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11 Nov 2004 : Column 872W—continued
Leukaemia
Ms Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to publish the report on research by the Childhood Cancer Research Group at Oxford University into possible links between power lines and childhood leukaemia. [197002]
Miss Melanie Johnson: A report by the Childhood Cancer Research Group at Oxford University into possible links between power lines and childhood leukaemia is being submitted to the Department this week. At the same time, the report will be sent to a scientific journal for publication. In accordance with the usual practice, publication will follow the appropriate peer review process. This is expected to take a few weeks.
Mr. Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on research conducted by his Department on possible links between high voltage power lines and incidence of leukaemia in children under 15-years-old. [197551]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend, the Member for Northampton North (Ms Keeble) today.
Nappies
Mr. Curry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the environmental (a) benefits and (b) disbenefit of the use of (i) disposable and (ii) re-usable nappies in NHS hospitals. [196968]
Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 8 November 2004]: Issues relating to the environmental impact of the use of disposable or re-usable nappies are a matter for the Department for Environment and Rural Affairs.
The use of disposable or re-usable nappies in the national health service is a matter for individual maternity units and trusts to determine locally.
Mr. Curry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to NHS Trusts on the use of disposable nappies in maternity units. [196969]
Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 8 November 2004]: The use of disposable or re-usable nappies in the national health service is a matter for individual maternity units and trusts to determine locally.
Neck Surgery
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether patients awaiting neck surgery will be affected by the investigation by the NHS Counter Fraud Service into the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust as a result of the appointment of the head of neck surgery as the acting chief executive. [195305]
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Miss Melanie Johnson: Shropshire and Staffordshire Strategic Health Authority reports that patients waiting for head and neck surgery or consultation at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital National Health Service Trust will not be affected by the appointment of Mr. Andrew Prichard as acting chief executive.
NHS Bureaucracy
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many forms that are included in central returns of information and statistics to (a) his Department and (b) his Department's arm's length bodies are required from NHS organisations in each year. [193410]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Information on the number of forms included in central returns is not available centrally for the Department or its arm's length bodies. The overall number of central returns and changes to the burden these impose on the national health service is strictly controlled.
At the end of 2003–04 there were 127 ongoing central returns, and this number will be reduced by at least 20 per cent., by the end of 2004–05.
NHS Dentists
Mr. Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists operate in West Oxfordshire; and how many were operating in West Oxfordshire in (a) 1997 and (b) 2001. [195432]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The numbers of general (GDS) and personal dental service (PDS) dentists in the South West Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust (PCT) area at 30 September 1997, 2001 and 2004 are shown in the table.
| South West Oxfordshire Primary Care Trust | |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 69 |
| 2001 | 92 |
| 2004 | 95 |
Source:
Dental Practice Board
Dentists have been included in the South West Oxfordshire PCT area on the basis of their practice postcodes.
North Cheshire Hospitals Trust
Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answers of 26 October 2004, Official Report, column 1202W, to questions 193629, 193630 and 193631, on the North Cheshire hospitals trust, if he will provide the information for the last 12 months for which figures are available. [196378]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
The Information for 2003–04 is not yet available. However, the latest available data for the numbers of people who have received treatment for diabetes, coronary heart disease and stroke is shown in the following table.
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Notes:
1. A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
2. The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 2002–03) diagnosis fields in the hospital episode statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
3. Definition of selected group of diagnoses:
Type I diabetes: 3 character primary diagnosis code = E10 or 4 character primary diagnosis code = 0240.
Type II diabetes: 3 character primary diagnosis code = E11 or 4 character primary diagnosis code = 0241.
Coronary heart disease: 3 character primary diagnosis code between 120 to 125.
Stroke: 3 character primary diagnosis code between 160 to 164
4. Figures have not (yet) been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).
Source:
HES, Department of Health.
Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answers of 26 October 2004, Official Report, column 1202W, to questions 193632 and 193645, on NHS services in Warrington and North Cheshire, if he will (a) obtain the information and (b) publish it. [196380]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested on the number of people suffering from chronic pain is not available. It is not possible to determine which patients are suffering from this condition using diagnosis codes.
The number of people receiving support from a national health service dietician in Warrington is not held by the Department and can be obtained from the Warrington primary care trust.
Nurses' Pay
Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average full-time equivalent gross pay of nurses in North Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Trust was in each year since 1997 (a) across all grades and (b) at each grade. [194185]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Pylons
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if his Department will publish the report on the health effects of electricity pylons. [196748]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Northampton, North (Ms Keeble) today.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the Prime Minister on the health effects of electricity pylons. [196749]
Miss Melanie Johnson:
None.
11 Nov 2004 : Column 875W
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research he has evaluated on the health effects of electricity pylons. [196750]
Miss Melanie Johnson: At the request of the Department, the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) has recently undertaken a comprehensive research evaluation of the health effects of electromagnetic fields (EMF) to support its most recent advice on limiting EMF exposure. This advice was published in March 2004 in the series, "Documents of the NRPB" (Volume 15, No. 2, 2004). NRPB information on extremely low frequency fields (ELF) such as those from power lines was principally drawn from a report on "ELF Electromagnetic Fields and the Risk of Cancer" (2001) by the NRPB's independent advisory group on non-ionising radiation.
In providing advice on EMF, the NRPB continually monitors world-wide research and works closely with the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection and the World Health Organization
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