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"Human Bodies, Human Choices"

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many responses he has received to the consultation document "Human Bodies, Human Choices"; and if he will make a statement. [90635]

Mr. Lammy: The Department has received 214 responses to the consultation document "Human Bodies, Human Choices". A further 17 responses have been received by the Welsh Assembly Government, with whom the document was published. The Department is currently analysing the responses. A summary report of the consultation workshops and national conference, as well as the written responses, will be published shortly. New legislation will be introduced when parliamentary time allows.

Adoption and Children Act

Margaret Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been issued to local authorities in respect of section 116 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002. [91135]

Jacqui Smith: A local authority circular is being prepared in respect of section 116 of the Adoption and Children Act 2002, which amends section 17 of the Children Act 1989 to make it clear that local authorities' powers under this section include providing help with accommodation. It will be issued shortly.

Advisory Committees on Training

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the proposed abolition of advisory committees on training by the European Commission. [88174]

Mr. Hutton: We are concerned that the advisory committees on training have fallen into disuse. The Commission has proposed in the draft Directive on Recognition of Qualifications to replace them with a single committee to cover all professions. We will seek clarification of how this committee will function to ensure that public safety concerns and health training issues are fully taken into account. We will continue to address this matter in the European Union working group.

Annual Report

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much producing his Department's latest Annual Report cost; how many copies were printed; how many copies of it were sold at its cover price; to whom copies of the report have been provided free of charge; and how many copies were provided free of charge. [90883]

Mr. Lammy: The total cost to the Department of producing the 2002–03 Departmental Report was £31,668. This included £21,185 for design, typesetting and artwork and a further £10,483 for the cost of the

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copies ordered by the Department. However The Stationery Office (TSO) met all the remaining costs for printing and publication.

This year over 1,000 copies of the 2002–03 Departmental Report were printed.

TSO have indicated that so far 395 have been sold at the cover price of £19.50. A total of over 670 copies were provided free of charge.

The report is also freely available on the internet at www.doh.gov.uk/dohreport.

Anti-smoking Campaign

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the likely changes that will take place in the next five year totals of (a) male and (b) female smokers as a result of the ban on tobacco advertising and the future use of nicotine replacement therapies and Zyban. [90215]

Ms Blears: Information is not available in the form requested.

The Government have set the following targets in reducing smoking:

To reduce smoking among children from 13 per cent., the 1996 figure, to 11 per cent., by 2005 and 9 per cent., by 2010.


To reduce adult smoking in all social classes so that the overall rates falls from 28 per cent., the 1996 figure, to 26 per cent., by 2005 and 24 per cent., by 2010.


To reduce the percentage of women who smoke during pregnancy from 23 per cent., the 1995 figure, to 18 per cent., by 2005 and 15 per cent., by 2010.


Smoking rates among manual groups will be reduced from 32 per cent., in 1998 to 26 per cent., by 2010.

The priorities and planning framework (PPF), published on 2 October 2002, set out the priorities for the next three years for the national health service and social services and described what local organisations and communities need to do to plan for and implement the improvements.

Two of the targets set in the PPF drive the existing programmes to tackle smoking.

In the cancer section:

"Reduce the rate of smoking, contributing to the national target of: reducing the rate in manual groups from 32 per cent., in 1998 to 26 per cent., by 2010; 800,000 smokers from all groups successfully quitting at the 4 week stage by 2006"

In the Reducing Health Inequalities section:

"Deliver a one percentage point reduction per year in the proportion of women continuing to smoke throughout pregnancy, focussing especially on smokers from disadvantaged groups as a contribution to the national target to reduce by at least 10 per cent., the gap in mortality between "routine and manual" groups and the population as a whole by 2010, starting with children under one year."

These changes will be delivered through a comprehensive tobacco control strategy, including an advertising ban and the provision of nicotine replacement therapy and Zyban. It is estimated that banning tobacco advertising and promotion will result in a 2.5 per cent., reduction in tobacco consumption, eventually saving up to 3,000 lives a year.

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In the short term, the ban will save 1,500 or more lives a year.

Capacity Planning

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library the results of the work undertaken by strategic health authorities on behalf of PCTs concerning capacity planning; and if he will set out the national and regional level data arising from the franchise plans produced by strategic health authorities. [88564]

Mr. Hutton: The information drawn from the capacity planning process—which is not yet complete—will form part strategic health authority local delivery plans. These plans are based on the new planning framework, Investment, Expansion and Reform, a copy of which is available in the Library.

Child Medicine (Consultants)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many consultants in child medicine are employed in the NHS. [89927]

Mr. Hutton: Paediatricians treat general childhood conditions. There are a number of other specialties that specialise in the treatment of specific childhood conditions.

The following table shows the number of consultants, employed in the national health service in England, in child and adolescent psychiatry, paediatric surgery and within the paediatric group.

Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS):Specialties of consultants in child medicine

England at 31 March 2002	Numbers (headcount)
Child and adolescent psychiatry	480
Paediatric surgery	120
Paediatrics group, of which:
General paediatrics (including paediatric neurology)	1,530
Paediatric cardiology	50
Paediatric dentistry	20

Source:

Department of Health medical and dental workforce census

Community Psychiatric Nurses

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of the community psychiatric nurses employed between 1995 and 2000 were working directly in (a) primary care GP practices or health centres and (b) secondary or tertiary care settings. [89924]

Mr. Hutton: The number of qualified nurses working in community psychiatric care who are employed by secondary and tertiary care organisations is shown in the table. These nurses work across the range of care settings. Information on nurses employed by general practitioner practices and health centres is not collected centrally.

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NHS Hospital and Community Health Services (HCHS): qualified community psychiatric nursing staff in England as at 30 September each year

	Headcount
1995	8,564
1996	9,333
1997	9,736
1998	10,231
1999	10,552
2000	11,080
2001	12,224

Note:

Figures exclude learners and agency staff.

Source:

Department of Health non-medical work force census.

Complaints (Doctors)

Mr. Hinchliffe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will require the General Medical Council to publish information on the number of complaints against doctors currently unresolved which indicates those outstanding for more than (a) six and (b) 12 months. [90898]

Mr. Hutton: The General Medical Council (GMC) has met its target, set in July 2000, that 100 per cent. of cases referred from the preliminary proceedings committee to the professional conduct committee were heard within a year.

The GMC is an independent statutory body which derives its powers from the Medical Act 1983. The Secretary of State has no power to require the GMC to publish such information. Data on the work of the fitness to practise directorate is available on the GMC website and the GMC will, of course, respond to specific queries.

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