| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
14 Oct 2004 : Column 351W—continued
Free School Fruit
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 September 2004, Official Report, column 1646, on free school fruit, how many children will benefit from the school fruit and vegetable scheme in those parts of the Romsey constituency that do not have a Romsey post code. [190300]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Schools in the Romsey constituency 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.
We are currently in the process of ensuring schools participate in the scheme and aggregating the numbers of eligible children in each school. In early November, we will know the precise number of children in the Romsey constituency who are benefiting from the scheme.
Hepatitis C
Mr. Page: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what comparisons his Department has made of the prevalence of hepatitis C in the UK with that of other EU members states; and what assessment his Department has made of the reasons for differences. [189818]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
In 1996, the French Reseau National de Santé Publique carried out a project funded by the European Commission entitled European Survey on hepatitis C 1. Individual member states provided estimates of the prevalence of hepatitis C in their countries, which are shown in the table. These estimates were based mainly on data about blood donors or selected groups and were presented as an order of magnitude rather than reliable estimates.
14 Oct 2004 : Column 352W
The survey showed that the prevalence of hepatitis C tended to be lower in northern European countries and higher in southern European countries. The reasons for these differences are not clear.
1 Nalpas B, Delarocque-Astagneau E, Desenclos J-C. European Survey on hepatitis C December 1996. Project financed by the commission of the European Community: DG V.
| Country | Estimated prevalence (percentage) |
|---|---|
| Austria | 0.2–0.8 |
| Belgium | 0.87 |
| Denmark | 0.1–0.2 |
| Finland | 0.1 |
| France | 1.2 |
| Germany | 0.2–0.8 |
| Greece | 1.0 |
| Ireland | 0.3–1.0 |
| Italy | 3 |
| Luxembourg | 0.2–0.8 |
| Netherlands | 0.2–0.8 |
| Portugal | 0.5–0.9 |
| Spain | 0.1–2.5 |
| Sweden | 0.5 |
| U.K | 0.3–1.0 |
Note:
Figures given in italics were not reported in the survey questionnaires returned by member states, and were estimated by the authors of the report using the prevalence estimates from nearest neighbouring state.
In 1999, the World Health Organisation (WHO) published estimates of global hepatitis C prevalence by country that were derived from published studies and/or data submitted to the WHO. Differences in the population groups studied, methods of data collection and interpretation between countries, and availability of
14 Oct 2004 : Column 353W
data means that the estimated prevalence shown does not necessarily represent the true prevalence in a country. These estimates are available on the WHO website at http://www.who.int/docstore/wer/pdf/1999/wer7449.pdf.
Mr. Page: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what comparisons his Department has made of the prevalence of hepatitis C in Scotland with that in the remainder of the UK. [189819]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The estimated prevalence of antibody to hepatitis C for the general population in Scotland is 0.9 per cent., compared with 0.5 per cent, for England.
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much he plans to spend on the hepatitis C awareness campaign in (a) 2004 and (b) 2005. [190290]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested is shown, by financial year, in the table.
| Financial year | Amount (£) |
|---|---|
| 2004–05 | (6)705,000 |
| 2005–06 | (7)1,500,000 |
(6) Forecast expenditure.
(7) Provisional allocation.
Hospital-acquired Infections
Mr. Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the national healthcare standards referred to in Towards Cleaner Hospitals and lower rates of infection will replace the National Infection Control standard for acute NHS trusts. [186510]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The standards for better health are a new approach drawing on existing rules and guidance, including the national infection control standard for acute national health service trusts, rather than a direct replacement for the controls assurance standards. The Healthcare Commission will start a consultation in the autumn on how to assess performance against the new standards for better health.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice has been received from the Government's Chief Medical Officer since the publication of the report "Winning Ways" about the approach which hospital chief executives should adopt in responding to recommendations by infection control teams on the closure of contaminated beds, wards and hospitals. [190123]
Miss Melanie Johnson
[holding answer 13 October 2004]: The Chief Medical Officer has consistently advised that clinical priorities and clinical need should take precedence and guide the actions and decisions of those deciding on the closure of beds, wards and hospitals. Following the publication of "Winning Ways" we would expect the directors of infection prevention and control to advise on these issues to help ensure a consistent approach and for trust boards and chief executives to take account of this advice. The decision to close a ward is a local decision that depends on a local risk assessment.
14 Oct 2004 : Column 354W
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the rates of MRSA infections among patients in each hospital trust in each of the last five years. [189408]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Information by individual named trust is only available from 2001, when, for the first time, mandatory surveillance for methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus blood stream infections was introduced. The rates per 1000 bed days are available on the Department's website at http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/08/58/93/04085893.pdf.
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what instructions his Department has given to hospital trusts to ensure that the monitoring and detection of MRSA is done on a consistent basis. [189813]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The national health service is recommended by the Department to use the report of a working party of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, Hospital Infection Society and the Infection Control Nurses Association, published in 1998, as guidance on the monitoring of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection and colonisation. Patients who develop infection will have samples taken as part of their clinical care but trusts will also carry out screening for MRSA infection and colonisation.
The detection and identification of MRSA in samples is set out in the Bacteriology Standard Operating Procedures (BSOP), issued by the Health Protection Agency. All NHS laboratories accredited by Clinical Pathology Accreditation (UK) must have in place standard operating procedures that are based on, or give equivalent results to, these BSOP Standards.
New Zealand Goats Milk
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health why New Zealand goats milk is being prevented from reaching EU markets; under what procedures this restriction is being enacted; and if he will make a statement. [190209]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Rules on the composition, labelling and promotion of infant formulas and follow-on formulas are laid down in European Directive 91/321/EEC, which is implemented in the United Kingdom through national regulations.
Under the Directive, permitted sources of protein in infant formulas are cows' milk protein, soya protein isolates and partial protein hydrolysates. Infant formulas based on whole goats' milk protein are not permitted.
Mental Health Act
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many patients were sectioned under the Mental Health Act 1983 in each primary care trust (PCT) in London in each year since 1997; and what the average was for PCTs in England and Wales; [190476]
(2) how many patients were sectioned under sections (a) 2, (b) 3, (c) 4, (d) 135 and (e) 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 in each primary care trust in London in
14 Oct 2004 : Column 355W
each year since 1997; and what the average was for primary care trusts in England and Wales in each case. [190477]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information is not collected centrally.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |