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CS Spray
Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the review of CS spray research to be concluded; and if it will be made available to hon. Members and to the public. [79683]
Ms Jowell: The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) is continuing its considerations on CS Spray. A statement will be put in the public domain as soon as the Committee has completed its evaluation. Copies will be placed in the Library.
Mental Illness
Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the increase in police time to be spent dealing with mentally disordered people if compulsory treatment outside of hospital is introduced. [79682]
Mr. Hutton: It is not possible at present to estimate the implication for the police of introducing powers to treat mentally disordered people in the community. We are awaiting the report of the expert group appointed to consider the changes necessary to mental health legislation which has been asked to consider the issue of community assessment and treatment. There are various models of community treatment orders and their report will need to consider any role the police might have in their operation.
Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were conveyed to hospital in 1998 (a) under a section of the Mental Health Act 1983 and (b) under a supervised discharge order. [79679]
Mr. Hutton: 24,079 people were conveyed to hospital in 1998 under a section of the Mental Health Act 1983. People conveyed to hospital under a supervised discharge order are admitted under section 3 of the Mental Health Act 1983 and are included in this figure.
Breastfeeding
Mrs. Brinton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each of the last five years the rate of breastfeeding at (i) two weeks and (ii) four months for (a) Scotland, (b) England and Wales, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) each other EU country. [79592]
Ms Jowell:
Rates of breastfeeding in the United Kingdom are monitored by the Quinquenniel Surveys of Infant Feeding Practice. Data from the most recent in 1995 are given for the countries of the United Kingdom in the table. Other European Union countries do not carry out representative surveys of breastfeeding practice.
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| Age of infant | England and Wales | Scotland | Northern Ireland |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 weeks | 54 | 44 | 52 |
| 4 months | 28 | 24 | 12 |
Source:
Infant Feeding 1995 London: The Stationery Office, 1997
Radiography Treatment
(Royal Shrewsbury Hospital)
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to inform the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital of his decision on the provision of a second linear accelerator for radiography treatment; and if he will make a statement. [79593]
Mr. Denham: The National Health Service Executive West Midlands Regional Office is carefully considering a business case and hopes to make a decision as soon as possible. The prime consideration will be establishing a safe and sustainable service. Work currently taking place on developing a national framework for radiotherapy services as well as a regional cancer strategy will inform the decision.
Hepatitis C
Mr. Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what further representations he has received on help for patients with hepatitis C since 28 July; and if he will make a statement. [79719]
Mr. Hutton: Since 28 July 1998, hon. Members have asked 18 Parliamentary Questions (in addition to this one) and we have received 140 letters about help for people infected with hepatitis C through National Health Service treatment.
Lobbyists
Mr. Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish a list, including names and dates, of all meetings that (a) he, (b) his officials, (c) his advisers and (d) his PPS have held during (i) 1997, (ii) 1998 and (iii) 1999 with people who work for political lobbying firms or for businesses that are members of the Public Relations Consultants Association. [79648]
Ms Jowell: This information requested is not available in a collated form centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
However, all official meetings are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code, the Civil Service Code and Guidance for Civil Servants: Contacts with Lobbyists. In order to preserve confidentiality it is not the normal practice of Government to release details of specific meetings with private individuals or companies. The requirements of the Ministerial Code also apply to Parliamentary Private Secretaries when attending meetings in an official or semi-official capacity.
Mental Health Institutions (Deaths)
Dr. Gibson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 22 March 1999, Official Report, column 5, on Mental Health Institutions (Deaths), if the Health Service Guidelines (92)8 issued in January 1992
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include (i) guidance on the timescale and (ii) a maximum delay for the notification of relatives following the death of a patient in hospital. [80560]
Mr. Hutton:
Health Service Guidance (92)8 states that arrangements for informing relatives following the death of a patient in hospital should be a matter of urgency. Specific procedures are for National Health Service trusts to decide.
Dr. Gibson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 11 March 1999, Official Report, column 373, on restraint techniques, if his Department has issued (a) guidelines and (b) advice to mental health units on the use of control and restraint techniques. [80559]
Mr. Hutton:
No advice or guidance has been issued. However, the Royal College of Nurses Education Institute has recently validated specific programmes and the English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting has also validated an education programme of the management of violence. It is for each National Health Service trust to ensure that its staff are appropriately trained.
Mr. Todd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will announce the outcome of the consultation on MLX249; and if he will make a statement. [79079]
Ms Jowell:
We are currently considering the responses received to the consultation and will make an announcement in due course.
Mr. Hayes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many representations (a) he and (b) the Medicines Control Agency have received in response to the Agency's consultation document MLX249; how many and what percentage of those representations opposed the proposals; and if he will make a statement. [80632]
Ms Jowell:
Records held do not distinguish between representations received by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and the Medicines Control Agency. We have received 700 letters from Members of Parliament and 740 representations from other interested bodies and individuals. In addition, a recent campaign encouraging the public to write to my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Health has generated in excess of 2,000 letters. Three representations broadly support the proposals. The remainder are critical of the proposals to some degree.
Mr. Hayes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review medicines licensing legislation to give greater protection to the continued availability of vitamin, mineral and herbal supplements and blends thereof; and what discussions he has had with the European Commission. [80634]
Ms Jowell:
For the Government's position on regulatory arrangements which apply to herbal medicines I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Bosworth (Mr. Tredinnick) on 26 March 1999, Official Report, columns 426-27. We have no additional plans at present to review the application of medicines legislation with respect to the licensing
13 Apr 1999 : Column: 110
of vitamins, mineral and herbal supplements and blends thereof, and we have had no discussions with the European Commission on this issue.
Mr. Hayes:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department has received a copy of the report commissioned by the European Commission on the market in herbal remedies; what discussions he has had with the European Commission on EU legislation in this area; and if he will make a statement. [80635]
Ms Jowell:
I refer the hon. Member to the replies I gave to the hon. Member for Bosworth (Mr. Tredinnick) on 26 March 1999, Official Report, columns 426-27. The Medicines Control Agency's discussions to date with the European Commission strengthen our preliminary view that the Commission's recent proposals to amend the Annex to Directive 75/318 European Economic Community would have a relatively limited impact in relation to herbal remedies in the United Kingdom.
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