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Correspondence
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when he intends to reply to the letter from the hon. and learned Member for Harborough dated 20 January; [83065]
- (2) when the Minister of State, the hon. Member for Southampton, Itchen (Mr. Denham), intends to reply to the letter from the hon. and learned Member for Harborough dated 19 January. [83064]
Mr. Denham: I replied to the hon. and learned Member on 30 April.
Sir Brian Mawhinney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the right hon. Member for North-West Cambridgeshire can expect a reply to his letter of 12 February on behalf of Dr Kravitz. [83752]
Ms Jowell: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State replied to the right hon. Member on 7 May.
Hepatitis C
Mr. Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason the study tracing people who might have contracted hepatitis C from blood transfusions did not also trace those people with haemophilia who contracted hepatitis C through blood product treatments. [82885]
Mr. Hutton: The study to trace people who might have developed hepatitis C following blood transfusion focused on those who were unlikely to have remained under clinical care and who could benefit from treatment which had then become available. As haemophiliacs are in constant contact with their clinicians, the need to include them in the tracing exercise did not arise as they would have already been known to the service. It was implicit in the hepatitis C exercise that anyone who was concerned about their hepatitis C virus status could request a test.
Osteoporosis
Dr. Lynne Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the Royal College of Physicians publication, "Osteoporosis: Clinical Guidelines for Prevention and Treatment", will be given official status in Ministers' advice to health authorities. [82890]
10 May 1999 : Column: 66
Ms Jowell:
The Royal College of Physicians clinical guidelines for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, and the desktop guide for general practitioners and primary care teams, offer advice on effectiveness to inform clinical decisions.
The Department highly recommends both documents as a basis for developing local osteoporosis strategies, and where strategies already exist would expect them to be consistent with this guidance.
The Department has brought the RCP document on osteoporosis, launched last June, to the attention of the National Health Service through Health Service Circular 1998/124, and through two articles in the Chief Medical Officer's Update.
Mr. Denis Murphy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what will be the total operating and maintenance costs of the national health service network in the current financial year. [83026]
Mr. Denham:
NHSnet is a managed service provided to National Health Service organisations by commercial contractors who funded its development and meet its operating and maintenance costs. Those costs are confidential to the contractors.
The charges levied by these contractors for using NHSnet are met centrally and consist of connection charges and messaging charges. Estimates for the current financial year are: NHSnet connection charges-- £8.8 million; messaging charges--£4.3 million.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of cases of glaucoma which are likely to be identified following the reintroduction of free eye tests for pensioners. [82918]
Mr. Denham:
We do not know how many people aged 60 and over have already been having regular sight tests or how many of the remainder will take up the opportunity of a free National Health Service sight test but, within these uncertainties, we estimate that optometrists could refer an additional 2,000 patients presenting signs of glaucoma.
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) on what research into the potential merits and negative effects of genetically engineered human insulin the decision to instruct NHS purchasers to cease to buy animal insulins and to transfer diabetics to genetically engineered human insulin was based; [83337]
Mr. Hutton:
Decisions as to the most suitable type of insulin for particular patients are matters for the clinicians involved, in discussion with their patients. The Department has not issued guidance to clinicians on the relative merits of human and animal insulin, and it has
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given no instructions to the National Health Service about their use. The Committee on Safety of Medicines will continue to monitor closely the safety of insulins.
Dr. David Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many applications for information he received under the Open Government Code of Practice on Access to Government Information in the last parliamentary session; and how many of these applications were granted. [83114]
Ms Jowell:
For monitoring purposes, this information is collected on a calendar year basis. Information for 1997 was published last year in the Open Government Code of Practice on Access to Government Information 1997 Report. In 1998, the Department received 40 applications for information under the Code. We do not keep figures centrally on how many were granted the information requested.
38. Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, what sources of advice are available to the Church Commissioners on the need of social housing in inner-urban areas. [82617]
Mr. Stuart Bell:
The Commissioners retain a portfolio of 1,591 units of residential property, known as the Octavia Hill Estates, in central London. These properties are let on Fair and Assured rents largely to people who are unable to afford market rents elsewhere in the private rented sector. The properties are managed from local offices and all administer a direct access waiting list. There are very few vacancies within the portfolio and the demand for our accommodation always outweighs supply.
Applications for accommodation are received from a variety of sources including personal callers, local authority and HOMES nominations.
Staffs in the local offices are all members of the Chartered Institute of Housing and are in touch with developments in Government Policy in this field.
39. Mr. Hoyle:
To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will make a statement on the sale of British Aerospace shares by the Church of England; [82618]
42. Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, what factors the commissioners took into account when deciding to dispose of its holding in BAe. [82621]
Mr. Stuart Bell:
The Church's long-standing ethical investment policy is not to invest in companies whose main business or focus is in armaments, and shares in British Aerospace have never been held for this reason.
In view of the proposed sale of Marconi Defence Systems, the defence arm of GEC, to British Aerospace, the Church of England's Ethical Investment Working
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Group has recommended to the Church's central investing bodies that they do not retain shares acquired in "new British Aerospace", as a result of the sale.
40. Mr. Ben Chapman:
To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, if he will make a statement on the commissioners' plans to encourage parishes to carry out risk assessments in relation to crime against churches. [82619]
Mr. Stuart Bell:
Guidance to parishes on church security is given through the publications of the Council for the Care of Churches. Its booklet "Safe and Sound: a Guide to Church Security", was sent to all incumbents some three years ago. This booklet addresses the complex problems of security in churches, and specifically recommends the establishment of church watch schemes.
In my answer to my hon. Friend on 22 February 1999, Official Report, column 16, I gave details of the Church Risk Management Group in the Diocese of Leicester, which is an admirable scheme for advising parishes on potential risks. Details of the scheme have already been given to other dioceses. Similar schemes are in force in other parts of the country.
41. Miss McIntosh:
To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners, what plans the commissioners have to give assistance to churches for the cost of repairs. [82620]
Mr. Stuart Bell:
Responsibility for the maintenance of Church of England churches in use for worship rests with the parochial church councils concerned and not with the Commissioners, who have no general statutory power to assist. The Commissioners main spending priorities are the support of the serving clergy, clergy pensioners and their dependents.
(2) what guidance his Department gives to clinicians concerning the relative merits and negative effects of genetically engineered human insulin and animal insulin. [83338]
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