| Previous Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |
Baroness Wilcox asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the letter of 5 October 2001 published by the Cabinet Office setting out the terms of the Lord Birt's contract as the Prime Minister's Strategy Adviser, whether McKinsey and Company, or any employee or consultant of McKinsey and Company, (a) serviced, (b) gave evidence or (c) was asked to provide a submission or advice to any of the Birt reviews of transport, education and health referred to in the letter. [HL1024]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Nick Lovegrove, who was employed by McKinsey's at the time, was one of the external independent advisers working with the Forward Strategy Unit (FSU), and provided advice to government as appropriate.
10 Oct 2005 : Column WA45 >
Baroness Wilcox asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Lord Birt has met the Director General of MI5 in his capacity as the Prime Minister's Strategy Adviser. [HL1179]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Lord Birt has meetings with a wide range of organisations in his role as the Prime Minister's unpaid adviser.
Baroness Wilcox asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, since his appointment as the Prime Minister's Strategy Adviser, the Lord Birt has met any official or employee of Ofcom acting in an official capacity. [HL1180]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Lord Birt has meetings with a wide range of organisations in his role as the Prime Minister's unpaid adviser.
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 11 July (WA 125), whether they will publish a list of those government papers that the Lord Birt has had access to in order to fulfil his remit as the Prime Minister's Strategy Adviser. [HL1185]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Lord Birt's letter of appointment sets out that he is bound by the Official Secrets Act. A copy of the letter is available in the Libraries of the House.
Maldives
Baroness Northover asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Maldives should continue to be classified as a middle income country, given that this re-classification occurred before the tsunami. [HL1464]
Baroness Amos: There are a number of different ways in which countries are classified. Under the UN country classification the Maldives is a least developed country due to its vulnerability as a small island state, though it is due to graduate from this status after a three-year transition period. Under the World Bank classification the Maldives is a lower middle income country (LMIC). Both sets of classifications are reviewed regularly, though not since the tsunami struck last December.
The joint needs assessment for the Maldives, made in consultation with the government of the Maldives and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), estimated the impact of the tsunami on the economy. Although overall economic growth has decelerated to about 1 per cent. this year, it estimated that the per capita GDP will be $2,800 in 2005, which is well above the threshold for a lower middle income country, and the economy is recovering well.
10 Oct 2005 : Column WA46
Humanitarian assistance to the Maldives in the immediate aftermath of the tsunami was based on need rather than country classification. DfID provided £1.6 million towards the humanitarian and recovery effort directly following the tsunami. We have also contributed to the financing of the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. The World Bank has provided US$14 million in financial support to the Maldives reconstruction and recovery programme, while the Asian Development Bank is providing assistance of $20 million in grants to help reconstruction and rehabilitation. We are now working to encourage the EC to allocate more funding to the Maldives for reconstruction.
McKinsey and Co.
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the United Kingdom-based operation of McKinsey and Company Incorporated is currently carrying out work for the Northern Ireland Office; and, if so (a) how many projects the firm has carried out for the office in each of the past five years; (b) for each project, how long such work lasted and how many McKinsey employees were involved; (c) what was the nature of the contracts with the department; and (d) what was the total value of payments made by the department to the company in each of the past five years. [HL844]
Lord Rooker: The United Kingdom-based operation of McKinsey and Company Incorporated is not currently carrying out work for the Northern Ireland Office. The Northern Ireland Office has had no contracts with the company in each of the past five years.
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many Cabinet Office Ministers have (a) attended; and (b) spoken at conferences and seminars organised or held by McKinsey and Company Incorporated in each of the past five years; and what were the circumstances in which such Ministers spoke or attended. [HL1410]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: According to available records no Cabinet Office Ministers have attended or spoken at conferences or seminars organised or held by McKinsey in an official capacity since the end of October 2003.
It is not possible to provide information prior to this date.
McKinsey and Co: Lord Birt
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
10 Oct 2005 : Column WA47- McKinsey and Company Incorporated since January 2001 relating to the Prime Minister's Strategy Adviser, the Lord Birt. [HL1274]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: There has been no such correspondence.
Medical Research: Records
Lord Walton of Detchant asked Her Majesty's Government:
Where records of a patient who has given valid consent to participation in a long-term research project, and who dies unexpectedly, will subsequently be stored; for how long; and how they can be retrieved. [HL1273]
Lord Warner: Responsibility for retaining clinical research records, and for third-party access to them, rests with the chief researcher.
The Department of Health issued guidance in 1999—HSC 1999/053: For the record—managing NHS records in NHS trusts and health authorities. This includes information on retaining health records of patients, including those who have died, and access to these records. The guidance has been reviewed recently. It is proposed that it be replaced by a code of practice to help the NHS meet its legal obligations in managing records. Further information is available on the department's website atwww.dh.gov.uk.
In 2000 the Medical Research Council (MRC) issued guidance—Personal Information in Medical Research. It suggests that research records relating to clinical or public health studies should be retained for between 20 and 30 years. The publication is on the MRC's website at www.mrc.ac.uk.
Records relating to data from clinical trials involving medicines are covered by legislation. The minimum time limit is currently two years after a trial is finished (and will rise to five years when Commission Directive 2005/28/EC is transposed into UK law) with no upper time limit. The period of retention depends on the nature of the clinical trial. Further details are in Commission Directive 2003/63/EC and CPMP/ICH/135/95.
Mental Health Services
Lord Lucas asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the level of funding provided by the Department of Health for mental health services in England and Wales for 2002, 2003 and 2004; and of that funding how much was earmarked for post-discharge care for mental health patients in the community. [HL1373]
Lord Warner: In 2002-03, £75 million additional revenue funding was provided specifically for mental health services. None of this amount was earmarked for post-discharge care for mental health patients in the community.
10 Oct 2005 : Column WA48
Of the allocations made to primary care trusts for 2003-04 to 2005-06, none of the growth money has been identified for specific purposes. It is for primary care trusts in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services.
In Wales, the National Assembly for Wales allocates funds to local health bodies for them to spend according to their assessment of local health needs. There is no earmarking of funds for mental health.
| Next Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |