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Drug-related Incidents (Weekends)
Mr. Nigel Evans:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what data his Department collates on the number of people currently treated on average on (a) Friday and (b) Saturday nights at accident and emergency units for (i) ecstasy, (ii) cocaine and (iii) heroin-related incidents; [20354]
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(3) what research he has (a) evaluated and (b) commissioned into the long-term effects of taking ecstasy; [20401]
(4) what is his estimate of the number of people who currently use ecstasy on a weekend in the United Kingdom; and on what data these figures are based; [20376]
(5) what research he has (a) evaluated and (b) commissioned on the side effects of taking ecstasy;[20400]
(6) how many people have died in 1996 as a consequence of taking ecstasy or attending ecstasy-related events. [20414]
Mr. Burns:
The Department of Health does not collect information by day of the week on drug-related incidents in accident and emergency units, but anecdotal evidence from a number of hospitals suggests that incidents related to the drug known as ecstasy are common at weekends. It is not possible, because of its clandestine nature, to determine accurately the level of ecstary misuse, but surveys suggest that about 1 per cent. of 16 to 29-year-olds take the drug on a regular basis.
Information on the number of patients treated for ecstasy-related health problems is not collected.
The Department of Health has commissioned a literature review to evaluate existing research on both the short-term side effects and long-term health risks of taking ecstasy and has received advice from the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs on these issues, which was the subject of a question tabled by my hon. Friend the Member for Colchester, North (Mr. Jenkin) on 28 February 1997, Official Report, columns 441-42. The Department of Health is considering, in the light of this work, what further research may be necessary on the health risks of this drug.
Figures for the number of deaths from ecstasy in 1996 are not yet available, but there were 10 deaths in 1994 attributed solely to the misuse of ecstasy.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will require the Medicines Commission to review the operation of the Committee on Safety of Medicines in October 1995; [20481]
(3) if he will publish the documents of 16 October 1995 relating to the instructions his Department gave to the Medical Direct Mail Organisation; [20561]
(4) when data from the World Health Organisation study into oral contraception were first made available to the Medicines Control Agency; and if he will make a statement; [20559]
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(5) when his Department's formal written request of 11 October 1995 relating to desogestrel and gestodene was acknowledged by (a) the Committee for Proprietary Medicinal Products and (b) the European Medicines Evaluation Agency; [20482]
(6) on what date the licensing authority received the abstract relating to the transnational study, subsequently presented at the British Pharmacological Society; and when the abstract was seen by the Committee on Safety of Medicines; [20623]
(7) if Ministers asked the Medicines Control Agency to arrange the meeting of the Committee on Safety of Medicines held on 13 October 1995; [20562]
(8) on what dates after 13 October the Committee on Safety of Medicines considered matters relating to the safety of oral contraceptives containing desogestrel and gestodene; [20483]
(9) on whose instructions the letter over the signature of the chairman of the Committee on Safety of Medicines of 18 October 1995 was issued. [20560]
Mr. Malone:
The hon. Member, and the hon. Member for Gordon (Mr. Bruce) have already pursued these matters in great detail. I refer the hon. Member to the statement to the House by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health on 23 October 1995 at columns 701-10 and to the replies I gave on 12 June 1996 at columns 250-71, 7 November 1995 at columns 679-80, 11 December 1995 at columns 522-23, 19 December 1995 at columns 1148-50 and 1152-54, 8 February 1996 at columns 343-48, 7 March 1996 at column 321, 14 March 1996 at column 752, 21 March 1996 at columns 317-18, 25 March 1996 at column 428, 28 March 1996 at column 748, 1 April 1996 at column 53, 2 April 1996 at columns 184-86, 24 April 1996 at columns 172-74, 25 April 1996 at column 281, 30 April 1996 at columns 497-99, 9 May 1996 at columns 243-44, 10 May 1996 at columns 280-82, 5 June 1996 at columns 447-49, 13 June 1996 at columns 245-247, 17 June 1996 at column 358, 20 June 1996 at columns 570-71, 21 June 1996 at columns 667-68.
Mr. Simon Hughes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what ways British standards covering the strength of blister packs for pharmaceutical products differ from those applying in other European Union countries. [20541]
Mr. Malone:
The information requested is not available centrally.
Mr. Orme:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made since the NHS executive letter of 28 June 1995 in facilitating the release of medical personnel for voluntary work overseas, with special reference to Medical Emergency Relief International; what new proposals he has to facilitate their release; and if he will make a statement. [19610]
Mr. Malone:
Executive letter (95)69 makes plain that decisions on whether to release staff to work overseas are matters for local national health service employers. I understand that a number of trusts have made
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agreements with Voluntary Services Overseas about releasing health professionals to work in developing countries.
Sir David Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the average cost per patient treated in each NHS trust in England. [19718]
Mr. Horam:
The information available, in the form of average cost per finished consultant episode, has been placed in the Library.
Mr. Fatchett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the chairman of each NHS trust and health authority in west Yorkshire; when each was appointed; and when their current period of office comes to an end.[20108]
Mr. Malone:
The information requested is listed in the table.
(2) how many people are currently being treated in hospital for ecstasy-related health problems; [20415]
(2) if he will list the dates between 1 June 1995 and 19 October 1995 when he met the chairman of the Committee on Safety of Medicines; [20622]
| Health authority | Chairman | Appointed from | Appointed to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bradford | Zahida Manzoor | 1 April 1996 | 31 March 1998 |
| Calderdale and Kirklees | Allan Templeton | 1 April 1996 | 31 March 2000 |
| Leeds | Clive Leach | 1 April 1996 | 31 March 2000 |
| Wakefield | Anne Bolter | 1 April 1996 | 31 March 2000 |
| NHS trust | Chairman | Appointed from | Appointed to |
|---|---|---|---|
| Airedale | Peter Bell | 1 December 1993 | 30 November 1997 |
| Bradford Community Health | John Watson | 2 December 1996 | 30 November 2000 |
| Bradford Hospitals | Linda Pollard | 15 July 1996 | 31 October 1999 |
| Calderdale Healthcare | Ian Hughes | 15 July 1996 | 31 October 1999 |
| Dewsbury Healthcare | John Hemingway | 1 November 1995 | 31 October 1999 |
| Huddersfield Healthcare | Garrick Graham | 1 November 1994 | 31 October 1998 |
| Leeds Community and Mental Health Services | Bill Kilgallon | 1 November 1994 | 31 October 1998 |
| Pinderfields Hospitals(33) | Vacancy | ||
| Pontefract Hospitals(33) | Christine Searby | 1 November 1996 | 31 October 1997 |
| St. James's and Seacroft University Hospital | Tony Hughes | 1 April 1995 | 30 November 1998 |
| United Leeds Teaching Hospitals | David Hall | 1 April 1995 | 30 November 1998 |
| Wakefield and Pontefract Community Health | Roy Widdowson | 1 November 1996 | 31 October 2000 |
| West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance | Alan Titterington | 1 November 1996 | 31 October 1998 |
(33) Applications are currently being considered for the chairmanship of the merged Pinderfields and Pontefract Hospitals trust.
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Ambulance Trusts
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) emergency vehicles and (b) vehicles for non-emergency services were in service with each NHS ambulance trust in each of the last three years. [20128]
Mr. Horam: The information requested is not collected centrally. The second report of the Health Committee in Session 1994-95, copies of which are available in the Library, provides some information about the number of emergency ambulances in service at that time.
Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vehicles and of what type are (i) owned and (ii) leased by each NHS ambulance trust; and, for each type, how many are (a) less than one year old, (b) between one and three years old, (c) between four and seven years old and (d) eight or more years old. [20129]
Mr. Horam: The information requested is not available centrally.
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