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Freedom of Information Act 2000
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is their timetable for the publication of guidance by the Department for Constitutional Affairs on the exemptions from the right of access and on procedural matters under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.[HL1492]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (Lord Filkin): On 1 March 2004, my department issued eight draft exemption guidance chapters to the freedom of information practitioners' group. The representatives on the group are from Whitehall bodies.
As soon as chapters of guidance have been cleared by the practitioners' group, they will be made available on the department's website, www.dca.gov.uk, so that practitioners within government and in the wider public sector can see the broad thrust of advice before publication.
Work on the remaining guidance chapters is continuing and the department aims to issue the complete set of guidance in final edited format by September 2004. Copies of the guidance will be made available in the Libraries of both Houses at that time.
Electoral Bodies: Employment of Staff
Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many people (full-time equivalent) were employed in 2000 for purposes relating to elections (a) by the Home Office, (b) by boundary commissions for England and Wales, and (c) by any other relevant organisations; and how many were employed at most recent date for which figures are available (a) by the Home Office, (b) in boundary commissions for England and Wales, (c) by the Local Government Boundary Committee, (d) by the Electoral Commission other than the Local Government Boundary Committee, and (e) by any other relevant organisations.[HL1564]
Lord Filkin: I attach two tables on the number of full-time staff employed for purposes related to election issues. Table A covers those organisations named in the Question except the Electoral Commission, which is an independent body accountable directly to Parliament. It also assumed responsibility for the Local Government Boundary Committee for England in April 2002. As the Government have no responsibility for either the commission or the committee, the noble Lord may wish to write to the chairman of the Electoral Commission on the matters he raises. Table B covers other relevant government organisations.
| Department | 2000 | 2001 | 2004 |
| Home Office | 8.25 | 7.6 | – |
| Parly. Boundary Commission for England | 15 (also covered Wales) | – | 15 |
| Local Government Commission for England(1) | 38 | – | – |
| Local Government and Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Wales | – | – | 0.71 |
(1) Functions, staff and responsibilities transferred to the Electoral Commission on 1 April 2002. It now forms the basis of the Boundary Committee for England a statutory Committee of the Electoral Commission
(1) Estimate. The ODPM did not exist in 2000 (the predecessor department was DETR). There was one FTE dealing with the periodic electoral reviews of the LGC. There may have been others on election matters but records of staff are not kept on a function basis.
Lord Colwyn asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner): Ten Civil Service whole-time equivalent posts are currently assigned within the Office of the Chief Dental Officer, Professor Raman Bedi. As part of the Change Programme within the Department of Health, 14 whole-time equivalent Civil Service posts moved on 1 August 2003, with the associated functions, into a special health authority set up in shadow form to support dentists and the National Health Service in the run-up to the reform of NHS dentistry provided for in the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003. This special health authority will replace the Dental Practice Board in due course.
Both the Office of the Chief Dental Officer and the special health authority (shadow arrangements) are supported by a number of contractors and staff seconded from other organisations such as the NHS to work on specific projects.
At 31 July 2003 just prior to the establishment of the special health authority (shadow arrangements) a total of 21 whole-time equivalent posts (excluding the post of Chief Dental Officer) were assigned to work on dentistry supported by a number of contractors and seconded staff. Additional support was provided as necessary by staff from the support divisions such as finance and human resources and from senior managers in the department. Arrangements for this additional support remain unchanged under the departmental change programme.
The total number of civil servants working on dentistry has varied around 20 posts or so during the tenure of the three previous Chief Dental Officers supported by staff from elsewhere in the department and contractors or seconded staff as necessary.
Lord Colwyn asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Warner: The Minister of State with responsibility for dentistry, as well as meetings with Strategic Health Authorities' chief executives and others, has met with four primary care trusts regarding access to NHS dentistry over the past nine months:
Lord Warner: The available information is for the number of National Health Service dentists (headcount) per 10,000 population and is given in the table for September in each of the years 1997 to 2002.
NHS dentists cover dentists working in the general dental service (GDS), hospital dental service, community dental service, personal dental service (PDS) and salaried service of the GDS.
Dentists working in more than one dental service are included in each service apart from dentists working in both PDS and GDS who are counted in the GDS only. Information for 2003 is not yet available.
The information is based on dentist numbers and is not on a whole-time equivalent basis, which is not available. Dentists in the GDS are able to vary the amount of their dental work and to vary their NHS commitment.
Note:
Population data are based on 2001 census mid-year estimates.
Lord Colwyn asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Warner: The NHS Modernisation Agency is currently working with a number of field sites who volunteered to test out the ideas and principles outlined in Options for Change (August 2002). The learning from these sites will inform the new contract that primary care trusts will be negotiating with dentists for 2005. However, Options for Change field sites are not directly testing the new contract that will replace current arrangements as this is still being consulted on.
The Options for Change field sites are spread in terms of size and location, from a single practice in Barnsley to the whole of the south-west strategic health authority area. Up to the end of February 2004, over 150 dentists in around 60 practices have actually gone live with more due to follow shortly.
The 28 specific field sites that are looking at new ways of remuneration are:
Department 2000 2004
Dept for Constitutional Affairs – 22
Office of the Deputy Prime Minister(1) 1 14
Government Office for London 5 1
Scotland Office 0.9 3.8
Less than
Less than
Wales Office
1 1 Northern Ireland Office 3 3
Parly. Boundary Commission for Scotland 1.2 3.6
Parly. Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland 0 4
Local Government Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland 0 0
How many civil servants currently work in the dental section of the Department of Health; and how many have worked in a similar capacity during the tenure of the last four Chief Dental Officers.[HL1460]
Which primary care trusts the Ministers with responsibility for dentistry have met in the past nine months regarding access to National Health Service dentistry in their areas.[HL1462]
10 July 2003—Greater Peterborough Primary Care Partnership
12 August 2003—Lambeth PCT
26 February 2004—North East Lincolnshire PCT
3 March 2004—Isle of Wight PCT
Lord Colwyn asked Her Majesty's Government:
What has been the ratio of National Health Service dentists per head of population in each year since 1997.[HL1509]
Year England
1997 4.21
1998 4.29
1999 4.38
2000 4.44
2001 4.57
2002 4.58
Whether they will list the current pilot sites which are testing the new National Health Service dentistry-based contract.[HL1510]
17 Mar 2004 : Column WA52
Stockport
Cannock Chase
Barnsley
Stratford upon Avon
Sheffield
Oldham
Bolton
Sheffield
Manchester
Nottingham
Birkenhead
Maltby
York
Taunton
Salford
Bury
Lancaster
Hereford
St Austell
Hornchurch
Gloucestershire
Ashington, Northumberland
West Cumbria
Manchester
Leeds
Nottingham
Ealing
Manchester
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