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6 Feb 2004 : Column 1121W—continued
Police
Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many stop and search warrants were made by police under the Terrorism Act 2000 in Gloucestershire in 2003, and how many of these resulted in (a) subsequent court action and (b) conviction. [152979]
Mr. Blunkett: Figures on stops and searches under section 44(1) and section 44(2) of the Terrorism Act 2000 are published annually in a Home Office Statistical Bulletin.
The latest published figures are for the financial year 2002–03 and show that in the area of Gloucestershire constabulary, police conducted a total of 898 stops and searches under section 44(1) of the Act resulting in three arrests. 299 stops and searches under section 44(2) were carried out, resulting in nine arrests. Figures for 2003–04 are not yet available.
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The data collected on stops and searches made under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 are not automatically cross-referenced by police forces with the data they hold on those charged. Therefore, this information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Sunset Clauses
Mr. David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his policy on the use of sunset clauses in legislation; and which Acts containing such clauses relevant to his Department were passed in each year since 1997. [149332]
Mr. Blunkett: The Home Office actively promotes the better regulation agenda and the use of sunsetting where appropriate.
The following sunset clauses have been included in legislation from the Home Office since 1997:
- (i) Section 5 of the Football (Disorder) Act 2000 (c.25).
- (ii) Section 112 of the Terrorism Act 2000 (c.11).
- (iii) Section 15(3) of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 (c.16).
- (iv) Sections 29, 105 and 123 (in conjunction with section 122 of the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 (c.24).
- (v) Section 1 of the Football (Disorder) (Amendment) Act 2002 (c. 12).
Specifically, in relation to the sunset clause relating to part 4 of the Anti-Terror, Crime and Security Act, I intend to fully debate the issues in part 4 at the time of the annual renewal of that legislation, and when the contents of Lord Newton's report on the Anti-Terror, Crime and Security Act are considered and debated in Parliament.
HEALTH
Asthma/Leukemia (Children)
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the incidence of (a) asthma and (b) leukaemia in children aged between 5 and 15 was in each year since 2000. [152549]
Dr. Ladyman: Information on the incidence of asthma in children is not collected centrally. Hospital Episode Statistics recording the number of finished admission episodes for asthma in children aged five to 15 are shown in the table.
| Number of finished admission episodes | |
|---|---|
| 2000–01 | 12,266 |
| 2001–02 | 12,440 |
| 2002–03 | 11,394 |
Notes:
Finished admission episodes
A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care 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.
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.
Grossing
Figures are grossed for both coverage and missing/invalid clinical data, except for 2001–02 and 2002–03, which are not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health
The number of registrations of newly diagnosed cases of leukaemia
(11) in children aged five to 14 in England in 2000, the most recent year for which data are available
(12) , was 168.
(13) International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10), codes C91-C95.
(14) Office for National Statistics, 'Cancer Statistics—Registrations, England, 2000', Series MB1.No.31.
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Audiology
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the average waiting time was for patients between the date of referral to an NHS audiology unit in England for a hearing assessment to an assessment taking place in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement; [152728]
- (2) what the current waiting time is between referral and being seen by an audiologist for each NHS audiology unit in England; and if he will make a statement; [152729]
(3) what percentage of patients referred to NHS audiology units in England were fitted with (a) a single behind the ear hearing aid, (b) binaural behind the ear hearing aids, (c) a single in the ear hearing aid and (d) binaural in the ear hearing aids, in the latest period for which figures are available; [152731]
(4) what percentage of patients referred to audiology units in England were fitted with (a) analogue and (b) digital hearing aids in the latest period for which figures are available. [152732]
Dr. Ladyman: This information is not collected centrally.
Cancer
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what figures his Department collects on the levels of funding by Government for cancer research in (a) the UK, (b) other European Union countries and (c) the USA. [150606]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Government spent an estimated total of £190 million on cancer research in 2000–01. Figures for levels of funding by Governments in other European Union countries are not available. The budget of the United States National Cancer Institute for fiscal year 2004 is $4,770 million (£2,588 million).
Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of (a) Government and (b) non-Government spending on (i) all cancer research and (ii) breast cancer research in 2003–04; what proportion of the above is for cancer prevention; and if he will make a statement. [152513]
Miss Melanie Johnson: In the NHS Cancer Plan, the government stated its commitment to increasing funds for cancer research so as to play a full part alongside its
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funding partners. We said that, by 2003, we would be investing an additional £20 million each year in the infrastructure for cancer research and an extra £4 million on prostate cancer research. This new funding would mean that, for the first time, Government (through the Department, the Higher Education Funding Council and the research councils) would match the current investment of the voluntary sector. In June 2002, we confirmed to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee that Government investment in cancer research had already reached the level of the charities. Nevertheless, we remain committed to investing the extra £24 million, as described in the Cancer Plan.
The International Cancer Research Portfolio database at www.cancerportfolio.org contains details of projects supported by cancer research funding organisations in the United Kingdom and the United States. Data submitted by the National Cancer Research Institute includes the research portfolios of the 15 largest Government and charitable funders of cancer research in the UK where the research was active on 1 January 2003. The database can be searched by type of cancer, area of research (including prevention), and funding organisation.
Mrs. Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to inform men (a) about the known risk factors for prostate cancer and (b) on whether they should ask their doctor for a prostate specific antigen test. [152543]
Miss Melanie Johnson: We want men to know what their prostate is and what can go wrong with it. We have provided funding for the following to increase public awareness of prostate cancer:
- Section 64 grant to the Prostate Cancer Charity to increase available 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.
We have also set up the Prostate Cancer Advisory Group (PCAG) to ensure better collaboration and communication between the Department, the voluntary sector, patient and professional groups and to advise Ministers, the National Cancer Director and the Department on the development of policy on prostate cancer. One of the first actions of the PCAG was the formation of a sub-group to look specifically at the public awareness of prostate cancer.
The prostate cancer risk management programme ensures that men considering a prostate specific antigen (PSA) test for prostate cancer are given information concerning the benefits, limitations and risks associated with having the test. Evidence based primary care resource packs have been provided to all GPs to aid them in counselling men who are concerned about prostate cancer, enabling the man to make an informed choice on whether to take a PSA test.
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