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Dentistry
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will indicate what research is undertaken by her Department, and what statistics are kept, on the dental health of the population at regional, family health services authority and district health authority levels.
Dr. Mawhinney : The Department commissions the Office of Population Censuses and Survey to undertake surveys into the dental health of adults and children. The last decennial adult dental health survey was in 1988. A similar child dental health survey will take place in 1993. Data is published by HMSO and is available in the Library. There is current research into the dental needs of an aging population and into young childrens' dental health. The Department also uses information collected by district dental officers and collated by the British Association for the Study of Community Dentistry.
Redundancy
Mr. Llew Smith : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information she has regarding rates of (a) suicide, (b) premature death and (c) psychiatric disorders amongst families of people made redundant.
Dr. Mawhinney : There are increased rates of suicide, premature death, and depression and anxiety among unemployed people generally, although this is at least in part due to social and economic factors other than unemployment. Less is known about these rates in the families of those whose unemployment is the result of redundancy.
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Homosexuality
Mr. Cohen : To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons homosexuality is listed as a sexual disorder and sexual deviancy under the mental illness category in the national health service nationwide computer system categorising patients ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : All hospital systems in England classify diagnoses in accordance with the current revision--the ninth--of the international classification for diseases, ICD, published by the World Health Organisation, WHO.
Homosexuality was first listed in the ICD in 1948 when the use of the ICD was expanded from a traditional classification of mortality causes to become a morbidity classification as well. The WHO reports that it is practically impossible to establish who proposed the inclusion.
In the current revision, the ninth, of the ICD, in use since 1979, the facility has been retained whereby homosexuality is listed in section 302.0 and defined as :
"exclusive or predominant sexual attraction for persons of the same sex with or without a physical relationship".
Provision is made to code homosexuality, regardless of whether considered a mental disorder or not, but is now rarely used. This classification risked misinterpretation and consequently scientists, as well as several non- governmental organisations recommended the deletion of homosexuality as a category in the classification. Thus, in the 10th revision of the ICD approved by the World Health Assembly in May 1990 sexual orientation by itself is not regarded as a disorder. This revision will come into force for health services' purposes from April 1994.
Abortion
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will give a breakdown by regional health authority of the numbers of abortions in the last 12-month period for which figures are available and which were undertaken by the use of RU486 ; (2) what information she has concerning the number of occasions during the last 12-month period upon which a woman has required treatment as a result of complications associated with abortions performed using the drug RU486.
Mr. Sackville : Between July 1991, when Mifegyne, known as RU486, was first licensed, and December 1991, the chief medical officers of England and Wales were notified of 109 abortions where the drug was used. A breakdown by regional health authority of woman's residence is given in the table :
Regional health |Number of abortions
authority of |carried out using
residence |mifegyne (RU486)
------------------------------------------------------------
Northern |4
Yorkshire |16
Trent |-
East Anglian |-
North West Thames |7
North East Thames |23
South East Thames |4
Wessex |4
Oxford |18
South Western |4
West Midlands |4
Mersey |3
North Western |10
Wales |6
|-------
Total |109
There was one case where a complication was reported.
Mrs. Ann Winterton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will give a breakdown by gestation of the numbers of late abortions in the last 12 months for which figures are available which have involved the use of potassium chloride injections.
Mr. Sackville : In 1991, 10 abortions over 24 weeks gestation were notified to the chief medical officers of England and Wales where the method used involved potassium chloride injections. A breakdown by gestation period is given in the table :
Gestation period |Number of abortions
------------------------------------------------------------
25 to 29 weeks |6
30 weeks and over |4
|-------
Total |10
Lead Water Pipes
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list, by regional health authority, what proportion of each regional health authority's buildings have lead piping in the water supply ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : This information is not available centrally. Health authorities and national health service trusts are responsible for the management of national health service property, and are bound by all statutory standards relating to water supply and distribution.
National Health Service Prescriptions
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the items available on a national health service prescription which currently cost less than the prescription charge.
Dr. Mawhinney : A list setting out those preparations which had an average net ingredient cost of less than the prescription charge in the period April 1992 to June 1992 has been placed in the Library. The list represents preparations and appliances dispensed by pharmacies and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered. The net ingredient cost does not represent the full cost to the national health service of dispensing a prescription, this being made up, when prescriptions are dispensed by pharmacies, of the net ingredient cost, less discount, plus dispensing fees, on-cost and container allowances.
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Ultra-violet Radiation
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the additional risk of a child in the United Kingdom developing (a) skin cancer and (b) eye cataracts as a result of ozone depletion ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 19 October 1992 at column 80.
Estimates of skin cancer based solely on an estimate of ozone depletion would be misleading. The same points apply to any estimate of eye cataracts.
Mr. Simon Hughes : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make it her policy to extend the present three UV-B monitoring stations to a nationwide regional network in order that people can be given burn-time warnings on days when there is a high incidence of UV radiation ; and if she will make a statement.
Mr. Sackville : Plans are underway to extend the monitoring network set up by the National Radiological Protection Board in order to provide a more comprehensive picture of the terrestrial solar UV levels over United Kingdom latitudes.
Earlier this year, the United Kingdom Health Departments asked the independent Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment, COMARE, to advise on the adverse health effects of ultraviolet radiation. COMARE noted that there can be seasonal variations in solar UV levels and short-term variations due to cloud and local weather which are far in excess of any variations anticipated as a result of ozone
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depletion. It stated that for this reason, it would not be helpful to publish daily information on solar UV levels, such retrospective information being of little practical value. The Government have accepted that opinion.General Medical Practitioners
Mr. Gareth Wardell : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what specific qualifications must be obtained by a general medical practitioner before he is permitted to dispense pharmaceuticals within England and Wales.
Dr. Mawhinney : In considering applications to dispense, family health services authorities must be satisfied that the doctor is a fully registered medical practitioner and that he is medically qualified, and since 1979 has satisfied the NHS (Vocational Training) Regulations.
Members' Correspondence
Ms. Janet Anderson : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines are issued to his Department for the processing of correspondence from hon. Members ; and what is the average delay between receipt of correspondence from, and the date of response to, an hon. Member.
Mr. Sackville : Guidance to the Department makes it clear that Ministers aim to reply to all letters from right hon. and hon. Members within 28 days of receipt. Performance is closely monitored. Information on response times is shown in the table.
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|Number of letters|Percentage sent |Average response
|sent |within target |time
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 January 1991 to 31 December 1991 |18,001 |60 |28.8
1 January 1992 to 25 October 1992 |13,801 |76 |20.2
Occupational Therapists
Mrs. Lait : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the qualifications required to enter training as an occupational therapist at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
Dr. Mawhinney : For undergraduate training as an occupational therapist the minimum entry requirements are five GCE/GCSE passes, two of which must be at A-level. Business and Technician Education Council national diploma and certificates are accepted as equivalent. Individual schools may specify further requirements. Requirements for entry to accelerated courses for graduates vary according to the school concerned.
Mrs. Lait : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people enter training as occupational therapists leading to recognition by the Royal College of Occupational Therapy every year.
Dr. Mawhinney : The number of people entering full-time training as occupational therapists has increased by more than 30 per cent. in the past five years and is shown in the table :
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|Number
---------------------
1987 |815
1988 |859
1989 |947
1990 |998
1991 |1,072
Note: Figures are
for Great Britain.
Qualification leads to state registration by the occupational therapy board of the Council for the Professions Supplementary to Medicine and membership of the College of Occupational Therapists.
NHS Trusts
Ms. Primarolo : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the cost of each application for the third wave of NHS trusts ; and what was the total cost.
Dr. Mawhinney : Applications were prepared by individual units, with assistance from regional health authorities. Information about the cost of individual applications is not held centrally.
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London Ambulance Service
Mr. Corbyn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration she has given to the London ambulance service's application for trust status.
Dr. Mawhinney : The London ambulance service has no application for NHS trust status outstanding with the Department.
Appliance Contractors
Dr. Lynne Jones : To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will seek to reduce the level of payments to appliance contractors to be the same as for pharmacists dispensing the same prescription ; and what estimate she has made of the saving which would result.
Dr. Mawhinney : There are no plans to reduce the level of payments to appliance contractors. We shall consider the structure of payments in the light of changes we are making to pharmacists' remuneration.
NHS Superannuation Scheme
Mr. Milburn : To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to her answer of 29 June, Official Report, columns 445-46, if she will now announce the date for the publication of the framework document of the next steps agency for the NHS superannuation scheme for (a) England and Wales and (b) Scotland.
Mr. Sackville : The framework document of the NHS Pensions Agency, which covers England and Wales, will be published before the launch. I expect to make an
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announcement very shortly on the date of the launch. The responsibility for arrangements in Scotland is for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Scotland.Interleukin-6
Mr. Fatchett : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether Coopers and Lybrand, at the request of Leeds Western health authority, carried out an investigation into possible financial loss to the national health service arising out of the fraud in 1988 and 1989 on the Interleukin -6 research project in the Leeds general infirmary ; and if she will make a statement ;
(2) whether the internal auditors of the Leeds Western health authority have investigated the possible financial loss to the national health service arising out of the fraud in 1988 and 1989 on the Interleukin-6 research project in the Leeds general infirmary ; and if she will make a statement.
Dr. Mawhinney : No investigation was carried out either by Coopers and Lybrand or the internal auditors of the then Leeds Western health authority, into a possible financial loss from the Interleukin-6 research project in 1988-89.
An investigation in 1989 considered Dr. Chapman's allegations concerning a consultancy arrangement between a Belgian pharmaceutical company and the head of the bio-chemistry department at Leeds general infirmary. A separate inquiry into Dr. Chapman's allegations concerning research into Interleukin -6 was conducted by the university of Leeds earlier this year and a further review is currently under way.
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Vascular Radiology Treatment
Mr. Alton : To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were referred from Liverpool's Royal hospital to Broadgreen hospital for vascular radiology treatment during the past two years.
Mr. Sackville : This information is not held centrally. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. M. F. Emberton, chairman of Liverpool health authority, for details.
Executive Agencies
Mr. Redmond : To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will list, for the last 12 months, the titles of papers published by the chief executive of each executive agency for which she is responsible ;
(2) if he will list the fact-finding visits made in the last 12 months by the chief executive of each executive agency for which he is responsible ; and what were the findings resulting from each visit.
Dr. Mawhinney : The administration of the Medicines Control Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Dr. Keith Jones, and the administration of the National Health Service Estates Agency is a matter for its chief executive, Mr. J. C. Locke. I have asked the chief executives to reply to the hon. Member.
Letter from L. John Wardle to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 30 October 1992 :
The Secretary of State for Health has advised that two of your recent parliamentary questions will be answered directly by the Chief Executive of the relevant agencies. In the absence of our Chief Executive this week, I give below the response for NHS Estates. Parliamentary Question PQ 1430
None of the visits made by the Chief Executive during the past twelve months were arranged specifically for fact finding purposes. However, various meetings with senior NHS managers have provided information which will help the Agency meet the needs of its customers in the most effective and efficient way.
Parliamentary Question PQ 1380
During the past 12 months the Chief Executive has published an Annual Report and Accounts. The Agency has also published a number of guidance documents on the safe design, operation and management of the health care estate as shown in the accompanying table.
NHS Estates--Guidance Documents--
Publications in 12 months to October 1992
Design Guides
The design of community hospitals
The design of day nurseries in a DGH
Estatecode
Level 2--Estate management information in the NHS
Firecode
Fire Practice Note 5--Commercial enterprises on hospital premises Health Building Notes
8--Rehabilitation--accommodation for physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy
15--Accommodation for pathology services
18--Office accommodation in health buildings
20--Mortuary and post-mortem room
26--Operating department
34--Estate maintenance and works operations
45--External works for health buildings
46--General medical practice premises
47--Health records department
51--Accommodation at the main entrance of a District
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General Hospital51 Supp 1--Miscellaneous spaces in a District General Hospital Health Guidance Notes
"Safe" hot water and surface temperatures
Miscellaneous
Agreement for the appointment of project managers for commissions for construction projects in the NHS
Engineering symbols and drawing conventions
The control of Legionellae in health care premises : a code of practice
Concode
Amendments Nos. 10, 11, 12
Nucleus
Comprehensive children's department study pack
Maternity wards data pack
Operating department engineering data pack
Design information--energy and water consumptions
Maternity department--delivery suite and neonatal unit data pack Operating department data pack
Accident and emergency department engineering data pack Nucleus News (now Newslink--Nucleus Supplement) issues 27, 28, 29 Letter from Dr. K. Jones to Mr. Martin Redmond, dated 28 October 1992 :
The Secretary of State for Health will have advised that your recent Parliamentary Questions will be answered directly by the Chief Executive of the relevant agencies. I give below the response for the Medicines Control Agency :
Parliamentary Question P.117
During the last 12 months I have published an Annual Report and Accounts.
Parliamentary Question P.9
I have made one fact finding visit during the last 12 months. On the 18 May I attended a Food & Drug Administration hearing in Washington, USA, to determine the point of view of the advisory panel to the FDA for the benzodiazepine, triazolam (Halcion, Upjohn Ltd.).
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