Hansard - United Kingdom Parliament

59W
Written Answers
20 JUNE 2011
Written Answers
60W
Departmental records show that, since 1 April 2011,
we have received one item of correspondence about the
provision of funding for the CQC from a member of
the public. This figure represents correspondence received
by the Department’s central correspondence team only.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State
for Health if he will assess the effect of funding
allocated by his Department on the capacity of the
Care Quality Commission to meet inspection demand
in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.
[60820]
Mr Simon Burns: The Care Quality Commission
(CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult
social care providers in England. It is therefore for the
CQC to determine how it delivers its regulatory functions,
including the capacity it requires in order to carry out
its inspection functions efficiently and effectively.
Each year, the CQC agrees its business plan and
financial allocation with the Department. Its financial
position is then kept under constant review during the
financial year.
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State
for Health how much funding his Department expects
to allocate to the Care Quality Commission in each of
the next five years. [60769]
Mr Simon Burns: The Care Quality Commission
(CQC) has an initial 2011-12 revenue budget settlement
of £50 million from the Department. The CQC has also
estimated that fees due from registered providers in
2011-12 will amount to £92 million. The Department
will shortly confirm the CQC’s initial 2011-12 budget
for capital and associated revenue charges.
The CQC’s financial position is kept under constant
review during the financial year.
Funding for the CQC for 2012-13, and beyond, will
be considered in due course.
Care Quality Commission: Manpower
Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State
for Health if he will take steps to increase the number of
inspectors employed by the Care Quality Commission;
and if he will make a statement. [60771]
Mr Simon Burns: The Care Quality Commission
(CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult
social care providers in England. It is therefore for the
CQC to determine how it delivers its regulatory functions,
including the staffing complement it requires in order to
carry out its functions efficiently and effectively.
Departmental Ministerial Responsibility
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health
what information his Department holds on the number
of meeting requests from hon. Members which its Ministers
(a) agreetoand(b) refuse; and what criteria are used
in determining the outcome of a request. [61006]
Mr Simon Burns: Records of written meeting requests,
and responses, are held on the Department’s correspondence
database.
A variety of factors are considered in determining
the response to each meeting request.
Departmental Procurement
Julian Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for
Health what progress his Department has made in
encouraging small businesses to bid for Government
contracts. [60187]
Mr Simon Burns: This Department has fully effected
the transparency requirements on procurement which
now apply to all central Departments under this
Government. These include:
all new central Government tender documents for contracts
over £10,000 to be published on a single website from September
2010, with this information to be made available to the public
free of charge; and
all new central Government ICT contracts over £10,000 to be
published in full online from July 2010.
The publication of these documents takes place on
Contracts Finder, which is a Government-wide website
implemented by the Cabinet Office.
As all Departments are required to do, this Department
has also agreed in May of this year its own small and
medium-sized businesses (SME) action plan with the
Cabinet Office, which sets out specific steps to engage
more with and help SMEs. This has now been published.
These measures are all to ensure that SMEs have good
notice of all tender opportunities and that they can
compete on an equal footing for public sector contracts,
helping to achieve the Government’s aspiration to award
25% of Government contracts to SMEs.
A copy of the action plan has been place in the
Library and is available at:
www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/
documents/digitalasset/dh_127337.pdf
Figures from the Department’s central procurements
database show that for the financial year just ended,
2010-11, the Department awarded 27.6% of contracts
to SMEs. The Department will be monitoring the
proportion of contracts awarded to SMEs over the
coming year.
Doctors: Foreign Workers
Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for
Health what assessment he has made of the effects on
the Medical Training Initiative of a reduction in the
length of Tier 5 (temporary worker) visas from two
years to 12 months. [60744]
Anne Milton: The Secretary of State for Health, my
right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire
(Mr Lansley), recognises the value of the Medical Training
Initiative (MTI) and the necessity to allow sufficient
time for all parties to capitalise on the benefits of the
scheme.
The Department is working closely with the Home
Office and stakeholders to put forward the case for
maintaining an effective MTI scheme that allows the
national health service to contribute to the training and
development of international doctors.