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6 Oct 2003 : Column 1346W—continued
Rural Standards Inspections
Mr. Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to provide for (a) the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection and (b) the Commission for Social Care Inspection to monitor rural standards as part of their inspection regime. [129358]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (CHAI) will monitor the provision of health care and the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) will monitor the provision of social care in all localities, including rural areas as part of their function.
It will be for CHAI and CSCI to decide, as independent bodies, whether they choose to carry out particular work that relates only to rural areas, or a specific geographic area.
SARS
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the letter of 28 May 2003, reference PO 102 7835, what action he has taken since 28 May 2003 to assess the evolving situation of SARS. [126271]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 17 July 2003]: Our policy with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) has been kept under continuous review and amended according to the current and anticipated situation in the United Kingdom.
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There have been reports of suspected cases of SARS in both Singapore and Hong Kong. The World Health Organisation actively follow up any suspected cases and will issue an alert if confirmed. In the meantime, the Department, along with the Health Protection Agency, is carrying out a number of reviews covering surveillance, national health service guidance and exit screening.
Secondments
Mr. Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether personnel from his Department have been seconded to offer advice and assistance in Iraq. [129879]
Dr. Ladyman: Since 13 May, there have been 11 personnel from this Department seconded to offer advice and assistance in Iraq. Four personnel have since returned and seven personnel are still in Iraq.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many staff are on secondment in each acute trust in the North-West region; what the (a) job titles and (b) grade of such staff are; and what type of training is being undertaken. [130048]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 17 September 2003]: The information requested is not held centrally.
Sexual Assault Referral Centres
Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether it is his policy that foundation hospitals will accommodate sexual assault referral centres; [129623]
- (2) if he will make it his policy that in areas where there are no foundation hospitals in the short term sexual assault referral centres should be located at major general hospitals. [129624]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The development and funding of sexual assault referral centres is the responsibility of primary care trusts and the relevant local police force. Currently, a number of different models exist, which include centres located within or attached to hospitals. Encouraging the further roll-out of such centres is a matter for the Ministerial Committee on Sex Offending.
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on NHS sexual health clinics, the demand for these services and the ability of these clinics to cater for this demand. [127457]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Department recognises that additional investment in sexual health services is required to tackle poor sexual health. This is why we have already invested £15 million to improve access to genito-urinary medicine (GUM) services and reduce waiting times; £9.5 million in chlamydia screening, and £5 million in termination of pregnancy services. In response to concerns expressed by the health committee and others about sexual health services, an additional £11 million will be allocated this year. This will comprise £5 million for GUM services; £5 million to improve chlamydia testing, and £1 million for contraceptive services. In line with the health committee's
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recommendations, the Department is also actively exploring the introduction of a 48-hour waiting time performance indicator for GUM services.
Smoking
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the NHS smoking cessation campaign; what plans there are to assist the campaign; and if he will make a statement. [128763]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The current tobacco education campaign was launched in December 1999, following the publication of the White Paper, 'Smoking kills' and is aimed at persuading and helping smokers to give up and non-smokers, particularly children not to start.
A number of different measures are in place to evaluate the effectiveness of the "Don't Give Up Giving Up" advertising campaign. These include prevalence surveys, quarterly tracking research, monitoring calls to the national health service smoking helpline, evaluation of media coverage and helpline referrals to local services.
Headline results from the latest tracking study among 1,275 smokers—which took place in February 2003—are as follows:
- 59 per cent. spontaneous awareness of advertising campaign;
93 per cent. prompted awareness;
49 per cent. of smokers taking action as result of seeing adverts; and
51 per cent. of smokers more likely to give up as a result of seeing the advertising.
The Department is extending its campaign this year by informing people about the risks from second-hand smoke, the risk of less publicised diseases caused by smoking, and through funding charities, starting with Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation, to run hard hitting campaigns.
Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on further steps which he intends to take to combat smoking and tobacco use. [129485]
Miss Melanie Johnson: We are implementing a comprehensive tobacco programme to help the seven in 10 smokers who want to quit and to prevent people starting to smoke. As well as introducing legislation, we are investing £138 million in national health service 'Stop Smoking' services over the next three years and expanding our information and education campaigns to address second-hand smoke as well as cessation.
We are working with key charities, including the British Heart Foundation and Cancer Research UK, and are providing £15 million over three years to carry out hard-hitting media campaigns.
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Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government has to legislate to prevent tobacco companies placing features with their logos in magazines. [130059]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 prohibits the publishing of an advertisement which has the purpose or effect of promoting a tobacco product in the United Kingdom.lt would be for a court to decide in each case whether a magazine feature which included a tobacco company logo constituted a tobacco advertisement.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department plans to do to educate the public further into the health risks associated with smoking. [130067]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Department is expanding its public information campaign to highlight the dangers of smoking and tobacco smoke through a wider range of media. This includes highlighting diseases caused by smoking not covered in the campaign so far. Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation will also be launching campaigns funded by the Department.
The new warnings on cigarette packs have made a significant impact already in getting health messages to smokers. These will be legally required on all packs from 30 September 2003 and on non-cigarette tobacco products such as cigars from 30 September 2004.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many smoking cessation co-ordinators there are in the NHS; and what the target is for the number of co-ordinators in 2004–05. [130068]
Miss Melanie Johnson: 109 smoking cessation co-ordinators (whole time equivalent) were in post at 31 March 2002 and 66 staff were responsible for co-ordinating services for pregnant women. Shifting the balance of power from central to local decision making means that primary care trusts now have responsibility in negotiating with their respective strategic health authorities for co-ordinator posts. Targets are not set for numbers of co-ordinators.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans there are to extend the use of Zyban (a) on prescription-only and (b) over the counter. [130168]
Miss Melanie Johnson: No application to extend the use or change the legal status of Zyban has been made to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much it costs per smoker for the NHS to assist someone to give up smoking. [130169]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Data collected from the NHS stop smoking services and published in the Department's Statistical Bulletin—Statistics on smoking cessation services in England, April 2001 to March 2002, tables 8 & 9—show the average cost for the national health service to assist someone to give up smoking in 2001–02 was around £210 (based on self report). Costs including nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) or bupropion (Zyban) are not centrally collected.
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The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance on the use of NRT and bupropion for smoking cessation, published in March 2002, estimated the cost of life year gained for a smoker using either NRT or bupropion in addition to brief advice would be not more than £1,000. NICE guidance advised that both NRT and bupropion were considered to be among the most cost effective of all healthcare interventions.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will take steps to limit by legislation the amount of freebase nicotine in tobacco products. [130171]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Levels of nicotine are currently regulated by the Tobacco Products (Manufacture, Presentation and Sale) (Safety) Regulations 2002. As of 1 January 2004, the maximum permitted yield of nicotine in cigarettes will be one milligram. This is measured in accordance with the International Standards Organisation's methodology. The Regulations implement a European Directive which is due to be reviewed in 2004 in the light of any updated scientific evidence.
However, experimental work for the Department in 2000–01 has indicated that the current International Standards Organisation's methodology used for determining tar and nicotine yields of cigarettes traps over 99 per cent. of nicotine present in cigarette smoke of major brands on the United Kingdom market. Therefore at that time there was no evidence that freebase nicotine posed a problem in UK cigarette brands.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government have to restrict the amount of (a) ammonia and (b) urea in cigarettes. [130172]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Ammonium compounds and urea are currently permitted in United Kingdom cigarettes under the terms of a voluntary agreement concluded in 1997. The European Commission is expected to propose a common list of permitted ingredients in tobacco products by the end of 2004. We will consider the status of all permitted additives to tobacco products in the light of this proposal.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to recommend a ban on smoking in (a) domestic television programmes and (b) films classified as 15 or under. [130173]
Estelle Morris: I have been asked to reply.
The Government have no plans to ban the depiction of smoking in domestic television programmes or films classified as 15 or under. Tobacco products may not be actively promoted by way of sponsorship or product placement in either medium. Beyond that, the depiction of smoking in television programmes is already discouraged and otherwise responsibly regulated by the broadcasting regulatory authorities. Film classification is the responsibility of the British Board of Film Classification whose research into public views on classification has not indicated that the portrayal of smoking is a concern.
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many smoking cessation project co-ordinators have been appointed in each primary care trust. [130320]
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Miss Melanie Johnson: The information is not available centrally in the form requested. One hundred and nine smoking cessation co-ordinators (whole time equivalent) were in post at 31 March 2002 and 66 staff were responsible for co-ordinating services for pregnant women.
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received regarding the television advertisement anti-smoking campaign showing children inhaling smoke. [127690]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Department has received four letters making representations regarding this television advertisement.
The advertisement, which uses special effects to represent children exhaling smoke, focuses on the risk to children and reminds people to protect children by not making them breathe cigarette smoke.
Unlike adults, young children do not have any choice about whether or not they are exposed to tobacco smoke. In the UK today, it is estimated that 42 per cent. of children—"Towards Smoke-Free Public Places", British Medical Association publication (November 2002)—live in a house where at least one person smokes, and approximately one third of smokers continue to smoke near children: over 4 million people.
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