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Employment: Pathways to Work
Baroness Thomas of Winchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
How contracts for Pathways to Work will reward providers for working with those whose disabilities place them furthest from the labour market and others who may need more support to get into employment. [HL514]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord McKenzie of Luton): Providers will receive a payment for every person claiming incapacity benefits who obtains a job through participation in Pathways to Work. A job in this context is defined as paid employment of at least eight hours a week expected to last for a minimum of 13 weeks. Providers will receive a further payment for each person who achieves sustained employment. A person is deemed to be in sustained employment if, after 26 weeks, they are off benefit and have been off benefit for at least 13 of the previous 26 weeks. Providers also receive a service fee for delivering the core elements of the programme, for example work-focused interviews and condition management programmes.
Farm and Wildlife Advisory Groups
Lord Marlesford asked Her Majesty's Government:
In which counties in England the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has links with farm and wildlife advisory groups (FWAGs); and what Government funds are made available to the FWAGs in each county. [HL818]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): Within the network of public bodies sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Natural England has most links with FWAG. Natural England has a working relationship with FWAG in all counties in England.
The two main sources of funding provided by Natural England to FWAG are by grant made available under the conservation advice programme, and by contracts won through competitive tendering under the England catchment sensitive farming delivery initiative (ECSFD) and farm demonstration programme. The value of these contracts is commercially confidential. In addition, Natural England has entered into a number of secondment contracts with FWAGs.
Other government bodies may enter into contracts with FWAGs, and they are eligible to apply for grants from public sector funds such as the landfill communities fund and the aggregates levy sustainability fund.
17 Dec 2007 : Column WA99
The value of the grant provided by Natural England to FWAG this current financial year is £357,447 (excluding VAT). This was allocated to government office regions as follows:
| Region | Allocation (£) |
The grant is not broken down by county.
Health: C. Difficile
Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 29 October (WA 15) on deaths caused by infecting National Health Service patients with Clostridium difficile, what action was considered or taken by Health Ministers, either during the period covered by the answer or subsequently, against any of the primary care trusts with the highest number of infections. [HL30]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): The department has issued a wide range of guidance and best practice to support local health communities in improving the control and management of infections such as Clostridium difficile infection (CDI). This includes:
mandatory surveillance of CDI introduced in 2004 to help to establish the extent of the problem;the Health Act 2006: Code of practice for the prevention and control of healthcare associated infections came into force on 1 October 2006 and requires National Health Service bodies to have appropriate management and clinical governance systems in place to deliver effective infection control. The Healthcare Commission assesses trusts against the code and can issue improvement notices, requiring that failures are remedied where it finds that the code is not being observed in any material respect;Saving Lives: a delivery programme to reduce healthcare associated infections included an updated high impact intervention on CDI and antimicrobial prescribing a summary of good practice, which is particularly relevant for managing CDI; andthe introduction of a new “bare below the elbows” uniform code for NHS staff.17 Dec 2007 : Column WA100
The NHS has been performance-managed at an individual organisational level against the original methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) target, to halve the number of MRSA bloodstream infections by April 2008. Many measures which tackle MRSA will also affect other healthcare associated infection (HCAI) rates.
In order to increase the focus on tackling CDI, we have now set new requirements for the period to 2010-11 under the new Better Care for All Public Service Agreement, to deliver a 30 per cent reduction by 2010-11 in CDI compared with the numbers in 2007-08. This will be performance-managed at an individual organisational level through local delivery plans.
The department’s HCAI improvement teams offer tailored support to individual trusts. We have doubled the funding for the HCAI improvement teams this year and expanded their remit so the teams are now providing support to those trusts that have high numbers of patients with CDI as well as those with the most challenging MRSA targets. The improvement teams have already worked with 146 trusts.
Health: Cervical Cancer
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many cases of cervical cancer were diagnosed in each of the past five years in women aged under 26 years in (a) the United Kingdom; (b) England; (c) Scotland; (d) Wales; and (e) Northern Ireland; and how many of these cases (i) were diagnosed through a cervical screening test; (ii) did not have a cervical screening test; and (iii) had a cervical screening test but were not diagnosed through this route. [HL513]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): Cervical screening is not a test for cancer but for abnormalities which, if left undetected and untreated, may develop into cancer
The following table gives the number of cases of cervical cancer diagnosed in women aged under 26 for the last available five years in the United Kingdom and England. Separate figures for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are not available.
It is currently not possible to tell how many of these women were diagnosed through a cervical screening test, did not have a cervical screening test or had a cervical screening test but were not diagnosed through this route.
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Health: EU Proposals
Lord Stoddart of Swindon asked Her Majesty's Government:
What effect the proposed European Union directive to allow European Union residents to receive non-emergency healthcare free of charge in all 27 member states will have on the organisation and finances of the National Health Service; and what is their likely response to the proposed directive. [HL618]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): No proposals have been published to date. The existing case law already gives entitlements for patients from other European Union countries to travel to the United Kingdom (UK) in order to receive treatment. Anyone travelling to the UK specifically for healthcare will have to pay upfront the full National Health Service cost of treatment, and the Government are committed to ensuring that, where UK patients travel abroad for care, the NHS retains the ability to decide what care it will fund.
Lord Stoddart of Swindon asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to have the proposed directive on free non-emergency healthcare debated and voted upon in both Houses of Parliament before the issue is debated and agreed in Brussels. [HL619]
Lord Darzi of Denham: No draft directive has been published to date. Any proposals will be subject to scrutiny by the House of Lords European Union Select Committee and the House of Commons European Scrutiny Committee. In future discussions on any proposal, the department will work to protect the United Kingdom's interests, emphasising the need for any European legislation in this area to be proportionate.
Health: Prostate Cancer
Lord Steel of Aikwood asked Her Majesty's Government:
What response they will make to the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action report arguing the case for clinical nurse specialists in prostate cancer. [HL596]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has identified clinical nurse specialists as core members of the urology multidisciplinary team in its Improving Outcomes in Urological Cancers guidance issued in 2002. It is for cancer networks to work in partnership with strategic health authorities, National Health Service trusts and postgraduate deaneries to put in place a sustainable process to assess, plan and
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Health: Speech and Language Therapists
Lord Monson asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have issued guidance stating that speech and language therapists working wholly outside a hospital environment should be obliged to wear short-sleeved clothes at all times when treating patients and should not wear watches or jewellery; and, if so, what are the reasons for these rules. [HL839]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): Determining policy on uniforms and workwear is a matter for each National Health Service trust. The department has published Uniforms and Workwear—An evidence base for developing local policy to assist employers in developing their policy.
Houses of Parliament: Pay and Allowances
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they propose to implement the findings of the Senior Salaries Review Body triennial review of parliamentary pay, pensions and allowances commissioned on 24 July 2006. [HL936]
The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): An announcement on the Senior Salaries Review Body review of parliamentary pay, pensions and allowances will be made in the new year.
Immigration: Healthcare
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they will publish their review of access to National Health Service healthcare for vulnerable migrants; and whether they will ensure that pregnant women of limited means are never refused care, and that the same applies to children. [HL331]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): The review of access to the National Health Service by foreign nationals, which is being conducted in conjunction with the Home Office, is ongoing. It is due to be completed by the end of the year, after which there will be a full public consultation exercise on any proposals. The review is looking at a range of issues including maternity treatment and the treatment of children.
Current guidance to the NHS is clear that immediately necessary treatment, which should automatically include all maternity treatment, must never be refused, regardless of whether the patient concerned is ineligible for free treatment or has no money to pay.
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Immigration: Pregnant Women
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assessment they have made of the 2006 London Project report, sponsored by Médecins du Monde, and, in particular, its recommendation that pre- and post-natal care should be provided for migrant women, regardless of their immigration status. [HL535]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): Guidance to the National Health Service is clear that maternity treatment should always be considered as immediately necessary and provided regardless of whether or not the woman is entitled to receive it free of charge or doubts about whether she could pay if subsequently found to be chargeable under the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, as amended. This includes routine antenatal treatment, delivery and postnatal treatment. In conjunction with the Home Office, the department is currently reviewing the rules governing access to the NHS by foreign nationals. This will include the issue of maternity treatment. The review is due to be completed shortly and will then be followed by a full public consultation.
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