§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each health and local authority registration area in the most recent available year(a) the number of registration and inspection officers and other staff, including immediate managers and administrative officers directly concerned with the process, (b) the number of units to be inspected in each registration category, (c) the number of inspections carried out in each registration category, and the percentage and number of individuals not inspected in accordance with statutory requirements and (d) the number of (i) new registrations and (ii) variations to registrations in each category of provision; and if he will set out the overall national totals and average figures in each area. [33830]
§ Mr. MilburnInformation on the number of residential care homes and children's homes which local authorities have a statutory responsibility to inspect, and on the number of nursing homes which health authorities have a statutory responsibility to inspect, is provided in a table, copies of which have been placed in the Library. The table also shows total whole time equivalent registration and inspection officers working in local authorities. The other information requested is not available centrally. However, my hon. Friend might like to refer to the Social Services Inspectorate publication "Local Authority Social Services Department Registration and Inspection Units Key Data 1994/1995", copies of which are in the Library, for further116W limited information on numbers of registration and inspection staff employed by local authorities, for information on the number of inspections carried out and on numbers of new registrations and variations of registrations. The National Health Service Confederation also has some limited information relating to health authorities.
§ Mr. HinchliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made from statistical returns of health and social services registration and inspection units of the change in their workloads over the last five years. [33850]
§ Mr. BoatengNone. Some limited information on the workload of social services registration and inspection units is available from a Social Services Inspectorate publication, "Local Authority Social Services Registration and Inspection Units—Key Data 1994/1995", copies of which are in the Library. A revised publication of key data for 1996/97 is due to be published shortly. For information on health authority registration and inspection unit workloads, my hon. Friend might like to contact the National Health Service Confederation which maintains a database on nursing home registration and inspection.
The Government have a manifesto commitment to creating independent regulatory arrangements and aim to reform the organisation of registration and inspection units. The Government's proposals will be set out in the White Paper on Social Services which will be published this summer.