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Treatment Abroad
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what legal advice he has received on the European Court of Justice judgment for receiving health care treatment abroad; and if he will place it in the Library. [11042]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 1 November 2001]: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
Legal advice was received from two counsel. It is not normal practice to publish advice obtained by the Secretary of State and there is no reason to depart from that practice in this case.
Outpatient Waiting Times
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the maximum permitted out-patient waiting time is for NHS patients; and if he will make a statement. [13486]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 14 November 2001]: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
The waiting time standard as set out in the Patient's Charter for a first out-patient appointment from general practitioner (GP) referral is for patients to be seen within 26 weeks. The service is aiming to achieve no patients waiting over 26 weeks following GP referral by the end of March 2002 as a first step towards reducing the maximum wait to three months by the end of March 2005.
Suicide
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the change in the suicide rate between the 1995 and 1997 baseline and the most recent data. [13966]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 15 November 2001]: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State
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gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 23 October 2001, Official Report, column 147W. There are insufficient data available to assess whether the recent rise is a reliable indicator of a particular trend.
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the proportion of young men who commit suicide while suffering from mental illness; and if he will make a statement. [13967]
Jacqui Smith [holding answer 15 November 2001]: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness collect data on suicides by people in contact with mental health services in the year before death. In March 2001, the inquiry published its five-year report, "Safety First", which was based on the detailed study of 5,582 suicides by psychiatric patients in the UK between 1996 and 2000.
The inquiry is crucial to gaining a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding homicides and suicides committed by people with mental illness. The Department is committed to taking appropriate action in response to the findings of the inquiry.
Ward Refurbishments
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funds have been made available to hospital trusts in the last five years specifically for the refurbishment of hospital wards. [26496]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 11 January 2002]: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
The general policy over the last five years has been that the refurbishment of hospital wards is one of the priorities funded from the general capital that is available to national health service trusts. The private finance initiative is also being used to refurbish wards. A summary of capital investment available to the NHS Hospitals and Community Health Service (HCHS) over the last five years is:
| 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Government spending | 1,068 | 782 | 928 | 1,353 | 1,949 |
| Receipts from land sales | 471 | 500 | 549 | 575 | 351 |
| PFI investment | 58 | 170 | 381 | 632 | 788 |
| Total investment | 1,597 | 1,452 | 1,858 | 2,560 | 3,088 |
Source:
Figures taken from 2001–02 departmental report
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During the last five years two budgets have been set up, both in 2001–02, to target funds specifically at ward refurbishment.
| Year | Budget | £ million |
|---|---|---|
| 2001–02 | Refurbishment of psychiatric wards | 15 |
| 2001–02 | Conversion of Nightingale wards | 40 |
Prescribing Budgets
Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expected level of the overspend is on the general practitioner prescribing budget in the Wigan and Bolton health authority; and what the expected average overspend is on the prescription budget for health authorities in England. [31109]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 29 January 2002]: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
The latest forecast of the overspend on practice prescribing budgets for Wigan and Bolton health authority suggests there will be a 12.1 per cent. overspend in 2001–02. This position is based on practice budgets notified to the Prescription Pricing Authority and prescribing data up to and including December 2001. The expected average overspend on prescribing budgets for all health authorities in England indicates a 7.2 per cent. overspend nationally.
- Note:
- The prescribing budgets notified to the PPA are practice level prescribing budgets. They do not necessarily reflect the total resource set aside locally for prescribing as primary care trusts, primary care groups and health authorities may hold contingency reserves.
MMR Vaccine
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many girls received the rubella 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 girls under 12 years of age. [34360]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 7 February 2002]: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
Prior to the introduction of the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, coverage for rubella for girls was measured by 14 years of age. A table of the available information has been placed in the Library.
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MMR Vaccination
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he has taken to improve MMR vaccination rates since 1 January. [34878]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 11 February 2002]: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
Last year, the Department worked with general practitioners and health professionals to give them the most up-to-date information on MMR, so that they could discuss the issues with parents with the help of full access to the facts.
Currently, the Department is working on ways to ensure parents can get answers to their questions including using NHS Direct and the internet, as well as through local health professionals.
A conference was held on Monday 25 February this year, where the latest issues and research were discussed with District Immunisation Co-ordinators, consultants in communicable disease control and representatives from the nursing profession; information packs were made available to all delegates who attended.
The Department will also be working with health authorities and primary care trusts, particularly in low uptake areas, to provide additional information to parents and to ensure all parents are given the opportunity to have their children immunised.
Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what incentives are payable to general practitioners for achieving MMR vaccination targets; and what the targets are. [35214]
Yvette Cooper [holding answer 11 February 2002]: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer the hon. Member to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.
Measles, mumps and rubella is one of the vaccinations which form part of the childhood immunisation programme. The others are diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis, pertussis and haemophilius influenza type b (Hib). General practitioners who provide General Medical Services receive on average a payment of £2,730 per annum for reaching 90 per cent. coverage in childhood immunisations. The average payment for the lower target of 70 per cent. coverage is £910. Actual payments depend on list size. Similar arrangements apply to GPs who work under the arrangements for Personal Medical Services, though the actual payments under this system are agreed locally.
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