Revenue and Customs
Mr Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets are set for response times for enquiries to HM Revenue and Customs by (a) letter or e-mail and (b) telephone; and what the performance has been against those targets in each of the last five years. [113535]
Mr Gauke: HMRC aims to respond to correspondence from members of the public; 80% of post within 15 working days and 95% of post within 40 working days. Results for the last five financial years are:
| Percentage | ||||
| National | 15 day target | 15 day result | 40 day target | 40 day result |
Correspondence by e-mail is currently limited. HMRC does not have a target for email responses and does not formally report figures.
For (b) HMRC does not have a target time for answering telephone calls, but recognises that there are further improvements to be made and is aiming to achieve 90% of call attempts handled by 2014-15.
In 2011-12, HMRC significantly improved the number of call attempts handled to 74% (compared to 48% in the previous year)
| Percentage of call attempts answered | |
Mr Hanson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints about poor service were received by HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last five years; and how many of those complaints remain outstanding. [113536]
Mr Gauke:
HMRC has published complaints information in its annual reports for 2007-08 and 2008-09 and departmental accounts for 2009-10 and 2010-11.
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Accounts for 2011-12, providing the latest year's information will be published shortly. This information is available on the HMRC website.
Complaints are not specifically recorded as ‘poor service’ but are categorised as: communication, delay, discrimination, loss/damage, misleading advice, mistake/error, policy/legislation, process/system, security incident, staff conduct. For this reason, you are referred to the total complaints received figures.
HMRC takes all complaints seriously and some complaints will take longer to resolve than others.
Mr Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire of 18 June 2012, Official Report, column 725W, on HM Revenue and Customs and with reference to the answer to the hon. Member for Walthamstow of 30 April 2012, Official Report, column 1208W, on revenue and customs, what service level agreements are in place; when the service level agreements were last benchmarked against the customer service targets of private and public sector organisations; and which organisations were used for benchmarking purposes. [113841]
Mr Gauke: HMRC has recently produced a three year business plan for 2012-15. One of the performance indicators within the plan is that, by March 2015, customers can expect that HMRC will be answering 90% of the telephone calls made.
The number of call attempts handled is widely accepted as a standard measure of performance across the wider contact centre industry. HMRC has not specifically measured this indicator against customer service targets of private and public sector organisations.
Taxation: Construction
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost to the Exchequer was of false self-employment in the construction industry in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11. [114002]
Mr Gauke: In its July 2009 consultation “False self-employment in construction: taxation of workers” the Government estimated a loss to the Exchequer of £350 million pounds per annum from false self-employment in the construction industry. The Government currently sees no reason to revise this estimate. A copy of the 2009 consultation can be accessed via the National Archives website at:
http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/consult_falseselfemploymentconstruction_200709.pdf
Taxation: Construction Industry Scheme
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much taxation was collected via the Construction Industry Scheme in (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11. [113994]
Mr Gauke: For those years, deductions made from payments to subcontractors in the Construction Industry Scheme were as follows:
2009-10: £3.2 billion
2010-11: £3.6 billion
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Business, Innovation and Skills
Aviation
Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what plans his Department has to promote the growth of the aviation industry. [113531]
Mr Prisk: The Aerospace Business Leaders group, chaired by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), and the Aerospace Growth Partnership group (which I chair) bring Government and business together to take action to stimulate growth in aerospace, boost exports and grow the number of highly skilled jobs available in the UK. This work involves some 80 senior business people from the aerospace sector, supported by eight full-time business secondees, and BIS officials addressing what needs to be done to maintain UK's competitiveness and achieve growth in areas such as research and technology, manufacturing capability, supply chain effectiveness, external engagement and skills.
As part of this work we announced, in the March Budget statement, £60 million of new funding to create a UK virtual centre for aerodynamics. It will pull together existing research and modelling capabilities into a coherent centre, with a small programme team, that will encourage increased investment to fund a programme of work to ensure the UK is a competitive leader in this field.
More widely, the Government are supporting business investment in both the product and manufacturing technologies that the Aerospace Growth Partnership has identified as important to best position the UK for future growth. For example, on 21 June, we announced £25 million Government investment in a series of collaborative Research and Technology projects. Led by Rolls-Royce under the heading 'Strategic Affordable Manufacturing in the UK through Leading Environmental Technologies 2' (SAMULET2), the programme will investigate new manufacturing processes aimed at increasing productivity and making the best use of resources. In addition, last autumn, we agreed to invest £32 million in AgustaWestland Yeovil to help introduce the civil AW169 aircraft. We will also be investing over £500 million to support the development of the Airbus A350 XWB and the Bombardier CSeries aircraft.
Aerospace companies are expected to benefit from other more general support provided by the Department such as the £125 million Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative and £2.4 billion Regional Growth Fund.
We are working closely with business to promote the attractiveness of the aerospace sector as a career choice to ensure that we have the future skills needed to deliver growth. As part of this work, the aerospace sector is actively participating in the See Inside Manufacturing programme, with a range of activities where aerospace manufacturers are opening their doors to schools and young people. The sector is also active in the Make it in Great Britain (MiiGB) campaign.
A large number of Ministers will be attending the Farnborough International Air Show in support of UK business and BIS is supporting Futures Day at the show on 13 July at which some 10,000 young people will participate in a wide range of events.
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Billing: EU Action
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what date he plans to bring forward legislation to implement Directive 2011/7/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 16 February 2011, on combating late payment in commercial transactions; and if he will make a statement. [113845]
Mr Prisk: It is a long standing commitment of this Government not to gold-plate EU legislation by implementing early and we have confirmed many times our intention to transpose Directive 2011/7/EU on combating late payment by 16 March 2013, thereby providing business, and especially smaller businesses, with certainty.
Over the summer, we will consult on the detail of implementation, as part of the transposition process.
Energy
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how much his Department spent on (a) gas and (b) electricity bills in each of the last 10 years. [113499]
Norman Lamb: The following figures relate to spend by this Department and its predecessors on gas and electricity since 2003/04.
| £ | ||
| Electricity | Gas | |
Environmental Protection: Industry
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent steps his Department has taken to stimulate growth in the low carbon and environmental goods manufacturing and support sectors and their supply chains. [113545]
Mr Prisk: Recent steps taken by the Department to stimulate growth in low carbon sectors include encouraging businesses in those sectors to apply for grants and/or loans from the £125 million Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative (AMSCI) and £1 billion Regional Growth Fund (RGF) round three. Applications have been received from businesses in low carbon sectors for both of those funds and they will be assessed against the criteria that applies to each fund. There is now an additional opportunity to apply for funding from AMSCI with bids being invited until 12 September.
The Department is also supporting a number of ongoing initiatives to stimulate capacity building and improvement in business competitiveness, such as through
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the Advanced Manufacturing Research and Offshore Renewable Energy Catapults, funded by the Technology Strategy Board, and the National Renewable Energy Centre, which is developing facilities to demonstrate offshore wind technologies. In addition, skills funds are available to help businesses develop the knowledge and capability of workers, including the £250 million Employer Ownership Pilot and the Growth and Innovation Fund. Working with UK Trade and Investment, we are seeking to attract inward investors in low carbon sectors, such as offshore wind, as well as promote export opportunities.
On financing, the Government are making rapid progress towards establishment of the UK Green Investment Bank, which will be a key component of the transition to a green economy. UK Green Investment Bank plc has now been formed with funding of £3 billion. It will complement other green policies to help accelerate additional capital in green infrastructure. It is expected to be fully operational in the autumn, following state aid approval. In the interim, the Government's UK Green Investments team (UKGI) has begun making Government investments in green infrastructure.
Following an open competition, UKGI has committed £80 million to two fund mangers to co invest equity into smaller waste infrastructure projects (project size generally below £30 million). A similar competition for fund managers to invest £100 million in smaller non domestic energy efficiency projects is at the due diligence stage. A pipeline of further projects is under development. All these investments will be made on market terms or meet the requirements for existing state aid exemptions or approvals.
Higher Education: Devolution
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to the answer of 1 May 2012, Official Report, column 1398W, on higher education: devolution, if he will give further details of the issues raised by his colleagues in devolved institutions on Tier 2 visas. [113688]
Mr Willetts: Ministerial colleagues with responsibility for higher education in the devolved Administrations raise a range of issues including the need to ensure Britain continues to attract overseas students which is why there is no cap on their numbers.
Office of Fair Trading: Competition Commission
Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what cost-benefit impact assessment his Department conducted on the policy proposal to make a small and medium-sized enterprise representative body a super complainant in respect of the proposed Competition and Markets Authority. [113160]
Norman Lamb
[holding answer 21 June 2012]: In the consultation document, “A competition regime for growth: A consultation on options for reform”, published in March 2011, the Government invited views and evidence on proposals to extend super-complaint status to SME
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representative bodies to give small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) a stronger voice in raising competition problems. The accompanying impact assessment considered that cases bought by SME representative bodies could potentially improve efficiency in the supply chain provided these were properly focused on competition. The impact assessment did not identify any business burden with the proposals. Given the lack of significant support for this proposal and the absence of evidence of the type of issues that may be bought to the CMA as a potential SME super-complaint, the Government decided not to extend the super-complaint mechanism.
Pay
Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the (a) highest, (b) median, (c) median full-time equivalent and (d) lowest full-time equivalent salary was paid by (i) his Department and (ii) its public bodies in (A) 2010-11, (B) 2011-12 and (C) 2012-13. [112473]
Norman Lamb: The following information has been drawn from various data sources and does not include ERNIC or Superannuation.
| £ | ||||
| Highest | Median | Median full-time equivalent | Lowest full-time equivalent | |
Supermarkets: Competition
Mr Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with supermarket retailers on opening new stores in town centres. [113891]
Mr Prisk: BIS Ministers have not recently discussed the locations of new store openings with representatives of the major grocery retailers. Such issues are commercial decisions for the companies involved, and local planning decisions rest, quite rightly, with local planning authorities.
The Government are committed to supporting high streets and town centres, as evidenced by our response to the recommendations of the Mary Portas Review.
The new National Planning Policy Framework maintains a strong town centre first policy and makes clear that local councils should recognise their centres as the heart of their communities and pursue policies to support
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town centre viability. The framework makes clear that we want town centres to be competitive and provide customer choice and a diverse retail offer.
Trade Promotion
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will consider implementing the recommendation in the report by the British Chambers of Commerce, “Exporting is Good for Britain but Breaking into New Markets Requires Planning”, to support more businesses to proactively pursue export opportunities by reforming publicly-backed trade promotion schemes; and if he will make a statement. [113632]
Mr Prisk: The British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) report highlighted two key services provided by UKTI. The Tradeshow Access Programme (TAP) was revised for 2012/13 and now supports small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) exporters both with grants and value added services tailored to each of the exhibitions in the programme. There are more than 230 of these events with support packages, selected after consultation with industry representatives including member bodies of the BCC.
The Overseas Market Introduction Service remains a popular service with more companies using it year on year. UKTI's pricing structure and strategy for this service is under constant review. The last full refresh of policy was in April 2011. The Overseas Market Introduction Service (OMIS) charging structure is based on firms paying for services used, irrespective of company size, providing support for all firms but with additional assistance for target groups. To ensure support is targeted, UKTI offers grants and subsidies to SMEs where it can make the most difference, such as encouraging new exporters or exporters to the high growth markets.
Health
Accident and Emergency Departments: North East
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients waited longer than four hours in each accident and emergency ward in (a) Northumbria, (b) Tyne and Wear and (c) County Durham (i) in each of the last three years and (ii) between (A) January and March 2012 and (B) January and March 2011. [113755]
Mr Simon Burns: This information is shown in the following table:
| Numbers of people waiting over four hours in accident and emergency (A&E) type 1(major) departments | ||||||
| 2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2011(1) | 2012(1) | |
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| (1) January to March Notes: 1. Year to date for 2012-13 is up to and including week ending 17 June 2012. 2. The QMAE Quarterly return was not collected after April 2011, therefore the more recent data have been drawn from the newer A&E Weekly Activity return (WSit AE). Source: Department of Health QMAE quarterly return (2009-10 and 2010-11 data) Department of Health QSitAE weekly return (2011-13 data). | ||||||
Antidepressants
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost was of antidepressants prescribed in each of the last 10 years. [113779]
Mr Simon Burns: The net ingredient cost (NIC) of prescription items written in the United Kingdom and dispensed in the community, in England, for drugs classified as antidepressant drugs in British National Formulary section 4.3 Antidepressant drugs, for each of the last available 10 years, is as follows.
| NIC (£) | |
| Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system | |
Dangerous Dogs
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government is taking to protect health workers from dangerous dogs and other animals when making home visits. [113615]
Mr Simon Burns: NHS Protect, the unit that leads work on security management in the national health service, has provided guidance for lone workers in the NHS. This includes practical advice on the benefits of risk assessment by NHS staff when working alone and specific guidance on the safety of staff where animals are present at a location they are visiting. ‘Not Alone, a guide for the better protection of lone workers in the NHS’ is available at:
www.nhsbsa.nhs.uk/SecurityManagement/Documents/Lone_Working_Guidance_final.pdf
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs ran a consultation on a package of proposals for tackling irresponsible ownership of dogs. One of the proposals is to extend the criminal offence of allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control to all places, including inside the home of the dog owner. The consultation closed on 15 June and they are analysing the 23,000 or so responses before any decisions are taken.
NHS Protect has responded to this consultation and supports measures to promote more responsible dog ownership and reduce dog attacks.
Dental Services
Mr Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the waiting times for NHS root canal treatment were in (a) each primary care trust area and (b) England in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [113777]
Mr Simon Burns: This information is not collected centrally in the form requested. Data on waiting times, if any, for root canal treatment delivered in primary care are not collected and are not routinely collected for root canal treatment delivered in out-patient settings. Information is collected centrally for waiting times for in-patients with a main operative procedure of root canal therapy. The mean and median waiting times have been provided with the mean's denominator in order to give an indication of the number of root canal procedures on which the averages are based. A table has been placed in the Library which includes data for primary care trust area and for England as a whole for the years 2006-07 to 2010-11 inclusive.
General Practitioners: Working Hours
Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of general practitioners work (a) full-time and (b) part-time. [113723]
Mr Simon Burns: The annual national health service workforce census shows that of the 35,415 general practitioners (GPs) working in the NHS in England at 30 September 2011, 67.6% work full-time and 32.4% work part-time. The data are shown in the following table:
| GPs (excluding retainers and registrars) in England by FTE commitment as at 30 September 2011 | ||
| Headcount | ||
| Number | Percentage | |
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| FTE = Full Time Equivalent. Notes: 1. Data as at 30 September 2011 2. FTE calculations on the GP Census are based on an FTE of 1.0 being 37.5 hours a week. 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 (General and Personal Medical Services Statistics) | ||
Health Services
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Secretary of State will (a) retain ultimate accountability for the health services and (b) continue to have a responsibility for securing the provision of services. [113685]
Mr Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), will continue to be accountable overall for the national health service. Section 1 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, makes explicit that:
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“the Secretary of State retains ministerial responsibility to Parliament for the provision of the health service in England”.
Clinical commissioning groups will be responsible for actually commissioning most NHS services, supported by and accountable to the NHS Commissioning Board. However, Ministers will oversee the system and hold the NHS Commissioning Board and other national bodies to account, in line with the Secretary of State's duty to exercise his functions:
“so as to secure that services are provided”.
Heart Diseases
Mr Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many (a) men and (b) women in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK have received inpatient treatment for heart disease in each of the last five years; [113875]
(2) how many women in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have received inpatient treatment for heart disease in each of the last five years. [113981]
Mr Simon Burns: The following table provides a count of finished admission episodes (FAEs) with a diagnosis of heart disease for the years 2006-07 to 2010-11, with the exception of constituency data that can only be provided for 2010-11 onwards. These data are not a count of people, as the same person may have been admitted on more than one occasion. Heart disease is a broad term. The table includes all conditions which can be found in the ICD-10 Alphabetical Index under the specific term ‘heart disease', as well as other conditions which cannot be directly indexed under this term but are diseases/conditions of the structures of the heart and may also be considered as heart disease.
| A count of finished admission episodes (FAEs)(1) with a primary diagnosis(2 )or diagnosis mention(3) of heart disease by sex for (i) Jarrow constituency of residence(4), (ii) South Tyneside Primary Care Trust (PCT) of residence(5),(iii) North East Strategic Health Authority (SHA) of residence(5), and (iv) England for the years 2006-07 to 2010-11(6) | ||||||||||||
| Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector | ||||||||||||
| Jarrow constituency | South Tyneside PCT | North East SHA | England | |||||||||
| Male | Female | Male | Female | Male | Female | Not known | Not specified | Male | Female | Not known | Not specified | |
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| (1) Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of inpatient 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 inpatients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (2) Primary diagnosis The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. (3) Number of episodes in which the patient had a (named) primary or secondary diagnosis The number of episodes where this diagnosis was recorded in any of the 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) primary and secondary diagnosis fields in a HES record. Each episode is only counted once, even if the diagnosis is recorded in more than one diagnosis field of the record. (4) Parliamentary constituency of residence The parliamentary constituency containing the patient's normal home address. This does not necessarily reflect where the patient was treated as they may have travelled to another area or region for treatment. (5) SSHA/PCT of residence The strategic health authority (SHA) or primary care trust (PCT) containing the patient's normal home address. This does not necessarily reflect where the patient was treated as they may have travelled to another SHA/PCT for treatment. (6) Assessing growth through time 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. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Health and Social Care Information Centre |
Homeopathy
Dr Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of all research reports commissioned by his Department since 1997 into homeopathy; and what the cost was of each such report. [113849]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department commissions research to support policy development and implementation through its Policy Research Programme (PRP). Since 1997, the PRP has commissioned no research projects on homeopathy.
Since 1997, the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme has been funded as a national NHS research and development programme producing independent research information about the effectiveness, costs and broader impact of health care treatments and tests for those who plan, provide or receive care in the NHS. Since 2006, the HTA programme has been funded through the National Institute for Health Research. A systematic review of treatments for atopic eczema, including homeopathy, was commissioned by the HTA programme and cost £48,029. A copy of the review is available on the programme's website at:
www.hta.ac.uk/project/1039.asp
Liver Diseases
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce the levels of incidence of death from liver disease. [113747]
Mr Simon Burns: Professor Martin Lombard, National Clinical Director for Liver Disease, continues to lead the development of the liver disease outcomes strategy. Professor Lombard is working with stakeholders representing patients, national health service and public health to ensure that the response to the rising demand for liver disease services is adequate and supports improvement against the NHS outcomes framework and the public health outcomes framework.
A number of regional projects have been set up to test how best to improve the commissioning and provision of improved liver services, in the expectation of achieving better outcomes for patients. In addition, NHS Liver Care has been established to provide a virtual working environment for national and local health care professionals involved in the planning and delivery of liver services. A series of liver disease engagement workshops is in hand across England to support the improved delivery of liver disease services.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to (a) encourage early detection of liver disease and (b) raise awareness about the effects of hepatitis B and C. [113748]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department is currently supporting the following measures to establish effective measures to increase early detection of liver disease and raise awareness about hepatitis:
NHS Liver Care provides a virtual working platform for national and local healthcare professionals involved in the planning and delivery of liver services, including the early detection of liver disease; and this year is facilitating liver disease workshops across England.
In Plymouth, nurses will provide community based assessment of patients with potential liver disease. Also an outreach worker will be testing a model to reduce admissions and readmissions to patients presenting to secondary care with alcohol related problems,
In Nottingham and Hull, general practitioners (GPs) are receiving additional training in the investigation of patients with abnormal liver function test and early detection of patients with fatty liver disease and obesity.
In Liverpool, the historical patterns of referrals for suspected liver disease are being reviewed, and a new commissioning approach for liver disease services is being tested which can be used as a template for local implementation.
The British Liver Trust (BLT) is developing a pre-clinical service based on a preliminary, medical information guided risk assessment provided via a helpline to individuals who identify themselves to BLT and who BLT assesses as being at risk of liver disease; and will advice on ‘healthy liver' lifestyle choices.
In Leeds, work is in hand to local protocols to improve the cost effectiveness of patient care for liver disease patients; improve referrals; and enable earlier diagnosis.
The Pharmaceutical and Hepatology Initiative Project will develop simple key messages for healthcare professionals about liver disease and its management, which will be action orientated and could be delivered in primary care across the country.
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The Hepatitis C Trust is working to improve access increase to hepatitis C testing in partnership with local national health service organisations through community pharmacies and an outreach mobile information and testing service.
The Royal College of General Practitioners is working to produce an educational resource for GPs and other healthcare professionals in primary care, involving online and face-to-face learning, intended to assist in increasing the detection, diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis B and C in groups at risk of infection.
There are dedicated hepatitis C websites for the general public, South Asian communities and healthcare professionals. Information on hepatitis B and C is also available on NHS Choices. In addition, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is currently developing public health guidance on promoting and offering testing for hepatitis B or hepatitis C for those .at increased risk of infection. Draft guidance was published for consultation on 13 June 2012, which includes recommendations on awareness-raising amongst the general population, health professionals and others providing services for those at increased risk of infection, and those at increased risk, and testing in a range of settings.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding his Department has allocated to the prevention of liver disease in the next 12 months. [113749]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has allocated £1.150 million in the financial year from April 2012 to March 2013 for the prevention of liver disease. NHS Liver Care has been given prime responsibility to utilise the above funds for liver disease. NHS Liver Care has already established a virtual working environment for national and local healthcare professionals involved in the prevention, planning and delivery of liver services.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the NHS of liver disease and related treatments in the latest period for which figures are available. [113750]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department estimates that the total direct cost of liver disease to the national health service in 2009-10 was £860 million, as described in the following table.
| Total estimated costs of liver disease on NHS services, 2009-10 | |
| Cost area | Costs (£ million) |
| Source: Department of Health Estimate | |
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Malnutrition
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many patients were screened for malnutrition on admission to hospital in each of the last five years; [113634]
(2) what training and support the NHS provides to healthcare professionals to identify malnutrition; [113635]
(3) what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of malnutrition in (a) hospitals and (b) care homes; and if he will make a statement. [113639]
Paul Burstow: Local national health service organisations are responsible for nutritional screening. We do not centrally collect information on the numbers of patients screened for malnutrition in the format requested. The NHS Information Centre collects partial data within the Patient Environment Action Team (PEAT) programme. In the 2009-11 PEAT programmes, information was collected on the percentage of patients who were screened for the purpose of their nutritional care. This information is in the following table:
| What percentage of patients were screened for the purpose of their nutritional care within 24 hours of their admission | |||||
| Percentage of patients | |||||
| Number of sites | 0-20 | 21-40 | 41-60 | 61-80 | 81-100 |
| Notes: 1. PEAT data are collected at hospital site level for all hospitals with more than 10 in-patient beds. 2. In 2010 and 2011, it was a requirement that the data provided were based on a recent audit. 3. In mental health services, the figures relate to the percentage of patients weighed within 72 hours of admission. 4. The number of hospital sites undertaking PEAT inspections varies from year to year due to reconfigurations and other changes in service delivery. | |||||
The content and standard of health care training is the responsibility of the independent regulatory bodies for the professions concerned. Through their role as the custodians of standards in education and practice, these organisations are committed to ensuring high quality patient care is delivered by health professionals and that health care professionals are equipped with the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to deal with the problems and conditions they will encounter in practice. Providers of care have a duty to ensure that staff have appropriate training and are competent in identifying those at risk from malnutrition.
There is a variety of best practice guidance and resources in place to support health care professionals in meeting people's nutritional needs. These include the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on malnutrition in which all in-patients should be weighed, measured and have their body mass index calculated on admission.
The Essence of Care benchmarking system covers all aspects of fundamental care including “food and drink” covering screening and assessment on initial contact,
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and the high impact actions which include an action about keeping patients nourished.
At the heart of the health care reforms is a focus on improving the quality and outcomes of health care for patients. One of the NHS Commissioning Board's roles will be to provide national leadership, in driving up the quality of care. The board, along with clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), will have a legal duty to secure continuous improvement in the quality of services and outcomes. In addition, CCGs will work with local authorities to develop a comprehensive analysis of health and social care needs in each local area and to translate these into action through the joint health and well-being strategy, which will drive local commissioning of health care, social care and public health.
All providers of regulated activities must register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and meet 16 registration requirements governing essential levels of safety and quality. The requirements include a requirement to meet the nutritional needs of patients and people who use services. The CQC has a wide range of independent enforcement powers that it can use if it considers providers are not meeting the requirements.
During 2011, the CQC conducted a focussed inspection programme looking at dignity and nutrition, inspecting 100 national health service wards providing care for older people. Building on this programme, the CQC plans to inspect a further 50 hospitals and 500 care homes in 2012.
Sir Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve the quality of data (a) collected and (b) published by the NHS on the incidence of malnutrition; and if he will make a statement. [113637]
Paul Burstow: In May 2012, the Government published its information strategy for health and social care in England, ‘The power of information’. A copy has already been placed in the Library and is available at:
http://informationstrategy.dh.gov.uk
The strategy sets a clear direction, ambition and next steps to transform the way information is used to improve health, care and outcomes with greater transparency, access for people to their own health and care records and a focus on better recording and sharing of core data by health and care professionals each playing a role in driving improved data quality.
The Health and Social Care Information Centre also has a pivotal role in improving the quality of health and social care data by assuring the quality of nationally collected data providing an assurance function, helping local organisations achieve their responsibilities in ensuring data quality, by:
working with both local and national organisations to develop a framework which outlines standards, assures and improves the quality of data; and
producing their first national report during summer 2012. This will summarise the Information Centre's current data quality assurance activities and how they are developing their framework for wider roll out during 2013 and 2014.
The Information Centre will be required to collect or analyse information as directed by the Secretary of State or the NHS Commissioning Board.
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The Information Centre will also be required to collect or analyse information as requested by Monitor, Care Quality Commission, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence or any other body specified in regulations, subject to the provisions of the Act or in regulations made under it.
Data quality has a direct impact on health and social care as patient care and safety depends on good quality data. Poor quality data can lead to flawed clinical, administrative and planning decisions, while improving data quality improves patient care and value for money.
Primary Health Care: North East
Mr Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the issue of redundancy notices to primary health care NHS employees in the north-east; and if he will make a statement. [113844]
Mr Simon Burns: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are employers in their own right and as such are responsible for the appropriate management of potential redundancies in their organisations. Employers who propose to make 20 or more employees redundant at one establishment over a period of 90 days or less have a statutory duty to consult relevant trade unions. The length of a redundancy notice is dependent on an individual's contractual notice period.
Work continues with national health service trade unions and staff to keep the need for compulsory redundancies to a minimum and avoid the loss of valuable and experienced staff from the NHS.
Regulation
Dr Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which regulations affecting his Department have been (a) abolished and (b) revised as part of the Red Tape Challenge. [113848]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has not yet abolished or revised any regulations as part of the Red Tape Challenge (RTC). However, the Department has already launched the Medicines RTC theme in March 2012, and an announcement on the outcome will follow in due course.
Retinoblastoma
Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of retinoblastoma. [113876]
Paul Burstow: Since 2005, ‘Improving outcomes for children and young people with cancer’, published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), has supported trusts in planning, commissioning and organising services for children and young people with cancer, including retinoblastoma. One of its recommendations is the establishment of support for professionals in primary and secondary care in the recognition and referral of suspected cancer in children and young people.
This guidance is complemented by ‘Referral for suspected cancer’, also published by the NICE in 2005, which sets out best practice advice on referral for suspected cancer in adults and children. The guidance covers a wide
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range of cancers, including retinoblastoma, and identifies key symptoms and evidence to consider when referring a patient for suspected cancer.
These sets of guidance are continuing to support the commissioning of quality services for children and young people with cancer in the reformed national health service.
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During 2011, departmental officials met two charities for children and young people with cancer, with the aim of identifying some of the barriers to early diagnosis and to discuss potential solutions. This work has been fed into the National Awareness and Early Diagnosis Initiative and will inform future activity in this area.