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Column 287


£000                                                                                                                       

                                                            |1984-85 |1985-86 |1986-87 |1987-88 |1988-89 |1989-90          

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Assistance provided under the Outward and Inward Missions,                                                                 

   TradeFairs and Seminars Schemes                          |145.6   |122.6   |158.7   |60.3    |238.6   |<1>512.2         

                                                                                                                           

Overseas Projects Fund expenditure against projects in Iraq |220.7   |167.3   |42.0    |0.0     |0.0     |<2>220.2         

                                                            |------- |------- |------- |------- |------- |-------          

                                                            |366.3   |289.9   |200.7   |60.3    |238.6   |732.4            

<1> estimate.                                                                                                              

<2> to date.                                                                                                               

Forestry Investment

Sir John Farr : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will take steps to review the Financial Services Act 1986, section 76, to permit the marketing of forestry and forestry investment schemes.

Mr. Redwood [holding answer 27 November 1989] : It is already possible for regulations to be made under section 76(3) of the Act permitting promotion of commercial forestry schemes otherwise than to the general public. The power to make those regulations has been transferred to the Securities and Investments Board. I am not satisfied that investors' interests would be served by an amendment to the Act permitting these schemes to be promoted to the general public.

Columbus (Polar Platform)

Mr. Bermingham : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what are his expectations regarding the future of the British option for Columbus's polar platform ; and if he will make a statement.


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Mr. Douglas Hogg [holding answer 27 November 1989] : Discussions between European Space Agency officials and industry to finalise the design configuration for the Columbus polar platform are under way. These should be completed soon and we are hopeful of a satisfactory outcome.

Records and Publishing

Mr. Fisher : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he will publish tables showing (a) the invisible and (b) the visible imports and exports of (i) the record industry and (ii) the publishing industry for the past five years.

Mr. Redwood [holding answer 27 November 1989] : Figures for visible trade are shown in the table. Invisible trade data are not available.


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Visible trade 1984-1988                         

£ million                                       

         The record indusThe publishing         

                         industry               

Year    |Imports|Exports|Imports|Exports        

------------------------------------------------

1984    |48.5   |52.0   |285.6  |514.2          

1985    |49.3   |69.3   |318.9  |569.0          

1986    |55.6   |75.6   |325.0  |559.9          

1987    |49.5   |86.2   |373.6  |628.6          

1988    |96.8   |111.8  |491.4  |674.1          

Notes and Definitions.                          

The Record Industry: Records (7 and 12) and     

pre-recorded cassettes. Compact discs are       

included in the 1988 totals (imports £48.2 m;   

exports £40.1 m), but figures are not available 

for earlier years.                              

Source: BPI Year Book 1989-90.                  

The Publishing Industry: Books, pamphlets, maps,

 newspapers, Journals and periodicals (SITC     

892.1, 892.2).                                  

Source: Overseas Trade Statistics.              

Mergers

Mr. Bowis : To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made on the negotiations on European Community merger control regulation.

Mr. Redwood [pursuant to his reply, 24 November, c. 41] : I should like to point to a typographical error which led to the omission of some of the text in the fourth sentence. The fourth sentence should now read :

"There has been general agreement about the threshold levels of 5 billion ECU worldwide turnover ; 250 million ECU Community-wide turnover in each of at least two of the undertakings concerned ; unless 66 per cent. of the Community-wide turnover is in one and the same Member State."

HEALTH

Delta Te

Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the activities of Mr. Yves Delatte and the sale of Delta Te immune support therapy ;

(2) if his Department will immediately ban the sale and distribution of Delta Te immune support therapy ;

(3) what are his Department's estimates as to the amount of Delta Te sold in Great Britain ;

(4) what information he has about the continued sale of Delta Te immune support therapy ;

(5) what representations he has received about the sale of Delta Te immune support therapy ;

(6) what steps his Department has taken to prohibit the import and sale of Delta Te immune support therapy under the Medicines Act ; (7) if he will make a statement on the sale of Delta Te immune support therapy.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : I have been asked to reply.

Further to the reply my hon. and learned Friend the Member for Putney (Mr. Mellor) gave on 5 July at column 186, the Department is continuing to investigate the activities of Mr. Yves Delatte and the supply of Delta Te, including recent reports about the renewed sale of the substance. The information obtained so far is being examined for possible action. This will include prosecution where, on legal advice, there is evidence of a breach of the Medicines Act, or if the evidence supports this : possible use of powers to prohibit, in the interests of safety, import, sale and distribution of the material. Representations about the sale of Delta Te have been received from journal


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and television reporters and the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis Association. Information about the amount of Delta Te sold in Great Britain is not collected centrally.

Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will commission a study into the composition and effects of Delta Te immune support therapy ; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Jackson : I have been asked to reply. I understand that the Medical Research Council is not aware of any evidence indicating the safety of Delta Te for human use, or its likely effectiveness in treatment of persons whose immune system has been compromised. The council has no current plans for a study.

Abortion

Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he requires an interpreter fluent in the language of the foreign mother presenting for an abortion to be present during counselling.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Clinics accepting foreign patients for treatment already have arrangements for interpreters to be present when required.

Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions were performed in England and Wales in the latest year for which figures are available upon pregnancies of 18 weeks or more upon women with four or fewer previous children ; and what percentage of all abortions upon pregnancies of 18 weeks or more gestation this figure represents.

Mr. Freeman : The number of abortions performed under the Abortion Act 1967 upon usually resident women with four or fewer previous liveborn or stillborn children at 18 weeks or more gestation in England and Wales, 1988 was 6,374. This figure represents 98.90 per cent. of all abortions performed upon usual residents at 18 weeks or more gestation.

Provisional data.

Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions were performed in England and Wales in the latest year for which figures are available upon pregnancies of 18 weeks or more upon resident women ; and what percentage of all abortions upon pregnancies of 18 weeks or more gestation this figure represents.

Mr. Freeman : The number of abortions performed under the Abortion Act 1967 upon usually resident women at 18 weeks or more gestation in England and Wales 1988 was 6,445. This figure represents 66.37 per cent. of all abortions performed at 18 weeks or more gestation upon usual residents and non-residents.

Provisional data.

Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions were performed in England and Wales in the latest year for which figures are available upon pregnancies of 18 weeks or more in emergency to save the life of the mother ; and what percentage of all abortions upon pregnancies of 18 weeks or more gestation this figure represents.


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Mr. Freeman : There were no abortions performed on usual residents of England and Wales 1988 at 18 weeks or more gestation in an emergency to save the life of the pregnant woman (ground 5 of the Abortion Act 1967).

Provisional data.

Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions were performed in England and Wales in the latest year for which figures are available upon pregnancies of 18 weeks or more for the reason that the child was likely to be born handicapped ; and what percentage of all abortions upon pregnancies of 18 weeks or more gestation this figure represents.

Mr. Freeman : The number of abortions performed under the Abortion Act 1967 upon usual residents of England and Wales, 1988 at 18 weeks or more gestation under ground 4 of the Act, which allows abortions to be performed when there is a substantial risk that if the child were born it would suffer from such physical or mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped, was 682. This figure represents 10.58 per cent. of all abortions performed upon usual residents at 18 weeks or more gestation.

Provisional data.

Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions were performed in England and Wales in the latest year for which figures are available upon pregnancies of 18 weeks upon single women ; and what percentage of all abortions upon pregnancies of 18 weeks or more gestation this figure represents.

Mr. Freeman : The number of abortions performed under the Abortion Act 1967 upon usually resident single women at 18 weeks or more gestation in England and Wales 1988 was 4,781. This figure represents 74.18 per cent. of all abortions performed at 18 weeks or more gestation.

Provisional data.

Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions were performed in England and Wales in the latest year for which figures are available upon pregnancies of 18 weeks or more for social reasons under ground 2 of the Abortion Act ; and what percentage of all abortions upon pregnancies of 18 weeks or more gestation this figure represents.

Mr. Freeman : The number of abortions performed under ground 2 of the Abortion Act 1967 (which allows abortions to be performed when the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman greater than if the pregnancy were terminated) upon usually resident women at 18 weeks or more gestation in England and Wales 1988 was 5,343. This figure represents 82.9 per cent. of all abortions performed upon usual residents at 18 weeks or more gestation.

Provisional data.

Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give a breakdown by grounds of the number of abortions in England and Wales performed in the latest year for which figures are available upon girls aged under 16 years, women aged 16 to 20 years, women aged 21 to 40 years, and women aged 40 years or more.

Mr. Freeman : The exact information requested is not available. The number of abortions carried out under the


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Abortion Act 1967 by statutory grounds and mothers age to usual residents of England and Wales 1988 is shown in the table.


-----------------------------------------------------

All grounds                  |All ages               

Under 16                     |3,568                  

16-19                        |37,928                 

20-39                        |121,332                

40+                          |5,470                  

                                                     

1.(with other)               |All ages               

Under 16                     |7                      

16-19                        |72                     

20-39                        |36                     

40+                          |39                     

                                                     

2. (alone)                   |All ages               

Under 16                     |3,522                  

16-19                        |36,601                 

20-39                        |104,625                

40+                          |4,147                  

                                                     

3. (with or without)         |All ages<1>            

Under 16                     |31                     

16-19                        |1,151                  

20-39                        |14,972                 

40+                          |1,027                  

                                                     

4. (alone)                   |All ages               

Under 16                     |3                      

16-19                        |73                     

20-39                        |1,002                  

40+                          |127                    

                                                     

4. (with any other except 1) |All ages               

Under 16                                             

16-19                        |31                     

20-39                        |363                    

40+                          |128                    

                                                     

5. or 6.                     |All ages               

Under 16                     |-                      

16-19                        |-                      

20-39                        |9                      

40+                          |2                      

<1> Provisional data.                                

<2> Statutory grounds                                

1. The continuance of the pregnancy would involve    

risk to the life of the pregnant woman greater than  

if the pregnancy were terminated.                    

2. The continuance of the pregnancy would involve    

risk of injury to the physical or mental health of   

the pregnant woman greater than if the pregnancy     

were terminated.                                     

3. The continuance of the pregnancy would involve    

risk of injury to the physical or mental health of   

any existing child(ren) in the family of the         

pregnant woman greater than if the pregnancy were    

terminated.                                          

4. There is a substantial risk that if the child     

were born it would suffer from such physical or      

mental abnormalities as to be seriously handicapped. 

5. To save the life of the pregnant mother.          

6. To prevent grave permanent injury to the physical 

or mental health of the child.                       

Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will give a breakdown by marital status of the total numbers of abortions performed in the latest year for which figures are available.

Mr. Freeman : Numbers of abortions performed under the Abortion Act 1967 upon usual residents of England and Wales 1988 by marital status.


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Marital status             |Number of                    

                           |abortions                    

---------------------------------------------------------

Total                      |168,298                      

Single                     |111,044                      

Married                    |38,689                       

Widowed/divorced/separated |15,860                       

Not stated                 |2,705                        

<1>Provisional data.                                     

Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total number of abortions performed in the latest year for which figures are available upon girls aged 15 years and under, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and 21 or more years ; and, in each case, whether these were National Health Service abortions, private abortions, or National Health Service abortions performed under agency arrangements in the private sector.

Mr. Freeman : Numbers of abortions performed in 1988 to usual residents of England and Wales by category of premises and age.


          Category of premises           

Age      |NHS    |Non-NHS|Agency         

-----------------------------------------

Under 16 |2,063  |1,505  |368            

  16     |3,184  |3,329  |677            

  17     |4,055  |5,157  |904            

  18     |4,389  |6,209  |642            

  19     |4,679  |6,926  |652            

  20     |4,709  |7,057  |640            

  21     |4,603  |6,887  |570            

<1>Provisional data.                     

Counterfeit Medicines

Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if any United Kingdom product licence holders have informed his Department of counterfeit medicines reaching the United Kingdom supply chain.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Department was informed on 27 September 1989 by Glaxo Pharmaceuticals Limited of a suspected counterfeit version of their licensed product Zantac, which had entered the United Kingdom supply chain. With the company's help it was confirmed that the product was a copy of Greek Zantac 150 mg. I refer my hon. Friend to my reply on 2 November at columns 311-12 .

Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he proposes to take in the immediate future to minimise the risk of National Health Service patients receiving counterfeit medicines imported from other European Community countries.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Department are seeking to identify products which might be vulnerable to counterfeiting. These will be targeted in the sampling programme operated by the medicines inspectorate for analysis. We are also proposing to collect and monitor data relating to selected imported products. These activities are in addition to the controls outined to my hon. Friend on 2 November 1989 at columns 311-12 .

Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates he has of the number of pharmaceutical wholesalers or importers who received quantities of Zantac 150 mg tablets, batch number


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A092F8, which were the subject of a drug alert notice issued by his Department on 29 September ; and if he will name the wholesalers or importers concerned.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Department established that five pharmaceutical wholesalers/importers received consignments of Zantac 150 mg tablets, batch No. A092F8. A study of the batch samples retained by these trading companies suggests that only one may have received the counterfeit product. As the Department's examination of the incident is continuing and it is also the subject of police inquiries, it would not be appropriate to identify the companies concerned.

Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what response was received from hospital and community pharmacists in respect of the drug alert notice issued by his Department on 29 September concerning counterfeit Zantac 150 mg tablets ; and what quantity of stocks were returned by dispensing pharmacists to their usual suppliers.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The response to the Department from hospital and community pharmacists following the issue of the drug alert letter on 29 Sepember was limited to a few inquiries seeking clarification. No stocks were returned by dispensing pharmacists to their suppliers.

Mr. David Nicholson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain has informed his Department of incidents of counterfeit medicines being distributed in the United Kingdom.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : The Department has been informed by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society that during inquiries carried out by their inspectors into the sale of steroid creams and lotions some counterfeit medicines have been identified. The products, which are only permitted to be sold from registered pharmacies, were being sold by food and general shops to Afro-Caribbean customers for lightening the skin. The society intend to prosecute the retailers where possible.

There is no evidence that the material has reached pharmacies or even entered the licensed distribution system. On present information there is nothing to suggest that the application of the cream would be a danger to health. The society has alerted its members through professional journals.

Oral Tobacco Products

Mr. Thornton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has now received a signed copy of the voluntary agreement relating to the sale of oral tobacco products from United States Tobacco.

Mr. Freeman : Yes. The agreement, which is without prejudice to the decision whether to ban oral snuff, was concluded on 14 November.

Mr. Thornton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the consultation period on his proposed oral tobacco product ban has been further extended by the European Community Commission proposal to bring forward its own recommendations on oral tobacco.


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Mr. Freeman : No, the consultation period ended on9 November. The Government will now reach a final decision on whether to proceed to a ban on oral snuff as quickly as possible.

Haemophiliacs

Sir Russell Johnston : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements have been made by each of the Governments of the 12 European countries to arrange for compensation to haemophiliacs accidentally infected with the AIDS virus through contaminated blood transfusions, listing the actions taken, country by country, including the United Kingdom.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : Haemophiliacs were infected through the use of blood products such as factor VIII and not through ordinary blood transfusions. The information available to us about schemes set up by governments in the European Community countries is set out in the table. The hon. Member may wish to contact the embassies concerned for full details.

Payments for people with AIDS or HIV in other countries Denmark

Government have provided ex-gratia payments totalling 250,000 Danish kroner (about £25,000) for each person infected with HIV through blood products or blood transfusions.

Eire

Government have provided £1 million for a trust for haemophiliacs infected with HIV.

France

Government are providing a fund which will pay an average of 100, 000 French francs (about £10,000) to haemophiliacs who have developed clinical AIDS.

United Kingdom

Government are providing £29 million to the Macfarlane Trust to provide assistance to haemophiliacs with HIV and to their dependants.

We do not know of any Government schemes in other Community countries. [In the Federal Republic of West Germany we understand that the insurers of the manufacturers of blood products have made out-of-court settlements averaging 80,000 deutschmarks (about £27, 000).]

Self-Governing Hospitals

Mr. Vaz : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals have indicated that they wish to become self-governing ; and if he will list them.

Mrs. Virginia Bottomley : A total of 187 units have expressed interest in National Health Service trust status. I understand that 79 of these intend to proceed with preparing applications for the first wave, which we would expect to be established in April 1991. However, applications will not be invited until Parliament has approved the necessary legislation. The table lists all the units which have expressed an interest in National Health Service trust status.

Northern Regional Health Authority

Aycliffe Hospital and Mental Handicap Services

Blood Transfusion Service (Northern Regional Health Authority) Darlington-- hospital and community services

Freeman Hospital, Newcastle

Hartlepool District

Mental Illness Services in Gateshead

Newcastle Mental Health Services

Newcastle General Hospital

North West Durham hospital and community services


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North Tyneside District

Northgate Hospital

Northumbrian Ambulance Service

South West Durham Community Services

Yorkshire Regional Health Authority

Bradford Acute Services

Bradford--Psychiatric Unit Hospital Trust

Calderdale Hospitals, Calderdale Health Authority

Grimsby District General Hospital and associated services High Royds Hospital Mental Health Services, Leeds Western Leeds General Infirmary and associated Hospitals

Seacroft and Killingbeck Hospitals, Leeds Eastern

St. James's University Hospital, Leeds

Wakefield District--Mental Health Unit

Wharfedale General Hospital, Leeds Western

Trent Regional Health Authority

Bassetlaw

Children's Hospital, Sheffield

Doncaster Royal Infirmary and Montagu Hospital

Lincolnshire Ambulance Service

Nether Edge Hospital, Sheffield

Northern General Hospital, Sheffield

Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield

South Lincolnshire Mental Handicap Services

University Hospital, Nottingham

East Anglian Regional Health Authority

East Suffolk Community Services

East Suffolk Psychiatric Services

Great Yarmouth and Waveney Priority Services

Newmarket General Hospital

Peterborough District General Hospital, Edith Cavell District General Hospital, Stamford and Rutland Hospital

West Norfolk and Wisbech Community Services

West Norfolk and Wisbech Acute Services

North West Thames Regional Health Authority

Central Middlesex Hospital

East Hertfordshire Priority and Community Services Units East Hertfordshire Acute Services Unit

Harefield Hospital

Hillingdon Hospital/Mount Vernon Hospital

North Hertfordshire Acute and Community Services

Northwick Park Hospital

North West Hertfordshire Priority Services Unit

Westminster and Westminster Children's Hospitals

North East Thames Regional Health Authority

Basildon and Thurrock Health Authority

Brentwood Community Hospital

Central North London Mental Health Unit

City and Hackney (St. Bart's, Homerton and St. Marks Hospital Trust)

Harwich Hospital

Mid Essex Acute Unit

North East Essex Acute Unit

North Middlesex Hospital

North East Essex Mental Health Unit

North East Essex Mental Handicap Unit

Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital

Royal London Homeopathic Hospital

Southend District Services

St. Bartholomew's Hospital

St. Peter's Group of Hospitals

St. Margaret's Hospital, Epping

Tavistock and Portman Clinics

The London Hospital Group

The Royal Free Hospital

The Royal National Throat Nose and Ear Hospital

Waltham Forest Health Authority

Waltham Forest Mental Health Unit

West Essex Priority Care Services

South East Thames Regional Health Authority

Bexley Health Authority--Mental Health Community Services Brighton Acute Services

Bromley Acute Services


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