NHS: Private Sector

Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect of profit-making by private sector providers of NHS services on the extent to which planned savings under his proposed NHS reforms can be achieved. [97724]

Mr Simon Burns: The costs and benefits envisaged by the Health and Social Care Bill (the Bill) are not predicated on the use of the private sector. Further information on the costs and benefits of the reforms are set out in the Bill's impact assessment, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library and is available at:

www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsLegislation/DH_123583

Profit taking by private providers would not affect planned savings, as providers would be expected to accept national health service prices or tariff. Moreover, the Bill would address the practice of ‘cherry picking', as allowed by the previous Administration, through accurate and cost reflective pricing.

Nurses: Pay

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses in the NHS earn less than £35,000 per year; and how many earn more. [98419]

Paul Burstow: Validated individual level earnings data for qualified nurses are not held centrally. Using estimates based on a sample of data taken from the Electronic Staff Record and applying these to the Qualified Nursing numbers, excluding practice nurses, in the September 2011 Information Centre monthly workforce numbers publications we estimate that:

Approximately 286,000 Headcount with basic pay less than £35,000 per year, and 63,000 Headcount with basic pay above £35,000 per year.

6 Mar 2012 : Column 722W

These figures are rounded to the nearest thousand. It is also only possible to relate these figures to basic pay and it is not possible to account for additional earnings such as overtime allowances.

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on ensuring that the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman uses external experts to assess how management systems, as well as clinical expertise, can be improved in the NHS. [98264]

Mr Simon Burns: We are not aware of any such requests. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman is independent of Government and directly accountable to Parliament. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health therefore has no role in respect of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's remit for use of “external experts”.

Physiotherapy: Rehabilitation

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the provision of multidisciplinary rehabilitation programmes including physiotherapy for people with (a) multiple sclerosis and (b) other complex conditions; and if he will make a statement. [98055]

Paul Burstow: Responsibility for ensuring that locally commissioned rehabilitation services meet the needs of patients lies with primary care trusts.

We have made no assessment of the provision of multidisciplinary rehabilitation programmes for people with multiple sclerosis and other complex conditions.

Certain elements of rehabilitation services for people with complex needs are currently designated as “specialised” and provided nationally. These include some rehabilitation for adults with brain injury and complex disability. Other rehabilitation services are commissioned and provided locally. These include secondary care services, community rehabilitation (and sometimes specific neuro-rehabilitation), community equipment services, personal care services and respite provision.

Plastic Surgery

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of risks associated with dermal fillers. [97816]

Mr Simon Burns: Dermal fillers used for medical purposes are regulated as medical devices in the highest risk category under the European Union's medical devices directives, this means that the manufacturer must be able to provide evidence of the safety, quality and performance of their product before they can place it on the market. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency monitor reports of adverse incidents for these, as for other, medical devices and take action as needed on individual products. As announced in the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health on 11 January 2012, Official Report, columns 181-83, on breast implants, the review of cosmetic interventions will consider whether

6 Mar 2012 : Column 723W

any changes are needed to the regulation of dermal fillers or to the necessary qualifications of practitioners who administer them.

Primary Care Trusts: Lancashire

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when Janet Soo Chung was appointed as Chief Executive of the Lancashire Primary Care Trust cluster. [98491]

Mr Simon Burns: In line with the requirements set out in the “Operating Framework for the NHS in England 2011-12”, all primary care trust (PCT) cluster chief executive appointments in the North West, including that of Janet Soo Chung, as chief executive of the Lancashire PCT cluster, became effective as of 1 June 2011.

Savernake Hospital

Claire Perry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has given to extending the stability fund for some hospitals with public finance initiative schemes to Savernake hospital; whether a decision has been made on the future structure of Savernake hospital; and what timetable has been put in place for implementing the strategy for the future of the hospital. [97861]

Mr Simon Burns: A review has been undertaken to analyse the extent to which private finance initiative (PFI) schemes are a determinant factor as to why national health service providers—NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts—may not be clinically or financially viable and where additional support may be needed to address this. It is not intended to extend this work to NHS commissioning bodies such as NHS Wiltshire Primary Care Trust (PCT), which holds the PFI contract for the Savernake hospital PFI scheme, which are to be abolished in April 2013.

Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has managed the operational running of Savernake hospital and the community services provided at the hospital by Wiltshire Community Health Services since June 2011. The services which NHS Wiltshire PCT commissions

6 Mar 2012 : Column 724W

from Savernake hospital and Wiltshire and Community Health Services will not change for the period between now and when the PCT is expected to be abolished (i.e. subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill) in April 2013.

The Department announced last year that NHS providers are to be given the opportunity to acquire part(s) of the PCT estate deemed ‘service critical clinical infrastructure’, and PCTs have been working with NHS providers to agree the portfolio of properties that will transfer to them. Provisional lists are with the Department for review and sign off, subject to resolving a number of outstanding issues, which include the precise future holding arrangements for PCTs' PFI schemes. It is expected that actual transfers of estate will commence later on this year following the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill.

Vaccination: Compensation

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979; and if he will make a statement. [89355]

Maria Miller: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.

The Vaccine Damage Payments scheme was reviewed in 2000 and resulted in a number of changes to the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979 including lowering the disability threshold from 80% to 60% and increasing the time limit for making a claim. There are no plans to introduce any further changes to the Act.

Education

Class Sizes

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the average class size is in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) Leeds North West constituency, (ii) Yorkshire and (iii) England. [96973]

Mr Gibb: The requested information is shown in the table.

State-funded primary and secondary schools (1, 2, 3) : Classes as taught (4) January 2011. In England, Yorkshire and the Humber region and Leeds North West parliamentary constituency
  England Yorkshire and the Humber Leeds North West parliamentary constituency
  State-funded primary (1,2) State-funded secondary (1, 3) State-funded primary (1,2) State-funded secondary (1, 3) State-funded primary (1,2) State-funded secondary (1, 3)

Average class size 2011

26.6

20.4

26.5

20.2

27.4

19.8

(1) Includes middle schools as deemed. (2) Includes primary academies (3) Includes city technology colleges and secondary academies (including all-through academies). (4) One teacher classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January. Source: School Census

Education Funding Agency: Manpower

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many new members of staff he expects the Education Funding Agency to recruit. [96286]

Mr Gibb [holding answer 27 February 2012]: We expect the Education Funding Agency to recruit very few new staff as the large majority of its workforce will be drawn from the staff of the Young People's Learning Agency or Partnerships for Schools. The Agency will recruit a new member of staff only where it has inherited

6 Mar 2012 : Column 725W

a vacancy from either of the two predecessor organisations that requires specialist expertise that is not available in the Department for Education.

Grammar Schools: Admissions

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of secondary places in each local authority were in publicly-funded wholly selective schools in the latest period for which figures are available. [96485]

Mr Gibb: The requested information is shown in the following table (for each local authority with at least one selective school).

State-funded secondary schools (1) : School capacity, May 2011, by local authority area in England
  Total number of school places (2) Number of selective school places (2) Percentage of places in selective schools

England(3)

3,608,970

161,660

4.5

       

Buckinghamshire

36,167

14,813

41.0

Trafford

18,173

7,303

40.2

Slough

10,807

4,010

37.1

Southend-on-Sea

13,532

4,432

32.8

Medway

21,529

6,654

30.9

Torbay

9,857

3,010

30.5

Sutton

17,131

5,206

30.4

Kent

109,094

32,326

29.6

Wirral

26,183

7,055

26.9

Poole

9,071

2,337

25.8

Lincolnshire

52,052

13,147

25.3

Bexley

22,515

5,668

25.2

Reading

7,549

1,677

22.2

Bournemouth

11,223

2,161

19.3

Kingston upon Thames

10,393

1,931

18.6

Plymouth

18,499

2,770

15.0

Gloucestershire

41,356

5,771

14.0

Calderdale

16,253

2,159

13.3

Barnet

25,810

3,166

12.3

Warwickshire

35,828

3,720

10.4

6 Mar 2012 : Column 726W

Birmingham

71,485

6,825

9.5

Telford and Wrekin

12,086

1,134

9.4

Bromley

23,083

1,793

7.8

Redbridge

21,774

1,682

7.7

Stoke-on-Trent

15,506

1,115

7.2

Enfield

24,585

1,438

5.8

Lancashire

77,999

4,502

5.8

Walsall

23,267

1,361

5.8

Wiltshire

34,268

1,862

5.4

North Yorkshire

46,787

2,487

5.3

Kirklees

29,190

1,350

4.6

Wolverhampton

17,666

748

4.2

Essex

96,850

3,364

3.5

Liverpool

33,711

1,040

3.1

Cumbria

36,258

813

2.2

Devon

45,409

828

1.8

(1) Includes community, foundation, voluntary and middle schools as deemed. Includes secondary academies (excludes special schools). (2) Net capacity for maintained schools; capacity for academies as set out in each academy's funding agreement or taken from Edubase. (3) National numbers of places and pupils have been rounded to the nearest 10. Source: School Capacity Survey, Academy Funding Agreements and Edubase

Languages: GCSE

Alok Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many pupils took a foreign language at GCSE level in (a) England, (b) Berkshire, (c) Reading and (d) Reading West constituency in 2011; and what proportion achieved grades between A* and C. [97000]

Mr Gibb: The information requested has been provided in the following table for 2009/10 and 2010/11 for England, Berkshire and Reading and for 2009/10 for Reading West constituency. 2010/11 constituency figures are not yet available.

Number and proportion of pupils at the end of Key Stage 4 (1,2 ) taking a foreign language GCSE (3,4 ) and the proportion achieving an A*-C grade, 2009/10 to 2010/11 (5)
    England (6) Berkshire (7) Reading (7) Reading West (8)

2009/10

Number of pupils taking a language GCSE

232,477

4,574

382

342

 

Percentage of pupils taking a language GCSE

40.4

50.7

38.9

30.7

 

Of which:

       
 

Percentage achieving an A*-C grade

69.0

73.8

85.1

75.4

           

2010/11

Number of pupils taking a language GCSE

217,659

4,131

374

 

Percentage of pupils taking a language GCSE

38.5

46.7

37.9

 

Of which:

       
 

Percentage achieving an A*-C grade

70.5

72.3

88.5

(1) Figures do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. (2) Figures include all maintained schools, including CTCs and academies. (3) Figures include French, German, Spanish, Dutch, Italian, Modern Greek, Portuguese, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Gujarati, Japanese, Modern Hebrew, Panjabi, Polish, Russian, Turkish, Urdu, Persian, Danish and Hindi for both 2009/10 and 2010/11. 2010/11 figures additionally include Latin, Classical Greek and Biblical Hebrew. (4) Full GCSEs only have been included (full GCSEs, double awards, accredited international certificates and their predecessor iGCSEs). (5) Includes attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years. (6) England figures are the sum of all local authorities. (7) Berkshire figures consist of the following local authorities: Bracknell Forest, West Berkshire, Reading, Slough, Windsor and Maidenhead, and Wokingham. Local authority figures are based on the local authority maintaining the school. (8) Parliamentary constituency figures are based on the postcode of the school. Source: National Pupil Database (2009/10 final data, 2010/11 revised data)

6 Mar 2012 : Column 727W

Local Education Authorities

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education which local education authorities his Department defines as (a) wholly selective and (b) wholly comprehensive. [96488]

Mr Gibb: The local authorities that are classed as ‘wholly selective', meaning they have a high concentration of selective schools, are set out in the Education (Grammar School Ballots) Regulations 1998. These are:

Bexley

Buckinghamshire

Kent

Lincolnshire

Medway Towns

Slough

Southend

Torbay

Trafford

Sutton and the Nonsuch Ward of Surrey

There is no recognised term as ‘wholly comprehensive'. All remaining authorities would consist of those with no or few selective schools.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the minimum statutory requirements are for schools to teach personal, social, health and economic education. [97271]

Mr Gibb: PSHE is not a statutory subject in the curriculum. There are some elements of the statutory basic curriculum and National Curriculum which some schools teach as part of PSHE, including sex education, science and physical education.

Primary Education: Lambeth

Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the answer of 8 February 2012, Official Report, column 321W, on primary education: academies, what the names are of the three Lambeth primary schools with which his Department intends to explore academy options. [97885]

Mr Gibb [holding answer 5 March 2012] : The Department has held discussions with Lambeth Council, but we have not explored Academy options directly with any of the three schools. It is not our policy publicly to name schools where we would like to explore academy options. We believe this has the potential to disrupt schools concerned.

Schools: Health Education

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will take steps to tackle childhood obesity by promoting healthy eating and physical activity in schools. [95749]

Mr Gibb [holding answer 23 February 2012]: The Government published ‘A Call to Action on obesity in England’ in October 2011.

6 Mar 2012 : Column 728W

This sets out how obesity will be tackled in the new public health and NHS systems, and the role of key partners. The document shows the Government's commitment to programmes such as the Change4Life campaign and the National Child Measurement Programme.

Schools are crucial to promoting healthier lifestyles and preventing obesity early on. They are best placed to determine how this might be done to meet the needs of their pupils.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PHSE) education already teaches children and young people about what makes a healthy lifestyle, including the benefits of exercise and healthy eating; how to keep healthy and what influences health; and about the different food choices and the safer choices they can make.

All maintained schools are required to meet food and nutritional standards for the food that is provided during the school day. These standards ensure pupils who take school lunches have the opportunity to select a healthy meal that contributes to a balanced diet.

Physical education (PE) is a compulsory subject in the National Curriculum for five to 16-year-olds in maintained schools, and will continue to be so following the current review of the National Curriculum.

We are working with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Sport England to deliver the new School Games. This new school sport competition (which builds on the old UK School Games), uses the inspiration of London's Olympics and Paralympics to help transform competitive sport in schools and get more people playing sport.

Self-control: Curriculum

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what priority he gives to the teaching of self-control as part of the curriculum. [97086]

Mr Gibb: While the non-statutory programme of study for Personal, Social, Health and Economic (PSHE) education does not refer, specifically, to self-control, it does enable pupils to be taught to build and maintain a range of positive relationships. When doing so, pupils should recognise their own, and others', rights and responsibilities and be aware that their actions and behaviours have consequences. It is for schools to decide the extent to which they teach these elements to their pupils and they will take into account the individual needs of pupils when making these decisions.

The Department is currently reviewing PSHE education to determine how we can support schools to improve the quality of all PSHE teaching and support teachers to teach the subject well. We are considering submissions of evidence and good practice received as part of the review process. We will publish our proposals later this year.

Special Educational Needs: ICT

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to support autistic children in schools by using computers. [98192]

6 Mar 2012 : Column 729W

Sarah Teather [holding answer 5 March 2012]: Technology has huge potential to support good teaching and help raise standards. The Secretary of State for Education set out the benefits technology can bring to education when he spoke at the BETT Trade Fair (formerly known as the British Educational Training and Technology Show) on 11 January. It is essential that schools make effective use of technology to improve teaching and learning, both within and beyond the classroom. Used appropriately, computers can be particularly beneficial in helping autistic children learn.

Teachers, head teachers and other professionals are best placed to make decisions about how technology can be used to support children's learning, including the autistic children's learning. Advice is available from bodies such as the National Autistic Society and the Autism Education Trust to help schools to make these decisions in respect of autistic children.

Young People: Autism

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department has taken to enable autistic young people to follow further education and higher education courses. [96987]

Mr Gibb: Local authorities are responsible for ensuring Learning Difficulty Assessments take place for all young people who had a statement of special educational needs at school if they are progressing to further education. They also have the power to undertake Learning Difficulty Assessments for other young people who would benefit from one. The Learning Difficulty Assessment should set out the provision required to meet the young person's education or training needs. Colleges and other providers are required by the Equality Act to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that disabled young people including those with autism do not experience barriers to their education. Funding for additional educational support is also provided to FE colleges to help provide the additional support students may need to enable them to participate fully in education. The funding is intended to be flexible and support students who have a range of learning difficulties and/or disabilities.

6 Mar 2012 : Column 730W

The Government provide funding to higher education institutions, through the Higher Education Funding Council for England, to help them recruit and support disabled students; £13 million will be provided in the academic year 2011/12. The Government also provide direct support to disabled students in higher education through disabled students allowances (DSAs) which are provided in addition to the standard student support package, are not income-assessed and do not have to be repaid.

The Green Paper “Support and Aspiration: A New Approach to Disability”, sets out our aspirations to help young people with special education needs or disabilities make the most of their future. Our proposals include the single Education, Health and Care Plan covering young people from birth to age 25 and access to better quality vocational and work-related education options. We intend to publish our future plans shortly which will take into account the responses from the Green Paper consultation and early findings from the pathfinders.

Young People's Learning Agency: Manpower

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many members of staff were employed by the Young People's Learning Agency in April 2011; and how many staff the Young People's Learning Agency expects to employ in April 2012. [96289]

Mr Gibb [holding answer 27 February 2012]: When the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) opened in April 2010, it was allocated a budget for 580 posts. However, as a result of its work to maximise its efficiency, the YPLA has ensured that the number of staff in post has always been below this level. This meant that in April 2011, the YPLA had 511 staff in post, including 35 staff seconded from, and employed by, the Department for Education. As the YPLA's important role in supporting the academies and free schools programme has increased, it is now in the process of recruiting up to its original allocation of 580 posts. We anticipate that the YPLA will have close to 580 staff, including 27 staff on secondment from the Department, when it closes on 31 March 2012.