Council Tax
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the income will be of an owner-occupying couple with two children under seven years receiving school meals costing £2 per day each for whom council tax is £1,000 per year, where (a) one member of the couple is working 18 hours per week earning £7 per hour, prior to the change in the hours rule in April 2012, (b) one member of the couple is working 18 hours per week earning £7 per hour, after the change in the hours rule in April 2012, (c) one member of the couple is working 18 hours per week earning £7 per hour, after the introduction of universal credit and (d) nobody in the household is working. [94874]
Chris Grayling: The information is as follows.
(a) Prior to April 2012, this household would be entitled to working tax credit and they would have income of around £354 per week. This includes around £13 a week in council tax benefit. They would not be entitled to free school meals.
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(b) In 2012-13, this household would not be entitled to receive working tax credit and would have income of around £308 per week. This includes around £19 a week in council tax benefit and £20 a week which is allocated for school meals for both children.
(c) The Department for Education is considering options for new eligibility criteria for free school meals once universal credit is introduced. These options will take account of the Social Security Advisory Committee's independent review of passported benefits. The Government will consult on free school meal eligibility proposals during 2012, ahead of the introduction of universal credit from October 2013.
From April 2013, support for council tax will be localised and the household's reduction in council tax will be determined by the design of their local scheme.
Excluding any additional amounts for free school meals or reductions in council tax, in universal credit this household would have income of around £376 per week.
(d) Excluding any additional amounts for free school meals or reductions in council tax if this household was out of work, then under universal credit their income would be around £250 per week.
Notes:
1. Part (a) is based on the current system prior to April 2012.
2. Part (b) is based on the current system in 2012-13.
3. Parts (c) and (d) are based upon universal credit in 2014-15.
4. Income is defined as net earnings in addition to any benefits or tax credits.
5. Council tax of £1,000 a year has been equated to approximately £19 a week.
6. All numbers have been provided in 2011-12 prices and, where necessary, deflated by the GDP Deflator. All numbers have been rounded to the nearest £1.
Mr Raynsford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 8 February 2012 to question 92516, on council tax, if he will place in the Library a table of aggregated data for each local authority showing (a) council tax benefit recipients by age group and family type at September 2011 and (b) council tax benefit recipients' average weekly award by age group and family type at September 2011. [95008]
Steve Webb: The available information requested has already been placed in the Library, in response to PQ89576, on 20 January 2012, Official Report, columns 1021-2W.
Food Procurement
Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of food purchased by his Department was produced in the UK in each of the last five years. [93717]
Chris Grayling: The information is as follows.
(a) Since 1998 the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) occupies the majority of its accommodation under a private finance initiative (PFI) known as the PRIME Contract. Under the terms of this PFI the Department leases back fully serviced accommodation from its private sector partner Telereal Trillium. This covers a variety of facilities including, where appropriate, the provision of Catering Services, which are delivered through Telereal Trillium's service partner Compass Group UK, trading as Eurest. It can confirm that for the year 2011-12 (to date) the percentage of food procured
20 Feb 2012 : Column 653W
for the DWP catering contract that has been produced in the UK is 36%. However, it should be noted that there are considerable volumes of non-indigenous products purchased including; tea, coffee, rice, citrus and exotic fruits. In addition it also purchases out of UK season, fruits and vegetables.
The 2010-11 figure was 11%, which has previously been reported as part of normal departmental annual reporting. With regard to earlier years, it is unable to provide this information due to the short time given to respond and, as it would take considerable resource to go back through historical data, it would be a disproportionate cost.
It would also like to highlight the following:
100% of our fresh beef is British
100% of our fresh pork joints are British
100% of fresh milk is British
100% of our shell eggs are UK sourced and Lion marked
All of our fresh potatoes and root vegetables are sourced from the UK when in season.
Disability Living Allowance
Mr Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (a) how many and (b) what proportion of people were in receipt of the (i) care and (ii) mobility component of the disability living allowance in (A) Glasgow South West constituency and (B) Glasgow in the latest period for which figures are available. [94010]
Maria Miller: The information is contained in the following table.
| The proportion of people in receipt of the care and mobility component of disability living allowance (DLA): May 2011 | |||||
| Total in receipt of DLA | Total in receipt of care component | Percentage of all DLA in receipt of care component | Total in receipt of mobility component | Percentage of all DLA in receipt of mobility component | |
| Notes: 1. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest 10, percentages to one decimal place. 2. Figures show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and excludes people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 3. DLA care and mobility components can be paid together or on their own. 4. These data are available on the Department’s tabulation tool at: http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html Source: DWP Information, Governance and Security Directorate, 100% WPLS. | |||||
Employment and Support Allowance: Work Capability Assessment
Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether individuals undergoing (a) intravenous chemotherapy and (b) radiotherapy for cancer and claiming employment and support allowance will be subject to the work capability assessment. [94089]
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Chris Grayling: As part of his second Independent Review of the WCA, Professor Malcolm Harrington asked Macmillan Cancer Support (Macmillan) to look in detail at how the WCA assesses people with cancer and to provide him with recommendations for further improvements. Macmillan provided compelling evidence that the current provision for individuals undergoing cancer treatment should be changed. It also suggested that all individuals receiving oral chemotherapy and certain types of radiotherapy are placed in the support group.
The Department accepted there is a need for change. However, we know that cancer and cancer treatment can affect individuals differently. The Macmillan evidence shows this. And it shows some people want to work during treatment and are capable of doing so. The Department has brought forward proposals based on this evidence which would increase the number of people placed in the support group and reduce the number of face-to-face assessments. We are now consulting on our proposals, particularly seeking the wider views of specialists and cancer sufferers themselves. The consultation lasts until 9 March 2012.
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he proposes that an individual who is DS 1500-registered for the purposes of employment and support allowance (ESA) but who lives beyond six months from when they are registered, will have to (a) re-register as terminally ill and (b) reapply for ESA. [94754]
Chris Grayling: The Department considers a person to be terminally ill if they are diagnosed with a progressive disease, and where death is a likely consequence of that disease and is reasonably expected within six months.
Where a terminally ill person has claimed employment and support allowance (ESA) under the “special rules”, and the Jobcentre Plus decision maker has determined that the claimant is terminally ill and, as a result, has been awarded the ESA support component, the claimant will not be reassessed for a period of three years. They do not have to re-register or re-apply for ESA.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for how many weeks each employment and support allowance claimant who has not yet been assessed through the work capability assessment has been waiting for their assessment. [95094]
Chris Grayling: The Official Statistics do not focus on benefit durations; therefore there is no information readily available on waiting time to the assessment.
The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) regularly publishes official statistics on the outcome of employment and support allowance (ESA) work capability assessment (WCA). The latest report was published in January 2012 and can be found on the departmental website at the following link:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
Tom Greatrex:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time was for an employment and support allowance (ESA) applicant
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between completing the ESA 50 questionnaire and undergoing the work capability assessment in
(a)
2009,
(b)
2010 and
(c)
2011. [95576]
Chris Grayling: In April 2011 incapacity benefit reassessment (IBR) began, significantly increasing the volume of people requiring a work capability assessment (WCA), and in July 2011 a number of changes were introduced to both the IBR and the ESA process. The changes introduced on the recommendation of Professor Harrington, although improving the overall process, had the impact of increasing the time taken to complete face to face medical assessments. Considerable time and effort has gone into training Atos Healthcare professionals to deliver the changes introduced and the time taken to conduct medical assessments has decreased over time.
At any given time there are large volumes of cases going through the medical assessment journey. DWP and Atos Healthcare are working very closely to reduce the length of the WCA process by improving capacity and productivity.
Average time for WCA customer journey:
2009 was 39.3 days
2010 was 36.05 days
2011 was 44.00 days
Notes:
1. The data supplied are derived from unpublished management information which was collated for internal departmental use only. The data supplied have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics standard and are subject to change. They should therefore be treated with caution.
2. The average time has been calculated using the Atos Healthcare management information relating to the average time to undertake a work capability assessment as reported against their average actual clearance target of 35 days.
3. The average time is calculated using the number of working days between a claimant completing the ESA questionnaire and their work capability assessment and measured at a regional level rather than nationally.
4. The information has been collated from regional data from 11 Government regions from 2009 to June 2011 when the Government offices by region reorganised and reduced to seven regions.
5. The measurement of the time undertaken to complete the customer journey through to the assessment is heavily reliant on the date which the claimant returns their questionnaire. A significant number of claimants return their questionnaires after 25 days.
Employment Schemes
Mr Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has contingency plans for the potential multiple failure of Work programme providers. [94490]
Chris Grayling: There are at least two providers in each contract package area and, as all are required to provide full geographical coverage in their areas, there would always be an alternative available to ensure continuity of service. In the unlikely event of multiple provider failure in the same contract area, alternatives could be brought in at short notice from the Framework for the Provision of Employment Related Support Services through which the Work programme was procured.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to reach a settlement with the two remaining flexible new deal providers whose contracts were cancelled. [94876]
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Chris Grayling: Of the 14 providers which held flexible new deal phase 1 contracts, DWP has negotiated settlements agreed with 12 to date. DWP aims to complete remaining negotiations by April 2012.
Employment Schemes: Down’s Syndrome
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will meet representatives of the Down's Syndrome Association to discuss the administrative requirements of supported permitted work. [95570]
Chris Grayling: The supported permitted work rules in employment and support allowance (ESA) currently allow claimants in both the Support Group and the Work Related Activity Group to undertake supervised work on an indefinite basis without any restrictions (provided earnings are below the £97.50 a week and the hours worked do not exceed 16 hours a week) as long as the claimant is under the supervision of an appropriate person.
The permitted work rules strike a delicate but important balance between, on the one hand, encouraging claimants to build their confidence, undertake some part-time paid work and plan a gradual move to sustained employment while continuing to receive benefit and, on the other, providing the incentive for them to move off benefit entirely and into full-time work, in line with the Government's overall approach.
We are currently considering how the permitted work rules for ESA may change once universal credit is introduced.
The Department is committed to engaging with organisations representing disabled people on an ongoing basis as part of our wider consultation on the implications of our proposals for welfare reform to ensure that the social security system supports disabled people and those with health conditions in the most sensitive, fair and appropriate way. As part of this engagement, I would be happy to meet with representatives of the Down's Syndrome Association.
Employment Schemes: Young People
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how he plans to distribute payment for each individual youth contract wage subsidy through the lifetime of the placement. [94875]
Chris Grayling: For most employers, the wage incentive will be paid after a young person has been in their employment for 26 weeks. Smaller businesses will be entitled to claim a part-payment after eight weeks of employment, with the balance paid after 26 weeks.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Work programme outcome data to be published in autumn 2012 will include the numbers of job outcomes attributable to (a) the Youth Contract and (b) apprenticeship placements. [95099]
Chris Grayling: The details of what we will publish on job outcomes and sustainment payments are still to be finalised.
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Housing Benefit
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent in real terms on local housing allowance in each London local authority in (a) April 2010, (b) April 2011 and (c) October 2011; and what estimate he has made of expenditure on local housing allowance in real terms in 2013-14. [93729]
Steve Webb: Monthly data on local housing allowance expenditure are not available.
Annual outturn figures for 2009-10 and 2010-11 by London local authority are provided in table 1, in 2011-12 prices.
| Table 1: Real terms local housing allowance expenditure in London local authorities (2011-12 prices) | ||
| LHA expenditure (2011/12 prices) (£ million) | ||
| 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
| Source: Annual Housing Benefit subsidy returns from local authorities, converted into real terms expenditure. | ||
We do not produce estimates of future expenditure at a regional level. National level forecasts from 2011-12 to 2013-14 are given in table 2 as follows.
| Table 2: National local housing allowance expenditure forecast (2011-12 prices.) | |
| Total LHA expenditure (2011-12 prices) (£ millions) | |
| All local housing allowance | |
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Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which local authorities have made representations to his Department on the potential impact of reductions to local housing allowances since September 2010. [93936]
Steve Webb: My Department has had and continues to liase regularly with the Local Authority Associations that represent all 380 local authorities as well as meetings with many individual local authorities. These meetings cover a range of issues including the impact of local housing allowance reforms.
Sajid Javid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Bromsgrove were in receipt of housing benefit of more than £400 per week in the latest period for which figures are available. [94134]
Steve Webb: Our latest administrative records, for October 2011, show that there were no households in Bromsgrove in receipt of housing benefit of more than £400 per week.
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect on landlords of the system of payment of housing benefit to tenants rather than to landlords. [94871]
Steve Webb: Local housing allowance (LHA), a new way of working out housing benefit for people renting from a private landlord, was introduced in April 2008. An aim of LHA was to improve financial inclusion and help tenants develop the skills needed for work by, wherever possible, paying benefit to claimants.
Safeguards exist within the housing benefit regulations where a landlord must be paid directly if the tenant is in eight weeks or more rent arrears. Private sector landlords can also be paid directly if the council considers the tenant will either have difficulty managing his or her finances, or it is improbable the tenant will pay his or her rent. In April 2011, we introduced a temporary additional measure where the council can pay a private sector landlord directly if it will help the tenant secure a new tenancy or remain in their current home at a reduced rent.
Following its introduction, the Government carried out a two-year review of the LHA arrangements to assess its impact on tenants, landlords and other external organisations, which was published in February 2011. Although the review identified some concerns, there was no evidence of landlords moving out of the housing benefit market on a wider scale because of tenants being paid direct. The private rented sector housing benefit case load actually grew over the review period.
The Department has commissioned an independent consortium of leading research organisations to evaluate the effects of recent LHA changes. The evaluation team is led by Ian Cole of Sheffield Hallam university and includes Peter Kemp (Oxford university) and members from the Institute for Fiscal Studies and Ipsos MORI. Early findings from the initial survey will be available in late spring 2012.
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Housing Benefit: Armed Forces
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of proposed changes to housing benefit rules on single members of the armed forces who are returning to their family home (a) on leave and (b) at the end of their service. [95135]
Steve Webb: No assessment has been made as relevant data are not available. Individuals who return to live in their family home on a permanent basis will be treated as a non-dependant in the claimant's housing benefit assessment and treated as part of the household when establishing whether a household is under-occupying.
Housing Benefit: Scotland
Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in receipt of housing benefit in (a) Glenrothes constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK will have their benefit reduced as a result of his proposed changes. [95447]
Steve Webb: The estimated number of housing benefit recipients affected by the introduction in 2013-14 of the proposed reduction in housing benefit for working-age claimants under-occupying social housing is:
(a) not available for parliamentary constituencies;
(b) 70,000 in Scotland;
(c) not available for the UK, but 670,000 in Great Britain.
The estimated impact of proposed changes to housing benefit for working-age tenants living in the social rented sector is based upon information collected in the Department’s Family Resources Survey. Because the survey collects information from a sample of households, we cannot produce reliable estimates for the number of claimants affected by parliamentary constituency.
Source:
Department for Work and Pensions Welfare Reform Bill 2011 impact assessment, entitled “Under-occupation of social housing”. The impact assessment can be found at:
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/social-sector-housing-under-occupation-wr2011-ia.pdf
Independent Living Fund
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 6 February 2012, Official Report, columns 111-12W, on independent living fund, if he will publish details of the assessment referred to in the answer that the independent living fund was no longer financially or equitably sustainable. [95459]
Maria Miller: The trustees of the independent living fund took the decision to close the fund to all new applicants as of June 2010. This decision was taken to ensure this discretionary fund remained within its £348 million budget. The forthcoming consultation document on how existing independent living fund users should be supported in the future will set out the detail of the assessment that led to the decision announced in December 2010 that the fund would remain permanently closed to new users.
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Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 7 February 2012, Official Report, columns 235-36W, on independent living fund (ILF), with which disability organisations, local government representatives and ILF representatives his Department consulted informally prior to the decision to announce the closure of the independent living fund to new users. [95602]
Maria Miller: The closure of this discretionary fund was to stay within its agreed budget. I met a number of organisations to discuss the ILF with the Chair of Equality 2025, the Disability Charities Consortium, the Disabled People’s Organisations Group, the National Centre for Independent Living, the Local Government Association, London Councils and the trustees and management of the independent living fund.
Industrial Health and Safety: Methanol
Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether the Health and Safety Executive is taking steps to discourage the non-commercial and small-scale production of biodiesel which involves volatile chemicals such as methanol. [93775]
Chris Grayling: There is a warning on the Health & Safety Executive's website advising against the non-commercial manufacture of biodiesel using domestic or other unsuitable facilities, and by people who are not trained or experienced in handling dangerous substances such as highly flammable methanol. This is because of the serious risk of fire and explosion.
Members: Correspondence
Sir Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to reply to the letter of 8 December 2011 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Esther Chizambe. [94048]
Chris Grayling: Following a thorough search of the Department's correspondence system, we are unable to locate this letter.
New Deal Schemes
Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to conclude negotiations on the compensation payable for early termination of Flexible New Deal contracts. [94085]
Chris Grayling: Of the 14 providers which held Flexible New Deal Phase 1 contracts, DWP has negotiated settlements agreed with 12 to date. DWP aims to complete remaining negotiations by April 2012.
Olympic Games 2012: Hospitality
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many invitations to attend events at the London 2012 Olympics (a) he, (b) other Ministers in his Department and (c) senior officials in his Department have accepted; and if he will make a statement. [93625]
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Chris Grayling: Details of hospitality received by Ministers and Special Advisers and the most senior officials are published on a quarterly basis and will be available for July-September 2012 in due course.
Pension Protection Fund: Wedgwood Museum
Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will consider bringing forward legislative proposals to remove the Wedgwood Museum from the ambit of the Pension Protection Fund to ensure the Wedgwood Collection is protected. [91519]
Steve Webb: The DWP has considered these issues carefully and does not believe it would be appropriate to amend existing pensions legislation to remove the Wedgwood Museum from the ambit of the Pension Protection Fund. To do so could have significant repercussions for the pensions protection regime and could have an impact on wider insolvency law.
Neither I nor the Pension Protection Fund would want to see this unique collection needlessly sold off piecemeal. Therefore, as one of the company's creditors, the PPF will continue to talk to the administrators and others to find the best way forward for all involved.
Social Security Benefits
Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many single people without children in each region of the UK will be affected by the household benefit cap; on what basis they are housed; what out-of-work benefits they receive; and what the average change in income per week will be. [92983]
Chris Grayling: Estimates for Great Britain are shown as follows.
The figures are rounded to the nearest 100, and relate to the financial year 2013-14 when the cap is implemented, and are on the same basis as the impact assessment which was published on 23 January 2012. Following the concessions won in the House of Commons on 1 February, these figures are of course subject to change ahead of the Welfare Reform Bill gaining Royal Assent.
| Region | Estimated number of single person households affected | Median reduction in weekly benefits (£) |
We are unable to divide these results by the basis on which they are housed and what out-of-work benefits they receive, as in most areas this would leave fewer than 100 households in each category.
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The impact assessment assumes that the situation of these households will go unchanged, and they will not take any steps to work enough hours to qualify for working tax credit, renegotiate their rent in situ or find alternative accommodation. In all cases the Department is working to support households through this transition, using existing provision through Jobcentre Plus and the Work programme to move as many into work as possible.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to receive the report of the independent review on passported benefits by the Social Security Advisory Committee. [95138]
Maria Miller: The Department for Work and Pensions has received the Social Security Advisory Committee's independent review on passported benefits and we will be publishing its report alongside our response by the end of April 2012.
Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Haltemprice and Howden constituency, (b) East Yorkshire and (c) Yorkshire and Humber receive over £26,000 per annum in benefits. [95582]
Chris Grayling: The information is not available by parliamentary constituency.
In April 2013 the Government propose to cap a household's weekly benefit entitlement at £500 for couples and lone parents, and at £350 for single people without children.
The recent impact assessment (published on 23 January 2012) suggests that 67,000 households may be affected by the household benefit cap. Fewer than 100 households may be affected in East Yorkshire. We estimate that in Yorkshire and Humber around 2,400 households may be affected by the cap.
Some households are excluded from the cap and so may be able to receive benefits exceeding £26,000. These include:
Households entitled to working tax credit;
Households with a claimant, partner or child receiving disability living allowance (or its successor, the personal independence payment), or attendance allowance, or constant attendance allowance; and
War widows and war widowers.
These estimates have not been adjusted for the additional easements announced in the House of Commons on 1 February, which include: the exemption of households who were in receipt of the support component of employment and support allowance; and a nine-month grace period for claimants who were in work for 52 weeks or more before the start of their claim.
Also, the impact assessment assumed that the situation of these households will go unchanged, and they will not take any steps to either work enough hours to qualify for working tax credit, renegotiate their rent in situ, or find alternative accommodation. In all cases the Department is working to support households through this transition, using existing provision through Jobcentre Plus and the Work programme to move as many into work as possible.
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Social Security Benefits: Liverpool
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people resident in Liverpool, Walton constituency were in receipt of benefits totalling £26,000 or more per annum in the latest period for which figures are available. [94877]
Chris Grayling: The information is not available by parliamentary constituency.
In April 2013 the Government propose to cap a household's weekly benefit entitlement at £500 for couples and lone parents, and at £350 for single people without children.
The recent impact assessment (published on 23 January 2012) suggests that 67,000 households may be affected by the household benefit cap. For Liverpool it is estimated that 400 households may be impacted by the cap.
Some households are excluded from the cap and so may be able to receive benefits exceeding £26,000. These include:
Households entitled to working tax credit;
Households with a claimant, partner or child receiving disability living allowance (or its successor, the personal independence payment), or attendance allowance, or constant attendance allowance; and
War widows and war widowers.
These estimates have not been adjusted for the additional easements announced in the House of Commons on 1 February, which include: the exemption of households who were in receipt of the support component of employment and support allowance; and a nine-month grace period for claimants who were in work for 52 weeks or more before the start of their claim.
Also, the impact assessment assumed that the situation of these households will go unchanged, and they will not take any steps to either work enough hours to qualify for working tax credit, renegotiate their rent in situ, or find alternative accommodation. In all cases the Department is working to support households through this transition, using existing provision through Jobcentre Plus and the Work programme to move as many into work as possible.
Social Services
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received on the role of the welfare system in reform of social care; and if he will make a statement. [93984]
Maria Miller: DWP Ministers have met with their counterparts in the Department of Health to discuss the important role that the social security system plays, and will continue to play, in the care and support system for disabled adults and older people, a system which includes social care services provided by local authorities.
Unemployment Benefits: Territorial Army
Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the impact of Territorial Army pay on benefits for unemployed people. [93467]
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Chris Grayling: The impact of Territorial Army pay on benefits for unemployed people is the subject of ongoing discussions between the Department for Work and Pensions and the Ministry of Defence.
Unemployment: Young People
Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he proposes that funding for the Youth Contract will be distributed according to (a) population and (b) unemployment in each region of the UK. [94282]
Chris Grayling: The Youth Contract will, from April 2012, provide nearly half a million new opportunities for young people over the next three years.
The distribution of this package of measures will depend on decisions on the detail of provision, which are not yet finalised. Further details will be available in due course.
Universal Credit
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to bring forward final implementation plans for the introduction of universal credit from October 2013. [95093]
Chris Grayling: There is presently no intention to publish universal credit programme plans.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what definition he expects to use of the term “in work” for the purposes of (a) his proposed benefit cap and (b) in work conditionality under the universal credit scheme. [95098]
Chris Grayling: We are continuing to develop the approach to conditionality under universal credit. Universal credit is an in and out-of-work benefit and conditionality requirements will relate to a claimant's earnings and their individual circumstances.
Households that are entitled to working tax credit will be exempt from the benefit cap. There will be a comparable exemption for claimants of universal credit who are in receipt of earnings and we are still considering the final design for this exemption.
Welfare Reform Bill
Mr Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will meet a deputation from organisations to discuss the Welfare Reform Bill. [95011]
Chris Grayling: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), Ministers and departmental officials have met with a wide range of representative organisations both before and during the passage of the Welfare Reform Bill and continue to do so.
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of people in Hyndburn borough council area who will be affected by each of the benefit caps proposed in the Welfare Reform Bill. [95137]
20 Feb 2012 : Column 665W
Chris Grayling: Fewer than 100 households in Hyndburn borough council area will be affected.
The answer relates to the financial year 2013-14, when the cap is implemented, and is on the same basis as the impact assessment published on 23 January 2012. Following the concessions won in the House of Commons on 1 February, these figures are of course subject to change ahead of the Welfare Reform Bill gaining Royal Assent.
The impact assessment assumes that the situation of these households will go unchanged, and they will not take any steps to either work enough hours to qualify for working tax credit, renegotiate their rent in situ, or find alternative accommodation. In all cases, the Department is working to support households through this transition, using existing provision through Jobcentre Plus and the Work programme to move as many into work as possible.
Work Capability Assessment
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK who have attended a work capability assessment have been deemed (i) fit and (ii) unfit for work in the last 12 months. [91447]
Chris Grayling: The following table shows completed employment and support allowance (ESA) work capability assessments (WCA) taking place between September 2010 to August 2011 (this is the latest 12-month period for which these figures are available). The table also shows the number of “fit for work” decisions made following these assessments. Information is unavailable for the Jarrow constituency and data for Great Britain are given in place of data for the United Kingdom as data for Northern Ireland are not available. The numbers provided have been rounded to the nearest hundred (as a result, figures may not sum to the totals shown).
| Table one: Completed assessments and fit for work decisions—CA outcomes by date of assessment for September 2010 to August 2011 | |||||
| Entitled to employment and support allowance: | |||||
| Geographical area | Work related activity group | Support group | Either group | Fit for work | Any outcome |
| 1. The data presented above come from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions and functional assessment data from Atos Healthcare. 2. These figures do not include incapacity benefit reassessment claims. 3. A small number of clerical assessments, where the result cannot be determined from DWP benefits data, are excluded from these figures. | |||||
The Department regularly publishes data on ESA and the WCA, which can be found on the departmental website here:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
This information is taken from administrative data held by the Department, assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare and appeals data from Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service.
20 Feb 2012 : Column 666W
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many people have undergone the work capability assessment since April 2011, by week; [95577]
(2) how many people have undergone the work capability assessment since April 2011. [95555]
Chris Grayling: The Department regularly publishes official statistics on employment and support allowance (ESA) and the work capability assessment (WCA). The latest report on monthly assessments was published in January 2012 and can be found on the internet at the following link:
http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca
Information on a weekly basis is not available.
Tables 2a and 2b accompanying the bulletin show that between April 2011 and August 2011, the latest period for which information is available, 239,200 ESA claims went through the WCA process.
Figures for the number of existing incapacity benefit (IB) recipients undergoing reassessment for ESA via the WCA are not yet available. The Department plans to publish official statistics on outcomes of the WCA for claimants going through the IB reassessment process and will be announcing publication on the statistics publication hub in due course.
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people waited longer than 13 weeks to undergo the work capability assessment in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011. [95578]
Chris Grayling: The number of employment and support allowance (ESA) claims where the time between the claim start and the work capability assessment (WCA) decision was longer than 13 weeks, was:
(a) 147,600 for assessments completed from January to December 2009;
(b) 236,600 for assessments completed from January to December 2010; and
(c) 146,800 for assessments completed from January to August 2011 (the latest data available).
There are a number of reasons why the time between the claim start date and the WCA decision may take longer than 13 weeks. These include the claimant delaying return of the ESA50 form, not being able to attend a face-to-face WCA with good cause, and awaiting a face- to-face WCA or DWP decision.
Employment and support allowance is normally put into payment at an “assessment rate” pending the WCA decision. Where the assessment phase continues longer than 13 weeks because a WCA has not taken place, payment continues. For those assessed to be on ESA in the Work Related Activity Group or Support Group following the decision, the components are backdated to week 14 of the claim.
Notes:
1. For approximately 17% of all new claims, the duration cannot be determined due to data not being available, so these have been excluded from the analysis above. Theses are mainly claims with the one or other of the dates missing so the time from the claim start to the notification of the WCA decision cannot be calculated.
20 Feb 2012 : Column 667W
2. The data presented above come from benefit claims data held by the Department for Work and Pensions. They related to ESA claims; incapacity benefit claims are not included. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.
3. As the Official Statistics on ESA and the WCA do not focus on benefit durations, the underlying data used to provide the information have not been quality assured to the same level and should be treated with caution.
Work Capability Assessment: Parkinson’s Disease
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people suffering from (a) Parkinson’s disease, (b) MS, (c) cancer and (d) dementia have undergone multiple work capability assessments. [94753]
Chris Grayling: The following table shows those claimants who had more than one work capability assessment (WCA) between October 2008 and August 2011 and whose main health condition was recorded as Parkinson’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, cancer or dementia when they first claimed ESA.
All ESA claimants must go through a WCA. For most claimants this will involve a face-to-face assessment but for others, including people undergoing certain types of chemotherapy or who have a serious condition and are judged likely to meet the support group criteria, this is a paper-based assessment.
It is not possible to provide statistics to show whether someone underwent a face-to-face assessment or a paper-based assessment; only whether they went through the WCA.
As part of each WCA, it will be determined, based upon the claimant’s condition and medical evidence, when they need to have another assessment. Individuals with more serious conditions, where a return to work is unlikely, will only be reassessed after two years, and where possible this assessment will be paper-based.
This is because, even for claimants who are unlikely to see an improvement in their health and who are unlikely to sufficiently adapt to their condition, it is important that we do not write them off and are able to offer them further support where necessary.
We are mindful to avoid face-to-face assessments where possible.
| Health condition | Number of claimants who have gone through multiple work capability assessments |
| Notes: 1. The Department regularly publishes data on ESA and WCA. The latest publication can be found on the departmental website at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca 2. Data on ESA assessments and outcomes are taken from administrative data held by the Department for Work and Pensions and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare. 3. Data are for individuals who have gone through a work capability assessment. It is not possible to ascertain how many individuals went through only a paper-based assessment and how many had a face-to-face assessment. 4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. | |
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Work Capability Assessments: Audio Recordings
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the contribution by the Minister of State in his Department of 1 February 2012, Official Report, columns 291-2WH, how long after the work capability assessment takes place people whose session is audio-recorded will receive a copy of that recording. [94562]
Chris Grayling: On the same day as the session is audio-recorded, and on completion of the work capability assessment, the claimant will be handed a copy of their audio recording before they leave the medical assessment centre.
Work Programme
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what data Work programme providers are required to collect in order to contribute to the Department’s statistical releases. [94872]
Chris Grayling: DWP is developing official statistics on the information recorded by providers on the payment administrative system. The information collected is subject to regular validation checks to ensure providers are paid correctly for job outcomes and sustainment payments claimed, which in turn will help guarantee the accuracy of information which is released. Prior to the release of any figures, DWP will perform extra validation checks to ensure that official statistics meet the appropriate standards for publication.
Providers have not been given specific instructions regarding the collation of data for the purpose of publishing official statistics, only that they should adhere to the code of practice which can be viewed via the following link:
http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/assessment/code-of-practice/code-of-practice-for-official-statistics.pdf
In addition, DWP ensures that the national statistician’s guidance on the use of administrative or management information is followed. This can be viewed via the following link:
http://www.statisticsauthority.gov.uk/national-statistician/ns-reports--reviews-and-guidance/national-statistician-s-guidance/use-of-administrative-or-management-information.pdf
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people sanctions have been applied to under the Work programme since its inception; and what proportion this represents of all recommended sanctions from sub-contractors. [94879]
Chris Grayling: The number of individuals who failed to participate in the Work programme resulting in the application of JSA sanction by the end of October 2011 was 7,320. A claimant would be deemed to have failed to participate in the Work programme if they have not complied with any activity they have been mandated to undertake by their provider, without good reason.
It is not possible to provide any breakdown of JSA sanctions by referral source and to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
Currently employment support allowance sanctions data come from a different source to JSA sanctions data and we are unable to break these data down by the reason of failing to participate in the Work programme.
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Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2012, Official Report, column 800W, on what date he expects to publish the number of voluntary sector providers in the Work programme supply chain identified through the stocktake of 31 January 2012. [95409]
Chris Grayling: We intend to publish the findings of the Work programme stocktake of 30 January 2012 by 29 February 2012.
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the statement in the Work Programme Prospectus and Invitation to Tender that within existing Welfare to Work supply chains, some 30% of subcontracts are with voluntary sector organisations, which Welfare to Work programmes are referred to. [95423]
Chris Grayling: The Welfare to Work programmes referred to are:
New Deal for Young People (NDYP)
New Deal 25+
Employment Zones and Private Sector Led New Deal
Flexible New Deal (FND)
Young Person's Guarantee (YPG) and the 6 Month Offer (6MO)
New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) contracts and Condition Management Programme (CMP)
Provider Led Pathways to Work
Progress to Work and Progress to Work Linkup.
Work Programme: Employment and Support Allowance
Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect on voluntary sector providers' viability of 106,000 fewer employment and support allowance claimants moving on to the Work programme in 2010-11 than was estimated at the beginning of the programme. [94873]
Chris Grayling: The Department has implemented some process changes to the Work programme to maximise the number of ESA claimants joining provision and continues to monitor the situation. In addition, an independent evaluation of the Work programme will explore the experiences of organisations within the supply chain, including those from the voluntary sector. Any concerns about ESA referral volumes should be highlighted by the evaluation. Interim findings will be available mid 2013 with a final report published in 2014-15.
Health
Accidents: Cycling
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the NHS of treating people involved in cycling accidents who were not wearing a cycle helmet in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011; [94555]
(2) how many people were admitted to hospital as a result of cycling accidents in each of the last five years. [94584]
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Mr Simon Burns: The information requested on the cost of treating people injured in cycling accidents is not collected centrally.
The following table shows a count of finished admission episodes (FAEs), where there was a cause code relating to an accident involving a pedal cycle, for the financial years 2006-07 to 2010-11. The data include episodes where the cyclist was injured in the accident and also episodes where someone else was injured by the cyclist.
| Activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector | |
| FAEs | |
| Notes: 1. Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. 2. Cause code A supplementary code that indicates the nature of any external cause of injury, poisoning or other adverse effects. Only the first external cause code which is coded within the episode is counted in HES. 3. Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and so are no longer included in admitted patient HES data. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre | |
Alexandra Hospital: Redditch
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of whether organisational changes arising from implementation of the provisions of the Health and Social Care Bill will result in accident and emergency and maternity services being downgraded at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch. [94715]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has made no such assessment. The provision of national health services, including both maternity and accident and emergency services, is a matter for the NHS locally.
Ambulance Services: Emergency Calls
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many medical 999 calls were made in each region in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011; and what proportion of these calls resulted in ambulance dispatch in each region in each year. [94507]
Mr Simon Burns:
Information on the number of emergency calls and the number of calls resulting in a response arriving at a scene are published annually by the Health and Social Care Information Centre in the
20 Feb 2012 : Column 671W
statistical bulletin Ambulance Services England. These data are broken down by each ambulance trust within England.
The following table shows the number of calls responded to as a proportion of all calls. Data are collected on the
20 Feb 2012 : Column 672W
number of calls with a response arriving, not on the number of calls resulting in ambulance dispatch. The latest available annual data are for the year 2010-11 (1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011). However, data for 2009-10 are provided to give a two-year comparison.
| Emergency calls and calls resulting in response arriving at the scene of the incident—by ambulance service, 2009-10 and 2010-11 | ||||||
| Thousand | ||||||
| 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |||||
| Ambulance service | Emergency calls | Calls resulting in response arriving at scene | Proportion of calls with responses arriving of all emergency calls ( Percentage ) | Emergency calls | Calls resulting in response arriving at scene | Proportion of calls with responses arriving of all emergency calls ( Percentage ) |
| Source: The Health and Social Care Information Centre, Form KA34. | ||||||
Antenatal Care
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of women did not receive the number of antenatal appointments recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in each maternity unit in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011. [94382]
Anne Milton: Information on the number of antenatal appointments attended by pregnant women in 2010 and 2011 is not currently available at the maternity unit level.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommends a schedule of 10 antenatal appointments for nulliparous (first time mothers) women with an uncomplicated pregnancy, and seven antenatal appointments for parous (has previously given birth) women with an uncomplicated pregnancy.
The Care Quality Commission surveyed women's experiences of maternity services in England in 2010; 32% of respondents had seven to nine antenatal check-ups, and 16% of respondents had 10 to 14 antenatal check-ups. The results do not allow for a comparison between nulliparous and parous women. The total number of respondents was 23,226.
Aortic Aneurysm
Mr Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which primary care trusts include fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair in their commissioning policy; [95012]
(2) whether his Department has assessed the effectiveness of fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair. [95013]
Mr Simon Burns: Fenestrated endovascular aneurysm repair (FEVAR) is currently commissioned as part of vascular services by the 10 Specialised Commissioning Groups. We do not therefore hold centrally the information requested.
The Department has not carried out a separate assessment of the effectiveness of fEVAR.
Avian Influenza
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department he expects to attend the forthcoming conference on the H5N1 flu virus in Geneva. [94882]
Anne Milton: The forthcoming conference in Geneva is a technical consultation on the laboratory-created H5N1 research, open to technical experts directly involved with the studies. Therefore, it would not be appropriate for either Ministers or officials from the Department to attend.
Benzodiazepines
Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department provided to the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse for treatment of drug addicts prescribed benzodiazepines between 1 April 2011 and 31 December 2011. [94429]
Anne Milton: The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) does not provide or commission drug treatment services. The Grant-in Aid from the Department to the NTA is £10.3 million for the 2011-12 financial year.
Funding allocated by the Department to local partnerships for drug treatment is not ear-marked or
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ring-fenced for specific drugs. It is for local areas to determine the appropriate services to commission, based on their assessment of local need.
The Department provided a total of £406.7 million to local areas as a contribution to local drug treatment in the 2011-12 financial year.
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 1 February 2012, Official Report, column 675W, on benzodiazepines, on what evidence he based his conclusion that GPs have the (a) expertise and (b) resources to withdraw patients iatrogenically addicted to tranquillisers. [95184]
Anne Milton: Guidance on the prescribing of benzodiazepines is provided in the Summary of Product Characteristics for individual products and in the British National Formulary, which is sent to all doctors within the national health service. This includes information about the risk of dependence and withdrawal reactions as well as details of any known interactions.
General practitioner knowledge and expertise is further supported by the work of the Royal College of General Practitioners.
Eric Ollerenshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer of 1 February 2012, Official Report, column 675W, on benzodiazepines, if he will provide a list of specialist services available to support people who wish to cease using the product referred to in his answer. [95185]
Anne Milton: Local areas are responsible for commissioning appropriate services to meet local need. Data returns on the characteristics of the treatment population show that most areas in the country have services in place to support people who develop dependence on over-the-counter and prescribed drugs. However, the Department does not hold a central record of which providers are supplying these services to local commissioners.
Last September, I convened a roundtable discussion on the issue of addiction to medicines, which identified a number of concrete actions to take forward. These include actions to improve the local commissioning to service to respond to addiction to medicines and improve access to treatment and support. These actions will be reviewed when the roundtable group reconvenes in March 2012.
Plastic Surgery: Breasts
Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Warley of 18 January 2012, Official Report, column 875W, on plastic surgery: breasts, what progress has been made on obtaining information about the number of women with PIP breast implants; and if he will inform any women who have had reconstructive breast surgery after treatment for breast cancer whether they have received PIP implants. [94464]
Mr Simon Burns:
Our latest estimate is that some 745 women received PIP implants through treatment in national health service hospitals, excluding those women whose implants have already been removed. The majority
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of these will have had reconstructive breast surgery after treatment for breast cancer but an exact breakdown is not available. Comparable information for private hospitals is not yet available.
NHS hospitals are making good progress in contacting all women who received PIP implants through the NHS and are expected to complete this within the next few days. Any woman who has had reconstructive breast surgery and has not yet been contacted, but who is unsure whether her implant was a PIP implant or not, should seek advice from her general practitioner or from the hospital clinic involved.
Dr Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his policy on the replacement of PIP implants will be time limited; and if he will make a statement. [95479]
Mr Simon Burns: There can be no time limit to the duty of care which a health care organisation owes to its patients. If a woman has received PIP implants as part of national health service treatment, the NHS will remove and replace the implants at any time if that is what the woman and her doctor decide. We expect private providers to do the same.
Cancer: Health Education
Sir Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money was spent by his Department on research and raising awareness of (a) breast cancer and (b) prostate cancer in each year since 2005. [95172]
Paul Burstow: Information on the Department's spend on breast and prostate cancer awareness activity in each year since 2005 has been presented in the following table:
| £ | ||
| Breast | Prostate | |
| Notes: 1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest pound. 2. 2005 figures for breast cancer do not include storage and distribution costs of breast cancer awareness literature as these were unavailable for this year. 3. In 2009-10 £86,000 (of the £437,000) in funding for prostate cancer awareness also funded activity for bowel and lung cancer. 4. In 2010-11 £7,500 (of the £276,500) in funding for prostate cancer awareness also funded activity for bowel and lung cancer. 5. In 2010-11 £3,745,000 (of the £3,778,791) in funding for breast cancer awareness activity also funded activity for either bowel cancer, lung cancer or both. 6. The 2011-12 spend for prostate cancer is forecasted end-of-year expenditure. | ||
Figures for the Department's total expenditure on research on breast and prostate cancers in each year since 2005 are not available. Prior to the establishment of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) in April 2006, the main part of the Department's total health research expenditure was devolved to and managed
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by national health service organisations. From April 2006 to March 2009, transitional research funding was allocated to these organisations at reducing levels. The organisations have accounted for their use of the allocations they have received from the Department in an annual research and development report. The reports identify total aggregated expenditure on national priority areas, including cancer. They do not provide details of research into particular cancer sites.
The NIHR Clinical Research Network (CRN) is currently hosting 103 studies in breast cancer, and 37 in prostate cancer, that are in set-up or recruiting patients. Expenditure by the CRN on research into particular cancer sites cannot be disaggregated from total CRN expenditure.
Cancer: Radiotherapy
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the National Cancer Action Team has allocated a costing code for (a) stereotactic body radiation therapy and (b) stereotactic ablative radiotherapy. [94257]
Paul Burstow: The National Cancer Action Team (NCAT) has not allocated a costing code for stereotactic body radiation therapy (now known as stereotactic ablative radiotherapy, SABR) as it is not NCATs responsibility to allocate costing codes for cancer treatments.
NHS Connecting for Health is reviewing the existing International Statistical Classification of Diseases and OPCS Classification of Interventions and Procedures codes used for radiotherapy, and the NHS Information Centre is reviewing the Healthcare Resource Group (HRG) classification system design (also known as the ‘currency’) for radiotherapy services. Changes made to coding and the HRG classification system may mean the inclusion of new codings for different forms of radiotherapy. These will ultimately feed through into the costs that are collected and the tariffs that are set for radiotherapy services.
Cancer: Republic of Ireland
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the incidence of different cancers (a) among individuals of Irish ethnicity living in the UK and (b) nationally; what the level of screening uptake is in each case; and what steps he is taking to (i) increase awareness, (ii) promote screening and (iii) address lifestyle factors that may contribute to a greater risk of cancer among individuals of Irish ethnicity. [94840]
Paul Burstow: No assessment has been made of the incidence of different cancers or the rates of screening uptake among individuals of Irish ethnicity living in the United Kingdom or nationally. Screening data are not broken down by ethnicity and incidence data, where broken down by ethnicity, have only been presented by the major ethnic groupings of ‘White', ‘Asian', ‘Black', ‘Chinese', ‘mixed' and ‘other'. The ethnic grouping ‘White' includes ‘White British', ‘White Irish' and ‘Other White'.
In terms of activity to promote cancer awareness, screening uptake and lifestyle factors that can increase the risk of cancer among individuals of Irish ethnicity,
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the National Cancer Action Team (NCAT) is working in partnership with the Federation of Irish Societies to produce a health supplement to increase both the early signs of cancer and increase screening uptake. The supplement, which has been developed as part of the ‘Cancer Does Not Discriminate' campaign, will be launched around the St Patrick's Day celebrations in March 2012 and will be distributed through two Irish newspapers and by 120 Irish groups and organisations across England. Negotiations are also taking place with the Irish Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety to distribute the supplement there.
NCAT also funded the Ethnic Minority Cancer Awareness week 2011 (11 July to 17 July) which provided a number of small grants to community organisations across the country to hold awareness events. Over 27 events were held across England, a number of which were targeted at the Irish community. NCAT also supports the National BME Cancer Alliance, which is working together to improve outcomes for those affected by cancer from black and minority ethnic communities. The Federation of Irish Societies is an active member of the 18 organisations that form the alliance.
Care Homes: Dartford
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many inspections were carried out by the Care Quality Commission on care homes which involved on-site visits in Dartford constituency during 2010-11. [95073]
Mr Simon Burns: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England.
The CQC took over the regulation of health and adult social care, under the Care Standards Act 2000, on 1 April 2009. Since 1 October 2010, independent health care providers and adult social care providers have been regulated under the new framework under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
The CQC has provided the following information:
In the year April 2010 to March 2011 the CQC carried out seven inspections of care homes which included a site visit in the Dartford constituency.. This figure includes inspections under the Care Standards Act 2000 (to 30 September 2010) and the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (from 1 October 2010).
Care Quality Commission
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times the Care Quality Commission has taken enforcement action in the last 12 months. [94379]
Mr Simon Burns: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England and is responsible for developing and consulting on its methodology for assessing whether providers are meeting the registration requirements under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (the 2008 Act).
All providers of regulated activities must be registered with the CQC and continue to meet a set of registration requirements setting out essential levels of safety and quality.
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Failure to comply with the requirements is an offence, and under the 2008 Act the CQC has a wide range of enforcement powers that it can use if the provider is not compliant.
The following information has been provided by the CQC:
| Completed enforcement processes under the Health and Social Care Act | |||
| Warning notice | Variation of provider registration | Cancellation of registration | |
| Notes: 1. The figures contain duplication where the enforcement process has been applied to more than one regulated activity. 2. Figures shown are for fully completed processes only and so may not match previously published figures showing actions initiated. Figures from more recent months (late 2011) may be subject to change. The aggregate figures may rise if the information is captured by the system in a subsequent month. 3. The months shown are based on the end dates of processes. 4. In addition, there were four instances of registration being refused and one notice of proposal to suspend registration recorded on the regional enforcement spreadsheets. 5. Cancellations of registration covers provider and manager cancellation processes. | |||
Cervical Cancer: East of England
Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (1) women aged 25 to 64 years in the Great Yarmouth area took up an invitation for cervical cancer screening in each year since 2007; [94553]
(2) invitations were sent out by NHS Norfolk and Waveney for cervical cancer screenings in each year since 2007. [94554]
Paul Burstow: Information concerning the number of women aged 25 to 64 years in the Great Yarmouth area who took up an invitation for cervical screening in each year since 2007 cannot be provided in the format requested.
Information on the number of women screened and screening coverage for women in the routine screening age range of 25 to 64 years for Great Yarmouth and Waveney Primary Care Trust (PCT) area has been provided in the following table. Coverage is the percentage of women in a population who were eligible for screening at a particular point in time and who were screened adequately within a specified period. For women aged 25 to 64 coverage is calculated as the number of women in this age group who have had an adequate screening test within the last five years, as a percentage of the eligible population aged 25 to 64.
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| Number of women screened (thousands) | Coverage (less than five years since last adequate test) (percentage) | |
| Notes: 1. The source of these data is the KC53 statistical return from the cervical screening programme call and recall system. 2. The number of women screened excludes those women who had one or more tests during the year, all of which were classified as ‘inadequate'. 3. Coverage is calculated at 31 March each year. | ||
Information concerning the number of invitations sent out by NHS Norfolk and Waveney for cervical cancer screenings in each year since 2007 cannot be provided in the format requested. Information for NHS Norfolk and Waveney as a PCT cluster is not recorded. However, figures are available for Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT and Norfolk PCT, which make up NHS Norfolk and Waveney.
The following tables show the numbers of women invited for cervical screening from 2007-08 through to 2010-11. The table shows the numbers of women invited in the 25-64 age group, which is the current target age group for cervical screening, and also for women of all ages. Women over the age of 65 are invited if their previous three tests were not clear or if they have never been screened.
| Total women invited (25-64 years) | ||
| Norfolk PCT | Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT | |
| Total women invited (all ages) | ||
| Norfolk PCT | Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT | |
| Note: The source of this data is the KC53 (part B) statistical return from the cervical screening programme call and recall system. | ||
Chlamydia Infection: Screening
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) men and (b) women were screened by each local Chlamydia screening programme in (i) 2011 and (ii) 2010. [94384]
Anne Milton: Figures on the number of Chlamydia tests in young people aged 15 to 24, for 2010 and January to September 2011 have been placed in the Library. These include the number of tests reported to the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP), genitourinary medicine (GUM) clinics and laboratory reports of Chlamydia tests outside of GUM not reported directly to the NCSP (non NCSP and GUM), by sex and primary care trust of residence in England.
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Contraceptives
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what recent representations his Department has received on commissioners restricting access to contraceptive services on the basis of (a) age, (b) place of residence and (c) type of contraceptive method; [95371]
(2) what assessment he has made of the possible effects of primary care trust restrictions on the prescribing or availability through general practice or other commissioned contraceptive services of (a) methods of emergency contraception, (b) long-acting reversible contraceptive methods and (c) other contraceptive methods on (i) public health outcomes and (ii) abortion rates. [95376]
Anne Milton: Over the last six months, the Department has received a small number of representations from clinicians and voluntary sector organisations on the current commissioning of contraception by primary care trusts (PCTs) and access to certain types of contraception by certain age groups.
Current legislation requires PCTs to provide open-access contraception services for all people in their local areas, and to provide reasonable access to all methods of contraception. However, it is for PCTs themselves, with their knowledge of local need, to determine how they can best fulfil the legislative requirements.
Statistics on conceptions (published by the Office for National Statistics) and abortions (published by the Department of Health) do not suggest that any recent changes to contraception provision offered by PCTs has had an impact on the number or rate of conceptions or abortions.
Dance Movement Therapy
Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the merits of giving dance-movement psychotherapists similar (a) professional recognition and (b) statutory regulation to that applying to arts psychotherapists. [94375]
Anne Milton: The Government do not consider that a case has been made for the regulation of dance-movement therapists.
While compulsory statutory regulation is sometimes necessary where significant risks to users of services cannot be mitigated in other ways, it is not always the most proportionate or effective means of assuring the safe and effective care of service users.
For the overwhelming majority of groups not currently subject to statutory regulation, including those recommended by the Health Professions Council for statutory regulation in the past, the Government consider that assured voluntary registration would be the preferred option.
The statutory framework for a system of assured voluntary registration is being taken forward through the Health and Social Care Bill, which would allow employers, providers, commissioners and service users to assure themselves that practitioners they contract meet high standards of training, conduct and competence.
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Dental Health
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of admissions to hospital via accident and emergency departments were related to dental problems in (a) 2010 and (b) 2011. [94539]
Mr Simon Burns: The information requested is shown in the following table.
| Finished admission episodes (FAEs) (1) where the admission was via accident and emergency (A&E), for all admissions and those where the consultant main specialty (2) was recorded as dentistry (3) for 2009-10 and 2010-11 | |||
| Activity in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector | |||
| Total A&E admissions under 'Dental' consultants | All A&E admissions (4) | Proportion of admissions to hospital via A&E which were under 'Dental' consultants (percentage) | |
| (1) Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (2 ) Consultant Main Specialty The specialty under which the consultant responsible for the care of the patient at that time is registered. Take care when analysing Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data by specialty, or by groups of specialties (such as "acute"). Trusts have different ways of managing specialties and attributing codes so it is better to analyse by specific diagnoses, operations or other patient or service information. (3 ) Consultant Main Specialty Codes 140 Oral Surgery 141 Restorative Dentistry 142 Paediatric Dentistry (available from 1999-2000) 143 Orthodontics 145 Oral and Maxillo Facial Surgery (available from 2004-05) 147 Periodontics 146 Endodontics 148 Prosthodontics (4) Admission via A&E Admissions where the method of admission is recorded as 21—Emergency Admission via A&E 28—Emergency Admission—Other (including A&E of a different provider) Data quality: HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Assessing growth through time: HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures, which may now be undertaken in out-patient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre | |||