Wind Power
Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many planning applications for (a) onshore and (b) offshore wind farms in each constituency have been refused to date. [145434]
Mr Hayes: The Department does not hold information on planning decisions for wind farms down to a constituency level. I can confirm that, up to January 2013, the total number of wind farms that have been refused consent are: one offshore and 438 onshore.
Further details on the planning status and location of all renewable development can be reviewed on the Department's Renewable Energy Planning Database:
https://restats.decc.gov.uk/app/reporting/decc/monthlyextract
Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effect of his Department's wind farm policies on fuel poverty. [146343]
Gregory Barker: Onshore and offshore wind have an important role to play in providing a balanced energy mix for the UK. The Government are reducing subsidies for wind to bring forward renewable deployment at a lower cost to the consumer.
For the last full financial year available (2010-11), support for wind power added £10 to an average household's annual electricity bill. We are changing support levels for renewables for 2013-17, and the impact of our changes on consumer bills was published in the IA accompanying the Government response to the RO banding review in July 2012(1). The changes will reduce costs of consumers' energy bills by £6 next year and £5 in 2014-15 compared to the current subsidy regime, a total of £11 across the remainder of this Parliament.
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The Department publishes a summary of the impacts of energy and climate change policies on energy bills, which includes energy efficiency, low carbon and social programmes, not just support for renewable energy or wind power. The most recent publication—from November 2011(2)—estimated that in 2020 we expect domestic bills to be 7% lower, on average, than if those policies had not been introduced. DECC's assessment of the impacts of energy and climate change policies on prices and bills is currently being updated, and will be published shortly.
Bill impacts vary with energy consumption, and the Government are mindful of the impact that this has on household energy costs, particularly for low-income and fuel poor households. Policies such as the Warm Home Discount (WHD) and part of the energy company obligation (ECO) take special account of low income and vulnerable households, offering bill relief and support for some heating and energy efficiency measures. This will enable more of the most vulnerable to heat their homes more affordably and to a more adequate level. As a result, energy bills for the poorest 30% of households are expected to be, on average, lower as a result of policies in 2020 compared to in the absence of policies.
(1) https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment _data/file/42847/5945-renewables-obligation-government-response-impact-a.pdf
(2) Available at:
https://www.gov.uk/policy-impacts-on-prices-and-bills
Business, Innovation and Skills
Beko
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds on the number of (a) deaths, (b) injuries and (c) carbon monoxide incidents caused by ovens sold or manufactured by Beko in (i) the UK and (ii) other European countries. [146041]
Jo Swinson: The Department does not collect the information requested. The Department did become aware of four carbon monoxide poisoning incidents caused by ovens sold or manufactured by Beko (over the period of November 2008 to January 2009): three in the UK and one in the Irish Republic, which resulted in six deaths. This information was immediately passed to the manufacturer who has the responsibility and liability for the product and to their local authority Trading Standards service. While the Department has responsibility for the product safety legislation, responsibility for enforcement is a matter for Trading Standards.
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds on the number of (a) deaths, (b) injuries and (c) fires caused by fridge freezers sold or manufactured by Beko in (i) the UK and (ii) other European countries. [146042]
Jo Swinson: The Department does not collect this information and holds no information on deaths, injuries or fires caused by fridge freezers sold or manufactured by Beko.
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Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he informed the EU rapid alert system of potential faults in ovens sold by Beko plc or manufactured by Beko group companies. [146043]
Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills informed the EU rapid alert system of the potential faults in ovens manufactured by Beko plc and its group of companies through the RAPEX system (notification number 0354/09) on 4 March 2009.
Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when he informed the EU rapid alert system of potential faults in fridge freezers sold by Beko plc or manufactured by Beko group companies. [146044]
Jo Swinson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills informed the EU rapid alert system of the potential faults in fridge freezers manufactured by Beko plc through the EU RAPEX system (notification number 0703/11) on 15 July 2011.
Cabinet Committees
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what dates the Cabinet (a) Economic Affairs Committee, (b) Economic Affairs (Growth Implementation) Sub-Committee, (c) Economic Affairs (Infrastructure) Sub-Committee, (d) Economic Affairs (Reducing Regulation) Sub-Committee, (e) Economic Affairs (Trade and Investment) Sub-Committee, (f) Banking Reform Committee met in the last year. [146545]
Jo Swinson: In line with the practice of previous Administrations, information relating to the proceedings of Cabinet Committees is generally not disclosed as to do so could harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.
Credit Cards
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to educate people about the dangers of taking out store cards. [145924]
Jo Swinson: On store cards, respondents to the Consumer Credit and Personal Insolvency Review of 2010-11 were most concerned about the ease with which customers were tempted into expensive credit by retailers offering discounts on their purchases at the time they take out a store card. Following negotiations with the Government, industry agreed to end the practice of introductory discounts as well as introducing other measures to improve the way store cards are offered.
Directors: Equal Opportunities
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what responses he has received from the seven companies he wrote to in January 2013 about male-only boards. [146539]
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Jo Swinson: As was widely reporting in the media, on 29 January, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), wrote to the boards of the remaining seven FTSE 100 companies with all-male boards to urge them to take action to increase the number of women on their boards. The Business Secretary's letter outlined the benefits of diversity in the boardroom and reminded them of Lord Davies' recommendation of requesting companies to set targets for the number of women they aim to have on their boards by 2013 and 2015. So far, three companies have responded to my right hon. Friend, acknowledging the importance of diverse boards and the Department will continue to monitor progress on this issue closely.
Education: Prisons
Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which organisations provide education services in each prison. [146535]
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Matthew Hancock: New prison education contracts commenced in 2012 following a procurement process led by the Skills Funding Agency but with close engagement of prison governors and their heads of learning and skills.
The following table lists adult prisons in England, their offender learning and skills service (OLASS) provider and their national careers service provider. The OLASS contractors listed will have sub contractors and partners who work with them to deliver the curriculum commissioned locally by prison Governors.
The table lists English prisons only and excludes young offender institutions. The list also excludes those private prisons where the operator is responsible for providing education under their contract with the National Offender Management Service.
| Establishment | OLASS provider | National careers service provider |
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| (1) The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice announced the closure of these prisons on 10 January 2013 | ||
Exports
Mr Robin Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations he has received from DHL and the British Chambers of Commerce Trade Confidence Index on steps to support companies to penetrate new and growing markets; and if he will make a statement. [143541]
Michael Fallon:
The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), has not received representations
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from DHL and the British Chambers of Commerce in regards to the latest Trade Confidence Index, but UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is working very actively to help UK companies succeed overseas, particularly in high growth markets.
In this respect, UKTI has identified 20 markets for particularly focused efforts. UKTI is shifting resource into these markets in response to growing demand; undertaking awareness-raising outreach events throughout the UK; working with business-led organisations such as the China-Britain Business Council, UK-India Business Council and British business-network bodies overseas; supporting trade missions by senior Ministers, including that of the Prime Minister and other Ministers to India in February 2013; and tackling barriers to trade, for instance, through Government-to-Government dialogues, such as those held with India, Russia, UAE, and Vietnam in 2012.
In addition, the autumn statement of 5 December 2012, Official Report, columns 871-882, provided for an increase to UKTI's annual budget of £70 million that will help deliver services to more exporters and increase UKTI’s work on the highest value opportunities, particularly in emerging markets. UKTI will also be organising an export week in mid-May. Events are being planned right across the UK where the specific focus will be on doing business in high growth and emerging markets.
Higher Education: Birmingham
Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students resident in (a) Birmingham, Selly Oak constituency and (b) Birmingham entered higher education in each of the last five years. [145968]
Mr Willetts: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on students at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The numbers of entrants to UK HEIs who were domiciled in Birmingham local authority and Birmingham Selly Oak constituency prior to their course have been provided in the table for the academic years 2007/08 to 2011/12.
Information for the 2012/13 academic year will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency in January 2014.
| Entrants(1) to UK HEIs domiciled in Birmingham local authority and Birmingham Selly Oak Constituency(2) prior to their course, academic years 2007/08 to 2011/12 | |||||
| 2007/08 | 2008/09 | 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | |
| (1) Covers all students in their first year of study. (2) Parliamentary constituency is derived from the student's postcode. Data for 2010/11 is based on the revised boundaries in the 2010 General Election. Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five, so components may not sum to totals. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record | |||||
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Industrial Development Advisory Board
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on what dates the Industrial Development Advisory Board has met since May 2010. [146544]
Michael Fallon: Since 1 May 2010, the board has met on the following dates:
13 May 2010
11 November 2010
9 December 2010
14 April 2011
14 July 2011
8 September 2011
10 November 2011
12 January 2012
15 February 2012
12 April 2012
12 July 2012
13 September 2012
11 October 2012
8 November 2012
13 December 2012
10 January 2013
14 February 2013
4 March 2013.
Leisure
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate he has made of the monetary value of the UK leisure industry; and what estimates have been made of the contribution to the leisure industry of (a) domestic and (b) international demand in each of the last 10 years. [145341]
Hugh Robertson: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
The most recent Government estimate of the value of the tourism industry to the UK economy is set out in the Office of National Statistics (ONS) Tourism Satellite Account which showed that tourism direct gross value added was £44.6 billion in 2009, compared to £46.1 billion in 2008. Tourism direct employment rose from 1.72 million in 2008 to 1.80 million in 2009. Data are only available for these two years. Data for 2010 will be released later this year.
In their 2010 study, Deloitte have estimated that tourism was worth £115.4 billion to the UK economy in 2009 once the direct and indirect impacts are taken into account, equivalent to 8.9% of UK gross domestic product:
http://www.visitbritain.org/bounce.aspx?PG=/Images/Economic%20case%20for%20the%20Visitor%20Economy% 20-%20Phase%202%20-%2026%20July%202010%20-%20FINAL_TCM29-14561.pdf
The provisional ONS International Passenger Survey results for 2012 saw a 4% increase in spend to £18.7 billion (from £18 billion in 2011) from inbound visits, a record high in nominal terms. Data for the previous 10 years are available on the VisitBritain website:
http://www.visitbritain.org/insightsandstatistics/inboundtourismfacts/
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In 2011, £17.9 billion was spent by British residents on overnight trips in England, with an additional £42.7 billion being spent on domestic tourism day trips. Data for domestic spend in England are available on the VisitEngland website:
http://www.visitengland.org/insight-statistics/major-tourism-surveys/
Motor Vehicles: Insurance
Mr Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what progress the Competition Commission has made on its investigation into the private motor insurance market. [146533]
Jo Swinson: The Competition Commission has recently published its update to the Statement of Issues in respect of the private motor insurance market investigation. This document, alongside the original Issues Statement, published in December 2012, sets out the scope for the investigation and the issues the Commission will focus on during the course of its investigation. This document can be found on the Commission's website:
http://www.competition-commission.org.uk/our-work/private-motor-insurance-market-investigation
The administrative timetable for the investigation can also be found on the Competition Commission's website. The Commission is currently gathering evidence from parties and preparing to undertake two consumer surveys to help develop its understanding of the market. Further information will be published on the Competition Commission's website as the investigation progresses.
Patents
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if his Department will consider adopting the new streamlined 12 month patent scheme that has been rolled out in the US. [146352]
Jo Swinson: The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) already provides an acceleration system under which it is possible to gain a granted UK patent in as little as nine months. To complement this service, the IPO will be introducing a new superfast patent processing service later this year, as announced by the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), on 17 December 2012. The superfast service would mean it would be possible to get from filing to patent grant in around 90 days, for a premium fee. The IPO will be issuing a public consultation in the coming months on how such a superfast service may be implemented.
David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what representations his Department has received to streamline the system of patents. [146353]
Jo Swinson:
The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) and other parts of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills are in continuous dialogue with stakeholder representatives, and users of the patents system, on the subject of streamlining the patents system in various ways—and so receive representations constantly. Recent significant contact has included detailed discussions with the CBI, representative user bodies and stakeholders
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on the new European unitary patent system, and consultation with users on efforts to bring more harmonisation to the international patent system. On the domestic front, recent consultations on possible changes to improve the patents legislation have resulted in 34 responses to the IPO.
Regional Growth Fund
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many awards from round 1 of the Regional Growth Fund have not yet drawn down funds; and what the monetary value is of each of those awards. [146541]
Michael Fallon: 49 round 1 awards for a total of £374.8 million have been finalised. Payments totalling £239 million have been made in support of 37 of these projects. The remaining 12 awards will be drawn down between now and March 2015 when they have achieved the necessary investment and employment payment triggers specified in the offer letter.
Staff
Mr Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many full-time equivalent staff are employed by his Department on the Growth Review. [146542]
Michael Fallon: This information is not held centrally. A range of officials in the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and across Whitehall support Ministers in the formulation and implementation of growth policy, including the Growth Review.
TRIPS Agreement
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the request relating to access to medicines submitted by the Least Developed Countries to the (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) (TRIPS) Council for an Extension of the Transitional Period under Article 66.1 of the TRIPS Agreement at the forthcoming TRIPS Council meeting on 5 and 6 March 2013; and if he will make a statement. [146520]
Jo Swinson: We are aware of a request from least-developed countries for an extension of their exemption from the general TRIPS provisions. The exemption from provisions relating to access to medicines is not due to be reviewed until 2016, in line with the WTO's 2001 Doha Declaration.
The TRIPS agreement sets out a reasonable international minimum standard of intellectual property law. However, we recognise that TRIPS is wide-ranging and not all areas will be an immediate priority for least-developed countries. We have therefore publicly supported the prospect of a further extension to the deadline for least developed countries (LDC) implementation of the TRIPS agreement since 2011. We think it important that LDCs are afforded the flexibility to implement IP policies in ways that relate directly to their own national development strategies.
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Health
Care Homes
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his announcement of 11 February 2013, on the Government's intention to implement the recommendations of the Dilnot Commission in relation to social care funding reform, if he will increase the personal expenses allowance for older people in care homes. [146561]
Norman Lamb: The Dilnot Commission made no recommendation about the level of the personal expenses allowance (PEA). However, it did encourage the Government to consider the case for increasing it in future. As part of our plans to introduce new funding arrangements, we will consider the level of the PEA and the way it is uprated. In the meantime, the Government will increase the PEA annually, using the established formula, to ensure it maintains its value.
Cervical Cancer
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what advice he has received from the (a) UK National Screening Committee and (b) Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening on the use of HPV testing as a primary screen within the cervical screening programme; [146096]
(2) what plans he has to introduce HPV testing as a primary screen within the cervical screening programme. [146097]
Anna Soubry: At its meeting on 24 November 2011, the Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening recommended that there was enough evidence for a proposal of a pilot of human papillomavirus (HPV) testing as primary screening to go to the UK National Screening Committee. At its meeting on 25 April 2012, the UK National Screening Committee gave support for a pilot to assess the value of using HPV testing as the primary screen for cervical disease.
As set out in the second annual report of “Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer” in December 2012, six cervical screening sites will begin piloting HPV testing as primary screening shortly. The pilot sites are Liverpool; Manchester; Northwick Park, London; Bristol; Sheffield and Norwich.
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to address women aged between 25 and 35 who do not take the opportunity to attend cervical screening; [146098]
(2) what plans he has to encourage and support women who do not attend cervical screening; [146099]
(3) what plans he has to address the decline in the number of women attending cervical screening since 2002. [146100]
Anna Soubry:
“Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer” (January 2011) makes clear the important role that cervical screening plays in preventing cervical cancer. The strategy also notes that some groups and communities are not accessing cancer screening services. To encourage all eligible women aged 25 to 64 to make the important
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decision to attend routine cervical screening, we are working with NHS Cancer Screening Programmes, the Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening and stakeholders to refine the information we provide to women when they are invited for screening so all are fully supported to make an informed choice to attend.
To tackle low uptake among women aged 25-29, the National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programme has commissioned a study costing over £1 million to determine which interventions are effective at increasing screening uptake amongst women receiving their first invitation from the NHS Cervical Screening Programme. The “Strategies to increase cervical screening uptake at first invitation (STRATEGIC)” study is trialling interventions such as a pre-invitation leaflet; internet appointment booking; timed appointments; the provision of personal support through nurse navigators; and human papillomavirus self-sampling. The study began in November 2011 and is due to run until October 2015.
On 26 January 2012, NHS Cancer Screening Programmes and Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust jointly held an event at the King's Fund looking at challenges to screening uptake among black and minority ethnic (BME) communities. The meeting updated attendees on current data about challenges to improve screening uptake among BME groups and offered an opportunity to share best practice. Documents and links from the event have been circulated to all attendees to help promote information on cervical screening in their respective communities. This was the second such meeting. The National Cancer Action Team, in partnership with BME charities and faith communities, is piloting a targeted approach to raise awareness about cancer and increase screening uptake among BME communities. As part of the Cancer Does Not Discriminate campaign, the pilot, which is due to end in March 2013, is using commercial radio, targeted and tailored information, and direct awareness raising events.
NHS Cancer Screening Programmes has funded an award winning campaign targeting lesbian and bisexual women in the north west of England to raise awareness about the need to attend for regular cervical screening tests. The Lesbian and Gay Foundation's Are You Ready for Your Screen Test? campaign was the winner of the Jo's Cervical Cancer Trust 2011 Cervical Screening Award. This is now being rolled out across the country.
From April 2011, in agreement with the General Practitioners (GPs) Committee of the British Medical Association, we amended the existing Directed Enhanced Service arrangements to provide practices with additional flexibilities for them to offer patients appointments at more convenient times to see a general practitioner or nurse within their practice. The Quality and Outcomes Framework for GP practices also includes incentives for practices to achieve high uptake levels in cervical screening. Cervical screening coverage is also an indicator in the Public Health Outcomes Framework.
Epilepsy: Drugs
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to highlight the potential negative side effects of the epilepsy drug, sodium valproate. [146537]
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Norman Lamb: The safety profile of the epilepsy drug, sodium valproate is very well established. Sodium valproate has been licensed to treat epilepsy since 1993. All known potential negative side effects of sodium valproate, including extensive warnings about the possible adverse effects when used during pregnancy, are described in published guidance for prescribing—the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) for individual brands of sodium valproate—available on the Electronic Medicines Compendium (eMC) website at:
www.medicines.org.uk/EMC/
and in the British National Formulary, which is sent to all doctors within the national health service. Patient Information Leaflets that reflect the information in the SmPC in terms more understandable for patients are supplied in each package of the medicine and can also be accessed on the eMC website.
Family Nurse Partnership Programme
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to extend the Family Nurse Partnership programme to all first time mothers under the age of 20. [146234]
Dr Poulter: The Family Nurse Partnership (FNP) programme is based on more than 30 years of United States research that has shown significant benefits for disadvantaged young families and substantial cost savings. Early evaluation in England is promising, suggesting that the programme can be delivered well here, clients like it and the potential for impact is good with mothers reducing smoking in pregnancy, very positive about their parenting capacity, having improved self esteem and a high proportion initiating breastfeeding.
The Government are committed to doubling the number of places on the FNP programme to 13,000 by 2015. Good progress is being made towards this with over 11,000 places in 91 areas currently available. From 1 April 2013, the NHS Commissioning Board will commission these services and will expand the number of areas where FNP is available.
Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the budget for the Family Nurse Partnership programme will be for (a) 2012-13, (b) 2013-14 and (c) 2014-15. [146235]
Dr Poulter: From April 2013 the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) will commission the Family Nurse Partnership programme to achieve the Government's goal of 13,000 places by 2015. It will be for the NHS CB to determine budgets for the programme over the next two years. A recent study published by the Department suggests the average cost of delivering a FNP place locally is £3,100 per year, ranging between £3,000 and £3,600 depending on the area and with first year costs slightly higher at an average of £3,275.
Female Genital Mutilation
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department gives on female genital mutilation to (a) midwives and (b) other health professionals. [146538]
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Anna Soubry: Guidance for health professionals is contained in the Multi-Agency Practice Guidelines on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), published in 2011 by HM Government. Last year, Ministers wrote to relevant Royal Colleges and national health service agencies asking them about their plans to raise awareness of FGM. The responses received were encouraging, and the overriding message from them all is clear—FGM is abhorrent and they are committed to playing their part in eradicating it.
At the same time, the Department's chief medical officer and director of nursing, with the support of the Royal Colleges, wrote to health professionals drawing their attention to the illegal nature of FGM and to the multi-agency practice guidelines on FGM published in 2011.
Human Papilloma Virus
Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on HPV genotyping and innovative technology in the NHS. [146095]
Anna Soubry: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt), has not had any discussions on human papillomavirus genotyping and innovative technology in the NHS with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable).
Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the risk of myalgic encephalomyelitis following exposure to the HPV vaccination. [146291]
Norman Lamb: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has responsibility for vaccines and medicines safety in the United Kingdom. As with all vaccines and medicines, the MHRA has been closely monitoring the safety of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccines.
As well as continuous evaluation of suspected adverse reactions (ADRs) associated with the HPV vaccines reported via the Yellow Card Scheme, the MHRA has also applied statistical techniques using ‘observed versus expected’ analyses of key ADRs of interest to assess safety. The MHRA has recently completed an epidemiological study, using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink, to investigate reports of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) following HPV vaccination. ME/CFS is a naturally-occurring medical condition, and the MHRA's study found no evidence to suggest that the vaccine may be a cause of the condition. The results of this study have been submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
MHRA's safety analysis of the HPV vaccine has been reviewed by the independent advisory committee, the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM). The CHM has advised that no serious new risks have been identified despite substantial use of the vaccine in the UK and abroad. The benefits of HPV vaccination far outweigh any known side effects.
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Lead: Health Hazards
Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he intends to meet the Health Protection Agency to discuss the effects on human health of exposure to lead; and if he will make a statement. [146529]
Anna Soubry: We have no plans to meet the Health Protection Agency (HPA) to discuss the effects on human health of exposure to lead.
The HPA has issued information on the health effects of lead and on dealing with lead incidents. This can be found at:
www.hpa.org.uk/web/HPAweb&Page&HPAweb AutoListDate/Page/1274087220619
Medicine: Education
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will meet representatives from the Medical Schools Council to discuss their commissioning procedure that selects the company to scan the Situational Judgement tests taken by final year medical students to avoid a repetition of this year's marking error; [146558]
(2) if he will take steps to avoid a repetition of the error in marking the current year's Situational Judgement tests taken by final year medical students to determine job region allocations. [146559]
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Dr Poulter: The Department will work with all parties with an interest in Foundation Programme recruitment to ensure that lessons are learned from this incident and that similar errors do not occur in the future.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will investigate the appropriateness of the decision to have the exam scripts of medical final year students' Situational Judgement tests being double-checked by individual medical schools rather than by an independent body following an error in the scanning process. [146560]
Dr Poulter: To provide reassurance of the process to verify students' correct marks from the Situational Judgment test, the Department invited senior representatives from the independent Academy of Medical Royal Colleges to review the process being undertaken. The Academy representatives declared themselves fully satisfied.
NHS: Finance
Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) turnover and (b) account surplus or deficit was of each NHS foundation trust in England in (i) 2009-10, (ii) 2010-11 and (iii) 2011-12. [145644]
Dr Poulter: The information requested is in the following table.
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|
The Royal Bournemouth and Christchurch Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | ||||||||
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Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust | ||||||||
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Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | ||||||||
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Northern Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | ||||||||
|
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust | ||||||||
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The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital NHS Foundation Trust | ||||||||
|
Royal National Hospital For Rheumatic Diseases NHS Foundation Trust | ||||||||
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South Staffordshire and Shropshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust | ||||||||
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University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust | ||||||||
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| (1) Not a foundation trust at year end. Notes: 1. IFRS value for “Operating Income from continuing operations” used as a proxy for “Turnover”. 2. IFRS value for “Surplus/(deficit) for the year” used as a proxy for “account surplus or deficit” 3. Where an NHS foundation trust was authorised part way through a financial year the values in its accounts as an FT only include the period it was an NHS foundation trust. | ||||||||