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Executive Agencies

Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action heads of his Department's executive agencies are taking to safeguard the provision of pre-retirement courses in the event of such agencies seeking to make economies; and if he will make a statement. [9149]

Mr. Horam: The Department provides a range of counselling, "life planning", career management and employee assistance courses to those staff in the Department's executive agencies who have successfully applied under the Department's voluntary early retirement or voluntary severance schemes. The contract for these services is funded centrally by the Department.

Pre-retirement courses for staff approaching normal retirement age are not funded by the Department centrally and provision for them must be considered by individual agencies as part of their forward planning exercises.

Hospices (National Lottery)

Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of the national lottery on raising funds to support the development and operation of the hospice movement and

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hospices; what plans he has to ensure the financial security of hospices; and if he will make a statement. [9281]

Mr. Horam: There is as yet no conclusive evidence concerning the impact of the national lottery on the fund-raising activities of voluntary hospices. The National Council for Hospice and Specialist Palliative Care Services and the National Association of Hospice Fund-raisers, are continuing to keep this under review. Three hospices in England have, however, benefited from the national lottery fund.

To help promote hospices' financial security, Government funding for hospices and specialist palliative care services has, since 1994-95, been built into health authorities' general allocations and health authorities have been encouraged to enter into three year rolling contracts for the purchase of specialist palliative care services.

Incontinence Pads

Mr. McMaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is in relation to the supply of incontinence pads to those who require them because of disability; what plans he has to review these arrangements; and if he will make a statement. [9212]

Mr. Bowis: The organisation of continence services in England and the matter in which they are delivered, including the provision of continence pads, are matters for district health authorities and hospital and community trusts. They are under a general obligation to provide these services where the need exists and in the light of their resources and priorities.

National health service responsibilities for meeting continuing health care needs, which include the provision of community health services such as the supply of continence pads, are set out in circular HSG (95) 8, copies of which are available in the Library.

Dentists

Mr. Callaghan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists in each family health services authority have withdrawn from the NHS in each year since 1992. [9503]

Mr. Malone: This information will be placed in the Library. At 30 September 1995, there were 15,951 dentists on the lists of family health services authorities in England, the highest September figure ever.

Divorce

Mr. Wicks: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what forecast has been made by Her Majesty's Government of the proportion of new and recent marriages that are likely to end in divorce; and what previous estimates have been made. [9601]

Mr. Horam: An estimate has recently been made of the proportion of marriages which would end in divorce if divorce and death rates each remained at the average level recorded throughout 1993 and 1994. On this basis, 41 per cent. of marriages in England and Wales would end in divorce. Earlier estimates based on 1979-80 and 1987 rates remaining constant were 34 and 37 per cent. respectively. The latest estimate, together with associated

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commentary and technical explanation, is due to be published by HMSO in mid-March in an article in "Population Trends, 83", copies of which will be placed in the Library.

Newcastle General Hospital (Chemotherapy)

Mr. Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are currently receiving chemotherapy in Newcastle general hospital; how many were turned away from the hospital during the first two weeks in January 1996 owing to the scarcity of beds and; if he will make a statement. [9670]

Mr. Horam: This is a matter for the Freeman Group of Hospitals national health service trust, which manages chemotherapy treatment on the Newcastle general hospital site. The hon. Member may wish to contact Mr. Leonard Barron, chairman of the trust for details.

NHS Trusts (Staffing)

Mr. Redmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will instruct the NHS executive to investigate medical staffing in NHS trusts. [9906]

Mr. Malone: The national health service executive takes advice on staffing from the advisory group on medical education, training and staffing. The number of doctors in higher specialist training in each specialty is planned through the specialist workforce advisory group, to ensure that there are sufficient trained candidates to fill consultant posts in the future.

Prescription Charges

Mr. Tony Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what would be (a) the annual cost and (b) the current charges if prescription charges had been raised in line with price inflation since 1979. [8962]

Mr. Malone: The loss of income to the national health service if the prescription charge had been raised in line with the GDP deflator index would be about £260 million per year. This calculation is based on a comparison with charge income in 1994-95.

The standard prescription charge per item would be £0.51.

Cataracts

Mrs. Roche: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what was the number of operations for cataracts undertaken in each of the last five years by the NHS; [9193]

(2) what is the estimated annual cost to the NHS of cataract eye disease; [9191]

(3) what is the incidence of cataract eye disease in England, Wales and Scotland. [9192]

Mr. Horam: The number of eye lens operations, which are mainly for cataracts, undertaken in England in the last five years is shown in the table.

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Year	Thousands
1989-90	92.2
1990-91	97.9
1991-92	111.7
1992-93	118.6
1993-94	130.5

Source:

Hospital Episode Statistics.

Information on the incidence and the estimated annual cost to the national health service in England of cataract eye disease is not available centrally.

Information concerning Wales and Scotland is a matter for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Wales and for Scotland.

Meningitis

Ms Lynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve the information and training offered to general practitioners in diagnosing meningitis; and if he will make a statement. [8760]

Mr. Horam: The chief medical officer issued advice on meningococcal infection in his update letter of October--CMO update 7--which is sent to all doctors, copies of which are available in the Library. In this letter, doctors were reminded of the seasonal increase in meningococcal infection, were given advice on the early diagnosis of suspected cases and on the need for antibiotic treatment and urgent referral to hospital. The letter follows on from previous reminders which have been sent to general practitioners in the past. Additionally, articles in medical journals continually emphasise to doctors advice similar to that issued by the chief medical officer.

The training received by GP trainees during their vocational training year covers infectious diseases. This is supplemented and developed further through the inclusion of infectious diseases in continuing medical education programmes.

Ms Lynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what information is made available on a nationwide basis to parents in care of infants of the symptoms of meningococcal disease and the procedures that should be adopted once the symptoms have been observed; and what plans he has to increase the information made available during an outbreak of 'flu; [8893]

(2) what steps his Department is currently taking to inform the public of the symptoms of meningitis and the procedures that should be adopted at the outset of such symptoms; [8896]

(3) the leaflet produced by the Department on meningitis was first made available; and in what manner the leaflet has been distributed. [8894]

Mr. Horam: Health visitors provide new parents with the Health Education Authority's leaflet "A Guide to Childhood Immunisations", which includes advice on recognising meningitis. In February 1994, new public information leaflets on meningitis and septicaemia were sent to all general practitioners to be made available to the public. Copies of both leaflets are available in the Library. Supplies of the leaflet were provided to the National Meningitis Trust and Meningitis Research.

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Leaflets have also been distributed to college students and there was a further wider distribution to students in September 1995. The Department of Health also provides funding to the National Meningitis Trust to support its valuable information and support work. The trust is active in raising public awareness immediately before, and during, the winter peak. Advice on recognising meningitis can be found in the Health Education Authority's "Birth to Five" book which is issued to all first-time parents. The Department of Health also contributes to the many newspaper articles and television and radio programmes that appear during the winter peak.

Ms Lynne: To ask the Secretary of State for health what procedures are currently in place to inform staff working in nurseries, playgroups and schools of the symptoms of meningitis and the procedures that should be adopted once the symptoms have been observed; and if his Department plans to update these procedures. [8895]

Mr. Horam: This is a matter for local arrangement by the local consultant in communicable disease control. Revised guidelines for outbreak management of meningococcal infection, prepared by the meningococcal working party of the Public Health Laboratory Service, were published in the "Communicable Disease Report" vol. 5, No. 13 in December, copies of which are available in the Library. The guidance has been sent to all public health physicians including consultants in communicable disease control and includes advice on notifying nurseries, playgroups and schools.

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