| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
10 Nov 2003 : Column 129W—continued
Children's Homes
Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children's homes in England are (a) open and (b) closed and which are under investigation for possible child abuse. [118923]
Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply
As of 30 September 2003, there are 1,141 children's homes registered with the National Care Standards Commission and an additional 920 applications to register are being processed. 57 children's homes have been de-registered.
Information is not collected centrally on the number of children's homes in England that are under investigation for possible child abuse.
10 Nov 2003 : Column 130W
Dentistry
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to promote dental health among children. [135282]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In England, primary care trusts are responsible for oral health promotion and currently they attach particular importance to ensuring that oral health is covered in initiatives like Sure Start, health action zones and healthy living centres.
In August 2001, to complement this work, we launched our "Brushing for Life" scheme which targets families with young children in the 31 areas where dental decay is highest. There are currently 32 schemes running nationally. When carrying out developmental checks, health visitors demonstrate good tooth brushing practice and give the families a free pack containing a tube of fluoridated toothpaste, a toothbrush and a leaflet on oral hygiene. In 2003, the "Brushing for Life" scheme has been extended to Sure Start schemes in order to ensure more parents are given the opportunity to improve the oral health of their children, particularly in more deprived areas of the country.
Diabetes
Mr. Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by his Department on research into diabetes in each year since 1997. [134395]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department has consistently supported research into diabetes but has not in the past collected information on its total expenditure in this field. The greater part of the funding meets the service costs to the national health service of research funded by research councils and charities, including Diabetes UK. This funding was identified for the first time from the NHS trust annual research and development reports for 2001–02, and the Department's total spend on diabetes research in that year has been estimated as £14.1 million.
Available estimates of Medical Research Council spend on diabetes research are shown in the table.
| Amount | |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 6.5 |
| 2000–01 | 8.6 |
| 2001–02 | 8.9 |
Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 29 October, Official Report, column. 234W, on diabetes, which companies have confirmed that they will continue to supply animal insulin for diabetics; and what written commitments they have made. [136779]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Novo Nordisk and CP Pharmaceuticals market animal insulins. Novo Nordisk informed the Department that they would be continuing to supply animal insulins to the United Kingdom market for the foreseeable future. CP Pharmaceuticals issued a press release in July this year confirming that
10 Nov 2003 : Column 131W
they would be continuing to supply animal insulins. Both companies have recently confirmed that their position remains unchanged.
Diet
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government is taking with regard to the adulteration of processing food with fats and sugars. [130120]
Miss Melanie Johnson: There is NHS Plan (2000) commitment to work with industry to improve the overall balance of the diet, including salt, fat and sugar in food. The Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency are in discussions with the food industry on reducing the level of salt in processed foods and work on added sugars and fat will follow through 2003–04.
There is wider on-going action to help address the overall balance of the diet. The Department is leading the development of a comprehensive Food and Health Action Plan, working across Government and with the food industry to establish a coherent and effective programme of activities on nutrition in order to achieve a healthier diet for people in England. The plan will pull together all of the issues that influence what we eat and will address:
- production—including the manufacture and preparation of food which contribute most to a healthy diet
supply—including access to healthier food
information for consumers about healthy eating and nutrition.
Disabled People (Financial Assistance)
Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much has been allocated to the Families Fund since 1997; what the average grant to a family with a disabled adult or child was in the last 12 months; and by how much this has risen since 1997; [136146]
- (2) if he will make a statement on the Families Fund; how it has helped disabled people and their families; and what the grants are most commonly used for. [136147]
Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
The Family Fund was set up by the Government in 1973 to give practical help to families with severely disabled and seriously ill children under the age of 16. Since 1998 the charity has received separate funds from the Governments of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Taking these together, the following amounts have been allocated to the Family Fund:
| £ million | |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 21.7 |
| 1998 | 22.0 |
| 1999 | 23.2 |
| 2000 | 24.2 |
| 2001 | 25.4 |
| 2002 | 26.5 |
| 2003 | 27.8 |
The FF uses these funds to provides grants direct to families for items which the statutory sector does not provide. The most popular types of grants are for: holidays or leisure facilities so everyone in the family can
10 Nov 2003 : Column 132W
have a break; bedding and clothing to cover the expense of wear and tear because of the child's disability; additional hospital visiting costs; play equipment if this is related to the child's special needs; washing machines and other 'white goods' that provide practical help to ease the physical burden of carers for disabled children.
90 per cent. of the funds go direct to families. All administrative and other costs are met from the remaining 10 per cent. The average grant made to a family in 1997 was £466.00. The average grant made to a family in 2003 was £560.00. This represents an average increase of 20.17 per cent. since 1997. The Family Fund has been evaluated as "providing a good level of value for money" (Secta report 1999). In 2002–03 The Family Fund supported 44,800 families. Through the use of a network of visiting advisers The Family Fund are able to respond flexibly and imaginatively to the different needs of each family. Over the last 30 years they have helped improve the quality of life for tens of thousands of severely disabled children and their families.
EU Directive 2001/20/EC
John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate he has made of the additional cost to the Medical Research Council of implementing EU Directive 2001/20/EC; [135586]
- (2) what assessment he has made of the impact of EU Directive 2001/20/EC on the non-profit-making sector. [135587]
Ms Rosie Winterton: As part of the consultation on the draft United Kingdom regulations, a partial regulatory impact assessment (RIA) was provided and universities, national health service trusts and charities were invited to submit estimates on recurring and non-recurring compliance costs for non-commercial trials. The comments received will be taken into account in preparing the final legislation and the final RIA.
In another initiative designed to reduce the impact, the Department and the Medical Research Council have announced a joint project to work with experts to find practical solutions to the issues identified in the impact assessment. Details of the project can be found on www.ncchta.org/eudirective/index.asp. Furthermore, the Government have taken steps to attempt to influence the Commission in its consideration of a Commission Directive on good clinical practice and also in reviewing guidance that the Commission published earlier this year with a view to avoiding any unnecessary costs.
Further information on the partial RIA and the proposed UK implementing regulations is available at http://medicines.mhra.gov.uk/inforesources/publications/mlxpub.htm.
Fluoridation
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his plans to add fluoride to water. [133787]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 23 October 2003]: The Government has no plans to add fluoride to the water supply on a national basis. Clause 61 of the Water Bill, if enacted, will enable strategic health authorities to undertake local consultations about whether the populations that they serve are in favour.
10 Nov 2003 : Column 133W
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |