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Midwives (North West)

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the total number of midwifery vacancies in (a) England and (b) the North West Region. [111816]

Yvette Cooper [holding answer 1 March 2000]: The available information is contained in the table.

Department of Health Recruitment, Retention and Vacancies Survey--Vacancies in NHS Trusts by England and North West Region: midwives as at 31 March 1999Whole time equivalents

	Total vacancies(27)	3 Month vacancies(28)
England total	810	370
North West	70	30

Notes:

1. Posts that Trusts were actively trying to fill at 31 March 1999.

2. Posts that had been vacant for three months or more at 31 March 1999.

3. Figures rounded to the nearest 10.

Source:

Department of Health Recruitment, Retention and Vacancies Survey 1999

New Public Bodies

Mr. Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the new public bodies established by his Department since May 1997. [112663]

8 Mar 2000 : Column: 758W

Yvette Cooper: The annual Cabinet Office Publication "Public Bodies" provides information on a range of public bodies. The 1997 edition lists those public bodies in existence prior to May 1997. The 1998 and 1999 editions list public bodies in existence in subsequent years. Copies of these publications have been placed in the Library. Copies are also available on the Cabinet Office website (www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/quango).

General Practitioners

Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the number of general practitioners per 1,000 population in (a) Oxfordshire, (b) England and (c) the United Kingdom in each year since 1990. [112647]

Mr. Denham: The information requested is in the table. Issues relating to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are matters for their respective administrations.

Unrestricted Principals and Equivalents (UPEs(27)) per 1,000 population as at 1 October each year

	UPEs per 1,000 population
Oxfordshire(28)
1990	0.55
1991	0.55
1992	0.57
1993	0.57
1994	0.58
1995	0.58
1996	0.59
1997	0.59
1998	0.59
England
1990	0.53
1991	0.53
1992	0.54
1993	0.54
1994	0.55
1995	0.55
1996	0.55
1997	0.55
1998	0.55

(27) UPEs includes unrestricted principals, PMS contracted GPs and PMS salaried GPs

(28) Data relate to Oxfordshire FPC for 1990, Oxfordshire FHSA for 1991 to 1995 and Oxfordshire HA for 1996 to 1998

Source:

Department of Health General and personal Medical Services Statistics and ONS Population Data

Mr. Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the population live (a) within one mile of, (b) over one mile from and (c) over three miles from their nearest GP in (i) urban and (ii) rural areas. [112820]

Ms Stuart: The information is not available in the form requested.

However, an analysis based on the Exeter family health services database indicates that in urban areas 94 per cent. of patients live within 1 mile of their nearest surgery, 5 per cent. between 1 and 2.5 miles, and 1 per cent. live more than 2.5 miles away. In rural areas, the figures are 72 per cent, 19 per cent, and 9 per cent. respectively.

It should be noted that in each of these analyses, percentage of patients will not be the same as percentage of population, due to the effects of any local list inflation.

8 Mar 2000 : Column: 759W

Nursing Students

Jackie Ballard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many students started a (a) diploma in nursing and (b) degree in nursing courses in (i) 1997, (ii) 1998 and (iii) 1999; and what was the drop-out rate for each year's intake. [112918]

Mr. Denham: Information on the numbers of students commencing nursing diploma and degree courses for the period 1997 to 1999 and attrition rates for 1997 and 1998 are shown in the table. Data on students entering training are published by English National Board in their Annual Report. The numbers entering training in 1999-2000 are based upon the latest forecast from education consortia. It is not possible to provide an attrition rate for the 1999 student intakes since they are incomplete.

	1997-98	1998-99	1999-00
Nursing diploma intake	14,162	15,410	16,552
Attrition	16.1 per cent.	5.9 per cent.	n/a
Nursing degree intake	1,214	1,202	1,805
Attrition	13.3 per cent.	8.2 per cent.	n/a

Notes:

1. Intake data are taken from the English National Board annual report for 1997-98 and 1998-99 and the Financial and Workforce Planning Returns for 1999-2000.

2. Attrition data are taken from the English National board annual report.

Vaccines

Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the wastage rate of vaccines used by the NHS resulting from poor storage or distribution conditions and the cost of such wastage to the NHS since May 1997. [112995]

Yvette Cooper: This information is not collected centrally. However, the issue of vaccine usage, including wastage, is the subject of a review currently being conducted, commissioned by the Department. This study will make recommendations on vaccine storage and usage and on measures to minimise wastage at local level; these recommendations will be issued in due course.

Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doses of the new meningococcal conjugate vaccine have been discarded because of poor storage or distribution conditions; and what has been the cost to the NHS of discarded doses of the vaccine. [112997]

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not available centrally.

Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doses of the new meningococcal conjugate vaccine have been issued under the current immunisation programme; and how many children have been immunised. [112996]

Yvette Cooper: By 27 February 2000, 3,301,280 doses of meningococcal Group C conjugate vaccine had been issued for the immunisation of babies, and 2,408,420 doses of vaccine had been issued for the immunisation of schoolchildren aged 15 to 17 years, a total of 5,709,700 doses.

Data on how many children have been immunised so far are not yet available.

8 Mar 2000 : Column: 760W

Animal Experiments (Product Labelling)

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce legislation to require that all animal and human medicines and vaccines that have been tested on animals should be labelled with such information so as to enable those who oppose the use of animals in medical and veterinary research to make an informed judgment as to whether they should use these products for themselves and their pets. [112625]

Yvette Cooper [holding answer 2 March 2000]: All medicines for human and veterinary use must be tested in animals to provide information about their safety before they can be granted a licence. However, the Government are concerned to ensure that research in animals is undertaken only when necessary to fulfil statutory obligations. There is no statutory requirement for the labels to include a statement to this effect and we have no plans to introduce such a provision.

Acute Services

Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the NHS hospitals offering full acute services which have (a) mixed sex wards and (b) shared toilets; and what targets he has set for the NHS to eliminate mixed sex wards. [113152]

Mr. Denham: The data collected on mixed sex hospital accommodation are at health authority level and do not contain detailed information about the position in National Health Service trusts. We have set three specific objectives for the NHS in order to achieve the elimination of mixed sex accommodation:

Ensure that appropriate organisational arrangements are in place to secure good standards of privacy and dignity for hospital patients;

Achieve fully the standard for segregated washing and toilet facilities across the NHS;

Provide safe facilities for patients in hospital who are mentally ill which safeguard their privacy and dignity.

We aim to achieve these objectives fully in 95 per cent. of all health authorities by 2002.

The results of a monitoring exercise published in August 1999 showed that 93 per cent. of health authorities would achieve the objectives by 2002.

Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS hospitals providing full acute services have wards which do not reach the HBN 4 minimum stipulation for (a) bed space in multi-bedded wards and (b) ratio of toilets to patients in 24 bed wards. [113158]

Mr. Denham: The information requested is not collected centrally.

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