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Baroness Thornton: Information on the proportion of people receiving National Health Service continuing care each year that do not live at home is not collected centrally.
We have made no forecast of future NHS continuing care funding, or of the proportion who will be cared for in their own homes, or elsewhere.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the cost of funding NHS continuing care has been included in the overall care costs for older people to be funded as part of the proposed national care service. [HL6106]
Baroness Thornton: The cost of funding National Health Service continuing care is included in the general funding allocation made to primary care trusts, and is therefore not included in the proposed national care service costings.
Health: Hydration
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 20 October (WA 60), how requests from patients for hydration are communicated to health care professionals if they are not made in writing. [HL5947]
Baroness Thornton: There is no set procedure for requesting artificial nutrition or hydration, or any other form of treatment. The requests may be made verbally by the patient, or, if they do not have the capacity to make a request, by those close to the patient. In accordance with professional guidance, decisions on artificial hydration should be recorded and be accessible to the patient, team members and others involved in providing care to the patient.
Health: Tuberculosis
Questions
Asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made towards the measures of success highlighted in the Chief Medical Officer's "Stopping Tuberculosis in England" action plan. [HL5967]
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made towards the 10 recommended actions in the Chief Medical Officer's "Stopping Tuberculosis in England" action plan. [HL5968]
Baroness Thornton: In October 2004, in response to an increase in tuberculosis (TB), the Chief Medical Officer published an action plan, Stopping Tuberculosis in England, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library. Work is under way to implement the 10 actions considered essential to bring TB under control.
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The plan outlined four measures of success:
a progressive decline in rates of TB in population groups born in England. Data from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) indicate that while rates in these groups have not decreased, they have remained stable at four per 100,000 population between 2002-07 (latest data);a reduction in the incidence of disease among people who entered the country and became resident here within the previous five years. TB data collected by the HPA report only rates of TB among non-United Kingdom born people, and those rates for the years 2002-07 have been 88, 92, 96, 102, 94 and 87 per 100,000 population. The department did not expect an immediate decline in rates because of improved TB detection following implementation of the TB action plan; no more than 7 per cent of new cases resistant to the anti-TB drug isoniazid and two per cent multidrug resistant. HPA data show 6.8 per cent of cases were resistant to isoniazid, and 1.2 per cent were multidrug resistant; anda reduction in the number of human cases of bovine TB in people under age of 35 years born in the UK. HPA data from 2002-07 show the numbers of case per year in England as 17, 15, 14, 24, 26, and 23, with the peak in 2005-06 due to an unusual cluster outbreak in the West Midlands.The strategy to effective TB control is awareness and early detection and completion of treatment, and key actions taken by the department to provide the National Health Service with the tools to improve services include: local awareness-raising through funding to TB Alert; the TB Toolkit for commissioners; the Find and Treat pilot in London to actively find cases among hard-to-reach groups; the provision of free TB drugs for all patients and a more targeted Bacillus Calmette-Guérin vaccination programme.
Immigration
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cases have been heard by the Special Immigration Appeals Commission in each year since it was established; and how many cases are now listed for consideration or pending a final decision. [HL5772]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): The number of cases heard and determined since SIAC is shown in the table below.
| No of cases heard and determined | |
Records showing in which years the cases prior to 2003 were heard and determined are not readily available following the fire at Field House.
There are 14 pending cases that have yet to be heard and determined for 2009-10.
Asked by Lord Roberts of Conwy
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the reply by Lord West of Spithead on 22 October (Official Report, House of Lords, col. 809), what are the net migration figures in 2007 and 2008 that showed a 44 per cent reduction; and how those figures were calculated. [HL5991]
Baroness Crawley: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Jil Matheson, National Statistician, to Lord Roberts of Conwy, dated October 2009.
As National Statistician, I have been asked to respond to your Parliamentary Question concerning the figures that showed a 44 per cent reduction in net migration from 2007 to 2008 and how they are calculated. (HL5991).
The figures relate to the provisional 2008 International Passenger Survey (IPS) data released on 27 August 2009.
The net migration estimate is the difference between the immigration and emigration estimates.
In 2008 net migration was 118,000. This was 92,000 or 44 per cent lower than the 2007 net migration figure of 209,000.
Care should be taken when interpreting changes in net migration since a small change in net migration may mask large changes in immigration and emigration flows. There is also not a unique set of circumstances that result in a particular change to net migration. In this case the reduction is mainly the result of an increase in emigration of over 77,000 with a smaller decrease in immigration of over 14,000.
Immigration: Detainees
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether immigration detainees who are pregnant are provided with dietary supplements. [HL5897]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): Pregnant women in detention have access to all appropriate services relating to pregnancy, confinement and the post-natal period, including the provision of adequate nutrition during
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Pregnant women in detention are seen and reviewed by registered midwives from the community and are offered antenatal classes and scans at the same stages as they would be offered in the community. All women who are intending to get pregnant or are at less than 12 weeks gestation are offered folic acid supplements. All pregnant women at any stage of the pregnancy, or who are breast feeding, are routinely offered Vitamin D and also receive extra fruit and an additional fresh milk allowance.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether prophylactic medicines are offered sufficiently in advance to detainees about to be deported to malarial countries. [HL5901]
Lord West of Spithead: UK Border Agency guidance concerning the offer of prophylactic medicines to detainees about to be removed to malarial countries is in place and available to healthcare staff in removal centres.
The guidance, which is based on advice from the Health Protection Agency's Advisory Committee on Malarial Prevention and is currently under review in liaison with the Department of Health, requires prophylactic medicines to be offered to detainees, subject to medical advice, and time allowed for them to take effect before their removal from the UK.
Motorcyclists: Noise
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they keep records of prosecutions of motorcyclists for vehicle noise offences; and, if so, how many there have been in each county in each of the past three years. [HL6111]
The Secretary of State for Transport (Lord Adonis): Her Majesty's Government do not keep such records. The only offences identified by the statistical collection held within the Ministry of Justice (on outcomes of court proceedings) that are specific to motorcycles are "failing to wear a crash helmet" and "unlawful pillion riding". Other offences committed by motorcyclists cannot be identified from the centrally held data, either because the offence is not specific to motorcycles (eg noise offences) or because it is grouped together with other miscellaneous motoring offences.
Parliamentary Constituencies
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much time is required for a full review of parliamentary constituencies in the United Kingdom. [HL5850]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): Under Section 3 of the Parliamentary Constituencies Act 1986, the separate, independent Boundary Commissions for England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are required to conduct a general review every eight to 12 years of the constituencies within their respective areas.
There is no specified duration for a boundary review. The duration of any parliamentary boundary review is entirely a matter for the relevant Boundary Commission. The last general review of parliamentary constituencies from announcement to completion in each part of the UK took six years and eight months in England, four years and four months in Northern Ireland, three years and five months in Scotland and two years and one month in Wales.
Police
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government when the code of practice on the management of police pursuits will be issued to police forces. [HL6009]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): The Home Office, NPIA and ACPO have begun work to draw up the code of practice. This will include a formal consultation period once a draft code has been produced. The timetable for producing the draft code will be discussed by the HO-chaired project board later this month.
Population
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what projections they have for the population of the United Kingdom for each 10 years up to 2050. [HL6044]
Baroness Crawley: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Jil Matheson, National Statistician, to Lord Laird, dated October 2009.
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your question to Her Majesty's Government regarding what projections they have for the population of the United Kingdom for each ten years up to 2050. (HL6044)
The most recent national population projections, based on the population at the middle of 2008, were published by the Office for National Statistics on 21 October 2009. The table below shows the projected total population of the United Kingdom for the years requested.
| Year | Total population (millions) |
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The assumptions underlying national population projections are demographic-trend based. They are not forecasts and do not attempt to predict the impact that factors such as future government policies or changing economic circumstances might have on the population. The projections also become increasingly uncertain the further they are carried forward.
Prisons: Population
Question
Asked by Lord Stevens of Ludgate
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have issued guidance or advice to the Crown Court about whether judges should take account of the prison population in their case management or in issuing directions to juries; and, if so, what guidance or advice they issued. [HL5917]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): No. The prison population has no direct impact on case management. Nor does it impact on whether an offender should be found guilty or not guilty, which is the matter for the jury.
However, the Criminal Procedure Rules provide a framework for managing criminal cases. Within that framework the management of individual cases is a matter for the judiciary, taking account of custody time limits set by the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985. Listing guidance laid down by the judiciary highlights the importance of minimising time spent on remand by those awaiting trial or sentence.
Roads: A1(M) Hatfield Tunnel
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the ventilation system in the Hatfield Tunnel on the A1 is coping with vehicle exhaust fumes. [HL6048]
The Secretary of State for Transport (Lord Adonis): The ventilation system in place in A1(M) Hatfield Tunnel is maintaining air quality in accordance with the Highways Agency standards.
Shipping: Budgets
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