| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
Clinical Trials
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the statutory instruments which regulate the approval of clinical trials by the licensing authority; and if he will make a statement. [20141]
Mr. Malone: The following is the information:
- The Medicines (Exemption from Licences) (Clinical Trials) Order 1995 (S.I. 1995/2808).
- The Medicines (Exemption from Licences and Certificates) (Clinical Trials) Order 1995 (S.I. 1995/2809).
- The Medicines (Exemption from Licences) (Clinical Trials) Order 1974 (S.I. 1974/498).
- The Medicines (Exemption from Licences) (Special Cases and Miscellaneous Provisions) Order 1972 (S.I. 1972/1200)
- The Medicines (Exemptions from Licences) (Special and Transitional Cases) Order 1971 (S.I. 1971/1450)
Ministerial Responsibilities
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the ministerial responsibilities of the hon. Member for Bolton, West (Mr. Sackville) on 13 October 1995; and what change was made to those responsibilities prior to his move to the Home Office in November 1995. [20144]
Mr. Horam: The ministerial responsibilities of the Under-Secretary of State, on 13 October 1995 and until his move to the Home Office in November 1995 were published in "Vacher's Parliamentary Companion", copies of which are available in the Library.
Medicines Control Agency
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many employees of the Medicines Control Agency on 13 October 1995 had a qualification in epidemiology; and if he will make a statement. [20145]
Mr. Malone: It is not possible to state how many employees employed by the Medicines Control Agency on 13 October 1995 had a qualification in epidemiology as the agency does not keep such records.
Mr. Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve the recruitment and retention of staff in the Medicines Control Agency with a qualification in epidemiology. [20146]
Mr. Malone:
The Medicines Control Agency has an epidemiology unity with the post-licensing division which has staff with expertise and experience in pharmaco-epidemiology. Regarding recruitment and retention, the MCA is continually looking at ways in which to increase the complement of professional staff in general, including use of the agency's delegated authority to speed up the recruitment process and the flexibilities in terms and conditions which may be available.
18 Mar 1997 : Column: 588
Mr. Matthew Banks:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to include targets for improving the diagnosis and treatment of clinical depression in a future review of the "The Health of the Nation" programme. [20200]
Mr. Burns:
We have no plans to introduce such targets.
Mr. Banks:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people suffer from clinical depression in the United Kingdom each year. [20201]
Mr. Burns:
The Office of Population Censuses and Surveys' survey of psychiatric morbidity carried out in Great Britain in 1993 revealed that 21 per thousand people aged between 16 to 64 years suffered from depression in the preceding week before the survey.
Mr. Banks:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health to what extent his Department currently supports research into clinical depression; and what future plans he has for such support. [20202]
Mr. Burns:
The Department's policy research programme has commissioned a number of studies into severe mental illness, many of which are related to depression. The national health service research and development programme strategy established a national mental health programme in 1992. The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council. The MRC is an independent body which receives its grant in aid from the Office of Science and Technology, which is part of the Department of Trade and Industry. The MRC has a comprehensive portfolio of research on depressive illness, both at its own establishments and in the form of grant support to universities. These programmes are on-going.
Mr. Alfred Morris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) for what reason the Government have not imposed a ban on the use of organophosphates; [20337]
Mr. Horam:
Organophosphates are insecticides, widely used on crops, animals--including sheep dips--and have some uses in the home and garden. Additionally, malathion, an OP, is used for treatment of headlice. Use of OPs for any of these purposes is strictly controlled.
Pesticides, such as those used on crops or in the home, must be approved by Ministers before they can be advertised, sold, supplied, stored or used. The independent Advisory Committee on Pesticides--ACP--advises the regulatory Ministers on the granting, amendment or revocation of individual approvals. Applicants for pesticides approvals must show that their products are effective, humane and pose no unacceptable risk to human beings, non-target species or the wider environment before approval is granted.
For a human medicinal product to be marketed in the United Kingdom it must receive a marketing authorisation granted by the licensing authority on the basis of safety,
18 Mar 1997 : Column: 589
quality and efficacy. Malathion is an authorised human medicinal product in the UK. There is no evidence to suggest that malathion when used for the treatment of head lice has led to any serious adverse effects. Its supply as a human medicine is restricted to sale in pharmacies only.
The Veterinary Products Committee is the independent group of scientific experts which advises the Government on veterinary medicines, including those containing organophosphorus substances. Before they can be marketed in the UK, all veterinary medicines must satisfy the statutory criteria of safety, quality and efficacy. Safety in this context includes the consumer of any product from the treated animal, the operator and the environment, as well as the health and welfare of the treated animal.
As to the reasons for not imposing a ban on OPs, I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave him on 6 March 1997, column 707.
Mr. Salmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the cancer risks associated with mineral hydrocarbons; and if he will list the conclusion of this research. [20695]
Mr. Horam:
There has been no recent research commissioned or evaluated by the Department of Health into the cancer risks associated with mineral hydrocarbons.
Mr. Salmond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those medicines containing mineral hydrocarbons which are sold across the counter at pharmacies. [20696]
Mr. Malone:
There are 79 licensed medicinal products containing mineral hydrocarbons as the active constituent that may be supplied at pharmacies without prescription. A list of these medicines will be placed in the Library shortly.
Mr. Bayley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) acute, (b) long stay and (c) other NHS beds there were in north Yorkshire in 1992; and how many there are currently. [20880]
Mr. Horam:
The information available centrally can be found in "Bed availability for England", copies of which are available in the Library. The latest information is for 1995-96.
Mr. Bayley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) individual patients were treated and (b) finished consultant episodes were recorded by each NHS trust in north Yorkshire in the latest year for which figures are available. [20886]
Mr. Horam:
Information on the number of patients treated is not available centrally. Data on finished consultant episodes for each trust in England is available
18 Mar 1997 : Column: 590
in "Ordinary and day case admissions for England", copies of which are available in the Library. The latest year for which figures are available is 1995-96.
Mr. Bayley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money was spent by NHS trusts in north Yorkshire on local pay negotiations in (a) 1995-96 and (b) 1996-97.
Mr. Malone:
The information requested is not centrally held.
Mr. Bayley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses have (a) left NHS employment and (b) completed basic nurse training in north Yorkshire in each of the last five years. [20877]
Mr. Horam:
Information relating to nurses leaving national health service employment is collected by the Office of Manpower and Economics and is available in the annual report of the Review Body for Nursing staff, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine. Copies of the review body's annual reports are available in the Library.
(2) what restrictions exist on the sale of substances containing (a) malathion and (b) other organophosphates.[20338]
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |