House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 12 Mar 2002 (pt 57)

General Practitioner (Child Registration)

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children aged (a) under five and

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(b) five to 18 were known not to be registered with a general practitioner (i) in 2002 and (ii) five years ago; and what proportion they represent of the cohort. [35211]

Mr. Hutton [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.

The Department does not have any data on "non- registered patients".

BCG Vaccine

Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the availability of the BCG vaccine in schools in Buckingham. [5649]

Yvette Cooper [holding answer 20 July 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 Government's policy is that all school children should be immunised with BCG between the ages of 10 and 14 if they have not previously been immunised. Initially, in Buckinghamshire, this vaccine was offered to those students who were due to leave school in summer 2001. Where there has been sufficient vaccine and resources, year 10 pupils were also offered testing and immunisation. Any current year 10 and year 11 pupils who have not been offered the vaccine will be offered testing and immunisation during this academic year.

Multiple Sclerosis

Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs the research of Professor Alan Ebringer of Kings College, associated with BSE, and its implications for multiple sclerosis. [27036]

Yvette Cooper: The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) provides scientifically based advice to the Department of Health, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the Food Standards Agency and the devolved Administrations on matters relating to spongiform encelopathies, taking into account the remits of other bodies with related responsibilities. At SEAC's meeting on 6 February 2002, Professor Ebringer and his colleagues gave a presentation outlining both the autoimmune hypothesis for the cause of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) and the diagnostic test that had been developed on the basis of the proposed aetiology. Following a lengthy discussion, SEAC considered that Professor Ebringer supported his theory by using a limited choice of publications, and that he had disregarded much of the published literature.

SEAC concluded that, on the basis of the results presented, there was little justification at this time for carrying out additional work. The minutes of SEAC's discussions can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/ animalh/bse/bse-publications/seac/mins06–02–02.pdf

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STI-571

Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will ensure that patients participating in the UK trials for the drug STI-571, who receive proven benefits from the drug during the trial, will continue to have STI-571 made available to them, pending the appraisal of the drug by the National Institute of Clinical Excellence; [5667]

Ms Blears: [pursuant to his reply, 30 November 2001, c.1200W]: 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.

A letter about the future provision of Glivec (STI-571), agreed by Ministers and signed by both Neil McKay, the Chief Operating Officer, and Professor Mike Richards, the National Cancer Director, was sent on 24 October to all NHS Regional Directors.

Novartis, the manufacturers of Glivec, made a limited free supply available for those patients on the Extended Access Programme (EAP) after which it was for health authorities and trusts to discuss the funding of the treatment. However, as the letter of the 24 October makes clear, there is no question of treatment being withdrawn from patients on funding grounds once EAP supplies ends. Treatment should cease only on clinical grounds.

Those patients involved in trials of Glivec will continue to have their treatments funded by Novartis.

Herceptin

Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if Herceptin has received approval from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence; what plans he has to increase its availability to NHS patients; and if he will make a statement. [1416]

Yvette Cooper: An announcement will be made shortly.

Hospital Trust Chief Executives

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the salaries of the hospital trust chief executives in England, including bonus payments; and what are the terms of their bonus/incentive schemes. [7597]

Mr. Hutton [holding answer 15 October 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.

Information on the salaries of individual hospital trust chief executives is confidential. National health service trust summarisation schedules for 2000–01 contain information for total remuneration of NHS trust chief executives, which includes basic salary, benefits and

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performance related bonuses. The basic salary may include compensation for loss of office. The table showing the breakdown of total remuneration by band has been placed in the Library.

PRIME MINISTER

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Chope: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his answer of 6 March 2002, refs 40634–7, Official Report, column 343W, what consideration he gives to the application of the Ministerial Code of July 2001 paragraph 1(iv), when answering written parliamentary questions. [42401]

The Prime Minister: Paragraph 1 of the Ministerial Code sets out Ministers' responsibilities in relation to Parliament and the public.

LNM Holdings

Mr. Blunt: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral answer of 13 February 2002, Official Report, column 198, by what means he was first informed of the donation by Mr. Mittal to the Labour Party registered on 20 June 2001. [41841]

The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to add to my previous answer.

Mr. Blunt: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to the statement of 5 March 2002, of the Secretary of State for Wales, Official Report, column 169, who, within his office, amended the draft of his letter to the Prime Minister of Romania concerning LNM steel. [41845]

The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 14 February 2002, Official Report, columns 610–11W.

Ministerial Code

Mr. Chope: To ask the Prime Minister if he will extend the principles of ministerial conduct set out in the Ministerial Code to the giving of accurate and truthful information outside Parliament. [42839]

The Prime Minister: Paragraph 1 of the Ministerial Code sets out Ministers' responsibilities in relation to Parliament and the public.

Iraq

Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his statement to the House of 6 March 2002, Official Report, column 297, in what form he plans to consult the House (a) before and (b) after commitment of British forces to action in Iraq. [42409]

The Prime Minister: I have nothing further to add to my statement, and the answer I gave the hon. Member for Hackney, North and Stoke Newington (Ms Abbott) on 6 March 2002, Official Report, column 287.

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UK European Commissioner

Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Prime Minister what the procedure and timescale will be for the appointment of the UK's Commissioner to the EU in 2005; and if he will submit the role to his candidate for scrutiny by select committees. [42619]

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The Prime Minister: The procedure for selecting, in mid-2004, the President and members of the next European Commission are as set out in the EU Treaty. The role of national parliaments (and their Scrutiny Committees) in the EU generally will be considered in the 'European Convention' that has just started.