To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the progress of local health authorities against the National Service Framework for Older People's 2003 milestone on falls prevention. [100110]

The Department will be monitoring formally the overall falls milestone of integrated health and social care falls services by April 2005 as this is included as one of the key targets in "Improvement, Expansion and Reform", the priorities and planning framework for 2003–06.Progress on the other falls milestones will be for strategic health authorities to monitor locally, although these are 'stepping stones' for reaching the overarching milestone of a fully integrated falls service.