From the period 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011 the category breakdown reflected what was published in the annual Public Sector Procurement Expenditure Survey, and therefore the table does not include Connecting for Health expenditure.
The Department is currently aware of two apprenticeship placements that work directly on contracts awarded by the Department and these are within the ICT arena.
Departmental Billing
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many late payments his Department has made to contractors in each year since 1997-98; and what the total cost to the public purse was of any (a) penalty and (b) interest charges incurred. [66700]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department operates standard contractual payment terms of 30-days and any payments that are delayed beyond that date may be subject to interest under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998. The Act states that suppliers who are not paid within 30-days of the receipt of the invoice by the party billed are entitled to claim interest on the delayed payment at a rate of 8% above the Bank of England base reference rate. Penalty payments may be due where a small or medium sized business obtains a ruling that any contract terms that were applied were grossly unfair.
Details of the penalty and interest charges paid by the Department in each financial year since 1997-98 are given in the following table. Data are only available from 2001-02 when the Department introduced an Oracle based finance system (Vista), which allowed for such payment information to be collected.
19 July 2011 : Column 924W
|
|
Number of late payments | Penalty charges (£) | Interest c harges (£) |
It should be noted that these data cover all payments made by the Department and therefore includes both commercial and non-commercial suppliers. No separate analysis of ‘contractor’ payments is available.
Departmental Carbon Emissions
Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the carbon dioxide emissions from his Department in (a) June 2010 and (b) June 2011. [66754]
Mr Simon Burns: Between 14 May 2010 and 13 May 2011, the Department of Health delivered a reduction of 15.9% in carbon dioxide emissions from its office estate. Under the Green Government Commitments, it is now committed to deliver a 25% reduction in green house gases by 2014-15.
It is estimated that from the office estate for June 2010 The Department's non-weather corrected emissions amounted to some 976.1 tonnes carbon dioxide.
It is estimated that the Department's non-weather corrected emissions for June 2011 amounted to some 891 tonnes carbon dioxide.
Departmental Lost Property
Mr MacNeil: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what property has been (a) lost and (b) stolen from his Department in the last 12 months; and what the cost of replacement was. [66577]
Mr Simon Burns: The following table outlines information technology losses and thefts in the last financial year and is the latest information held. No losses of other departmental property have been reported. No distinction is made between items lost or stolen.
| Department losses and thefts 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 | ||
| Items | Number | Replacement value (£) |
19 July 2011 : Column 925W
Departmental Mobile Phones
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost was to the public purse of (a) line rental, (b) insurance and (c) handset purchase of (i) mobile telephones and (ii) BlackBerrys provided to staff in his Department in each year since 1997-98. [66664]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department is unable to provide the information for the entire period requested or in the format required without incurring disproportionate cost. The following table provides details of the total amount spent on mobile phone services from 2006-07 to 2010-11.
Included within these total costs are handset and line rental contracts, call and data charges for both mobile phone and BlackBerry devices, together with 3G data cards. The Department does not pay insurance for mobile handsets.
| Mobile telephony expenditure 2006 - 11 | |
| Financial year | Total costs (£) |
Departmental Official Cars
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost to the public purse was of (a) cars leased by his Department to staff and (b) ministerial chauffeurs in each year since 1997-98. [66668]
Mr Simon Burns: Information on the costs of cars leased by the Department to staff since 1997-98 is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Regarding the costs of ministerial chauffeurs, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Bristol West (Stephen Williams) on 4 July 2011, Official Report, columns 1055-56W.
Departmental Official Hospitality
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on hospitality for staff since 12 May 2010. [67714]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department is unable to provide information on how much has been spent on hospitality for staff since 12 May 2010, as we do not collect information at this level of detail, it is not required for our statutory reporting and it could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
The Department's Code of Business Conduct states that a blanket ban on accepting or providing hospitality is neither practical nor desirable from a business point of view. However, there must be a real business benefit to providing or accepting hospitality, as public money must not be used to fund occasions such as social gatherings, retirement or office parties.
This is in accordance with the principles of Managing Public Money and the Treasury handbook on Regularity and Propriety.
19 July 2011 : Column 926W
Departmental Photographs
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on Ministerial photoshoots and videos since May 2010. [67711]
Mr Simon Burns: Since May 2010, the Department has spent £537.43 on official photographs of Ministers and has incurred no costs for video.
Departmental Redundancy
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on redundancy costs since May 2010. [67535]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has not made any civil servant redundant since May 2010. However, we ran a voluntary exit scheme in January 2011, and have also released a small number of staff on pre-2010 terms under the principal civil service compensation scheme.
The total cost of these pre-2010 terms exits between May 2010 and the end of the 2010-11 financial year was £492,039 for initial (year 1) costs and £790,627 set aside to cover future years’ annual compensation payments.
The cost of the January 2011 exit scheme totalled £19,373,071, all accounted for in the 2010-11 financial year.
There has been no central departmental spend so far on exits in 2011-12.
Departmental Stationery
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost to the public purse was of stationery purchased by his Department in each year from 1997-98. [66667]
Mr Simon Burns: Information on stationery spend is not held centrally before 2006. Spend on stationery purchased through the stationery contract for the Department since 2006 is as follows:
| April to March each year | £ |
Departmental Training
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on training for Ministers since 12 May 2010; and what the purpose was of such training. [67533]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department has paid £500 on media training for one member of the ministerial team since 12 May 2010.
19 July 2011 : Column 927W
Departmental Travel
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse was for (a) first class and (b) all train travel by (i) staff, (ii) Ministers and (iii) special advisers in his Department in each year since 1997-98. [66665]
Mr Simon Burns: Data from our central travel contracts is not available before April 2004. It is not possible to distinguish between the traveller without incurring disproportionate cost. The cost of first class rail travel and all rail travel from the central travel contract is as follows:
| £ | ||
| April to March each year | First class rail | Total rail spend |
Departmental Visits Abroad
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many overseas visits were made by (a) Ministers, (b) staff and (c) special advisers in his Department in each year since 1997; and what the cost to the public purse was of each such visit. [66697]
Mr Simon Burns: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
E. coli
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of E. coli there have been in the last five years. [66637]
Anne Milton: E. coli bloodstream infections are caused by a variety of strains of E. coli. Table 1 gives the numbers of bloodstream infections caused by E. coli each year for the last five years in England and Wales, reported under voluntary reporting arrangements. Due to a 36% increase in the number of reports between 2006 and 2010, from 1 June 2011 E. coli bloodstream infection data are collected by mandatory enhanced surveillance.
| Table 1: E. coli bacteraemia annual totals for England and Wales, 2006-10 | |
|
|
E. coli bacteraemia |
E. coli 0157 is an important cause of severe gastrointestinal disease. Table 2 gives the numbers of cases of E. coli 0157 each year for the last five years in England and Wales.
19 July 2011 : Column 928W
| Table 2: E. coli 0157 annual totals for England and Wales, 2006-10 | |
|
|
Number of E. coli 0157 cases |
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to prevent an outbreak of E. coli. [66638]
Anne Milton: The UK Zoonoses, Animal Disease and Infections Group, a cross-Government multi-agency group, chaired by the chief medical officers of the four Administrations, continues to maintain policy oversight of E. coli 0157.
Following the 2005 E. coli outbreak in South Wales, the Food Standards Agency established a comprehensive Food Hygiene Delivery Programme aimed at improving controls in food manufacture, provision of guidance for food businesses on controlling the risk of cross-contamination from E. coli 0157, securing enhanced training for enforcement officers involved in monitoring food businesses, and commissioning research to inform enforcement approaches.
The Department has worked with the Health Protection Agency, Department for Food Environment and Rural Affairs and the Health and Safety Executive to produce new guidance for the public on avoiding infection when visiting open farms. This is published on the Health Protection Agency's website and is available to download as leaflets for use by operators of open farms. Also in collaboration with the Health and Safety Executive, revised guidance for operators of open farms has been published on preventing infection, particularly E. coli 0157 infection.
In addition, new guidance has been published jointly by the Health Protection Agency, the Royal College of General Practitioners and the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health to raise awareness of general practitioners and other health care professionals about the importance of correct management and treatment of bloody diarrhoea in children.
Information is provided for all pregnant women on avoiding infection which includes prevention of E. coli 0157 infection.
Epilepsy
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what discussions his Department has had with the Royal Colleges on information for epilepsy patients on the management of and risks associated with the condition; [67508]
(2) what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of sudden unexplained death in epilepsy among those diagnosed with epilepsy; [67510]
(3) what steps his Department is taking to reduce the incidence of sudden unexplained death in epilepsy; [67511]
(4) what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of avoidable epilepsy-related deaths in childhood following the National Sentinel Clinical Audit of Epilepsy-Related Deaths in 2002. [67512]
19 July 2011 : Column 929W
Paul Burstow: Detailed information for those living with epilepsy has been made available on the NHS Choices website at:
www.nhs.uk/conditions/epilepsy/pages/introduction.aspx
The NHS Choices website also includes information on sudden unexplained death in epilepsy highlighting the associated risk factors.
The Department has concentrated in ensuring that those diagnosed with epilepsy have access to detailed information and quality service provision. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has produced clinical guidelines for the diagnosis, management and treatment of epilepsy. This guidance, published in October 2004, specifically covers the importance of informing patients and their families of the risks of sudden death in epilepsy.
In response to the National Sentinel Clinical Audit, the then chief medical officer launched his Epilepsy Action Plan in February 2003, which addressed the key findings and recommendations of the clinical audit. The Epilepsy Action Plan was closely followed, in October 2004, by clinical guidelines from NICE and the National Service Framework for Long-Term Neurological Conditions, in March 2005.
The Department has had no recent conversations with the Royal colleges on information for epilepsy patients on the management and risks associated with this condition.
General Practitioners: Standards
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will bring forward proposals to create a mandatory requirement for GPs to follow National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines; and if he will make a statement. [67509]
Mr Simon Burns: We have no plans to do so.
It is for clinicians to decide on the best treatment for their patients based on the patient's individual circumstances and taking any relevant guidance, including that from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), into account.
Primary care trusts are legally obliged to fund drugs and treatments recommended in NICE technology appraisal
19 July 2011 : Column 930W
guidance, within three months of guidance being published, unless the requirement is waived in a specific case.
In view of their complexity and because of the different states of readiness for implementation in the national health service, NICE clinical guidelines are not subject to the same statutory funding direction as NICE's technology appraisals.
Health Services: Foreign Nationals
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the total amount of monies owed by foreign nationals that the NHS is in the process of attempting to recover. [65866]
Anne Milton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 5 July 2011, Official Report, column 1179W, by the Minister of State, Department of Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford (Mr Burns).
The Department has not made an estimate of the total amount of monies owed by foreign nationals that the national health service is in the process of attempting to recover.
Ministers announced on 18 March 2011 that the Government will conduct a full, wide-ranging review of the rules and practices relating to charging overseas visitors for using the NHS.
Health: Research
Mr Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much and what proportion of research expenditure by (a) the National Institute for Health Research and (b) the Medical Research Council has been spent in institutions located in (i) London, (ii) Oxford and Cambridge and (iii) the remainder of England in each of the last three years; and what the receiving institution was in respect of each grant or payment. [66454]
Mr Simon Burns: Government investment in health research in England is made principally by the Department of Health, through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, through the Medical Research Council (MRC).
Research expenditure by the NIHR is shown in the following table:
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | ||||
|
|
£ million | % | £ million | % | £ million | % |
Details of projects funded through programmes managed by the NIHR Central Commissioning Facility (CCF) can be found on the CCF website at:
http://www.ccf.nihr.ac.uk/Pages/FundedProgrammes.aspx
Details of projects funded through programmes managed by the NIHR Evaluation, Trials and Studies Centre (NFTSCC) can be found on the NETSCC website at:
www.netscc.ac.uk/
Details of studies hosted by the NIHR Clinical Research Network can be found on the UK Clinical Research Network portfolio database at:
http://public.ukcrn.org.uk/search
19 July 2011 : Column 931W
Expenditure by the MRC in English regions, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and overseas is shown in the following table:
19 July 2011 : Column 932W
| 2007-03 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | ||||
|
|
£000 | % | £000 | % | £000 | % |
19 July 2011 : Column 933W
19 July 2011 : Column 934W
| Notes: 1. Percentages may not sum to 100% due to rounding. 2. Data for 2010-11 are not yet available. | ||||||
Details of current and recent MRC research funding can be found on the MRC research portfolio database at:
www.mrc.ac.uk/ResearchPortfolio/index.htm
Heatstroke
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were treated in hospital for heatstroke between 2005 and 2010; and how many deaths there were from heatstroke in that period. [65777]
Anne Milton: The following table gives the number of finished consultant episodes of those treated in hospital with a primary diagnosis of heatstroke or sunstroke from 2005-06 to 2009-10.
| Number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) (1) with a primary diagnosis of ‘heatstroke and sunstroke’ (2) , 2005-06 to 2009-10 (3) | |
| Activity in English NHS hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector | |
|
|
FCEs |
| (1) Finished consultant episode (FCE). A FCE is a continuous period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. FCEs are counted against the year in which they end. Figures do not represent the number of different patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the same stay in hospital or in different stays in the same year. (2 )Primary diagnosis: The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 20 (14 from 2002-03 to 2006-07 and seven prior to 2002-03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was admitted to hospital. ICD-10 codes used: T67.0 Heatstroke and sunstroke (3 )Assessing growth through time: HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care | |
The following table provides the number of deaths where the heatstroke or sunstroke was the cause of death in England, for 2005 to 2010 (the latest year available). It should be noted that heatstroke does not appear as the primary underlying cause of death, as the primary cause field in such cases is used to indicate the mode of death (e.g. accident, suicide). Deaths with a cause of heatstroke and sunstroke are therefore identified by the appearance of ICD-10 code T67.0 in the secondary cause field.
| Number of deaths with a cause of heatstroke or sunstroke, England, 2005 - 10 (1, 2, 3, 4) , all persons | |
|
|
Deaths |
| (1 )Cause of death from heatstroke and sunstroke was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) code T67.0, where this code appeared as the secondary cause. (2 )Figures exclude deaths of non-residents. (3 )Boundaries assigned using the May 2011 National Statistics Postcode Directory. (4 )Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. | |
Heroin: Offenders
Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2011, Official Report, column 1180W, on heroin offenders, if he will make it his policy to routinely collect data on the number and proportion of prisoners who take a heroin overdose within two weeks of their release which results in (a) emergency treatment and (b) death; and if he will make a statement. [66505]
Paul Burstow: The Government currently have no plans to introduce central reporting on heroin overdoses following release from prison. Hospital accident and emergency services will not ordinarily be aware of a patient's legal history and whether he or she had recently been released from prison. Disclosing this information would require a resourced evaluation with ethical approval and specific patient consent.
Hotels
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse was of (a) four star, (b) five star and (c) other hotel accommodation for (i) staff, (ii) Ministers and (iii) special advisers in his Department in each year since 1997-98. [66666]
19 July 2011 : Column 935W
Mr Simon Burns: Data from our central contracts are not available before April 2006. It is not possible to distinguish between the class of hotel or traveller without incurring disproportionate cost.
The cost of hotel accommodation from the central contract data are as follows:
|
|
£ |
Infectious Diseases
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were treated for infectious tropical diseases in each of the last five years. [65864]
Anne Milton: The information is not available in the format requested.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) collects data on reported cases of tropical infectious diseases of public health significance such as cholera, leprosy, malaria, yellow fever, chikungunya, dengue fever, filariasis, Japanese encephalitis, schistosomiasis and trypanosomiasis. Their epidemiological data on travel-related tropical infections is published on the HPA's website at:
www.hpa.org.uk/Topics/InfectiousDiseases/InfectionsAZ/TravelHealth/EpidemiologicalData/
Liver Diseases
Tracey Crouch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) remit, (b) budget and (c) timetable for reporting is of the National Clinical Director for Liver Disease. [66444]
Mr Simon Burns: Professor Martin Lombard was recruited as the National Clinical Director for Liver Disease in January 2010. His remit was to provide clinical leadership to the development of a national strategy for liver disease that matches measures designed to achieve quality improvement (and improvements in outcomes for patients) with the identification of where the national health service might release resources to support them. The National Liver Strategy will be an integrated programme, recommending actions to improve the prevention, identification, treatment, care and support of people with liver disease within evidence-based and dignity assured standards of care. Professor Lombard’s budget for this task (net of core staffing costs) has been £560,000 in 2010-11, and £224,440 in 2011-12.
As previously announced, Professor Lombard is working towards a timetable of publishing a draft strategy in autumn 2011.
Lung Cancer: Health Services
Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that the updated National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guideline on the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer is adopted by all NHS trusts. [66804]
19 July 2011 : Column 936W
Paul Burstow: It is the responsibility of national health service trusts to take account of the updated clinical guidance on the diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in April 2011. This best practice guidance, developed through wide consultation, is intended to support clinicians in clinical practice but does not replace their knowledge and skills in managing patients.
NICE is developing Quality Standards for a number of cancers, including lung cancer, which will act as markers of high quality, cost-effective patient care in the reformed NHS. The NICE Lung Cancer Quality Standard will be based on the updated NICE lung cancer clinical guideline.
Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many patients with a lung cancer diagnosis in (a) Knowsley Primary Care Trust and (b) England were given easy-to-understand written information about lung cancer at the time of their diagnosis in each year since 2000; [66805]
(2) how many patients with a lung cancer diagnosis in (a) Knowsley Primary Care Trust and (b) England were given a choice of different types of treatment for their condition before their treatment started in each year since 2000. [66806]
Paul Burstow: This information is not held in the format requested. The National Cancer Patient Experience Survey, published in December 2010, recorded the responses of over 60,000 cancer patients in England, from the ages of 16 and upwards, to a wide range of questions.
These questions included those concerning the provision of written information and the offer of a choice of treatment. The response of lung cancer patients to questions on these issues has been presented nationally and by trusts serving the Knowsley area as shown in the table.
The survey did not report data where fewer than 20 people in a particular group answered a particular question.
| Percentage | ||
| Trust | Lung cancer patients reporting being given written information about the type of cancer they had | Lung cancer patients reporting being given a choice of different types of treatment |
Mass Media
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost to the public purse was of his Department's national media coverage evaluations in each month since May 1997. [66699]
Mr Simon Burns: The Department does not hold central records on the cost of media coverage evaluation and attempting to gather information for each month since 1997 would incur disproportionate costs.
19 July 2011 : Column 937W
Medical Equipment
Mr Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse was of the cases brought by his Department and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency against Jbol Ltd and Mr Orde Levinson between February 2009 and June 2011. [67707]
Mr Simon Burns: As a matter of course, a set of costs are sought from investigators at the close of each prosecution. These are added to the legal office costs to reach a total. If a defendant is convicted, there would normally be an application for prosecution costs. If the defendant is acquitted, there is no application for costs. As Mr Levinson and Jbol Ltd were acquitted, the costs schedule was prepared but was never presented to the court. The costs up to that date were £45,260.41. No costs have been calculated for the other case where a prosecution was not pursued.
Myeloid Leukaemia: Medical Treatments
Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to reach a decision on the use of second-line treatments for chronic myeloid leukaemia. [66389]
Paul Burstow: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently appraising dasatinib, high-dose imatinib and nilotinib for the treatment of imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukaemia and dasatinib and nilotinib for people with chronic myeloid leukaemia for whom treatment with imatinib has failed because of intolerance.
We understand that NICE currently expects to issue its final guidance to the national health service in September 2011, subject to any appeal.
NHS Direct: Freeview Service
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of providing NHS Direct through Freeview in each financial year since the introduction of the service. [66701]
Mr Simon Burns: The information requested is available in the following table:
| Cost of NHS Direct interactive on digital television | |
|
|
£000 |
| Note: The figures in the table include the cost of providing NHS direct interactive on both Freeview and Sky Digital satellite TV. Source: NHS Direct Annual Reports 2006-07—2008-09 | |
NHS Direct Interactive was launched on Freeview on 20 December 2006. NHS Direct stopped providing this service on 1 April 2009, and the service was transferred to NHS Choices.
19 July 2011 : Column 938W
NHS: Incentives
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the total expenditure incurred through the payment of clinical excellence awards in respect of (a) the money paid as awards and (b) the resultant pensions liability in each year since 1997-98. [67682]
Mr Simon Burns: Clinical excellence awards were introduced in 2003 as a replacement for distinction awards. The total national health service spend in England for national clinical excellence and distinction awards for the last financial years for which figures are available is shown in the following table.
| Financial year | Spend (£ million) |
| Notes: 1. These costs include monies for employer contributions to national insurance and pensions. 2. The information above does not include information on local clinical excellence awards (employer based awards) which are paid by trusts. This information is not held centrally. 3. The information above does not include national clinical excellence awards that are paid from central funds to consultants holding a national health service contract and employed in the Department or arms length bodies. 4. The reduction in expenditure in 2008-09 reflected a scrutiny exercise which identified a number of consultants who had retired without notifying the Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence Awards (any excess payments in 2007-08 were to trusts only and those monies were available for patient care. No consultants received payment to which they were not entitled). | |
The requested information regarding pensions liability is not available. This information is not held centrally.
Mr Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether his Department has contributed towards the funding of any NHS awards recognising employee achievement in any year since 1997; what the names and dates of any such awards are; and what the cost to the public purse for any such awards has been (a) in total and (b) in respect of (i) advertising, (ii) associated awards ceremonies and (iii) prize money in each such year; [67683]
(2) whether his Department has provided advice to (a) NHS trusts and (b) the NHS Institute for Innovation on the benefits of (i) operating and (ii) funding NHS awards; and if he will publish any such advice. [67684]
Mr Simon Burns: There are a number of national and local awards aimed at various groups of staff, some of which are for recognising employee achievements. Of these awards, the Department has identified the following as awards to which we contribute funding and are able to provide information on without incurring disproportionate costs (for example for some awards data may not be held centrally):
Clinical Excellence Awards were introduced in 2003 as a replacement for Distinction Awards. The total national health service spend in England for national
19 July 2011 : Column 939W
clinical excellence and distinction awards for the last financial years for which figures are available is shown in the following table:
| Financial year | Spend (£ million) |
| Notes: 1. These costs include monies for employer contributions to national insurance and pensions. 2. The financial cost of national awards comes from the NHS bundle and is ring-fenced for this purpose. Funding for Employer Based Awards is built into the baseline funding that the trust receives to cover staffing etc. It is not separately identifiable, and is not reflected in the information above. 3. The information above does not include national clinical excellence awards that are paid from central funds to consultants holding a national health service contract and employed in the Department or arm's length bodies. 4. The reduction in expenditure in 2008-09 reflected a scrutiny exercise which identified a number of consultants who had retired without notifying the Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence Awards (any excess payments in 2007-08 were to Trusts only and those monies were available for patient care. No consultants received payment to which they were not entitled). | |
The total cost to the public purse for the NHS Leadership Awards was:
2009 (the start up year): £381,605.59
2010: £173,068.91
£80,000 was raised in sponsorship in both 2009 and 2010 and covered the full cost of food and beverage, room hire and audio visuals for the award ceremonies. There were no advertising and PR costs. All communications were delivered by the project lead in-house.
National Leadership Council bursaries were awarded to each winner and runner up of the awards, totalling:
2009: £290,000
2010: £380,000
The Health and Social Care Awards have been run since 2001, aimed at celebrating innovation in the provision of healthcare, with the NHS Institute funding the award from 2009.
We are currently making inquiries into the funding prior to 2009 and will write to inform you of the results. A copy will also be placed in the Library.
The Department has no record of providing formal advice to the NHS Institute or to NHS trusts on the benefits of operating or funding of awards outside the advice given on Clinical Excellence Awards.
The Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence Awards (ACCEA) issues guides to the Clinical Excellence Awards scheme annually. This is updated before the start of each awards round. There is a specific guide relating to Employer Based Awards (local awards) which are administered and decided at local level, along with a set of guides relating to the national scheme. This information is openly available to NHS trusts via the ACCEA website. The secretariat also offers advice and assistance on an ad hoc basis via e-mail and telephone.
Mr Stewart Jackson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the public purse was for the NHS Leadership Awards (a) in total and (b) for (i) departmental administration costs, (ii) food and beverage at the awards ceremony, (iii) room hire for the
19 July 2011 : Column 940W
awards ceremony, (iv) any audio and visual costs for the award ceremony and (v) departmental advertising and PR costs in each year since their inception; and if he will estimate the cost to the public purse for all NHS trusts of participating in the awards in each such year. [67685]
Mr Simon Burns: The total cost to the public purse for the NHS Leadership Awards was:
2009 (the start up year): £381,605.59
2010: £173,068.91
The above costs include the departmental administration costs, including the salary costs for the project lead. These were:
2009: £57,967.00
2010: £60,575.52
£80,000 was raised in sponsorship in both 2009 and 2010 and covered the full cost of food and beverage, room hire and audio visuals for the award ceremonies. There were no advertising and PR costs. All communications were delivered by the project lead in-house.
No information is held centrally on the cost to the public purse for national health service trusts of participating in the awards.
NHS: Negligence
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths attributed to (a) medical negligence and (b) malpractice were recorded in each year from 1997 to 2010. [66956]
Mr Simon Burns: The following table shows the number of claims notified to the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) against its scheme members that involved fatalities from 1997 to 2010.
| Number | ||
| NHSLA notification year | Clinical claims | Non-clinical claims |
| Notes: 1. The year that the claim is notified is not necessarily the year that the fatality occurred. 2. The data include all clinical negligence claims not just those pertaining to doctors (medical). They do not include claims against self-employed practitioners in primary care, such as general practitioners, dentists and pharmacists, who are not members of the NHSLA's schemes. 3. The NHSLA does not record malpractice as a specific cause of injury. It has therefore supplied data relating to all non-clinical claims that involved fatalities. These claims may include public and employer liability claims, as well as other types of claims by third parties. Source: NHSLA, July 2011. | ||
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NHS: Training
Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish his review of the NHS bursary. [66448]
Mr Simon Burns: The outcome of the review of the national health service bursary scheme was published on 18 July 2011. The outcome of the review is available at:
www.dh.gov.uk/en/Managingyourorganisation/Workforce/WorkingintheNHS/DH_128397
Southern Cross Healthcare
Nick Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on cross-departmental oversight of developments at Southern Cross care homes; [66952]
(2) what steps his Department is taking to monitor the transfer of Southern Cross care homes to new management; [66953]
(3) if he will take steps to guarantee continuity of care for Southern Cross care home residents in their present homes; [66954]
(4) what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local managers of Southern Cross care homes are supported during the transfer of homes to new management. [66955]
Paul Burstow: Departmental officials are in regular contact with their counterparts in other Government Departments and the devolved Administrations regarding this issue. Ministers are being kept fully briefed by their officials.
The Department is in regular contact with all parties, including Southern Cross and its landlords and is monitoring the transfer of the company’s homes to alternative providers of care closely. It is for the Care Quality Commission (CQC), as the regulator, to approve and register alternative providers of care in Southern Cross homes. The CQC is committed to processing applications efficiently to help ensure continuity of care for residents of Southern Cross homes, but has made it clear that it will not change the regulatory bar or reduce the rigour of the registration process.
The Government’s overriding concern is the welfare and safety of the 31,000 residents in Southern Cross care homes. We have made it clear that, whatever the outcome of the restructuring process, no one will find themselves homeless or without care.
It is for Southern Cross and its landlords to support local managers during the transfer of the company’s care homes to new management. The statement issued by Southern Cross on 11 July makes it clear that the company, its landlords and lenders appreciate their responsibilities to residents and staff of the company’s homes. All parties have given a clear commitment that the continuity of care will be paramount during the transfer process. Southern Cross has undertaken in a letter to care home staff that they will transfer to new operators with their existing terms and conditions.
Local authorities are already working to ensure that they can assist in the transfer of arrangements in respect of homes in their areas. The Department has been working with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and the Local Government Association to support that process.
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I have today issued a written ministerial statement updating the House.
Third Sector
Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the name is of each charity and voluntary organisation Ministers in his Department have visited since 12 May 2010. [67534]
Mr Simon Burns: The information requested could be provided only in full at disproportionate cost.
However, we can confirm that the Secretary of State and other Ministers at the Department have visited a wide range of charities and voluntary organisations since May 2010.
Trauma: Health Services
Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many patients have been treated in each of the major trauma centres in London in each month since they were established; and what injury severity scores were recorded for each patient; [66775]
(2) how many patients have died in each of the major trauma centres in London in each month since they were established; and what injury severity scores were recorded for each patient. [66776]
Mr Simon Burns: These data are not held centrally by the Department. The number of trauma cases a hospital receives and a risk adjusted rate of survival are available on the Trauma Audit and Research Network website at:
www.tarn.ac.uk
Treatment Centres
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were treated in independent treatment centres in each of the last five years. [65863]
Mr Simon Burns: Data on independent sector treatment centres (ISTC) patient numbers are not collected centrally. Data on numbers of procedures are however held. The following table shows the total number of procedures undertaken by ISTCs. These figures include mobile ophthalmology, elective ISTC procedures and each renal dialysis treatment.
| Procedures | |
|
|
Total |
Tuberculosis
Chris Skidmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of tuberculosis were recorded by his Department in each of the last five years. [65865]
Anne Milton: The latest available information is shown in the following table.
19 July 2011 : Column 943W
| Number of tuberculosis cases reported in England, 2005-09 | |
|
|
Number of cases |
| Note: Data for 2010 are due to be available in November 2011. Source: Health Protection Agency | |
Transport
Air Travel Trust Fund
Mr Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of capital reserves held by the Air Travel Trust Fund; and if he will take account of this assessment as part of his consultation on the future of the ATOL scheme; [65640]
(2) what recent advice he has received on the future level of ATOL Protection Contributions; [65641]
(3) whether he plans to reassess the timetable for the Air Travel Trust Fund to return to surplus; and if he will take account of any such reassessment as part of his consultation on the future of the ATOL scheme. [65642]
Mrs Villiers: On 23 June 2011, the Government announced their consultation on reforms to the ATOL scheme, with the objective of providing greater clarity for consumers and also to put the scheme's finances back on a self-sustaining basis.
The Air Travel Trust Fund (ATTF) meets the costs of refunds and repatriation assistance provided to the consumers of insolvent ATOL licensed businesses. It is financed through a mix of income from ATOL Protection Contributions (APC—currently £2.50 per booking), bank facilities and an insurance policy. Underpinning this, the Government have provided a guarantee for part of the bank facilities, currently up to £42 million. These arrangements provide access to £70 million which should be sufficient to meet all demands placed on the fund. The insurance policy has an annual limit of £300 million, with an excess of £50 million, available in the event of the failure of one or more major ATOL licensed businesses.
There are no plans to increase the APC, which would require prior consultation by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and approval by the Secretary of State for Transport.
The latest published accounts of the ATTF show that it was in deficit by £42.3 million as of 31 March 2011. The CAA believes that the ATTF should return to surplus within three years of the proposed reforms being introduced. The actual timing depends on factors such as the cost of future insolvencies of ATOL licensed businesses and the actual income from APC payments, both of which are difficult to predict with certainty. The proposed reforms should allow the Government guarantee to be withdrawn and the fund to return to a fully financially self-sustaining basis without the need for taxpayer support.
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Aviation: Security
Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment his Department has made of airport security. [67868]
Mrs Villiers: Officials from the Department continuously assess airport security through inspections of airports and airlines and meetings with representatives from the industry. We have recently published a consultation on reforming the regulation of aviation security which can be viewed in the following link:
http://assets.dft.gov.uk/consultations/dft-2011-21/dft-2011-21-consultation.pdf
Biofuels
Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will take steps to raise awareness of (a) the value of waste cooking oil from catering establishments for biofuels and (b) the effects of theft of such cooking oil from such establishments. [64062]
Norman Baker [holding answer 5 July 2011]: We recognise that biofuel made from used cooking oil is an important sustainable transport fuel as it both reduces waste and, by replacing fossil fuels, reduces greenhouse gas emissions from transport. We are currently considering how best to promote the value of used cooking oil from catering establishments to produce biodiesel.
We are also currently considering responses to a consultation proposing to amend the renewable transport fuels obligation to meet the requirements of the European renewable energy directive. These proposals include providing additional support for used cooking oil biofuel by awarding two renewable transport fuel certificates to each litre of such fuel supplied: Crop-based biofuels will continue to get one certificate per litre, as long as they meet the mandatory sustainability standard.
We recognise that the growing market for used cooking oil to be used for biofuel means that what was once just a waste product now has a value. However, policy on theft is a matter for the Home Office.
Bus Services: Rural Areas
Mr Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his most recent estimate is of the projected level of access to local bus services in rural communities in each of the next four financial years. [66364]
Norman Baker: We have estimated that the planned reduction in Bus Service Operators Grant from April 2012 will result in a 2% reduction in bus service mileage in rural areas. The level of tendered services provided is a matter for the relevant local authority.
Statistics on the availability of bus services in rural areas can be found on the Department website at the following address:
http://www2.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/nts/accessibility-service/nts0801.xls
Statistics on the accessibility of key services by public transport in rural areas can be found on the Department website at the following address:
http://assets.dft.gov.uk/statistics/worksheets/acs0102.xls
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Channel Tunnel Railway Line: Freight
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he has discussed in the Council of Ministers the level of charges for freight trains using the channel tunnel; and what meetings he has had with the French Government to discuss this matter. [67422]
Mrs Villiers: The level of charging is a commercial matter for Eurotunnel and the freight operators. No ministerial discussions have taken place with the French Government on this issue.
Channel Tunnel Railway Line: Stratford
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment his Department has made of the feasibility of introducing international passenger services to Stratford on the High Speed One line. [67754]
Mrs Villiers: None. This is a commercial matter for rail service providers.
Channel Tunnel: Contracts
Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how much was paid to Eurotunnel for (a) usage contracts and (b) back-to-back contracts in each year since the opening of the channel tunnel. [67461]
Mrs Villiers: All payments made from the British Railways Board (BRB) to Eurotunnel relate to the Channel Tunnel Rail Usage Contract. Eurotunnel is not a party to the associated UK-side back-to-back contract so receives no payments through it.
The British Railways Board (BRB) is the UK “rail” party to the Channel Tunnel Rail Usage Contract (RUC contractual payments are made on BRB's behalf by the Department for Transport (DFT)). It then receives a refund from the UK-side RUC passenger operator (Eurostar) under the terms of the back-to-back contract. Different arrangements apply to rail freight. Here DFT pays what is—in effect—the fixed element of the RUC charges with no refund being payable from the freight operators. This arrangement is the subject of an agreement struck in 2006 which both kept freight trains running through the channel tunnel and opened up rail freight access on the route.
Payments under these agreements since 2008-09 are set out in the following table. Figures for prior years are not readily available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
| £ million | |||
| Financial year | D F T payments to Eurotunnel under Rail Usage Contract (RUC) | Eurost ar payments to D F T under back-to-back agreement | Net payment to Eurotunnel |
Cycling
Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has to promote the cycle to work scheme in (a) Derby North constituency, (b) Derbyshire and (c) the UK. [66792]
19 July 2011 : Column 946W
Norman Baker: The Department has traditionally promoted both the cycle to work scheme and the cycle to work guarantee to employers, employees and other Government Departments across the country through a number of departmental led promotions and projects. The Department also funds the National Business Travel Network (NBTN). NBTN launched a DFT part funded 'ways2work' tool kit in November 2010 to help people and businesses work more efficiently. The tool kit includes a section on encouraging cycling to work.
Most recently the cycle to work Scheme has been promoted through guidance to the members of the Physical Activity Network which is part of the Department for Health led Public Health Responsibility Deal. I have also provided a foreword in support of the Cycle to Work Alliance's Behavioural Impact Analysis.
Finally, the results of bids for Tranche 1 of the Local Sustainable Transport Fund were released on 5 July 2011, many of which included elements relating to cycling to work.