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Children and Young People who Sexually Abuse: Departmental Responsibilities
Baroness Walmsley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Which government department has lead responsibility for children and young people who sexually abuse.[HL4328]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Department of Health has lead responsibility for the welfare of children and young people who sexually abuse, while the Home Department has lead responsibility for the criminal law and offences committed by these children.
NHS: Information Management and Technology
Baroness Noakes asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What are the results of the information recently collected from the National Health Service by way of the Trusts Connection Proforma in respect of target IMT101 (connections of clinical and support staff to NHSnet by 31 March 2002).[HL4346]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The IMT01 target in the Government's strategy document Building the Information Core was to provide desktop access to basic email, browsing and system facilities for all clinical and support staff in National Health Service trusts. The information recently collected in respect of this target is currently being analysed, and trusts are being asked to update their responses. The numbers quoted reflect the position at a point in time, and are continuing to rise.
The interim report as at 2 April 2002 shows that of 455 responses, 76 trusts had 100 per cent clinical and support staff with access to email and browser facilities. A further 128 had declared their intention to take up the NHS national email service currently being procured, which is accepted as meeting the target for management purposes; 137 trusts have 100 per cent consultants with desktop access.
A total of 284,079 (45 per cent) clinical and support staff have email and browser facilities; and 19,753 consultants (72 per cent) have desktop access.
English Heritage: Quinquennial Review
Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they will publish the report of the quinquennial review of English Heritage.[HL4397]
The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Blackstone): I have today placed in the Libraries of both Houses copies of the report of the quinquennial review of English Heritage. The report is also available on line at the DCMS website www.culture.gov.uk. The report affirms the value of English Heritage and its statutory functions. It also highlights a number of areas which need further work, in particular reviews of English Heritage's:
- 1. property management function including consideration of alternative options for the management of its properties;
- 2. national, regional and local roles leading to a new structure which will equip the organisation to deliver its statutory and leadership
- responsibilities in a cost-effective and consistent manner;
- 3. research programme leading to the adoption of a targeted strategy linked to priorities for the sector as a whole.
Government Procurement Policy
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether their procurement policy includes environmental criteria; and, if so, what are the criteria.[HL4161]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty): Government procurement policy is to obtain value for money having due regard to propriety and regularity. Value for money is defined as ''the optimum combination of whole life cost and quality (or fitness for purpose) to meet the customer's requirement''. Sustainable development objectives, including policies aimed at reducing adverse environmental impacts, are pursued within the framework of this procurement policy and the EC procurement rules.
Government departments have been required since 1990 to operate procurement strategies that take into account the environmental impacts of their purchasing decisions. This means drafting contract specifications (including for production processes) that reflect government objectives; selecting suppliers that have the technical capacity to meet the environmental criteria specified; and awarding contracts to the bids that offer the best combination of quality and whole-life costs for the contracting authority. Whole-life costs will include, for example, energy consumed over the life of the product or service and disposal costs. Incorporating environmental criteria into procurement is explained in a note published jointly by HM Treasury and the Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions in 1998 and may be viewed on the Office of Government Commerce website. Detailed guidance on government policy and specific environmental criteria may be found in the Green Guide for Buyers—URL: http://defraweb/environment/greening/greenpro/greenpro.htm.
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