International Development

Burma

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department has taken to prevent (a) sexual violence, (b) human trafficking and (c) further victimisation and abuse of women and girls in Kachin State, particularly along the Burma-China border. [170166]

Mr Duncan: In June we announced £13.5 million of humanitarian funding for Kachin for the next two and a half years. This includes funding for a Gender-Based Violence Coordinator who will work to improve the coordination and response of the international community to sexual violence.

DFID is also supporting the Secretary of State’s Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative. Two proposals have been approved and are due to begin implementation this calendar year (these include activities along the Burma-China border). Through an international NGO, the UK also gives support to trauma care camps in Kachin State which deal with rape cases.

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Burma. [170167]

Mr Duncan: Conflict in Kachin and Northern Shan States has displaced an estimated 100,000 people. Over half of these are in non-Government controlled areas, which are particularly hard to reach with humanitarian assistance. In June this year DFID announced £13.5 million for new humanitarian funding in Kachin State, which includes non-Government controlled areas. A needs assessment was conducted within camps in these areas in September. The findings showed that food, education, health, water, sanitation and hygiene, shelter, and security are the key priorities.

In Rakhine State there has been some progress in the humanitarian situation. A significant increase in addressing the needs of those displaced for shelter was noted in advance of the current rainy season. Challenges remain, including freedom of movement and access to jobs and services. DFID has allocated £4.4 million to address humanitarian needs in this financial year.

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Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations she has made to her Burmese counterparts to make education and healthcare a priority in Kachin State. [170168]

Mr Duncan: The UK provides substantial support to health and education programmes in Burma, which has helped form significant links with influential stakeholders in these sectors, including with Government. Through our representations to the Burmese Government we have helped secure agreement to include Kachin State in these programmes. The UK has also lobbied, with other donors, for the Government to grant permission for the UN and non-governmental organisations to carry out missions to areas of Kachin which are not under Government control. These were able to provide relief assistance, including health and education materials, to 22,000 displaced people.

Carbon Emissions

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much her Department spent on the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework in the latest year for which figures are available. [169863]

Lynne Featherstone: Latest available figures show DFID's offset at 17,270 tonnes of carbon in 2011-12 at a cost of £121,443 through the Government Carbon Offsetting Framework.

Catalytic Fund

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when her Department will release new details of (a) how the Catalytic Fund will function, including how funds can be accessed, (b) what types of activities the funding can be used for and (c) what countries must do to access the funds. [170481]

Mr Duncan: DFID is currently working in collaboration with the other donors who made commitments at the Nutrition for Growth Event to support a new catalytic financing facility for nutrition.

Discussions about governance, access to funds, what activities will be supported and country focus are continuing.

Developing Countries: Malnutrition

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how her Department will ensure that nutrition indicators in the post-2015 framework reflect both chronic and acute malnutrition and are measured in a way that ensures that vulnerable groups and populations are not missed. [170477]

Justine Greening: The UK is working with others in the United Nations and the European Union to ensure that the post-2015 framework finishes the job of the Millennium Development Goals, including on the important agenda of food and nutrition security. The High Level Panel on Post-2015 Development recommended

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ambitious targets on food and nutrition security, including on ending hunger and reducing stunting, wasting and anaemia.

Developing Countries: Rape

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to ensure that UK Government funds are used to support agencies that provide non-discriminatory care for conflict rape victims regardless of local or national laws. [169756]

Justine Greening: In conflict situations UK-funded medical care is provided through humanitarian organisations. These organisations work according to humanitarian principles, including the provision of non-discriminatory aid according to need alone.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make representations to her US counterpart on that country lifting its prohibition on the supply of humanitarian aid to women raped in war. [169759]

Mr Duncan: DFID is in close contact with USAID on a wide range of development issues including the issue of rape in armed conflict.

Developing Countries: Tourism

Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment she has made of her Department's Private Sector Development Strategy, which emphasised private sector-led intervention in tourism and related sectors to benefit the poor through enhanced incomes; what assessment she has made of the degree to which this strategy has been enacted; and if she will make a statement. [169900]

Justine Greening: DFID country programmes include projects which enhance the development contribution of the tourist industry. For example, DFID Nepal supports the Great Himalaya Trail Development Programme to harness tourism as a driver to improve livelihoods and bring sustainable, inclusive development opportunities to rural communities in Nepal.

Ethiopia

David T. C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what level of aid has been given to Ethiopia in the last five years. [169886]

Lynne Featherstone: Levels of UK Official Development Assistance provided to Ethiopia in each of the last five years were published in our annual report in June. The full report is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dfid-annual-report-and-accounts-2012-13

Relevant figures are reproduced in the following table:

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Data for 2012 are provisional and final figures will be published later in the year in ‘Statistics on International Development 2013’.

Gender Equality

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to tackle gender inequality and promote women's participation in political and public life. [169727]

Lynne Featherstone: DFID recognises that girls' and women's participation and leadership in politics, as well as in business and civil society, is of critical importance in achieving gender equality. This is a key part of DFID's Strategic Vision for Girls and Women. The strategy commits DFID to ensuring that women have an effective voice in decision-making at all levels of society. Current programmes include parliamentary reform work in a range of countries, including Ethiopia, Rwanda, Pakistan and Afghanistan, to increase women's political participation.

DFID carries out country-level analysis and social impact appraisal to ensure that all UK-supported development programmes consider gender inequality.

G20 Anti-Corruption Working Group

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement about plans for the G20 anti-corruption working group. [170393]

Mr Duncan: DFID represents the UK at the G20 anti-corruption working group and has done so since its creation in 2009. The working group is currently completing the first year of implementation of its 2013-14 action plan and is making good progress towards fulfilling its shared commitments. The current action plan and details of the progress made in the past year can be found at:

http://www.g20.org/docs/g20_russia/materials.html

We will be working with the Australian presidency of the G20 in 2014 to ensure continued vigorous implementation of the action plan.

Kenya

Bill Esterson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much of the UK's annual aid to Kenya has been used to help people who were internally displaced by violence connected to elections in 2007 and 2008 in each year since 2007; how many of those displaced persons are still living in camps; and what steps her Department is taking to assist such persons. [169724]

Lynne Featherstone: DFID provided £2.8 million of bilateral support in 2008 to help people affected or displaced by violence during the 2007-08 elections. There are no internationally agreed figures for the numbers still in camps but the UK has a broad programme of

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development assistance in Kenya, including in health and education, and some of this assistance is likely to benefit internally displaced people alongside the wider community.

Nepal

Mr Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how her Department's budget is spent in Nepal on improving tourism in that country; and if she will make a statement. [169901]

Mr Duncan: The UK Government provide support to Nepal's tourism sector to reduce poverty and promote economic growth that benefits poor people. This support is aligned with the Government of Nepal's ‘Tourism Vision 2020’. It is currently provided through two main programmes: £4.5 million through the International Finance Corporation to improve the regulatory environment for tourism; and £2.4 million to the ‘Great Himalaya Trail Development Programme’ which provides skills training to 749 tourism entrepreneurs.

Overseas Aid

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will take steps to ensure that her Department's funding goes to humanitarian agencies that can commit to separating their funds between USAID and non-USAID donors. [169755]

Justine Greening: All UK support to humanitarian agencies is subject to rigorous audit and accounting processes to ensure it is meeting humanitarian need in the most efficient and effective manner.

Pakistan

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department is providing to victims of violence in Peshawar, Pakistan. [170456]

Justine Greening: The UK is supporting a World Bank Multi Donor Trust Fund which helps restore damaged infrastructure, improve Government services and create jobs and business opportunities in conflict affected areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). UK aid also supports the Government of KP to improve safety and access to justice including through supporting community policing in Peshawar.

Redundancy

Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff were made redundant from the non-departmental public body accountable to her Department in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and how many redundancy payments were made in lieu of notice. [170354]

Mr Duncan: No members of staff have been made redundant from DFID's non-departmental public bodies in the years requested.

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Jackie Doyle-Price: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many staff in her Department were made redundant in (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13; and how many such staff received payments in lieu of notice. [170372]

Mr Duncan: DFID staff that were made redundant in each of the years requested and the number who received payments in lieu of notice in each year is given in the following table.

Syria

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what additional steps her Department is taking to prevent and relieve the humanitarian crisis in Syria and its neighbouring countries. [170104]

Justine Greening: The UK is leading international efforts to alleviate human suffering in Syria and the region, and has pledged £500 million to help provide essential items such as food, water and medicine to the people in dire need in Syria and the region. The UK's total humanitarian funding for the Syrians is the largest sum the UK has ever committed to a single crisis.

The UK is currently supporting food for 320,000 people a month, approximately 316,000 medical consultations, and basic essential items to 342,000 people across Syria and the region. I have also launched a new £30 million initiative to help prevent thousands of Syrian children becoming a lost generation by providing care, counselling and basic educational supplies.

Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether she has any plans to use drones as part of her Department’s humanitarian and development work. [R] [169707]

Mr Duncan: DFID does not have any plans to use drones as part of its humanitarian and development work.

Health

Abortion

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the cost of testing aborted foetuses to ascertain their gender and the nature of any disability from which they suffered; what consideration he (a) has given and (b) plans to give to monitoring to ensure effective implementation of the law on abortion; and if he will make a statement; [169739]

(2) how many abortions were performed on female babies after 10 weeks gestation, in each of the last two years, broken down by (a) primary care trust area and (b) gestation of the foetus. [170120]

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Jane Ellison: Sex of the foetus is not recorded on the HSA4 forms submitted to the chief medical officer. No estimate has been made of the cost of testing aborted foetuses to ascertain their gender. Although we keep all evidence under review, we currently have no plans to introduce such a practice. United Kingdom birth ratios are within normal limits. However, we continue to monitor ratios and related data.

Termination of pregnancy is defined as a regulated activity. All providers of regulated activities must be registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) and meet essential standards of quality and care. The CQC has a system of unannounced inspections of providers to identify non-compliance.

The Department is responsible for administering the provisions of the Abortion Act 1967 (the Act) and will continue to monitor compliance with the Abortion Act through scrutiny of HSA4 forms and approval of independent sector places to perform termination of pregnancy.

In February 2012, the chief medical officer for England wrote to all doctors reminding them of their duties under the Abortion Act 1967 (as amended).

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to raise awareness of foetal alcohol syndrome through public health campaigns targeting schools and local communities. [169932]

Jane Ellison: Start4Life includes the advice to avoid alcohol during pregnancy as part of our communications to pregnant women on having a healthy pregnancy but we do not specifically reference foetal alcohol syndrome. Local Health and Wellbeing Boards are ideally placed to pursue and target this issue at a local level, especially based upon their local data, identified need and prioritisation.

Start4Life is a campaign from Public Health England aimed at increasing the number of healthy babies and children under the age of five through promoting healthy behaviours in pregnancy (healthy eating, avoiding alcohol, stopping smoking, taking supplements and keeping active) and also in the early years of a child's life (breastfeeding, safe introduction of solid foods, establishing healthy eating habits and physical activity).

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) statutory instruments, (b) departmental circulars and (c) other documents his Department published since May 2010 consequent on the provisions of the Abortion Act 1967; what plans he has to produce such material in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [170118]

Jane Ellison: Since May 2010, the Department has issued the following documents consequent on the provisions of the Abortion Act 1967.

Annual Statistics:

Abortion Statistics for England and Wales 2009 (May 2010)

Abortion Statistics for England and Wales 2010 (May 2011)

Abortion Statistics for England and Wales 2011 (May 2012)

Abortion Statistics for England and Wales 2012 (July 2013)

Abortion Statistics England and Wales—Consultation document (April 2013)

Abortion Statistics England and Wales—Consultation response (July 2013)

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Abortion Guidance:

Introduction to completing abortion forms for abortions performed in England and Wales (May 2011)

Background to abortion notifications in England and Wales (May 2012)

Department of Health data quality and act monitoring checks made on HSA4 forms (May-2012)

Guidance note for completing the HSA1 and HSA2 abortion forms (revised May 2012)

Summary guidance note for completing HSA4 paper forms (revised May 2012)

Summary guidance note for completing HSA4 electronic forms (revised May 2012)

Detailed guidance not for completing HAS4 electronic forms (revised May 2012)

Abortion Legal Requirements:

Letter from the chief medical officer (CMO) for England to all clinics and hospitals undertaking abortions to remind them of the provisions of the Abortion Act and that sex-selective abortions are illegal. (February 2012)

Other:

Interim Procedures for the approval of Independent Sector Places for the termination of Pregnancy (July 2012)

In addition to the above, the Department will shortly be issuing a further CMO letter and undertaking a consultation on updated procedures for the approval of independent sector places for the termination of pregnancy.

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the medical profession regarding cases of sex-selection abortions; and if he will make a statement. [170121]

Jane Ellison: All Department of Health Ministers meet regularly with medical professional bodies. However, there has been no specific meeting about sex-selection abortions.

Departmental officials have been in regular contact with the General Medical Council, the British Medical Association, and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, and other interested professional bodies on this issue. They are currently developing urgent guidance to doctors to provide further clarity for clinicians on this issue.

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions conducted on the grounds of disabilities which are rectifiable were performed after 24 weeks’ gestation in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012; what each disability was in each case; and if he will make a statement. [170122]

Jane Ellison: The number of abortions that are 24 weeks and over by principal medical condition, performed under section 1(1)(d), are shown in the following table. Abortions performed under this section are those where

“there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped”.

Medical conditions recorded under section 1(1)(d) are coded using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (10th edition) published by the World Health Organisation. This classification does not split diseases and related health problems into those that are rectifiable and those that are not.

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Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions were performed with respect to pregnancies with gestations of 24 weeks or more in (a) 2010, (b) 2011 and (c) 2012. [170123]

Jane Ellison: Information on the number of abortions performed at 24 weeks and over gestation in 2010, 2011 and 2012 is shown in the following table:

Avian Influenza

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial resources have been dedicated to deal with avian influenza. [169999]

Jane Ellison: Although no financial resources have been specifically dedicated to deal with avian influenza, which includes the influenza strains A(H5N1) and A(H7N9) maintaining the capability to respond to an influenza pandemic remains a key priority and the use of clinical countermeasures is a key element of the defence in depth approach to preparedness for pandemic disease. Neither A(H5N1), which has been circulating for a number of years, nor the more recent A(H7N9) have resulted in sustained human to human transmission.

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Clinical countermeasures may reduce the severity of illness in individuals, decrease the number of deaths resulting from pandemic influenza and ease pressure on intensive care services.

Chief Medical Officer

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the chief medical officer is obliged to publish details of meetings in the same manner as Ministers publish ministerial diaries; and if he will make a statement. [170641]

Dr Poulter: The chief medical officer publishes details of meetings alongside those of the permanent secretary. The latest published information covers the period 1 January to 31 March 2013 and is published on the Government website at:

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-of-health/series/permanent-secretary-meetings

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Childbirth

Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the gender breakdown of births in each Government office region was in each of the last 10 years. [170936]

Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Joe Grice:

In the absence of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question to the Secretary of State for Health asking what the gender breakdown of births in each government office region was in each of the last ten years [170936].

The attached table shows the number of live births to mothers usually resident in England, by the sex of baby for 2002-2012. Figures are broken down by region of usual residence of the mother.

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Damian Hinds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the month-of-birth breakdown of births in each Government office region was in the last 10 years. [170937]

Mr Hurd: I have been asked to reply on behalf of the Cabinet Office.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

Letter from Joe Grice, dated October 2013:

In the absence of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question to the Secretary of State for Health asking what the month-of-birth breakdown of births in each government office region was in the last ten years. [170937]

The table shows the number of live births to mothers usually resident in England, by month of occurrence for 2002-2012. Figures are broken down by region of usual residence of the mother.

A copy of the table has been placed in the Library of the House.

Children: Day Care

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when each Minister in his Department last visited a child care setting. [170768]

Dr Poulter: The following list provides details of the visits undertaken by the Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South West Surrey (Mr Hunt) and his ministerial team to a child care setting in an official capacity, since September 2012.

The Secretary of State (Jeremy Hunt)

18 October 2012—University College Hospital, Macmillan Cancer Centre, London (Teenage cancer unit)

10 June 2013—Lilian Baylis Technology School tour of Lambeth children's weight management services

5 July 2013—Evelina Children's Hospital; Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London

12 September 2013—Children's Eye Centre at Moorfields Eye Hospital, London

Minister of State for Care and Support (Norman Lamb)

7 February 2013—Oxford Children and Younger Peoples, Improving Access to Physiology Therapy and Children Adolescent Mental Health Services Project NHS Oxford

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health (Dr Daniel Poulter)

25 October 2012—Medlock Vale Children's Centre, Oldham

1 November 2012—Peterborough City Hospital, Peterborough (Women's and Children's Unit)

6 November 2012—Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham

13 December 2012—Blackpool Teaching Hospital, Birmingham (Children's Ward)

17 January 2013—Southglade Access Centre Adult and Sure Start Children's Centre, Nottingham

17 January 2013—Sheffield Children's Hospital Foundation Trust, Sheffield

24 January 2013—Children's Community Nursing, Coventry and Warwick Primary Care Trust, Warwickshire

24 January 2013—St Michael’s Children's Centre, Warwickshire

13 February 2013—Evelina's Children’s Hospital, St Thomas, London

28 February 2013—University College London Hospital (Macmillan Cancer Centre, Teenage Cancer Hub)

21 March 2013—Lincoln County Hospital, Lincoln

28 March 2013—Barnet Family Nurse Partnership Team at Newstead Children Centre, London

18 April 2013—Springboard Children's Development centre, Carlisle

2 May 2013—Children's Trust, Tadworth Court, Kent

2 May 2013—The Red Oak Sure Start Children's centre, Bromley

16 May 2013—Acorn's Children’s Hospice, Worcester

6 June 2013—Conquest Hospital, Sussex (Children's Ward)

20 June 2013—Linden's Children's Centre, Hackney

11 July 2013—Disraeli School and Children's Centre, High Wycombe

Parliamentary Secretary of State for Public Health (Jane Ellison)

Joined the ministerial team 7 October 2013 and has not undertaken a visit to a child care setting.

The former Parliamentary Secretary of State for Public Health, Anna Soubry, who held this position until 7 October 2013 undertook the following visits:

25 February 2013— Brook (young people's sexual health services), Bedford

15 April 2013—Rotherham Institute for Obesity (RIO) a specialist centre for the management of obesity in children and adults, Rotherham

4 July 2013—Oliver King Foundation, King David Campus Primary School, Liverpool

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Quality (Earl Howe)

The Minister has undertaken many visits, although none in child care settings since September 2012. However the last visit in a child care setting was 1 May 2012 to Birmingham Children's Hospital, Birmingham.

Dementia

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many dementia patients under the age of 65 there are in (a) England, (b) the North West and (c) East Lancashire; [169749]

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(2) how many people under the age of 65 were diagnosed with dementia in each of the last five years. [169752]

Norman Lamb: This information is not collected centrally by the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

The Quality and Outcomes Framework contains information on registered patients with dementia, but does not contain age breakdowns.

The National Dementia and Antipsychotic Prescribing Audit contains information that is relevant. However it is not mandatory and so does not have 100% coverage. The audit has data from 45.7% of the general practitioner practices in England and is therefore not suitable for providing a national figure or regional breakdowns.

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many care homes suitable for dementia patients under the age of 65 there are in (a) England, (b) the North West and (c) East Lancashire. [169750]

Norman Lamb: Information on how many care homes suitable for dementia patients under the age of 65 is not collected centrally. Information on care homes with a ‘dementia service band’ but without an ‘older people service band’, collected by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), is shown in the following table.

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure adequate provision of care services for dementia patients under the age of 65. [169751]

Norman Lamb: On 26 March 2012 the Prime Minister launched his Challenge on Dementia, which will increase diagnosis rates, raise awareness and understanding of dementia and double funding for research by 2015. The Challenge is an ambitious programme of work designed to make a real difference to the lives of all people with dementia and their carers regardless of their age.

Diseases

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on establishing a ring-fenced fund for rare disease drugs. [170399]

Norman Lamb: From 1 April 2013 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) took responsibility for the evaluation of selected high-cost, low-volume drugs under its new Highly Specialised Technologies Programme.

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National health service commissioners are legally obliged to provide funding for drugs that have been recommended in NICE technology appraisals or highly specialised technologies evaluations.

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will request that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence takes steps to assess treatments for rare conditions differently from less rare conditions. [170400]

Norman Lamb: From 1 April 2013 the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) took responsibility for the evaluation of selected high-cost, low-volume drugs under its new Highly Specialised Technologies Programme.

NICE has worked with patient groups and other stakeholders in the design of its interim methods and processes for developing Highly Specialised Technologies guidance. The interim methods and process guides are published on NICE’s website at:

www.nice.org.uk/aboutnice/howwework/devhst/DevelopingNICEHighlySpecialisedTechnologies.jsp

Doctors: Foreign Workers

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many foreign doctors were employed by the NHS on 30 September 2012. [170528]

Dr Poulter: The numbers of foreign doctors employed by the NHS is not collected centrally.

The annual workforce census published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) collects the number of doctors qualified outside the United Kingdom as at 30 September 2012.

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Eculizumab

Ms Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when NHS England will ratify the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group decision on Eculizumab taken in July 2013; [170135]

(2) what discussions have taken place with ministerial counterparts in the devolved regions regarding the ratification of the decision by the Clinical Priorities Grouping in respect of the Soliris form of Eculizumab taken in July 2013. [170497]

Norman Lamb: We have had no such discussions.

NHS England is responsible for commissioning health services for the population of England. NHS England’s Directly Commissioned Services Committee ratified the Clinical Priorities Advisory Group’s recommendations on the use of Eculizumab in England on 14 August 2013.

A copy of the policy has been placed in the Library.

Eyesight: Testing

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to promote regular sight tests. [170239]

Dr Poulter: The Government recognise that regular sight tests are an important measure in preventing avoidable sight loss.

Free national health service sight tests are available to many, including children, people aged 60 and over, people in receipt of certain benefits and those people at particular risk of developing eye disease. In 2012-13, there were 12.3 million NHS sight tests.

Information about the extensive arrangements for providing help with NHS optical services and other health costs is published in leaflet HC11 ‘Are you entitled to help with health costs?’ The Department has worked, and continues to work, with NHS Choices on the development of articles and videos to raise the profile of visual health and promote the importance of regular sight tests.

The Public Health Outcomes Framework includes an indicator on avoidable sight loss.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration his Department has give to strengthening current advice to pregnant women by clearly labelling alcohol as a teratogen. [169933]

Jane Ellison: The Government are committed to improving the labelling of alcoholic drinks.

As part of the Public Health Responsibility Deal, alcohol retailers and producers have committed to putting the advice ‘Avoid alcohol, if pregnant or trying to conceive', or an alternative pregnancy warning logo, on 80% of labels on shelf by the end of 2013.

As set out in the Government's Alcohol Strategy, the Department of Health has also commissioned a review of current drinking guidelines. This is being led by Dame Sally Davies, the Government's chief medical officer.

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The evidence review will include consideration of any new evidence on alcohol and pregnancy since the current guidelines were published in 2007.

The chief medical officers for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will jointly oversee this work. We expect the review of evidence to conclude in January 2014.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will develop a foetal alcohol syndrome strategy. [169934]

Jane Ellison: The Government's Alcohol Strategy, published on 23 March 2012, addresses the full range of harm from alcohol.

The strategy recognises that:

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are caused entirely by drinking alcohol during pregnancy and so are completely preventable; and

FASD can be caused by mothers drinking alcohol even before they know they are pregnant, so preventing them is strongly linked to reducing levels of heavy drinking in

the population, especially among women.

We will continue to raise awareness of the need for women who are pregnant or trying to conceive to avoid alcohol, including by increasing the awareness of health professionals.

The chief medical officer is overseeing a review of the Government's alcohol guidelines, including those for women who are pregnant or trying to conceive.

The Department will continue to raise awareness of research needs for FASD, including gaps in our knowledge on whether a ‘safe' level of alcohol consumption could be identified, how to characterise and diagnose neurodevelopmental problems in children with1 FASD, prevalence of the condition, and effective treatment.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the scientific paper by Sándor Spisák et al entitled “Complete Genes May Pass from Food to human Blood” published on 30 July 2013. [169787]

Jane Ellison: The Department is aware of the research paper by Spisák et al on the possible transfer of meal-derived DNA fragments into human blood. The research is being assessed by an expert committee as part of the continuing commitment to keep emerging evidence under review, within the implementation of the UK Five Year Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy.

Health

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department plans to issue an update to the document Living Well for Longer: Call to Action to Reduce Premature Mortality. [170708]

Jane Ellison: The Department will publish a five year plan for reducing premature mortality by the end of the year.

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Health and Wellbeing Boards

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which local authorities have not delegated funding to health and wellbeing boards; [169956]

(2) which local authorities have delegated funding to health and wellbeing boards. [169957]

Norman Lamb: Health and wellbeing boards are statutory committees of English local authorities. As a central Government Department, we therefore do not collect or hold data on which local authorities have and have not delegated funding to health and wellbeing boards.

While health and wellbeing boards have no statutory responsibility for holding commissioning budgets, local areas are able to delegate funding to a health and wellbeing board if they so wish.

The boards are under a statutory duty to encourage integrated working between commissioners of services across health, social care, public health and children's services, and are encouraged to explore how the mechanisms for integration included in the National Health Service Act 2006, such as pooled budgets or lead commissioning arrangements, can be used to provide more integrated commissioning across health and social care.

Health Services

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when he plans to introduce the new formula proposed by the fundamental review of allocations policy; [169809]

(2) whether the previous weighting for deprivation within the capitation formula has been removed or substantially downgraded in the new formula. [169810]

Dr Poulter: NHS England is currently carrying out a fundamental review of the allocations formula for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). No decisions have yet been taken on how allocations will be made in the future.

The allocations review draws on the expert advice of the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA) and involves a range of external partners. The review will be completed in time for initial conclusions to inform funding allocations for 2014-15.

ACRA proposed a target CCG formula in December 2012 which removed the weighting for deprivation that was in the allocation formula for primary care trusts. ACRA had previously indicated that the issue of a deprivation adjustment was one of subjective judgment and not supported by a clear, objective evidence base.

CCGs' budgets only represent part of the total funding for NHS services. NHS England is considering whether it would be better to reflect the health challenges of deprivation and inequalities by adjusting the CCG formula or by adjusting other funding streams, such as NHS England's budget for commissioning primary care.

ACRA has been reviewing the various metrics available for measuring deprivation but NHS England has not yet decided on the appropriate metric to use or what budgets (if any) to adjust.

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Health Visitors

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what his Department's policy is on the optimum number of cases handled per health visitor; [170769]

(2) what the average number of cases handled per health visitor in NHS England is. [170770]

Dr Poulter: The Department does not issue policy guidance relating to the optimum number of cases handled per health visitor. This is because the number of cases handled (often known as caseload), is most effectively and safely determined at the local level by the organisation providing the health visitor service. This approach ensures that local factors, particularly the demographics of the population and the associated level of need, can help determine not only caseload size, but also the appropriate skill mix of staff in local health visitor teams.

The Government's commitment to grow the health visitor workforce by an additional 4,200 full-time equivalents by April 2015 will ensure the availability of more staff, thereby allowing local services more flexibility in how they respond to demand.

The Department does not collect information about the average number of cases handled per health visitor.

Hearing Impairment

Mr Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the level of support currently available for people with hearing loss; and what steps he will take to support additional measures for those with hearing loss. [169832]

Norman Lamb: People with hearing loss receive a range of support including equipment choice, rehabilitation, family and peer support and communication support, including sign classes. The level of support provided is for clinical commissioning groups to determine according to local needs.

Discussions are currently taking place between the Department of Health, NHS England, Public Health England and other Government Departments in order to reach agreement on the publication of an Action Plan on Hearing Loss. We hope that this will be published before the end of the financial year.

Heart Diseases

Stuart Andrew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) who the Patient Experience members appointed to the Congenital Heart Services Clinical Reference Group are; [170727]

(2) by what process and subject to what criteria the Patient Experience members appointed to the Congenital Heart Services Clinical Reference Group were selected; [170728]

(3) at what time and on what date notice was given to stakeholders of the meeting of the NHS England Board Task and Finish Group held on 30 September 2013 concerning the congenital heart disease review; and how that notice was distributed; [170729]

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(4) if he will direct the congenital heart disease Review to follow the recommendations of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel and to take account of the outcome of the judicial review case brought against the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts; and if he will make a statement. [170785]

Jane Ellison: NHS England is responsible for conducting the new review of congenital heart disease services. We have instructed NHS England to take this work forward on the basis of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel's report into the Safe and Sustainable review of children's heart surgery, and the court judgment in favour of the Leeds-based campaign group Save Our Surgery.

NHS England is committed to a review that is robust, transparent and inclusive, in the interests of delivering high-quality and sustainable services for all patients.

Information on the detail of the new review can be found on NHS England's website at:

www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/qual-clin-lead/chd/

Hospitals: Parking

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department gives hospitals on the provision of parking for (a) district nurses, (b) midwives and (c) other visiting health professionals. [170584]

Dr Poulter: National health service organisations are responsible locally for decisions on the management of car parking in relation to patients, visitors and staff which will be made to support their clinical and operational needs.

Guidance has not been published specifically in relation to provision of hospital parking to district nurses, midwives and other visiting health professionals. However, the provision of hospital parking for staff is included in:

Fair for all, not free for all—Principles for sustainable car parking, published by the NHS Confederation; and

Health Technical Memorandum 07-03—Transport management and car-parking, published by the Department. A copy of this document has already been placed in the Library.

Injuries

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department issues to the NHS on referring/reporting suspected non-accidental injuries. [170772]

Dr Poulter: ‘Non-accidental injuries' may refer to a number of issues; this answer covers safeguarding children. It is essential that everyone working in the health and social care system does their part to support the vital work to safeguard vulnerable children.

The Department of Health has not issued guidance to the national health service on safeguarding children. Under the Children Act 2004, NHS bodies have a statutory duty to make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. The Department for Education (DFES) leads for the Government on safeguarding children. In March 2013, DFE published revised inter-agency statutory guidance, “Working Together

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to Safeguard Children”. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence published a clinical guideline “When to suspect child maltreatment” in 2009.

More specifically, the Health and Social Care Information Centre is currently conducting a feasibility study on how to improve NHS data collection on female genital mutilation (FGM). This will improve information sharing for better care of those affected by FGM and will also support prevention and better safeguarding in at-risk communities.

Later this year the Department is convening a roundtable of representatives from FGM clinics, stakeholders and Government Departments to explore how to ensure that the collection of data on FGM within the NHS is more consistent, as well as how to improve the sharing of this data in order to better safeguard vulnerable girls.

Lyme Disease

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have been diagnosed with Lyme disease in each region of the UK in each of the last three years; and what steps his Department has taken to prevent the spread of Lyme disease in that time. [169760]

Jane Ellison: The total number of cases diagnosed in each region of the United Kingdom in each of the last three years is:

Total cases reported include those acquired overseas, often in countries where Lyme disease is more prevalent, which range from 18% to 21% of reports between 2009 and 2011.

Awareness of tick exposure, education and personal protection against tick bites are the primary prevention of Lyme diseases. Public Health England (PHE) issues regular bulletins on prevention of bites from ticks and recently wrote to all general practitioners in May 2013 to raise awareness across England and Wales. Similar advice is issued by a number of local authorities in England and Wales, and across Scotland.

PHE recently held an open day with patients and professionals on 9 October 2013 to discuss many of the issues on diagnosis, treatment and awareness raising.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what protocol is in place for the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease. [169761]

Jane Ellison: No fixed “protocol” exists for the management of Lyme disease. The Public Health England and national health service websites contain information on this and refer to published articles. General practitioners

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are advised to treat the rash as diagnostic and treat cases accordingly. Infectious disease and other consultants investigate Lyme disease as part of the possible diagnoses relating to the presenting symptoms, as for any other disorder, and treat accordingly.

As with most other diseases, treatment and management of Lyme disease are part of general higher professional training.

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research into Lyme disease his Department plans to commission in (a) 2013-14 and (b) 2014-15. [169762]

Jane Ellison: The Department has no current plans to commission research into Lyme disease in 2013-14 or 2014-15.

Medical Records

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures are followed when a patient disputes a medical diagnosis on their NHS record; what rights of appeal a patient has in such circumstances; and if he will make a statement. [169747]

Dr Poulter: Where a patient disputes a medical diagnosis on their medical record they can make an informal approach to the health professional concerned to discuss the situation in an attempt to have the records amended. If they cannot agree, the Department recommends that the data controller should allow the patient to include a statement within their record to the effect that they disagree with the content.

Alternatively, the patient can make a complaint under the national health service complaints arrangements and have it investigated. If they are not satisfied with the outcome of that complaint, they have the right to refer the matter to the health service ombudsman.

Medical Records: Children

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how medical records for children are kept and shared between (a) health visitors, (b) GPs, (c) accident and emergency services and (d) other medical professionals. [170771]

Dr Poulter: Each national health service organisation is responsible for maintaining its own medical records, and for ensuring that personal information is shared with professionals in other NHS organisations when it is in the child's best interests. Increasingly this sharing can be conducted electronically and the NHS has established national standards and specifications in relation to system interoperability to support information sharing between organisations.

The Department is sponsoring the Child Protection Information Sharing (CP-IS) project which will enable health care staff to see whether any child with whom they come into contact is the subject of a child protection plan, regardless of where in the country that child normally resides.

Patients—including children—in England will soon all have an NHS Summary Care Record, containing information about any medication they receive, allergies

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and adverse reactions, and this will be accessible to clinicians working in accident and emergency, out of hours services and community settings.

Meningitis: Vaccination

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has commissioned or conducted a population-based evaluation of the meningitis B vaccine. [170614]

Jane Ellison: The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation has not yet finalised and submitted its position statement on meningococcal B vaccine to the Department, and we have not yet made an assessment of the need for a population-based evaluation of the meningococcal B vaccine, Bexsero®.

Mental Health Services

Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to local clinical commissioning groups on the importance of commissioning good mental health services in areas of high deprivation. [170270]

Norman Lamb: Under the Health and Social Care Act 2012, NHS England has a general duty to issue commissioning guidance.

NHS England will support clinical commissioning groups and ensure that they are safely and effectively discharging their commissioning responsibilities, and are making progress in delivering outcomes. This support may include providing supportive commissioning resources, tools or guidance.

The Government have also made improving mental health and treating mental illness a priority for NHS England. The Mandate to NHS England makes clear that everyone who needs it should have timely access to evidence based services. This will include extending and ensuring more open access to the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programmes, in particular for children and young people, and for those out of work.

The Government will hold NHS England to account for the quality of services and outcomes for mental health patients through the NHS Outcomes Framework.

Mental Health Services: Haringey

Mr Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve the provision of mental health services in Haringey. [169765]

Norman Lamb: The provision of mental health services in Haringey is a matter for the local national health service.

The Department is supporting local organisations in taking effective action to improve mental health. ‘No health without mental health’, our mental health strategy and implementation framework, and our suicide prevention strategy, focus on specific actions which specific local organisations can take to improve mental health across the life course in their areas.

We are told by NHS England that in 2013-14 Haringey Clinical Commissioning Group is investing over £30 million in care for patients with mental health needs or learning disabilities.

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Muscular Dystrophy

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department is taking to support sufferers of muscular dystrophy; [170398]

(2) what steps he is taking to ensure that specialist centres are appropriately equipped to treat (a) muscular dystrophy and (b) similar conditions. [170401]

Norman Lamb: Making the national health service more responsive to the needs of people with long-term conditions, including those with neurological conditions such as muscular dystrophy, is a key Government priority and we have committed to this in the NHS Mandate, the NHS Constitution and the NHS Outcomes Framework.

The Mandate and Outcomes Framework includes objectives for NHS England to make the NHS among the best in the world at supporting people with ongoing health problems to live healthily and independently, with much better control over the care they receive.

Further, as set out in the NHS Constitution, people with neurological conditions such as muscular dystrophy should have an agreed, personalised care plan.

NHS Choices has published materials to support self-care. The Expert Patients Programme also supports people to increase their confidence, improve their quality of life and better manage their condition.

NHS England is now responsible for the commissioning of specialised services, improving both the quality and consistency of specialised care. These new national commissioning arrangements will significantly enhance equity of access and outcomes for patients across the country.

To ensure that specialised neurology service providers are able to deliver a quality specialised service, all providers have undergone a process of self-assessment against the national neurosciences service specification requirements, developed by the Clinical Reference Group for Neurosciences. Nationally, this will ensure a consistent quality of service for patients with neurological conditions such as muscular dystrophy.

NHS Property Services

Mr Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the net value is of the property portfolio (a) managed and (b) owned by NHS Property Services Ltd. [169895]

Dr Poulter: The bulk of the former primary care trust and strategic health authority estate transferred to NHS Property Services Ltd as of 1 April this year, such that it is both owned and managed by that company. This equated to circa 4,000 buildings with a net book value of around £3 billion. The consolidation of the estate into a single body will allow efficiency savings to be generated.

NHS Walk-in Centres

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his letter of 12 September 2013, if his Department will start to routinely collect data on the number of NHS walk-in centres in England. [169976]

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Jane Ellison: It is a matter for NHS England to decide what data to collect on national health service walk-in centres (NHS WiCs). Some NHS WiCs are currently classified as a type of accident and emergency department (A&E) and data from them are collected as part of the routine A&E performance data published each week by NHS England. There are no plans to begin collecting data on the number of NHS WiCs.

NHS: Drugs

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proportion of patients with atrial fibrillation are receiving any kind of anticoagulation therapy; [170151]

(2) if he will introduce a national patient survey for users of anticoagulation services similar in design to the National Cancer Patient Experience Survey; [170152]

(3) what steps his Department is taking to ensure patient self-monitoring devices for people on long-term warfarin are available on NHS prescription. [170153]

Norman Lamb: Data on the use of treatments for atrial fibrillation (AF) are not centrally collected. However, data on the percentage¹ of patients with AF who receive either oral anticoagulant drug therapy or an anti-platelet therapy² is collected via the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) AF3 indicator. The latest data available are from 2011-12, where this percentage in England was 93.7%³.

Responsibility for determining the overall national approach to improving clinical outcomes from health care services lies with NHS England. We are advised NHS England has no plans to introduce a national patient survey for users of anticoagulation services.

It is for individual clinical commissioning groups to commission treatment and services for patients with AF as they are best placed to identify what is needed in their local areas.

Under its Diagnostics Assessment Programme, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is developing guidance on self-monitoring coagulometers for self-testing or self-managing coagulation status in patients with AF or heart valve disease for whom long-term vitamin K antagonist therapy is intended. NICE expects to issue guidance in July 2014. NHS England advises that it will then consider what action, if any, is required, taking this guidance into account.

¹ The percentage is that of patients with AF whose records show they have been prescribed anti-coagulant or anti-platelet drug therapy in the preceding six months.

² For the purposes of the QOF, acceptable anti-coagulation agents are warfarin and phenindione, acceptable anti-platelet agents are aspirin, clopidogrel and dipyridamole.

³Source:

Health and Social Care Information Centre

NHS: Finance

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate what real-terms changes in financial allocations would be faced by Rotherham CCG if the recommendations of fundamental review of allocations policy in the NHS were adopted. [170261]

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Dr Poulter: We have been informed by NHS England that, using the proposed allocation formula to distribute funding in 2013-14, Rotherham Clinical Commissioning Group would have received an allocation of £308.107 million as its fair share: a reduction of £20.979 million on its actual allocation.

NHS England was concerned that using the formula in this way would destabilise local areas, and therefore opted for a uniform increase in funding to all clinical commissioning groups in order to provide stability and protection.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the primary aim of the fundamental review of allocations policy is. [170262]

Dr Poulter: We have been informed by NHS England that the full terms of reference, including the main aims, of the fundamental review of allocations policy are available on its website at:

www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ann-d-tor.pdf

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department provided guidance to the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation whilst it was revising the funding formula during the fundamental review of allocations policy. [170263]

Dr Poulter: No guidance was provided to the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA) by the Department or any of its Ministers.

Responsibility for resource allocation is a matter for NHS England as set out in ‘The Mandate’. NHS England is overseeing the fundamental review of allocation policy and will draw on the expert advice of ACRA and involve a range of external partners. The review will be completed in time for initial conclusions to inform 2014-15 allocations. NHS England will consider the recommendations and findings of ACRA as part of this.

Nursing and Midwifery Council

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many fitness to practise cases being dealt with by the Nursing and Midwifery Council have been outstanding for (a) over 12 months and (b) over two years; [170511]

(2) how many fitness to practise cases dealt with by the Nursing and Midwifery Council have been referred under section 29 of the National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act in (a) the last 12 months and (b) the last two years. [170513]

Dr Poulter: The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the regulator for nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom, working in the public interest to safeguard the health and wellbeing of the public.

The NMC is an independent body and responsible for matters concerning the discharge of its statutory duties, including pursuing fitness to practise (FtP) investigations against its registrants. Statistical information

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about NMC FtP cases is not routinely collected or held centrally. However, departmental officials have contacted the NMC and the following information has been provided.

As at 8 October 2013, the NMC was dealing with 4,362 FtP cases, of these 1,507 cases were aged over 12 months and 320 cases were aged over 24 months.

During the period 1 April 2011 to 31 March 2013, two of the FtP cases adjudicated by the NMC were referred under section 29 of the National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act. Subsequently, the Professional Standards Authority (PSA) withdrew one of these appeals. During the period 1 April to 1 October 2013, the PSA has lodged two further appeals of NMC FtP cases in the High Court.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Nursing and Midwifery Council about improvements to its practice and procedures; and if he will make a statement. [170512]

Dr Poulter: Ministers have regular discussions with the Nursing and Midwifery Council on improvements to practice and procedures. The most recent such discussion took place on 2 September 2013.

Performance Appraisal

Mrs Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of (a) disabled and (b) all other staff employed by his Department received each level of performance rating in their end-of-year performance assessment for 2012-13. [170459]

Dr Poulter: The overall year performance ratings for the year-end assessments in 2012-13 covering civil servants with disabilities and all other civil servants in the Department can be found in the following two tables: