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Beta Interferon

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the cost of beta interferon in other countries. [4564]

Ms Blears: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer him 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 has made no detailed assessment of the costs of beta-interferon treatment in other countries. Direct comparisons of prices of products of this type can be misleading because they are often supplied direct to hospitals at a discount, making published list prices less significant. Furthermore some countries include distribution costs and some aspects of care within the list price while others account for them separately.

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MMR Vaccine

Miss Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if the advice issued in 1988 on the administration of the MMR vaccine to children included a choice of single vaccines. [28790]

Yvette Cooper: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer her 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 combined MMR vaccine was introduced as a replacement to the single measles vaccine and parents were advised to get their children immunised with the combined MMR vaccination. Single measles vaccine remained available for a short transitional period until the manufacturers of the vaccine advised the Department of Health that they no longer intended to supply single measles vaccine to the UK. Rubella vaccine remained part of the school girls immunisation programme until 1994 when it was discontinued. However, rubella vaccine remains available for rubella susceptible women and health care workers. Single mumps vaccine has never been routinely available.

I have placed in the Library copies of the 1988 leaflet which gave advice to parents as well as the media pack and the letter to the NHS from the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Nursing Officer that gave details of the introduction of the combined MMR vaccine.

Beechwood Lodge, Basingstoke

Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will instigate an inquiry into the circumstances of the deaths of Alexander Deas, Joseph Gildea, Tony Spong and Peter Swain, former residents of Beechwood Lodge, Basingstoke, and assess the performance of Hampshire Social Services and other agencies in providing care and support for former residents of Beechwood Lodge. [35060]

Jacqui Smith: I apologise to the hon. Member for the delay in responding to this question. I refer him 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.

We are not planning to instigate an inquiry. However, there is an internal inquiry being undertaken by Basingstoke and Deane borough council and Stonham Housing Association about the closure of this resource and the arrangements made to meet the needs of the residents.

Pesticide Residues

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to set up a monitoring programme for pesticide residues in fruit supplied to the national school fruit scheme; and if he will publish the results of such monitoring. [36088]

Yvette Cooper: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer her to the reply that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave

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my hon. Friend the Member for Blackpool, North and Fleetwood (Mrs. Humble) on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 192W.

The Department of Health has established a programme of testing for pesticide residues on fruit supplied as part of the National School Fruit Scheme and will make the results available in due course.

Measles

Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the outbreak of measles centred on a school in Edgware. [36035]

Yvette Cooper [holding answer 13 February 2002]: I apologise to my hon. Friend for the delay in responding to this question. I refer him 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.

There have been six confirmed cases of measles in two families.

The local health authority has written to all parents to encourage MMR vaccination and has also contacted all the GPs of children at the school to promote immunisation. GPs have also been asked to ensure that they notify any suspected case to consultants in communicable disease control so that salivary testing can be arranged.

Autism

Mrs. Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proportion of children who have been diagnosed with autism and born since 1990 are male; [37419]

(2) at what age autism is most commonly diagnosed. [37418]

Jacqui Smith: In December 2001 the Medical Research Council (MRC) published a comprehensive review of autism research, which provides an authoritative overview of the current state of knowledge on the epidemiology and causes of autism. The report, which was commissioned by the Department and included a wide range of experts and a "lay" group including autism charities and parents, is available on the MRC website at www.mrc.ac.uk. It provides a broad account of the best available information about autism spectrum disorders, including issues concerning diagnosis.

On age at diagnosis, the report says:

"There are a number of studies reporting that the majority of parents are aware that something is not quite right in the months leading up to the second birthday. In a study of individuals aged two to over 40 years, the average age at diagnosis was five years for autism and 11 years for Asperger disorder. Age at diagnosis is likely, however, to vary greatly by region (according to services available), by year (with age at diagnosis falling in many places) and by the nature of the autistic spectrum disorder (with high-functioning, and perhaps severely intellectually impaired, people being diagnosed later)."

Information about the proportion of children born with autism since 1990 who are male is not available.

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Haemophilia

Phil Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many haemophiliacs have not received compensation for blood borne diseases which they may have contracted as a result of blood transfusions; and in what circumstances claims are rejected; [37204]

(2) how many haemophiliacs have received compensation for blood borne diseases contracted as a result of blood transfusions; and what criteria are used to determine (a) entitlement and (b) the level of compensation. [37203]

Yvette Cooper: In 1988, a special payments scheme was established through the MacFarlane Trust for haemophilia patients infected with HIV before the technology existed to eliminate the virus from blood products. To date, 1,240 haemophilia patients have received payments through the trust.

Under the special payments scheme, each registrant received £20,000 in 1990 and a further sum in 1991, depending on their status:

Single adult—£43,500


Married adult without dependent children—£52,000


Adult with dependent children—£80,500


Children under 18—£41,000.

In addition, each registrant has received since 1 October 1990 regular payments, which range between £255 and £650 depending on whether partners are also infected and on the number of dependent children.

A copy of the MacFarlane Trust handbook, with the full details of the scheme, has been placed in the Library.

Refurbishment

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 1 February 2002, Official Report, column 630W, what the cost of refurbishing each ministerial private office was in each year since May 1997. [37892]

Ms Blears: No ministerial offices have been refurbished since May 1997. The only works undertaken in addition to the Department's general maintenance, repair and renewal programme in the four-year period ending 31 March 2001 were in 1997–98 and totalled £19,000.

Free Nursing Care

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the average number of reassessments each person who is in receipt of free nursing care will need before they die; [39170]

(2) what estimates have been made of the number of self-funders who will be eligible for free nursing care in (a) 2002–03, (b) 2003–04 and (c) 2004–05; [39168]

(3) what assessment he has made of the benefit reductions to self-funders who are eligible for the top banding of free nursing care. [39169]

Jacqui Smith: People in nursing homes receiving national health service funding towards their care by a registered nurse will not have any benefits that they were receiving reduced as a result, regardless of the band of care to which they are assigned.

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The numbers would be expected to rise from around 42,000 in 2001 by some 500 to 600 per year over the next few years. However, this estimate does not take account of other factors, such as the preferences of older people and rising home ownership among older people, which may affect this.

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