| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
14 May 2003 : Column 307W—continued
HEALTH
Breast Cancer
Mrs. Roe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent progress there has been regarding his Department's discussions with Myriad Inc. on the patent for testing breast cancer genes relating to hereditary breast cancer. [111931]
Ms Blears [holding answer 12 May 2003]:There have been no recent discussions with Myriad.
14 May 2003 : Column 308W
Abortion Statistics
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the statistically most likely candidate in the North East London health authority for an abortion in the latest year for which figures are available in terms of (a) the marital status of the woman, (b) the age of the woman, (c) the gestation of the pregnancy, (d) the number of previous children born by the woman, (e) the number of previous abortions undergone by the woman and (f) the legal grounds under which the abortion was performed; and how many abortions were performed in the north-east London health authority in each year since 1973, broken down by the above categories. [111531]
Ms Blears: The available information is shown in the table.
| 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 | 1996 | 1995 | 1994 | 1993 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SHA | SHA | SHA | SHA | SHA | SHA | SHA | (21)HAs | (21)HAs | |
| Total number of abortions | 11,149 | 10,406 | 9,905 | 9,725 | 9,085 | 9,114 | 8,438 | 8,518 | 8,538 |
| Marital status | Single | Single | Single | Single | Single | Single | Single | Single | Single |
| Age group in years | 20–24 | 20–24 | 20–24 | 20–24 | 25–29 | 20–24 | 25–29 | 25–29 | 25–29 |
| Gestation group in weeks | 9 to 12 | 9 to 12 | 9 to 12 | 9 to 12 | 9 to 12 | 9 to 12 | 9 to 12 | 9 to 12 | 9 to 12 |
| Previous children | None | None | None | None | None | None | None | None | None |
| Previous abortions | None | None | None | None | None | None | None | None | None |
| Legal grounds | (22)C | (22)C | (22)C | (22)C | (22)C | (22)C | (22)C | (22)C | (22)C |
Notes:
(21) North East London Strategic health authority (SHA) is equivalent to three health authorities (HAs); Barking & Havering, Redbridge & Waltham Forest and East London & The City.
(22) Includes Ground C alone (that the pregnancy has not exceeded its 24th week and that the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant womanThere were boundary changes in HAs prior to 1993 and comparable data are therefore not available
Children's Food (Ingredients)
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what has been done to address the 2001 Food Commission report concerning high levels of sugar, salt and saturated fat in food marketed at children; [111765]
- (2) what measures are being taken to work with food retailers and manufacturers to raise consumer awareness of (a) healthy eating regimes and (b) the contents and properties of pre-packaged food items. [111696]
Ms Blears: The Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are engaged with stakeholders in a wide range of activities aimed at promoting a healthy balanced diet as outlined in the NHS Plan and the FSA's nutrition action plan. This includes discussions with food industry organisations about their health promotion activity and reducing salt levels in processed food; work on sugars and fat will follow through in 2003–04.
The five-a-day logo was launched on 25 March 2003, as part of the five-a-day programme aimed at raising public awareness of the health benefits of eating at least five portions of a variety of fruit and vegetables a day.
The FSA recommends that manufacturers provide full nutrition labelling on all pre-packaged foods to aid consumer choice on healthy eating and is pressing for changes to the current European Union rules to make this a legal requirement.
The Department of Health leads work across Government and with stakeholders to develop a food and health action plan as part of the Government's strategy on sustainable farming and food. The plan will focus on consumers' health needs, aiming to achieve a healthier diet for the people of England, will include clear policy objectives on nutrition and will set out arrangements for future co-ordination of nutrition work.
The FSA has noted the Food Commission Report and, as identified in the nutrition action plan, is working with a range of stakeholders, including food manufacturers and retailers, to address issues relating to the salt, fat and sugar content of food.
General Practitioners
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what remedies are available to patients who are not offered a choice of doctor when their local GP practice has closed. [113124]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 13 May 2003]:There are inevitably occasions when patients are unable to register with their general practitioner (GP) of choice, due, for example, to limited practice capacity. Patients who experience difficulty in registering should contact their primary care trust, which is under a duty to help its local population to register with a GP or personal medical service (PMS) provider and, if necessary, has a reserve power to allocate patients to a GP or PMS provider.
14 May 2003 : Column 309W
Civil Defence
Mr. Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contingency plans are in place to respond to bioterrorist attacks using (a) clostridium botulinium toxin (botulism), (b) yersinia pestis (plague), (c) francisella tularensis (tularaemia) and (d) viral haemorrhagic fevers; and if he will make a statement. [103437]
Mr. Hutton: The Department of Health has had contingency plans in place with the national health service and key public health agencies to ensure a rapid response to, and recovery from, a terrorist attack for several years. Comprehensive guidance was first issued to the NHS in November 1998, followed by more specific guidance 'Deliberate Release of Biological and Chemical Agents: Guidance to help plan the health service response' issued in 2000.
Following the events of 11 September 2001, regional directors of public health were given further generic advice on dealing with biological threats in October 2001, and guidance for clinicians on dealing with clostridium botulinium toxin (botulism), yersinia pestis (plague), francisella tularensis (tularaemia) and viral haemorrhagic fevers was put up on the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) website. All departmental guidance is now openly available on the Department's website at www.doh.gov.uk/epcu/cbr/intro.htm and the PHLS website at www.phls.co.uk/topics az/deliberate release/menu.htm
A UK national stockpile of medical countermeasures for dealing with these infections has been established. This is accessible by the NHS on a 24-hour basis for rapid deployment in the event of a mass casualty incident, which may or may not be associated with deliberate release of hazardous material.
The Department has also expanded its diagnostic and emergency support for public health emergencies by developing a facility, expertise, technology and training base at the Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research related to agents of greatest threat.
Collaborative Programme (Emergency Services)
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the Modernisation Agency Emergency Services Collaborative Programme. [111024]
Mr. Lammy: Assessment of the progress of the Collaborative is undertaken on an ongoing basis, through regular monthly reporting of improvements against the target.
The Collaborative is run over six waves, with every acute trust in England being involved by July 2003. The Collaborative is in its early stages but sites in wave 1 are already showing improvement across their emergency care systems resulting in reduced waits and delays for patients.
Contraceptive Pill (Cervical Cancer)
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on links between long-term use of the contraceptive pill and cervical cancer. [111433]
14 May 2003 : Column 310W
Ms Blears: An association between long-term use of oral contraceptives (OCs) and a slightly increased risk of cervical cancer has been recognised for many years. However, it has not been possible to demonstrate a direct causal relationship as the presence of other factors, such as persistent infection with human papilloma virus (HPV), that are believed to have an important role in the development of cervical cancer, are also associated with long-term use of OCs.
A review of all eligible research on the long-term use of OCs and risk of cervical cancer has recently been published (The Lancet—5 April 2003—361:1159). This review took into consideration many other relevant factors, such as HPV infection and still found that use of OCs for many years is associated with a slight increase in the risk of cervical cancer compared with 'never-use'. A copy is available in the Library.
The Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) has kept the issue under review and has considered the latest evidence. CSM has advised that, as it is not possible to be certain that all relevant factors, such as duration of HPV infection, have been fully taken into account in the review, a definite causal relationship has yet to be established. Nonetheless, the new study strengthens the evidence for a causal link between long-term OC use and cervical cancer and research is ongoing.
Warnings about the risk of cervical cancer with long-term use have been included in the summary of product characteristics for health professionals and the patient information leaflet for women for many years. In addition, women are advised to regularly attend for a cervical smear in accordance with Guidelines. In the United Kingdom, the introduction of a highly effective screening programme means that the total number of cases of cervical cancer is low and mortality has fallen.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |