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Residential Services (Special Needs)

Mr. Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish a consultation document on national standards for residential services for adults with disabilities and special needs. [11551]

Jacqui Smith: Draft national minimum standards for care homes for younger adults were issued for consultation on 29 June 2001. The Department is looking again at the national minimum standards for younger adults and adult placements in the light of the comments that have been received during the consultation process. The standards will be published in due course following completion of the review process.

Heart Disease

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time was, from diagnosis to treatment for heart disease in each of the last four years. [11866]

Jacqui Smith: The diagnosis and treatment of heart disease may take place within primary, secondary or tertiary health care services. For those patients who require drug therapy to treat their condition, treatment will follow directly on from diagnosis. Patients requiring treatment in hospital who are not diagnosed as an emergency requiring immediate admission will go on a waiting list for in-patient treatment. The average median waiting times, from the date of a decision to admit a

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patient for treatment for heart disease to the admission date, for the last four years for which data are available, are in the table.

Year	Median waiting time in days
1996–97	57
1997–98	55
1998–99	60
1999–2000	57

The figures are based on hospital in-patients admitted with an OPCS4 procedure code in the range K01 to K71 (heart procedures).

Pharmaceutical Expenditure

Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expenditure per capita was on pharmaceuticals in each of the OECD countries for the most recent year for which figures are available. [11893]

Ms Blears: Expenditure per capita on pharmaceuticals and other medical non-durables in each of the OECD countries for the most recent year for which figures are available is shown in the table.

£

Country	Last available year	Expenditure per capita
Australia	1998	118
Austria	n/a	n/a
Belgium	1997	203
Canada	2000	212
Czech Republic	1999	64
Denmark	1999	155
Finland	1999	160
France	1999	323
Germany	1998	206
Greece	2000	108
Hungary	1999	56
Iceland	1999	258
Ireland	1999	105
Italy	1997	179
Japan	1998	226
Korea	1999	42
Luxembourg	1999	198
Mexico	n/a	n/a
Netherlands	1999	149
New Zealand	1997	115
Norway	1997	157
Poland	n/a	n/a
Portugal	1998	133
Slovakia	n/a	n/a
Spain	1997	126
Sweden	1997	172
Switzerland	1998	176
United Kingdom	1997	149
Turkey	1994	16
United States	1999	296

na = Not available

Notes:

1. The table displays figures for the "total expenditure on pharmaceuticals and other medical non-durables", comprising "pharmaceuticals such as medicinal preparations, branded and generic medicines, drugs, patent medicines, serums, vaccines, vitamins and minerals and oral contraceptives plus a wide range of medical non-durables such as bandages, elasticated stockings, incontinence articles, condoms and other mechanical contraceptive devices".

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2. The data have been converted from US$ terms into UK£ terms using the exchange rate series published in the same OECD database.

Source:

Figures are taken from OECD Health Data 2001

Electromagnetic Fields

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the role of overhead powerlines in causing breast cancer. [12068]

Jacqui Smith: The Department obtains advice on the possible health implications of exposure to electromagnetic fields, including those associated with power lines, from the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB). The board of NRPB has set up an independent advisory group on non-ionising radiation (AGNIR)

"to review work on the biological effects of non-ionising radiation relevant to human health and to advise on research priorities".

In March this year, the NRPB's advisory group on non-ionising radiation (AGNIR) published a report on the potential risks of cancer from extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields. Overall AGNIR concluded that

"Laboratory experiments have provided no good evidence that extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields are capable of producing cancer, nor do human epidemiological studies suggest that they cause cancer in general".

In June, the International Agency for Research in Cancer (IARC) based in Lyon, France brought together an international team of experts to review the evidence for the possible carcinogenic effects of exposure to static and extremely low frequency (ELF) electric and magnetic fields. The IARC working group evaluated ELF magnetic fields as "possibly carcinogenic to humans" based on the statistical association of higher level residential ELF magnetic fields with increased risk of childhood leukaemia. In contrast, there is no consistent evidence that residential or occupational exposures of adults to power frequency magnetic fields increase the risk for any kind of cancer.

Mr. Stevenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the conclusions of the California Health Department report on the possible health risks associated with power frequency electric and magnetic fields published in April 2001. [12385]

Jacqui Smith: The Department obtains advice on the possible health implications of exposure to electromagnetic fields, including those associated with power lines, from the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB). The NRPB's independent advisory group on non-ionising radiation was set up:

"to review work on the biological effects of non-ionising radiation relevant to human health and to advise on research priorities".

In March this year the advisory group reported that there is some epidemiological evidence that prolonged exposure to higher levels of exposure to power frequency magnetic fields is associated with a small risk of leukaemia in children but this is, however, not conclusive. They also noted that laboratory studies and human adult studies do not suggest that they cause cancer in general.

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This view has been supported by a similar opinion expressed in a recent review of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields and cancer by the International Agency for Research in Cancer, which classified extremely low frequency magnetic fields as "possibly carcinogenic" on the basis of the statistical association noted for children.

The advisory group discussed the report from the California Department of Health Sciences on possible risks from exposure to power frequency electromagnetic fields at its meeting on 30 October 2001. The group has commented that they know of no further scientific evidence published since their most recent report that would alter their opinion regarding evidence concerning exposure to power frequency electromagnetic fields and the risks of cancer as set out in their published reviews. They noted, however, that the California report also examined the possible effects of power frequency electromagnetic fields on a number of other diseases. NRPB is shortly to publish a review by the advisory group on electromagnetic fields and neurodegenerative diseases.

Special Care Baby Units

Mr. Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what Government initiatives there are to recruit and retain qualified nursing staff for special care baby units; whether there is funding available to recruit and train such staff; what his guidance is on the criteria for closing special care baby units; and if he will make a statement. [12010]

Jacqui Smith: In the first year of the NHS Plan period, the number of nurses employed in the national health service increased by 6,310. We are committed to increasing the number of nurses and are increasing training places, encouraging former staff to return, and increasing international recruitment. The NHS is also changing to become a modern flexible employer.

The staffing of all services should inform a trust's recruitment and retention strategy.

It is for local health communities to decide on the pattern of service provision, including services provided by special care baby units, taking into account the needs of local people, evidence of effectiveness and available resources. The maternity and neonatal work force working group that we set up earlier this year will make recommendations on work force issues and models for configuring maternity services. Its work will feed into the development of the forthcoming national service framework for children and maternity services.

Mental Health

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the effect on NHS mental health services of restrictions imposed by councils on the number of placements to be made by social services in nursing or residential homes; and if he will make a statement. [12052]

Jacqui Smith: There has been no specific assessment of the effect on national health service mental health services of restrictions that any local authorities may have chosen to impose on the number of placements to be made by social services in nursing or residential homes. Most people with mental health problems are able to live in the

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community, and many of those people who are admitted to hospital with mental health problems are able to return to their own homes, or to families, on discharge.

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which (a) voluntary and (b) independent sector groups have been involved in the planning and implementation of the national service framework for mental health. [12053]

Jacqui Smith: Many representatives of charitable and voluntary organisations, including representatives of service user and carer groups, were involved in helping to develop the national service framework for mental health through the external reference group and many continue to be involved in implementation, either through project work led by the Department and/or the mental health taskforce.

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