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Further Education: Business
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of further education colleges that have carried out zero-rated capital works which have made use of the statutory concessions permitting up to 5% business use in the last 10 years. [46928]
Mr Hayes: Further education colleges are independent organisations responsible for the management of their own estates and the delivery of their own programmes and services. Neither the Department nor the Skills Funding Agency collects or holds information pertaining to the proportion of further education colleges that have made use of the statutory concessions in relation to zero-rated capital works.
Higher Education: Admissions
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he expects the advocate for access to education to publish his report on access to higher education; and if he will make a statement. [44578]
Mr Willetts: The advocate for access to education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark (Simon Hughes), expects to publish his report at the end of June 2011.
Higher Education: Finance
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether his Department has (a) had any discussions with and (b) provided any assistance to British universities in securing (i) contracts and (ii) financial support from Libya in the last 10 years. [46068]
Mr Prisk: The Department has generally promoted the capabilities of the UK academic and training sectors in its dealings with Libya. However no specific discussions have taken place on securing financial support from Libya for British educational institutions.
Exhibition support has been provided to universities at a number of trade exhibitions in Libya in the last 10 years. However we are not in a position to determine exactly what additional activity resulted from the support or confirm any contracts won.
Higher Education: Radicalism
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answers to the right hon. Member for Tottenham (Mr Lammy) of 30 November 2009, Official Report, columns 557W and 560W, on higher education: radicalism, if he will take steps to collect and hold centrally information on (a) (i) instances and (ii) suspected instances of extremism reported by university staff as taking place on campus and (b) funding received by campus research centres from non-democratic Governments. [45854]
Mr Willetts:
Universities are not required to report information about instances and suspected instances of extremism on campus to this Department. They will, in
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practice, usually report these to their local police who will hold this information. We do not have any plans for the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills to collect and hold this information routinely.
Higher education institutions (HEIs) are autonomous and each will set its own standards for the acceptance of donations. As charities, all English HEIs should take note of general guidance, including guidance about receipt of donations, from the Charity Commission and any additional guidance from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (particularly in its role as principal regulator under the Charities Act 2006).
The allocation of public funding for teaching and research is separate from the regulation of universities as donation-accepting charities and the Department has no plans to change this.
Institute for Learning
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings Ministers and officials of his Department have had with representatives of the Institute for Learning on (a) continuing professional development for further education lecturers, (b) further education policy and (c) the removal of funding by his Department for the Institute for Learning. [44100]
Mr Hayes: I met with the chief executive and chair of the Institute for Learning (IfL) on 8 September 2010 and we plan to meet again in the near future. My discussions with IfL have covered a number of areas including the take-up of continuing professional development activities by FE teachers, broader areas of interest to the profession, and IfL's plans to move to full self-funding through membership fees.
My officials meet with IfL staff on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues. The Department has an observer status seat on the IfL Non-Executive Board and attends its Advisory Board.
Regulation
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what regulations his Department introduced between 24 November 2010 and 8 February 2011. [42088]
Mr Prisk: Between 24 November 2010 and 2 March 2011, BIS introduced 26 regulations through statutory instrument. Of these, only three impose a substantive cost on business.
Vans: Manufacturing Industries
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) what discussions he has had with representatives of General Motors on the manufacture of a new model of van at its Luton plant; [46894]
(2) what recent assessment he has made of the competitiveness of the UK van manufacturing sector. [46895]
Mr Prisk:
The Department keeps the competitiveness of the automotive sector (including van production) under regular review, although no specific assessment of the competitiveness of the UK van manufacturing sector has been made recently. I understand that the van
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manufacturing site at Luton remains one of GM’s most efficient and productive plants in Europe and the Department is in close contact with GM’s senior management on a range of issues; including in relation to Luton.
Vocational Guidance
Mr Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with representatives of (a) further education colleges and (b) sixth form colleges on the development of an all-age careers service. [45391]
Mr Hayes: Representatives of further education colleges and sixth form colleges, including the Association of Colleges and the Sixth Form College Forum, gave evidence to the Public Bill Committee for the Education Bill recently.
Discussions about clause 27 of the Education Bill, which introduces a requirement on schools to secure access to independent careers guidance, included debate about the development of the all-age careers service. In my discussions with colleges since becoming Minister I have discussed the all-age careers service, which the Government are introducing, on numerous occasions.
Window Blinds: Safety
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 8 September 2010, Official Report, column 529W, on window blinds: safety, what the outcomes were of the safety seminar convened by his Department on 27 September 2010; and if he will make a statement. [46967]
Mr Davey: The seminar aimed at major retailers was to raise awareness of the potential risks looped blind cords can pose in the domestic environment. It also advised them of the relevant product standard for internal blinds: European Standard BS EN 13120:2009 (Internal Blinds—Performance Requirements Including Safety) which details appropriate safety precautions regarding internal window blinds. A follow-up seminar was held at RoSPA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents) in Birmingham on 29 November 2010. Both events were a success, with attendees signing up to the British Blind and Shutters Association's (BBSA) ‘Make it Safe’ campaign.
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 8 September 2010, Official Report, column 529W, on window blinds: safety, what recent progress has been made on the standardisation process; and if he will make a statement. [46968]
Mr Davey: On 9 February the European Commission adopted a Decision on the safety requirements to be met by the revision to European standard BS EN 13120:2009 to address certain risks posed to children by internal blinds, corded window coverings and safety devices. We expect this to be published in the Official Journal of the European Union shortly. The UK has been instrumental in the European Standards Committee in ensuring that the revised standard covers all internal blinds and is robust regarding child safety. Work on this is progressing, and we hope to see a revised standard in 2012.
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Written Questions: Government Responses
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he plans to answer question 42088, on regulations, tabled on 16 February 2011 for answer on 28 February 2011. [46986]
Mr Prisk: I have replied to the hon. Member today.
Health
Arthritis: Health Services
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis are referred to a specialist at an appropriate time in respect of diagnosis and follow-up appointments and during flare-ups. [46021]
Paul Burstow: It is for clinicians in primary and secondary care to make referrals appropriately, and for commissioners to ensure that they have commissioned sufficient clinical capacity to allow timely access to first or follow-up appointments. Primary care trusts and, in future, general practitioner (GP) consortia should be working with local service providers to ensure the correct capacity is available to provide the best evidence based care for their patients.
The Department expects local health communities to be mindful of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance when commissioning services for people with rheumatoid arthritis. A NICE commissioning guide “Services for the diagnosis and management of rheumatoid arthritis in adults” was published in December 2009 to assist commissioners in implementing “NICE Clinical Guideline 79: the management of rheumatoid arthritis in adults locally”, including consideration of access to care for people with established rheumatoid arthritis.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the need for co-ordination between local authorities, the national health service and social care services to ensure that services for people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis are fully integrated. [46022]
Paul Burstow: The Department has not made any specific assessment of the need for co-ordination between local authorities, the national health service and social care services to ensure that services for people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are fully integrated. However it has established a dedicated national work stream on improving the care of all people with long term conditions (including RA) within the Quality, Innovation Productivity and Prevention programme.
It is currently the responsibility of primary care trusts (and general practitioner consortia in the future) as commissioners of health care services to ensure that their populations have access to the services that they require. Primary care professionals need to ensure the services that patients receive are co-ordinated, helping them to navigate the system and ensure they get the best care through shared decision making. The Health and Social Care Bill enables GP consortia to work collaboratively on commissioning. Commissioners will have greater scope to develop integrated care pathways
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where this makes sense, working with a range of local clinicians, and new health and well-being boards will promote integration across the NHS, social care and public health.
The Department expects local health communities to be mindful of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance when commissioning services for people with rheumatoid arthritis. A NICE commissioning guide “Services for the diagnosis and management of rheumatoid arthritis in adults” was published in December 2009 to assist commissioners in implementing “NICE Clinical Guideline 79: the management of rheumatoid arthritis in adults locally”, including consideration of access to care for people with established rheumatoid arthritis.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department plans to encourage the sharing of good practice in rheumatoid arthritis services provided by different groups of commissioners; and if he will make a statement. [46023]
Paul Burstow: The Health and Social Care Bill provides for consortia to work collaboratively on commissioning. The NHS Commissioning Board will support general practitioner (GP) consortia in their commissioning decisions and 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 (NICE) and in the case of rheumatoid arthritis, in a way that promotes joint working and sharing of good practice across health, public health and social care.
A NICE commissioning guide “Services for the diagnosis and management of rheumatoid arthritis in adults” was published in December 2009 to assist commissioners in implementing “NICE Clinical Guideline 79: the management of rheumatoid arthritis in adults” locally, including consideration of access to care for people with established rheumatoid arthritis.
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that GP consortia have the appropriate skills and knowledge to commission services for people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis which develop their ability to self-care and manage their pain on a day-to-day basis. [46024]
Paul Burstow: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published the commissioning guide “Services for the diagnosis and management of rheumatoid arthritis in adults” in December 2009. This is intended to assist commissioners in local implementation of “NICE Clinical Guideline 79: the management of rheumatoid arthritis in adults”, including consideration of access to care for people with established rheumatoid arthritis.
By devolving power and responsibility for commissioning services to local consortia of general practitioner (GP) practices, we will ensure that commissioning decisions are taken at a level as close to patients as possible. The Health and Social Care Bill provides for consortia to work collaboratively on commissioning by, for example, entering into lead commissioner and pooled budgetary arrangements.
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The Bill also provides for the establishment of the NHS Commissioning Board to support GP consortia in their commissioning decisions and to provide leadership for quality improvement through commissioning. Activities will include the issue of commissioning guidelines which reflect NICE quality standards developed with advice from clinicians and that promote joint working across health, public health and social care. The Board will also promote and extend public and patient involvement and choice.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Health Services
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to establish specialist myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome services in parts of the country where there are none. [46759]
Paul Burstow: It is the responsibility of local health bodies, which have a comprehensive knowledge of their local populations, to commission services for people with chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis, taking into account the resources they have available, the needs of their wider population, and available guidance on best practice.
Departmental Land
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to reduce the size of his Department’s estate; and if he will make a statement. [46222]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has recently agreed its estate strategy for its core headquarters estate, which will be to reduce the number of buildings in London from four to two by the end of 2012. The Department will also continue to occupy its Leeds office, Quarry house and our plans here are to maximise the space available in Quarry house for use by a number of our non-departmental public bodies.
Departmental Public Consultation
Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many public consultations his Department has conducted in each of the last 10 years; for how long each consultation was open; how many responses were received to each consultation; and what the cost to the public purse was of conducting each consultation. [46594]
Mr Simon Burns: A table that details the Department's consultations launched from 2002 onwards, and their period of duration has been placed in the Library.
The Department does not hold information about the number of responses to each consultation or the costs of conducting public consultations centrally. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Written Questions
Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of written questions tabled to him for answer on a named day between 27 May 2010 and 9 March 2011 did not receive a substantive answer on the day named for answer. [46558]
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Mr Simon Burns: The Department received 799 written questions due for answer on a named day between 27 May 2010 and 9 March 2011. Of those, eight questions or 1% were not answered substantively on the day named for answer.
Drugs: Rehabilitation
Andrew Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS pharmaceuticals budget of prescribing (a) buprenorphine and (b) subutex was in the latest period for which figures are available. [46451]
Mr Simon Burns: Net ingredient cost (NIC) prescribing figures are provided in the following table.
| NIC of prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community in England—12 month period October 2009 to September 2010 | |
|
|
£000 |
| Notes: 1. Figure for buprenorphine includes buprenorphine and naloxone combination products. 2. Subutex is a brand name for a form of the chemical buprenorphine. 3. Figure for subutex is included in the figure for buprenorphine. Source: Prescription cost analysis system. | |
Eyesight: Testing
Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people entitled to a free annual eye test used their entitlement in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [45958]
Mr Simon Burns: The “General Ophthalmic Services Activity Statistics for England and Wales”, published by the NHS Information Centre, showed that in England there were 11.8 million national health service funded sight tests in 2009-10. The statistics published by the NHS Information Centre provide a breakdown of these figures by eligible groups.
The statistics do not allow us to say precisely what proportion of people eligible to receive a free annual eye test used their entitlement.
Food: Packaging
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the effects on human health of mineral oils present in food packaging. [45795]
Anne Milton: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is not aware of any evidence that mineral oils in food packaging present a significant food safety concern for consumers.
This position is supported by a FSA study carried out in 2003 on the migration of mineral oils from food packaging into food.
The FSA is currently undertaking a surveillance programme to study the migration of printing inks into food and the levels of mineral oils in carton board packaging material.
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The FSA continues to review evidence in this area and will act to protect consumers if the evidence shows it is necessary to do so.
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment has been made of the health effects of the use of recycled card in food packaging. [45796]
Anne Milton: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is not aware of any evidence that food packaging made from recycled card presents a significant food safety concern for consumers.
This position is supported by a FSA study carried out in 2002 on the migration of inorganic contaminants in recycled paper and board in contact with dry food.
The FSA is currently undertaking research to gain knowledge of substances that should be effectively removed by recycling, to ensure that the recycling process has been properly carried-out.
The FSA continues to review evidence in this area and will act to protect consumers if the evidence shows it is necessary to do so.
General Practitioners: Pharmacy
Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will bring forward proposals to remove the one mile residency requirement applying to pharmaceutical dispensaries operated by GP surgeries. [46524]
Mr Simon Burns: In the autumn of 2008, the previous Administration consulted on various proposals arising from its pharmacy White Paper “Pharmacy in England—building on strengths, delivering the future”, which was published in April 2008. The consultation included proposals for revision to the current NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2005, which govern whether or not doctors may provide dispensing services to their patients. As a result of that consultation, the previous Administration announced in December 2008 that there would be no change to those regulatory arrangements.
As with all matters, we keep the operation of regulations under regular review. There are no plans to bring forward any such proposals at this stage.
Health Centres: Harrow
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of walk-in centres and polyclinics in the London borough of Harrow in meeting patient need; and if he will make a statement. [46078]
Mr Simon Burns: It is the responsibility of the local national health service to assess the effectiveness of the services it provides and ensure that appropriate services are accessible to its local population.
Hospitals: Berkshire
Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health care-acquired infections there were in each NHS facility in Berkshire in each of the last 10 years. [46626]
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Mr Simon Burns: Information on all health care associated infections is not collected centrally. The best available information is from the Department's mandatory surveillance system. This collects data on the methicillin-resistant “Staphylococcus aureus” bloodstream infections (bacteraemias); “Clostridium difficile” infections; glycopeptide-resistant enterococci bacteraemias (GREs); and selected orthopaedic surgical site infections. Data for Berkshire trusts are given in the tables that have been placed in the Library. Mandatory surveillance data for GRE bacteraemia are not included owing to inconsistent reporting of this infection.
Meals on Wheels
Laura Sandys: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to safeguard the meals on wheels service. [46499]
Paul Burstow: Local councils are responsible for assessing the need for community based services, including meals on wheels, in their areas. Councils are free to determine how best to meet the needs of their populations; they pay for services out of their general funds, which are derived from funding from central Government and local taxation. Funding from central Government, via the Formula Grant paid to local councils, is not ring-fenced for spending on specific services, such as meals on wheels.
In recognition of the pressures on the social care system in a challenging fiscal climate, the Government have allocated an additional £2 billion by 2014-15 to support the delivery of social care. With an ambitious programme of efficiency, there will be enough funding available both to protect people's access to services and deliver new approaches to improve quality and outcomes.
Medicine: Research
Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the merits of establishing a health research agency as recommended by the Academy of Medical Sciences review on the regulation and governance of health research. [45752]
Mr Simon Burns: National regulation and local governance of health research are too complex and scattered across too many different bodies.
The report of the Academy of Medical Sciences review of medical research regulation and governance makes the case for simplification under a health research agency that will streamline and co-ordinate regulatory and governance processes.
The Government welcome the report and are carefully considering how to implement its recommendations.
Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the merits of establishing key performance indicators for research activity in the next NHS Operating Framework as recommended by the Academy of Medical Sciences review on the regulation and governance of health research. [45753]
Mr Simon Burns: National regulation and local governance of health research are too complex and scattered across too many different bodies.
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The Government welcome the report of the Academy of Medical Sciences and are carefully considering how to implement its recommendations.
Mental Health Services
Dr Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what audits his Department has carried out of primary care trusts (PCTs) which received Government funding ring-fenced for the provision of improved access to psychological therapy (IAPT) services to determine whether such PCTs removed funding from non-IAPT services which were to have been replaced by IAPT; [45476]
(2) what assessment he has made of the role of improved access to psychological therapies as (a) an addition to and (b) a substitute for existing mental health services; and if he will make a statement; [45477]
(3) what guidance he issued to primary care trusts on continued commissioning of non-improved access to psychological therapy (IAPT) services when IAPT services were introduced; and if he will make a statement; [45478]
(4) what range of therapies his Department expects to be included within the designation of improved access to psychological therapy; [45479]
(5) what assessment he has made of the extent to which pre-existing mental health services have been discontinued on the grounds that improved access to psychological therapy has superseded them; and which services have been discontinued. [45480]
Paul Burstow: The Department, through strategic health authorities, has monitored the use and application of growth funds allocated to develop Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services as part of comprehensive spending review 2007. This has been supported by commissioning guidance to primary care trusts (PCTs) aimed at ensuring that this investment has been used in addition to rather than substituting for related services. However, the Department does not hold this information centrally. Decisions about the range of services available to meet the needs of each area are the responsibility of local commissioners.
A total of 3,660 additional therapists and psychological well-being practitioners have started or completed IAPT-funded training since October 2008. Nearly 491,000 people have been seen by IAPT services between October 2008 and December 2010, with more than 243,000 completing treatment and a recovery rate of around 40%. More than 18,000 of the people treated have come off sick pay and benefits, who would not otherwise have been able to.
IAPT services are intended to complement and supplement a range of existing mental health services by providing primary and community based National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) approved treatment to people with depression and anxiety disorders. Historically, around 85% of adults experiencing these conditions have received no national health service support and IAPT is making good progress in addressing this problem.
At the start of the programme, it was envisaged that IAPT services would be additional to any psychological therapy services already in place, but this is a matter for
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the local NHS to determine in the light of its assessment of local need. Commissioning guidance to PCTs has been issued to ensure IAPT is delivered as an additional service rather than a replacement for existing services.
The IAPT programme exists to help the NHS put in place the evidence-based therapies approved by the NICE for treating depression and anxiety disorders. NICE approves cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), counselling, couple therapy, interpersonal therapy (IPT) and brief dynamic therapy for mild to moderate depression; CBT and IPT for moderate to severe depression; and CBT for all anxiety disorders.
Mental Health Services: Ex-servicemen
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many mental health nurses mental health trusts have recruited for the purposes of treating ex-service personnel in the last six months; and if he will make a statement. [45881]
Paul Burstow: The Government have made additional funds available from 2011-12 to allow the recruitment of 30 whole-time equivalent additional professionals to better meet the mental health needs of veterans. There is now an armed forces network in each English region and these networks will determine in detail how these additional staff are to be deployed, to deliver better mental health care to the armed forces, their families and veterans.
Mental Illness: Ex-servicemen
Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the (a) number of and (b) cost to the public purse of the treatment of ex-servicemen and women diagnosed with mental health issues in 2010. [46944]
Paul Burstow: There are estimated to be 5 million veterans in the United Kingdom. They make use of national health service care like any other member of the population and are not necessarily identified as veterans when they do so. It is therefore not possible to estimate either the number or costs involved. The Government recently announced a package of measures aimed at encouraging recent service leavers to access mental health services when they need them at a cost of £9.2 million over the next four years.
Musculoskeletal Disorders: Health Services
Heather Wheeler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much his Department spent on problems of the musculoskeletal system in (a) 2008-09 and (b) 2009-10; and if he will make a statement; [45895]
(2) how much (a) his Department and (b) the NHS spent on problems of the musculoskeletal system in each cost category in 2009-10. [45896]
Paul Burstow:
Total departmental expenditure on problems of the musculoskeletal system is available from estimated programme budgeting data for England. These data have been placed in the Library. Departmental
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expenditure includes expenditure incurred by primary care trusts, strategic health authorities and some special health authorities.
Further breakdown of expenditure on musculoskeletal conditions by cost category is not available from programme budgeting data.
NHS: Finance
Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department’s annual spend per head of population was in (a) Dudley and (b) Wolverhampton primary care trust area in the most recent financial year for which figures are available. [46059]
Mr Simon Burns: The amounts spent per head of population in 2009-10 by Dudley primary care trust (PCT) and Wolverhampton PCT are shown in the following table. 2009-10 is the most recent financial year for which figures are available.
| 2009-10 | |
| Organisation | £ |
| Notes: 1. “How much his Department spends” has been interpreted as meaning the total revenue expenditure of the PCT (the net operating costs). 2. The net operating cost is taken from the audited summarisation schedules of South Staffordshire PCT for 2009-10. This figure is divided by the PCT’s resident population to derive the spend per head figure. | |
NHS: Management Consultants
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much each of the sector primary care trusts in London has spent on consultancy services since their inception; [46079]
(2) how much NHS London and its sector primary care trusts have spent on consultancy services in financial year 2010-11. [46080]
Mr Simon Burns: This information is not collected centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact the organisations directly to obtain consultancy spend figures.
Nutrition: Flour
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment his Department has made of the recommendations of the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition on the refortification of wheat flour; and when he plans to issue guidance on that matter; [45380]
(2) what assessment he has made of the recommendations by the Food Standards Agency that all flour be fortified with folic acid. [45400]
Anne Milton:
The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) and Food Standards Agency Board has recommended mandatory fortification of wheat flour with folic acid in the United Kingdom, with controls on voluntary fortification and guidance on the use of supplements, as an effective measure to prevent pregnancies affected by neural tube defects. UK chief
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medical officers are currently giving the report and its recommendations on mandatory folic acid fortification their full consideration before advising Health Ministers. A decision on such an important public health intervention must be based on good science, independent advice provided by SACN, and balance the benefits as well as any potential risks.
Obesity: Children
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of his Department’s expenditure on tackling childhood obesity in 2010-11 to be spent on sport or physical recreation in 2010-11. [45869]
Anne Milton: In 2010-11, the Department transferred £10 million to the Department for Transport to support its work to promote cycling. £650,000 has been spent on initiatives to encourage walking. This is approximately 30% of the Department’s total obesity budget.
In addition, there has been further expenditure within this budget on programmes such as the Healthy Towns programme and the Change4Life campaign which aim to support people to become more active as well as promoting healthy eating.
Respite Care: Parents
Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what respite care his Department provides for parents of disabled and violent children. [46042]
Paul Burstow: The Government launched “Recognised, valued and supported: Next steps for the Carers Strategy” in November 2010. This sets out a framework for supporting the carers of both adults and ill and disabled children. As part of this £6 million of new funding has been made available to train general practitioners to identify and support carers and an additional £400 million has been announced to proved breaks for all carers, including carers of ill and disabled children.
The Department has worked with the Department for Education on a number of aspects of the Green Paper “Support and aspiration: A new approach to special educational needs and disability - A Consultation” published on 9 March. This outlines the ambition to provide ongoing respite care and short breaks for children to help families cope with their day-to-day caring responsibilities.
In December 2010, the Department for Education announced that it will provide over £800 million through the early intervention grant (EIG) to support short breaks for disabled children over the spending review period (£198 million in 2011-12; £202 million in 2012-13; £206 million in 2013-14; and £210 million in 2014-15). This figure represents a small increase in the levels of funding which were provided to local authorities for this activity in 2010-11, and includes the previously announced funding to be provided from child trust fund money.
Up to £30 million was made available in 2010-11 to the children’s palliative care sector, which plays an important part in the provision of respite to families of children with disabilities. Among the successful projects funded were several relating to respite care.
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More generally, the Government have committed to reducing the ring fences around central Government funding to allow local areas more autonomy and flexibility to prioritise and determine which services can be funded for families with disabled children, including parents of disabled and violent children.
Ritalin: Misuse
Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to reduce the incidence of misuse by adults of ritalin prescribed for children with ADHD as a recreational drug. [46044]
Mr Simon Burns: The Government recognise the dangers posed by diversion of controlled drugs such as methylphenidate (Ritalin) in the community. That is why methylphenidate is subject to strict conditions under schedule 1 of the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001.
It is the responsibility of prescribers to ensure that any medication prescribed is sufficient to meet the clinical circumstances of individual patients and is being used appropriately. The situation should be kept under review to ensure that the patient is benefiting from the treatment.
Streptococcus: Screening
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2011, Official Report, column 907W, on streptococcus: screening, what steps he plans to take to reduce the incidence of group B streptococcus. [46527]
Anne Milton: The Department supports the ‘Standards for Maternity Care’ published by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) in 2008, which state that maternity services should comply with evidence-based guidelines for the provision of high-quality clinical care.
We encourage the national health service to take into account the guidance for obstetricians, midwives and neonatologists provided by the RCOG which published its Green-top guideline No.36 on the prevention of early-onset neonatal Group B Streptococcus disease in November 2003.
The Department has asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to produce a clinical guideline on the use of antibiotics for the prevention and treatment of early onset neonatal infection. One of the relevant infections is Group B Streptococcus. The guideline is currently under development.
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Surgery: Waiting Lists
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the average waiting time is for cataract treatment (a) in each region and (b) as measured by the OECD; and if he will make a statement; [45850]
(2) what the average waiting time is for cataract surgery for a second eye; and what information his Department holds for international benchmarking purposes on the average such waiting time in other OECD countries. [45851]
Mr Simon Burns: The average (median) waiting time for cataract treatment in each strategic health authority (SHA) is shown in the following table.
| Median waiting time (days) for cataract surgery treatment, from decision to admit to admission, by SHA of commissioner in 2009-10 | |
|
|
Days |
| Notes: 1. 2009-10 is the latest period for which confirmed data are available. 2. Data include finished admission episodes with a main procedure or primary medical diagnosis of cataract surgery treatment. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), the Information Centre for Health and Social Care | |
Data on waiting times for cataract surgery for a second eye are not held centrally. There is no mechanism to extract data relating to a previous procedure from HES and therefore the time waited between the completion of cataract surgery on the first and second eye.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development health data statistics and indicators do not include current comparative information on waiting times for cataract treatment and the Department does not hold information on waiting times for cataract surgery for international benchmarking purposes.
Urology: Nurses
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many stoma care nurses there were in the NHS in (a) 2001, (b) 2006 and (c) the most recent year for which figures are available. [46216]
Anne Milton: The information requested is not collected by the Department.