---

4 Dec 2002 : Column 902W—continued

International Recruitment

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which developing countries have offered warm support, as stated by a Department of Health spokesman on 26 November, for the Government's approach to ethical international recruitment. [84891]

Mr. Hutton [holding answer 2 December 2002]: The following developing countries have offered their support for the Government's approach to ethical international recruitment:

Barbados


China


Egypt


Georgia


India


Indonesia


Iran


Jamaica


Philippines


South Africa.

Liverpool Blood Centre

Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the work of the Liverpool Blood Centre. [84032]

Ms Blears: In 1999, the Government made a commitment to develop and expand the Liverpool Blood Centre. A new building to house the Liverpool Blood Centre is currently under construction. The centre at Estuary Commerce Park in Speke, Garston will replace the existing premises adjacent to the Royal Liverpool University Hospital. Completion of the construction phase is expected by mid-October 2003, and occupation is anticipated in summer 2004.

Almost all services currently carried out at the existing premises will transfer to the new centre. Those services that have to be carried out in a hospital environment will remain at the Royal Liverpool Hospital. The new Liverpool Blood Centre will also house, for the first time, the largest National Blood

4 Dec 2002 : Column 903W

Service tissue banking facility in the United Kingdom. Research and development facilities at the new centre will support both tissue banking and tissue engineering.

Mental Health

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made towards implementing NICE guidance on the use of atypical anti-psychotic medicines for schizophrenia; and if he will make a statement. [83807]

Mr. Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the Member for East Worthing and Shoreham, (Tim Loughton) on 27 November 2002, Official Report, column 356W.

Mixed Wards (Epsom Hospital)

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for the complete phasing out of mixed wards at Epsom Hospital. [84272]

Mr. Hutton: Epsom and St. Helier is working towards the elimination of mixed sex wards in order to provide patients with appropriate levels of privacy and dignity while in hospital. The trust is currently undertaking works to refurbish Nightingale wards for older people, which will provide privacy and peace within a single-sex environment. The trust's programme of works extends until April 2004.

Mumps Vaccines

Mr. Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether it is his policy that the Medicines Control Agency should limit the maximum number of authorisations for imports of MMR SepVax (Mumps) doses; what the equivalent is in daily individual doses of the number of authorisations of MMR SepVax (Mumps) vaccines which the MCA is approving; and if he will make a statement on (a) the availability of MMR SepVax (Mumps) in relation to demand for vaccination and (b) the delays which customers are experiencing in obtaining supplies of MMR SepVax (Mumps) vaccines. [82704]

Ms Blears: Single mumps vaccines being prescribed and administered, as part of single measles, mumps and rubella vaccination programmes such as MMR SepVax, are unlicensed imported medicines. Medicines legislation allows a doctor or dentist to prescribe an unlicensed medicine to meet the special clinical needs of his individual patients, on his direct personal responsibility. Importers of all unlicensed medicines, who are licensed by the Medicines Control Agency (MCA), must notify the agency on each occasion they intend importing an unlicensed medicine and there is a legal restriction on the maximum quantity they may import per notification. The MCA can object to importation if it has safety concerns or if an equivalent licensed medicine is available. This applies to all imported unlicensed medicines; there is no policy of specifically restricting unlicensed single measles and mumps vaccines.

The average numbers of notifications per month received by the MCA to import all brands of single mumps vaccine during the last three years were as follows.

4 Dec 2002 : Column 904W

Year	Doses
2000	69
2001	1,483
2002	3,014

These are the numbers of doses notified to the MCA for importation and do not necessarily relate to the number of doses actually imported.

The current shortage of unlicensed single mumps vaccine and delays in their reaching patients are believed to be due to:

An international shortage of single mumps vaccine, resulting from the halting of production by a major supplier, combined with;


Safety concerns about vaccines containing the Urabe and Leningrad-Zagreb strains of mumps virus;


Efficacy concerns about vaccines containing the Rubini strain of mumps virus;


The recent need to obtain further information on the safety and efficacy of another unlicensed single vaccine claiming to contain a Jeryl Lynn strain of mumps virus.

NHS Clinical Compliance

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to monitor NHS clinical compliance with NICE recommendations. [82922]

Mr. Lammy: It is not feasible to monitor centrally every clinical decision for consistency with National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance. Clinicians have to make independent clinical judgments, taking due account of NICE'S advice and the strength of evidence which lies behind it. They may depart from the advice if in their view the circumstances of the individual patient justify doing so, but they will be held accountable (through clinical governance arrangements) for their clinical decisions.

NHS Dentists

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the ratio was of NHS general dental practitioners to population; and how many NHS general dental practitioners there were in (a) Chesham and Amersham and (b) Buckinghamshire in each year since 1 January 1996. [85135]

Mr. Lammy [holding answer 3 December 2002]: The number of general dental service (GDS) practitioners in Buckinghamshire health authority (HA) area at 30 September and the ratio of GDS practitioners per 100,000 population is shown in the table for the years 1996 to 2001.

The number of GDS dentists and ratio of dentists per population in Chesham and Amersham are not centrally available.

The total number of GDS dentists covers principals on a HA list, their assistants and vocational dental practitioners.

4 Dec 2002 : Column 905W

General dental services: Number⁽⁴⁰⁾ of GDS dentists at 30 September and ratio of GDS practitioners per 100,000 population⁽⁴¹⁾, 1996 to 2001—Buckinghamshire health authority

	Number of dentists
Year	At 30 September	Per 100,000 population
1996	238	35.4
1997	265	39.1
1998	260	38.1
1999	281	40.8
2000	272	39.3
2001	294	42.8

⁽⁴⁰⁾ Dentists are principals on a HA list, assistants and vocational dental practitioners.

⁽⁴¹⁾ ONS 1996 to 2000 mid year population estimates based on the 1991 census. ONS 2001 mid year population estimate is based on 2001 census; using a population estimate based on 1991 census would change the 2001 dentists per 100,000 population figure to 42.0.

NHS Estate

Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish the aggregated results of the Estate Return Information Collection annual condition survey for 2000–01 and 2001–02; for what reason publication has been delayed; and if he will publish results of future ERIC surveys within six months of the survey's completion. [83800]

Mr. Lammy: Since 2000, estate return information collection (ERIC) data can be entered on line, which provides trusts with 'real time' calculations of their performance indicator information together with comparative benchmarking data from trusts of the same type.

A detailed analysis of performance data extracted from the ERIC is currently being undertaken with the view to publishing a hard copy report next year that will cover the three year period, 1999–2000 to 2001–02.

NHS Land

Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the value of land with development potential held by the NHS, broken down (a) by NHS trust and (b) by strategic health authority region. [82971]

Mr. Lammy: No such assessment has been centrally made.

National health service trusts are responsible for the management and disposal of their estate. In preparing their estate strategies, NHS trusts will have regard to the current and future operational needs and will consider potential value for alternative uses.

The spending review identifies the following receipts by NHS trusts from the sale of surplus land and buildings.

£ million

Year	Receipts
2002–03	55
2003–04	158

4 Dec 2002 : Column 906W

---