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We do not collect information centrally about the number of licensed centres providing fertility services for NHS patients.
NHS: Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme
Question
Asked by Lord Lewis of Newnham
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the answer by Baroness Thornton on 25 June 2008 (Official Report, House of Lords, col. 1427), when the evaluation of the effectiveness of the revised Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme will be undertaken; and whether the results will be published. [HL3650]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): The evaluation of the revised Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme was planned for early 2009-10 but has been rescheduled to take place in autumn 2009. This is to enable the impact of recent changes to the payment by results (PbR) tariff in relation to the scheme to be assessed as part of the review. It has not been decided whether the results will be published.
Olympic Games 2012
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 23 April (WA 12), how many people are employed by the Government Olympic Executive; in what capacity; to whom they report; and what is the annual cost to public funds. [HL3480]
Lord Davies of Oldham: There are currently 91.9 full- time equivalent people (including secondees, interims and agency staff) working in the Government Olympic Executive (GOE), all of whom report through the DCMS Permanent Secretary to the Minister for the Olympics. All GOE staff work in one of five teams:
The build and finance team, which is responsible for ensuring that the delivery of the Games infrastructure and venues remains on time, and that the programme remains on budget and provides value for money;The staging team, which is responsible for the range of government commitments and legislative changes necessary to host the world’s largest sporting event, and for assurance of LOCOG’s plans and finances in the Government's role as funder of last resort;The legacy team, which is responsible for ensuring that the Government’s ambitious legacy commitments are delivered, including getting two million people20 May 2009 : Column WA334
In 2008-09, the GOE’s pay bill, including employer’s pensions and national insurance contributions, totalled £6,944 million.
Post Office: Shares
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to give employees access to ownership of shares in the Post Office. [HL3433]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting (Lord Carter of Barnes): Royal Mail employees already have a share in the success of the company and a stake in its transformation through the existing phantom share scheme, ColleagueShare. This runs from 2007 to 2012 and includes for each worker up to £1,600 in profit-related bonuses payable over the life of the plan (half of which has already been paid), plus up to £3,700 for the “capital” value of the shares payable between 2011 and 2012. We would wish to consider how successful it has been in incentivising the workforce and also discuss future incentive arrangements as part of the partnership process, before reaching a view on what is most appropriate and what best delivers value for money going forward.
The Government tabled an amendment to the Postal Services Bill at Lords Report stage on the 11 May introducing a new clause which makes clear that the establishment of an employee share scheme is permissible under provisions in the Bill, provided that any such scheme does not breach the requirements of the Bill that Royal Mail remains publicly owned.
Railways: First Group plc
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government in respect of which financial year they agreed to pay £50 million to First Group plc; whether the payment covered only the First Great Western franchise; and what terms of the franchise agreement permitted that payment to be made. [HL3749]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Lord Adonis): The franchise agreement with First Great Western (FGW), modifying the national rail franchise terms, entitles FGW to revenue support from the second anniversary of the start date of 1 April 2006. The sums involved are commercially confidential.
20 May 2009 : Column WA335
Rural Payments Agency
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the Rural Payments Agency's income was spent on public relations in each year from 2005 to 2008; and what was the overall budget of the agency for each of those years. [HL3466]
The Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change & Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): The Rural Payments Agency Communications Directorate, responsible for dealing with public relations, was established as a separate entity in November 2006. Unfortunately the data required to provide information for the 2006-07 financial year and earlier years are not held in a form that is easily accessible. As the extraction and collation of this data would require a considerable amount of work and incur an unacceptable cost an Answer cannot be provided.
The figure shown below encompasses external public relations activity to raise awareness of RPA managed schemes, direct costs in media relations and agricultural shows during the 2007-08 financial year:
The agency's net running costs as published in the annual reports and accounts for each financial year from 2005 to 2008 is as follows:
| Financial Year | Net Running Costs |
Social Care: Companies
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many care companies the Commission for Social Care Inspection closed down during its period of office. [HL3533]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): I am informed by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) that the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) had the power to cancel the registration of individual care services such as care homes, nursing homes and domiciliary care agencies. CSCI also had powers to cancel the registration of registered managers. CQC retains CSCI's powers of enforcement.
Cancellation of registration is not necessarily equivalent to closing down a care company, as such providers may hold multiple registrations for individual services provided, or managers registered, in various locations.
During its period of office, from 2004-05 to 2008-09, CSCI carried out 309 non-urgent and 28 urgent cancellations of registration.
20 May 2009 : Column WA336
Social Care: Inspectors
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what kind of training is required of social care inspectors. [HL3455]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): The regulation of adult social care is now the responsibility of the new independent regulator, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), which took over from the Commission for Social Care Inspection, the Healthcare Commission and the Mental Health Act Commission on 1 April 2009.
The training of inspectors is the responsibility of the CQC. The commission has advised that for a person to be recruited as a social care inspector, the CQC requires that a social work qualification be held (for example a Diploma in Social Work) or that they are a registered nurse (level 1 minimum). However, the commission may also recruit candidates with other qualifications such as an occupational therapy or a teaching qualification to the role of the inspector, if they have relevant experience.
The commission is committed to providing experienced and well-trained staff and as such delivers an extensive programme to its inspectors on its Inspecting for Better Lives methodology, its systems and equality and diversity issues.
Swine Flu
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether immigration officials at Heathrow Airport are sufficiently protected from the risk of contracting swine flu from any incoming passengers from Mexico; and whether there are any plans to downgrade health facilities at that airport. [HL3332]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): Based on the scientific evidence about influenza in general and swine flu in particular, the risk of transmission to immigration officials is extremely low. Health Protection Agency (HPA) guidance is that contacts of confirmed cases are at some risk if they were a household contact for more than an hour, or if close informal care was provided to the case.
The HPA would not recommend any specific precautions for immigration officials other than the standard infection control procedures for all the population. Should any confirmed cases have had lengthy or particularly close contact with an immigration official, the HPA would arrange follow-up in line with its normal protocols and the guidance for businesses, which it jointly produced with this department. Copies of the HPA protocols and the guidance have been placed in the Library.
20 May 2009 : Column WA337
The HPA is responsible for both health protection and medical inspection services at Heathrow Airport. It is currently reviewing how these are provided, and no decisions have been taken yet. In doing this it will wish to secure operational efficiency savings, and to use these to ensure that health protection services are strengthened.
Asked by Baroness Neville-Jones
To ask Her Majesty's Government on what scientific evidence they based their purchase of face masks in response to the outbreak of swine flu; what type of face masks will be purchased; and at what cost. [HL3476]
Lord Darzi of Denham: The Health Protection Agency produced a scientific evidence paper on this issue for the Scientific Advisory Group (now superseded by the Scientific Pandemic Influenza Advisory Committee) in 2006-07. The evidence is still current and forms the basis for our current purchases for health and social care workers. A copy has been placed in the Library.
The department has placed orders for 226 million fluid repellent surgical masks for frontline health and social care workers and 34 million FFP3 respirators for healthcare workers only.
In line with the recommended European standard EN 14683: 2005 Type IIR, the department is stockpiling fluid repellent surgical masks (FRSMs). All masks provide a splash protection to resist fluid ingress into the mouth/nose and contain a malleable noseband to provide a close fit across the bridge of the nose.
While surgical masks are worn by health and social care workers for close patient contact (within one metre), the department has also purchased FFP3 respirators. A respirator provides a closer fit for the wearer and an element of filtration to protect a healthcare professional when carrying out specific procedures that have the potential to generate particles (such as intubation and bronchoscopy). Compliant with the European standard EN 149:2001, the department is stockpiling FFP3 respirators for healthcare workers.
The projected costs (for the United Kingdom) are:
Asked by Baroness Neville-Jones
To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the cost of distributing swine flu information leaflets to every household in the United Kingdom; and whether they will place a copy of the leaflet in the Library of the House. [HL3477]
Lord Darzi of Denham: The cost of advertising and publicity activity across the United Kingdom on swine influenza, including the swine influenza information phone line, is approximately £7.9 million to date, including £3,451,100 for the household distribution of the leaflet. The cost of printing the leaflet was approximately £1,298,500.
A copy of the swine flu leaflet has been placed in the Library.
20 May 2009 : Column WA338
Swine Flu: British Overseas Territories
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements have been made to supply the Overseas Territories, particularly those in the Caribbean, with anti-viral drugs to combat swine flu.[HL3296]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): Officials across a number of government departments are urgently working together to see how the Overseas Territories can be best supported during the swine flu outbreak. This includes assessing what stocks of anti-viral drugs they hold and need. I will write to the noble Lord with our final response and place a copy of my letter in the Library.
Terrorism Act
Question
Asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) arrests, and (b) convictions, there have been under Section 58A(1) of the Terrorism Act 2000 since the commencement of the Counter-Terrorism Act 2008 in (1) the Greater London area, and (2) nationally. [HL3562]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): The first official publication of Statistics on Terrorism Arrests and Outcomes for GB was published by the Home Office on 13 May 2009. This covers the period between 11 September 2001 and 31 March 2008. The information requested will be contained in future editions of the Statistical Bulletin on Terrorism Arrests and Outcomes.
Terrorism Act: Section 44 Powers
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government to what use the police put information relating to a driver and his car when they stop a motorist under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000; and whether a person can decline to provide the police with such information if no explanation for the request is provided. [HL3250]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): Information collected from a person stopped under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 is used to provide data on the use of Section 44 for statistical bulletins issued by the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office.
A person stopped under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000, does not have to provide their name, address or date of birth unless they are being reported for an offence. It is helpful if a person describes their ethnic
20 May 2009 : Column WA339
Asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many authorisations and renewals under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 have been made since the commencement of that Act. [HL3534]
Lord West of Spithead: The information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost because the information is held on individual paper files. The onus is on police forces to authorise and seek confirmation from the Secretary of State to use the powers, and to keep records of applications made.
Asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many authorisations and renewals under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 have been refused or ceased to have effect before authorisation. [HL3535]
Lord West of Spithead: The information requested can only be provided at disproportionate cost because the information is held on individual paper files. The onus is on police forces to authorise and seek confirmation from the Secretary of State to use the powers, and to keep records of applications made.
Asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many police forces offer training and written information to officers on the use of powers under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000. [HL3536]
Lord West of Spithead: All police forces applying for use of Section 44 powers must confirm that their officers have received appropriate training or briefing in the use of the legislation and understand the parameters of these powers.
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