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Donaldson Report
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish the Donaldson report on amending the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990; and if he will make a statement. [124083]
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Yvette Cooper: The Chief Medical Officer's Expert Group on Therapeutic Cloning has completed its work on the potential benefits, risks and the ethical issues raised by developments in stem cell research and cell nuclear replacement. The report is expected to be considered by Ministers shortly.
Pain Management
Mr. Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he is taking to ensure that a full cost-benefit analysis, including financial savings accruing to all Government Departments is available to support Department of Health decisions about guidance on investment in pain management; [124327]
- (2) what estimate he has made of the budgetary benefits accruing to other Departments from NHS investment in pain management programmes. [124360]
Mr. Denham: The Department recognises the importance of improving pain services as highlighted by the recent Clinical Standards Advisory Group report. We have supported a number of studies on pain, particularly low back pain--a major cause of morbidity and absence from work. While we have not commissioned a specific analysis of the benefits accruing to other Government Departments from National Health Service investment in pain management, we would, where appropriate, make all studies commissioned by the Department available to other Government Departments to support their policies.
Disease Cases
Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of (a) measles, (b) mumps, (c) rubella, (d) diphtheria, (e) tetanus, (f) whooping cough and (g) polio there were in each of the last 10 years. [124211]
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Yvette Cooper [holding answer 5 June 2000]: The data in the table, which is for England and Wales, have been provided by the Public Health Laboratory Service, Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre. For measles, mumps and rubella, data are collected as both notifications of disease and as laboratory-confirmed cases. Laboratory-confirmed cases give a more reliable guide to the true incidence of a disease, and in recent years a low proportion of suspected cases of measles, mumps and rubella have been confirmed as true cases.
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Data prior to 1995 on how many notifications of measles, mumps and rubella were tested and confirmed are incomplete and are incomparable with that for 1995 onwards from which date more accessible salivary antibody testing was introduced. Prior to 1995 confirmation required a blood test; these data are not collated but it was likely to be few. The number of cases of pertussis (whooping cough) is based on notifications; only hospitalised cases are tested and the test is only positive in severe disease and very early in infection. The data for diphtheria are for laboratory-confirmed toxigenic diphtheria isolates. The figures for tetanus and polio are for cases ascertained by all methods.
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| Year | Measles notified | Measles tested | Measles confirmed | Mumps notified | Mumps tested | Mumps confirmed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | 26,222 | n/a | 100 | 20,713 | n/a | 265 |
| 1990 | 13,302 | n/a | 78 | 4,277 | n/a | 94 |
| 1991 | 9,680 | n/a | 49 | 2,922 | n/a | 52 |
| 1992 | 10,268 | n/a | 106 | 2,412 | n/a | 49 |
| 1993 | 9,611 | n/a | 96 | 2,153 | n/a | 34 |
| 1994 | 16,374 | n/a | (9)406 | 2,494 | n/a | (9)48 |
| 1995 | 7,445 | 4,622 | (9)60 | 1,933 | 962 | (9)68 |
| 1996 | 5,613 | 3,320 | (9)115 | 1,747 | 966 | (9)94 |
| 1997 | 3,962 | 2,596 | (9)199 | 1,914 | 1,102 | (9)181 |
| 1998 | 3,728 | 2,309 | (9)57 | 1,587 | 1,000 | (9)119 |
| 1999 | 2,438 | 1,412 | (9)101 | 1,691 | 1,131 | (9)335 |
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(9) Includes cases confirmed by salivary antibody testing in addition to those confirmed by blood testing
Note:
The 1999 data are provisional
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Lung Cancer (Radon)
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of recent evidence on the correlation between rates of lung cancer and long-term exposure to radon gas. [126042]
Yvette Cooper: We obtain advice from the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) on matters of radiological protection. NRPB reviewed the evidence on the risks of exposure to radon in the 1993 "Board Statement on Diagnostic Medical Exposures to Ionising Radiation During Pregnancy and Estimates of Late Radiation Risks to the UK Population" (Documents of the NRPB Vol 4, No 4). Copies are available in the Library.
The NRPB's Advisory Group on Ionising Radiation has recently started a new review which will be completed in about two years. Although some new evidence, including a case control study in South-West England--"Risk of lung cancer associated with residential radon exposure in
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South West England: a case-control study" S.C. Darby et al British Journal of Cancer (1998), 78(3), 394-408 (copies are available in the Library)--has become available in the interim, the NRPB advise it is unlikely to alter the broad assessment of risk which is that living for a lifetime in a house at the United Kingdom action level for radon (200 Bequerels per cubic metre of air) carries a 3-5 per cent. risk of lung cancer.
HIV/AIDS
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of HIV infection in 1995 was spread through (a) homosexual contact, (b) heterosexual contact, (c) drug use and (d) other specified means; and what are the most recent figures for transmission in these categories. [126830]
Yvette Cooper: The table provides the information requested, with the proportions expressed as percentages.
(10) Data to end March 2000; proportions may change over time as more information is obtained.
(11) Includes mother to child and blood/tissue transfer or blood factor.
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Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on (a) drugs, (b) care, (c) other treatment and (d) research in relation to AIDS in (i) 1985, (ii) 1990 and (iii) 1999. [126828]
Yvette Cooper: Spending on HIV/AIDS research in each of the three years is given in the table (in £ millions). Information is not available for the other categories in the form requested. The table shows allocations for 1985-86 and 1990-91 for HIV/AIDS treatment and care made to the National Health Service (which includes drug costs), support to local authorities through the AIDS Support Grant (which will include a contribution towards community-based support) and grants made to voluntary organisations for support and counselling. Actual spend is shown for these budgets for 1999-2000.
| Year | NHS | Local authority | Voluntary sector | Research |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985-86 | 0 | 0 | 0.01 | 0.667 |
| 1990-91 | 70.1 | 7 | 1.6 | 18.4 |
| 1999-2000 | 162.9 | 15.5 | 1.6 | (12)20.4 |
(12) This is now the outturn figure rather than an estimate.
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate how many of those with (a) AIDS and (b) HIV come from broken families. [126800]
Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Mr. Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people with AIDS and HIV there were in the UK in (a) 1985, (b) 1990 and (c) 1999. [126748]
Yvette Cooper: The numbers of people alive with diagnosed HIV or AIDS at the end of 1985 and 1990 are estimated to have been about 4,500 and 14,000, respectively. Data are not yet available to answer this question for 1999, but for 1998 the estimated number is 20,000.
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