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Abattoirs
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact of the ban on pithing on the future of small abattoirs. [142890]
Ms Stuart [holding answer 18 December 2000]: I am advised on questions of food safety by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). The ban on pithing is a requirement of a recent European Union decision on specified risk material, which introduced new EU-wide rules for the protection of both human and animal health from the risks of BSE.
The FSA carried out a full public consultation on proposals to implement the pithing ban. All licensed red meat slaughterhouses were consulted. A number of the responses received raised concerns that many small abattoirs would be unable safely to slaughter animals without pithing unless structural changes to their premises were made and maintained that many of these would be unable to afford the costs of such changes.
The FSA agrees that changes in structure or equipment, as well as in working practices, may be needed to enable abattoirs to comply with a pithing ban without putting worker safety at risk. However, the FSA considers that alternatives to pithing should be available at reasonable cost in most cases and therefore sees no fundamental reason why the need to make such changes should affect the future of small abattoirs. Nevertheless the FSA is monitoring the introduction of the pithing ban in small abattoirs in order to ensure that any significant problems are reported and investigated.
HIV
Mr. Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Government will publish a national strategy on HIV for public consultation. [144508]
Ms Stuart: The incorporation of the HIV strategy within an integrated sexual health and HIV strategy was announced in May 2000. This work is well advanced and should be ready for publication shortly.
Beef Imports
Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if imported processed beef products are subject to the same checks for specified risk material contamination as imported carcase beef. [147856]
10 Apr 2001 : Column: 597W
Ms Stuart [holding answer 30 January 2001]: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that all checks for specified risk material (SRM) contamination rely on a careful visual inspection of carcase meat to ensure that the specified tissues have been fully removed. A visual check for SRM contamination is not possible once meat has been processed. Advice on the safety of imported beef and beef products was issued by the FSA on 22 December.
Departmental Policies (Don Valley)
Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Don Valley constituency, the effects on Doncaster of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [153520]
Yvette Cooper: Detailed information on the impact of Department of Health policies nationally is set out in the Department of Health Annual Reports. A copy of the most recent report "Department of Health--Government Expenditure Plans 2000/01" is available in the Library and on the Department of Health website at www.doh.gov.uk/dhreport.
The impact of policies is not examined by constituency and statistics collected centrally by the Department are not collected on a constituency basis.
My hon. Friend's constituency falls within the geographical area covered by Doncaster health authority and Doncaster metropolitan borough council (MBC) social services.
Increases in allocations between 1996-97 and 2001-02 for Doncaster health authority are shown in the table.
| Increase | |
|---|---|
| £ million (cash) | 62.7 |
| £ million (real terms) | 40.5 |
| Percentage (cash) | 39.51 |
| Percentage (real terms) | 23.61 |
Note:
Increases for 1999-2000 onwards are for unified allocations which cover hospital and community health services, prescribing and discretionary family health services. Those for previous years cover hospital and community health services only.
Doncaster health authority has also received additional funding for certain policies. This includes: £196,000 for accident and emergency modernisation between 1997-98 and 2000-01; A further £836,000 has been invested in an existing scheme to modernise the layout of the accident and emergency at Doncaster Royal Infirmary; £47,000, £130,000, £213,000 and £139,000 for improving cancer services (breast, colorectal, lung and cancer outpatients) in 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-01 respectively; £5.004 million to reduce waiting lists and times between 1997-98 and 2000-01; £1.294 million to expand critical care services in 2000-01; £250,000 to deal with winter pressures and delayed discharges in 2000-01; £131,000 for heart disease services between 1997-98 and 2000-01; and £115,400 invested in dentistry between 1997-98 and 2000-01.
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| Percentage increase | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| £ million | Real | Cash | |
| 1996-97 | 40.283 | -- | -- |
| 2001-02 | 52.524 | 15.5 | 30.4 |
In addition to the SSAs referred to, Doncaster MBC received additional funding in the form of a number of special and specific grants as set out in the table.
| 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Transitional Grant(22) | 2,159 | -- | -- | -- |
| Partnership grant(23) | -- | 1,528 | 1,300 | 1,768 |
| Prevention grant(23) | -- | 112 | 168 | |
| Carers grant(24) | -- | 113 | 281 | 390 |
| Children's grant(24) | -- | 396 | 618 | 1,566 |
| Mental Health Core Grant | 300 | 337 | 614 | (25)855 |
| Training Support Grant | 258 | 240 | 302 | (25)303 |
(22) The special transitional grant ended in 1998-99
(23) The partnership and prevention grants have been combined in 2001-02 and called the promoting independence grant
(24) The carers' and children's grants were introduced in 1999-2000
(25) Indicative allocation
Departmental Policies (Lincoln)
Gillian Merron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Lincoln constituency, the effects on Lincoln of his Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997. [152978]
Yvette Cooper: Detailed information on the impact of Department of Health policies nationally is set out in the Department of Health Annual Reports. A copy of the most recent report "Department of Health--Government Expenditure Plans 2000-01" is available in the House of Commons Library and on the Department of Health website at www.doh.gov.uk/dhreport.
The impact of policies is not examined by constituency and statistics collected centrally by the Department are not collected on a constituency basis.
My hon. Friend's constituency falls within the geographical area covered by Lincolnshire health authority and Lincolnshire county council social services.
The increases in allocations between 1996-97 and 2001-02 for north Derbyshire health authority are set out in the table.
| Increase | |
|---|---|
| £ million (cash) | 119.8 |
| £ million (real terms) | 75.6 |
| Percentage (cash) | 37.16 |
| Percentage (real terms) | 21.53 |
Note:
Increases for 1999-2000 onwards are for unified allocations which cover hospital and community health services, prescribing and discretionary family health services. Those for previous years cover hospital and community health services only.
Lincolnshire health authority has also received additional funding for certain policies. This includes: £233,000 for accident and emergency modernisation between 1997-98 and 2000-01; £107,000, £228,000,
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£244,000 and £208,000 for improving cancer services (breast, colorectal, lung and cancer outpatients) in 1997-98, 1998-99, 1999-2000 and 2000-01 respectively; £9.631 million to reduce waiting lists and times between 1997-98 and 2000-01; £1.662 million to expand critical care services in 2000-01; £622,000 to deal with winter pressures and delayed discharges in 2000-01; £238,000 for heart disease services between 1997-98 and 2000-01; £307,000 invested in dentistry between 1997-98 and 2000-01.
In addition, my hon. Friend's constituents will benefit from Special Assistance Funding of £4.4 million invested in 1999-2001 in order to reconfigure and restructure services in Lincolnshire. Lincolnshire residents have also benefited from a £1.446 million major hospital redevelopment scheme at Pilgrim hospital, Boston.
Lincolnshire county council's personal social services standard spending assessment (SSA) for 2001-02 compared with 1996-97 is set out in the table.
| Percentage increase | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| £ million | Real | Cash | |
| 1996-97 | 73.704 | -- | -- |
| 2001-02 | 95.326 | 14.5 | 29.3 |
In addition to the SSAs referred to, Lincolnshire county council received additional funding in the form of a number of special and specific grants as set out in the table.
| 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | 2001-02 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Special Transitional Grant(26) | 4,015 | -- | -- | -- |
| Partnership grant(27) | -- | 2,890 | 2,478 | 3,520 |
| Prevention grant(27) | -- | 237 | 357 | |
| Carers grant(28) | -- | 245 | 565 | 793 |
| Children's grant(28) | -- | 566 | 890 | 2,163 |
| Mental Health Core grant | 539 | 910 | 1,051 | (29)1,351 |
| Training Support Grant | 352 | 359 | 336 | (29)307 |
(26) The special transitional grant ended in 1998-99
(27) The partnership and prevention grants have been combined in 2001-02 and called the promoting independence grant
(28) The carers' and children's grants were introduced in 1999-2000
(29) Indicative allocation
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