HL Deb 19 April 2004 vol 660 cc11-2WA
Earl Howe

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the current annual budget of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH), inclusive of all funding for patient and public involvement forums; how much of this budget is allocated to the CPPIH itself; how much to the forum support organisations; and how much directly to the patient and public involvement forums. [HL2361]

Lord Warner

The commission's resource budget for 2003–04 was £34.9 million. Of this budget £8 million was used to support the extension of community health councils from 1 April to 1 December 2003, £5.2 million for the provision of the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service and £5.7 million for the cost of the commission's headquarters office. All other resources were either allocated or attributable to the start-up costs associated with the establishment of forums, the training of forum members, contractual payments to forum support organisations (FSOs), installing the forum and FSO information infrastructure and providing regional support to FSOs.

Earl Howe

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many people are employed full-time in the head office and regional offices of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health; and how many are employed on a part-time basis. [HL2362]

Lord Warner

As at 2 April 2004 the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health employed a total of 138 permanent staff. Of this total, the head office employed 35 staff, none of whom are part time and nine regional centres employed 103 staff including 16 part-time staff.

Earl Howe

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many staff (measured on a full-time equivalent basis) are employed in forum support organisations to support patient and public involvement forums; and approximately how many hours of support per week they are contracted to provide to each patient and public involvement forum on average. [HL2363]

Lord Warner

The Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health awarded 140 contracts to cover the 572 patients' forums. At 1 April 2004 forum support organisations were employing 400 staff across the country. The contracts were awarded on the basis of organisations being able to deliver against the scope of work and not on hours worked.

Earl Howe

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What operational arrangements have been established to enable members of patient and public involvement forums to reclaim expenses legitimately incurred in pursuit of forum business; and what types of expenditure are allowable in this context. [HL2364]

Lord Warner

An expenses guidance note has been issued to every forum member, setting out the commission's policy covering the eligibility for and payment of expenses incurred while carrying out their forum member activities. The types of expenses forum members can claim for include travel, both public transport and personal car usage, taxi fares, carer allowances and other incidental expenses such as car parking charges.

The administration of forum member expenses is carried out through forum support organisations.