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Genetic Engineering
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list the (a) dates and (b) conclusions of the meetings which his Department has held with food producers to discuss genetic engineering in the last two months; and if he will make a statement. [14485]
Mrs. Browning: I held a series of meetings on 7 January with the animal feed trade, food manufacturers, retailers and consumer organisations to discuss genetic modification. All groups were keen to ensure that consumers were fully informed about the potential benefits genetic modification offers.
The Department also organised a very successful consultation meeting on 22 January with a wide range of interested groups including environmental and non-governmental organisations, consumer representatives and food producers. The meeting provided an opportunity for those with concerns to air them and identify any changes needed to existing safeguards. These results will be considered further at a national biotechnology conference to be held on 10 March.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what assessment his Department has
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made of the potential dangers of allowing unprocessed genetically engineered maize to enter the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [14486]
Mrs. Browning:
The Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes advised that the use of processed genetically modified maize was safe, although there was a small but finite risk associated with the use of Ciba Geigy's GM maize in an unprocessed form. The ACNFP's concerns were examined in detail by three EC scientific committees, which concluded that the risk was too small to justify banning imports into the Community. There are therefore no grounds on which the Government can legally object to the use of this material.
Mr. Morley:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if the consignment of piglets exported on 24 January on the MV Cap Afrique was accompanied by an export health certificate as worded in model 111 of the annexe to Council directive 64/432/EEC. [14604]
Mr. Charles Wardle:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement on measures to improve the traceability of cattle. [13123]
Mr. Baldry:
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Norwich, North (Mr. Thompson) on 10 December 1996, Official Report, column 104. We are currently considering the responses to the consultation exercise on our proposals.
Mr. Martyn Jones:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many full-time farm businesses had a negative equity in each year since 1985; and if he will make a statement. [12757]
Mr. Boswell
[holding answer 28 January 1997]: Results of the farm business survey indicate that the proportion of farms in the sample with negative equity did not exceed 1 per cent. in any year since 1986-87, the first for which this information is readily obtainable.
Mr. Matthew Taylor:
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will list (a) his Department's budgeted expenditure on (i) advertising, (ii) publicity and (iii) public information campaigns for the period January to March 1997 and (b) the actual expenditure on (1) advertising, (2) publicity and (3) public information campaigns in the period January to March in each of the past five years. [13459]
Mr. Boswell:
Expenditure on advertising, publicity and public information campaigns, January to March, for each
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of the last five financial years--and an estimate for the current financial year--are as follows:
| £ | |
|---|---|
| 1991-92 | 1,757,000 |
| 1992-93 | 684,000 |
| 1993-94 | 1,699,000 |
| 1994-95 | 1,142,000 |
| 1995-96 | 1,590,000 |
| 1996-97 | (33)1,160,000 |
(33) A separate allocation, amounting to £1.7 million in total, has been established specifically for the production and distribution of information relating to BSE. About £860,000 of that is available for January to March 1997.
HEALTH
GP Trainees
Mr. Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many trainee general practitioners there were in each training centre for each of the last five years; and how many places were available. [13756]
Mr. Malone: The information requested is not available. However, the numbers of general practitioner trainees by region is available in "General Medical Statistics England and Wales", copies of which are available in the Library.
District Nurses and Health Visitors
Mr. Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) district nurses and (b) health visitors there were in each health authority in London in each of the last five years. [13654]
Mr. Horam: Information for the five years to 1995, the latest available, has been placed in the Library.
Volatile Substance Abuse
Dr. Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will seek the withdrawal of the Health Education Authority's literature published on 14 October 1996 in respect of volatile substance abuse. [13660]
Mr. Burns: No. The Department of Health believes that young people need to learn of the very real risks of volatile substance abuse. The available evidence suggests that the overwhelming majority of abusers learn about volatile substance abuse from friends and not from health education materials where they are told that it can kill.
Prostate Cancer
Sir Julian Critchley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will circulate to GPs' surgeries a leaflet advising on the dangers of prostate cancer and the availability of a prostate-specific antigen test. [13916]
Mr. Horam: The national health service centre for reviews and dissemination has today issued a patient
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leaflet, "Screening for prostate cancer: the evidence", to general practitioners and other health professionals which includes up-to-date information on the prostate specific antigen test. Copies will be placed in the Library.
The Department is also planning to produce material which will provide general information and advice for men in their middle years on a wide range of health topics, including prostate cancer. The material, which we are aiming to launch later this year, will be distributed through a number of outlets. We anticipate that this will include general practitioners' surgeries.
HIV-AIDS
Mr. Duncan Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the total amount of Government research expenditure on HIV-AIDS in 1996-97; and how many people received treatment for HIV-AIDS in 1996-97.[13999]
Mr. Horam: The total Government expenditure in 1996-97 on research on HIV-AIDS is estimated at £13.7 million. This figure includes expenditure by the Medical Research Council, the Department of Health and other Government Departments. There is relatively little contribution towards HIV-AIDS research from other sources such as charities. The Department of Health does not collect information on all treatments given to those living with HIV and AIDS. The survey of prevalent diagnosed HIV infections estimates that 13,817 individuals with diagnosed HIV infection were reported as having received care from statutory medical services during 1995. Information for 1996-97 is not available. These data are subject to under-reporting.
Health Expenditure
Mr. Riddick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the United Kingdom's gross domestic product was devoted to health in (a) 1979, (b) 1990 and (c) the latest year for which figures are available. [14239]
Mr. Horam: The information requested is contained in the table.
| Year | United Kingdom gross national health service expenditure as a percentage of gross domestic product |
|---|---|
| 1979-80 | 4.7 |
| 1990-91 | 5.2 |
| 1995-96 | 5.8 |
1. Gross domestic product adjusted to remove the distortion caused by the abolition of domestic rates.
2. UK NHS expenditure figures include figures for Northern Ireland which are estimates due to the fact that Northern Ireland's health services and personal social services are provided on an integrated basis.
Medicinal Drugs (Driving)
Mr. Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what is his Department's policy in respect of driving under the influence of medicinal drugs; and if he will make a statement; [14518]
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- (2) if he will list the medicinal drugs on sale in the United Kingdom which his Department assesses to affect drivers' reactions when taken in normal doses; and if he will make a statement. [14585]
Mr. Malone: Where there is evidence that a medicine can affect driving ability, this information is included in the summary of product characteristics for the doctor, and suitable warnings are provided on the label or in the leaflet for the patient as appropriate. The "British National Formulary" carries prescribing information for doctors, including information on side-effects that can impair driving ability, and advises pharmacists to attach a cautionary label when dispensing medicines that can cause drowsiness. The Medicines Control Agency reminded doctors and pharmacists of the possible effects of medicines on driving in its bulletin, "Current Problems in Pharmacovigilance" in November 1995, copies of which are available in the Library. This identifies groups of medicines which may impair driving ability.
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