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Immunisation
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of children have received the BCG immunisation in (a) London, (b) Brent and Harrow Health Authority area and (c) England and Wales; and what target the Government have set for such immunisation. [127348]
Yvette Cooper: The information available about the number of children who have been immunised with BCG vaccine is contained in the Statistical Bulletin "NHS Immunisation Statistics, England 1998-99". Copies of the bulletin are in the Library and it can also be found on the Department of Health website www.doh.gov.uk/public/ ab9928.htm. Because the immunisation programme is two-pronged, some are given the vaccine shortly after birth neo-natal and others at 10-14 years as long as they are tuberculin skin test negative, reliable estimates of coverage are not readily available. As a result targets are not set for BCG immunisation.
Our BCG policy is that it should be offered first and foremost to all those considered to be at a higher risk of exposure to tuberculosis such as certain neo-nates and those whose occupation may put them at increased risk (eg. health service and veterinary staff). In addition the policy includes those classed at "normal" risk such as school children between the age of 10 and 14 years.
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of children have been immunised against measles, mumps and rubella in (a) London, (b) Brent and Harrow Health Authority area and (c) England and Wales; and what target the Government have set for such immunisation. [127349]
Yvette Cooper: The information available about the percentage of children immunised against measles, mumps and rubella nationally and by health authority is contained in the Statistical Bulletin "NHS Immunisation Statistics, England: 1998-99", copies of which are available in the Library and can also be found on the Department of Health website www.doh.gov.uk/public/sb9928.htm. The target set for immunisation coverage is 95 per cent. for all vaccines by age two.
Alcohol Misuse
Mr. Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for publication and implementation of the Government's national strategy on alcohol misuse. [127412]
Yvette Cooper: We plan to publish a consultation paper later this year, which will allow a period for comment, prior to the publication of the strategy.
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Huntington's Disease
Mr. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he is undertaking to recategorise Huntington's disease; and if he will make a statement; [127410]
- (2) what representations he has received (a) requesting that the present categorisation of Huntington's disease be reassessed and (b) opposing any recategorisation; [127409]
(3) when Huntington's disease was declassified as a mental condition. [127411]
Mr. Denham: Huntington's disease is regarded as a neurological condition, although in its end stages it does lead to dementia. Patients need to receive care appropriate to the stage of the disease they have reached, and this may include management by nursing staff who have experience of treating patients with challenging behaviour.
There are no plans to recategorise Huntington's disease at present, and no representations have been received by the Department asking for recategorisation.
CFS/ME Working Group
Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the work carried out to date by the CFS/ME Working Group. [127701]
Yvette Cooper: The Chief Medical Officer's Working Group on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) has just completed a year-long scoping exercise, which included a children's sounding board event held in October last year and an adult sounding board event held on 7 June 2000. These events were designed to gather patients' views of service. The Group will now begin to move into the second phase of work which will include a consensus-building exercise, to assist with the development of clinical guidance as well as the drafting of the final report.
Mr. Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to receive the final report of the CFS/ME Working Group. [127702]
Yvette Cooper: The Chief Medical Officer expects to receive and consider the final report from his working group on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis in 2001.
Cancer Care
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the national standards for access to cancer care services; and if he will make a statement. [127656]
Yvette Cooper: We are determined to improve access to cancer care services and have set the standard that, by the end of the year 2000, patients referred urgently by their general practitioners will be seen by a specialist within 14 days. This standard has been in place for breast cancer since April 1999 and in the first year, 86,000 patients have benefited. We are rolling out this high standard of care for all other cancers so that by December 2000 all suspected cancer referred urgently for investigation will be seen by a specialist within two weeks.
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General Practitioners
Mr. Sarwar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received with regard to Government policies which affect general practitioners in the NHS. [127717]
Mr. Denham: Ministers and officials regularly receive representations on a wide range of National Health Service matters, including those affecting general practitioners.
We have, in addition, just undertaken the most comprehensive and ambitious consultation exercise in the history of the NHS in England. This has given every member of the general public and all NHS staff an opportunity to have their say on what they think would make the NHS better. Some of the responses have commented on or made suggestions about the role of general practitioners.
Lindane
Angela Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received about the incidence of breast cancer associated with the use of Lindane. [127815]
Yvette Cooper: The Department has received a number of representations from hon. Members which have been noted. The Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment reviewed all the available published literature and recent research on the association between exposure to Lindane and breast cancer in 1999. The Committee concluded that
- Overall the available data do not suggest that environmental exposure to Lindane is a cause for concern as a risk factor for human breast cancer.
The Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment reviewed all the available published literature and recent research on the association between environmental exposure to Lindane and breast cancer in 1999. The Committee concluded that
- Overall the available data do not suggest that environmental exposure to Lindane is a cause for concern as a risk factor for human breast cancer.
Continence Services
Dr. Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what procedures he has set in place to monitor whether targets for the implementation of the new guidelines for NHS continence services have been met; [127966]
- (2) what procedures and funding he has set in place for the NHS at the local level to provide support for national continence awareness campaigns. [127964]
Mr. Hutton: The Department issued "Good Practice guidance for continence services" in April. This guidance suggests that continence awareness activities should be initiated locally as part of the responsibilities of local
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integrated continence services. The Department has no plans to provide further support for national continence awareness campaigns.
The guidance also includes appropriate references to the National Health Service performance assessment framework, which is used by the NHS in its planning and monitoring of the delivery of services. The Department has no plans to develop separate procedures to monitor the implementation of the guidance on continence services.
Antidepressants
Dr. Naysmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will issue a warning to doctors about the danger of suicidality in certain patients through the prescribing of Prozac and Sertraline; and if he will make a statement. [127960]
Ms Stuart: It is well known that suicidal ideation is associated with depression. Features of depression, including suicidal behaviour, can worsen after introduction of any antidepressant prior to its beneficial effects being apparent. The British National Formulary, issued to all general practitioners, pharmacists and other health professionals, advises that patients treated for depression should be assessed frequently for suicidal tendencies. The summaries of Product Characteristics (SPCs) for Prozac (fluoxetine) and Lustral (sertraline), in common with those for other antidepressants in the class, warn that the possibility of a suicide attempt may persist until significant remission of depression occurs and that patients should be closely supervised in the early stages of treatment.
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