| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
General Pinochet
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will place in the Library (a) notes of meetings and (b) copies of correspondence with the Government of Chile concerning the (i) proposed extradition and (ii) medical condition of General Pinochet. [106009]
Mr. Battle: It is not our practice to make publicly available the contents of either notes of meetings or copies of correspondence with other Governments. The details of contacts of this nature are confidential to the Governments concerned.
Chile
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what requests have been made to the United Nations Secretary General since September 1973 for an international judicial process on human rights in Chile; and if he will make a statement. [106012]
Mr. Battle:
We cannot answer for other Governments, NGOs or individuals, and we are not aware of any requests from HMG. The information required to provide an accurate answer is not centrally held, and to do so would incur disproportionate costs.
20 Jan 2000 : Column: 580W
Mr. Wilshire:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the serving honorary consuls who are British citizens giving (a) the posts in which they serve, (b) the date of their appointment and (c) the honours that have been awarded to them since they took up their appointments. [105895]
Mr. Hain:
I will write to the hon. Member shortly.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list those properties held by his Department and agencies responsible to him which are (a) wholly and (b) mainly unoccupied at present, giving locations and when they became so unoccupied in each case. [105302]
Mr. Battle
[pursuant to his reply, 19 January 2000, c. 478W]: An administrative error led to an omission in my answer of 19 January to the hon. Member. The correct answer should read as follows:
FCO policy is that no property should be left vacant unless this is unavoidable in the short-term or there are good reasons for retention (such as a break in diplomatic relations, as in Tripoli, Baghdad and Kabul). Properties which are surplus to our requirements are disposed of at an appropriate time (we had the former Residence in Jakarta on the market, but withdrew it when the market collapsed).
Prostate Cancer
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to publish guidelines for the treatment of prostate cancer in the NHS. [101494]
Yvette Cooper: We are determined to improve the prevention, detection and treatment of prostate cancer. The work programme for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence was announced on 4 November and includes the development of clinical guidelines on urological cancers--which will incorporate prostate cancer. This will be the first in the series of guidelines on cancers to look at cancers which affect mostly men. It is expected that the detailed work on this cancer guideline will take until at least the end of 2000.
"The Widening Gap"
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the recent publication, "The Widening Gap", by Bristol University, on inequalities in health provision. [101689]
Yvette Cooper: I was interested to see this report which suggests that there are a number of key determinants which impact on health and health inequalities.
The former Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Member for Holborn and St. Pancras (Mr. Dobson), appointed Sir Donald Acheson to carry out an inquiry into health inequalities. Sir Donald's report, published in November 1998, described the socio-economic determinants of health inequalities and made
20 Jan 2000 : Column: 581W
recommendations which contributed to the development of our health strategy, "Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation". A key aim of our strategy is to reduce health inequalities and narrow the health gap.
In "Reducing Health Inequalities: An action report" published with "Saving Lives" we identified some of the key actions we are taking across Government to tackle health inequalities.
Dr. Gibson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of recent evidence linking radiation from power lines and cancer. [101690]
Yvette Cooper:
The results of the first part of the United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study were published in The Lancet in December. This is the largest UK study on childhood cancer to date. It started in 1992 and has examined a number of factors which might be implicated in childhood cancer. The present study provides no evidence that exposure to magnetic fields associated with the electricity supply in the UK increases risks for childhood leukaemia, cancers of the central nervous system, or any other childhood cancer. Also published in December were two studies in the International Journal of Radiation Biology. In these studies, scientists from Bristol University report observations of increased deposition of natural radionuclides near power lines. From these measurements it is inferred that other pollutants in the environment, such as car exhaust fumes, will behave similarly and this may be a cause of childhood leukaemia. The National Radiological Protection Board Advisory Group on Non Ionising Radiation have been reviewing the research in this area and will be reporting soon.
Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations the Government have received on Professor Henshaw's report on High Voltage Power Lines and Public Health; and if he will make a statement. [101622]
Yvette Cooper:
Professor Henshaw's two reports on "High Voltage Power Lines and Public Health" were published in The International Journal of Radiation Biology on 2 December 1999. The Department has received a number of telephone inquiries from members of the public about the report since its publication.
We are aware of concerns about possible health effects from electromagnetic fields and are supporting some of Professor Henshaw's research among a number of projects within the Department's Radiation Protection Research Programme.
The Department will consider the results of this study in the context of other work in this area and has asked for views from the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB), and its Advisory Group.
Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of (a) Professor Henshaw's report and (b) that of the Electricity Association about the health aspects of overhead line transmissions; and if he will make a statement. [102134]
Yvette Cooper:
Two reports from Professor Henshaw were published in December in the International Journal of Radiation Biology. These studies reported observations of increased deposition of natural radionuclides near
20 Jan 2000 : Column: 582W
power lines. From these measurements it is inferred that other pollutants in the environment, such as car exhaust fumes, will behave similarly and this may be a cause of childhood leukaemia. Also published in December were the results of the first part of the United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study in The Lancet. The costs of this study were met by leukaemia charities, Government and the electricity supply industry. It is the largest UK study on childhood cancer to date. The study provides no evidence that exposure to magnetic fields associated with the electricity supply in the UK increases risks for childhood leukaemia, cancers of the central nervous system, or any other childhood cancer. The National Radiological Protection Board Advisory Group on Non Ionising Radiation have been reviewing the research in this area and will be reporting soon.
Dr. Brand:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received in relation to (a) Aspartame and (b) other artificial sweeteners; and if he will make a statement. [102309]
Yvette Cooper:
In the last 12 months the Department has received 32 representations in relation to Aspartame and six representations in relation to other artificial sweeteners. These raised issues about possible health effects of artificial sweeteners. The Department receives advice on these matters from the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his policy on fluoridation of drinking water. [102351]
Yvette Cooper:
In our White Paper, "Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation", which was published on 6 July we announced that we have commissioned an up-to-date expert scientific review of fluoride and health. If the review confirms that there are benefits to dental health from fluoridation and that there are no significant risks, we intend to introduce an obligation on water companies to fluoridate where there is strong local support for doing so.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |