To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 29 January 2007, Official Report, column 62W, on practice-based commissioning, what plans she has to collect data on component two of the payment; and whether her Department has made any estimate of the proportion of practices in receipt of component two. (118217)

The Department is collecting data on the amount of money primary care trusts have spent on component two of the Directed Enhanced Service for practice based commissioning. Audited financial outturn data will be available following the end of the financial year.

Data on the numbers of practices currently in receipt of component two are not collected centrally and the Department has made no estimate of the proportion of practices who have received it.