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14 Oct 2002 : Column 518W—continued

Patient Journey Times

Mr. Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average time is a patient travelled to reach (a) a NHS dentist and (b) a general practitioner in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [72382]

Mr. Lammy: The information requested is not held centrally.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of recent research into Inflammatory Bowel Disease; what plans he has to act on the findings; and if he will make a statement. [72182]

14 Oct 2002 : Column 519W

Mr. Lammy: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) issued guidance on infliximab for Crohn's Disease in May 2002. The Department has not made a separate assessment of recent research into Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD).

It is anticipated that the NICE guidance will help the estimated 5 per cent of patients who have severe Crohn's Disease. Infliximab has not been recommended by NICE as a possible treatment for sufferers of ulcerative colitis.

The Medical Research Council funds several projects on basic mechanisms regulating the function of the gastrointestinal tract in normal and disease function, dietary regulation of intestinal function, cellular and molecular mechanisms of gastrointestinal diseases and neuroendocrine control of the gut. Increasing our understanding of how the intestine functions will facilitate the development of therapeutic agents to treat acute intestinal inflammation and chronic diseases such as Crohn's and IBD.

NHS Treatment Entitlement

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 17 July 2002, ref. 69433, who meets the cost of treatment by general practitioners of persons who are not entitled to NHS treatment; how many people who are not entitled to NHS treatment have been treated at NHS expense in the last year for which information is available; and what steps he takes to ensure recovery of the costs. [72551]

Ms Blears: General practitioners may not provide National Health Service treatment other than emergency or immediately necessary treatment to persons who are not eligible for inclusion on their patient lists. They may however treat such patients privately. No data are held on the incidence or costs of such treatment.

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership

NHS Trust

Mr. Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust has not received funding for the Salisbury Alcohol and Drugs Advisory Service; and if he will make a statement. [71791]

Ms Blears [holding answer 22 July 2002]: Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership National Health Service Trust has received funding, both mainstream and ring fenced monies, however, decisions on the funding of individual alcohol and drug treatment services are made at local level.

I understand that an accounting error has led to a shortfall in relation to the service in Salisbury and that this is being addressed by the South Wiltshire Primary Care Trust and Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust.

14 Oct 2002 : Column 520W

Asthma

Ms Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent reports into the causes of asthma his Department has commissioned; what assessment his Department has made of these reports; and if he will make a statement. [71399]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 23 July 2002]: We have commissioned no recent reports into the causes of asthma. We have, however, sponsored extensive research on asthma and respiratory disease-related issues.

Our current research programme concentrates on practice improvement. The National Asthma Campaign (NAC), the leading voluntary organisation with an interest in asthma, manages the National Health Service research and development programme on asthma management. This has supported 33 projects throughout the United Kingdom at a total cost of #4.9 million since 1996. The strategy aims to create a research based health service in which reliable and relevant information is used to make decisions on health policy, clinical practice and management of services.

The overall spend on asthma research for the Medical Research Council (MRC) and Department was almost #4 million in 1999–2000 and #12.2 million including other respiratory disorders. The Departmental spend on directly commissioned research projects on asthma since 1997 is an estimated #7.24 million.

The Department's Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants has produced an interim statement on the effects of air pollution on asthma. This was in response to a series of articles published by the Independent on Sunday that claimed that air pollution caused asthma. The interim statement is available on the Committee's website at www.doh.gov.uk/comeap

A subgroup of the Committee has also now been set up to review the subject in more detail, and will report in 2003. The Department will consider this report carefully when it is published. The overall spend on asthma research for the MRC and the Department was almost #4 million in 1999–2000, and #12.2 million including other respiratory disorders. The Department's spend on directly commissioned research projects on asthma since 1997 is an estimated #7.24 million.

MRSA

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many MRSA incidents have been (a) voluntarily and (b) mandatorily reported in each NHS region since 1996 (i) in total and (ii) as a ratio to the population in that region. [72149]

Ms Blears [holding answer 23 July 2002]: We are unable to supply these data as information on incidents which are defined as three or more patients with the same strain in the same hospital in one calendar month is no longer compiled. The following table shows the number of bacteraemia reports per 100,000 head of population for each region. Data for the voluntary reporting system are available from 1996 but are known to be incomplete. Mandatory reporting was introduced in April 2001 and the first year's data are provided.

14 Oct 2002 : Column 521W

Number of methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus bacteraemia laboratory reports and rate per 100,000 population* Voluntary laboratory surveillance: 1996–2001

	1996NumberRate		1997NumberRate		1998NumberRate		1999NumberRate		2000NumberRate		2001NumberRate
North East	10	0.39	46	1.78	138	5.35	143	5.55	185	7.18	179	6.95
Yorkshire & Humberside	50	0.73	130	1.89	197	2.86	181	2.63	314	4.55	378	5.48
East Midlands	40	0.79	130	2.57	143	2.83	215	4.25	331	6.54	404	7.99
Eastern	159	3.78	271	6.44	364	8.65	442	10.50	477	11.34	604	14.35
London	327	6.13	447	8.38	422	7.91	458	8.58	549	10.29	525	9.84
South East	228	4.18	321	5.88	375	6.87	404	7.40	564	10.33	724	13.26
South West	87	1.18	191	2.59	191	2.59	305	4.14	373	5.06	479	6.49
West Midlands	267	3.29	336	4.14	396	4.88	498	6.14	771	9.50	817	10.07
North West	105	2.11	173	3.48	295	5.93	367	7.38	365	7.34	453	9.11
England	1,273	2.55	2,045	4.09	2,521	5.04	3,013	6.03	3,929	7.86	4,563	9.13

Mandatory surveillance: April 2001–March 2002

	Number	Rate
North East	363	14.08
Yorkshire and
Humberside	714	10.36
East Midlands	543	10.74
Eastern	744	17.68
London	1555	29.15
South East	1012	18.54
South West	696	9.44
West Midlands	761	9.38
North West	870	17.49
England	7258	14.52

2000 Population by Region

	ONS Population 2000
North East	2,577,346
Yorkshire and Humberside	6,893,932
East Midlands	5,057,915
Eastern	4,207,925
London	5,335,361
South East	5,459,606
South West	7,375,065
West Midlands	8,114,848
North West	4,975,091
England	49,997,089

*2000 regional population data used as denominators for all rate calculations

Correspondence

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the leter of 10 June 2002 from the hon. Member for Twickenham on Lynde House. [71798]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 23 July 2002]: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on Monday 12 August 2002.

14 Oct 2002 : Column 522W

Newborn Hearing Screening

Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will place in the Library the lists of sites considered for the second phase of the newborn hearing screening programme; [72602]

(2) pursuant to his answer of 17 June 2002, Official Report, column 164W, on newborn hearing screening, how many sites will provide newborn screening by the end of (a) 2002, (b) 2003 and (c) 2004, and when the funding for each stage of this process will be committed. [72489]

Jacqui Smith [holding answer 23 July 2002]: A list of the sites considered for the second phase of the newborn hearing screening programme will be placed in the Library.

Twenty-three sites are currently providing newborn hearing screening. We expect to bring on a further 16 sites by the end of March 2003, with approximately 30 additional sites during the financial year 2003–04. The remainder of sites are expected to come on stream by the end of the financial year 2004–05.

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