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5 Mar 2004 : Column 1177W—continued

Continuing Care Criteria

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to evaluate the continuing care criteria sent to his Department by strategic health authorities. [158639]

Dr. Ladyman: There are no plans to hold a centrally conducted evaluation of the fully funded National Health Service continuing care eligibility criteria of each strategic health authority (SHA). It is the responsibility of each SHA to be satisfied that its criteria meet the legal requirements.

Detoxification Beds

Mrs. Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many detoxification beds for treatment as an inpatient are available in England and Wales. [150760]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Department does not have data on the number of detoxification beds that are available for treatment as an in-patient in England.

However, it is estimated that there are 157 in-patient services in England with detoxification beds.

The number in Wales is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.

Fall-Related Injuries

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) attendances at accident and emergency and (b) admissions to hospital for fall-related injuries in people aged 60 years and over there have been in each year since 1997. [156645]

Dr. Ladyman: Centrally-held data on attendances at accident and emergency departments do not contain sufficient details to identify those who attended because of a fall. The number of people aged 60 and over who were admitted to national health service hospitals in England as a result of a fall is recorded in the Hospital Episode Statistics count of Finished Admission Episodes. The figures are shown in the table.

5 Mar 2004 : Column 1178W

	Finished Admission Episodes (falls over 60)
1997–98	127,665
1998–99	127,817
1999–2000	118,567
2001–02	115,373
2002–03	120,356

Note:

A finished admission episode is the period of impatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Total episodes are only an approximation of the total number of in-patients, as a patient may have more than one admission in a year. Figures are adjusted to compensate for both coverage and missing or invalid clinical data, except for 2001–02 and 2002–03, which are not yet adjusted in this way.

Fossetts Farm Treatment Centre

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether planning permission has been granted for the proposed treatment centre at Fossetts Farm, Southend-on-Sea. [157528]

Mr. Hutton: A planning application was logged with the landowners of the proposed site for the treatment centre at Fossetts Farm on 12 December 2003. This application will be reviewed by the local authority's planning committee.

General Practitioners

Mr. George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patient visits to general practitioners he estimates there were in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [158213]

Mr. Hutton: The most recent data show that there were an estimated 217 million consultations with general practitioners in England between April 2000 and March 2001, the most recent year for which figures are available.

HIV/AIDS

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of drugs used for treating patients who are HIV positive; and if he will make a statement. [157483]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Combination anti-retroviral drug therapies have proved very effective for the majority of people with HIV, in reducing the severity of symptoms and prolonging quality of life.

The British HIV Association (BHIVA), the members of which include the majority of leading HIV/AIDS clinicians, has developed a detailed set of guidelines for the use and monitoring of combination anti-retroviral drugs, and the regimens recommended by BHIVA are widely, accepted by the national health service. The guidelines, and their use by the NHS, are audited annually.

Mr. Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of (a) testing for HIV/AIDS and (b) treating HIV/AIDS patients in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available. [157484]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Information on the cost to the National Health Service of HIV and AIDS testing and treatment is not held centrally.

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The sums allocated by the Department to the NHS for HIV and AIDS prevention, treatment and care in England since 1 993–94 are shown in the table. From April 2002, the special allocations for HIV prevention, treatment and care were added to NHS baseline funding according to the target distribution of HIV across England, and are no longer separately identified.

£ million

Year	NHS allocation
1 993–94	214.4
1 994–95	214.0
1995–96	244.7
1996–97	237.7
1997–98	251.9
1 998–99	281.4
1999–2000	286.4
2000–01	289.4
2001–02	331.0

Hospices

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the savings to the NHS from (a) adults and (b) children using hospice services instead of hospital services. [157910]

Miss Melanie Johnson: No such estimates have been made.

Hospital Waiting Lists

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which hospitals have closed lists for treatment. [155154]

Mr. Hutton: The Department does not collect this information from national health service trusts.

Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for commissioning sufficient activity from NHS trusts and other providers to meet the needs of their local population. The levels of activity required from NHS trusts should be specified in service agreements (SAs) and will represent a ceiling to the trusts' contractual obligations.

Where there are no SAs in place or the activity levels specified in a SA have already been met by the trust, the PCT are responsible for commissioning additional activity to meet the needs of their patients.

HSC 2002/007 (Securing Service Delivery: Commissioning Freedoms of Primary Care Trusts) and HSC 1998/198 (Commissioning in the new NHS), copies of which are in the Library, provide further information.

Hospital-acquired Infection

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the incidence of hospital-acquired infection among women using maternity services; and if he will make a statement. [156284]

Miss Melanie Johnson: National information on the incidence of hospital-acquired infections amongst women using maternity services is not available. Options for collecting surveillance data are being kept under review and implementation of the Chief Medical

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Officer's report, "Winning Ways Working together to reduce Healthcare Associated Infection in England", will help reduce infection rates.

Mental Health

Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people suffer dementia in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley; and how many are (i) under and (ii) over 65 years of age. [157090]

Miss Melanie Johnson: There is no routine collection of information at national or local level about the number of people living with dementia. The research quoted by the older people's national service framework in 2001 estimated that approximately 600,000 people in the United Kingdom have dementia of whom there are about 17,000 people under the age of 65.

Mumps Vaccine

Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what restrictions are in place on the import of mumps vaccine; and what volumes of vaccine have been imported in each month since January 2003. [155128]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Single mumps vaccines are unlicensed imported medicines. The importers of which are required to be licensed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Every importer must notify the MHRA on each occasion they intend importing an unlicensed medicine and there is a legal restriction on the maximum quantity they may import per notification (a maximum of 25 single administrations). This applies to all imported unlicensed medicines. Each notification is an intention to import and does not necessarily reflect the number of doses actually imported or used. The information on the actual number of doses imported is not held by the MHRA.

National School Fruit Scheme

Mr. Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which schools in the Manchester, Gorton constituency will benefit from the free fruit scheme. [156310]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The following 24 schools in Gorton are receiving fruit under the National School Fruit Scheme:

Abbey Hey Infant School

Acacias Primary School

All Saints Primary School

Alma Park Primary School

Aspinal Primary School

Birchfields Primary School

Chapel Street Primary School

Crowcroft Park Primary School

Gorton Brook School

Gorton Mount Primary School

Old Hall Drive Primary School

Richmond Park School

Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Infant School Manchester

St Andrew's CofE Primary School

St Francis RC Primary School

St James' CofE Primary School

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St John's CofE Primary School

St Joseph's RC Primary School Manchester

St Kentigern's Catholic Primary School

St Luke's CofE Primary School

St Mary's RC Primary School Manchester

St Richard's RC Primary School

Stanley Grove Community Primary School

Wilbraham Primary School

Mrs. Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the timetable is for extending the National School Fruit Scheme to all regions in England; [157603]

(2) when he will extend the National School Fruit Scheme to the South West Region. [157604]

Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 1 March 2004]: The National School Fruit Scheme will entitle children aged four to six in local education authority maintained infant, primary and special schools to a free

5 Mar 2004 : Column 1182W

piece of fruit every school day. The scheme is already in operation in the West and East Midlands, London and the North West. Most eligible schools in the North East will join the scheme in March 2004 and the remainder in April. Schools in the remaining four regions will join the scheme during the autumn term 2004.

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