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Health: E. coli
Question
Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno
To ask Her Majesty's Government following E. coli outbreaks in Scotland and Wales, what plans they have to implement the recommendations of Professor Hugh Pennington's report throughout the United Kingdom. [HL2540]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): The report of the E.coli public inquiry set up by the National Assembly for Wales and chaired by Professor Pennington was published on 19 March 2009. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is considering its response to the report and the recommendations. The issues will be discussed further at the FSA's open board meeting in April. While the recommendations are targeted at organisations that serve people in Wales, where appropriate, action will be taken across the United Kingdom.
Health: Pharmaceutical Services
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to launch the consultation on regulations relating to pharmacist supervision of the dispensing of prescribed medicines and the sale of pharmacy medicines. [HL2435]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): This year, the Government will start discussions with all interested parties on initial proposals for the content of the pharmacist supervision regulations to allow their views to inform the further development of these proposals and the drafting of a formal public consultation paper. Depending on progress in these informal discussions with pharmacy interests, we hope to be in a position to launch formal consultation in early 2010.
Health: Schizophrenia
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will support the latest National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on schizophrenia patients. [HL2592]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): We welcome the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) updated guidance on schizophrenia and expect it to help further improve the quality of treatment and care for people with schizophrenia.
General practitioners or consultant psychiatrists can prescribe any medicine or treatment which they consider to be necessary for the treatment of their patients under the National Health Service, provided that the local primary care trust or NHS trust agree to supply it on the NHS. It is for clinicians to decide the most appropriate form of treatment for their patients, and in doing so they are expected to take NICE guidance fully into account.
Housing
Question
Asked by Lord James of Blackheath
To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance is being issued to local housing authorities concerning the allocation of new affordable housing to applicants without small children or pregnant partners which does not encourage teenage pregnancy. [HL2541]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): Statutory guidance on the allocation of social housing accommodation was published in November 2002 and sets out that local authorities must allocate social housing in accordance with Part VI of the Housing Act 1996. Further statutory guidance on how local authorities should offer a choice of accommodation to their applicants was published in August 2008.
Local authorities are responsible for framing their own social housing allocation schemes for determining priorities and for defining the procedures to be followed in allocating social housing accommodation, but they must ensure that reasonable preference is given to certain categories of people as set out in the 1996 Act. These include people who are homeless; people who are occupying unsanitary, overcrowded or unsatisfactory housing conditions; people who need to move on medical or welfare grounds; or people who need to move to a particular locality, where failure to meet that need would cause hardship.
The code of guidance, Allocation of Accommodation, is available at www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/allocationaccommodationcode, and Allocation of Accommodation: Choice Based Lettingsis available at www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/ lettingscodeguidance.
Human Rights
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Malloch-Brown on 11 March (WA 263) concerning human rights in the Republic of Ireland, what representations they have made to its Government concerning (a) the dedication of its police force to the Virgin Mary, and (b) the duty of the Irish army to take part in Roman Catholic services. [HL2209]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): The Government have made no representations to the Government of Ireland on this matter.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice and support they have provided to the Government of the Republic of Ireland over the past 12 years on the issues of human rights and equality. [HL2320]
Lord Malloch-Brown: The Government have not offered any advice or support to the Government of Ireland over the past 12 years on the issues of human rights and equality.
Iraq
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what political and financial support they are giving to the United Kingdom defence industry in bidding for contracts for the re-equipment of the Iraqi armed forces. [HL2563]
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The Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Davies of Abersoch): In accordance with government policy on trade and regulation of defence exports, Her Majesty's Government are supporting the United Kingdom defence and security industry in bidding for contracts for the re-equipment of the Iraqi armed forces. This support has involved hosting delegations of senior Iraqi officials and officers in the UK, logistical support to companies visiting Iraq, inviting delegations from Iraq to attend the Farnborough international air show and defence systems and equipment international exhibition, and engaging at ministerial level.
Licensing: Music
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have assessed the implications for entertainment licensing of small-scale performances of live music of T-Mobile staging a performance of dance at Liverpool Street station with over 300 dancers, explicitly to entertain the public, without a licence under the Licensing Act 2003. [HL2425]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communications, Technology and Broadcasting (Lord Carter of Barnes): There are no implications that appear to arise for those parts of the Licensing Act 2003 dealing with regulated entertainment from the event at Liverpool Street Station. The application of the definitions provided in Schedule 1 to the Licensing Act is a matter for licensing authorities in the first instance. Whether a proposed activity is licensable has to be decided on a case-by-case basis. It appears from reports of the filming that the licensing authority and the police were involved in planning the event. I can see nothing that suggests that they exercised their powers inappropriately in this case.
Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill [HL]
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government who within Communities and Local Government will be responsible for monitoring the implementation of Part 1 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill; and what the estimated cost of this will be. [HL2362]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): Part 1 of the Local Democracy Economic Development and Construction Bill covers a number of different policy areas, mainly arising from the White Paper Communities in Control. The implementation of Part 1 will be monitored through the management of the wider empowerment programme
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Local Government: Superannuation Schemes
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they have paid in each of the past three years to supplement local government superannuation schemes; why they have made such payments; and under what arrangements or powers such money is paid. [HL2521]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): Local government pension arrangements are financed principally by contributions paid by its employee members and employers. No government grant is hypothecated to cover local authority pension costs.
Marine Environment: Gibraltar
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the European Commission has designated an area of Gibraltar's waters to be a European Union environmentally-sensitive site under Spanish responsibility; if so, whether the United Kingdom permanent representation to the European Union was aware of this prior to the Commission's designation; if so, what representations were made to the Commission by the Government; and what representations have been made to the Commission following its decision. [HL2380]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): On 12 December 2008, the European Commission adopted Decision 2009/95/EC, adopting a second updated list of sites of Community importance under the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC). It has now come to our attention that, under the decision Spain has put forward, a candidate site encompasses British Gibraltar territorial waters. As the UK is the only member state competent to propose a site covering British Gibraltar territorial waters, we do not recognise the validity of the adopted site. We have already made representations to both the European Commission and Spain on this matter and are currently considering our options to redress this issue.
Ministry of Justice: Vacancies
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many vacancies they are currently advertising at the Ministry of Justice. [HL2471]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): As of 25 March 2009, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) had 162 external vacancies advertised. This represents 0.19 per cent of the MoJ workforce.
NHS: Foundation Trusts
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many hospitals in England (a) are eligible to apply for Foundation Trust status, (b) have Foundation Trust status, and (c) have applied for Foundation Trust status in 2009. [HL2495]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): There are 225 acute and mental health trusts eligible to apply for National Health Service foundation trust (NHS FT) status.
As at 1 March 2009 there are 115 NHS FTs.
Applications for NHS FT status must receive the support of the Secretary of State before being passed to Monitor, the independent regulator of NHS FTs, for consideration. In 2009 the following NHS trusts have asked the Secretary of State to support their applications:
George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust;
Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership NHS Trust;
Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Trust;
Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust; and
University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust.
NHS: Hospital Trust Boards
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether elected members of the boards of hospital trusts are entitled to be provided with a list of the trust members who form their electorate, and to communicate with them. [HL2502]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): Neither the executive nor the non-executive directors of a National Health Service trust board or NHS foundation trust board are elected.
Over half of the board of governors of an NHS foundation trust must be elected by the members of the trust, other than those members who come within the staff constituency.
Arrangements regarding the register of members are a matter for each individual NHS foundation trust subject to the general provision of data protection rules.
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NHS: Pharmaceutical Services
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will launch a formal consultation on their proposal to introduce mandatory generic substitution by pharmacists of branded medicines prescribed by the National Health Service. [HL2584]
To ask Her Majesty's Government what process will be necessary to secure parliamentary approval of their proposal to introduce mandatory generic substitution by pharmacists of branded medicines prescribed under the National Health Service. [HL2585]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): Discussions on generic substitution are currently under way with key national stakeholders. It is not possible to confirm whether or not there will be a formal consultation until we have completed this discussion stage.
The department is currently considering a scheme for generic substitution that would require negative resolution secondary legislation, but this is of course subject to confirmation of final proposals.
The scheme would not be mandatory in the sense that prescribers would not be able to exercise clinical choice; provision will be made to allow the prescriber to opt out of substitution where, in his clinical judgment, it is appropriate for the patient to receive a specific branded medicine. Provision may also be made to exclude certain categories of medicines for clinical reasons in the interests of patient safety.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they received during the recent negotiations on the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme in favour of introducing mandatory generic substitution by pharmacists of branded medicines prescribed under the National Health Service; and from which persons or bodies. [HL2586]
Lord Darzi of Denham: The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry and the department discussed generic substitution during the confidential negotiations on the 2009 Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme. Its introduction is now the subject of more widespread discussions with affected parties but it will not be mandatory.
NHS: Triage Assessment
Question
Asked by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following the investigation into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust, all NHS trusts have been asked to confirm that the assessment and triaging of patients is undertaken by appropriately trained and supervised clinical staff. [HL2350]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): It is the responsibility of every National Health Service organisation to ensure the safety and quality of the services they are responsible for on behalf of the communities they serve.
On 18 March 2009, David Nicholson, NHS chief executive, wrote to the chairs, chief executives, medical directors and nurse directors of all NHS organisations in order to ensure the recommendations in the report by the Health Care Commission into the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust are fully understood by their boards and that any local actions identified as necessary are implemented immediately. In particular, he asked the boards of all primary care trusts to assure themselves that the accident and emergency services they purchase on behalf of their patients meet the standards that patients and the public rightly expect from the NHS.
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