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Children's Homes
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children have died while in children's homes in each decade since 1970. [126198]
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Mr. Hutton: The estimated number of children who died while being looked after by local authorities in children's homes in England during the period 1 April 1992 to 31 March 1999 was 70. Over the same period an estimated 58,000 looked after children spent at least some time in a children's home.
The Department holds no information about looked after children's deaths by type of placement before this date.
Asthma
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what public information has been made available in the last three years, and where, by his Department on the relationship between asthma and environmental conditions; how much has been spent on providing such information; and what other agencies have been involved. [126103]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 19 June 2000]: In January 1998, the Department published an information pack, "Air Pollution and Health". It contains leaflets, contacts and statements on the relationship between asthma and air pollution from agencies such as the National Asthma Campaign, the Lung and Asthma Information Agency as well as the Department's Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants. Copies have been placed in the Library. The total design and printing costs of the pack were £23,500.
The Department offers health advice to other Government Departments from time to time on health aspects of their policies, in particular to the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (DETR) on health and environmental issues. A relevant example here is the production of a DETR leaflet "Air Pollution--what it means for your health", published in July 1998. This was designed as a guide to the Air Pollution Information Service which DETR Ministers relaunched in October 1997. The service is available by freephone, Ceefax, Teletext and via the internet. The leaflets and an accompanying poster were distributed in general practitioners' surgeries, asthma and heart clinics, Citizen's Advice Bureaux and libraries. Copies are also now included as part of the Department's "Air Pollution and Health" pack.
The design and printing costs of the leaflets and posters were £25,142.
Public Health Report
Mr. Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reasons underlay his decision to discontinue the annual published report by the Chief Medical Officer on the state of the public health. [126665]
Yvette Cooper: The last Chief Medical Officer's report was published in August 1998 by Sir Kenneth Calman shortly before he left office. The present CMO came into post in late September 1998. He has taken stock of the publications issued by the Chief Medical Officer and introduced a number of changes. He is currently exploring the opportunities for greater use of web-based publishing methods.
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After listening to a wide range of views he also intends to introduce changes to the format of his annual report. Although the previous format served its purpose well in the past, it is very detailed and it is not always clear in what areas action is being called for. The practice of the CMO's annual report containing descriptions of a wide range of government policies which are contained in other documents added to the detailed nature of the reports.
It is the intention of the CMO to produce the new format of the report in the autumn of 2000. It will be shorter, with a clear focus on areas for action and in a more accessible form.
Emergency Contraception
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about proposals to make emergency contraception available over the counter without prescription from dispensing chemists. [126112]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 20 June 2000]: The Medicines Control Agency is presently consulting on an application to reclassify levonorgestrel 0.75 milligrammes for emergency contraception from prescription only to pharmacy availability for women aged 16 years and over. This follows independent expert advice from the Committee on Safety of Medicines. The consultation period ends on 29 June 2000. The responses will then be considered by the Medicines Commission and their recommendations presented to Ministers for a decision.
Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made with pilot schemes for the prescription of emergency contraceptives by pharmacists; and when emergency contraception will be more widely available. [126997]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 21 June 2000]: There are currently two pilot schemes run by health action zones (HAZs) in Manchester, Salford and Trafford (MST) and Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham (LSL) where emergency contraception is supplied by pharmacists, under a patient group direction. Both pilots form part of the HAZ's overall strategy to reduce the rate of unintended pregnancies locally. Both pilots are to be fully evaluated and the results will be published.
The Medicines Control Agency is presently consulting on an application to reclassify levonorgestrel 0.75 milligrammes for emergency contraception from prescription only to pharmacy availability for women aged 16 years and over. The consultation period ends on 29 June 2000. The responses will then be considered by the Medicines Commission and their recommendations presented to Ministers for a decision.
In addition the Integrated Sexual Health and HIV Strategy is looking at improving access to services including emergency contraception products.
National Poisons Information Service
Mr. Tyler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) for what reason the National Poisons Information Service has not submitted its annual reports, due in July 1999 and March 2000, to his Department; and what steps he has taken to ensure that the contractual commitments of the NPIS have been delivered; [127022]
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- (2) if he will list the members of the National Poisons Information Service Board; and how details of their meeting schedule, agendas and minutes can be obtained; [127020]
(3) what were the terms of the contracts between his Department and the National Poisons Information Service between 1995 and the current year. [127023]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 20 June 2000]: The National Poisons Information Service (NPIS) provides a service to health care professionals. It consists of six poison information centres situated at Belfast, Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, London and Newcastle, and the Tablet and Capsule Identification System (TICTAC) at St. George's. The UK Departments of Health, (in Wales the Specialist Health Services Commission on behalf of health authorities), commission the NPIS Centres to provide information and, on request, clinical advice to health care staff on the diagnosis, treatment and management of patients who have, or are suspected to have, been poisoned. The service is available 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.
The NPIS Board was set up to advise the UK Health Departments on matters such as policy and the strategic direction of the service, and to scrutinise its work. The Board's membership consists of representatives from the four UK Health Departments who have executive powers and nine non-executive members representing health professionals. The Board aims to meet quarterly (providing there is sufficient business to warrant a meeting). It is an internal management committee and as such its agendas and minutes are not published.
Formal agreements have existed between the Secretary of State for Health and providers of poisons information services over the period 1995 to 1999. The exact terms of these agreements will have varied between each year and between each NPIS Centre. Broadly, such agreements will have set out details of the levels and quality of service to be provided as well as financial arrangements.
For the calendar year 1998, NPIS Centres were required to compile a report to the Department of Health to comply with the provisions of EC Resolution 90/C 329-03. All Centres met with this requirement. Under the terms of agreements with the Secretary of State for Health for the financial year 1999-2000, the three English NPIS Centres were required to submit information for management purposes. To date, one of the Centres has submitted a written report for the year 1999-2000 and the two other Centres have been requested to provide written reports by the end of June. These reports are for internal use only and therefore are not published.
Mr. Tyler: To ask the Secretary of State for Health since 1990, what work on pesticides has been carried out by the Medical Toxicology Unit (Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital Trust) and the NPIS (London) under contract to agrochemical companies; what equipment, facilities and staff funded by his Department have been used for this purpose; what agreements with his Department have been made to cover this activity; if he will publish details of those contracts; and if he will make a statement. [127021]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 20 June 2000]: The laboratory of the Medical Toxicology Unit at Guy's and St. Thomas' National Health Service Hospital Trust has
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never carried out any work under contract on pesticides. Any work in relation to pesticides has been part of the trust's NHS function in providing services for diagnosing poisoning.
Funding by the United Kingdom Departments of Health for National Poison Information Service services covers only the inquiry services, contribution to the maintenance and development of a poisons database (TOXBASE), and outreach to, and training of, health professionals in the use of the service. This funding is not provided for the purposes of other associated activities at the Medical Toxicology Unit (Guy's and St. Thomas' Hospital NHS Trust) or at any other of the Centres.
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