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Housing: Tenancy Deposit Scheme
Baroness Scott of Needham Market asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): The Government have made good progress towards implementing statutory tenancy deposit schemes, which will apply to all assured shorthold tenancies, where a deposit is taken, in England and Wales.
There will be two types of scheme: a single custodial scheme, where deposits will be paid into and held in a separate account, and one or more insurance-based schemes, where the landlord or agent will hold the deposit and any failure on his/her part to repay it to the tenant will be covered by the scheme's insurance arrangements. Each scheme will offer an alternative dispute resolution service.
The schemes were originally due to be commenced on 1 October 2006. However, in a press release published on 23 June 2006 to accompany the publication of a summary of responses to a consultation document published in November 2005, the Government said that, in order to consider stakeholder concerns raised by that consultation, they had decided to review the commencement date and would confirm that date before Parliament rose in the summer.
Iraq and Afghanistan: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Lord Jones of Cheltenham asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to provide assistance to Armed Forces personnel suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental conditions as a result of service in Iraq and Afghanistan.[HL6421]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): The MoD recognises post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a serious and disabling condition, but one which can be treated. We attach a high priority to increasing awareness of stress-related disorders, and to their diagnosis and treatment.
Teaching and training service personnel about operational stress and its management starts at the time of entry into the services and continues through their career.
We have put in place measures to increase awareness at all levels and to militate against the development of PTSD and other stress-related disorders occurring among service personnel. These include pre- and post-deployment briefing and the availability of support, assessment and, if required, treatment, both during and after deployments. This is available to all personnel, whether regular or mobilised reservist.
During their pre-deployment medical, while deployed or during the post-deployment normalisation period, all personnel including reservists can identify themselves to any medical officer or their chain of command if they believe they are suffering from any mental health condition. It is our policy that no stigma should be attached to this. Diagnosis and treatment of mental illness, including PTSD, is then performed by fully trained and accredited mental health staff.
Mental health professionals (psychiatrists and/or mental health nurses) are part of the deployed medical team on all significant operational deployments. This team will continue the educational process during the operational tour and will also brief the chain of command about operational mental health issues that are detected. Individuals might be referred to the team for assessment and management—the therapeutic options will include psychological treatments, the use of medication, or aeromedical evacuation of the individual out of theatre back to further care at their home base.
After deployment, it is policy to offer individuals a further briefing prior to returning to their home base, using a variety of media materials. Efforts are also made to arrange a “decompression period” during which servicemen can begin mentally and physically to unwind after their operational tour while having time to talk to colleagues and superiors about their experiences. Such a decompression phase appears to help the return to the non-operational environment. Returning personnel are also offered a presentation and issued with leaflets to alert them to the possible after-effects of the operational deployment.
Once back at their home base, community-based mental healthcare is available to every military unit via our 15 departments of community mental health (DCMH) across the UK plus satellite centres overseas. DCMH teams comprise psychiatrists and mental health nurses, with access to clinical psychologists and mental health social workers. The aim is to see referred individuals at their unit medical centre and, with the patient's permission, to engage with GPs and the patient's chain of command to help manage any mental health
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Inpatient care, when necessary, is provided in psychiatric units belonging to the Priory Group. Close liaison is maintained between DCMHs and the Priory units to ensure that all service elements relating to an inpatient’s care and management are addressed.
Should it be decided, after a patient has been assessed and managed as effectively as possible, that he/she will not be able to continue serving in the Armed Forces and will therefore need to be medically discharged, every effort is made to ensure a seamless transfer back to civilian life. The MoD liaises with the individual's future civilian GP and any NHS consultant that he or she might need to see. Individuals are referred to the defence mental health social workers, who offer the individual significant help in rehabilitating them back to civilian life, with advice on resettlement, medical issues, pensions, housing, employment etc. Service personnel are also made aware of the services offered by ex-service men’s organisations such as the Royal British Legion and the specialist mental health charity Combat Stress.
Upon leaving the Armed Forces, or on demobilisation for reservists, it is the long-established practice that responsibility for medical care passes to the NHS, and for the majority of veterans their health needs will be met by current NHS provisions. However, the MoD has work in hand to ensure that there is a coherent response to veterans’ mental health issues, co-ordinating inputs from the NHS, health departments throughout the UK, the services and ex-service men’s organisations, including the charity Combat Stress. Indeed, for treatments not available under the NHS, the Government fund courses of care at Combat Stress facilities, which last year cost £2.8 million, for those whose condition is due to service and for whom this is an appropriate course.
In support of these developments, the MoD is also working on further initiatives relating, for example, to the prevention and management of problems arising out of operational stress and to the need to address issues of stigma and discrimination. With respect to the department's responsibility for veterans in particular, we have work in hand to ensure that service leavers can recognise the signs of stress and know where to go for help, using suitable magazine-style material.
The MoD recently announced a new mental healthcare initiative for recently demobilised reservists, which will include a dedicated mental health assessment by appropriately qualified members of the Defence Medical Services (DMS). If individuals are then assessed as having a mental health problem that is categorised primarily as PTSD or a related traumatic adjustment disorder that is linked to their mobilised service, they will be offered outpatient treatment by the DMS. In instances where the assessment identifies cases that fall outside these parameters, such as complex multi-disorder diagnoses or acute cases requiring inpatient care, the DMS will refer them to the appropriate NHS provider, as well as encouraging contact with the relevant welfare
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Israel: Tom Hurndall and James Miller
Baroness Northover asked Her Majesty's Government:
What actions will now be taken by the Office of the Attorney General following the Attorney-General's recent meetings with the Israeli Attorney General and other Israeli Ministers and officials in regard to the Tom Hurndall and James Miller cases.[HL6252]
The Attorney-General (Lord Goldsmith): Following the recent inquests into the tragic deaths of James Miller and Thomas Hurndall in Gaza, the coroner wrote to me asking that I consider possible prosecutions in the United Kingdom. Since receiving that request, I met both the families on 5 May to discuss the cases. I also took advantage of a long-standing arrangement to visit Israel in the week commencing 21 May to have a meeting with the Attorney General and the Military Advocate General and the military prosecutors involved in these two cases. I also raised these cases in meetings with the Israeli Foreign Minister and the Minister of Justice and separately held meetings with Israeli lawyers, including the lawyers for the families. The principal purpose was to obtain further information about the cases and the investigations that were undertaken by the Israeli authorities to inform my decision, but I also raised the issue of holding an independent inquiry into the deaths and subsequent investigation and pressed for appropriate compensation to be paid, particularly to Mrs Miller, without delay.
The Israeli authorities are now actively considering disciplinary action against a soldier for lying in the course of the field investigation that took place following the death of James Miller. I also understand that the Israeli authorities are keen to make contact with the Miller family to discuss compensation.
My office has passed information about my visit to the Crown Prosecution Service and the Metropolitan Police and has also updated the English solicitors acting for the Miller and Hurndall families.
As a result of my visit I expect to obtain further information shortly that will assist me in carrying out my independent role in considering prosecutions in the United Kingdom. I will inform the House once I have reached a concluded view.
NHS: In Vitro Fertilisation
Baroness Gould of Potternewton asked Her Majesty's Government:
To what age the National Health Service offers free in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment; what percentage of patients are offered natural IVF and
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The Minister of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner): The clinical guideline on the assessment and treatment of people with fertility problems, produced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and issued in February 2004, advises that stimulated cycles of in vitro fertilisation should be offered, if appropriate, where the woman is aged between 23 and 39 years at the time of treatment. Information on the percentage of patients offered in vitro fertilisation without ovarian stimulatory drugs is not collected centrally. However, the information collected by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is that in 2002-04, 1,164 unstimulated cycles took place, with a live birth rate of 18.13 per cent. In the same period there were 55,923 stimulated cycles, with a live birth rate of 22.73 per cent. Patients wishing to consider the option of unstimulated cycles can tell the clinician treating them.
The HFEA involves patients in its work in a variety of ways, including regular consultation with an online patients’ panel, collection of feedback from patients on their experience of treatment services to inform the authority’s inspection process, and close and regular contact with organisations representing patients. The authority also seeks patients’ views when it consults publicly on the development of new policies.
NHS: Training Budgets
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they have received from the British Medical Association about the 29 junior doctors who have had their vocational training placements deferred due to cutbacks in funding by the postgraduate medical deanery in London; and what assistance is being given to those junior doctors to ensure that their training can start in August 2006.[HL6586]
The Minister of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner): The Government have received representations from Dr Hamish Meldrum, chairman of the General Practitioners Committee of the British Medical Association, on this matter.
The priorities for investment of educational funding are a matter for the local strategic health authority working with their deanery in respect of medical education. This is therefore essentially a local matter for the SHA and the London Deanery to determine. However I am assured by the London Deanery that there has been no reduction in funded training places at the deanery. The deferment of the training places is the result of the number of trainees who could be recruited exceeding the available places on the training scheme. The deanery is confident that places on the scheme will be available for these doctors at the next available start date, in February
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North/South Implementation Bodies
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they propose making any changes to the administration of cross-border implementation bodies between now and 24 November 2006.[HL6427]
Lord Rooker: There are no plans to change the administration of cross-border bodies.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 20 June (WA 77) which indicated that the proportion of Protestant employees in cross-border bodies has fallen to 32 per cent, what steps they are taking with regard to levels of confidence in the bodies in the Unionist community. [HL6538]
Lord Rooker: I have nothing further to add to my Answer of 22 June (WA 107).
Public Bodies: Chairmen
Lord Lee of Trafford asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the salary and time requirements for all chairmen of public bodies appointed by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.[HL6531]
Lord Davies of Oldham: Remuneration for chairs of all DCMS public bodies, as of 31 March 2005, is detailed in the published document Public Bodies 2005. This is available at www.civilservice.gov.uk/other/agencies/publications/pdf/pubIic-bodies/public bodies2005.pdf.
The following table contains information on the time requirement for chairs of public bodies who are appointed by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
Lord Lee of Trafford asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the salary and time requirements for all chairmen of public bodies appointed by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.[HL6557]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): Information on remuneration of chairs of public bodies is published in the annual Cabinet Office publication Public Bodies, prepared by the Agencies and Public Bodies Team in the Cabinet Office. The most recent published edition of Public Bodies provides information as at 31 March 2005.
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