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3 Feb 2003 : Column 106W—continued
Infection Control
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the additional funding announced in January 2001 for infection control has been spent. [91464]
Mr. Lammy: Of the £200 million allocated, the Department has assessed and approved some 101 schemes and has allocated £96 million towards improving Decontamination facilities. A further £20 million has so far been committed to schemes for release in the 2003–04 financial year, and an ongoing investment programme will continue to review business cases submitted from the National Health Service over the next year, and further allocations will follow. All resources have to be based on effective proposals for action to ensure value for money and value for the taxpayer.
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were waiting for inpatient treatment within the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals Trust for each of the last five years. [93701]
Jacqui Smith: The information requested is shown in the table.
| NHS Trust | Month | Total waiting |
|---|---|---|
| Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust & Chorley & South Ribble NHS Trust | January 1999 | 10,155 |
| Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust & Chorley & South Ribble NHS Trust | January 2000 | 9,617 |
| Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust & Chorley & South Ribble NHS Trust | January 2001 | 8,981 |
| Preston Acute Hospitals NHS Trust & Chorley & South Ribble NHS Trust | January 2002 | 8,791 |
| Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust | January 2003 | (14)8,474 |
(14) Projected figure
Note:
Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust was formed in August 2002
Source:
Department of Health form KH07 and Monthly Monitoring
Lung Cancer
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to fund, in conjunction with the Medical Research Council, screening trials for lung cancer, with particular reference to screening for the incident of lung cancer among those who are not currently smokers. [93656]
Ms Blears: The Department and the Medical Research Council, which receives its funding from the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Technology, have no plans at present to fund screening trials for lung cancer, either with or without particular reference to non-smokers.
Mental Health
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the NHS budget has been spent on mental health in each year since 1997. [94417]
Jacqui Smith: Expenditure on mental illness as a percentage of total national health service spend from 1997 until 2000–01 is shown in the table. Figures for expenditure in 2001–02 will not be available until August 2003.
| 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total expenditure, 2000–01 prices(15),(16) | 26,975 | 27,760 | 28,793 | 30,099 |
| Expenditure on people with mental illness | 3,274 | 3,322 | 3,554 | 3,826 |
| Percentage of total expenditure | 12.1 | 12.0 | 12.3 | 12.7 |
(15) Adjusted to 1999–2000 prices using HCHS deflator for NHS expenditure. Figures shown for 1999–2000 are not directly comparable with previous years due to estimations used and changes to the calculation methods.
(16) The HCHS expenditure information is based on profiles of expenditure provided by trusts but scaled to match health authorities' total expenditure. Thus, there is a possibility that the figures under estimate the expenditure on services purchased by health authorities from the private and voluntary sectors. It may be the case that hospital expenditure is over estimated and community expenditure is under estimated. These figures exclude health authority overheads.
Notes:
1. Includes administrative and clerical overheads.
2. Adults aged 16–64. Excludes expenditure on mental health provision for children which cannot be separately identified.
Source:
Health Select Committee (FPA-PES) and R03 return (PSS EX1 from 2000–01)
3 Feb 2003 : Column 107W
MMR
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the availability is of the individual measles, mumps and rubella vaccines in each local health authority in England. [93415]
Ms Blears: Information about the amount of vaccines held in each health authority is not routinely collected.
Only single rubella vaccine is used by the national health service. This is offered to women of child-bearing age to protect them against rubella. The Department maintains sufficient supply of this vaccine for use by the NHS.
Single measles and mumps vaccines are not recommended in the schedule and are therefore not supplied. Any single measles and mumps vaccines that are administered are imported and therefore are unlicensed.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people are (a) vaccinated against and (b) not vaccinated against (i) measles, (ii) mumps and (iii) rubella in each health authority in England; [93417]
- (2) how many people received (a) the single MMR vaccine and (b) the separate measles, mumps and rubella vaccines, in each health authority in England, in each of the last five years. [93416]
Ms Blears: Information about the number of children receiving measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccinations by their second birthday and by their fifth birthday, together with percentage uptake figures, for each health authority has been placed in the Library. The information is contained in the Statistical Bulletin, "NHS Immunisation Statistics, England: 2001–02", and can also be found on the Department's website at
Information on the uptake of single measles, mumps and rubella vaccines is not routinely collected by the Department.
Mobile Dental Services
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the use of mobile dental services; and what plans he has to expand such services. [93969]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 29 January 2003]: In the right circumstances, mobile dental surgeries have a positive part to play in the provision of National Health Service dental services in both the general dental service and the community dental service.
There are no current plans to expand the use of mobile dental services.
3 Feb 2003 : Column 108W
Mobile Telephone Masts
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the risks associated with non-ionising electromagnetic radiation emanating from mobile telephone masts. [93375]
Ms Blears: Mobile telecommunications systems should comply with the exposure guidelines of the International Commission on non-ionizing radiation, as set out in European Council Recommendation EC/519/1999.
In this country, the public health implications of mobile phone base stations were assessed by the independent expert group on mobile phones (IEGMP). Their report, the Stewart Report, published in May 2000, concluded that:
- "The balance of evidence indicates that there is no general risk to the health of people living near to base stations on the basis that exposures are expected to be small fractions of guidelines.''
The IEGMP recommended that the issue of possible health effects from mobile phone technology should be the subject of a further review in three years time or earlier if circumstances demand it. The NRPB's independent advisory group on non-ionising radiation is currently undertaking this review. A report is expected towards the end of 2003. The World Health Organization is co-ordinating a review of the multinational research effort, www.who.int/emf and is planning to produce a health risk assessment in 2007.
NHS Dentists
Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of people in (a) England, (b) each NHS region, (c) each strategic health authority and (d) each primary care trust were registered with an NHS dentist as at 30 September 2002. [91368]
Mr. Lammy: 47.9 per cent. of people were registered with a general dental service (CDS) dentist in (a) England at 30 September 2002.
3 Feb 2003 : Column 109W
Tables showing the registration rates for each national health service region, each strategic health authority area and each primary care trust area have been placed in the Library.
Registrations lapse if patients do not return to their dentists within 15 months. Registration rates will exclude patients who haven't been to their CDS dentist within the past 15 months and patients who receive dental treatment from other NHS dental services.
Registrations are included in the area of the dentist. The registration rates for some areas may be affected by some patients receiving their dental treatment in a different area from the one in which they live.
Patients can obtain details of NHS dental services in their area by calling NHS Direct. Those who cannot or do not wish to be registered can be seen under occasional treatment arrangements introduced last year.
In this session of Parliament, the Government propose to legislate for far-reaching reform of NHS dental services. The Government have been working closely with the dentistry profession to bring forward proposals. The current system has developed over a period of 50 years and it will be necessary to test a variety of new models to ensure that the mistakes of the past are not repeated. New ways of delivering NHS dentistry are about to be tested following the publication last year of the "Options for Change" report about the future of NHS dentistry.
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