Disclosure of Information
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much his Department spent on the updating of published data in line with the Government's transparency agenda in each month since September 2011. [110715]
Mr Duncan: Estimated annual DFID costs for production of its datasets including estimated staff costs for 2011-12 were:
£146,067 for standard data sets (produced by all Government Departments), averaging £12,172 per month; and
£63,873 for aid data sets (DFID only), averaging £5,322 per month.
Empty Property
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the empty or largely empty buildings owned by his Department; and if he will make a statement. [110846]
Mr Duncan: DFID does not own any empty buildings.
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many buildings owned by his Department and the bodies for which he is responsible have been empty for more than two years; and if he will make a statement. [110864]
Mr Duncan: DFID does not own any buildings that have been empty for more than two years.
EU Aid
Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when the Government plans to respond to the International Development Committee Report on European Union Development Assistance. [110651]
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Mr O'Brien: The International Development Committee issued its report on European Union Development Assistance on 27 April 2012. The coalition Government will reply by 26 June 2012, the two month deadline set by the Committee.
Fraud
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the level of (a) procurement and (b) other fraud affecting his Department's spending in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [110172]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: Since October 2010, DFID has reported detected fraud and error on the quarterly data summaries. They are not split into an estimate of procurement and other fraud affecting departmental spend, nor do they take into account undetected fraud loss. The quarterly data summaries are published on DFID's website. DFID's actual losses to fraud are (i) gross £592,216.85, net £115,182.14 in 2010-11; and (ii) gross £3,099,044.27, net £1,178,071.02 in 2011-12. Net figures relate to losses after recovered funds have been deducted from gross totals. Types of fraud include procurement (all encompassing, including tendering process, procurement cards and goods/services not provided as stated), as well as, money/funds stolen and the theft of assets.
Given the environment in which DFID works and the diversity of its programmes, measuring losses due to fraud is difficult. DFID-commissioned work by the Centre for Counter Fraud Studies at Portsmouth university found that trying to produce an aggregate measure of fraud loss for the Department's budget would be costly, would take some years, and would ultimately only produce a partial picture. Any aggregate assessment that was produced would therefore be of dubious value, given the methodological problems and evidence gaps.
Given these findings, the Department will focus efforts on ensuring good fraud risk assessment for all of the Department's expenditure, and on mitigation and safeguards. Within the strengthened approach to safeguarding taxpayers' money introduced by the Secretary of State, increased use of forensic audits and spot checks will continue to build our knowledge. As this knowledge base develops, we will keep our approach to fraud loss measurement under review.
The Department has accelerated its work on the prevention and early identification of fraud. We take a robust approach once fraud has been identified (with effective incident investigation and strengthening of controls to prevent recurrence) and have a good record on recovery of lost funds (61% for 2011-12).
Departmental Staff
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of full-time equivalent staff who will transfer from his Department's workforce to a mutual in (a) 2011-12 and (b) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [110193]
Mr Duncan: DFID did not transfer any members of its staff to a mutual in 2011-12, and has no plans to do so in 2012-13.
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Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what target he has set to reduce headcount across his Department in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [110234]
Mr Duncan: During the period 2010-11 to 2011-12 the number of posts in the Department for International Development has increased from 2,284 to 2,399, and we forecast that this figure will further increase to 2,799 by the end of 2012-13. These rises take account of the increased demand for Front Line Delivery advisory posts to meet our requirements to provide more technical knowledge/skill transfer to developing countries overseas.
However, against that increase in Front Line Delivery posts, our proportion of admin funded posts have decreased from 71.5% to 56% between 2010-11 and 2011-12, and we anticipate that this will further reduce to 50.7% by the end of 2012-13. Beyond that, to the end of our current spending review period, we anticipate further decreases in the proportion of our admin funded posts to 49.4% in financial year 2013-14 and to 48.9% by the end of 2014-15.
Mozambique
Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much financial aid his Department has given to Mozambique in each of the last five years; and what categories of projects this aid has funded. [109943]
Mr O'Brien: The Department for International Development (DFID) has provided financial aid to the Government of Mozambique as follows:
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| £ million | |
This is broken down by three categories:
1. General Budget Support (GBS) which is a contribution to the state budget to support the governments' national poverty reduction strategy;
2. Non-budget financial aid that supports a specific project or outcome, for example increasing tax collection; and
3. Sector Budget Support (SBS) which is pooled funding within a specific sector, for example support to health service delivery.
In 2011, the results delivered through DFID's financial aid, included:
Education: more than 258,000 children supported in primary school, more than 28,000 children supported in lower secondary education, and more than 16,200 children completed primary school;
Health: more than 2.2 million insecticide treated nets distributed, almost 41,000 women supported to give birth with the help of nurses, midwives or doctors, and more than 83,000 women helped to use modern contraceptive methods;
Water and Sanitation: more than 56,000 additional people provided with access to clean drinking water, and 34,000 additional people benefiting from access to improved sanitation;
Social Protection: almost 43,000 people who benefited from cash transfers.
These results are all attributable to DFID Financial Aid to Mozambique.
A full breakdown of financial aid by category, programme, and financial year is set out as follows:
| £000 | |||||
| Programme (by category) | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 |
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Mr Charles Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what technical and financial support his Department has given to Mozambique in support of the development of its mining and mineral sectors; [109944]
(2) what technical and financial aid his Department has given to assist Mozambique develop its mineral resources in each of the last five years. [109945]
Mr O'Brien:
DFID Mozambique's direct support to the Government of Mozambique (GoM) to develop its mining and mineral sectors has been very limited to date. In September 2008, we paid £51,705 for specialist technical assistance to support the Ministry of Mineral Resources (MIREM) to appraise BHP Billington's proposal to develop the Chibuto Corridor Heavy Sands. In October 2011, we commissioned a study, for our own planning purposes, on the potential for job creation and small and medium enterprise (SME) development. This study specifically examined opportunities arising from existing and emerging supply chains in the Mozambican mining sector. This has led DFID Mozambique to begin work
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with the private sector to involve Mozambican SMEs in mining companies' supply chains.
DFID is providing £6.5 million (2012-16) in technical and financial support to the Mozambican Ministry of Transport. This will be used to develop well-functioning transport infrastructure along the Beira and Nacala corridors. The corridor development is expected to benefit the mining sector by making coal exports more efficient. Our support will enable GoM to strengthen the regulation of transport, energy and communication infrastructure. This will increase competitiveness. It will also benefit neighbouring countries using Mozambique as a transit route for international trade.
DFID Mozambique is an active member of the Extractive Industry Working Group of development partners that support the GoM to implement the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) global standards. In May 2010, DFID provided £35,000 to MIREM to support establishment of the EITI in Mozambique.
The financial and technical support provided by DFID to support the development of Mozambique's mining and mineral sectors over the last five years can be summarised as follows:
In addition, DFID Mozambique is actively using the dialogue and performance targets associated with General Budget Support to promote policies that focus on inclusive growth, and the effective use of revenues from the extractive industries.
Nigeria
Bob Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions his Department has had with senior Nigerian government officials on improving resource allocation in the education sector in that country through accountability and transparency measures. [110288]
Mr Andrew Mitchell: DFID officials have regular discussions with senior Nigerian government officials at the Federal and State level on improving resource allocation in the education sector. DFID works in six states (Lagos, Kwara, Enugu, Jigawa, Kano and Kaduna) through its Education Sector Support Programme in Nigeria (ESSPIN) to ensure more transparency and accountability, by helping states with:
1. Developing their Medium Term Plans.
2. Managing their finances better and putting in place financial tracking procedures.
3. Creating School Based Management Committees which hold teachers and local education officials to account.
Departmental Administration Costs
Mr Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much was spent on the administration of his Department in (a) 2009-10, (b) 2010-11 and (c) 2011-12. [109833]
Mr Duncan: DFID's annual report and accounts show the following administration expenditure for the years ended 31 March:
| Spend (£000) | Percentage of total spend | Budget (£000) | |
| Note: Total spend represents total budget outturn. | |||
The 2011-12 annual report and accounts are currently being finalised and will be available on the Department's external website with effect from 26 June 2012. These will include a note detailing the Department's administration expenditure.
Like all Government Departments DFID are required to make administration savings of one third of their core administration budget across spending review 2010, which covers the period 2010-11 to 2014-15.
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Palestinians
Mr Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much financial assistance the Government provides to Gaza through (a) humanitarian assistance and (b) relevant budget lines of the Palestinian Authority. [110630]
Mr Duncan: The UK provides humanitarian assistance to Gaza through our support to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and the World Food Programme (WFP). The UK contributed £30.5 million to UNRWA’s General Fund in 2011, approximately 30% of which was spent on essential services for refugees in Gaza. We will also provide work and an income for 5,300 vulnerable refugees every year between 2011 and 2015 through UNRWA’s back-to-work programme and food vouchers to around 5,750 households (affecting over 37,000 people) in Gaza through our support to the WFP by March 2015.
From 2011 to 2015, the UK will provide up to £122 million to the Palestinian Authority (PA) to help fund the provision of basic public services and develop Palestinian institutions. Each year, UK aid to the PA will help immunise 2,000 under-fives against measles, support 5,700 children through primary school and provide cash transfers to 7,000 of the poorest people. Around 40% of our support to the PA benefits Gazans.
Sri Lanka
Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department plans to extend current levels of funding for the de-mining of the Kilinochchi minefield in Sri Lanka for an additional year to enable the completion of the project. [110022]
Mr Duncan: The UK Government is strongly committed to mitigating the effects of landmines and other explosive remnants of war. The UK Government's mine action programme will realise our strategy ‘Creating a safer environment: clearing landmines and other explosive remnants of war’ over three years. This programme will benefit at least 450,000 people and clear at least 1,400 hectares of land.
In Sri Lanka the UK is supporting the HALO Trust to implement its mine action programme. In the Kilinochchi District UK funded teams were allocated 22 areas, or 77,532m(2 )of land, to clear. This land is needed for resettlement and agriculture. After six months of work 14 of these areas have been cleared allowing internally displaced people to begin returning home. Funding in Sri Lanka is committed until November 2013. No funding decisions have been made for 2013 onwards.
Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department has provided funds for the improvement of health care services in Sri Lanka. [110023]
Mr Duncan: DFID has provided funds for some health care services through its support to humanitarian agencies providing assistance for victims of armed conflict in Sri Lanka. This programme has now concluded and DFID is not providing further bilateral funding. No funds went through the Government of Sri Lanka.
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Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority Committee
Allowances
Thomas Docherty: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, whether the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority Board members who participate in Board meetings via teleconference qualify for the daily attendance allowance. [110578]
Mr Charles Walker [holding answer 11 June 2012]: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated 1 June 2012:
As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question regarding the remuneration of members of IPSA's Board.
Members of the Board do not receive an attendance allowance.
Members of the Board are paid for the time they spend working for IPSA on a pro rata basis. This is broken down by the half hour, at the rate initially approved by the Speaker equivalent to £400 per day.
Members of the Board are entitled to be paid for the time spent participating in meetings of the Board, whether this is by means of teleconference or in person, on the same basis that they are entitled to be paid for time spent on other IPSA business.
The amounts paid to members of IPSA's Board in 2011/12 will be published in IPSA's annual report and accounts later this year.
Meetings
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, what the dates were of each IPSA Board meeting in the last 12 months; what the names are of those Board members who (a) attended each meeting in person and (b) took part by means of a telephone conference link; and what the names are of those who did not participate in each meeting either in person or via a telephone link. [109462]
Mr Charles Walker: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. I have asked IPSA to reply.
Letter from Andrew McDonald, dated 11 June 2012:
As Chief Executive of the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for details of IPSA Board meeting in the last 12 months.
The approved minutes of ordinary meetings of IPSA's Board, which include the details of those who attended in person and by phone conference, as well as any apologies received, are published routinely on IPSA's website at:
http://parliamentarystandards.org.uk/transparency/Pages/Minutes.aspx
In the financial year 2011/12, Board members' aggregated participation in Board meetings was 92%.
Health
Public Health Outcomes
18. Iain Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what indicators he plans to put in place to measure improvements in public health by the end of the decade. [110332]
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Anne Milton: The Public Health Outcomes Framework, 2013-16, includes 66 indicators to measure improvements in public health over four domains: improving the wider determinants of health, health improvement, health protection, and healthcare public health and preventing premature mortality. The list of indicators is available in the published framework on the Department’s website.
Regional Pay Variation
19. Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on regional pay variation in the NHS. [110334]
Mr Lansley: I have not received any such representations.
There is a formal process for how independent Pay Review Bodies take evidence. The Department, trade unions, NHS Employers and stakeholders are invited to submit evidence directly.
The Pay Review Body will consider evidence from all parties and make its recommendations in July.
NHS Trusts
20. Mr Marcus Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve the financial sustainability of NHS trusts. [110335]
Mr Lansley: We are working directly with all national health service trusts to enable them to achieve Foundation Trust status, in the main by April 2014. To achieve Foundation Trust status will mean NHS trusts have achieved high and sustainable levels of clinical quality and financial governance.
Health and Social Care
21. Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on delivering health and social care in the community; and if he will make a statement. [110336]
Paul Burstow: The Department receives many representations concerning the delivery of health and social care in the community.
Herbal and Homeopathic Medicine
23. David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had on access to herbal and homeopathic medicine. [110338]
Anne Milton: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), has not had any recent discussions on this topic. The Department does not maintain a position on such therapies. It is the responsibility of local national health service organisations to make decisions on such treatments, taking account of safety, clinical and cost-effectiveness and the availability of suitable practitioners.
Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
Ms Abbott:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Royal College of Surgeons' conclusions and recommendations on the role of
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dental teams in identifying and treating alcohol misuse; what steps he has taken in the pilot care pathway to ensure screening for alcohol misuse is carried out; and what steps he has taken to ensure that dental teams in the pilot sites have been trained to deliver alcohol advice. [110766]
Mr Simon Burns: The Government's Alcohol Strategy recognises that there are real opportunities for health services to identify those at risk of harm from alcohol and provide advice and support to those who need it. The Government intends to strengthen the approach to prevention in the planned new dental contract. Under the pilot care pathway, dentists are required to carry out an oral health assessment which includes screening for risk factors such as smoking or alcohol consumption and to offer targeted advice when appropriate. The care pathway guidelines given to dentists highlight the extent and health effects of alcohol misuse; outline the recommended alcohol consumption limits and list appropriate specialist services to signpost patients to where the patient reports that they consume alcohol beyond lower-risk drinking guidelines.
Breasts: Plastic Surgery
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost is to the NHS of performing a single operation to remove and replace PIP breast implants; and how much of this cost is made up of the standard fees and associated costs for (a) clinical consultations, (b) pre-operative scanning, (c) medical implants, (d) operating surgeons, (e) anaesthetists and (f) other staff. [110156]
Mr Simon Burns: Based on national tariff prices for 2012-13, the average cost to national health service commissioners of removing and replacing PIP breast implants is between £2,500 (without complications or comorbidities) and £3,200 (with complications and/or comorbidities).
These amounts include a cost of between approximately £2,200 and £2,900 for a hospital spell; and a cost of approximately £300 for pre and post-operative out-patient consultations. The cost of a pre-operative scan (where required) is included within the figure for out-patient consultations but is not separately identifiable. No further breakdown of the total cost is available.
Correspondence
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many letters to Ministers in his Department were (a) not answered, (b) not answered within six months and (c) not answered within three months in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; how many such letters were from hon. Members; and if he will make a statement. [109439]
Mr Simon Burns: The Cabinet Office, on an annual basis, publishes a report to Parliament on the performance of Departments in replying to hon. Members' correspondence. The report for 2011 was published on 15 March 2012, Official Report, columns 30-33WS. Reports for earlier years are available in the Library of the House.
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In 2011, there were over 60,000 items of ministerial correspondence due for answer by the Department. The Department answered 99% of this correspondence, within the Whitehall standard of 20 working days.
All correspondence requiring a response that was due for answer in financial year (April to March) 2011-12 was answered. Only one letter requiring a response that was due for answer in 2010-11 was not answered; this was from an hon. Member.
The following table shows the number of items of correspondence due for answer in 2010-11 and 2011-12 that were not answered within six months and not answered within three months, and how many of which were from hon. Members. These figures represent all ministerial correspondence logged on the Department's central ministerial correspondence database.
| Not answered within six months | Not answered within three months | |||
| Financial year due for answer | Total | From hon. Members | Total | From hon. Members |
In addition, the Department receives correspondence that does not require a response, for example, because it is for another Government Department, because it is for information only, because it is a duplicate of another letter or because one reply has been sent to multiple letters.
Debts Written Off
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much bad debt was written off by his Department in (a) 2010-11 and (b) 2011-12; and if he will make a statement. [110215]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has interpreted bad debt written off as meaning claims waived or abandoned and have applied the definition as set out in the Treasury guidance Managing Public Money.
Debt is only written off after comprehensive credit control methods have been exhausted, or where it was uneconomical to pursue the debt any further.
The following is taken from the Department's losses and special payments register:
The total value in 2010-11 was £1,806,697. Most of this relates to customers who have entered liquidation and the Department was unable to recover the debt. The rest is small value claims where it was considered uneconomical to pursue the debt.
The total value in 2011-12 was £369,897. Most of this relates to customers who have entered liquidation and the Department was unable to recover the debt. The rest is small value claims where it was considered uneconomical to pursue the debt.
Dementia: Research
Dr Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how the £66 million of research funding outlined in the Prime Minister's Dementia Challenge will be allocated over the next three years; [109507]
(2) what assessment he has made of the recent activity of the Prime Minister's Dementia Challenge's Better Research Champion Group; and how many times the group has met since 26 March 2012. [109508]
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Paul Burstow: The combined value of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Medical Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funding for research into dementia will increase from £26.6. million in 2009-10 to an estimated £66.3 million in 2014-15.
Expenditure on dementia research over the next three years will support a range of research activity.
Four new NIHR biomedical research units in dementia are being funded from April:
| NHS organisation | University partner |
These research units and NIHR biomedical research centres which include dementia themed research will share their considerable resources and world leading expertise to improve treatment and care.
Projects will be funded resulting from the recent NIHR themed call in dementia. The participating programmes are:
Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation
Health Services Research
Health Technology Assessment
Programme Grants for Applied Research
Public Health Research
Research for Patient Benefit
Service Delivery and Organisation.
The ESRC and NIHR will be working together to support an initiative with up to £13 million funding available for social science research on dementia. The call for proposals will open in the week commencing 9 July and will fund national or international social science research in dementia which can make a significant contribution to scientific, economic and social impact.
Additional work will be supported by the funders depending on the volume and quality of applications received.
Three meetings of the Better Research Champion Group was held between June and December 2012 and the frequency of meetings will be reviewed thereafter. The first meeting was held on 8 June 2012 and brought together some of the world's leading dementia scientists to strengthen research co-ordination and engagement, spanning basic research and translational research. The group will address the challenge of co-ordination and engagement, focusing on the actions needed to strengthen partnerships between research funders, research charities, universities, national health service trusts, providers and the life science industry.
Diabetes
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure that its cost data captures the full costs of diabetes nationally. [110621]
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Paul Burstow: The main source of cost data in the national health service by disease is programme budgeting (PB) data. Commissioner level programme budgeting data is published annually in the form of a benchmarking tool that enables commissioners to identify:
how they spend their allocation over 23 disease categories and their respective subcategories. Diabetes is one of the 23 categories;
how their disease category level expenditure is split across 12 care settings (this is new from 2010-11); and
how their expenditure distribution pattern compares with other commissioners nationally, locally or with similar characteristics.
The latest version of the Programme Budgeting PCT Benchmarking Tool contains estimates of expenditure for the 2010-11 financial year.
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Managingyourorganisation/Financeandplanning/Programmebudgeting/DH_075743
The PB data allocates all relevant NHS expenditure to a disease category. Disease-based costings depend on diagnostic codes. PB data are based on the use of only the primary diagnostic code. However patients can have multiple diagnostic codes for each hospital admission. This is particularly the case for patients with co-morbidities, e.g. patients with diabetes. Alternative approaches to the use of diagnostic codes will produce a range of cost estimates. Each approach has its merits, depending on the question being addressed.
For example, data are available from hospital episode statistics, from which the fuller estimates of secondary care costs incurred in care for diabetes patients can readily be derived, for appraisal of specific policy options.
On the other hand, unlimited use of secondary diagnostic codes for diabetes could spuriously attribute to diabetes costs that would have been incurred irrespective of that condition.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure standards in (a) patient education, (b) diabetes training for NHS staff and (c) provision of diabetes specialist nurses are consistently high. [110622]
Paul Burstow: Local national health service organisations are responsible for providing high quality and safe diabetes services appropriate to their local populations, including providing information and education to people with diabetes about their condition and how to manage it. The NHS Operating Framework 2011-12 specifically stated that primary care trusts should commission appropriate structured education to support all people with diabetes. The Best Practice Tariff for paediatric diabetes introduced in April 2012 includes a requirement for advice, including education, to be available to patients and their families.
“Liberating the NHS: Developing the Healthcare Workforce from Design to Delivery” states that those working in health services need to be well supported to attain the right professional and clinical skills. A copy has already been placed in the Library.
NHS employers, in consultation with patients, will have greater autonomy and accountability for planning and developing their workforce. Accountability for training is with providers supported by health care professionals who understand the local needs of their workforce, and nationally with Health Education England. It is therefore local health care organisations, with their knowledge of
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the needs of their local populations, that are best placed to determine the workforce required to deliver safe patient care within their available resources.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to produce high-quality cost data on local diabetes services. [110623]
Paul Burstow: The main source of cost data in the national health service by disease is programme budgeting data. Commissioner level programme budgeting data is published annually in the form of a benchmarking tool that enables commissioners to identify:
how they spend their allocation over 23 disease categories and their respective subcategories; diabetes is one of these categories; and
how their expenditure distribution pattern compares with other commissioners nationally, locally or with similar characteristics.
The programme budgeting data allocate all relevant NHS expenditure to a disease category (in this case diabetes).
The latest version of the Programme Budgeting PCT Benchmarking Tool contains estimates of expenditure for the 2010-11 financial year and is available on:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Managingyourorganisation/Financeandplanning/Programmebudgeting/DH_075743
The National Diabetes Information Service and the NHS Information Centre provide support to the NHS at a local and national level providing information to aid decision making and prioritising care for people with diabetes.
Disclosure of Information
Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent on the updating of published data in line with the Government's transparency agenda in each month since September 2011. [110711]
Mr Simon Burns: These costs are not collected centrally. The Department's commitments to release and publish health and social care data in support of the transparency agenda are chiefly delivered through the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) while the Department releases corporate data about its own performance. In general the Department is making data available that was already collected and regularly updated, but releasing it in a form that enables other organisations and the public to analyse and use it. This is covered by normal running costs. The HSCIC adopts a "publish by default" approach to its statistical publications, whereby the consideration of release issues and the release of the data, underpinning a statistical publication occurs as part of the publication process. As such, this is an intrinsic part of their role and they do not separate out the costs attributable to the direct release of such data.
An exception is in the case of prescribing data, which was first released in December 2011, and which requires additional processing to put it in an accessible format. The HSCIC estimates that the cost of updating for a full year would be £100,000.
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Empty Property
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list the empty or largely empty buildings owned by his Department; and if he will make a statement; [110844]
(2) how many buildings owned by his Department and the bodies for which he is responsible have been empty for more than two years; and if he will make a statement. [110862]
Mr Simon Burns: The following buildings owned by the Department and its sponsored bodies are currently empty.
Little Plumstead, Kingsley Green and Old Elvet have been empty for more than two years. Old Elvet is owned by the NHS Business Services Authority (an arm's length body of the Department).
Freud Communications
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the value is of his Department's communications contract with Freud Communications; for how long the contract will last; what information his Department collects on other clients of Freud Communications; and what processes are in place to prevent any conflict of interest from arising. [110051]
Mr Simon Burns: The total value of the Consumer Engagement Services contract with Freud Communications is £1,020,000 including an element of agreed performance payments.
The following table shows the Department's last four financial years spend with public relations companies.
| Financial year | Amount (£) |
| (1) Provisional | |
All amounts rounded up to the nearest £10,000 and are excluding VAT.
The above expenditure includes both fees and costs i.e. fees and expenses to cover time worked by agency staff and costs incurred during the work. Costs may include items such as: design, printing, venue hire, photography, travel and postage. However, it is not possible to extract a more detailed breakdown from Department of Health's financial reporting system.
The contract was awarded in January 2012 and is initially for one year.
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Disclosure and the ongoing management of any conflict of interest is covered by the Department's tender award processes and contract management procedures.
Gender Recognition
Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the effect will be on the level of funding for transgender treatment facilities of (a) the efficiency initiative to save £20 billion in the NHS by 2015 and (b) implementation of NHS reforms; [110663]
(2) what steps he is taking to ensure that funding arrangements enable patients with gender dysphoria to receive prompt and effective treatment from the point of presentation at all levels of healthcare provision; [110664]
(3) what plans he has to tackle inequality of treatment for patients seeking treatment for gender dysphoria; [110659]
(4) what plans he has to improve access to transgender and gender reassignment services. [110662]
Paul Burstow: Decisions about funding for gender reassignment services and the provision of treatment are not for central Government but are currently made by primary care trusts (PCTs) in the light of local priorities and needs.
PCTs are being abolished and following the passing of the Health and Social Care Act, the NHS Commissioning Board Authority is now responsible for the transition of specialised commissioning. Arrangements are being put in place to achieve this and full details and updates will be published in due course.
From April 2013, the NHS Commissioning Board will come fully into being. We anticipate that the NHS Commissioning Board will commission and fund gender reassignment services and will work towards a position where patients can have improved access to services across the country.
To prepare for these changes, a Clinical Reference Group for Gender is being formed to develop the scope, policy, specification and quality measures for gender dysphoria services and make recommendations to the NHS Commissioning Board Authority.
As a public sector organisation, the national health service must have due regard to the Equality Duty which covers nine protected characteristics, including gender reassignment.
Health Services: Harlow
Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the change in the level of spending on NHS services in Harlow constituency since May 2010. [110318]
Mr Simon Burns: The total expenditure of West Essex Primary Care Trust (PCT), which covers Harlow, was £422 million in 2009-10 and rose to over £429 million in 2010-11. These are the latest available figures on spending. However, we are increasing national health service funding in each year of this Parliament. West Essex PCT’s funding has increased by £24 million since 2011-12.
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Homeopathy
Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the benefits of homeopathy and its role in healthcare treatment. [110628]
Anne Milton: The Department does not maintain a position on any particular complementary or alternative therapy including homeopathy. It is the responsibility of local national health service organisations to make decisions on the commissioning and funding of such treatments, taking into account their safety and clinical and cost-effectiveness and the availability of suitably qualified/regulated practitioners.
The Government response to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee report on homeopathy was published on 26 July 2010 and can be accessed at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_117810
Hospitals
Mr Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2012, Official Report, column 77W, on hospitals, how many other consultants' financial review reports have been carried out by the Department or the Trust; and what the costs were of any other such reviews in the last three years. [110483]
Mr Simon Burns: The answer of 15 May 2012, Official Report, column 77W, provided the information requested on how many consultants' financial review reports pertaining to St Helen's and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust were carried out by the Department or the Trust and the cost of these reviews, covering the last three years.
Information on consultants' financial reviews carried out by the St Helen's and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust is not held centrally but can be obtained from the Trust directly.
Hospitals: Infectious Diseases
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the effectiveness of the regulation of the hand sanitiser industry. [109244]
Mr Simon Burns: Hand sanitisers are not classed as a medicine or medical product and are therefore not regulated by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination
Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will consider taking steps to ensure that men who have sex with men are vaccinated against the human papillomavirus. [110775]
Anne Milton: The aim of the national human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme is to prevent cervical cancer in women. The best way to do this is to vaccinate girls and young women.
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The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), an independent expert committee, keeps the eligibility criteria of all vaccination programmes under review. Research is under way to support a future assessment by JCVI of HPV vaccination of men who have sex with men.
Medical Equipment
John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what processes are in place to monitor and publicly report on the quality and safety of (a) breast implants and (b) pacemakers approved for use in the UK. [110157]
Mr Simon Burns: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) monitors and reports on the quality and safety of all medical devices (including breast implants and pacemakers), as part of its post-market surveillance role. This involves the processing and resolving of adverse incident reports from patients and clinicians (mainly through its adverse incident centre), or from manufacturers, who are legally required to report incidents which have caused or have the potential to cause death or serious injury. The MHRA also oversees the performance of notified bodies in the United Kingdom, who have specific responsibilities for ensuring that manufacturers of medical devices continue to comply with the requirements of the device’s CE mark and ensure that there are systems in place for monitoring the long-term safety and performance of the device. The MHRA is also closely involved with other regulators across Europe in sharing information about the safety of medical devices on the market.
The MHRA publishes medical device alerts when specifically needed to provide safety information, and also from time to time publishes reports and guidance, such as device bulletins, giving wider advice and information on medical devices.
We accept that these processes need further strengthening, as we made clear in the report “Poly Implant Prothèse silicone breast implants: Review of the actions of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the Department of Health” published on 14 May by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, my noble Friend (Earl Howe), a copy of which has already been placed in the Library. The MHRA will be acting quickly to respond to the specific recommendations from the review to improve the reporting of adverse incidents and the communication of relevant guidance to patients and clinicians.
Mental Illness
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of (a) stress and (b) mental illness levels in (i) the long-term unemployed and (ii) those who work more than 50 hours a week. [110523]
Paul Burstow: The Department has made no assessment of stress or mental illness levels among the long-term unemployed or those who work more than 50 hours a week.
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NHS: Information and Communications Technology
Steve Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the procurement of IT equipment in the NHS. [110799]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department does not undertake national procurement for information technology (IT) equipment in the national health service. The procurement of such IT equipment lies with each local NHS trust.
However, the Department did launch a new procurement strategy called the NHS Standards of Procurement on 28 May 2012, which is designed to help trusts ensure their procurement is effective, including the use of national contracts such as those provided by the Government Procurement Service, which does include IT equipment.
NHS: Negligence
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many clinical negligence claims involving amputation were made in each year since 1997-98 in each NHS trust; and what the monetary value was of payments made against such claims in each year; [110251]
(2) how many clinical negligence claims involving blindness were made in each year since 1997-98 in each NHS trust; and what the monetary value was of payments made against such claims in each year; [110252]
(3) how many clinical negligence claims involving brain damage were made in each year since 1997-98 in each NHS trust; and what the monetary value was of payments made against such claims in each year; [110253]
(4) how many clinical negligence claims involving cosmetic disfigurement were made in each year since 1997-98 in each NHS trust; and what the monetary value was of payments made against such claims in each year; [110254]
(5) how many clinical negligence claims involving HIV were made in each NHS trust in each year since 1997-98; and what the monetary value was of payments made against such claims in each year. [110261]
Mr Simon Burns: The data requested are provided in the following tables and relate only to claims that were defended by the NHS Litigation Authority.
Claims numbers will include claims that have settled with damages, settled without damages and unsettled claims. Damages paid data relate to claims where some settlement has been reached. Outstanding damages have also been included, for example where settlements have agreed for payments to be made in future years.
The NHS Litigation Authority database has a descriptor “Brain damage”, this has been used to pull out claims for brain damage, there are however other descriptors e.g. Cerebral Palsy, Stroke, these are however not included in the Brain Damage total.
Table to show the number of clinical negligence claims involving: Amputation and Blindness made in each year since 1997-98 in each NHS trust; and what the monetary value was of payments made against such claims in each year.
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| Amputation | Blindness | |||
| Number of claims received | Total paid (£) | Number of claims received | Total paid (£) | |
Table to show the number of clinical negligence claims involving: Brain damage and Cosmetic disfigurement made in each year since 1997-98 in each NHS trust; and what the monetary value was of payments made against such claims in each year.
| Brain damage | Cosmetic disfigurement | |||
| Number of claims received | Total paid (£) | Number of claims received | Total paid (£) | |
Table to show the number of clinical negligence claims involving HIV made in each year since 1997-98 in each NHS trust; and what the monetary value was of payments made against such claims in each year.
| HIV | ||
| Number of claims received | Total paid (£) | |
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Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clinical negligence cases were brought by NHS patients arising from treatment in (a) NHS foundation trusts, (b) all other NHS trusts and (c) non-NHS hospitals and treatment centres in the last two financial years for which figures are available; and how much was paid in compensation resulting from these claims. [110255]
Mr Simon Burns: The data requested are provided in the following tables and relate only to claims that were defended by the NHS Litigation Authority.
Claim numbers will include claims that have settled with damages, settled without damages and unsettled claims. Damages paid data relate to claims where some settlement has been reached. Outstanding damages have also been included, for example where settlements have agreed for payments to be made in future years.
| Table 1: Claim data for 2009-10 | ||||
| Type of health service provider | Number of claims received | Damages paid (£) | Estimated outstanding damages (£) | Total estimated damages (£) |
| Source: NHS Litigation Authority | ||||
| Table 2: Claim data for 2010-11 | ||||
| Type of health service provider | Number of claims received | Damages paid (£) | Estimated outstanding damages (£) | Total estimated damages (£) |
| Source: NHS Litigation Authority | ||||
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many clinical negligence proceedings have been brought against the NHS in each financial year since 1997-98; to which types of adverse incident each related; and what the total cost to the NHS was for each type of adverse incident in each year. [110256]
Mr Simon Burns: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
The tables show the total payments made to date for clinical claims notified each year to the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA). Incidents to which the claims relate may have occurred several years prior to the NHSLA being notified. The tables do not contain data where the NHSLA was not responsible for defending the claim ie claims generally made against practitioners in primary care. Excess levels were also operated for the Existing Liabilities Scheme until April 2001 and for the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts (CNST) until April 2002, with national health service bodies at that time dealing with claims below the excess level. They
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were not required to notify these claims to the NHSLA. Data therefore do not represent a complete picture for the NHS.
Claims data have been sorted by using the injuries recorded in the 'Injury 1' field of the NHSLA's claims database. Injury 1 does not hold any significance for the claim, and other injuries that form part of the claim may have a greater material impact on the value of the claim.
Where costs have been incurred, actual payments may have been made in years subsequent to when the claim was notified to the NHSLA. Additionally, some claims may have outstanding payments yet to be made against the claim, for example where annual payments have been agreed as part of a structured settlement.
Nursing and Midwifery Council
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Nursing and Midwifery Council on the proposed increase in registration fees for their members in practice. [110657]
Anne Milton: I met with the chair and chief executive of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) on 10 May 2012. In this meeting, the NMC advised of their intention to consult on raising its registrant fees.
We have publicly made it clear to all the health regulators that we would not expect to see rises in registration fees unless an increase is essential to fulfil their statutory duties.
The Department expects the NMC to explore all possible options to avoid a fee increase. The NMC needs to justify any increase in fees to us and their registrants.
Pay
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff working for his Department, its executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies are employed through off-payroll engagements costing less than £58,200 per annum; and if he will make a statement. [110820]
Mr Simon Burns: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The Department's systems can provide total numbers of all off-payroll engagements within the Department but not by cost, as data on costs per contract are not maintained centrally. A data collection exercise would be required to gather this information for the Department and its non-departmental public bodies and agency, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
An extensive data collection exercise was carried out within the Department and its non-departmental public bodies and agency as part of the HM Treasury review of tax arrangements for senior public sector appointees. Data on off-payroll engagements costing over £58,200 per annum was submitted to HM Treasury and published on the Department's website on 23 May 2012 at:
www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/05/dh-tax-arrangements
This data reports the position at 31 January 2012.
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Public Expenditure
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department’s expenditure was in each of the last 36 months; and what steps he is taking to avoid an annual underspend. [109985]
Mr Simon Burns: The expenditure of the Department for the year 2009-10 and 2010-11 is contained in the published 2010-11 annual report and accounts (HC1011) which has already been placed in the Library. It is also available on the Department’s website at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/AnnualReports
HM Treasury published the February 2012 forecast out-turn for 2011-12 for all Government Departments in its 2012 Budget publication. For the Department, this was a forecast underspend of around £0.9 billion, of which, around £0.4 billion was transferred to 2012-13 as part of the HM Treasury Budget Exchange Scheme. Underspends are inevitable given that the Department’s position reflects the consolidated spending of over 400 bodies but as far as possible the Department tries to ensure that spending on centrally held budgets is maximised while at the same time ensures value for money.
The Department’s 2011-12 year-end position is not yet finalised. HM Treasury will provide an update on the expenditure forecasts of all Government Departments in July in the 2012 Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis.
Publications
Jonathan Ashworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) circulars and (b) consultation documents were issued by his Department in each of the last two years. [110506]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department does not issue circulars to the national health service or local authorities. It provides guidance to the NHS and local authority chief executives through an e-mail bulletin called The Week, which brings together latest news, consultations and events for chief executives and their teams. It highlights areas for action and includes links to resources and more information.
The Department has launched 45 public consultations between 1 May 2010-30 April 2012.
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Deputy Prime Minister
Constituencies
Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister for what reason his proposed changes to the size of parliamentary constituencies are based on the number of registered voters rather than the number of potential registered voters. [110024]
Mr Harper: The electoral register has been the basis for parliamentary boundary reviews since the creation of the independent Boundary Commissions. Equally-weighted votes is a fundamental democratic principle. For this to be the case, there must be broad equality in the number of registered electors in each constituency. Furthermore, basing boundary reviews on population figures would mean using estimates derived from census data. The Government does not believe that this would provide a better basis for a boundary review than using the annually updated electoral register.
Correspondence
Mr Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many letters to Ministers in his Department were (a) not answered, (b) not answered within six months and (c) not answered within three months in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; how many such letters were from hon. Members; and if he will make a statement. [109436]
The Deputy Prime Minister: My Office has responded to over 16,300 letters addressed to me since 12 May 2010. We aim to reply to all correspondence swiftly.
Public Expenditure
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will publish a statement of his Office's expenditure in each of the last 36 months; and what steps he is taking to avoid an annual underspend. [109713]
The Deputy Prime Minister: For the purposes of corporate administration and financial management, my office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General on 23 May 2012, Official Report, column 768-9W).
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Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 12 June 2012
Defence
Afghanistan
Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress was made on building a stable Afghanistan at the recent NATO Summit in Chicago. [110562]
Mr Philip Hammond: At the NATO Summit in Chicago, the international community reaffirmed its enduring support to Afghanistan beyond the end of security transition in 2014. NATO’s military commanders set out the progress in the campaign—attacks by insurgents are down and transition to Afghan control is on track. NATO’s Strategic Plan for Afghanistan was agreed and plans were discussed for the future funding of the Afghan national security forces. The UK is pledging £70 million a year and total commitments to date are close to $l billion. Our aim is a stable Afghanistan that is able to manage its own security and that can prevent international terrorists, such as al-Qaeda, returning and posing a threat to our security. The NATO summit sends a clear message to the Afghan people that we will not abandon them, and to the insurgents that they cannot wait us out.
Aircraft Carriers
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost was of testing the US Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System. [109226]
Peter Luff [holding answer 24 May 2012]: The final cost of the UK contribution to the U.S-led EMALS test programme is still to be finalised.
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what items his Department has ordered relating exclusively to the conversion of the aircraft carrier to a Catapult Assisted Take Off Barrier Arrested Recovery configuration since May 2010; and what the value was of each item. [110282]
Peter Luff [holding answer 11 June 2012]: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 May 2012, Official Report, column 716W, to the hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Jones).
Armed Forces: Domestic Violence
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what work has been done to identify the extent of domestic abuse in military quarters; [109953]
(2) what research his Department has commissioned on the role that alcohol plays in domestic abuse in military quarters. [109954]
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Mr Robathan: The focus of our work, to date, on domestic abuse in the armed forces and service community has been on raising awareness about domestic abuse and advice on what to do if it is occurring.
The chain of command has an overarching responsibility to ensure that appropriately trained support staff are available. A domestic abuse protocol is in place between the Service Police and the Hampshire Constabulary that sets out arrangements for handling domestic abuse incidents, with reported cases recorded on the civil police record management system. Consideration is currently being given to rolling out similar protocols for all garrison areas.
The Kings Centre for Military Health Research has conducted some research looking at the levels of domestic violence in military populations following homecoming from a deployment, as well as the role of alcohol misuse. Their findings will be published in due course.
Armed Forces: Mental Health Services
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes have been implemented as a result of the recommendations of Dr Andrew Murrison's independent study into the provision of mental health support and services to the armed forces and ex-service personnel. [110027]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence takes the issue of mental health very seriously and, together with colleagues from the Department of Health, have implemented the following recommendations from Dr Murrison's 'Fighting Fit' report.
The main data collection phase of the three-year study, conducted with King's College London, into the possible use of a screening tool for mental health issues, is under way.
Enhanced Mental Health Assessments, which are to be included as part of routine service medical examinations and discharge medicals, are being rolled out on a regional basis.
Policy has been changed to allow service personnel who have mental health issues while serving (or identified at the release medical) to continue to access the military Departments of Community Mental Health for up to six months after discharge.
A 12 month evaluation of the 'Big White Wall', an online early intervention portal for service personnel, their families and veterans, is ongoing and is due to report in autumn 2012 for service personnel. A decision on whether to continue with the service element will be taken by the end of this year. For veterans and families, the Minister of State, Department of Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford (Mr Burns), announced in May 2012 that the Big White Wall service would be extended to run until 2015. The veterans and families package will be wholly funded by the Department of Health.
A 24-hour helpline for veterans and their families, run by Rethink in partnership with Combat Stress, has been up and running since March 2011. In March 2012 the Minister of State, Department of Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford (Mr Burns),
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announced the continuation of the helpline for the financial year 2012-13. This will be wholly funded by the Department of Health.
A Veterans Information Service that will contact ex-service personnel 12 months after they leave the armed forces to offer support and give information is due to be launched in summer 2012.
There has been an uplift in the number of mental health professionals conducting veterans outreach work, from 15 to 30. In addition, the number of professionals working for Combat Stress in partnership with the NHS takes this total to nearer 50. Plans are in place to establish a national veterans' mental health clinical network.
It has been agreed that the Medical Assessment Programme (MAP) at St Thomas' Hospital and the Reserves Mental Health Programme (RMHP) will continue in their assessment role accepting referrals and self-referrals. The MAP will move to the Reinforcements Training and Mobilisation Centre (RMTC) at Chilwell, Nottinghamshire in October 2012.
The e-learning veterans' health package designed for GPs went live in late summer 2011.
Armed Forces: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of post traumatic stress disorder amongst serving and former soldiers. [109956]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) takes the issue of mental health very seriously, and we recognise that operational deployments will inevitably expose personnel to stressful experiences. The psychological welfare of troops (which covers general wellbeing as well as mental health) is a fundamental chain of command responsibility, and personnel benefit greatly, in terms of mental health, by being within well-led units with good support from their colleagues.
Measures are in place to increase awareness at all levels and to mitigate the development of operational stresses. Primary preventative measures include selection for fitness at recruitment, provision of good leadership, and robust training for all personnel. Secondary preventative measures include psycho-education, use of trauma risk management (TRiM), and post-operational stress management, all of which aim at early detection of problems. Unit-based non-healthcare professionals such as chaplains, TRiM practitioners and welfare staff also have a vital role in supporting the chain of command in maintaining a good state of mental health amongst unit personnel and in signposting those in need of treatment to the Defence Medical Services. The families of returning personnel are also offered advice on the possible after-effects of an operational deployment.
Another key aim is to reduce the stigma that is sometimes attached to mental illness, which is an issue in the civilian world as well as the armed forces. This is being actively addressed through such programmes as the Army's “'Don't Bottle It Up” campaign, and in the deployment briefings provided to personnel and their families. By encouraging people to come forward as soon as they begin to feel ill, we can provide treatment
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at an early stage and hopefully prevent the illness developing further or recurring at a later date, including after they have left the armed forces.
Personnel leaving the armed forces are given advice on seeking help at an early stage if they have concerns about their mental health. The MOD and the Department of Health are working together to improve the mental health care provided to ex-service personnel. Among key preventative measures are the launch in March 2011 of a professional 24-hour helpline for current and ex-service personnel and their families, and the current trial of use by the service community of the Big White Wall, an online early intervention service for people in psychological distress.
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to monitor the incidence of post traumatic stress disorder amongst serving and former soldiers. [109957]
Mr Robathan: The Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) publishes the “UK Armed Forces Mental Health Report” four times a year, which includes the number of patients attending a Ministry of Defence Department of Community Mental Health (DCMH) who were initially assessed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The latest report, for the period 1 October to 31 December 2011, was published on 3 April 2012, and can be found on the DASA website:
www.dasa.mod.uk
under “Other Publications” and “Health/Medical Statistics”.
Ex-service personnel who require treatment for PTSD will receive it through their local NHS provider, and no central record is maintained of the numbers diagnosed with the condition. However, we continue to work closely with the Department of Health to improve the whole range of mental healthcare available to them.
Kelvin Hopkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of how many soldiers who are currently on operational duties suffer from post traumatic stress disorder; and what measures he has put in place to offer them assistance. [109958]
Mr Robathan: The Ministry of Defence takes the issue of mental health very seriously, and we will continue to offer a high standard of treatment and care to those who need it. In Afghanistan, a Field Mental Health Team (FMHT) provides assessment and treatment for our deployed personnel. Many of those who are assessed as having a mental disorder will be successfully treated by the FMHT, although those with post traumatic stress disorder (one of the most severe and uncommon disorders) would normally be removed from operational duties and returned to the UK for treatment.
The UK Armed Forces Mental Health Report Annual Summary includes data on the presenting complaints of UK armed forces personnel to the FMHT in Afghanistan. This shows that in 2010 (the most recent annual summary available), 113 persons were assessed with a form of mental disorder. Also during 2010, 30 persons were aeromedically evacuated back to the UK from Afghanistan for psychiatric reasons. Of these, 22 were described as “mildly disturbed psychiatric patients”, with the other eight being classed as either “intermediate” or “severe”.
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Service personnel with post traumatic stress disorder, including those returned to the UK from operational deployment, will normally be referred to and treated in one of our 15 military Departments of Community Mental Health (plus centres overseas). These offer a wide range of psychiatric and psychological treatments, including medication, psychological therapies, and environmental adjustment where appropriate. In-patient care, when necessary, is provided in specialised psychiatric units under contract with the NHS.
Armed Forces: Redundancy
Mr Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many armed forces personnel who have served in Afghanistan have been made redundant to date. [109869]
Mr Robathan [holding answer 11 June 2012]: As at 31 March 2012, a total of 1,650 UK armed forces personnel have left under the Tranche 1 of the Armed Forces Redundancy Programme. Some 520 of these have been identified as having deployed to Afghanistan since 2001 with 510 being applicants.
Armed Forces: Training
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of a recruit completing Phase 2 and 3 training in the (a) Royal Armoured Corps (b) Infantry, (c) Army Air Corps, (d) Royal Artillery, (e) Royal Engineers, (f) Royal Signals, (g) Royal Logistic Corps, (h) Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, (i) Royal Army Medical Corps, (j) Adjutant General Corps, (k) Intelligence Corps and (l) Brigade of Gurkhas. [109796]
Nick Harvey: Training costs for Phase 2 trade training for soldiers within each Corps or Cap Badge varies considerably depending on the role they are training for (of which there are over 220 in the Army), the content of the training, the number of recruits, the length of the training and the pass rates on specific courses. The following table shows the estimated lowest and highest cost per soldier recruit for each Corps undertaking Phase 2 trade training, excluding additional costs such as housing, infrastructure and utility costs.
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| 1 Single Phase 2 course | |
Soldier recruits from the Brigade of Gurkhas are subsumed into the appropriate Cap Badge training course, such as Infantry, Royals Engineers, Royal Logistics Corps or the Royal Signals, for Phase 2 training dependent on their job choice.
Information on the cost of Phase 3 career development training is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Once a soldier is fully trained (on completion of their Phase 1 and Phase 2 training), they continue to undertake training throughout their career, dependent on the individual soldier's career path and need. This career development training is varied and diverse and the costs of such training varies from person to person.
Correspondence
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many letters to Ministers in his Department were (a) not answered, (b) not answered within six months and (c) not answered within three months in (i) 2010-11 and (ii) 2011-12; how many such letters were from hon. Members; and if he will make a statement. [109437]
Mr Robathan: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the hon. Member will be aware that the Cabinet Office publishes, by way of a written ministerial statement, an annual report detailing the Government's performance on responding to correspondence from Members of both Houses. The statistics for 2011 were published on 15 March 2012, Official Report, columns 30-33WS.
Defence Equipment: Scotland
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) aircraft support vehicles, (b) Royal Maritime Auxiliary service ships, (c) fire trucks, (d) rapid intervention crash vehicles, (e) cars and (f) motorcycles of each type are permanently based at each location in Scotland. [106722]
Peter Luff: The information requested will take time to be collated.
I will write to the hon. Member once this is completed.
Substantive answer from Peter Luff to Angus Robertson:
I undertook to write to you on the 16 May 2012 (Official Report, Column 168W) in answer to your parliamentary question about how many (a) aircraft support vehicles, (b) Royal Maritime Auxiliary service ships, (c) fire trucks, (d) rapid intervention crash
vehicles, (e) cars and (f) motorcycles of each type are permanently based at each location in Scotland.
Information for vehicles operated by the Navy, Army, RAF and the Defence Fire and Rescue Management Organisation which are based in Scotland can be found in the following table.
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| Aircraft Support vehicles | Fire and Rescue Assets | Rapid Intervention Crash Vehicles | Cars (White Fleet) | Motorcycles | |
| (1) CAPFASFLOT (Captain Faslane Flotilla) includes Faslane and Rosyth, HMS Defender, HMS Neptune and Mine Counter Measures 3 (Faslane). (2) Includes Clyde Off-site Centre, Garelochhead Oil Fuel Depot, and Churchill Square. (3) Under control of HMNB Clyde (Faslane). Notes: 1. Only White Fleet vehicles provided by Babcock Land Ltd are included. 2. Cars cover vehicles up to the size of a people carrier 3. Motorcycles = Quad bikes at Oil Fuel Depots. | |||||