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Alpha-1-Antitrypsin Deficiency Disease

Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated concerning Alpha-1-Antitrypsin deficiency disease; and if he will make a statement on the incidence of the disease. [18821]

Mr. Horam: None. Information on the incidence of the disease is not collected centrally.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus

Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which hospitals in Essex have reported cases of MRSA in the past 12 months; how many cases there were in each hospital; and in how many cases MRSA contributed to or caused death; [18990]

Mr. Horam: Information on the total number of cases of infection or colonisation with methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus is not collected centrally. Some health authorities monitor the occurrence of MRSA, but these are likely to be subject to local variations in the type of data collected and the methods of collection used.

Data on the occurrence of MRSA, compiled by the public health laboratory service, are derived from isolates submitted voluntarily by hospitals in England and Wales for typing. These show that 177 hospitals in England reported incidents of MRSA affecting a total of 19,385 patients in 1996. Similarly, data held by the PHLS for 1996 show that three hospitals in Essex reported incidents of MRSA affecting 88, 59 and 15 patients respectively. An incident is defined as three or more patients with the same strain of MRSA in a month from the same hospital. It is not know in how many cases MRSA contributed to or caused death.

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Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in making available the MRSA combating drug developed by the team headed by Professor Brian Austin at Heriot-Watt university; and if he will make a statement. [18994]

Mr. Horam: We understand that Professor Austen's work is at a very early stage.

Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital screen patients for MRSA on admission. [18988]

Mr. Horam: The information requested is not held centrally.

Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are being taken to prevent the spread of MRSA outside hospitals; and if he will make a statement. [18993]

Mr. Horam: In May 1996, the Department issued a leaflet on methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus to health authorities, social services departments and nursing and residential homes, and guidelines on the control of infection generally in residential and nursing homes. These guidelines advise that MRSA rarely presents a danger to people in these settings and that basic measures to prevent the spread of any type of infection, should prevent the spread of MRSA. Copies of these publications are available in the Library.

Mr. Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much public money is being directed to researching into the cause, extent of, possible cures for, measures to combat and drugs for MRSA; and if he will make a statement. [18989]

Mr. Horam: Information in the form requested is not held centrally. For information on the Department's expenditure on research into MRSA and developing new antibiotics, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave the hon. Member for Carmarthen (Mr. Williams) on 22 January, Official Report, columns 15-16.

Private Finance Initiative

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide a breakdown by project of PFI schemes for which his Department is responsible as identified in table 5.5 of the Red Book. [18933]

Mr. Horam: The figures in table 5.5 of the "Financial Statement and Budget Report" represent an estimate of expected spend on private finance schemes. All private finance schemes being prepared within the national health service were taken into account when these figures were estimated.

Payment of Bills

Mr. Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of bills to his Department were paid (a) in accordance with agreed contractual conditions and (b) within 30 days of receiving goods and services or the presentation of a valid invoice where no contractual conditions applied in the last year for which figures are available. [18822]

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Mr. Horam: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Bury St. Edmunds, (Mr. Spring) by my hon. Friend the Economic Secretary to the Treasury on 17 December 1996, Official Report, columns 506-7.

Capital Projects (Greater London)

Mr. Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much was the income spent in Greater London on capital projects in the NHS in each of the last five years; and what is the projected spending in each of the next five years; [13703]

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Mr. Malone [holding answer 31 January 1997]: With regard to past expenditure on capital schemes, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon, South (Mr. Marshall) on 22 January, Official Report, columns 664-65. Only information relating to capital schemes costing over £1 million, for which national health service executive approval is required, is available. Details of planned schemes in this category, starting in Greater London after 30 September 1996, for which outline or full business case approval has been granted by the NHS executive, are given in the table. Schemes costing below £1 million are a matter for individual NHS trusts.

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Capital schemes in Greater London costing over £1 million with outline or full business case approval, and a planned start date after 30 September 1996

Scheme1996-97 £0001997-98 £0001998-99 £0001999-00 £0002000-01 £000
Camden and Islington Community Health Services Rationalisation of mental health services(19)--4,6504,6504,6504,650
Barnet Healthcare Trust Edgware Community Hospital(19)--6,2506,2506,2506,250
BHB Community Healthcare Acute psychiatric(19)4,8004,0002,967----
Central Middlesex Hospital Care centre/ACAD--9,5009,500----
Chelsea and Westminster Healthcare HISS--information system--3,380------
Enfield Community Care ESMI(19)--1,3801,380----
Hammersmith Hospitals Queen Charlottes(19)--5,0004,500----
Harefield Hospital Theatres(19)--3,000------
Hillingdon Hospital Mental health services(19)--3,0004,500----
North-west London Mental Health Highcare Home and Safe Haven1,1351,144------
Parkside Health NHS Trust Wembley Health Centre5004,500457----
Royal Hospitals NHS Trust Acute rationalisation(19)--8,35039,00049,00049,000
Royal London Homeopathic Hospital Relocation(19)412,0852,085----
UCL Hospitals NHS Trust Redevelopment(19)--6,15331,00031,00012,147
Wellhouse Edgware/Barnet General phase 1b(19)--7,0007,0007,0007,000
West London Healthcare Boiler house(19)--2,5002,500----
Lambeth Healthcare NHS Trust IPAMU(19)--1,2631,084----
Lambeth Healthcare NHS Trust Brixton ICC(19)--1,5981,598----
Merton and Sutton Community NHS Trust Queen Mary's Carshalton(19)1,500--------
Optimum NHS Trust Honor Oak Health Centre(19)--1,000916----
Oxleas NHS Trust Bexley Hospital(19)1,0005,0005,0002,900--
Queen Mary's Sidcup accident and emergency extension(19)2,0001,200------
Lambeth Healthcare NHS Trust Manor Health Centre(19)500--------
Guy's and St. Thomas' stage 1 cardiac(20)12,2502,750------
Guy's and St. Thomas' stage 1 UMDS1,000--------
King's Healthcare Phase 1 cardiac1,542--------
St. George's Healthcare Day surgery--2,770------
St. George's Healthcare Elderly--2,500------
Greenwich Health Care Woolwich Arsenal Resource Centre(19)--1,0002,000----
Greenwich Healthcare NHS Trust Queen Elizabeth Hospital(19)--6,00010,00010,0002,000
Guy's and St. Thomas' Major redevelopment(19)--4,00020,00020,0006,000
St. George's Cardiac/Neurosciences(19)--5,00015,00015,0005,000
Croydon Community Centre for rehabilitation services--5121,000----
St. Helier Hospital NHS Trust Nelson site(19)(20)2,0834,500------

(19) Schemes which have received outline business case approval only. There is not yet any commitment to fund such schemes from public capital. Figures given for costs in each year are estimates only and are subject to change.

(20) Cost includes enabling work carried out in 1995-96.


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