| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
13 Dec 2010 : Column 589W—continued
Departmental Manpower
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many agency workers his Department and its agencies employ at each pay grade. [28501]
Mr Davey:
The Department currently employs five temporary agency staff at clerical/junior executive level under the OGC Buying Solutions framework agreement for the supply of temporary agency staff. In addition a number of specialist posts are filled on a temporary basis by agency workers. To provide the information requested for the specialists would involve disproportionate cost. The Department for Business, Innovation and
Skills has clear guidance that states agency staff may only be used in exceptional circumstances where the post cannot be filled by a permanent member of staff and where the work is deemed to be business critical.
I have asked the chief executives of the Insolvency Service, Companies House, the National Measurement Office, the Intellectual Property Office and the Skills Funding Agency and they will respond to the hon. Member directly.
Letter from Geoff Russell, dated 6 December 2010:
Thank you for your parliamentary question in which you asked how many agency workers does the Skills Funding Agency (the Agency) employ and at each grade.
Please be advised that the Agency currently deploys 113 contingent workers. Of these, we classify 20 as agency workers ('temps') who are engaged in routine administrative functions; the remaining 93 are those where we have been unsuccessful in our attempts to recruit directly and these individuals are engaged in more specialist, professional activities-for example, IT-related work and project management.
We do not analyse the grade at which each contingent worker is deployed-they are not our direct employees and are therefore outside our pay grades.
Letter from Stephen Speed, dated 6 December 2010:
The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, has asked me to reply to your question how many agency workers his Department and its agencies employ at each pay grade.
The Insolvency Service is an executive agency of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
As of 4th December 2010, The Insolvency Service employed 142 agency workers. These agency workers were employed at the following pay grades:
79 at civil service pay grade A2 or Administrative Officer and
63 at Insolvency Service examiner pay grade L3, which is the equivalent of civil service pay grade Higher Executive Officer.
Letter from John Alty, dated 6 December 2010:
I am responding in respect of the Intellectual Property Office to your Parliamentary Question tabled 30/11/2010, to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
The IPO which is an agency of BIS uses the equivalent of one AO from Agency.
Letter from Gareth Jones, dated 6 December 2010:
I am replying on behalf of Companies House to your Parliamentary Question tabled 30 November 2010, UIN 28501 to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.
Companies House employs two agency workers in the Band B pay grade to cover maternity leave.
Letter from Peter Mason, dated 10 December 2010:
I am responding in respect of the National Measurement Office (formerly National Weights and Measures Laboratory) to your Parliamentary Question tabled on 30 November (reference 2010/2797) to the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, asking about the number of agency workers employed in the Department and its agencies.
Currently NMO has one individual working here who has been provided by an employment agency. That individual is covering a vacant post, whilst concerted efforts are being made to fill the post permanently.
Departmental Publications
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the expenditure of his Department and its predecessor on printing (a) Command Papers, (b) papers laid before Parliament by Act, (c) consultation documents and (d) other papers in each of the last 10 years. [28390]
Mr Davey: Since the creation of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on 5 June 2009 £69,016.56 has been spent on printing parliamentary publications. In addition £454,005.40 has been spent on printing other departmental publications.
Information relating to earlier expenditure by the Department's predecessors is not held centrally and could be assembled only at disproportionate expense.
Derby University
Pauline Latham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the effects on the local economy of the student population attending the University of Derby. [29541]
Mr Willetts: The Government do not undertake assessments as outlined in your question. However, the university of Derby has, earlier this year, published a review entitled "The University of Derby's Impact on the local Economy" which shows that the 'student pound' spent in the local area is estimated to be worth in excess of £30 million per year. The report also highlighted the university's use of local suppliers and contractors and that, both directly and indirectly, it was responsible for over 3,200 full time jobs in the area. The following link will take you to the relevant report which I hope you will find informative:
Digital Economy Act 2010
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) when he plans to publish the initial obligations code for Ofcom under the Digital Economy Act 2010; [29970]
(2) by what date he expects judicial review proceedings in respect of Ministerial decisions relating to the Digital Economy Act 2010 to have been concluded; [29971]
(3) when he plans to bring forward secondary legislation to implement the provisions of the Digital Economy Act 2010. [29973]
Mr Vaizey: Ofcom will shortly be publishing the initial obligations code under the Digital Economy Act 2010.
The judicial review proceedings in respect of the Digital Economy Act 2010 are currently scheduled in the court diary for 22-24 March 2011.
The draft costs-sharing statutory instrument relating to the Digital Economy Act 2010 is currently sitting with the European Commission under the Technical Standards Directive. The standstill period while member states and the Commission consider the draft ends on 23 December 2010. Should the standstill period end with no comment on the draft, we plan to introduce the statutory instrument to the Houses of Parliament early in 2011. The initial obligations code, once published, will also be notified to the European Commission under the Technical Standards Directive before it can be laid in Parliament.
EU Internal Trade
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the total monetary value was of (a) exports from the UK to other EU countries and (b) imports to the UK from other EU countries in each of the last five years. [30169]
Mr Prisk: The data requested are shown in the following table:
| £ million | ||||||
| UK exports to EU | UK imports from EU | |||||
| Goods and services | Goods | Services | Goods and services | Goods | Services | |
| Note: Trade in goods figures have been affected by transactions associated with missing trader VAT fraud, especially in the first half of 2006. Source: ONS Balance of Payments Statistical Bulletin | ||||||
Further Education: Finance
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his Department's document, Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth, paragraph 46, whether he plans to establish a joint learner support fund for both 16-18 year olds and those aged 19 studying in further education and sixth form colleges. [29822]
Mr Hayes: Paragraph 26 of "Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth" gives details of the Government plan for learner support funds.
Officials within BIS and the Department for Education are working closely on the changes to be made to learner support for adults and young people respectively, with a view to aligning policy where it would be most appropriate.
Further Education: Overseas Students
Mr Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the rate of completion was for students studying in further education colleges who entered the UK under the student visa programme in the most recent year for which figures are available. [29823]
Mr Hayes: The completion rate in 2008/09, for all learners participating in Government-funded further education was 80.6%. Information is not collected centrally for learners in further education who entered the UK under the student visa programme.
Government-funded learning as recorded on the individualised learner record (ILR) is restricted to home learners. Therefore learners who are non-EEA (European economic area) nationals must have been resident in the UK for the three years preceding their course start date and the main purpose for residence was not to receive
full-time education during any part of that three-year period. There are a limited number of exceptions to this, for example-refugees, learners with indefinite leave to remain status, or learners studying under reciprocal exchange agreements.
Growth and Innovation Fund
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills who he expects to chair the Growth and Innovation Fund. [30004]
Mr Hayes: I intend to establish a board under the chairmanship of one of the UK Commissioners for Employment and Skills to oversee the growth and innovation fund and identify projects to be supported through it.
Higher Education: Admissions
Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many pupils eligible for free school meals took up a place at each university in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2006-07 and (c) 2007-08. [28176]
Mr Willetts: The information requested is shown in the table. These figures relate to pupils who were in receipt of free school meals (FSM). It is known that not all pupils who are eligible for FSM claim them. Such pupils would be excluded from the figures. These figures have been estimated using matched data from the National Pupil Database and the Higher Education Statistics Agency Student Record. These rounded estimates allow for a small margin of error that arises as result of the matching procedure deployed.
Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills for what reasons the new access commitments by universities are to apply no earlier than October 2012. [28595]
Mr Willetts: The arrangements for new access agreements and the £150 million National Scholarship Programme are being introduced to coincide with the new funding arrangements for students in 2012.
Universities, schools and colleges have learned much from Aimhigher about "what works". Universities already use this to inform their own outreach activities covered by existing access agreements, agreed with the Office for Fair Access, and the widening participation strategic assessments they submit to HEFCE. Helping young people find out about higher education is a normal part of what schools do and schools will receive additional support through the pupil premium from April 2011. In this context we have concluded transitional funding is unnecessary.
The National Scholarship Programme will form part of a package of measures to support disadvantaged young people through their education, including the introduction of the £2.5 billion pupil premium in April 2011, that will help to encourage young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to apply to Higher Education.
Higher Education: Sunderland
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students from Sunderland entered higher education between 1997 and 2010. [29630]
Mr Willetts: The latest available information on the numbers of entrants from Sunderland local authority to higher education courses at UK higher education institutions is shown in the following table.
Figures for the 2009/10 academic year will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in January 2011. Comparable local authority-level information on entrants to higher education courses at further education colleges is not available.
| Entrants( 1) from Sunderland local authority( 2) : UK higher education institutions( 3) , academic years 1997/98 to 2008/09 | |
| Academic year | Entrants |
| (1) Covers undergraduate and postgraduate entrants of all ages to full-time and part-time courses. (2) Figures in the table do not include entrants where the local authority of the student cannot be established due to missing or invalid postcode information. (3) Excludes the Open University due to inconsistencies in their coding of students across the time series. Note: Figures are on a HESA snapshot basis as at 31 December and are rounded to the nearest five. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record | |
Insolvency
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many complaints have been received by the Insolvency Service in respect of insolvency practitioners and administrators in each of the last 10 years. [30180]
Mr Davey: The Insolvency Service does not have the information requested for the full period.
Most insolvency practitioners are authorised and regulated by one of seven recognised professional bodies, though the Secretary of State does directly authorise a small number of practitioners.
Of the complaints against insolvency practitioners authorised by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, that information is only available since 2003 and is summarised as follows:
| Number of complaints | Of which: Relate to administration | |
Since 2009 the Insolvency Service has published an Annual Review of Insolvency Practitioner Regulation, which includes details of the number of complaints received by the recognised professional bodies and the Insolvency Service. The reports published to date show that in 2009 there were a total of 618 complaints against insolvency practitioners (2008: 828), of which 181 relate to complaints against insolvency practitioners acting as administrators (2008: 197). The next report, covering the 2010 calendar year, will be published in 2011.
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the amount of money which was owed to unsecured creditors by firms in liquidation in each of the last four years. [30182]
Mr Davey: The Insolvency Service does not collate a total figure for the amount due to unsecured creditors by firms in liquidation. However, The service's most recent profiling report for companies in compulsory liquidation shows that the average level of debt owed by companies in compulsory liquidation was £584,134 for the year 2008/09.
Figures for the years 2005/06, 2006/07 and 2007/08 were given in response to an earlier question (2009/54).
The service is in the process of obtaining information in respect of compulsory liquidations for 2009/10 and I will provide a supplementary answer to the House when I have received the necessary information.
Regional Growth Fund
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what dates and at what locations roadshows to promote the regional growth fund have been held to date. [30001]
Mr Prisk: So far regional growth fund roadshows have been held in:
Taunton: 19 November 2010
Liverpool: 3 December 2010
Darlington: 6 December 2010
Details of forthcoming roadshows can be found on the regional growth fund webpage at:
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many bids for funding from the regional growth fund have been received from individuals and organisations (a) based in each region and (b) in total to date. [30002]
Mr Prisk: The closing date for applications to the fund is 21 January 2011, to date no bids have been received.
Science: Females
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of funding allocations made from the Science and Society budget in increasing the number of women participating in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. [29659]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 9 December 2010]: The principal allocations from the Science and Society budget to increase the number of women participating in science, technology, engineering and mathematics support the UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (UKRC) and Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Network (STEMNET).
In April 2008 the Tavistock Institute published an evaluation of UKRC on behalf of the then Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills. The recent National Audit Office report, 'Educating the Next Generation of Scientists', showed that the STEMNET Ambassador scheme is associated with a statistically significant improvement in take-up and achievement in science and mathematics.
STEMNET's remit is to enthuse young people to study STEM, and across the population this would mean significant numbers of extra girls taking up these subjects. STEMNET seeks to ensure that it targets all equality groups through the diversity of its STEM Ambassador profile, and interaction with less engaged and hard-to-reach schools.
Both programmes are routinely reviewed against their agreed objectives on a quarterly basis.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what proportion of the Science and Society budget was spent on initiatives to improve the gender balance in scientific fields in each of the last three years. [29660]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 9 December 2010]: Many of the initiatives funded from the Science and Society budget have objectives on gender diversity. Funding for these initiatives over the last three years is as follows.
| £ million | |||
| 2008/09 | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | |
|
Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Network (STEMNET) | |||
|
UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology | |||
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the gender balance among scientific staff of each organisation which has received funding from the Science in Society funding stream in each of the last three years. [29661]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 9 December 2010]: Few of the organisations funded from the science and society budget employ staff as scientists. Neither the coalition, nor the previous Government have asked the organisations to provide any breakdown of their staff by either job type or gender.
Scientific Advisers
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) whether the (a) Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees and (b) Principles for the Treatment of Independent Scientific Advice, will apply to scientific advisory committees which are being (i) retained and (ii) reconstituted in each ground referred to in the document entitled Public Bodies Reform-Proposals for Change; [29693]
(2) what mechanisms will be in place to ensure the independence of scientific advisory committees which are to be reconstituted within Departments as committees of experts; [29694]
(3) what the evidential basis was for the distinction made between those scientific advisory committees to be (a) retained and (b) reconstituted in the document entitled Public Bodies Reform-Proposals for Change; [29695]
(4) what effects the grounds on which scientific advisory committees have been (a) retained and (b) reconstituted will have on the responsibilities of the chairs of these committees. [29696]
Mr Willetts: The Government fully recognise the importance of science and engineering advice to the delivery of its policies and the important role that Scientific Advisory Committees (SACs), and the independent advisers that sit on them, play in ensuring that the best advice is available.
The Public Bodies Reform process was undertaken to ensure that central Government is not carrying out functions which are no longer needed, to consider where there is duplication of effort and where lines of accountability for decisions which should be taken by Ministers needs to be strengthened.
Scientific advisory non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) were included in the process along with all the other bodies. Reforming the way Government obtain scientific and technical advice, through using committees of experts in some cases, will reinforce transparency and accountability and provide for stronger co-ordination, while allowing Government to have continued access to independent, authoritative and cost-effective advice to support its policies.
The changes proposed to specific SACs were decisions for the Department to which that SAC reports and were considered on a case-by-case basis.
The guidance to Departments in implementing the changes is clear that SACs, whether being retained as NDPBs or being reconstituted, should continue to operate
in line with the Principles of Scientific Advice to Government and the Code of Practice for Scientific Advisory Committees. These set out clearly the importance of such committees operating independently and transparently. The changes of themselves should not have an impact on the responsibilities of the chairs of SACs.
Space Technology
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take to ensure gender balance in the composition of (a) the Space Leadership Council and (b) other boards and committees associated with the UK Space Agency. [30142]
Mr Willetts: As the membership of the Space Leadership Council changes over time, the Department will work to ensure a good gender balance in membership although appointments will of course be on merit.
The advisory structure of the Space Agency is being reviewed. Where members need to be appointed to new boards and committees, this will be done in line with relevant procedures and will be based around appointing the best possible people.
Students: Fees and Charges
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has issued guidance to universities on the application to them of competition law in respect of price-setting. [29708]
Mr Willetts [holding answer 9 December 2010]: The Department and its agencies have not issued any guidance to higher education institutions (HEI) on this matter. We are considering whether any specific guidance for HEIs on the setting of tuition fees and competition law is required.
Students: Loans
Lorely Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many former students had student loan repayments taken via PAYE after they had repaid in full a loan to the Student Loan Company in each of the last five years; and what proportion of loans that were repaid in full were affected in each such year. [27918]
Mr Willetts: The requested information is not available, except at disproportionate cost.
It is, regrettably, possible for borrowers to over-repay their student loans because of the loan collection process. After the end of each tax year, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC) notifies the Student Loans Company (SLC) of loan deductions made by employers in the previous tax year. Due to this time lag, it is possible for people to over-repay. However, all overpayments are refunded with interest.
Since December 2009, in order to reduce the number of those who over-repay, borrowers nearing the end of their loan repayment term are notified by the SLC that they may opt out of the PAYE system, and complete their loan repayments by direct debit. Additionally,
borrowers are advised to monitor their own repayments so they can calculate when they are likely to repay their loan in full.
Work Experience
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to encourage private and public sector employers to provide paid internships to recent graduates. [29844]
Mr Willetts: The coalition Government are committed to supporting the creation of internships as part of the wider programme to get Britain working. We continue to encourage employers to offer work experience and internships to help graduates develop valuable skills and boost their employment chances.
Employers can advertise internship vacancies without charge on the Graduate Talent Pool website, and over 27,000 vacancies have now been advertised. There are currently 3,129 vacancies available, 1,958 of which are paid.
Health
Abortion
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 6 September 2010, Official Report, columns 228-9W, on abortion, when he expects to write to the hon. Member for Southend West; and if he will make a statement. [29840]
Anne Milton: I have written to my hon. Friend the Member for Southend West today and will place a copy of the letter in the Library.
Animal Products: Clones
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the sale and labelling of products containing material from cloned animals or the offspring of cloned animals; and what advice he has received on the matter from the Food Standards Agency. [29646]
Anne Milton: Any food obtained from cloned animals is regulated as a "novel food" under Regulation (EC) No 258/97(1). According to this regulation, novel foods may not be marketed in the European Union without an authorisation. Applications for authorisation of novel foods are evaluated by national authorities against criteria of safety, nutritional quality and not misleading the consumer. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is the competent authority for novel foods in the United Kingdom and advises that food obtained from the offspring of cloned animals also falls within the scope of Regulation (EC) 258/97. However, the legislation could also be interpreted to apply only to food from cloned animals themselves. The FSA is seeking views of interested parties on a change to its advice on the application of this regulation to the offspring of cloned cattle and pigs.
In October 2010 the European Commission published a report on animal cloning which recommended a temporary ban on the marketing of products obtained from cloned animals. The Government's view is that such a ban would be disproportionate in terms of food safety and animal welfare and insufficient evidence has
been provided to justify it. Any proposal should be supported by an impact assessment that demonstrates the need for and benefit of new regulation. The Commission's report does not identify the need for any future controls on food from the offspring of cloned animals, which is in line with the Government's view.
The Board of the FSA discussed animal cloning at its open meeting on 7 December and has subsequently advised Ministers that the marketing of products obtained from cloned animals should be subject to authorisation as novel foods but, based on the current evidence, there are no food safety grounds for regulating foods from the descendants of cloned cattle and pigs.
In respect of other consumer interests, the Board agreed that, for food safety purposes, mandatory labelling of meat and milk obtained from the descendants of cloned cattle and pigs would be unnecessary and disproportionate, providing no significant food safety benefit to consumers. However, the Board recognised the high level of public concern over the use of cloning and has asked Ministers to consider what information should be provided to the public about the ethics and welfare implications of animal cloning.
(1) Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council concerning novel foods and novel food ingredients.
Asthma: Health Services
Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve the standards of management of asthma in the NHS; what recent assessment he has made of the extent to which standards of asthma management vary between primary care trusts areas; what statistics his Department holds on emergency hospital admissions for asthma-related conditions in each primary care trust area in the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [29620]
Paul Burstow: The NHS White Paper, "Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS", sets out the Government's long-term vision for the future of the national health service and focuses on improving outcomes for patients. We are also particularly committed to improve outcomes for people with respiratory diseases, including asthma. A great deal of activity is already in hand across the NHS to improve outcomes for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, and we will continue to work with key organisations and with clinical leads for COPD and asthma to make sure that change happen.
The statistics requested on emergency hospital admissions for asthma-related conditions in each primary care trust area in the last three years have been placed in the Library.
Baby Care Units
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS medical facilities have implemented the (a) Toolkit for High Quality Neonatal Services and (b) Quality Standards in Specialist Neonatal Care from the 2011-12 NHS Operating Framework. [29548]
Anne Milton:
This information is not collected by the Department. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Quality Standard for Specialist Neonatal Care and the Toolkit for High Quality Neonatal Services
are valuable tools to assist national health service commissioners and providers in the provision high quality care for babies and their families.
Bassetlaw Hospital: Childbirth
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many births there were at Bassetlaw hospital in each of the last 10 years; and how many such births required consultant intervention. [29743]
Anne Milton: This information is not available in the format requested. However, the number of women giving birth at Bassetlaw hospital, in the period from 2000-01 to 2009-10, is 12,912. This differs from the number of births, as it does not include multiple births, such as twins.
It is not possible to say from these figures how many specifically required consultant intervention because, while every woman having an intervention will be under consultant care, some of the instrumental deliveries will have been done by doctors in training without reference to the consultant. Additionally a number of the woman having normal deliveries will have been under consultant care for other medical reasons but not required medical intervention for delivery.
Campylobacter
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many incidents of food poisoning caused by campylobacter contamination there were in each of the last five years. [29832]
Anne Milton: The term "incidents" of food poisoning has been interpreted to mean "outbreaks" involving foodborne transmission. An outbreak is defined as an incident in which two or more people, thought to have a common exposure, experience a similar illness or have a proven infection.
The following table provides information on the number of general outbreaks of campylobacter involving foodborne transmission reported in the United Kingdom, 2005 to 2009, together with the total number of laboratory confirmed campylobacter cases in each year.
| Number of campylobacter outbreaks (UK) | ||||
| All outbreaks | Outbreaks of foodborne transmission | Number of cases associated with foodborne outbreaks | Total number of laboratory confirmed campylobacter cases (UK) | |
| (1) Data for Scotland and Northern Ireland is provisional and may be subject to further change. Source: Health Protection Agency, electronic Foodborne and non-Foodborne Gastrointestinal Outbreak Surveillance System (HPA eFOSS) Health Protection Scotland (HPS) Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre Northern Ireland (CDSCNI). | ||||
Campylobacter is more often associated with sporadic cases of illness rather than outbreaks; as such the data on total number of laboratory confirmed cases is also provided for information.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on reducing the incidence of food poisoning caused by contamination by the campylobacter bacterium. [29833]
Anne Milton: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) leads on government policy for the reduction of foodborne illness. Since its inception in 2000, the reduction of foodborne illness, including illness caused by campylobacter, has been one of the FSA's key objectives.
The FSA's policy on reducing the incidence of food poisoning caused by campylobacter is to reduce the levels of campylobacter in chicken as a priority. This is a priority because the handling, preparation and consumption of chicken may account for 20% to 30% of human cases of campylobacteriosis, while 50% to 80% may be attributed to the chicken reservoir as a whole. The FSA food chain analysis project, which looked at risk from primary production to retail, concluded that the greatest risk of campylobacter infection for people is from poultry meat, and hazards arise across the food chain that can result in the introduction of campylobacter into food.
In order to reduce campylobacter, the FSA has developed a Campylobacter Risk Management Programme, which encompasses a range of Government/industry partnership led projects targeted at different points across the food chain and coordinated through a joint action plan. To measure progress on the effectiveness of our Campylobacter Risk Management Programme the FSA has agreed a new target with industry for the reduction in levels of campylobacter in United Kingdom produced raw chicken, to be achieved in a phased approach by April 2015. The target will be published in December 2010.
The aim of the target is to reduce the levels of the most highly contaminated whole chickens at the end of the slaughter process. This reflects the fact that the degree of contamination on birds is most relevant to their risk to public health, with a high level of contamination posing the highest risk for human illness.
In addition to working with industry, the FSA's Food Hygiene Campaign works to promote awareness of safe food handling and preparation with consumers in the home and in catering settings.
Care Homes: Standards
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many care homes have been rated poor quality since 2000; how many of those have closed; and how many of those which had closed have subsequently re-opened. [29546]
Paul Burstow: The CQC has provided the following information:
The following table shows a snapshot of the number of care homes rated poor since quality ratings were introduced in 2008, and the number that have subsequently been de-registered.
Quality ratings were not used by the National Care Standards Commission; they were introduced by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSICI) in May 2008, therefore CQC does not hold historical ratings before that period.
De-registration is the term CQC uses to describe cancelling registrations. CQC is only able to provide data on de-registrations, which does not necessary equate
to the physical closure of the care home. CQC has provided the number of de-registrations for care homes rated poor, broken down year by year. Once a care home has been de-registered, it may close or continue to operate if taken over by another provider. This other provider must demonstrate that it is complying and will continue to comply with the regulatory requirements.
| Number of "poor" care homes subsequently de-registered | ||||||
| Data as at: | Care homes rated "poor" | Organisation that produced rating | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
| (1) Rating may be the result o f an inspection carried out prior to 1 April 2009, so therefore whilst CSCI was still in existence. All ratings were made while homes were registered under the Care Standards Act (2000). | ||||||
The CQC is the independent regulator of health and adult social care, established by the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the 2008 Act).
The new registration system for private and voluntary health care and adult social care providers of regulated activities under the 2008 Act came into effect from 1 October this year. For residential care homes, the new registration system replaces the previous registration system under the Care Standards Act (the 2000 Act).
From 1 October 2010, to be registered and remain registered, providers must comply with 16 registration requirements relating to essential levels of safety and quality, which are set out in regulations. Failure to comply with the requirements is an offence, and CQC has a range of independent enforcement powers that it can exercise. CQC's enforcement policy sets out how it uses its enforcement powers-this has been developed, consulted on, and published by CQC. It replaces the previous enforcement policy CQC had developed to support the 2000 Act registration system.
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) does not hold all the information requested centrally, and it could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish the national clinical strategy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. [29740]
Mr Simon Burns: The reforms set out in "Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS" will ensure that the national health service focuses on improving outcomes for patients. As a result, we are looking at the role and nature of clinical strategies within the reformed NHS to ensure that they reflect this focus. We will make further announcements in due course. In the meantime we will continue to work with key organisations and with clinical leads for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma. A great deal of activity is already in hand across the NHS to improve outcomes for people with COPD and asthma as a result of the work undertaken so far.
Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients
Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether decisions made by mental health tribunals on sectioned patients are binding on those (a) clinicians and (b) clinical institutions that are responsible for their welfare and treatment; and if he will make a statement. [29688]
Paul Burstow: Under the Mental Health Act 1983, tribunals have the power to discharge patients from liability to detention in hospital and from supervised community treatment and guardianship. Those decisions are binding on all concerned.
While a tribunal's decision to discharge does not prevent the re-detention of the patient in accordance with the Act, case-law has established that only in limited circumstances would that be a proper course of action in the period immediately following the tribunal's decision.
In certain cases, a tribunal may defer a decision to order the conditional discharge of a patient while arrangements are made to satisfy the conditions it believes are necessary for that discharge. Case-law has established that health and social services must use their best endeavours to put in place the arrangements needed to allow the conditional discharge to take effect. But there is no absolute duty to implement the arrangements the tribunal has in mind, and the tribunal cannot order clinicians to treat patients against their clinical judgment.
In other cases, if it decides not to discharge a patient, a tribunal may make certain recommendations about the future treatment of the patient, including a recommendation that a patient be transferred to another hospital. Those recommendations are not binding, but the tribunal may, if it wishes, further consider the case if its recommendations are not acted on.
Dental Services
Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the population resident in (a) England and (b) Berkshire West NHS Primary Care Trust area was registered with an NHS dentist in each of the last 10 years. [29997]
Mr Simon Burns: Information is not available in the format requested.
The percentage of the population registered with a national health service dentist in England, as at 31 March, 1997 to 2006 is available in annex B of the "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report", England: 31 March 2006. Information is provided by primary care trust (PCT) and by strategic health authority (SHA), for 2001 onwards and uses the boundary structures as at 31 March 2006.
This information is based on the previous contractual arrangements which were in place up to and including 31 March 2006. This report, published on 23 August 2006, has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
Under the current dental contractual arrangements, introduced on 1 April 2006, patients do not have to be registered with an NHS dentist to receive NHS care. The closest equivalent measure to 'registration' is the number of patients receiving NHS dental services ('patients seen') over a 24 month period. However, this is not directly comparable to the registration data for earlier years.
Information on the number of patients seen in the previous 24 months as a percentage of the population, in England, is available in table D2 of annex 3 of the NHS "Dental Statistics for England: 2010/11, First quarterly report". Information is available at quarterly intervals, from 31 March 2006 to 30 September 2010 and is provided by PCT and SHA, using the boundary structures as at 1 April 2010.
This report, published on 24 November 2010, has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
Departmental Energy
Mrs Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of (a) electricity and (b) gas supplied to his Department's offices at Richmond house in each of the last 12 months for which figures are available. [29674]
Mr Simon Burns: The cost of electricity and gas supplied at Richmond house in each of the last 12 months is as follows:
| £ | |
Departmental Travel
Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on grey fleet in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10. [28842]
Mr Simon Burns: The core Department, excluding its agencies and arm's length bodies, spent £699,208 in 2008-09 and £867,086 in 2009-10 on its grey fleet.
Disability: Health Services
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent consideration he has given to the recommendations of the report Raising our sights: services for adults with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. [29736]
Paul Burstow: Departmental officials are currently looking very carefully at the detailed recommendations set out in this report and how these support our objectives to improve outcomes for people with learning disabilities who have complex needs and their families. The elements of good service and good practice examples included in this report sit very clearly within the programme of work which Government are leading to support independent living for people with learning disabilities and to support local service planning and commissioning to meet identified needs in their locality.
We envisage that we should be in a position to give a formal departmental response by the end of the year.
Food: Marketing
Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations his Department has received on the marketing, advertising and promotion of food and drink high in fat, salt or sugar in the non-broadcast media. [29796]
Anne Milton:
On 7 October, during a House of Lords debate on the role of regulation and guidance in the food chain and of standards in improving nutritional outcomes for adults and children, my noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Earl Howe) received representations on the advertising to children of food and drink high in fat, salt or sugar in the non-broadcast media. There have been no other recent
representations on the marketing, advertising and promotion of food and drink high in fat, salt or sugar in the non-broadcast media.
Health Services: Devolution
Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many meetings he has had with health ministers in the devolved Administrations since his appointment. [29792]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department maintains close relations with officials in the devolved Administrations and Ministers are in regular correspondence with their counterparts in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The Secretary of State for Health has met with Michael McGimpsey in Belfast and Edwina Hart in Cardiff and plans to visit Scotland in the new year to meet with Nicola Sturgeon.
Heroin
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many heroin addicts were (a) admitted to hospital for a drug-related health issue and (b) under GP supervision in each of the last three years. [29651]
Anne Milton: The precise information requested is not collected centrally.
Hospital admission data are not able to identify a patient as a heroin user, as it is not possible to limit diagnoses to heroin specifically as it forms part of a larger classification of opiates.
It is also not possible to identify the number of heroin addicts under general practitioner (GP) supervision. The National Drug Treatment Monitoring System collects information on the number of people receiving substitute prescribing interventions for opioid dependence in England, however, these interventions can be delivered by a specialist GP or a community drug service and does not show under whose supervision the client is.
Infant Mortality: East Midlands
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date a national support team most recently visited (a) Doncaster and (b) Bassetlaw hospital concerning infant mortality; and for what reason in each case. [29780]
Anne Milton: I understand that the Infant Mortality National Support Team (NST) visited Doncaster between 19 and 23 October 2009. The visit was to the Doncaster area, not the Doncaster and Bassetlaw hospitals, although staff from Doncaster and Bassetlaw hospitals took part in the process.
The purpose of the visit was to improve infant and child health outcomes and reduce inequalities in the area. The NST works with local teams to help them develop clear action plans based on local needs.
The visit was part of a series to local areas with the highest number of infant deaths in disadvantaged groups.
IVF
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues on the number of cycles of in vitro fertilisation treatment available to couples through the NHS. [29488]
Anne Milton: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) produced guidelines on fertility treatment in 2004, which stated that eligible couples where the woman is aged between 23 and 39 should receive three cycles of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment.
The Department produced guidance for national health service commissioners on 22 August 2008 drawing their attention to recommendations from the Expert Group on Commissioning NHS Infertility Provision. The Department also reminded commissioners that they should have regard to the NICE guideline about fertility, in particular its recommendation that up to three cycles of IVF be offered to eligible couples.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |