Droughts
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has made an assessment of trends in the incidence of drought in (a) England and (b) the west midlands. [81242]
Richard Benyon: The Environment Agency has assessed trends in the incidence of drought across England and Wales. Droughts are complex events, varying in severity, spatial extent and their impacts on society and the environment.
Analysis of historical events shows a varied range of rainfall and associated river flow droughts over the last century. The drought of 1975-76 remains the most notable extreme event within that record, and although there have been significant droughts since, with many clustered in the last 20 years, there is no clear trend in the incidence of drought either for England overall or the west midlands.
The historical record provides a testing range of conditions for which both the Environment Agency and water companies plan.
Environment Protection
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding will be provided to support the Green Infrastructure Partnership. [80299]
Richard Benyon: The Green Infrastructure Partnership will be supported by existing DEFRA policy and research resources. DEFRA is working with civil society and professional bodies to promote the evidence of the benefits of green infrastructure, and also to provide some of the evidence, advice and valuation tools that local areas need to effectively plan for and deliver it.
Environment Protection: British Overseas Territories
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what progress has been made on the implementation of the Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy; what further steps she plans to take to implement the strategy; and if she will make a statement; [80123]
(2) how much of her Department's budget for biodiversity conservation was spent in British Overseas Territories in 2010-11; [80124]
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(3) how much of her Department's budget for biodiversity conservation will be spent in British Overseas Territories in each year up to 2014-15; [80125]
(4) whether the Government's target on biodiversity will apply to British Overseas Territories; and if she will make a statement; [80126]
(5) whether her submission to the Prime Minister on her Department's priorities for providing support to British Overseas Territories will include measures to protect and restore biodiversity; [80127]
(6) how many staff in her Department were working full-time on UK Overseas Territories biodiversity policy in each of the last five years. [80308]
Richard Benyon: Following agreement of the Overseas Territories Biodiversity Strategy in 2009, DEFRA has taken the lead in coordinating a partnership of Government Departments overseeing its implementation. This partnership comprises DEFRA, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Department for International Development (DFID), and is supported by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). As part of this partnership, DEFRA established the Overseas Territories Biodiversity Group (OTBG), comprising officials from DEFRA, the FCO, DFID, JNCC and the UK Overseas Territories Association (UKOTA). Chaired by DEFRA, the OTBG is responsible for overseeing the delivery of the strategy.
In terms of delivering the objectives set out in the strategy, formal contact points on biodiversity matters have been established in the territories and, in addition to securing more inclusive UK reporting to multilateral environmental agreements, DEFRA hosted a workshop in September 2011 to improve communication and knowledge of the obligations related to the membership of such agreements. I can report that, by June 2011, 38 discrete projects and/or activities in 10 Overseas Territories have been funded that address four of the strategic priorities of the strategy.
Looking ahead, DEFRA will continue to liaise closely with other Government Departments, inter alia through the OTBG, as well as directly with Overseas Territories and with the UKOTA, to offer such advice and assistance as is within our purview and is appropriate.
Funding amounting to over £1.2 million was spent on biodiversity in Overseas Territories in 2010-11. This comprised a contribution of £200,000, announced by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), at last year's Nagoya Biodiversity Conference, towards rodent eradication on the World Heritage site of Henderson Island in the Pitcairn group of islands, which hosts many endangered species of birds, including the Henderson petrel. It also comprised a figure of just over £1 million from DEFRA's Darwin Initiative for the period 2010-11 towards projects in the Overseas Territories. We are continuing to welcome project proposals for Darwin funding from the territories. Since the Darwin Initiative is now being co-funded by DEFRA and DFID, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs also announced at the Nagoya Biodiversity Conference that funding under Darwin would in fact increase over the spending review period. In addition to this £1.2 million, the JNCC also contributed £150,000 during 2010-11,
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and a further £10,000 was committed by DEFRA on research and development projects within the Overseas Territories. In view of the current financial climate it is not possible to predict how much will be spent on biodiversity conservation measures in Overseas Territories in future.
As the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs reported previously to Parliament, a new global biodiversity target for 2020 was agreed at the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya in October 2010. The Aichi Targets apply to those Overseas Territories to which the Convention on Biological Diversity has been extended.
DEFRA's submission to the Prime Minister on our current and future priorities for providing support to the Overseas Territories will include measures relating to biodiversity.
Finally, turning to the level of staff resource within DEFRA which is committed to working on issues associated with the Overseas Territories over the last five years, it is impossible to be precise. While there is no dedicated service towards supporting work in the Overseas Territories, there are a number of officials who regularly provide advice to the Overseas Territories on a range of issues on which DEFRA leads.
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Government's Overseas Territories White Paper will include a target to halt loss of biodiversity in the overseas territories. [80128]
Mr Bellingham: I have been asked to reply.
The White Paper on the Overseas Territories will be published in 2012. It is too early to comment on what will be included.
European Union
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many members of staff of her Department are working on the Government's examination of the balance of existing EU competences. [79808]
Richard Benyon: The examination of these issues draws on existing resources.
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many ministerial-level meetings have been held in her Department as part of the Government's examination of the balance of existing EU competences. [79809]
Richard Benyon: The Department routinely hosts ministerial meetings on issues covered in the coalition agreement.
Fish Farming
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the sustainability of fish farms. [75074]
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Richard Benyon: The Department's policy decisions on fish farms are guided by our Business Plan commitments which include encouraging sustainable food production. There is legislation in place on a number of relevant issues, including fish welfare, environmental protection and consumer safety which are continually assessed. All fish farms must be authorised by the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, a DEFRA agency, and the conditions include aspects of sustainability.
In addition to this, DEFRA is currently working with the aquaculture industry, looking at ways in which it can develop in England. Assessing the sustainability of fish farms will be a key aspect of this work.
Flood and Coastal Resilience Partnership Funding
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how funding through the new Flood and Coastal Resilience Partnership Funding arrangement will be focused on those communities at greatest risk. [80290]
Richard Benyon: The new partnership funding arrangements for flood and coastal erosion risk management will offer funding towards schemes in direct relation to the flood risk benefits being delivered, and this will be greater in areas where risks are more significant.
Those most at risk and living in the most deprived parts of the country will continue to be the focus for Government support.
Flood Control
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of her proposed changes to flood defences on the ability of property and landowners to maintain adequate insurance cover in respect of flooding. [81307]
Richard Benyon: The new arrangements for partnership funding of flood defences are designed to target funding towards those most at risk and in more deprived communities. Partnership funding enables cost savings and local contributions that will mean more communities can enjoy the benefits that flood defences bring. As such the new arrangements should contribute to ensuring that flood insurance continues to be as widely available as possible.
Floods: Insurance
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what meetings she has had with representatives of the insurance industry to discuss replacement of the Statement of Principles on the provision of flood insurance; and if she will publish the minutes of those meetings; [80287]
(2) what will replace the Statement of Principles on the provision of flood insurance after it expires in 2013. [80288]
Richard Benyon: In the light of the second flood insurance summit held with stakeholders in July, both Government and insurers are working closely together to ensure that flood insurance continues to be widely available.
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The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), recently met the Association of British Insurers to discuss arrangements after the current Statement of Principles agreement comes to an end in July 2013, and plans to issue a progress update shortly.
Food: Waste
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has any plans to review current legislation to enable water companies to accept food waste from external sources to allow for an increase in the levels of energy production from anaerobic digestion plants. [81233]
Richard Benyon: Water companies can already accept food waste from external sources.
In June, the Government published their Anaerobic Digestion Strategy and Action Plan, which sets out what needs to be done to bring about an increase in energy from waste through anaerobic digestion. As part of the Action Plan, DEFRA will work with the Environment Agency to clarify the regulatory position on co-digestion of waste with sewage sludge at sewage treatment works.
DEFRA will also discuss with Ofwat the recommendations of the Office of Fair Trading's market study that looked at competition in the treatment of organic waste and, in particular, the sewage sludge treatment sector.
Inland Waterways: Dredging
David Heyes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what estimate she has made of the length of waterways managed by British Waterways that require dredging; and what the cost would be of carrying out such dredging; [80685]
(2) what estimate she has made of the length of British Waterways' canals and rivers to be dredged in 2011-12. [80686]
Richard Benyon: Dredging is an operational matter for British Waterways (BW) and it applies risk based prioritisation to its maintenance expenditure. The Government require BW to operate and maintain waterways to standards that reflect use and prospects of use.
BW undertakes regular waterway channel depth surveys to identify which stretches of its canals fail to meet the minimum depth to enable reasonable navigation in a location. Around 287 kms of the 3,000 km network currently do not meet the criteria and consequently require dredging. The cost of undertaking this dredging would be around £40 million.
BW plans to dredge, at a cost of £4.2 million, 45 km of canals and rivers in 2011-12, and in addition will spend £1.2 million on various high priority locations that have been identified as creating particular boating constraints.
Land Drainage: Urban Areas
Mark Pawsey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to issue her consultation on sustainable urban
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drainage systems and surface water systems at the same time as her foul sewer consultation. [81069]
Richard Benyon: The consultations have separate timetables. However, we plan to align our stakeholder communications on both issues and also consultation workshops on key aspects of the policies.
Marine Conservation Zones
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what timetable she has set for the classification of marine protected areas in England. [80133]
Richard Benyon: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement made on 15 November 2011, Official Report, column 35WS.
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the application of the precautionary principle to the designation of marine conservation zones. [80134]
Richard Benyon: No decisions have yet been taken on the designation of marine conservation zones (MCZs) recommended by the regional projects. It is important that we have an adequate evidence base if we are to create successful well-managed MCZs. Nonetheless, I do not rule out taking precautionary action where this would be appropriate.
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will issue a public consultation on the marine conservation zones proposed by the regional stakeholder projects. [80148]
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will hold a public consultation on all prospective marine conservation zones sites recommended by regional stakeholder-led projects. [81133]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA will hold a three-month public consultation on marine conservation zones (MCZ) by the end of 2012. This consultation will include all sites recommended by the regional MCZ projects, with clarity on how and when work on them will be taken forward. It is envisaged that the first MCZ designations will take place in 2013.
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will consider designating additional marine conservation zones to help protect (a) basking sharks, (b) dolphins and (c) other mobile species. [80149]
Richard Benyon: The Government's view is that spatial protection mechanisms are not always, in isolation, the most effective way of protecting highly mobile species. However, protecting some habitats important to mobile species can aid their conservation as part of wider, more bespoke protection measures that can be applied across all or parts of their range, and where appropriate marine conservation zones (MCZs) could be used to protect these habitats.
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DEFRA is in the process of commissioning an independent review of the current science on the merits of protecting mobile species through MCZs, and an assessment of the extent to which the regional project recommendations support the protection of mobile species and birds. Where evidence shows that a mobile species could be effectively protected by an marine protected area (MPA), and that there is a gap in the MPA network (looking at the network as a whole and considering special protection areas, special areas of conservation and MCZ contributions), this may be signalled in the public consultation documentation and suggestions for filling the gap considered by DEFRA, Natural England and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
In addition, DEFRA will continue to develop bespoke management measures for the protection of vulnerable mobile species, such as acoustic deterrents to reduce dolphin bycatch and fisheries protection for endangered sharks.
Motor Vehicles: Sales
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to prevent commercial vehicle traders from posing as private individuals to sell vehicles on public highways. [81657]
Richard Benyon: It is an offence under section 3 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 to offer for sale two or more vehicles, as part of a business, within 500 metres of each other on a road or roads.
This is enforced by local authorities, which can issue a fixed penalty notice of £100 to offenders, or take action through the courts. Section 5 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act introduces personal liability for directors and officers of a company for these offences.
Natural Capital Committee
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) when she expects to establish the Natural Capital Committee; [80121]
(2) whether the Natural Capital Committee will be required to report to Parliament annually on the condition of natural capital in the UK. [80122]
Richard Benyon:
The Government announced in the Natural Environment White Paper that they will establish an independent Natural Capital Committee, reporting to the Economic Affairs Cabinet Committee which is chaired by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne). The Committee will advise the Government on the state of English natural capital. As set out in the White Paper, the Committee will: provide advice on when, where and how natural assets are being used unsustainably; advise the Government on how they could prioritise action to protect and improve natural capital, so that public and private activity is focused where it will have greatest impact on improving wellbeing in our society; and, advise the Government on research priorities to improve future advice and decisions on protecting and enhancing natural capital. The Committee will be set up initially
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for the duration of this Parliament; the work of the Committee will be available to Parliament and will be set out in a series of reports. I will shortly be recruiting the chair and members of the Committee and I have issued a written ministerial statement on the process of establishing the Committee this week.
Photography
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been spent on photography by her Department since May 2010. [80271]
Richard Benyon: The Department does not hold a central record which would identify how much has been spent on photography alone and cannot therefore provide an accurate figure without incurring disproportionate costs.
Poultry: Animal Welfare
Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with those responsible for implementing the welfare of laying hens directive in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland on likely levels of non-compliance with the directive from 1 January 2012; what data her Department holds on likely levels of non-compliance; and if she will publish such data. [79134]
Mr Paice: The Government are in frequent contact with all the devolved Administrations regarding the implementation of the directive and the need to protect producers across the UK who have invested in new systems. Inspectors from the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA), the agency responsible for enforcing the conventional cage ban in Great Britain, are visiting all known cage producers in England, Scotland and Wales. Department of Agriculture and Rural Development officials in Northern Ireland are also contacting and visiting producers to determine levels of compliance. Officials are reminding producers of the need to comply with the conventional cage ban when it comes into force at the end of the year and at the same time finding out producers' intentions, as to whether they will cease production or convert to alternative systems.
In addition, DEFRA commissioned ADAS to prepare the last in a series of reports to provide an update of the progress that the UK egg industry has made towards achieving full compliance with the legislation as at 1 September 2011 and any likely barriers in the way. This has now been completed.
The Government will be taking a tough enforcement approach on any UK producer who has not complied by the deadline.
Ragwort
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the potential benefits of ragwort to invertebrate biodiversity. [80843]
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Richard Benyon: DEFRA recognises that where there is no threat to animal welfare, common ragwort provides many benefits to biodiversity; in particular, it supports a variety of invertebrates, such as moth caterpillars, including the Cinnabar moth, as well as thrips, plant bugs, flies, beetles and mites.
Recycling
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the possible benefits of slurry recycling. [75076]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA is funding research which evaluates the application of slurry on to land and looks at looks at the impact of changes to manure management practices. This work is part of an integrated approach to help farmers manage their nutrients as effectively as possible and to tackle diffuse pollution from agriculture.
The application of organic manures (which include cattle and pig slurry) to agricultural land is important in improving soil fertility and productivity. The efficient use of manures is one element of an approach to more closely match crops' needs, and capacity to use nutrients, to supply. It also helps to reduce farmers' synthetic fertiliser costs: for example, every tonne of nitrate applied as slurry when plants need it can lead to savings on a farm's fertiliser bill of £345 (or £1,000 per tonne of nitrogen).
In addition, the benefits of efficient manure application extend to significant reductions of environmental pollutants such as greenhouse gas emissions, ammonia emissions to air, and nitrate-N emissions to water.
Rural Areas: Broadband
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to meet the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport to discuss support for the roll-out of rural broadband in the next three months. [80785]
Richard Benyon: Access to broadband in rural areas is a key priority for DEFRA. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), is in regular and ongoing discussions with the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), on the roll-out of broadband to rural areas.
Rural Areas: Economic Growth
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what meetings she has had on economic growth in rural communities since May 2010. [80776]
Richard Benyon:
Supporting sustainable economic growth in rural areas has been a priority for DEFRA since this Government took office. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), has had regular meetings with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), on this and other issues since May 2010.
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She is currently leading the Rural Economy strand of the Government’s Growth Review, which focuses on the practical steps that can be taken to enable rural economies to thrive and make a greater contribution to national growth.
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to meet the Chancellor of the Exchequer to discuss steps to support development in rural communities in the next three months. [80777]
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on encouraging growth in rural areas. [81121]
Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), has regular meetings with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), on the Growth Review and other issues. She has been leading the rural economy strand of the review which is focused on how the Government can best support strong economic growth in rural communities.
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials are working on her Department's Rural Economy Growth Review. [81425]
Richard Benyon: The core project team working on the Rural Economy Growth Review within DEFRA is made up of 6.3 full-time equivalent staff. Other officials in both DEFRA and other Government Departments also contribute to the work as necessary.
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department have attended on the Rural Economy Growth Review; and on what dates. [81426]
Richard Benyon: Since its launch in June 2011, DEFRA has been leading the rural economy strand of the Government's Growth Review. Ministers and officials in the Department have had numerous meetings as part of the review.
Rural Enterprise Zones
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had on rural enterprise zones. [81120]
Richard Benyon: Since June 2011, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), has been leading the rural economy strand of the Growth Review, which is focused on supporting strong economic growth in rural communities. As part of this the Government are considering a variety of innovative ways in which rural businesses can be supported, including through the work of local enterprise partnerships.
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Sewers
Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to issue the consultation on the mandatory adoption arrangements and the mandatory build standards for new gravity foul sewers and lateral drains. [81070]
Richard Benyon: Proposals to consult on mandatory adoption arrangements, and the mandatory build standards for new gravity foul sewers and lateral drains, are currently undergoing final internal government clearances. Subject to these clearances, the consultation launch is planned for December 2011.
Sewers: Urban Areas
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding is available to local authorities for the costs of maintaining sustainable urban drainage systems. [80291]
Richard Benyon: Funding for the maintenance of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) by local authorities is agreed with a developer or another party, typically using a Section 106 agreement from the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
However, the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 includes a new duty for unitary and county local authorities, acting as SuDS approving bodies, to approve drainage systems in new developments and adopt those that serve more than one property.
The Government recognise that once commenced this will be a new burden on local authorities and in the short-term we will fund the maintenance of drainage systems approved and subsequently adopted. We are also committed to finding a long-term solution for the maintenance of SuDS and we are currently exploring options.
SSSIs
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what criteria she requires (a) priority habitats and (b) sites of special scientific interest to meet for them to be assessed as being in favourable condition. [81183]
Richard Benyon: There are no comprehensive criteria for assessing favourable condition of priority habitats in England. Criteria have been developed for specific habitats where national surveys have been completed (lowland grassland, lowland heathland and upland priority habitats). There are plans to develop a more comprehensive set of criteria to enable progress against the Biodiversity 2020 habitat outcomes to be measured.
Assessment of favourable condition on sites of special scientific interest is based on criteria set out in Common Standards Monitoring Guidance, administered by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.
SSSIs: Planning Permission
Jim Shannon:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the (a) British Association of Shooting
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and Conservation,
(b)
Countryside Alliance and
(c)
other bodies on (i) the potential effect of planning law on sites of special scientific interest and (ii) the protected status of those sites. [81179]
Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), has had no meetings with these organisations specifically to discuss planning law in relation to sites of special scientific interest.
Supermarkets: Competition
Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with supermarket chains on the creation of a supermarket ombudsman. [80233]
Mr Paice: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills leads on the creation of the Grocery Code Adjudicator.
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), has not therefore held any particular recent discussions with supermarket chains on this issue.
Sussex Emerald Moth
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to protect the Sussex Emerald Moth. [80842]
Richard Benyon: The Sussex Emerald Moth is fully protected under schedule 5 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and is listed as a species of principal importance for the conservation of biological diversity under section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act. It is one of England's rarest moths, known from just two sites in Kent, with its stronghold at Dungeness. In recent years, the decline of the Sussex Emerald has been halted and Natural England is working with the RSPB, Butterfly Conservation, and major landowners to increase the population within and around Dungeness through habitat creation.
Trees: Disease Control
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding will be allocated to implement the Tree Health and Plant Biosecurity Action Plan; and if she will provide a breakdown of how this will be spent. [80296]
Mr Paice: DEFRA is allocating £7 million from existing evidence resources as additional funding for new research into tree health over the next three years, and is also working with partners and stakeholders to take forward further research. Projects will be identified following open competition. The bidding process is being developed and will be announced as soon as possible.
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Resource Efficiency
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding her Department provided to (a) the Waste and Resources Action Programme and (b) the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme in each of the last five years. [80300]
Richard Benyon: The following table shows the amount of DEFRA funding provided to the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) and the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) for the years 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10.
| £ million | ||
|
|
WRAP | NISP |
Since April 2010, the seven bodies previously funded separately by DEFRA to provide advice and support on resource efficiency (including WRAP and NISP) were integrated under the umbrella of WRAP to provide a single source of expertise on material resource efficiency. The NISP is currently delivered by International Synergies Ltd through a contract with WRAP.
In 2010-11 the amount of funding provided to WRAP was £49 million.
The 2011-12 budget allocated to WRAP is £34.7 million.
Waste Disposal: Finance
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much she estimates will need to be spent on new treatment facilities for municipal solid waste in England for the UK to meet its landfill diversion targets. [80298]
Richard Benyon: The EU landfill directive sets targets to reduce the diversion of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill to 50% of 1995 levels by 2013 and 35% of 1995 levels by 2020.
The current HM Treasury National Infrastructure Plan estimates that delivering the required infrastructure
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using private finance initiative funding would amount to £95 million per year from 2014-15 and £120 million per year by 2017-18.
Water Companies: Employment
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effect of the five-year asset management planning cycle on employment in the water industry and its supply chain. [81181]
Richard Benyon: Water and sewerage companies and water-only companies are responsible for their own investment programmes, including employment matters. As private companies, they have to decide how best to deliver safe and secure water supplies to their customers.
Ofwat is the economic regulator of the water and sewerage sectors in England and Wales. In October 2006, it published its conclusions from its consultation ‘Setting water and sewerage price limits: is five years right?’ In this, Ofwat said that there was support for continuing to set price limits at the 2009 price review for five years. At the 2009 price review, Ofwat asked companies, for the first time, to prepare 25 year strategic direction statements, which would help plan for the longer term.
Ofwat is due to publish its ‘Future Price Limits Framework’ consultation in late November which, among other things, is seeking views on how to create sectors that take a longer term approach to business planning. It is thought that this longer term approach will help to prevent future peaks and troughs within the investment cycles.
Water Companies: Manpower
Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were employed in the water sector and its supply chain in each of the five years of the 2004 price review. [80292]
Richard Benyon: Employment levels across the UK's water sector and its supply chain are not measured on a consistent basis. However, Ofwat, British Water and Energy and Utility Skills have provided the following estimates of employment within the UK's water industry and its supply chain over the 2004 price review period:
|
|
2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 |
Water Supply
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has given any consideration to encouraging water trading between UK water companies. [81125]
Richard Benyon: DEFRA has given considerable consideration to encouraging water trading between UK water companies. The Department commissioned research into the barriers to trading and this was published in September 2010 as ‘Assessment of regulatory barriers and constraints to effective interconnectivity of water supplies’. This research will inform the Water White Paper.
Water: EU Law
Mr Ainsworth:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has any plans to assess whether the water
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framework directive could be implemented
(a)
more cost-effectively and
(b)
in a more environmentally friendly way. [81234]
Richard Benyon: The water framework directive is founded on sustainable development principles. It incorporates a requirement to assess the costs and benefits of alternative approaches to achieving its aims and to select the most cost-effective combination of measures. In addition, it allows the cost of achieving the environmental objectives set for our water bodies to be phased over three planning cycles ending in 2027, if it is disproportionately expensive to achieve the objectives it sets by the default deadline of 2015. In England, river basin management plans for the first cycle 2009-15 envisage that the percentage of water bodies achieving good status will increase from 26% to 30%. The Environment Agency aims to achieve an additional 2% improvement in that period as the result of the many investigations that are being carried out to provide the evidence needed to identify appropriate action.
The Environment Agency is working closely at the local level with a range of partners, including water companies, farmers, land managers and voluntary organisations, to develop and drive forward the new catchment management approach announced in March this year. This involves building understanding of the complex interactions between land and water, developing measures to address water pollution at source, and securing multiple benefits such as reduced treatment of drinking water, improved habitat for wildlife and more sustainable flood risk management, while lessening reliance on expensive and carbon intensive end-of-pipe solutions.
Health
Accident and Emergency Departments: Manpower
Mr Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the deployment of emergency care assistants; and whether he plans to put in place safeguards to ensure they will not be used as substitutes for qualified paramedics. [81149]
Mr Simon Burns: Decisions on deployment of ambulance service personnel are a local, operational matter for ambulance trusts. There is a duty of care on these trusts to ensure that the response they send to the patient can provide the appropriate level of care. Where patients need a paramedic, one should be dispatched.
Emergency care assistants are not trained to have any diagnostic or therapeutic intervention function, and so only in exceptional cases will not be accompanied by a paramedic. In such exceptional circumstances, an emergency care assistant may be dispatched with an emergency medical technician or another emergency care assistant, but this would only be as backup to a paramedic rapid response vehicle, or as a first response, with paramedic back-up dispatched as required.
Alcohol and Drugs Misuse
Sir Peter Bottomley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to respond to the letter of 3 November 2011 from Sir Michael Scholar of the UK
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Statistics Authority concerning
(a)
the statistics on substance misuse among young people and
(b)
statistics from the National Alcohol Treatment Monitoring System; and if he will make a statement. [81624]
Anne Milton: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), intends to respond shortly and will lay a copy of the statement before Parliament.
Blood: Donors
Lilian Greenwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many schools and sixth form colleges in (a) Nottinghamshire and (b) nationally held at least one blood donation session in each of the last five years. [81067]
Anne Milton: The legal minimum age for blood donation in the United Kingdom is 17.
The information is shown in the following table.
| Number of schools and colleges that have held at least one blood donation session per year, as at 11 November 2011 | ||
|
|
Nottinghamshire | England and North Wales |
| Notes: 1. NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for the provision of a reliable, efficient supply of blood to hospitals in England and North Wales. 2. NHSBT does not hold data to differentiate between sixth form colleges and other types of colleges. Source: NHS Blood and Transplant. | ||
Brain Cancer
Mr Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the use of proton beam therapy in the treatment of brain tumours; [81272]
(2) what the average time taken was from the onset of symptoms of a primary brain tumour to its diagnosis in the latest period for which figures are available. [81274]
Paul Burstow: An expert clinical advisory group, established to look at the options for the development of proton beam therapy (PBT) services in this country, recommended that PBT could benefit a small group of very specific primary tumours. These include some tumours of the base of the skull in adults that are close to the brain and some primary brain tumours in children.
From 2008, patients with high priority cancers have been sent overseas for PBT treatment. A Proton Therapy Clinical Reference Panel, established by the National Commissioning Group, advises on suitable cases for this treatment. The Panel has approved over 100 base of skull or primary central nervous system tumour cases for treatment with PBT since the Overseas Programme began. The PBT clinical reference panel has also established processes that will enable the outcomes for these patients to be evaluated.
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The Department does not collect statistics regarding average time taken from the onset of symptoms of a primary brain tumour to its diagnosis. However, “The National Report of the 2010 Cancer Patient Experience Survey”, published in December 2010, included a series of questions about general practitioner (GP) presentation and referrals. The views of over 67,000 cancer patients were included in the survey results and of these 2,382 had brain and central nervous system (CNS) tumours.
The following table shows the responses of patients with brain and CNS tumours to questions concerning GP presentation and referral, presented alongside the highest scoring patient group.
Both national and trust level reports can be found on the Department's website at:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_122516
Breastfeeding
Dr Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve long-term support for women on breastfeeding. [81453]
Anne Milton: The Department recognises the importance of breastfeeding and is committed to supporting breastfeeding through the Healthy Child Programme, as set out in the Public Health White Paper, published in December 2010. Support and information is available to health professionals and parents via the NHS Choices and Start4Life websites, the National Breastfeeding Helpline and local peer support programmes.
In addition, we have made a commitment to recruit an extra 4,200 health visitors by 2015, who will be able to help support women who want to breastfeed but may find it difficult.
Cancer
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of the quality of care provided to pancreatic cancer patients; [81212]
(2) what recent assessment he has made of the comparative quality of information provided to newly diagnosed (a) pancreatic and (b) other cancer patients; [81213]
(3) what proportion of pancreatic cancer patients were treated at specialist centres in the latest period for which figures are available; [81214]
(4) what assessment his Department has made of the quality of experience of pancreatic cancer patients compared to other cancer patients. [81385]
Paul Burstow:
“The National Report of the 2010 Cancer Patient Experience Survey”, published in December 2010, is the largest ever England-wide survey of cancer
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patients' experience of care with over 67,000 respondents from 158 trusts. Patients with pancreatic cancer are included within the results for the 3,577 patients with upper gastro-intestinal (upper GI) cancers who participated in the survey. In the following table are the survey responses most relevant to the information requested.
Both national and trust level reports can be found on the Department's website at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_122516
Information regarding the proportion of pancreatic cancer patients treated at specialist centres in the latest period for which figures are available cannot be provided in the format requested. Information about the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) for patients with a primary diagnosis of pancreatic cancer, by hospital provider for 2010-11 has been placed in the Library.
FCEs should not be described as a count of people as the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion. To protect patient confidentiality, figures between one and five have been replaced with an asterisk. Where it was still possible to identify numbers from the total an additional number (the next smallest) has been replaced.
Cancer: Surgery
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have undergone surgery for (a) pancreatic, (b) breast, (c) lung and (d) bowel cancer in each of the last three years. [80989]
Paul Burstow: Information regarding the number of patients who have undergone surgery for pancreatic, breast, lung and bowel cancer in each of the last three years cannot be provided in the format requested.
Information about the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) for patients with a primary diagnosis of lung, bowel, breast or pancreatic cancer undergoing a main excision procedure in each of the last three years has been provided in the following table:
|
|
Lung cancer | Bowel cancer | Breast cancer | Pancreatic cancer |
An FCE is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FCEs do not represent the number of different patients receiving treatment as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year.
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A main procedure is the first recorded procedure or intervention in each episode of care, usually the most resource intensive procedure or intervention performed during the episode.
Carers
Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to require councils to include a minimum level of resources to be set aside for personal mobility when designing contracts with state-funded care providers; and if he will make a statement. [81151]
Paul Burstow: The detail of contracting arrangements between councils and independent sector providers of care is a matter for local decision. It would not be appropriate for the Department to set out in detail how councils contract with care homes. It is important that councils have flexibility to tailor contracts as necessary to meet the needs of individuals, their communities and specific local circumstances.
Personal mobility needs for disabled adults are met through the mobility component of disability living
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allowance (DLA). The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is considering personal mobility issues as part of the development of Personal Independence Payments, which will replace DLA in 2013. The Department has provided information to DWP regarding the responsibilities of councils and care homes to arrange and provide social care services, and the responsibility of the Care Quality Commission to ensure the quality of those services.
Dementia: South East
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the number of people in (a) Medway, (b) Tonbridge and Malling borough council, (c) Chatham and Aylesford constituency and (d) the south-east who have been diagnosed with dementia in the latest period for which figures are available. [81656]
Paul Burstow: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table:
| Numbers of patients on the dementia patient register for Medway Primary Care Trust (PCT), West Kent PCT and the South East Coast Strategic Health Authority (SHA) | |
| NHS organisation | Number of patients on dementia patient register at 31 March 2011 |
| Notes: 1. The national QOF records the number of people recorded on practice disease registers with a diagnosis of dementia—a measure of prevalence rather than incidence. 2. Data from the QOF Dementia Patient Register as at 31 March 2011 are the latest data available. 3. These data are not available at local authority or parliamentary constituency level. Tonbridge and Malling borough council falls within the West Kent PCT area. Chatham and Aylesford constituency lies predominantly within the Medway PCT area. 4. QOF is a voluntary annual reward and incentive programme for all general practitioner (GP) surgeries in England and is part of the GP contract. The QOF was introduced as part of the new General Medical Services (GMS) contract on 1 April 2004. Participation rates are very high, with most Personal Medical Services practices also taking part. Practices score points on the basis of achievement against each indicator, up to a maximum of 1,000 points. Results of GP practices' achievement against the QOF are published each year. 5. For 2010-11, 8,245 GP practices in England are included in the published results, covering almost 100% of registered patients in England. 6. The QOF has four main components, known as domains. Each domain consists of a set of measures of achievement, known as indicators, against which practices score points according to their level of achievement. 7. The following extract is taken from Quality and Outcomes Framework guidance for GMS contract 2009-10 ‘Delivering investment in general practice’, March 2009, NHS Employers (note, 2009-10 guidance also applies to 2010-11 QOF). “The practice can produce a register of patients diagnosed with dementia. Rationale: A register is a pre-requisite for the organisation of good primary care for a particular patient group. There is little evidence to support screening for dementia and it is expected that the diagnosis will largely be recorded from correspondence when patients are referred to secondary care with suspected dementia or as an additional diagnosis when a patient is seen in secondary care. However, it is also important to include patients where it is inappropriate or not possible to refer to a secondary care provider for a diagnosis and where the GP has made a diagnosis based on their clinical judgement and knowledge of the patient. The practice reports the number of patients with dementia on its register and the number of people with dementia as a proportion of its list size.” Source: Dementia Patient Register, Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF), the NHS Information Centre | |
Judicial Review
Mr Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what applications for judicial review have been made against his Department (a) in the last Parliament and (b) since May 2010; whether each such application (i) succeeded, (ii) failed and (iii) remains pending; what legal costs were incurred by his Department for each such application; in each failed application whether he applied for costs against the applicant and whether they were (A) awarded and (B) paid; whether his Department (1) paid for and (2) offered to pay for the legal costs incurred by each such applicant; and what the total cost to the public purse was of payment of the legal costs for each such applicant. [80714]
Mr Simon Burns: Internal legal advice for the Department is obtained through a service level agreement which the Department has with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) (i.e. from legal staff directly employed by DWP). DWP legal services report that the information requested is not recorded centrally by the litigation team; to obtain it would involve examining open files and recalling closed files from storage. This could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.
Diabetes: Nurses
Mr Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that the role of diabetes specialist nurses in community, primary and secondary care and in the integration of diabetes care services is taken into account in his planned reforms of the NHS. [R] [81530]
Paul Burstow: The coalition Government consider that diabetes specialist nurses are an essential part of the diabetes specialist team. They have a valuable part to play in supporting people with diabetes, and ensuring the integration of diabetes services.
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Local health care organisations are in the best position to determine the work force needed to deliver safe and high-quality patient care for their local populations. Managing diabetes, and commissioning services for people with diabetes, is complex and we expect decisions to be informed by clinical involvement and leadership. The national health service reforms present an opportunity for stronger, closer partnership working between the new primary care commissioners and secondary care specialists, ensuring that evidence-based multi-disciplinary care is commissioned and is focused on the needs of the individual patient.
General Practitioners
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on the number of GP appointments which took place in (a) Kent and (b) England in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11. [80694]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department does not collect data centrally on numbers of general practitioner appointments.
Herbal Medicine
Simon Reevell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many complaints the Borderline section of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has received where the medicinal status of the product required investigating in the last two years; how many of these resulted in a determination that the product investigated was a medicine; and if he will make a statement; [80864]
(2) which companies have been investigated by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for labelling herbal medicinal products as food supplements; what sanctions the MHRA can apply against such companies; what steps the MHRA is taking to prevent such practices; and if he will make a statement; [80865]
(3) what estimate his Department has made of the number of herbal medicinal manufacturers who are considering reclassifying their traditional herbal registration products as food supplements; and if he will make a statement. [80938]
Mr Simon Burns: In the years 2009-10 and 2010-11 the Medicines Borderline Section of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) considered 986 complaints. The MHRA concluded that 667 cases involved products which could be classified as medicines by virtue of their presentation, or by virtue of their function or both. The MHRA approach in these cases is to seek voluntary compliance from companies wherever possible but six provisional determinations were issued in that two-year period and eight final determinations.
The Medicines for Human Use (Marketing Authorisations Etc.) Regulations 1994 make it an offence to place a medicine on the market without the appropriate authorisation or to distribute such a product by way of wholesale dealing, unless an exemption applies. Breaches of the regulations are a criminal offence and can be punished by up to two years’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. Companies that are investigated by the MHRA are entitled to their privacy especially where,
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following investigation, no subsequent enforcement action is taken against them. The MHRA considers that it would not be in the public interest to publish the names of companies where there is compliance with regulatory requirements; such an approach could also have legal implications. Where a case results in a final determination that a product is a medicine this information appears on the MHRA website.
Prior to the date of full implementation of directive 2004/24/EC the MHRA wrote to 272 companies which it believed to be involved in the supply of herbal products in the United Kingdom. 132 replied saying that they marketed some 2,915 products under the section 12(2) exemption from licensing contained in the Medicines Act 1968. The MHRA is aware of some companies labelling products as food supplements which might be medicinal products and is investigating those companies. The MHRA is considering the wider issues arising and how effective, proportionate enforcement action can best ensure that the intended benefits of the legislation for consumers and for companies compliant with the legislation are achieved.
Hospices: Charities
Mr Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of potential changes to the regulation of charitable hospices as a consequence of the reforms proposed in the Health and Social Care Bill; and whether he proposes that such hospices will be subject to regulation by Monitor. [81026]
Mr Simon Burns: The Health and Social Care Bill would introduce a requirement that “any person who provides a health care(1) service for the purposes of the NHS must hold a licence”, except where they are exempt through regulations set by the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley).
(1) The definition of health care as set out in Clause 60 (3) of the Health and Social Care Bill in relation to Part 3 of the Bill states:
“‘Health care’ means all forms of health care provided for individuals, whether relating to physical or mental health with a reference in this Part to health care services being read accordingly; and for the purposes of this Part it does not matter if a health care service is also an adult social care service.”
Therefore, any charitable hospices providing “health care” services would be required to apply to Monitor for a licence, unless it is determined they should be exempt by regulations.
Monitor and the Care Quality Commission (CQC) would be obliged to operate a joint licensing administration process. There would be a single, integrated application process and co-ordination of licence modifications and enforcement action. This would avoid duplication and reduce bureaucracy for providers.
The Bill would place a duty on Monitor to ensure best regulatory practice; keep regulatory burdens under review and remove unnecessary burdens.
Under the Health and Social Care Act 2008, the CQC has a duty to ensure that any action it takes is proportionate to the risks against which it would afford safeguards and is targeted only where it is needed. The CQC is currently consulting on proposals to simplify and strengthen its regulatory model of monitoring and inspecting providers of regulated activities.
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Injuries: Dogs
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether he has had discussions with (a) ministerial colleagues and (b) officials on the cost of admissions to hospitals arising from dangerous dog attacks; [80995]
(2) what correspondence he has received on the effects on hospital (a) staff and (b) budgets of treating injuries caused by dangerous dogs. [80996]
Mr Simon Burns: Ministers in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have been working closely with Government and non-Government organisations to prepare a package of measures to encourage more responsible dog ownership and reduce dog attacks. This work is nearing completion and an announcement will be made by that Department shortly.
A search of the Department of Health's correspondence database since 1 January 2011 shows that no correspondence has been received on the effects on hospital staff and budgets of treating injuries caused by dangerous dogs.
Mental Health
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of the effect of living in an (a) urban and (b) rural environment on levels of mental illness; [81652]
(2) what recent assessment he has made of the effects of (a) unemployment and (b) poverty on levels of mental illness; [81653]
(3) what the rate of mental illness is of (a) males in the richest decile and (b) females in the poorest decile; [81654]
(4) what recent assessment he has made of the effects of (a) environmental, (b) societal and (c) economic factors on long-term trends in mental illness; [81655]
(5) how many (a) male adults, (b) female adults, (c) male children and (d) female children were diagnosed with a mental illness in the latest period for which figures are available. [81687]
Paul Burstow: While we know that poverty, economic hardship, debt and unemployment are risk factors for mental disorders, no recent assessment has been made of the effect of unemployment or poverty levels on levels of mental health. Nor have there been any recent assessments of the effects of environmental, societal and economic factors on long-term trends in mental illness.
While the Mental Health Minimum Dataset includes rates of access to secondary mental health services by adults, they are not available by levels of deprivation, nor do they cover the number of people diagnosed with a mental illness, broken down by gender and age.
No recent assessment has been made of the effect of living in urban or rural environments on the levels of mental illness.
Neuromuscular Conditions: Health Services
Mr Mike Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information his Department holds on progress in setting up a managed clinical network for
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neuromuscular conditions in the NHS South Central region; and if he will make a statement. [81495]
Paul Burstow: This is a matter for the national health service locally. However, the South Central Specialised Commissioning Group (SCSCG) report on neuromuscular services was published in August 2011. There are two established specialist providers of neuromuscular services in the south central region, in Southampton and Oxford. Both locations now have neuro-muscular disorder care advisors who are supporting patients in the region and further developing links from the specialist service into secondary, community and primary care. As part of the national work programme on services for people with neuromuscular conditions, the SCSCG (in conjunction with the North West Specialised Commissioning Group) has led on looking at models of care to improve the integration of care across pathways and providers.
NHS: Disclosure of Information
Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what cases involving whistleblowers in the NHS (a) he and his predecessor and (b) his ministerial colleagues and their predecessors have received briefing on since 1997. [81031]
Anne Milton: To identify what cases involving whistleblowers Ministers have received briefing on since 1997 would incur disproportionate costs.
Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to support whistleblowers in the NHS; and if he will make a statement. [81068]
Anne Milton: On 9 June, the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), announced a full public inquiry into the role of commissioning, supervising and regulatory bodies in the monitoring of Mid-Staffordshire Foundation Trust. As part of this, he also stated his intentions to undertake further work on whistleblowing and improve procedures for those who wished to raise concerns. These include:
Issuing unequivocal guidance to national health service organisations that all their contracts of employment should cover staff whistleblowing rights—this has been published on the NHS Employers website on 13 September 2010.
Seeking through negotiations with NHS trade unions to amend the terms and conditions of service handbook to include a contractual right to raise concerns. Changes have been made to the NHS staff terms and conditions of service handbook for those on Agenda for Change and were agreed through the Staff Council and published on the NHS Employers website on 13 September 2010.
Issuing guidance to the NHS on supporting and taking action on concerns raised by staff. This has been completed and as stated earlier published on 25 June 2010.
Reinforcing the NHS constitution to make clear the rights and responsibilities of NHS staff and their employers in respect of whistleblowing. A full public consultation ran from 12 October 2010 to 11 January 2011 to gauge public opinion on the possibility of adding:
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an expectation that staff should raise concerns at the earliest opportunity;
organisations should pledge to support staff when raising concerns; and
the constitution should have greater clarity around the ability of staff to raise concerns.
The departmental response to this was published on 18 October 2011, endorsing these changes which will be made in early 2012.
Exploring with NHS staff further measures to provide a safe and independent authority to whom they can turn when their own organisation is not listening. This option is currently being explored.
NHS: Sick Leave
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve the support offered to NHS employees unable to work due to sickness to resume work. [81119]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department is committed to improving the overall health and well-being of staff in the national health service.
The programme of work we are undertaking in this area is focused on both enabling improvements in individual's levels of health and providing return to work support when staff suffer episodes of ill health which prevent them from working.
The Department launched the NHS Health and Wellbeing Improvement Framework on 29 July 2011 to support NHS organisations in achieving changes to improve staff health and well-being. Over the coming months the Department is taking a number of specific initiatives in this area such as encouraging all NHS Occupational Health Departments to seek accreditation to the Faculty of Occupational Medicine's standards by March 2013; using pathfinders to develop models to support health and well-being in the NHS; and providing support to a number of organisations that are struggling to reduce levels of sickness absence.
The Department is also working with NHS Employers as a delivery arm for change. They are leading work on embedding approaches to support health and well-being across the NHS; supporting the development of Occupational Health Services and ensuring that there is a robust evidence base for the provision of these services in all NHS care settings; leading the national campaign to increase uptake of influenza vaccination by NHS staff; and helping NHS organisations meet their legal responsibilities for health and safety.
High quality occupational health is a key element in providing return to work support for employees unable to work due to sickness.
The Department's focus on this area will ensure increased support for NHS staff when they cannot work, and continued support when they return to work after an episode of sickness.
Obesity: Alcoholic Drinks
Tracey Crouch:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent assessment he has made of the relationship between high levels of alcohol consumption and obesity levels among (a) 16 to 24 year olds and (b) 45 to 54 year olds; and what estimate he has made of
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the cost to the Exchequer of obesity occasioned by alcohol consumption in the latest period for which figures are available; [81661]
(2) what recent assessment he has made of the relationship between high levels of alcohol consumption and obesity. [81664]
Anne Milton: The Department has not undertaken an assessment of the relationship between high levels of alcohol consumption and obesity levels; nor has the Department estimated the cost of obesity as a result of alcohol consumption. We have recently published ‘Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A call to action on obesity in England’, this states that alcoholic drinks can be high in calories and contribute to the energy imbalance that can lead to overweight and obesity. A copy of the document has already been placed in the Library.
The ‘National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2008/09-2009/10’ showed that, for adults aged 19 to 64 years who consumed alcohol, alcohol provided on average 9.7% of total energy intake for men and 7.7% for women. Information is available in Table 5.22 on page 110 of the ‘NDNS Headline results from Years 1 and 2 (combined) tables’. The information is available at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsStatistics/DH_128166
A copy of Table 5.22 has been placed in the Library.
Pancreatic Cancer
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he is taking to address variations in one-year survival rates for pancreatic cancer between regions; [80856]
(2) what plans he has to review referral guidelines on pancreatic cancer; [80857]
(3) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of guidelines for the early detection of pancreatic cancer by GPs; [80858]
(4) how many NHS pancreatic cancer clinical nurse specialists there were in the latest period for which figures are available. [80944]
Paul Burstow: We are providing data on regional variations in cancer care to support providers and commissioners to take action on variations in cancer survival rates locally. Through the National Cancer Intelligence Network we have already made available data collections on survival rates and surgical resection rates across a range of cancers, including pancreatic cancer. In August, we published the “Radiotherapy Dataset First Annual Report” to help tackle unwarranted variation in radiotherapy services and from April 2012 we are mandating the collection of chemotherapy data to achieve the same.
Referral guidelines for patients with suspected pancreatic cancer are included in “Improving Outcomes in Upper Gastro-intestinal Cancers”, published by the Department in 2001, and in “Referral guidelines for suspected cancer”, updated by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in 2005. In the latter, guidance is provided for gastrointestinal cancers as a whole, rather than by specific tumour type.
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NICE is in the process of reviewing its cancer referral guideline to take account of the latest available evidence. While there are currently no plans to review the Improving Outcomes Guidance, we have made it clear that it will continue to be a feature of all commissioned cancer services.
Both sets of guidance were developed with input from a wide range of clinical experts, stakeholders and patients and to provide effective support for national health service in the diagnosis, treatment and care of cancer patients. However, they do not replace the expertise of clinicians who are responsible for decisions about patient care.
Finally, according to “Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNSs) in Cancer Care: Provision, Proportion and Performance A census of the cancer specialist nurse workforce in England 2010”, published by the National Cancer Action Team in December 2010, there were 205.78 working time equivalent (WTE) upper gastrointestinal CNSs. The total reported CNS work force number was 2,164.20 WTE.
Pharmacy
Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of pharmacy contracts in (a) Kent and (b) England in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11. [81073]
Mr Simon Burns: Information on the number of community pharmacy contractors in contract with primary care trusts (PCTs) in England and with the Kent and Medway PCT cluster (NHS West Kent, NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent and NHS Medway) is shown in the table.
Information for 2010-11 is due to be published by the NHS Information Centre for Health and Social Care shortly.
|
|
2008-09 (1) | 2009-10 (1) |
| (1 )As at 31 March in each financial year Sources: NHS Prescription Services of the NHS Business Services Authority NHS Information Centre | ||
Social Services: Alcoholic Drinks
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the level of (a) drug dependency and (b) alcoholism amongst care leavers. [81622]
Anne Milton: These data are not collected centrally. A sample of 101 care leavers interviewed as part of a departmentally funded study by the university of York in 2001-04 found that 32% of them had problems with drugs or alcohol a year after leaving care.
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Social Services: Learning Disability
Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people with a learning disability were assessed as having (a) critical, (b) substantial, (c) moderate and (d) low level needs in each local authority area in each year since 2000; [81377]
(2) how many people of working age with a learning disability in each local authority area were assessed for state-funded social care in each year since 2000; and how many received such care. [81378]
Paul Burstow: No data are held on the number of people assessed as having critical, substantial, moderate and low level needs in each local authority area.
A table has been placed in the Library that shows the number of people of working age, with a learning disability, in each local authority area, that were assessed for state-funded social care in each year since 2000; and how many received such care.
Tables 1.1 to 1.4 show the number of clients with learning disabilities aged 18-64 with completed assessments from 2000-01 to 2009-10.
Table 1.1 covers the period 2000-01 to 2002-03 when data for reviews as well as assessments are also included as they were not collected separately from assessments.
Table 1.2 covers 2003-04 to 2007-08.
Table 1.3 contains data for 2008-09 as the source table changed from previous years.
Table 1.4 contains data for 2009-10 due to the reorganisation of local government that created nine new unitary authorities.
Tables 2.1 to 2.8 show the outcome of the assessment for clients with learning disabilities aged 18-64 from 2000-01 to 2007-08. These data are not available for later years broken down by primary client type. These tables all refer to assessments completed within the year and the outcome of those assessments. Tables 2.3 and 2.4, which cover 2003-04 and 2004-05, also include reviews which were not collected separately from assessments for these years.
Tables 3.1 and 3.2 show the number of clients with learning disabilities aged 18-64 who were receiving services funded partially or wholly by councils with adult social services responsibilities during the period from 2000-01 to 2009-10. Only a subset of these clients would have been assessed and would have started using services in that year.
Table 3.1 covers 2000-01 to 2008-09.
Table 3.2 only contains data for 2009-10 due to the reorganisation of local government that created nine new unitary authorities.
Provisional data for the 2010-11 will be pre-announced for publication on 30 November 2011.
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people of working age with a learning disability were assessed for state-funded social care in Redditch constituency in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011; and how many received such care. [81597]
Paul Burstow: The number of people assessed for state funded social care and the number who receive services funded wholly or partly by councils with adult social services responsibilities is collected and published by the NHS Information Centre for health and social care.
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The following table shows the number of clients with learning disabilities aged 18-64 who had completed assessments or were receiving services funded partially or wholly by Worcestershire county council during the period in 2008-09 and 2009-10.
Only a subset of the clients receiving services would have been assessed in the same year.
Provisional data for 2010-11 will be published on 30 November 2011.
The number of clients with learning disabilities aged 18-64 who had completed assessments or were receiving services in Worcestershire during the period.
21 Nov 2011 : Column 222W
| Rounded numbers | ||
| Worcestershire | 2008-09 | 2009-10 |
| Source: Referrals, Assessments and Packages of Care (RAP) returns A7 and PI | ||
This information is not collected at constituency level.