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Wheelchairs
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to extend the NHS wheelchair voucher scheme to cover powered wheelchairs. [71134]
Mr. Hutton: An evaluation of the powered wheelchair and voucher scheme initiatives was commissioned last year from the York Health Economics Consortium. The evaluation is expected to be completed in the spring. Any decision to extend the voucher scheme to include powered wheelchairs will be taken in the light of the consortium's recommendations.
Mr. Rodney Ledward
Mr. Howard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to announce his decision on the holding of a public inquiry into the causes, consequences and implications of the conduct of Mr. Rodney Ledward. [71315]
Mr. Denham: We have decided to conduct an independent inquiry into the performance of Mr. Rodney Ledward. We shall make an announcement shortly on the terms of reference and membership of the inquiry panel.
Departmental Expenditure
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the expenditure incurred by his Department, agencies and non-departmental public bodies on (a) the setting up and (b) the operation of web sites, indicating the cases in which the expenditure has been above that budgeted; and if he will list for each web site (i) the topics covered, (ii) the current average number of hits per month and (iii) the estimated expenditure on each web site for each of the next three years. [70970]
Ms Jowell:
The Department's internet site has information on a wide range of topics covering the Department's activities and policies including Departmental responsibilities and objectives, press releases, Ministerial team details, Chief Medical Officer information, and the full text of all Departmental circulars and some Departmental publications. The Medical Devices Agency (MDA) Internet site includes information on reporting adverse incidents and Year 2000 and medical devices. The Medicines Control Agency (MCS) internet site covers its structure and functions together with electronic copies of some publications. The NHS Pensions Agency (NHSPA) internet site targets over 11,000 NHS employers on the co-administration of the pension scheme. The NHS Estates web site also includes information on its structure and functions and the text of some circulars. Statistical data concerning the cost and usage of the web sites are as follows:
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| Web site | Department(54) | MDA | MCA | NHSPA | NHS Estates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setup costs (£000) | 8 | 2 | -- | 32 | -- |
| Operation costs 1998-99 (£000) | (55)10 | (55)-- | 5 | 14 | 0.5 |
| Average monthly hits | 1,011,300 | 24,800 | 2,200 | (56)1,100 | 25,000 |
| Estimated expenditure 1999-2001 (£000) | (57)10 | -- | -- | 20 | -- |
| Estimated expenditure 2000-01 (£000) | 11 | -- | -- | 14.5 | -- |
| Estimated expenditure 2001-02 (£000) | 12 | -- | -- | 14.5 | -- |
(54) The central Department internet site home page address is www.doh.gov.uk; the MDA is www.medical-devices.gov.uk; the MCA is www.open.gov.uk/mca/mcahome.htm; the NHSPA is www.nhspa.gov.uk
(55) This excludes the cost of the Department's CCTA foundation membership which partly covers web hotelling costs for the Department and MDA as well as other services
(56) The NHSPA internet site was launched on 23 December 1998, and this figure only reflects the first month of operation
(57) This is an estimated figure and may be amended in the light of Modern Government and Freedom of Information proposals in the future
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| Web site | FEA | NRPB | PHLS | NBSB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setup costs (£000) | 6 | -- | 22 | 4 |
| Operation costs 1998-99 (£000) | -- | -- | -- | 2 |
| Average monthly hits | 3,500 | 20,000 | 110,000 | 13,500 |
| Estimated expenditure 1999-2000 (£000) | 10 | -- | -- | 2 |
| Estimated expenditure 2000-01 (£000) | 3 | -- | -- | 2 |
| Estimated expenditure 2001-02 (£000) | 3 | -- | -- | 2 |
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 16 December 1998, Official Report, column 560, if he will list the expenditure not included in his answer incurred by (a) his agencies and non-departmental public bodies and (b) the Central Office of Information for relevant work carried out for his Department. [71009]
Ms Jowell: The information requested is given in the table.
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| Estimated expenditure (since 1 May 1997) | |
| (a) Non-departmental public bodies--public opinion research, television, radio and newspaper advertising | 0.45 |
| (b) The previously supplied total expenditure for television, radio and newspaper advertising during 1997-98 (£2.08 million) was all for work supplied by Central Office of Information. The total estimate for this work in 1998-99 has not yet been produced. | -- |
Diet (Mortality)
Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish details of the risks of mortality assessed by his Department from the consumption of foodstuffs associated with incidence of cancer and cardiovascular illness for (i) men and (ii) women aged (a) 20, (b) 30, (c) 40, (d) 50, (e) 60 and (f) 65 years. [70088]
Ms Jowell:
The detailed information on risk of mortality from cancer and cardiovascular disease that is associated with the consumption of individual foods is not available in the form requested. It is the balance of foods making up the whole diet that is important in determining
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risk rather than individual foods. Independent expert advice to Government on the Nutritional Aspects of Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease has been published in reports by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food and Nutrition Policy in 1998 and 1994 respectively. These reports are available in the Library.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cigarettes per day are smoked by the average smoker. [70692]
Ms Jowell:
In England, in 1996-97, the average number of cigarettes smoked by adult smokers aged 16 and above was 15 a day.
Mr. Maclean:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adults in the United Kingdom were (a) cigarette smokers and (b) smokers of other tobacco products at the latest date for which figures are available. [70693]
Ms Jowell:
The latest data relate to 1996-97, and show that amongst adults aged 16 and over in the United Kingdom: (a) 28 per cent. were cigarette smokers; (b) 3 per cent. were cigar smokers, and 1 per cent. were pipe smokers. Cigar and pipe smoking is mostly confined to men.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations from hon. Members he has received about the implementation of the investing in dentistry scheme; how many hon. Members have sought meetings with him; and how many have taken place. [70882]
Mr. Denham:
We have received 70 letters from hon. Members. I have not had any requests from hon. Members to meet me to discuss the investing in dentistry initiative.
Mr. Purchase:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to deal with violent attacks on nurses, doctors and other medical staff. [69120]
Mr. Denham:
Violence to staff in the National Health Service is unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The Government are planning a cross-government drive to reduce the incidence of violence against staff. This has the firm support of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. and noble Friend the Lord Chancellor and my right hon. and learned Friend the Attorney-General. The campaign will be backed up by national guidelines for action, including prevention, prosecution, sentencing, good practice and challenging targets. The overarching message of this campaign will be that violence against NHS staff is unacceptable and the Government are determined to stamp it out.
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