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Diabetes: Chiropody
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to make the use of podiatrists, surgeons and specialist nurses in multi-disciplinary teams specialising in diabetes foot-care by primary care trusts mandatory. [100277]
Paul Burstow: Decisions on the. formation and composition of multi disciplinary teams should be based on the health needs of the local community and guidance on best practice.
Clinical evidence suggests there is considerable potential to improve the quality of foot-care for people with diabetes.
Primary care trusts should examine the structure and organisation of care in the delivery of foot-care to both people with diabetes and those who do not have the condition, to determine how to make improvements to their delivery of care. Principally, they should look to commissioning expert multidisciplinary foot-care teams.
Drugs: Shortages
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of compensating pharmacists for the time spent sourcing medicines that are in short supply. [100357]
Mr Simon Burns: Following discussions with Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, the Department agreed an additional £12 million as part of the funding for the community pharmacy contractual framework (CPCF) for 2010-11, to reflect the extra work involved in sourcing medicines not already covered in the CPCF funding. This sum was reflected in the funding settlement for 2011-12. The future funding levels for the CPCF are under review following the publication of the Cost of Service Inquiry.
Emergency Calls
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average length of time was for an ambulance 999 response in rural areas in the latest period for which figures are available. [100449]
Mr Simon Burns: This information is not centrally collected. The Department collects data on the response time performance of ambulance trusts in England. The data are collected at ambulance trust level and do not distinguish between rural and urban areas.
In January 2012, performance against the ‘A8’ target (75% of Category A immediately life-threatening calls should receive a response within eight minutes) was 77.9% in England. Performance against the ‘A19’ target (95% of Category A patients requiring transport should receive this within 19 minutes of the request for transport being made) was 97.0% in England.
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First Aid: Education
Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the inclusion of emergency life support skills in the core national curriculum. [100053]
Anne Milton: I refer my hon. Friend to the written answer I gave him on 13 March 2012, Official Report, column 186W.
Gastrointestinal System: Health Services
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to ensure that the Quality and Outcomes Framework improves the standard of care for gastroenterological conditions. [100847]
Mr Simon Burns: The prioritisation and development of potential indicators for inclusion in the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) is the responsibility of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).
The independent Advisory Committee that advises NICE on QOF indicators met on 9 June 2011 and considered the evidence base for irritable bowel syndrome as a potential topic for indicator development. The committee decided not to recommend progression of this area for further indicator development. Full details of the discussion were published in the minutes of the June 2011 committee meeting on the NICE website at:
www.nice.org.uk/media/718/34/QOF_Independent_Primary_Care_QOF_Indicator_Advisory_ Committee_090611_unconfirmed_minutes.pdf
Health Services: Homelessness
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of health improvement and modernisation plans include a policy on rough sleepers. [100419]
Anne Milton: The Department does not hold information centrally on the proportion of health improvement and modernisation plans that include a policy on rough sleepers, however, tackling the poor health outcomes experienced by those sleeping rough is a priority for us. The Inclusion Health programme has been established to improve the health of the most vulnerable in society, including the homeless, and the Ministerial Working Group on preventing and tackling homelessness is co-ordinating actions across eight Government Departments to achieve the vision to end rough sleeping.
Health Services: Wales
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients registered at an address in Wales received treatment at a hospital in England in (a) 2008, (b) 2009, (c) 2010 and (d) 2011. [100440]
Mr Simon Burns:
The available information is shown as follows. The data provided are for residents of Wales who attended hospitals in England for the years 2007-08 to 2010-11. The numbers of episodes, appointments or
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admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a single patient may have had more than one appointment or admission within the year.
| Activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector where the patient was resident in Wales for years 2007-08 to 2010-11 | ||||
| 2010-11 | 2009-10 | 2008-09 | 2007-08 | |
| (1) Finished admission episodes (FAEs): 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. (2 )Appointment count: The number of planned/booked appointments for out-patients. This includes first and subsequent follow-up appointments (3) First attendance: A first out-patient attendance that was either face-to-face or via a telephone/telemedicine consultation. Note: The totals for out-patients include treated and untreated as a patient may or may not have been referred elsewhere for treatment after their first appointment. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) | ||||
Hinchingbrooke Hospital
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the remuneration package is for the new chief executive of Hinchingbrooke Hospital. [100119]
Mr Simon Burns: The information requested is not held by the Department. The hon. Member may wish to approach Hinchingbrooke Health Care NHS Trust directly.
National health service trusts are independent employers in their own right. As such, they are responsible for employment decisions about their staff, including chief executives and other executive directors, in accordance with general employment law and human resources best practice.
Each NHS trust has a remuneration committee, staffed by non-executive directors, which makes decisions about remuneration and allowances. NHS trusts disclose fully what they pay their executive and other staff in their annual reports, which are in the public domain.
HIV Infection
David Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the provision of treatment for those people entering the UK who are HIV positive; and if he will make a statement. [100515]
Anne Milton: With effect from October 2012, anyone entering the United Kingdom who is diagnosed HIV positive will, where clinically necessary, be entitled to receive national health service treatment irrespective of residency status. Providing treatment free of charge to visitors to the UK who are HIV positive brings the treatment of HIV into line with other sexually transmitted infections and infectious diseases.
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Effective treatment greatly reduces the risk of HIV transmission to uninfected people and is beneficial to, and protects wider public health.
In Vitro Fertilisation
Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure greater equality of access to in vitro fertilisation treatment in the national health service. [100216]
Anne Milton: Subject to the successful passage of the Health and Social Care Bill, infertility treatment services will be commissioned by Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs). We will continue to expect that those involved in commissioning infertility treatment services are fully aware of the importance of having regard to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence fertility guidelines, including the recommendation that up to three cycles of in vitro fertilisation are offered to eligible couples where the woman is aged between 23 and 39. The NHS Commissioning Board will provide oversight and support to CCGs with reference to their commissioning responsibilities.
Information Commissioner
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many appeals his Department has made to an information tribunal contesting a decision notice of the Information Commissioner in the last 12 months. [100304]
Mr Simon Burns: From March 2011 to the present, the Department made three appeals to the first-tier tribunal contesting a decision notice from the Information Commissioner's office. Two of the appeals concerned the recent related transition risk and strategic risk register cases which were heard together on 5 and 6 March 2012.
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Mental Health Services
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the merits of mental health inpatients being treated in hospitals near their families and communities. [100155]
Paul Burstow: The provision of safe, modern effective mental health services that offer real choice to patients remains a Government priority. Our expectation is that treatment and care will be provided in the most appropriate and therapeutic environment for the patient. Services should consult the needs and wishes of patients when making decisions about community or hospital based treatment.
We know that when patients receive treatment for long periods at a distance from home, this makes it difficult to maintain social networks and friendships. Our mental health strategy “No Health without Mental Health” sets out the expectation that people should receive services locally as far as possible and commissioners should develop systems to enable this, working closely with service users with mental health problems, family carers and service providers.
NHS: Manpower
Ian Swales: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what change there has been in the number of (a) doctors, (b) nurses and (c) managers working in the NHS in the north-east since May 2010. [100495]
Mr Simon Burns: The change in the number, since May 2010 to the latest period that data are available, of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in the identified groups, for the North East Strategic Health Authority area is shown in the following table:
| FTE | ||||
| May 2010 | November 2011 | Change | Percentage change | |
| Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre | ||||
NHS: Olympic Games 2012
Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what preparations the Government has made to cope with change in the level of demand for NHS services during the London 2012 Olympic Games in (a) the south-east and (b) Kent. [100157]
Anne Milton: To assist preparations to cope with the potential impact on national health service resources during the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games, additional funding totalling £18.85 million has been awarded by the Department to London and South strategic health authorities (SHAs).
We have established a process that supports SHAs in assessing the potential impact of the games on their services and confirming plans are in place to mitigate any impact.
NHS London and NHS South have plans in place to ensure that they are able to deliver business as usual health services in the event of increased pressure on local NHS service capacity.
Official Engagements
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his official engagements are on 15 March 2012. [100323]
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Mr Simon Burns: Ministers have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals on a range of subjects. Information on meetings which have taken place between Ministers and external organisations is published quarterly in arrears in accordance with the Ministerial Code.
Physiotherapy: Strokes
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the availability of and access to community-based physiotherapy services for stroke patients. [100272]
Mr Simon Burns: It is the responsibility of local national health service organisations to commission services to meet the needs of their community including the provision of and access to physiotherapy services.
The provision of appropriate, tailored and flexible rehabilitation is known to improve long-term recovery and reduce long-term disability in people with stroke. The Accelerating Stroke Improvement programme has a focus on improving access to early supported discharge arrangements that will support development of stroke- specific rehabilitation, including physiotherapy, in the community.
There have also been a number of initiatives to improve access to physiotherapy and other allied health professional services including delivering services more efficiently. The Allied Health Professional Service Improvement Project demonstrated in a range of services, including physiotherapy, how service redesign could improve access and clinical outcomes, and release cost-savings back into the system. Details about this project can be found at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_126840
Prescription Drugs
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons his Department does not hold information centrally on shortages of prescription drugs. [100123]
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 March 2012, Official Report, column 625W, on pharmacy: databases, for what reasons his Department does not maintain its own list of branded medicines in short supply. [100775]
Mr Simon Burns: The Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee collates reports from pharmacy contractors on medicines that they have had difficulty sourcing and publishes the Branded Shortages List on their website:
www.psnc.org.uk/pages/problem_medicines_list.html
The Department carefully monitors shortages of medicines but does not systematically collect information on all shortages. We are cautious about placing additional data return burdens on pharmacists.
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Primary Care Trusts: Telephone Services
Mr Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to end the use of 0844 prefix telephone numbers for (a) the Referral Booking Management System and (b) IT departments of primary care trusts or their successor bodies. [100558]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department issued guidance and directions to national health service bodies in December 2009 on the cost of telephone calls, which prohibit the use of telephone numbers which charge people more than the equivalent cost of calling a geographical number to contact any part of the NHS. Where NHS bodies are charging people more, all reasonable steps should be taken to rectify this. The Department issued further guidance on 23 February 2012 clarifying these directions.
Smoking: Health Services
Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much NHS Smokefree and its associated regional offices spent on (a) advertising, (b) marketing and (c) lobbying in relation to his Department's consultation on plain packaging. [100159]
Anne Milton: In “Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A tobacco control plan for England”, the Government undertook to consult on options to reduce the promotional impact of tobacco packaging, including plain packaging. This consultation will be launched in the spring.
The NHS Smokefree marketing campaign is funded and run by the Department of Health. The Department's NHS Smokefree marketing campaign has no regional offices. The Department of Health has not spent any money on advertising or marketing the forthcoming consultation on tobacco packaging, neither through the NHS Smokefree marketing campaign, nor through any other organisation.
Local national health service bodies have established and funded the following tobacco control organisations: Smokefree South West, Fresh North East and Tobacco Free Futures North West. The Department does not centrally collect information on how much money, if any, these organisations may have spent on activities associated with advertising, marketing or lobbying in relation to the forthcoming consultation on tobacco packaging.
“Healthy Lives, Healthy People: A tobacco control plan for England” has already been placed in the Library.
Specialised Commissioning Innovation Fund
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when he expects the Specialised Commissioning Innovation Fund to begin operation; [100069]
(2) what budget he has allocated for the Specialised Commissioning Innovation Fund; [100074]
(3) with reference to his Department's publication, “Innovation, Health and Wealth”, what progress he has made in the development of a National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence implementation collaborative; [100075]
(4) what progress he has made on the development of a tariff for diagnostic services. [100076]
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Mr Simon Burns: “Innovation Health and Wealth: accelerating adoption and diffusion in the NHS” was published on the 5 December 2011 and we are making good progress on all recommendations.
Work is under way with a wide range of stakeholders to co-produce the diagnostics tariff, how the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence Implementation Collaborative will operate and the detailed operating arrangements, including the budget, for the Specialised Services Commissioning Innovation Fund. The Specialised Services Commissioning Innovation Fund will be piloted in 2012-13, becoming fully operational from April 2013.
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Third Sector
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department gave to (a) the Stephen Lawrence Trust, (b) Magic Breakfast, (c) Barnardo’s and (d) the Children's Society in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [100542]
Paul Burstow: The Department can confirm that funding was provided to the named organisations as follows:
| £ | ||
| Recipient organisations | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
It should be noted that funding for 2011-12 represents the latest allocations and additional funding could be allocated in the remaining month of the financial year.
This corrects the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Health, the hon. Member for Guildford (Anne Milton), on 5 December 2011, Official Report, column 116W.
Tuberculosis
Grahame M. Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the level of TB incidence was in each primary care trust area in the last year for which figures are available; what steps his Department is taking to mark world TB day on 24th March; and if he will make a statement. [100058]
Anne Milton: The information on incidence is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available has been placed in the Library.
The chief medical officer will be providing the foreword to the Health Protection Agency's annual “Tuberculosis Update” to mark world TB day. TB Alert, the national tuberculosis (TB) charity which receives grant-funding from the Department, will be supporting local TB awareness events across the country.
Tuberculosis: Vaccination
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of children travelling to, or moving to the UK from areas with high incidence of tuberculosis receive Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccinations. [100286]
Anne Milton: The information requested is not available. In 2010-11, a total of 209,300 children in England received the Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination. BCG vaccination is recommended to be given in a number of circumstances. However, we do not record how many of these vaccinations were given because the child was entering this country from another country with a high incidence of tuberculosis.
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department is taking to ensure accessibility and affordability of travel to Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccinations for children; [100287]
(2) how families are informed of and provided with travel to Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccinations for children. [100289]
Anne Milton: The National Health Service (Travel Expenses and Remission of Charges) Regulations 2003 provide for patients on low incomes to receive reimbursement of travel costs to attend secondary care appointments when referred by an NHS doctor or dentist. This is known as the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme.
Both primary care trusts and provider units are responsible for promoting the scheme to their local populations and ensuring that it is accessible to those who qualify. Details of the scheme are available on the NHS choices website, Jobcentre Plus and from NHS providers.
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many delivery of childhood vaccinations such as Bacillus Calmette-Guérin for high risk groups will be ensured under clinical commissioning and local authorities if the Health and Social Care Bill is implemented. [100288]
Anne Milton: The Department will commission all national immunisation programmes from the National Health Service Commissioning Board (NHS CB) by means of a formal written agreement. There is work in hand on finalising the model for how the NHS CB will commission immunisation in the new system, drawing appropriately on the expertise of Public Health England.
Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how his Department is working with the Department for International Development and the UK Border Agency on tuberculosis control. [100292]
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Anne Milton: The Department liaises with the Department for International Development (DfID) on World Health Organization reports, resolutions and guidance on global tuberculosis (TB). DfID’s support to the product development of the new vaccines, diagnostics and treatment will have direct benefit to control of tuberculosis in the United Kingdom.
The Department and the Health Protection Agency are collaborating with Home Office and UK Border Agency in reviewing current arrangements for TB screening of new entrants to this country from high incidence countries. The Health Protection Agency also manages the operation of the current on-entry TB screening arrangements at Heathrow and Gatwick airports.
Home Department
Domestic Violence
20. Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to reduce levels of domestic violence. [100236]
21. Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to reduce levels of domestic violence. [100237]
23. David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to reduce levels of domestic violence. [100239]
Mrs May: The Government's updated action plan for our strategy to “End Violence Against Women and Girls” was published on 8 March. We have ring-fenced nearly £40 million of stable funding for specialist local domestic and sexual violence support services until 2015. The plan also includes new actions to help reduce domestic violence, including a one-year pilot to test a Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme from the summer of 2012.
Police Forces: Collaboration
22. Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the potential benefits of collaboration between police forces. [100238]
Mrs May: I welcome the increasing levels of collaboration between police forces, and expect more forces to consider how to work together to bring improvements and save money. The Government have estimated that forces could save £350 million per year by joining up on procurement and from IT. Further substantial savings could be made through collaboration in back office functions.
Burglary
24. John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of trends in the level of burglaries in the past year; and if she will make a statement. [100240]
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James Brokenshire: The latest quarterly published crime statistics show that police recorded burglary fell by 4%, while burglary trends in the British Crime Survey remain broadly stable across England and Wales. However, crime remains too high. That is why we are shifting power to local communities through the introduction of police and crime commissioners, and freeing the police from paperwork to fight crime.
Child Sexual Exploitation
25. Sarah Newton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to reduce the sexual exploitation of children. [100241]
Lynne Featherstone: The Government are absolutely committed to tackling child sexual exploitation.
Our National Action Plan contains commitments to ensure the police are able to better identify and protect children from this form of abuse and includes measures to maximise efforts to secure prosecutions and disrupt this form of exploitation locally.
Police and Crime Commissioners
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what functions she expects police and crime commissioners to perform. [100219]
Nick Herbert: Police and crime commissioners will have a powerful mandate to cut crime. They will set local policing priorities; the force budget and local council tax precept level. And they will appoint the chief constable, holding them to account for the delivery of policing in their force area.
Asylum: Housing
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she is taking to monitor the provision of accommodation for asylum seekers by private providers which have been contracted to provide accommodation by the UK Border Agency; and what plans she has to review any subcontracts into which these providers may enter. [100319]
Damian Green: Providers contracted to provide accommodation for asylum seekers are responsible for managing provision of the required services. They are required to maintain the standards as set out in the schedule of requirements to the contract. The COMPASS contracts, to be introduced during 2012, include enhanced key performance indicators to ensure effective monitoring of the quality of service provided. Compliance is monitored by the UK Border Agency through a programme of local audits and compliance checks.
Under the COMPASS contracts, providers must give the UK Border Agency 10 days' notice before entering into a material subcontract to include all relevant documents including the proposed subcontract. Where appropriate the UK Border Agency will provide written consent to enter into the subcontract.
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Crime: Control Orders
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to EU Council Decision 2002/188/JHA of 28 February 2002, whether paramethoxymethylamphetamine is subject to control measures and criminal penalties in the UK. [100175]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 15 March 2012]: The EU Council Decision 2002/188/JHA defined paramethoxymethylamphetamine or N-methyl-1— (4-methoxy-phenyl)-2-aminopropane (PMMA) as a new synthetic drug to be made subject to control measures and criminal sanctions by member states.
No action was required by the UK as PMMA has been controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 as a Class A drug since 1977. The possession, supply and production of PMMA are therefore prohibited and, unless under lawful authority, attract Class A criminal penalties.
Cybercrime
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which sections in her Department are responsible for cybercrime. [100751]
James Brokenshire: The Home Office's Crime Directorate, part of Crime and Policing Group, has policy responsibility for cybercrime.
Databases: Telecommunications
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans she has to require network operators to extract communications data from communications sessions between end users and third party information society service providers. [100203]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 15 March 2012]:As set out in the Home Office's Structural Reform Plan, details of the Government's legislative proposals to preserve the abilities of law enforcement, security and intelligence agencies to obtain communications data within the appropriate legal framework will be announced in Parliament in due course.
Prescription Drugs
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to EU Council Decision 2001/419/JHA of 28 May 2001, on the transmission of samples of controlled substances, who the UK's national contact is for the transfer of samples of controlled substances under the Decision; and how many such transfers occurred to and from the UK in each year since 2002. [99989]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 14 March 2012]:The Home Office is the “named contact” for the purposes of the transmission of samples of controlled substances under the EU Council Decision in December 2011. The information requested on transmission of samples of controlled drugs is not held centrally.
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EU Justice and Home Affairs
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to Article 3 of EU Council Decision 2002/956/JHA of 28 November 2002, how many officials have been seconded (a) to and (b) from the UK as part of the EU network for the protection of public figures in each of the last 10 years; and what assessment her Department has made of the EU network's effectiveness. [100821]
James Brokenshire: No officials have been seconded to or from the UK to the EU network for the protection of public figures. The UK must decide, no later than 31 May 2014, whether to accept full European Court of Justice jurisdiction over those EU police and criminal justice measures adopted before 1 December 2009 which have not been amended or replaced. This measure falls within the scope of that decision and will be reviewed accordingly.
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department with reference to EU Council Decision 2002/996/JHA of 28 November 2002, how many evaluation teams established under Article 4 of the Decision have conducted evaluations in the UK in each year since 2003; and what evaluation they have made of the UK's arrangements to combat terrorism. [100823]
James Brokenshire: Two peer evaluations have been carried out in the UK as part of wider evaluations of member states, the first from June 2003 to May 2005 and the second from August 2007 to November 2009. Copies of the two final reports are available on the Council of the European Union website at the following links:
http://register.consilium.eu.int/pdf/en/05/st12/st12168-re03.en05.pdf
http://register.consilium.europa.eu/pdf/en/10/st08/st08568.en10.pdf#
Copies of the documents have also been placed in the House Libraries.
Families
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding her Department has allocated to the troubled families initiative in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, (c) 2013-14 and (d) 2014-15. [99172]
James Brokenshire: The troubled families programme was allocated £0 in 2011-12, £15 million in 2012-13, £30 million in 2013-14 and £30 million in 2014-15 by the Home Department.
Illegal Immigrants
Mr Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress is being made by the UK Border Agency in reducing illegal working in (a) Kettering, (b) Northamptonshire and (c) England. [100345]
Damian Green:
The UK Border Agency conducts targeted intelligence-led enforcement operations to detect and apprehend illegal workers and penalise employers
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who break the law. A system of civil and criminal sanctions enables the UK Border Agency to take appropriate action against non-compliant employers who negligently or deliberately employ those without permission to work in this country. Since the start of the civil penalty regime on 29 February 2008 6,624 initial penalties have been issued to businesses in England and Wales.
The records kept by the UK Border Agency show that during illegal working visits in the UK in year 2010-11, 19,025 individuals were encountered; this includes figures for those arrested. It is not possible to disaggregate these figures by constituency or county without incurring disproportionate cost.
Police: Employment
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will estimate the number of police officers with second jobs. [100124]
Nick Herbert: The requested information is not held centrally by the Home Office.
Police: Olympic Games 2012
Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers from each police force are expected to be (a) on duty and (b) on standby during the (i) London Olympic games and (ii) London Paralympic games. [100436]
Nick Herbert: Overall deployments of police officers in each force area are an operational matter for chief officers. During the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games, it is estimated that around 12,000 police officers may be on duty across the UK on peak days, with 9,000 on duty in the London area. Some of these will be officers deployed under mutual aid arrangements.
Mutual aid between police forces for the games is co-ordinated through the Association of Chief Police Officers Police National Information and Co-ordination Centre (ACPO PNICC). The number of officers to be requested is kept under constant review, and it is expected that all non-venue forces across the UK will be asked to supply resources during the London 2012 games. Final figures for requests are not yet available, but PNICC will ensure that this is proportionate to their relative size and capacity. Donor forces will be reimbursed in accordance with the prevailing mutual aid arrangements, which will allow the chief constable, should he or she choose to do so, to back fill for officers abstracted, thereby mitigating any potential impact on local service delivery.
Prescription Drugs
Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what the outcome was of her Department’s consultation in 2007 on the prescribing of controlled drugs by nurse and pharmacist independent prescribers; [100163]
(2) what plans she has for the reform of the regulation relating to independent prescribing of controlled drugs by nurse and pharmacist independent prescribers; [100164]
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(3) what discussions she has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Health, (b) healthcare professional bodies and (c) the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on reform of the system of independent prescribing of controlled drugs by nurse and pharmacist independent prescribers. [100165]
James Brokenshire: The consultation responses gave support to the proposal to implement legislative changes to enable nurse and pharmacist independent prescribers to prescribe all medicines within their competence.
The Home Office has ongoing discussions with the Department of Health, who engage with health care professional bodies, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on amendments to the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001, including proposals relating to independent prescribing of controlled drugs.
The Home Office is currently working on a statutory instrument to implement the changes on independent prescribing. The statutory instrument will be laid in Parliament this month, subject to my consideration. The expectation is that the changes will take effect in April 2012.
Proceeds of Crime
Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2012, Official Report, column 186W, on proceeds of crime, who will receive the interest accruing on the funds held by the authorities in Jersey. [98768]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 8 March 2012]:Discussions on the seized funds and any rights arising therefrom are ongoing.
Terrorism
Mr Raab: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the UK has enacted the provisions of EU Council Framework Decision 2002/475/JHA of 13 June 2002; and what assessment her Department has made of the decision's effectiveness in combating terrorism. [100178]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 15 March 2012]: The UK has a comprehensive range of terrorism offences which complied with most of the EU Council Framework Decision 2002/475/JHA when it came into force in June 2002.
The UK must decide, no later than 31 May 2014, whether to accept full European Court of Justice jurisdiction over those EU police and criminal justice measures adopted before 1 December 2009 which have not been amended or replaced. This measure falls within the scope of that decision and will be reviewed accordingly.
Third Sector
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding her Department gave to (a) the Stephen Lawrence Trust, (b) Magic Breakfast, (c) Barnardo’s and (d) the Children's Society in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if she will make a statement. [100544]
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Damian Green: The Home Office has paid £1,536,000 to Barnardo’s in 2011-12. No payments have been made to the Stephen Lawrence Trust, Magic Breakfast or the Children's Society.
Education
Child Abuse
Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will consider the findings of Action for Children’s report “Child Neglect in 2011” when revising the “Working Together to Safeguard Children” guidance. [100009]
Tim Loughton: Intervening early to prevent the abuse of children is one of the most important jobs of a civilised society, and one this Government take very seriously. Our approach to protecting children is underpinned by a programme of radical reform. Our aim is twofold: to create a system whereby social workers can and do intervene as soon as possible where a child is suffering or at risk of suffering harm; and to ensure those children receive the care and support they need.
Evidence shows the earlier that help is given to vulnerable children and families, the more chance there is of turning lives around and protecting children from harm. The Government’s vision is for a child-centred system which includes providing effective help when a problem arises at any stage in a child’s life.
The Action for Children research, which showed that awareness of child neglect among professionals and the public is improving, reported that child protection and safeguarding systems have been shown to stand in the way of appropriate assessments for neglected children. Professor Munro’s review of the child protection system had previously found that an excess of central Government prescription had unbalanced the focus of the system.
Through revisions to the statutory guidance “Working Together to Safeguard Children” and “The Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families”, we are exploring how best to reduce central prescription to give local areas more freedom to determine how assessments are carried out. Our aim is to free social workers and other professionals from unnecessary bureaucracy so they have more time for better quality work with children and families.
To support this, we are working with eight trial authorities which are trialling more flexible approaches to assessment. They are replacing fixed national time scales for the completion of assessments with professional judgments based on timeliness and quality. Early evidence from the trials is encouraging and suggests that more flexible approaches to assessment can have the positive impact on practice envisaged by Professor Munro. Further learning from these trials will inform the revised “Working Together”.
However, statutory guidance itself is not sufficient to effect the change needed. We are undertaking a number of reforms to strengthen social work practice. This includes improving the social work degree and developing further the skills of existing social workers in critical areas such as child protection. We intend to appoint a chief social worker, who will work with the new College
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of Social Work and the newly designated Principal Child and Family Social Workers in local authorities to drive improvement and raise standards. The Department has also commissioned Action for Children and the university of Stirling to produce training materials to help equip the work force to respond effectively to children who are likely to be, or have been, neglected. These will be published in the spring.
Children: Day Care
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the rate of change in the cost of child care (a) in 2012 and (b) over the next five years. [100108]
Sarah Teather: The Childcare and Early Years Providers survey collects information about the cost of child care in different areas and for different kinds of providers every two years. The 2010 survey, published in September 2011, gives the most recent data on child care costs. The survey compares costs between 2008 and 2010 in tables 9.5 and 9.6 (on page 183) and is available to download from the Department for Education’s website at:
http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STR/d001024/osr17-2011.pdf
The overall mean average hourly fee for full day care in 2010 was £3.70. It had increased from £3.50 in 2008 (a 6% rise). No estimate has been made of the rate of change in the cost of child care over the next five years.
Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the number of additional qualified child care workers required to meet the additional needs of caring for the 140,000 two-year-olds who his Department expects to be in early education from 2013. [100109]
Sarah Teather: We are pleased that the extension of free early education will make a significant contribution to economic growth through the creation of new jobs in the sector. As part of our planning for the introduction of the new entitlement, we are continuing to scope the work force implications and how many extra jobs will be created, and no firm estimate is yet available.
We will continue to work closely with our co-production partners and a number of sector organisations, both to check our analysis and to gather their views on the work force and other delivery issues.
Children's Centres
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how his Department plans to evaluate the effect of the payment by results trials on providers of children's centres. [99741]
Sarah Teather: We are currently tendering for a contractor to run a process evaluation of the trials. One of the intentions of the evaluation will be to explore the impact of the trials on providers of children's centres by conducting interviews with the trial local authorities and individual providers concerned. The Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations is represented on the Department's project board for the trial and has been proactive in reflecting the views of voluntary and community sector providers to the policy team.
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Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department plans to evaluate whether the payment by results trials have improved outcomes for children and families in the trial areas. [99742]
Sarah Teather: We are currently tendering for a contractor to run a process evaluation which will consider whether the trials affect behaviour in a way which will improve outcomes for local children and families.
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his payment by results trials for children's centres is intended to improve outcomes for children and families in the trial areas. [99749]
Sarah Teather: Yes, the purpose of the trials is to test whether payment by results improves incentives to focus on the core purpose of children's centres: to improve child development and school readiness among young children and to reduce inequalities.
Mrs Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether he will use the results of his payment by results trials for Sure Start children's centres to inform policy to improve outcomes for children; and how he plans to do so. [99750]
Sarah Teather: The payment by results trials will inform whether and how payment by results approaches are taken forward in future. We will also use any wider lessons from the trials and their evaluation about how best to improve future policy. We, and the local authorities participating in the trials, want to take every opportunity to learn from them to improve outcomes for children.
Consultants
Stephen Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much his Department spent on consultants' fees in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; if he will list the names of such consultants; and if he will place copies of the contracts in the Library. [99774]
Tim Loughton [holding answer 13 March 2012]: The Department does not hold centrally information on consultants' fees.
Costs for consultancy fees are usually negotiated as part of the tendering process. Consultancy engagements are charged, including applying costs for goods and services, in different ways; for example, goods may be for a fixed price, services on a daily/monthly rate basis, etc. To collect this information would involve contacting all directorates in the Department which would incur disproportionate costs.
Education: Prisoners
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what his policy is on the education of prisoners; and what assessment he has made of the place that education that is not focused on work-based skills has in the rehabilitation of prisoners. [100007]
Mr Hayes:
I launched “Making Prisons Work: Skills for Rehabilitation” in May last year, setting out a new
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strategy for the education of prisoners based on the review of offender learning I had commissioned in the summer of 2010.
The new strategy, developed jointly with the Ministry of Justice, reinforces our public service reforms, shifting power away from the centre of Government into the hands of front-line staff, and places a much greater focus on developing the vocational skills demanded by employers in the areas to which prisoners are to be released. The link between recidivism and ex-offenders' failure to find work is clear: gaining the skills needed to secure employment on release gives prisoners a good chance of turning their lives around.
“Making Prisons Work: Skills for Rehabilitation” made clear that, like other learners, offenders should have access to a wider offer of informal learning that brings broader benefits such as improved health. The strategy particularly recognised the value that the arts can play in the rehabilitation process by encouraging self-esteem and improving communication skills.
The specification for the Skills Funding Agency's procurement of replacement prison learning providers makes clear that tendering organisations must deliver this informal learning activity. The document emphasises that, though more indirectly related to the employment and skills agenda, learning of this type must still contribute to engagement and motivation, and to the development and eventual employability of individuals. We have made clear that lead providers are likely to propose a cadre of subcontractors in order to deliver the broad requirements of the prison clusters on which the procurement is based, and the specification sets out the Agency's expectations of bidding organisations in operating such a dispersed delivery model.
Procurement
Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what proportion of contracts issued by (a) his Department and (b) agencies for which he is responsible were rewarded to small and medium-sized enterprises in the latest period for which figures are available. [100369]
Tim Loughton: To obtain the information on what proportion of contracts issued by the Department and its agencies were rewarded to small and medium-sized enterprises could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Teachers: Secondary Education
John Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many (a) men and (b) women qualified as secondary school teachers in (i) 2008-09, (ii) 2009-10 and (iii) 2010-11. [100144]
Mr Gibb: The number of (a) men and (b) women who achieved qualified teacher status (QTS) as secondary school teachers in academic years (i) 2008/09 and (ii) 2009/10 are provided in the following table. Data for (iii) 2010/11 are not yet available.
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| Number attaining qualified teacher status (QTS) as secondary teachers in England, by gender, 2008/09 to 2009/10 | |||
| Gender | |||
| Academic year | Male | Female | Total |
| Notes: 1. Includes all postgraduate, undergraduate, college-based and employment-based routes of initial teacher training (ITT). 2. Includes teachers attaining QTS on both secondary and combined key stage 2 and 3 ITT courses. 3. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10, so totals may not appear to be the sum of their parts. Source: TDA Performance Profiles | |||
Church Commissioners
Episcopal Visitors
Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, how many people were on the electoral roll of each church covered by a provincial episcopal visitor in the latest period for which figures are available. [100695]
Tony Baldry: The details of the individual electoral roll of parishes are not held centrally by the Church Commissioners or Archbishops Council. Data we do hold relate to the number of petitioning parishes which have petitioned for extended episcopal ministry (under the Episcopal Ministry Act of Synod 1993).
The figures which are centrally available relate to the total number of parishes which have requested such ministry, from bishops from within the diocese, regionally and provincially.
As of January 2012 the total number of parishes petitioning for such ministry was 383. Of this total 247 parishes are specifically overseen by Provincial Episcopal Visitors. The difference in the figures relates to the fact that not all petitioning parishes are overseen by PEVs, as in many cases it is possible to provide this ministry either from within the diocese, or region.
International Development
Food Procurement
Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of food procured by his Department (a) meets the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering and (b) is from British sources. [99810]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: Figures published in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' three Public Sector Food Procurement Initiative Reports record Department for International Development's (DFID) percentages of food domestically produced as:
2008-09—67%
2007-08—55%
2006-07—66%
More recently, DFID's two staff restaurants have operated under contract by Mitie Facilities Management since December 2010. They have advised that all food products available to purchase meet the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering. To date they
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have reported that approximately 54% of the food purchased for DFID's two staff restaurants has been produced from British sources.
Syria
Mr Douglas Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much official development assistance has been provided by his Department for humanitarian work in Syria; and what assessment he has made of the proportion of such assistance that reaches the people who most need it. [99667]
Mr Duncan: UK support to humanitarian agencies working in Syria will provide emergency medical services and supplies for injured civilians, food rations for over 20,000 people, essential household items for 5,500 people forced to leave their homes, emergency drinking water for 2,750 people, and restoration of damaged water and sanitation infrastructure to ensure access to safe water for over 30,000 people. The UK is also supporting UN efforts to help make food available for up to 1.7 million people caught up in the ongoing violence in Syria, as well as vital medical care. UK support amounts to £4.5 million of official development assistance.
We are supporting those organisations which are working to get aid to the people most in need in Homs and other areas. However, humanitarian agencies continue to face restrictions on their access in Syria, which limits their ability to deliver aid to all areas and assess the full extent of humanitarian needs. That is why we continue to call on the Syrian regime to immediately put in place a robust arrangement which allows all impartial humanitarian organisations working in Syria unhindered access so they can get on with helping people in desperate need, without interference or threat of violence.
Yemen
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with his international counterparts on steps to ensure that the UN humanitarian appeal for Yemen is fully funded. [100120]
Mr Duncan: I visited Yemen on the 12 March. During my visit I met President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi and the main humanitarian organisations operating in the country. I also announced £6.1 million of humanitarian assistance and called upon the international community to do more to meet humanitarian needs.
Department for International Development Ministers and officials have discussed the need for further contributions to the UN humanitarian appeal with a range of international counterparts, and will continue to do so, including at the Gulf Co-operation Council Secretariat meeting on the humanitarian situation in Yemen being held in Riyadh this month.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of the funding received for the UN humanitarian fund for Yemen came from the UK in the latest period for which figures are available. [100121]
Mr Duncan:
The UK is providing £20 million of humanitarian assistance to Yemen in 2011-12. £15.4 million of this is against 2011 calendar year appeals. The United
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Nations Financial Tracking Service (FTS) shows that the UK provided 8.4% of the total recorded humanitarian funding to Yemen in the 2011 calendar year. This makes the UK the fourth largest donor behind the United States, the United Arab Emirates and the European Union.
Our funding is split between a number of humanitarian organisations, with £7.5 million going to the UN humanitarian appeal (the Consolidated Appeals Process) in 2011. The FTS shows the UK contribution to be 6.3% of the total provided through this mechanism, making the UK the third largest bilateral donor to it. Our remaining funding went to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and a consortium of international non-governmental organisations.
Keith Vaz:
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will increase the UK's
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contribution to the UN humanitarian fund for Yemen. [100122]
Mr Duncan: I announced a new UK contribution of £6.1 million of humanitarian assistance during my visit to Yemen on 12 March. This is a substantial initial contribution against the United Nations (UN) and International Committee of the Red Cross 2012 emergency appeals for Yemen. This will help provide access to health care for over 100,000 conflict-affected civilians and emergency shelter, drinking water and sanitation for 23,000 internally displaced persons.
Through the Department for International Development, the UK is providing £20 million of humanitarian assistance in 2011-12 and we are the fourth largest humanitarian donor for 2011 according to the UN Financial Tracking Service. We expect to announce further humanitarian support from our 2012-13 budget shortly.