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HEALTH
Multiple Sclerosis
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the oral statement of the Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Chelmsford (Mr. Burns), of 10 February, Official Report, column 119, on Department of Health and Medical Research Council funding of multiple sclerosis over the last six years, if he will reconcile that statement with the answer to the hon. Member for
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Pendle of 10 December 1996, Official Report, column 151, setting out Department of Health and MRC funding on MS. [15897]
Mr. Burns
[holding answer 14 February 1997]: I regret that, due to a clerical error, the figure quoted in the oral statement on 10 February 1997 at column 119 should have been just over £1 million and not the figure of £2 million used.
The hon. Member may be interested to know that the Medical Research Council also spent £6,280,000 in 1995-96 on research under the broader headings of autoimmune disorders and diseases of the central nervous system and is providing £4.9 million in core and capital building funding, and £1,840,000 for on-going research, for the MRC interdisciplinary centre in brain repair, Cambridge which carries out work on neurodegenerative diseases in a multidisciplinary environment.
Mr. Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what have been the excess winter treatment rates for cold-relates illnesses by general practitioners in each of the past 10 years. [17471]
Mr. Horam:
The information requested is not held centrally.
Mr. Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people received hospital treatment as (a) in-patients and (b) out-patients for cold-related illnesses for December 1996 and January 1997; and what were the figures for the same period in each of the last 10 years. [17383]
Mr. Horam:
For the purpose of this question, "cold related conditions" have been defined as pneumonia, influenza, bronchitis and hypothermia. The information available for in-patients is shown in the table and covers the period 1989-90 to 1994-95. Data for out-patients are not available centrally.
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Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES):
ICD9 code 480-486 (Pneumonia); 487 (Influenza); 490-491 (Bronchitis); 991.6 (Hypothermia).
(17) Some totals do not add up because of rounding.
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Mr. Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people received treatment by NHS doctors for cold-related illnesses for the period December 1996 and January 1997; and what were the figures for the same months in each of the last 10 years. [17393]
Mr. Horam:
I refer the hon. Member to the information in the replies given to him today on cold-related illnesses.
Mr. Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the excess winter hospital treatment rates for cold-related illnesses for (a) in-patients and (b) out-patients in each of the last 10 years. [17380]
Mr. Horam:
Data in the form of excess winter treatment rates are not available centrally.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pre-registration nursing and midwifery students who commenced training as initial entrants by means of (a) salaried student places (b) Project 2000 and (c) undergraduate study (i) qualified and (ii) registered with the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting in each of the last five years. [17677]
Mr. Horam:
The information requested is not available centrally. I refer the hon. Member to the National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting for England for the information that is available on the numbers entering training and qualifying, and to the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting for the information that is available on the numbers of qualified nurses who registered with the council.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the current number of second-level registered nurses; and how many are undertaking training to convert to first-level registration. [17678]
Mr. Horam:
There were 34,470 whole-time equivalent second level nursing midwifery and health visiting staff employed by the national health service hospital and community health services in England as at 30 September 1995--the latest available figures.
The number of second level registered nurses undertaking training to convert to first level registration is not centrally available. I refer the hon. Member to the English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting who record information relating to student nurse numbers.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of non-clinical managers in the NHS earning over £30,000 per year were women in each year since 1991. [17679]
Mr. Malone:
The information requested is not available centrally. In September 1995, 50.9 per cent. of administrative managers employed by the hospital and community health services in England were female.
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Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on mental health in (a) the acute and (b) the community sector in each health authority area in each of the last three years. [17682]
Mr. Burns:
The information requested is not available centrally.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many emergency patients were transported more than 50 miles to receive hospital treatment in each of the last 18 months; and how many subsequently died.[17684]
Mr. Horam:
The information requested is not available centrally.
Sir Harold Walker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of new variant CJD have occurred in each year since 1990, broken down by age groups and local authority areas. [17801]
Mr. Horam:
The total number of definite and probable cases of new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease which have occurred since 1990 is 16, of which three died in 1995, 10 died in 1996 and three are still alive. The age range at death is from 19 to 50. The release of detailed data on the age and geographical location of the cases would, given the small numbers involved, put at risk the confidentiality of patients and their families. Cases of nvCJD have been found throughout the United Kingdom, and the distribution of cases of nvCJD by geographical location does not suggest a significant excess in any particular area.
Mr. Gerrard:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what rate of return on assets has been produced by the Forest Healthcare trust in each year since its establishment. [18083]
Mr. Horam:
The rates of return of Forest Healthcare national health service trust are as follows:
| Year | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 1992-93 | 10.7 |
| 1993-94 | 4.5 |
| 1994-95 | 5.8 |
| 1995-96 | 2.9 |
Ecstasy
Mr. Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice he has received from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of drugs about the dangers of taking the drug known as Ecstasy; and if he will make a statement. [18598]
Mr. Burns:
The Government have received advice from the council on this matter.
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The council takes the view that the unpredictability of the effects of taking Ecstasy--MDMA--including the possibility of death, means that there is cause for serious concern about the risks involved.
The council advises that, in contrast to the desired effects of the drug, there have also been regular reports of serious short-term effects. First-ever epileptic fits, panic attacks, paranoid states and confusional episodes are well known and often seen in some accident and emergency departments. These short-term disorders are potentially serious, although they are usually amenable to treatment.
The council reports that long-term effects which have been observed include permanent visual changes, depression and panic attacks. Some individuals will be at risk of developing psychotic illness.
Post mortems on some individuals who have died in circumstances associated with the drug have suggested direct damage to the liver and heart. The deaths which have occurred have been unpredictable and sporadic and seen usually to have been brought on either by hypothermia--overheating--and the complications which follow or, very rarely, through excessive water consumption which has led to acute water intoxication.
The council advises that other similar drugs such as MDA or MDEA may well carry similar or greater risks. Misuse of Ecstasy in combination with other drugs or alcohol will have a tendency to increase the risks. The risks of dehydration and overheating are likely to be exaggerated by high ambient temperatures and crowding.
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