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22 Oct 2003 : Column 632W—continued
North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which organisations and individuals have so far been consulted by North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust on their plans for future service provision; [133021]
- (2) when North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust intends to publish its plan for the re-organisation of services; and what the timetable is for consultation on these proposals. [133023]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 21 October 2003]: The chief executives of North Cheshire Hospitals National Health Service Trust and Warrington and Halton primary care trusts are working together to
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build on recent discussions with general practitioners and hospital clinicians from Halton and Warrington concerning developments to surgical services.
The trust plans to discuss the views of its clinicians and those within primary care at its next board meeting on 6 November 2003. Following the trust board discussion, the Overview and Scrutiny Committees of Warrington and Halton will need to take a view on whether formal consultation is required. The North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust is not planning to undertake a major re-organisation of its services.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps he will take to ensure that people living in areas of health deprivation in North Warrington are consulted about future service provision at North Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust; [133022]
- (2) what steps he is taking to ensure that the needs of people living in the most deprived areas of Warrington North are met by any future re-organisation of services at North Cheshire Hospitals. [133024]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 21 October 2003]: Warrington Primary Care Trust (PCT) will continue to be closely involved in the development of acute services in North Cheshire. In conjunction with North Cheshire Hospitals National Health Service Trust, Warrington PCT will engage with Warrington Borough Council and the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to ensure appropriate consultation with Warrington residents in relation to developments in health care.
If plans require formal consultation, Warrington PCT will ensure that local people have a range of opportunities to give their views and every effort will be made to ensure equity issues are addressed.
There is a programme of activity in Warrington to address deprived areas. Warrington Health and Well Being Partnership, which is led by Warrington PCT, are in the process of compiling the Health Improvement Plan. Deprivation in Warrington Central is the key priority of this plan. There is a programme of activity in Warrington to address deprived areas. Warrington Health and Well Being Partnership, which is led by Warrington PCT, are in the process of compiling the Health Improvement Plan. Deprivation in Warrington Central is the key priority of this plan.
Travel Vaccines
Dr. Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued to general practitioners on (a) the provision of travel vaccines and (b) the appropriate charge for such vaccines. [133591]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The guidance for vaccines provided on the National Health Service are listed in the Statement of Fees and Allowances, which is known as the Red Book.
General practitioners may only charge for travel vaccinations where they receive no remuneration for providing such a vaccination from the NHS. In such circumstances the charge levied is a private matter between the patient and their GP.
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Vehicle Emissions
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact on human (a) health, (b) mortality and (c) morbidity of the emission of ultrafine particles by the UK vehicle parc. [132755]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The evidence on the biological effects of ultrafme particles has been described in the 2001 report, Airborne Particles, by the expert panel on air quality standards. The panel noted that only limited evidence was available on the effect of ultrafme particles on health in humans. For this reason, the Department has not at this stage assessed the impact of ultrafme particles from vehicles on human health.
The report is available on the website of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at www.defra.qov.uk/environment/airquaritv/aqs/air measure/index.htm.
Viruses
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has commissioned to create new mutations of viruses that can be deprived of their species' specific properties; and which of these viruses (a) are being and (b) have been used for genetic engineering. [130424]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 16 September 2003]: Genetically disabled viruses are widely used in scientific and medical research. The focus of funding provided by the Department is primarily on research that brings the benefits of new medicines into the National Health Service. Basic scientific research of the type referred to in the question is mainly commissioned through the Medical Research Council.
CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS
Divorced Parents (Removal of Children from UK)
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what research has been commissioned by his Department on the number of divorced fathers who manage to maintain effective contact with their children should the children's mother be granted leave to remove them from the United Kingdom; and what steps his Department takes to monitor the welfare of such children. [133034]
Mr. Lammy: My Department has not commissioned research into this issue. We do not monitor the welfare of children who live abroad with their mothers with the agreement of the court.
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many applications were made by (a) mothers and (b) fathers in each of the last five years for which figures are available for leave to remove children from the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom courts; and how many of those applications were (i) granted and (ii) rejected. [133035]
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Mr. Lammy: The number of orders made under Section 13 of the Children Act 1989 for removal from the jurisdiction since 2000 (when figures were first collected) were as follows. The figures in brackets were the number of those made by consent.
- 2000—190 (41)
2001—292 (65)
2002—333 (88)
2003— 1 344 ( 1 90)
1 Figures for January to September inclusive.
No separate figures are held for mothers or fathers, nor is information available about the number of applications that were refused.
Sir Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what information his Department holds about (a) the research findings and (b) other formal evidence available to the courts about the impact upon (i) mothers seeking leave to remove children from the United Kingdom should their application be denied and (ii) the impact upon children of losing access to their father should such leave be granted to the mother. [133036]
Mr. Lammy: We are not aware of any research or other formal evidence in relation to this issue.
European Elections
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Department has to encourage the electorate to participate in European Elections. [133347]
Mr. Leslie: The Government introduced the European Parliamentary and Local Elections (Pilots) Bill on 17 September. This will permit innovative voting systems to be piloted in selected regions at next year's European Parliamentary elections building on the experience gained from the piloting of innovative systems at local election level. This is designed to adapt to the needs of today's changing lifestyles and the work and family commitments which people have.
In addition, the Electoral Commission has a statutory responsibility to promote public awareness of current electoral systems, including the European Parliamentary elections. It recently conducted research on people's attitude to the European Parliamentary elections and the findings will inform their campaign to encourage greater participation by the electorate at next year's elections. A copy of that research 'Public opinion and the 2004 elections' is available on the Electoral Commission's website at www.electoralcommission.org.uk. The Institute for Citizenship is also running a 'Get the Vote Out 2004!' campaign (with support from the Electoral Commission) to raise awareness and encourage participation. The Government fully supports these initiatives.
Franchise (EU Citizens)
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what measures he proposes to take to enable citizens of countries who will be admitted to European Union
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membership in April 2004 to be admitted to the franchise in time for local government and European elections in June 2004; and if he will make a statement. [132696]
Mr. Leslie: The local and European Parliamentary Elections (Registration of Citizens of Accession States) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/1557) and the Representation of the People (Form of Canvass) (England and Wales) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/1899) were introduced earlier this year in time for the annual electoral registration canvass, which permit citizens of States that are due to accede to the European Union next year who are resident in this country to register to vote in local government and European Parliamentary elections to be held on or after 1 May 2004.
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