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22 Mar 2005 : Column 735W—continued

Chiropody

22. Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients received chiropody treatment in 2003–04. [223101

 
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Dr. Ladyman: The number of different persons seen in the year by national health service chiropody services in 2003–04 was 2.1 million.

Speech Therapists

23. Chris Bryant: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many speech therapists were practising in England in each year from 2000 to 2004. [223102]

Dr. Ladyman: The Health Professions Council holds information on the number of speech and language therapists registered to practice in the UK.

As at September 2004, there were 6,556 speech and language therapists employed in the NHS. This is an increase of 21 per cent. from 5,430 on September 2000.

Abortion

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many private abortion clinics have been closed down following inspection since 1991; [221742]

(2) what action is taken when private abortion clinics do not meet national standards. [221743]

(3) when the British Pregnancy Advisory Service Clinic in Leamington Spa was most recently inspected; [221744]

(4) how frequently private abortion clinics are inspected. [221745]

Miss Melanie Johnson: Private abortion clinics are inspected annually by the Healthcare Commission.

The British Pregnancy Advisory Service clinic in Leamington Spa was last inspected on 28 April 2004.

Action taken by the Healthcare Commission when clinics do not meet the national standards is proportionate to the level of concern. However, this includes the authority to cancel a clinic's registration, which may also lead to a withdrawal of approval under the Abortion Act.

Since 1991, one clinic has had its registration, and its approval under the Abortion Act 1967, withdrawn and one clinic chose to close voluntarily in order to give the provider time to comply with the requirements set.

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the national abortion statistics for 2003 contain less detailed information than in the previous five years. [221747]

Miss Melanie Johnson: As stated in the statistical bulletin summary, Abortion Statistics, England and Wales: 2003", the format of tables changed to reflect concerns over issues of privacy and confidentiality. These issues are now being considered in more detail and we have asked the National Statistician to provide
 
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the Department and the new Health and Social Care Information Centre with guidelines for interpreting the national statistics code of practice and associated protocols in the handling of health statistics that balance data confidentiality risks with the public interest in the use of the figures. We expect to receive these in the summer.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research the Government have conducted on the likely effects on young women of reducing the time limit for legal abortion. [222983]

Miss Melanie Johnson: The Department is not aware of any Government commissioned research on the effects on young women of reducing the time limit for legal abortion.

Advisory Committee on Cancer Prevention

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish
 
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and (c) Dutch Presidency of the EU the Advisory Committee on cancer prevention met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement. [216222]

Miss Melanie Johnson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 8 March 2005, Official Report, column 1731W.

Alcohol

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children aged between 11 and 15 years were admitted to hospital in each strategic health authority owing to alcohol-related problems in each year since 2002–03. [221890]

Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 16 March 2005]: Episodes of children aged between 11 and 15 years admitted to hospital in each strategic health authority owing to alcohol-related problems in each year since 2001–02 are shown in the table.
Counts of finished in-year admissions where there was a primary diagnosis or cause code for alcohol related diseases. Age at admission:11 to 15 yearsNational health service hospitals in strategic health authorities, England 2001–02 to 2003–04

	Strategic health authority	2001–02	2002–03	2003–04
Q01	Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire	118	99	126
Q02	Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire	151	122	119
Q03	Essex	37	43	49
Q04	North West London	71	54	86
Q05	North Central London	47	66	63
Q06	North East London	43	58	80
Q07	South East London	43	59	69
Q08	South West London	127	122	140
Q09	Northumberland, Tyne and Wear	141	124	93
Q10	County Durham and Tees Valley	68	112	121
Q11	North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire	167	109	196
Q12	West Yorkshire	167	156	159
Q13	Cumbria and Lancashire	152	206	184
Q14	Greater Manchester	227	254	276
Q15	Cheshire and Merseyside	265	264	321
Q16	Thames Valley	96	71	88
Q17	Hampshire and Isle of Wight	82	91	112
Q18	Kent and Medway	141	103	128
Q19	Surrey and Sussex	169	229	225
Q20	Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire	99	106	142
Q21	South West Peninsula	91	100	152
Q22	Dorset and Somerset	90	69	64
Q23	South Yorkshire	99	89	94
Q24	Trent	168	150	125
Q25	Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland	62	62	67
Q26	Shropshire and Staffordshire	112	122	138
Q27	Birmingham and the Black Country	209	167	222
Q28	West Midlands South	122	116	131
Y	Not known	313	—	—
	Total	3,679	3,323	3,770

Notes:
Alcohol-related diseases: These are defined by a primary diagnosis of mental and behavioural disorders due to alcohol (ICD10 code F10), alcoholic liver disease (K70) or toxic effect of alcohol (T51) or a cause code of accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol (X45).
Finished in-year admissions: A finished in-year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one health care provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the data-year. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
Diagnosis (primary diagnosis): 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.
Cause code: The cause code is a supplementary code that indicates the nature of any external cause of injury, poisoning or other adverse effects.
Grossing: Figures are grossed for both coverage and missing or invalid clinical data, except for 2002–03 and 2003–04, which are not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health





 
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Antibiotics (Farms)

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact on health of the use of antibiotics on farms; and if he will make a statement. [221687]

Miss Melanie Johnson: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that the use of antibiotics in human rather than veterinary medicines is thought to be the main source of resistant micro-organisms in the human population, but we recognise that transfer of resistant bacteria can also occur through the food chain. Action has been taken to phase out the use of antibiotic growth promoters in animals and to make sure that antibiotics are used responsibly in the treatment of sick animals. Measures to prevent food-borne disease, such as cooking, will also prevent the transmission of resistant bacteria.

Antibiotic residues in food, resulting from on-farm use and their implications for consumer health, are monitored by the veterinary residues committee and the FSA. The residue levels currently reported do not raise any concerns about risks to consumer health.

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