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Abortion

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that medical abortion (a) is delivered in the most cost effective way and (b) meets women's needs; [109744]

Yvette Cooper: Although health authorities and primary care groups are responsible for service delivery, national initiatives also have a role in influencing practice and increasing choice to develop high quality services.




Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the recent report from the Family Planning Association, "Medical Abortion: Meeting Women's Needs". [109742]

Yvette Cooper: This is a useful summary of the current situation and the points raised will be considered in the sexual health strategy currently being developed in the Department.

Breast Implants

Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the published scientific reports relating to breast implants and health issues that have been examined by the Independent Review Group. [110098]

Mr. Denham: A list of the published scientific papers examined or being examined by the Independent Review Group is available from a searchable database on their website (www.silicone-review.gov.uk). This database is regularly updated.

Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place a copy in the Library of the published results of the research projects conducted using the Breast Implant Registry at Salisbury District Hospital. [110096]

Mr. Denham: There have been no published studies using the National Breast Implant Registry.

Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library the information sheet for women contemplating breast implantation provided by the Independent Review Group in 1998. [110094]

Mr. Denham: The Independent Review Group provided a suggested checklist of issues to be discussed with women considering breast implantation as figure 2 in their report, a copy of which is in the Library.

Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place the conclusions of the Independent Expert Advisory Group set up to investigate the public health effects of silicone gel breast implants in the Library. [110093]

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Mr. Denham: A copy of the letter from the Chief Medical Officer to all doctors in 1993 setting out the conclusions reached by the Independent Expert Advisory Group in 1992 has been placed in the Library. The 1994 Medical Devices Agency report containing the Independent Expert Advisory Group's updated conclusions was placed in the Library on its publication.

Mr. Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many research projects have been conducted using the Breast Implant Registry set up in 1993 at Salisbury District Hospital. [110095]

Mr. Denham: One study is currently being undertaken by the Registry in collaboration with local clinicians.

Remploy

Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what Remploy products his Department has purchased in the last three years. [109933]

Yvette Cooper: The Department has a contract with Remploy for the supply of office furniture to its social service inspectorate regional offices.

Departmental Functions (Food)

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if all food served at his Department's official functions meets the standards of production required of domestic producers. [109773]

Yvette Cooper [holding answer 11 February 2000]: All catering services provided in the Department's main buildings are supplied under contract and meet all appropriate standards and legislation. In particular, all meat is either from domestic producers or to the same standards of production.

Influenza Immunisation

Mr. Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 3 February 2000, Official Report, column 710W, on influenza immunisation for healthcare workers, if he will publish the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation's recommendations on influenza immunisation of healthcare workers for next winter. [110182]

Yvette Cooper: Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation's recommendations on influenza immunisation of healthcare workers will be made public in advance of next winter.

Paper and Timber Products

Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to ensure that paper and timber products purchased by his Department come from a sustainable source. [110151]

Yvette Cooper: The Department's Environmental Policy Statement and Environmental Strategy have been produced to ensure that sustainable development is a key factor in this Department's business. The Environmental Strategy supports the Department's aim to achieve best environmental practice with a commitment to conserve paper, wood and other resources and to purchase only timber products that come from sustainable sources. Environmental criteria are now contained as part of the

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specification in tendering contracts and include a requirement that paper and timber products are from sustainable sources.

Mr. Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that paper and timber products purchased by his Department are independently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as coming from a sustainable source. [110152]

Yvette Cooper: The Forest Stewardship Council label is accepted by our buyers as demonstrating that timber and timber products have come from sustainably managed sources but it is not practicable to require that all paper and timber products purchased by the Department are independently certified by the Forest Stewardship Council because this might discriminate against any equally valid schemes and therefore be against public procurement rules.

Advertising Budget

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the average cost of issuing a media release from his Department in 1999. [110269]

Ms Stuart [holding answer 16 February 2000]: The Department's press releases production function incorporates various mechanisms including in house production. The average cost of a press release is £151.

Ambulance Personnel (Clotbuster Injections)

Mr. Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consideration he has given to allowing ambulance personnel to administer clotbuster injections to heart attack patients; and if he will make a statement. [110423]

Ms Stuart: We will exploit all the potential of thrombolytics (clot busters) to save more lives and improve clinical outcomes for patients. We are reviewing the list of medicines that ambulance paramedics are allowed to administer on their own initiative. We are working closely with the Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee and Medicines Control Agency on proposals which would allow paramedics to administer thrombolytics. Any changes to the list would require amendments to secondary legislation and be subject to public consultation.

GP Fundholders

Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to end the payment of notional rents to fundholding general practitioners; and if he will make a statement. [110431]

Mr. Denham: We abolished the general practitioners fundholding scheme on 30 September 1999. The future arrangements for the payment of notional rent are still subject to discussions with the GP profession.

NHS Cardiothoracic Services (London)

Mr. Wilkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the outcome of the review of NHS cardiothoracic hospital services in West London. [110389]

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Mr. Denham [holding answer 16 February 2000]: Any future public consultation over proposals to move specialist cardiothoracic services currently located at Harefield Hospital will be supported by a summary of all relevant information.

Harefield Hospital

Mr. Wilkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what facilities and services at Harefield Hospital, Middlesex, are to be transferred to other sites; when such transfers will take place; and to which other hospitals they will be transferred; [110387]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 16 February 2000]: Kensington, Chelsea and Westminster Health Authority has recently completed a period of formal public consultation over proposals to move inpatient paediatric services from Harefield Hospital to the Royal Brompton Hospital. A decision over the proposal, which the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals NHS Trust identified as a preferred option to maintain the quality and safety of children's services, has yet to be reached. Any decision on the future location of Harefield Hospital's paediatric transplantation services would require the consideration of the National Specialist Commissioning Advisory Group.

This must be set in the context of longer term plans. Following detailed planning and assessment by NHS organisations in West London and the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine a preferred option has been identified for the future of specialist inpatient services including cardiothoracic services. Subject to the approval of the Outline Business Case for the Paddington Basin, there will be a period of public consultation in the summer of 2000 before any decisions are made. That public consultation will be based upon the provision of a summary of the information that had led to the identification of a preferred option.

Mr. Wilkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) medical and (b) other staff are employed at Harefield Hospital, Middlesex; and how many will be employed there in February (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003. [110388]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 16 February 2000]: Forecast figures are not held centrally. The latest figures for the whole of the Royal Brompton and Harefield National Health Service Trust are for the situation as at 30 September 1998 and are shown.





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