asked Her Majesty's GovernmentWhat studies the Home Office is carrying out into patterns of retirement from police force to police force and as to the reasons why police officers are leaving (a) early or (b) after 30 years' service. [HL427]

A number of Home Office studies in the 1990s looked at the reasons why people leave the police service early other than on medical grounds. These studies identified particular difficulties in retaining officers who are female, graduates or from minority ethnic groups. The need for further research on all aspects of retention will be considered in the coming months.The importance of ensuring that the medical retirement rates for all forces are more consistent has been recognised for some time and we are currently considering how best to tackle the divergence in performance between forces.As most police officers are entitled to retire with an immediate—and maximum—pension after completion of 30 years' service it is to be expected that the majority of officers would choose to retire at this stage. We are, however, considering how suitable officers might be encouraged to delay their retirement as part of our plans to boost police numbers to record levels. This clearly requires an understanding of the motivations of officers who retire with 30 years' service.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, when Yarl's Wood detention centre is fully commissioned, they will reduce the number of places used in processing for Immigration Act detainees by the number of places available at this detention centre. [HL533]

When Yarl's Wood detention centre opens later this year, the total number of places available for immigration detainees in the detention estate will increase by 900. We remain committed to pursuing a strategy of detaining people in dedicated detention facilities of this kind and reducing reliance on Prison Service accommodation.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What conclusions the Advisory Committee on the Use of Dogs in Prison has reached on the effectiveness of drug dogs, both active and passive, and whether they will place copies of the committee's reports in the Library of the House.[HL610]

The Advisory Committee on the Use of Dogs in Prison reported in September 1998 and a copy of the report has been placed in the Library. Prison Service Order 1050 provides standards for the deployment of dogs in prisons, a copy of which is already in the Library.In January 2001 the Drug Strategy Unit commissioned a further independent review of the effectiveness of passive drug dogs, undertaken jointly by the Police Scientific Development Branch and the (then) Defence, Evaluation and Research Agency. The final report is not yet available. The emerging findings confirm that passive drug dogs remain the most effective means of screening non-intrusively for a wide range of drugs.

To ask Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 16 July (

The only establishment that is designated as a remand centre is Her Majesty's Young Offender Institution/Remand Centre Northallerton. This is because the majority of the prison's population are remand prisoners, compared with other establishments whose population consists of only a minority of remand prisoners. Remand prisoners spend, on average, less time out of cell because they have not been found guilty of any offence and therefore cannot be required to undertake any activity. Their time in prison is frequently interrupted by court appearances so they cannot engage on courses. Therefore, most of their time is spent on recreational activities or in their cells. Category B and C prisons hold sentenced prisoners who would be required to work, take part in education and undertake offending behaviour programmes. They will therefore spend, on average, more time out of cell than remand prisoners.The Prison Service is making efforts to increase the amount of purposeful activity available for remand prisoners to participate in and so increase their time out of cell.As of 13 August this year, Her Majesty's Young Offender Institution/Remand Centre Northallerton will be introducing a new activity programme that will greatly increase the time remand prisoners spend out of cell to levels more comparable to Category C and B prisons.Most young offender institutions hold a mixture of sentenced and remand prisoners. Therefore, the average figure for time spent out of cell will again be lower than most Category B and C prisons which hold only sentenced prisoners.The conditions and regimes for juvenile offenders have, however, been transformed by the Prison Service in partnership with the Youth Justice Board. One effect of these improvements has been to highlight that young adult offenders have not fared so well. We are committed to building upon reforms of the youth justice system to improve the standards of custodial accommodation and offending programmes for this latter age group. We are currently considering how best to give effect to this commitment.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 16 July (

The Prison Service does not collect centrally the time out of cell for individual prisoners. The figures quoted for the 'average weekday time out of cell May 2001' are averages based on the time out of cell for all prisoners within a given establishment, regardless of the category of the prisoner.When figures are aggregated by function of establishment, prisons are categorised by their main function only. This means that in establishments with multiple functions the time out of cell for different types of prisoners are contained within the average. For example, the female wing at Her Majesty's Prison Winchester is included within the average for that establishment and appears in the table as part of the male local estate. For that reason the averages quoted for categories of prison are not necessarily representative of the average times for which different categories of prisoner are allowed out of their cell.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will send a photograph and background information on each child admitted to prison to the Missing Persons Helpline. [HL641]

We do not propose to do so. Other steps are taken to provide parental contact with children and young people in secure facilities. The national standards produced by the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales require youth offending teams supervising officers to maintain contact with the person's parents or primary carer.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What training is given prior to release to prisoners, particularly long-term inmates; and which outside agencies or industrialists are helping prisons provide courses to prepare prisoners for possible further employment. [HL642]

The Government are committed to increasing educational attainment by prisoners and linking this to employment and learning opportunities on release. The Prison Service provides a range of training to equip prisoners with the relevant skills and qualifications. This includes provision of basic skills, such as literacy and numeracy, and vocational training for particular trades and other occupations. In 2000–01, more than 50,000 nationally recognised qualifications were achieved by prisoners, including around 12,500 literacy and numeracy qualifications at level two, often helping to make them employable for the first time.The delivery of this training involves Prison Service instructional officers, further education colleges, learning and skills councils, businesses, industry bodies and others. Since April 2001 this work has been taken forward within a new partnership between the Prison Service and the Department for Education and Skills to improve the education and training of prisoners. It is also connected to the Prison Service's Custody to Work programme, which aims to double the number of prisoners getting jobs on release by April 2004. Better equipped prisoners for available jobs is an important element of that programme, together with a more effective engagement with the business and voluntary sectors and with other agencies, including the Employment Service and the National Probation Service.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How prison staff salaries reflect qualifications and expertise. [HL643]

Most Prison Service staff join at the pay minima of the respective grade, of which there are over 100. The pay rates of civilian staff recognise various forms of specialism e.g. accountancy, auditing, psychology, farm management and industrial craft trades. Specialist prison officers e.g. those working in healthcare, catering, physical education, libraries, works services trades, instructing and as dog handlers currently receive an annual specialist allowance. We are also in the process of introducing market supplements to recognise specialisms such as personnel, procurement, project management, engineering and health and safety.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What professional training is given to governors and prison officers. [HL644]

There is an extensive range of training available to all staff in the Prison Service, from the initial training for new prison officers, through to specific operational training courses and opportunities for staff development.The initial training for new prison officers is an 11-week course that is partly residential and partly establishment based. This gives a thorough introduction to the Prison Service and equips officers to maintain security and contribute to prisoner resettlement.Serving officers are offered further training to meet the needs of security and the prison regime.Security training covers, for example, control and restraint techniques, security management, control room, searching, hostage incidents and use of X-ray equipment.Training in prisoner management and care includes, for example, courses for staff who work with young offenders or women prisoners, for those involved in delivering offending behaviour programmes, and for physical education officers.Officers are able to pursue a national vocational qualification in custodial care, based on newly-developed national occupational standards which were launched in January this year.A new approach to leadership and management development is now being created. It will include a leadership programme and direct support and advice to establishments. This review will take account of the recommendations of Lord Laming of Tewin.Details of all current training courses can be found in the latest edition of the Prison Service's

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 11 July (

Cells without integral sanitation in segregation units and health care centres are used to hold prisoners while their behaviour is disturbed, violent or destructive and where they are assessed as presenting a serious risk of harm to themselves or others.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker of 12 July (

We have no plans for introducing specific performance indicators relating to the policing of cannabis.The Home Secretary sets the strategic direction for the police service through a small number of ministerial priorities, each measured by a set of performance indicators including the best value suite of performance indicators (BVPIs).The priority on drugs, as reflected in the Government's 10-year drugs strategy, is to tackle the misuse of Class A drugs, such as heroin and cocaine, as these are the drugs that cause the greatest harm. A BVPI (No. 129) exists in respect of supply offences involving Class A drugs.We do not propose to divert police attention and resources away from tackling Class A drug offences by introducing a specific performance indicator in respect of Class B drugs, such as cannabis.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they intend to respond to

The recommendations to the Government of the sex offences review, contained in Setting the Boundaries: reforming the law on sex offences were published in July last year.We are currently considering over 700 responses to that consultation paper and will announce our decisions about implementation once we have completed our consideration.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress is being made with the establishment of a central register, as required under Section 39 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1977, which came into force on 1 October 1997, of persons who have applied for a shot gun or firearm certificate or to whom a firearm or shot gun certificate has been granted; and whether they still expect this database to be operational in February 2002, as indicated in the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 23 April. [HL450]

I understand that work has begun on the project, which will create a central register on the police national computer of firearms certificate Holders, drawn from the register already held by local police force systems.This development work will continue, but I regret to say that it will not be possible for the register to be implemented on the live operational PNC system until an upgrade of PNC software has been completed. This upgrade is essential for the continued daily operation of PNC, which might otherwise be prejudiced, and should be completed in March 2002 and advised that the firearms certificate holders register will go live as soon as possible after that; timing is dependent on rework necessary to ensure existing applications run on the upgraded software. I am asking the PITO board for a full report on this unwelcome slippage and will write to the noble Lord when this has been received.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether it is the policy of the Metropolitan Police to prevent rough sleeping on the north side of Victoria Street around New Scotland Yard, but to permit it on the south side of Victoria Street and around the precinct of Westminster Cathedral. [HL564]

The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police tells me that it is not his policy to deal with rough sleepers in the area around New Scotland Yard any differently from rough sleepers elsewhere in Westminster. The perimeter of the New Scotland Yard complex is subject to 24-hour police security patrols and this may also have an effect in reducing the incidence of rough sleeping on the north side of Victoria Street in the immediate vicinity of New Scotland Yard.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which faith-based organisations have had meetings with Home Office Ministers specifically to discuss policy in the last year. [HL623]

During the last year, Home Office Ministers have met representatives from the Afro-Caribbean Evangelical Alliance, Al Khoei Foundation, An-Nisa Society, Black Churches Civic Forum, Board of Deputies of British Jews, Breakfast Jewish Forum, Church of England, Hasidic community, Jewish Yemenite community, Muslim College, Muslim Council of Britain, Three Faiths Forum and Union of Muslim Organisations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What role the new National Substance Misuse Treatment Agency has had in informing the draft residential care standards for younger adults in relation to people with substance misuse problems. [HL410]

The Government began their extensive consultation process on the proposed national minimum standards for care homes for younger adults before the inception of the national treatment agency. The agency's role in setting standards across the substance misuse treatment field will incorporate the new residential care standards once they are finalised, following further consultation with providers.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In what circumstances they propose to allow the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visitors to disclose the home address of registered nurses without their consent. [HL437]

It is for the council to decide how the register will be kept and the means of obtaining access to it. Our proposals for legislation to replace the council envisage that its successor should have a similar power, subject to a duty to consult those affected. They do not require the publication of home addresses of registrants on the register. The responses to consultation are now being carefully considered and a report will be published in due course.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What percentage of patients leaving intermediate care will go to (i) their own home, (ii) sheltered or very sheltered accommodation, (iii) a care home, or (iv) an acute, medical or long stay geriatric ward. [HL460]

Data have not been collected on where people who have left intermediate care have gone.The national research currently being commissioned by the Department of Health to evaluate intermediate care will provide information on this in due course.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans, reports or studies are currently being undertaken concerning the provision of intermediate care following the National Health Service Plan; and who is undertaking them. [HL550]

The National Service Framework for Older People, published on 27 March, made it clear that the National Health Service and councils should, by January 2002, agree three-year implementation plans for intermediate care, as part of their local action plans and joint investment plans. These plans will be reviewed by NHS regional offices and social care regions to ensure that they deliver the requirements set out in the NHS Plan and the National Service Framework for Older People. The NHS was asked to submit specific data on investment and activity for intermediate care and community equipment as part of 2001–02 service and financial frameworks (SaFFs). This data is currently being validated. Local action plans for older people's services, submitted as part of the SaFF process, indicated how the 2001–02 'must do' targets and milestones were to be planned for, and included information on how the agreed investment and activity for intermediate care in 2001–02 will be delivered.In addition to local evaluations, the Department of Health is currently commissioning national research which will evaluate intermediate care. The specification for this work asked researchers to focus on hospital acute admissions, lengths of stay, discharges, and re-admissions; health and social outcomes for users and carers; user and carer satisfaction; costs and savings to the NHS and other agencies; as well as the cost-effectiveness of intermediate care.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will publish and place in the Library of the House, as soon as the information is available, a copy of the composite returns for each health authority of the survey of self-funders in nursing homes in England setting out:

The Department of Health is carrying out a survey of those funding their own care (self-funders) in nursing homes via health authorities. Health authorities have until 27 July to provide all the information on self-fenders. We intend to make available a breakdown of all the data by health authority on the department's website at www.doh.gov.uk/jointunit/freenursingcare during August after this has been analysed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What measures the National Health Service will introduce to tackle the problem revealed by the Adult Dental Health Survey (1998) that some 42 per cent of adults over the age of 21 have a loss of about one-third of root length as a result of periodontal disease; and [HL466]How they intend to respond to the Adult Dental Health Survey (1998) which highlights the widespread incidence of periodontal disease among the adult population; and whether they will invest in periodontal disease care and treatment sufficiently to ensure high quality care and treatment for people suffering from periodontal disease across the United Kingdom. [HL467]

As well as rewarding dentists for giving preventive care and advice to National Health Service patients, the general dental services contract already provides for both surgical and non-surgical periodontal treatment. The Government are committed to improving access to NHS dentistry. By September anyone requiring dental treatment will be able to find an NHS dentist by calling NHS Direct. We will monitor the effect of improved access to NHS dentistry on periodontal disease.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they plan to acquire the National Heart Hospital in Westmoreland Street, London; and, if so, what progress is being made on the acquisition. [HL523]

The National Health Service is aware that the current owners of the Heart Hospital, a private hospital situated in Westmoreland Street, London, may be trying to dispose of the business. The local NHS trust has made informal soundings and is currently assessing the potential of the facility for NHS use.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they intend that:

Valuing People, the White Paper on learning disability published on 20 March 2001, makes clear that local councils in considering the future housing, care and support needs of people with learning disabilities and their families must ensure that all options are considered. These options should include small-scale ordinary housing, supported living and village and intentional communities. Councils should respect the preferences of individuals and their families, wherever the preferred options will meet individuals' assessed needs and are affordable.It remains the responsibility of local statutory authorities to determine the precise pattern of services to be developed in their area as they are best placed to make such decisions in the light of the Department of Health's guidance and their local knowledge of needs and resources. This could include the development of village communities on suitable hospital sites.We shall be issuing statutory guidance on implementing the proposals set out in

asked Her Majesty's Government:What were the overall oncology budgets for National Health Service trusts in London for each of the last three years; and [HL595]What were the oncology budgets for each of the last three years for (a) Guy's Hospital, (b) the Royal Marsden Hospital and (c) St Thomas' Hospital; and [HL596]What discussions they have had with, and what directions they have given to, the chief executives of health authorities to ensure that budgets in oncology are (a) maintained and (b) spent exclusively on cancer care and cancer services; and [HL597]

Resources for oncology, including oncology drugs, are included in general allocations to health authorities. No information is held centrally on oncology or oncology drugs budgets. In 2001–02, health authority allocations nationally included a hypothecated amount of £255 million for increases in expenditure on cancer services and health authorities were asked to set aside specific additional resources from this amount to meet a number of priorities on cancer, including implementing the National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance on new oncology drugs.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What steps they are taking to determine which models of quality systems management in common use would be most appropriate to ensure increased quality assurance in the National Health Service; and [HL601]What plans they have to evaluate the different approaches to quality management taken within the National Health Service, together with the current proven techniques, to determine which approach would best prevent further failures from occurring within the service. [HL602]

Clinical governance provides National Health Service organisations and health care professionals with a framework for quality improvement which, over time, will develop into a single, coherent local programme for assuring and improving the quality of clinical services.National Health Service organisations are using a number of different tools to help them implement their own local arrangements to achieve the key components of clinical governance. Some organisations have found the generic quality management schemes (for example ISO 9000, the Excellence Model, Charter Mark and Investors in People) to be useful ways into this process, recognising that these schemes share general management principles with the aims of clinical governance and the Government's overall NHS quality strategy.The Cabinet Office document

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to discuss the basic principles of quality management within the National Health Service, together with the appropriate training of National Health Service staff in these principles, with professional bodies like the Institute of Quality Assurance; and [HL603]What training in quality management principles is provided to National Health Service management and personnel. [HL605]

The NHS Modernisation Agency is a recently launched major initiative within the National Health Service enabling a wide variety of NHS organisations to involve staff and patients in improving services. The agency is using a variety of quality improvement methods and procedures in its work to support NHS organisations on the ground.The NHS Modernisation Agency combines the work of several pre-existing national teams including the NHS clinical governance support team, national patients access team and primary care development team. The Leadership Centre within the NHS Modernisation Agency also provides access to quality management principles, tools and techniques for NHS leaders.Individual NHS organisations also provide opportunities for their own managers to develop necessary quality management skills through continuing professional development and through other forms of management development offered by academic institutions (for example, Master of Business Administration courses) and professional bodies (for example, the Institute of Health Management).

asked Her Majesty's Government:What model of quality management system is in use in the National Health Service to establish and evaluate basic performance measures; and [HL604]What steps they have taken to ensure better quality management within the National Health Service. [HL606]

Quality is the heart of the Government's agenda for modernising the National Health Service. Quality of care is increasingly being taken into account when judging the performance of NHS organisations.The basic elements of the NHS quality management system—as set out in

asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the additional cost to the Department of Health for damages in clinical negligence cases (over and above provisions and estimates totalling £3.9 billion at 31 March as noted by the National Audit Office) arising from the lowering of the discount rate for personal injury cases from 3 to 2½ per cent announced by the Lord Chancellor on 27 June. [HL617]

The Lord Chancellor's Department is carrying out a full assessment of the impact of the new discount rate, which is being prepared and will be published in due course.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many National Health Service patients are waiting more than four weeks for:

Data on the number of patients currently waiting are only collected by specialty not by procedure and by the number waiting over three months not over four weeks. Therefore, data cannot be provided on the number of patients currently waiting over four weeks for operations.The percentage of patients waiting over three months at the end of May 2001 was 50 per cent.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How the cost of the following operation in the United Kingdom National Health Service compares with the costs in France shown in brackets, as reported in

The costs within the National Health Service compare favourably with those quoted in the article. The following list shows the straightforward comparison, based on the definitions used in the NHS.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Which faith-based organisations have had meetings with Department of Health Ministers specifically to discuss policy in the last year. [HL624]

There have been no such meetings.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, in the light of the latest findings of the national treatment outcome research study, they will consider whether the national minimum standards for care homes for younger adults will undermine the ability of drug and alcohol treatment services to ensure residents' engagement with therapy and to prevent social isolation. [HL647]

The draft national minimum standards for care homes for younger adults place strong emphasis on meeting the assessed needs of service users and providing appropriate programmes of care. The Government have carried out an in-depth consultation exercise targeted specifically at service users with drug or alcohol problems and we will continue to take users' views into account when developing these standards.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What work has been undertaken to explain the trend in prescribing of anti-psychotic medication;

No work has been done at this stage to explain the recent trends in prescribing of anti-psychotic medication although the figures are monitored. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence is expected to issue guidance on the use of atypical anti-psychotic drugs in December. The available information relates to anti-psychotic medicines dispensed in the community for 1999 and 2000 only; these are set out in the table and are estimates derived from a 1 in 20 sample of prescription items.