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Departmental Communications

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many staff are employed in the Department to work in the communications field, broken down by (a) Government Information and Communication Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers, (ii) special advisers and (iii) others; [158166]

(2) what the total expenditure on communications for the Department has been in 2003–04, broken down by expenditure on (a) Government Information and Communications Service staff and (b) other staff, broken down by (i) press officers.(ii) special advisers and (iii) others. [158198]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department currently employs 126 staff in its communications directorate.

57 of these are Government Information and Communication Service staff, of whom 22 are press officers and 35 are employed in marketing communications, web and staff communications activities.

There are 70 other communications staff in the wider Department employed in public health campaigns, national health service and Departmental events and visits, marketing (including print and distribution) and support staff.

The total expenditure on communications directorate staff is £4.09 million, broken down as follows:

£2.63 million for Government information and communication service staff, of which £1.06 million is for press officers and £1.46 million for other staff.

The special advisers code of conduct sets out the sort of work a special adviser may undertake on behalf of their Minister. This includes communications activity. Details of the costs of special advisers are given on an annual basis. Information for the financial year 2003–04 will be published in due course.

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Drug Rehabilitation Treatment (Prisons)

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what types of treatment are generally available in prisons for each form of drug addiction; and if he will make a statement. [164247]

Dr. Ladyman: A comprehensive range of drug treatment is available to address the differing needs of drug misusers. The general health examination/assessment a prisoner receives on first reception into custody aims to identify past and present drug usage and engagement with community drugs teams. A clinical decision is then reached about the next steps in the management of each individual prisoner. This can be either detoxification or substitute prescribing, as a prelude to a broader based drug treatment programme.

Counselling, assessment, referral, advice and throughcare (CARAT) service is available in every establishment. CARAT workers, together with healthcare staff where possible, assess a prisoner's treatment needs and devise a care plan based on level of need and time in custody. CARAT provides case management and lower level interventions and is available in all establishments. Intensive rehabilitation programmes are provided through a range of 60 accredited drug rehabilitation programmes, including four therapeutic communities.

Drug Testing

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to review procedures for testing drugs. [163901]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency operates a medicines testing scheme to assess the quality of medicines found on the United Kingdom market.

A review is planned of the current level of sampling used within this scheme.

Fertility Treatment

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many licensed fertility clinics have failed inspection by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority in each of the last five years; [163157]

(2) what plans the Government have to change the rules governing the use of eggs from aborted female foetuses in (a) licensed fertility treatments and (b) research; [163159]

(3) what studies the Government have commissioned into the long-term effects of invitro fertilisation on (a) women and (b) children born as a result of the treatment; [163160]

(4) what measures are in place to ensure that human embryos created under a licence issued by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority are not allowed to develop beyond the 14-day statutory time limit; [163163]

(5) what plans he has to require licensed fertility clinics to reimburse the NHS for the cost of treatment arising from multiple births following fertility treatment; [163230]

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(6) how many members of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority have declared opposition to destructive embryo research. [163231]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 provides a regulatory framework for the provision of treatment involving in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and human embryo research. These activities are licensed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). Inspection of licensed establishments is the cornerstone of the HFEA's work to ensure compliance with Act, the HFEA's code of practice and the conditions upon which the establishment's licence has been granted.

It is not a simple matter of an establishment either "passing or failing" a HFEA inspection. Licensed establishments are expected to operate to set standards and regular inspections take place to ensure these standards are maintained. Where an inspection team considers that an establishment needs to make improvement in a certain area of its operation, a HFEA licence committee that considers the inspection report may decide to attach additional conditions to the licence, with a deadline for implementing improvements if necessary. Failure to comply with the conditions of a licence would be considered by a licence committee and could lead to the revocation of the licence. Were practice to be found of so poor a standard that patients were placed at risk, a licence committee would, as a matter of urgency, consider suspension of the licence and, if necessary, revocation.

The HFEA code of practice sets out standards of conduct and practice that licensed establishments are expected to observe. The new edition of the code, which came into force on 1 March 2004, limits the number of eggs or embryos that can be placed in a woman under age 40, in any one treatment cycle, to a maximum of two. The purpose of this is to limit, as far as possible, multiple pregnancies, which can have a significant medical and social impact on the resulting children and their families, as well as having cost implications for the national health service for the care of the mother and babies. This guidance is supported by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence's guideline on fertility treatment which also recommends that ovarian stimulation should not be offered where the female patient has no fertility problems herself to prevent the risk of a multiple pregnancy. Together these measures should reduce the number of multiple births.

There are no plans to require licensed treatment clinics, a number of which operate within the NHS, to reimburse the health service for costs resulting from the care of multiple pregnancies and births.

The Government have not commissioned any research into the long term effects of in vitro fertilisation (IVF). However, the HFEA has been working with the Medical Research Council to determine what follow-up studies may be needed to assess both the treatments used and any long-term health implications for patients and children born as a result of fertility treatments, including IVF.

When considering applications for embryo research, members of the HFEA are required to reach decisions on the basis of a fair and impartial assessment of the

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facts. The HFEA only licences embryo research to take place in circumstances specified by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 and in accordance with the requirements of the Act. No HFEA members have expressed objection to the principles in the Act.

Compliance with the prohibition in section 3(4) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 on the keeping or using in treatment or research of embryos beyond the 14 day limit is monitored though the HFEA inspection process.

Section 3A of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 prohibits the use in fertility treatment of eggs taken from aborted fetuses. There are no plans to change this. Under the Human Tissue Bill storage of fetal tissue for research purposes would be subject to licensing by the Human Tissue Authority.

Health Development Agency (Crosby)

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the effect on residents of Crosby of the Health Development Agency. [160437]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The work of the Health Development Agency (HDA) is focussed on service delivery that supports the whole of the region's public health development.

Crosby has a number of electoral wards assessed as being in the worst 25 per cent. in England for multiple deprivation. The HDA manages the national healthy school standard, which is part of the Government's national strategy to reduce health inequalities for children. The regional management of the programme is delivered in partnership with Sefton local education authority. In Crosby, 15 out of the 28 schools are included in the (Sefton) national health schools standard programme.

The North West HDA organised the largest ever regional public health conference in March 2004 to address the problem of obesity. Over 300 regional public health professionals, including representatives from health services responsible for Crosby, will learn of the latest obesity data for the region and will collaboratively plan a regional obesity action plan. The workshop will draw together best practice from across the region and in addition to the HDA guidance on obesity, this will provide the basis for local and regional work to tackle obesity in the coming years. The North West HDA is currently working with the North West public health observatory and the regional cancer registries to review the main causes of cancer related deaths across the region.

The HDA, in partnership with Liverpool John Moores University and the North West Public Health Observatory, is currently completing a regional report "Alcohol: A Situational Analysis for the North West".

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