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HEALTH

Adverse Drug Reactions

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons only a proportion of adverse incident reports are investigated by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency as stated in its Annual Report and Accounts 2003–04. [189259]

Ms Rosie Winterton: All reports of adverse incidents involving medical devices received by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are categorised according to the level of risk associated with the event.

Only the most serious of these incidents, involving actual, or the potential for, death or serious injury to patients or user, become the subject of in-depth investigations by medical device specialists within the MHRA. These are listed as "adverse incident reports—number investigated" in the MHRA's annual report.

Typically, it is these investigations that often lead to the publication of advice to the health service.

The majority of incident reports are subject to a standard investigation, led by the device manufacturer and supervised by the MHRA.

Minor incidents that do not require immediate action are recorded on the MHRA's surveillance database for "information only" and, along with all other reported incidents, are subject to a continuous process of trend identification and analysis.

Further details of medical device adverse incident reporting and investigation processes are published by the MHRA in Device Bulletin DB2004(01)—Adverse Incident Reports 2003. This contains more detailed figures for the calendar year 2003. A copy of this publication has been placed in the Library.
 
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Air Ambulance Services

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how air ambulance services used by the NHS are funded in (a) the East Midlands and (b) England; and if he will make a statement. [190244]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Since 1 April 2002, the cost of clinical staff on air ambulances has been met by the national health service on a continuing basis.

Departmental Recycling

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the latest available 12 month figures are for the proportion of the Department's redundant documentation, waste paper and card that is recycled; and if he will make a statement on the Department's recycling policy. [188692]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department's administrative estate has a cleaning contract, which encompasses waste management. Within this all-redundant documentation, paper and card is collected and processed for recycling.

The Department has an active sustainable development policy based upon the requirements of the framework for sustainable development on the Government estate.

Food/Advertising Industries

Ms Shipley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the meetings he held with representatives of (a) the food industry and (b) the advertising industry between 1 February and 1 May. [189687]

Ms Rosie Winterton: No such meetings have taken place in the period specified.

Health Public Bodies

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 13 September 2004, Official Report, columns 1470–71W, on health public bodies, when decisions will be taken on how the savings from the Departmental review of arm's length bodies will be spent. [189890]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The resources freed up for frontline investment as a result of the review of arm's length bodies (ALBs) will be part of the normal budget allocation process in the light of the 2004 spending review settlement.

Planning for the implementation of the ALB review is underway and will involve ALBs, the devolved administrations and other interests. Implementation will be completed by 2007–08.

Health Services

Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what strategies his Department uses to involve members of the public in decision making in local health services. [189669]

Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 12 October 2004]: We have established patients' forums to get the views of members of the public about health services and feed these back to national health service trusts. Primary
 
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care trust (PCT) patients' forums have a specific role to promote public involvement in local decision-making processes that affect their health.

There is also a statutory duty on NHS trusts, PCTs, NHS foundation trusts and strategic health authorities to involve the public in decision making in local health services. It is then up to local bodies to implement this duty in ways that best meet local needs. In addition, democratically elected councillors who are members of overview and scrutiny committees have the function of scrutinising all matters relating to the planning, provision and operation of health services in the area of the local authority.

Information and Communication Technology

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many information and communication technology specialists are in full-time employment in the Department. [189586]

Ms Rosie Winterton: There are 120 information and communication technology specialists in full-time employment in the Department.

Mysthenia Gravis

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision the Government is making to finance research projects into the (a) causes of, (b) consequences of and (c) treatments for mysthenia gravis. [189529]

Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for West Lancashire (Mr. Pickthall) on 4 October 2004, Official Report, column 1987W.

Packaging Regulations (Medicines)

Dr. Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to amend regulations relating to the packaging of prescription drugs and proprietary medicines, with particular reference to issues of child safety. [189302]

Ms Rosie Winterton: New legislation requiring the use of child resistant packaging was introduced in October 2003. Certain aspirin, paracetamol and iron-containing medicines must now be supplied in child resistant packaging. Medicines newly authorised must comply with the requirement now and for products already authorised, compliance must be achieved by October 2005. The Government will continue to keep the issue of child safety under review and if particular medicines are considered to pose a problem, the legal requirements may be revised.

Post-Laryngectomy Equipment

Mrs. Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to make available to people who have had laryngectomies on prescription the base plate for the hands free valve. [188888]

Ms Rosie Winterton: A number of base plates are currently listed in part IX of the Drug Tariff and therefore may be prescribed through the national health service. Some of these are compatible for use with the hands free valve for people who have had
 
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laryngectomies. It is for appliance manufacturers to apply for their products to be listed as an appliance in part IX of the Drug Tariff to enable them to be prescribed under the NHS. A NHS trust or foundation trust may provide base plates free of charge where appropriate.

Prostate Cancer

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to regulate the sale of do-it-yourself PSA tests. [189569]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Prostate specific antigen test kits are in vitro diagnostic medical devices and as such they are regulated by the Medical Devices Regulations 2002.

Public Relations

Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the salary costs to the Department were for employees working in public relations and publicity in each year since 1997. [183852]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on staff working in the Department's communications directorate in public relations and publicity in each year since 1997 to 2002–03 can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The total expenditure on communications directorate staff in 2003–04 was £4.07 million.

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