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Deportation: Children
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children of failed asylum seekers have been removed from the UK in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [56356]
Damian Green [holding answer 19 May 2011]: There were 316 children of failed asylum seekers removed from the UK between the 1 May 2010 and 30 April 2011.
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many family groups of failed asylum seekers which include children have been removed from the UK in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [56357]
Damian Green [holding answer 19 May 2011]: There were 230 family groups of failed asylum seekers which include children removed from the UK between 1 May 2010 and 30 April 2011.
All figures quoted are internal management information only and are subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols.
The Government have developed a fresh approach to managing the return of families with children who do not have a legal right to be in the UK. The aim is to maximise the opportunity for families to take responsibility for how they leave the country and to avoid the need for their departure to be enforced by the UK Border Agency. Most elements of this new process were rolled out nationally on 1 March 2011. All families with children that remain unlawfully in the UK could potentially go through this new returns process. The number of families who go through the different stages of the new process will depend on the decisions they take about their departure so is difficult to predict accurately, but we hope that most will take the chance to leave at the earlier assisted or required return stages. This new approach will not apply to children who are unaccompanied.
Domestic Violence
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what domestic violence refuges her Department funded in each region in 2010-11; and what the (a) level and (b) source of funding was in each case. [51286]
Lynne Featherstone: The Home Office funded Sojourner Project provides accommodation and support via refuges to victims of domestic violence who entered the UK on a spouse or partner visa and subsequently have no recourse to public funds after being forced to flee their home. The Home Office provided almost £2 million of funding to support the Sojourner Project during 2010-11. £2.4 million has been allocated to enhance and continue this project in 2011-12.
Supporting People, funded by the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG), provides housing related support services for vulnerable people, including women fleeing domestic violence. DCLG secured investment of £6.5 billion for Supporting People during the spending review; this equates to an average annual reduction of less than 1% in cash terms. Funding for
23 May 2011 : Column 412W
Supporting People services forms part of local authorities' overall formula grant, and it is for local authorities to make decisions regarding funding for Supporting People services based on their local needs and priorities, which may include the funding of refuges.
Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research her Department has undertaken on the incidence of offences of domestic violence in police authority areas where domestic violence units (a) are and (b) are not in place. [56277]
Lynne Featherstone: Research of this nature has not been undertaken centrally by the Home Office. The British Crime Survey (BCS) contains a self-completion module which is used to measure the prevalence of domestic abuse victimisation in the last year and since the age of 16. However, information on the location of domestic violence units is not centrally available and therefore it is not possible to compare prevalence rates in those police forces that do have domestic violence units with those that do not.
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether any independent domestic violence adviser posts funded by her Department are based in police forces. [56907]
Lynne Featherstone: According to the information available, 32 out of the 144 independent domestic violence advisers (IDVAs) funded by the Home Office in 2011-12 are either based in police stations or spend a significant part of their time in police stations. In some cases applicants were still to decide on the location of the IDVA.
Drugs: Crime Prevention
Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on the assignment of police officers to duties outside European countries as part of international efforts to counter drug smuggling. [56851]
Nick Herbert: The fight against organised crime and drugs is one of the UK's top priorities and given the international nature of organised crime, work with international partners is becoming increasingly important in reducing harm to the UK. Assistance is delivered through police forces and a number of other policing and Government agencies.
The assignment of police officers is a matter for chief constables or heads of policing agencies. Serving officers from forces in England and Wales who travel overseas to provide assistance to international organisations or other bodies engaged in policing activities must be authorised to do so by their police authority and the Secretary of State for the Home Department (under the provisions of Section 26 of the Police Act 1996).
Electoral Register
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many registered electors are resident in each police authority area. [55837]
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Nick Herbert [holding answer 16 May 2011]:The information requested is shown in the following table:
| Police area | Population | Registered electors |
Firearms: Young Offenders
Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people under the age of 18 years were investigated by the police for illegal use of airguns in each of the last five years in each police authority area in England and Wales. [56512]
Nick Herbert: The information requested is not collected centrally. The age of persons investigated for committing offences involving the use of firearms, including air weapons, cannot be identified from the police recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office.
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Fraud
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what responsibilities police and crime commissioners will have in respect of economic crime. [55828]
Nick Herbert: The Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) will be required to hold chief constables to account for the full range of their responsibilities, which will include economic crime.
Independent Police Complaints Commission: Finance
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 28 April 2011, Official Report, column 586W, on the Independent Police Complaints Commission, what the (a) resource and (b) capital grants to the Independent Police Complaints Commission were in inflation-adjusted terms from 2005-06 to 2011-12. [56371]
Nick Herbert: Further to the information provided on 28 April 2011, Official Report, column 586W, the resource and capital grants paid to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, adjusted in line with inflation, can be calculated by reference to the gross domestic product deflators. These may be found on Her Majesty's Treasury website at the following link:
http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/data_gdp_fig.htm
National Public Order Intelligence Unit
Mr Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) whether she has any plans to make a statement to the House following the publication of the report of the review by Her Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary into the operational accountability of undercover work conducted by the National Public Order Intelligence Unit and how intelligence activity is authorised in law; [55492]
(2) by what means Her Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary will assess proportionality as part of its review of the operational accountability of undercover work conducted by the National Public Order Intelligence Unit and how intelligence activity is authorised in law. [55493]
Nick Herbert: Her Majesty’s inspectorate of constabulary (HMIC) is specifically considering the rote of authorising officers in relation to intelligence activity as part of its inquiry, supported by advice from senior Queen’s counsel as to the applicable law. The concept of proportionality applicable to the activities of the National Public Order Intelligence Unit is being assessed against requirements of the European convention on human rights and the Human Rights Act 1998.
The Government have given a commitment to ensure that the findings of the review will be published by HMIC and will await the outcome of the review before taking a decision on whether a statement to the House is appropriate.
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Northumbria Police
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the rate of employee attrition for (a) civilian staff and (b) warranted officers in Northumbria police force was in each of the last five years for which figures are available; [55711]
(2) how many (a) civilian staff and (b) warranted officers Northumbria police employed in each year from 2002-03. [55713]
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Nick Herbert: The available figures for Northumbria police force show the rate of employee attrition for civilian staff and warranted officers from 2005-06 to 2009-10. For the purposes of this answer, we have taken employee attrition to mean the total number of leavers during the financial year as a percentage of the total number of staff in post at the end of the financial year. The second table shows the number of civilian and warranted officers employed in Northumbria police force from 2002-03 to 2009-10.
| Rate of employee attrition (FTE) (1) for civilian staff and warranted officers in Northumbria police force from 2005-06 to 2009-10 | ||||||
| Leavers (4) | Strength (5) | Employee attrition (6) | ||||
|
|
Civilian staff (2) | Warranted officers (3) | Civilian staff (2) | Warranted officers (3) | Civilian staff (2) (percentage) | Warranted officers (3 ) (percentage) |
| (1) This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (2) Civilian staff are police staff. (3) Warranted officers are police officers. (4) Leavers during the financial year. (5) Strength at the end of financial year. (6) Employee attrition—leavers during the financial year as a percentage of staff in post at the end of the financial year. | ||||||
| Number of civilian staff and warranted officers employed (FTE) (1) in Northumbria police force from 2002-03 to 2009-10 (4) | ||
|
|
Civilian staff (2) | Warranted officers (3) |
| (1 )This table contains full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (2) Civilian staff are police staff. (3) Warranted officers are police officers. (4) Strength at the end of the reporting period, as at 31 March. | ||
Nottinghamshire Police
Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will estimate the proportion of time spent on frontline policing duties by officers in the Nottinghamshire police force in the latest period for which figures are available. [49144]
Nick Herbert: Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary's (HMIC) report, “Demanding Times”, published on 30 March, provides the definition of frontline, middle office and back office police functions. A copy of the report is available at:
http://www.hmic.gov.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/Thematics/THM_20110330.pdf
Full details of policing roles, their categorisation by frontline, middle office and back office, and an estimate of the percentage of resource allocated to the front line under this definition across England and Wales in 2010 appear on pages 19-21 of the report. Because the proportion of time spent on the front line by officers in different roles will have varied in earlier years and across forces, we are not able to give estimates at force level or for earlier years.
Police
Mr Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of time police officers in each force spent on frontline policing duties in each year since 2007. [53364]
Nick Herbert: Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary's (HMIC) report ‘Demanding Times’, published on 30 March 2011, provides the definition of frontline, middle office and back office police functions. A copy of the report is available at:
http://www.hmic.gov.uk/SiteCollectionDocuments/Thematics/THM_20110330.pdf
Full details of policing roles, their categorisation by frontline, middle office and back office, and an estimate of the percentage of resource allocated to the front line under this definition across England and Wales in 2010 appear on pages 19-21 of the report. Because the proportion of time spent on the front line by officers in different roles will have varied in earlier years and across forces, we are not able to give estimates at force level or for earlier years.
Police: Ammunition
Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the use of hollow-point ammunition by police forces; and if she will make a statement. [55808]
Nick Herbert:
It is for chief officers to decide what ammunition and weapons are appropriate to use in order to meet operational requirements, subject to the general law that the use of force by the police must be reasonable in the circumstances. A review of 9mm
23 May 2011 : Column 417W
ammunition by the Home Office Scientific Development Branch (now the Centre for Applied Science and Technology) found that hollow point ammunition performed better than the current standard 9mm round. That review was passed on to the Association of Chief Police Officers.
Police: Complaints
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 28 April 2011, Official Report, column 586W, on the Independent Police Complaints Commission, how many complaints the Independent Police Complaints Commission has investigated in each financial year since 2005-06. [56372]
Nick Herbert: The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) investigates only the most serious matters and complaints relating to the conduct of an officer or member of police staff. The majority of complaints are dealt with at the local level by the relevant police force. The following table shows the number of independent and managed investigations conducted by the IPCC in each year since 2005-06. Figures for 2010-11 are yet to be published.
|
|
2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 |
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many working hours were spent on the Independent Police Complaints Commission report into allegations against the Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable of North Yorkshire Police following a recruitment campaign for police constables; and what the cost of the investigation was. [56646]
Nick Herbert: The Home Office does not hold this information.
These are matters for the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which will respond to you directly.
Police: Jamaica
Stephen Pound: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers are assigned to duties in Jamaica; and how many were so assigned in (a) 2009 and (b) 2010. [56849]
Nick Herbert: Since 2009 the Metropolitan Police Service has seconded an officer to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) in Jamaica, in order to assist the Jamaicans in relation to capacity building projects and training; and to undertake police inquiries that emanate from UK based operations. These involve investigation into serious crimes: murder, firearms, drug trafficking and money laundering.
Since August 2010, there has been one Metropolitan Police Service officer conducting financial inquiries in tandem with SOCA officers and assisting Jamaica's capacity capabilities. No other forces have officers assigned to Jamaica.
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Police: Manpower
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers per head of population there are in (a) England and (b) Wales. [56484]
Nick Herbert: The available figures show the number of police officers per 100,000 population in England and in Wales as at 31 March 2010.
| Police officer strength in England and Wales as at 31 March 2010 by police force area and officers per 100,000 population—Full-time equivalents (1) | ||
| Police force | All police officers | Total officers per 100,000 population (2) |
| (1) This and other tables contain full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. (2) Officers per 100,000 population for City of London and Metropolitan police are combined. | ||
Police: Mass Media
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 March 2011, Official Report, column 877W, on police: mass media, if she will discuss with the Metropolitan police service the use of private investigators by media organisations to follow serving police officers in the course of their duties; and if she will make a statement. [56365]
Nick Herbert [holding answer 19 May 2011]: We have no plans to do so.
Police: Termination of Employment
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanism exists for a police officer leaving a police force to ensure that their employer completes the leaving date on their leaving certificate. [56801]
Nick Herbert: Regulation 17 of the Police Regulations 2003 requires police forces to issue leavers with a certificate showing final rank and setting out the period of service in that force and in any other force.
Police: Trade Unions
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff of each police force are entitled to work (a) full-time as trade union representatives and (b) part-time on trade union activities; how many such staff are paid more than £25,900 per annum; and what the cost to the public purse of employing such staff was in the latest period for which figures are available. [56454]
Nick Herbert: It is for individual chief officers to determine local policy for police staff trade union activities. The Home Office does not collect information on police staff trade union activity or costs.
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Security Services: Data Protection
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether data losses have been reported to her Department by the security services as a result of computer hacking by media organisations in the last five years. [56417]
James Brokenshire: There have been no data losses reported to the Home Office by the security services as a result of computer hacking by media organisations in the last five years.
Serious Organised Crime Agency
Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to receive the Serious Organised Crime Agency's annual report for 2009-10. [56850]
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Nick Herbert: The Serious Organised Crime Agency's (SOCA) Annual Report and Accounts for 2009-10 was laid before Parliament in July 2010. A copy of the report is also available on the SOCA website at:
www.soca.gov.uk
Health
Ambulance Services: Expenditure
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much per capita his Department spent on ambulance services in each of the last five years. [56482]
Mr Simon Burns: The information is not held centrally in the format requested. The information shown in the following tables is the total spend on ambulance services, per trust, in each of the last five years.
| 2005-06 NHS ambulance trusts total expenditure | |
| Trust | Total expenditure (£000) |
|
Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Ambulance and Paramedic NHS Trust |
|
| Source: 2005-06 NHS Trusts Financial Returns | |
| 2006-10 NHS ambulance trusts total expenditure | ||||
| Total expenditure (£000) | ||||
| Trust | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 |
23 May 2011 : Column 421W
23 May 2011 : Column 422W
| Note: The figures provided show the total expenditure, before finance costs, of each ambulance trust between 2005-06 and 2009-10. A separate table is provided for 2006-10 owing to changes in organisations over the time period. Source: NHS Trusts Financial Returns | ||||
Bladder Cancer
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has any plans for an awareness campaign about the causes and symptoms of bladder cancer. [56673]
Paul Burstow: “Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer”, published on 12 January 2011, sets out an ambition to save an additional 5,000 lives every year by 2014-15 through earlier diagnosis of cancer and improved access to screening and radiotherapy. A copy has already been placed in the Library. To support earlier diagnosis of cancer the Government have committed over £450 million over the next four years, which includes provision for the funding of awareness activity.
The focus of future campaign work will be determined by evaluation of current cancer awareness activity, including £9 million to support 59 local projects focusing on breast, bowel and lung cancer and £1.75 million to trial a national bowel cancer campaign in two regions. However, we know that all the 5,000 lives cannot be saved by tackling these common cancers alone, and we are considering how we might extend the previous campaigns to cover other cancers, including bladder cancer.
Bladder Cancer: Research
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has for extended research trials for bladder cancer. [56825]
Paul Burstow: The Department's National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network (CRN) is currently hosting 14 trials and other well-designed studies in bladder cancer that are in set-up or recruiting patients. Details can be found on the UK CRN portfolio database at:
http://public.ukcrn.org.uk/search
Blood: CJD
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on prion filtration. [56533]
Anne Milton: The Department has received representations in the form of parliamentary questions and correspondence from industry about the use of prion filtration.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate his Department has made of the total cost of leuco-depletion in its first year of implementation; [56534]
(2) what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the NHS of leuco-depletion in each of the last five years. [56535]
Anne Milton: The total cost of leuco-depletion in the first year of implementation 1998-99 was £35 million.
Information on the cost of leuco-depletion in the last five years is shown in the following table:
| Cost of leuco-depletion by year | |
|
|
£ million |
| Note: Costs are estimates based on approximate costs of filter in an integral pack format for the last five years. Source: NHS Blood and Transplant | |
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the cost of implementing prion filtration for all transfusion blood using the P-Capt filter. [56536]
Anne Milton: Initial assessments of the estimated costs, which remain commercial in confidence, were made in October 2009. The recommendations of the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs are dependant upon the outcome of the prion filtered red blood cells in surgery patients (PRISM) study, the assessment of the results of which is not expected until 2012. No final estimates, based on the costs applicable at that time, can be made until then.
Breast Cancer: Screening
Mr Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness and accuracy of mammogram screening for the detection of invasive lobular carcinoma; [56221]
(2) what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effectiveness of ultrasound breast screening in addition to mammography screening for women with dense breasts; [56222]
(3) what estimate he has made of the cost of introducing supplemental ultrasound breast screening as part of the NHS breast screening programme. [56223]
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Paul Burstow: Mammography screening is regarded as the gold standard for breast screening. This has been determined through rigorous clinical trials and is supported and promoted by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer.
However, like other screening tests, it is not perfect, and we know that some cancers, such as invasive lobular carcinoma, may be more difficult to detect with a mammogram than other types of breast cancer. This is why we encourage all women to be breast aware, check for any changes and report any changes to their general practitioner as quickly as possible.
The Department has commissioned no research into the effectiveness of ultrasound breast screening in addition to mammography screening for women with dense breasts. Mammography is the only screening modality that has proven to reduce the mortality from breast cancer. Digital mammography has been shown to be more effective for younger women and women with dense breasts, and we are in the process of digitising the national health service breast screening programme (NHS BSP) in England. By the end of May 2011, 83% of local programmes will have at least one digital machine and 35% will be fully digital.
Ultrasound screening may be used within the NHS BSP as part of the triple assessment process.
Cancer: Drugs
Esther McVey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the capacity of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to carry out appraisals for innovative inhibitor therapies for rare cancers where the target population is very small. [56467]
Paul Burstow: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has appraised, or is appraising, a number of inhibitor therapies for less common cancers. Full information on NICE's appraisal methodology is available in its “Guide to the Methods of Technology Appraisal”, available at:
www.nice.org.uk/aboutnice/howwework/devnicetech/technologyappraisalprocessguides/guidetothemethodsoftechnologyappraisal.jsp
Cancer: Medical Treatments
Mr Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the capacity of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to carry out appraisals for innovative inhibitor therapies for rare cancers; what recent assessment he has made of the availability of such therapies; and if he will make a statement. [57177]
Paul Burstow: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has appraised, or is appraising, a number of inhibitor therapies for less common cancers. Full information on NICE'S appraisal methodology is available in its “Guide to the Methods of Technology Appraisal”, available at:
www.nice.org.uk/aboutnice/howwework/devnicetech/technologyappraisalprocessguides/guidetothemethodsoftechnologyappraisal.jsp
23 May 2011 : Column 424W
Primary care trusts are legally obliged to fund drugs and treatments recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance, within three months of guidance being published, unless the requirement is waived in a specific case.
We also launched the Cancer Drugs Fund in April 2011, which makes £200 million available in each of the next three years to help thousands more cancer patients access the drugs their clinicians believe will help them.
Cancer: Research
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department allocated to research into (a) breast, (b) prostate, (c) ovarian, (d) pancreatic and (e) bladder cancer in each of the last 10 years. [56682]
Paul Burstow: Information on expenditure by the Department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) on research into individual tumour sites is not held centrally. The number of NIHR Clinical Research Network studies in breast, prostate, ovarian, pancreatic, and bladder cancer that are currently in set-up or recruiting patients are shown in the following table:
|
|
Number |
Details can be found on the UK Clinical Research Network portfolio database at:
http://public.ukcrn.org.uk/search
The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI), a United Kingdom-wide partnership between Government, charities and industry, makes cancer research information available online via the International Cancer Research Portfolio database at:
www.cancerportfolio.org
The NCRI published an analysis of the national cancer research portfolio that includes details of expenditure by its partner organisations on research into individual tumour sites. The analysis is available online at:
www.ncri.org.uk/includes/Publications/reports/analysisReport08.pdf
A more detailed account of annual aggregated portfolio expenditure is given in an associated data package available at:
www.ncri.org.uk/includes/Publications/reports/Data_package.xls
Drugs: Hospitals
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people were (a) admitted to and (b) treated in hospital as a result of taking natural remedies in the last five years; [56210]
(2) how many people were (a) admitted to and (b) treated in hospital as a result of taking licensed drugs in the last five years. [56211]
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Paul Burstow: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care does not hold the information in the form requested. However, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) Yellow Card Scheme provides for voluntary reporting of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) by healthcare professionals and members of the public. The scheme is run by the MHRA and Commission for Human Medicines and collects ADR reports from across the whole United Kingdom for all medicines, including herbal products. There is also a legal obligation for pharmaceutical companies to report all serious ADRs for their products that they are aware of.
As the scheme is voluntary, it is recognised that not all ADRs are reported. Data collected through the Yellow Card Scheme do not represent all patients who have suffered an adverse reaction to a medicine. Therefore it is not possible to provide the number of people who were admitted and treated in hospital as a result of taking a natural remedy or licensed drug.
The following table provides a breakdown of the total number of UK spontaneous suspected ADR reports received by the MHRA during the last five years where the reporter has stated that the ADR resulted in or prolonged hospitalisation.
|
|
Number of reports |
This dataset includes all UK spontaneous ‘suspected' ADR reports for all medicines including herbal medicines.
Natural remedies can include homeopathic remedies, flower remedies, vitamins, food substances and a number of other unlicensed medicines. Suspected ADRs are recorded according to the active drug substance and reports for natural remedies are not specifically identified as such. Without knowing the exact name of the natural remedy, the data can not be extracted.
It is important to note that the reporting of a suspected adverse reaction does not necessarily mean it is related to the drug. The MHRA ask reporters to send them ‘suspicions' of ADRs: however, these are not proven. Many factors have to be taken into account in assessing causal relationships including temporal association, the possible contribution of concomitant medication and the underlying disease being treated.
Food Poisoning
Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many incidents of food-borne illness were reported in (a) 2005, (b) 2006, (c) 2007, (d) 2008, (e) 2009 and (f) 2010. [56304]
Anne Milton: The number of laboratory-confirmed cases of Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli O157, Listeria monocytogenes and norovirus infection in the United Kingdom each year between 2005 and 2010 are shown in the following table. The data for 2010 are provisional.
The Food Standards Agency has monitored changes in the number of cases of these key foodborne pathogens since 2000 (norovirus since 2005).
23 May 2011 : Column 426W
| UK | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 |
| Source: Health Protection Agency, Health Protection Scotland, Public Health Agency Northern Ireland. | ||||||
General Practitioners
Nicky Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the loss of patient records from GP surgeries; and whether his Department has commissioned any research into data storage methods in (a) GP surgeries and (b) NHS hospitals. [56213]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department receives reports on the most serious incidents involving loss of patient data but it does not routinely collect information about less significant incidents or about the loss of individual patient records. Details of reported incidents are published on strategic health authority websites. Fifteen incidents involving loss of patient data were reported in 2008, four in 2009 and five in 2010.
Responsibility for data storage rests with each national health service organisation, whether general practitioner practice or NHS trust and the Department has not commissioned any research into the data storage methods used. Comprehensive guidance is available on the secure retention of data and records and commissioners of patient care services are expected to hold providers to account against published information governance standards.
Health and Social Care Bill
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to propose that the Health and Social Care Bill be recommitted to a Public Bill Committee. [57085]
Paul Burstow: The Government will make decisions on what changes to propose to the Health and Social Care Bill once the current listening exercise has concluded and the report of the NHS Future Forum has been received.
Health Professions: Patients
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what measures are in place to monitor the conduct of professional interpersonal relationships between staff and patients in NHS hospitals; [56732]
(2) what measures are in place to monitor the (a) nursing and (b) medical care experienced by patients in NHS hospitals. [56796]
Mr Simon Burns:
The National Patient Survey Programme, co-ordinated by the Care Quality Commission, is used to measure different aspects of patients' experiences of care. Surveys contain a variety of experience-based
23 May 2011 : Column 427W
questions, which include questions on the relationships between doctors, nurses and patients, and care and treatment.
National health service organisations may also measure patient experience according to local requirements.
Health Services: Merseyside
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with (a) St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust and (b) others about a possible merger between that Trust and North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust; and if he will make a statement. [56681]
Mr Simon Burns: No formal discussions have taken place with Ministers on a potential merger of the Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (previously North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust) with another NHS trust.
At a Westminster Hall debate on 4 May 2011 on ‘Private Finance Initiative Hospitals’, the potential for the St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to merge with another NHS trust as an option for achieving foundation trust status was discussed. The Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was identified as a possible merger partner, given its geographical proximity to the St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. However, the St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is still considering all options that are available to achieve foundation trust status.
On 16 May 2011, I briefly discussed this issue in a telephone conversation with my hon. Friend the Member for Warrington South (David Mowat).
Work is continuing on the development of a Tripartite Formal Agreement between St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust, North West Strategic Health Authority and the Department to set out the agreed options that will enable the trust to obtain foundation trust status.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to ensure that (a) staff at Warrington hospital and (b) the public in Warrington are consulted on any possible merger between North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust and St Helens and Knowsley NHS Trust. [57180]
Paul Burstow: Any proposed mergers involving national health service trusts or NHS foundation trusts will be required to include the appropriate consultations in line with the legislative requirements for any such changes.
Under the current legislation, for a merger to occur between an NHS trust and an NHS foundation trust, the applicants must consult about the application in accordance with regulations. This includes a requirement to consult with the staff employed by the applicants and individuals who live in any area specified in the proposed constitution as the area for a public constituency, among other parties.
In relation to a possible merger between Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (formerly North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust) and St Helens and Knowsley NHS Trust, if this was the decision taken to support the achievement of foundation trust status
23 May 2011 : Column 428W
and sustain the provision of high quality healthcare services, then these consultation requirements would need to be undertaken.
Health Services: Older People
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the merits of developing a tool to assess the biological rather than chronological age of a patient when determining the suitability of older patients for different forms of treatment; and if he will make a statement. [56541]
Paul Burstow: No assessment of the merits of developing a tool to assess the biological rather than chronological age of patients has been made by the Department. The Department’s work on achieving age equality in health and social care services is based on the legal framework and definitions set out in the Equality Act 2010. Treatment and care in the national health service is provided on the basis of clinical need. We intend to ban from 2012, where it is not clinically justified, all forms of age discrimination in the treatment of patients by the NHS.
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps are being taken by his Department to support clinicians in fully assessing the suitability of older patients for different forms of treatment; [56542]
(2) what plans his Department has to commission research on clinical attitudes to the treatment of older people; and if he will make a statement. [56543]
Paul Burstow: Clinicians are responsible, within their area of competence, for treating patients based on the assessment they and the patient make of the patient's needs and priorities, and on clinical judgments about the likely effectiveness of the treatment options; and in accordance with guidance from their respective professional bodies and regulators. For example, the curriculum for general medical practitioners (GPs) set out by the Royal College of General Practitioners and endorsed by the General Medical Council requires a GP to develop the skills needed to assess the particular needs of older people and the suitability of treatment options.
The Pharmaceutical Oncology Initiative, in partnership with the Department, is commissioning research to explore the extent to which age is a factor in treatment decisions for a range of cancers, as well as the extent to which clinical attitudes vary across different cancer types and in different countries. The results will be available in the second half of 2011.
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he expects the same commencement date for the ban on age discrimination to be applied in the health and social care sectors as in other sectors. [56549]
Paul Burstow: Subject to ongoing public consultation, the ban on age discrimination in services, public functions and associations in health and social care is expected to come into effect in April 2012 as in other sectors.
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what mechanisms have been put in place to minimise (a) indirect and (b) direct age discrimination in the health service; [56551]
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(2) what assessment he has made of the (a) nature, (b) extent and (c) variability of age discrimination in the health and social care system; [56552]
(3) what assessment he has made of the levels of (a) indirect and (b) direct age discrimination in the health and social care system; [56553]
(4) what assessment he has made of the recommendations outlined in Achieving Age Equality in Health and Social Care; and if he will make a statement; [56555]
(5) what steps his Department is taking to promote age equality in the health and social care sector; and if he will make a statement; [56556]
(6) what recent assessment he has made of the extent of age discrimination in the health and social care sector; and if he will make a statement. [56557]
Paul Burstow: The Department commissioned a detailed review in 2009 to identify where age discrimination was most likely to occur within health and social care services. The review report, ‘Achieving Age Equality in Health and Social Care’, made recommendations on how the health and social care sector could end age discrimination and promote age equality in the light of the provisions in the Equality Act 2010. These have formed the basis of the Government’s plans to implement the ban on age discrimination in health and social care from April 2012 as set out in ‘Equality Act 2010: banning age discrimination in services, public functions and associations, a consultation on proposed exceptions to the ban’ which was published by the Government Equalities Office on 3 March 2011. This consultation, which reflects the Government's intention of introducing no exceptions to the ban in health and social care services, ends on 25 May 2011. Having no exceptions to the ban means that from April 2012 any use of age in decision-making in health and social care services will need to be objectively justified.
Heart Diseases: Children
Mr Sutcliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) on what dates the foreign language translations of the consultation documents for the review of Children's Congenital Cardiac Services will be made available to the public; [56944]
(2) what proportion of patients being treated at the children's congenital cardiac service at Leeds General Infirmary are from black and minority ethnic backgrounds; [56945]
(3) into which languages the consultation documents for the review of Children's Congenital Cardiac Services will be translated; [56946]
(4) on what date the consultation documents for the review of Children's Congenital Cardiac Services were made available in (a) English and (b) Welsh. [56947]
Paul Burstow: The ‘Safe and Sustainable’ review of children's heart services in England is being conducted by the NHS Specialised Commissioning Team. We have, however, been following its progress.
Translations of the consultation documents have been available on request. Acting on requests received, the NHS is translating the consultation document and response
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forms into 10 different languages. They are available in Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Farsi, Gujarati, Polish, Hindi, Punjabi, Somali and Urdu.
The English consultation documents for the review of children's congenital cardiac services were available on the National Specialised Service's website from 1 March 2011. The Welsh version was made available on 25 March 2011. They can be found at:
www.specialisedservices.nhs.uk/document/safe-sustainable-a-new-vision-children-s-congenital-heart-services-in-england-consultation-document
Information on the proportion of patients being treated at the children's congenital cardiac service at Leeds General Infirmary who are from black and minority ethnic backgrounds is not held centrally.
Hospitals: Admissions
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many infants were admitted to hospital with a respiratory episode attributable to passive smoke in each primary care trust area in the latest period for which figures are available. [56697]
Anne Milton: Data are not available in the format requested.
However, the Royal College of Physicians' report, ‘Passive smoking and children. A report by the Tobacco Advisory Group’ London: RCP; 2010, states that:
“lower respiratory infections are common in infants, resulting, for example, in over 33,000 hospital admissions in infants aged under two years in England alone, where about 10 per cent are estimated to be due to passive smoke exposure”.
Hospitals: Repairs and Maintenance
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much per capita his Department spent on maintaining and improving hospital premises in each of the last five years. [56481]
Mr Simon Burns: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.
National health service organisations are locally responsible for deciding the amount of expenditure they make with regard to maintaining and improving their hospital premises. Such decisions will be based on the state of their premises, their strategy for using their premises to support clinical services and their available resources.
| Revenue expenditure spent on facility management costs by the NHS per capita; (some maintenance and improvement of facilities will be funded through capital expenditure not included in these figures) | |||
|
|
Facility management costs (£) | Population number | Cost of occupancy per capita (£/number) |
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| Source: The facility management cost is the revenue expenditure costs including labour, materials, equipment, consumables, management and contracting that are incurred to deliver the maintenance and improvement of premises. These data are as provided by the NHS through the Estates Return Information Collection system and have not been amended centrally. | |||
The population numbers are the final mid-year population estimates (2001 census based) published by the Office for National Statistics. The 2005-08 figures were adjusted in May 2010 to reflect revisions to migration methodology.
Influenza: Vaccination
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that adequate influenza vaccinations are available in the winter of 2011. [56458]
Anne Milton: The chief medical officer (CMO) wrote to the national health service on 14 March asking strategic health authorities (SHAs) to assure themselves that robust local plans were in place for the seasonal flu immunisation programme for this winter. The Department will maintain an ongoing dialogue with SHAs on this subject until the start of the flu season and beyond.
A copy of the CMO letter of 14 March has been placed in the Library.
Macular Degeneration: Drugs
Mr Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects avastin to be available through the NHS to patients suffering from wet age-related macular degeneration. [56952]
Paul Burstow: Avastin is not licensed for use in the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration.
Clinicians can prescribe medicines off-licence, subject to primary care trusts agreeing funding, if they feel it is right for an individual patient after discussing the potential risks and taking into account the patient’s medical history. In those circumstances, the clinician would have to retain clinical responsibility for the patient while prescribing the drug.
NHS Blood and Transplant
Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to privatise the NHS Blood and Transplant service. [56818]
Anne Milton: I refer the right hon. Member to the written answer I gave the hon. Member for Easington (Grahame M. Morris) on 8 March 2011, Official Report, column 991W. There are no plans to privatise the blood service.
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NHS: Equality
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects of the roll-out of information prescriptions and targeted information on levels of inequality in the national health service. [56539]
Paul Burstow: Information prescriptions are intended to support everyone to access the information they need to take control of their health and manage their condition. The Department has not specifically assessed the effect of information prescriptions on inequality in the national health service.
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in developing key performance indicators to measure levels of inequality in the national health service; and if he will make a statement. [56540]
Paul Burstow: One of the key principles of the “NHS Outcomes Framework 2011/12” is the need to promote equality and reduce inequalities in health outcomes.
In selecting outcomes and determining how they should be measured, active consideration has been given to how the indicators can be analysed by equality and inequalities dimensions to support NHS action on reducing health inequalities and promoting equality. In addition to the legally protected characteristics (age, race, religion or belief, sex, disability and sexual orientation only), particular consideration has been given to socio-economic and area deprivation as these are drivers of poor health outcomes.
Furthermore, the set of principles that the Secretary of State for Health and the proposed NHS Commissioning Board will use when negotiating levels of ambition against the indicators in the NHS Outcomes Framework includes consideration of inequalities in health outcomes taking into account equalities characteristics, disadvantage and area deprivation, where it is possible to do so.
The framework will help the proposed NHS Commissioning Board to play its full part in promoting equality in line with the Equality Act 2010 and tackling inequalities.
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the merits of developing additional equality metrics to measure progress on reducing inequality in the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [56545]
Paul Burstow: Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 places a general Equality Duty on listed public authorities, including NHS organisations and the Department of Health to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation, advance equality and promote good relations. Information is key to providing transparency to evidence progress made in reducing inequality in line with the three aims of the Equality Duty.
On 17 March 2011 a ‘policy review’ was launched by the Minister for Women and Equalities. This review proposed a less process orientated approach to equality. Any proposals around the development of additional policy metrics by the Department would need to be within the context of the results of that policy review.
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The “NHS Outcomes Framework”, published in December 2010, contains an initial assessment at Annex A of the indicators that can be analysed by equalities dimensions to support NHS action on reducing inequality in the NHS. In addition to the legally protected characteristics (age, race, religion or belief, sex, disability and sexual orientation only), consideration has also been given to socio-economic and area deprivation as these are drivers of poor health outcomes. A copy is available in the Library.
We are assessing the availability of indicators that can be disaggregated by equality characteristics, as well as other breakdowns with suppliers.
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of coordination at (a) regional and (b) local level in implementing the provisions of the Equality Act 2010 in the NHS. [56547]
Paul Burstow: Each national health service organisation is responsible for ensuring that it understands and complies with the requirements of the Equality Act 2010. The Act requires all public bodies, including NHS organisations, to assess and consider equality issues when developing and delivering services.
At the regional level, all strategic health authorities, often supported by the Department, have run events and programmes about the Equality Act 2010 to ensure that organisations in their regions understand what they need to do and work towards a common approach.
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department's support to local health organisations in monitoring and analysing patterns of health service provision by age; and if he will make a statement. [56548]
Paul Burstow: The Department and its arm's length bodies offer a range of commissioning guidance and other support. It is a matter for local national health service bodies to identify the needs of their local population and commission the appropriate services.
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that the organisations and individuals responsible for the distribution of resources within the health and social care system are aware of the legislative requirements arising from the Equality Act 2010. [56550]
Paul Burstow: Guidance is available from a number of sources including the Equality and Human Rights Commission, the Government Equalities Office and NHS Employers with whom the Department is working to support the national health service to implement the Equality Act 2010.
The ‘NHS Operating Framework 2011-12’ reminds NHS organisations to ensure that all decisions are taken with due regard to the public sector Equality Duty to ensure that decisions are fair, transparent, accountable, evidence-based and consider the needs and rights of staff and patients across all the equality characteristics.
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Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken by his Department to work with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to (a) review its guidance to ensure it is compliant with the Equality Act 2010, and (b) promote further research on ageing; and if he will make a statement. [56554]
Mr Simon Burns: As a public authority, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is required to fulfil its duties under the Equality Act 2010. It is for NICE as an independent body to ensure that its guidance is compliant with the Act.
Where it considers the evidence base is lacking, NICE can make research recommendations as part of its guidance.
NHS: Manpower
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many nurses there are per head of population; [56475]
(2) how many GPs there are per head of population. [56476]
Mr Simon Burns: The following table gives the numbers of nurses and general practitioners (GPs) per head of population as at 30 September 2010, the date of the last NHS Workforce Census.
| Number of nurses and GPs per head of population in England as at 30 September 2010 | ||
|
|
Headcount | Headcount population per 100,000 |
| (1) All Qualified Nursing Staff includes all qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff as well as GP practice nurses. Notes: 1. The new headcount methodology for 2010 data is not fully comparable with previous years data due to improvements that make it a more stringent count of absolute staff numbers. Further information on the headcount methodology is available in the Census publication. Headcount totals are unlikely to equal the sum of components. 2. Data as at 30 September 2010. Data Quality: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Sources: 1. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics 2. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-medical Workforce Census 3. Office for National Statistics, 2009 Final Mid-Year Population Estimates (2001 census based), Adjusted May 2010 to reflect revisions to migration methodology | ||
NHS: Reorganisation
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether KPMG has provided advice to his Department on its proposals for NHS reforms; and if he will make a statement; [57087]
(2) whether (a) he, (b) Ministers, (c) senior officials and (d) special advisers in his Department have (i) contacted and (ii) met Mark Britnell since May 2010. [57088]
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Paul Burstow: No advice has been provided to the Department on the national health service reforms by KPMG.
No Ministers or special advisers have made contact with or met Mark Britnell since May 2010. No senior officials of the Department at permanent secretary or director-general level have contacted or met Mark Britnell in an official capacity since May 2010. Ministers and senior officials may from time to time attend external events at which delegates from KPMG may be in attendance.
NHS: Standards
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made on the disaggregation of outcome indicators within the NHS Outcomes Framework 2011-12 by (a) age, (b) ethnicity, (c) religion or belief, (d) gender, (e) disability and (f) sexual orientation. [56544]
Paul Burstow: Section 149 of the Equality Act 2010 places a general Equality Duty on listed public authorities, including national health service organisations and the Department, to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation, advance equality and promote good relations. Information is key to providing transparency to evidence progress made in reducing inequality in line with the three aims of the Equality Duty.
On 17 March 2011, a ‘policy review’ was launched by the Minister for Women and Equalities. This review proposed a less process orientated approach to equality. Any proposals around the development of additional policy metrics by the Department would need to be within the context of the results of that policy review.
In Annex A of “The NHS Outcomes Framework 2011-12”, published in December 2010, we set out an initial assessment of the data availability of indicators that can be disaggregated by equality and health inequalities characteristics. We are currently assessing these breakdowns, as well as others, with data suppliers.
A copy of “The NHS Outcomes Framework 2011-12” has already been placed in the Library.
NHS: Trade Unions
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff of each NHS trust are entitled to work (a) full-time as trade union representatives and (b) part-time on trade union activities; how many such staff are paid more than £25,900 per annum; and what the cost to the public purse of employing such staff was in the latest period for which figures are available. [56456]
Mr Simon Burns: This information is not held centrally. It is for employers and representatives of locally recognised trade unions to agree in partnership local agreements and procedures that are appropriate to local circumstances.
NHS: Training
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much per capita his Department spent on training nurses in each of the last five years; [56477]
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(2) how much per capita his Department spent on training doctors in each of the last five years. [56480]
Anne Milton: The Department does not hold data in the requested format.
Education and training of the health care workforce includes central funding through the multi professional education and training (MPET) budget and funding by local national health service organisations. The Department does not analyse MPET expenditure between health care professions and does not hold data on the amount of spend on education and training by local NHS organisations.
Occupational Therapy: Manpower
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS occupational therapists there are per 100,000 population in each NHS region. [56507]
Mr Simon Burns: The following table gives the number of occupational therapists per 100,000 population in each national health service region as at the 30 September 2010, the date of the last NHS workforce census.
| NHS hospital and community health services: qualified occupational therapy staff in England per 100,000 population by strategic health authority area as at 30 September 2010 | |
|
|
Number |
| Notes: 1. Figures are calculated using headcount staff in post figures. 2. Figures are rounded to one decimal place. 3. Staff in post figures are as at 30 September 2010. Population figures are ONS estimates for 2009. 4. 2009 is the latest available population data. Sources: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care non-medical workforce census. Office for National Statistics 2009 final mid-year population estimates (2001 census-based). | |
Prion Working Group
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library the terms of reference of the Prion Working Group. [56502]
Anne Milton: The remit of the United Kingdom Blood Services' Prion Working Group (PWG) is:
“The working group will advise the UK Blood Services on the most appropriate ways to ensure the safety of blood, cells, tissues and organs for transfusion/transplantation in relation to risk associated with prion proteins. Its remit includes:
1. acting as a single source of blood, tissue and organ related scientific advice on prion transmission related issues;
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2. being the single point of contact between UK Blood Services and manufacturers of prion filters and prion assays, and any other technology to reduce prion risk;
3. providing advice on the requirements for evaluation of prion filters, prion assays and any other new technology to reduce prion risk;
4. acting as the primary point of contact between UK Blood Services and collaborating institutions including the Health Protection Agency (Efficacy and endogenous hamster infectivity studies), Roslin Institute (Sheep endogenous infectivity studies), Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease Oversight Committee of the National Institute of Biological Standards and Control (Prion assay sensitivity) and non-UK Blood Services;
5. overseeing both .current and future evaluation projects on behalf of the UK Blood Services;
6. taking ownership and reviewing the UK Blood Services position statement on vCJD and risk assessments on behalf of Standing Advisory Committee on Transfusion Transmitted Infection (SACTT1) on an annual basis, or more frequently if required;
7. providing advice on non-negative samples identified in any prevalence study conducted by the UK Blood services.”
The PWG terms of reference are:
“In formulating its advice, the working group will:
take full account of the scientific evidence available, including the nature of uncertainties and assumptions used to reach conclusions;
identify specific areas of research where further work is required to reduce uncertainty;
consider the impact of its advice on all stakeholders in the blood, tissue and organ supply chains, including but not exclusively donors, patients, the UK blood services and the wider National Health Service;
take full account of the need to maintain the safety of .blood, tissues and organs, operating under the remit of the Precautionary Principle;
take account of the financial implications of assessing or introducing new technologies to mitigate the risk of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease transmission by blood, tissues or organs;
act independently of any commercial organisation with whom it works and, proactively identify potential conflicts of interest;
maintain confidentiality of any data made available to it as per confidentiality agreements;
work closely with Scientific Advisory Committees and the Joint United Kingdom Blood Transfusion Services and National Institute of Biological Standards and Control Professional Advisory Committee (JPAC) on the approval of systems as suitable for use;
take full account of the work conducted by the Governments' Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO);
ultimately be accountable to the UK Forum.”
Public Expenditure
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how frequently he plans to assess the effect of inflation on the real-terms increase in his Department's budget; [56242]
(2) what estimate he has made of the future level of inflation at which any real-terms increase in his Department's budget would cease. [56243]
Mr Simon Burns: The Government are committed to real terms increases in health spending, as set out in “The Coalition: our programme for government”. The Government are meeting this commitment.
The Office for Budget Responsibility produces projections for measures of inflation at least twice a year.
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Radiotherapy: Finance
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) pursuant to the answer of 11 May 2011, Official Report, column 527, on radiotherapy: finance, whether NHS hospital trusts are able to apply directly to his Department for additional investment for radiotherapy; and whether any such applications have been received by his Department; [57188]
(2) whether the allocation of funding to primary care trust baselines for the period 2011-12 to 2014-15 will be adjusted to take account of (a) planned expenditure and (b) assessed need; [57189]
(3) to which primary care trusts additional funding for 2011-12 will be allocated. [57190]
Paul Burstow: ‘Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer’ sets out our commitment to expand radiotherapy capacity by investing over £150 million in additional funding over the next four years. National health service trusts cannot apply directly to the Department for this funding, as this money is allocated to all primary care trusts (PCTs) through their recurrent revenue allocations for 2011-12 and 2012-13. From 2013-14, it is intended that the NHS Commissioning Board will take over the allocation of resources from the Department.
Recurrent revenue allocations are currently made to PCTs on the basis of a weighted capitation formula, used to determine PCTs' target shares of available resources to enable them to commission similar levels of health services for populations in similar need. Once allocated, it is for PCTs to use this funding to commission services to meet the health care needs of their local populations, taking account of local and national priorities.
Speech Therapy: Manpower
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many speech and language therapists employed in the public sector there are per 10,000 population. [56505]
Anne Milton: The following table gives the number of speech and language therapists employed in national health service hospitals or community health services per 10,000 of population as at 30 September 2010, the date of the last NHS work force census. The NHS Information Centre do not hold data on people with this speciality who may be employed in the wider public sector.
| NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified Speech and Language Therapy staff in England per 10,000 population by strategic health authority area as at 30 September 2010 | |
|
|
Number |
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| Notes: 1. The NHS IC only holds information on speech and language therapists employed by NHS hospitals or community health services. We do not hold data on speech and language therapists employed elsewhere in the wider public sector. 2. Figures are calculated using headcount staff in post figures. 3. Figures are rounded to one decimal place. 4. Staff in post figures are as at 30 September 2010. Population figures are ONS estimates for 2009. 5. 2009 is the latest available population data. Sources: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census Office for National Statistics 2009 Final Mid-Year Population Estimates (2001 census based) | |
St Helens and Knowsley Hospitals NHS Trust
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings (a) he and (b) his officials have had with the North West Strategic Health Authority to discuss the future of St Helens and Knowsley NHS Trust; and who was present at each such meeting. [57182]
Paul Burstow: The Secretary of State for Health met with NHS North West on 15 February 2011 to discuss the wider national health service reform programme and implications for the region. This meeting included discussing the implications of the reforms for St Helens and Knowsley NHS Trust alongside other NHS organisations in the region. In attendance at the meeting were the NHS chief executive and the chair and chief executive of NHS North West.
In addition, the managing director of provider development and director of provider delivery from the Department of Health have met with NHS North West to discuss the plans being agreed for the remaining NHS trusts to achieve foundation trust status by April 2014.