lower extremities, unspecified I80.8 Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of other sites I80.9 Phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of unspecified site O22.2 Superficial thrombophlebitis in pregnancy O22.3 Deep phlebothrombosis in pregnancy O87.0 Superficial thrombophlebitis in the puerperium O87.1 Deep phlebothrombosis in the puerperium. (6) Pulmonary embolisms are coded as I26.0 (Pulmonary embolism with mention of acute cor pulmonale) and I26.9 (Pulmonary embolism without mention of acute cor pulmonale). (7) Assessing growth through time: HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and so no longer included in admitted patient HES data. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care. | |||
The following table shows the total number of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections (bacteraemias) reported by English NHS acute trusts under the mandatory surveillance scheme, for each of the last five financial years. However, this number will include infections acquired outside of NHS facilities.
| MRSA bacteraemia reports, all English NHS acute trusts | |
| Number | |
The following table shows the number of these MRSA bacteraemias apportioned to acute trusts for the two years that figures are available(1).
(1) By calculating the elapsed time between a patient's admission date and the reported specimen date, the data capture system now allows for indirect identification of cases that may have been acquired within the reporting trust. This became possible for CDI from April 2007, and for MRSA from April 2008.
| MRSA bacteraemia reports , all English NHS acute trusts | |
| Number | |
The following table shows the total number of Clostridium difficile infections reported by English NHS acute trusts under the mandatory surveillance scheme, in patients aged 65 years and over, for each of the last five financial years. This is broken down into those aged two years and over and two to 64 years for the three years that figures are available. However, this number will include infections acquired outside of NHS facilities.
| Clostridium difficile infection reports, all English NHS acute trusts | ||||||
| Number | ||||||
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | Total | |
| (1) In April 2007, mandatory surveillance of CDI was expanded from just those aged over 65 to everyone two years and over. | ||||||
The following table shows the number of these Clostridium difficile infections apportioned to acute trusts in all patients aged two years and over, for the three years that figures are available(1).
(1) By calculating the elapsed time between a patient's admission date and the reported specimen date, the data capture system now allows for indirect identification of cases that may have been acquired within the reporting trust. This became possible for CDI from April 2007, and for MRSA from April 2008.
| Clostridium difficile infection reports, all English NHS acute trusts | |
| Number | |
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of treating in NHS facilities patients who have suffered a venous thromboembolism characterised by (a) phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of femoral vein, (b) phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of other deep vessels of lower extremities, (c) phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of unspecified lower extremities, (d) phlebitis and thrombophlebitis of unspecified site, (e) embolism and thrombosis of unspecified vein, (f) pulmonary embolism with mention of acute cor pulmonale and (g) pulmonary embolism without mention of acute cor pulmonale in each of the last five years. [19845]
Mr Simon Burns: The information is not available in the format requested because the Department does not collect the cost to national health service providers of treating individual diagnoses.
Women and Equalities
Apprentices: Equality and Human Rights Commission
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many apprentices were in post at the Equality and Human Rights Commission on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many such apprentices recruited in the last 12 months (a) were previously apprentices, (b) had been long-term unemployed and (c) are graduates. [20270]
Lynne Featherstone [holding answer 28 October 2010]: The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is an independent body. The following is based on information it has provided.
Three apprentices were in post at the EHRC at 27 October 2010.
Of the apprentices recruited in the last 12 months:
(a) None were previously apprentices;
(b) None were long-term unemployed; and
(c) None were graduates.
Departmental Equality
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what plans she has to publish equality impact assessments undertaken by the Government Equalities Office as part of the comprehensive spending review; and if she will make a statement. [18281]
Lynne Featherstone [holding answer 20 October 2010]: The Treasury has published an overview of the impact of the spending review on groups protected by equalities legislation. Full assessments of impact, where necessary, will be done when Departments develop and implement policies.
The majority of the Government Equalities Office's (GEOs) budget goes to the two bodies it currently sponsors, the Women's National Commission (WNC) and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). It has published an equality impact assessment on the closure of the WNC and will publish further material when developing and consulting on options for reforming the EHRC. All changes at the GEO itself will be carried out in accordance with its statutory equality duties.
Treasury
Aggregates Levy: Northern Ireland
Ms Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with the European Commission on the future of the Northern Ireland Aggregates Levy Credit Scheme. [21012]
Justine Greening: On behalf of HM Treasury, the Chancellor and officials held discussions with Commission representatives earlier this month and are working closely with the Commission to try to achieve the Government's objective of re-introducing the scheme at the earliest opportunity.
Aviation: Taxation
Henry Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has for the future taxation of the aviation industry; and if he will make a statement. [19906]
Justine Greening: The Government confirmed at the June Budget that it would explore possible changes to the aviation tax system, including the option of switching from a per-passenger to a per-plane duty. Any major changes will be subject to public consultation.
Banks: Pay
John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with UK banks on the size of their bonus pools for 2010-11. [20512]
Mr Hoban: As part of the work being undertaken to reform the financial services sector, the Government are taking action to tackle unacceptable bonuses throughout the banking sector.
The FSA has consulted on the revision of the Remuneration Code; and banks subject to the code have been invited to provide feedback. The revised rules will be in place by 1 January 2011 and will ensure bonuses are deferred over a number of years and are linked to the performance of the employee and their firm. In addition, significant portions of any bonus will be paid in shares or other securities.
Barclays: Burma
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent reports he has received of compliance by Barclays Bank with the provisions of EU financial sanctions on Burma; and if he will make a statement. [20837]
Mr Hoban: The Treasury has received no such reports.
Beer: Business
Dr Thérèse Coffey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will commission a fresh impact assessment of the operation of small breweries' relief. [20517]
Justine Greening: The Treasury keeps all tax reliefs under review, and is in regular contact with representatives of the brewing industry about a range of issues, including small breweries relief.
Child Benefit
Helen Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the (a) number of households in Warrington North constituency that will be affected by the proposed changes in child benefit and (b) proportion of those households which comprise (i) single parents and (ii) couples with only one wage earner. [17900]
Paul Uppal: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of people in Wolverhampton South West constituency who will be affected by his proposal to change the eligibility criteria for child benefit. [18000]
Mr Gauke: Information on household income for child benefit claimants is not available at parliamentary constituency level.
Child Benefit: Carlisle
John Stevenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Carlisle constituency are in receipt of child benefit. [19350]
Mr Gauke: The information requested on the number of families receiving child benefit on Carlisle constituency can be found at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/child benefit/chb-geog-aug09.pdf
This data is based on the August 2009 snapshot of all child benefit claims.
Child Tax Credit
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has made a recent estimate of the number of households (a) in each Government Office region and (b) nationally that receive working tax credit childcare element of between 70 and 80 per cent. of their child tax credit payments. [19871]
Justine Greening: All families benefiting from the child care element will be affected by the change announced in the spending review.
The latest information on the number of households benefiting from the child care element, by region, is available in the HMRC snapshot publication "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Geographical Analyses", available at:
Child Trust Fund: Lewisham
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to the public purse was of the provision of Child Trust Fund payments to the residents of Lewisham, Deptford constituency in each year since the scheme's inception; and how many such funds were established for children in the constituency in each such year. [21094]
Mr Hoban: Statistical information about Child Trust Funds is published on HM Revenue and Customs' website at
The latest Westminster constituency information published in autumn 2009, and in advance of the 2010 general election boundary changes, shows that 7,623 children born on or before 6 April 2008 in the Lewisham, Deptford constituency had a Child Trust Fund account.
All eligible children currently receive a payment from the government to open their Child Trust Fund account with children in low income families also getting an additional government payment. The total cost of Government payments to child trust funds is not available at constituency level.
Departmental Manpower
Gregg McClymont: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials his Department has appointed on a fixed-term contract since 7 May 2010. [16791]
Justine Greening: The number of officials who have been appointed to HM Treasury on fixed-term contract since 7 May 2010 is 52.
Disabled Persons Tax Credit: Carlisle
John Stevenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Carlisle constituency are in receipt of disabled persons' tax credit. [19351]
Mr Gauke: The number of families in Carlisle constituency benefiting from tax credits, with at least one disabled adult or child in the household is 240.
This information is based on snapshot data on the number of families benefiting from child and working tax credits, by each parliamentary constituency. It is available in the HMRC snapshot publication "Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Geographical Analyses. April 2010". This can be found at:
Employment and Support Allowance
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his estimates of the savings likely to accrue as a result of placing a time limit on the contributory employment and support allowance included assumptions on behavioural change. [19869]
Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply.
We have not included assumptions relating to behavioural change in the costing for the savings likely to accrue as a result of time-limiting contributory employment and support allowance for customers in the work related activity group.
Excise Duties: Fuels
Mr MacNeil:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the pilot scheme of fuel duty discount for rural areas to begin; what criteria his Department used to decide which communities would
be involved in the pilot; for how long the pilot will run before consideration of extension of the scheme is extended to other areas; and which islands in Scotland he expects to qualify for the scheme when it is fully rolled out. [20750]
Justine Greening: The Government intend to introduce a pilot scheme that will deliver a maximum of 5p per litre duty discount on petrol and diesel in remote rural areas. The Government are currently considering the exact scope of the pilots and at present has announced their intention to include the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, and the Isles of Scilly. The Government will report back to the House, in due course, prior to submitting a formal proposal on the scope and design of the scheme to the European Commission.
Export Credits Guarantee Department: Pakistan
Joan Walley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills the cancellation of debts owed by Pakistan to the Export Credits Guarantee Department. [19889]
Mr Hoban: Ministers regularly discuss a wide range of policy issues. The Government of Pakistan has not asked for debt relief and we do not consider debt relief to be the most effective way to support Pakistan at this time.
National Insurance: Exemptions
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what account he took of variations in levels of need in the North East when developing his proposals for national insurance exemptions for new businesses. [20096]
Mr Gauke: The employer National Insurance Contributions holiday for new businesses is intended to promote the formation of new businesses employing staff in those countries and regions most reliant on public sector employment. Almost 25% of workers in the North East are employed in the public sector making it one of the regions the Government decided should be covered by the scheme.
Within regions there will be areas with higher or lower levels of public sector employment but targeting smaller geographical areas would be costly and complex to administer and would not reflect that in practice labour markets generally extend more widely.
Office for Budget Responsibility: Finance
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer other than the budget announced in the autumn forecast, how much funding has been provided to support the activities of the Office for Budget Responsibility; and how much funding has been provided to resource the Budget Responsibility Committee. [19694]
Justine Greening: The Permanent Secretary to the Treasury has written to the Chair of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) to confirm the funding arrangements agreed with the OBR for the Spending Review period. The OBR is being given a multi-year settlement of £1.75 million per year (flat cash for the period). This settlement funds all of the OBR's activities.
Oil: Prices
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) when he expects to publish his response to the Office for Budget Responsibility's report on the effect of oil price fluctuations on the public finances; [20563]
(2) what his policy is on a fair fuel stabiliser. [20564]
Justine Greening: In the June Budget the Government asked the Office for Budget Responsibility to undertake an assessment of the effect of oil price fluctuations on the public finances. The Office of Budget Responsibility published its report on 14 September.
The Government are considering the Office for Budget Responsibility's assessment and will report back as part of the usual Budget process.
Public Expenditure
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely effects of implementation of the proposals in the Comprehensive Spending Review on (a) the number of public sector jobs in County Durham and (b) the number of women employed in such jobs. [19989]
Danny Alexander: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) released, as part of its Budget forecasts on 22 June 2010, projections for whole economy
Further information on its employment forecast, including projections for general government employment, was released on 30 June 2010 in its document 'OBR forecast: Employment', which can be found at:
A revised forecast will be released on 29 November 2010.
The OBR has not published forecasts by region or gender.
Mary Creagh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish his Department's regional impact assessment on the 2010 Spending Review. [20484]
Danny Alexander: It is for Departments to decide how to best prioritise resources within their departmental expenditure limits. The regional consequences will only become apparent once these decisions have been made. Government spending is determined by criteria that includes spatial aspects, but is dominated by deprivation and demand. Therefore the impact of the spending review is best measured by income distribution. This was included for the first time in the SR document, and can be found in Annex B of the document or online at
However, the Treasury published what actions are being taken to encourage growth in each region, and how each region will benefit from schemes announced in the spending review, including capital investment programmes. This information is available online at
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Government plans to implement his proposals to (a) reduce the number of Criminal Records Bureau checks for junior doctors, (b) distribute National Insurance numbers to people with a letter instead of a plastic card and (c) increase the selling of surplus and second-hand Government equipment by expanding the use of Ministry of Defence's e-Disposals service for use across all Government departments. [20817]
Danny Alexander: The proposals you outline above were all as a result of ideas received through the Government's spending challenge website and were announced as policy by the Chancellor on 10 September. The relevant Government Departments will now be taking forward the implementation and roll-out of these proposals. For example HMRC have already this October stopped issuing replacement national insurance cards and have said that from 2011 they will be issuing all national insurance numbers to people by letter rather than providing a plastic card, saving the Government up to £1 million a year in upfront costs.
Mr Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the implementation costs of (a) reducing the number of Criminal Records Bureau checks for junior doctors, (b) distributing national insurance numbers to people with a letter instead of a plastic card and (c) increasing the selling of surplus and second-hand government equipment by expanding the use of the Ministry of Defence's eDisposals service for use across all Government departments. [20818]
Danny Alexander: The proposals you outline above were all as a result of ideas received through the Government's spending challenge website and were announced as policy by the Chancellor on 10 September. Cost benefit analysis to ensure that implementing these policies represented good value for money was undertaken by the relevant Departments for all these ideas before they were announced.
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