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HPV Testing

Miss Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the limited competition to select pilot sites for HPV testing this summer. [123379]

Yvette Cooper: We are in the process of selecting an advisory committee on human papilloma virus testing, which will also act as a selection board for choosing the pilot sites. We are working with the managers of the National Health Service cervical screening programme to develop a method of short-listing sites.

Miss Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the membership and role will be of the advisory group that will oversee the commissioning and running of the pilot sites for HPV testing. [123378]

Yvette Cooper: The membership of the expert advisory group on the pilot for human papilloma virus testing has not yet been agreed. Prospective members will be approached shortly and will include representatives from colposcopy, cyto-pathology, virology, primary care, epidemiology and consumer groups. When the membership is finalised, details will be posted on the United Kingdom National Screening Committee's website at http://www.nsc.nhs.uk/

Mrs. Brinton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the members of the expert advisory group which will oversee the commissioning and running of the pilot sites for HPV testing. [124329]

Yvette Cooper: The membership of the expert advisory group on the pilot for human papilloma virus testing has not yet been agreed. Officials have developed a pilot protocol and identified potential members of the advisory group. Prospective members will be approached shortly and will include representatives from colposcopy, cyto-pathology, virology, primary care, epidemiology and consumer groups. When the membership is finalised, details will be posted on the UK National Screening Committee's website at http://www.nsc.nhs.uk/

Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether

Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the effects on (a) human and (b) animal health of methyl tertiary butyl ether; and if he will make a statement. [123448]

Yvette Cooper: A major review of the potential health effects of oxygenates, including methyl tertiary butyl ether (MTBE), carried out by the Health Effects Institute in 1996 in the United States where levels can be considerably higher than in the United Kingdom at levels of about 10-15 per cent., concluded that "it is unlikely that fuel containing oxygenates would substantially increase the overall health risk from fuel used in motor vehicles".

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The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) is currently considering the possible effects on human health of the inclusion of MTBE in petrol from the point of view of exposures via air. In its examination of evidence, COMEAP is looking at data on the effects of MTBE on animals. A statement will be produced in due course.

Sudden Death Syndrome

Mr. Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what plans he has to make electrocardiogram community testing programmes more widely available to reduce Sudden Death Syndrome fatalities in young people; [124700]

(2) what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of electrocardiogram testing in identifying heart problems in young people likely to make them susceptible to Sudden Death Syndrome; [124701]

(3) what assessment he has made of the causes of Sudden Death Syndrome in young people. [124702]

Yvette Cooper: Sudden Adult Death Syndrome is not one single condition but a group of conditions which result in the sudden and unexpected death of apparently healthy young adults.

Many of the deaths in this syndrome appear to be caused by cardiomyopathies. Our policy is that the relatives of a family with a known high risk of contracting this disease should receive regular cardiovascular examinations. We fully recognise the importance of all patients known to be at cardiac risk being referred for specialist clinical assessment. This examination and testing--perhaps more appropriately referred to as case-finding rather than screening--has been encouraged increasingly in recent years.

The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (NSC) advises Ministers on all aspects of screening policy. The NSC assesses proposed new screening programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria to ensure that the programme does more good than harm. A recent review of the evidence for cardiomyopathy screening showed that a programme would not yet meet these criteria. However, we will keep this position under review as new evidence emerges.

In the meantime, the Department is working closely with the medical profession and voluntary organisations with a view to raising awareness and improving the diagnosis and testing of people at risk.

Mobile Telephones

Mr. Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the research projects that he has commissioned in the last six months to study the health effects of mobile telephones; indicating in each case (a) level of funding, (b) length of study, (c) whether animals will be used, (d) membership of project team and (e) relevant research body. [124639]

Yvette Cooper: No new projects on the health effects of mobile phones have been commissioned by the Department in the last six months. Research into health effects of mobile phones forms part of the World Health Organisation International Electromagnetic Fields Project to which the Department has been contributing £20,000

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per year for the last four years. The organising committee for this project draws on expertise from around the world including the United Kingdom. The Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones, set up at the instigation of my right hon. Friend the Member for Dulwich and West Norwood (Ms Jowell), the former Minister for Public Health, published its findings in May. The recommendations in this report are being taken up in the development of a comprehensive programme of research costing several millions of pounds jointly funded by Government and industry.

Committee Membership

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the members of the (a) Committee on Safety of Medicines, (b) Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation and (c) Medicines Control Agency, indicating which members have registered links with pharmaceutical companies. [124753]

Yvette Cooper [holding answer 7 June 2000]: The current list of members of the Committee on Safety of Medicines, including interests held in the pharmaceutical industry, was placed in the Library on 9 May. Interests of the members of all Medicines Act Advisory Bodies are published annually in the "Medicines Act 1968 Advisory Bodies--Annual Reports", copies of which are available in the Library. The 1999 report is due to be published in July this year.

Members of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, as at 1 April 2000, who have declared interests in pharmaceutical companies are as follows:

Professor Lewis D. Ritchie: Single Company PEPS with Glaxo Wellcome and Zeneca; some industry support to his team for clinical trials work;

Dr. Barbara Bannister: Educational sponsorship by SmithKline Beecham to attend CISTM 6th Conference in June 1999; holds portfolio of shares (managed by asset management company) which includes Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham; some clinical trial work for new drugs;

Dr. David Goldblatt: Occasional member of expert panels for SmithKline Beecham, Wyeth and Pasteur Merieux; research grants to support his team from Wyeth, SKB, Nava and Pasteur Merieux;

Professor Roy Anderson: Directorships of Wellcome Trust, Decode, IBHSC; share holdings in Glaxo, Zeneca and SmithKline Beecham;

Dr. Karl Nicholson: Has acted as 'consultant' for Glaxo;

Professor Keith Cartwright: industry part-funding of his team to evaluate candidate meningococcal vaccines.

The Medicines Control Agency is an executive arm of the Department of Health. There are currently over 500 staff, none of whom have registered links with pharmaceutical companies.

SOCIAL SECURITY

New Deal (Disabled People)

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Social Security how many people in the greater Portsmouth area are using the New Deal for Disabled People; and if he will make a statement. [124553]

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Mr. Bayley: The information requested is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is as follows.

Under the first tranche of innovative schemes set up through the New Deal for Disabled People, the greater Portsmouth area fell within the catchment area of the Gateway Partnership. This scheme was funded from October 1998 to January 2000 in order to improve the employability of disabled people within Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. The Gateway Partnership accepted 356 people into the scheme and 49 people started work.

Under the second tranche of innovative schemes, greater Portsmouth falls within the catchment area of the Prince's Trust, which assists disabled people to set up their own businesses within Hampshire, the Isle of Wight and Surrey. By the end of April 2000 the Prince's Trust had accepted 68 people onto the scheme and 12 people had started up self-employment.

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