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Osteoporosis

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the number of (a) emergency readmissions and (b) delayed discharges as the result of osteoporotic hip fractures in the last 12 months. [56137]

Jacqui Smith: Information on emergency re-admissions is available in "NHS Performance Indicators: Acute NHS Hospital Trusts" and "NHS Performance Indicators: Health Authorities" which has been placed in the Library. The re-admissions data includes that for patients who received treatment in hospital for a fractured hip, but not specifically relating to osteoporosis.

Alzheimer's Disease (Memory Test)

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will visit Cambridge Cognition Ltd. in order to see a demonstration of the Cantab Paired Associates memory test for Alzheimer's disease. [56579]

Ms Blears: There are currently no plans to visit Cambridge Cognition Ltd. to see the Cantab Paired Associates memory test for Alzheimer's disease. Consideration is being given to the inclusion of a clinical guideline on the management of dementia within the

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programme of work of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence, and such a guideline would cover diagnosis of dementia, including memory tests such as this one.

GPs

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs were registered as working within (a) the Weston area health trust and (b) the Avon health authority in each of the past three years. [58824]

Ms Blears: Information on general practitioners (GPs) is collected and held by primary care trusts (or their predecessor primary care groups and health authorities) rather than by national health service trusts. The number of GPs registered as working within primary care groups and trusts in the Weston area and within Avon health authority in each of the past three years are shown in the table.

General medical practitioners in Avon health authority and its primary care groups 1999–2000

	1999	2000
Avon health authority	705	702
Primary care groups
Bath	72	73
Bristol East	43	41
Bristol Inner City	37	37
Bristol North West	88	90
Bristol South	67	62
Bristol South East	42	44
Bristol West	35	36
Greater Wansdyke	60	61
Severnvale	42	37
South East Gloucestershire	91	98
Weston Super Mare	45	44
Woodspring	83	79

Notes:

1. All practitioners include UPEs, restricted principals, assistants, GP registrars, salaried doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS other and GP retainers.

2. In 2001, existing primary care groups within Avon health authority merged to become a different set of primary care groups and trusts. It is not possible to 'map' one set with the other.

3. Data as at 1 October 1999, and 30 September 2000 and 2001.

Source:

General and personal medical service statistics.

General medical practitioners in Avon health authority and its primary care groups/trusts 2001

	2001
Avon health authority	740
Primary care groups and trusts
Bath and North East Somerset	145
Bristol North Cluster	84
Bristol South and West Cluster	74
North Somerset	178
South Gloucestershire	129

Notes:

1. All practitioners include UPEs, restricted principals, assistants, GP registrars, salaried doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS other and GP retainers.

2. In 2001, existing primary care groups within Avon health authority merged to become a different set of primary care groups and trusts. It is not possible to 'map' one set with the other.

3. Data as at 1 October 1999, and 30 September 2000 and 2001.

Source:

General and personal medical service statistics.

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Sexual Health

Mr. Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of the percentage of people below the age of 24 using a condom when engaging in sexual intercourse; what the average age is at which young people in the UK have their first sexual experience; and what percentage of new HIV infections in the UK since 1997 were among people under the age of 24 years. [58786]

Ms Blears: The second national survey of sexual attitudes and lifestyles (Natsal 2000) provides the best available evidence about current sexual behaviour. It was based on a survey of over 11,000 males and females aged 16 to 44 across Britain.

Key findings were that 83 per cent. of males and 80 per cent. of females aged between 16 and 19 and 77 per cent. of males and 76 per cent. of females aged between 20 and 24, at the time of interview, reported using a condom at first intercourse.

The median age of first intercourse among those aged between 16 and 19 at the time of interview was 16, for both males and females. Less than one-third of young people reported having sex before age 16.

The latest available information from the public health laboratory service shows that the percentage of new diagnoses of HIV in people under 24 years of age was 9.8 per cent. in 1997; 9.3 per cent. in 1998, 9.3 per cent. in 1999; 10.8 per cent in 2000 and 9.6 per cent. in 2001.

ME

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research his Department has sponsored into the causes of ME. [58739]

Ms Blears: The Medical Research Council (MRC) is the main Government agency for research into the causes of and treatments for disease and receives its funding via the Department for Trade and Industry. The Department has asked the MRC to develop a broad strategy for advancing biomedical and health services research on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME). The MRC will be appointing an independent scientific advisory group which will include scientists with expertise in areas such as epidemiology, physiology, immunology, infections, clinical trials and psychological medicine. The MRC will be consulting with its consumer liaison group members as to the best means by which patient and charity perspectives can be taken into account.

The Department has not recently funded any research specifically into the causes of CFS/ME. The Department funds research to support policy and the delivery of effective practice in the national health service. However, the Department is supporting research on cognitive behavioural therapy in CFS and on family focused cognitive behavioural therapy for adolescents with chronic fatigue syndrome. Recently completed departmental- funded research projects on ME include a systematic review to determine the effectiveness of treatments and interventions for patients with CFS/ME.

Details of research projects supported through the national health service research and development levy can be found on the National Research Register (NRR) at:

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www.doh.gov.uk/research.nrr.htm The NRR contains many details of projects/trials funded by the research councils and other funders.

Patient Data

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will amend the Health and Social Care Act 2001 so that its powers cannot apply to the wider use and disclosure of genetic data without the consent of the patient; and if he will make a statement. [59221]

Ms Blears: Section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001 already provides safeguards to prevent confidential patient data being disclosed unnecessarily and the flexibility to introduce others where appropriate. The patient information advisory group will advise me, following discussion with the Human Genetics Commission, where additional safeguards are necessary.

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to regulate the use and disclosure of genetic data; and if he will make a statement. [59222]

Ms Blears: Activity in this area is already regulated by the provisions of the Data Protection Act, the Human Rights Act and common law requirements. Where common law requirements are replaced by the regulatory code introduced through section 60 of the Health and Social Care Act 2001, there is flexibility to introduce a wide range of restrictions if appropriate. The Government are studying the Human Genetics Commission's report, "Inside Information—Balancing Interests in the Use of Personal Genetic Data", and notes that it makes no specific recommendations in relation to the disclosure of medical genetic data.

Regional Organisations

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what regional organisation his Department has; and if he will list the counties and unitary authorities in each region in (a) 1997 and (b) 2002. [58942]

Mr. Lammy: The Department's eight national health service regional offices and the counties and unitary authorities they served in 1997 are shown in table 1, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

In 1997, there was no easily definable relationship between the Department's four social care regions and the administrative geography. Details of the relationship are not available centrally and could be compiled at only disproportionate cost.

From April 2002, the Department has nine public health groups (each led by a Director of Public Health) co-located with the Government offices for the regions and nine offices of the Social Services Inspectorate which are coterminous with the boundaries for the Government offices. The details are shown in table 2, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

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