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Chiropody

Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the numbers of persons entering training as chiropodists. [57218]

Mr. Hutton: Chiropodists are included within the NHS Plan target for 4,450 more therapists and other key professional staff entering training each year by 2004. Our latest forecast or meeting this target suggest an increase of more than a hundred places (34 per cent.) over current levels by 2004.

We intend to work with the society of chiropodists and podiatrists to raise the profile of the profession and encourage students to enter training.

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to strategic health authorities and primary care trusts on the provision of chiropody services; and if he will make a statement. [58515]

Jacqui Smith: No guidance has been issued to strategic health authorities or primary care trusts (PCTs) on provision of chiropody services. However, chiropody/ podiatry services are essential parts of the national service frameworks for older people and diabetes. The

23 May 2002 : Column 594W

Department has also launched a "National Primary and Care Trust programme (NatPaCT)" designed to support PCTs in delivering their key functions which will be:

improving the health of the community,


securing the provision of high quality services, and


integrating health and social care locally.

As local organisations, PCTs are best placed to understand the needs of their patient populations. This will ensure that the right services are delivered to the right people in the right location at the right time.

Violent Incidents

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish figures for violent incidents against NHS staff. [58348]

Mr. Hutton: The analysis of data collected on the levels of reported violent incidents, together with data on the levels of reported accidents and sickness absence should be complete by the end of May. A copy will be placed in the Library.

23 May 2002 : Column 595W

Scanners

Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many MRI scanners the NHS has. [57513]

Yvette Cooper: There are currently 198 magnetic resonance imaging scanners (MRI) installed in the national health service in England.

In September 1999 the new opportunities fund (NOF) provided funding for the purchase of equipment in support of the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, which included 38 new and replacement MRI scanners. Of these, 30 have been delivered and are operational.

NOF announced further funding in November 2001 for 16 MRI scanners to be used for the diagnosis of stroke. 11 of these scanners will be additional and five will be replacement. All are due to be installed by the end of 2003.

The NHS Plan and NHS Cancer Plan make a commitment for a further 50 additional MRI scanners to be installed in the NHS by 2004.

Flu Vaccine

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the take-up rates for flu vaccine were at (a) 1 November and (b) 1 December 2001 for each health authority. [58035]

Yvette Cooper [holding answer 21 May 2002]: Information received from flu co-ordinators show the uptake rates in those aged 65 years and over at 1 November and 1 December for each health authority as follows:

	November 2001	December 2001
Eastern
Bedfordshire	45.6	59.3
Cambridgeshire	55.5	70.5
Hertfordshire	47.9	61.3
Norfolk	51.7	65.6
North Essex	55.7	65.5
South Essex	50.9	63.4
Suffolk	55.1	65.7
Northern and Yorkshire
Bradford	53.3	64.3
Calderdale and Kirklees	55.3	64.2
County Durham and Darlington	52.8	63.9
East Riding and Hull	42.5	67.3
Gateshead and South Tyneside	55.1	67.7
Leeds	56.3	69.7
Newcastle and North Tyneside	57.0	66.7
North Cumbria	54.9	67.6
North Yorkshire	58.5	70.6
Northumberland	58.6	68.9
Sunderland	55.4	65.5
Tees	51.4	64.8
Wakefield	56.6	66.4
South-east
Berkshire	53.9	67.3
Buckinghamshire	51.7	65.2
East Kent	57.0	65.0
East Surrey	45.6	62.3
East Sussex, Brighton/Hove	54.9	68.5
North and Mid-Hants	37.9	69.5
Northamptonshire	58.2	66.3
Oxfordshire	54.3	69.4
Portsmouth and South-east Hants	51.8	65.7
Southampton and South-west Hants	57.8	68.1
West Kent	55.0	64.0
West Surrey	47.0	41.9
West Sussex	57.2	63.5
North-west
Bury and Rochdale	42.9	59.4
East Lancashire	49.1	63.3
Liverpool	48.6	61.1
Manchester	46.8	55.4
Morecambe Bay	47.2	65.2
North Cheshire	54.1	62.8
North-west Lancashire	38.6	56.7
Salford and Trafford	51.2	64.5
Sefton	54.4	66.7
South Cheshire	57.0	68.4
South Lancashire	55.5	67.1
St. Helen's and Knowsley	54.3	65.0
Stockport	52.4	67.9
West Pennine	49.2	63.3
Wigan and Bolton	53.4	63.9
Wirral	48.1	62.8
London
Barking and Havering	50.2	64.1
Bexley and Greenwich (Bromley)	49.2	60.0
Brent and Harrow	47.5	61.9
Camden and Islington	43.4	50.1
Croydon	44.1	59.5
Ealing, Hammersmith, Hounslow	42.7	56.4
East London and City	47.0	56.5
Enfield and Haringey (Barnet)	50.1	65.6
Hillingdon	68.6	63.4
Kensington, Chelsea, Westminster	35.7	46.9
Kingston and Richmond	50.3	61.5
Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham	38.4	47.5
Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth	46.7	60.6
Redbridge and Waltham Forest	50.7	63.3
South and West
Avon	49.0	67.5
Cornwall and Isles of Scilly	49.4	60.6
Dorset	53.5	65.2
Gloucestershire	53.4	67.8
North and East Devon	55.6	66.5
Somerset	50.9	63.1
South and West Devon	51.1	65.7
Wiltshire	52.8	63.9
Trent
Barnsley	49.4	63.8
Doncaster	55.9	68.3
Leicestershire	49.7	61.9
Lincolnshire	54.9	66.3
North Derbyshire	61.5	72.1
North Nottinghamshire	54.0	65.4
Nottingham	57.3	66.5
Rotherham	57.8	74.9
Sheffield	54.2	70.7
Southern Derbyshire	58.2	68.3
South Humber	55.7	68.3
West Midlands
Birmingham	51.1	60.4
Coventry	48.9	61.1
Dudley	50.8	63.2
Herefordshire	63.1	68.7
North Staffordshire	57.9	68.2
Sandwell	48.8	57.4
Shropshire	55.6	67.2
Solihull	56.9	67.4
South Staffordshire	53.8	65.3
Walsall	53.2	61.7
Warwickshire	57.6	69.6
Wolverhampton	50.2	64.2
Worcester	54.6	67.5

23 May 2002 : Column 597W

MMR

Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason children given measles, mumps and rubella vaccinations singly have the rubella vaccination first. [57528]

Yvette Cooper: The Government do not recommend the use of separate vaccines to protect children against rubella, measles or mumps and are therefore unable to comment. We recommend that children are vaccinated with the combined measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, as the safest way for parents to protect their children against these potentially very serious diseases.

23 May 2002 : Column 598W

Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if MMR is included in the research into the causes of autism undertaken by his Department. [57529]

Yvette Cooper: The Medical Research Council (MRC)—which receives most of its income via grant-in- aid from the office of my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry—is the main Government agency that funds research into the causes of medical conditions. Their most recent review of the epidemiology and causes of autism, published in December last year, notes that autism seems likely to result from a range of causes but that the strongest evidence to date is for a major genetic component. The report states that several genes may interact to create susceptibility to the disorder. In relation to the combined MMR vaccine, it advises that the evidence does not support the proposed causal link between MMR and autism.

We have since announced the allocation of a further £2.5 million to the MRC for autism research. This will complement and add to the MRC's current support for research in this field. The MRC welcomes high quality applications for support in any scientific area which will further our understanding of autism, and especially those areas which were highlighted in the recent MRC review of autism: causes and epidemiology; this does not preclude research involving MMR.

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