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15 Sept 2004 : Column 1641W—continued
Waste Disposal
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the most recent annual cost of disposing of (a) all waste and (b) disposable nappies in each council area in Northern Ireland. [187767]
Angela Smith: The three District Council Waste Management Partnerships are required to submit Annual Performance Reports to the Department of the Environment. The scope of these reports has recently been revised to include details of the combined costs for the treatment and disposal of wastes and the first new data set is due in October 2004. Information on disposal of disposable nappies is not collected separately by district councils. However, on receipt of the Annual Performance Reports, the Department will estimate the cost of treating and disposing of disposable nappies for Northern Ireland as a whole, as well as treatment and disposal costs for all wastes by district council. I will write to the hon. Lady when this information is available and a copy of the letter will be placed in the library.
HEALTH
Vegetarianism
Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy (a) to devise a legal definition
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of the word vegetarian and (b) to ensure that vegetarian food products are clearly labelled; and if he will make a statement. [187522]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The Government is aware of vegetarian consumers' concerns that some food products may be inappropriately labelled as 'suitable for vegetarians'.
Consumers are protected by the Food Safety Act 1990 and the Trade Descriptions Act 1968, which contain general provisions outlawing false or misleading labelling. The Government therefore has no plans to introduce a legal definition of 'vegetarian'. It does, however, believe that establishing Food Standards Agency (FSA) advice for industry and enforcement authorities setting out minimum standards for use of the terms 'vegetarian' and 'vegan' may be helpful. The FSA plans to hold a stakeholder meeting on 24 September to explore this option.
Abortions
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women from Northern Ireland had terminations in England or Wales in each of the past five years. [188672]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Heywood and Middleton (Jim Dobbin) today.
Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women undergoing an abortion in England and Wales in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003 had had (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three, (iv) four and (v) five or more previous abortions. [189000]
Miss Melanie Johnson: This information is published in the annual Abortion Statistics, series AB, Office for National Statistics and Department of Health, Statistical Bulletin 2003/23 and Statistical Bulletin 2004/14, copies of which have been placed in the Library.
Criminal Record Bureau
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether Criminal Record Bureau checks performed by one NHS organisation can be transferred for use by another. [188001]
Mr. Hutton: In principle, Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) disclosures are transferable between national health service employers and, in order to reduce bureaucracy and cost, the CRB has produced guidance to help employers through the procedure. But it is for the new employer to decide whether to accept a disclosure issued previously, having regard to such factors as the age of the disclosure, the similarity of the positions applied for and the nature of the information disclosed on the previous occasion.
Ectopic Pregnancies
Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ectopic pregnancies there were per 1,000 population for each major ethnic group in the last year for which figures are available. [187014]
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Dr. Ladyman: The table shows the number of hospital episodes for ectopic pregnancies and the number of hospital deliveries, 2002–03. The information is taken from the hospital episode statistics (HES).
| Number of ectopic pregnancies | Number of deliveries | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Asian | 286 | 34,438 | 0.83 |
| Black | 447 | 22,206 | 2.01 |
| Chinese and other | 164 | 11,508 | 1.43 |
| Mixed | 69 | 3,554 | 1.94 |
| White | 4,819 | 306,830 | 1.57 |
| Not given | 3,022 | 168,036 | 1.80 |
| Total | 8,870 | 546,572 | 1.62 |
Note:
Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed). Ethnicity data on HES should be used with care and may not yet be robust enough to support analysis of ethnic differences.
Source:
HES.
Free Eye Tests
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many old age pensioners in the Tamworth constituency have benefited from the introduction of free eye tests in each year since 1997. [188127]
Dr. Ladyman: Data for the number of sight tests by constituency or by the number of pensioners are not collected centrally. Free sight tests for patients aged 60 and over came into effect on 1 April 1999.
The total number of national health service sight tests paid for patients aged 60 and over in the Shropshire and Staffordshire Strategic Health Authority for the years 1999–2000 to 2003–04 are shown in the table.
| Sight tests | |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 105,830 |
| 2000–01 | 120,100 |
| 2001–02 | 115,940 |
| 2002–03 | 138,050 |
| 2003–04 | 139,450 |
Note:
Some patients aged 60 and over will be eligible for sight tests for other reasons as well, for example, on income grounds. The classification for such patients will depend on the patient and the practitioner.
Sight tests cannot be equated to the numbers of patients. Although most people do not come back for a sight test within the year, some patients suffering from medical conditions are advised to have re-examinations sooner.
Free School Fruit
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children in the Tamworth constituency benefit from the free fruit in schools scheme. [188126]
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Dr. Ladyman: 3,774 children in the Tamworth constituency are benefiting from the school fruit and vegetable scheme. This represents a 100 per cent. take-up in 31 schools.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children in the Romsey constituency benefit from the free fruit in schools scheme. [187168]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Romsey will join the school fruit and vegetable scheme in November 2004, when children aged four to six will start receiving a free piece of fruit or vegetable each school day. There are 966 eligible children at schools with a Romsey post code.
General Practitioners
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanism has been put in place to enable the smooth transfer of a general practitioner transferring from one primary care trust's performers' list to another. [188000]
Mr. Hutton: The mechanism by which a general practitioner moves from one primary care trust's primary medical performers list to another is specified in regulations 17(3) and (4) of the NHS (Performers Lists) Regulations 2004 (SI 2004/585). Information about operation of medical performers lists is available on the Department's website at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/OrganisationPolicy/PrimaryCare/ManagementPrimaryCarePractitioners/fs/en
Gloucestershire Aneurism Screening
Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the Gloucestershire Aneurism Screening Project; and if he will assess the case for extending the project across England. [186309]
Dr. Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will introduce a national screening programme for abdominal aortic aneurysms; [187052]
(2) what assessment he has made of the screening pilot project for abdominal aortic aneurysms in Gloucestershire; and if he will make a statement. [187053]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 7 September 2004]: The United Kingdom national screening (NSC) committee makes recommendations to Ministers on all aspects of screening programmes. It is currently considering the evidence for, and the feasibility of, implementing a screening programme for abdominal aortic aneurysms, including the implications for the national health service, before advising Ministers.
While screening has the potential to save lives or improve health through early diagnosis of serious conditions, there are benefits and drawbacks. The Government will take all factors into account, in particular the advice of the NSC, but also the experience of the Gloucestershire project, before reaching decisions.
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