Regulation: Guidance
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what process his Department follows for the production of regulatory guidance; and how many officials of his Department were involved in the production of such guidance on the last date for which figures are available. [67208]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence regularly produces guidance on aspects of legislation which affect the armed forces to ensure that users can be confident they are complying with the law. Such guidance is produced following detailed consultation with interested parties so that it is comprehensive and meets user needs.
Figures are not available on the number of officials involved in the production of such guidance. However, this would not be their sole responsibility as officials would generally undertake this task as part of their wider duties.
Internships
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) persons undertaking unpaid work experience, (b) unpaid interns and (c) other persons in unpaid positions were working in his Department as of 1 July 2011. [69505]
Mr Robathan: We offer a number of summer diversity internships for undergraduates each year. Full information on this scheme is at:
www.civilservice.gov.uk/faststream
The Ministry of Defence does not offer opportunities to undertake unpaid work. Work experience placements are generally short term, most commonly during half term and school holidays, for year 10 and 11 students, college students (17 to 19 years of age) and undergraduates. Information on the numbers of work experience placements offered each year is not held centrally.
European Defence Agency: Manpower
Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what information his Department holds on (a) the number of staff of the European Defence Agency, (b) their nationality and (c) their grade in each year since it became operational; and if he will make a statement. [68481]
Mr George Howarth: The Ministry of Defence does not hold employee information for the European Defence Agency (EDA) but the details can be obtained from the agency's financial reports which are published on their website, at the following address:
http://www.eda.europa.eu/Documents
The EDA do not, however, release information on the nationality of their employees.
The agency is comprised of three categories of staff: Temporary Agents (TA) who are paid fully by the agency; Seconded National Experts (SNE), whose salary is paid by the parent nation, and their daily allowance by EDA; and Contract Agents (CA), who are not part of the Staff Establishment Plan, but are paid for by the EDA.
At present, the EDA employs 122 members of staff of which the UK footprint is currently nine TAs and one SNE.
The UK successfully secured a freeze on the agency's budget for 2011 and the agency has proposed no further increase for 2012.
European Fighter Aircraft
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where the Eurofigher Typhoon aircraft will be based; and if he will make a statement. [68921]
Peter Luff: Following the outcome of the Basing review which the Secretary of State for Defence, the right hon. Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox), announced to Parliament on 18 July 2011, Official Report, columns 643-45, Typhoon aircraft will move from RAF Leuchars to RAF Lossiemouth. Typhoon aircraft will also continue to be based at RAF Coningsby.
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Ex-servicemen: Identity Cards
Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has considered an identity card scheme for veterans; and if he will place in the Library papers relating to plans for any such scheme. [69026]
Mr Robathan: A veteran's identity card was considered by the Task Force on the Military Covenant led by Professor Hew Strachan, who recommended the introduction of a Veterans Privilege Card. The Government's response to this report was published on 16 May 2011, and we announced that will launch a veterans' card which will allow access to commercial discounts and privileges both locally and nationally. This will be linked to the renewal of the Defence Discount Scheme next year.
Ex-servicemen: Military Decorations
Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what the cost to the public purse was of the veterans lapel badge scheme in each year since its inception; [69023]
(2) how many veterans lapel badges have been issued under the veterans lapel badge scheme in each region in each year since the scheme's inception. [69024]
Mr Robathan: The following table details the cost to the Ministry of Defence of procuring the veterans' lapel badge since its inception.
| Financial year | Cost (£000) |
| Notes: 1. Figure for financial year 2011-12 is as at 16 August 2011. 2. Rounding to the nearest thousand has been applied to all figures. 3. The figures do not include staff or postage and packing costs. | |
Information about the number of veterans' lapel badges by region is not held. As at 27 July 2011, 846,093 veterans' lapel badges have been issued to former members of the armed forces and war widows since the scheme's inception.
Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has any plans for an award for the spouses of veterans; and if he will make a statement. [69025]
Mr Robathan: The partners of both serving and former service personnel continue to have my deepest respect. They are too often overlooked even though they provide invaluable support and endure demands beyond those encountered by the rest of society. None the less, we have no plans to award formal recognition. Medals are awarded for gallantry, long service, service on qualifying operations, and commemorative purposes. There are no plans to extend eligibility to partners, beyond those medals already awarded posthumously.
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Ex-servicemen: Northern Ireland
Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department has taken and what plans it has to support veterans who have (a) served in Northern Ireland and (b) been affected by terrorism linked to Northern Ireland. [69153]
Mr Robathan: Former members of the armed forces with illness or conditions caused by service in Northern Ireland and elsewhere receive financial support through the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) or the War Pensions Scheme. The Veterans' Welfare Service offers advice to all war pensioners and AFCS recipients and their families for as long as they need it.
Those who served in the Ulster Defence Regiment or the Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service) and who live in Northern Ireland are able to draw on the Ulster Defence Regiment and Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service) Aftercare Service, funded by the Ministry of Defence (MOD), which provides a one-stop shop for accessing medical and welfare support.
The MOD is committed to good health and well-being for its personnel both in service and in dealing with any consequences of service once they have left. MOD officials work very closely with the UK Health Departments on issues relating to support to serving and former service personnel, in particular through the Partnership Board which brings together senior officials and medical experts in the MOD and the four UK Health Departments.
Ex-servicemen: Sleeping Rough
Gemma Doyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of people with an armed forces background who have been sleeping rough in each year since 2000; and what proportion of the total number of rough sleepers in each such year that figure represents. [69155]
Mr Robathan: Statistics on the number of people with an armed forces background who have been rough sleeping in the UK are not available. The CHAIN (Combined Homelessness and Information Network) survey funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government has collected data from the London homeless population over the last three financial years. Their statistics show that 2.1%, representing 36 individuals, of those seen rough sleeping in London between 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 had previously served in HM armed forces. This compares with 3%, or 57 individuals last financial year, and 4% in 2008-09. We will maintain our relationships with voluntary and community sector organisations to ensure we continue to address the issue of veterans' homelessness.
Medals
Mr Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 19 July 2011, Official Report, column 867W, on medals, how often the Polar Medal Assessment Committee meets; and by what means recommendations of suitable recipients of the medal are made to it. [69430]
Mr Robathan: The Polar Medal Assessment Committee meets annually.
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Recommendations for suitable recipients for the medal are made in accordance with the revised Polar Medal Royal Warrant as published on 14 September 1998 in the London Gazette.
Military Aircraft: Helicopters
Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many British helicopter pilots who have received training under the European Defence Agency's Helicopter Initiative have subsequently been deployed in combat roles; and if he will make a statement; [68477]
(2) how many British helicopter pilots have received training under the European Defence Agency's Helicopter Initiative; and if he will make a statement. [68480]
Mr George Howarth:
To date, 12 UK helicopter crews have participated in the European Defence Agency (EDA) sponsored helicopter training exercises. These exercises have involved more than 100 UK personnel, including ground crew, and the intention is to deploy them in theatres of operations as part of the normal national rotational cycles. Specific information on the deployment of UK helicopter pilots who have trained through the EDA Helicopter Initiative is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
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The EDA do not hold records on the nationality of individuals trained through the initiative, and, therefore the only way to gain the information would be to track individual pilots and seek authorisation for release of information regarding subsequent deployment.
Military Aircraft
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints his Department has received from each parliamentary constituency in respect of low-flying military aircraft in each of the last 10 years. [67123]
Mr Robathan: The data are not held in the format requested. Complaints about military low flying are recorded by the low flying area in which they occur. Data on the amount of low flying conducted, and the number of complaints received, is published annually to Parliament in “The Pattern of Military Low Flying across the UK”. Since 2009-10 the publication has been retitled as “Military Low Flying in the United Kingdom statistical appendix.”
Prior to 2006-07, the published figure for complaints was an overall total; however, the complaints database has been analysed to provide figures for each Low Flying Area (LFA) and Tactical Training Area (TTA) since 2004-05. These figures are given in the following tables.
| Low Flying Area | |||||||
| 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
| (1) Northern Ireland (LFA 19) has only been included in the UK Low flying system since the termination of Op Banner; complaint figures have therefore been supplied from 1 August 2008, as flying prior to this was largely deemed to be operational rather than training. | |||||||
| Tactical Training Area | |||||||
| 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
Military Aircraft: Farmers Compensation
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid in compensation to farmers in (a) England, (b) Scotland and (c) Wales for livestock losses attributable to low-flying military aircraft in each year since 2004. [67122]
Mr Robathan:
Compensation including legal costs paid for livestock losses attributable to low-flying military
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aircraft in England, Scotland and Wales in each year since 2004 is provided in the following table:
| £ | |||
| England | Scotland | Wales | |
The figures represent payments in respect of all claims which relate to loss of or injury to animals; the claims database does not record whether the claimants are farmers.
Military Bases: Security
Dan Byles: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to consult on potential changes in high-level security policy and requirements in civil policing of military establishments; and what the timetable is for any consultation. [67306]
Mr Robathan: A consultation process in respect of proposed adjustments to some specific guarding and civil policing policies and requirements began on 5 July. Responses from the relevant staff associations and trade unions have been sought by 16 August 2011.
Strategic Defence and Security Review
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the conduct of five-yearly defence reviews; and if he will make a statement. [68919]
Dr Fox: As we set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, we are committed to undertake such reviews every five years. The next review is due in 2015.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his oral statement of 18 July 2011, Official Report, column 643, on defence transformation, whether personnel serving in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Libya will be affected by the planned reduction in Army personnel by 2020; and if he will make a statement. [68920]
Mr Robathan: Personnel who are on combat operations that qualify for the operational allowance (OA) on 1 September 2011, or are within six months of deploying on an OA earning deployment, or on post operational leave (POL) or accrued rest and recuperation will not be selected for redundancy unless they have volunteered.
It is too early to say if personnel currently serving in Afghanistan and Libya will be affected by the further reductions in Army personnel by 2020. For future redundancy tranches, personnel on combat operations that qualify for the OA on the date redundancy notifications are made to individuals, or are within six months of
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deploying on an OA earning deployment, or on POL or accrued rest and recuperation will not be selected for redundancy unless they have volunteered.
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the statement of 18 July 2011, Official Report, columns 643-6WS, on defence transformation, whether he has any plans for the reinstatement of gap year commissions. [69532]
Mr Robathan: There are no current plans to re-introduce the gap year commission programme.
Trident
Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his latest estimate is of the cost of replacing Trident. [69057]
Nick Harvey: As was explained in the Parliamentary Report “The United Kingdom's Future Nuclear Deterrent: The Submarine Initial Gate” published in May 2011, we assess that the cost of replacing Trident is within the 2006 White Paper estimate of £15 billion to £20 billion at 2006-07 prices.
Health
Abortion
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what policy development his Department is undertaking on abortion policy; and what his policy is on the provision of independent counselling for women having an abortion. [68839]
Anne Milton: The Department plans to publish a sexual health policy document in autumn this year. The document will set sexual health in the context of health reform and the proposed new commissioning arrangements and will promote the evidence base for improving sexual health, including reducing the number of abortions.
We are looking to strengthen existing arrangements to offer all women considering an abortion access to independent counselling provided by appropriately qualified individuals. We are drawing up proposals and will consult on the proposals later this year.
Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were treated for alcohol-related illnesses in (a) London and (b) the area covered by NHS East London and the City. [69208]
Anne Milton: The information is not collected in the format requested.
The following table provides the number of finished admission episodes which are estimated to be alcohol related for the London Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area of residence and the primary care trusts (PCTs) of residences within the London SHA area for the year 2009-10.
Statistics provided are correct as at 25 July 2011.
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| Number of finished admission episodes which are estimated to be alcohol-related (1) for London SHA of residence and PCTs of residence within London SHA (2,3) 2009-10 (4) : Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector | |
| SHA/PCT of residence | Alcohol related admissions |
| (1)Alcohol-related admissions The number of alcohol-related admissions is based on the methodology developed by the North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO), which uses 48 indicators for alcohol-related illnesses, determining the proportion of a wide range of diseases and injuries that can be partly attributed to alcohol as well as those that are, by definition, wholly attributable to alcohol. Further information on these proportions can be found at: http://www.nwph.net/nwpho/publications/AlcoholAttributableFractions.pdf The application of the NWPHO methodology has recently been updated and is now available directly from Hospital Episodes Statistics (HES). Information about episodes estimated to be alcohol related may be slightly different from previously published data. (2) PCT/SHA data quality In July 2006, the NHS reorganised SHAs and PCTs in England from 28 SHAs into 10, and from 303 PCTs into 152. As a result data from 2006-07 onwards are not directly comparable with previous years. Data have been presented for those SHA/PCTs which have valid data for the breakdown presented here. As a result some SHA/PCTs may be missing from the list provided. (3) SHA/PCT/local authority of residence The SHA, PCT or local authority (UK) containing the patient's normal home address. This does not necessarily reflect where the patient was treated as they may have travelled to another area for treatment. (4) Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Note: Data quality: HESs are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and PCTs in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care | |
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Mrs Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes his Department have made to the number of alcohol-related (a) primary and (b) secondary diagnosis fields in a hospital episode statistics record since 2002-03. [69432]
Anne Milton: In 2002-03, Hospital Episode Statistics data included information for up to 14 diagnoses (one primary and 13 secondary) and since 2007-08 it has included information for up to 20 diagnoses (one primary and 19 secondary). This change applied to the whole Hospital Episode Statistics data set. An alcohol-related diagnosis can appear in any of these diagnosis fields.
Alcoholic Drinks: Yorkshire and the Humber
Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS was of alcohol-related admissions in (a) Harrogate and District area and (b) Yorkshire and the Humber in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [69450]
Anne Milton: Information is not available in the format requested. Information on the number of finished admission episodes estimated to be wholly, or partially, alcohol-related for Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority (SHA), North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust (PCT) and Harrogate Local Authority (LA) for 2009-10 has been provided in the following table. Data relating to costs are not held centrally.
| Number of finished admission episodes estimated to be alcohol-related for Yorkshire and the Humber SHA, North Yorkshire and York PCT and Harrogate LA 2009-10: Activity in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector | ||
|
|
Wholly attributable to alcohol | Wholly or partly attributable total |
| Notes: 1. Alcohol-related admissions: The number of alcohol-related admissions is based on the methodology developed by the North West Public Health Observatory (NWPHO), which uses 48 indicators for alcohol-related illnesses, determining the proportion of a wide range of diseases and injuries that can be partly attributed to alcohol as well as those that are, by definition, wholly attributable to alcohol. Further information on these proportions can be found at: www.nwph.net/nwpho/publications/AlcoholAttributableFractions.pdf The application of the NWPHO methodology has recently been updated and is now available directly from HES. As such, information about episodes estimated to be alcohol related may be slightly different from previously published data. These data should not be described as a count of people as the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion. 2. SHA/PCT/LA of residence: The SHA or LA of residence is that containing the patient's normal home address. This does not necessarily reflect where patients were treated as they may have travelled to another area for treatment. The number of admission episodes provided for the Yorkshire and the Humber SHA has been obtained by summing the admission episodes for all PCTs within Yorkshire and the Humber SHA. These are: Barnsley PCT; Bradford and Airedale Teaching PCT; Calderdale PCT; Doncaster PCT; East Riding of Yorkshire PCT; Hull Teaching PCT; Kirklees PCT; Leeds PCT; North East Lincolnshire Care Trust Plus; North Lincolnshire PCT; North Yorkshire and York PCT; Rotherham PCT; Sheffield PCT; Wakefield District PCT. 3. Number of episodes in which the patient had an alcohol-related primary or secondary diagnosis: These figures represent the number of episodes where an alcohol-related diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a HES record. Each episode is only counted once in each count, even if an alcohol-related diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record. 4. Data quality: HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and PCTs in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care | ||
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Ambulance Services
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has for the future of local ambulance stations. [69373]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department does not have any plans to change the future of local ambulance stations. The Department expects each ambulance service to determine locally how best to manage its stations, which take into account the local geographic area, mix and size of fleet and information on demand management.
Autism: Health Services
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in developing a quality standard in respect of autism in children. [69717]
Paul Burstow: The National Quality Board launched, on 15 August, an engagement exercise on the library of NICE Quality Standard NHS health care topics. As part of this exercise a proposed library of topics has been published and comments are invited, including comments on the omission or inclusion of certain topics. Within this proposed library of topics for Quality Standards “Autism (adults)” and “Autism (children and young people)” are included. The closing date for this consultation is 14 October 2011. Full details of the consultation and how to submit comments can be found at:
http://www.nice.org.uk/getinvolved/currentniceconsultations/NQBEngagement.jsp
Autism: Training
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking as part of his Department's proposed health and development review to ensure that health visitors have received training on autism to enable them to identify early signs of the condition. [69572]
Anne Milton: The content and standard of health visitor training is the responsibility of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).
As the independent regulatory body, responsible for quality standards in education and practice, the NMC is committed to ensuring high quality patient care is delivered by high quality health professionals.
In order to achieve the best possible outcomes for training in the identification of autism, for both staff and patients alike the NMC works closely with the higher education sector, service providers and healthcare professionals to ensure their educational programmes produce professionals that have the skills and behaviours required to diagnose the early signs of autism.
To understand child development and recognise when development is outside of the normal range, health visitors are trained to use tools and checklists to recognise variations that may indicate autism.
The Health Visitor Implementation Plan 2011-15, “A Call to Action”: sets out the Department’s vision to improve the quality of health visiting services for children and families.
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Cancer: Drugs
Mr Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which body will manage the operation of the Cancer Drugs Fund when strategic health authorities are abolished; and if he will make a statement. [68628]
Paul Burstow: Arrangements from 1 April 2012 and beyond will be the subject of discussions between the Department and the shadow National Health Service Commissioning Board.
Mr Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for funds allocated to strategic health authorities through the Cancer Drugs Fund which are not spent at the end of each year that the fund operates. [68648]
Mr Simon Burns: The Government are committed to making £200 million available to the national health service for each of the three years of the Cancer Drugs Fund's operation. These funds are available now to enable patients to access the additional cancer drugs their doctors recommend and we are not planning on any other uses for these funds.
The Department expects strategic health authorities to put plans in place to fund cancer drugs using their appropriate weighted capitation share of the £200 million fund to ensure patients get access to the drugs they need. This is set out in “Guidance to support operation of the Cancer Drugs Fund in 2011-12”.
A copy of the guidance has already been placed in the Library.
Care Homes: Prescription Drugs
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to encourage pharmacists to visit care homes for older people for the purposes of improving knowledge and understanding of medication management. [68808]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department is committed to the continuous improvement of the quality of services, including through greater involvement of independent and voluntary providers. While some community pharmacists already provide advisory services to care homes, the Department has commissioned a piece of work between the care home sector, Royal Colleges, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society and other key organisations to look at finding solutions to improve the quality of use of medicines in care homes. We look forward to seeing the output to this important collaborative work, which is due to conclude by the end of the year.
Carers: Young People
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of hospitals have made provision to (a) identify and (b) support young carers in their admission and discharge procedures. [69016]
Paul Burstow:
This information is not held centrally. However, a whole-family approach in planning services is particularly relevant where young carers are involved. Service users and carers of all ages can benefit from an
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integrated and holistic approach to providing personalised care and support. Such an approach helps to ensure that admission and discharge plans identify and assess the needs of patients who are parents so they do not have to rely on their children to provide care.
“Carers and Personalisation—improving outcomes” which the Department of Health published in November 2010, includes good practice guidance on whole family approaches. A copy has already been placed in the Library and is available at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_122076
The Department also supported the development of “Carers as partners in hospital discharge”, published by the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services in February 2010, which brought together key policy and good practice materials to inform hospital discharge processes. The guidance recognises the importance of the impact of hospital discharge on carers including young carers.
The Department for Education is also supporting the Children's Society and The Princess Royal Trust for Carers to encourage ‘whole family' approaches in supporting young carers.
Dementia
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements his Department plans to put in place to assist people in (a) diagnosing dementia and (b) obtaining information and advice about the condition. [69372]
Paul Burstow: Achieving good-quality early diagnosis and intervention for all is one of the Government's four priorities in implementing the National Dementia Strategy. The Department undertook a public awareness campaign in the North West and Yorkshire and Humber national health service regions in March 2011, encouraging people to seek a diagnosis for dementia where they have concerns. The campaign included leaflets available to the general public on the early signs and symptoms of dementia. Consideration is currently being given to rolling out the awareness campaign on a national basis.
Dental Services
Mr Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress he has made on his proposed reforms of NHS dentistry; and if he will make a statement. [69194]
Mr Simon Burns: The Government said in the coalition agreement they would replace the existing dental contract with one based on registration, capitation and quality, designed to increase access and promote oral health. The Government made a commitment to establishing pilots to support the development of the new national contract. Pilots are starting over this summer.
Dental Services: North West England
Mr Woodward:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental implants were preformed in the NHS North West heath authority area by (a) the NHS and (b) the private sector in each of the last three years; how many such patients were aged under 18; and
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if he will make a statement on the criteria for eligibility for dental implants. [68906]
Mr Simon Burns: Information is not available in the format requested.
The “Adult Dental Health Survey” (ADHS) 2009—Summary report and thematic series’ contains limited information on dental implants.
Table 4.4.5 of theme 4 of the thematic series includes the percentage of adults with at least one dental implant. Information is available by strategic health authority but, due to the limitations of the sample size, is not available at a lower level. The information does not differentiate between national health service and private work. A copy has been placed in the Library.
The report and thematic series are also available on the NHS Information Centre website at:
www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/dentalsurveyfullreport09
The 2009 ADHS is the fifth in a series of national dental surveys that have been carried out every decade since 1968. Information is, therefore, not available for consecutive years.
Criteria for eligibility for NHS dental implants are determined by the NHS locally.
Departmental Correspondence
Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many letters his Department received from hon. Members in June 2011. [68756]
Mr Simon Burns: Departmental records show that we received 2,122 items of correspondence from hon. Members in June 2011. This figure includes both written and electronic correspondence. This figure represents correspondence received by the Department's central correspondence team only.
Disclosure of Information
Angie Bray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's (a) policy is and (b) procedures are in relation to whistleblowers. [68871]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department is committed to achieving the highest possible standards of service and ethical standards in public life.
The Department's whistleblowing policy was revised in May 2009 and sets out the process for handling whistleblowing within the Department, and also for the handling of similar types of concerns, raised with the Department, about external organisations or individuals.
A copy of the policy has been placed in the Library.
Press Officers
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many press officers his Department employed on (a) 1 February and (b) 1 April 2011. [69145]
Mr Simon Burns: The information is not available in the format requested.
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However, as at the end of March 2011, the Department's media centre employed 33 full-time press officers and one part-time press officer, equating to 33.73 full-time equivalent press officers.
Telephone Services
Nia Griffith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding he has allocated to each telephone
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helpline operated by his Department in 2011-12; and what the purpose is of each such helpline. [68549]
Mr Simon Burns: The Departments Communication Directorate either runs or promotes the call centres contained in the following table.
The Department does not collect information on the telephone numbers used by national health service organisations. Information about telephone services for these bodies is not held centrally and cannot be provided except at disproportionate cost.
The Department also supports a range of voluntary, charitable and other organisations to provide services relating to health and healthy living. Some of these organisations may include telephone help lines as part of their services. It is not possible, without incurring disproportionate cost, to identify individual projects with telephone services and their budgets.
Overseas Visits
Gavin Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many overseas visits were made by (a) Ministers, (b) staff and (c) special advisers in his Department between (i) May 2006 and June 2007 and (ii) June 2009 and May 2010; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such visit. [68361]
Mr Simon Burns: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Details of all ministerial overseas travel is published quarterly in arrears on the Department's website. The latest data up to the end of March 2011 can be found at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Aboutus/MinistersandDepartmentLeaders/Departmentdirectors/DH_110759
Internships
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) persons undertaking unpaid work experience, (b) unpaid interns and (c) other persons in unpaid positions were working in his Department as of 1 July 2011. [69508]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department actively encourages teams and directorates to offer work experience opportunities and is committed to contributing to the development of students by providing work experience placements. A copy of the Department's work experience policy has been placed in the Library.
In the main, arrangements for unpaid work experience, interns and others are made by local business units within the Department. Information on all such placements is not held centrally and it would incur disproportionate costs to collect all the information requested.
In line with our corporate social responsibility agenda, the Department has developed the Building Bridges Programme. The programme provides young people from our local areas with opportunities to experience life in the civil service. This is in order to support and educate the next generation of active citizens and to increase their awareness of government policy-making processes through job shadowing and mentoring. As at 1 July 2011, there were three students placed within the Department by the Building Bridges initiative, a total of eight individuals having been placed in the past two years to date.
Dermatology: General Practitioners
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training general practitioners are required to have on dermatology at the point of qualification; and whether he plans to request training deaneries to review this requirement with a view to increasing it. [69032]
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Anne Milton: The content and standard of medical training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC) which is the competent authority for postgraduate medical training in the United Kingdom.
The GMC is committed to ensuring that healthcare professionals are equipped with the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to deal with the problems and conditions they will encounter in practice.
The content of the general practitioner (GP) training curriculum is developed by the Royal College of General Practitioners for approval by the GMC. The GP curriculum includes a section on skin problems. Doctors completing GP training are assessed against all elements in the GP curriculum and should be competent to deliver care against all the competencies described.
While it is not practicable or desirable for the Government to prescribe the exact training that any individual doctor will receive we are, of course, aware of the need to ensure perceived areas of weakness in training curricula are addressed. For that reason, we are liaising with the GMC and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges about how best to ensure curricula do meet requirements. The Department has also provided a supporting role in the development of the standards contained in “Quality Standards for Dermatology—Providing the right care for people with skin conditions” recently initiated by the British Association of Dermatologists.
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the proportion of a GP's workload that is dermatology-related; and if he will make a statement. [69033]
Paul Burstow: The Department has not given formal consideration to the proportion of a general practitioner's (GP's) work load that is dermatology related.
We understand from “Skin Conditions in the UK: a Health Care Needs Assessment”, published by the Centre of Evidence Based Dermatology, University of Nottingham (2009), that in 2006 around 24% of the population in England and Wales visited their GP with a skin problem, and that skin conditions are the most frequent reason for people to consult their GP with a new problem.
Disability: Children
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has given to simplifying the way parents of disabled children arrange care. [67595]
Sarah Teather: I have been asked to reply.
There are currently two broad routes for the arrangement of short breaks care for the parents and carers of disabled children. Firstly, the local authority arranges short breaks care for a family based on their assessment of family need and the availability of resources. Secondly, parents and carers can be provided with a direct payment, a cash payment in lieu of short breaks services, which enables them to arrange their own care.
This Government are committed to improving access to direct payments for short breaks services. We will test the best ways to support parents to access direct payments through our new Special Educational Needs and Disability Green Paper pathfinders, which will start operating in September of this year.
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Local authorities may have their own arrangements to simplify access to short breaks, including through internet booking systems and ‘local offers' where parents can access certain services without assessment.
Junior Doctors
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to support junior doctors starting work in hospitals in August 2011. [68450]
Anne Milton: The Department recognises the importance of effective induction for junior doctors as they start work in hospitals. Responsibility for induction lies with local employers supported by the postgraduate deaneries. NHS Employers also provides an annual publication to introduce all new medical graduates to the national health service.
Electromagnetic Fields: Health Hazards
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take in response to the report of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the potential dangers of electromagnetic fields and their effect on the environment. [69808]
Anne Milton: United Kingdom policy is that mobile telephones, Wi-Fi and base stations are expected to comply with the 1998 International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines for public exposure to electromagnetic fields. Along with other member states, the UK supports European Council Recommendation EC 519/1999 on limiting exposures to electromagnetic fields. This recommendation incorporates the 1998 ICNIRP guidelines.
Artificial Trans-fatty Acids
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to reduce the level of transfats in food. [68773]
Anne Milton: As part of the Public Health Responsibility Deal, the Department is working in partnership with United Kingdom food businesses to remove artificial trans fatty acids (TFA), from the few foods that still contain them.
Businesses are pledging to remove artificial TFA from products by the end of 2011. They will achieve this by removing partially hydrogenated vegetable oils (p-HVO) and limiting the levels of artificial TFA in oils and fats used as ingredients or in preparing foods (e.g. frying oils) to a maximum of 2%.
This voluntary action will help to ensure that intakes of trans fats remain low, and give consumers confidence that artificial trans fats will not be added to foods in the future.
General Practitioners
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) female and (b) male GPs have left the national health service in the last 12 months. [68800]
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Mr Simon Burns: The information requested will be available following publication of the NHS Information Centre General Practice Staff Census in March 2012.
Catherine McKinnell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs there were per head of the population in each primary care trust in (a) Wiltshire,
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(b)
West Mercia and
(c)
Greater Manchester in each of the last five years. [68801]
Mr Simon Burns: Information on the number of general practitioners (GPs) per head of population in Wiltshire, West Mercia and Greater Manchester between 2006 and 2010 is shown in the following tables.
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | ||||
|
|
GPs (2) headcount | GPs (2) headcount per 100,000 population | GPs (2) headcount | GPs (2) headcount per 100,000 population | GPs (2) headcount | GPs (2) headcount per 100,000 population |
| 2009 | 2010 (1) | |||
|
|
GPs (2) headcount | GPs (2) headcount per 100,000 population | GPs (2) headcount | GPs (2) headcount per 100,000 population |
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6 Sep 2011 : Column 572W
| (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) All GP figures are GPs (excluding retainers and registrars). (3) The PCTs displayed service the 10 districts that constitute Greater Manchester. It should be noted that Glossop is not in Greater Manchester but is part of Tameside and Glossop PCT and cannot be separated. Note: Data as at 30 September for each year. Source: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care General and Personal Medical Services Statistics Office for National Statistics (ONS), 2006-09 Final Mid-Year Population Estimates (2001 census based). Adjusted May 2010 to reflect revisions to migration methodology. | ||||
GP per head of population figures have been calculated using ONS resident population estimates.
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.
Domestic Violence
Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the measures in the Health and Social Care Bill on the contribution of GPs to the identification of victims of domestic violence. [68799]
Anne Milton: Measures in the Health and Social Care Bill are unlikely to have any direct effect on the role of general practitioners (GPs) in identifying victims of domestic violence, which we expect GPs to continue to undertake.
We will shortly publish a series of public health reform updates one of which will set out future commissioning responsibilities under the new public health system.
Health Professionals: Greater London
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of health care professionals who will (a) retire, (b) take voluntary redundancy and (c) take involuntary redundancy in (i) London, (ii) the London borough of Tower Hamlets and (iii) Bethnal Green and Bow constituency in the next 12 months. [69067]
Mr Simon Burns: This information is not collected centrally. The hon. Member may wish to approach the organisations concerned for the information requested.
Health Professions: Regulation
Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) pursuant to the answers of 4 March 2011, Official Report, column 663W, on health professions and of 24 May 2011, Official Report, column 668W, on health professions, regulation, for what reasons the Government will not now be considering a cost-benefit analysis of the statutory regulation of clinical physiologists; [69667]
(2) what assessment his Department has made of the (a) role of clinical physiologists and (b) risk of harm to patients posed by procedures carried out by clinical physiologists. [69673]
Paul Burstow: The Command Paper, “Enabling Excellence”, makes clear that for those groups that have been recommended by the Health Professions Council for statutory regulation in the past, but which are not yet subject to statutory regulation, the assumption is that assured voluntary registration will be the preferred option. This includes clinical physiologists.
The Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE) (subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill) will be the national accrediting body for assured voluntary registration. As part of their accreditation process, CHRE, which will be renamed the Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care, will set standards against which the governance, procedures, registration criteria and performance of voluntary registers will be judged, to ensure they provide assurance to the public and employers about the training, skills and conduct of their registrants.
The extension of statutory regulation will be considered only where there is a robust body of evidence to demonstrate that there is a level of risk to the public which warrants the costs imposed on workers and taxpayers by statutory regulation, and which cannot be effectively addressed through assured voluntary registration.
Health Services: Foreign Nationals
Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the monetary value of NHS care provided to overseas nationals was in the latest financial year for which figures are available; and how much of the cost has been recouped. [69163]
Anne Milton:
Entitlement to free national health service hospital treatment is based on residency in the United Kingdom. Some overseas visitors are also exempted from charges as set out in the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2011 and will receive free treatment.
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The Department does not hold data on the nationality of those whose treatment is provided for by the NHS budget.
Other overseas nationals, together with UK nationals who are not ordinarily resident in the UK are charged by hospitals for the costs of their treatment. Income received by NHS trusts from chargeable NHS patients for 2009-10 was £17,036,000. The Department does not collect information from NHS foundation trusts so the total figure will be higher.
Health Services: North Yorkshire
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what his policy is on the recommendations of Professor Hugo Mascie-Taylor's Independent Review of Health Services in North Yorkshire and York; [69747]
(2) if he will visit York to meet NHS patients and members of the public to discuss the recommendations of Professor Hugo Mascie-Taylor's Independent Review of Health Services in North Yorkshire and York. [69748]
Mr Simon Burns: NHS Yorkshire and the Humber commissioned the independent review of health services in North Yorkshire and York on behalf of the local health economy. As such, the recommendations of this review are a matter for the local NHS. The Secretary of State for Health has no plans to undertake a visit to York to discuss the review. The hon. Member may wish to approach the chief executive of NHS Yorkshire and the Humber for further information.
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which public body will be responsible for co-ordinating action to implement the findings of the Independent Review of Health Services in North Yorkshire and York, commissioned by the Strategic Health Authority (SHA) for Yorkshire and the Humber, after the SHA is abolished. [69749]
Mr Simon Burns: An amalgam of public bodies, all with an active interest in the way local health services are commissioned, will be responsible for co-ordinating action to implement the findings of this review.
In future clinical commissioning groups will be responsible for commissioning the majority of health services. They will work in partnership with the local community and other organisations such as local authorities, which include health and well-being boards, in deciding the most appropriate health provision in their area.
Health: Information
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he is taking to ensure the accuracy of healthcare information on websites that are independent of the NHS; [69317]
(2) what guidelines his Department has issued on the distribution of information for patients; [69325]
(3) what guidelines his Department has issued on the (a) content, (b) style and (c) formatting of patient information leaflets. [69326]
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Mr Simon Burns: Ensuring that people can access reliable information to help them take decisions about their health and care is a vital component of shared decision-making and is a right for patients under the NHS Constitution. The Department has supported the establishment of The Information Standard scheme, a voluntary certification scheme for producers of health and social care information, which awards a quality mark to organisations that can show they have robust processes for developing high quality information. There are now over 100 members in this scheme, many of which are from the voluntary and commercial sectors.
Before awarding the quality mark, the scheme assesses how an information producer puts in place systems to ensure its information is reliable, in terms of being evidence based, accurate and up-to-date. It also looks at, among other things, how an information producer works to ensure the content, design and accessibility of their materials meet the needs of their information users.
There are also specific statutory and regulatory requirements for information to accompany licensed medicines and medical devices. To help those involved in the supply chain, the Department of Health and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has published guidance covering issues such as content, style and formatting.
Health Outcomes: Yorkshire and the Humber
Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged under 18 were diagnosed with (a) autism, (b) diabetes and (c) asthma in (i) Yorkshire and the Humber and (ii) the Harrogate and District area in each year since 2008. [69453]
Paul Burstow: Information is not available in the format requested. Information on how many people aged under 18 were diagnosed for any of the requested areas is not collected centrally. Autism information is not collected centrally. Harrogate and District area is not a recognised health area. However, the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) holds patient register information for diabetes (aged 17 and over) and asthma (all ages). Information has therefore been provided for North Yorkshire and York Primary Care Trust (PCT), which includes the Harrogate and District area, and Yorkshire and the Humber Strategic Health Authority (SHA), in the following table. The 2010-11 QOF data are due to be published in October 2011.
| QOF patient register information for diabetes (aged 17 and over) and asthma (all ages) | ||
| QOF patient register | ||
|
|
2008-09 | 2009-10 |
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| Notes: 1. QOF is the national Quality and Outcomes Framework, introduced as part of the new General Medical Services (GMS) contract on 1 April 2004. Participation by practices in the QOF is voluntary, though participation rates are very high, with most Personal Medical Services (PMS) practices also taking part. 2. The published QOF information was derived from the Quality Management Analysis System (QMAS), a national system developed by NHS Connecting for Health. QMAS uses data from general practices to calculate individual practices' QOF achievement. QMAS is a national IT system developed by NHS Connecting for Health to support the QOF. 3. QMAS captures the number of patients on the various disease registers for each practice. The number of patients on the clinical registers can be used to calculate measures of disease prevalence, expressing the number of patients on each register as a percentage of the number of patients on practices' lists. 4. Coverage of QOF: Patients will only contribute to the figures in QOF if they are registered with a general practice participating in QOF. Not all practices participate in QOF and some participate in only some parts (especially PMS practices who are paid under different arrangements for providing services which are part of QOF for GMS practices). Most indicators in QOF have rules that allow for patients to be excluded (e.g. patient refuses treatment) and so the denominator for a given indicator may be less than the number of patients on the register for that disease. Note also that some indicators have age limits and so exclude some patients on the register. Source: QOF, The NHS Information Centre for health and social care | ||
HIV Infection: Tower Hamlets
Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the need for services providing specialised care to people with HIV suffering from HIV-related neurocognitive impairment; and if he will make a statement on the potential closure of Mildmay Hospital in Bethnal Green and Bow constituency; [69065]
(2) if he will take steps to protect services for people with HIV and AIDS in Bethnal Green and Bow constituency. [69066]
Anne Milton: Effective treatment has transformed the outlook for people diagnosed with HIV. However, HIV is a complex illness and there will be a small minority of people who require more specialised or hospital in-patient treatment. It is for primary care trusts to decide how they meet these needs either by referral to specialist national health service providers or voluntary sector providers such as Mildmay Hospital in the hon. Member's constituency.
Discussions between the local NHS and commissioners are taking place with respect to Mildmay Hospital.
IVF: Finance
Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will review the funding of IVF by primary care trusts for the purposes of ensuring equitable treatment across the country. [69422]
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Anne Milton: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are aware of their statutory commissioning responsibilities and the need to base commissioning decisions on clinical evidence and discussions with local general practitioner commissioners, secondary care clinicians and providers. The national health service deputy chief executive, David Flory, wrote to PCT commissioners on 11 January 2011 to highlight to those involved in commissioning fertility services the importance of having regard to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence fertility guidelines, including the recommendation that up to three cycles of IVF are offered to eligible couples where the woman is aged between 23 and 39.
Additionally, we support Infertility Network UK—a leading patient support organisation—to develop and promote standardised access criteria and to work in partnership with commissioners to encourage good practice in the provision of fertility services.
Learning Disability: Medical Equipment
Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what agencies of his Department are responsible for the provision and repair of communication aids and assistive technology for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement; [69397]
(2) what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government about the funding of communication aids and assistive technology specifically for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement; [69399]
(3) what representations he has received regarding the provision and repair of communication aids and assistive technology for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement; [69400]
(4) what steps he is taking to monitor and assess the provision and repair of communication aids and assistive technology by (a) local authorities and (b) the NHS for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement; [69401]
(5) whether he has any plans to provide information regarding communication aids and assistive technology for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement; [69402]
(6) whether he has any plans to commission research into the practice and use of communication aids and assistive technology for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement; [69403]
(7) what assessment he has made of the implications of the Whole System Demonstrator programme for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities; and if he will make a statement. [69533]
Paul Burstow: It is the responsibility of local social care services to determine and make arrangements for the provision and repair of communication aids and assistive technology.
The “Vision on Adult Social Care, Capable Communities and Active Citizens” is clear that councils should commission a full range of appropriate preventative
6 Sep 2011 : Column 577W
and early intervention services such as re-ablement and telecare, working in partnership with the national health service, housing authorities and others.
Generally, councils may supply equipment costing up to £1,000 free of charge but in some circumstances may make direct payments to purchase equipment or adaptations themselves.
No discussions have taken place between the Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, the right hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), about the funding of communication aids and assistive technology for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. Local authorities are responsible for assessing the adult social care needs of local people and making arrangements to ensure that eligible needs are met. They are also responsible for determining spending on adult social care to meet local needs and priorities.
Professor Mansell's report “Raising Our Sights” included views from the Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities Network, Mencap, families, care staff, service managers and other respondents. The report recommended that the Government consider whether funding the provision and repair of communication aids for adults with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities should be the responsibility of the NHS or of local authority social care services.
The question of monitoring and assessment are for local determination. The White Paper “Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS” proposes closer worker relationship between the NHS and local authorities. NHS and local authority partners should work closely together to improve integration.
There are no plans at present to provide information about communication aids and assistive technology.
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health. These applications are subject to peer review and are judged in open competition, with awards being made based on the scientific quality of the proposals made. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity. The Health Technology Assessment Programme is "needs led" and so suggestions for research can be submitted to the programme through a number of routes including an electronic web form at:
http://www.hta.ac.uk/webforms/webforms/hta/0.asp
The Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme has held several teleconferences with a range of experts in the area of learning disabilities to focus on and identify research priorities including those in the areas of communication aids and assistive technology. Any priorities identified will be fed in to the appropriate NIHR work streams.
The HTA programme has advertised for research, in to "supported self-management of diabetes in people with learning disabilities". A full proposal will be considered in September 2011.
The Whole System Demonstrator Programme was established to determine the cost and clinical effectiveness of telehealth and telecare. The findings are currently being evaluated and will be independently peer reviewed before publication later this year. The benefits of remote
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monitoring are that it can lead to more independence, people having fewer admissions to home and support clinical monitoring of larger populations.
Leukaemia: Drugs
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the availability of drugs for the treatment of leukaemia. [68795]
Mr Simon Burns: There are a number of treatments available on the national health service for the treatment of leukaemia.
Our priority is to give NHS patients better access to effective and innovative medicines by reforming the way companies are paid for NHS medicines, moving to a value-based pricing system when the current Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme expires at the end of 2013.
In the meantime, we have made £50 million additional funding available for cancer drugs in 2010-11 which has helped over 2,400 patients. Since April 2011, the Cancer Drugs Fund is helping thousands more patients access the drugs their clinicians believe will help them.
Mass Media
Dr Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library copies of his Department's national media coverage evaluations in each month for which one was produced since May 1997. [68212]
Mr Simon Burns: Reports of routine monthly media coverage evaluations, from December 2004 to November 2006, can be found on the Department's website at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/FreedomOfInformation/Freedomofinformationpublicationschemefeedback/Classesofinformation/Communicationsresearch/DH_4130120
Since November 2006, the Department no longer carries out routine monthly national media coverage evaluations.
The Department does not hold central records of any national media coverage evaluations compiled between May 1997 and November 2004, and to locate the information would incur disproportionate costs.
Medical Treatments
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued to enable the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to be flexible in its approach to appraisals of treatment where the treatment presents unusual challenges to standard methodological process. [68817]
Mr Simon Burns: We have not given guidance to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on this matter and have no plans to do so. NICE is an independent body and is responsible for developing its own appraisal processes and methods, in consultation with stakeholders.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence issues on weighting of votes of representative members of its appraisal committees. [68818]
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Mr Simon Burns: This is a matter for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as an independent body. I have asked the chief executive of NICE to write to the hon. Member with this information. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence may not announce a decision on a treatment recommended for use by an appraisal committee. [68819]
Mr Simon Burns: This is a matter for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) as an independent body. NICE's ‘Guide to the single technology appraisal process’ describes the arrangements for publication of draft or final guidance following an Appraisal Committee meeting and is available at:
www.nice.org.uk/media/42D/B3/STAGuideLrFinal.pdf
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the name is of each technology to be evaluated by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's Medical Technologies Advisory Committee during 2011-12. [69135]
Mr Simon Burns: Information on medical technologies for which guidance is currently being developed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Medical Technologies Advisory Committee is available at:
http://guidance.nice.org.uk/Type/MT/InDevelopment
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to promote public understanding of patient rights in respect of access to treatments on the NHS that have been approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. [69318]
Mr Simon Burns: The right to drugs and treatments recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is set out in the National Health Service Constitution.
All NHS bodies and providers are already required by law to have regard to the NHS constitution and the Government are taking further steps through the current Health and Social Care Bill; Subject to parliamentary approval, the Bill creates an explicit duty for the new NHS Commissioning Board and local clinical commissioning groups to promote the NHS Constitution, including by promoting awareness of the constitution among patients, staff and members of the public.