Mr Archie Norman: I beg to move, That leave be given to bring in a Bill to make provision in respect of the audits of regulatory impact assessments. Last week, my hon. Friend the Member for Huntingdon (Mr. Djanogly) made an admirable proposal, which was designed to address the problem of the gold-plating of European directives and legislation as they affect small businesses, charities and voluntary...
Mr Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding is to be allocated for (a) implementation of the European Working Time Directive, (b) the Agenda for Change programme, (c) implementation of the new consultant contract and (d) implementation of the new general practitioner contract.
Mr Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish an update from the European Working Time Directive pilot sites.
Mr Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the projected cost increase in each of the next five years if all members of staff eligible for the Agenda for Change programme receive an annual increase in pay of one pay point in a pay band and successfully pass through the (a) foundation and (b) secondary gateways.
Mr Archie Norman: Can the Minister comment on the enormous proliferation across the country of little blue signs with bicycle and pedestrian symbols on them? Is he aware that they are being put up in many areas where there is absolutely no prospect of increasing the amount of cycling or walking? What steps will the Department take to assess the value to the taxpayer of this exercise, which seems to smack more...
Mr Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the projected total (a) wage and (b) administration costs for implementation of the "Agenda for Change" are; and whether these costs have changed after evaluation of the 12 early implementer sites.
Mr Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money has been allocated to each (a) primary care trust, (b) acute and specialist hospital trust, (c) mental health trust, (d) ambulance trust and (e) strategic health authority in England for each of the next five years to implement the "Agenda for Change" programme.
Mr Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total cost of developing the nationally agreed job profiles for the "Agenda for Change" programme has been.
Mr Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much his Department has spent on knowledge and skills framework training for staff and managers in the 12 early implementer sites as part of the "Agenda for Change" programme; and what his estimate is of the total cost to the NHS of knowledge and skills framework staff training; (2) how much has been spent on job evaluation training for...
Mr Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff in the 12 early implementer sites have had a reduction in pay consequent on the "Agenda for Change" programme; and how many staff in the NHS (a) immediately after implementation and (b) after April 2011 will have a reduction in pay consequent on the programme.
Mr Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the costs (a) are of establishing and (b) were estimated to be in each of the next five years of running the NHS Staff Council.
Mr Archie Norman: May I remind the Minister that we are not opposed to clarity of reporting? What people in the health service find demoralising are the continuous changes in reporting requirements and targets. For instance, of the 148 performance indicators last year, 51 were the same, 54 were changed and 43 were altogether new. When does the right hon. Gentleman think there will be stability in the reporting...
Mr Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS (a) hospital trusts, (b) primary care trusts, (c) mental health trusts and (d) ambulance trusts have merged in each of the last six years.
Mr Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients started radiotherapy within four weeks of diagnosis of (a) lung, (b) gynaecological, (c) breast, (d) colorectal and (e) urological cancers in each of the last three years.
Mr Archie Norman: I want to build on the excellent speech made by my right hon. Friend the Member for Charnwood (Mr. Dorrell). Those of us who want the NHS to succeed know that that success depends not on the number of targets that we can generate, or even what they are, but on the management calibre that we bring to it, the teamwork and involvement of clinicians in a common vision of what they can achieve,...
Mr Archie Norman: The hon. Gentleman asks a perfectly reasonable question. It is obvious that removing any of the existing targets would be a difficult and sensitive problem. I put it to him, however, that if targets are to achieve any reasonable purpose, there is no point in having more of them than the chief executives and management of trusts can sensibly devote their time to. All that does is invite them...
Mr Archie Norman: I thank the Secretary of State for that. I do not want to engage now in a debate about the numbers, but would say only that they are quoted from responses to parliamentary questions that I have asked of his ministerial colleagues. We can engage in discussion about the figures at a later date. What I do put to the Secretary of State, and what I think is undeniable, is that there is a question...
Mr Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent representations he has received from the Strategic Rail Authority concerning the ability of railway stations to conform to the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
Mr Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make an announcement on the route for the A21 South of Pembury to Flimwell before Parliament rises on 18 December 2003.
Mr Archie Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff are employed within each strategic health authority in England broken down by staff group.
