---

Recombinant Drugs

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he plans to extend the availability of recombinant drugs to all haemophiliacs in England; and if he will make a statement. [67839]

Ms Blears: The Government are considering whether to make recombinant clotting factors available to all haemophiliacs in England taking full account of representations made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Haemophilia, the haemophilia society, the United Kingdom haemophilia centre doctors organisation and others. A decision will be taken later this year.

17 Jul 2002 : Column 422W

Oncology Patients

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many medical oncology patients were waiting for elective admission for (a) ordinary and (b) day cases in each (i) quarter and (ii) year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [67869]

Ms Blears: The table shows the number of medical oncology patients waiting for elective ordinary admission and day cases. Quarterly data is available only for the final quarter of the financial year 1997–98.

Patients waiting for elective admission: Medical oncology specialtyPosition at end of quarter: NHS Trusts, England

Quarter end	Ordinary admissions	Day case admissions
March 1997	281	105
March 1998	300	175
June 1998	260	174
September 1998	290	165
December 1998	277	158
March 1999	131	66
June 1999	115	80
September 1999	108	54
December 1999	85	48
March 2000	122	77
June 2000	92	59
September 2000	63	19
December 2000	88	32
March 2001	53	35
June 2001(38)	65	70
September 2001(38)	74	79
December 2001(38)	66	68
March 2002(38)	69	61

⁽³⁸⁾ The data does not include results from Leicester NHS Trust due to the Trust recording clinical oncology data against the medical oncology specialty.

Source:

Department of Health form KH07

Reserve Forces Doctors

Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact on the NHS of the compulsory mobilisation of reserve forces doctors on 16 May. [67685R]

Mr. Hutton: The compulsory mobilisation to date has had minimal impact on the ability of the national health service to meet its commitments on delivery, timing, planning and organisation. The Department has been liaising closely with the Ministry of Defence throughout the planning of the compulsory mobilisation.

Somatropin

Phil Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to receive advice from the National Institute for Clinical Excellence on Somatropin. [67734]

Ms Blears: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued guidance on human growth hormone in children in May 2002. I understand that NICE's guidance on human growth hormone in adults was due to be issued this month. However, since the final appraisal determination has been appealed against, the guidance will be issued at the earliest in October 2002, subject to the outcome of the appeal.

17 Jul 2002 : Column 423W

Rubella Vaccine

Miss Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 2 July 2002, Official Report, column 311W, how much rubella vaccine has been supplied to each clinic over the last year. [68609]

Ms Blears: In the period 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002, the total amount of rubella vaccine issued to non-national health service accounts by Farillon Ltd was 8,576 doses. As these are private transactions, it would be for these customers to disclose the individual details.

Young Disabled People

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals the Government have to provide adequate information about sex to disabled young people; and if he will make a statement. [68182]

Ms Blears: All mainstream and special schools have a duty to ensure that children and young people with special educational and learning difficulties are properly included in sex and relationship education (SRE). As part of our teenage pregnancy strategy work is in hand to improve SRE for all disabled young people, including those with physical and learning disabilities, mental health and behavioural problems and severe disability.

MS Drugs

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made to make (a) beta interferon and (b) glatiramer available for MS sufferers by (i) primary care trusts and (ii) hospital trusts serving Sutton and Cheam. [68991]

Mr. Hutton: Sutton and Merton Primary Care Trust (PCT) has implemented National Institute for Clinical Excellence recommendations of prescribing drugs for patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). All eligible patients are being fully funded. These services are being provided to MS patients in Sutton and Cheam, at Atkinson Morley Hospital which is part of St. George's Healthcare National Health Service Trust.

Copaxone (glatiramer acetate) is available on the NHS under the 'risk-sharing scheme for disease modifying drugs for multiple sclerosis (MS) that came into operation on 6 May 2002.

Royal Bournemouth and

Poole Hospitals NHS Trust

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients at the Royal Bournemouth and Poole Hospitals NHS Trust are awaiting treatment with steroids for the management of chronic pain; what financial constraints have affected the availability of the treatments; and if he will make a statement. [69063]

Ms Blears: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Endometriosis

Dr. Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research is being undertaken in the UK to find possible causes of a treatment for endometriosis. [69420]

17 Jul 2002 : Column 424W

Ms Blears: There are nine ongoing and 49 recently completed projects about endometriosis shown on the national research register, which gives information about research funded by, or of interest to, the national health service. In addition, there are 11 relevant abstracts from the Cochrane database of systematic reviews shown. Details of all these can be found on www.doh.gov.uk/ research/nrr.htm.

NHS Treatment (Entitlement)

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what checks are made on foreign nationals to determine their entitlement to NHS treatment. [69433]

Ms Blears: Entitlement to national health service hospital treatment is based on residence in the United Kingdom. People who are not normally resident in the UK are subject to the provisions of the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) regulations, as amended in 1991 (SI No:438), 1994 (SI No:1535), 2000 (SI No: 602), 2000 (SI No:909). These regulations place a duty on hospitals and other NHS bodies to establish the residence qualification of all patients.

General practitioners are encouraged to consider residency before accepting a patient for NHS treatment but are not bound by the same regulations. Under the NHS (General Medical Services) Regulations 1992 a general practitioner does not have to accept any patient for NHS treatment unless specifically allocated by a primary care trust. The general practitioner's decision does not automatically exempt the patient from charges for hospital treatment they may subsequently need.

Health Funding

Mr. Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to change the funding arrangements for GP practices in England; and what progress has been made on the reform of the present health funding system. [69248]

Mr. Hutton: The framework document for the new general medical services contract, which was agreed with the British Medical Association's general practitioners' (GP) committee in April, contains proposals for new ways of funding GP practices. Detailed negotiations on the contract are taking place now the framework has been approved in a ballot of GPs.

With regard to the reform of the present health funding system, a wide ranging review of the weighted capitation formula used to allocate resources to health authorities and primary care trusts in England is currently taking place. A key criterion of the new formula will be to contribute to the reduction of avoidable health inequalities. The intention is that, following the review, the new formula will be ready for 2003–04 allocations.

Health Service Expenditure

Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by health authority in England and Wales the spending per head of population in each year since 1995. [69776]

Mr. Hutton: The expenditure per head of population by health authority in England has been placed in the Library. Information for Wales is a matter for the National

17 Jul 2002 : Column 425W

Assembly for Wales. Health authorities were established on 1 April 1996. Data for 1995–96 is not available on a consistent basis as district health authorities and family health services authorities were not coterminous.

---