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2 Nov 2010 : Column 751W—continued
News Corporation: British Sky Broadcasting
Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to issue a public interest intervention in respect of the proposed acquisition of BSkyB by News Corporation. [19894]
Mr Davey
[holding answer 27 October 2010]: The Secretary of State is aware of the proposed merger, however no transaction has yet been formally filed with the European Commission for competition clearance. If
News Corporation does formally file, the Secretary of State will take a decision on whether to intervene on public interest grounds, taking account of all relevant information and the various representations he has received on the matter.
Post Office
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what his policy is on the Post Office joint venture; and if he will make a statement. [20902]
Mr Davey: We encourage Post Office Ltd. to explore joint venture opportunities with other partners where appropriate.
Post Office: Finance
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the future level of subsidy to the Post Office. [20905]
Mr Davey: As announced by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 27 October, we are providing £1.34 billion of funding for the Post Office over the spending review period, enabling it to maintain and modernise the network.
Post Offices: Financial Services
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what changes to financial services offered by the Post Office he proposes to make. [20903]
Mr Davey: The Post Office already offers a wide range of financial and banking services and we are working closely with Post Office Ltd as it develops its commercial strategy, including growing revenue from financial services in order to sustain the network.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he plans to change the banking model operated by the Post Office. [20904]
Mr Davey: As the coalition agreement made clear, we will ensure that post offices are allowed to offer a wide range of services and we are looking at the case for developing new sources of revenue, such as the creation of a Post Office bank.
Public Expenditure
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding he plans to allocate to each research council in each year of the comprehensive spending review period. [20870]
Mr Willetts: In the recent spending review the Chancellor announced that the Government will spend £4.6 billion on science and research programmes in each of the next four years within a ring-fenced budget. Capital and administration spending on science and research have not yet been decided.
In the coming months, Ministers will make decisions on the balance of funding between the individual research councils, HEFCE's research and knowledge transfer activities, the national academies and other programs. Detailed decisions on specific projects will be taken by funding bodies, in line with the Haldane principle.
Regional Development Agencies
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to minimise the cost to the public purse of winding up regional development agencies. [21432]
Mr Prisk: This Department is working with the regional development agencies to help them develop closure plans. Securing value for the taxpayer and the economy will be key considerations. High level principles governing asset disposal were set out in the local growth White Paper published on 28 October.
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that local enterprise partnerships are operational before regional development agencies are closed. [21433]
Mr Prisk: On 28 October we announced that 24 of outline proposals for local enterprise partnerships received met the Government's expectations and have been asked to start developing their boards. Other partnerships continue to develop their proposals so they can be in a similar position. We will continue to engage with both groups of partnerships at a speed that is appropriate for them.
Regional Development Agencies: Technology Strategy Board
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much each regional development agency allocated to the Technology Strategy Board in funding in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11. [21219]
Mr Willetts: The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) is a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, and does not receive allocated funding from the regional development agencies (RDAs).
However, over recent years, the RDAs have collaborated with the TSB on a broad range of innovation and technology projects in order to strengthen the strategic and economic impact of their collective investments.
In 2008-09, the RDAs invested £101 million in projects aligned with the TSB. Details of the amount invested by each RDA are provided in the following table. In 2009-10, the RDA network was projected to also invest a further £160 million in aligned projects.
| Aligned investment 2008-09 | |
| RDA | £ million |
In June 2010, the Government's emergency Budget announced that the RDA network is to be abolished and its functions transferred to other national or local organisations. The RDAs were also asked to find £270 million of savings from their programme budgets for 2010-11. As each RDA is currently determining where its respective programme savings will be made, figures for projected RDA aligned investment with the TSB for 2010-11 are unavailable at present.
Research and Development
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Government has set a target for the proportion of gross domestic product to be spent on research and development. [20705]
Mr Willetts: The latest figures available from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) show that gross expenditure on research and development is 1.8% of GDP. The Government have not set any GDP percentage targets for research and development spend.
Research Council: Finance
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding he plans to allocate to each research council in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14 in real terms based on 2010-11 prices. [20703]
Mr Willetts: In the recent spending review my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced that the Government will spend £4.6 billion on science and research programmes in each of the next four years within a ring-fenced budget. Capital and administration spending on science and research have not yet been decided and are not included within the ringfence.
In the coming months, Ministers will make decisions on the balance of funding between research councils, HEFCE's research and knowledge transfer activities, the national academies and other programmes. Detailed decisions on specific projects will be taken by funding bodies, in line with the Haldane principle.
Research Councils: Finance
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations his Department has received from private sector companies on funding for the research councils. [20709]
Mr Willetts: A number of senior industrialists have written to me recently. The CBI and the Council for Science and Technology represent the views of the private sector in the BIS consultations on science and research funding including the allocations process.
Science: Finance
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the difference in cash terms between maintaining the science budget in real terms and in cash terms in the period of the spending review 2010. [20554]
Mr Willetts: Resource funding for science and research has been maintained at £4,576 million for every year of the SR10 period.
The Government have protected these programmes in cash terms because they understand the vital role that science and research plays in rebalancing the economy and ensuring economic growth.
The latest Government forecasts for inflation, which were provided by the Office for Budget Responsibility and were published in the June 2010 Budget, are given in the following table:
| Financial year | Inflation rate (percentage) |
The Wakeham review identified a number of proposals for efficiency savings. The Government will be seeking implementation of these across the research base as part of the SR10 settlement.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects in cash terms of the freezing of the science budget on the number of scientists working in the UK. [20706]
Mr Willetts: No such assessment has been carried out. The Government have protected science and research funding. This sends a strong signal on the attractiveness of scientific careers in the UK. Additionally, implementing the efficiency savings identified by Bill Wakeham, should offset some of the effects of inflation. It will be for research councils, under the Haldane principle, and funding councils with their statutory independence, to make detailed decisions on funding.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what criteria his Department plans to use in allocating the science research budget between the research councils in 2011-12. [20708]
Mr Willetts: In the coming months, Ministers will make decisions on the balance of funding between individual research councils, HEFCE's research and knowledge transfer activities, the national academies and other programs. These decisions will be made in line with the Government's strategic priorities of funding excellence and focusing on areas with the critical mass to compete globally. Detailed decisions on specific projects will be taken by funding bodies, in line with the Haldane principle.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what forecast he has made of the rate of inflation affecting his Department's expenditure on science research in the period to 2014. [20712]
Mr Willetts: The latest Government forecasts for inflation, which were provided by the Office for Budget Responsibility and published in the June 2010 Budget, are given in the following table:
| Financial year | Inflation rate (percentage) |
The Wakeham review identified a number of proposals for efficiency savings. The Government will be seeking implementation of these across the research base as part of the SR10 settlement.
Students: Fees and Charges
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what analysis his Department has undertaken of the model for funding student fees used by (a) CareerConcept AG in Germany, (b) Lumni, Inc. in the USA, Mexico, Chile and Colombia and (c) Prodigy Finance Ltd in the UK. [21028]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 1 November 2010]: The Browne review considered a range of alternative models for enabling students to defer fees, including private financing options.
Chapter 7 of the Browne review, beginning on page 51, explains the review team's reasons for rejecting alternative options including private financial support. The full report is available at:
The Government will respond to the suggestions in the Browne review shortly.
Students: Finance
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent representations he has received on the effects on arts, humanities and social science teaching and research in universities of the implementation of the Government's proposals for university funding; and if he will make a statement. [21163]
Mr Willetts: We have received a number of representations since the publication of Lord Browne's review.
He recommended that funding for higher education should, in future, largely follow student choice. This would be supported by better information about course content and outcomes. This would allow popular and successful courses, including those in the arts, humanities and social sciences to prosper.
In the recent comprehensive spending review announcement we were able to protect science and research. We have said that we agree with the broad thrust of Lord Browne's recommendations and will respond shortly.
Technology Strategy Board
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether the Technology Strategy Board will have a role in administering technology and innovation centres. [20700]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 1 November 2010]: The overall network of centres will be established and overseen by the Technology Strategy Board.
The Technology Strategy Board will work with industry, stakeholders, and wider government to identify the priority areas and governance structure for the elite network of Technology and Innovation Centres by April 2011.
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans he has for the long term future of the Technology Strategy Board; and if he will make a statement. [21220]
Mr Willetts: We are making the Technology Strategy Board the Government's prime channel through which we will incentivise business-led technology innovation in those sectors of the UK economy which present the greatest opportunity to boost UK growth. A business- led organisation whose staff have a combined experience of over 600 years in the private sector, the Technology Strategy Board will serve as the main delivery body for supporting business innovation.
Where there is the genuine potential for the UK to gain competitive advantage, we want to support business in translating scientific leads into leading positions in new industries. That is why we announced that over four years we will provide over £200 million of funding to establish an elite network of Technology and Innovation Centres through the Technology Strategy Board. The centres will enable industry to exploit new and emerging technologies, by providing a capability that bridges research and technology commercialisation, de-risking the process for business. This will help make new technologies investment ready and able to attract venture capital or other forms of investment, shortening the time to market. Working with industry and Government, the Technology Strategy Board will develop a strategy and implementation plan for the elite network of centres by April 2011.
Support for these centres, together with support for R&D, knowledge transfer, and demonstrators will enable the Technology Strategy Board to support and incentivise all stages of technology development.
Technology Strategy Board: Finance
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funds will be allocated to the Technology Strategy Board in each year of the comprehensive spending review period. [20699]
Mr Willetts: [holding answer 1 November 2010]: Following the spending review, the allocations process in BIS will determine the Technology Strategy Board budget for the CSR period, including the annual allocation. The allocations process will begin soon.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding his Department channelled through regional development agencies for projects which the Technology Strategy Board was also funding in 2007-10. [20707]
Mr Prisk: In 2008/09, the regional development agencies (RDAs) invested £101 million in innovation and technology projects aligned with the Technology Strategy Board (TSB). In 2009/10, the RDAs were projected to also invest a further £160 million in aligned projects.
This aligned investment was undertaken in response to the publication of Lord Sainsbury's 'The Race to the Top' report in October 2007, which recommended closer RDA collaboration with the TSB to strengthen the strategic and economic impact of their collective investments.
The RDA and TSB co-investment covered a wide range of projects and programmes including the development and funding of recognised centres of expertise; provision of demonstrator facilities to accelerate the take-up of new technologies; financial support to expand the number of knowledge transfer partnerships; and activity to increase business awareness and participation in knowledge transfer networks.
A breakdown of aligned investment by each RDA, and a range of co-investment case studies, is provided in the TSB's 'Accelerating Business Innovation Across the UK' report published in February 2010. The report can be found at:
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what Government funding the Technology Strategy Board received in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10; and how much it will receive in 2010-11. [21221]
Mr Willetts: The Technology Strategy Board received Government funding of £208 million in 2008/09 and £385 million in 2009/10. It is due to receive a total of £363 million in 2010/11.
These figures comprise of core funding from this Department plus co-funding received from other Government Departments for specific Technology Strategy Board activities.
Technology: Facilities
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what (a) methodology and (b) criteria he plans to use to determine the locations of technology and innovation centres. [20773]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 1 November 2010]: The overall network of centres will be established and overseen by the Technology Strategy Board and will be based on the model proposed by Hermann Hauser and James Dyson, to commercialise new and emerging technologies in areas where there are large global market opportunities and a critical mass of UK capability to take advantage.
The Technology Strategy Board will work with industry, stakeholders, and wider government to identify the priority areas and governance structure for the elite network of technology and innovation centres by April 2011.
Train to Gain Programme: Greater London
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many people have received training from the Train to Gain programme in (a) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency, (b) Tower Hamlets and (c) London in each year since the inception of that programme. [20880]
Mr Hayes: The following table shows the number of Train to Gain starts in Bethnal Green and Bow parliamentary constituency, Tower Hamlets local authority and London Government office region from 2005/06 to 2008/09, the latest academic year for which we have full-year figures. The Train to Gain programme started in April 2006.
| Train to Gain starts by geography, 2005/06 to 2008/09 | ||||
| 2005/06 | 2006/07 | 2007/08 | 2008/09( 1) | |
| April 2006 to August 2006 | Full year | Full year | Full year | |
| (1) Figures for 2008/09 are not comparable with earlier years as in 2008/09 NVQs delivered in the workplace previously funded by FE are now funded by Train to Gain. There were 181,000 starts in NVQs delivered in the workplace in 2007/08. Notes: 1. Figures by parliamentary constituency are rounded to the nearest 10. All other figures are rounded to the nearest 100. 2. Data for NVQs delivered in the workplace by FE organisations are included in the figures for 2008/09 onwards. 3. Figures are based upon the home postcode of the learner and on constituency boundaries which came in to effect in May 2010. Source: Individualised Learner Record | ||||
Information on the number of Train to Gain starts and achievements is published in a quarterly statistical first release (SFR). The latest SFR was published on 24 June:
Supplementary table 7 shows Train to Gain starts and achievements by parliamentary constituency, local authority and Government office region.
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many businesses have received assistance from the Train to Gain programme in (a) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency, (b) Tower Hamlets and (c) London in each year since the inception of that programme. [20884]
Mr Hayes: The Train to Gain brokerage service recorded the number of businesses who engaged with the Train to Gain provision through the brokerage service between 2006/07 and 2008/09 as follows:
| Number | |
| (1) This figure includes 4,000 employers engaged through the former Employer Training Pilots between April and July 2006. | |
In April 2009 the Train to Gain brokerage services was integrated into Business Link. Figures recorded by Business Link for Employer Engagement indicate that for April 2009 to July 2009 there were 16,149 employer engagements of which 2,418 were employer engagements in the London region; August 2009 to June 2010 there were 51,329 employer engagements, of which 9,289 were employer engagements in the London region.
Note: The number of employer engagements represents the number of employers who have engaged with the brokerage service. It does not represent the number of employers with employees learning on the Train to Gain programme.
University: Closures
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of university departments teaching (a) science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects and (b) other subjects which are at risk of closure as a result of proposed reductions in funding to university teaching. [20747]
Mr Willetts: We have no reliable evidence on which to make such an estimate. Lord Browne has recommended that funding for higher education should, in future, largely follow student choice. This would be supported by better information about course content and outcomes. This would allow popular and successful courses to prosper.
Lord Browne also recommends that teaching grant should be concentrated on priority subjects, such as medicine or technology and in the recent comprehensive spending review announcement we were able to protect science and research. We have said that we agree with the broad thrust of Lord Browne's recommendations and will respond shortly.
However, universities are autonomous institutions and have the freedom to choose the subjects they wish to teach. The Government cannot guarantee the future of any particular subject or institution.
Vocational Training
Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure that vocational training courses are delivered with the required expertise and experience; and whether he has considered the merits of implementing minimum teaching standards for vocational qualifications to include relevant expertise and experience within the vocational area being taught. [20495]
Mr Hayes: The Government believe that further education (FE) providers should forge strong links with employers. Teaching in FE and Skills is, for most teachers and trainers a second or third career. They are highly skilled and have dual profession such as plumbers, electricians and beauty therapists.
A series of workforce reforms were introduced aimed at increasing the professionalism of the FE teaching workforce. The major levers for reform were embedded in regulations introduced in September 2007. These require teachers to hold appropriate qualifications and work towards achieving Qualified Teacher Learning and Skills (QTLS) status and to become members of the Institute for Learning (IFL), the professional body for FE teachers.
To ensure that both teaching and subject specialist skills are maintained and enhanced all FE teachers are required to demonstrate an annual commitment of at least 30 hours of continuing professional development (CPD). The Government are committed to maintaining requirements for a professional qualified FE teaching workforce.
With regard to schools my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education has asked Professor Alison Wolf to carry out an independent review of vocational education. Professor Wolf will consider the organisation, funding, and target audience for vocational education, and the principles that should underpin the content, structure and teaching methods. She will report in spring 2011, and her findings will inform future developments to improve the standard of vocational education for 14-19 year-olds. As the findings of the review emerge the Department for Education will consider the implications for the teaching of vocational education in schools.
Health
Contaminated Blood Products: Compensation
17. Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the likely cost to the public purse of providing compensation for those who received contaminated blood products in the 1970s and 1980s and their relatives; and if he will make a statement. [20945]
Anne Milton: The estimated cost of making ex-gratia payments to those who were affected by contaminated blood and blood products in 2010-11 is £13.6 million.
However, we are currently reviewing payments for hepatitis C infection, and we intend to report the outcome of that review before the end of the year.
GP Budget Holding
18. Chris Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on implementation of his proposals for GP budget holding (a) nationally and (b) in Dudley South constituency. [20946]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department's engagement and consultation process on the proposals set out in the White Paper to establish local commissioning consortia of general practitioner practices finished on 11 October 2010. We are analysing all the contributions received, including four that we have received from Dudley, and our response will be published in due course.
NHS Services: Local Authority Funding
19. Mr Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the effect on NHS services of changes to funding for local authorities. [20947]
Mr Lansley:
The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and I regularly discuss how the relationship between the national health service and local government can be strengthened. The White Paper set out significant opportunities for this. The spending
review provided specific resources for local government and adult social care through the NHS, of up to £1 billion by 2014-15, to be spent on measures that support social care, which will also benefit health.
NHS: Winter Pressures
20. Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what preparations he is making for anticipated winter pressures on the NHS in 2010-11. [20948]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has worked with strategic health authorities to ensure that the national health service has robust arrangements in place across local health and social care areas to deal with the additional pressures winter can bring. Since the autumn, the NHS has been working with its partners locally to address the challenges they will face during the course of the forthcoming winter.
Organ Donation
21. Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals for a soft opt-out system for organ donation. [20949]
Anne Milton: The Organ Donation Taskforce looked at the issue of an opt-out system for organ donation in 2008. The taskforce did not recommend moving to an opt-out system. An increase in donor rates has been achieved by implementing the taskforce's recommendations. We will seek further opportunities to increase organ donation, with the principles of informed consent.
Health Visitors
22. Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for future numbers of health visitors. [20950]
Anne Milton: We believe the first steps in a child's development are crucial to the child's life chances. That is why we are committed to growing the health visitor work-force by 4,200 and developing universal health visiting services to drive-up health outcomes and reduce health inequalities.
Dementia Services: Devon
23. Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to review the provision of health care services in Devon for those diagnosed with dementia. [20951]
Paul Burstow: As a result of revisions to the NHS operating framework earlier this year every primary care trust is obliged to publish its plans for implementing the national dementia strategy. This change along with our wider health reforms will increase transparency and local accountability.
Registered Organ Donors
24. Mr Spencer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the number of registered organ donors. [20952]
Anne Milton: Activities are ongoing to promote organ donation and the number of people on the organ donor register continues to increase. NHS blood and transplant are working in partnership with the NHS, commercial and third sector organisations to promote organ donation locally and nationally.
Advisory Group for National Specialised Services
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish (a) future arrangements for national specialist commissioning and (b) the operations and remit of the new Advisory Group for National Specialised Services. [20527]
Mr Simon Burns: I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer I gave him on 22 October 2010, Official Report, column 898W, in response to the operations and remit of the Advisory Group for National Specialised Services.
The White Paper "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS" set out our proposals for transforming the quality of commissioning by devolving decision-making to local consortia of general practitioner practices, supported by the creation of an independent NHS commissioning board and launched an engagement and consultation process on how best to implement these changes. This period of consultation and engagement closed on 11 October 2010. The Department is now analysing all the contributions received and will respond to the consultation in due course.
Arthritis: Health Services
Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has made a recent estimate of the amount spent by (a) each primary care trust and (b) the NHS per head of population on rheumatoid arthritis services; and what progress his Department has made on its work to determine whether there is correlation between the quality of rheumatoid arthritis services and spending per head of population. [20600]
Paul Burstow: The Department does not collect expenditure data on rheumatoid arthritis and therefore cannot undertake any work on the correlation between expenditure and the quality of rheumatoid arthritis services.
Arthritis: Nurses
Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of rheumatoid arthritis specialist nurses working in the NHS; what plans he has for the future number of such nurses in each of the next four years; and if he will make a statement. [20601]
Mr Simon Burns: The information is not collected centrally.
Rheumatoid arthritis specialist nurses are not separately identified within the NHS Workforce Census.
Back Pain: Health Services
James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision of specialist back pain diagnosis and treatment services; and what level of regional variation he has detected in that provision. [20965]
Paul Burstow: No assessment has been made. We believe that primary care trusts, and in due course general practitioner commissioning consortia responding to the needs and views of their patients, are in the best position to determine the priorities for improving services and responding to clinical innovation.
However, a national audit into pain services is expected to report early next year. It is intended to give a broad overview of the state of provision of chronic pain services across England (including back pain over the duration of a three month period), both from the perspective of patients and in terms of adherence to good clinical practice. We will therefore have better information on the scale of the challenge once the new national pain audit reports.
Bone Cancer: Children
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average life expectancy is of a child patient treated with conventional treatments for osteosarcoma. [20528]
Paul Burstow: I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer I gave him on 22 October 2010, Official Report, columns 898-99W.
Breast Cancer: Screening
Pat Glass: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what progress his Department has made on the roll-out of the age extension to the NHS Breast Screening Programme; [20351]
(2) what proportion of breast screening units have one or more full-field direct digital mammography machine; [20402]
(3) what research his Department has conducted on the effectiveness of (a) digital mammography and (b) standard mammography in respect of the screening of women in the lower age range of the NHS breast screening programme; [20403]
(4) what plans his Department has for the roll-out of digital mammography; and what timescale he has set for completing the roll-out. [20404]
Paul Burstow: The Cancer Reform Strategy (CRS) included the commitment that the NHS Breast Screening Programme (NHS BSP) would be extended to women aged 47 to 73. In June this year, we confirmed in the "Revision to the NHS Operating Framework 2010-11" that all local breast screening programmes should begin the extension in 2010-11.
We are working with NHS Cancer Screening Programmes to ensure local programmes begin the age extension as soon as possible. By the end of March next year, we expect over 60% of screening programmes to have started the extension.
One of the criteria for extension of the NHS BSP is that local screening programmes should have at least one Digital Mammography (DM) machine in place before they extend, in accordance with the timetable in the revised operating framework. Based on the latest information, 14 local screening programmes are fully digital and 36 have at least one DM machine.
NHS Cancer Screening Programmes undertook a practical and technical evaluation of DM before it was considered for use in the NHS BSP. Studies in both Europe and America have found that DM is better than film screen mammography for younger women, premenopausal or perimenopausal women and women with dense breasts.
Cancer Drugs Fund
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding he plans to allocate to the Cancer Drugs Fund in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13 and (c) 2013-14. [20915]
Paul Burstow: Following the spending review, we have committed £200 million to the Cancer Drugs Fund in each of the three years from April 2011 to support improved access to cancer drugs. We are currently consulting on arrangements for the fund, including a proposal to distribute this funding to the national health service based on weighted capitation.
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health from what sources his Department is funding the interim Cancer Drugs Fund; and what amount of funding is being drawn from each such source in 2010-11. [20916]
Paul Burstow: The £50-million interim cancer drugs funding made available to the national health service in this financial year came from savings in central departmental budgets, which we have redirected to front-line care for cancer patients.
Carers: Brighton
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department allocated to (a) Brighton and Hove city council and (b) NHS Brighton and Hove for the support of carers in each of the last three years; and what mechanisms are in place to ensure that such funding is appropriately disbursed. [20606]
Paul Burstow: Brighton and Hove city council received £1.102 million in 2008-09, £1.167 million in 2009-10 and £1.132 million in 2010-11 for the carers element of their area based grant.
In the period covering 2009-11, £150 million was made available within primary care trust (PCT) allocations (£50 million in 2009-10 and £100 million in 2010-11) to enable them to provide breaks for carers.
PCT revenue allocations are not broken down by policy at either a national or local level, therefore the money was not ring-fenced and there are no specific mechanisms in place to monitor its expenditure. It is for PCTs to decide their priorities for investment locally, taking into account their local circumstances and priorities set out in the NHS Operating Framework.
Cataracts: Waiting lists
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate his Department has made of the median wait among those admitted for cataract extraction between 1 July and 30 September 2006 in England, subject to the proviso that admimeth =11, 12 or 13, that opertn_1 = C71, C72, C73, C74, C75 or C77 and that admidate minus elecdate <732 days; [20367]
(2) what estimate his Department has made of the median wait among those who at midnight on 30 September 2006 were waiting to be admitted for cataract extraction in England were admidate > 30 September 2006, where elecdate is less than or equal to September 2006, and where the (uncompleted) wait = 30 September 2006 minus elecdate, subject to the proviso that admidate minus elecdate <732 days. [20368]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has not made estimates of the median wait for patients waiting for cataract extraction.
Information on activity and time waited for cataract extraction and prosthesis of lens is available from the NHS Information Centre's Hospital Episode Statistics website:
www.hesonline.nhs.uk/Ease/servlet/ContentServer?siteID=1937&;categoryID=192
Childbirth
Mr Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues to NHS trusts on the provision of choice to women in respect of place of birth. [20556]
Anne Milton: In the White Paper 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS', we make the commitment to extend choice care in maternity through new maternity networks. In our consultation document 'Liberating the NHS: Greater choice and control' (published 18 October 2010) we are seeking views on what choices people would like to see in maternity and which ones they see as important.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guideline on 'Intrapartum care' (published September 2007) states: "Women should be offered the choice of planning birth at home, in a midwife-led unit or in an obstetric unit".
CJD
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) were diagnosed (a) nationally, (b) in Sussex, (c) in Brighton and Hove City and (d) in Hove constituency in (i) 2005, (ii) 2006, (iii) 2007, (iv) 2008 and (v) 2009; and in how many such cases CJD was recorded as being contracted as a result of dental treatment. [20383]
Anne Milton: Data on CJD deaths, supplied by the National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Surveillance Unit (NCJDSU), are shown in the following table. None of these cases were characterised as being the result of dental treatment.
| Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease deaths | |||||
| Number | |||||
| 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
The NCJDSU does not publish data by date of diagnosis, and does not routinely record cases by constituency, though it is understood that the one death recorded for Brighton and Hove City was in the Hove constituency.
Dementia: Medical Treatments
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues to clinicians on the management of symptoms of agitation and aggression in dementia patients. [20541]
Paul Burstow: The Department has not issued guidance on the management of symptoms of agitation and aggression in dementia patients.
Clinical guidance on Dementia: supporting people with dementia and their carers was last issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) in November 2006. This addresses the management of symptoms of agitation and aggression for those with dementia. The 2006 guidance makes clear that the use of antipsychotic drugs in the treatment of patients with mild to moderate non-cognitive symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and vascular or mixed dementias is not recommended. Clinical guidelines are recommendations by NICE on the appropriate treatment and care of people with specific diseases and conditions within the NHS. The NICE websites state that NICE expects to consider the need to review this guidance in November 2011.
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what medical treatments are licensed for the treatment of behavioural symptoms in dementia; and if he will make a statement. [20542]
Paul Burstow: Currently, only risperidone is licensed for:
'the short-term treatment (up to six weeks) of persistent aggression in patients with moderate to severe Alzheimer's dementia unresponsive to non-pharmacological approaches and when there is a risk of harm to self or others.'
There are other licensed products used in the treatment of dementia in Alzheimer's disease. These include the drugs, donepezil (Aricept(r)), galantamine (Reminyl(r)), memantine (Ebixa(r)) and rivastigmine (Exelon(r)). However, these products are used to treat the cognitive aspects of the disease rather than the behavioural symptoms.
Dental Services: Equipment
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consult the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on the scientific basis for his Department's Health Technical Memorandum 01/05 on Decontamination prior to its implementation. [20382]
Mr Simon Burns: The document Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 contains departmental guidance on the decontamination of dental instruments. The evidence and measures within the document were scrutinised by a number of means in order to ensure validity and proportionality to the assessment of risks. Advice was taken from an expert working group, including officials from the British Dental Association, the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee and the Advisory Committee on Decontamination Science and Technology, which supported the general principle of the need to improve local decontamination within dentistry. In this light, we are not persuaded that there would be added benefit in referral to the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence.
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effects of implementation of his Department's Health Technical Memorandum 01/05 on Decontamination on the risk of infection of Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease from dental treatment; and if he will make a statement. [20384]
Mr Simon Burns: There is evidence from animal studies that dental tissues (including dental pulp and gingiva) may provide a potential route of person to person Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) infection. The Spongiform Encephalopathies Advisory Committee (SEAC) in considering this risk has stated that:
"improving the effectiveness of procedures used to decontaminate dental instruments would reduce the risk of transmission".
SEAC's position statement on VCJD and Endodontic dentistry May 2006 can be found at:
The importance of observing the highest standards of decontamination in dental practice was emphasised in the chief dental officer's April 2007 letter to all dentists.
Evidence supports the use of effective cleaning and sterilisation of used instruments in a validated steam sterilizer to reduce the potential risk of CJD transmission via dental instruments. This along with the recommendation of single patient use for all endodontics files and reamers and that all instruments which cannot be effectively cleaned be treated, where feasible, as single use are included in the essential quality requirements in Health Technical Memorandum 01-05. Implementation of this guidance will reduce the risk of transmission of CJD from dental treatment.
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely costs for primary care trusts of compliance by NHS community practices with his Department's Health Technical Memorandum 01/05 on Decontamination; and if he will make a statement. [20385]
Mr Simon Burns:
There is no direct cost to primary care trusts (PCTs) in compliance with the Health Technical Memorandum 01-05. Where the provider arm of the PCT is responsible for salaried dental services, these services will need to comply with the essential quality requirements as described in the HTM 01-05. The costs involved should be minimal as PCT provider services should all have been compliant with the previous guidance
in the 'A 12' guide on decontamination in dental practice, issued by the British Dental Association in 2002, with the support of the Department.
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely cost to NHS community practices of compliance with his Department's Health Technical Memorandum 01/05 on Decontamination; and if he will make a statement. [20386]
Mr Simon Burns: Practices are required to meet the essential quality requirements (EQR) within Health Technical Memorandum 01-05. This will ensure that the risk of patient-to-patient pathogen transmission, especially form blood borne viruses is effectively reduced. The costs of implementing the essential quality requirements as described in the guidance should be minimal for practices already complying with previous requirements, set in the 'A 12' guide on decontamination in dental practice, issued by the British Dental Association in 2002, with the support of the Department. Practices that were complying with the earlier guidance should therefore incur few additional costs in complying with the EQR. We have not set a date for compliance with the higher 'best practice' standards set in the HTM.
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely effects on dental charges to patients of implementation of his Department's Health Technical Memorandum 01/05 on Decontamination. [20387]
Mr Simon Burns: Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 on Decontamination will have no effect on national health service dental patient charges.
Departmental Manpower
Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the likely costs to (a) primary care trusts and (b) strategic health authorities arising from (i) staff redundancies and (ii) staff transfers attributable to (A) his proposed changes to his Department's non-departmental public bodies and (B) the proposed reforms in the NHS White Paper. [20400]
Mr Simon Burns: The White Paper "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS" laid out proposals for fundamental changes to the ways that the national health service is structured and run, including for the structures of primary care trusts, strategic health authorities and the Department. The precise costs of the transition to the new system will not be known until the new organisations that will underpin the new system have been designed in more detail.
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.
A further two consultations on other aspects of reform set out in the White Paper-specifically "an information revolution" and "greater choice and control"-have recently been launched and will close in January.
In addition the public bodies review has laid out proposals for a number of changes to public bodies, including the Human Fertility and Embryology Authority, and the Human Tissue Authority, which are the responsibility of the Department. The Department is not yet able to produce robust costings of the changes arising from this reorganisation. This is because the precise costs of the transition will not be known until the operational detail of the changes is known.
The Government will shortly publish an impact assessment assessing the impact of the changes proposed in the Public Bodies (Reform) Bill.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Dr Phillip Lee: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms are in place to ensure that his Department's decisions on regional funding allocations are based on the most recent available population data. [20694]
Mr Simon Burns: National health service revenue allocations are currently made to primary care trusts (PCTs) on the basis of a national weighted capitation formula which is used to determine each PCTs target share of available resources, to enable them to commission services to meet the health-care needs of the local populations they serve.
The formula uses the most up-to-date sub-national population projections (SNPPs) available at the time from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Currently these are 2006-based (published in June 2008), and were used to inform PCT revenue allocations for 2009-10 and 2010-11. SNPPs are currently produced every two years by ONS. The latest 2008-based projections were published on 27 May 2010 and included the latest methodology for estimating patterns of migration. These will inform future allocation rounds.
For 2013-14 onwards, the NHS commissioning board will be responsible for the fair and efficient use of resources in the NHS. The Board will make allocations to general practitioner (GP) Consortia on the basis of securing equivalent access to NHS services in all areas relative to the prospective burden of disease and disability. The detail of how resources are allocated to GP Consortia will be a matter for the Commissioning Board.
Dialysis Machines: Wisbech
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will (a) consider the merits of and (b) estimate the cost of funding a satellite kidney dialysis unit in Wisbech. [21184]
Mr Simon Burns: Regional specialised commissioning groups. (SCGs) are responsible for ensuring that sufficient and high quality renal replacement therapy is available for their residents. This is undertaken by working with their constituent primary care trusts (PCTs) to develop robust capacity plans to ensure that available capacity meets patient demand. Funding for additional renal dialysis is subsequently agreed via the local SCG prioritisation process against other specialised services competing for resources. Together with their constituent PCTs, SCGs are also responsible for ensuring that patients and the public play a role in deciding where services are located.
The East of England strategic health authority has advised that the local SCG is developing plans to increase the numbers of local renal units so no patient is more than 30 minutes away from place of treatment. The SCG will also invest to increase home therapy dialysis services.
Food Supplements: EU Law
Claire Perry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on (a) food supplements and (b) implementation of the EU Food Supplements Directive. [20815]
Anne Milton: The Government believe that any regulation for food supplements should be based on safety and consumers having the right to make an informed choice. The European Food Supplements Directive was implemented in England in 2003 and came into force in 2005. The legislation contains a requirement to set maximum levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements on the basis of science and safety. Discussions on this are expected to restart in 2011 and any proposal would need to be agreed by a majority of member states before implementation.
General Practitioners: Standards
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who will be responsible for the operation of revalidation following the ending of primary care trusts. [20620]
Anne Milton: The General Medical Council (GMC) is responsible for the revalidation of doctors. Subject to parliamentary approval, responsible officers in primary care trusts will make recommendations to the GMC on the revalidation of doctors in primary care. Proposals for responsible officers to reflect new national health service structures will be brought forward in 2011.
Health Services: Hull
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) cost and (b) purpose was of the 'We are Listening' NHS posters erected on lamp posts in and around Hull; what guidance his Department issues to NHS trusts on the use of such posters; and if he will make a statement. [21103]
Mr Simon Burns: This is a matter for the Hull Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT). The Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority (SHA) reports that the 'We're all ears' listening exercise was a local initiative, implemented in response to needs that were identified by the PCT in the Hull city area.
The Department does not issue guidance on how PCTs should be using local communications materials. However, guidance on the design of communications materials is provided through the national health service brand guidelines. The NHS brand website provides detailed guidance on how to apply the NHS brand to all communications materials. Details can be found at:
The Department would always encourage NHS communications teams to only spend money on materials where there is a proven need to do so, and through
channels that are proven to be effective. We expect NHS organisations to seek the best value for money from any communications activities, and to evaluate the effectiveness of their communications.
Health Services: Summertime
Rebecca Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect on the provision of first response and acute medical services of the introduction of daylight saving time throughout the year. [19190]
Mr Simon Burns: No such assessment has been formally made by the Department. The national health service ambulance service and acute trusts provide patients with urgent and emergency care 24 hours a day, 365 days a year taking into account any relevant factors including the impact of daylight saving time.
Health Visitors: Training
Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost was of training a health visitor in the latest period for which figures are available. [16626]
Anne Milton: This information is not collected centrally. As part of the programme to deliver the coalition Government commitment for the increase in the number of health visitors departmental officials are working with the national health service to ensure robust and up to date costings are used to plan the increase in training places.
The cost of a health visiting training course is about £6,500 per trainee (i.e. headcount) and the average salary cost for a full-time equivalent health visiting student is about £37,000 (i.e. the salary of a full-time experienced nurse now training to be a health visitor).
These figures are estimates only (based on information provided by strategic health authorities (SHAs) in 2005-06) and the actual costs will vary depending on local arrangements between SHAs and higher education institutions. Ultimately, it is the decision of SHAs how much they spend on training health visitors, and thus the Department, while using the most robust costing methodologies and information available for internal modelling work, cannot provide a definitive answer to the parliamentary question.
Health Visitors: West Sussex
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for future numbers of health visitors serving Crawley and West Sussex. [20498]
Anne Milton: At the Community Practitioners and Health Visitors Association conference on 21 October 2010, as part of the spending review announcements, we confirmed our intention to recruit, pay for and train 4,200 health visitors over the course of this Parliament, to ensure that all families have access to the support they need when children are in their early years.
Hospitals: Waiting Lists
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons records from hospital episode statistics captured at the time and by means of a census yield a shorter median wait than records captured over a period and as a result of an event such as admission. [20971]
Mr Simon Burns: Information on waiting times is typically recorded in two ways: either through a snapshot of patients still waiting at a moment in time; or recording how long individual patients have waited between referral and an event along their pathway such as an appointment, diagnostic test, decision to admit or starting treatment.
These different approaches capture different information and yield different results.
Institute for Fiscal Studies
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on services provided by the Institute for Fiscal Studies in the last 24 months. [20471]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has made no payments to the Institute for Fiscal Studies in the last 24 months.
Maternity Services
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the outcome was of his Department's review of the 'Making it Better' maternity services programme; and if he will make a statement. [20978]
Anne Milton: This Government are committed to devolving power to local communities-to the people, patients, general practitioners (GPs) and councils who are best placed to determine the nature of their national health service locally. The Government have pledged that, in future, all service changes must be led by clinicians and patients, not be driven from the top down. To this end, we have outlined new, strengthened tests that proposals on NHS service changes must meet.
They must focus on improving patient outcomes; consider patient choice; have support from GP commissioners; and be based on sound clinical evidence.
Responsibility for local health services lies with the NHS locally. Therefore, we have asked the local NHS to look at how schemes that are ongoing meet these new tests-including 'Making it Better'. We are clear that services should be driven by the need to improve patient outcomes. NHS North West advises that the assessment for 'Making it Better' is incomplete, pending submission of the National Clinical Assessment Team report. Assessment will be concluded once all evidence has been submitted.
Medical Records: Databases
Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have received the summary care record database since the publication of the review of that database; whether he plans to provide information on the opt-out option to those patients whose records have already been added to the database; and if he will make a statement. [21139]
Mr Simon Burns: Reports of reviews of the content of the summary care record (SCR), and of the information that patients receive, and the process by which they opt out of having a SCR, were published on 11 October 2010. Between that date and 27 October 295,898 new SCRs were created for patients where the general practitioner (GP) practice and the primary care trust (PCT) had agreed that patients had been adequately informed about the process, and properly enabled to opt out should they wish.
Before implementation each PCT has always been required to conduct a public information programme to inform patients about the SCR, its implications, and the choices open to them, including opting out. The relevant SCR review concluded that there should be no requirement to re-mail those patients who had already received information, but that for those patients, and those about to be mailed, it was important that PCTs and individual GP practices be supported to further raise awareness. This work is now ongoing at a local, regional and national level, in concert with the professions, and patient and other voluntary organisations.
Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to enable patients to remove their summary care records from the summary care database. [21140]
Mr Simon Burns: Patients have always been able to change their mind at any time and choose no longer to have a summary care record (SCR). If a patient chooses to do this, action will be taken so that the existing SCR can no longer able to be accessed by health care professionals.
Patients can also request to have their record deleted rather than made inaccessible. This will be done so long as the SCR has not previously been used to provide care. Where the SCR has previously been accessed, a record of that access needs to be kept in case there is a subsequent investigation of the performance of a clinician or a dispute about the facts.
Advice to this effect has been included in the information that has gone to date to patients who have already had a SCR created for them. The local awareness campaigns that will be undertaken following the recent review of the information that patients receive, and the process by which they opt out of having a SCR, will further reinforce this message.
Medicine: Education
Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of graduates from medical schools in (a) 2007, (b) 2008 and (c) 2009 failed to gain a higher medical training post in a UK hospital in the year immediately following graduation. [20714]
Anne Milton: All graduates for United Kingdom medical schools who applied to the Foundation programme in 2007, 2008 and 2009 were offered a place at one of the foundation schools.
Not all graduates of UK medical schools choose to apply or take up a place on the Foundation programme. A small number choose to take time off, go abroad, or undertake research.
Mental Health Services
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to implement the Government's proposal to provide greater access to talking therapies within the NHS. [20533]
Paul Burstow: Earlier this year I announced confirmation of the final £70 million instalment of funding for the improving access to psychological therapies programme, which has enabled the broadening of the geographical range of talking therapy services, meaning more people can get help.
Funding for expanding access to talking therapies to children and young people, older people and those with more serious mental illness was included in the spending review announcement on 20 October 2010. Plans for delivering this and completing the roll out of services for people with depression and anxiety disorders as part of a nationwide training programme for therapists are being developed. The plans will feature in the cross-Government mental health strategy and the public health white paper which are to be announced in due course.
Mental Health Services: Finance
Anne Marie Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of NHS expenditure on the treatment and prevention of mental illness in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [21392]
Paul Burstow: At 11% of total expenditure, the national health service spends more money on mental health (£10.4 billion in 2008-09) than on any other clinical area.
NHS programme budget expenditure for mental health, 2007-08 and 2008-09 figures:
| 2007-08 | 2008-09 | |
In real terms, spend on adult mental health care grew by 50.3%, between 2001-02 (the first year for which comparable data is available) and 2008-09. The most recent data shows total planned investment increased from £5.530 billion in 2007-08 to £5.892 billion in 2008-09, a 6.6% increase in the amount, and 4.0% in real terms over 2007-08.
The NHS programme expenditure is divided into 23 'programme budget' areas, the programme budget for mental health does not provide the level of detail which would allow us to estimate the split between treatment and prevention specifically.
Regarding future spend on mental health, we cannot make an estimate. It is for local NHS providers to commission services, including mental health services, in their areas.
Midwives
Mr Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future (a) training, (b) recruitment and (c) retention of midwives in the NHS. [20555]
Anne Milton: The coalition Government are currently considering the work force needed to deliver safe maternity services which extend maternity choice and help make safe, informed choices throughout pregnancy and in childbirth a reality.
NHS
Mr Barron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on the implications for that Department of (a) the proposals in the Health White Paper on 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS' and (b) the commissioning of NHS dentistry of the Health White Paper on 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS'. [19591]
Mr Simon Burns: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State met with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on 10 June 2010 to discuss emerging ideas, which contributed to the development of 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS', in particular the role of primary care trusts and local authorities. They did not discuss the commissioning of national health service dentistry.
NHS Commissioning Board
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanisms he plans to establish to assess the NHS commissioning board's performance against its objectives in commissioning services. [20983]
Mr Simon Burns: As set out in "Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS", the NHS commissioning board will be given a mandate by the Secretary of State. This will comprise progress against objectives and outcomes specified by the Secretary of State, drawing on the national health service outcomes framework, and will be subject to public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny. Once the consultation and scrutiny process is complete and the content of the mandate is finalised, it will be possible to set out the means by which the performance of the NHS commissioning board is to be assessed.
NHS: Data Protection
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) on what conditions staff and medical files are transferred to NHS Shared Business Services; [20612]
(2) what access employees of NHS Shared Business Services in India have to NHS (a) staff and (b) patient records; [20613]
(3) how many staff NHS Shared Business Services employed (a) nationally and (b) in India in (i) 2005, (ii) 2009 and (iii) the latest period for which figures are available; and how many such staff his Department plans to employ in each such country in each of the next four years. [20614]
Mr Simon Burns: NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS) was established in April 2005 as a 50:50 joint venture between the Department of Health and Groupe Steria S.A. to provide business support services to the national health service, including finance and accounting, payroll, and e-procurement services.
NHS SBS delivers services through an integrated onshore and offshore model. Its offices are based in Leeds, Bristol, Southampton and Ilford in the United Kingdom, and in Noida and Pune in India.
When NHS trust staff transfer into NHS SBS their staff files are scanned and saved electronically by NHS SBS Human Resources and the original hard copies are destroyed. The same process applies to any occupational health reports or medical certificates held within staff files at point of transfer.
NHS SBS data are held on servers hosted in the UK and where appropriate, only relevant data can be accessed from India. NHS SBS employees in India have access to staff data, using a secure link.
No clinical or medical information-either hardcopy or electronic-can be accessed by NHS SBS employees in India. They are, however, able to access demographic information from the NHS Care Record Service.
NHS SBS is independently accredited at Level Two for Information Governance under the NHS Information Governance Assurance Framework.
The staff numbers for NHS SBS are shown in the following table:
| Date | India | United Kingdom |
| Source: NHS SBS | ||
It is not possible to predict future staffing levels for NHS SBS for the next four years. Resources will be allocated according to market and business requirements.
Obesity: Summertime
Rebecca Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect on the rate of obesity of the introduction of daylight saving time throughout the year. [19192]
Pain
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people have a diagnosis of reflex sympathetic dystrophy or complex regional pain syndrome; [21061]
(2) what initiatives his Department has to increase awareness of reflex sympathetic dystrophy and complex regional pain syndrome among GPs. [21062]
Paul Burstow: Information on the number of people diagnosed with reflex sympathetic dystrophy, or complex regional pain syndrome, is not collected.
The NHS Choices website contains detailed information, suitable for health professionals or those recently diagnosed, on the diagnosis, symptoms and treatment options for complex regional pain syndrome.
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has (a) carried out and (b) funded on the treatment of reflex sympathetic dystrophy and complex regional pain syndrome in the last 10 years. [21063]
Paul Burstow: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) used to be known as reflex sympathetic dystrophy. The Department has not carried out any research on the treatment of CRPS.
The Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is currently funding a career development fellowship on understanding and manipulating the motor and sensory systems for the relief of pain. This includes research on CRPS.
The NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme has recently funded two projects relevant to the treatment of CRPS:
Spinal cord stimulation for chronic pain of neuropathic or ischaemic origin; and
The clinical and cost-effectiveness of different treatment pathways for neuropathic pain.
Records of individual national health service supported research projects collected up to September 2007, including some projects relating to CRPS, are available on the archived national research register (NRR) at:
Primary Care Trusts: Fertility
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which primary care trusts (a) do and (b) do not provide fertility treatment. [21257]
Anne Milton: Information about the number of primary care trusts (PCTs) providing fertility services for national health service patients is not collected centrally.
We encourage all commissioners to take account of the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on infertility treatment in determining local provision of services. We are supporting the leading infertility patient organisation, Infertility Network UK, to work with PCTs on this.
Rochdale Hospital
Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the effect on numbers of health-care staff at Rochdale hospital of the proposed transfer of facilities (a) to and (b) from the hospital; [20655]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) referral times and (b) treatment of acute cases of the transfer of hospital facilities (i) from and (ii) to Rochdale hospital; and if he will make a statement; [20656]
(3) what steps he is taking to consult on the planned Healthy Futures programme at Rochdale hospital; and if he will make a statement. [20657]
Mr Simon Burns: Responsibility for local health services lies with the national health service locally. Therefore, no assessment is made centrally of the impact of local service changes.
This Government are committed to devolving power to local communities-to the people, patients, general practitioners (GPs) and councils who are best placed to determine the nature of their national health services locally. The Government have pledged that, in future, all service changes must be led by clinicians and patients, not be driven from the top down. To this end, we have outlined new, strengthened criteria that decisions on NHS service changes must meet.
They must focus on improving patient outcomes; consider patient choice; have support from GP commissioners; and be based on sound clinical evidence.
We have asked the local NHS to look at how schemes that are ongoing meet this new criteria by the end of October 2010-including those that impact on the Rochdale Infirmary, namely "Healthy Futures" and "Making it Better". We are clear that services should be driven by the need to improve patient outcomes. NHS North West advises that this work is now complete and that it is now reviewing the evidence provided. NHS North West will be able to advise on the process of the review.
Seasonal Affective Disorder: Summertime
Rebecca Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect on those diagnosed with seasonal affective disorder of the introduction of daylight saving time throughout the year. [19189]
Paul Burstow: No such assessment has been made.
Slaughterhouses: Regulation
Mr Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of breaches of regulations governing the operation of slaughterhouses in the latest period for which figures are available. [20734]
Anne Milton: Breaches of regulations governing the operation of slaughterhouses are met with enforcement by the official veterinarian as part of the delivery of official controls. Enforcement includes both informal action (verbal advice, written advice, written warnings) and formal action (service of formal notices, formal warnings, cautions, referrals for investigation and prosecutions).
The Food Standards Agency monitors informal written action and all formal action in every slaughterhouse. For the period 1 April to 30 July 2010 the following actions were taken in Great Britain:
| Type of enforcement | Number |
In the four month period (April to July 2010) enforcement action was taken for 776 breaches of regulations governing the operation of slaughterhouses (approximately 387 operating in this period). Breaches of regulations may also be met with verbal advice, for which total figures are not available.
Social Services: Finance
Mr Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason funding for local authority social care is no longer to be ring-fenced; and what assessment he has made of the effect of the end of such ring-fencing on disabled individuals and their families. [20835]
Paul Burstow: Currently, only funding worth £237 million is ring-fenced for social care. This is a very small proportion of total social care expenditure. We therefore do not anticipate that removing the ring-fence will have a significant effect on overall social care funding.
However, the Government have taken the decision to simplify and streamline grant funding to local government, by rolling around £4 billion of specific grants in 2010-11 into the unhypothecated formula grant and reducing grants for local government from over 90 to fewer than 10. This includes £2.4 billion of social care grants.
Streamlining local government funding will enable local authorities to redirect funds to protect the delivery of the essential frontline services that matter most to their local communities. Local authorities must be accountable primarily to their communities for how they prioritise resources. It will also allow councils to pool and align budgets with partners, reducing duplication and enabling resources to be targeted at the most effective solutions.
The national health service will also make funding available to be spent on measures that support social care, which also benefits health. This funding will be up to £1 billion in 2014-15. We will set out more detail on how the NHS should use this funding to support social care in the '2011-12 Operating Framework'. There will, therefore, be more funding hypothecated specifically for social care in the upcoming spending review period than this year.
Surgery: South East
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were cancelled in hospitals, in each primary care trust area in the south- east in each year since 2005. [21089]
Mr Simon Burns: The number of operations cancelled in hospitals in the south-east area, which includes both the South East Coast and South Central strategic health authorities (SHAs), in each year since 2005 is shown in the following tables.
| Cancelled operations for non clinical reasons, NHS organisations in South Central 2005 - 10 | ||||||
| Number of last minute cancellations for non clinical reasons | ||||||
| Name | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010( 1) |
| (1) Year to date Note: On 1 April 2009, Royal West Sussex NHS Trust merged with Worthing and Southlands NHS Trust to form Western Sussex NHS Trust Source: Department of Health dataset QMCO | ||||||
UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to implement obligations under articles 10, 15, 17, 19, 20, 25 and 26 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in relation to his Department's policy responsibilities. [21124]
Paul Burstow: Like every other country that has ratified the convention, the United Kingdom is required to report to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities about what it has done to implement it. The Office for Disability Issues (ODI) is responsible for co-ordinating the UK Government's work on the convention, including the UK Government report which is due to be submitted to the UN Committee by July 2011.
The Department is working with the ODI to involve stakeholders in the implementation, monitoring and reporting processes. For example, we have worked with
stakeholders to facilitate workshops in the past few months and will feed their input to the ODI reporting process.
Voluntary Organisations
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the effects of his Department's spending reductions on the statutory services provided by voluntary organisations; and if he will make a statement. [20605]
Paul Burstow: Voluntary sector organisations play vital roles in health and social care, delivering innovative, high quality, user-focused services, and achieving outcomes that can provide real social value. They have a strong track record of designing services based on insight into clients' needs, to which they are often well placed to respond flexibly to those needs.
It is not possible to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the impact that spending reductions will have on statutory services provided by voluntary and community organisations because of the multitude of different contractual relationships this sector has with public bodies at different levels.
However, the recent spending review makes no cuts to the health budget. As set out in the "Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2010-11", the Department plans to make a phased move towards an 'Any Willing Provider' model for community services, which will address barriers and open up opportunities for future statutory provision by independent and voluntary sector providers.
The spending review also recognises the importance of social care in protecting the most vulnerable in society. In recognition of the pressures on the social care system in a challenging local government settlement, 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.
As transition to these new arrangements takes place, we are promoting restraint in budget cuts to this sector and good practice in the commissioning and decommissioning of services, with due regard for the principles of the Compact.
Culture, Media and Sport
Big Society Initiative
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what plans his Department has to contribute to the Big Society initiative. [20820]
Mr Vaizey: The Government's ambitions for DCMS, including its contribution to the Big Society, are set out in its Structural Reform Plan published on 15 July, which can be found on the DCMS website:
The Plan will form a key part of the Department's wider Business Plan, which we intend to publish shortly, now that the spending review has concluded.
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