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Dental Services
32. Mr. Beard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Government will publish their strategy on NHS dentistry. [88270]
Mr. Denham: The Government's strategy on National Health Service dentistry will be published later this year.
Lancashire Health Authority
33. Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what increase in revenue provision he is planning for Lancashire health authority for 2000-01. [88271]
Mr. Denham: Announcements on the unified allocations to health authorities for 2000-01 will be made later this year.
Millennium Emergency Cover (Merseyside)
34. Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to ensure that NHS trusts in Liverpool are able to meet the challenge of providing emergency cover over the millennium period. [88272]
Mr. Denham: A Liverpool and North Mersey Emergency Services Action Group has been established to develop further a whole systems strategy for primary and secondary services across Liverpool and North Merseyside to ensure that health authorities, National Health Service trusts and general practitioners work together cohesively and make best use of available resources during next winter and the millennium holiday period. Additionally, NHS Direct, the telephone advice service, is expected to be fully operational in Liverpool and North Merseyside in December and this will provide additional support to enable health care systems across Liverpool and North Merseyside to cope better next winter.
Private Health Care
35. Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to ensure the effective regulation of private health care. [88273]
Mr. Denham: I refer my hon. Friend to the oral answer given to my hon. Friend the Member for Welwyn Hatfield (Miss Johnson) today.
Smallpox
36. Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on the retention of samples of smallpox-related material. [88274]
Ms Jowell: I shall let my hon. Friend have a reply as soon as possible.
Casualty Services
37. Mr. Anthony D. Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many casualty modernisation schemes are planned this year. [88275]
Mr. Denham:
170 modernisation schemes in 149 hospitals are being funded this year through the accident and emergency modernisation programme. This is the
6 Jul 1999 : Column: 495
largest ever investment in the modernisation of accident and emergency departments in the National Health Service.
38. Mr. Grogan:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the provision of acute and accident and emergency hospital services by Wakefield health authority. [88276]
Mr. Denham:
Wakefield health authority is considering a range of options on the future delivery of health services. It expects to undergo consultation in August of this year.
Dr. Palmer:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many first out-patient appointments were seen by the NHS in the year to the end of March; and what the figure was in each of the two previous years. [88269]
| Year | First out-patients seen (all specialities) |
|---|---|
| 1996-97 | 11,220,320 |
| 1997-98 | 11,496,788 |
| 1998-99(1) | 11,621,481 |
(1) Provisional
Oncology Drugs
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the proportion of the total amount spent on oncology drugs in each of the past five years which has been paid for by private healthcare insurance; and what proportion of the total spending for each of these years has been spent within clinical studies. [86632]
Mr. Hutton: The information requested is not available centrally.
Public Health
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish the White Paper on public health. [87447]
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the White Paper "Our Healthier Nation" will be published; and if he will make a statement. [89090]
Ms Jowell: This afternoon, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health launched "Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation", the White Paper setting out the Government's health strategy for England.
NHS Trusts (Running Costs)
Lorna Fitzsimons:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has commissioned into the running costs of NHS trusts, with particular reference to (a) cost and quality of service and (b) overheads, buildings and plant. [88390]
6 Jul 1999 : Column: 496
Mr. Denham:
No research has been specifically commissioned into the running costs of National Health Service trusts.
There is no accepted definition for running costs of NHS trusts. The Department collects information from trusts on their management costs. This information is available from audited accounts and compiled in accordance with guidance issued by the NHS Executive. The definition of management costs has recently been tightened to ensure that all costs relating to clinical care are excluded, and all costs properly relating to management (including appropriate proportions of clinicians' time) are included.
Mr. O'Hara:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the most recent figures showing the number of people who are (a) carers and (b) receiving home care, in each of the regions covered by the new Regional Development Agencies in the age ranges (i) 0 to 8, (ii) 18 to 24, (iii) 25 to 50, (iv) 50 to 65, (v) 65 to 85 and (vi) 85 years and over. [88651]
Mr. Hutton:
Information is not available for carers aged less than 8. However, the estimated number of carers aged 8 to 17 in Great Britain, for 1996, was between 19 and 51 thousand. The estimated number of adult informal carers in Great Britain is 5.7 millions. Information on the number of (a) adult informal carers for 1995, the latest year for which details are available and (b) the number of households receiving home help or home care, for a survey week in 1998, are given in the tables. The requested information is not available for the new Regional Development Agency areas or for the precise age groups requested.
| Age group | Estimates of those who were carers (millions) |
|---|---|
| 16-29 | 0.7 |
| 30-44 | 1.2 |
| 45-64 | 2.6 |
| 65 and over | 1.2 |
| 16 and over | 5.7 |
Source:
1995 General Household Survey, mid-1995 population estimates
| Age group of oldest client in household | Number of households |
|---|---|
| Under 18 | 6,200 |
| 18-64 | 71,200 |
| 65-74 | 83,800 |
| 75-84 | 144,900 |
| 85 and over | 139,800 |
| All ages | 445,900 |
Source:
Department of Health annual statistical return, HH1
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Breast Screening
Ms Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the findings of the pilot projects assessing the impact of extending routine breast screening to women aged 65 to 69 years will be published. [88660]
Mr. Hutton: The pilot studies are due to finish in 2000 and the results will be published once the data have been analysed and evaluated.
Ms Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the report of the Chief Medical Officer's working group on contingency plans for implementing the findings of the pilot studies on extending the routine call element of the breast screening programme to women aged 65 to 69 to be published. [88659]
Mr. Hutton: The working group set up by the Chief Medical Officer was asked to assess the extent and nature of both current and future workforce pressures in the National Health Service Breast Screening Programme and identify possible ways in which these pressures could be eased. The Chief Medical Officer and Ministers are currently considering the working group's report and its recommendations, which will inform the ongoing work programme to ensure that the screening programme maintains the three year screening interval.
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