House of Commons Hansard Written Answers for 22 Apr 2002 (pt 30)

Photodynamic Therapy

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the number of people who will purchase photodynamic therapy privately in each of the next four years. [50057]

Mr. Hutton [holding answer 16 April 2002]: The Department does not routinely collect information on treatment carried out privately and we are, therefore, unable to provide an estimate of the number of people who are likely to purchase photodynamic therapy privately in the next few years.

NHS Finance

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much ring-fenced money was made available for spending on mental health services on the Isle of Wight in financial years (a) 2000–01, (b) 2001–02 and (c) 2002–03. [50066]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 16 April 2002]: Funding is as follows:

(a) 2000–01: £34,000 for child and adolescent mental health services.

(b) 2001–02: no specific allocations.

Total funds available for mental health services include those provided in the former Portsmouth and South East Hampshire health authority are and not solely for services on the Isle of Wight.

Infant Vaccines

Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to require NICE to give comprehensive assessments of new infant vaccines. [51602]

Yvette Cooper: Progress in development of new vaccines is reviewed regularly by Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI), the independent expert committee on vaccines for the United Kingdom. This committee comprehensively assesses new vaccines as they become available. The agenda and working papers of JCVI are available to National Institute for Clinical Excellence. There are no plans at present to change this arrangement although this is kept under regular review.

Telecommunications Masts

Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research into health the Government have initiated following the recommendations of the Stewart report in respect of telecommunications masts. [51605]

Yvette Cooper: The Mobile Telephone Health Research (MTHR) Programme was set up in February 2001 following the publication of a report in May 2000 by an Independent Expert Group on Mobile Phones under the chairmanship of Sir William Stewart FRS, FRSE on

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"Mobile Phones and Health". Radio signals from handsets were identified as a research priority because localised exposures of people using phones are in general appreciably higher than exposures to the whole body from base stations. In both cases, however, exposures need to comply with exposure guidelines.

The first group of proposals agreed for funding by the Programme Management Committee has generally related to the areas of research identified in the Stewart Report. Although the main focus of much of the funded research relates to the use of mobile phones, in practice many of the experimental studies will also be valuable in providing evidence on any possible effects on people of exposures to radio frequency (RF) radiation from base stations. The agreed programme includes a study on exposures from the newer types of base station that are being introduced in urban areas. Details of research now underway are given on the MTHR website at www.mthr.org.uk.

A second call for proposals was issued last year and applicants have been invited to submit more detailed research applications which will be considered by the Programme Management Committee in the summer. The aim of this call was to extend the range of research being carried out under the aegis of the MTHR programme and some of the proposals are of direct relevance to exposures to RF radiation from base stations.

Health Expenditure

Mr. Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average health expenditure per person was in (a) St. Helens, (b) Liverpool, (c) Manchester, (d) London, (e) England and (f) Wales in (i) 1998, (ii) 1999, (iii) 2000, (iv) 2001 and (v) the quarter to 31 March 2002. [48675]

Mr. Hutton: Expenditure per weighted head of population is shown in the table for St. Helens and Knowsley, Liverpool and Manchester health authorities, for all health authorities within the London regional office area and for England. Information for Wales is the responsibility of the National Assembly for Wales. Information for 2001–02 is not available until the autumn.

£

Expenditure per weighted head

Health body 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01

St. Helens and Knowsley HA 594.89 658.59 749.06

Liverpool HA 613.87 736.12 887.35

Manchester HA 664.41 773.81 869.02

London 649.43 764.49 886.12

England 627.77 721.10 825.38

	Expenditure per weighted head
Health body	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01
St. Helens and Knowsley HA	594.89	658.59	749.06
Liverpool HA	613.87	736.12	887.35
Manchester HA	664.41	773.81	869.02
London	649.43	764.49	886.12
England	627.77	721.10	825.38

Notes:

1. Expenditure is taken from health authority and primary care trust summarisation forms which are prepared on a resource basis and therefore differ from cash allocations in the year.

2. Allocations per weighted head of population provide a much more reliable measure to identify differences between funding of health authorities.

3. The expenditure is the total expenditure of the health authority and the commissioning expenditure of the primary care trusts within each health authority area. The majority of General Dental Services expenditure is not included in the health authority or primary care trust accounts and is separately accounted for by the Dental Practice Board. The majority of drugs expenditure in 1998–99 and a smaller element in 1999–2000 and 2000–01 is accounted for by the Prescription Pricing Authority and not by health authorities.

4. Health authorities and primary care trusts should account for their expenditure on a gross basis. This results in an element of double counting in 2000–01 where one body acts as the main commissioner and is then reimbursed by other bodies. The effect of this double counting within the answer cannot be identified.

5. Some health authorities act as lead commissioners for particular specialties or training which inflates their figures when compared with others and also causes differences between years. Other factors may also distort the figures so the results are not all directly comparable with each other and with answers to similar questions for previous years.

Source:

Health authority audited accounts 1998–99

Health authority audited summarisation forms 1999–2000 and 2000–01

Primary care trust audited summarisation schedules 2000–01

Weighted population estimates for 1997–98 to 2000–01

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Pertussis

Mrs. Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what factors underlay the period time available to general practitioners to introduce the pre-school pertussis booster in 2001. [51603]

Yvette Cooper: In 2001, general practitioners were asked to switch from providing diphtheria tetanus vaccine to diphtheria tetanus pertussis vaccine as soon as they had received their supplies of the replacement vaccine.

Parliamentary Questions

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the hon. Member for East Worthing and Shoreham can expect answers to his Questions Ref. (a) 7597 (holding answer 15.10.01), (b) 7600 (holding answer 15.10.01), (c) 7606 (holding answer 15.10.01), (d) 24676 (holding answer 15.10.01), (e) 24341 (holding answer 15.10.01), (f) 12606 (holding answer 5.11.01), (g) 19224 (holding answer 29.11.01), (h) 26497 (holding answer 11.1.02), (i) 26496 (holding answer 11.1.02), (j) 26496 (holding answer 11.1.02), (k) 24681 (tabled 17.12.01), (l) 24310 (tabled 17.12.01) and (m) 24326 (holding answer 8.1.02). [37144]

Yvette Cooper: Pursuant to the reply given to the hon. Member by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health on 5 March 2002, Official Report, column 285W, replies to the hon. Member's questions were given as follows: