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20 Oct 2003 : Column 451W—continued
SMEs
Mr. Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information her Department has collected regarding the number of small- and medium-sized enterprises that have gone out of business in the past 12 months owing to the high cost of employer's liability compulsory insurance. [132859]
Nigel Griffiths: In my discussions with the British Chambers of Commerce, Federation of Small Business, Institute of Directors, CBI SME Council and the Forum of Private Business in the past 12 months, during which time this subject has been raised, they have provided no figures and no specific cases of businesses citing these cases as the sole reason for ceasing to trade. Nor has the DTI been able to source such information elsewhere.
I have been working with these organisations and the insurers to address issues arising from employer's liability insurance.
South Africa
Mr. Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many officials from her Department assisted in the negotiations with the National Industrial Participation and the Defence Industrial Participation programmes with South Africa; what their role was in these negotiations; and what posts they held in her Department at the time of the negotiations. [132378]
WTO Conference
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her oral statement of 17 September 2003, Official Report, columns 861–67, on the WTO Ministerial Conference, what assessment she has made of the role of NGOs in the collapse of the World Trade Organisations talks. [131957]
Ms Hewitt: The NGO community played an important role in the run-up to Cancun and at the WTO Ministerial-Conference. As I said in my statement to the House on 17 September, I warmly welcomed the UK Trade Network participation at Cancun.
The Government will continue to work with NGOs, and developing country members of the WTO, to ensure that this is a true 'development' round and that trade rules are improved to benefit the world's poorest people.
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Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will reply in full to the letter from the hon. Member for Totnes dated 24 July 2003 concerning the World Trade Organisation negotiations in Cancun. [132591]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: A reply was sent out on 15 October 2003.
MINISTER FOR WOMEN
Special Advisers
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Minister for Women what proportion of special advisers working in Government Departments are women. [131478]
Mr. Alexander: I have been asked to reply.
At 14 October, there are 77 special advisers in post of which 23 are women.
HEALTH
Water Fluoridation
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what proportion of the public must be in agreement before water may be fluoridated in their area; [132113]
- (2) how the Government plans to assess local opinion on the fluoridation of water supplies; [132115]
(3) to what extent local public opinion will be binding on the Strategic Health Authority in relation to water fluoridation. [132118]
Miss Melanie Johnson: It is Government policy that no area will be required to fluoridate its water supply unless the local population is in favour. Detailed provision on the local consultations required and the assessment of public opinion will be the subject of regulations to be made under Clause 61 of The Water Bill, currently in Committee before this House.
Accident and Emergency Services
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients admitted to Accident and Emergency in Hull and the East Riding in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003 waited for more than 12 hours before being treated or transferred to a ward. [132394]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The NHS Plan set a target for accident and emergency (A&E) to reduce the maximum wait in A&E from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge to four hours by 2004.
In line with this target from 2001, the Department has collected data on total time spent in A&E from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge. The available figures for Hull and East Yorkshire National Health Service Trusts are shown in table 1.
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| Year | Quarter | Total attendances at major A&E | Percentage of patients who spent less than4 hours in A&E | Number of patients spending more than4 hours in A&E |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 1 | 26,147 | 91.4 | 2,237 |
| 2002–03 | 4 | 23,919 | 84.6 | 3,695 |
| 2002–03 | 3 | 23,082 | 74 | 6,000 |
| 2002–03 | 2 | 24,313 | 64 | 8,827 |
The Department collects data on waiting times in A&E post decision to admit patients to a hospital ward. The figures for Hull and East Yorkshire NHS Trusts for the two years ended March 2002 and March 2003 are shown in table 2.
| Year | Quarter | Number of patients admitted through major A&E | Patients not placed in bed ina ward within4 hours of a decision to admit | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | 1 | 6,249 | 205 | 3.3 |
| 2002–03 | 4 | 6,411 | 349 | 5.4 |
| 2002–03 | 3 | 6,051 | 252 | 4.2 |
| 2002–03 | 2 | 6,068 | 249 | 4.1 |
| 2002–03 | 1 | 6,243 | 260 | 4.2 |
| 2001–02 | 4 | 5,812 | 288 | 5.0 |
| 2001–02 | 3 | 3,976 | 119 | 3.0 |
| 2001–02 | 2 | 4,745 | 40 | 0.8 |
Source:
Hospital Activity Statistics, Department of Health
Breast Cancer
Dr. Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what measures other than advising women of lifestyle changes his Department is taking to prevent breast cancer; [131315]
- (2) what discussions he has had with other Departments on possible (a) environmental and (b) other causes of breast cancer. [131316]
Miss Melanie Johnson: It is not clear exactly what causes breast cancer, but it is thought that there are many risk factors, some already well established and some still being investigated. The main risk factors are being female and increasing age. The majority of other risk factors are linked to lifestyle. Key prevention measures include improving dietary intake, including increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, increasing physical activity and staying at a healthy weight.
About five per cent. of all breast cancer cases (fewer than 2,000 per year) may be caused by breast cancer genes. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence is developing a clinical guideline on the classification and care of women at risk of familial breast cancer in primary, secondary care and tertiary care. The guideline is expected to be published in February 2004.
The Government's White Paper, "Our Inheritance, Our Future—Realising the Potential of Genetics in the NHS", was published in June 2003. The Department has collaborated with Macmillan Cancer Relief to develop a model approach to genetic cancer services for people at risk of, or concerned about, familial cancer. The model is patient-centred, describing a continuum of advice and
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care involving primary care, local cancer services and specialised genetic and cancer services. A tendering exercise has begun to pilot all or certain aspects of the model. It is envisaged that there will be six evaluated pilot sites in England to inform the future development of cancer genetic services, as envisaged in the National Health Service Cancer Plan. Bids for pilot project funding must be submitted by 31 October 2003.
Women should be breast aware at all times. The Government promote the overriding importance of teaching women to be breast aware, knowing that 90 per cent. of breast cancers will be found by women themselves. The breast awareness five point code is as follows:
- know what is normal for you;
look and feel;
know what changes to look for;
report any changes without delay; and
attend for breast screening if aged 50 or over.
Officials from the Department have had discussions with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs regarding possible links between environmental chemicals, in particular, organochlorine pesticides, and breast cancer.
In 1999, the independent Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food Consumer Products and the Environment (COC) considered this issue and concluded that lindane and other organochlorine pesticides were not a significant risk factor in breast cancer. The remit of the COC is to advise Government Departments on all aspects of the carcinogenicity of chemicals. The COC is currently reviewing new data on this issue.
The COC has also considered the possible association between alcoholic beverages and breast cancer. A statement was issued in 1995, indicating that there was not enough evidence to conclude that the ingestion of alcoholic beverages was a cause of breast cancer. The COC is reviewing new data on this issue with a view to updating its statement next year.
There have been allegations of an association between environmental radiation and breast cancer and these are being considered by the independent Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment. The remit of this Committee is to advise Government Departments on the health effects of environmental exposure to radiation.
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