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Mutual Organisations

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with mutual organisations which are delivering health and social care. [65013]

Ms Blears [holding answer 27 June 2002]: I hosted a seminar in June with experts and practitioners in the field of social enterprise to explore thinking around social enterprise activities, and their potential contribution in partnership with public services.

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Speech and Language Therapy

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when Morecambe Bay NHS Primary Care Trust will lift its temporary recruitment freeze on speech and language therapists. [68938]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 15 July 2002]: Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust has not implemented a freeze on any posts, and this includes posts in the speech and language therapy service. Lancashire Education Authority recently provided additional funding of 0.4 whole time equivalent to provide speech and language therapy input to the paediatric services. The recruitment process is currently underway.

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve paediatric (a) occupational, (b) physiotherapy and (c) speech and language therapy services in Morecambe and Lunesdale. [68939]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 15 July 2002]: Children's and adolescent services are one of the priorities for the Morecambe Bay health community modernisation programme. As part of this process, the group will be reviewing the needs of children with disabilities and the therapy resources which are available to support them.

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Medical School

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans there are to encourage more men to attend medical school; and if he will make a statement. [70054]

Mr. Hutton: The overall number of medical school places is being increased by 2,150 places over 1997 levels. The increase will have been delivered by autumn 2005. As part of this increase 10 medical schools will be offering shortened graduate entry 4 year courses to students with appropriate qualifications. This is intended to broaden the base of medical school intake.

Since 1997 the number of male entrants to medical school increased by over 250. We expect that trend to continue as the remaining new places come on stream.

Both the Department of Health and the Department for Education and Skills are committed to ensuring that there is a balanced and diverse medical student population of the requisite quality to meet the demand for doctors. This is a matter for ongoing discussion with the universities and medical schools. The Department and Higher Education Funding Council for England joint medical expansion group will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Universities are autonomous bodies who are responsible for operating their own application systems but they collectively adhere to the "Guiding Principles for the Admission of Medical Students" issued by the Council of Heads of Medical Schools in February 1999. This guidance follows principles of fairness, diversity and equity in access.

UK Plasma Products

Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the safety of UK plasma products; and if he will make a statement. [68142]

Ms Blears [holding answer 11 July 2002]: Since 1998 United Kingdom plasma has not been used in the manufacture of plasma derived products, including clotting factors, supplied to the National Health Service. This step was taken to reduce the unknown risks of transmission of vCJD.

Plasma products are tightly regulated by European and United States authorities to minimise the risk of viral transmission. This is achieved by the screening of donor blood and the anti-viral measures taken during manufacture. However no medicinal product can ever be completely free of risk.

Live Kidney Donations

Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the number of live kidney donations. [69161]

Mr. Lammy: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State announced plans to increase organ donation and transplantation, including living kidney donation, at a transplant summit in February 2001. UK transplant, a special health authority established to carry out a range of functions to support transplantation, has been given increased funding to help more renal transplant units to set up live donor transplant programmes.

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Live Donors

Mr. Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for primary care trusts to contribute to a permanent fund for live donors. [69162]

Mr. Lammy: National Health Service commissioners are expected to provide for the cost of a live donor operation and to reimburse any reasonable expenses incurred by a live donor.

Shipman Inquiry

James Purnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish the first report on the Shipman inquiry. [72081]

Mr. Milburn: Dame Janet Smith, chairman of the Shipman inquiry published her first report today. I am grateful to her for the work she has so far carried out. Copies of the inquiry's report have been placed in the Library.

Forced Marriages

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will amend Schedule 2, Part I, of the Children Act 1989, to require local authorities to have regard to the services provided to the victims and potential victims of forced marriages. [70074]

Jacqui Smith: Children who are the victims or potential victims of forced marriages fall within the scope of section 17 of the Children Act 1989, which places a duty on local authorities to safeguard and promote the welfare of children within their area who are in need. That duty would not be strengthened by amending the wording of Part 1 to Schedule 2 of the Act.

EU Directives

Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the EU directives and regulations that have been implemented through his Department in 2002; and what was the cost of each to public funds. [64971]

Mr. Lammy: The following European Union Directives and regulations have been implemented through the Department in 2002:

European Parliament and Council Directive 2001/83/EC on the Community Code Relating to Medicinal Products for Human Use, which incorporated Commission Directive 2000/38/EC on administrative action relating to medicinal products (pharmacovigilance), was implemented by SI 2002/236. There was no cost to public funds associated with implementing this directive.

Directive (2000/70/EC) and Directive (2001/104/EC) was transposed by Medical Devices Regulations 2002 (SI 2002 No. 618). No information is held on costs to public funds for this regulation but a regulatory impact assessment has been produced and placed in the House libraries.

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My Ministerial team is also responsible for making legislation in policy areas covered by the Food Standards Agency. Listed below are the relevant EU Directives and regulations that have been implemented in 2002.

Directive 92/116/EEC and Directive 91/495/EEC were transposed by The Poultry Meat, Farmed Game Bird Meat and Rabbit Meat (Hygiene and inspection) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2001 (SI 2002/3399)

Directive 2001/50 EC was transposed by The Colours in Food (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2001 (SI 2002/3442)

Directive 2001/30/EC was transposed by The Miscellaneous Food Additives (England) (No. 2) Regulations 2001 (SI 2002/3775)

Article 9 of Directive 89/398/EC was transposed by The Notification of Marketing of Food for Particular Nutritional Uses (England and Wales) Regulations 2002 (SI 2002/333)

Directive 2001/52 was transposed by The Sweeteners in food (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2002 (SI2002/379)

Regulation 2001/466 and Directive 2001/22 was transposed by The Contaminants in Food (England) Regulations 2002 (SI 20/02/890)

The cost to public funds of this EU legislation is not recorded centrally and could only be assembled at disproportionate cost.

Prescription Charging

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review the system of prescription charging, with specific reference to patients in (a) day wards and (b) in-patient centres. [70003]

Mr. Lammy: There is no charge for medication administered on hospital premises whether the patient is an in-patient, out-patient or day surgery case. Out-patients and day case patients are required to pay a prescription charge for any medication they are given to take at home, unless they qualify for free prescriptions under the extensive charge exemptions and remission arrangements or hold a pre-payment certificate. In-patients get their discharge medication free of charge. We have no plans to change the current charging arrangements.

Health Service Expenditure

Mr. Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by NHS hospital trust in England and Wales what has been spent on improving accident and emergency services and minor injuries services in each year since 1995. [69775]

Mr. Lammy: The Department does not have this information by National Health Service hospital trust.

A total of £150 million has been invested in accident and emergency departments through the accident and emergency (A&E) modernisation programme. It is the biggest investment in A&E services since the start of the NHS.

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The A&E modernisation programme enabled 180 A&E departments to be modernised. Work at 173 of these has been completed and the programme is currently 96 per cent complete.

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