| Table 2: Disability living allowance claimants by each ward in the London borough of Bexley: each quarter August 2009 to May 2010 | ||||
|
|
August 2009 | November 2009 | February 2010 | May 2010 |
| Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five. 2. All data represent a snapshot in time of claimants on the computer system, and will therefore exclude a very small number of cases that are held clerically. 3. These data are published at https://www.nomisweb.co.uk 4. Disability living allowance is produced quarterly with May 2010 being the latest data. 5. Ward level figures are allocated by 2003 ward boundaries. Source: Disability living allowance: DWP Information Directorate 100% WPLS. | ||||
Unemployment: Motherwell
Mr Frank Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of workless households in (a) Motherwell and Wishaw constituency and (b) Scotland. [41841]
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 February 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your question asking what recent estimate has been made of the number and proportion of workless households in (a) Motherwell and Wishaw and (b) Scotland (41841).
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The figures requested come from the Annual Population Survey (APS) household datasets. The latest data currently available is for 2009. The attached table shows estimates for Motherwell and Wishaw constituency, and Scotland.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty as different samples give different results. These estimates are such that there is 95 per cent certainty that from all samples possible they will lie within the lower and upper bounds.
| Table 1: Number of workless households (1) in Motherwell and Wishaw constituency, and Scotland | |||
| Thousands | |||
| January-December 2009 | Estimate | Lower bound (2) | Upper bound (2) |
| (1) Households containing at least one person aged 16-64, where all individuals aged 16 or over are not in employment. (2) 95% confidence interval. | |||
Unemployment: Young People
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he plans to take to address trends in youth unemployment in former coalmining areas. [41481]
Chris Grayling: This Government are determined to deal with the legacy of youth unemployment. In all parts of the country our approach is to ensure that young unemployed people get the personalised help they need to find sustainable employment. Jobcentre Plus local offices will have more control to allow them to deliver in a way that is more responsive to local needs. Work Programme providers will be free to design support based on the needs of individuals and target the right support at the right time. Both Jobcentre Plus and Work Programme providers will work with local public, private, and third sector organisations where this delivers the best job outcomes for individuals.
Universal Credit
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what account his proposals for universal credit will take of the payment of benefits in respect of housing costs in circumstances where a new partner begins to live with a recipient. [42820]
Chris Grayling: Claims for universal credit will be made on the basis of households rather than individuals. Where a new partner begins to live with a recipient, both members of the couple will be required to claim universal credit. An appropriate amount will be added to the universal credit award to help meet the cost of rent or mortgage interest.
Health
Abortion
Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Heywood and Middleton of 8 February 2011, Official Report, column 159W, on abortion: finance, what authority there is in legislation for clinics and hospitals providing abortions to offer women (a) impartial advice, including written information, (b) medical assessments and (c) decision-making support including counselling. [42769]
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Anne Milton: All independent sector abortion providers must register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), who are the health and social care regulators for England, in order to operate. Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, every health and social care provider is required to meet the requirements set out in the guidance about compliance, “Essential standards of quality and safety”. A copy of the guidance has been placed in the Library. Service providers, including abortion providers, must have suitable arrangements in place for obtaining and acting in accordance with, the consent of service users in relation to their care and treatment. More specifically, the “Essential standards of quality and safety”, which underpins the Health and Social Care Act 2008, is clear that:
The risks, benefits and alternative options are provided in a way that the person seeking treatment can understand. The person should also be given time to think about their decisions and be given information on how to change any decisions about treatment that have already been agreed;
Service providers must take steps to ensure that women are protected against the risks of receiving treatment, to include medical assessment, which is inappropriate or unsafe. Any treatment provided should reflect guidance issued by the appropriate expert body such as that published by The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists on the “Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion”, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library, which governs good practice on abortion provision; and
The right of the person to have an advocate to assist them in understanding their options, as part of the decision making process, should be respected. This advocate could include the use of a counsellor.
In the national health service, hospitals are accountable through clinical governance arrangements for continuously improving the quality of their services and safeguarding high standards of care.
Alcoholic Drinks: Young People
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions the effects of trends in youth unemployment on future levels of alcohol dependency. [42120]
Anne Milton: For some people unemployment can be a factor in alcohol misuse, which if sustained over a number of years, can help to develop alcohol dependence.
The Department of Health and the Department for Work and Pensions collaborate closely at both ministerial and official level. Both Departments are jointly responsible for delivering the recovery ambition set out in the Government’s Drug Strategy, to help individuals, who need treatment, to overcome their dependence, to find employment and to integrate in society.
Baby Care Units
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what neonatal units there are in each strategic health authority area; how many beds each unit has; and what the address of each unit is. [41986]
Anne Milton: Information is not collected by the Department in the format requested.
The following table shows the number of open neonatal cots for the period of the last Thursday in the month of January 2011.
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|
Basildon and Thurrock University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
|
|
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
|
|
Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust |
|
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| Note: Published 18 February 2011 Source: Unify2 data collection—Msitreps | |
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children of each age group were admitted to neonatal units in each strategic health authority area in each of the last two years. [41987]
Anne Milton: This information is not collected in the format requested.
The following table shows numbers of babies receiving neonatal care by neonatal network provider:
| Network provider | 2008 | 2009 |
| Source: National Neonatal Audit Programme Reports, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. | ||
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Disability Living Allowance
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the methods of evaluating for eligibility for disability living allowance persons diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis. [42440]
Paul Burstow:
I have had several discussions with the Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions, the hon. Member for Basingstoke (Maria Miller), who has responsibility for disabled people, on the issue of disability living allowance (DLA). Following the Westminster Hall debate of 2 February 2011, I
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passed the specific concerns raised by the hon. Member for Redcar (Ian Swales) about DLA for those living with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis to the Minister.
CJD
Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of measures taken by the (a) blood service and (b) NHS, excluding the blood service, to reduce the risk of transmission of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease by blood or blood products since 1998. [41549]
Anne Milton: Since 1998 a number of measures have been introduced by the United Kingdom blood services to reduce the risk of transfusion transmitted variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). These measures include the introduction of leucodepletion (the removal of white blood cells), the importation of fresh frozen plasma for children and the deferral from donation of transfusion recipients. In addition, the use of plasma from UK donors for fractionation purposes has ceased.
For national health service blood and transplant the highest costs associated with these measures are the estimated loss of income from the sale of plasma from UK blood donors (£325 million) and the introduction of leucodepletion (£182 million). Further measures bring the estimated total cost to £540 million since 1998, with an estimated current annual cost of approximately £40 million.
There is no separate assessment of such costs for the NHS outside the blood service. However, synthetic (recombinant) clotting factor for the treatment of bleeding disorders, such as haemophilia, has been provided to all patients for whom it is suitable since 2005, and to those under the age of 16 since 1998, at a current annual cost of approximately £200 million.
Dentistry
Mr Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 February 2011, Official Report, column 607W, on dentistry, on what timetable the Government will explore with the General Dental Council the potential encouragement of training institutions to look again at the development of courses for dental care professionals. [42177]
Mr Simon Burns: We understand that the chief dental officer will be meeting the chief executive/registrar of the General Dental Council on 2 March and will ask for this matter to be included on the agenda for the meeting.
Departmental Interpreters
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for which services provided by (a) his Department and (b) its associated public bodies interpreters provide services in a language or languages other than English; how many interpreters are employed or subcontracted for each non-English language; and what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of interpretation costs incurred in the latest period for which figures are available. [42893]
Paul Burstow:
The information requested in respect of the Department and its arm's length bodies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The provision of interpretation
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and translation services by national health service bodies is a matter for local determination. Such bodies are not required to report their planned or actual spending on interpretation and translation services to the Department. When planning such services, NHS bodies should take due account of their legal duties, the composition of the communities they serve, and the needs and circumstances of their patients, service users and local populations.
Departmental Manpower
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) actual and (b) full-time equivalent staff have left his Department’s employ since May 2010. [42300]
Mr Simon Burns: Since 31 May 2010, 160 actual staff, that is, 154 full-time equivalent staff have left the Department.
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) actual and (b) full-time equivalent staff his Department employed at the latest date for which figures are available. [42381]
Mr Simon Burns: As at 31 January 2011, the number of actual civil servants working for the Department was 2,650. The full-time equivalent number of staff was 2,563.52.
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) actual and (b) full-time equivalent staff were employed by his Department in May 2010. [42397]
Mr Simon Burns: As at 31 May 2010, 2,657 actual staff members were employed by the Department. The full-time equivalent number of that staff complement was 2,576.42.
Diabetes
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many diabetes prevention units he has visited since 12 May 2010. [42175]
Paul Burstow: The Department is committed to the prevention of Type 2 diabetes. The NHS Health Check programme was specifically designed to help people between the ages of 40 and 74 reduce their risk of diabetes, as well as heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. The Secretary of State for Health visited a health fair in Birmingham last year where he experienced an innovative approach to the delivery of this programme.
“Healthy Lives, Healthy People”, sets out the Government’s strategy for improving public health and reducing the risk factors associated with developing conditions such as Type 2 diabetes. Lifestyle behaviours such as smoking, the harmful use of alcohol, drug misuse, poor diet and nutrition, being overweight and physical inactivity are acknowledged risk factors for a number of chronic diseases and conditions including Type 2 diabetes.
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Doctors: Foreign Workers
Stephen Barclay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 November 2010, Official Report, columns 634-35W, on doctors: foreign workers, whether the General Medical Council submitted to his Department a copy of the legal advice it had received in respect of the registration of EU-qualified, non-UK doctors. [41910]
Anne Milton: We can confirm that the General Medical Council has shared its advice on what scope there may be for undertaking checks on the language knowledge of European economic area migrant doctors at the point of registration under Directive 2005/36/EC with the Department.
General Practitioners: Clacton
Mr Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the effects of implementation of his proposals for NHS reform on GP services in Jaywick and West Clacton; [42294]
(2) if he will take steps to ensure that standards of GP services in Jaywick and West Clacton will be monitored. [42864]
Mr Simon Burns: Each primary care trust (PCT) is responsible for ensuring the standards of services provided to patients under their existing contractual arrangements. From April 2012, it is proposed that all providers of primary medical care services will be required to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). In order to be registered, providers have to meet registration requirements, which set essential levels of safety and quality in the provision of care to patients. The CQC has a range of enforcement powers that it can use where providers do not meet the registration requirements.
Under the Health and Social Care Bill currently being considered by Parliament, it is proposed that the NHS Commissioning Board will replace PCTs and become directly responsible for commissioning general practitioner (GP) services from contractors and that this will occur in April 2013. The Bill also proposes to make the NHS Commissioning Board responsible for securing continuous improvements to the quality of the services provided to patients by national health service bodies, including GP practices and therefore the board will directly monitor the standard of care and services provided by all primary medical care providers. Alongside this it is proposed that commissioning consortia must assist and support the board in securing continuous improvements in the quality of primary medical services with a view to ensuring that the board and the commissioning consortia will work together to monitor the quality of the services provided by all primary medical service providers.
Health
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has conducted research on the causes of malaise, including sleeplessness, headaches and indigestion. [42124]
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Mr Simon Burns: The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds research on many diseases and conditions of which malaise can be a symptom.
Details of studies supported through the NIHR clinical research network can be found on the UK Clinical Research Network portfolio database at:
http://public.ukcrn.org.uk/search/
Records of individual national health service supported research projects collected up to September 2007 are available on the archived national research register at:
https://portal.nihr.ac.uk/Pages/NRRArchiveSearch.aspx
Health Services
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the effects of implementation of his proposals to disband specialised commissioning groups on the work undertaken by the South West Specialised Commissioning Group and South West Neuromuscular Network. [42073]
Paul Burstow: Subject to parliamentary approval, the National Health Service Commissioning Board will take responsibility for the commissioning of specialised services for people with rare conditions from April 2012, including those currently commissioned by the 10 Specialised Commissioning Groups (SCGs).
The existing work programme for SCGs includes action to improve neuromuscular services.
Health Services: Older People
Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what response he plans to make to the report of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman on care for elderly people published on 15 February 2011; [42835]
(2) what steps he plans to take to prevent unacceptable standards of care from being provided to elderly patients in some NHS hospitals as identified in the report of the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman of 15 February 2011. [42836]
Paul Burstow: We have asked the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to implement a series of unannounced inspections led by experienced senior nurses, including matrons, who know what is and what is not good care. The findings of the inspections will be published.
On 15 February, the chief executive of the national health service and the National Clinical Director for Older People wrote to all NHS Boards highlighting the Ombudsman's report and urging them to assure themselves that these events are not happening in their own organisations.
The coalition Government are determined to make the NHS more patient-centred and more responsive to the people it serves. We are focusing on achieving outcomes that are among the best in the world and putting patient safety at the heart of everything the NHS does. That's why the Health Bill will create local HealthWatch organisations to give patients more power to ensure their feedback and complaints are heard and to hold their local services to account. We will be publishing a
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White Paper on Adult Social Care which will also focus on quality outcomes and delivering care with dignity, respect and compassion.
Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination
Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what process would be required to bring into use dual purpose vaccinations against genital warts and cervical cancer in place of single purpose vaccination. [42053]
Anne Milton: The purpose of the Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme is to protect against cervical cancer. There are two HPV vaccines licensed in the United Kingdom—Cervarix® and Gardasil®. Both provide protection against HPV strains 16 and 18 that cause over 70% of cervical cancers in the UK.
Efficacy trials of Cervarix published in The Lancet on 7 July 2009 show that as well as protecting against HPV type 16 and 18 that cause around 70% of cervical cancer, Cervarix also provides cross-protection against HPV types 31, 33 and 45 which are the three most common cancer-causing virus types beyond 16 and 18. The Lancet suggests that this could translate into approximately 11-16% extra protection against cervical cancer(1).
Gardasil also protects against HPV strains 6 and 11 that can cause genital warts.
Following a tendering process in 2008, a three-year contract was awarded to GlaxoSmithKline for Cervarix® in 2008. This contract is due to come to an end this year and the process for retendering the contract has begun.
In order to select which vaccine to purchase and use, the Department follows European Union procurement legislation and uses a rigorous process for the selection. The tender documents will be finalised soon and an advert will be placed across Europe to invite tenders from vaccine manufacturers.
(1) Paavonen J, Naud P, Salmeron J et al. (2009) Efficacy of human papillomavirus (HPV)-16/18 AS04-adjuvanted vaccine against cervical infection and precancer caused by oncogenic HPV types (PATRICIA): final analysis of a double-blind, randomised study in young women. Lancet 374(9686): 301-14.
Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the number of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries whose health services use dual purpose vaccines against genital warts and cervical cancer. [42071]
Anne Milton: The Department does not hold information on the number of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries whose health services use Human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines that offer protection against both genital warts and cervical cancer.
Information from the World Health Organization and European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control shows that the following countries use HPV vaccines:
Lesotho, Uganda, Canada, Mexico, Panama, Saint Lucia, United States of America, Iraq, Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Bhutan, Australia, Fiji, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Palau.
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Of these countries, France, Ireland and Australia are known to preferentially use the vaccine that offers protection against both genital warts and cervical cancer. However, this may not be an exhaustive list.
Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will estimate the cost to the NHS of providing (a) single purpose and (b) dual purpose vaccination products for cervical cancer; [42854]
(2) if he will estimate the (a) direct and (b) indirect (i) costs and (ii) savings to the NHS of using (A) single purpose and (B) dual purpose immunisations for cervical cancer; [42855]
(3) what advice the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has provided on the relative merits of single purpose and dual purpose vaccination to reduce the incidence of cervical cancer and genital warts; [42856]
(4) what process was used to assess the relative economic merits of types of vaccination for genital warts and cervical cancer. [42866]
Anne Milton: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) considered the expected cost-benefits from a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme against cervical cancer, which included assessment of the impact of vaccination on genital warts. A summary of the evidence considered is set out in the JCVI statement on HPV vaccines published in the Department’s website at:
www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@ab/documents/digitalasset/dh_094739.pdf
A copy of the JCVI statement has already been placed in the Library.
The economic evaluation used by the JCVI was published in the British Medical Journal in July 2008 and is available at:
www.bmj.com/content/337/bmj.a769.full
The cost of the HPV vaccine procured by the Department for the national health service vaccination programme is commercially confidential. Financial savings made in the procurement of Cervarix HPV vaccine meant the catch-up vaccination programme could be extended to offer the vaccine to an extra 300,000 girls. The Department provides HPV vaccine to the NHS free of charge for use in the childhood immunisation programme. The cost of administering the HPV programme was estimated to be the same regardless of which vaccine was used.
Following a tendering process in 2008, a three year contract was awarded to GlaxoSmithKline for Cevarix in 2008. This contract is due to come to an end this year and the process for re-tendering the contract has begun.
Hyperactivity: Warwickshire
Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children in Warwickshire have been prescribed Ritalin for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in each of the last 10 years. [42417]
Paul Burstow: This information is not collected centrally.
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Kidneys: Transplant Surgery
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many kidney transplants took place in each hospital trust in the South West region in each of the last five years. [42371]
Anne Milton: The following tables show the numbers of kidney transplants in each hospital trust in the South West in each of the last five years by donor type (deceased and living) and by year (2006-10).
| Bristol Southmead hospital (North Bristol national health service trust) 2006-10 | ||||||
| Donor | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | Total |
| Plymouth Derriford hospital (Plymouth hospitals NHS trust) 2006-10 | ||||||
| Donor | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | Total |
| Source: NHS Blood and Transplant UK Transplant Registry | ||||||
Maternity Services
Ms Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to require maternity networks to work with local maternity service liaison committees. [41616]
Anne Milton: The White Paper “Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS”, set out proposals to evolve Local Involvement Networks into local HealthWatch organisations. HealthWatch will ensure that the views of patients, service users and the public are represented to commissioners. In developing and designing maternity services, it is important that the views and experiences of women remain at the heart of commissioning and their voices are heard locally. It will be for local HealthWatch to decide how to build on the best practice of Maternity Service Liaison Committees to ensure a strong voice for women and their families in the planning and delivery of maternity and newborn services.
Ms Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which maternity networks have been established since the date of publication of the NHS White Paper. [41625]
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Anne Milton: The information is not collected by the Department. We are aware that in September 2010 the West Midlands Perinatal Network was launched and that the East of England are in the process of developing a clinical maternity and newborn network.
Maternity Services: Finance
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much the budget for maternity care in the NHS was in (a) 1997 and (b) 2006; and if he will make a statement; [41795]
(2) if he will make it his policy to prioritise the funding of maternity services within the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [42046]
Anne Milton: The Government are committed to the provision of safe and quality maternity services, founded on evidence based good practice, and focused on improving both outcomes for women and babies and women’s experience of care. We have highlighted maternity services as a priority for the national health service in both the NHS Operating Framework and the NHS Outcomes Framework for 2011-12. It is for the NHS to decide locally how best to deliver on national and local priorities in the light of their local circumstances.
Figures for expenditure on commissioning of secondary health care in respect of maternity are as follows:
|
|
£ million |
| Notes: 1. The figures are taken from the Summarised Account of the Health Authorities (1996-97) and the Summarised Account of Primary Care Trusts (2005-06). 2. Secondary Care covers medical treatment or surgery that patients receive in hospital following a referral from a general practitioner (GP). Secondary care is made up of national health service, foundation, ambulance, children’s and mental health trusts. www.dh.gov.uk/en/Aboutus/HowDHworks/DH_074637 | |
Midwives: Staff Numbers
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives were employed by the NHS in each year between 1997 and 2006; how many of those were employed in managerial grades in each year; and if he will make a statement. [41794]
Anne Milton: The annual NHS Workforce Census does not identify manager grades in midwifery. The following tables give the number of midwives employed in the years requested.
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| Note: Enhanced validation processes have led to the removal of duplicate records from the non-medical census (from 2006 onwards). Although percentages were small (less than 1%), comparisons with years prior to this need to be treated with caution. This only effects headcount. | ||||||||||
MRSA: Screening
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on licensing for use in the NHS of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory's product BacLite to screen against the MRSA bacterium. [42876]
Mr Simon Burns: Any diagnostic test of this type should be CE marked by the manufacturer according to the safety, quality and performance requirements of the In Vitro Diagnostic Devices Directive (transposed in to United Kingdom law by the Medical Devices Regulations 2002) before they are placed on the UK market. Under the directive, national regulatory authorities, who in the UK are the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, are not directly involved in the pre-market conformity assessment process for such tests and therefore hold no information on the product's current approval status.
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve methods of screening against the MRSA bacterium; and if he will make a statement. [42984]
Mr Simon Burns: A variety of methods are available to national health service trusts to screen against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. Individual trusts make their own decisions on which tests or combinations of tests to use depending on their clinical case mix and workload. The local clinical need will determine test selection. Rapid and more sensitive methods have been available to the NHS for a number of years and trusts make their own decisions on matching the technologies to their service needs.
In 2004, as part of the Department's commitment to ensuring the NHS has access to effective infection prevention and control technologies, it has asked the Health Protection Agency to convene the Rapid Review Panel (RRP). This provides a prompt assessment of new and novel equipment, materials and other products or protocols that may be of value to the NHS and social care in the prevention and control of hospital associated infections.
NHS: Buildings
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many structures he estimates the NHS will build using prefabricated or flatpack buildings in 2010-11. [42719]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department does not collect centrally the information requested. National health service organisations locally will utilise the construction methods they consider appropriate to build their facilities, which may include prefabricated or flat pack buildings.
NHS: Finance
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress his Department has made on tackling barriers between health and social care funding in order to incentivise preventative action. [42791]
Paul Burstow: As part of the spending review, national health service funding rising to £1 billion per annum by 2014-15 will be spent on measures that support social care and also benefit health. The “Operating Framework for the NHS in England for 2011-12” sets out that primary care trusts (PCTs) will need to transfer this funding to local authorities to invest in social care services to benefit health, and to improve overall health gain. The Department has also made available an extra £162 million from efficiency savings this financial year for local health and care services. The money should be spent on helping people to leave hospital more quickly, re-ablement and the prevention of unnecessary admissions to hospital.
At the local level, the NHS and local authorities should work together to improve the health and wellbeing of their local populations. As outlined in the Operating Framework 2011-12, NHS organisations should be working with partners on implementing the National Dementia Strategy. Moreover, the Carers’ Strategy also identified that £400 million will be made available for carers’ breaks over the next four years (2011-12 to 2014-15) and required that PCTs should agree policies, plans and budgets to support carers with local authorities and local carers’ organisations.
Supporting people to live independently at home following hospital discharge sits at the interface between health and social care and relies on effective discharge planning, access to re-ablement services and both systems working in the interests of the individual. To underpin this, the Department will amend the ‘Payment by Results’ tariff from April 2012 so that the NHS pays for re-ablement and other post discharge services for 30 days after a patient leaves hospital. From April 2011, trusts will not be reimbursed for unnecessary re-admissions.
To prepare for the changes to the ‘Payment by Results’ tariff, we have allocated £70 million in 2010-11 for PCTs to spend on re-ablement. This has been further supported by the spending review with £300 million of the £1 billion NHS support for social care being made available for re-ablement services by 2014-15.
The Health and Social Care Bill (subject to parliamentary approval) outlines how the Government will seek to encourage joined up working. The Bill stipulates that local authorities would take a key role in joining up local NHS services, social care and health improvement via the Health and Wellbeing Boards. A relevant commissioning consortium must co-operate with the Health and Wellbeing Board in the exercise of the functions of the Board.
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Additionally, Health and Wellbeing Boards will have a statutory duty to produce Joint Strategic Needs Assessments and have regard to these in developing a Health and Wellbeing Strategy for their local area. Alongside this, the NHS Commissioning Board must, for the purpose of advancing the health and wellbeing of the people of England, exercise its functions with a view to encouraging commissioning consortia to work closely with local authorities in commissioning local services. To support the creation of effective quality standards the remit of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence will be extended to social care.
Organs: Donors
Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will publish an updated strategy on organ donation and transplantation; [41722]
(2) for what reasons the Organ Donation Taskforce Programme Delivery Board has been disbanded; and who will be responsible for increasing organ donation and transplantation following the final meeting of the Board. [41723]
Anne Milton: We have no plans to publish an updated strategy on organ donation and transplantation. We are currently in the third year of a five year implementation programme to increase organ donation rates by 50% by 2013.
The Organ Donation Taskforce Programme Delivery Board was established in July 2008 to oversee the implementation of the Organ Donation Taskforce recommendations published in January 2008. The board noted at their final meeting in January 2011 that organ donor rates had increased by 25% since the implementation process began and agreed that the taskforce recommendations, largely, had been implemented. The board also agreed that the focus in the future should be on ensuring that the new infrastructure and support mechanisms, developed under the board’s leadership, become embedded as a usual part of healthcare.
This will be achieved through a variety of means including through the clinical leads for organ donation, donation committees and donation chairs in acute trusts driving improvement locally; and ongoing work to raise the profile and benefits of organ donation and transplantation with the national health service, professional groups and with the public.
Leadership will continue to be provided through the Department’s national clinical director for transplantation, the Organ Donor Organisation within NHS Blood and Transplant and the relevant professional bodies.
NHS Services: Shropshire
Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with Ministers in the Welsh Assembly Government on the effect of reconfiguration of NHS services in Shropshire on Welsh patients. [42940]
Mr Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Health has had no recent discussions with Ministers in the Welsh Assembly Government on the effect of reconfiguration of national health services in Shropshire on Welsh patients.
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Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he last discussed the provision of cross-border health services with Ministers in the Welsh Assembly Government. [42941]
Mr Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Health met Ministers of the Welsh Assembly Government on 1 December 2010 and wrote to the Minister of Health and Social Security for the Welsh Assembly Government following the meeting to say that Departmental officials remained committed to agreeing an appropriate level of financial transfer to the Welsh Assembly Government arising from issues around national tariff rates and how these are applied to Wales.
The cross-border commissioning protocol is due to expire on 31 March 2011 and officials from the Department are also in discussion with the Welsh Assembly Government with the intention of renewing the protocol, to run seamlessly from 1 April 2011. Until the forthcoming changes to the manner in which healthcare in England is commissioned are finalised in the Health and Social Care Bill, currently going through Parliament, the intention is that no substantial changes to the cross-border protocol should be introduced. For this reason, the protocol is expected to be renewed for just one year.
Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many babies were born in the Royal Shrewsbury hospital to mothers resident in Wales in each of the last two years for which figures are available. [42942]
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 February 2011:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many births there were at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital to women resident in Wales for the last two years for which data is available. [42942]
Figures for live births by hospital have been compiled from birth registration data. Information on place of birth is provided by the informant at registration rather than by the hospitals themselves.
| Live births occurring in Royal Shrewsbury Hospital to women usually resident in Wales, 2008 and 2009 | |
| Royal Shrewsbury Hospital | Number |
Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged under 16 years who were resident in Wales were kept overnight in the Royal Shrewsbury hospital in each of the last two years for which figures are available. [42943]
Mr Simon Burns: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table, which sets out the finished consultant episodes (FCEs) for Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust where the patient is under 16, a resident of Wales and the duration of stay was one day or longer for 2008-9 and 2009-10.
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|
|
FCEs |
| Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care | |
School Milk
Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has for the future of the free nursery milk provision for the under fives. [42351]
Anne Milton: There are no plans to end the nursery milk scheme.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the number and proportion of initial false positive cervical smears associated with genital warts in the latest period for which figures are available. [42051]
Paul Burstow:
This information is not held centrally. Although national health service cancer screening
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programmes collect statistics on false positive cervical smear results, genital warts are not reliably indicated by a false positive result.
Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will estimate the proportion of the work of sexual health practitioners associated with treatment of genital warts in the latest period for which figures are available; [42052]
(2) if he will estimate the average cost of a hospital consultation to treat a case of genital warts. [42853]
Anne Milton: No such estimate has been made because the cost to the national health service of treating individual diagnoses and the workload associated with them is not collected centrally.
Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the number of people infected each year by any genital wart virus by five year age cohorts. [42054]
Anne Milton: The number of diagnoses of genital warts (first episode) in genitourinary medicine clinics (GUM) clinics in England by age groups and years 1995 to 2009, the latest date for which figures are available, are given in the following table.
| Genital warts: first episode | |||||||||
| Age-group | Genital warts: recurrence | ||||||||
|
|
<15 | 15-19 | 20-24 | 25-34 | 35-44 | 45-64 | 65+ | Total | Total |
| Notes: 1. Data by age-group are only available for the groups presented. 2. Data on unknown gender and age-group are included in the Total row for 2009 data. 3. The data available from the KC60 (2008 and earlier) and GUMCAD (2009 onwards) returns are for diagnoses made in GUM) clinics only. A recent study (pending publication) of genital warts cases (first and recurrence) seen in GUM clinics and in General Practice in 2008 has found most cases seen in General Practice were referred on to GUM clinics and estimated that only around 5%, of cases were seen in General Practice only, i.e. figures in table 1 may represent up to 95%, of cases. 4. The data available from the KC60 and GUMCAD returns are the number of diagnoses made, not the number of patients diagnosed. 5. The information provided is based on reported data from GUM clinics in England that has been adjusted for missing clinic data. 6. Data are unavailable for 2010. Source: Health Protection Agency, KC60 and Genitourinary Medicine Clinic Activity Dataset (GUMCAD) returns. | |||||||||
Tuberculosis
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the incidence of TB in England was in each of the last 10 years; and in which groups such incidence was highest. [42326]
Anne Milton: Data on the incidence of tuberculosis (TB) in England in each of the last 10 years are provided in the following table:
| Rate of tuberculosis cases reported in England, 2000-2009 | |
|
|
Rate per 100,000 |
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| Source: Health Protection Agency (HPA) | |
In each of the last 10 years, TB incidence was highest among the non-United Kingdom born people(1).
The Health Protection Agency did not collect data on other risk factors for TB until recently, and data on these are not yet available.
(1) Place of birth should not be confused with citizenship or residence status.
Tuberculosis: Vaccination
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what funding his Department has provided for the development of a successor to the BCG vaccine in each of the last five years; [42327]
(2) which product development partnerships are undertaking work to develop a successor to the BCG vaccine. [42328]
Anne Milton: The funding provided by the Department to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) for projects relating to tuberculosis (TB) vaccine development is shown in the following table:
| Funding to the HPA for projects relating to TB vaccine development | |
|
|
£000 |
HPA Porton has the largest TB preclinical vaccine development capability in Europe and performs critical preclinical head-to-head comparisons of the efficacy of new TB vaccines and delivery systems. These studies inform the selection of vaccines for subsequent clinical trials.
There are numerous TB vaccine development partnerships worldwide. The HPA has TB vaccine development partnerships with the following organisations:
Discovery and preclinical development of new generation tuberculosis vaccines (NEWTBVAC), a European Commission 7th Framework programme;
The European TB Vaccine Initiative (TBVI), a non-profit foundation; and
AERAS Global TB Vaccine Foundation.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Arms Trade Treaty
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the merits of including dual-use technologies on the list of equipment to be regulated by the Arms Trade Treaty. [42152]
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Alistair Burt: The UK is committed to securing a robust and effective Arms Trade Treaty and will continue to play a lead role in the UN process. Negotiations are ongoing in the run up to the critical UN Negotiating Conference in 2012. It would not be appropriate for me to speculate about the scope of an Arms Trade Treaty at this time. We maintain a dialogue with the Parliamentary Committees on Arms Export Controls on the Arms Trade Treaty, most recently when I gave Oral evidence to the Committees on 24 January 2011.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether officials from his Department will attend the July 2011 negotiations at the UN on implementation mechanisms for the Arms Trade Treaty. [42153]
Alistair Burt: We are committed to securing a robust and effective Arms Trade Treaty and to continuing to play a lead role in the UN process. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as the lead Government Department, head and lead the UK delegation, and has played a full and active role in the UN negotiations to date. This will continue later this month and in July, culminating in the UN Negotiating Conference in 2012.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the likely effects of the Arms Trade Treaty on the UK's capacity to export security and defence equipment. [42154]
Alistair Burt: The UK already operates one of the strongest export control systems in the world, and is fully committed to securing a robust and effective Arms Trade Treaty that raises international standards and helps create a level playing field for the legitimate defence industry. This actively supports the Government's prosperity agenda by helping to make British industry more competitive. Hence the Government and the UK defence industry have a close working relationship on the Arms Trade Treaty, with industry representation on the wider UK Arms Trade Treaty team, and they are fully supportive of UK efforts to secure the Treaty.
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has received from the defence industry on negotiations over the Arms Trade Treaty. [42155]
Alistair Burt: The Government are working closely with a wide range of partners, including the UK defence industry, to secure a robust and effective Arms Trade Treaty. A UK defence industry representative is part of the UK's wider Arms Trade Treaty team, and defence industry representatives have attended UK technical meetings on the Arms Trade Treaty to help inform the UK's position ahead of the next UN Preparatory Committee meeting starting in New York on 28 February 2011.
Bangladesh: Military Aid
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what training and assistance British security services have provided to Bangladeshi security forces in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [42151]
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Alistair Burt: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's assistance to Bangladesh's security forces over the last 12 months has focused on the provision of human rights and ethical policing skills training to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
Funded through our Counter Terrorism and Radicalisation Programme and delivered by the National Policing Improvements Agency, the project is aimed at improving RAB's ability to conduct operations in a human rights compliant manner. Over the last 12 months this training was given to senior RAB investigators focusing on the strategic, operational and tactical intelligence cycle with lessons learned from key court rulings; a Train the Trainer programme to ensure that RAB can deliver a first responders' course and cascade their training through their battalions, and training in operational judgments and procedures that comply with modern police standards.
BBC World Service: Finance
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate he has made of the likely job losses resulting from the changes to the Grant-in-Aid funding to the BBC World Service for (a) Albanian, (b) Macedonian, (c) Portuguese for Africa, (d) Serbian and (e) English for the Caribbean services. [41673]
Mr Jeremy Browne: According to the BBC World Service, the current number of people employed on these language services is:
Albanian: 23
Macedonian: 10
Portuguese for Africa: 12
Serbian: 21
English for the Caribbean: 6.
Any decisions about possible redeployment of staff would be made by the BBC World Service.
Egypt: Freedom of Circulation
Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Egyptian government on its military's approach to freedom of movement within Egypt. [42344]
Alistair Burt: [holding answer 28 February 2011]: A state of emergency has existed in Egypt since 1981 which allows for unwarranted derogation of some of Egypt's international human rights obligations. The Foreign Secretary, in his statement to the House on 14 February, Official Report, columns 714-6, called for steps to end the state of emergency. On 21 February, the Prime Minister visited Egypt. He met Field Marshall Mohammed Tantawi and raised the issue of when the state of emergency would be lifted.
Throughout the recent protests in Egypt, we lobbied the Egyptian authorities at the highest level to avoid repression of the protestors, who were exercising their right to freedom of expression. We were deeply concerned by measures taken by the Egyptian authorities to prevent the protests by shutting down mobile phone networks
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and urged them to lift the restrictions immediately, and we raised our concerns about treatment of journalists and human rights activists.
Egypt: Press Freedom
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the independence of the media in Egypt. [41942]
Alistair Burt [holding answer 28 February 2011]: We have previously raised our concerns about freedom of expression in Egypt with the Egyptian Government, including on media restrictions in the run up to the parliamentary elections held in November and December 2010. At the UN Human Rights Council's Universal Periodic Review in June 2010 we called on Egypt to amend its penal code to ensure freedom of expression for journalists, publishers and bloggers.
We condemned the measures taken by the Egyptian authorities to prevent the protests and demonstrations in Egypt during January and February this year by shutting down mobile phone networks and the internet. We expressed our strong concerns to the Egyptian authorities about the mistreatment of journalists. Freedom of expression, including freedom of the media, is fundamental to building a democratic society and we will continue to monitor the situation in Egypt closely.
Holocaust: Anniversaries
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will take steps to mark the 70th anniversary of the UN declaration of 17 December 1942 on the circumstances of Jewish people in Europe; and if he will make a statement. [R] [42064]
Alistair Burt: I refer my hon. Friend to the response the Minister of State, my noble Friend, the right hon. Lord Howell, gave in the other place on 10 January 2011, Official Report, House of Lords, column WA396.