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Welfare Tax Credits: Scotland
Margaret Curran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 22 April 2013, Official Report, column 709W, on social security benefits: Scotland, how many people in (a) Scotland and (b) Glasgow East made repayments of overpaid tax credit awards (i) within 30 days and (ii) in instalments repayable over a period of (A) up to 12 months, (B) between 12 and 18 months, (C) between 18 and 24 months and (D) between 24 and 48 months. [160721]
Sajid Javid: The response assumes that repayments refer to repayments made through direct recovery from those no longer receiving tax credits.
The figures provided consist of repayments where the initial overpaid amount was both fully paid off and only partially paid off. The time period is that which payments were actually made over. Ongoing payments are not included.
The figures for Scotland and Glasgow East are as follows:
(i) 54,000 made repayments within 30 days.
(ii)(A) 88,000 made repayments over a period up to 12 months.
(ii)(B) 10,000 made repayments over a period between 12 and 18 months.
(ii)(C) 5,000 made repayments over a period between 18 and 24 months.
(ii)(D) 8,000 made repayments over a period between 24 and 48 months.
(i) 600 made repayments within 30 days.
(i)(A) 1,700 made repayments over a period up to 12 months.
(i)(B) 200 made repayments over a period between 12 and 18 months.
(i)(C) 100 made repayments over a period between 18 and 24 months.
(i)(D) 200 made repayments over a period between 24 and 48 months.
Cabinet Office
Billing
John Healey: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment his Department has made of the potential savings it could achieve by paying its suppliers early in return for rebates. [161012]
Miss Chloe Smith: Officials in the Cabinet Office are working to reform public sector procurement to drive value for money for the taxpayer and to ensure the widest possible range of suppliers, including SMEs, can do business with Government. At the time of the last general election, procurement practice included too many barriers to small, innovative businesses. Because there was no central oversight of supplier relations, an enormous amount of money from the public purse was squandered.
Since 2010, billions of pounds have been saved by reforming procurement, including £3.8 billion last year. This was achieved through centralisation of procurement for common goods and services (£1 billion), centrally renegotiating large Government contracts (£0.8 billion), and limiting expenditure on marketing and advertising, consultants and temporary agency staff (£1.9 billion).
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This Government's policy is to pay undisputed invoices within five days and to pass 30-day payment terms down supply chains. We do not make early payment conditional on rebates.
Charity Commission and Big Lottery Fund
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many members of the board of the (a) Charity Commission and (b) Big Lottery Fund have declared membership of a political party; and if he will make a statement. [161478]
Mr Hurd: As was the case under previous Administrations, the Cabinet Office does not hold information on appointees' membership of political parties.
In line with the Commissioner for Public Appointments' Code of Practice, details of successful candidates' declared political activity are published when the appointments are publicised. Membership of a political party does not constitute declarable political activity under the terms of the code of practice.
Conditions of Employment
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff were retained on zero-hour contracts by (a) his Department and (b) the Executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [160762]
Mr Hurd: Since the last general election, no staff have been employed in the Cabinet Office or Government Procurement Services on a zero-hour contract during the periods specified.
The Big Lottery Fund retained two individuals on zero-hour contracts during 2010-11 to 2011-12 and seven during 2012-13. As was the case under the previous Administration, the fund is responsible for its own staffing arrangements. It reviews its use of such contracts regularly.
Domestic Violence
Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of cases of domestic abuse in each of the last three years. [160845]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking for estimates of the number of cases of domestic abuse in each of the last three years.
The following table provides estimates from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) of the number of domestic abuse victims based on respondents' experience of domestic abuse in the 12 months prior to interview. The CSEW does not include questions on the number of times victims have experienced separate incidents of domestic abuse. It is therefore not possible to provide estimates of the number of domestic abuse incidents from the CSEW.
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Estimates of the number of domestic abuse victims are presented for the 2009/10, 2010/11 and 2011/12 CSEW years. Data from the 2012/13 survey are not currently available as these are due to be published for the first time in early 2014.
| Estimated number of victims of domestic abuse, 2009/10 to 2011/12 CSEW—England and Wales. Adults aged 16 to 59 | |||
| Number of victims (thousand) | |||
| 2009/10 | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | |
| (1) Any domestic abuse includes partner or family non-physical abuse, threats, force, sexual assault or stalking Source: Crime Survey for England and Wales, Office for National Statistics | |||
These figures have been published by ONS and are available in Table 4.06 accompanying the statistical bulletin “Focus on: “Violent Crime and Sexual Offences, 2011/12”. This statistical bulletin is available on the ONS website here:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/crime-stats/crime-statistics/focus-on-violent-crime/stb-focus-on--violent-crime-and-sexual-offences-2011-12.html
Domestic abuse is not in itself a separate legal offence and thus is not part of the notifiable offence list that forms the basis for police recorded crime statistics. In the police recorded crime series cases of domestic abuse will be incorporated within the relevant category of offence in accordance with the intent of the offence and any injuries sustained, such as ‘inflicting grievous bodily harm (GBH)' or ‘less serious wounding' for example. Therefore, it is not possible to separately identify the number of offences of domestic abuse recorded by the police.
Domestic abuse combines partner abuse (non-sexual), family abuse (non-sexual) and sexual assault or stalking carried out by a current or former partner or other family member. This broadly matches the Government's definition of domestic violence and abuse which has been used since March 2013.
Statistics on crime in Scotland and Northern Ireland are collected and published separately, and can be downloaded from:
Scotland:
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice
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Northern Ireland:
http://www.psni.police.uk/directory/updates/updates_statistics.htm
http://www.dojni.gov.uk/index/statistics-research/stats-research-publications/northern-ireland-crime-survey-s-r/r--s-bulletin-1-2013-experience-of-crime-findings-from-the-2011-12-northern-ireland-crime-survey.htm
Job Creation
Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) part-time and (b) full-time jobs were created in each Government region of England in each year since 2008. [160968]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many (a) part-time and (b) full-time jobs were created in each Government region of England in each year since 2008. (160968)
Information regarding the number of jobs created is not available. As an alternative, estimates relating to the net changes in the number of people in full-time or part-time employment have been provided. The ONS compiles Labour Market Statistics for areas below the UK following International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions using the Annual Population Survey (APS).
Tables 1 and 2 show the number and net change of people employed (a) full-time and (b) part-time, in each region of England. These estimates are compiled from APS interviews held during the period January 2012 to December 2012 and the 12-month periods ending in December in each year since 2008.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the APS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. A guide to the quality of the estimates is given in the table.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
| Table 1: Net change(1) of the number of people in full-time employment in each region of England | ||||||||||
| Thousand | ||||||||||
| 12 months ending December: | ||||||||||
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | ||||||
| Level | Net change (+/-) | Level | Net change (+/-) | Level | Net change (+/-) | Level | Net change (+/-) | Level(2) | Net change (+/-) | |
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| Table 2: Net change(1) of the number of people in part-time employment in each region of England | ||||||||||
| Thousand | ||||||||||
| 12 months ending December: | ||||||||||
| 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | ||||||
| Level | Net change (+/-) | Level | Net change (+/-) | Level | Net change (+/-) | Level | Net change (+/-) | Level(2) | Net change (+/-) | |
| (1) The net change is calculated on unrounded data. (2) Coefficients of Variation have been calculated for the latest period as an indication of the quality of the estimates. See Guide to Quality below. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV—for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5%, we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. Key: * 0 ≤ CV <5%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered precise ** 5 ≤ CV <10%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered reasonably precise *** 10 ≤ CV <20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered acceptable **** CV ≥ 20%—Statistical Robustness: Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes CV = Coefficient of Variation Source: Annual Population Survey. | ||||||||||
Stephen Timms: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what proportion of jobs created in each year since 2008 have been (a) self-employed, (b) part-time and (c) self-employed. [161092]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what proportion of jobs created in each year since 2008 have been (a) self-employed, (b) part-time and (c) self-employed (sic). 161092.
Information regarding the number of jobs created is not available. As an alternative, estimates relating to the net changes in the number of people employed have been provided.
The table shows the number and net annual change of people, in full or part-time self-employment, in each year from February to April 2008 to February to April 2013. The total in employment has been provided as a comparison.
Estimates of full- and part-time employment and self-employment are published monthly in the Labour Market Statistical Bulletin in Table EMP01, via the following link:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lms/labour-market-statistics/june-2013/table-emp01.xls
| People in employment aged 16 and over, February to April, each year, 2008 to 2013, United Kingdom, seasonally adjusted | ||||||||||||
| Thousand | ||||||||||||
| Total in employment(1) | Self-employed | |||||||||||
| Total | Full-time | Part-time | Total | Full-time | Part-time | |||||||
| Level | Net annual change | Level | Net annual change | Level | Net annual change | Level | Net annual change | Level | Net annual change | Level | Net annual change | |
| (1) Includes employees, self-employed, unpaid family workers and those on government supported training and employment programmes. Source: Labour Force Survey. | ||||||||||||
Mass Media: Barnsley
Michael Dugher: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many people in Barnsley East constituency are employed in the media sector. [160948]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question
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concerning how many people in Barnsley East constituency are employed in the media sector. [160948].
Annual employment statistics are available from the ONS' Business Register and Employment Survey (BRES). Due to the ONS' policy on statistical rounding and disclosure for BRES, employment values are rounded to the nearest 100. As such, the number of people in Barnsley East constituency employed in the media sector rounds to zero.
The media sector has been defined as including the following standard industrial classification industries: publishing activities; motion picture, video and television programme production, sound recording and music publishing activities; and programming and broadcasting activities.
National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at
http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
Public Sector: Mutual Societies
Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment the Mutuals Taskforce has made of the introduction of procurement options that would permit commissioners to not open to competitive tender the services delivered by a spun-out public service mutual. [161298]
Mr Maude: In the Mutuals Taskforce report, ‘Public Service Mutuals: Next Steps', at:
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http://mutuals.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/Public%20Service%20Mutuals%20next%20steps.pdf
it was recommended that the Government, led by the Cabinet Office, should continue to negotiate for greater clarity on and improvements to EU public procurement rules that support newly-formed public service mutuals and clarity on existing rules. In particular the Cabinet Office should press for a temporary exclusion for mutuals, to enable them to be established before being subject to full and open competition.
Tenants: Greater London
Mr Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate he has made of the number of tenants in each London borough; and if he will make a statement. [161475]
Mr Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Glen Watson, dated June 2013:
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has made of the number of tenants in each London borough; and if he will make a statement. 161475
I am pleased to provide an extract from 2011 census table QS403EW Tenure—People, which provides the information that you have requested for all London Boroughs.
| 2011 census qs403ew: Tenure—People | ||||||||
| Population: | All usual residents in households | |||||||
| Units: | Persons | |||||||
| Date: | 2011 | |||||||
| Local authority: district/unitary | All categories: Tenure | Owned: Total | Owned: Owned outright | Owned: Owned with a mortgage or loan | Shared ownership (part owned and part rented) | Social rented: Total | Social rented: Rented from council (local authority) | Social rented: Other social rented |
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| Local authority: district/ unitary | Private rented: Total | Private rented: Private landlord or letting agency | Private rented: Employer of a household member | Private rented: Relative or friend of household member | Private rented: Other | Living rent free |
| Note: In order to protect against disclosure of personal information, records have been swapped between different geographic areas. Some counts will be affected, particularly small counts at the lowest geographies. Source: ONS Crown Copyright Reserved [from Nomis on 21 June 2013] | ||||||
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Health
Accident and Emergency Departments: Dental Services
Ms Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of admissions to hospital via accident and emergency department were related to dental problems in each year since 2005-06. [160577]
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Dr Poulter: The information requested is shown in the following table.
A count of (a) finished admission episodes(1) admitted via accident and emergency(2 )where the consultant's main specialty was dental(3), (b) all finished admission episodes admitted via accident and emergency and (c) the percentage of all admissions via accident and emergency that were under a consultant with a dental specialty for the years 2005-06 to 2011-12(4).
| Activity in English NHS Hospitals, and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector | |||
| (a) Dental FAEs admitted via A and E | (b) All FAEs admitted via A and E | (c) Percentage of all FAEs admitted via A and E that were dental (percentage) | |
| (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 )Admission via A and E Admissions where the method of admission is recorded as 21—Emergency Admission via A and E 28—Emergency Admission—Other (including A and E of a different provider) (3) Consultant Main Specialty The specialty under which the consultant responsible for the care of the patient at that time is registered. Take care when analysing HES data by specialty, or by groups of specialties (such as "acute"). Trusts have different ways of managing specialties and attributing codes so it is better to analyse by specific diagnoses, operations or other patient or service information. Consultant Main Specialty Codes 140—Oral Surgery 141—Restorative Dentistry 142—Paediatric Dentistry (available from 1999-2000) 143—Orthodontics 145—Oral and Maxillo Facial Surgery (available from 2004-05) 146—Endodontics 147—Periodontics 148—Prosthodontics (4) 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. | |||
Ambulance Services
Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what whistleblowing procedures are in place for staff of ambulance trusts. [161193]
Dr Poulter: All national health service organisations, including ambulance trusts, are required to have whistleblowing policies and procedures in place that are compliant with the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, as set out in HSC 1999/198. The Department also commissioned the ‘Speak up for a Healthy NHS’ guidance to assist employers in developing effective whistleblowing policies and this is available at:
www.nhsemployers.org/SiteCollectionDocuments/Speak_Up_for_a_Healthy_NHSrd181011.pdf
Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government have for future accountability arrangements for ambulance services; and if he will make a statement. [161405]
Anna Soubry: Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for commissioning ambulance services based on an assessment of local need. Clinicians are best placed to co-ordinate the commissioning of high- quality care for their patients, by ensuring that commissioning decisions are underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local health-care needs. It is the decision of individual ambulance trusts as to how resources are used to meet local demand.
NHS England is responsible for ensuring CCGs commission a high-quality, sustainable service for their local population, and the Government hold it to account for this through the Mandate.
Blood: Donors
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 4 June 2013, Official Report, column 1071W, on blood: donors, whether the 12-month ban on men who have had sex with men donating blood also applies to donations from those who are stem cell matches for people with illnesses who could benefit from receiving a donation. [161288]
Anna Soubry:
The blood donor selection criterion relating to men who have had sex with men (MSM) was amended in England, Wales and Scotland from permanent deferral to deferral for 12 months following the last
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relevant contact. As these are criteria for blood donation, they do not apply to the donation of stem cells and the independent Scientific Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs is currently reviewing the tissue and cell donor selection criteria for MSM.
Cancer
Mr Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many applications for each type of (a) cancer treatment and (b) bowel cancer treatment were (i) received, (ii) approved and (iii) rejected in each (A) NHS England region and (B) NHS England local area team in each month in 2013; [160643]
(2) what data NHS England will publish about (a) applications to and (b) approvals made by the Cancer Drugs Fund; and when such data will be available. [160644]
Norman Lamb: Information on the use of the Cancer Drugs Fund since NHS England took responsibility for it from April 2013 is not yet available.
We understand that NHS England is currently considering which information will be made available routinely and how it will be made available. It is validating the data for April and May and this information is expected to be made available in early July. Thereafter, each month's data will be published at the end of the following month.
Information on the number of patients treated prior to 1 April 2013 was provided in my answer of 18 June 2013, Official Report, column 656W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Truro and Falmouth (Sarah Newton).
Carers: Young People
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken with the Department for Education to help ensure that young carers achieve the same standards of educational attainment at GCSE level as other young people. [160566]
Mr Timpson: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Education.
The Department has worked closely with The Children's Society and Carers Trust over the last two years to share evidence-based tools and good practice events to improve the identification and support of young carers at 17 regional events. This includes an online training package for school staff and teachers developed by my Department and the Department of Health with the National Young Carers Coalition. It is designed to raise awareness about the issues facing young people with caring responsibilities and how it can impact on their school attendance and attainment. It also provides information about how schools can implement or adapt systems to identify and support young carers. It is hosted on the Children's Society's website(1). I recently announced the award of a new contract worth up to £1.2 million to those organisations to continue this work for a further two years.
The Department of Health has also recently started training school nurses to be champions for young carers. They will help raise awareness in schools among staff and pupils, and help head teachers and governors decide how best to identify and support young carers at school.
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(1) http://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/sites/default/files/Young-Carers-Web-Pub-v13/player.html
Mr Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what support his Department has made available for young carers in each year since 2010; [160567]
(2) what support his Department gives to young carers from a minority background who do not speak English as their first language. [160568][Official Report, 18 July 2013, Vol. 566, c. 17MC.]
Mr Timpson: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Department for Education.
From 2011 to 2013, the Department allocated over £1.5 million in grant funding to The Children's Society and Carers Trust to improve the support available for young carers. This followed the conclusion of a three-year funding grant to help 18 local authorities develop and test intensive family focused models of support for families with young carers as part of the young carers pathfinder programme.
The funding has enabled The Children's Society and Carers Trust to deliver regional events for practitioners in local statutory and voluntary services on designing and delivering ‘whole family' approaches to support for young carers. The events include training on engaging young carers in “hard-to-reach” groups, such as those belonging to Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups who have English as a second language. The training is based on learning and resources developed in partnership with the Black Carers Network and young carers from BAME communities. In February I announced the award of a new contract worth up to £1.2 million to those two organisations to continue this work for a further two years.
Additionally, the Department has worked closely with the two organisations to share evidence-based tools and good practice guidance, including an online training package for school staff which raises awareness about the issues facing young people with caring responsibilities and how it can impact on their school attendance and attainment.
Conditions of Employment
Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff were retained on zero-hour contracts by (a) his Department and (b) the executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12 and (iii) 2012-13; and if he will make a statement. [160770]
Dr Poulter: No officials from the Department were retained on zero-hour contracts during 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 respectively.
Based on information supplied by the Department's executive agencies and non-departmental public bodies, the total number of staff retained on zero-hours contract for each year was as follows:
| Number of staff retained on zero-hour contracts | |
| Number | |
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Drugs: Health Education
Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which advertising agency prepared his Department's recent campaign for the FRANK website; and if he will publish the brief given to that agency on the preparation of the campaign advertising. [161350]
Mr Jeremy Browne: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Home Department.
The Home Office is the Department responsible for the recent FRANK campaign. The advertising agency that produced this campaign was Mother London. We do not publish full briefs, but a summary of the campaign objectives and key messages provided to the advertising agency are as follows:
Ensure young people turn to FRANK for drug advice when they need it.
FRANK is a universal service, but marketing is best focused on young people, before they come into contact with drugs, and while attitudes are still forming.
Secondary: 19-24s and concerned others (primarily parents)
The FRANK helpline receives a significant number of calls from these groups. Although the campaign won't explicitly target them, they are likely to overhear the advertising.
The aim of the FRANK campaign is to prevent drug use by ensuring young people and concerned others contact FRANK when they need drugs information and advice.
Specific campaign objectives are to:
1. Increase awareness of the FRANK service
2. Increase trust and credibility of the FRANK service
3. Signpost and direct audiences to the FRANK service channel
It’s ok to talk about drugs.
FRANK is the expert on drugs.
For friendly, confidential drugs information and advice, talk to FRANK.
FRANK will give you the full picture on drugs.
FRANK is for anyone who has a question about drugs.
The call to action remains to visit the FRANK website.
Mrs Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make an assessment of whether the website of the FRANK drug information campaign is fully compliant with Article 33 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child; and if he will make a statement. [161402]
Anna Soubry:
The United Kingdom is compliant with the Convention on the Rights of the Child and is committed to protecting young people from the harms caused by drugs. The FRANK service is an important element of our work to educate young people about drugs. Regular evaluation of the FRANK service, including
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the website, is undertaken to ensure that the content is correct, up-to-date and provides a valuable resource to those who use it.
East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust
Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the number of employees of East of England Ambulance Trust was whose total remuneration (including pension commitments) was (a) greater than £100,000, (b) between £75,000 and £99,999 and (c) between £50,000 and £74,999 in each of the last three years; and what the total cost of remunerating such employees in each year was. [161020]
Dr Poulter: The information requested is not collected centrally. My hon. Friend may wish to contact the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust directly for this information.
Health and Wellbeing Boards
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has allocated for health and wellbeing boards for (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16. [160748]
Norman Lamb: The Department has not allocated additional funding to local authorities for health and wellbeing boards this financial year and nor do we plan to for 2014-15 and 2015-16. The Department is funding the Local Government Association this financial year to deliver a programme of support for health and wellbeing boards as it takes on their statutory responsibilities.
Health and wellbeing boards are statutory committees of English local authorities and while they have no direct statutory responsibility for commissioning services, local authorities are able to delegate additional functions, such as in relation to commissioning, to a health and wellbeing board if they so wish.
Health Professions: HIV Infection
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish his Department's response to its consultation on workplace restrictions on HIV positive healthcare workers. [160699]
Anna Soubry: The Department intends to publish a response in July.
Health Services: Essex
Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) administrative and (b) management costs each NHS trust in Essex incurred in each year since 2009; and what proportion of each trust's total expenditure those costs represented. [161301]
Dr Poulter: Information regarding national health service trust expenditure on administrative and clerical staff, managers and senior managers within Essex, for each year since 2009-10, is shown in the following table. NHS Foundation Trust annual accounts are laid in Parliament.
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| Total senior managers and managers(1) | All administrative and clerical staff(1) | ||||
| Total gross expenditure(2) (£000) | Expenditure (£000) | Expenditure as a percentage of total gross expenditure (%) | Expenditure (£000) | Expenditure as a percentage of total gross expenditure (%) | |
| Note: All administrative and clerical staff expenditure includes both NHS and non NHS staff. Sources: (1) Staff expenditure—Annual Financial Returns of NHS Trusts (2) Total gross expenditure—NHS Trust Audited Summarisation Schedules | |||||
Health: Screening
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to increase the number of people taking the NHS Health Check; [160751]
(2) how many people had taken the NHS Health Check on the most recent date for which figures are available. [160817]
Anna Soubry: The NHS Health Check Programme has been subject to a phased roll-out since 2009 and the number of offered appointments and take-up reflect this. Estimated returns indicate that about 1 million to 1.4 million checks were offered in 2009-10 and 2010-11, respectively. In 2011-12 this increased to 2.2 million offers and 1.1 million checks received. During 2012-13, 2.57 million offers and 1.26 million checks were received: an uptake of 49%. This level of uptake for a new programme is a good achievement.
Local authorities are now mandated to continue the roll-out of the programme with an expectation of increasing uptake to 75% which will focus programme activity. The number of NHS Health Checks offered and received is an indicator in the Public Health Outcomes Framework.
Public Health England is actively supporting the roll out and uptake of NHS Health Checks and in July will publish a multi-agency review of implementation and action plan.
Herbal Medicine
Mr Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when his Department plans to introduce a statutory register of herbal practitioners. [161129]
Dr Poulter: The legislation around this policy is complex and there are a number of issues that have arisen which we need to work through. We appreciate that the delay is causing concern. The Department will make an announcement on the progress of this policy once the issues involved have been worked through and resolved.
Horse Meat
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many thoroughbred racehorses registered with each passport-issuing authority and previously (a) in training, (b) out of training, (c) in breeding and (d) formerly used for breeding were killed in UK abattoirs in each of the last three years; and how many such animals entered the human food chain. [161102]
Anna Soubry: The information requested is not held by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). The FSA holds data on the number of solipeds slaughtered in United Kingdom abattoirs. I refer the hon. Lady to the answer given by the Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome (Mr Heath) on 10 June 2013, Official Report, column 74W.
Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total expenditure on (a) equine DNA testing and (b) phenylbutazone testing by (i) local authorities, (ii) Government and (iii) industry has been in 2013. [161380]
Anna Soubry: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) does not hold information on the expenditure by local authorities on equine DNA testing and phenylbutazone testing in 2013.
The total cost to the FSA for funding local authority and port health authority sampling of beef products for equine DNA in 2013 is £329,150.
The cost to the FSA for sampling 1,912 samples from 30 January 2013, when the FSA started 100% sampling of horses presented for slaughter for the presence of phenylbutazone, to 17 June 2013 is £325,040.
The FSA does not hold information on the expenditure by the industry on its testing for equine DNA and for phenylbutazone in 2013.
Hospitals: Northamptonshire
Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people employed at (a) Kettering General Hospital and (b) Northampton General Hospital are on zero-hour contracts. [161374]
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Dr Poulter: This information is not collected centrally.
Huntington's Disease
Mr Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support is available through the NHS for people suffering from Huntingdon's Disease; and if he will make a statement. [161378]
Norman Lamb: Adult specialised neuroscience services, including those for people with Huntingdon's disease, are commissioned by NHS England's specialised commissioning teams.
NHS England aims to put personalised care planning at the centre of building care specific to each and every person's needs and goals. This would include application of best practice in line with NICE guidance and quality standards.
Patients with Huntingdon's disease interact with the national health service at many levels from a close relationship with their primary care services, accessing secondary care services at times of acute need, and the expert advice of neurology services in specialised centres. As such, NHS England Strategic Clinical Networks, which include neurological conditions, will include work programmes to ensure patients with this relentless progressive disease have access to services of the highest quality throughout their life from expert diagnosis, disability support, and through to terminal care.
The Department is working closely with the other United Kingdom Health Departments and other key partners and stakeholders to produce a UK Plan for Rare Diseases by the end of 2013. The plan aims to improve diagnosis, treatment and care management for all patients with a rare disease.
Magnetic Resonance Imagers: Greater London
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff in each London hospital are able to operate MRI scanners on Sundays. [160749]
Dr Poulter: The data requested are not collected.
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many MRI scanners are in operation in hospitals in London. [160753]
Dr Poulter: The information requested is not collected.
Maternity Services
Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support his Department provides to women with obstetric fistula. [160930]
Dr Poulter: Obstetric fistula results from obstructed or protracted labour and can be avoided if these complications are identified early and the baby is delivered by caesarean section.
NHS England’s clinical reference group is responsible for the commissioning of more specialised elements of gynaecological care, including the treatment of obstetric fistula, which would typically fall outside of the experience of local general practitioner and hospital care.
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NHS: Ancillary Staff
Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many care assistants in the East Midlands are on zero-hour contracts. [161375]
Norman Lamb: The Department does not collect this information centrally.
Skills for Care, the partner in the sector skills council for social care, has provided the following estimates on adult social care workers.
| Estimated number of adult social care workers on zero-hour contracts in the East Midlands | |
| Region | Estimated number of adult social care workers on zero-hour contracts |
| Source: Skills for Care workforce estimates 2011, NMDS SC May 2013 | |
NHS: Conditions of Employment
Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people employed in hospitals in England are on zero-hour contracts. [161376]
Dr Poulter: This information is not collected centrally.
Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance or policies his Department issues on the use of zero-hour contracts in the NHS. [161469]
Dr Poulter: Employment arrangements are a matter for individual national health service employers, subject to employment legislation.
NHS: Innovation
Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how (a) providers and (b) commissioners will be monitored on the adoption of the innovations set out in the Innovation Health and Wealth catalogue of potential innovations. [160673]
Dr Poulter: NHS England is working with the national health service and a range of stakeholders to determine arrangements for use of the catalogue of potential innovations.
In addition, for NHS trusts, the NHS Trust Development Authority collects compliance against the Innovation Health and Wealth requirements through its integrated plan checklist.
NHS: Staff
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what records are held by his Department on the number of NHS staff who have criminal convictions. [161492]
Dr Poulter:
The Department does not hold any records on the number of national health service staff who have criminal convictions. It is for NHS trusts to conduct employment checks before hiring staff to find out if any applicants are debarred from jobs as a result of any criminal convictions. NHS trusts should also take
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appropriate action if any of their staff are convicted of a criminal offence while in post.
NHS Employers provides guidance to NHS organisations in relation to employment checking requirements as outlined within the NHS Employment Check Standards, including the need for individuals to have Disclosure and Barring Service checks.
Physiotherapy
Graham Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was for access to physiotherapy in each of the last 10 years. [160714]
Dr Poulter: Waiting times data, along with the mean waiting time for first out-patient attendances with a treatment specialty of physiotherapy, are only available from 2006-07. This treatment specialty was not available prior to this time. The data available only include hospital out-patient appointments; however, physiotherapy may take place in other settings such as primary care.
| Mean waiting time (days) | |
Voluntary local collection on referral to treatment times has been encouraged since April 2010. From April 2013, acute providers were required to collect referral to treatment data on allied health professions.
Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) provision and (b) support is in place to enable NHS staff access to physiotherapy services; and if he will make a statement. [160839]
Dr Poulter: The provision of physiotherapy services for national health service staff is a matter for NHS trusts which, as employers, are responsible for the health and wellbeing of their employees.
The Department has commissioned NHS Employers to support NHS trusts to improve the health and wellbeing of their staff and, in July 2012, they published ‘Rapid access to treatment and rehabilitation for NHS staff’ which included a case study about rapid access to physiotherapy.
The publication is available on the NHS Employers website at:
www.nhsemployers.org/Aboutus/Publications/Pages/RapidAccesstoTreatmentandRehabilitationforNHSstaff.aspx