Tottenham Hotspur Football Club
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will undertake an economic impact assessment of the effect on (a) regeneration and (b) the level of employment in Tottenham constituency should Tottenham Hotspur Football Club move its operations from Tottenham to Stratford. [33850]
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Robert Neill: The future use of the Olympic Stadium will be assessed against the five agreed objectives set out in the pre-qualification questionnaire issued to those parties making a formal bid. All relevant factors will be taken into account in coming to a decision.
Health
Breast Cancer: Screening
Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect on the take-up of breast cancer screening of the availability of mobile screening units. [34094]
Paul Burstow: No assessment has been made on the effect of mobile screening units on breast screening uptake. However, anecdotal evidence suggests that mobile units do encourage uptake because they can offer screening in community settings and are more accessible.
The national health service breast screening programme (NHSBSP) currently invites women aged 50-70 for screening every three years. In 2008-09, the latest period for which statistics are available, over 2.2 million women in this age-group were invited for screening and uptake was 73.6% compared with 73.2% in 2007-08.
The NHSBSP is in the process of being extended to women aged 47 to 73. The NHS Operating Framework 2011-12, published on 15 December 2010, confirmed that all local breast screening units should continue the extension in 2011-12. Once completed, the extension will result in nearly two million additional women being eligible for screening.
Cancer: Medical Equipment
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to ring-fence from reductions his Department’s capital expenditure on cancer equipment. [34095]
Paul Burstow: In order to meet the needs of local populations, it is the responsibility of individual national health service trusts to purchase cancer equipment from their own financial allocations. The vast majority of NHS services are procured in this way and there are no plans to ring fence capital funding for this purpose.
Cataracts: Medical Treatments
Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure specific funds are allocated to enable those with cataracts to have the widest possible choice of eye lens treatment under the GP commissioning framework; and if he will make a statement. [34021]
Mr Simon Burns: Primary care trust (PCT) recurrent revenue allocations are not broken down by service or policy area. It is currently for PCTs to commission services to meet the healthcare needs of their local populations, taking account of local and national priorities.
The White Paper “Liberating the NHS” set out our proposals to devolve power and responsibility for commissioning services to local consortia of general practitioner (GP) practices, supported by the creation of an NHS Commissioning Board. The Government have consulted on how best to implement the White Paper and on 15 December, published their response.
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Subject to parliamentary approval, GP consortia will be responsible for commissioning the great majority of national health service services include those for patients with cataracts. GP consortia will be responsible for managing their own commissioning budgets, and using these resources to commission services to achieve the best and most cost-efficient outcomes for patients. The NHS Commissioning Board will be responsible for the allocation and management of the majority of NHS resources from 2013-14. The board will make allocations to GP consortia on the basis of achieving equal opportunity of access to healthcare services in all areas relative to the prospective incidence of disease and disability.
Cervical Cancer: Screening
Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to extend cervical screening to women in England who are (a) under the age of 25 and (b) under the age of 25 and have given birth. [34237]
Paul Burstow: There are no plans at this time to extend cervical screening in England to women who are aged under the age of 25, or who are under 25 and have given birth. In England, cervical screening currently starts at age 25 years in line with the recommendations of the World Health Organisation and the independent Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening (ACCS).
The Department is committed to ensuring that the age at which women are invited for cervical screening is based on the latest available clinical evidence and in the best interests of young women. In May 2009, the ACCS conducted a formal review of the evidence relating to the risks and benefits of cervical screening in women under the age of 25.
The committee were unanimous in deciding there was no reason to lower the age at which screening commences. The reasons for not lowering the screening age were that cervical cancer is very rare in women aged under 25; there is no clear evidence of an increase in the incidence of cervical cancer following the change to the screening age limit in England; no new scientific evidence was available to support the reintroduction of screening in women aged under 25; there is evidence that treatment following screening in this age group can lead to an increased risk of subsequent premature births, increasing the risk of babies dying or having disabilities; and one in three young women screened aged under 25 would have an abnormal result, as opposed to one in 14 for all women screened, and there is evidence that this causes distress and anxiety.
The cervical screening age range is a standing item on the agenda of ACCS meetings. The ACCS reviews all new research to assess its significance to the screening programme and makes recommendations to Ministers accordingly.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Research
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission research into the biomedical causes of myalgic encephalomyelitis. [34319]
Mr Willetts: I have been asked to reply.
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The Medical Research Council (MRC) is an independent body which receives its grant in aid from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The MRC is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research. In keeping with the Haldane principle, prioritisation of an individual Research Council’s spending within its allocation is not a decision for Ministers.
The MRC supports research into all aspects of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), and welcomes high-quality research applications in this area. The MRC does not normally commission research but supports high-quality investigator led proposals submitted in open competition, the selection of projects for funding is determined through peer review.
An expert group on CFS/ME established by the MRC has worked with experts in the field of CFS/ME and research leaders in aligned areas to identify and prioritise research topics where the MRC might target efforts to encourage and support high-quality proposals. The MRC is now preparing to take forward these recommendations.
Further information on research supported by the MRC and about the work of the group, including the recommendations for research topics and priorities can be found at:
http://www.mrc.ac.uk/Ourresearch/ResearchInitiatives/CFSME/index.htm
Dental Services
Kris Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission an independent review of Health Technical Memorandum 01-05 on decontamination in primary dental care practices; and if he will make a statement. [33661]
Mr Simon Burns: Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 01-05 was produced with extensive input from dentists, and an expert multi-disciplinary working group. The group included public health experts, scientists and engineers with specialist knowledge of instrument decontamination, including protein removal. The HTM proposes a progressive approach to improving quality and ensuring effective risk reduction for patients and staff. We are confident that the validation processes used were exhaustive and fit for purpose. Drafts of the guidance were shared with an expert steering group and the British Dental Association. Comments from the peer review were considered and changes made where appropriate. In this light, we consider that a further independent review of the HTM would be an unnecessary duplication of the work already carried out.
The recent survey of decontamination in primary dental care showed that 70%, were already compliant with 20%, very near when the guidance was published. These findings would also suggest that a further review was unnecessary.
Dental Services: Standards
Kris Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department takes to ensure that dental practices operate at a satisfactory standard of decontamination. [33660]
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Mr Simon Burns: The Department has issued guidance to the profession in Health Technical Memorandum (HTM) 01-05: “Decontamination in primary care dental practices”, a copy of which has been placed in the Library. This describes both essential quality requirements that all practices need to have in place as well as best practice requirements that all practices should aspire to reach. The Department, with the Infection Prevention Society, has issued a self-assessment audit tool to help practices assess their own level of compliance against the guidelines. A CD ROM version of the audit tool will also be distributed to practices very shortly.
All primary care dental practices will need to be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) by April 2011. The standard of local decontamination procedures within the practice is an integral part of the Health Care Acquired Infections (HCAI) Code of Practice, and compliance with the Code is included in the essential registration requirements of practices with the CQC.
Departmental Legal Costs
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department paid to each (a) firm of solicitors and (b) barristers’ chambers in each of the last five years. [33743]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department obtains solicitor and barrister support in two ways. These are described as follows, together with the available data on expenditure and explanatory notes:
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Legal Services provides the Department’s legal support via a service level agreement, and obtains and pays for such services on behalf of the Department, recharging the Department later. Summary expenditure for the previous five years is presented in the following table. However, DWP are not able to identify expenditure on firms of solicitors or barristers' chambers without incurring disproportionate cost.
| Legal support costs incurred by DWP on behalf of the Department | |
| Financial year | Expenditure (£000) |
| Notes: 1. These figures include expenditure relating to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, previously Medicines Control Agency, for the whole period, and for Food Standards Agency up to and including 2006-07. 2. These figures do not include data for other non-departmental public bodies and agencies, which is not held centrally, and would incur disproportionate cost to obtain. 3. These figures include costs awarded against the Department when a case has been lost. We are not able to separate these out without incurring disproportionate cost. 4. These figures exclude the cost of the legal services team itself. | |
From time to time, directorates in the Department procure solicitor and barrister services directly. Before July 2008, the Department did not collect these data centrally. Data from July 2008 to date are presented in the following table.
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| Legal support expenditure incurred directly by the Department | |||
| £ | |||
|
|
2008-09 | 2009-10 | Total |
| Notes: 1. These data are based on expenditure coded as legal services on the Department’s financial system. They include expenditure with the larger legal firms, but which has not been coded as legal services. The Department may have incurred expenditure with other firms, but we are unable to extract these data without incurring disproportionate cost. 2. These data exclude expenditure to individual barristers engaged on public inquiries. | |||
Diabetes: Brighton Kemptown
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residents of Brighton, Kemptown constituency were diagnosed with (a) type 1 and (b) type 2 diabetes in the last year for which figures are available. [34046]
Paul Burstow: Data on numbers of people diagnosed with diabetes are collected as part of the National Diabetes Audit (NDA).
Participation in the NDA is not mandatory and data are collected by primary care trust (PCT) rather than by constituency. Brighton and Hove PCT area had only partial participation in the 2008-09 NDA, which is the last year for which figures are available. The NDA collated data on 6,658 persons with diabetes in Brighton and Hove PCT. Of these, 911 had type 1 diabetes, 5,625 had type 2 diabetes and 122 had other types of diabetes. It is estimated that there are approximately 13,000 people with diabetes in Brighton and Hove PCT. This estimate uses the PBS Diabetes Population Prevalence Model Phase 3 (PBS3 model), developed by the Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory.
Disability
Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has carried out on the effects of measures announced as a result of the June 2010 Budget and the comprehensive spending review on people with disabilities. [34324]
Paul Burstow:
The 2010 spending review recognised the importance of social care in protecting the most vulnerable in society, including disabled people. In recognition of the pressures on the social care system in a challenging local government settlement, the coalition Government have allocated an additional £2 billion by
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2014-15 to support the delivery of social care. Our assessment of the settlement is that, with an ambitious programme of efficiency, there is enough funding available to enable local authorities both to protect people’s access to services and deliver new approaches to improve quality and outcomes.
We have achieved this in two ways:
The national health service will transfer some funding from the health capital budget to health revenue, to be spent on measures that support social care, which also benefits health. This funding will rise to £1 billion in 2014-15, and will promote improved joint working between the health and social care systems. The new NHS operating framework set out specific primary care trust (PCT) allocations that they will transfer to local authorities for spending on social care services to benefit health, and to improve overall health gain. PCTs and local authorities will need to work together to agree jointly appropriate areas for social care investment, with a shared analysis of need and a common agreement on the outcomes to be met.
Additional grant funding, rising to £1 billion by 2014-15, will be made available for social care. This funding will be allocated in addition to the Department’s existing social care grants, which will rise in line with inflation. Total grant funding from the Department for social care will reach £2.4 billion by 2014-15. In order to support local flexibility and to reduce administrative burdens, this funding will go to authorities through the formula grant.
Decisions about access to social care services are taken by local authorities. We would expect authorities to assess the impact of their decisions on those with disabilities.
Drugs: Rehabilitation
Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) NHS and (b) voluntary sector residential places are available in (i) England and (ii) West Yorkshire for the treatment of people with drug addictions. [33885]
Anne Milton: Data on the total number of residential places available in England or West Yorkshire in either national health service or non-statutory settings are not available centrally.
However, local drug partnerships will have information on the level of local provision for drug dependency. Up to date contact details for each partnership can be found via the Home Office website at:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100419081707/http://drugs.homeoffice.gov.uk/dat/directory/
Data on the number of NHS residential drug treatment places are not centrally available because planning is typically done on the basis of the estimated number of available treatment episodes rather than the number of physical places/beds. The National Treatment Agency (NTA) does not hold data on the estimated number of available in-patient detoxification treatment episodes in NHS settings.
Most, but not all, non-statutory providers of specialist residential drug treatment in England provide information on their services, on a voluntary basis, to a national online directory called Rehab Online, which is maintained by the NTA for Substance Misuse. Information from Rehab Online currently suggests that there are 2,285 beds available within the voluntary/private sector (non-NHS). This includes some alcohol-only beds. 187 of these are in the Yorkshire and Humber region, with 12 beds in West Yorkshire.
These data are incomplete because they do not include data from all non-statutory providers or any from the NHS services.
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Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) NHS and (b) voluntary sector non-residential places are available in (i) England and (ii) West Yorkshire for the treatment of people with drug addictions. [33886]
Anne Milton: Providers of non-residential drug treatment in England accept anyone assessed as having a drug problem. This provision is planned and commissioned on the basis of an estimated number of dependent drug users in every local area rather than on a number of physical community based treatment slots. The number of adults (over 18s) in contact with community drug treatment in England in 2009-10 was 206,889, of which 25,479 were in the Yorkshire and Humber region. The average mean wait to commence treatment is six days.
Mike Wood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) residential and (b) non-residential places in the (i) NHS and (ii) voluntary sector for the treatment of people with drug addictions are occupied by persons with a criminal conviction who are attending treatment as a condition of a court order. [33887]
Anne Milton: Data on the number of people with a criminal conviction in drug treatment as a result of a court order are not collected.
Eggs: Contamination
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he plans to take to reduce the level of poor quality and contaminated egg imports. [33663]
Anne Milton: We are advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which has responsibility for policy on food safety, that general food law places the onus on food businesses to ensure that all of their ingredients and products are safe and compliant with any relevant legislation. In light of the recent dioxin contamination incident originating in Germany, the FSA has taken the opportunity to remind food businesses again of their obligations with regard to food safety. Nevertheless, while they must meet these obligations, the actual sourcing of raw materials is a commercial matter for the businesses themselves.
General Practitioners
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the cost to the public purse of the GP consortia pathfinder programme. [34245]
Mr Simon Burns: Any costs associated with establishing pathfinders will come from existing primary care trust budgets. Clusters will provide a development fund of £2 per head, in addition to, and alongside, existing practice based commissioning funding, to support the development of general practitioner consortiums. The Department is not monitoring spend on the pathfinder programme.
Genito-urinary Medicine: Young People
Julie Hilling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for future funding for sexual health services for young people in (a) England and (b) Bolton West constituency. [33621]
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Anne Milton: In our White Paper “Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Our strategy for public health in England”, published on 30 November 2010, we set our ambition for the future of public health. Core features are the establishment of a new body, Public Health England, as part of the Department, and the return to local government of public health leadership and responsibility. There will be ring-fenced public health funding from within the national health service budget. A copy of the White Paper has already been placed in the Library.
On 21 December 2010, we published the consultation document “Healthy Lives, Healthy People: consultation on the funding and commissioning routes for public health”, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library. The consultation period ends on 31 March. For sexual health, we propose that local authorities will be responsible for commissioning comprehensive open-access sexual health services using funds from the ring-fenced public health budget. These arrangements will also cover sexual health services for young people.
Health Services: East Sussex
Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many temporary (a) nurses, (b) doctors and (c) office staff were employed in (i) the Conquest Hospital, (ii) Hastings and Rother Primary Care Trust and (iii) East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust in each of the last five years; and what the annual cost to the public purse was of each such category of appointment. [33700]
Mr Simon Burns: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following tables:
| Table 1: Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): non-medical bank staff in specified organisations as at 30 September each specified year | |||||
| Headcount | |||||
|
|
2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
| Notes: 1. Work force census figures are not available for individual hospitals. Therefore, it is not possible to provide the information requested in respect of the Conquest Hospital, which is part of the East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust. 2. The work force census does not collect information on the numbers of temporary or agency staff. The census does include data on bank nurses for both qualified and unqualified nursing staff and these are provided in the above table. Information on bank doctors is not collected. 3. ‘—’ denotes zero. 4. Data Quality: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality. Where changes impact on figures already published, this is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source: The NHS Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census | |||||
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| Table 2: Salaries and w ages: non-NHS Staff in specified organisations | |||||
| £000 | |||||
|
|
2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 |
| Notes: 1. The Department does not collect data in respect of individual hospitals. Therefore, it is not possible to provide the information requested in respect of the Conquest Hospital, which is part of the East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust. 2. The above table contains figures for spend on non-NHS staff. ‘Non-NHS staff’ denotes staff who do not have a permanent contract of employment with the national health service, such as agency staff. Locum and bank staff are not included as these are included within the NHS staff category in the financial returns, and are not separately identifiable from the data. 3. The Department does not collect information exactly in the format requested. For ‘nurses’, the closest equivalent information is held under the category ‘Nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff’. For ‘doctors’, the closest equivalent is ‘Medical staff’ and for ‘office staff’ the closest equivalent is ‘Administrative and clerical staff’. 4. Hastings and Rother PCT was established in 2006-07 following the merger of its two predecessor PCTs—Bexhill and Rother PCT and Hastings and St Leonards PCT. The figures provided for 2005-06 are therefore the sum of the two predecessor PCTs. 5. The financial returns are a means for the NHS to provide planning and costing information to the Department, and these provide a more detailed breakdown of individual expenditure lines reported in the audited summarisation schedules. The financial returns data are not themselves audited, but are instead validated by reference to the audited summarisation schedules from which the NHS summarised accounts are prepared. There are a number of factors which may distort the figures and they may contain errors and omissions at an individual level (mainly as a result of classification errors) which are not material at the national level. Source: Financial returns (2005-06 to 2009-10) | |||||
Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital managers were employed in (a) the Conquest Hospital, (b) Hastings and Rother Primary Care Trust and (c) East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust in each of the last five years. [33701]
Mr Simon Burns: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table:
| NHS hospital and community health services: non-medical staff in each specified organisation by main staff group as at 30 September each specified year | |||||
| Headcount | |||||
|
|
2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
18 Jan 2011 : Column 728W
| Notes: 1. Work force census figures are not available for individual hospitals. Therefore, it is not possible to provide the information requested in respect of the Conquest Hospital, which is part of the East Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust. 2. Data Quality: The NHS Information Centre for health and social care seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level, figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source: The NHS Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census. | |||||
Ipswich Hospital: Manpower
Dr Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital managers were employed in (a) Ipswich Hospital, (b) Suffolk primary care trust and (c) in the NHS in Suffolk in each of the last five years. [33016]
Mr Simon Burns: The following table shows hospital and community health non medical staff in each specified national health service hospital and community health service organisation by main staff group as at 30 September each year.
| NHS hospital and community health services: Non-medical staff in each specified organisation by main staff group as at 30 September each year | |||||
| Headcount | |||||
|
|
2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
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18 Jan 2011 : Column 731W
| (1) It is impossible to accurately map work force figures to geographical areas. The organisations listed cover the parliamentary constituencies of Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, West Suffolk and South Suffolk. (2) Figures include bank nurses. The number of qualified bank nurses reported by Ipswich Hospitals NHS Trust increased by 450 between 2008 and 2009. On 1 October 2006 Ipswich PCT, Suffolk Coastal PCT, Central Suffolk PCT and Suffolk West PCT merged to form Suffolk Primary Care Trust. Figures for 2005 are an aggregate of these predecessor organisations. Note: Data Quality. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source: The NHS Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census | |||||
Lyme Disease
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2008, Official Report, columns 233-34W, on Lyme disease, whether he has plans to record confirmed cases of Lyme disease; if he will make Lyme disease a notifiable disease; and whether he has had discussions with the Scottish Executive on the co-ordination of methods to collect data on the number of cases of Lyme disease. [33952]
Anne Milton: Borrelia spp, the causative agent of Lyme disease, was made a notifiable causative agent in the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010, and all laboratory isolations of Borrelia spp in a human sample must now be notified to the Health Protection Agency in England. This mirrors arrangements in Scotland, where Borrelia burgdorferi is a notifiable causative agent under the Public Health etc. (Scotland) Act 2008.
Medical Equipment: Contamination
Kris Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues to the NHS on steps to prevent hospital instruments contaminated by other patients' flesh and bone from being used in operations. [33659]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department provides guidance to the national health service on the process of decontamination in “Health Technical Memorandum 01-01: Decontamination of reusable medical devices Part A: Management and environment”, which has already been placed in the Library. Specific guidance on the washing and disinfection of surgical instruments is provided in three volumes of “Health Technical Memorandum 2030: Washer-disinfectors.”
The documents have been placed in the Library.
Mental Health Services
Jack Dromey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many low-security psychiatric beds are available in NHS hospitals; [33635]
(2) how many places are available in (a) secure hospitals and (b) regional medium secure units. [33636]
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Paul Burstow: This information is not available in the requested format. Information is collected centrally on mental health bed occupancy levels, but this does not identify security levels. According to data collected by the Department of Health's KH03 form, as of September 2010 there were 23,280 beds available in national health service organisations to mental health patients in England, of which an average of 20,165 were occupied. More information about NHS bed occupancy is available from the Department's website at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Statistics/Performancedataandstatistics/Beds/DH_083781
We also collect data on the number of beds in high secure services, which are in the following table:
| High secure services 2010-11 bed capacity | ||||
| Number | ||||
| Service | Ashworth | Broadmoor | Rampton | Total |
| Source:High Secure Commissioning Team. | ||||
NHS 111
Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what methodology will be used by Sheffield University to evaluate the effectiveness of the NHS 111 helpline pilots. [33600]
Mr Simon Burns: The NHS 111 pilots will be evaluated using a baseline and change methodology, alongside comparison with control sites. It combines qualitative and quantitative methods, including a population survey, user survey, analysis of service usage, and performance data from the NHS 111 pilots. The evaluation will also be informed by qualitative staff interviews and workshops.
NHS: Negligence
Mr Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS has paid to patients in ex-gratia payments to avoid ligation proceedings in each of the last three years. [33657] [Official Report, 1 February 2011, Vol. 522, c. 7MC.]
Mr Simon Burns: HM Treasury consider ex-gratia payments to be a form of special payment. HM Treasury’s definition includes personal injury claims that are settled out of court. Information about local ex-gratia payments made by the national health service to patients to avoid litigation is not held centrally. Local NHS bodies record ‘losses and special payments’ in their consolidated accounts and these will include all ex-gratia payments, not just those paid to patients or to avoid litigation.
The NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) records data held centrally specifically on ex-gratia payments made for clinical, employer and public liability claims settled out of court. As the NHSLA settles the vast majority of its claims this way, they fall under HM Treasury’s definition of ex-gratia. Data provided by the NHSLA will cover payments to patients, although some will be made to families/dependants, employees and visitors.
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Data on actual payments made each year can be provided only at disproportionate cost. The NHSLA has therefore supplied data in the following table which shows the total amount of damages paid on claims settled out of court where the claim was closed between 2007-10. It should be noted that some actual payments for these claims may have been made in earlier years to when the claim was closed.
| £ | |||
|
|
Clinical liability | Employer and public liability | Total amount paid |
NHS: Pay
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many chief executives of NHS trusts have had a reduction in the level of their salary since May 2010; and if he will make a statement. [34061]
Mr Simon Burns: This information is not collected centrally.
National health service trusts may pay their staff such remuneration and allowances, and employ them on such terms and conditions, as they consider appropriate. NHS trusts are public bodies and the remuneration of their senior executive teams is a matter of public record and published in their annual accounts.
On 24 May 2010, Sir David Nicholson wrote to chairs of NHS trusts, strongly encouraging them to consider their approach to pay this year in the context of the Government’s wider approach to senior pay in the public sector, and in the light of decisions made for other NHS organisations. A copy of this letter has been placed in the Library.
NHS: Reorganisation
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the cost to the public purse of his proposed restructuring of the NHS. [34246]
Mr Simon Burns: The White Paper ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS’ laid out proposals for fundamental changes to the ways that the national health service is structured and run, including for the structures of primary care trusts, strategic health authorities and the Department. The costs of the transition to the new system will be published shortly in an impact assessment.
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many responses his Department received from GPs to its recent consultation Equity and Excellence, Liberating the NHS. [34332]
Mr Simon Burns:
The Department received some 6,000 responses to the NHS White Paper “Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS” and the associated consultation documents. Around 200 of these responses were from individual general practitioners (GPs), GP practices or consortia. There may well have been further
18 Jan 2011 : Column 734W
responses from individual GPs who did not identify themselves and who will therefore not be included in this figure. We also received submissions from organisations that represent GPs, for instance, NHS Alliance and the Royal College of GPs.
Pleural Plaques: Sunderland
Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of cases of pleural plaques in residents of Sunderland. [34034]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has made no recent estimate of the number of cases of pleural plaques in residents of Sunderland. However, information on the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) with a named primary or secondary diagnosis of pleural plaques (ICD-10 code J92) in the Sunderland Primary Care Trust (PCT) area has been set out in the following table.
| Number of FCEs with a named primary or secondary diagnosis of pleural plaques | |
|
|
Sunderland Teaching PCT |
| Notes: 1. A FCE is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, 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. 2. The number of episodes where this 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 Hospital Episode Statistics record. Each episode is only counted once, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record. Source: NHS Information Centre for health and social care | |
Primary Care Trusts: Redundancy
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the number of primary care trust staff who have been made redundant in the latest period for which figures are available. [34247]
Mr Simon Burns: The number of primary care trust staff who have been made compulsorily redundant for the latest period for which figures are available is:
Quarter 2 (July to September) of 2010-11: 157 staff were made compulsorily redundant.
Radiotherapy
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the merits of Cyberknife technology for cancer treatment. [33590]
Paul Burstow: Cyberknife delivers stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT). A sub-group to look at the co-ordination and development of SBRT has been established by the National Radiotherapy Implementation Group (NRIG) to inform its forthcoming report on radiosurgery. The sub-group is undertaking a comparative evaluation of the different machines capable of delivering SRBT, including Cyberknife. The group will also consider the available evidence and provide advice to commissioners on this treatment.
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The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) plans to use the work of NRIG to identify whether there are any indications that would be appropriate for them to evaluate further via the Medical Technologies Advisory Committee or other programmes at NICE.
“Improving Outcomes—A Strategy for Cancer”, published January 2011, acknowledges the importance of providing patients with access to new and emerging treatments and techniques as soon as possible. The strategy confirms our intention to publish guidance on stereotactic body radiotherapy this year.
South London Healthcare NHS Trust: Ancillary Staff
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many non-medical staff were employed by South London Healthcare NHS Trust in the latest period for which figures are available. [33584]
Mr Simon Burns: Figures on how many non-medical staff were employed by South London Healthcare NHS Trust in the last period for which figures are available are provided in the following table:
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Transition Programme
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the letter from the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Quality of 20 December 2010, (1) what the constituent parts are of the Transition Programme; and what the (a) terms of reference, (b) purpose and (c) membership is of the working groups involved in their delivery; [34327]
(2) what programme boards were involved in the Transition Programme, referred to in the letter sent to the right hon. Member for Wentworth and Dearne from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health of 20 December 2010; what the membership is of each such board; on what dates such boards have held meetings; and what the frequency of meetings of each such board is. [34328]
Mr Simon Burns: The constituent parts of the transition programme consist of:
1st Tier: Departmental Board—Chair: Andrew Lansley, Secretary of State
2nd Tier: DH Executive Board—Chair: Una O'Brien, Permanent Secretary (formerly the Transition Board)
3rd Tier: Transition Programme Board—Chair: Richard Douglas, Director General, Policy, Strategy and Finance
4th Tier: Commissioning Development Board—Chair: Barbara Hakin
Provider Development Board— Chair: Ian Dalton.
The purpose, terms of reference and membership for these groups have been placed in the Library.
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the letter from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Quality of 20 December 2010, if he will publish (a) the column headings for each risk register maintained by each constituent part of the Transition Programme, (b) the name and number of each individual risk, (c) the estimated likelihood and severity of each risk in its unmitigated form, (d) the estimated likelihood and severity of each risk in its residual form, (e) whether the risk mitigation on each risk was to tolerate, treat or terminate and (f) the date on which any risks were escalated to a higher level and to whom such risks were escalated for each risk register maintained by each constituent part of the transition programme. [34329]
Mr Simon Burns: The right hon. Member submitted a Freedom of Information request for information on the risk register on 29 November 2010. This request was turned down and following an appeal by the right hon. Member the Department is conducting an internal review, which is expected to be completed by 4 February. A full reply on conclusion of the review will be provided to the right hon. Member and a copy will be placed in the Library.
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the letter from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Quality of 20 December 2010, what the escalation route was from programme boards to higher levels of the transition programme. [34330]
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Mr Simon Burns: The transition programme consists of a collection of implementation programmes, which have an agreed governance structure. The programmes escalation route includes four tiers, as follows:
Top Tier: Departmental Board
3rd Tier: Departmental Executive Board (Formerly the Transition Board )
2nd Tier: Transition Programme Board
Bottom Tier: Commissioning Development Board
Provider Development Board.
Energy and Climate Change
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Compensation
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many claims to the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease scheme have been (a) made and (b) settled from individuals in (i) England, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales since the scheme’s inception. [34392]
Charles Hendry: The total number of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) claims received by the Department by the deadline to register a claim in March 2004 was 591,758, of which 591,677 have been settled by payment, denial or withdrawal as at December 2010. A breakdown of this by England, Scotland and Wales is shown in the following table:
|
|
Total claims received | Claims settled |
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average award made through the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease scheme has been since the scheme's inception. [34393]
Charles Hendry: Of the 591,768 claims made by the deadline to register a claim in March 2004, 454,686 have been settled by payment and the average award of this cohort was £5,360. Once Compensation Recovery Unit payments are taken into account the average payment was £5,210. The settlement bandings for those claims that have been settled via the main claims handling scheme (i.e. excluding those that have settled via Entry of Judgment(1) in England and Wales or the Unaccepted Offers Protocol (UOP) in Scotland or without going through the full medical process nor the Fast Track Scheme) are:
| Main scheme settlement bandings | Live | Widow | Estate | Total |
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(1) Entry Of Judgment claims were those where the claimant did not accept the compensation offer but the Judge overseeing the British Coal Respiratory Disease Litigation ruled that the award should he made and the claim closed. The Unaccepted Offers Protocol was the Scottish equivalent of this arrangement.
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how long on average claims to the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease scheme have taken to settle since the scheme's inception. [34394]
Charles Hendry: Given the scale of the compensation scheme and the wide range of issues that effected claims progression it is not possible to produce a fully meaningful average figure. However, the following table provides a profile for the 591,677 claims settled to date. 82% of claims were settled within five years. It should be noted that this includes claims denied, withdrawn and struck out, as well as those claims settled by payment:
| Settlement timing profile | Claim registration to date of settlement |
The main reasons for delays in settlement related to the involvement of third party employers, claimants becoming protected parties or the death of the claimant while the claim remained in process.
Dr Whiteford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much administration of the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease scheme has cost to the public purse in each year since its inception. [34396]
Charles Hendry: As at 31 October 2010, these costs amounted to £715 million since April 1999 in relation to the administration of the COPD and VWF compensation schemes and other coal health related claims.
These costs include the Department's claims handling, legal, records management, audit activity and associated administrative costs.
Administrative costs cannot be broken down by individual compensation scheme.
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A yearly breakdown of expenditure is as follows:
|
|
£ million |
| (1) Please note that information for this period cannot be broken down by year. | |
Eaga: Contracts
Mr Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what contracts and grants his Department and its predecessor awarded to Eaga in each of the last three years; and for what purpose each was awarded. [33772]
Gregory Barker: In 2005, the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs awarded a contract to Eaga plc to manage the Warm Front scheme that provides heating and insulation measures to vulnerable private sector households. The contract runs to the end of March 2011 with an option to extend for a further two years.
Energy Supply
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he plans to take as a result of his forecasts of levels of energy supply and demand; and if he will make a statement. [34404]
Charles Hendry: The Energy Bill seeks to amend existing legislation to require the Gas and Electricity Markets Authority, which governs Ofgem, to produce an annual report on the security of the electricity supply, including how much capacity GB will need in the future. The report is to be provided to the Secretary of State. The Secretary of State is best placed to make the judgment, taking into account factors such as costs and acceptability of interruption of supply.
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will review the range of assessments provided by Ofgem and will consider the wider political landscape and work across DECC, for example work related to energy efficiency and meeting renewables and emissions targets.
My right hon. Friend will then publish his assessment of capacity needed to meet electricity demand in Great Britain.
Energy: Prices
Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has had recent discussions with Ofgem on the compliance of energy suppliers with the Overarching Standards of Conduct with respect to the requirement not to supply products that are unnecessarily complex or confusing; and if he will make a statement. [33995]
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Charles Hendry: DECC Ministers and officials meet with Ofgem on a regular basis to discuss market issues. Ofgem is currently reviewing the retail market and, as part of this, will be looking at how effectively the energy companies have implemented the reforms introduced following its 2008 Energy Supply Probe, including overarching standards of conduct, one of which concerned the offering of unnecessarily complex or confusing products. Ofgem plan to complete its review by March 2011.
Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change if he will bring forward proposals to give Ofgem the power to investigate energy suppliers that sell energy products that are unnecessarily complex or confusing; and if he will make a statement. [33996]
Charles Hendry: To meet its principal duty, to protect the interests of consumers, Ofgem actively monitors the activities of licence holders and therefore does not need the additional powers proposed to investigate energy suppliers’ compliance with the overarching standards, one of which concerned the offering of unnecessarily complex or confusing products.
In an open letter Ofgem have stated that they have regard to the overarching standards when considering their priorities for investigating potential licence breaches and when considering consumer detriment in the context of investigations.
This letter is available online at:
http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Markets/RetMkts/ensuppro/Documents1/Standards%20of%20conduct%20for%20suppliers% 20in%20the%20retail%20energy%20market.pdf
In addition, Ofgem are currently reviewing the retail market and, as part of this, will be looking at how effectively the energy companies have implemented the reforms introduced following its 2008 Energy Supply Probe, including overarching standards of conduct. Ofgem plan to complete its review by March 2011.