Ministerial Meetings
Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether any categories of meeting are excluded from the Government's commitment to publish on a quarterly basis the details of meetings between Ministers and external organisations. [103525]
Mr Hurd: The published lists include a footnote explaining the scope of the publications. Visits, attendance at seminars, conferences, receptions, media interviews etc. would not normally be classed as meetings.
Official Hospitality
Sheila Gilmore:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what process is used to determine the costs of government facilities and official residences which are made available to politicians or political parties where
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they are expected to reimburse those costs; and what costs have been determined for the use of each such facility. [103524]
Mr Hurd: The process is that no cost falls to the public purse.
Unemployment: Older Workers
Richard Burden: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate has been made of the number of people over 60 years of age who are unemployed in (a) Birmingham Northfield constituency, (b) Birmingham, (c) the West Midlands and (d) the UK. [103494]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what estimate has been made of the number of people over 60 years who are unemployed in (a) Birmingham Northfield constituency, (b) Birmingham, (c) the West Midlands and (d) the UK. (103494)
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles unemployment statistics for local areas from the Annual Population Survey (APS) following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions. Unfortunately, the sample size does not support the requested analyses of the number of people over 60 years who are unemployed in Birmingham Northfield constituency and Birmingham.
According to APS figures, in the 12 month period October 2010 to September 2011, the number of people over 60 years who were unemployed in West Midlands was 7,000 and for the UK 93,000.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
Health
Abortion
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many foetuses were aborted after (a) 0 to 10, (b) 10 to 15, (c) 15 to 20, (d) 20 to 24 and (e) 24 weeks' gestation in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement; [103673]
(2) how many abortions were carried out on women in each age group in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [103674]
Anne Milton: Data for the number of abortions(1) performed from 2006 to 2010 (the latest year for which figures are available) by gestation and by age group are set out in the following tables:
(1) Figures are for the number of abortions performed; in a very small number of cases there will have been more than one foetus.
| Abortions by gestation group, England and Wales, 2006-10 | |||||
| Gestation (weeks) | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 |
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| Abortions by age group, England and Wales, 2006-10 | |||||
| Age | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 |
Air Ambulance Services
Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of infection control protocols in the air ambulance sector. [103361]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has no policy on assessment of infection control protocols for air ambulance services. In England air ambulances are run independently, funded by charitable organisations and regulated independently by the Care Quality Commission.
Alcoholic Drinks
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the review of alcohol guidelines announced in the Alcohol Strategy will be launched. [103448]
Anne Milton: The Government's response to the Science and Technology Committee report on alcohol guidelines was published on 26 March. The Department, working with the devolved Administrations, will commission a review of the current drinking guidelines for adults. The Committee's report made a number of recommendations for areas that the review should cover. We are considering all of these as we draw up the scope of the review and will publish this in due course.
Antidepressants
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions for antidepressant drugs were issued in each region of the UK in each of the last three years; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of the population issued with such prescriptions. [102904]
Mr Simon Burns: Information is only available on prescription items dispensed in the community in England.
The following table shows the number of prescription items dispensed for drugs classified as antidepressant drugs in British National Formulary section 4.3 for the last three years.
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| Number of prescription items (thousand) | |
| Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system | |
Information on the number of patients prescribed a particular medicine (or class of medicine) is not collected. It is therefore not possible to estimate the proportion of the population in England that have received antidepressant prescription items.
Arthritis
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) for what reason the draft Commissioning Outcomes Framework does not include any indicators to hold commissioners to account for the quality of care being offered to people with musculoskeletal conditions; [102589]
(2) for what reason there are no rheumatoid arthritis Commissioning Outcomes Framework indicators included in the draft proposals for the Commissioning Outcomes Framework; [102590]
(3) if he will make representations to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and the NHS Commissioning Board on the importance of including rheumatoid arthritis indicators in the finalised version of the Commissioning Outcomes Framework. [102591]
Paul Burstow: The draft indicators published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in February for consultation, which are being considered for potential inclusion in the Commissioning Outcomes Framework, include indicators relating to musculoskeletal conditions and arthritis.
Domains 2, 3 and 4 of the NHS Outcomes Framework relate to musculoskeletal conditions, in terms of enhancing the quality of life for people with long-term conditions, helping people to recover from episodes of ill health and injury and ensuring that people have a positive experience of care. The following indicators from the NHS Outcomes Framework are particularly relevant:
2. Health related quality of life for people with long term conditions;
2.1 Proportion of people feeling supported to manage their condition; and
3.1 Patient reported outcome measures for elective procedures, which includes hip replacement and knee replacement.
These indicators are all included in the list of indicators being considered for potential inclusion in the Commissioning Outcomes Framework. Indicators 2 and 2.1 will be measured through the GP Patient Survey, and whilst these are generic measures, it should be possible to break down the responses into patients with various specific long-term conditions, including “arthritis or a long-term joint problem” and “long-term back problem”. The significance of the data collected will depend on the size of clinical commissioning group populations and the response rates to the survey.
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Cancer
Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 28 February 2012, Official Report, columns 245-6W, on cancer: drugs, how much of the cancer fund was spent in each strategic health authority in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many patients were treated in each strategic health authority in the latest period for which figures are available. [103118]
Mr Simon Burns: Information on the number of patients who have received cancer drugs and spend by strategic health authority (SHA) under the interim cancer drugs funding arrangements in 2010-11 (from October 2010 to the end of March 2011) and under the cancer drugs fund (from April 2011 to the end of February 2012) is shown in the following table.
| Strategic health authority | Number of patients funded 2010-11 (1) | Amount spent 2010-11 (2) ( £000 ) | Number of patients funded from April 2011 to end February 2012 | Total number of patients funded since October 2010 (1) | Amount spent to end February 2011-12 ( £000 ) |
| (1) Some individual patients may be double-counted where a patient has received more than one drug treatment through the cancer drugs fund. (2 )This figure includes end of year spending commitments. Source: Information supplied to the Department of Health by SHAs | |||||
Care Quality Commission
Chris White: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department plans to publish the response to its consultation on proposed changes to regulations for Care Quality Commission registration. [103362]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department published its “Response to a consultation on proposed changes to regulations for Care Quality Commission registration” on 4 April 2012.
A copy has been placed in the Library and is available on the Department's website at:
www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_133428.pdf
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Employment and Support Allowance
Richard Graham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment has been made of the effectiveness of health tests for claimants of employment and support allowance with (a) mental health issues and (b) autism. [103315]
Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions.
We are committed to supporting people with mental health conditions or autism to access the right benefits and the right support.
Recognising that particular concerns have been raised about the way the work capability assessment (WCA) works for people with mental health conditions, Professor Harrington asked leading charities Mind, Mencap and the National Autistic Society to make recommendations to refine the mental, intellectual and cognitive descriptors used in the WCA as part of his second independent review.
Professor Harrington agreed with us that further evidence is required to establish whether the charities' proposed descriptors would make the assessment more accurate; we are currently investigating how to build up such an evidence base. Meanwhile the Department is engaging with the charities to consider whether there are changes that could be made to the ESA50 self-assessment questionnaire. In particular, we wish to understand whether it is possible to incorporate elements of the recommendations around frequency, severity and duration into the questionnaire to improve the collection of information from individuals with fluctuating conditions.
We also publish quarterly statistics on WCA outcomes which are available at:
http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/esa_wca/esa_wca_20120124_tables.xls
Table 7 of these statistics includes information on outcomes of initial assessments split by condition—both mental health conditions and autism are included in the “Mental and behavioural disorders” category.
General Practitioners
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of GPs working in clinical commissioning groups who have payments made directly to their practice and avoid paying employee rates of income tax and national insurance. [103506]
Mr Simon Burns: None. Clinical commissioning groups do not yet formally exist. Primary care trusts are currently working with general practitioners to support the establishment of clinical commissioning groups and are responsible for any employment of such staff or in making payments to support establishment of clinical commissioning groups.
Genetics: Screening
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 26 March 2012, Official Report, column 987W, on genetics: screening, what the nature is of the shared strategic framework that his Department plans to put in place. [103743]
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Anne Milton: The Government welcomed the Human Genomic Strategy Group's report and its recommendations. The shared strategic framework and policy direction will be developed in consultation with partners from across government, including the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the NHS Commissioning Board and Public Health England with the aim of producing an agreed implementation plan.
Health and Social Care Act 2012
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on the effect of the provisions of the Health and Social Care Act on Scotland in respect of (a) the General Medical Council, (b) xenotransplantation and (c) abortion. [103464]
Anne Milton: Department of Health and Scotland Office Ministers have not met to discuss the Health and Social Care Act.
Provisions which apply to Scotland have been discussed at official level between the Department, the Scotland Office, and the Scottish Government.
The Health and Social Care Act 2012 does not make changes relating to xenotransplantation or abortion in Scotland. The Act does contain provisions relating to professional regulation. Those provisions relating to medical adjudication were a reserved matter, but were discussed with the Scottish Government in the normal manner.
Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any of the constituent parts of the transitional risk register for the Health and Social Care Bill have been provided to third parties outside his Department. [103610]
Mr Simon Burns: We are aware that a number of national health service employees, working alongside departmental officials, who are actively involved in the management and implementation of the health transition programme have been sent copies of the transition risk register. The register has also been provided to Sir Ian Andrews—a former Whitehall permanent secretary—who is providing programme assurance in a non-executive capacity. Those involved in the Department's appeal against the Information Commissioner's decision that the register should be disclosed have also seen the register.
Health Services: Private Sector
Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times he has met representatives of private healthcare providers since May 2010. [103611]
Mr Simon Burns: Details of all ministerial meetings with external stakeholders are published quarterly in arrears on the Department's website at:
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http://transparency.dh.gov.uk/category/transparency/ministerial-gifts-hospitality/
Hearing Impairment
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children were registered as deaf in (a) Lancaster city council area, (b) Lancashire county council area and (c) the North-West at the latest date for which figures are available. [103445]
Anne Milton: Information showing the number of children registered as deaf for Lancashire county council and for all councils with social services responsibilities in the North West of England, at the latest date at which figures are available, is shown in the following table.
| 31 March 2010 | Number |
| Notes: 1. The information provided is derived from data collected on registers for deaf people from councils with social services responsibilities (SSDA910). Historically this was submitted every three years. 2. Data as at 31 March 2010 are the most recently available data. 3. Following a review of returns collected by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, councils were notified in September 2011 that the number of people registered as deaf would no longer be collected centrally. 4. Data are submitted by councils with social services responsibilities and therefore data for Lancaster city council (a district council) are not available centrally. 5. Data relating to the North West of England include data for Lancashire. 6. Data show the number of children—those aged between 0 and 17 years old. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre. | |
Home Care Services
Mr Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will undertake an inquiry into the local authority funded system of domiciliary care and the costs and benefits at the present level of overall funding. [103620]
Paul Burstow: The Government have no plans for an inquiry into the local authority funded system of domiciliary care.
Hospitals: Admissions
Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency admissions to hospital there were for people aged (a) 0 to 15, (b) 16 to 74 and (c) over 75 in each quarter since 2006-07. [103499]
Mr Simon Burns: The information requested is shown in the following table.
| Count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) (1) where the method of admission was emergency (2 ) for selected age groups in each quarter for the years 2006-07 to 2010-11 | ||||||
| Activity in English national health service hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector | ||||||
| 0-15 | 16-74 | 75 and over | Unknown | |||
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| (1) Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (2) Emergency Admissions The count of admission episodes with an admission method indicating the admission was an emergency. (admission method codes: 21 = Emergency: via Accident and Emergency (A&E) services, including the casualty department of the provider, 22 = Emergency: via General Practitioner (GP), 23 = Emergency: via Bed Bureau, including the Central Bureau, 24 = Emergency: via consultant out-patient clinic, 28 = Emergency: other means, including patients who arrive via the A&E department of another healthcare provider). Notes: 1. Assessing growth through time Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. 2. Data quality HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre | ||||||
Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency re-admissions to hospital there were within 28 days of discharge for people aged (a) 0 to 15, (b) 16 to 74 and (c) over 75 in each quarter since 2006-07. [103500]
Mr Simon Burns: The information requested is not available on a quarterly basis. The annual number of emergency readmissions to hospital within 28 days of discharge is shown in the following table and is available in the Compendium of Population Health Indicators hosted on the Health and Social Care Information Centre's Indicator Portal:
https://indicators.ic.nhs.uk/webview/
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| Number of emergency readmissions to hospital within 28 days of discharge from hospital persons, England | ||||
| Financial year | ||||
| Age in years | 2009-10 | 2008-09 | 2007-08 | 2006-07 |
| Notes: 1. “All readmissions” includes all finished and unfinished continuous inpatient (QP) spells that are emergency admissions within 0-27 days (inclusive) of the last, previous discharge from hospital, including, those where the patient dies, but excluding the following: those with a main specialty upon readmission coded under obstetric or mental health specialties; and those where the readmitting spell has a diagnosis of cancer (other than benign or in situ) or chemotherapy for cancer coded anywhere in the spell. 2. No attempt has been made to assess whether the readmission was linked to the discharge in terms of diagnosis. 3. Some emergency readmissions may be potentially avoidable. This analysis does not attempt to distinguish between avoidable and unavoidable admissions. | ||||
Japan Tobacco International
Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with representatives of Japan Tobacco International since May 2010; [103613]
(2) whether any (a) Ministers and (b) special advisers in his Department have received hospitality from Japan Tobacco International since May 2010. [103614]
Mr Simon Burns: Details of all official ministerial meetings with external parties and air hospitality received by Ministers and special advisers are published quarterly on the Department's website. Data from 1 January 2010 up to the end of September 2011 can be found at:
http://transparency.dh.gov.uk/2012/03/27/ministerial-gifts-july-september-2011/
Data for October to December will be published in the summer.
Officials from the Department's Tobacco programme have not met with representatives of Japan Tobacco International (JTI) since May 2010.
It is unlikely that officials from elsewhere in the Department have met with JTI; however, the information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Jenny Jackson
Liz Kendall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his special adviser Jenny Jackson has ceased to be employed by his Department; whether she received a payment on departure; what the sum was of any payment; and how much of any payment was included in her original contract with his Department. [103607]
Mr Simon Burns: Jenny Jackson was employed as a special adviser under terms and conditions set out in the Model contract for special advisers. She left the Department on 31 March 2012. For data protection reasons, it would not be appropriate to provide details of her final salary payment.
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Maternity Services
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the inspection model used by the Care Quality Commission in the maternity unit at Furness General Hospital in June 2010. [103470]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department does not assess the quality of the Care Quality Commission's (CQC's) inspection or monitoring of specific providers, and therefore has not made an assessment of the adequacy of the inspection model used by the CQC in the maternity unit at Furness General Hospital. As the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England, the CQC itself is responsible for assessing and assuring the quality of its inspections of individual providers.
However, the Department has recently undertaken a “Performance and Capability Review, Care Quality Commission” that was published on 23 February 2012. This review made a number of recommendations around the development and delivery of the regulatory model. In particular it recommended that the CQC should set out clear plans for ongoing evaluation of the regulatory model and the effectiveness of individual interventions, and should take steps to ensure consistency in compliance activity and regulatory' decision making.
A copy of the review has already been placed in the Library and is available on the Department's website at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_132790
The CQC has welcomed the findings of the review and will make a formal response to its recommendations in due course, which will be published.
In addition, the CQC has recently implemented changes to simplify and strengthen its regulatory model. As a result it will inspect most services more often and the inspections will be more targeted. The CQC will inspect most national health service hospitals at least once a year.
Mesothelioma
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been diagnosed with mesothelioma in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England in each year since 2005. [103719]
Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
The information requested fails within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated April 2012:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many people have been diagnosed with mesothelioma in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England in each year since 2005. [103719]
The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of mesothelioma (incidence) are for the year 2009. Please note that these numbers may not be the same as the number of people diagnosed with cancer, because one person may be diagnosed with more than one cancer.
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The following table provides the numbers of newly diagnosed cases of mesothelioma for (a) Jarrow parliamentary constituency, (b) South Tyneside local authority area, (c) the North East region and (d) England, for each year from 2005 to 2009.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) publishes regular reports on mesothelioma and asbestos-related disease incidence and mortality which can be found on their website at:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/causdis/mesothelioma/index.htm
| Table 1: Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of mesothelioma, persons; England; North East region of England; South Tyneside local authority area; Jarrow parliamentary constituency, 2005-09 (1, 2, 3) | |||||
| Persons | |||||
| Area | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
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| (1) Mesothelioma is coded as C45 in the International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10). (2) Newly diagnosed cases registered in each calendar year. (3) Figures are based on boundaries as of February 2012. Source: Office for National Statistics | |||||
Midwives
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many midwives there were in each region (a) including and (b) excluding bank and agency staff and in each case expressed on a (i) whole-time equivalent and (ii) headcount basis in each of the last 10 years. [103518]
Anne Milton: The following tables contain the information requested.
| NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified midwives excluding bank staff in England by Strategic Health Authority area as at 30 September each year | |||||||||||
| Headcount | |||||||||||
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 (1) | 2011 | |
| Full - time equivalent | |||||||||||
| 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | |
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| Notes: 1. The new headcount methodology from 2010 onwards is not fully comparable with previous years’ data due to improvements that make it a more stringent count of absolute staff numbers. Further information on the headcount methodology is available in the Census publication at: http://www.ic.nhs.uk/webfiles/publications/010_Workforce/nhsstaff0010/Census_Bulletin_March_2011_Final.pdf 2. Headcount totals are unlikely to equal the sum of components. 3. Figures exclude bank nursing staff. The numbers of agency nursing staff are not captured by the Non-Medical Workforce Census. 4. Data Quality: The Health and Social Care Information Centre seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data but responsibility for data accuracy lies with the organisations providing the data. Methods are continually being updated to improve data quality where changes impact on figures already published. This is assessed but unless it is significant at national level figures are not changed. Impact at detailed or local level is footnoted in relevant analyses. Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census | |||||||||||
NHS
Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date his Department plans to publish information on senior NHS appointment arrangements which could be perceived as minimising tax and national insurance contributions; and if he will make a statement. [103504]
Mr Simon Burns: Information about the tax arrangements for senior national health service appointments is not yet available. Arrangements for publication of the information will be agreed with HM Treasury which will publish the report of their review soon.
NHS Foundation Trusts
John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether payments made to NHS foundation trusts for treating patients living in Scotland are considered as private income for the purposes of the foundation trust private income cap. [103465]
Mr Simon Burns: Section 165 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 repeals the statutory private patient income cap for national health service foundation trusts.
A foundation trust's statutory principal purpose will continue to be to provide goods and services for the purposes of the NHS in England. Section 164 of the 2012 Act clarifies the meaning of that principal purpose. It requires the majority of a foundation trust's income to come from the provision of goods and services for that purpose. It is our view that the income foundation trusts earn from treating NHS patients that happen to live in Scotland is regarded as income received for activity undertaken in pursuit of their principal purpose.
NHS Property Services
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what governance measures his Department plans to put in place for the maintenance of NHS buildings held by NHS Property Services Ltd. [103456]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department is currently developing plans, in consultation with the national health service, for appropriate governance measures to be put in place for the maintenance of NHS buildings held by NHS Property Services Ltd. These will be designed to ensure that NHS healthcare provision is able to continue without disruption or risk to patient safety.
It should be emphasised that NHS Property Services Ltd has been established as a company that is 100%, owned by the Secretary of State for Health and that its objective will be the provision of a safe, efficient and welt-maintained portfolio of property.
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions his Department is having with primary care trusts on the transfer of assets to NHS Property Services Ltd. [103457]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department announced on 4 August 2011, that aspirant community foundation trusts, other national health service trusts, and foundation trusts are to be given the opportunity to acquire part(s) of the primary care trust (PCT) estate deemed “service critical clinical infrastructure”.
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PCTs have been working with NHS providers to agree the portfolio of properties that will transfer to them. The Department has not been dealing directly with PCTs, but managing the. review process via the strategic health authority clusters, to ensure consistency.
As far as is possible, the Department intends to confirm all approvals for transfer simultaneously and is still working with strategic health authority clusters to resolve outstanding queries on a case-by-case basis. No final decisions have yet been reached. It is anticipated that the provisional lists will be settled in the coming weeks.
PCTs will retain those parts of the estate not transferred to NHS providers, for transfer to NHS Property Services Ltd.
Prescription Drugs
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals have made recent representations to his Department on the issue of prescription drug shortages. [102521]
Mr Simon Burns: The hospitals from which representations were received where the primary question related to a supply issue are listed as follows. There has been more than one representation from some of these hospitals. Also there have been representations on prescription drug supply issues in hospitals from devolved Administrations, national clinical teams and agencies. These figures are approximate, representing minimum figures received by the Department.
East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust
Dorset County Hospital NHS Trust
King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust
Medway NHS Foundation Trust
Southend University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust
Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust
Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust
South Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust
London specialist pharmacy services
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust on behalf of NHS production units
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
Lewisham Healthcare NHS Trust
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Foundation Trust
Note:
Representations received between 1 September 2011-29 February 2012.
Sarah Southern
Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials in his Department have had any meetings with Sarah Southern since May 2010. [103521]
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Mr Simon Burns: Details of all ministerial meetings with external stakeholders are published quarterly in arrears on the Department's website at:
http://transparency.dh.gov.uk/category/transparency/ministerial-gifts-hospitality/
A search of special advisers' diaries shows no relevant information.
Details of meetings between the permanent secretary and external stakeholders are published quarterly in arrears on the Department's website at:
http://transparency.dh.gov.uk/category/transparency/ps-meetings-external/
To search the diaries of officials would involve disproportionate cost.
Sickle Cell Diseases
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has visited any sickle cell disorder support groups in the last 12 months. [102439]
Anne Milton: The chief medical officer attended the launch of the Department of Health sponsored National Haemoglobinopathies Project—Commissioning Guidance, in March 2012.
In November of 2010, I attended and gave a short speech at the parliamentary reception of the all-party parliamentary group on sickle cell and thalassaemia.
Suicide
Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of any relationship between the process of divorce and suicide rates amongst men. [103393]
Paul Burstow: The consultation of the draft suicide prevention strategy recognises that there are a number of factors contributing to suicide. Men are three times more likely to take their own lives than females. The draft strategy also lists the stressful life events that can lead to suicidal thoughts, which includes family breakdown and conflict including divorce.
The suicide rate for young men under the age of 35 has fallen in recent years following a consistent rise over the last three decades of the 20th century. The highest rate of suicide for men is in the 40-49 age range although young men under 35 continue to be one of the high risk groups. The majority of suicides continue to occur in adult males under 50 years of age.
One of the keys to full recovery from illness is early diagnosis. We know that men often see acknowledging their depression as a sign of weakness, and fail to make this first essential step.
To address the issue of stigma around mental health, the charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness lead the anti-stigma social marketing programme “Time to Change”. The programme has been funded by the Department and Comic Relief since 2011-12, and will be until 2015-16.
Taxis
Ms Abbott:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contracts his Department has with private hire taxi companies; and what expenditure his Department
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has incurred against each such contract in each of the last three years. [102385]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has held a contract with Computer Cabs since January 2008. The contract is intended for use by staff with special needs. The following expenditure has been recorded against this contract in the last three years:
| £ | |
The Department has had a contract with Addison Lee for the provision of taxis on account for Ministers and the Permanent Secretaries which has been operational since January 2012. According to the Department's business management system £677.52 was spent on taxis between January and March 2012 from budgets attached to the ministerial offices.
However, it is not possible to distinguish whether this is ministerial or private office staff expenditure as they share the same code.
Ministerial Travel
Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many journeys (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department made by (i) train, (ii) coach and (iii) Government car in an official capacity in each of the last six months. [103631]
Mr Simon Burns: This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Church Commissioners
Churches: Repairs and Maintenance
Mark Pritchard: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will have discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the financial effects of VAT changes to repairs for listed church buildings in the diocese of (a) Hereford and (b) Lichfield. [103807]
Tony Baldry: On 22 March I wrote to the Chancellor of the Exchequer about the proposals in the Budget to end the VAT exemption for alterations to listed buildings. A copy of my letter is available on the Church of England website. I intend to follow this up with discussions soon.
The Church of England has calculated that the ending of the VAT exemption for listed building alterations is likely to cost it £20 million per year. The Church of England has responsibility for the care and upkeep of 12,500 listed churches and cathedrals across England, which is largely met by the voluntary giving and activity of its congregations. The large majority of alterations to listed church buildings take place in order to improve access to them and to broaden their use by the wider community.
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In Hereford the Budget proposals mean that Hereford Cathedral is likely to require an extra estimated £160,000 to complete its existing plans to improve its sound, lighting and heating systems. Within the Diocese there are 360 listed churches out of a total of 423. St John the Evangelist in Shobdon, which is on the World Heritage at Risk list, is currently completing a £900,000 restoration project of which only 10% has been completed. The application of VAT to the total cost is likely to prove a significant setback.
In Lichfield the Cathedral is in the early planning stages of creating an education centre, requiring alterations to a listed building in The Close. The Cathedral is also hoping to install toilets and facilities for the disabled. The projected increase to the cost of these projects from including VAT is £240,000. The cost of planned further work to the Cathedral, including necessary alterations to the wiring, lighting, flooring and to the roof of the medieval library would be increased by over £350,000. Within the Lichfield Diocese 315 churches are listed of a total of 450. No specific figures are available for projects in 2012, but across the diocese a conservative estimate of over £300,000 was spent on alterations to parish churches in 2011.
Though proposals in the Budget impact mostly on alterations to listed church buildings—as distinct from repairs—in that they remove the zero VAT rating for all listed building alteration works, the Church of England is concerned that the money available to reimburse churches for VAT charged for repair work will also be affected as a consequence of the extra demands placed on the Listed Places of Worship Grant scheme, which is to have eligibility widened to include alterations.
Justice
British Nationals Abroad
Stephen Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what steps his Department is taking to facilitate probate for British citizens who owned property in more than one EU member state. [103558]
Mr Djanogly: Grants of probate (where there is a will) and letters of administration (on intestacy) only apply to the administration of estates under the law of England and Wales.
A proposed European Community Regulation which aims to simplify the law of succession for individuals who have property overseas will be adopted shortly. The UK took the decision in December 2009 not to participate in the Regulation as its likely benefits were far outweighed by the legal uncertainly and risks it could pose for individuals in receipt of lifetime gifts. This concern was specifically highlighted by the charitable sector who were concerned that they would be forced to return gifts received through legacies which could have a detrimental effect on their business planning and the social sectors they were trying to help.
Although not opting in to the Regulation at the outset, the UK participated fully in the negotiating process with the aim of seeking to resolve its key concerns in order to be in a position to participate in the Regulation once adopted. The final Regulation does not, however, resolve our earlier significant concerns in
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relation to lifetime gifts and the application of “clawback” claims. As a result, the decision has been made that the UK will not be a party to the Regulation when adopted and will not be legally bound by it.
As a result, although UK citizens habitually resident in other member states and their personal representatives may be able to use the Regulation, UK citizens habitually resident within the UK with property in other member states and their personal representatives will continue to use the current arrangements.
The Government have no plans to change the law in this respect.
Civil Disorder
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many convicted offenders involved in the August 2011 riots have been given compensation orders as part of their sentences, according to the Libra case management system; what the total value is of the compensation orders issued; for what offence types compensation orders have been issued; and how many compensation orders have been issued to offenders who also received (a) a custodial sentence and (b) a community sentence. [102771]
Mr Blunt: My Department has published a number of statistical bulletins covering cases relating to the public disorder of 6 to 9 August 2011. These publications provide information on defendants brought before the courts, including initial outcomes, sentencing information, analysis of criminal histories, prison population and linked socio-economic data.
The data reported to my Department by courts, which were subsequently used to compile these bulletins, do not include this level of detail. To answer the specific question would require us to manually check over 900 court files and this would incur disproportionate costs.
Confiscation Orders
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the total amount of money confiscated was under the 2006 Council Framework Decision on the application of the principle of mutual recognitions to confiscation orders, which the UK has received, from confiscation orders issued by (a) the UK and (b) other member states in each year since it came into force; and if he will make a statement. [103056]
James Brokenshire [holding answer 16 April 2012]: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Home Department.
The UK has not implemented this Framework Decision.
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the total monetary value was of the proceeds of crime or property related to crime which the Asset Recovery Office has traced or identified as a result of information exchanges and co-operation with other EU member states under the 2007 Council Decision concerning co-operation between Asset Recovery Offices in each year since it came into force; and if he will make a statement. [103057]
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James Brokenshire [holding answer 16 April 2012]: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Home Department.
The information is not held centrally.
Crimes of Violence: Mental Health Services
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will place in the Library any risk assessment his Department has conducted on the decommissioning of dangerous and serious personality disorder units. [103701]
Paul Burstow: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department of Health.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 27 February 2012, Official Report, column 93W.
The joint Department of Health and Ministry of Justice response to the consultation on services for offenders with personality disorder explains that the re-commissioning of treatment services for offenders with personality disorder will include the closure of the pilot dangerous and severe personality disorder (DSPD) units within secure hospitals. This will enable an approach which will lead to better identification, assessment, management and treatment of offenders, with an increase in the overall number of treatment places.
A clinical risk assessment of each offender leaving a DSPD unit will identify the most appropriate placement for the individual to continue their treatment.
Criminal Injuries Compensation
Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he (a) has had and (b) plans to have any discussions with (i) the Law Society of Scotland, (ii) the Scottish Refugee Council, (iii) the Faculty of Advocates, (iv) the Scottish Crown Office and (v) the Scottish Trade Unions Congress on his proposals to alter the terms of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme. [103460]
Mr Kenneth Clarke: I have not discussed our proposals with these organisations, nor at the moment do I have plans to do so, but I shall welcome any comments they may wish to submit before the consultation closes on 22 April.
When I published the consultation document “Getting it Right for Victims and Witnesses” in January I wrote to the Cabinet Secretary for Justice in the Scottish Government. The document was sent to a wide range of stakeholders, including the Law Society of Scotland and the Faculty of Advocates, and its existence was widely publicised.
In March my officials held an event in Edinburgh, hosted by the Scottish Government, to hear the views of interested parties. About 70 people were invited from over 40 organisations, including the Law Society of Scotland.
Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals
Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people (a) in Hull and (b) nationally have been waiting more than 12 months for an employment and support allowance appeal. [103497] [Official Report, 4 September 2012, Vol. 549, c. 1-2MC.]
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Mr Djanogly: It is not possible to provide the number of employment and support allowance (ESA) appeals that are over 12 months old at this time because the data do not form part of the published statistics and so were not extracted the last time the statistics were produced. To ensure the consistency and integrity of data, Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) only provides data based upon published statistics. I will therefore arrange for the number of appeals over 12 months old nationally and in Hull to be supplied to the hon. Member when the next social security and child support data are published for the quarter to March 2012.
The following table shows the average time taken from receipt of an appeal until the date of the first appeal hearing at HMCTS for ESA appeals nationally and in Hull. The information covers 1 April 2011 to 31 December 2011, the latest period for which published data is available.
| Average waiting times—employment and support allowance | ||
| National | Hull | |
|
Average time in weeks from receipt at HMCTS to first hearing |
||
| Note: These data are taken from management information. | ||
HMCTS is working hard to increase the capacity of the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal (SSCS) and reduce waiting times. It has increased hearing rooms; the number of cases listed in each session; and the number of sessions held: streamlined its administrative processes; started running double shifts in its largest processing centre so that more appeals can be processed each day; started running Saturday sittings in some of the busiest venues (where there is demand and where it is feasible); set up a customer contact centre to deal with telephone inquiries for the processing sites, freeing up other staff to focus on processing appeals and arranging hearings; and recruited more judges and panel members to hear more appeals.
All of this is having a positive effect. The number of disposals has increased significantly from 279,000 in 2009-10 to 380,000 in 2010-11. Disposals outstripped receipts in each of the 12 months between January 2011 and December 2011 and the number of cases waiting to be heard reduced by over 44,000 between April and December. The average waiting time has stabilised nationally, and is beginning to fall in many venues.
Human Trafficking
Anas Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice (1) how many prosecutions for human trafficking in Scotland in 2011 led to successful convictions and how many of those convicted were given a custodial sentence; [103479]
(2) how many prosecutions for human trafficking led to successful convictions in England and Wales in 2010-11 and how many of those convicted were given a custodial sentence. [103480]
Mr Blunt: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty and sentenced to immediate custody at all courts for human trafficking offences in England and Wales in 2010 (latest available) can be viewed in the table.
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Court proceedings figures given in the table 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.
Court proceedings data for Scotland are not held by the Ministry of Justice. Information for Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Executive.
Annual court proceedings data for England and Wales for 2011 are planned for publication on 24 May 2012.
| Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts, found guilty and sentenced at all courts for human trafficking offences (1) , England and Wales, 2010 (2,3) | ||||
| Sentence breakdown | ||||
| Proceeded against | Found guilty | Immediate custody | Suspended sentence | |
| (1) Includes offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 section 57-59 and Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants Act) 2004 section 4. (2) The figures given in the table 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 | ||||
Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes
Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the (a) nationality and (b) gender was of each suspected victim of human trafficking referred to the Trafficking Victim Support Scheme operated by the Salvation Army in each month of 2012 to date; in which region each of the suspected victims was found; and which agency referred each case to the scheme. [101800]
Mr Blunt: In February 2012 there were 25 referrals to the Government-funded support service for adult victims of human trafficking in England and Wales administered by the Salvation Army. Details are provided as follows.
| Nationality | Region | Referring organisation | Gender |
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LGC Forensics
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made of the performance of LGC Forensics; and if he will make a statement. [100522]
Mr Djanogly: I have made no assessment of the performance of LGC Forensics and I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 23 March 2012, Official Report, column 905W.
“The performance of forensic suppliers is managed by their customers, the majority of which are police forces. This is supported by national arrangements delivered by National Policing Improvement Agency and the Home Office. The national picture has been discussed and kept under review by the Forensic Transition Board.
Quality issues arc overseen by the Forensic Regulator, who is currently investigating a specific DNA contamination incident within LGC.”