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Written Answers to Questions

Wednesday 5 June 1996

DEFENCE

United Nations

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assessment he has made of the advantages of establishing a standby military headquarters unit within the UN department of peacekeeping operations in New York; [30732]

(2) what is his policy in respect of developing and strengthening the ability of the United Nations to undertake effective and detailed military planning; and if he will make a statement; [30733]

(3) what proposals he has in respect of the development of (a) generic and (b) specific contingency plans for the UN for future peacekeeping operations; and if he will make a statement. [30734]

Mr. Soames: The proposal to establish a standby headquarters unit is a natural extension of earlier work by the Secretary-General which identified the need to strengthen the UN's capacity to conduct and plan peacekeeping operations and which the UK has fully supported. The Secretary-General has already taken important steps to improve the UN's capabilities, in particular by the development of a mission planning service. Increasing the operational effectiveness of the UN is one of the Government's principal foreign policy objectives and both the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are involved in discussions aimed at continuing to take these initiatives forward. To give practical help, we currently attach nine military officers and one civil servant to the department of peacekeeping operations, and we continue to co-operate fully with the UN standby forces planning team.

Defence Evaluation and Research Agency

Mr. Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what targets he has set for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency in 1996-97. [31518]

Mr. Soames: The targets set for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency in 1996-97 are as follows:

(a) Consistent with achieving an average of at least 6 per cent. return on capital employed over a period of three years, the target for 1996-97 is 4 per cent.


(b) Increase DERA overall utilisation target from 57 per cent. in 1995-96 to 62.4 per cent. in 1996-97.


(c) Increase DERA overall milestone delivery target from 84 per cent. in 1995-96 to 89 per cent. in 1996-97.

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(d) Increase DERA overall customer satisfaction as measured by the annual survey from 27 percentile points above average in 1995-96 to 30 percentile points in 1996-97.


(e) To establish an effective capability measurement system through technical assessment and to measure an improvement in the DRA sectors and two protection and life sciences division sectors.


(f) To have met by 31 March 1997 all the 1996-97 rationalisation project milestones.


(g) To achieve a non-MOD income of £117 million.


(h) To achieve formal quality certification to ISO 9000 for all DRA and DERA support services division sectors, plus the centre for defence analysis and the chemical and electronics sector and centre for human sciences sectors of PLSD.


(i) All division except the defence test and evaluation organisation to demonstrate an improvement in staff satisfaction, and to demonstrate improvements in the working environment, career development and training, and reward and recognition. DTEO to participate to form a baseline.


(j) To establish a methodology for measuring technology transfer.

MV Kapitan Mezentsyev (Defects)

Dr. David Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 16 May, Official Report, column 560, if he will list the minor defects identified on the merchant vessel Kapitan Mezentsyev. [30731]

Mr. Soames: The following defects were identified: A fractured starboard fibreglass lifeboat; inoperable davit switches; badly maintained winch falls and davit; a repair required on a fire station in the after steering compartment and an inoperable watertight door.

All these were remedied at once, and the vessel inspected to the satisfaction of the US authorities.

Defence Police and Guarding Structure

Mr. Brazier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will issue a further consultative document on the Defence police and guarding structure. [31598]

Mr. Soames: This consultative document was issued on 29 May. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House.

HEALTH

Committee on Safety of Medicines

Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the scientific information that has been made available to the Committee on Safety of Medicines since November 1995; and on what dates the committee considered that evidence. [31287]

Mr. Malone: Proceedings of meetings of the committee are confidential.

Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what dates the National Audit Office most recently examined the Medicines Control Agency; and what assessment the National Audit Office made of expenditure relating to the sub-committees of the Committee on Safety of Medicines. [31288]

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Mr. Malone: The National Audit Office audit of the Medicines Control Agency's 1995-96 accounts is currently in progress. The audit of the 1994-95 account was completed in May 1995. In the course of that audit the National Audit Office reviewed MCA expenditure generally. No comment was received with regard to expenditure relating to the sub-committees of the Committee on Safety of Medicines.

GP Fundholders

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what level of general practitioner fundholders saving in each region has been spent other than by fundholders themselves, in each of the last four years. [29666]

Mr. Malone [holding answer 16 May 1996]: Fundholders may choose to return savings for wider use in the national health service. Information about savings returned in this way will be placed in the Library.

Oral Contraceptives

Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 11 December 1995, Official Report column 521, which advisers were given the elements of the data on desogestrel and gestodene; and on which dates. [31289]

Mr. Malone: Communications between the Licensing Authority and its independent safety advisers are confidential.

Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 11 December 1995, Official Report, column 521, on what dates in 1989, 1991 and 1995 the Committee on Safety of Medicines reviewed the safety of oral contraceptives containing desogestrel and gestodene. [31286]

Mr. Malone: The safety of oral contraceptives containing gestodene or desogestrel was reviewed in March 1989, February 1991, May 1995 and October 1995.

Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the estimates made by the Medicines Control Agency of the incidence of venous thromboembolism associated with, (a) desogestrel, (b) gestodene and (c) levonorgestrel both in June 1995 and on 13 October 1995. [31276]

Mr. Malone: In June 1995, information on the incidence of venous thromboembolism with specific combined oral contraceptives preparations was not available. By 13 October 1995 new information had become available which provided the following estimates of the incidence of venous thromboembolism: for oral contraceptives containing levonorgestrel approximately 15 cases per 100,000 women each year, for oral contraceptives containing gestodene or desogestrel approximately 30 cases per 100,000 women each year.

Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health from what location the 190,000 letters relating to oral contraceptives containing desogestrel or gestodene were dispatched. [31277]

Mr. Malone: Horndean, Hampshire.

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Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his officials made prior to despatch of the "Dear Doctor" letter of 18 October 1995 relating to oral contraceptives of the proportion of letters that would be received by doctors prior to the public announcement scheduled for the afternoon of Thursday 19 October 1995. [31278]

Mr. Malone: I refer the hon. Member to the statement my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State made on 23 October 1995 at columns 701-2. The letters were posted by first class post on Wednesday 18 October 1995. Officials expected that most doctors would receive a copy of the letter, by means of at least one of the three mechanisms of communication used, prior to the public announcement scheduled for Thursday 19 October 1995.

Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the dates on which Ministers received updates regarding the analysis of the World Health Organisation study; and whether Ministers asked the Medicines Control Agency to seek the advice from the Committee on Safety of Medicines on 13 October 1995. [31279]

Mr. Malone: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave him on 7 March at column 321. Ministers were not updated regarding the analysis of the World Health Organisation's study between July and October since there was no material change in the findings of the study.

It is normal practice for the Medicines Control Agency to seek the committee's advice on all safety issues with medicines which have important public health implications. Ministers did not ask the MCA to seek the advice of the Committee on Safety of Medicines on this issue.

Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date, and at what time, the press conference as originally scheduled was made known to the media; and on what date and at what time the revised timing of the public announcement was made available to the media. [31280]

Mr. Malone: The public announcement last year about the safety of certain oral contraceptives was originally planned as a press notice, to be issued in the afternoon of 19 October, having allowed time for doctors and pharmacists to receive the information already sent to them. As a result of inquiries from the electronic media, which were received from 9 am that day, it was decided to bring the announcement forward to 12 noon so that it could inform lunchtime news coverage on radio and television. The Department does not keep records showing the precise times at which the media are informed of forthcoming press conferences.

Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) of 19 December 1995, Official Report, column 1153, what steps his officials took to establish that data collection for the transnational study had been completed and if the stage in the recruitment process was communicated to the Committee on Safety of Medicines prior to or during its meeting on 13 October 1995. [31281]

Mr. Malone: Officials from the Medicines Control Agency asked the investigators of the transnational study what stage had been reached in recruitment for their study. They were informed that the data on venous thromboembolism were complete but identification of

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cases of myocardial infarction was still in progress and it was understood that substantive data would not be available for one to two years. The Committee on Safety of Medicines were informed of this at the meeting on 13 October 1995.

Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his officials contributed to the drafting of a letter attributed to the chairman of the Committee on Safety of Medicines which was published in the British Medical Journal of 4 November 1995. [31282]

Mr. Malone: The letter was written by the chairman of the Committee on Safety of Medicines, who discussed its contents with officials before finalising it.

Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) of 19 December 1955, Official Report, column 1149, if he will list the United Kingdom representatives on the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products in October 1995. [31283]

Mr. Malone: The two members of the Committee representing the United Kingdom competent authority are Dr. Susan Wood and Dr. David Jefferys.

Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) of 19 December 1995, Official Report, column 1149, which of the United Kingdom representatives on the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products made the formal request that the safety of oral contraceptives containing desogestrel and gestodene be placed on the agenda for the meeting of the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products on 17 and 18 October 1995. [31284]

Mr. Malone: Dr. Susan Wood, representing the United Kingdom competent authority.

Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 11 December 1995, Official Report, column 522, if Professor John Guillebaud attended the meeting on 10 October 1995 relating to desogestrel and gestodene. [31285]

Mr. Malone: I refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave to the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) on 19 December 1995 at column 1151.

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