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East Midlands Ambulance Service
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on procuring improved control technology for East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust. [110897]
Ms Stuart: The process to approve the business case for the procurement of improved control technology is being progressed by East Midlands Ambulance Service Trust and the National Health Service Executive. The Trust has been working to address issues raised in the preliminary stages of the approvals process and is currently revising the final business case for submission to the NHS Executive. Once approval has been given and the scheme commissioned, the Trust's current estimate is that implementation of the new technology will be achieved in six months.
Crown Report
Jackie Ballard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will respond to the recommendations of the Crown report on prescribing. [111253]
Ms Stuart: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 3 February 2000, Official Report, column 711W.
Influenza
Mrs. Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of the recent flu outbreak on (a) waiting lists, (b) elective operations and (c) progress towards Government targets for waiting lists. [111149]
Mr. Denham: Demand for National Health Service services this winter has been very high. The NHS has planned well for these critical months since the beginning of last year. A seasonal rise in waiting lists is expected, reflecting the planned priority the NHS has given to winter emergency admissions. This is anticipated in our plans to achieve our manifesto waiting list target. NHS trusts will continue to work to ensure the target is achieved.
GP Appointments
Mr. Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GP appointments were missed in (a) the Wigan and Bolton health authority and (b) nationally during 1999. [111594]
Mr. Denham: This information is not collected by the National Health Service.
Compensation Payments
Mr. Harvey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS paid in compensation payments in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [111422]
28 Feb 2000 : Column: 77W
Ms Stuart:
Figures on how much the National Health Services spent on clinical negligence claims for the last five years for which figures are available are as follows:
| Year | £ million |
|---|---|
| 1993-94 | 117.9 |
| 1994-95 | 160 |
| 1995-96 | 173 |
| 1996-97 | 235 |
| 1997-98 | 144 |
It should be noted, however, that changes to accounting practice required by the National Audit Office mean that these data are not directly comparable.
Epilepsy
Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of National Health trusts currently employ epilepsy specialist nurses. [111506]
Mr. Denham: The information requested is not available centrally.
Hospital Beds
Mr. Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the number of acute beds in National Health Service hospitals. [111324]
Mr. Denham: The latest figures show that there are 108,000 acute beds in the National Health Service. We are currently consulting through the National Beds Inquiry on the future number and balance of acute and other beds in the NHS system.
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) general and (b) acute NHS hospital beds there were at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital in each year from 1992; and if he will make a statement. [111443]
Mr. Denham: The average daily number of available beds for the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital NHS Trust was:
| Year | Acute | General and acute |
|---|---|---|
| 1998-99 | 375 | 417 |
| 1997-98 | 354 | 393 |
| 1996-97 | 400 | 441 |
| 1995-96 | 384 | 424 |
| 1994-95 | 411 | 451 |
Note:
The earliest data available for the trust is 1994-95, and the latest available data are for 1998-99. 'General and Acute' is defined as Acute plus Geriatric.
Source:
Annual Korner return KH03 'bed availability and occupancy'
The data show annual fluctuations in the number of available beds. The most recent data show an increase in the number of available 'acute' and 'general and acute' beds in comparison to the previous year.
Mr. Paul Marsden:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) general and (b) acute NHS hospital beds there were (i) nationally and (ii) in Shropshire in 1998 and 1999; and if he will make a statement. [111444]
28 Feb 2000 : Column: 78W
Mr. Denham:
Statistics on hospital bed numbers are published in the annual publication "Bed availability and occupancy--England", copies of which are in the Library. Latest figures are for 1998-99.
Mr. Llwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) on what date his Department first issued a warning against the use of mercury-based amalgams in treating the teeth of (a) pregnant women and (b) children; and if he will make a statement; [110481]
(3) for what reasons his Department warns against the use of mercury-based amalgams to treat the teeth of (a) women who are pregnant and (b) children; and if he will make a statement. [110479]
Mr. Hutton
[holding answer 21 February 2000]: In 1997, the Government's Advisory Committee on the Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) were asked to review the evidence relating to the toxicity of dental amalgam fillings. COT first considered dental amalgam in 1986 when they reported that the use of dental amalgam was free from risk of systemic toxicity, with only a very few cases of hypersensitivity occurring. COT's 1997 review included evidence in a recent report of an ad hoc working group of experts established by the European Commission to consider dental amalgam within the context of the Medical Devices Directive 93/42/EEC.
In their latest statement, published in April 1998, COT stated that the conclusions they had reached in 1986 remain unchanged. However, as a precautionary measure, COT advised that, while there was no evidence that the placement or removal of amalgam fillings during pregnancy was harmful it might be prudent to avoid, where clinically reasonable, the placement or removal of amalgam fillings during pregnancy. The Medical Devices Agency continues to monitor and evaluate the available evidence on the safety and performance of dental amalgam.
Mr. Llwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent studies his Department has (a) undertaken and (b) commissioned on the efficacy of non-toxic, non-metal amalgams in dentistry; and if he will make a statement. [110482]
Mr. Hutton
[holding answer 21 February 2000]: The Department has not directly commissioned or undertaken any recent studies on the efficacy of non-metal dental fillings. Any well-founded research proposals in this area would be considered by the Department in relation to other priorities for research and development.
Mr. Trickett:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what was the per capita expenditure on health services in (a) England and Wales and (b) Wakefield District in the last year for which figures are available; and what was the equivalent average figure for EU member states. [111576]
28 Feb 2000 : Column: 79W
Mr. Denham:
In 1998-99, gross National Health Service expenditure per capita in England and Wales was £810. England alone was £807 and Wales was £867.
In 1998-99, healthcare expenditure per capita in Wakefield Health Authority was £854. It should be noted that this figure is not comparable with those given for England and Wales because it is taken from health authority summarised accounts, which do not include all NHS expenditure. The comparable figure for England using summarised accounts data is £720 per head.
The information on international comparisons is not collected by the Department. It is collected by the Office of Economic Corporate Development and can be obtained from the OECD 1999 health database.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the levels of MMR vaccine take-up among children aged 24 months in (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Greater London in each of the last 15 years. [111284]
Yvette Cooper:
Measles, mumps and rubella vaccine was first introduced into the United Kingdom childhood immunisation programme in 1988. The information available about the percentage of children receiving the MMR vaccination by their second birthday is contained in table 3 in the Statistical Bulletin "NHS Immunisation Statistics. England: 1998-99". This includes data for the London region and dates back to the introduction of MMR vaccine. Copies are available in the Library.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the current stock of MMR vaccine ready for use; and how many people could be vaccinated using this stock. [111287]
Yvette Cooper
[holding answer 22 February 2000]: As at 17 February 2000, a total of 983,146 doses of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine were held by the National Health Service's vaccine distributor. This amount is in single doses, enough to immunise 983,146 people with a single dose of vaccine or half that number with two doses. Children are recommended to receive two doses of MMR, the first at around 12-15 months, the second before school entry at around 3 to 5 years of age.
(2) what recent appraisal his Department has made of the toxic effects of mercury-based amalgams in dentistry; and if he will make a statement; [110485]
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