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8 Sept 2003 : Column 197W—continued
Genetially Modified Foods
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has undertaken into the health impact of genetically modified foods. [127738]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) funds two extensive research programmes that underpin the safety assessment of genetically modified foods.
This research is undertaken by independent research scientists and is peer reviewed before final reports are made publicly available through the FSA's library. Details of the research programme are published in the FSA's Research and Surveys Programmes annual report and are available on the FSA website.
Green Burial Sites
Mr. Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has undertaken into the effect of green burial sites on the welfare of bereaved families. [127183]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department has not undertaken any research into the effects of green burial sites on the welfare of bereaved families.
Health Action Zones
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish a report on the progress of Health Action Zones. [127367]
Mr. Hutton: The University of Glasgow was contracted to undertake the evaluation of health action zones. The research team is currently working on the final report for the Department of Health. The intellectual property reights for the findings rest with the contractor and the Department will encourage them to publish.
8 Sept 2003 : Column 198W
Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to ensure that health action zones include withdrawal and rehabilitation clinics for people who have been over-medicated and may have severe dependency problems. [127851]
Mr. Hutton: Health action zones (HAZs) were set up to address health inequalities in the most deprived areas of England. It is for the primary care trusts (PCTs) within HAZ areas to decide, with local stakeholders, which services should be provided and how to allocate resources to deliver them. PCTs have a responsibility to ensure that adequate controls are in place to minimise dependency and to treat dependency problems where they occur.
Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to instruct health action zones to undertake an audit of the (a) financial and (b) quality of life costs of the adverse effects of psychotropic drugs. [127858]
Ms Rosie Winterton: All medicines are assessed for quality, safety and efficacy prior to the grant of a licence by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with independent expert advice from the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM). A licence will not be granted unless the MHRA/CSM considers the benefits of treatment outweigh the risks of adverse effects. Once licensed, the MHRA/CSM continue to monitor the safety of medicines in clinical practice and take necessary action to optimise their safe use.
Health action zones were set up to develop local, bottom-up approaches to tackling health inequalities in the 26 most deprived areas of England. It is for the primary care trusts within those health action zones areas to decide with local stakeholders what those approaches will be and how best to allocate resources to deliver them.
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Heart By-pass Operations
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many heart by-pass operations have been carried out by the NHS in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and how many were carried out in the same period in (a) 2000, (b) 1998, (c) 1994, (d) 1990 and (e) 1986. [127444]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The national service framework for coronary heart disease and NHS Plan targets for an extra 6,000 heart operations by April were met a year early.
The table shows the number of coronary artery by-pass graft (CABG) procedures carried out in 2001 (latest available figures), 2000, 1998, 1994 and 1990. Figures are not available for the period before 1989–90.
| Coronary Artery Bypass Grafts | |
|---|---|
| 1989–90 | 9,404 |
| 1993–94 | 17,351 |
| 1997–98 | 19,816 |
| 1999–2000 | 21,081 |
| 2000–01 | 22,325 |
Heartburn
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many patients in England suffered from heartburn in the last 12 months for which figures are available; and what proportion of the population these represent; [127449]
- (2) what measures his Department is taking to reduce the number of people who suffer from heartburn. [127452]
Dr. Ladyman: Information on the incidence of individual conditions, such as heartburn, is not collected centrally. It is estimated, however, that around 40 per cent. of the adult population may suffer from dyspepsia. Dyspepsia refers to a spectrum of usually intermittent upper gastrointestinal symptoms.
The National Institute for Clinical Excellence is currently preparing a guideline on "Dyspepsia: managing adult patients in primary care". The guideline is currently out as a draft for first consultation. This national guideline will provide recommendations and supporting evidence on caring for patients with dyspepsia.
Hepatitis
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hepatitis B carriers there are in the United Kingdom. [127359]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Studies suggest that the prevalence of chronic hepatitis B infection in the population of England is around 0.3 per cent., equivalent to 150,000 hepatitis B carriers.
Information on hepatitis B in Scotland and Wales is available from the Devolved Administrations. While the institutions in Northern Ireland are dissolved, responsibility rests with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office.
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Hip Replacements
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the use of (a) bovine derivative substitutes, (b) hydroxyapatites and (c) coraline derivative substitutes in hip revisions, with special reference to efficacy, duration of use and cost; [127540]
- (2) if he will make a statement on his recommendations to the NHS on the use of porous hydroxyapatites for use in hip revisions. [127541]
Mr. Hutton: All these materials are used as artificial bone substitute implants. They have a variety of uses, but in hip replacements they can be used in granular form and moulded in a paste with the patient's blood which is then used to fill the space left if a patient has lost their natural bone (a process which can occur in a failing hip replacement).
These products are regulated in line with the Medical Devices Regulations 2002 (SE2002 No. 618). Under these regulations, the manufacturer is required to place the CE marking on the medical device—unless it is part of a clinical investigation approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) or a custom made device—indicating that the medical device meets the essential requirements for safety and design in Annex 1 of Council Directive 93/42/EEC. For the medical devices specified, the manufacturer's declaration will be audited by an independent Notified Body. Any product bearing the CE marking may be placed on the United Kingdom market.
The Department of Health and the MHRA do not collect information on efficacy and costs of these products. Duration of use is a matter for the individual manufacturer of the product.
HIV/AIDS
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what tests are carried out on HIV-infected patients to establish whether they have a drug-resistant strain of the virus. [127441]
Miss Melanie Johnson: There are two kinds of test that can be performed to determine whether an HIV-infected patient has a drug-resistant strain of the virus. Genotypic testing, which involves identifying mutation in the viral genetic material, has been adopted for widespread clinical use and is undertaken by specialist clinical virology laboratories. Mutations are associated with resistance to antiretroviral drugs and this information can be used to predict which drugs are likely to work for a particular individual. Phenotypic testing is more complex, requires high-containment laboratory facilities, and is not routinely available in the United Kingdom.
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people in England were infected with HIV in each of the last five years; [127439]
- (2) how many people in England were infected with AIDS in each of the last five years. [127440]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The number of new cases of HIV infection and AIDS diagnosed in England in each of the last five years is shown in the table.
8 Sept 2003 : Column 201W
| Year of diagnosis | HIV | AIDS |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 2,615 | 732 |
| 1999 | 2,872 | 672 |
| 2000 | 3,608 | 750 |
| 2001 | 4,725 | 633 |
| 2002(55) | 5,234 | 679 |
(55) Numbers will rise, particularly for the most recent year, as further reports are received.
Source:
Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, Health Protection Agency (data to end June 2003)
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