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27 Jan 2011 : Column 445W—continued
Institute for Fiscal Studies
Robert Halfon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2010, Official Report, column 86W, on the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS), which contracts his Department had with the IFS between 2002-03 and 2010-11; what the monetary value was of each such contract; and what tender process was undertaken in each case. [28824]
Justine Greening: The majority of the Department's spending with the Institute for Fiscal Studies was for the Department's membership of the Retirement Savings Consortium, at a cost of £12,500 per annum in 2008-09, when the last payment was made under the contract. The Department's membership of the consortium pre-dates the Department's contract details database and information on any tender process that may have been undertaken is not available.
Public Expenditure
Mr Godsiff: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which central Government departments he expects to have an underspend in 2010-11; and by what amount in each case. [33606]
Danny Alexander: In line with usual practice, provisional outturn for departmental expenditure against departmental expenditure limits (DELs) will be reported in forthcoming "Public Expenditure Outturn White Paper (PEOWP)".
Stewardship of the Manor of Northstead
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer for what reasons he appointed the Member elected to represent the Belfast West constituency at the May 2010 general election to be Steward and Bailiff of the Manor of Northstead. [37282]
Mr George Osborne: I have nothing to add to the comments made in the House on 26 January 2011, Official Report, columns 404-05. My appointment of the former Member to the Stewardship of the Manor of Northstead was consistent with long-standing procedure, as set out in Erskine May.
VAT: Third Sector
Stuart Andrew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the average cost of the recent increase in the rate of value added tax to voluntary services and charities in each of the next three years. [33820]
Mr Gauke:
Charities benefit from a range of tax reliefs which for 2009-10 the Government estimate are worth approximately £3 billion per annum. These include reliefs from VAT, for example: VAT zero-rating on the sale of donated goods, medical and scientific equipment
and, for qualifying charities, goods for use by disabled people. All zero rates are derogations from the normal EU VAT rules, and represent benefits not enjoyed by charities elsewhere in Europe.
Charities carrying out non-taxable activities may incur irrecoverable VAT on their purchases, but information is not available to assess accurately the amount or the effect of the increase in the standard rate of VAT.
Scotland
Blood: Contamination
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with (a) Ministerial colleagues and (b) the Scottish Executive on the implementation in Scotland of compensation scheme for those infected by hepatitis C as a result of receiving contaminated blood products during the 1970s and 1980s. [36496]
David Mundell: The Secretary of State and I are in contact with ministerial colleagues and the Scottish Government on a number of issues. This particular matter has been dealt with by Ministers and officials from the Department of Health and the Scottish Government.
Devolution: Consultants
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what payments his Department has made to consultants for work relating to devolution since 1997. [36453]
David Mundell: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Since that date, one payment of £6,100 was made in financial year 2002-03 for a report on devolution within Europe.
Students: Visas
Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the effect on universities in Scotland of changes to student visas. [36489]
David Mundell: The Secretary of State for Scotland and I are in regular discussion with ministerial colleagues in the Home Office, including on how changes to the immigration system impact on Scotland.
Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will publish each communication he has received on the Home Office consultation by the Home Office on changes to student visas. [36490]
David Mundell: The Government's consultation on student immigration is currently under way and closes on 31 January. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not standard practice to publish communications between Ministers on the development of Government policy.
Taxation
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much was (a) collected in taxation and (b) spent on public services in Scotland in each of the last five years. [36004]
David Mundell: The UK Government do not publish figures for total taxes collected in Scotland. However, figures on identifiable public spending in Scotland are published in HM Treasury's Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses. The Scottish Government do publish such estimates of tax receipts and total Government expenditure in their annual publication "Government Expenditure and Revenue in Scotland", available in the House of Commons Library and at:
The most recent edition estimates that the net fiscal balance in Scotland was a deficit of £14.7 billion for 2008-09. Once implemented, the financial provisions of the Scotland Bill would result in around 35% of the Scottish Parliament's current budget being derived directly from taxes determined and raised in Scotland, replacing a substantial proportion of the existing block grant from the UK Government.
Cabinet Office
10 Downing Street: Operating Costs
Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of (a) the running costs of the Prime Minister's living accommodation at Downing Street, including (i) utility charges, (ii) council tax, (iii) telephone costs, (iv) cleaning, (v) insurance and (vi) maintenance and (b) the cost of any changes made to the living accommodation since the 2010 general election. [33786]
Mr Maude: As has been the practice under successive Administrations the Cabinet Office does not hold a separate estimate for the running costs of the Prime Minister's living accommodation, which form part of the overall Downing street estate.
The Government self-insure their premises, so no premium is payable for insurance.
My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister pays his own council tax for this accommodation.
Census: Vetting
Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) whether people recruited to work on the 2011 Census campaign will be required to pay for their own criminal record check; [35705]
(2) who he expects to meet the costs of criminal record checks for those recruited to work on the 2011 Census. [35744]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) I have been asked to reply to your recent questions asking:
1. Who is expected to meet the costs of criminal records bureau checks for those recruited to work on the 2011 Census (35705)
2. Whether people wishing to work for the 2011 Census campaign will be required to pay for their own Criminal Records Bureau check (35744)
No one employed to work on the 2011 Census is subject to Criminal Records Bureau checks. However, in accordance with Cabinet Office guidelines all staff are subject to checks for unspent convictions through Disclosure Scotland. Either the Office for National Statistics (ONS) or its contractors meet the costs of checks for unspent convictions. In some instances, applicants are asked to pay the fee required to carry out a check but this fee is subsequently reimbursed by ONS.
Charitable Donations
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of long-term trends in altruism in the UK. [35805]
Mr Hurd: For the Giving Green Paper published in December 2010, long-term trends in volunteering and donating were assessed. This assessment provided part of the evidence base for the policy proposals to increase giving highlighted in the Green Paper. The assessment found that levels of regular formal and informal volunteering have been stable since 2000. Over the last 30 years, average weekly household charity donations have risen largely in line with GDP growth.
Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of giving levels as a proportion of income for each socio-economic grouping. [35807]
Mr Hurd: For the Giving Green Paper published in December 2010, donation patterns among different socio-economic groups were assessed. This assessment provided part of the evidence base for the policy proposals to increase giving highlighted in the Green Paper. The assessment found that people with high incomes are more likely to donate, but that donors on below average incomes contribute the most as a proportion of their income.
I will place a copy of the Giving Green Paper in the Libraries of the House.
Departmental Conferences
Robert Halfon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what his Department's annual budget for conferences was on (a) 7 May 2010 and (b) 7 December 2010. [29963]
Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office's annual budget for conferences on 7 May 2010 was £180,793.
The Cabinet Office's annual budget for conferences on 7 December 2010 was £179,243
These figures represent the total amount budgeted for conferences by those Cabinet Office management units who were able to identify this budget from the Department's accounting system and in the main reflects the budget for conferences either organised or hosted by the Cabinet Office. Some management units have been unable to separately identify their budget for organised conferences as it has been subsumed within generic budget headings.
The annual budget for attendance at conferences by staff is not centrally held and is therefore available only at disproportionate cost.
Former Prime Ministers: Allowances
Pete Wishart: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) whether the Government plans to review the limit of public duty costs allowance for former Prime Ministers; [34219]
(2) if he will consider the merits of making public individual claims by former Prime Ministers from the public duty costs allowance. [34220]
Mr Maude: The public duty costs allowance for former Prime Ministers is kept under review.
Government Departments: Flexible Working
Paul Maynard: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to encourage Government Departments to adopt flexible working practices which would allow disabled staff to work from home. [34755]
Mr Maude: Departments have a responsibility to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled employees are not put at a substantial disadvantage by their environment, the way things are done or any physical feature of the workplace.
In addition, the Government are committed to offering flexible working to their employees, including those with a disability. The coalition agreement outlines a commitment to extend the right to request flexible working to all employees which is being taken forward by the Minister for Employment Relations, Consumer and Postal Services, my hon. Friend the Member for Kingston and Surbiton (Mr Davey), and has my support.
Government Departments: Security
Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what arrangements are in place to determine the grant of passes to those not directly employed by Government departments authorising access to buildings occupied by such departments; what rules govern the issue of such passes to such individuals; which authority is responsible for vetting applications for such passes; and how many such passes were issued in the latest period for which figures are available. [36050]
Mr Maude [holding answer 25 January 2011]: Passes may be issued to those who are required to make frequent visits to specific Government sites, subject to the usual security checks. Individual Departments are responsible for managing access to their sites, though departmental arrangements must comply with the policy principles set out in the HMG Security Policy Framework, available on the Cabinet Office website. For security reasons it would not be appropriate to provide detailed information about specific measures implemented by Departments. The Cabinet Office does not collect information about the number of such passes issued across Government.
NDPBs: Finance
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the potential savings to the public purse arising from the review of non-departmental public bodies in each year from 2011-12 to 2014-15. [36015]
Mr Maude: I refer my hon. Friend to my response on 19 January 2011, Official Report, column 827.
Non-departmental Public Bodies
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will include a value for money test in future reviews of non-departmental public bodies. [35149]
Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office will publish draft guidance on the new review process shortly.
Public Bodies: Consultants
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) if he will review his Department's guidance on expenditure by public bodies on public affairs consultancies; [35465]
(2) what guidance his Department issues to public bodies on expenditure on public affairs consultancies. [35495]
Mr Maude: Guidance on the use by public bodies of public relations and similar consultancies is set out in Chapter 8 of the Cabinet Office publication, "Public Bodies: A Guide for Departments". This guidance is available at:
and copies are available in the Library of the House.
The Public Administration Select committee has recommended that Government review this guidance. We will respond formally to the Committee's recommendations in due course.
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many public bodies within his Department's area of responsibility have made payments to public affairs consultancies in the last 12 months. [35516]
Mr Maude: The information is available only at disproportionate cost.
In May 2010 the Government announced a freeze on new consultancy expenditure. Any exception to this freeze (where the estimated value is over £20,000) must be approved by the relevant Minister. In the case of the Cabinet Office, the Minister for the Cabinet Office approves any exception to the consultancy freeze. Expenditure on consultancy is only allowed if the consultancy is deemed to be operationally necessary, or the work cannot be done by in-house staff. All consultancy contracts are subject to a review every three months, for a maximum of nine months. Where contracts go beyond nine months, they must be submitted for approval to the Efficiency and Reform Group for consideration by the Chief Secretary and the Minister for the Cabinet Office.
Public Bodies: Lobbying
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what plans he has to establish monitoring and enforcement procedures to ensure that public bodies do not hire public relations and lobbying organisations. [35151]
Mr Maude: The Public Administration Select Committee has recommended that Government review its monitoring and enforcement procedures on the use by public bodies of PR consultants. We will respond formally to the Committee's recommendations in due course.
Public Sector: Sick Leave
Mr Amess: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) what steps he has taken to reduce sickness (a) rates and (b) absence in the public sector; and if he will make a statement; [33092]
(2) whether his Department has established pilot projects to reduce absenteeism in public sector agencies. [33101]
Mr Maude: The individual organisations that make up the public sector have responsibility for ensuring that sickness absence is managed effectively. Cabinet Office hosts a forum for employers which span the civil service, public sector, private and voluntary sectors. This forum tackles cross cutting issues affecting the work force, and shares best practice to address work force issues such as staff sickness absence.
Across the public sector, the Department of Health is working with NHS Employers to improve support for NHS staff health and well-being and reduce sickness absence rates in the NHS. Between April and June 2010 the average sickness absence rate for the NHS in England was 3.89% falling from 4.05% for the same period in 2009.
Many NHS organisations have developed unique approaches to reducing staff absenteeism and have been running local pilots tailored to the needs of their workforce. For example, an NHS Plus initiative improving delivery of workplace and occupational health at York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has reduced long term sickness absence rates by 40% since it was launched in 2008.
In response to Dame Carol Black's Review of Health of the UK, a UK wide programme jointly sponsored by Department for Work and Pensions and Department of Health is running 11 pilots to address long term sickness absence across all sectors. The pilots combine a personalised service tailored to the needs of the individual with employment support to address long-term sickness absence. These will run and be evaluated until at least 2011. More information can be found by accessing the DWP website:
The level of staff absence across the civil service as a whole is at its lowest since 1999. 41% of all staff had no sickness absence in the year up to 31 March 2010 and the average number of working days lost is currently 8.7. Information about staff sickness absence in the civil service can be viewed at:
The Cabinet Office has also published a civil service health and wellbeing framework which is available to all Departments and can be viewed via the civil service website:
Race Online 2012
Simon Kirby: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to encourage other Government Departments to engage with Race Online 2012; and if he will make a statement. [34242]
Mr Maude: The Cabinet Office is responsible for encouraging all Departments to engage with Race Online and support its valuable work. Many are already doing so for example Jobcentre Plus having recently become a Race Online partner and appointed a "digital champion" in every Job centre to encourage jobseekers to develop their online skills.
I recently announced the Government's commitment to delivering services digitally by default, and as part of this, emphasised that we will work with Race Online to encourage millions more people to go online, ensuring that no one is excluded from the benefits of better, more efficient online services.
Suicide: Hartlepool
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many suicides there were of people (a) of each sex and (b) in each age group in Hartlepool constituency in each of the last 10 years. [36441]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many suicides there were of people (a) of each sex and (b) in each age group in Hartlepool constituency in each of the last 10 years. (36441)
The tables attached provide the number of deaths, where suicide was the underlying cause of death, for (a) each sex (Table 1) and (b) each age group (Table 2), in Hartlepool parliamentary constituency, for 2000 to 2009 (the latest year available).
Suicide figures for persons aged 15 years and over in England and Wales from 1991 onwards are available on the National Statistics website at:
| Table 2: Number of deaths where suicide was the underlying cause of death, by age group, Hartlepool parliamentary constituency, 2000-2009( 1,2,3,4) | |||
| Deaths (persons) | |||
| Year | 15-44 | 45-74 | 75 and over |
| (1) Suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E950-E959 and E980-E989 (excluding E988.8) for the year 2000, and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 and Y10-Y34 (excluding Y33.9 where the Coroner's verdict was pending) for 2001 onwards. From 2007, deaths which were previously coded to Y33.9 are coded to U50.9. (2) Suicide and undetermined intent deaths have not been included for children under the age of 15 years. (3) Based on boundaries as of 2010. (4) Figures are based on deaths registered in each calendar year. | |||
Voluntary Work
Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will estimate (a) the number of people engaged in volunteering activity in England and (b) the projected change to this number in the next three years as a result of the Big Society initiative. [35974]
Mr Hurd: The information is as follows:
(a) As part of the Giving Green Paper published in December 2010, long-term trends in volunteering were assessed. The assessment found that levels of regular formal and informal volunteering have been fairly stable since 2000. The most recent data for England and Wales, suggests that around 29 million adults volunteered in 2010, of which, almost 18.5 million do so on a regular basis.
(b) Growing a big society will put people at the heart of their community. It will enable them to take greater responsibility for helping others and themselves to solve problems through social action, including volunteering, and to grasp opportunities to shape their neighbourhoods. The Giving Green Paper set out some innovative ideas for helping people fit volunteering around their everyday lives, and we will expand on this in the White Paper to be published early this year. Although we do anticipate increases in levels of volunteering over the next three
years, it would be unrealistic to accurately put a figure on what these might look like at this early stage.
Voluntary Work: Young People
Mr Offord: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what progress his Department is making on the implementation of National Citizen Service pilots. [37034]
Mr Hurd: 12 providers have been appointed to run National Citizen Service (NCS) pilots for 16-year-olds in summer 2011. Over 11,000 NCS places will be available in a wide range of locations in England, and those organisations are now in the process of attracting young people to join their pilot schemes. My Department, in conjunction with the Department for Education and the Department for Communities and Local Government, continues to work closely with our 2011 pilot providers and to plan for the second year of NCS pilots in 2012.
Weather
Harriett Baldwin: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what written long range winter weather forecast his Department received from the Met Office in October 2010. [35462]
Mr Maude: The Met Office provide the Government with regular updates throughout the year to inform short, medium and longer term planning. In late October, the Met Office provided a seasonal outlook for the UK Government which advised that there was a 60% chance that temperatures would be average or warmer and a 70% chance that the would be average or colder.
Health
Arthritis
Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department plans to include rheumatoid arthritis in future iterations of the Quality and Outcomes Framework; and if he will make a statement. [36690]
Paul Burstow: The prioritisation of potential indicators for inclusion in the Quality and Outcomes Framework is the responsibility of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
Blood: Contamination
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the devolved administrations on the implementation of compensation schemes for those infected by hepatitis C as a result of receiving contaminated blood products during the 1970s and 1980s. [36493]
Anne Milton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for Wythenshawe and Sale East (Paul Goggins) on 17 January 2011, Official Report, column 543W.
Cancer: Drugs
Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how long on average he expects a patient to wait for a response to a funding request to the Cancer Drugs Fund. [36088]
Mr Simon Burns: The Cancer Drugs Fund will be launched in April 2011.
As an interim measure, we have made an additional £50 million available to the national health service to support improved access to cancer drugs in this financial year. In July 2010 the NHS medical director issued guidance to strategic health authorities which makes clear that arrangements for the distribution of this funding should support timely decision-making, bearing in mind the 31 day cancer treatment standard. A copy of the guidance has been placed in the Library.
Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidance he plans to issue to (a) strategic health authorities and (b) clinical panels on funding treatments from Cancer Drugs Fund allocations for patients with extremely rare cancers; [36089]
(2) what mechanism he plans to put in place to ensure that proposed funding policies by clinical panels for the Cancer Drugs Fund do not discriminate against applications by patients with rare cancers. [36090]
Mr Simon Burns: The public consultation on our proposals for the Cancer Drugs Fund closed on 19 January. We have had almost 200 responses from the national health service, clinicians, pharmaceutical companies, patients, charities, patient groups, members of the public, professional organisations and others.
The consultation asked for views on what advice we can give the clinically-led panels on the specific challenge
posed by rarity and whether guidance should be issued on prioritising the fund application process, for example to rarer cancers.
Decisions on the implementation of the Cancer Drugs Fund will be taken once the responses to the consultation have been considered.
Cancer: Health Services
Joseph Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the effect on survival rates of implementation of his Department's cancer strategy. [36363]
Paul Burstow: "Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer", published on 12 January, sets out actions to tackle preventable cancer incidence, to achieve earlier diagnosis of cancer and to improve the quality and efficiency of cancer services. The impact assessment for the strategy estimates that through the plans for earlier diagnosis of symptomatic patients, screening developments and expansion of radiotherapy services we can save at least an additional 5,000 lives every year by 2014-15.
Cannabis: Misuse
Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people (a) under the age of 18, (b) between 18 and 24, (c) between 24 and 30 and (d) 30 and above were admitted to hospital for mental illnesses attributable to the use of cannabis or skunk cannabis in each of the last 10 years. [36224]
Paul Burstow: The following table represents the count of finished admissions by required age groups for patients admitted to hospital with a primary diagnosis of mental and behavioural disorders due to use of Cannabinoids (ICD10 code F12).
| Data years 2000-01 to 2009-10 | ||||||
| Age group | ||||||
| Under 18 | 18 to under 24 | 24 to under 30 | 30 and above | Age not known | Total | |
| Notes: 1. Count of finished admission episodes with a primary diagnosis of mental and behavioural disorders due to use of Cannabinoids (ICD10 code F12). 2. Activity in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care | ||||||
Carers: Public Expenditure
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce a mechanism to monitor the amount of his Department's expenditure which is allocated to carers in each age group. [36251]
Paul Burstow: "Recognised, valued and supported: next steps for the Carers' Strategy" identified that £400 million was being made available for carers breaks over the next four years (2011-12 to 2014-15). This funding will be made available in primary care trust (PCT) allocations (pending the introduction of general practitioner (GP) consortia).
It is this Government's policy to enhance freedom for local government and PCTs as much as possible by reducing the ring-fencing of monies, freeing up resources
to concentrate on local priorities and the delivery of essential frontline services. It is for PCTs, and after them GP consortia, to manage their budgets and make decisions about how best to meet the health needs of their local population. However, we are looking at how we can make decision making more transparent.
the NHS Operating Framework, which sets out the priorities for the national health service for the year ahead;
the NHS Outcomes Framework, which sets out the outcomes and indicators that will be used to hold the NHS Commissioning Board to account for the outcomes it delivers through commissioning health services from 2012-13; and
the outcomes framework for adult social care, which is about how we measure quality and outcomes in adult social care.
Individual PCT recurrent revenue allocations are not broken down by service or policy area. It is for PCTs to commission services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations, taking account of local and national priorities. There is not a weighted capitation formula specific to 'care' that would allow needs to be accurately identified at the local level. For these reasons, PCTs have not been advised of individual sums for breaks.
Children: Death
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the rate of mortality for children aged one to 14 years was in each (a) local authority area, (b) health authority area and (c) constituency in the latest year for which figures are available; [35839]
(2)what the rate of death of young people aged 15 to 19 years was by (a) accident, (b) homicide and (c) suicide in each (i) local authority area, (ii) health authority area and (iii) constituency in the latest year for which figures are available. [35840]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent questions asking:
1. What the rate of mortality for children aged one to 14 years was in each (a) local authority area, (b) health authority area and (c) constituency in the latest year for which figures are available. (35839)
2. What the rate of death of young people aged 15 to 19 years by (a) accident, (b) homicide and (c) suicide was in each (i) local authority area, (ii) health authority area and (iii) constituency in the latest year for which figures are available. (35840)
Tables 1 to 3 provide the number of deaths of children aged one to 14 years in each (a) local authority (Table 1), (b) primary care organisation and local health board (Table 2) and (c) parliamentary constituency (Table 3), in England and Wales, for 2009 (the latest year available).
Tables 4 to 6 provide the number of deaths where either (a) accidents, (b) homicide or (c) suicide was the underlying cause of death, for persons aged 15 to 19 years, in each (i) local authority (Table 4), (ii) primary care organisation and local health board (Table 5) and (iii) parliamentary constituency (Table 6), in England and Wales, for 2009 (the latest year available).
Figures for accidents, homicide and suicide in Tables 4 to 6 have been combined to protect confidentiality, in line with the ONS policy on protecting confidentiality within birth and death
statistics. Table 7 attached provides the number of deaths separately for each cause where (a) accidents, (b) homicide or (c) suicide was the underlying cause of death, for persons aged 15 to 19 years, in England and Wales, for 2009.
It is ONS practice not to calculate mortality rates where there are fewer than three deaths in an area, as rates based on such low numbers are susceptible to inaccurate interpretation. As this affects a large number of areas within each table, the number of deaths in each area has been provided.
To take the size of each area into account, Tables 8 to 11 provide the mid-year population estimates for (a) children aged one to 14 and (b) persons aged 15 to 19, for each (i) local authority (Tables 8 and 9) and (ii) primary care organisation and local health board (Tables 10 and 11), in England and Wales, for 2009 (the latest year available). Mid-year population estimates for parliamentary constituencies for 2009 will be available on 23 February 2011.
| Table 7. Number of deaths where accidents, homicide or suicide was the underlying cause of death, persons aged 15 to 19 years, England and Wales, 2009( 1,2,3) | |
| Persons | |
| Cause of death | Deaths |
| (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes V01-X59 (accidents), X85-Y09, U50.9 (homicide) and X60-X84, Y10-Y34 (suicide). (2) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in 2009. | |
Departmental Contracts
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what single tender contracts his Department has awarded since his appointment; and what the monetary value is of each contract above the EU public procurement threshold. [36186]
Mr Simon Burns: This information is contained in the following two tables beneath the heading 'Department of Health-single tender contracts awarded since 12 May 2010' (this is the date the Secretary of State for Health was appointed). The first table contains information on the aggregate number and value of single tender contracts below the European Union threshold for public procurement. The second table contains details on each such contract awarded above the threshold: the date the contract was awarded ('Purchase Order date'); the type of services delivered and the supplying company; and finally the value of each contract.
Since 1 January 2010 the EU public procurement threshold for Central Government Departments has been set at £101,323 for supplies and services contracts, which applies to all those in the document.
| Department of Health-single tender contracts awarded since 12 May 2010 | |
| Table 1: Below OJEU threshold | |
| Purchase order volume | Purchase order amount exc VAT |
| Table 2: Above OJEU threshold | ||||
| Purchase order date | Vendor type | Category | Supplier name | Purchase order amount exc VAT |
Drugs: Rehabilitation
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 4 November 2010, Official Report, column 883W, on drugs: rehabilitation, what progress the Institute of Psychiatry's National Addiction Centre has made on exploration of the outcomes of the randomised injectible opiate treatment trials; when it will conclude its work; and what plans he has to publish its conclusions. [36512]
Anne Milton: The randomised injectible opiate treatment trial, conducted by the Institute of Psychiatry's National Addiction Centre (NAC) concluded in 2009, and findings were published in the Lancet in May 2010. It would be a decision for NAC whether to publish any further reports of that research.
The Drugs Strategy (published in December 2010) "Reducing demand, restricting supply, building recovery: supporting people to live a drug free life", sets out the coalition Government's commitment to continue to examine the potential role of diamorphine prescribing for the small number who may benefit.
We will set out our plans in due course.
General Practitioners: North Yorkshire
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on practice-based commissioning in North Yorkshire; and if he will make a statement. [35973]
Mr Simon Burns: Departmental records show that, since May 2010, it has received 10 representations about practice-based commissioning in North Yorkshire, comprising one parliamentary question and nine pieces of correspondence.
Four of the pieces of correspondence were sent by Members of Parliament on behalf of the North Yorkshire Local Involvement Network about their feedback on the White Paper "Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS" which was published on 12 July 2010.
Health and Social Care Bill
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what equality impact assessment his Department undertook on the Health and Social Care Bill. [36633]
Mr Simon Burns: A full equality impact assessment was published alongside the Bill on 19 January. A copy has already been placed in the Library and is available on the Department's website at:
In carrying out the equality impact assessment of the Health and Social Care Bill, the Department considered all the relevant protected characteristics covered by the Equality Act 2010 in accordance with good practice guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
Health Visitors
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the maximum number of children under five years who may be part of the caseload of a full-time health visitor. [36020]
Anne Milton: The Department does not collect data regarding case loads and decisions of this nature will be locally determined.
Our objective is to ensure that certain services, such as those prescribed by the Healthy Child Programme, are available to every family with a young child and that extra help is there for those who need it. By growing the work force by 4,200 health visitors, we want existing and new health visitors to be able to build on their role and skills and provide an important bridge to the wider community, developing local community resources to support families and children and local health issues.
We will shortly publish an implementation plan, which will illustrate how families will benefit from a bigger work force and set out high-level plans for delivery, including work to:
conduct a demographic and geographical analysis to establish location and population need and match with trainees and training places; and
ensure positive correlation between work force growth and population need.
Heroin
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment his Department has made of the relative effectiveness in treatment of prescribing (a) heroin and (b) methadone. [36491]
Anne Milton: In 2003 the National Treatment Agency for substance misuse published "Injectable heroin (and injectable methadone)-Potential roles in drug treatment", which was a review of the both international and United Kingdom studies on injectable heroin and methadone treatment in the management of addiction.
The findings of this guidance were subsequently incorporated and referred to in the Department's 2007 "Drug misuse and dependence-UK guidelines on clinical management".
More recently, the results of the randomised injectable opiate treatment trial were reported in The Lancet on 28 May 2010. The report's conclusions included, that in this group of entrenched users who had not responded to other forms of treatment,
"treatment with supervised injectable heroin leads to significantly lower use of street heroin than does supervised injectable methadone or optimised oral methadone".
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many individuals have received prescriptions for (a) heroin and (b) methadone in each year since 2002. [36492]
Mr Simon Burns: Diamorphine (heroin) is indicated for cough suppression, acute pain, chronic pain, myocardial infarction and acute pulmonary oedema, as well as in the treatment of opioid dependency.
Methadone is indicated for cough suppression, severe pain and for the treatment of opioid dependency.
Prescribing data do not record the number of patients receiving diamorphine and methadone. However, the number of prescriptions dispensed for these drugs is as follows.
| Items (thousand) | ||
| Diamorphine/heroin | Methadone | |
| Note: PCA data-Prescription information is taken from the Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system, supplied by the Prescription Services Division of the NHS Business Services Authority (BSA), and is based on a full analysis of all prescriptions. | ||
HIV Infection
Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce levels of undiagnosed HIV. [35991]
Anne Milton: The Department of Health has been taking action to reduce undiagnosed and late diagnosis of HIV. We invested £750,000 in eight pilot projects in high prevalence areas looking at new approaches to HIV testing in primary care, non-specialist hospital settings and community social settings.
On 1 December, the Health Protection Agency published an interim report "Time to test for HIV: Expanded healthcare and community HIV testing in England" on their review of these pilots. A copy of the report has already placed in the Library. Findings show that expanding HIV testing in hospital/general practitioner/community settings is feasible, and acceptable to patients and staff. These findings from these pilots will add to our evidence base on increasing HIV testing especially in high prevalence areas. A full report will be produced early 2011.
The Department has also funded the Medical Foundation for AIDS and Sexual Health to produce the training resource for non-specialist staff, "Tackling HIV Testing-increasing detection and diagnosis".
HIV Infection: Brighton
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Brighton, Kemptown constituency were diagnosed with HIV in each of the last three years. [36576]
Anne Milton: The available information for Brighton and Hove Primary Care Trust (PCT) which covers Brighton Pavilion, Brighton Kemptown and Hove, is shown in the following table:
| Number of new HIV diagnoses in Brighton and Hove PCT: 2007-09 | |
| New HIV diagnoses | Number |
| Notes: 1. Data are new HIV diagnoses reported to the end of June 2010. 2. New diagnosis data do not necessarily reflect recently acquired infections, as patients may live for many years without diagnosis. 3. Data represents place of diagnosis, not place of residence. There is evidence that a substantial proportion of individuals are diagnosed outside of their PCT of residence. 4. Complete data from 2010 will be available from August 2011. Source: Health Protection Agency | |
Hospitals: Food
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had on applying Government Buying Standards to the food served in hospitals and other NHS facilities; and if he will make a statement. [36087]
Anne Milton: We have no plans to make a statement nor have we had any discussions on the application of the Government Buying Standards (GBS) for food in hospitals or the national health service estate. NHS organisations are encouraged to take up the GBS for food on a voluntary basis in the recently published "NHS Operating Framework 2011/12".
In Vitro Fertilisation
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the letter from his Department of 11 January 2011, what steps he is taking to support primary care trusts in implementing his Department's strategies on commissioning of IVF services; and if he will make a statement. [36373]
Anne Milton: Primary care trusts are well aware of their statutory commissioning responsibilities and the need to base commissioning decisions on clinical evidence and discussions with local general practitioner commissioners, secondary care clinicians and providers.
The NHS deputy chief executive, David Flory, wrote to primary care trust commissioners on 11 January 2011 to highlight the importance that those involved in commissioning fertility services have regard to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence fertility guidelines, including the recommendation that up to three cycles of in vitro fertilisation are offered to eligible couples where the woman is aged between 23 and 39.
A copy of this communication has already been placed in the Library and is available at:
Additionally, the Department has published a commissioning aid setting out best practice for commissioners, supports Infertility Network UK (INUK)-a leading patient support organisation-to develop and promote standardised access criteria, and to work in partnership with commissioners to encourage good practice in the provision of fertility services.
Infant Mortality
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the infant mortality rate was in each (a) local authority area, (b) health authority area and (c) constituency in each year in which figures are available. [35616]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what the infant mortality rate was in each (a) local authority area, (b) health authority area and (c) constituency in each year in which figures are available. [35616].
Table 1 provides the infant mortality rate in each (a) local authority and (b) primary care organisation in England and Wales. Figures are for 2007-09, the most recent period for which figures are available. The data are presented as three year aggregates in order to smooth the annual fluctuations in deaths and provide large enough numbers to ensure that the figures are sufficiently robust.
A copy of the tables has been placed in the House of Commons library.
Due to the sensitive nature of infant deaths and the risk of identifying individuals, ONS does not publish infant mortality figures for smaller areas. Consequently, rates by (c) parliamentary constituency are not provided.
Numbers and rates, based on three-year aggregated data, for infant mortality by local authority and strategic health authority are available on the ONS website at:
Data are published for 1998-2000 through to 2006-08.
Low Birthweight Babies
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of births involved low birth weight infants in each (a) local authority area, (b) health authority area and (c) constituency in each year for which figures are available. [35749]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what proportion of births involved low birth weight infants in each (a) local authority area, (b) health authority area and (c) constituency in each year for which figures are available. [35749].
Table 1 provides the percentages of live births in England and Wales with low birthweight (less than 2,500 grams) in each (a) local authority, (b) primary care organisation and (c) parliamentary constituency, for 2005-09, the most recent years for which figures are available.
A copy of the tables has been placed in the House of Commons library.
Information on births is routinely published by different characteristics, including birthweight, and at various geographies. The information is available at:
Mental Health
Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of potential links between economic downturns, levels of worklessness and the incidence of mental health disorders; and if he will make a statement. [36387]
Paul Burstow: There is good evidence that in times of recession and high unemployment, rates of mental illness does tend to rise. We will soon be publishing a new cross-Government mental health strategy that has the twin aims of promoting and sustaining good mental health and well-being in the wider population, and improving the quality of existing services for people across the full range of mental health problems. It looks at prevalence of problems and effective approaches at different stages in life, stressing the importance of prevention and early intervention.
The Health settlement in the spending review included funding to expand access to talking therapies. The money will complete the roll out of the nationwide training programme and services which began in 2008 and begin to extend the benefits of talking therapies to the young, the elderly, those with serious mental illness and those who have anxiety disorders or depression alongside long-term physical health conditions like diabetes, heart or lung disease. By March 2011, the roll out will achieve 60% geographical coverage of England. The spending review settlement will complete this by 2014-15.
For individuals on benefits, there is support available from all of the Department of Work and Pensions' employment programmes through both mainstream and specialist services. They provide personalised support to help individuals overcome their challenges to work, including job broking, health-related support and signposting to relevant services. In each Jobcentre Plus district, there is a mental health co-ordinator function, which develops practical links between mental health and employment services and provides intelligence to advisers. Jobcentre Plus advisers also have access to disability employment advisers and work psychologists, who provide support and advice in relation to claimants and employees who have the most complex work-related support needs.
Mental Health Services: Nurses
Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) at what (a) pay grade and (b) rank the 30 additional mental health nurses in mental health trusts announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review will be employed when they begin work; and how many he expects to be (i) existing and (ii) newly recruited staff; [36507]
(2) in which mental health trusts the 30 additional mental health nurses announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review will be stationed; when he expects them to begin work; and whether they are to receive any additional or specialist training. [36508]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department of Health is working with the national health service, Ministry of Defence and service charities to deliver the recommendations put forward by my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison) in his report to the Prime Minister, 'Fighting Fit', that was published in October 2010. The specification for the employment of 30 additional mental health nurses is currently being developed through the armed forces networks that are led by the strategic health authorities. Commissioning for the service will commence in April 2011. There will be flexibility within the specification to ensure that the additional resources are placed where they are likely to make the most impact for veterans with mental health problems. This specification will ensure that those employed will have the right competencies to deliver this service. Wider training on veterans' issues will also be provided.
Mental Health Services: Prisons
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of offenders with diagnosed mental health disorders were receiving treatment in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [36227]
Paul Burstow: The information requested is not collected centrally. Currently offenders are screened on arrival at prison and referred for a mental health assessment and treatment, if appropriate. The Department is working with the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office to roll out a national diversion service at police stations and courts, for offenders with mental health problems, by 2014.
Mental Health: Armed Forces
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what components will be included in the health for heroes scheme; how many family doctors will receive training under the scheme; and how many therapists will be attached to hospitals for the purposes of identifying post-traumatic stress disorders; [36367]
(2) what timetable he has set for the implementation of the health for heroes scheme; when he plans to make an announcement on the details of the scheme; when he plans to introduce training for family doctors under the scheme; and when he plans to implement the attachment of therapists into hospitals for the purposes of identifying post-traumatic stress disorders; [36368]
(3) which Departments will provide funding for the health for heroes scheme in each year to 2014-15; and how much funding each Department will provide; [36369]
(4) how much funding he plans to provide for the health for heroes scheme in each year to 2014-15. [36370]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department of Health is working with the national health service, Ministry of Defence (MOD) and service charities to deliver in England the recommendations put forward by my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison) in his report to the Prime Minister, 'Fighting Fit', that was published in October 2010. The specification for delivery of 30 additional mental health nurses is currently being developed through the armed forces networks that are led by strategic health authorities. Commissioning for the service will commence in April 2011. There will be flexibility within the specification to ensure that additional resources are placed where they will have the most impact for veterans with mental health problems. This specification will ensure that those employed will have the right competencies to deliver this service. Wider training on veterans' issues will also be provided.
The Department of Health is working with the Royal College of General Practitioners (GPs), MOD and service charities to develop an e-learning package to provide GPs with specific information about the needs and requirements of veterans. The e-learning package will complement GP's formal undergraduate and postgraduate education and training and will build on other initiatives to raise awareness among GPs of the health care needs of veterans and the services available to them. The aim is to have the e-learning package available to GPs by the summer. This educational support will provide GPs with the necessary knowledge and skills to:
Understand the key health issues affecting veterans;
Respond to the common barriers that prevent veterans from accessing health care;
Recognise how mental health problems commonly present in veterans; and
Ensure that veterans get the best possible treatment.
The Department of Health will allocate up to £7.2 million over the spending review period, around £1.8 million per year to deliver the recommendations put forward by my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison). Within the MOD, work on assessing any future costs and resource requirements for implementing
the recommendations is currently under way and will be assessed as part of the MOD's planning process, but it is not possible to give any financial data at this time.
Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what training his Department plans to give to family doctors as part of the proposed health for heroes scheme; when the training will (a) commence and (b) be completed; and by what date he expects the doctors to be practising; [36516]
(2) how many therapists he proposes to engage in hospitals to identify post-traumatic stress disorder in servicemen as part of the proposed health for heroes scheme; what training and qualifications such therapists will be required to have; and from what date he expects such therapists to be deployed. [36517]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department of Health is working with the Royal College of General Practitioners (GPs), the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and service charities to develop an e-learning package to provide GPs with specific information about the needs and requirements of veterans. The e-learning package will complement GP's formal undergraduate and postgraduate education and training and will build on other initiatives to raise awareness among GPs of the health care needs of veterans and the services available to them. The aim is to have the e-learning package available to GPs by the summer. This educational support will provide GPs with the necessary knowledge and skills to:
Understand the key health issues affecting veterans;
Respond to the common barriers that prevent veterans from accessing health care;
Recognise how mental health problems commonly present in veterans; and
Ensure that veterans get the best possible treatment.
The Department of Health is working with the national health service, MOD and service charities to deliver in England on the recommendations put forward by my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison) in his report to the Prime Minister, 'Fighting Fit', that was published in October 2010. The specification for the employment of 30 additional mental health nurses is currently being developed through the armed forces networks that are led by the strategic health authorities, and bring together primary care trusts with local representatives of the armed forces community, service charities and others. Commissioning for the service will commence in April 2011. This specification will ensure that those employed will have the right competencies to deliver this service. Wider training on veterans' issues will also be provided.
NHS: Drugs
Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the annual cost to the NHS of unused medicines which were subsequently destroyed in the latest year for which figures are available; and for what reason such drugs returned to the NHS are not reissued to patients requiring prescriptions. [34504]
Mr Simon Burns:
The Department commissioned the York Health Economics Consortium and the School of Pharmacy at the University of London to carry out
research to determine the scale, causes and cost of waste medicines in England. The report, "Evaluation of the Scale Causes and Cost of Waste Medicines", was published by the researchers on 23 November 2010. It found that the gross cost of unused NHS prescription medicines was an estimated £300 million a year in England for 2009, of which the researchers estimated that £150 million was avoidable waste. The report also concluded that there was potential for greater financial and health gains through people taking their medicines as intended.
While we are concerned about wastage from unused medicines, we cannot promote the reuse of returned medicines from patients on grounds of hygiene and safety.
NHS: Fertility
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether commissioning of NHS infertility services will come within the remit of the proposed NHS Commissioning Board; and if he will make a statement. [36372]
Anne Milton: Responsibility for the commissioning of national health service infertility services has not yet been agreed.
NHS: Training
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of the Stonewall NHS Leadership programme at Ashridge Business School in March 2011; and if he will make a statement. [36136]
Paul Burstow: The Stonewall NHS Leadership Programme is being delivered by Stonewall at no cost to the national health service. The Department is funding the programme at a cost of £36,000 with the aim of providing targeted leadership support to lesbian, gay and bisexual staff within the NHS. The programme will contribute towards the Government Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Action Plan to be launched in February 2011.
North East Offender Health Commissioning Unit
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he made of the merits of each application to the North East Offender Health Commissioning Unit for the award of a contract to provide NHS primary care services in respect of (a) quality, (b) delivery, (c) risk and (d) price. [36483]
Paul Burstow: Responsibility for commissioning health services in publicly run prisons in England has been fully devolved to national health service primary care trusts since 2006.
This is a local issue for North East Offender Health Commissioning Unit to comment on their own procurement process.
Prescriptions: Fees and Charges
Michael Dugher:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of people who used a pre-payment certificate
for prescriptions in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many people purchased a pre-payment certificate in each of the last five years. [36038]
Mr Simon Burns: Information is not collected on the number of people using a prescription prepayment certificate (PPC). Information on the number of PPCs valid on 20 January 2011 is shown in the following table.
| PPCs active( 1) on 20 January 2011, England( 2) | |
| Certificate duration | Number |
| (1) The PPC expiry date was on or after 20 January 2011. (2) PPCs can have a start date one month prior to or one month after the date the application is received by NHS HwHC . Therefore the number of active PPCs on 20 January may increase if backdated PPCs are issued. Source: NHS Help with Health Costs (HwHC) PPC database. | |
The number of PPCs issued or purchased since 2005-06 is shown in the following table.
| PPCs issued or purchased, England | ||||
| Duration of certificates | ||||
| 3 month | 4 month | 12 month | Total | |
| (1) 3 Month PPCs were introduced in July 2007. (2) 2010-11 covers 1 April to 20 January 2011. Source: NHS Help with Health Costs (HwHC) PPC database. | ||||
Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 25 October 2010, Official Report, column 126W, on prescriptions: fees and charges, when he and his Ministerial colleagues plan to look at options for creating a new system of prescription charges and exemptions in England; and by what date he expects to have agreed a set of options. [36046]
Mr Simon Burns: We are continuing to explore options for reforming the current prescription charging arrangements, taking into account the financial context. In particular, we are examining the implications of the introduction of universal credit in relation to those current benefits that entitle the recipient of that benefit to free prescriptions. We are also looking at the implications of state pension age changes. We will make announcements about how these changes will be implemented in due course.
Primary Care Trusts: Debts
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had on future liabilities for sums owed by primary care trusts. [36138]
Mr Simon Burns:
The "2011/12 NHS Operating Framework" states that general practitioner consortia will have their own budgets from 2013-14. They will not
be responsible for resolving primary care trust legacy debt that arose prior to 2011-12.
The detailed financial regime for the new health system is still being developed and part of that development will include the treatment of existing liabilities within the Statement of Financial Position of Primary Care Trusts for the future.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to increase the availability of community-based testing for sexually transmitted infections. [35990]
Anne Milton: On 21 December 2010, we published "Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Consultation on the funding and commissioning routes for public health", a copy of which has already been placed in the Library. The aim of this consultation, which closes on 31 March, is to ensure the Department gets details of the new public health system right while also delivering significant improvements to the health of the population.
The Department proposes that local authorities will be responsible for commissioning comprehensive open access sexual health services, using funds from the ring-fenced public health budget. This includes commissioning testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including opportunistic Chlamydia testing in the community, high quality partner notification activity and working with general practitioner practices to encourage testing and treatment of STIs in primary care.
Smoking: Health Services
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people accessed the NHS Smoke Free website in each quarter since 1 April 2009. [35980]
Anne Milton: The following table shows the number of people who visited the national health service Smoke Free website in each quarter since 1 April 2009.
| Number | ||
The figures above are based on unique visitors to the website, not on the total number of visits.
Social Services
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the minimum annual number of site visits to social care providers under the new inspection methodology and staffing complement proposed for the Care Quality Commission; and if he will make a statement. [36021]
Paul Burstow: The new registration system for private and voluntary healthcare and adult social care providers was set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the 2008 Act). It came into effect from 1 October 2010.
The 2008 Act does not set minimum inspection frequencies for services. Instead, it enables the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to adopt a proportionate approach to inspection. Discussions about when to inspect are based on ongoing intelligence gathering and an assessment of risk. This means CQC targets its resources on providers where the risk is highest, while reducing the regulatory burden on providers where the risk is low.
CQC implements its approach to inspections in two ways. CQC carries out planned and responsive reviews of a provider's compliance with the registration requirements. A planned review of compliance is a scheduled check of compliance with all of the 16 key essential safety and quality requirements. A responsive review of compliance is carried out when information, or a gap in information, raises concerns about people not experiencing the outcomes they should. Unlike a planned review of compliance, a responsive review is not a full check of compliance with all 16 key essential requirements; it targets the area(s) and outcomes that the specific concerns or gaps relate to.
In terms of staffing, CQC is an independent body and it is therefore for CQC to determine the appropriate staffing complement in order to carry out its functions efficiently and effectively.
Strokes
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure co-ordination between GP consortia in order to provide quality stroke care. [36628]
Mr Simon Burns: General practitioner (GP) consortia working with other health and care professionals will commission the great majority of NHS services for their patients, including stroke care services. They will not be directly responsible for commissioning services that GPs themselves provide, nor will they 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 NHS Commissioning Board will support GP consortia in their commissioning decisions. 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 and in the case of stroke, the national stroke strategy, in a way that promotes joint working across health, public health and social care.
Furthermore, the Health and Social Care Bill provides for consortia to work collaboratively on commissioning, for example, by entering into lead commissioner and pooled budgetary arrangements.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his proposed National Commissioning Board will include quality markers from the national stroke strategy in its commissioning guidance. [36629]
Mr Simon Burns: The NHS Commissioning Board will have a vital role in providing national leadership for driving up the quality of care across health commissioning, including stroke services. The Board will do this by supporting general practitioner consortiums in a number of ways including:
publishing evidence based commissioning guidance and model care pathways building on the national stroke strategy and the recently published National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence quality standard for stroke as appropriate; and
designing the Commissioning Outcomes Framework and the new quality premium.
It will be for the Board to determine the details of its work programme and the content of commissioning guidance.
Suicide
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess long-term trends in rates of suicide among those aged (a) 15 to 19, (b) 20 to 24 and (c) 65 years and over. [35798]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated January 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking about long-term trends in rates of suicide among those aged (a) 15 to 19, (b) 20 to 24 and (c) 65 years and over. (35798)
The table provides age-specific mortality rates, where suicide was the underlying cause of death, for persons aged (a) 15 to 19, (b) 20 to 24 and (c) 65 years and over, in England and Wales, for 1991 to 2009 (the latest year available).
Suicide figures for persons aged 15 years and over in England and Wales from 1991 onwards are available on the National Statistics website at:
Sunbeds
Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he plans to take to publicise the implementation of the Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 in England; [35989]
(2) what recent estimate he has made of the number of persons in England (a) under 18 and (b) aged 18 and 19 years using sunbeds. [36158]
Anne Milton: The Department does not routinely collect information on the number and age of persons using sunbeds in England. However, information summarising sunbed usage in different age groups is available from a number of sources including:
Cancer Research UK
The Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment
The South West Public Health Observatory
We are working with stakeholders to provide appropriate information relating to the Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010.
Tobacco: Retail Trade
Mr Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the potential effects on public health of removing tobacco point of sale displays from retail outlets. [36663]
Anne Milton: The impact assessment for the Health Act 2009 sets out the Department's assessment of the likely public health benefits of removing tobacco displays in shops. The impact assessment has already been placed in the Library.
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many improvised explosive device attacks there have been on UK forces in Afghanistan in each month since April 2009. [35527]
Dr Fox [holding answer 24 January 2011]: Records of incidents for the whole of Afghanistan are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Data are more readily available for attacks within the Task Force Helmand area of operations in Helmand province, which includes the majority of UK forces deployed to Afghanistan. This area of responsibility has not stayed constant during the period in question. The figures refer to an explosion that has subsequently been reported by units operating within the Task Force Helmand area of responsibility. This includes both 'laid' Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and suicide (both vehicle and person-borne) devices. These figures do not include IED finds with no detonation or IED false alarms.
| Month | IED attacks |
These data are based on information derived from a number of sources and can only be an estimate, not least because of the difficulties in ensuring a consistent interpretation of the basis for collating statistics in a complex fast-moving multinational operational environment. It is modified over time as more information becomes available.
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Territorial Army personnel of each rank based in Northern Ireland were deployed on operations in Afghanistan in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [36023]
Nick Harvey: The numbers currently available for Territorial Army personnel of each rank based in Northern Ireland who were deployed in Afghanistan over the last three years, are shown in the following table:
| Rank | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Notes: 1. Data excludes all special forces personnel. Due to ongoing validation of the Joint Personnel Administration system, all data provided is provisional and subject to review. 2. Numbers may include repeat tours, although each individual is only recorded once in each year. Total numbers deployed will not equal the sum of the individual years. 3. All figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Entries marked '0' are zero or rounded to zero. | |||
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