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Dysphasia

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the provision of support services for patients suffering from dysphasia in the Altrincham and Sale area. [111832]

Jacqui Smith: Primary care trusts now have the responsibility of improving the health of the community, securing the provision of high quality services and integrating health and social care locally. They have the resources to commission services and to identify the number of professional staff that they need to deliver those services. This process provides the means for addressing local needs within the health community including the provision of services for patients who have suffered a stroke.

Elective Ventilation

Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will set out the reasons which led to his Department issuing instructions to discontinue elective ventilation. [115673]

Mr. Lammy: In 1994, the Department of Health received legal advice that an intervention not made with the patient's consent and not made in the patient's best interest was unlawful. This could leave health authorities, National Health Service trusts and individual clinicians open to the risk of prosecution for battery if the practice of elective ventilation was engaged in. In addition, there is a small risk of inducing a persistent vegetative state in some patients, which would clearly not be in their best interests.

Endoscopy Services

Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of total funds available for cancer treatment was given to endoscopy services in (a) England, (b) the West Midlands and (c) Shropshire in the last year for which figures are available. [113863]

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of total funds available for cancer treatment was given to endoscopy services in 2002–03, broken down by NHS trust; and if he will make a statement. [114956]

Ms Blears: Data on expenditure on endoscopy services is not collected centrally. There has been some central funding of endoscopy training. The NHS Cancer Plan made available £2.5 million over three years to address the shortage of trained personnel able to undertake endoscopic procedures and the variation in the existing education and training for both medical and non-medical endoscopists. We are also working with the north-east London workforce development

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confederation to commission national training to develop national health service capacity for the diagnostic tests needed to tackle bowel cancer.

Eye Tests

Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what action he is taking to encourage parents of children under 16 to take their children for regular eye tests; [113725]

(2) what action his Department is taking to promote early eye screening and treatment to prevent deterioration of eye health among (a) children, (b) adults and (c) pensioners. [113724]

Mr. Lammy: Free sight tests are available under the national health service to large parts of the population, including all those aged 60 and over, children, those aged 16–18 in full-time education, people on benefits, those people at particular risk of developing eye disease and people who are registered blind or partially sighted or who have a complex spectacle prescription. Sight tests are the ideal opportunity to review all aspects of eye health, including investigations for signs of disease. Those at risk of specific eye disease, for example, diabetic retinopathy, may be asked to attend regular screening. Overall, the number of NHS sight tests undertaken continues to increase. 9.8 million NHS sight tests were paid for by health authorities in 2001–02, an increase of 3 per cent. on 2000–01. 41 per cent. or four million of these sight tests were performed on patients aged 60 or over, a group most vulnerable to eye disease and 24 per cent. or 2.4 million on children.

Information about the extensive arrangements for providing help with NHS optical services and other health costs are publicised in leaflet HC11 "Are you entitled to help with health costs?" Posters are also available for display in optical practices and hospital out-patient departments.

In addition, we announced on 21 May that we are investing an additional 52 million to deliver shorter waiting times for cataract patients so that no patient will wait more than three months by December 2004, with most areas achieving this by the summer of 2004. We are also aiming to ensure that a minimum of 80 per cent. of people with diabetes are offered screening for the early detection and treatment, if needed, of diabetic eye disease, rising to 100 per cent. coverage by the end of 2007. This includes investment of £27 million for the NHS to purchase state of the art digital cameras and related screening equipment.

We have promoted a system of child health and development checks. The programme of home visiting and community development makes an important contribution to many areas of health education, and fosters the early detection of problems, including those associated with eye sight in young, pre-school children. The programme also provides the opportunity to develop closer relationships between the family and the primary care team.

Work on scoping the children's national service framework continues and the healthy child module will take into account views expressed in health for all

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children, as well as views expressed by the National Screening Committee (Children's Sub-Group) on the need for child eye screening.

Food Additives

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the maximum number of food additives in a product. [114395]

Ms Blears: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that additives are only permitted in food if their use is technologically justified and independent experts consider them to be safe. The use of food additives is subject to strict legislative control across the European Union. Only those additives listed in the legislation may be used and then only in certain specified foods and, in a number of cases, subject to maximum permitted levels of use.

Although there is no specific limit on the number of food additives that can be used in a product, their presence must be declared in the list of ingredients.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps the Government are taking to inform parents about additives in children's food; [114397]

(2) what material the Government uses to inform parents of additives in children's food; how it is distributed; and what the cost was of production. [114396]

Ms Blears: The Food Standards Agency publishes a range of information on food additives on its website, including a list describing all currently permitted additives, details of the legislation in force and summaries of completed research and surveillance projects on additives. In addition the FSA's telephone inquiry point and website's 'Ask an expert' section answers questions on food additives and children. Any new advice for parents on food additives is issued by the FSA as a press release. Costs of providing information on food additives are borne predominantly within the overall budget of the FSA's website production team and cannot be separately identified.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government has to ensure food products contain the name and number of additives in the list of ingredients. [114398]

Ms Blears: European rules implemented here by the Food Labelling Regulations 1996 already require additives to be identified in the list of ingredients by their function, for example, preservative, colour, and either their specific name or serial number except where specific exemptions apply. There are no plans to require the name and the serial number to be given, although there is nothing to prevent this from being done voluntarily.

Fostering

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to encourage families to foster young people being looked after by local authorities. [116055]

Jacqui Smith: The Choice Protects Review is looking at a number of issues that affect the recruitment and retention of foster carers, including role and status,

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training, support and rewards. As part of the Choice Protects Review local authorities have been given a grant of £113 million over the next three years to improve services. For 2003–04, local authorities have been allocated £19.75 million to expand and strengthen their fostering services. Additionally, Fostering Network has been given a grant to develop good practice guidelines in recruitment.

The Department has also worked closely with both the Inland Revenue and the Department for Work and Pensions to introduce an appropriate tax threshold for foster carers and extend home responsibilities protection for foster carers. Both changes were introduced at the beginning of April 2003 and should encourage recruitment and retention of foster carers.

Mr. Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on Government plans to (a) professionalise and (b) remunerate foster carers. [116805]

Jacqui Smith: The Choice Protects Review is looking at a number of issues that affect foster carers, including role and status, training, support, rewards and issues surrounding recruitment and retention. As part of the Choice Protects Review, local authorities have been given a grant of £113 million over the next three years to improve services. For 2003–04, local authorities have been allocated £19.75 million to expand and strengthen their fostering services.

There are no nationally agreed fostering allowances. Each local authority determines and pays its own rate of allowance. The Department has worked closely with both the Inland Revenue and the Department for Work and Pensions to introduce an appropriate tax threshold for foster carers and extend home responsibilities protection for foster carers. Both changes were introduced from April 2003.

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