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Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will answer the questions tabled by the hon. Member for North Shropshire for answer on 22 November on the subject of pithing (Refs. 13617-20, 139623, 139649 and 139683). [141298]

Ms Stuart: I replied to the hon. Member today, Official Report, columns 888-90W.

Ambulance Service

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each of the last three years and for each NHS region the average number of 999 calls placed to the ambulance service in each month from December to March. [141003]

Ms Stuart: The information requested is not available on a monthly basis. Information about the number of 999 calls to National Health Service ambulance trusts in each NHS region for each of the last three years is contained in the Department of Health Statistical Bulletin "Ambulance Services, England 1999-2000". A copy is in the Library and available on the website www.doh.gov.uk/public/sb0014.htm.

Zanamivir

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contraindications there are to healthy adults taking zanamivir for influenza. [140826]

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Ms Stuart: Relenza (zanamivir) is for the treatment of both influenza A and B in adults and adolescents of 12 years and over who present with symptoms typical of influenza when influenza is circulating in the community. It is contraindicated in patients who are hypersensitive to any ingredient of the preparation.

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to make zanamivir available over the counter in pharmacies for self treatment of influenza. [140827]

Ms Stuart: Relenza (zanamivir) is classified as a Prescription Only Medicine under criteria embodied in United Kingdom and European Community legislation. We have taken steps to allow for the direct supply of zanamivir by health professionals (including pharmacists and nurses) under the generalised directions of a doctor through patient group directions. There are no proposals to change the legal status of zanamivir to pharmacy only.

Overseas Healthcare Charges

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what means UK residents travelling abroad are informed about charges for healthcare in other countries. [141045]

Ms Stuart: For countries with which the United Kingdom has reciprocal health arrangements, information about patient charges is included in the public information leaflet "Health Advice for Travellers", copies of which are available in the Library. Information about charges in non-reciprocal agreement countries is not routinely collected.

Shipman Case

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what legal costs have been incurred by his Department in contesting the judicial review of his Department's decision not to allow a full public inquiry into the Shipman case. [140892]

Mr. Denham: The legal costs incurred by the Department in contesting the judicial review of the decision to take evidence in private were £53,025 (this includes the cost of the original Laming Inquiry which has now been abandoned). In addition we have agreed to pay the applicants' legal costs which are currently subject to the detailed assessment of the court.

English Abattoirs (Inspection Charges)

Mr. Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has for extending the type of financial help with inspection charges made available in the Welsh Assembly's draft agricultural budget to English abattoirs; and what discussions he has held with the Commission about the acceptability of such help. [136661]

Ms Quin: I have been asked to reply.

As announced in the Rural White Paper published on 28 November, Agriculture Departments in England, Scotland and Wales have agreed to transfer £8.7 million to the Food Standards Agency for the three financial years 2001-02 to 2003-04; this will enable the FSA to implement the principal recommendation of the Task Force chaired by Colin Maclean to revise the method of charging for Meat Hygiene Service inspections in

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abattoirs and cutting plants. The FSA will be consulting the industry shortly on its proposals. Implementation of the Maclean recommendation will significantly reduce inspection charges levied on many small and medium- sized meat plants and thus be of considerable benefit to the rural economy.

Water Fluoridation

Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the levels of tooth decay among (a) children and (b) adults in areas where fluoride (i) is and (ii) is not present in drinking water. [145000]

Mr. Hutton: The recent independent systematic review of water fluoridation conducted by the University of York Centre for Reviews and Dissemination confirmed that fluoridation reduces tooth decay by, on average, 2.25 teeth per child, and increase by 15 per cent. the proportion of children completely free from tooth decay.

Adults living in fluoridated areas have less tooth decay and keep more of their own teeth for longer than those living in non-fluoridated areas.

Mr. Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce legislation to allow local communities to take decisions on the fluoridation of drinking water in their areas. [140564]

Mr. Hutton: Section 89 of the Water Industries Act empowers health authorities to consult on the fluoridation of their water supplies but Section 87 gives the water undertaker discretion over whether or not to accept a request to add fluoride.

We will be discussing the research report of the systematic review of water fluoridation undertaken by the National Health Service Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at the University of York with representatives of the water industry. The Medical Research Council is establishing a working group to advise on whether further research in the area of water fluoridation and human health is required. We will review the need for any changes in the legislation when this action is complete.

Cancer

Mr. Fearn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) female and (b) male cancer sufferers there are in England and Wales. [139664]

Miss Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Ronnie Fearn, dated 30 November 2000:

As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question on the numbers of female and male cancer sufferers in England and Wales. (139663)

The latest available estimate is for 1993(a). In that year there were about 600,000 females (2.3 per cent. of the female population) and 365,000 (1.5 per cent. of the male population) in England and Wales who had been diagnosed with cancer(b).

(a) Patients diagnosed from 1971 (when records began) to 1992 who were still alive in 1993.

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(b) All malignant neoplasms (International Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD10) codes C00-C97, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer (ICD10 C44).

These results were published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) in the article 'Cancer trends in England and Wales, 1950-1999' in Health Statistics Quarterly No.8 earlier this month. This is the first reliable information on cancer prevalence to be produced. A copy of this publication has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

CABINET OFFICE

Investors in People

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office who is responsible for administering Investors in People. [139118]

Mr. Stringer: The Department for Education and Employment is responsible for the administration of IIP at national level, with IIPUK as the standard setting body. The Cabinet Office maintain a strategic overview for the administration of IIP in the Civil Service although individual Departments and agencies are responsible for their own achievement.

Chequers

Mr. Lidington: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many helicopter flights to and from Chequers there have been on Government business since 2 May 1997. [139339]

Mr. Stringer: As far as I am aware, between 2 May 1997 and 20 November 2000 there were three flights to and from Chequers on Government business, all of which involved the transport of foreign leaders visiting Britain.

Departmental Policies

Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if she will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on the Manchester, Gorton constituency, of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [136150]

Mr. Stringer: The policy recommendations in Cabinet Office reports relate to England as a whole and it is therefore not possible to say what their specific impact is on the Manchester, Gorton constituency. Additionally any policy changes arising from Cabinet Office units, such as the Social Exclusion Unit and the United Kingdom Anti-Drugs Co-ordination Unit, reports are implemented by the appropriate Government Department rather than by the Unit itself.

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