Schools: Teaching Methods
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of children in secondary schools were taught in classes with (a) streaming and (b) setting in each year since 1996-97; and if he will make a statement. [97854]
Mr Gibb: Ofsted holds data on the number and proportion of lessons observed during inspections in which setting, streaming or banding by ability is used. Since the data are based on lessons seen by inspectors, they may not represent arrangements in the school as a whole, and may not therefore be an indicator of the use of these forms of grouping at a national level.
Ofsted has provided the data on the proportion of observed lessons in secondary schools from September 1996 to August 2011 which were taught in set or streamed classes. This includes all subjects except physical education. The data have been placed in the House Libraries.
The Department has not provided specific guidance to schools on setting. However, case studies showing the effective use of setting in schools are available on the Department's website:
http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/pupilsupport/inclusionandlearnersupport/onetoonetuition/a00199773/setting-case-studies
Science: GCSE
Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many students taking GCSE science subjects in Gillingham and Rainham constituency achieved a pass rate of A* to C; and how many such students continued to study science subjects at A-Level in the most recent period for which figures are available. [96722]
Mr Gibb: Estimates of the number of pupils in Gillingham and Rainham constituency entering and achieving A*-C grades in science subjects, for the cohort who completed key stage 4 in 2007/08, are shown in Table 1. The number and proportion of these who went on to enter science AS levels by 2008/09, and science A-levels by 2009/10, are shown in Tables 2 and 3 respectively.
| Table 1: Number of pupils (1,2,3) entering science GCSEs and percentage achieving A*-C grades (4,5) in Gillingham and Rainham constituency (6) , 2007/08 | |||
| Number of pupils: | Percentage achieving | ||
| taking each GCSE | achieving A*-C | A*-C grades | |
| Source: National Pupil Database | |||
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| Table 2: Number and percentage of pupils (1,2,3) achieving science GCSEs at A*-C (4,5) who entered science AS leve l s by 2008/09 | |||||||
| From GCSE A*-C | |||||||
| AS level biology | AS level chemistry | AS level physics | |||||
| GCSE subject | No. of pupils achieving A*-C | No. | % of A*-C | No. | % of A*-C | No. | % of A*-C |
| Source: National Pupil Database | |||||||
| Table 3: Number and percentage of pupils (1,2,3) achieving science GCSEs at A*-C (4,5) who entered science A levels by 2009/10 | |||||||
| From GCSE A*-C | |||||||
| A level biology | A level chemistry | A level physics | |||||
| GCSE subject | Number of pupils achievin g A*-C | No. | % of A*-C | No. | % of A*-C | No. | % of A*-C |
| (1) Figures do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas. (2) Figures include all maintained schools (including CTCs and academies). (3) Pupils at the end of key stage 4 in the 2007/08 academic year. (4) Percentage achieving A*- C based on the number of pupils entering each subject. (5) Including attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years. (6) Parliamentary constituency figures are based on the postcode of the school. (7) Indicates that a figure of less than three pupils has been suppressed Source: National Pupil Database | |||||||
Science: Schools
Caroline Dinenage: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to encourage more schools to become specialist in science, technology, engineering and mathematics subjects. [97742]
Mr Gibb: The Government want all schools to excel in teaching STEM subjects and are doing much to achieve this. Over the current spending review period we will be investing up to £135 million to improve the quality of science and mathematics teaching.
Our schools reforms include the development of Teaching Schools, many of which will lead in STEM subjects and use that expertise to help improve the quality of STEM education in other schools. We are also developing University Technical Colleges, all of which will provide opportunities for 14 to 19-year-olds to experience high quality technical education, and we taking forward proposals to develop specialist mathematics schools for 16 to 18-year-olds.
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Secondary Education
Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the (a) unique reference number and (b) establishment number is of each maintained secondary school in England that has been open since at least 2000; how many year 11 students each such school had in 2010; how many pupils at such schools entered GCSE English with WJEC in each year between 2000 and 2010; and what proportion of pupils at such schools attained each grade at GCSE English in each year between 2000 and 2010. [97440]
Mr Gibb: This information could be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
Students: Finance
Michael Ellis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education for what reasons bursary payments for Postgraduate Certificate in Education students were (a) discontinued in the academic year 2011-12 and (b) reintroduced in academic year 2012-13; and whether he plans to reimburse students who started their course in academic year 2011-12. [93352]
Mr Gibb:
We continued paying training bursaries in academic year 2011/12 to those training in the priority subjects of physics, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, biology, combined/general science and modern foreign languages. We stopped making them available in other subjects. The training bursaries are an additional incentive to train. All trainees continue to be able to access the student loans and grants paid through the Student Loans Company for which undergraduate students are
7 Mar 2012 : Column 812W
eligible. The bursaries were introduced in 2000 during a time of teacher shortages which have since alleviated.
We have introduced different bursary arrangements for graduate trainees in 2012/13. The new bursary arrangements have been designed to attract the highest quality graduates into teaching particularly in those subject areas where it is still difficult to recruit enough trainees. They also take account of the higher tuition charge cap.
Teachers: Employment
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of teachers at each teaching grade who are actively seeking employment. [97475]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 1 March 2012]: It is estimated that about 24,000 inactive teachers will actively seek employment in a maintained school or academy in England during the current academic year. This excludes newly qualified teachers who are looking for work in the two years following qualification.
The Department does not produce estimates by teaching grade.
Teachers: Recruitment
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teachers were recruited at each teaching grade in each of the last two years. [97476]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 1 March 2012]:The following table provides the headcount number of qualified teachers taking up a new post in publicly funded schools for the academic years 2008-09 and 2009-10 broken down by grade.
| Recruitment of qualified teachers to publicly funded schools, by grade. Years: 2008-09 (7) and 2009-10 (7) Coverage: England | ||||||
| Headcount | ||||||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | |||||
| Full-time | Part-time (1) | Total | Full-time | Part-time (1) | Total | |
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7 Mar 2012 : Column 814W
| (1) Part-time figures are underestimated by around 15%. This is due to the underreporting of teachers who have not opted to be members of the Teachers' Pensions Scheme,. (2) Teachers recorded as 'not in service' as a qualified teacher in the English publicly funded sector at the commencement of the year including new and re-entrants to teaching and those moving from other education sectors. (3) Information is only available for the leadership group as a whole due to an issue with the recording of individual grades within this group. (4) Includes teachers whose grade is not recorded or qualified teachers recorded on the unqualified pay scale. (5) Teachers who changed grade and were in service in the sector at both the beginning and the end of the year. These include both promotions and moves to posts of lesser responsibility. Figures include movements between grades between and within schools. (6) Teachers who have taken up a new post in a different school at the same grade. Figures are not available for teachers who have taken up a new post in the same school at the same grade, (eg those that have taken on a role with additional responsibility). (7 )Provisional. Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Totals may not add to component parts because of rounding. Source: Database of Teacher Records | ||||||
Teachers: Redundancy
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many teachers at each teaching grade have been made redundant in the last two years. [97477]
Mr Gibb [holding answer 1 March 2012]:The information requested is not collected centrally.
Information on the number of teachers who retired prematurely in 2010/11 is available in table H4 of the additional tables that were published in the ‘School Workforce Statistical First Release, November 2010, (Provisional)' at the following web link:
http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/statistics/allstatistics/a00196713/school-workforce-sfr
Teachers: Training
Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he will consider including a module on organising a school visit in teacher training courses; and if he will make a statement. [98155]
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Mr Gibb: The Government recognise the important contribution that school visits can make to engaging and supporting pupils in their education. All staff who take pupils on school visits should be properly trained and prepared to do so. It is the responsibility of head teachers to ensure that their staff have the necessary knowledge and skills before taking pupils on out of class activities. This preparation may include some form of additional training, if they consider this to be necessary and appropriate.
The new Teachers' Standards, which set out what is expected of all qualified teachers, require teachers to be able to plan out of class activities to consolidate and extend the knowledge and understanding pupils have acquired. It is for training providers to decide what trainees should be taught to enable them to achieve the Teachers' Standards. The Department does not mandate content of initial teacher training courses.
University Technical Colleges
Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what criteria were adopted and applied by his Department to determine which universities should be invited to establish a university teaching school; and when the application process was made public. [98303]
Mr Gibb: In the White Paper: ‘The Importance of Teaching', we said that we would invite higher education providers of initial teacher training to open university training schools. Officials from the Department and the Training and Development Agency have been responding to universities who have expressed an interest. The Department has not published formal criteria as yet so has not invited any universities to attend meetings. Our working assumption has been that universities will run a school, provide outstanding initial teacher training and continuing professional development and undertake research. We aim to make an announcement shortly.
Independent of this announcement, the Institute of Education, in partnership with a group of parents, submitted an application last year. As the Free School bid had many of the features of a prospective university training school all of the parties involved agreed to develop the proposal as a pathfinder UTS and this is now progressing through the Department's Free School application process. The university of Birmingham has also registered an interest in setting up a university training school as part of their proposals submitted this year.
Universities, which would like to discuss their plans to set up a university training school, should contact Michele Marr at the Training and Development Agency (TDA) at:
michele.marr@tda.gov.uk
Health
Influenza: Vaccination
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2012, Official Report, column 251W, on influenza: vaccination, how the stock of unused vaccine was disposed of; what the cost was of disposing of the stock; and what the value was of the unused stock. [98038]
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Mr Simon Burns: Unused stock of Pandemrix held centrally was disposed of by incineration. The cost of incineration was estimated at £45,000. Local national health service bodies will have been responsible for the disposal of stock held locally and details of local disposal costs are not held centrally. The value of the unused stock remains confidential as, given other information in the public domain, it could be used to calculate a unit price for the vaccine, which is still considered commercial in confidence.
National Health Service Commissioning Boards
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the principal functions of the proposed National Health Service Commissioning Boards are; and what its principal powers and responsibilities are. [98227]
Mr Simon Burns: The proposed powers, functions and responsibilities of the NHS Commissioning Board are set out in the Health and Social Care Bill, and are therefore subject to parliamentary approval. The main functions envisaged for the Board are:
to provide national leadership on commissioning for quality improvement and reducing inequalities in access to, and the outcomes of, health care;
to promote and extend public and patient involvement and choice;
to establish and support the development of clinical commissioning groups and hold them to account for outcomes and financial performance;
to commission certain services directly, including primary care and specialised services; and
to allocate and account for the resources used to commission national health service services.
The NHS Commissioning Board Authority has been established as a special health authority to prepare for the establishment of the board later this year. The authority's proposals for developing the NHS Commissioning Board and more recently on the design of the NHS Commissioning Board are available on its website at:
www.commissioningboard.nhs.uk
Asthma
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people diagnosed with chronic asthma wait more than 48 hours to see a doctor. [97017]
Paul Burstow: The latest results from the GP Patient Survey show that, of everyone surveyed who said that they had asthma or a long-term chest problem, 51% of people saw their doctor either on the same day or the next working day (compared to the rest of the population where the percentage was 49%).
Cancer: Drugs
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what information his Department holds on the number of cancer patients in the UK treated with fluorouracil; and how many such patients have had subsequent health problems due to that treatment; [98253]
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(2) how many cancer patients died as a result of fluorouracil being administered during treatment in the latest period for which figures are available. [98254]
Mr Simon Burns: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) does not hold data on the number of cancer patients in the United Kingdom treated with fluorouracil.
The Yellow Card Scheme provides for voluntary reporting of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) by health care professionals and members of the public. The scheme is run by the MHRA and Commission for Human Medicines and collects ADR reports from across the whole UK for all medicines. There is also a legal obligation for pharmaceutical companies to report all serious ADRs for their products that they are aware of.
As the scheme is voluntary, it is recognised that not all ADRs are reported. Data collected through the Yellow Card Scheme do not represent all patients who have suffered an adverse reaction to a medicine. Therefore it is not possible to provide the number of patients who have had subsequent health problems due to treatment with fluorouracil.
Up to 1 March 2012, the MHRA has received a total of 460 UK spontaneous ‘suspected’ ADR reports associated with fluorouracil. 35 of these reports had a fatal outcome. 316 of these reports were associated with intravenous administration, 34 with topical administration and 110 with the route of administration as other or not stated.
It is important to note that the reporting of a suspected adverse reaction does not necessarily mean it is related to the drug. We ask reporters to send us ‘suspicions’ of adverse drug reactions: however, these are not proven. Many factors have to be taken into account in assessing causal relationships including temporal association, the possible contribution of concomitant medication and the underlying disease being treated.
Cancer: Health Services
Mr Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what (a) pharmacological treatments and (b) associated indications which the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recommended for cancer treatment through either single of multiple technology appraisals since NICE was established; [98233]
(2) what (a) pharmacological treatments and (b) associated indications the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has recommended for cancer treatment under the end of life criteria since the criteria was introduced in 2009; [98234]
(3) what (a) pharmacological treatments and (b) associated indications the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has not recommended for cancer treatment since it was established; [98235]
(4) what (a) pharmacological treatments and (b) associated indications the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has recommended for (a) prostate cancer, (b) lung cancer, (c) bowel cancer, (d) breast cancer and (e) kidney cancer through (i) single or multiple technology appraisals and (ii) under the end of life criteria since it was established; [98237]
(5) if he will publish the final calculated cost per quality adjusted life year of each pharmacological treatment and associated indications which the National Institute
7 Mar 2012 : Column 818W
for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has not recommended for cancer treatment since NICE was established; [98335]
(6) if he will publish the final calculated cost per quality adjusted life year of each pharmacological treatment and associated indications which the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recommended for cancer treatments; and which such treatment and indications have been recommended for cancer treatment under the end of life criteria since NICE was established; [98336]
(7) if he will publish the determined population size for each pharmacological treatment and associated indications which the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has recommended for cancer treatment under the end of life criteria since NICE was established; [98337]
(8) if he will publish the determined population size for each pharmacological treatment and associated indications which the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has recommended for cancer treatment since it was established. [98338]
Mr Simon Burns: The information requested is not held by the Department. I have asked the chief executive of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to write to the hon. Member with this information. A copy will be placed in the Library.
Cardiovascular system: Health Services
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps will be taken to ensure continuity of care for patients diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction; and if he will make a statement; [98350]
(2) what plans he has to improve the information, support and advice given to patients diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction about their medication to improve compliance with their treatment regime; [98351]
(3) when the outcomes strategy for cardiovascular disease will be published. [98354]
Mr Simon Burns: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently developing guidance on the acute management of myocardial infarction.
NICE is also updating its 2007 guidance on secondary prevention in primary and secondary care for patients following a myocardial infarction. The guidance recommends that after a myocardial infarction patients should have the opportunity to make informed decisions about, their care and treatment, in partnership with their health care professionals.
NHS Improvement has produced a resource for the national health service on primary angioplasty and health information provision.
The topic of acute coronary syndromes (including myocardial infarction) has been referred to NICE for Quality Standard development. Quality Standards provide a valuable source of advice and guidance for commissioners and providers as they describe what high quality, clinically and cost-effective care should look like.
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The development of the cardiovascular disease outcomes strategy is in its early stages and no date has yet been set for its publication.
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to introduce a national cardiovascular patient experience survey. [98352]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department currently has no plans to introduce a national cardiovascular patient experience survey. However, it is intended that patient groups will be invited to contribute to the development of the cardiovascular disease outcomes strategy.
Departmental Manpower
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff are working on implementing the national health service transition programme; and how many such staff are (a) directly and (b) indirectly employed. [98245]
Mr Simon Burns: The NHS transition programme to implement the structural and system changes in the Health and Social Care Bill encompasses all the primary care trusts, strategic health authorities, the Department of Health, and several of the Department's arm’s length bodies. Each of these organisations are employing staff on transition work. However, information is not held centrally on the number of both direct and indirect staff employed and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Senior Civil Servants
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to unwind the use of personal service companies by senior civil servants in his Department and its agencies; for what reason he is taking any such steps; and at what cost. [98226]
Mr Simon Burns: No senior civil servants in the Department or its agency, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), are paid their salaries or other payments through the use of personal service companies.
The Department Sources specific skills and experience through commercial means where this is required to meet business needs. This requires payments to private companies for, for example, temporary staff or contractors, and to consultancies. Some of the payments are for the services of staff filling senior civil service equivalent roles.
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the right hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey (Danny Alexander), has announced an urgent review of the tax arrangements of senior public sector appointments, to report by the end of March 2012. As part of this, the Department is currently carrying out a major data gathering exercise which includes the MHRA, non-departmental public bodies and the national health service in order to determine the contracting arrangements of senior appointees. This exercise is expected to be completed by mid-March.
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Health: Finance
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the proposed allocation of public health funding to the London borough of Bexley council. [98114]
Mr Simon Burns: Alongside the recent correspondence from my hon. Friend dated 16 February, the Department has also received correspondence from the Leader of Bexley council, Teresa O'Neill, about the implications of the recently published estimates of baseline public health spend in 2010-11 uplifted to 2012-13 values.
We have encouraged the council to continue to work together with their local primary care trust, and to inform the Department if they feel adjustments are needed to correct their estimated baseline spend.
HIV Infection: Greater London
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in (a) the London borough of Bexley and (b) London were diagnosed with HIV in each of the last five years. [97984]
Mr Simon Burns: The number of people who were diagnosed with HIV in the London borough of Bexley, and in London as a whole, over the last five years is provided in the following table.
| New HIV diagnoses made in the London borough of Bexley and London: 2006-10 | ||
| Bexley | London | |
| Notes: 1. Numbers between one and four have been anonymised with an ‘*’. 2. There are no genitourinary medicine clinics (the main providers of HIV testing) in the borough of Bexley, therefore it is most likely that residents travel to neighbouring boroughs in London to access HIV testing services. Consequently the number provided is not reflective of the number of people diagnosed with a HIV infection who live in the borough. | ||
Lyme Disease
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is provided to GPs on the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease. [98294]
Mr Simon Burns: Guidance for clinicians on the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease is published on the Health Protection Agency's website along with advice for the public on how to avoid infection and what to do if bitten by a tick at:
www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/LymeDisease/
The chief medical officer issues regular updates to clinicians about Lyme disease to remind them of the signs, symptoms and treatment of Lyme disease and the appropriate diagnostic tools at their disposal.
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Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the prevention and causes of Lyme disease. [98295]
Mr Simon Burns: The chief medical officer issues regular updates to clinicians about Lyme disease to remind them of the signs/symptoms and treatment of Lyme disease and the appropriate diagnostic tools at their disposal. Guidance for clinicians on the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease is published on the Health Protection Agency's (HPA) website along with advice for the public on how to avoid infection and what to do if bitten by a tick at:
www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/LymeDisease/
The HPA issues an annual press release in the spring to raise public awareness of ticks, tick bites and Lyme disease and how to avoid infection. The HPA has also produced a leaflet in conjunction with the Royal Parks and the New Forest district council on ticks and Lyme disease which gives advice on how to avoid infection.
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were diagnosed with Lyme disease in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011. [98296]
Mr Simon Burns: Borrelia spp, the causative agent of Lyme disease, is a notifiable causative agent in the Health Protection (Notification) Regulations 2010, and all laboratory isolations of Borreliaspp in a human sample must now be notified to the Health Protection Agency (HPA) in England. The HPA has confirmed that the number of laboratory confirmed reports of Lyme borreliosis were 973 in 2009 and 905 in 2010. The figures for 2011 have not yet been confirmed and will be published on the HPA's website when available. The number of people diagnosed on the basis of clinical symptoms alone and without laboratory confirmation is not available.
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS consultants were involved in the treatment of extreme cases of Lyme disease in the latest period for which figures are available. [98298]
Mr Simon Burns: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department is undertaking on the treatment of Lyme disease. [98299]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has no research projects in place concerning the treatment of Lyme disease.
Lyme Disease: Blood Tests
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what blood tests are available for the testing of Lyme disease and associated tick borne diseases. [98293]
Mr Simon Burns:
National health service laboratories offering tests to assist in the diagnosis of Lyme disease use CE-marked test kits. A wide range of validated and
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CE-marked test kits to detect the presence of antibodies to
Borrelia burgdorferi
, the causative agent of Lyme disease, is available for use in the European Union. In the United Kingdom, reference laboratories perform additional in-house validation exercises prior to their introduction into routine diagnostic use to ensure that their performance parameters (sensitivity and specificity) have also been tested thoroughly under local conditions. The Health Protection Agency's Lyme reference laboratory uses commercially produced and CE-marked Trinity Biotech EU Lyme IgM and EU Lyme+VlsE IgG western blots as supplementary (second stage) tests in the investigation of suspected Lyme borreliosis.
This two stage testing for Lyme disease conforms to internationally agreed criteria for testing for Lyme disease.
Maternity Services
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the clinical outcome review programme for maternal and newborn health will be resumed. [98476]
Paul Burstow: The re-tendering of the Maternal and Newborn Clinical Outcome Review Programme is in its final stage. A new supplier will be in place from 1 April 2012 to manage this programme.
The Health Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP), who manage the Clinical Outcomes Review Programme, has interim management of the secure web-based portal that supports the collection of maternal and perinatal mortality data. This continues to operate as usual under the management of HQIP, and the notification of maternal and newborns deaths continues as before.
Medical Treatments abroad
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many UK citizens received treatment abroad as part of EEA agreements in each year for which figures are available; and in what country such treatment took place. [98480]
Mr Simon Burns: Due to the nature of the claims process between member states, the Department is unable to disaggregate this information for the number of individuals using the European Health Insurance Card or for United Kingdom state pensioners that have retired abroad.
The following table shows the number of elective treatment requests granted under European Union regulations for UK citizens to receive treatment in another European economic area country:
| Number of E112/S2s issued by UK | |
NHS: Procurement
Ian Lucas:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to ensure that primary care trusts and clinical commissioning groups that commission NHS
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Continuing Healthcare adhere to a single set of national eligibility criteria to ensure consistent application of standards and prevent geographical inequalities in eligibility. [98531]
Paul Burstow: Health care is a devolved matter. Decisions about national health service continuing health care (CHC) are a matter for the Welsh Assembly Government.
In England, the Department is working closely with strategic health authorities, and the NHS Commissioning Board special health authority, to ensure a smooth transition for NHS-funded CHC, and to take opportunities to improve consistent application of the National Framework to ensure consistent national standards of eligibility.
NHS: Reform
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to minimise disruption for staff during the period of transition in the national health service. [98484]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has put a number of measures in place to minimise the disruption to staff during the current transition period, including Human Resources Transition Frameworks covering the organisations to be affected. People Transition Policies for the new bodies have also been developed in partnership with trade unions and representatives from the national health service, arm's length bodies and the Department to guide staff affected by the transition through these current reforms.
NHS: Reorganisation
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the principal efficiency savings derived from his transition programme in the NHS will be. [98228]
Mr Simon Burns: The principal efficiency savings derived from the programme of modernisation in the national health service relate to the reduction in administration costs by reducing and delayering bureaucracy. This will result in total savings of £4.5 billion by 2014-15 and annual savings of £1.5 billion thereafter. These savings will contribute towards overall annual efficiency improvements in the NHS of up to £20 billion by 2014-15. The efficiency savings and other benefits of the proposed reforms are described in more detail in the published impact assessments of the Health and Social Care Bill.
Palliative Care
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to improve palliative care for patients in the last year; and what further steps he plans to take in 2012. [98297]
Paul Burstow: Progress in implementing the end of life care strategy and in related activities over the last year is detailed in the End of Life Care Strategy Third Annual Report, which was published in September 2011. The report has already been placed in the Library and is available on the Department's website at:
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www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_130239
As referred to in the report, this work will continue in 2012. Important initiatives include the national survey of bereaved relatives, the roll-out of electronic palliative care co-ordination systems, the work on palliative care funding, support for the national Dying Matters coalition and implementation of the End of Life Care for Adults Quality Standard developed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.
Patient Access Scheme
Mr Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) pharmacological treatments and (b) associated indications for a patient access scheme have been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence since it was established. [98236]
Mr Simon Burns: The treatments recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence where a patient access scheme was considered as part of the relevant technology appraisal are listed in the following table. Further information is available on the Institute's website at:
www.nice.org.uk/aboutnice/howwework/paslu/patientaccessschemesliaisonunit.jsp
| Technology appraisal (TA) number | Treatment | Indication |
|
Myelodysplastic syndromes, chronic myelomonocytic leukaemia and acute myeloid leukaemia |
||
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Physiotherapy: Administrative Delays
Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of (a) the provision of and (b) waiting times for NHS physiotherapy services in (i) Crawley and (ii) West Sussex. [98054]
Mr Simon Burns: No assessment has been made centrally. It is the responsibility of local national health service organisations to commission services to meet the needs of their communities, including the provision of physiotherapy services. Currently there are no mandated data held centrally regarding physiotherapy waiting times unless part of a consultant-led episode within 18-week pathways.
The Allied Health Professions (AHP) Referral to Treatment (RTT) Revised Guide, published in December 2011, sets out a framework of rules for clock starts and clock stops to measure waiting times for patients when accessing NHS AHP services including physiotherapy. This was followed by a letter to the service from the Chief Health Professions Officer on 16 January 2012.
All AHPs delivering NHS funded care are encouraged to base their local data collections, local flows and reporting of AHP RTT data on the Community Information Data Set structure in anticipation of a national mandate for collection and reporting of data. Work is ongoing to provide the mechanisms for information flows to report AHP RTT centrally.
The ‘Allied Health Professional Referral to Treatment Revised Guide 2011’ can be found at:
www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/documents/digitalasset/dh_131969.pdf
and a copy has been placed in the Library.
Prescription Drugs: Shortages
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proportion of prescription drugs manufactured in the UK were sold abroad since (a) January 2011 and (b) January 2012; [98128]
(2) which drugs the NHS and pharmacists are experiencing shortages of in each primary care trust. [98130]
Mr Simon Burns: This information is not available centrally.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what meetings he has had with pharmaceutical manufacturing companies and wholesalers on prescription drug shortages since February 2011; [98122]
(2) what meetings he has had to discuss shortages of prescription drugs since February 2011. [98124]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has regular meetings with supply chain representatives to discuss and mitigate the impact of supply difficulties associated with parallel exports. The Department also works closely with pharmaceutical companies, wholesalers, pharmacists and the national health service to ensure patients can continue to obtain their medicines quickly and conveniently.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many wholesalers operate in the UK selling prescription drugs from manufacturers to pharmacists; whether this number is limited; and who is responsible for setting any such limit; [98126]
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(2) how many pharmacists have sold prescription drugs abroad through wholesale subsidiary companies. [98127]
Mr Simon Burns: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), an executive agency of the Department, regulates manufacturers and wholesale dealers of medicinal products for human use in the United Kingdom on behalf of the UK Licensing Authority.
Records held on the MHRA’s main data repository for information on wholesale dealers’ licences have identified that 1,711 licensed wholesale dealers are authorised to wholesale deal in Prescription only Medicines for human use.
The Licensing Authority regulates in the interest of public health. It is not a competition regulator and does not set a limit on the number of UK licensed wholesale dealers. However licensed wholesale dealers must meet statutory safety standards.
Only a licensed wholesale dealer may wholesale distribute medicines to other European Economic Area member states. The Licensing Authority does not hold any data on such wholesale distribution transactions.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which prescription drugs UK pharmacists and hospitals are experiencing shortages of; and which drugs were in short supply in 2011. [98123]
Mr Simon Burns: This information is not available centrally. The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee collates reports from pharmacy contractors on medicines that they have had difficulty sourcing and publishes the Branded (medicines) Shortages List on their website.
Spinal Injuries: Health Services
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to form a single spinal injuries commissioning body. [98533]
Paul Burstow: There are no plans to form a single commissioning body for spinal injuries.
Certain elements of services for people with spinal injuries are currently designated as “specialised”. Under the provisions of the Health and Social Care Bill, the NHS Commissioning Board will in future commission such services. By commissioning these services once through the NHS Commissioning Board, we will be able to avoid duplication in planning and ensure that the highest level of care is commissioned for patients regardless of their geographical location.
Other services are currently commissioned and provided locally. These services will, subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill, be commissioned by clinical commissioning groups. Clinical commissioning groups will have the freedom to decide which aspects of commissioning activity they undertake fully themselves and which aspects require collaboration across several groups, for example through a lead commissioner managing the contract with a large hospital or commissioning low volume services not covered by national and regional specialised services.
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Transplant Surgery: Waiting Lists
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people in (a) Kent and (b) Dartford constituency have been (i) waiting on the organ transplant list and (ii) received organ transplants in each of the last five years; [98256]
(2) how many people in (a) Kent and (b) Dartford constituency died whilst waiting on the organ transplant list in each of the last five years. [98258]
Mr Simon Burns: The information requested is provided in the following tables.
| Number on the active (1) transplant list as at 31 March 2008 to 2011 and on the current list as at 1 March 2012, by organ and financial year, for Kent | |||||
| March each year | |||||
| Organ | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
| (1) ‘Active’ means the patient is currently in a state to receive a transplant. Source: NHS Blood and Transplant | |||||
| Number of organ transplants, 1 April 2007 to 29 February 2012, by organ and financial year, for Kent | |||||
| Organ | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 (1) |
| (1) 1 April 2011 to 29 February 2012 Source: NHS Blood and Transplant | |||||
| Number on the active (1) transplant list as at 31 March 2008 to 2011 and on the current list as at 1 March 2012, by organ and financial year, for Dartford constituency | |||||
| March each year | |||||
| Organ | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 |
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| (1 )‘Active’ means the patient is currently in a state to receive a transplant. Source: NHS Blood and Transplant | |||||
| Number of organ transplants, 1 April 2007 to 29 February 2012, by organ and financial year, for Dartford constituency | |||||
| Organ | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 (1) |
| (1) 1 April 2011 to 29 February 2012 Source: NHS Blood and Transplant | |||||
| Deaths on the organ transplant list—by financial year, for Kent | |||||
| Organ | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 (1) |
| (1) 1 April 2011 to 29 February 2012 Source: NHS Blood and Transplant | |||||
| Deaths on the organ transplant list—by financial year for Dartford constituency | |||||
| Organ | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 (1) |
| (1) 1 April 2011 to 29 February 2012 Source: NHS Blood and Transplant | |||||
Home Department
Alcoholic Drinks: Redditch
Karen Lumley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will estimate the costs to the police of alcohol abuse in Redditch constituency in the latest period for which figures are available. [98409]
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James Brokenshire: The Home Office estimates the annual cost to society of alcohol related crime in England and Wales at £8 billion to £13 billion. This estimate was published in the impact assessment accompanying the Government’s proposal for a mandatory code of practice for alcohol retailers which can be found at:
http://www.ialibrary.bis.gov.uk/uploaded/IA%20Alcohol%20Mandatory%20Code.pdf
Breakdowns below the national level or relating specifically to the police are not available.
Alcoholic Drinks: Southampton
Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the cost to the police of alcohol abuse in the city of Southampton in the latest period for which figures are available. [97874]
James Brokenshire: The Home Office estimates the annual cost to society of alcohol related crime in England and Wales at £8 billion to £13 billion. This estimate was published in the impact assessment accompanying the Government's proposal for a mandatory code of practice for alcohol retailers which can be found at:
http://www.ialibrary.bis.gov.uk/uploaded/IA%20Alcohol%20Mandatory%20Code.pdf
Breakdowns below the national level or relating specifically to the police are not available.
Asylum
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of expenditure contained in her Department's Spring Supplementary Estimate 2011-12 relates to asylum support; for what reason that expenditure is lower than originally forecast; and what proportion that expenditure is of reduced spending at the UK Border Agency. [98652]
Damian Green: The asylum support budget for 2011-12 was £391 million, which is 4% of Home Office Resource DEL (departmental expenditure limit).
The supplementary estimate memorandum confirms that this budget was reduced during the course of the year, reflecting a lower than anticipated population of supported asylum seekers. The lower population reflects both a lower than anticipated intake of new asylum seekers and a higher level of cessations.
The UK Border Agency annual report will set out actual spend in 2011-12 in due course.
Civil Disorder
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many claims under the Riots (Damages) Act 1886 in relation to public disorder in London in August 2011 have been (a) made, (b) accepted as valid and (c) paid. [97877]
Nick Herbert: Claims under the Riot (Damages) Act are made directly to police authorities. Police Authorities assess claims made to them and then pay such compensation as they see fit. The Home Office will reimburse all payments made by police authorities under the Riot (Damages) Act.
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Crime
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of (a) individuals and (b) gangs engaged in cross-border criminal activities broken down by the nature of the criminal activity in each of the last 10 years. [98445]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 6 March 2012]: The police recorded crime data collected centrally by Home Office Statistics have details of the nature of the crimes which are reported to and recorded by the police. However, it is not possible to state from these data the number of individuals or gangs involved in the commission of offences or whether these involved cross-border activities.
Detention Centres
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in immigration detention were primary carers for children before they were placed in detention. [98086]
Damian Green [holding answer 5 March 2012]: The UK Border Agency does not hold statistical information centrally on this subject, and the resource required to interrogate individual records manually would be of disproportionate cost to the Department.
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many single parents with dependent children are being held in immigration detention facilities in the UK. [98087]
Damian Green [holding answer 5 March 2012]: The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of people in detention, held solely under Immigration Act powers. Q4 2011 detention figures were published on 23 February 2012 and are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Science, research and statistics web pages at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/migration/migration-statistics1/
Detention Centres: Children
Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many children are being held in UK Border Agency immigration detention facilities with their parents. [98085]
Damian Green [holding answer 5 March 2012]: The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of people in detention, held solely under Immigration Act powers. Q4 2011 detention figures were published on 23 February 2012 and are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Science, research and statistics web pages at:
http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/migration/migration-statistics1/
Drugs: Crime
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were charged with possession of drugs in (a) Bexleyheath and Crayford constituency and (b) London in each of the last five years. [94412]
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James Brokenshire: Charging data are not collated centrally and therefore proceedings data taken from the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database have been provided in lieu.
The number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts for possession of a controlled drug in the Greater London area (includes the City of London and Metropolitan police force areas) from 2006 to 2010 (latest available) can be viewed in the table.
Court proceedings data are not available at parliamentary constituency level.
Annual court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in May 2012.
| Number of persons proceeded against at magistrates courts for possession of a controlled drug, Greater London (1) , 2006 - 10 (2, ) (3) | |||||
| 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | |
| (1) Includes City of London and Metropolitan police force areas. (2) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice | |||||
Emergency Calls
Gareth Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) genuine and (b) malicious emergency calls were received by Kent police in each of the last three years. [98260]
Nick Herbert: The latest figures are available from the Home Office and show the number of 999 calls received by Kent police, 2008-09 to 2010-11. These figures are provisional, subject to change and have not been verified by the force. The breakdown of whether the emergency calls were genuine or malicious is not held centrally by the Home Office.
| Number of 999 calls received by Kent police, 2008-09 to 2010-11 (1,) () (2) | |
| Number | |
| (1) All figures are provisional, subject to change and have not been verified by the force. (2) Source: Home Office using data received from police forces via the Annual Data Requirement, ADR441. | |
Freezing Orders
Mr Raab:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether (1) Alexi Anichin, (2) Oleg Logunov, (3) Oleg Silchenko, (4) Alexander Matveev, (5) Gennady Karlov, (6) Natalya Vinogradova, (7) Alexander Ryabinin, (8) Sergei Oleinik, (9) A A Malygina, (10) M O Sapunova,
7 Mar 2012 : Column 832W
(11) E V Mikhailov, (12) R A Gritsai, (13) I A Varganov, (14) N I Dmitrieva, (15) Artem Kuznetsov, (16) Aleksey Droganov, (17) Dmitri Tolchinskiy, (18) A A Krechetov, (19) Aleksandr Klevtsoc, (20) Anatoly Mikhalkin, (21) Pavel Karpov, (22) Ivan Glukhov, (23) Nikolai Budilo, (24) Oleg Urzhumtsev, (25) Aleksandr Kuvaldin, (26) Victor Voronin, (27) Stanislav Gordievsky, (28) Natalia Yakimovich, (29) Sergei Lazutkin, (30) Arkady Mazhaev, (31) Aleksandr Burov, (32) Andrey Pechegin, (33) Viktor Grin, (34) Yelena Khimina, (35) Sergei Zhemchuzhnikov, (36) Raisa Burmistrova, (37) Aleksandra Kuznetsova, (38) Yulia Koltunova, (39) Olga Stepanova, (40) Olga Tsymay, (41) Svetlana Dubrovskaya, (42) Olga Davydova, (43) Yekaterina Frolova, (44) Olesya Shargorodskaya, (45) Maksim Tretyakov, (46) Ivan Prokopenko, (47) Dmitry Komnov, (48) Dmitry Krato, (49) Larisa Litvinova, (50) Sergei Podoprogorov, (51) Aleksey Krivoruchko, (52) Svetlana Ukhnalyova, (53) Yelena Stashina, (54) Galina Filippova, (55) Tatyana Korneyeva, (56) Rufina Gazizova, (57) Andrey Yushkov, (58) Jelena Kim, (59) Ildar Salimzyanov and (60) Margarita Zinurova is the subject of
(a)
a UK visa ban and
(b)
a ban order freezing their assets in the UK. [97309]
Damian Green [holding answer 29 February 2012]: In line with long established practice the Home Office does not comment on individual cases.
Licensed Premises: Greater London
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many establishments in (a) the London borough of Bexley and (b) London have had their licence to sell alcohol withdrawn in each year since 2005. [96808]
James Brokenshire: Available data relate to the numbers of premises licences suspended by a court or served a closure notice and club premises certificates withdrawn (under section 90) for the London borough of Bexley and all London boroughs in total. The information is available from 2006-07 to 2009-10 and is given in the tables set out as follows:
| Table 1: Number of licences suspended by a court (1) or withdrawn (2) , Bexley and London boroughs, April 2006 to March 2007 | ||
| Premises licences | Club premises certificates | |
| Licensing authority | Suspended by a court | Withdrawn (section 90) |
| (1) Where a premises licence is suspended following a review, or from 6 April 2007, where a premises licence is suspended by a court, under section 147B(1) of the Licensing Act 2003 (as amended by the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006) for the sale or supply of alcohol, following an offence of persistently selling to underage children. (2 )Where a club premises certificate is withdrawn under section 90 of the Licensing Act 2003. | ||
| Table 2: Number of licences suspended by a court (1) , served closure notice (2) or withdrawn (3) , Bexley and London boroughs , April 2007 to March 2008 | |||
| Premises licences | Club premises certificates | ||
| Licensing authority | Suspended by a court | Closure notice | Withdrawn (section 90) |
7 Mar 2012 : Column 833W
| (1) Where a premises licence is suspended by a court, under section 147B(1) of the Licensing Act 2003 (as amended by the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006) for the sale or supply of alcohol, following an offence of persistently selling to underage children. (2) Where a premises is prohibited from selling alcohol for 48 hours following a closure notice under S.169A. This information was collected for the first time during 2007-08. (3) Where a club premises certificate is withdrawn under section 90 of the Licensing Act 2003. (4) The borough of Bromley could not extract closure and withdrawn information from their system. | |||
| Table 3: Number of licences suspended by a court (1) , served closure notice (2) or withdrawn (3) , Bexley and London boroughs, April 2008 to March 2009 | |||
| Premises licences | Club premises certificates | ||
| Licensing authority | Suspended by a court | Closure notice | Withdrawn (section 90) |
| (1) Where a premises licence is suspended by a court, under section 147B(1) of the Licensing Act 2003 (as amended by the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006) for the sale or supply of alcohol, following an offence of persistently selling to underage children. (2) Where a premises is prohibited from selling alcohol for 48 hours following a closure notice under S.169A. (3) Where a club premises certificate is withdrawn under section 90 of the Licensing Act 2003. | |||
| Table 4: Number of licences suspended by a court (1) , served closure notice (2 ) or withdrawn (3) , Bexley and London boroughs, April 2009 to March 2010 | |||
| Premises licences | Club premises certificates | ||
| Licensing authority | Suspended by a court | Closure notice | Withdrawn (section 90) |
| (1) Where a premises licence is suspended by a court, under section 147B(1) of the Licensing Act 2003 (as amended by the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006) for the sale or supply of alcohol, following an offence of persistently selling to underage children. (2) Where a premises is prohibited from selling alcohol for 48 hours following a closure notice under S.169A. (3) Where a club premises certificate is withdrawn under section 90 of the Licensing Act 2003. | |||
Alcohol licensing statistics for 2005 are not available centrally.