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NHS Trust Funding

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been given to Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Trust since May 1997. [121534]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested is shown in the table.

£000

	Total income
2001–02	160,277
2000–01	140,623
1999–2000	144,056
1998–99	130,487
1997–98	119,993

Source:

Audited summarisation schedules of the North Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust 2001–02, and those of North East Lincolnshire NHS Trust and Scunthorpe and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust 1997–98 to 2000–01.

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Obesity

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government has to establish a national obesity strategy. [118971]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Action to address obesity in England is being taken forward through the national service frameworks (NSFs) for coronary heart disease, older people and diabetes. The forthcoming NSF for children will address the health and social care needs of all children and will include the promotion of healthy eating and physical activity.

Effective prevention and management of obesity requires an integrated, cross-Government approach, working with a range of partners on programmes to tackle obesity, improve diet and increase physical activity levels.

The Department of Health is leading the development of a comprehensive food and health action plan, working across Government and with the food industry and other stakeholders to establish a coherent and effective programme of activities on nutrition in order to achieve a healthier diet. The joint Department for Culture, Media and Sport/Strategy Unit Report, "Game Plan", set out a new target of 70 per cent. of the population to be active by 2020. In order to deliver this target, a central Department of Health/DCMS-led sport and physical activity board is being set up.

At present, guidance is available to tackle obesity, including guidance issued by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) on drugs and surgery and a national quality assurance framework for exercise referral systems to promote physical activity.

NICE has been asked to develop guidance on identification, prevention and management of obesity and maintenance of weight reduction. The Health Development Agency is also setting out the evidence base for effective interventions on the prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity, and the maintenance of weight loss.

The national health service priorities and planning framework for 2003–06 includes targets on reducing CHD and diabetes. One of these targets requires practice-based registers and systematic treatment regimes, including appropriate advice on diet, physical activity and smoking, to cover the majority of patients at high risk of coronary heart disease, particularly those with hypertension, diabetes and a body mass index greater than 30.

Organ Donation

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to make organ donation compulsory; and what assessment has been made as to whether this would affect organ trafficking. [121132]

Ms Rosie Winterton: There are no plans to make organ donation compulsory in the United Kingdom.

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The Government are reviewing the law on the removal, retention and use of human tissues and organs. A consultation document on the issues, "Human Bodies, Human Choices", was published in July 2002 and a report on the responses was published in April 2003. New legislation will be introduced when parliamentary time allows.

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures are in place for medical staff to follow when approaching relatives of the recently deceased to request permission to use organs. [121133]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Following widespread consultation, we published in April this year a code of practice, "Families and Post Mortems", which gives guidance in England and Wales on standards of communication with bereaved families about post mortem examination, including seeking consent for the retention and use of organs and tissue for medical education, audit and research. The code is supported by model consent forms and information leaflets. Copies of these documents have been placed in the Library and are also available at: www.doh.gov.uk/tissue

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has to make organ donation easier; and whether there are circumstances where organs may be taken from the recently deceased without the permission of relatives. [121134]

Ms Rosie Winterton: People are encouraged through high profile campaigns to consider their wishes on organ donation during their lifetime, to make their wishes known to their relatives and to record their wishes on the national health service organ donor register.

In the NHS, a deceased's relatives are always asked whether or not the deceased would have objected or they themselves object to organs being donated for transplantation.

Osteoporosis

Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) young and (b) old sufferers of osteoporosis there are; what programmes there are to target the condition; what funding is allocated to such programmes; what (i) research and (ii) treatment facilities there are in each of the Government Office regions; and if he will make a statement. [121638]

Dr. Ladyman: There are an estimated three million osteoporosis sufferers in the United Kingdom. One in three women and one in twelve men over the age of 50 will develop osteoporosis.

It has not proved practical to allocate sums to individual conditions such as osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis services are an integral part of local development and implementation of the national service framework (NSF) for older people's integrated falls service. The falls standard requires every health organisation, in partnership with councils to agree and implement local priorities to reduce the impact falls can have on health, well being and independence, including interventions and advice. To support implementation of the NSF for older people, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is drawing up clinical guidelines for the prevention and treatment of

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osteoporosis. NICE is also conducting an appraisal of treatments to give doctors the latest evidence based information on the most effective treatments.

Much can be done to prevent osteoporosis developing through making people aware of the need for a balanced diet, regular exercise, ceasing smoking and avoiding excessive intake of alcohol.

Overseas Treatment

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients who have been treated for joint replacement in continental hospitals have received follow-up consultation by staff in the United Kingdom; and how many of these consultations have been commissioned by his Department outside the original contractural terms with overseas hospitals. [120377]

Mr. Hutton: Since the overseas treatment pilot, a total of 251 National Health Service patients have been referred to hospitals in France and Belgium for major joint replacement surgery.

All of the 245 patients who were treated in France have received follow-up care in the United Kingdom in line with the contractual agreements. The majority of these follow-up assessments were carried out by overseas consultants. 54 patients were followed up in France prior to their return to the UK. These patients received a further follow-up consultation carried out by UK consultants (contracted on a private basis), in order to maintain consistency with other projects. The cost of this was contained within the overall contractual budget.

The six patients who have received treatment in Belgium have only recently returned to the UK, and are due for follow-up assessments with an overseas consultant in the next 4–6 weeks, in line with contractual agreements.

Pharmacies

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to make a progress report with regard to his response to the OFT's recommendations on pharmacy contract limitation. [121349]

Mr. Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.

Further to our interim response to the OFT report on retail pharmacy services on the 26 March, I can confirm that the Government have made progress in our continued consideration of the OFT's recommendation in relation to England. We are on track to announce as planned a balanced package of proposals, which we believe is the most effective means of promoting change to open up the market and improve quality and access without diminishing the crucial role that pharmacies play, especially in poorer and rural areas. Decisions on the package are being made collectively.

We have continued to receive the views of numerous stakeholders and members of the public and are taking these into account in our deliberations.

We will consult fully, allowing at least 12 weeks for responses, on any proposed regulatory changes.

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