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Mr. Y. Habanako
Mr. Austin Mitchell: To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans he has to seek the extradition of Mr. Y. Habanako; and if he will make a statement. [16915]
The Attorney-General [holding answer 20 February 1997]: I have been asked to reply.
I take the hon. Member's question to refer to Mr. Y. Hamanaka who is at present in custody in Japan having pleaded guilty to fraud and forgery. The Serious Fraud Office is also investigating suspected offences in relation to Sumitomo Corporation. The question of charges and possible extradition does not arise until that investigation has been completed.
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Executive Agencies
Mr. Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department estimates it cost to establish each executive agency set up by his Department since the start of April 1992. [16972]
Mr. Horam: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Lariam
Ms Corston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department has considered the advice against the use of Lariam by aircrews contained in the Civil Aviation Authority's United Kingdom information circular of January 1995 in relation to the use of the drug by other visitors to overseas countries; and if he will make a statement. [17181]
Mr. Malone: Lariam is not recommended for people such as pilots and aircrews because of the possible side effects of dizziness and loss of fine precision movement, as advised by the manufacturer. This information was considered and included in the United Kingdom Health Departments' 1995 publication "Health Information for Overseas Travel", copies of which are available in the Library.
Residential Homes (Coventry)
Mr. Butcher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 11 February, Official Report, column 161, if he will investigate Coventry's half-way house pilot scheme to determine whether the allocation of patients to residential and nursing care home placements under the scheme is impartial, as between the profit and non-profit sector. [17054]
Mr. Burns: The placement of patients leaving the Coventry half-way house pilot scheme will be arranged in accordance with current national guidelines for the discharge of patients from national health service care and placements in residential accommodation. The scheme is due to end in May, when a full evaluation, including the views of patients, their families, carers and local general practitioners, will be carried out by Coventry health authority, the community health council and the Coventry department of social services.
Dissolved NHS Trusts (Financial Arrangements)
Mr. Congdon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what financial arrangements are being made in respect of NHS trusts dissolved on 1 April 1996. [17889]
Mr. Dorrell: The national health service trusts dissolved on 1 April 1996 were reconfigured with parts, or all, of other trusts or directly managed units. I propose to create new originating debt for six new trusts equal to the net assets transferred to them and to remit the outstanding originating debt of the dissolved trusts.
These operations involve no overall loss to the Exchequer. Her Majesty's Treasury has today presented a minute to the House giving the particulars and circumstances of the proposed remission which it has approved in principle.
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Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what funding was provided (a) for the current year and (b) for each of the previous five years for increasing awareness of the early symptoms of meningitis;[16655]
(3) if he will institute a programme of awareness amongst child minders, pre-school playgroups, nurseries, schools and places of further and higher education regarding identifying the early symptoms of meningitis and providing appropriate immediate treatment. [16653]
Mr. Horam:
The Department of Health takes meningitis very seriously and recognises that appropriate awareness of the disease and parental alertness remain the best general protection. Meningococcal infections peak with most cases in children under one year; there is a second, smaller, peak in later teenagers. Information is, therefore, targeted in these areas. Health visitors provide new parents with the Health Education Authority's leaflet "A Guide to Childhood Immunisations", which includes advice on recognising the signs and symptoms of meningitis. Advice on recognising meningitis can also be found in the HEA's "Birth to Five" book which is issued to all first-time parents.
The Department of Health and the National Meningitis Trust collaborated in providing an information leaflet for parents of small children and teenagers. Public information leaflets on meningitis and septicaemia were sent to all general practitioners to be made available to the public. The HEA has also produced a leaflet and
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accompanying poster, "Look out for your mate", targeted at students which has been very widely distributed to colleges and universities. The chief medical officer held a press briefing for journalists last year to raise further public, professional and media awareness of meningitis. The chief medical officer also wrote to all doctors in January giving up-to-date advice on the early diagnosis of suspected cases of meningococcal infection and on the need for antibiotic treatment and urgent referral to hospital.
The Department of Health provides funding in a number of ways, for example to the National Meningitis Trust and the Meningitis Research Foundation to support their valuable information, advisory and support work. These organisations are also active in raising public awareness immediately prior to and during the winter peak and in providing support to those who have experienced meningitis. Through the Department's section 64 scheme, the National Meningitis Trust was awarded £15,000 in 1996-97 and the Meningitis Research Foundation was awarded £19,840 in 1996-97. Both are national organisations with local community branches.
The costs of preparing, printing and distributing leaflets and posters such as "A Guide to Childhood Immunisations", which is updated annually, are produced each year, and more than 1 million "Look out for your mate" leaflets and 9,300 posters have been distributed since October 1996.
Mr. Mackinlay:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people by age group suffered from meningitis during the past 10 years; how many of those cases resulted in fatalities or contributed to death; and of he will make a statement. [16654]
Mr. Horam:
The number of isolates of Neisseria meningitidis and number of deaths by age group are given in the tables. The information is available only from 1988; for deaths, data are to 1995.
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(2) what funds are available to local community-based groups that provide advice and counselling to victims of meningitis and their families and to groups which help to increase awareness of the symptoms of meningitis; and if he will make a statement; [16652]
| Age group | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | under 5 | 5 to 14 | 15 to 24 | 25+ | Not known | Total |
| 1988 | 672 | 161 | 260 | 178 | 83 | 1,354 |
| 1989 | 665 | 165 | 272 | 197 | 54 | 1,353 |
| 1990 | 745 | 169 | 283 | 231 | 70 | 1,498 |
| 1991 | 716 | 155 | 232 | 187 | 108 | 1,398 |
| 1992 | 687 | 159 | 229 | 165 | 61 | 1,301 |
| 1993 | 670 | 161 | 189 | 210 | 68 | 1,298 |
| 1994 | 591 | 134 | 184 | 171 | 48 | 1,128 |
| 1995 | 707 | 195 | 300 | 237 | 18 | 1,457 |
| 1996 | 647 | 183 | 336 | 270 | 56 | 1,492 |
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Source:
Office for National Statistics Mortality Statistics: Cause, Series DH2.
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25 Feb 1997 : Column: 183
Ms Roseanna Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what monitoring for Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease he has undertaken among patients who have received human growth hormone treatment; and if he will make a statement. [17259]
Mr. Horam:
The monitoring of patients treated with human growth hormone has, since 1992, been undertaken by the human pituitary growth hormone follow-up unit at the Institute of Child Health, London.
Ms Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in England and Wales (a) before 1 July 1977 and (b) after 1 July 1997 have (i) received human growth hormone treatment, (ii) died as a result of human growth hormone treatment, and (iii) been diagnosed as ill as a result of human growth hormone treatment; and how many court actions have been raised, or are currently pending, as a result of death or illness following such treatment. [17260]
Mr. Horam:
The available information covers the whole of the United Kingdom.
| Number | |
|---|---|
| Up to 31 December 1976 | 641 |
| 1 January 1977 to 31 December 1977 | 138 |
| Since 1 January 1978 | 1,122 |
The data are available by calendar year only.
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