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27 Jan 2003 : Column 687W—continued

Roaccutane

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people in the UK have been prescribed roaccutane in each of the past five years; and what proportion of those people have reported symptoms of depression or psychiatric disorders; [91831]

Ms Blears: It is not possible to estimate the precise number of patients who have received Roaccutane (isotretinoin) in the United Kingdom in the last five years. However, it has been estimated that approximately 375,000 treatment courses of isotretinoin have been prescribed between 1983 and May 2002.

The table provides the total number of suspected psychiatric disorders reported during each of the past five years through the Yellow Card Scheme for Roaccutane. It also shows the number of reports of symptoms of depression, which forms part of the total psychiatric disorders.

19981999200020012002
Psychiatric disorders4844502625
Depression2317171111

A report of a suspected adverse reaction does not necessarily mean that it was caused by the medicine. The number of reports received should not be used as a basis for determining the incidence of a reaction as neither the total number of reactions occurring, nor the number of patients using the drug is known.

With expert advice from the Committee on Safety of Medicines, the Medicines Control Agency is currently leading a European-wide review of the product

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information of isotretinoin products, including Roaccutane, with the aim to ensure that up to date and consistent information is provided to health professionals and patients to optimise its safe use. This review is likely to take some months to complete. Any new advice will be communicated to health professionals and patients.

Single-sex Wards

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has met in full its three objectives regarding single sex wards. [92584]

Mr. Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement made on 14 January 2003, Official Report, column 24WS.

West Midlands Hospitals (Red Alert)

Mr. Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many hospitals within the West Midlands (South) Strategic Health Authority area were on red alert on each day since 1 December 2002; and if he will make a statement; [90348]

Mr. Lammy: The term "red alert" is used by a few National Health trusts. It does not have a standard definition.

Since 1 December 2002, a total of seven red alerts on seven separate days were issued by the Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust. No other hospital trusts within the West Midlands South Strategic Health Authority (StHA) area have issued red alerts in the period.

During this period, the trust experienced a significant amount of pressure, largely due to diarrhoea and vomiting outbreaks, in addition to an increase in thelevels of emergency admissions. Each health community within the StHA has an agreed escalation policy described in winter plans. Each phase of escalation policy is triggered by specific operational difficulties. When the circumstances deteriorate to such a level, patients are diverted to a nearby, alternative hospital, often within the same trust.

It is the StHA's view that the steps that were taken by the Worcestershire health economy were acceptable within the local guidelines and in line with the escalation policy.

Worcestershire Acute Hospital NHS Trust

Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was to the Worcestershire Acute Hospital, NHS Trust of their preparations for the recent inspection by the Commission for Health Improvement. [91504]

Mr. Lammy: The Worcestershire Acute Hospitals National Health Service Trust did not collect this information at the time of the inspection, nor is it collected centrally.

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Dr. Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what costs have been incurred by the Worcestershire Acute Hospital NHS Trust since September 2000 as a consequence of suspension of consultants. [91505]

Mr. Lammy: The Worcestershire Acute Hospitals National Health Service Trust has had one consultant suspension during the period. During that suspension, a locum consultant was employed by trust at NHS locum rates. In this particular case the costs amounted to approximately £30,000.



HOME DEPARTMENT

Speeding (Motorways)

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were convicted of motorway speeding offences, broken down into speed bands, in each of the last five years. [92712]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Information held centrally on the number of convictions for speeding offences does not distinguish the classification of road on which the offence took place nor the speedband registered.

Anti-social Behaviour Orders

Mr. Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-social behaviour orders have been made in the Easington constituency; and if he will make a statement. [91608]

Mr. Denham: The number of notifications received by the Home Office of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) issued, from 1 April 1999 up to 30 September 2002 (latest available), within the Easington district council area, (in which the Easington constituency is situated), are four.

We are aware that the numbers of ASBOs made nationally have been consistently under reported in returns made by magistrates courts and are considering how reporting can be improved.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is taking to ensure that it is easier for the police to issue behaviour orders. [92018]

Mr. Denham: Changes under the Police Reform Act 2002 make it easier for all relevant authorities to obtain anti-social behaviour orders (ASBO). Interim orders are now available, as are orders on conviction in the criminal courts. From April orders will also be available in the county courts. In addition, the British Transport Police can now apply directly for orders. The Home Office has issued guidance on these changes to assist practitioners in their implementation.

Measures to further improve ASBOs are being introduced under the forthcoming anti-social behaviour bill.

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Asylum Seekers (EU Fingerprinting)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the launch of the EU's centralised fingerprinting system aimed at asylum seekers. [92100]

Beverley Hughes: The Government welcome the implementation on 15 January of the centralised EURODAC fingerprint database. Fingerprint technology is an important tool to cut fraud and prevent abuse of national immigration and asylum systems. Co-operation with our European partners through the EURODAC system builds on this and EURODAC will provide a valuable resource to tackle multiple asylum applications. As it becomes established EURODAC will help speed up the processing of asylum cases under the Dublin Convention and its replacement, the Dublin II Regulation, by improving the detection of multiple asylum applications made within the EU or Norway and Iceland.

Asylum Seekers (Infant Formula Milk)

Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether vouchers for infant formula milk are provided for asylum seekers with young children; and if he will make a statement. [91828]

Beverley Hughes [holding answer 22 January 2003]: Asylum seekers and their dependants are not eligible to obtain milk tokens under the Welfare Food Scheme Regulations 1996. On 5 November my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary announced that the asylum support regulations 2000 would be amended to allow for additional payments to be made to supported pregnant women and children under the age of three. Supported pregnant women and children aged one to three will each receive £3 per week. Babies under the age of one will receive £5 per week.

Asylum Seeking Children

Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many unaccompanied children applied for asylum within the UK in each year since 1997, broken down by country of origin. [91992]

Beverley Hughes: Reliable information on the entry routes of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC), including when UASCs first enter the UK, is not available. However, information on the nationality of UASC applicants who applied at port and in-country between 1997 and 2001, inclusive, is given in the table. Annual figures for 2002 are not yet available.

Information on asylum applications from unaccompanied children is published annually. The next annual publication will be available later this year.

Information on asylum applications and initial decisions is published quarterly. The next publication will present data for the final quarter of 2002, and will be available from 28 February 2003 on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

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Unaccompanied(42),(43),(44)children, aged 17 or under, applying for asylum in the United Kingdom by nationality, 1997 to 2001

1997 1998
NationalityTotalApplied at portApplied in countryTotalApplied at portApplied in country
Albania391524493316
Czech Republic2266
FRY1191191,5292591,270
Macedonia11
Poland18184444
Romania3232968563
Russia22211
Turkey484711071007
Ukraine22
Other Former USSR27918361521
Other Former Yugo.107664123221
Europe other151599
Europe total4091752341,8764751,401
Colombia2625199
Ecuador44541
Jamaica1144
Americas other22211
Americas total3332120182
Algeria21714501040
Angola12841091
Burundi33642
Congo21111
Dem. Rep. Congo27161119910
Eritrea452025913358
Ethiopia23914663828
Gambia
Ghana1122
Ivory Coast11
Kenya97223176
Nigeria18810533419
Rwanda7251376
Sierra Leone1486231112
Somalia158122361538865
Sudan32144
Tanzania11321
Uganda514945
Zimbabwe11
Africa other18126835
Africa total368226142535275260
Iran761862
Iraq2017330264
Middle East other1275752
Middle East total3930945378
Afghanistan109101812410816
Bangladesh3322
China78492930169232
India6699
Nepal
Pakistan43112111
Sri Lanka40364916922
Asia other441010
Asia total24419945549266283
Nationality not known991212
Grand total1,1026714313,0371,0831,954

1999 2000
NationalityTotalApplied at portApplied in countryTotalApplied at portApplied in country
Albania12611610942569
Czech Republic29291818
FRY1,5221881,33466670596
Macedonia
Poland47471313
Romania8618540832
Russia3322
Turkey116107915313617
Ukraine11413
Other Former USSR2620624159
Other Former Yugo.32201236135
Europe other88321
Europe total1,9965361,4601,053289764
Colombia1816256
Ecuador13121761
Jamaica6633
Americas other3311
Americas total4037316151
Algeria125723914
Angola4224181023468
Burundi12111211011
Congo7521248
Dem. Rep. Congo33285473512
Eritrea934944853451
Ethiopia543123622537
Gambia
Ghana111091
Ivory Coast11523
Kenya1275853
Nigeria4538724204
Rwanda35112449544
Sierra Leone65578746014
Somalia189156331779978
Sudan651981
Tanzania11321
Uganda101026125
Zimbabwe6634322
Africa other8828235
Africa total632433199799417382
Iran14131655015
Iraq585261128626
Middle East other1614214104
Middle East total8879919114645
Afghanistan2131941930026436
Bangladesh431413
China166441221175859
India1311214131
Nepal11
Pakistan1915425196
Sri Lanka1271042317014228
Asia other1019241113
Asia total552372180655508147
Nationality not known41411919
Grand total3,3491,4981,8512,7331,3941,339

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2001(45)
NationalityTotalApplied at portApplied in country
Albania851075
Czech Republic2222
FRY47719458
Macedonia99495
Poland2323
Romania491633
Russia413
Turkey958312
Ukraine211
Other Former USSR481434
Other Former Yugo.79277
Europe other
Europe total983195788
Colombia752
Ecuador431
Jamaica22
Americas other743
Americas total20128
Algeria20317
Angola14732115
Burundi20713
Congo301020
Dem. Rep. Congo822854
Eritrea1112784
Ethiopia14123118
Gambia211
Ghana431
Ivory Coast66
Kenya1569
Nigeria37289
Rwanda38434
Sierra Leone1298049
Somalia19857141
Sudan633
Tanzania11
Uganda47344
Zimbabwe35314
Africa other481632
Africa total1,117362755
Iran23185
Iraq18212953
Middle East other20128
Middle East total22515966
Afghanistan67362053
Bangladesh14113
China1378453
India19163
Nepal22
Pakistan25187
Sri Lanka13810236
Asia other925438
Asia total1,100895205
Nationality not known2424
Grand total3,4691,6471,822

(42) Unaccompanied at the point of their arrival, and not known to be joining a close relative in the United Kingdom.

(43) May exclude some cases lodged at Local Enforcement Offices between January 1999 and March 2001.

(44) Figures exclude disputed age cases.

(45) Provisional figures.


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