To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much each ministerial office in her Department spent on the printing and posting of Christmas cards in 2002. [90111]

Ministers sent 1,120 of the 3,800 Christmas cards produced by my Department this year. The design and print costs totalled £1,985 and the majority of cards were sent by second class post.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much producing her Department's latest annual report cost; how many copies were printed; how many copies of it were sold at its cover price; to whom copies of the report have been provided free of charge; and how many copies were provided free of charge. [90878]

CAPITA
		£
1998–99 (Jan-Apr 98)	Recruitment of Chairman and Members -New Opportunities Fund	14,000
1998–99 (Jan-Apr 98)	Recruitment of Chairman and Trustees -National Endowment for	13,000
1998–99 (Feb-Apr 98)	Recruitment for BBC Appointments	12,000
2001–02 (Oct-Nov 01)	Training for Recruitment Scheme—Middle and Senior Managers	17,000
2001–02 (Feb-Mar 02)	Providing and Marking Standard Civil Service Written Tests	1,000
2001–02 (Nov 01–Feb 02)	Civil Service Junior Manager Recruitment Scheme	8,000
	Total	65,000
Includes Royal Parks (nil return)

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to improve (a) availability of, (b) access to, and (c) use of community transport for children travelling to sports facilities and events; and if she will make a statement. [90002]

As part of the PE, Schools Sports and Club links Project, DCMS are liaising with colleagues from the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Transport to address the transport problems that arise from school children needing to travel to sporting venues after school hours.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what fair trade criteria she sets when deciding upon what suppliers to use. [89907]

The cost of producing the Department's 2002 annual report was as follows:

	£
	Cost
Design, typesetting, pdfs, etc.	56,105
Print (buy back of copies from The Stationery Office)	24,774
Proofreading	570
Total	81,449

Design costs included the development of a new template which the Department plans to follow for the next two to three years.1,400 copies of the final report were purchased at a discounted rate from The Stationery Office (TSO) for distribution to staff, the media and to key players within the Department's non-departmental public bodies and agencies.TSO are responsible for the distribution of departmental annual reports and the number of reports printed and sold is a matter for them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the contracts that have been awarded to the Capita Group by her Department. [89964]

The DCMS have used Capita in the past as shown but have had no dealings with that organisation since February 2002.

In all procurement, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport follows the requirements of Government accounting, Government procurement guidance and Office of Government Commerce advice. As with environmental considerations those of fair trade are given due consideration but the absence of fair trade credentials are not used to disqualify an otherwise suitable contractor. Where the demands of propriety and value for money can be met equally by all tenderers, the social impact of fair trade will be added to the balance.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what is the total of payments made by NESTA, since its creation, to external businesses and individuals involved in creating, upgrading and maintaining its web site. [90003]

Total expenditure on the website in the four financial years from creation of NESTA to 31/03/02 has been £242,567. In addition, capital expenditure related to the website of £225,629 has been incurred.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many departmental minutes issued by her Department were outstanding on 30 November, that referred to public private partnerships as included in Table B14 of the Consolidated Fund and National Loans Fund Accounts; and what their value was. [89415]

[holding answer 13 January 2003]: A Departmental Minute was issued on 6 December 1993, relating to the indemnity between the Royal Armouries, and the British Waterways Board, to the site of the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds. The amount was unquantifiable as at 31 March 2002. This Minute is still outstanding.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when consultations will be completed between officials and the BBC regarding amendments to the television licence fee regulations to introduce measures to preserve the rights of beneficiaries of the accommodation for residential care concessionary television licence scheme when the social mix and the level of warden cover in sheltered housing changes. [90221]

[holding answer 13 January 2003]: The purpose of the consultations currently in progress is to ensure that the regulations to introduce preserved rights to the accommodation for residential care concession do not create any new anomalies or unnecessary administrative burdens. We hope to be able to bring forward amending regulations shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to change the status of the Tote; when such proposals will be brought forward; and if she will make a statement. [90575]

We plan to bring forward a Bill which will include provision for the sale of the Tote. We have made it clear that our wish is to sell to a trust that represents relevant horseracing interests. The Bill will be introduced as soon as Parliamentary time allows.

To ask the Advocate General what her estimate is of the cost of theft and fraud to her Department in 2002. [89868]

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland, at column 514W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if she will list the contracts that have been awarded to the Capita Group by the Office. [89976]

No contracts have been awarded to the Capita Group by my Department.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what her latest estimates are of (a) the population and (b) the electorate in Scotland. [90005]

Population statistics in Scotland is a matter for the General Register Office for Scotland, an associated Department of the Scottish Executive. I understand, however, that revised population statistics will be published by the end of February.The Office for National Statistics is responsible for the collection of electoral data. I understand that the figures for the electorate as at 1 December 2002 will be published on 27 February.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland which sectors of the Scottish economy are in recession; and if she will make a statement. [89473]

[holding answer 13 January 2003]: Output in the agriculture, forestry and sector has fallen for the last three consecutive quarters (to Q2 2002). The service, production and construction sectors all grew in the last quarter for which data are available. The Scottish economy as a whole is perfonning well against a backdrop of difficult global economic conditions.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what her estimate is of the real increase in spending at the Scottish Office between 1999–2000 and 2002–03; and if she will make a statement. [90440]

The Scottish Office ceased to exist on 30 June 1999 and the Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Details of expenditure by the Scotland Office are set out in the departmental report and the accounts. As the department was set up during the course of financial year 1999–2000, and expenditure since then has reflected the fact that the department is still moving towards its agreed staffing and operational levels, it would therefore be premature to make estimates of real terms changes in expenditure.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what her estimate is of total public spending on the Scottish Office for each year from 1999–2000 to 2005–06; and if she will make a statement. [90441]

Details of expenditure from 1999–2000 to 2003–04 are set out in the most recent departmental report by my department. Details for the later years will be published in future reports.

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what her estimate is of the cost of theft and fraud to (a) her Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in 2002. [89867]

No cases of theft or fraud were reported in my Department, or in the Boundary Commission for Scotland, in 2002.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what has been the profit or loss on sales of gold by the Bank of England since May 1997, calculated by comparing the price achieved on sale with the current price of gold. [89856]

The gold sales programme announced in May 1999 was part of a restructuring programme to reduce the riskiness of the Reserves portfolio.This was a long-term investment decision and as such it is inappropriate to measure gains or losses resulting from fluctuations in market values on a particular day or over a short-term period. Gains and losses should be measured over the longer term, taking account of all the elements of the restructuring programme. In particular, the returns gained from the foreign currency assets purchased with the proceeds of the gold sales should also be included (see Part 2 of the National Audit Office Report on "The Sale of Part of the UK Gold Reserves", published on 12 January 2001).

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will introduce measures to abolish the switching fees which some home insurance companies charge consumers when they arrange home insurance with someone other than their mortgage providers. [90216]

The Government is giving the Financial Services Authority (FSA) responsibility for regulating mortgage business. I understand that the FSA will shortly be consulting on the basis that fees charged for switching insurances taken out as a condition of the mortgage, such as buildings insurance, are disclosed up front.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 7 January 2003, refs 88430–88432, Official Report, column 165W, when he expects to conclude discussions between the various Departments and agencies involved and to announce the Government's decisions. [89800]

[holding answer 13 January 2003]: This matter is being progressed within Government under the leadership of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who are working actively with Customs to effect the transfer as soon as possible.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will estimate the additional yield of an income tax rate of 50 per cent. on taxable incomes exceeding (a) £100,000 per annum, (b) £125,000 per annum, (c) £150,000 per annum and (d) £200,000 per annum; and if he will make a statement; [90173](2) if he will estimate the additional yield from levying a 45 per cent. rate of income tax on

The additional yield of making the changes is set out in the table.

Income tax yield in 2003–04
	£ billion
(a) 50 per cent. rate for taxable incomes over £100,000	4.9
(b) 50 per cent. rate for taxable incomes over £125,000	4.2
(c) 50 per cent. rate for taxable incomes over £150,000	3.7
(d) 50 per cent. rate for taxable incomes over £200,000	3.0
(a) 45 per cent. rate for taxable incomes over £100,000	2.6
(b) 45 per cent. rate for gross incomes over £100,000	2.7

The estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes and are consistent with the November 2002 pre-Budget report. These estimates exclude any behavioural response to the tax change.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on his latest assessment of public borrowing this financial year; and whether his projections remain in accordance with those set out in the pre-budget report. [90689]

The latest estimate of public sector net borrowing for this financial year, in £ billion, is set out in Table B1 of the 2002 pre-budget report. Consistent with the code for fiscal stability, an update of projections for the public finances will be published in the forthcoming budget.

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer of 3 December 2002, Official Report, column 680–81W, on self-assessment, if he will update the figures; and if he will make a statement. [90314]

The statistical data requested is detailed in the table:

Tax Year/Date	SA ITRs Issued	SA ITRs Received	SA ITRs Processed	SA ITRs waiting to be processed
2000–01
1 July 2001	8,940,513	1,323,115	864,497	458,618
29 July 2001	8,990,292	1,943,901	1,350,597	593,304
2 September 2001	8,989,043	2,798,153	1,966,795	831,358
30 September 2001	9,152,255	4,241,952	2,677,145	1,564,807
4 November 2001	8,842,560	4,682,767	3,421,658	1,261,109
2 December 2001	9,360,099	5,383,846	4,436,261	947,585
30 December 2001	9,299,623	5,745,572	4,839,285	906,287
3 February 2002	9,552,433	8,362,361	5,848,319	2,514,042
3 March 2002	9,610,687	8,732,139	6,892,084	1,840,055
31 March 2002	9,644,313	8,805,949	8,009,457	796,492

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families with children aged 16 to 19 are claiming Working Families Tax Credit. [90916]

At August 2002 there were 187,000 families receiving Working Families' Tax Credit who, at the application dates, had one or more children who were aged 16 to 18 and who were in full-time education up to "A" level or equivalent standard. This is subject to seasonal variation; there were 159,000 such families at November 2001, 166,000 at February 2002 and 183,000 at May 2002.

To ask the Prime Minister if a decision to adopt a constitution for the EU will first be the subject of a referendum in the United Kingdom. [90680]

A new constitutional treaty would need to be ratified according to the individual constitutional arrangements in each of the member states. As with all previous EU treaties, any new treaty would be subject to rigorous scrutiny by Parliament before the UK could ratify it.

To ask the Prime Minister (1) if he will seek assurances from the US President that intelligence from the US Security Services relating to the location of WMD in Iraq have been passed to the UN Weapons inspectors; and if he will make a statement; [90692](2) whether intelligence from the security services concerning the location of WMD in Iraq has been passed to the UN weapons inspectors. [90693]

We regularly discuss with the US Administration issues about the provision of support for the UN inspection teams, including making intelligence material available.Intelligence material has been made available to UNMOVIC and the IAEA for some time. We shall continue to provide them with such material as appropriate.

To ask the Prime Minister what recent discussions he has had with his Israeli counterpart; what recent representations he has made to Israel about possession of weapons of mass destruction; and when he last made representations to Israel on behalf of Mordecai Vanunu. [90233]

I wrote to Prime Minister Sharon last week about the Israeli ban on travel to London by Palestinian Authority Ministers. I last spoke to Mr. Sharon on 29 November 2002.The Government presses on all states the importance that we attach to universal adherence to all international non-proliferation treaties. Foreign Office officials last held non-proliferation talks with Israeli officials in March 2002.Our Embassy in Tel Aviv last raised our concerns about Mr. Vanunu's imprisonment with the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 17 October 2002.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Ministry of Defence about the impact of Project Allenby on the provision of NHS services in south Wiltshire; and if he will make a statement. [90204]

Although Ministers have not been directly involved in the discussions that have taken place, I understand that at official level the discussions have been positive. I am advised that the Ministry of Defence planned improvements include the provision of an Army Primary Health Care Team to meet the health care needs of army personnel.The impact of Project Allenby on local health services is expected as a result to be minimal.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his assessment is of the speed and efficiency of procedures to assess the competence of overseas qualified doctors; and if he plans to revise them. [90205]

Assessing the competence of doctors who have qualified outside the European Economic Area is the responsibility of the General Medical Council, the Specialist Training Authority and the Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice. At present this process can be unduly lengthy. We are consulting on legislation which will replace two of these bodies with a single new body—the Postgraduate Medical Education Training Board. The Board will be under a duty to complete the processing of applications from overseas doctors within three months.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the reconfiguration of health services in East Kent. [90206]

A decision on the reconfiguration of acute services in East Kent could not be made while the judicial review of the consultation process was under consideration. This has now been completed and Ministers will shortly be considering the recommendation made by Kent and Medway Strategic Health Authority. A decision will be made as soon as possible.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost to the NHS of medical negligence compensation payments was in the last year for which figures are available. [90207]

The latest figure, for the financial year 2000–01, is that national health service expenditure for clinical negligence amounted to £392 million. Figures for the financial year 2001–02 are being prepared by the National Audit Office and will be available later this year.

To as the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the retention of nurses. [90208]

The Government are committed to retaining more staff in the national health service. As a result of the action we have taken on better pay, working conditions, and access to training and development vacancy rates for nurses are falling and the NHS Plan target for an extra 20,000 more nurses was met two years early. Since 1997, there are more than 40,000 extra nurses working in the NHS.

To as the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the re-financing of the PFI project for Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust. [90210]

Initial discussions have taken place involving Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust, its Private Sector Partner Octagon and the Department of Health about the possible re-financing of the PFI scheme at the trust. If an agreement is reached, the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust will benefit from a 30 per cent. share of resulting gains.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the financial position of the Surrey and Sussex NHS Healthcare Trust. [90211]

Surrey and Sussex NHS Healthcare Trust has a budget of £140 million. The Trust has reported a deficit to the end of November of £2.8 million and is projecting a surplus of £193,000 by the year end.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the prescription plus initiative in respect of sufferers of multiple sclerosis. [90212]

A survey of Strategic Health Authorities conducted last autumn showed that services were being developed to initiate treatment under the scheme. We understand that the majority of designated specialist centres are now recruiting patients under the scheme.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had on the funding of hospices for children; and if he will make a statement. [90213]

I met the Association of Children's Hospices on 9 January to discuss ways in which funding levels can he determined through negotiation with primary care trusts. We also discussed the benefits to be obtained through the New Opportunities Fund. Awards from this programme will be announced later this month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates he has made of the number of adults suffering from (a) ADD and (b) ADHD. [89677]

No such assessment has been undertaken.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the contracts that have been awarded to the Capita Group by his Department. [89969]

The Department does not centrally hold a record of individual contracts.Expenditure by the Department with the Capita Group for the last three years is shown in the table.

Financial year	£
2000–01	792,433
2001–02	250,172
2002–03	125,942 (to 12/02)

The bulk of the expenditure has been in relation to contracts placed with Capita RAS (part of the Capita Group) for staff recruitment exercises.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 9 December 2002, Official Report, column 152W, on care home inspectors, when information on the number of different types of establishment will be available. 90119]

Data will be available from the end of March.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what methodology was used in indicating the increase in the number of people being supported in care homes in the next three years as set out in the document "Improvement, Expansion and Reform: The next three years". [83465]

[holding answer 28 November 2002]: The modelling methodology took account of projected changes in the numbers of older people generally and in the numbers of emergency hospital admissions of older people between 2003–06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many CAMHS consultants are employed in the NHS in each health authority. [85156]

The information requested is shown in the tables. The data shows an increase since 1997 of 9.1 per cent., in the number of child and adolescent psychiatrists.

NHS consultants, all specialties and child and adolescent psychiatry specialty
	All specialities	Child and adolescent psychiatry
England
1997	21,370	440
1998	22,220	460
1999	23,220	490
2000	24,310	480
2001	25,690	490
2002	26,350	480

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of elective surgery operations performed at the Cumberland Infirmary related to residents of (a) Scotland and (b) Dumfries and Galloway in the last 12 months. [88596]

During 2001–02, of the 29,130 elective "finished consultant episodes" (FCEs) at the North Cumbria Acute Hospitals National Health Service trust, 1.95 per cent., or 570, were reidents of Scotland and 1.77 per cent., or 520, were residents of Dumfries and Galloway.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 19 December 2002, ref 87420, if he will list the dental practices that accept NHS patients in (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham and (b) Shropshire. [90134]

The situation as at 10 January is as follows:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with private companies on digital hearing aids; and whether he has communicated information on his discussions to NHS trusts. [86757]

[holding answer 12 December 2002]: I met with Scrivens, a high street supplier of digital hearing aids, on 19 March 2002.There have been no discussions between Ministers and private companies who manufacture digital hearing aids. Manufacturers of moderate powered digital hearing aids were invited to tender for the national health service contract let in 2000 in an advertisement placed in the Official Journal of the European Communities (OJEC). At present the NHS purchasing and supplies agency are tendering for high powered and paediatric digital hearing aids and as part of this process have been in discussions with suppliers who expressed an interest in that OJEC advert placed earlier this year. All interested suppliers were invited to a pre-offer briefing meeting where the requirements of the tender were outlined including the specifications.Audiology departments are informed of the products available under the NHS contract.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much trusts in England and Wales allocated to digital hearing aids in the last year for which figures are available. [90226]

The Department of Health has allocated £30.75 million to its modernising hearing aid services project over the financial years 2000–01 to 2002–03 to national health service trusts in England. This modernised service includes the provision of digital hearing aids. Twenty sites joined the project in the first wave, with a further 30 second-wave sites joining in 2002–03.For second wave sites the Department pays the cost of upgrading information technology and other systems, 75 per cent. of additional staff costs and 75 per cent. of the difference between the cost of providing digital and analogue aids. Local primary care trusts pay the remaining 25 per cent. of revenue costs.A further 17 sites will be receiving training and equipment, this financial year, to allow them to dispense digital hearing aids.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average period of (a) residential and (b) non-residential drug rehabilitation was in the last year for which figures are available. [85713]

[holding answer 9 December 2002]: This information is not collected centrally.The periods will vary according to the different drug treatment modalities and depend on the clinical and social needs of each individual drug user. The variations in the length of treatment times, in individual cases, are such that comparisons could be very misleading.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients have online secure access to their electronic records. [88758]

Trials involving a very small number of patients are currently taking place. The My Health Space project, which is the personal electronic record under development by NHS Direct Online, is conducting a pilot trial to give patients access to their records.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when he expects electronic prescribing to be available through the NHS; [88739](2) what development work has been done for the introduction of electronic prescribing. [88738]

Three pilots are currently transferring prescription data electronically from general practitioners to community pharmacies and the Prescription Pricing Authority. These are being run by three private sector consortiums on behalf of the Department.The pilots are being fully and independently evaluated, and will inform the business case and how best to establish and rollout the electronic transmission of prescriptions in the national health service in line with "Pharmacy in the Future—Implementing the NHS Plan".

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out the rate of growth in emergency readmissions of people over 75 per thousand emergency admissions in each of the last five years in (a) each region and (b) England. [88785]

[holding answer 7 January 2003]: The emergency readmission rates collected by the Department use number of discharges from hospital as the denominator, rather than number of emergency admissions. The information requested, therefore, is not available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what fair trade criteria he sets when deciding upon what suppliers to use. [89914]

No set criteria are used but tenders are evaluated against a range of criteria to select the one giving best value for money. These include company policies in relation to environmental and similar considerations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance will be given to foundation hospitals on recruitment from existing Scottish NHS hospitals. [90403]

National health service foundation trusts will be under a duty of partnership with NHS bodies (see paragraphs 3.21 and 6.1 of "A guide to NHS Foundation Trusts"). This duty of partnership will apply to NHS and social care providers and commissioners in the local health economy, including where appropriate in Scotland.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what order the General Social Care Council will register each category of care worker. [89790]

The General Social Care Council will open a register of social care workers in April 2003. Professionally qualified social workers and students of social work will be the first to be registered. Heads of homes are the next priority group.Other parts of the register will be opened at a time determined by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate the General Social Care Council has made of the number of people it will be able to register each year. [89791]

Once in full operation, the General Social Care Council expects to process an average of 60,000 applications each year.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact on registrations by the General Social Care Council of the requirement to undertake Criminal Record Bureau checks. [89792]

There is no requirement on the General Social Care Council to undertake criminal checks to register an applicant. In December 2002 the GSCC provided the Department of Health with an assessment of the potential demand on the Criminal Records Bureau if the GSCC decided to make such checks. The result of this assessment was that theGSCC estimated their output, once fully operational, would be in the region of 5,000 applications per month.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the General Social Care Council will have access to the sex offenders' register when processing applications. [89793]

If the General Social Care Council sets rules for registration that require such checks to be completed, then the Council will be granted the same access as any other registration body.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the planned dates were for each of the milestones in the procurement of an IT system for the General Social Care Council; and when each milestone was achieved. [89794]

The delivery date for the provision of a social care register, supported by an information technology (IT) system, is 1 April 2003.The planned milestones and completion dates for the procurement of an IT system for the General Social Care Council social care register are as follows:

	Milestone	Planned date	Actual date
1.	Issue of Statement of Requirement	27 March 2002	27 March 2002
2.	Selection of preferred bespoke system supplier	24 May 2002	24 May 2002
3.	Completion of requirements scoping study	9 August 2002	23 August 2002
4.	Complete availability of COTS packages	26 September 2002	26 September 2002
5.	Shortlist COTS package suppliers	11 October 2002	11 October 2002
6.	Receive COTS package supplier bids	28 November 2002	28 November 2002
7.	Select preferred COTS package supplier	10 December 2002	10 December 2002
8.	Initial customer/supplier engagement complete	20 December 2002	20 December 2002
9.	Demonstration system available	16 January 2003	—
10.	Initial package configuration complete	7 February 2003	—
11.	User acceptance testing complete	28 February 2003	—
12.	Initial user training complete	31 March 2003	—
13.	Electronic social care register opened	1 April 2003	—

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements have been made to enable the General Social Care Council to check applications against the registers of the GMC, NMC and other relevant bodies. [89795]

The General Social Care Council will be working with other relevant regulatory bodies on agreed protocols for the exchange of such information.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to the General Social Care Council concerning its priorities and method of working. [89796]

Any guidance from the Department to the General Social Care Council concerning its priorities and method of working is contained in

Number of genetically prescribed items and total number of prescription items that were dispensed in the community, 1997 to 2001 by regional office, England
Million
	Regional office area
	Northern and Yorkshire	Trent	West Midlands	North West	Eastern	London	South East	South West	England
1997
Generically prescribed items	44	31	31	50	28	36	45	28	292
Total items1	70	56	55	80	50	62	77	49	500
1998
Generically prescribed items	47	33	34	53	30	38	48	31	314
Total items1	73	57	57	82	52	63	79	50	513
1999
Generically prescribed items	50	36	37	56	33	41	52	34	339
Total items1	75	59	59	84	54	65	82	52	530
2000
Generically prescribed items	56	42	41	61	39	45	59	38	381
Total items1	78	62	61	87	57	66	86	55	552
2001
Generically prescribed items	62	47	45	68	43	49	65	42	422
Total items1	83	66	65	92	61	69	91	59	587
1 The total number of prescription items includes dressings and appliances.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many generic drugs have been prescribed in (a) England and (b) each region in each of the last five years. [88805]

[holding answer 7 January 2003]: Information on the number of prescription items of generic drugs dispensed in the community in the last five years is shown in the table.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish the Green Paper on Genetics. [88363]

The Green Paper on genetics will be published shortly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what health screening tests are carried out on (a) existing NHS staff and (b) prospective recruits; and what are planned. [90188]

Applicants for work in the national health service are required to pass a number of pre-employment checks prior to receiving an unconditional offer of employment. These include verification of qualifications, identity, professional registration, criminal records and occupational health. Guidance on pre-employment checks was issued to NHS employers under the cover of a Direction for the Secretary of State, in June 2002.Following the recommendations made by an expert working group the Government is currently consulting the professions and patient organisations regarding the introduction of additional health clearance for serious communicable diseases.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs prescribe drugs to combat heroin addiction, broken down by region. [82274]

The information is not available centrally in this form.In the six month period ending 31 March 2001 around 35,100 clients were reported at drug treatment agencies in England.Of these, around 1,700 or five per cent. were reported to be clients presenting to general practitioners.The information on the breakdown by region is shown in table 15 of the Statistical Bulletin, "Statistics from the Regional Drug Misuse Databases for the six months ending March 2001". The full Statistical Bulletin is available in the Library and on the Department's website at http://www.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0207.htm

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what priority his Department places on the prevention of illnesses. [90209]

The Department—and this Government as a whole—places the highest priority on preventing illness, promoting the health of all and improving the health of the poorest fastest. This means tackling inequalities, and reducing mortality from cancer and coronary heart disease—the two biggest killers in England. As well as reducing the burden caused by infectious diseases.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has received from the Health and Safety Executive regarding the effects of landfill sites on public health. [88595]

The Department of Health has received no assessment from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) regarding the effects of landfill sites on public health.The HSE, contributes to a grant to the small area health statistics unit (SAHSU) at Imperial College, jointly with the Department of Health, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Environment Agency, the Scottish Executive, the National Assembly of Wales and the Northern Ireland Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. SAHSU was commissioned to carry out a national study of birth outcomes and cancer around landfill sites.The results for birth outcomes were published in the British Medical Journal in 2001 (Elliott et al BMJ 2001: 323: 363–8: available at http://www.bmj.com). The results for the cancer outcomes were published in the British Journal of Cancer in 2002 (Jarup et al 2002: 86: 1732–6). A fuller report of the study may be found at the Department of Health website at: http://www.doh.gov.uk/pdfs/report aug13.pdf. The study found a small increase in congenital anomalies in populations living close to landfill sites. There was no suggestion of excess risks of cancer associated with landfill sites. The Department sought advice on the study from the independent expert Committee on the Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT). COT noted that the findings for birth outcomes were not consistent, and that the study provided no evidence that the rates of anomalies increased after sites had opened. The opinion of the COT may be found at: http://www.doh.gov.uk/cotnonfood/landfil.htm.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations were (a) sought and (b) received from the Scottish Executive regarding the purchase of Life Resources Incorporated; and what consultations have taken place between his Department and the Scottish Executive regarding access to resources stored in Life Resources Incorporated; [88780](2) what future consultations he plans with the Scottish Executive regarding access to resources stored in Life Sources Incorporated; and what financial resources

[holding answer 13 January 2003]: The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) has its own independent sources of non-UK plasma. The Scottish Executive were therefore not involved in the Government's decision to purchase Life Resources Incorporated to secure supplies of non-UK plasma for the national health service in England. Accordingly, no consultations or financial transactions took place with the Scottish Executive concerning the purchase of Life Resources and the Scottish Executive will have no involvement in the future management of the company.SNBTS is not currently supplied with plasma by Life Resources Incorporated. Should SNBTS decide in future to tender for plasma supplies, Life Resources could be one of a number of commercial plasma suppliers that might compete for this contract.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many maternity units do not reach recommended levels for the number of deliveries per year, as defined by the relevant Royal College. [85790]

This information is not collected centrally.National health service maternity services are provided in a variety of settings, and the numbers of deliveries in each unit can vary from about five to 10 births per year in a very small midwife-led unit to large consultant-led units in hospitals with over 5,000 births.Information relating to maternities in the NHS is collected by trusts and is available through the Hospital Episode Statistics System at www.doh.gov.uk/public/sb/o211.htm

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on promoting mental health services for (a) the disabled and (b) ethnic minorities; [86148](2) what plans he has to develop a research strategy for overseeing service solutions for

The Department will be launching a comprehensive framework for black and minority ethnic mental health later this year. The framework will cover accessibility of services and relevant research. The National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) has set up a national black and ethnic minorities mental health innovations and research and development expert group to support the NIMHE research network to support implementation of the framework.The Government White Paper, "Valuing People: A New Strategy for Learning Disability for the 21st Century", is clear that the national service framework for mental health applies to all adults of working age, including people with learning disabilities who have a mental illness. They should be enabled to use generic psychiatric services whenever possible. Each local service should have access to an acute assessment and treatment resource for the small number of individuals with significant learning disabilities and mental health problems who cannot appropriately be admitted to general psychiatric services, even with specialist support."A Sign of the Times", a consultation document on modernising mental health services for people who are deaf or deaf and blind, was published in July 2002. It set out proposals aimed at making a significant difference to the lives of deaf people with mental health problems whose needs were previously overlooked.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 7 January 2003, Official Report, column 199W, on mental health services, what assessment he has made of the contribution that a code of conduct for mental health professionals and users can make to improvements in the treatment of users of mental health services. [90702]

The Government have made no assessment of the contribution of professionals' codes of conduct to mental health care and treatment. Although we believe codes of conduct can contribute to the maintenance of high standards, and have a place among the several systems in place to support the highest quality care, responsibility for their development and use lies with the statutory regulatory bodies and professional organisations.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will support the provision of organic fruit to school children as part of the national school fruit scheme; and if he will make a statement. [88256]

Contracts to supply fruit under the National School Fruit Scheme are awarded through open, competitive tendering. The tendering process is open to all suppliers, including those who provide organically grown fruit.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health to what extent the new national tariff system for NHS hospitals will vary to reflect regional differences in the cost of providing services. [89543]

[holding answer 13 January 2003]: The new national tariff takes account of unavoidable geographical differences in the cost of providing health care. The same market forces factor (MFF) used in the weighted capitation formula for resource allocation is used to adjust the tariff for individual providers.More information on how the MFF is used to determine provider specific tariffs, and the actual MFF factors for 2003–04, is set out in Annex B of the guidance published on the Department of Health website: http://www.doh.gov.uk/nhsfinancialreforms/

To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason applicants to the NHS Appointments Commission are required to declare their political allegiance. [88318]

The code of practice issued by the Commissioner for Public Appointments that all candidates for appointment to public bodies are asked to answer the question ion political activity, as opposed to allegiance. This is for monitoring purposes only and the information is not passed on to sifting and interview panels considering candidates for appointment.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health who will be responsible for assessing the impact of problems which arise when an NHS management team takes on the franchise for running a further NHS trust. [89063]

[holding answer 7 January 2002]: The Boards of National Health Service trusts are responsible for the performance of their own trust. The strategic health authority monitors overall performance and progress in each trust. Assessments of performance are also made in clinical governance inspections by the Commission for Health Improvement.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) clinical and (b) non-clinical employees each of the private sector companies on the Register of Expertise has. [89060]

[holding answer 7 January 2003]: The applications for the National Health Service Franchising Register of Expertise were in the names f corporate bodies rather than individuals. An organisation which tenders for a franchise will be required to name appropriately qualified individual(s) to carry out senior management roles in a hospital trust as part of their bid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether any of the three-star NHS trusts included in the Register of Experts asked to be included. [89065]

[holding answer 7 January 2002]: As part of the earned autonomy package, all three star National Health Service trusts are given automatic entry to the franchising register of expertise and therefore do not need to apply. These trusts are not under any obligation to apply for franchise opportunities that arise.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the (a) private and (b) voluntary sector organisations which applied to be included in the Register of Experts but were rejected. [89058]

[holding answer 7 January 2002]: The selection and rejection of applicants for the National Health Service Franchising Register of Expertise is a matter for the independent panel which was set up by the National Health Service Appointments Commission to assess the applications.It would not be appropriate to publish the names of organisations who applied, but were unsuccessful, as the applications were made in confidence to the independent panel.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS organisations will need the approval of their board before applying for a franchise to run another trust. [89059]

[holding answer 7 January 2003]: A National Health Service trust would need the agreement of its Board before it could apply for a franchise to run another National Health Service trust.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health in each of the private sector companies on the Register of Experts, how many managers were previously employed in the NHS. [89061]

[holding answer 7 January 2003]: The applications for the National Health Service franchising register of expertise were in the names of corporate bodies rather than individuals. An organisation which tenders for a franchise will be required to name an appropriately qualified individuals(s) to carry out management roles in a hospital trust as part of their bid.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals are managed by each of the private sector organisations on the Register of Experts; and how many beds, emergency admissions and intensive care beds there are in each such hospital. [89064]

[holding answer 7 January 2003]: The independent panel set up by the National Health Service Appointments Commission assessed the general ability of each private sector organisation to run a hospital trust. The expertise and experience of every organisation which tenders for a National Health Service franchise will be thoroughly and rigorously assessed before any contract is awarded.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the sum to be paid to franchised managements of NHS trusts will be made public. [89066]

[holding answer 7 January 2003]: The management fee paid to private sector organisations for any franchise agreement is amatter for the Board of the relevant National Health Service trust.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the private management of franchised NHS trusts will be able to levy fines on local authorities which fail to provide sufficient help with hospital discharges. [89067]

[holding answer 7 January 2003]: Subject to legislation, the ability to levy fines on local authorities that delay hospital discharges will apply to the institution, not the management of the organisation. A private sector organisation awarded the management franchise of a hospital trust would not retain any money received for itself through this arrangement, but it would go into general funds.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nursing vacancies exist in trusts in England and Wales. [90225]

Information on vacancies lasting three months or more for nursing staff in England is shown in the table.The three month vacancy rate was 3.1 per cent. in March 2002, a fall from 3.4 per cent. in March 2001 and the second successive fall in vacancies for qualified nursing staff.Information for Wales is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.

Department of Health Vacancies Survey, March 2002 Vacancies in NHS Trusts, qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff
Three month vacancy rates, numbers and staff in post
Qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff (excluding HA staff)	England (excluding HA staff)
Three month vacancy rate (percentage)	3.1
Three month vacancy number	8,394
Staff in post (whole-time equivalent)	265,717
Staff in post (headcount)	329,981

To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans his Department has to ensure that health purchasers are encouraged to diagnose and treat obstructive sleep apnoea; [88235](2) if he will list the trusts and PCTs where the provision of diagnostic and therapeutic services for obstructive sleep apnoea are available; [88237](3) plans he has to include sleep apnoea and other sleep disorders in his national plan. [88236]

Targets for National Health Service modernisation and reform set out in the NHS Plan will help improve services for everyone using NHS services, including those with sleep apnoea and other sleep disorders.Substantial new investment in both health and social care services were recently announced in the Budget. The NHS will receive an annual average increase of 7.5 per cent. above inflation over the five years 2003–04 to 2007–08. This represents an increase of £34 billion in funding and is the highest sustained growth in funding in the history of the NHS. This increase will provide the investment needed to support services which best meet patients and users needs.Information on the configuration of local services such as which primary care trusts (PCTs) provide diagnostic and therapeutic services for obstructive sleep apnoea is not held centrally. However, we are aware that there are specialised sleep disorder services at St Thomas' Hospital, London and at hospitals in Cambridge and Leicester.PCTs, in partnership with local stakeholders, have the responsibility for deciding what services to provide for their populations including those with sleep apnoea. They are best placed to understand local health needs and commission services to meet them.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on near patient testing by NHS trusts. [87534]

The NHS Plan set out the vision for the national health service to offer patients fast and convenient care offered to a consistently high standard. Subsequently, Delivering the NHS Plan confirmed our commitment to substantial increases in NHS capacity and to using the extra investment to modernise the way services are provided to bring them closer to patients, to expand the choices available to them and to make better use of the NHS work force.The Department recognises the vital role of pathology services in the effective treatment and care of patients, and in providing fast and effective diagnoses to support improved access to services. We support the appropriate use of near patient testing in primary care, community clinics, accident and emergency departments and on the wards, which can provide improved service for patients, speeding up diagnoses and treatment.We are currently revising our draft guidance for the NHS on modernising pathology services, and will include advice on appropriate use of near patient testing in this.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish the first report on the effectiveness of primary care trusts. [88524]

I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Oxford, West and Abingdon (Dr. Harris) on 7 January 2003, Official Report, column 204W.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets have been set for the recruitment of GPs in England. [84496]

[holding answer 2 December 2002]: The NHS Plan set a target of 2,000 extra general practitioners by 2004. Delivering the NHS Plan, published in April, set out the next stage in this expansion—15,000 more GPs and consultants working in the national health service by 2008.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 25 November regarding ethical foreign nurse recruitment if he will list the names of the agencies that have been reported; what investigations have been undertaken; and what action has been taken against any agency found guilty of breaches. [84771]

[holding answer 2 December 2002]: This information is held in confidence. In each case behaviour which appeared to be inconsistent with the Code of Practice was reported and the agency was given the opportunity to respond to the allegations. In each case officials have been satisfied that the organisation in question is operating in line with the Code of Practice.This process will be followed in all cases, but if any allegation is substantiated, the agency will be removed from the list. At this stage, the information will be publicly available.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for his Department (a) those Comprehensive Spending Review 1998 targets that were outstanding at the time of the statement on the Comprehensive Spending Review 2002, (b) progress on such targets since then and (c) the expected date when targets not yet achieved will be met. [87696]

[holding answer 7 December 2002]: The Department publishes progress against all its outstanding Public Service Agreement targets in its Departmental Report and Autumn Performance Report, copies of which are available in the Library.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what facilities are available to deal with a terrorist attack involving chemical or biological agents, in each region; and which of these facilities were put in place in the last twelve months. [88399]

Since 11 September 2001, National Health Service preparations have been stepped up to ensure we are as prepared as we can be in responding to a range of possible new threats, such as the deliberate release of chemical or biological agents.In the past 12 months, specific medical countermeasures have been taken. However, information about these medical countermeasures and where they are placed is not made publicly available for security reasons.Under a £5 million programme, the Department has funded the provision of 360 mobile decontamination units and 7,250 national specification personal protective equipment (PPE) suits which allow the ambulance service and accident and emergency departments to treat people contaminated with chemical, biological, radio-active and nuclear material. Theallocation of this equipment to health and social care regions is shown in the table.

Region	PPE Suits	Mobile Decontamination Units
London	862	46
Midlands & Eastern	1728	88
North	2174	109
South	2486	117

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he plans to take to increase the ratio of urologists per capita in Great Britain. [89678]

Since 1997, the number of consultant urologists has increased by 27 per cent. to 436 in March 2002. We are increasing the number of consultant urologists through expansion of registrar training places, improved recruitment and retention, international recruitment and promotion of flexible retirement.In 2001 there were 0.9 urologists per 100,000 population.As at 30 September 2001 there were 204 doctors in the registrar group for urology in the national health service in England. The output from these existing registrar training places, when combined with other increases and offset by expected retirements in the specialty is expected to result in around 582 trained specialists being available in surgery by 2010. The number of urologists per capita is therefore likely to increase significantly.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the 10 longest waiting times for NHS treatment according to the most recent data that he has available. [87538]