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Mental Health
Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the provision of mental health treatment for members of the (a) black and (b) ethnic minority communities; and if he will make a statement. [81409]
Mr. Hutton: Our assessment is that, in common with other client groups suffering from mental health problems, the concerns and needs of people from black and ethnic minority communities have not been met under the system of care we inherited. That is why we have taken a fresh look at the provision of mental health services and produced a new strategy document entitled Modernising Mental Health Services: safe, sound and supportive, which was distributed to every Health Authority in December 1998, and backed it up with an additional investment of £700 million over three years for better treatment and care. This new strategy makes clear the Government's commitment to ensuring that everyone with mental health problems is treated fairly, on the basis of need, in a manner which preserves their autonomy, and which promotes opportunity for choice, and this includes people from black and ethnic minority communities.
National Institute for Clinical Excellence
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the appraisal process for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence following the consultation on the document, "Faster Access to Modern Treatment". [81229]
Mr. Denham: Ministers are considering the response to the discussion document "Faster Access to Modern Treatment: how NICE appraisal will work" and further announcements will be made shortly.
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence will carry out 30 to 50 appraisals each year. My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Health and for Wales, along
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with the board of NICE, are responsible for deciding which appraisals NICE will commission each year. This year's work programme for NICE has yet to be finalised.
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what money his Department has provided for research into the study of liver disease in each of the last three years; what assessment he has made of the need for further research into liver disease; and if he will make a statement. [81631]
Ms Jowell:
The Government fund health and medical research in a number of ways. The Department funds research and development to support its work on policy development and evaluation in health and social care. The Department also manages the National Health Service research and development levy, which is used to support research and development of relevance to the National Health Service in hospitals, general practice and other health care settings, and to fund the NHS research and development programme. In addition, the Medical Research Council (MRC)--which receives most of its income via grant-in-aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry--funds medical research as part of the Government's funding of the science and engineering base.
Priorities for departmental research and development support for the development of policy are determined through discussion with policy colleagues, the Departmental Research Committee and Ministers. In the NHS R&D programme, priorities take account of widespread consultation with those using, delivering and managing services, within a framework overseen by the Central Research and Development Committee for the NHS. In all cases, priorities for our budgets reflect analysis of the burden of disease, potential benefits, and Government priorities, and take account of the responsibilities and work of other funders.
The Department's policy research programme spent £285,000 on research into liver disease in 1996-97; £506,000 in 1997-98; and £662,000 in 1998-99.
A further £500,000 has been made available for a Hepatitis C research initiative, and commissioning will take place towards the end of this year.
Management of much of the research supported by the NHS R&D Levy is devolved and details of expenditure at project level are not collected routinely by the Department.
Project details of work directly funded by the Department or supported through the NHS R&D Levy can be found on the National Research Register (NRR). This is available in the Library and most medical libraries on CD Rom, and on the Internet: http://www.doh.gov.uk/nrr.htm. The NRR also contains many details of projects/trials funded by the MRC and other funders.
The MRC spent approximately £3.1 million on research on liver disease and liver function in 1995-96; and £3 million in both 1996-97 and 1997-98.
The MRC also funds basic research including the study of molecules and cells, genetics and infections and immunity, which will inform research in this area.
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Mr. Waterson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has commissioned into (a) refusal and (b) delay of treatment for patients aged over 50 years in the NHS on grounds of their age; and if he will make a statement. [81658]
Mr. Hutton:
The Department has not commissioned any formal research into age discrimination in the provision of health services.
The fundamental principle of the National Health Service is to provide services for everybody on the basis of clinical need. We are putting in place a number of measures which should improve fair access to services, including national service frameworks, the Commission for Health Improvement, local clinical governance, and a new performance assessment framework.
We are taking a number of steps specifically to improve the health of older people. For example, this year, for the first time, all people over 75 have been targeted for influenza vaccination. We are also in the process of developing the national service framework (NSF) for the care of older people. It is anticipated that emerging findings will be published in the autumn, and that the NSF will be published in April 2000. The NSF will enable us to drive up the quality of and reduce variations in the care older people receive from the NHS and its partners.
Miss Widdecombe:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the extra costs per annum of implementing the report on NHS superannuation for (a) 2000-01 and (b) 2000-02, indicating when these costs were first known. [81797]
Mr. Denham
[holding answer 23 April 1999]: Increases in the employer contribution rate to the National Health Service Pension Scheme are expected to cost £165 million in 2000-2001 and £495 million in 2001-2002. These costs were anticipated and fully taken into account in the Department's comprehensive spending review settlement, in the light of findings emerging from the Government Actuary's actuarial investigation into the NHS Pension Scheme. Publication of the Government Actuary's Report has now been announced and I refer the right hon. Member to my reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Heywood and Middleton (Mr. Dobbin), 9 March 1999, Official Report, column 204.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to receive the report of the panel set up by the National Radiological Protection Board to examine the health effects of mobile phones. [81972]
Ms Jowell:
The Chairman, members, terms of reference and time-scale for reporting will be announced shortly.
Mr. Lansley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list, for each health authority and NHS trust, the projected budget surplus or deficit planned by that authority or trust for the financial year 1999-2000. [82069]
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Mr. Denham:
The financial plans of health authorities and trusts for financial year 1999-2000 have not yet been finalised.
Mrs. May:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the sums available to the unitary authorities in Berkshire this year and in each of the next two financial years as part of the £140 million available under the Government's strategy for carers. [82018]
Mr. Hutton:
A Special Grant Report (No. 44) giving details of the allocation for 1999-2000 was approved by Parliament on 20 April 1999. Copies are available in the Library. The allocations to individual local authorities of the funding of £50 million for 2000-01 and £70 million for 2001-02 will be determined according to a formula, using the most recent data available at the time the grants are calculated. It is therefore not possible to confirm detailed final allocations for future years at this stage. Allocations for subsequent years will also be subject to Parliamentary approval at the relevant time.
Mr. Tredinnick:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will establish an independent panel to inform the deliberations of the Medicines Control Agency under the procedures set out in the consultation document MLX 249; and if he will make a statement. [82046]
Ms Jowell:
How the review panel is constituted, and its terms of reference, form an important part of the proposals. We will consider carefully all responses on this and other issues before deciding whether and what legislation should be brought before Parliament.
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