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8 Nov 2010 : Column 124W—continued
Police: Ethnic Groups
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people from each ethnic minority group were employed by the police (a) nationally and (b) in each constabulary in the latest period for which figures are available. [20014]
Nick Herbert: The available data are provided in the following table which shows police officer strength by ethnicity and police force area as at 31 March 2010.
Police: Females
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women were employed by the police (a) nationally and (b) in each constabulary in the latest period for which figures are available. [20015]
Nick Herbert: Available data relate to full-time equivalent female officer strength by police force area in England and Wales at 31 March 2010 and are given in the following table.
Police: Finance
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who will meet the costs of any referendum in cases where the police precept exceeds the prescribed limit. [15989]
Nick Herbert: Police authorities whose police precept increases cause a referendum to be held will be responsible for meeting the costs of that referendum.
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the likely effects on future levels of police authority precepts of the police funding settlement in the 2010 spending review. [20713]
Nick Herbert: The independent Office for Budget Responsibility assumes that after freezing the precept in England in 2011-12, police authorities would on average choose to increase precept in line with historical trend growth.
Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the likely effect on the number of (a) police officers and (b) community police support officers in Yorkshire and the Humber of the police funding settlement in the 2010 comprehensive spending review. [20807]
Nick Herbert: My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary will place the Government's proposed allocations for individual forces before Parliament in early December.
We have been clear that the police service must play its part in reducing the deficit. Decisions about the number of police officers, police community support officers and other police staff engaged by the four forces in the Yorkshire and Humber region and how they are deployed are matters for each of the chief constables and their police authorities.
Conor Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether the funding formula for police authorities takes account of the number of miles of motorway in each police force area; and if she will make a statement; [21325]
(2) whether the funding formula for police authorities takes account of the number of tourists visiting each police force area; and if she will make a statement; [21326]
(3) whether the funding formula for police authorities takes account of the (a) number and (b) concentration of licensed premises in each police force area. [21327]
Nick Herbert: The police allocation formula in its current form does not take account of the miles of motorway within each police force area, or the number of tourists visiting that area. It does, however, take account of the number and concentration of licensed premises in a police force area.
The Government have been consulting on changes to the police allocation formula and will set out their conclusions when provisional policing settlements for individual forces are placed before the House of Commons in early December.
Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will make an estimate of the likely cost to police forces as a result of the spending reductions proposed in the comprehensive spending review. [21573]
Nick Herbert: Core Government funding to the police will be reduced by 20% in real terms over the four years to 2014-15. This is a fair and manageable settlement over the spending review period.
Detail on what the spending review settlement will mean for each force will follow in early December when provisional policing settlements will be placed before the House of Commons.
Police: Helicopters
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) make, (b) model and (c) date of acquisition was of each helicopter acquired by police forces in England and Wales since 2000. [21729]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 4 November 2010]: There are currently 31 helicopters in service across police forces in England and Wales. 26 of these aircraft have been purchased directly by police forces since 2000, three have been leased and the remaining two were purchased in 1999.
The make, model and date of acquisition by police force since 2000 is shown in the following table.
In addition to the aircraft in the table, there are also three leased helicopters. These are:
Norfolk-a single Eurocopter AS355;
South Wales and Gwent-a single Eurocopter 135;
and Wiltshire-a single MDI 902.
| Police helicopters by make/model and date of acquisition: | |||
| Police force | Helicopter make | Helicopter model | Date of acquisition |
| (1) Indicates brace (please see notes) Notes: 1. Avon and Somerset and Gloucestershire share a single Eurocopter 135 helicopter which is managed through the Western Counties Air Support Unit. 2. Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire share a single Eurocopter 135 helicopter which is managed through the North Midlands Air Support Unit. 3. Cleveland have this year purchased a MDI 902 helicopter which is scheduled for delivery in January 2011. 4. Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire share a single Eurocopter 135 helicopter which is managed through the East Midlands Air Support Unit. 5. Metropolitan Police and City of London share three Eurocopter 145 helicopters. 6. Northumbria and Durham share a single Eurocopter 135 helicopter which is managed through the North East Air Support Unit. 7. Thames Valley, Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire share two Eurocopter 135 aircraft which are managed through the Chiltern Air Support Unit. 8. West Mercia, Staffordshire and West Midlands share two Eurocopter 135 helicopters which are managed through the Central Counties Air Support Unit. 9. Dorset have a single Eurocopter 145 helicopter which was purchased in 1999, so they do no appear on the above list. 10. Sussex purchased a single MDI 902 helicopter in 1999, so they do not appear on the above list. | |||
Police: Management
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff Essex police employed at management grades in each of the last three years; and what the average salary was of such staff in each such year. [20248]
Nick Herbert: Available data are provided in the following table which shows police officer strength in Essex police by rank as at 31 March 2008, 2009 and 2010.
Information on police staff is only collected centrally in total figures and is not broken down by grades. Therefore it is not possible to distinguish those who are in management grades and those who are not.
Figures on the average salary of Essex police staff are not collected centrally.
Police: Pensions
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have been retired under regulation A19A in (a) each of the last 20 years and (b) 2010 to date. [20274]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 28 October 2010]: The requested information is not collected centrally.
Police: Redundancy
Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) if she will make an estimate of the number of redundancies likely to be made by police forces as a result of the spending reductions proposed in the comprehensive spending review; [21572]
(2) if she will make an estimate of the number of police officers likely to be made redundant as a result of the spending reductions proposed in the comprehensive spending review; [21574]
(3) if she will make an estimate of the number of police community service officers likely to be made redundant as a result of the spending reductions proposed in the comprehensive spending review; [21575]
(4) if she will make an estimate of the number of police civilian support officers likely to be made redundant as a result of the spending reductions proposed in the comprehensive spending review. [21576]
Nick Herbert: Detail on what the spending review settlement will mean for each force will follow in early December when provisional policing settlements will be placed before the House of Commons.
The effectiveness of a police force does not depend primarily on the absolute number of staff but the way the workforce is used. Decisions about the number of police officers, police community support officers and other police staff engaged by forces and how they are deployed are matters for individual chief constables and their police authorities.
Police: Wales
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) police community support officers she expects to be employed in North Wales in each of the next four years. [20024]
Nick Herbert: Information on numbers of police officers and police community support officers expected to be employed in the future is not available centrally. It is important that each police force has the right mix of police officers and police support staff so as to deliver the best service possible to the public. It is not for the Government to determine how many officers and police community support officers are engaged by the North Wales police. This is a local decision for chief constable and the police authority.
Mr Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding her Department allocated to the police service in North Wales in 2009-10; and how much funding she plans to allocate in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12. [22257]
Nick Herbert: The information requested for years 2009-10 and 2010-11 is set out in the following table.
Detail on 2011-12 funding allocations for individual forces, including North Wales, will be announced in early December when the provisional police settlements will be placed before the House of Commons.
| North Wales Government grants | |
| £ million | |
| (1, 2) Government grants comprises: Home Office Police Grant; Welsh Assembly Government Revenue Support Grant and National Non-Domestic Rates; Welsh Top-up; Crime Fighting Fund; Basic Command Unit Fund; Neighbourhood Policing Fund; Rule 2 Grant; Capital Grant. Excludes Counter Terrorism Funding. (3) Takes account of in-year reductions in July 2010. | |
Radicalism
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations she has received on the (a) presence in the UK of and (b) use of the internet and satellite television broadcasts by extremist groups targeting the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in (i) the UK and (ii) Pakistan; and what steps she is taking to ensure such groups comply with UK law. [12946]
Nick Herbert: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department has not received any recent representations on the presence in the UK, and use of internet and satellite television broadcasts by extremists groups targeting the Ahmadiyya community in either the UK or Pakistan.
Within the UK, Ofcom regulates internet and satellite broadcasts under the Communications Act 2003. If there is any evidence of incitement in the activities of a broadcaster then a complaint should be lodged with Ofcom directly.
Raoul Moat
Guy Opperman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects her Department's reviews of the circumstances surrounding the death of Raoul Moat to be completed. [19834]
Nick Herbert
The Home Office is not conducting a review of the circumstances surrounding the death of Raoul Moat. The circumstances surrounding the death
are the subject of an independent investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). The handling of the investigation is a matter for the IPCC.
Sex: Advertising
Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will bring forward proposals to ban sex for sale advertising. [21253]
Lynne Featherstone: We do not believe it is appropriate to advertise sexual services in local newspapers and welcome the guidance published on this by the Newspaper Society in recent years. An outright ban on advertising sexual services would require legislation which we do not believe would be effectively enforceable. We will look at this issue more closely and consider what more can be done to prevent advertising of sexual services in the media.
Squatting
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what guidance her Department issues to the police on the treatment of squatters; what recent discussions she has had with the police on treatment of squatters; and if she will make a statement; [21982]
(2) what recent representations she has received on the adequacy of police powers to remove squatters from residential property; what response she provided in each case; and if she will make a statement. [21983]
Nick Herbert: I have not received any specific representations on the adequacy of police powers to remove squatters from residential property, but I understand that my right hon. and learned Friend, the Lord Chancellor has received a number of representations on the subject. The Home Office has not issued any specific guidance to the police on the treatment of squatters.
The Ministry of Justice is currently looking at the law on trespass, and the way it is enforced, in association with the Association of Chief Police Officers, other Government Departments, including the Home Office and the Crown Prosecution Service, to see if any strengthening or guidance is needed.
Stop and Search
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has for the future (a) content and (b) use of stop and account forms; and if she will make a statement. [20814]
Nick Herbert: The Government are committed to reducing unnecessary bureaucracy to allow the police to focus on police work rather than paperwork. Stop and account records provide little meaningful intelligence and disproportionality levels are significantly lower than stop and search. That is why we previously announced our intention to cease the national requirement for completion of the stop and account form by the end of this year.
However, we recognise that there may be some local police forces that will wish to continue to monitor the ethnicity of people stopped, where there are concerns about the use of stop and account. In such circumstances, they will remain able to use the stop and account form.
Terrorism
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons convicted of a terrorist offence in each of the last three years had one or more previous convictions (a) in the UK and (b) in overseas jurisdictions. [15562]
Nick Herbert: The Home Office does not collate statistics in this way. The Home Office does however publish statistics on arrests and outcomes under the Terrorism Act 2000 (Operation of Police Powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and Subsequent Legislation: Arrests, Outcomes and Stops and Searches). The link to the last edition of the annual publication is provided as follows:
Written Questions: Government Responses
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to answer question 15709, on payments by Essex police authority, tabled by the hon. Member for Southend West on 13 September 2010; and if she will make a statement. [20256]
Nick Herbert: I replied to my hon. Friend on 25 October 2010, Official Report, columns 74-75W. I am sorry for the delay in replying to my hon. Friend.
Health
Alzheimer's Disease
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people resident in England were (a) diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and (b) prescribed medication intended to slow the progress of the disease in each of the last three years. [22300]
Paul Burstow: The national Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) records the number of patients registered with practices in England who had a diagnosis of dementia. It is likely that out of this Alzheimer's disease accounts for approximately 50 to 70% of cases of dementia.
The numbers of such patients for the last three financial years is in the following table:
| Patients on QOF dementia register | |
| Number | |
We believe however that these figures underestimate the actual number of people in England who have dementia. The Department does not hold figures on the number of people resident in England diagnosed with
Alzheimer's disease. However, it is estimated that approximately 610,000 people in England have the condition. Because of this level of under-diagnosis, one of the Government's priority objectives in implementing the National Dementia Strategy is increasing the early diagnosis of dementia.
The Department does not hold data on how many people resident in England were prescribed medication intended to slow the progress of Alzheimer's disease. The British National Formulary lists the drugs donepezil, galantamine, memantine and rivastigmine as treatments for dementia. In addition, there is an unlicensed drug, idebenone, which is also used for dementia. The number of prescriptions for these drugs dispensed in England to 2009 is in the following table.
| Items | |
| Number (thousand) | |
Ambulance Services: South East
Mrs Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the savings to the public purse in each of the next 10 years attributable to the transition of the South East Coast Ambulance Service to the Make Ready scheme. [21491]
Mr Simon Burns: It is the responsibility of the South East Coast Ambulance Service to estimate the savings in each of the next 10 years attributable to the Make Ready Scheme. As this is a matter for the local national health service, the Department has not made such an estimate.
Mrs Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has made a recent assessment of progress in the South East Coast Ambulance Service's implementation of the Make Ready scheme; and if he will make a statement. [21594]
Mr Simon Burns: This is a matter for the local national health service. However, the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority has advised that the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust is rolling out its Make Ready initiative across the South East Coast region. There are currently three Make Ready depots in operation in Hastings, Chertsey and Thanet, and the trust plans to introduce nine more over the coming years.
Atos Healthcare
James Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of his Department's contracts with Atos Healthcare in the last five years. [20829]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department engaged Atos Healthcare as its provider of occupational health services from October 2006 to June 2010.
Figures are only available from 1 July 2008, when the Department's new business management system was implemented. Obtaining spend information prior to this date could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
From 1 July 2008 the total cost to the public purse of contracts with Atos Healthcare was £81,525.
Balloon Dilation Surgery
Anna Soubry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made of the (a) safety and (b) viability of providing balloon dilation surgery to people diagnosed with chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency. [21928]
Paul Burstow: We understand that the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is monitoring the availability of evidence relating to balloon angioplasty with or without stenting for chronic cerebrospinal venous insufficiency in multiple sclerosis as part of its interventional procedures programme and further information is available at:
The Department has undertaken no such assessments.
Benzodiazepines
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what clinical trial evidence his Department holds on the safety for patient use of lorazepam. [21751]
Mr Simon Burns: At the time of licensing Ativan (original brand name for lorazepam), the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's predecessor, the Medicines Division of the Department of Health and Social Security, considered that the data provided were sufficient, in terms of the evidence of quality, safety and efficacy, to allow the grant of a marketing authorisation. The Committee on the Review of Medicines also considered the risk:benefit balance of Ativan to be positive in relation to quality, safety and efficacy.
The licences for all oral Ativan products were cancelled in 2008 at the request of the marketing authorisation holder for commercial reasons and the Department no longer holds the original clinical trial data which supported these applications.
A number of generic lorazepam products have been approved in the United Kingdom following a thorough assessment of the data submitted by the applicant companies. However, under the terms of the Directive 2001/83/EC (article 10.1 'generic application' or article 10c 'informed consent') the product information for the new generic must reflect the safety information contained within the brand leader's product information and these applications do not need to be supported by new clinical trials investigating safety.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency continuously monitors the safety of medicines using a variety of sources including information from clinical studies, published literature, spontaneous case reports, data from marketing authorisation holders as well as other regulatory authorities. This information is used to ensure that up to date information is provided in the product information, which consists of the Summary of Product Characteristics (SPC) and Patient Information Leaflet, to aid the safe use of the medicine for the approved indication.
Breast Cancer: Health Services
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether GPs will be responsible for commissioning breast cancer services under his proposed reforms to the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [21987]
Mr Simon Burns: Consortiums of general practitioner (GP) practices working with other health and care professionals will commission the great majority of national health service services for their patients, including breast cancer services. They will not be directly responsible for commissioning services that GPs themselves provide, nor will they will be responsible for commissioning the other family health services. These will be the responsibility of the NHS Commissioning Board, as will national and regional specialised commissioning. The Board will also be hosting some clinical commissioning networks, for example for rarer cancers and transplant services, to pool specialist expertise.
GPs play a crucial role in co-ordinating patient care and committing NHS resources through daily clinical decisions. This new model of commissioning draws on the regular contact that GPs have with patients and their more detailed understanding of patients' wider health care needs.
To support GP consortiums in their commissioning decisions, we will create an independent NHS Commissioning Board. The Board will provide leadership for quality improvement through commissioning. This will include setting commissioning guidelines on the basis of clinically approved quality standards developed with advice from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, in a way that promotes joint working across health, public health and social care.
Breast Cancer: Screening
Mr Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps he has taken to increase the uptake of breast cancer screening appointments; and if he will make a statement. [21985]
Paul Burstow: The National Health Service Breast Screening Programme (NHS BSP) is renowned as being one of the best screening programmes in the world, with over three quarters of women invited choosing to participate. However, it is important that we are careful to promote breast screening in a responsible way, so that women can make an informed choice on whether to be screened or not. Like other methods of screening, mammography is not perfect.
Despite this, we do know that women from certain groups are less likely to take up their invitation for breast screening. Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for commissioning the NHS BSP locally and for organising local screening awareness initiatives as appropriate. In
March 2010 the Department published "Reducing cancer inequality: evidence, progress and making it happen: a report by the National Cancer Equality Initiative". A copy has already been placed in the Library. The report recommended that PCTs review local levels of screening coverage and uptake to consider whether further action is required to improve coverage and uptake.
Channing Wheeler
Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health between what dates Mr R Channing Wheeler was employed by his Department; what his job description was; and how much was paid to him in (a) salary, (b) bonuses, (c) London allowance, (d) expenses and (e) other allowances. [21750]
Mr Simon Burns: Mr Channing Wheeler was appointed director-general of the Commercial Directorate. The key objectives of the advertised role were:
to promote and enable the Department and the national health service to follow best commercial and procurement practices;
to secure best value and greater levels of effectiveness within the Department and the NHS;
to develop and strategically manage relationships with the private sector in order to enable it to contribute to NHS reform;
to provide commercial input to departmental strategic reviews and policy decisions;
to act as an enabler for the delivery of key reform areas; and
to contribute to the formation of the Department/NHS policy from a commercial perspective to help deliver efficiency throughout the Department and the NHS through the application of commercial expertise.
Mr Wheeler received a salary including bonus in the range £200,000 to £205,000 at the time of his departure in July 2008. Mr Wheeler was not in receipt of a London allowance. When Mr Wheeler was appointed, his contract included payment of a relocation allowance and reimbursement of rent and related expenses. In 2008-09, Mr Wheeler was reimbursed a total of £20,903.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Health Services
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS was of (a) treatment and (b) prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in each of the last three years. [21901]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department does not calculate an annual estimate of treatment and prevention costs for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), but recent calculations have been made as part of the 2010 Consultation on a Strategy for Services for COPD in England. The results are summarised in the following table, taken from the Consultation Impact Assessment.
| Category of treatment cost - all estimates per annum and in 2008-09 prices | ||
| £ million | ||
| Central estimate | Maximum | |
| Notes: The £78 million estimate is derived from 772,000 patients with recorded COPD, an estimate of 2.76 GP consultations per person per year and a unit cost of £36.50 per GP consultation. The 2.76 based on the number of consultations with COPD recorded as the reason for the consultation. The £198 million estimate is derived from 772,000 patients with recorded COPD, an estimate of 7.03 GP consultations per person per year and a unit cost of £36.50 per GP consultation. The 7.03 is based on all GP consultations that each patient has; some of these will have been unrelated to COPD. Patients will have GP appointments where COPD is not recorded as the reason for the appointment, but where COPD was nonetheless a contributor to the appointment; kind of like a secondary diagnosis. Ref: Consultation on a Strategy for Services for COPD in England (Department of Health, 2010). Includes Impact Assessment. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_112977 Statistics on NHS Stop Smoking Services (NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care, 2010). www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/health-and-lifestyles/nhs-stop-smoking-services | ||
Several departmental/national health service activities contribute to COPD prevention and exacerbation prevention, including influenza vaccination, pneumococcal vaccination and Stop Smoking services. These activities also help prevent other diseases, so it is difficult to attribute a precise fraction of their cost to COPD. The Impact Assessment estimates an attributed cost of £20 million per annum for the vaccinations. Data from the NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care show total expenditure on Stop Smoking Services (excluding pharmaceuticals) of £60.8 million in 2007-08, £73.7 million in 2008-09 and £83.9 million in 2009-10.
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to improve the (a) treatment and (b) prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. [21902]
Mr Simon Burns: The proposals to improve the prevention and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are set out in the consultation on the Strategy for Services for People with COPD in England. The consultation document has already been placed in the Library and can be found on the Department's website at:
The Department is currently considering the responses to that consultation.
Contraceptives
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of the effect of providing free contraceptives on the rates of sexually transmitted diseases; and if he will make a statement.; [21942]
(2) what assessment his Department has made of the effect of providing free contraceptives to persons under 16 years of age on the rates of sexually transmitted diseases in each year since 1997; what the evidential basis for this assessment was; and if he will make a statement. [21943]
Anne Milton: There is no evidence to suggest that there is a direct link between the availability of free contraception and the rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). The risks of catching an STI are considerably reduced through using a condom when having sex with a new partner.
Contraception has been free for everyone since 1974. Contraception is available in the community from family planning clinics and general practitioners and we are keen to encourage its widespread use, including by young people where this is appropriate.
Health professionals are able to give contraceptive and sexual health advice and treatment to under 16-year-olds without parental knowledge or consent, in cases where the young person's physical or mental health, or both, would be likely to suffer and the young person understood the treatment and advice proposed and its implications.
Darent Valley Hospital: Finance
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2010, Official Report, column 762W, on winter pressures: NHS, what resources he plans to allocate to Darent Valley hospital for patients in the winter of 2010-11 who would otherwise have been treated at the accident and emergency department of Queen Mary's Hospital, Sidcup. [22491]
Mr Simon Burns: There are no plans to allocate extra resources to Darent Valley hospital for this purpose, as, under the Payment by Results system, hospitals are paid by commissioners for all activity within the scope of the national tariff, adjusted by the Market Forces Factor to take account of unavoidable local cost differences. As tariff payments follow the patient, an increase in activity at Darent Valley hospital would result in it attracting tariff payments that it otherwise would not have received had those patients been treated elsewhere.
Dental Services: Finance
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether he plans to ring-fence the salaried primary dental care services budget; [21675]
(2) if he will assess the merits of ring-fencing the salaried primary dental care services budget. [22198]
Paul Burstow: We see no merit in restricting the freedom of the local NHS commissioning body, currently primary care trusts, to judge the appropriate level of resources required for dental services in each area, or to consider any appropriate type of supplier to provide any element of such services.
Dental Services: Regulation
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many responses his Department received to its consultation on extending to dental practitioners the regulatory powers of the Care Quality Commission. [22437]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department received 230 responses to the consultation that included the proposal to register providers of primary dental care issued in March 2008. Approximately half of the respondents commented on the registration of primary care providers. Of those, 98 commented on the registration of dentists. The proposal was supported by the overwhelming majority of those who commented, with only two responses against registration of primary dental care providers.
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of the response of the (a) British Dental Association and (b) General Dental Council to his Department's consultation on extending to dental practitioners the regulatory powers of the Care Quality Commission. [22438]
Mr Simon Burns: The consultation responses from the British Dental Association and the General Dental Council were published alongside the Government's response to the consultation in March 2009. Copies have already been placed in the Library and are available on the archived section of the Department's website at:
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which dental organisations he has met to discuss the proposed extension to dental practitioners of the regulatory powers of the Care Quality Commission. [22439]
Mr Simon Burns: My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Quality (Earl Howe) has discussed the registration of primary dental care providers with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) in separate meetings with the British Dental Association and The General Dental Council. He has also discussed CQC with the private insurer Denplan and has discussed it in the course of visits to individual dental practices.
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the appropriateness of the scope of the (a) proposed regulatory powers of the Care Quality Commission in respect of dental practitioners and (b) powers of other organisations that regulate dental practitioners. [22440]
Mr Simon Burns: In October 2009, the Department undertook and published an impact assessment of regulation of primary medical and dental care providers under the Health and Social Care Act (2008). The impact assessment considered the cost and benefits of registering primary care providers.
The current regulatory arrangements for primary care focus on the competence of the individual professional. The Care Quality Commission will actively monitor
providers' compliance against registration requirements, focusing on the way that organisations are managed and the way their systems work. For example, organisations must meet requirements around cleanliness and infection control, medicines management, premises and equipment. These safety issues, as well as a number of other registration requirements are not covered in full by other bodies.
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to inform dental practitioners of the registration requirements of the Care Quality Commission. [22441]
Mr Simon Burns: The Chief Dental Officer's Update in June 2009 first referred to the requirement for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) registration from April 2011. This is sent to all registered dental practitioners.
CQC, as the independent regulator for health and adult social care, is responsible for implementing the legislation and has been engaging with primary dental care providers to ensure that they are aware of the need to register and of the essential levels of safety and quality that must be met in order to be registered. This has included:
CQC making information available to primary dental care providers through a range of online media since January 2010-this includes a monthly e-bulletin, information on the CQC website and an online Provider Reference Group with approximately 170 members;
CQC running events-CQC has run five regional events on dental registration which had an overall attendance of 600, a corporate provider event, and pilot events on the application process with three primary care trust dental providers;
CQC staff presenting at a range of events for dental practitioners including key conferences for dental professionals, seven national Primary Care Commissioning 'Dental Networking' events and at local dental committees; and
CQC issuing an introductory registration letter and introductory booklet to 7,500 contacts. This was also sent to relevant trade associations for onward distribution to wholly private primary dental care providers.
Departmental Early Retirement
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff of (a) his Department and (b) its agencies have been offered enhanced early retirement packages in each of the last three years. [22026]
Mr Simon Burns: For the core Department the numbers of people who have been offered enhanced retirement packages in the last three years are presented in the following table:
| Number | |
There have been no cases where staff at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency have been offered enhanced early retirement packages within the last three years.
Until 31 December 2009, the Department had a second agency-the NHS Procurement and Supplies Agency (PASA). No information is available centrally about retirement packages offered to staff from PASA.
Departmental Public Expenditure
David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what his Department's capital expenditure per head was in (a) London and (b) the North West in each of the last five years; [21456]
(2) how much and what proportion of his Department's capital expenditure was allocated to (a) London and (b) the North West in each of the last five financial years. [21466]
Mr Simon Burns: The information is shown in the following tables.
| Table 1: Strategic health authority (SHA), primary care trust (PCT) and NHS trust capital allocation | |||||
| £000 | |||||
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
| Table 2: SHA, PCT and NHS trust capital allocation | |||||
| Percentage of total | |||||
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
| Table 3: SHA, PCT and NHS trust capital allocation per head | |||||
| £ | |||||
| 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |
| Notes: 1. The figures in each table represent the capital resource limit (CRL) from the audited summarisation schedules of national health service bodies, 2005-06 to 2009-10, presented in value terms (table 1), as a percentage of the total CRL (table 2), and on a per head of population basis (table 3). 2. 2005-06 to 2008-09 figures compiled under United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (UK GAAP). 2009-10 figures compiled under International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). 3. The Department does not collect data from NHS foundation trusts. Where an NHS trust obtains foundation trust status part way through any year, the data provided is only for the part of the year the organisation operated as an NHS trust. | |||||
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has established processes to monitor any effects of proposed reductions in its expenditure. [21631]
Mr Simon Burns: National health service expenditure has not been cut. Despite the difficult economic conditions and the need for fiscal consolidation, the coalition Government have honoured their commitment to protect NHS spending in real terms in each of the next four years.
Within the overall health settlement, the Government have said that they will reduce spending on administration costs, in order to focus funding on the front-line. The effects of this reduction will be for the individual organisations across the health sector to manage.
Through the quality, innovation, productivity and prevention process, the NHS is developing plans to improve both the quality and efficiency of services and will be held to account for delivering better health outcomes through the NHS Outcomes Framework.
Departmental Recruitment
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many members of the Senior Civil Service his Department has recruited in each of the last three years; at what cost to the public purse that recruitment was undertaken in each such year; and if he will make a statement. [17333]
Mr Simon Burns: From 1 April 2007 to October 2010, the Department recruited 23 senior civil servants from outside the civil service. Information about the cost to the public purse of these recruitments could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Sick Leave
Mr Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the average cost to his Department of referring an employee on sick leave to (a) Atos Healthcare and (b) other healthcare assessors in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [21117]
Mr Simon Burns: The average cost of a departmental management referral to Atos healthcare in 2009-10 was £40.26 (net).
There were 185 occupational health referrals in 2009-10, at a cost of £7,634.19 (net).
These figures include the cost of management referrals and of obtaining further medical evidence. The figures do not include the monthly fixed cost price to deliver the provision. The cost of pre-employment checks are also excluded.
The Department's contract with Atos Healthcare came to an end on 30 June 2010.
A new provider, Medigold, has provided occupational health services for the Department and its agency, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, since 1 July 2010. There is a fixed price agreement in place with Medigold for the service provision. As this is a relatively new contract, information is not yet available about average cost figures for the current financial year.
General Practitioners
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanism his Department plans to put in place to deal with financial failure or closure of GP commissioning consortia. [21991]
Mr Simon Burns: "Liberating the NHS: Commissioning for Patients", published on 22 July, sets out that consortia will be accountable to the NHS Commissioning Board for the outcomes they achieve, their stewardship of public resources, and their fulfilment of the duties placed upon them. A copy of the publication has already been placed in the Library.
If a consortium does not perform its functions adequately, or there is a risk that it will not be able to perform its functions, the NHS Commissioning Board will have powers to intervene.
We will work with the profession and the national health service to develop the criteria or triggers for intervention. It is envisaged that any intervention would typically be a staged process, so that, wherever possible, a consortium has the opportunity to take remedial action itself. Any process would need to be in accordance with a transparent statutory framework of rules.
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the debts of primary care trusts will be written off when their functions are transferred to GP commissioning consortia. [21992]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department is working with the strategic health authorities to address circumstances where primary care trusts (PCTs) owe money, with the expectation that any debt will be fully resolved by the end of 2012-13. The issue of PCT debt will be covered in further detail in the NHS Operating Framework for 2011-12.
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to establish an approved list of private sector companies from which GP commissioning consortia may purchase services. [21993]
Mr Simon Burns: General practitioner (GP) consortia will receive a management allowance and be free to decide what commissioning activities they undertake for themselves and for which activities they choose to buy in support from external organisations, including local authorities, private and voluntary sector bodies. Discussions are ongoing as to how the arrangements will work in practice. No decisions have been taken on whether national commercial arrangements should be established to support GP consortia.
Liberating the NHS: Commissioning for Patients invited views on a number of areas of the commissioning agenda, including how to support consortia in assessing commissioning support organisations. The engagement exercise closed on 11 October and the Department is now analysing all of the contributions received.
General Practitioners: Training
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the future of GP training; and whether GP practices will be able to recruit trainees direct from deaneries. [22753]
Anne Milton: There are no plans currently to change the national recruitment system for general practitioner trainees.
The Department has committed to publishing a consultation on proposals for education and training, based on the principles in the White Paper.
The system will be driven by health care provider decisions underpinned by strong clinical leadership. It will be set within the context of delivering appropriate investment in work force education and training, while ensuring better outcomes for patients and value for money.
The system will need to ensure appropriate checks, balances and accountability. The arrangements for commissioning and delivery will be transparent and more efficient.
Health Education: Greater London
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to increase awareness of public health in deprived areas in London; and if he will make a statement. [21756]
Anne Milton: The forthcoming public health White Paper will set out a radical approach to public health that will include details of how we intend to improve the health of the poorest, fastest.
In London, the Regional Director of Public Health is already leading work addressing public health in deprived areas of London. This includes his support of the Mayor's regional health inequalities strategy and delivering the promised regeneration legacy for the five "Olympic" boroughs that were chosen as the location for the 2012 games due to their historic deprivation.
Health Services: Children
Oliver Colvile: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has made an estimate of the number of primary care trusts required for his proposals for integrated paediatric continence services referred to in the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services; and what plans he has for such integrated services under which GP-led consortia. [21763]
Anne Milton: It is important that professionals and commissioners work together to meet the needs of children and young people who are incontinent. To support this, in September 2010 the Department published an exemplar under the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity on Continence Issues for a child with learning difficulties. A copy of the document has been placed in the Library.
Prior to this, the NHS bulletin for August 2010, had reminded chief executives of primary care trusts of the need to consider local arrangements to ensure compliance with the existing best practice guidance 'Good Practice in Continence Services' and the National Service Framework for Children, Young People and Maternity Services. A copy of the document has been placed in the Library.
We will expect general practitioner consortia to involve relevant health and social care professionals from all sectors in helping design care pathways or care packages that achieve more integrated delivery of care, higher quality, and more efficient use of national health service resources. We will be working with the NHS and professional bodies in the transition to the new arrangements to promote multi-professional involvement.
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