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19 Nov 2003 : Column 1136W—continued
Poultry Waste
Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Food Standards Agency has to provide guidance to those involved in the meat trade to (a) improve self-regulation and (b) assist the trade in identifying criminal activity in the distribution of poultry waste. [137585]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has assisted meat trade organisations in preparing and publicising the Industry Code of Practice on the Production, Handling and Processing of Animal By-Products. The FSA will also in December be discussing with other food trade organisations what further action can be taken to identify and prevent fraudulent diversion of unfit meat into the food chain. In addition, the FSA is commissioning a study into the possible use of a marker in low risk animal by-products, which will enable both industry and enforcers to detect meat which is unfit or not intended for human consumption, but does not prevent the legitimate use of such material, for example, in pet food.
Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action is planned to ensure effective policing of the segregation of high and low risk waste at poultry slaughterhouses and its distribution from slaughterhouses; and what plans he has to provide extra resources to the Meat Hygiene Service for this purpose. [137586]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has revised its instructions to the Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) on the enforcement of animal by-products legislation, and the FSA is auditing the MHS's performance against those instructions. In addition, as part of the FSA's action plan to implement the recommendations of the Waste Food Task Force, the Agency is working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the MHS to produce a new, joint, risk-based regime for enforcement of animal by-products legislation in licensed premises. This will make best use of existing enforcement expenditure. In addition to this, the FSA is currently considering the case for extra expenditure for animal by-products enforcement in licensed premises as part of its review of MHS functions.
19 Nov 2003 : Column 1137W
Prostate Cancer
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what progress the Government has made in reducing the incidence of prostate cancer in the last five years; [133863]
- (2) what his Department's strategy is for tackling prostate cancer. [133882]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Good progress has been made since the National Health Service Prostate Cancer Programme was launched on 6 September 2000, setting out the Government's approach to improving prostate cancer services in England and Wales.
As part of the Prostate Cancer Risk Management Programme (PCRMP), evidence-based primary care resource packs were sent to all general practitioners in England from 23 September 2002 to aid them in counselling men who are worried about prostate cancer, ensuring the men make an informed choice about whether or not to have a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test.
Other elements of the PCRMP include ensuring that a systematic and standardised follow up pathway is available for individuals whose test result is above the PSA threshold and action to improve the quality of laboratory testing of PSA samples. Primary care and laboratories were informed of the related recommendations from the scientific reference group, which supports the PCRMP, in September 2002.
In 2003–04 the Department will be directly funding £4.2 million of research a year on prostate cancer. This compares with just £98,000 in 1996–97. Two National Cancer Research Institute prostate cancer research collaboratives have been established in Newcastle and London. Funded research includes studies on various treatments for prostate cancer, improving the PSA test and ethnic differences in prostate cancer incidence. The National Cancer Research Institute considered prostate cancer as part of its strategic analysis in 2002, but made no specific recommendations.
The Department has funded the following regarding public awareness:
- Section 64 grant to the Prostate Cancer Charity to increase further information about prostate cancer.
Section 64 grant to the Prostate Cancer Charity to improve awareness of the risks and symptoms of prostate cancer in African and Afro-Caribbean men in Britain.
The database of individual patient experiences in prostate cancer. 97.5 per cent. of patients with suspected urological cancers (including prostate) were seen for their first out-patient appointment within two weeks of their general practitioner deciding they should be urgently referred, and the hospital receiving the referral within 24 hours, between April and July 2003.
There has been an increase in the number of consultant urologists from 427 in 2001 to 466 to 2002, and is set to grow to 504 in 2005.
19 Nov 2003 : Column 1138W
The incidence of prostate cancer has risen over the last five years. Much of this increase is thought to be due to an increased use of the PSA test and a lengthening of life expectancy.
Much has been achieved on prostate cancer since the Prostate Cancer Programme was launched, but we recognise that there is still much to be done. That is why we welcomed the launch of the Prostate Cancer Charter for Action on 29 January 2003, and set up the Prostate Cancer Advisory Group (PCAG) to ensure better collaboration and communication between the charter members and Government. PCAG is already taking forward work on information for prostate cancer patients, public awareness and a national prostate cancer resource website.
School Sport
Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 10 November 2003, Official Report, column 64W, on school sport, what assessment has been made of the percentage of school children who (a) were offered and (b) took up two hours per week of high quality physical education and school sport in the last year for which figures are available. [139031]
Mr. Stephen Twigg: I have been asked to reply.
The Government is investing more than £1 billion in England to transform physical education, school sport and club links. The funding will help deliver an ambitious Public Service Agreement target, shared by the Departments for Education and Skills and for Culture, Media and Sport, to increase the percentage of 5 to 16-year-olds who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high quality PE and school sport within and beyond the curriculum to 75 per cent. by 2006. Data collected during the autumn term 2002 suggested that about a third of schools provided this entitlement at Key Stage 1, two fifths at Key Stage 2 and a third at Key Stages 3 and 4. Data are now being collected for the first time—for publication in April 2004—on the number of pupils who choose to take up this entitlement.
Sexual Health
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were treated for sexually transmitted infections, broken down by (a) type of infection, (b) sex of patient and (c) age of patient in (i) Eastleigh and Test Valley South, (ii) Southampton City and (iii) Mid-Hants Primary Care Trust, in each of the last 10 years. [138153]
Ms Rosie Winterton: It is not possible to break down the information into the areas requested in the time frame requested. However, the figures for the old Southampton and South West Hampshire Health Authority area are shown in the tables.
19 Nov 2003 : Column 1139W
| Primary diagnosis | 1996–97 | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A52 Late Syphilis | 2 | 1 | — | — | 1 | — |
| A53 Other and unspecified syphilis | — | — | 1 | — | — | — |
| A54 Gonococcal Infection | — | — | — | — | — | 1 |
| A56 Other sexually transmitted chlamydial diseases | — | — | 1 | — | — | 1 |
| AGO Anogenital herpesviral (herpes simplex) infection | 2 | 1 | — | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| A63 Other predominantly sexually transmitted diseases NEC | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| B20 Human immunodef virus disease resulting in infectious parasitic diseases | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | — | 1 |
| B21 Human immunodef virus disease resulting in malignant neoplasms | — | — | 1 | — | 2 | 1 |
| B22 Human immunodef virus disease resulting in other specified diseases | — | — | — | 1 | — | — |
| B23 Human immunodeficiency virus disease resulting in other conditions | 1 | — | — | — | 2 | — |
| B24 Unspecified human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Grand total | 11 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 13 |
| Sex | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Female | Male | Grand total | |
| 1996–97 | 3 | 8 | 11 |
| 1997–98 | 4 | 6 | 10 |
| 1998–99 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| 1999–2000 | 5 | 7 | 12 |
| 2000–01 | 5 | 7 | 12 |
| 2001–02 | 7 | 6 | 13 |
| Age group | 1996–97 | 1997–98 | 1998–99 | 1999–2000 | 2000–01 | 2001–02 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–4 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5–14 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | — | — |
| 15–44 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| 45–64 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
| 65–74 | — | — | — | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 75–84 | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 |
| Grand total | 11 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 13 |
Notes:
1. Admissions—admissions are defined as the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
2. Diagnosis (primary diagnosis)—the primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002–03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
3. Grossing—figures have not (yet) been adjusted for shortfalls in data (ie the data are ungrossed).
4. Since data is residency based, figures between one and six do not need to be suppressed as authorised by the Security and Confidentiality Group (SCAG).
5. Prior to 1996–97 there were differences in organisational formation and/or how diagnosis data was collected meaning that data would not be comparable with those years given.
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.
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