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Correspondence

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Northavon of 25 October 2002, regarding Mrs. J. A., his ref P01018183. [94021]

Jacqui Smith: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 18 February 2003.

Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to reply to the letter to him dated 10th January from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. H Fisher. [98964]

Mr. Milburn: A reply was sent to the right hon. Member on 24 February.

Delayed Discharges

Mr. Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many delayed discharge patients there were in January in (a) the Suffolk West PCT area and (b) the Central Suffolk PCT area; and what percentage of those patients had been waiting over 28 days. [97391]

Jacqui Smith: The information requested is not available for January. The latest centrally collected figures are for December 2002, when 34 patients in Suffolk West primary care trust (PCT) area and 12 patients in Central Suffolk PCT area were awaiting discharge. 41.2 per cent. in Suffolk West PCT had been waiting over 28 days and 41.7 per cent. in Central Suffolk PCT.

Dentistry

Mr. Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions on a reciprocal agreement to recognise qualifications in dental surgery achieved in

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Kenya there have been in the last 30 years with the Kenyan authorities; and if he will make a statement. [96792]

Mr. Lammy: The General Dental Council has statutory responsibility within the United Kingdom for determining which qualifications confer eligibility for admission to the dental register. Discussions about reciprocal arrangements would be a matter for the GDC. Advice for overseas dentists seeking to become eligible to work in the United Kingdom is available from the GDC and the National Advice Centre for Postgraduate Education, Faculty of Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons.

Dietary Advice

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money his Department has spent on public health programmes targeted at encouraging the consumption of fruit and vegetables in each of the past 10 years. [97104]

Ms Blears: In 2002–03 the Department of Health expects to have spent £783,000 on the Five-a-day programme to promote consumption of fruit and vegetables, including Five-a-day community initiatives and the National School Fruit Scheme. The New Opportunities Fund is also spending £52 million on those schemes: £42 million for National School Fruit Scheme and £10 million for community initiatives over the next two years.

In each of 2001–02 and 2000–01 the Department spent £1.25 million. There was no spending specifically to encourage consumption of fruit and vegetables before 1999.

In addition to the above, initiatives to increase fruit and vegetable consumption have been funded through health action zones, sure start, healthy living centres and through general funding allocations to health authorities and primary care trusts.

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice is given to the public on improving diet. [97322]

Ms Blears: The Government are committed to providing advice and information, based on a sound evidence base, which will help to achieve long-term improvements in the diet and nutrition of the United Kingdom population. It is for this reason that government advice, in general, is for people to consume a healthy and varied balanced diet.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Department of Health are engaged in a wide range of activities aimed at promoting the uptake of a healthy balanced diet as outlined in the FSA's Nutrition Action Plan and the NHS Plan.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the fruit and vegetables that are (a) excluded and (b) included in the approved lists for the five a day campaign. [96884]

Ms Blears: The Five-a-day message is to eat at least five portions of a variety of fruits and vegetables each day. Fresh, frozen, canned, dried and 100 per cent. juice count.

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100 per cent. juice only counts once per day even if more than one portion is consumed. Beans and other pulse vegetables only count once per day even is more than one portion is consumed. A portion of dried fruit counts, but other types of fruits and vegetables should be consumed to meet the rest of the five a day target.

Potatoes and other vegetables that are eaten as the main starchy 'staple', such as yam and cassava, do not count towards the five a day target. Starchy foods are an important part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Nuts and seeds, coconut, marmalade and jam do not count towards five a day. Fruit drinks with added ingredients such as juice "drinks" and squashes do not count towards five a day.

The fruit and vegetables contained in processed foods, such as pasta sauces, soups, stews and puddings can contribute to five-a-day. However, processed foods containing fruit and vegetables which are also high in added fat, salt and/or sugars should only be eaten in moderation.

A Five-a-day logo has been developed as part of the communications programme, to help people recognise the Five-a-day message and introduce consistency in the message in all settings. In the first instance, the logo will only be able to be used to promote products without any added sugar, fat or salt. While the recommendation to eat more fruit and vegetables is an important one, this needs to be considered in the context of an overall balanced diet. We are giving further consideration to developing nutrition criteria for the use of the Five-a-day logo on fruits and vegetable product with added ingredients.

Digital Hearing Aids

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made on increasing the availability of digital hearing aids for patients in York and North Yorkshire. [95201]

Jacqui Smith: Funding has been made available for the years 2003–04 and 2004–05 to ensure that a modernised service, providing digital hearing aids, will be available from all National Hearing Service hearing aids services in England by April 2005.

Those NHS hospital trusts not yet involved in the modernisation project will now need to discuss with their respective primary care trusts whether they wish to modernise in 2003–04 or 2004–05.

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will provide digital hearing aids on the NHS in Chorley; and when the next round of allocations for the provision of digital hearing aids on the NHS will be announced. [97693]

Jacqui Smith: Funding has been made available for the years 2003–04 and 2004–05 to ensure that a modernised service, providing digital hearing aids, will be available from all National Health Service hearing aids services in England by April 2005.

Those NHS hospital trusts not yet involved in the modernisation project will now need to discuss with their respective primary care trusts whether they wish to modernise in 2003–04 or 2004–05.

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Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he expects to use non-NHS providers to achieve full coverage of digital hearing aids under the Modernising Hearing Aid Services Programme. [97877]

Jacqui Smith: Following a successful pilot, which provided National Health Service aids via private hearing aid providers, we intend to extend public private partnerships to boost NHS capacity, reduce waiting times and to make it easier for people with hearing impairment to access services—on the high street rather than in hospitals. We are drawing up plans for this work and want to make rapid progress.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many additional audiologists he estimates will need to be recruited to provide digital hearing aids for the target user group within the two year timetable. [97890]

Jacqui Smith: It is currently estimated that an additional two audiological posts will be required by each site as it is modernised to become a service that provides digital hearing aids. As modernised hearing aid services are rolled out across England over the next two years, work will be continuing on skill-mix and involvement of the private sector, which could have an effect on that estimate.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS trusts do not offer digital hearing aids; and what estimate he has made of when each of them will be able to start fitting digital hearing aids. [97891]

Jacqui Smith: All National Health Service hearing aid services will be providing digital hearing aids by April 2005. We plan to modernise 80 in 2004–05 and the remaining services, approximately 70, in 2004–05.

By the end of March, there will be a total of 50 NHS trusts providing digital hearing aids as part of a modernised hearing aid service. In addition, any NHS hearing aid service which has received appropriate training and equipment is able to access the NHS digital hearing aid contract. This represented in the region of 23 additional trusts accessing the contract at the beginning of this financial year, five of which have since joined the modernisation programme. By April 2003, a further 17 services will have received, through the modernisation programme, the equipment and training to enable them to access the contract. We understand that there may be other trusts who supply digital hearing aids outside the NHS contract. Those figures are not held centrally.

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