---

4 Dec 2003 : Column 176W—continued

Contaminated Blood

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department's ex-gratia payments to people with haemophilia infected with hepatitis C will extend to

4 Dec 2003 : Column 177W

(a) those co-infected with HIV, (b) those who have cleared the virus through treatment and (c) the families of those who have died from hepatitis C. [141250]

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the money allocated to compensate victims of contaminated blood will be spent; and if he will make a statement. [140636]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The details of the hepatitis C ex gratia payment scheme are being worked out. We expect to announce the scheme's eligibility criteria and payment structure shortly.

Dental Practice Board

Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will announce the result of the Lyons Review, with particular reference to its conclusions on the future location of the Dental Practice Board. [141586]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department is considering the options for relocation in the light of the Lyons Review. These will need to be taken in the light of the review of the Department's arms' length bodies which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, announced at the Health Select Committee on 30 October 2003 and which it is expected will reach its conclusions by the middle of next year.

Diabetes

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what diagnostic methods are available on the NHS to allow diabetics to monitor their blood sugar levels; [141153]

(2) whether he intends that provision of blood glucose test strips will remain available on the NHS in the long term. [141154]

Ms Rosie Winterton: There are two types of diagnostic methods available on the National Health Service that allow people with diabetes to self-monitor their blood glucose levels. These are blood glucose testing strips and urine testing strips.

Blood glucose testing strips will remain available on the NHS for the foreseeable future and I am not aware of any plans to remove them from NHS prescriptions.

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what further steps he will take to ensure that (a) diabetics are able to make an informed choice on the types of insulin available and (b) that healthcare providers advise patients of the risks and benefits of different types of insulin. [141160]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Patient education, information and empowerment is central to the values of the national service framework for diabetes standards published in 2001. Standard Three states:

"that all people with diabetes will receive a service that encourages partnership in decision-making and supports them in managing their diabetes, and helps them adopt a healthy lifestyle".

This would include, for those requiring it, information about insulin.

4 Dec 2003 : Column 178W

Full guidance on prescribing and use of synthetic insulins, including possible side effects, is provided in the product information for prescribers and patients.

Drug Prescribing

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS prescriptions for (a) Aricept, (b) Concerta XL and (c) Risperidone have been made in 2003; and what additional funds have been made available for prescription of these drugs. [141071]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of prescription items and net ingredient cost (NIC) of all Aricept, Concerta and Risperidone drugs dispensed in the community in England in 2003 (January to September) is shown in the table.

National health service bodies are expected to meet the costs of prescriptions from their unified allocations, which have increased on average by over 9 per cent., over the three years starting from 2002–03.

Number of prescription items for Aricept, Concerts and Risperidone drugs dispensed in the community in England in 2003(January to September 2003 only. Not a full year)

Chemical name	Items (000s)
Donepezil Hydrochloride (Aricept)	181.3
Concerta	93.6
Risperidone (Risperdal)	1,019.6

Notes:

1. Aricept is included in British National Formulary (BNF) Section 4.11 (Drugs for dementia), and is a brand of the chemical entity Donepezil Hydrochloride. Aricept is the only brand. There are no generics available.

Concerta is included in BNF Section 4.4 (Central nervous system stimulants), and is a brand of the chemical entity Methylphenidate Hydrochloride. Concerta is one of many brands of Methylphenidate Hydrochloride, including the generic.

Risperidone is a chemical entity and is included in BNF Section 4.2 (Drugs used in psychoses and related disorders). Risperdal is the only brand of Risperdone, there are no generics available.

2. The data are based on prescription items dispensed in the community, ie by community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors, and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered in England.

3. The data do not cover drugs dispensed in hospital or private prescriptions.

4. Doctors, dentists or nurses write prescriptions on a prescription form. Each single item written on the form is counted as a prescription item.

Source:

Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) data from the Prescription Pricing Authority

Flu Deaths

Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people aged 65 years or over died of influenza in (a) West Derbyshire, (b) East Midlands and (c) the UK in each year since 1997. [141454]

Ruth Kelly: I have been asked to reply.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

4 Dec 2003 : Column 179W

Letter from Len Cook to Mr. McLoughlin, dated 4 December 2003:

As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many people aged 65 years or over have died of influenza in (a) West Derbyshire, (b) East Midlands, (c) the UK in each year since 1997. (141454)

Figures for West Derbyshire parliamentary constituency, East Midlands government office region and the United Kingdom are provided in the table below. The most recent year for which data are available is 2001.

Numbers of deaths among people aged 65 years and over from influenza,⁽³⁶⁾ 1997 to 2001⁽³⁷⁾for West Derbyshire parliamentary constituency, East Midlands government office region and the United Kingdom⁽³⁸⁾Numbers of deaths

	West Derbyshire	EastMidlands	United Kingdom
1997	-	21	413
1998	-	13	129
1999	*	60	598
2000	*	43	630
2001	*	5	27

= Zero deaths

* Fewer than 5 deaths

⁽³⁶⁾ Deaths with an underlying cause of influenza defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code 487 for the years 1997 to 2000 and, for the year 2001, the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes J10 and J11.

⁽³⁷⁾ Figures are for deaths occurring in each calendar year, except for data for Scotland and Northern Ireland included in the United Kingdom totals. These are deaths registered in each calendar year.

⁽³⁸⁾ Deaths of usual residents of these areas.

Group B Streptococcus

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what analysis he has made of regional variation

4 Dec 2003 : Column 180W

in (a) preventative measures and (b) treatment and care for newborn babies infected with Group B streptococcus. [141252]

Dr. Ladyman: No regional analysis has been made.

Health and Social Care

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish the statement on standards provided for by section 45 of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003. [141317]

Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 2 December 2003]: A draft statement of health care standards will be published for public consultation early in 2004.

Journey Times

Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average journey time was for patients to the nearest (a) general practitioner surgery, (b) dentist and (c) accident and emergency unit in West Derbyshire in the last 12 months. [141452]

Dr. Ladyman: The information requested is not held or collected centrally.

Lymphoedema

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people living within the Adur, Arun and Worthing Primary Care Trust area suffered from lymphoedema in each of the last five years; and how many received treatment. [141145]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Data are not available by primary care trust (PCT) of residence for the last five years available, nor is it available by strategic heath authority (SHA) of residence. However, the following table shows figures for the four health authorities (HAs) which were merged to form Surrey and Sussex SHA, for which Adur, Arun and Worthing PCT is part.

Primary Diagnosis (ICD-10 Q82.0, I89.0, I97.8) Lymphoedema—Counts of Finished Inyear Admission Episodes by selected Health Authorities of Residence. NHS Hospitals, England 1997–98 to 2001–02

Health Authority of residence		1997–98	1998–99	1999–2000	2000–01	2001–02
OAK	East Surrey HA	3	6	4	2	3
QAL	West Surrey HA	3	4	8	4	15
QA M	East Sussex Brighton & Hove HA	46	10	25	48	22
QAN	West Sussex HA	579	312	357	333	384

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 is fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) dataset and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.

3. Grossing—figures are grossed for both coverage and missing/invalid clinical data except 2001–02, which is not yet adjusted for shortfalls.

Source:

Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.

---