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Thrombolytic Drugs

Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the date when paramedics will commence administering thrombolytic drugs to heart attack patients in the Wyre Forest constituency before their journey to hospital in Worcester. [33533]

Yvette Cooper: The NHS Plan contained a commitment to improve 'call-to-needle' times for administering thrombolytic drugs for treating heart attack victims.

I am advised that the Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust are already meeting targets set for ambulance response times.

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I understand that the trust, in collaboration with Herefordshire and Worcestershire health authorities, Hereford Hospitals NHS Trust and Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, have initiated procedures laid down in the NHS Plan, published in July 2000, for a three year programme to train and equip ambulance paramedics to provide thrombolysis safely for appropriate patients.

I am advised that paramedics at Hertfordshire and Worcestershire Ambulance Service will commence administering thrombolytic drugs to heart attack patients in the Wyre Forest constituency in May this year. This is part of an 18 month programme covering all 14 ambulance stations in the area.

Television Sets

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) integrated digital and (b) analogue television sets have been bought by his Department in each of the last 24 months; and if he will publish the guidance given to officials making decisions on television purchases. [33233]

Ms Blears: The Department does not record centrally or separately the numbers of televisions, integrated digital or analogue, that it purchases for use within the Department. Specific guidance on the purchase of televisions is not published or disseminated to officials, but buyers are required to follow normal departmental procurement guidance and procedures whenever purchasing such goods.

Lost/Stolen Property

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those items valued at less than £50 each which have been stolen or lost from his Department in each of the last four years. [34217]

Ms Blears: The information requested is as shown.























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Publications

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the publications issued by his Department in each of the last four years; and what the (a) circulation, (b) cost and (c) purpose of each was. [34191]

Ms Blears: The majority of departmental publications issued since 1997 are listed on two departmental databases available on the internet. These are Circulars on the internet (COIN) (www.doh.gov.uk/publications/ coinh.html) and Publications on the internet (POINT) (www.doh.gov.uk/publications/pointh.html).

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This information on (a) cost, (b) circulation and (c) purpose of each is not collected centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

MMR Vaccine

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children received the measles vaccine in (a) each county or health authority and (b) England in each of the five years before the introduction of the MMR vaccine; and what proportion those who had received the vaccine represented of the total number of children under five years of age. [34356]

Yvette Cooper: Immunisation coverage for the years 1983 to 1988 was measured at two years of age. A table of the available information has been placed in the Library. This shows the proportion of under-twos to have received the vaccine.

Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent guidance his Department has given to nursery schools and other providers of early years education and child care about accepting children who (a) have and (b) have not had the MMR vaccine. [36504]

Yvette Cooper: The Department has not given guidance to nursery schools and other providers of early years education and child care about accepting children who have or have not had MMR vaccine.

Migraine

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money the Department has given to (a) research into migraine and (b) care for severe migraine sufferers in each of the past five years; and if he will make a statement. [34634]

Jacqui Smith: The main Government agency for research into the causes of and treatments for disease is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is not currently funding any research into migraine, and has not funded any research in the past five years. The MRC, however, always welcomes high quality applications for support into any aspect of human health and these are judged in open competition with other demands on funding. Awards are made according to their scientific quality and importance.

The Department funds research to support policy and the delivery of effective practice in the national health service. The Health Technology Assessment Programme is currently supporting a project on "Acupuncture for migraine and headache in primary care: a pragmatic, randomised trial" at a total cost of £161,532. This project started in October 1998 and is due to be completed late in 2002.

Figures on how much is spent by the national health service to treat and care for patients with particular conditions such as migraine are not collected centrally.

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