Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many out-patient appointments were cancelled in each NHS trust in London in the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [187051]

Jane Ellison: Information on the number of out-patient appointments which were recorded as cancelled in each national health service trust in London between 2008-09 and 2012-13 has been placed in the Library.

Not all NHS trusts have provided data submissions to outpatients hospital episode statistics for the period covered. In addition, some recording practice of cancellations shows some, variation.

Some providers do not record any cancellations, while others have changed recording practice in the period reported.

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Hospitals: Yorkshire and the Humber

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times he has made an official visit to a hospital in Yorkshire and Humber. [187327]

Dr Poulter: The following list provides details of the official 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 the Yorkshire and the Humber region since September 2012.

Secretary of State (Mr Jeremy Hunt):

28 January 2013: Airedale Hospital, Yorkshire

4 July 2013: Calderdale Royal Hospital, Calderdale

3 October 2013: Richmond House Care Home, Leeds

18 October 2013: Harrogate Hospital, Harrogate

Minister of State (Norman Lamb):

20 March 2013: Castleford Care Home, Leeds

16 October 2013: Disability Action Yorkshire, Harrogate

7 November 2013: Botton Village Intentional Care Village, Danby

7 November 2013: Barnsley Better Care Fund Pioneer site, Barnsley

11 February 2014: South Leeds Independence Centre, Leeds

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Dr Daniel Poulter):

1 November 2012: Airedale Hospital, Keighley

17 January 2013: Jessop Maternity Hospital, Sheffield

17 January 2013: Sheffield Children's Hospital, Sheffield

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Jane Ellison) joined the ministerial team 7 October 2013 and has not undertaken a visit to Yorkshire and the Humber.

The then Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Anna Soubry) who held this position until 7 October 2013 undertook the following visits:

15 April 2013: Institute of Obesity, Rotherham

15 April 2013: ‘Breathing Space’ for those with COPD¹, Rotherham

24 June 2013: Doncaster and Bassetlaw hospital, Doncaster

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Earl Howe):

23 November 2012: Greater Huddersfield CCG², Huddersfield

23 November 2012: Boulevard Medical Practice, Halifax

23 November 2012: Grange Group Medical Practice, Huddersfield

¹ COPD—chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

² CCG—clinical commissioning group

In Vitro Fertilisation

Mr Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has (a) taken and (b) plans to take in the next 12 months against IVF clinics which have destroyed embryos in error without patient consent; how many incidences of such destruction of embryos have occurred in each of the last five years; what action was taken under section 17(1)(c) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990; and if he will make a statement. [187161]

Jane Ellison: The regulation of in vitro fertilisation clinics in the United Kingdom is the responsibility of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA), under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, as amended. The HFEA requires staff at licensed fertility clinics to report adverse incidents and near misses that happen at their clinic. The HFEA then

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investigates the causes and ensures the clinic involved puts measures in place to prevent the same error happening again.

We have asked the HFEA to write to the hon. Member to provide details on the number incidences of embryos destroyed in error without patient consent, in each of the last five years. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Medical Records: Data Protection

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many errors in handling patient data resulting in breaches of confidentiality took place in the NHS in each of the last five years for which data are available. [186990]

Dr Poulter: This information is not collected centrally.

We have no evidence that there are widespread failings in data handling that would warrant the burden of a new data collection. Errors in data handling might include wrongly addressed e-mails, conversations in public spaces and other errors which need to be managed locally.

Responsibility for handling data securely and confidentially rests with individual local organisations. If a patient has any concerns over how errors to medical records are handled or finds they are the subject of a confidentiality breach they should report it as soon as possible to the organisation concerned through their complaints procedure process. In extreme cases incidents should be reported to the Information Commissioner.

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether information on the treatment and diagnosis of sensitive health conditions will be excluded from the care.data extraction of patient data. [186991]

Dr Poulter: The Health and Social Care Information Centre will exclude from the care.data extraction any clinical data entries that contain “sensitive” codes as defined in the current sensitive data standard published by the Independent Standards Board. Work is also under way to consult bodies such as the Royal Colleges, British Medical Association and patient groups to update the current standard and to ensure that any new codes created since the publication of the existing standard are identified and included.

Mr Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures his Department has to audit the usage and security of patient data disclosed to third parties by the Health and Social Care Information Centre; whether any audits have been carried out on such usage; and whether any confidentiality breaches have taken place in the last two years. [186992]

Dr Poulter: The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) is responsible for ensuring that it does not disclose information to bodies that do not have secure data handling procedures. The HSCIC requires all bodies requesting information to meet published information security standards and to sign an agreement that enables the HSCIC to conduct audits where stronger assurance is desirable. Prior to the creation of the current HSCIC an audit of the Public Health Observatories,

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now part of Public Health England, was conducted in 2010. There have been no recorded confidentiality breaches by any recipient of data from the HSCIC or its predecessor over the past two years.

Mental Health Services

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of how much the NHS spent on mindfulness-based treatments in each of the last five years. [186807]

Norman Lamb: No such estimate has been made. We do not hold data on spend across the country on mindfulness treatments centrally.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the number of people who would benefit from mindfulness-based therapies approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE); and how many people were being treated by mindfulness-based therapies approved by NICE in the latest period for which figures are available. [187382]

Norman Lamb: No such assessment has been made. We do not collect the requested information centrally.

Mental Health Services: Greater London

Mr Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many mental health staff were employed by the NHS in each NHS trust in London in the last five years for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [187052]

Dr Poulter: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Mental Health Services: Prisons

Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to reduce the number of women with mental health problems in the prison system. [186799]

Norman Lamb: The Government are testing liaison and diversion services in England, to identify and assess the health issues and vulnerabilities of all offenders, including women, when they enter the criminal justice system.

Liaison and diversion services in police stations and courts will mean that people with mental health illnesses, learning disabilities and substance misuse problems receive the treatment they need at the earliest possible stage. The Government have recently announced 10 plot areas at a total cost of £25 million with a plan to roll these services out across England by 2017 subject to the full business case.

Liaison and diversion assessments will be available to magistrates and judges to consider when sentencing offenders, and will help to ensure that offenders receive the most appropriate treatment as soon as possible. This could include treatment outside of prison, subject to the sentencing court's discretion.

NHS England will be commissioning liaison and diversion services against a service specification that

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requires service providers to demonstrate that they are responding appropriately to meet the range of women's health needs.

NHS: Awards

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 3 December 2013, Official Report, column 648W, on National Clinical Excellence Awards, what consideration he has given to offering awards to those performing clinical roles other than that of consultant in medical teams. [187353]

Dr Poulter: Clinical Excellence Awards recognise and reward national health service consultants and academic general practitioners who perform 'over and above' the standard expected of their role. Awards are given for quality and excellence, acknowledging exceptional personal contributions.

Offering awards to those performing clinical roles other than NHS consultants was among many possibilities considered by the United Kingdom wide review of the schemes by the independent Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' remuneration. This report, Review of compensation levels, incentives and the Clinical Excellence and Distinction Award schemes for NHS Consultants was laid in Parliament on 17 December 2012 (CM.8518).

Pay

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many civil servants are on each pay grade in (a) his Department and (b) agencies and public bodies accountable to him. [187247]

Dr Poulter: Information about the number of civil servants in each pay grade is published routinely as part of the Department of Health's Monthly Workforce Data. The latest published information, as at 31 December 2013, is available at:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/dh-workforce-information-2013

The relevant data for the Department and its Executive agencies has been extracted in the following table.

The Department's non-departmental public bodies do not employ civil servants.

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Sugar

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which medical conditions and diseases are adversely affected by an above-average consumption of sugar. [186784]

Jane Ellison: Excessive sugar consumption increases the risk of tooth decay, contributes to calorie intake, and the resulting raised blood sugar may be particularly of concern for people with diabetes.

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition are reviewing carbohydrates. The review will assess the evidence on sugar and subsequently provide up to date advice on sugar consumption and its impact on health outcomes.

We continue to advise people to eat a healthy, balanced diet and that sugary foods and drinks should be consumed sparingly in order to reduce the above mentioned risks.

Transplant Surgery: Bone Marrow Disorders

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) at which English hospitals long-term follow-up care of bone marrow transplant recipients normally resident in Wales has taken place; and how many such bone marrow transplant recipients were treated at each such hospital in the last five years; [186812]

(2) how many individual funding requests have been (a) made and (b) granted allowing a bone marrow transplant recipient normally resident in Wales to receive long-term follow-up care in an English hospital once they reach 100 days after their transplant; and what the total amount of such requests (i) made and (ii) granted was in the last five years. [186813]

Jane Ellison: This information is not held centrally.

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people normally resident in Wales have undergone a bone marrow transplant at an English hospital. [186814]

Jane Ellison: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table.

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Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the five-year survival rate of people who have received a bone marrow transplant. [186815]

Jane Ellison: NHS England has advised that the British Society of Blood and Marrow Transplantation reported in 2013 that for all patients treated in United Kingdom centres, five year survival of patients who have received a bone marrow transplant between 2005 and 2010 was 55% for adults and 64% in children.

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Note:

This survival data may include deaths that are unrelated to the bone marrow transplant.

Deputy Prime Minister

Colombia

Jim Shannon: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the outcomes were of his recent official visit to Colombia. [186781]

The Deputy Prime Minister: Supported by Lord Livingston, I led a diverse business delegation to Colombia. I met President Santos and a number of other Ministers from the Colombian Government, as well as groups from civil society and business, to take forward a range of government objectives, including setting a target for bilateral trade and investment of £4 billion by 2020; continued co-operation on tackling organised crime and drugs; and the post-2015 international development framework. I also pursued objectives on environment, science and innovation, and education with relevant Ministers. In addition, I discussed the UK's continued support for the Colombian peace process and efforts to tackle human rights abuses with the President, representatives of victims of the conflict, and NGOs working on human rights issues.

Electoral Register

Mr Blunkett: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 4 February 2014, Official Report, column 79W, on electoral register, when applicants for the Rock Enroll initiative in schools who submitted proposals by the deadline of August 2013 will be told whether they have been awarded funding. [186809]

Greg Clark: All applicants to the Rock Enrol! initiative have been informed of the outcome of the process.

International Development

Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of the office space owned or leased by her Department is not in regular use; what the total (a) rental and (b) retail value is of all such unused office space; and if she will place in the Library a copy of her most recent departmental real estate valuation. [186869]

Mr Duncan: DFID has two HQ buildings in the UK. Both buildings are fully utilised.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what part the UK will play in international scrutiny of the anti-corruption pact in Democratic Republic of Congo. [186742]

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Lynne Featherstone: The UK facilitated a seminar to draft an anti-corruption pact between the public, private and third sectors in December 2012. This Pact was finalised over the course of the following year, with the official signing and launch on 9 December 2013 to coincide with International Anti-Corruption Day. The Pact commits the parties to refrain from corruption, instil ethical values in their organisations, and adhere to the principles of integrity, good governance, respect and transparency. Support for subsequent anti-corruption measures will be provided through DFID DRC's Private Sector Development Programme.

Syria

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance her Department has provided for children's health and education in Syria since the beginning of unrest in that country. [186779]

Justine Greening: The UK is providing £241 million to support vulnerable people within Syria. This includes £12.8 million to UNICEF for neonatal care for 5,000 displaced infants and medical kits for 1.2 million displaced adults and children; £10.7 million to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) enabling them to provide community services and education for 28,000 displaced persons including children and £8 million to the World Health Organisation (WHO) for life-saving medicines to meet the needs of over 900,000 conflict-affected people, including children.

The UK has committed £30 million to the No Lost Generation Initiative to provide protection, trauma care and education for children affected by the crisis across the region, including Syria.

Defence

Air Force: Redundancy

Mrs Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department undertook an analysis of its human resources needs before taking the recent decision to make redundancies among medical and dental staff from the RAF. [186925]

Dr Murrison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Under-Secretary of State for Defence, my hon. Friend the Member for Broxtowe (Anna Soubry), on 6 February 2014, Official Report, column 349W.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on armed forces recruitment post-2014; [187311]

(2) what assessment he has made of the potential implications of Scottish independence on recruitment to the armed forces. [187312]

Dr Murrison: The UK Government are confident that the Scottish people will vote to remain part of the United Kingdom. Therefore, the Government are not

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planning for Scottish independence. I have had no discussions with the Scottish Government on armed forces recruitment in the event of Scottish independence. Neither have I made an assessment of the potential implications of possible Scottish independence for recruitment to the armed forces.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of Royal Navy officers are recruited from (a) Scotland, (b) England and Wales and (c) Northern Ireland. [187315]

Anna Soubry: The Royal Navy recruits officers mainly through seven regionally located Officer Careers Liaison Centres in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Peterborough and Plymouth in England; Rosyth in Scotland; and Belfast in Northern Ireland. The numbers shown in the following table relate to entrants processed through these offices only. They do not reflect the region the recruit originates from.

In addition, a number of officer candidates are processed centrally through the Admiralty Interview Board, for example those on bursaries and sponsorship schemes; specialists, for example medical officers; and inter-service transfers.

These figures are for the period April 2010 to January 2014 and are regular service entrants only; they exclude commissions from the ranks.

Armed Forces: Vehicles

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many vehicle urgent operational requirements of each type have been (a) ordered and (b) delivered to Headquarters Land Forces since 2006. [186886]

Dr Murrison: Since 2006, the following vehicle urgent operational requirements by type have been ordered and delivered to the British armed forces:

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Buildings

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the office space owned or leased by his Department is not in regular use; what the total (a) rental and (b) retail value is of all such unused office space; and if he will place in the Library a copy of his most recent departmental real estate valuation. [186862]

Dr Murrison: Departmental office space is regularly used. Where any excess office space is identified it is disposed of or is subject to lease termination.

The value of the estate is published in the Ministry of Defence's Annual Report and Accounts within the Statement of Financial Position-Property, Plant and Equipment category. The most recent published report is for financial year 2012-13, this is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/mod-annual-report-and-accounts-201213

European Defence Agency

Sir Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence on 3 February 2014, Official Report, column 14, on European Defence Agency, what types of expenditure by the agency fall into (a) its operational budget and (b) its functional budget; what the purpose is of the agency's functional expenditure; and if he will make a statement. [187223]

Dr Murrison: The European Defence Agency budget's operational element is used to fund operational projects and studies. The functional element funds the agency personnel and general running costs, such as facilities and travel.

Nuclear Submarines

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to paragraph 37 of his Department's Safety and Environmental Protection Assurance Report 2012-13, what the life-limiting features that cannot be mitigated through life extension programmes are for existing nuclear-powered submarines. [187336]

Mr Dunne: The life-limiting features referred to in the Ministry of Defence's Safety and Environmental Protection Assurance Report 2012-13 are those components of the nuclear reactor plant whose replacement is not considered to be a financially or technically viable option. While existing life extension programmes provide some refurbishment and maintenance of these components,

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the length of time they can safely be operated will ultimately determine the limits on the life of the reactor plant.

This issue is common to both defence and civil reactor plant and equipment, and the Office for Nuclear Regulation has recognised the safe management of ageing plant as a key issue for industry to manage.

Information on reactor plant design is being withheld for the purpose of safeguarding national security.

Protection of Military Remains Act 1986

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will publish details of the location and contents of all the controlled sites and protected place sites designated and administered by his Department under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986. [186935]

Dr Murrison: The requested information is published in Statutory Instrument 2012 No. 1110 which is available online at the following address:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/1110/made

Riot Control Weapons

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the report entitled The medical implications of vehicle-mounted water cannon with special reference to the Ziegler Wasserwerfer 9000 (WaWe 9) system, published by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in 2013. [186847]

Dr Murrison [holding answer 10 February 2014]: The work referred to was conducted on behalf of the independent non-departmental public body SACMILL (The Scientific Advisory Committee on the Medical Implications of Less-Lethal Weapons) in order to inform a medical statement which will form part of the package of documents inviting the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), to make a decision to authorise the use of water cannon by the police in England and Wales. A decision on its release is a matter for the Home Office.

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Veterans: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

David Mowat: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what due diligence and accurate detailed correlation exists between civilian clinical practitioners' notes and his Department's individual service records when conducting treatment or diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder among veterans. [186879]

Dr Murrison: When an individual joins the armed forces they are registered with the Defence Medical Services (DMS) and a new DMS medical record is created. Their NHS medical record from before this period is 'frozen' and held by the NHS in a central location. The NHS record is held until the individual registers with an NHS general practitioner on leaving service. At this point the NHS medical record is posted to the new GP. The service leaver is provided with a summary of their DMS medical record (FMed 133) to give to their new NHS GP. The FMed 133 also includes instructions on how the NHS GP can request their full DMS medical record.

In some cases, an individual may not hand over their FMed 133 to their new NHS GP, or make clear that they are a veteran. Since December 2013, therefore, on registration with an NHS GP, the individual's previous NHS record is sent to the GP with a letter included in it. This letter informs the NHS GP that the patient has been under the care of the DMS. It also gives details of how the GP can obtain the individual's full DMS medical record from the MOD, if they deem it necessary.

Over the next 12 months, work will continue to develop the systems further to allow for a summary of in-service care to be included with the NHS record when it is sent to the NHS GP. It is anticipated that this will be (or will be similar to) the FMed 133. This will ensure that the NHS GP will know that they are dealing with a veteran and will automatically give them a summary of their military medical record. The NHS GP will also know how they can get a copy of the full DMS medical history if they decide that they require it.

Review of the original NHS and DMS medical records to identify the diagnoses made and treatment regimes recommended are a matter for the new NHS GP.