§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he plans to amend the draft Nurses' Agencies Regulations to(a) reduce the level of financial disclosure and (b) reduce the number of appraisals of nurses' overall performance; [66794]
(2) for what reasons it is necessary to conduct an agency providing nurses' services in a different office from one providing domiciliary care; [66792]
(3) when he expects to lay the Nurses' Agencies Regulations before Parliament; [66843]
(4) what account will be taken of experience in establishing the management ability of the owner or manager of a nurses' agency; [66789]
(5) what plans he has to make amendments to the draft Nurses' Agencies Regulations prior to laying them; [66793]
(6) what requirement as to health and safety audit he intends to impose on nurses' agencies in respect of patients' homes prior to commencement of care; and if he will make a statement as to how this will operate in cases of urgency; [66790]
(7) what plans he has to allow the National Care Standards Commission to have access to the premises of nurses' agencies at night. [66791]
§ Jacqui SmithThe Nurses Agency Regulations and National Minimum Standards are being finalised in the light of responses to the consultation exercise. We will lay the regulations before Parliament as soon as possible.
Several of the issues raised are under active consideration in response to the consultation.
581W
§ Mr. HealdTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what safeguards there are for the privacy of medical records of the managers and owners of the nurses' agencies produced to the authorities for the purpose of showing fitness to run an agency. [66788]
§ Jacqui SmithThe National Care Standards Commission is subject to the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998.