| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Regional Railways
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on the levels of investment in regional railways as they affect the Wrexham-Birkenhead and Holyhead-Chester-Crewe lines; and if he will make a statement. [26863]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: The level of investment in railway lines in north Wales is a matter for Railtrack. I intend to meet the company soon to discuss its investment plans for all lines in Wales.
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the effect of privatisation on the regional railways that serve north Wales; and if he will make a statement. [26864]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: The Government's proposals for franchising the operation of regional railways are designed to improve the quality of passenger rail services. North West Regional Railways will be franchised as soon as is practicable.
Railways (Safety)
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement concerning safety on railways in Wales. [26871]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 22 April by my hon. Friend the Minister for Railways and Roads to the hon. Member for Nottingham, East (Mr. Heppell), Official Report, column 33.
Speed Cameras
Mr. Barry Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the benefits of speed cameras; and if he will make a statement. [26865]
Mr. Gwilym Jones: Results from an initial trial of fixed site speed cameras in Llanidloes confirm that they can be effective in controlling excessive speeds close to camera sites.
However, speed cameras are likely to be justifiable only at sites with a history of accidents associated with excessive driving speeds.
The Welsh Office is planning a further set of trials in conjunction with Welsh police authorities using portable or semi-portable camera equipment to determine the effectiveness and benefits of such systems.
30 Apr 1996 : Column: 498
Mr. Barry Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent consultations he has had with each of the farming unions in Wales concerning BSE. [26875]
Mr. Gwilym Jones:
My right hon. Friend and I have met farmers' leaders to discuss this subject on a number of occasions, most recently my right hon. Friend met the Farmers Union of Wales, the National Farmers Union and the Country Landowners Association on 22 April.
Mr. Dafis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales which local authorities in Wales will be eligible during 1996-97 for grants under the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 action scheme. [27244]
Mr. Gwilym Jones:
No, the Home Energy Conservation Act does not make provision for grants.
Mr. Dafis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales when he plans to issue guidelines in respect of the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 in Wales. [27243]
Mr. Jones:
In Wales, guidance on implementation of the Home Energy Conservation Act will be issued this summer.
Mr. Llwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what representations he has received concerning the proposed M4 relief road; and if he will make a statement. [27420]
Mr. Gwilym Jones:
Various views have been received about proposals for the M4 Magor to Castleton relief road as a result of public consultation in 1993 and 1994. My right hon. Friend announced his preferred route for this scheme in July last year.
Oral Contraceptives
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what meetings took place between his Department and the manufacturers of third generation oral contraceptives between July and the end of September 1995; and if concerns about the safety of their products were discussed at those meetings. [25589]
Mr. Malone: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 16 April at column 488.
Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which company his Department employed in October 1995 to print, collate and post the letter to general
30 Apr 1996 : Column: 499
practitioners informing them of safety concerns about third generation oral contraceptives; and if he will make a statement. [25810]
Mr. Malone: The Medical Direct Mail Organisation.
Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which members of the Committee on Safety of Medicines subcommittee briefed on 10 October 1995 about third generation oral contraceptives were not members of the committee. [25590]
Mr. Malone: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) on 19 December 1995 at column 1151. The ad hoc working group which met on 10 October 1995 included members of the Committee on Safety of Medicines and invited experts who were not members of the committee.
Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the safety of oral contraceptives following the most recent meeting of the Committee on Safety of Medicines; and if he will make a statement. [27332]
Mr. Malone: Ministers rely on their advisory committees for an assessment of such issues.
Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what attachments were enclosed with the letter of 11 October 1995 relating to oral contraceptives containing desogestrel or gestodene in order to inform consideration of the relevant issues by the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products. [27354]
Mr. Malone: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 2 April at column 185.
Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who represented the United Kingdom at the three meetings of the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products held on (a) 17-18 October 1995, (b) 26-27 October 1995 and (c) 16 to 18 April 1996. [27355]
Mr. Malone: The two members of the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products nominated by the United Kingdom, supported as necessary by experts relevant to the items under consideration.
Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the consideration of safety issues by the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products relating to oral contraceptives containing desogestrel or gestodene took place on the basis of article 8 of directive 75/319/EEC. [27357]
Mr. Malone: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 8 February at column 344. The Medicines Control Agency made a written request that the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products include the matter for discussion at its meeting of 17-18 October 1995. The subsequent CPMP position statement dated 27 October 1995 makes reference to article 8 of directive 75/319/EEC.
Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice the Committee on Safety of Medicines communicated to the relevant pharmaceutical companies about the product licences relating to desogestrel or gestodene, following its meeting on 13 October 1995;[27368]
30 Apr 1996 : Column: 500
- (2) what advice the Committee on Safety of medicines gave regarding action on the product licences relating to desogestrel and gestodene at its meeting on 13 October 1995. [27362]
Mr. Malone: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 8 February at column 343. The advice of the Committee on Safety of Medicines to the licensing authority is confidential.
Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 19 December, Official Report, column 1153, on what date the final report of the World Health Organisation study on oral contraceptives was produced; and if he will make a statement. [27370]
Mr. Malone: A number of reports of the World Health Organisation's findings were provided to the Medicines Control Agency between July and October 1995; the report referred to in the answer given on 19 December 1995 at column 1153 provided the final results on venous thromboembolism of the WHO study. The MCA subsequently received a copy of the manuscript which was submitted to The Lancet for publication, dated 13 October. This document was not different in any important way from the previous report received by the MCA.
Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 2 April, Official Report, column 185, if clinical trials with oral contraceptives containing gestodene were terminated in October 1995. [27364]
Mr. Malone: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 8 February at column 346.
Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 2 April, Official Report, column 185, if the referral to the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products of 11 October 1995 was made by one of the United Kingdom's representatives on the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products. [27365]
Mr. Malone: Yes. The written request that the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products include the safety of oral contraceptives on the agenda of its meeting of 17-18 October was made by one of the United Kingdom's representatives on the committee.
Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 2 April, Official Report, column 184, if the then Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Bolton, West (Mr. Sackville), was consulted prior to the written request that the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products consider safety issues relating to oral contraceptives containing desogestrel or gestodene; and if he authorised the request to the CPMP. [27366]
Mr. Malone: Disclosure of information such as that requested would be in breach of the long-established convention, observed by successive Governments, protecting the confidentiality of the internal decision-making process.
Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the chief executive of the Medicines Control Agency authorised the request of 11 October 1995 to the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products relating to desogestrel and gestodene. [27367]
30 Apr 1996 : Column: 501
Mr. Malone: The chief executive of the Medicines Control Agency agreed with the United Kingdom delegate to the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products that this would be an appropriate issue for the committee to consider at its meeting of 17-18 October 1995.
Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the Committee on Safety of Medicines has made a re-assessment of the safety of desogestrel and gestodene in the light of evidence in December 1995 and January 1996. [27369]
Mr. Malone: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 25 April at column 281.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |