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NHS Live 2004

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the total budget for NHS Live 2004 is. [140904]

Mr. Hutton: The total budget for NHS Live will depend upon the revenue generated through sponsorship and trade show exhibition.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the organisations which have been approached to sponsor NHS Live 2004; and what amounts are being sought for such sponsorship. [140905]

Mr. Hutton: Sponsorship for NHS Live is being sought in accordance with Cabinet Office guidelines. No specific amount is being sought from individual sponsors. Any revenue received (or the equivalent payments in kind) will be published in the 2004 Departmental Report.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what involvement his special advisers have had in (a) devising and (b) organising NHS Live 2004. [141570]

Mr. Hutton: A steering group chaired by the Chief Medical Officer oversees the planning for NHS Live. Special advisers have had no active role in devising or organising the NHS Live event.

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Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he will participate in NHS Live 2004. [141571]

Mr. Hutton: It is anticipated that my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State will address the conference or visit the NHS Live exhibition.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what criteria will be used for issuing invitations to NHS Live 2004. [141572]

Mr. Hutton: All National Health Service and social care organisations in England have been invited to participate in the NHS Live programme. Stakeholder organisations representing staff, patients and the public will also be invited to participate in developing the programme and in the event at Excel in July 2004.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the media will be invited to cover NHS Live 2004. [141573]

Mr. Hutton: The media will be invited to cover the NHS Live 2004 event.

Skin Cancer

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what action the Department is taking to tackle the rise in skin cancer cases in England. [141815]

Miss Melanie Johnson: A new sun awareness initiative "SunSmart" was launched on 27 March by Cancer Research UK to make the public aware of the dangers of exposure to the sun. The campaign is based on the successful "SunSmart" campaign in Australia. The campaign has received funding from the United Kingdom Health Departments this year. We will be providing further funding for the campaign for next summertime.

The campaign's aim is to increase the profile of the issue of skin cancer and methods of effective sun protection.

The key objectives are to increase knowledge of the causes of skin cancer, to increase awareness of actions that can be taken to prevent skin cancer and to influence positively attitudes to sun protection.

Subject to further funding, longer-term aims are to reduce sunlight exposure through changes in behaviour and environment, to increase the proportion of people reporting with early stage disease and decrease the proportion of people presenting with late tumours.

The campaign's key messages have been disseminated by way of an alert to the campaign and mailshot pack of posters and leaflets to all general practitioner surgeries and health promotion units nationally, an alert to the campaign and mailshot to secondary schools with 3,500 leaflets and posters; and a series of press events over summer 2003, with leaflets and posters targeted in cities and seaside resorts. The effectiveness of the campaign is being evaluated and the lessons learnt will be fed into future development of the campaign.

The Department has separately developed the "SunSafe" web pages last year, designed with children in mind and these are available on the Department's website at www.doh.gov.uk/sunsafe. Sun awareness

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information is also contained on the "Wired For Health" website at www.wiredforhealth.gov.uk/teaching/sun/intro.html.

We continue to fund annually the Meteorological Office to provide the daily Ultra-Violet index in the media (TV, radio, Meteorological Office website).

The Department also provides core funding to the National Radiological Protection Board, which provides expertise on ultra-violet radiation issues.

Solid Waste Incinerators (Health Risks)

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to update the research on (a) angiosarcoma, (b) lymphohematopoietic cancers and (c) cancer incidence near municipal solid waste incinerators. [142632]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Department has no plans to carry out further research on angiosarcoma. The independent expert advisory Committee of Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and Environment that any potential risk of cancer from residency near to municipal solid waste incinerators was exceedingly low and probably not measurable by the most modern epidemiological methods. Therefore, no further research is planned on cancer incidence near municipal solid waste incinerators.

The Committee on Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE) recommended in its third report an investigation of the geographical distribution of childhood cancer and leukaemia in Great Britain and how the pattern of cases around nuclear installations compares with the national pattern. This study is nearing completion and the Department has asked COMARE to advise on which, if any, nuclear installations in Great Britain have incidences of childhood cancer and leukaemia in their vicinity which are statistically outside the distribution seen nationally. COMARE hopes to report on this aspect of the study to the Department early next year. When complete, the database will also allow investigation of other environmental factors and their potential relevance to the temporal and spatial distribution of childhood cancer.

Waiting Lists/Times

Mr. Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking, in response to the 45th Report of Session 2001–02 by the Committee of Public Accounts on Inpatient and outpatient waiting in the NHS, to reduce the regional variations in (a) waiting lists, (b) waiting times and (c) different specialisms. [142561]

Mr. Hutton: The Department has put a number of measures aimed at reducing inpatient and outpatient waits in the National Health Service and to improve access as outlined in the NHS Plan. Local action continues to implement these measures in reducing local variations in waiting lists, waiting times and different specialties.

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SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Big Conversation

Mr. Heald: To ask the Solicitor-General what visits (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department (i) have made and (ii) plan to make using public funds in connection with the Big Conversation; how many civil servants accompanied each Minister in respect of such visits; what the cost to public funds was of visits by (A) each Minister and (B) civil servants in connection with the Big Conversation; and if she will make a statement. [143160]

The Solicitor-General: Neither the Attorney-General nor I have made any such visits using public funds or accompanied by civil servants and none are currently planned.

Sand Yachting

Mr. Jack: To ask the Solicitor-General, what the basis was for the request by the Attorney-General to the Crown Prosecution Service to provide him with an update on whether sand yachting should be allowed to continue at St.Anne's. [142623]

The Solicitor-General: I refer the hon. Member to the Attorney-General's letter to him dated 3 December 2003, in which the Attorney stated the following:

"I indicated in my last letter that I had asked the CPS to provide me with an update, including the future of sand yachting in the area. I made this comment on the basis that I could see that the CPS decision regarding a criminal prosecution would be relevant to those responsible for licensing sand yachting in the area. The issue of whether sand yachting should be allowed to continue is not a matter for the CPS to determine, as their review of these tragic events is restricted to the more limited issue of criminal culpability."

PRIME MINISTER

Art Acquisition

Norman Baker: To ask the Prime Minister how much his Office has spent on the acquisition of works of art in each year since 1997, broken down by amounts spent on (a) paintings and (b) sculpture; what the single most expensive piece of art purchased by his Office since 1997 was; how much it cost; and what the total revenue raised by his Office through sales of its works of art has been since 1997. [142365]

The Prime Minister: My office has neither sold nor bought paintings or sculptures since 1997.

Big Conversation

Mr. Heald: To ask the Prime Minister, what visits (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department (i) have made and (ii) plan to make using public funds in connection with the Big Conversation; how many civil servants accompanied each Minister in respect of such visits; what the cost to public funds was of visits by (A) each Minister and (B) civil servants in connection with the Big Conversation; and if he will make a statement. [143162]

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The Prime Minister: I refer the hon. Member to the answer my right hon. Friend, the Leader of the House of Commons (Mr. Hain) gave him today.

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