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21 Jul 2004 : Column 354W—continued
Assisted Reproduction
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether the Human Fertilisation and Embrylogy Authority inspects clinics outside the United Kingdom involved in egg and sperm collection; and if he will make a statement; [185015]
(2) how much the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority spent on overseas visits for (a) inspection and (b) public relations purposes in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement; [185030]
(3) which overseas fertility clinics the Human Fertilisation and Embrylogy Authority (a) visited in each year since 1997 and (b) plans to visit for inspection purposes; and if he will make a statement. [185031]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) does not inspect treatment or research establishments outside Great
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Britain and Northern Ireland. Members and senior officers of the HFEA do make overseas visits to learn more about practice in other countries and to attend and speak at international conferences. They have also visited overseas establishments to investigate issues relating to the provision of treatment services within the United Kingdom. These included Cryos International Sperm Bank in Aarhus, Denmark in November 2003 and Global ART in Bucharest, Romania in July 2004.
The cost to the HFEA of overseas visits since 2003 are shown in the table:
| Cost (£) | |
|---|---|
| 2003(21) | 5,481 |
| 20041,2 | 10,039 |
(21) Includes attendance of a number of HFEA staff at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology annual conference to meet requests for information and provide speakers for the main conference and fringe events.
(22) Figures from 1 January to 19 July 2004.
Figures from 1997 to 2002 can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the sale of (a) human eggs and (b) human sperm is permitted in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [185016]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The sale of human gametes (sperm and eggs) is prohibited in the United Kingdom. Under section 12 of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, no money or other benefits shall be given or received in respect of the supply of gametes unless authorised by directions from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). These directions authorise a maximum payment of £15.00 per donation plus reasonable expenses. The HFEA's code of practice gives guidance to clinics on what claims could be considered as reasonable expenses.
Biochemical Assay
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions, in each of the last five years, NHS medical staff working within the chemical and laboratory facilities associated with the National Poisons Information Service have sent biological samples from patients for biochemical assay to agrochemical companies; which companies were used; for what exposures; and whether independent checks were carried out on the results. [184452]
Miss Melanie Johnson: No biological samples have been sent by the National Poisons Information Service associated laboratories for assay by the agrochemical industry. It may be possible that other national health service laboratories have sent such samples, but no central register is held.
Cancer
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people who will suffer from cancer in (a) 2005, (b) 2010 and (c) 2020. [185508]
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Miss Melanie Johnson: The Government has made no long-term estimate of the future numbers of people who will be diagnosed with cancer.
Care Homes
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many care homes (a) closed and (b) opened in east Devon in each of the past five years. [182048]
Dr. Ladyman: Information on the number of homes opening and closing is not centrally available. The table shows the number of care homes in Devon as at 31 March for the years 1999 to 2001. Data on the number of care homes in east Devon is not centrally available.
| Rounded numbers | |
|---|---|
| Number(23) | |
| 1999 | 1,380 |
| 2000 | 1,300 |
| 2001 | 1,220 |
Notes:
(23) Nursing data includes general nursing homes, mental nursing homes and private hospitals and clinics.
(24) Residential data refers to Devon council with Social Services Responsibilities, Nursing data refers to north and east Devon and south and west Devon health authorities.
Source:
RA and Rh(N) form A.
The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) is responsible for collecting information on care homes in England from 1 April 2004; and previously the National Care Standards Commission from 1 April 2002. I understand from the chair of the CSCI that for technical reasons CSCI cannot currently provide sub-national data on the numbers of care homes.
Coronary Heart Disease
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished consultant episodes there were for (a) paediatric, (b) adolescent and (c) adult coronary heart disease treatment in (i) England and (ii) each strategic health authority in each year since 1996. [184101]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Delayed Discharges
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many delayed discharges were recorded in the South East in (a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04. [185506]
Dr. Ladyman:
Figures for delayed transfers of care have been supplied for every quarter in 2002–03 and 2003–04, at primary care trust level and are available in the Library, including the latest figures for 2003–04, quarter 4 (March 2004). Nationally, the total number of patients of all ages occupying an acute bed with a delayed transfer, fell from 4,100 in March 2003 to 2,821 in March 2004.
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Dentistry
Mr. Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the provision of dental treatment under the national health service in Essex. [184496]
Dr. Ladyman: The health economy in Essex has received an additional £1.5 million access funding from the Department, which primary care trusts (PCTs) will use to commission additional national health service dental capacity from existing practices and to provide new dental practices.
To ensure that more people can see a NHS dentist when and where they need, the equivalent of 1,000 dentists nationally will be recruited by October 2005.
In addition, NHS dentistry will benefit from unprecedented investment:
the Government will fund 170 extra undergraduate dental training places in England from October 2005, a 25 per cent., increase. Revenue costs for this will reach £29 million by 2010–11.
capital investment of £80 million over four years to support this expansion.
by 2005–06, NHS dentistry will receive extra funding of over £250 million a year, an increase of 19.3 per cent., compared with spending in 2003–04.
in recognition of the additional work and training dentists and their practice staff will need to prepare for changes, an extra £9 million will be provided to help dental practices prepare.
Additionally reforms will be introduced to modernise the dentistry profession for the 21st century through:
a new dentists contract making it possible for them to spend more time with patients and encourage preventative care.
using the skills of the entire dental team more efficiently with new roles for hygienists and dental nurses.
local PCTs, including those in Essex, will use the £1.6 billion devolved budget to ensure that local expenditure on dentistry is sustained.
Mr. Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of national health service dental treatment was in (a) the County of Essex in each year from 1974 to 1998 and (b) the County of Essex and the boroughs of Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea in each year from 1998 to 2003. [184497]
Dr. Ladyman: The gross and net fees paid to dentists for the provision of general dental services (GDS) represent the main element of primary dental care costs and are the data most readily available by health authority area. Data since 1992–93 are shown in the table. These figures exclude some payments to dentists such as commitment payments, maternity and seniority payments as well as superannuation payments made on their behalf. There is a discontinuity in the figures in the middle of 2002–03 because of the change in health administration areas.
Community, personal and hospital dental services have not been included in this table; these are directly commissioned by individual health authorities from locally managed resources rather than funded from a central national budget as is the case with the GDS.
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| Health authority/ primary care trust | Gross fees | Net fees(25) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–93 | Essex HA | 38.6 | 25.9 |
| 1993–94 | Essex HA | 37.2 | 24.7 |
| 1994–95 | Essex HA | 39.9 | 26.4 |
| 1995–96 | Essex HA | 39.8 | 26.4 |
| 1996–97 | Essex HA | 40.6 | 26.9 |
| 1997–98 | Essex HA | 41.4 | 27.1 |
| 1998–99 | Essex HA | 45.1 | 29.1 |
| 1999–2000 | Essex HA | 47.3 | 30.6 |
| 2000–01 | Essex HA | 51.0 | 32.8 |
| 2001–02 | Essex HA | 51.8 | 33.1 |
| 2002–03 | |||
| First half | Essex HA | 36.6 | 27.0 |
| Second half | Essex SHA | 26.3 | 16.9 |
| Southend-on-Sea PCT | 3.1 | 2.1 | |
| Thurrock PCT | 1.7 | 1.2 |
(25) Excludes patient charge.
Mr. Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients received dental treatment from the national health service in (a) the County of Essex in each year from 1974 to 1998 and (b) the County of Essex and the boroughs of Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea in each year from 1998 to 2003. [184498]
Dr. Ladyman: The information in the table shows the number of people registered with a general dental service dentist in Essex at 30 September year from 1992 to 2003 and for Thurrock and Southend-on Sea for 2002 and 2003.
Registration started in October 1990 and the numbers did not stabilise until 1992. Registrations lapse if patients do not return to their dentist within 15 months and so the registration figures exclude patients who have not been to their dentist within the past 15 months. The figures also exclude patients who receive dental treatment from other national health service dental services including dental access centres and those patients who choose not to register and who seek treatment on an occasional basis.
Source:
Dental Practice Board.
21 Jul 2004 : Column 359W
Mr. Hurst: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists undertook national health service treatment in (a) the County of Essex in each year from 1974 to 1998 and (b) the County of Essex and the boroughs of Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea in each year from 1998 to 2003. [184499]
Dr. Ladyman: The information shown in the table is for the number of general (GDS) and personal dental service (PDS) dentists in Essex in each year from 1974 to 2003 and for Thurrock and Southend-on-Sea Primary Care Trust (PCT) areas for the years 2002 and 2003, which covers the period that the two PCTs have been in existence.
Note:
PDS figure covers dentists not already working in the GDS.
Source:
Dental Practice Board
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