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8 Mar 2004 : Column 1334W—continued

Hospices

Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many (a) adult and (b) children's hospices are operating in England; [157731]

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Miss Melanie Johnson: There are 172 adult in-patient units (2,637 beds) 1 and 27 children's units (201) beds in England, the large majority of which are managed by the voluntary sector.

We do not collect information on financial assistance centrally. It is for the national health service locally to make arrangements for financial support to both adult and children's hospices based on the needs of the local population. We are investing an additional £50 million per annum in specialist palliative care for adults with cancer. Hospices are benefiting from this additional money.



Human Papilloma Virus

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the original planned publication date was for the results of the implementation pilots on human papilloma virus testing. [157405]

Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 2 March 2004]: A pilot of human papilloma virus (HPV) testing as triage for women whose cervical screening test results showed low grade abnormalities began in April 2001 as part of the pilot of liquid based cytology (LBC). In the pilot, women who were HPV positive were referred immediately for a follow-up examination by colposcopy. If the test showed women were HPV negative, they had a repeat screening test after six months and a second HPV test.

An independent evaluation of the pilot was commissioned by the Department from the Cancer Screening Evaluation Unit at the Institute of Cancer Research. The evaluation is covering all aspects of HPV testing as triage, including cost-effectiveness. As women who have low grade abnormalities but are HPV negative are retested six months later, the HPV arm of the pilot has taken longer than the LBC arm, as expected. Full follow-up of all women in the pilot is essential for completeness of the evaluation. The HPV evaluation report was due at the end of 2003, but the evaluation has proved more difficult than anticipated. It is important to get the evaluation right, as the cervical screening programmes involved four million women each year.

A draft of the evaluation report has been seen by the Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening, and will also go to the National Screening Committee, which originally commissioned the pilot, shortly. The evaluation report will then be peer reviewed in the usual way, and we expect publication of the full report in the summer. The evaluators will also publish aspects of the results in peer reviewed journals.

Imported Infections

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Cabinet Office Review into imported infections and immigration will be published. [158790]

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Miss Melanie Johnson: The Cabinet Office is continuing to co-ordinate work between relevant Government Departments, including the Department of Health, to review imported infections and immigration. The purpose of the review is to establish the facts about the impact of immigration on public health and National Health Service expenditure, consider all relevant issues, including health screening, and suggest solutions should action be required. It is ongoing and no decisions have been taken yet.

Local Authority Grants (Dorset)

Jim Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what grants were awarded to local authorities in Dorset by his Department in financial year 2003–04 that fall outside the revenue support grant. [156207]

Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the response given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Mr. Raynsford), on 1 March 2004, Official Report, column 750W.

Pharmaceutical Services

John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library copies of responses to the consultation on proposals to reform and modernise the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 1992 in relation to the proposed exemption of large shopping developments from the control of entry requirements for retail pharmacy services. [157513]

Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 1 March 2004]: Copies of 274 responses received in respect of the Department's consultation on proposals to reform and modernise the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 1992, including those responses commenting on the proposed exemption from the control of entry requirements for pharmacy applications in respect of large shopping developments over 15,000 square metres gross lettable floor space, will be placed in the Library.

Responses received in confidence have not been placed in the Library under exemption 14 (Information given in confidence) of Part 2 of the Open Government Code of Practice.

We intend to publish a summary of these responses in due course.

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the rate of inappropriate prescribing among those (a) under 65 years and (b) 65 years and over, broken down by gender, in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [157376]

Dr. Ladyman: We do not collect data centrally to make such an assessment.

Mr. Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those medical conditions whose sufferers qualify for free prescriptions; and what the cost to the NHS was in 2003–04 in respect of each condition. [158256]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The medical conditions conferring exemption from prescription charges are:

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The following disorders:









In 2002–03, 38.2 million prescription items were dispensed in the community in England to holders of a medical exemption certificate. This represents charge revenue foregone of around £236.8 million. Information in respect of each condition is not available and information for 2003–04 is not yet available.

Mr. Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the medical conditions about which representations have been made to his Department in the last three years proposing the granting of free drug prescriptions to sufferers of those conditions; and what his estimate is of the cost of free prescriptions in respect of each of these conditions. [158257]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The following list of conditions (as described by the person making the representations) have been identified as the subject of representations in respect of free prescriptions between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2003.




























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No estimates have been made of the cost of free prescriptions in respect of each of these conditions.

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