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10 May 2004 : Column 163W—continued
Hearing Aids
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the implementation of the modernising hearing aid services programme; [171091]
(2) what continuation funding will be available for the modernising hearing· aid services programme after central funding ends in 2005; and if he will make a statement. [171092]
Dr. Ladyman: The modernising hearing aid services (MHAS) programme has resulted in the provision of digital hearing aids and the modernisation of services in two thirds of the audiology departments in England. By the end of March 2005, all audiology departments will have been through the programme. An extra £26.4 million capital and £12 million revenue is scheduled to be distributed to lead primary care trusts for the financial year beginning April 2005 as part of the general allocations.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of NHS hearing aids are digital in (a) Essex and (b) England; and if he will make a statement. [171093]
Dr. Ladyman: This information is not collected centrally.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in Essex on the modernising hearing aid services programme. [171094]
Dr. Ladyman: Four of the five acute trusts in Essex have modernised audiology departments and are fitting digital hearing aids. Epping Forest Primary Care Trust (St. Margaret's Hospital) will commence fitting digital hearing aids in 2005.
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects full take-up of NHS digital hearing aids to be achieved in (a) Essex and (b) England. [171095]
Dr. Ladyman: All audiology departments in England will routinely be fitting digital hearing aids by March 2005, two thirds are already doing so.
The Department is investing a further £94 million in the financial years 2003–04 and 2004–05. This is additional to a total of £30.75 million invested since the Modernising Hearing Aid Services (MHAS) project began in September 2000.
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Essex Strategic Health Authority, and primary care and other trusts within Essex continue to work towards meeting the March 2005 target.
Hearing-impaired Patients
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place to ensure that patients who are deaf or have hearing problems have full access to the NHS services by October. [170965]
Dr. Ladyman: The Department is working in partnership with the Disability Rights Commission on a range of measures to support the National Health Service in improving access to information and services, communications and levels of awareness of disability issues. These measures include, for example, developing health sector-specific practical guidance and promoting awareness of the access duties within the NHS.
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve the way that the NHS communicates with patients who are deaf or who have a hearing impairment. [171013]
Dr. Ladyman: The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments to the way they deliver their services so that disabled people can use them. In January 1999, the Department issued guidance to chief executives of National Health Service Trusts on providing good quality services meeting the needs of disabled people. This guidance contains a section explaining the needs of people who are deaf or who have a hearing impairment setting out a range of ways in which better communication can be supported. For example, the, guidance recommends that interpreters used for medical consultations should be appropriately qualified, that hospitals and health centres should maintain an up to date list of accredited sign language interpreters, and that letter headings, leaflets and information sheets should include text phone, fax and email numbers to facilitate responses from deaf people.
NHS organisations are responsible for their own compliance with the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act. However, the Department is working in partnership with the Disability Rights Commission on a range of measures to support the NHS in improving access to information and services, communications and levels of awareness of disability issues. These measures include, for example, developing health sector-specific practical guidance and promoting awareness of the access duties within the NHS.
Hunters Moor Hospital (Newcastle)
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many business cases have so far been (a) submitted and (b) rejected for a replacement neuro-disability centre for Hunters Moor Hospital, Newcastle; what the date was of the first such submission; and whether a business case has now been accepted. [168699]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
Three business cases have been submitted.
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The first outline business case was submitted in 1995. It was not progressed further because of changes in the time scale of implementing the Newcastle Strategic Review.
The second outline business case was submitted in 1998 to provide interim accommodation. It was rejected by the community health council. The former Newcastle City Health Trust withdrew the proposal and agreed to explore further options.
The third outline business case was developed following a period of public consultation. It was approved by Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic Health Authority in 2003. The full business case is now being developed.
Internet Medicine Sales
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his Department's monitoring of the sale of (a) licensed and (b) unlicensed medicines over the internet. [167803]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) works in co-ordination with world-wide enforcement bodies to address this area of criminal activity. The MHRA is a member of the Permanent Forum on International Pharmaceutical Crime (PFIPC). This forum was set up by the United Kingdom in 1998 to promote good practice and develop intelligence links and networks. Internet crime is a frequent topic for discussion.
An initiative to co-ordinate action within the European Community and pre accession countries was established this year to advise and assist prospective members and to raise awareness of issues relating to the internet.
An initiative is currently in progress to identify a commercially available internet monitoring software package for use by the MHRA.
In addition, the MHRA and the former Medicines Control Agency (MCA) has been involved with three initiatives involving the availability of medicines on the internet sponsored by other Government agencies and local authorities, such as the Office of Fair Trading, Inland Revenue and trading standards departments. These initiatives identified websites which appeared to be in breach of medicines legislation. The MHRA/MCA investigated the services offered by those websites and took appropriate action.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on enforcing the General Medicine Council's ruling on the sale of medicines over the internet. [167804]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In November 1998 the General Medical Council (CMC) issued guidance to doctors on providing advice and medicine on line or by telephone. The GMC guidance promotes good medical practice but is not for the Government to enforce.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to seek to amend the law relating to sales of drugs over the internet; and if he will make a statement. [167805]
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Ms Rosie Winterton: There are no plans to amend medicines legislation relating to the internet. Legal controls on the retail sale or supply of medicines are set out in the Medicines Act 1968 and associated regulations.
These controls apply without distinction to medicines sold or supplied through internet transactions. Although there are strict legal controls in legislation on the sale, supply and advertisement of medicinal products within the European Community, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) accepts that the sale of medicines over the internet poses unique challenges to national authorities.
Along with counterparts in other member states and other enforcement bodies world-wide (including the Food and Drugs Administration), the MHRA continues to monitor developments. However, by its very nature, the internet, with its broad reach, relative anonymity and the ease of creating new websites (plus removing old ones) means that ensuring effective compliance with legislative requirements requires a global commitment.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many investigations have been carried out into the sale of unlicensed medicines via the internet by (a) the Medicines Control Agency for each year between 1997 and 2003 and (b) the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency in the last year. [167808]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The number of internet investigations carried out by the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) involving unlicensed medicinal products year-on-year since 1997 is shown in the table.
| Number of cases | |
|---|---|
| 1997–2001(42) | 3 |
| 2001–02(42) | 1 |
| 2002–03(42) | 5 |
| 2003–04(43) | 7 |
(42) Investigated by the MCA.
(43) Investigated by the MHRA.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prosecutions against sellers of unlicensed medicines via the internet (a) have been undertaken, (b) have been successful and (c) are in preparation by (i) the Medicines Control Agency for each year between 1997 and 2003 and (ii) the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency in the last year. [167809]
Ms Rosie Winterton: To date, there has been one successful prosecution, by the then Medicines Control Agency, relating to the sale of unlicensed medicines on the internet. This took place in 1999. No other such prosecutions have been brought.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency currently has two cases prepared for prosecution involving the sale of unlicensed medicines on the internet.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many employees are engaged in the Special Inquiry Unit of the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency investigating drugs sales through the internet. [167810]
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Ms Rosie Winterton: The work of the special enquiry unit of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) was absorbed into the mainstream criminal investigation unit in October 2001.
The MHRA currently employs 14 full time investigators. The investigators cover all allegations relating to breaches of medicines legislation and do not exclusively investigate sales via the internet.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training is undertaken by employees of the Special Inquiry Unit of the Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency investigating drug sales through the internet. [167811]
Ms Rosie Winterton: All investigation officers in the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) receive training in how to undertake investigations into cases involving the internet. Also, specialist administrative staff involved in internet casework have received additional training in internet search techniques.
In addition, senior officers from the MHRA visited United States federal agencies in Washington at the end of last year as part of a familiarisation exercise on electronic investigative techniques currently in use in the United States. They received demonstrations of training and software packages on the market and in operation. Senior officers in the MHRA are in the process of evaluating which systems will be best suited to its needs.
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