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Healthcare Charges (Guernsey)

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he took after July 1999 to inform UK residents of new charges for healthcare in Guernsey. [139710]

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Ms Stuart: Guernsey introduced charges for some healthcare services for United Kingdom visitors from 3 July 1999. The Department produced an information note available to the public on request in July 1999. The Department's leaflet "Health Advice for Travellers" included revised information from September 1999.

Emergency Contraception

Mr. Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations he has received on the legality of the morning after pill in regard to the protection of nascent human life before implantation; and if he will make a statement; [139944]

(2) if he will introduce legislation to amend the Abortion Act 1967 as it applies to the issuing of the morning after pill by pharmacists. [139849]

Yvette Cooper: So far this year, approximately 45 letters have been received, either direct from members of the public or via hon. Members expressing concern that emergency contraception is a method of abortion. A number of the responses to the public consultation exercise on whether levonorgestrel 0.75 mg should be reclassified from prescription only to pharmacy availability for women aged 16 and over, also expressed similar concerns.

The established legal and medical view is that emergency contraception is not an abortifacient, and therefore the Abortion Act 1967 does not apply to emergency contraception. In 1983 the then Attorney- General concluded

that this form of post-coital treatment (emergency contraception) does not constitute a criminal offence within either sections 58 or 59 of the Offences Against the Persons Act 1861.--[Official Report, 10 May 1983; Vol. 42, c. 237.]

Disabled People

Ms Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to monitor and improve the implementation of good practice guidance detailed in the Department of Health report "Doubly disabled: equality for disabled people in the new NHS: access to services (July 1999)" and to ensure that the provision of health care by the National Health Service complies with the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. [139790]

Mr. Hutton: Implementation of "Doubly Disabled" is part of our wider strategy of implementing Section 21 of the Disability Discrimination Act. We have issued a survey to the National Health Service asking them what progress they have made towards implementing Section 21. The survey will be repeated annually until 2004 and the results of the initial survey should be available in the early spring of 2001.

Health Service Complaints

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints were made about health services to (a) hospital trusts and (b) CHCs in England in each of the last five years; and how many such complaints were resolved by the trust or CHC concerned. [139756]

Ms Stuart [holding answer 23 November 2000]: Statistics on complaints to National Health Service trusts and health authorities in England are contained in

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the annual statistical bulletin "Handling complaints: monitoring the NHS complaints procedures". Data on complaints prior to the introduction of the current procedures in April 1996 are contained in the document "Written complaints by, and on behalf of patients, England". Copies of both these documents are available in the Library.

Data on complaints made to community health councils are not collected centrally.

CJD Sufferers

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on help for CJD sufferers in terms of extra patient care; and if he will make a statement. [140078]

Yvette Cooper: We have recently received representations in the form of ministerial correspondence regarding packages of care for people with Creutzfeldt- Jakob disease.

We have established a new national fund to meet the care needs of people with variant CJD. The fund will ensure a speedy response following diagnosis and improvements in the quality of care for patients. We are working closely with the voluntary organisations and families to ensure that this package is effective, and properly meets the needs of patients.

NHS Pension Scheme

Mr. Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will backdate the pension arrangements for widowers of female members of the NHS pension scheme to align them with the pension arrangements of widows of male members of the scheme. [140271]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 24 November 2000]: There has been alignment of widow and widowers National Health Service pensions on service since April 1988. Female members were able to cover service before then at a subsidised cost, until June 1989. We currently have no plans to provide free cover for widowers pensions before 1988, because of the additional costs to the Scheme, estimated at £500 million.

Registered Health Professionals

Dr. Marek: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what information he collates on the proportion of nurses, midwives and health visitors who are registered but do not practice; [140012]

(2) how many nurses, midwives and health visitors have (a) retired from and (b) joined the register in each of the last five years. [140013]

Mr. Denham [holding answer 24 November 2000]: These data are not collected centrally.

The United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visitors (UKCC) collects this information. The UKCC website is at: www.ukcc.org.uk (telephone number: 020 7333 6557/6558).

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The Hague Convention on International

Adoptions

Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the UK will ratify The Hague Convention on International Adoptions. [140191]

Mr. Hutton [holding answer 24 November 2000]: The United Kingdom signed the 1993 Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in respect of Intercountry Adoption in January 1994. Preparations are in hand in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to ratify in 2001.

Free Nursing Care

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the responsibility for funding a person's nursing care will remain with the NHS after the point at which that person becomes eligible for means-tested support for their care costs. [140293]

Mr. Hutton: The National Health Service will meet the costs of registered nurse time spent on providing, delegating or supervising care in a care home. This will be for everyone who needs it, whether or not they have means-tested support for their other care costs.

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 21 November 2000, Official Report, column 170W, concerning free nursing care, how people who have a care home placement part-funded by a local authority will have their nursing care costs paid. [140292]

Mr. Hutton: Responsibility for the payment of the nursing costs will be with the National Health Service--this could be discharged through a contract between the NHS and the care home, but in areas where the NHS and social services are using the Health Act flexibilities this may be handled through pooled budgets and lead commissioning by the local authority.

Radiotherapy Waiting Lists

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the (a) total waiting list and (b) waiting lists per 100,000 population for radiotherapy treatment of cancer (i) nationally, (ii) by NHS region and (iii) by health authority area in the (A) Northern and (B) Yorkshire region. [140535]

Yvette Cooper: Information is not collected on waiting lists for radiotherapy treatment.

The National Health Service cancer plan published on 27 September includes new targets to be rolled out over the next five years to reduce waiting times at all stages of the cancer patient pathway from referral, diagnosis, to treatment. The ultimate goal is that no patient should wait longer than one month from an urgent referral by their general practitioner with suspected cancer, to the start of treatment. Arrangements will be developed to monitor progress towards these new targets.

Beta Interferon

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will permit new patients to be accepted for beta interferon while he is waiting for a final recommendation from the National Institute of Clinical Excellence. [140314]

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Mr. Denham: The Department issued guidance (in Executive Letter (95)97) to the National Health Service in 1995 about prescribing of beta-interferon. It recommends that health authorities should have in place arrangements for hospital specialists to initiate treatment in the light of medical evidence and local priorities. This guidance continues to apply until the National Institute for Clinical Excellence publishes its guidance on beta interferon.

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