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16. Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures he is taking to reduce inequalities in NHS funding between health authorities. [202217]
Mr. Hutton: We aim to move PCT funding as quickly as practical to their fair shares. We have already made significant progress in moving in this direction. We intend to accelerate this progress in the next round of PCT allocations.
17. Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, To ask the Secretary of State for Healthif he will make a statement on the availability of NHS allergy clinics. [202218]
Dr. Ladyman: GPs provide an excellent service for people with mild to moderate allergies, and refer patients with more severe problems to an appropriate Consultant in the local hospital. People with complex multiple allergies can be referred to specialist allergy clinics; by their GP or by their Consultant.
18. Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the incidence of MRSA in East Sussex hospitals. [202219]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I am advised that both Trusts in the East Sussex area have clear policies and strategies in place for reducing MRSA.
Mr. Wyatt : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what extra resources have been made available to Medway Maritime NHS Trust to combat the MRSA virus. [202212]
Dr. John Reid: We have made clear that reducing healthcare associated infection is a key priority for all National Health Service organisations.
Between 200304 and 200506, Medway Primary Care Trust which commissions services from Medway Maritime NHS Trust will receive increases of £61.2 million for health care services, including reducing hospital infections.
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20. Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions have taken place between the relevant strategic health authority and the Department of Health about the Greater Manchester surgical unit. [202221]
Miss Johnson: Greater Manchester Strategic Health Authority (SHA) has developed the Greater Manchester Surgical Unit in close co-operation with and under the guidance of the Department of Health.
Assessment of local delivery options is for the SHA to make as part of its capacity planning and local delivery planning responsibilities. All SHAs have recently submitted their capacity planning returns, which are currently the subject of discussions between DH and the SHAs.
21. Mr. Mackay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residential care home beds have closed since 1997. [202222]
Dr. Ladyman: Information on the number of residential care home places that have closed is not centrally available.
Information on the number of residential care home places in England for adults aged 18 and over, at 31 March for the years 1997 to 2001 is shown in the table.
I understand from the Chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) that figures for later years were collected by the National Care Standards Commission, and now CSCI, but comparable details are not available.
However, the recent edition of the Laing & Buisson Care of Elderly People Market Survey 2004 puts the national bed capacity in care homes from adults with physical disabilities and people over 64 at 456,000 with demand estimated to be around 444,000, leaving UK spare capacity of 12,000. The report shows that although capacity has fallen, occupancy dropped by an identical amount.
England(17) | Rounded numbers |
---|---|
1997 | 534,400 |
1998 | 553,500 |
1999 | 546,200 |
2000 | 539,300 |
2001 | 528,000 |
22. Dr. Starkey : To ask the Secretary of State for Health To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the progress of the NHS local improvement finance trust programme. [202223]
Dr. John Reid: I refer my hon. Friend to my reply to my hon. Friends the Members for Bedford (Mr. Patrick Hall) and for Ilford North (Ms. Linda Perham) earlier today.
23. Bob Spink : To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the new dentists' contract on dental laboratories in personal dental service pilot sites. [202224]
Ms Rosie Winterton: We commissioned an evaluation of the Personal Dental Service schemes, which was published in 2002 in advance of planning of the new contractual arrangements for NHS dentistry to come into force from October 2005. The report supported the general principles of PDS and identified some changes in activity, including an indication that dentists may prescribe proportionately fewer intricate dental appliances under PDS than dentists working to the current General Dental Services contract. However, the sample was small and it is too early to draw any firm conclusions.
Mr. Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has discussed the counterfeiting of cialis and its discovery in the legitimate supply chain with relevant authorities in (a) the Netherlands and (b) other EU member states. [201686]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has been in contact with counterparts in all European Union countries, including the Netherlands, with regards to the counterfeiting of Cialis and its discovery in the legitimate supply chain. The mechanisms for contact include the recall of counterfeit medicines via the defective medicines reporting centre at the MHRA, and rapid alert notices sent through the EU enforcement network.
Since the discovery, a criminal investigation was instigated by the enforcement group of the MHRA. Senior officers from the MHRA have met with their counterparts from the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Ireland, Sweden and Germany. The specific matters discussed are operational and confidential to the enquiry.
Jeff Ennis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether proposals to raise the minimum age of sale in retail premises from 16 to 18 years for cigarettes are included in the White Paper consultation process. [201724]
Miss Melanie Johnson: There are no plans to increase the minimum age of sales of tobacco from 16 to 18. We are not aware of any evidence that such a change would have a significant impact in reducing smoking rates in children and young people.
However, the Government are concerned about the problem of illegal sales of cigarettes to children and young people and has proposed in the White Paper "Choosing Health", that there be increased sanctions for retailers who repeatedly flout the law on under-age
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sales. The White Paper proposes higher fines and new powers to prohibit retailers from selling tobacco if they persistently sell to under age children and young people.
Mr. Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his target time is in 200405 (a) to reply to letters from hon. Members and (b) for the officials in his Office to reply to letters received directly from members of the public. [200785]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The target for replying to both of the above sorts of letters is that we should answer 90 per cent. within 20 working days of receipt.
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the number of general and personal dental service dentists per head of population in each (a) local authority and (b) health authority area; and if he will make a statement. [199901]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The numbers of general and personal dental service dentists at September 2003 per ten thousand population in each strategic health authority (SHA) area are shown in the table.Information showing the numbers in each local authority (LA) area has been placed in the Library. We are committed to a major expansion of the dental workforce, including the recruitment of the equivalent of 1,000 extra dentists and the funding of an additional 170 undergraduate dental training places by October 2005.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dental schools have (a) opened and (b) closed since 1984; and if he will make a statement. [199918]
Ms Rosie Winterton: No new dental schools have been opened since 1984. In 1992, the University College London and Edinburgh dental schools were closed with the loss of some 80 training places. We are committed to funding an additional 170 undergraduate training places for dentists by October 2005, an increase of 25 per cent, over the number of home students currently admitted to dental schools in England.
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adults had a full set of dentures (a) in 1984, (b) in 1994 and (c) on the most recent date for which figures are available. [199919]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information is not available in the form requested, but the decennial adult dental health surveys commissioned by the Department show that the percentage of adults with no teeth has fallen from 37 per cent. in 1968 to 12 per cent, in 1998.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of (a) adults and (b) children were registered with a NHS dentist in (i) England, (ii) each strategic health authority and (iii) each primary care trust in each year since 1997. [199927]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
Table 1 shows the percentages of adults and children registered with a general dental service (GDS) dentist in England at 30 September in
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each of the years 1997 to 2004. Table 2 shows the percentage rates for each strategic health authority (SHA). Information showing a breakdown by primary care trust (PCT) has been placed in the Library.
The changes in the registration periods from 1 September 1996 affected the registration numbers from December 1997 onwards, so the 1997 figures are not comparable with the later figures. The registration figures for the later years are affected by dentists switching from the general dentist service to the personal dentist service. Patients may access national health service dental services without being registered.
The population figures for England and the SHAs were issued on 7 October. For the year 2004, population figures for 2003 have been used. Population figures by PCT are available only for the years 2001 and 2002. The 2001 figures have been used to calculate the registration rates for the years to 2001. The 2001 figures have been used to calculate the registration rates for the years 200204.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people in each region with no teeth. [199963]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The available information is for the percentage of adults with no natural teeth in 1995 and is in Table 1. Similar information for the year 2003 will be published by the Office for National Statistics on 16 December 2004.
Information from the adult dental health survey 1998 for three large regional groupings in England are shown in Table 2.
English region | Adults with no natural teeth |
---|---|
North | 14 |
Midlands | 15 |
South | 10 |
England | 12 |
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