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Drug Treatment

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of differing reports by Nottinghamshire Drug Action Team and Bassetlaw Primary Care Trust of the number of people receiving treatment for drugs in Bassetlaw in 2003–04; what definition his Department uses of the term drug treatment; and what steps are taken to correlate this definition with that used by the Department of Health; [223015]

(2) what methodology was used to quantify the figure reported by Nottinghamshire Drug Action Team for the number of clients accessing needle exchanges in Bassetlaw in 2003–04; and what criteria were used by (a) the National Treatment Agency and (b) the local Government office to verify its authenticity. [223073]

Dr. Ladyman [holding answer 23 March 2005]: I have asked officials in the Nottinghamshire Drug Action Team to write to my hon. Friend directly with this information.

Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

Mr. Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Healthif he will increase funding available for research into developing a therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy; and if he will make a statement. [224472]

Dr. Ladyman: The main agency through which the Government supports medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an
 
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independent body, which receives its grant-in-aid from the Office of Science and Technology, part of the Department of Trade and Industry.

Elderly People (Falls)

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to prevent falls by elderly people. [224260]

Dr. Ladyman: The national service framework (NSF) for older people, launched in March 2001, requires integrated falls services to be in place locally by April 2005. The NSF provides a detailed description of what an integrated falls service should consist of. Adherence to this target is currently being monitored.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence also published on 24 November 2004 clinical guidelines on preventing falls in older people.

Electronic Referral Scheme

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress is being made on the choose and book electronic referral scheme. [224034]

Mr. Hutton: The choose and book implementation programme is making good progress. The choose and book service has been implemented in five reference sites. AH strategic health authorities (SHAs) and primary care trusts have submitted revised roll-out returns, based on the aim of the choose and book service being used for at least 80 per cent. of general practitioner referrals by the end of 2005. The Department is currently discussing these returns with SHAs.

Epilepsy

Mr. John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued on whether people with epilepsy may be sectioned under the Mental Health Acts; and if he will make a statement on the case of Mr. Martin Buckley, currently in the care of the National Society for Epilepsy, Buckinghamshire, whose mother is a constituent of the hon. Member. [223898]

Ms Rosie Winterton: As epilepsy is not now regarded by clinicians as a mental disorder, I have issued no such guidance. The decision on whether a person meets the criteria for detention under the Mental Health Act can only be taken in the light of the facts of the particular case.

I am unable to comment on the particular details of the case of Martin Buckley for reasons of patient confidentiality.

Exercise and Sport

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he intends to complete the process of evaluating (a) the Local Exercise Action Pilots, (b) the New Opportunities for Physical Education and Sport programme and (c) the Active England programme. [222825]

Mr. Caborn: I have been asked to reply.

The process of evaluating (a) the Local Exercise Action Pilots (LEAPs) will be completed in summer 2006 (b) the New Opportunities for PE and Sport
 
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programme will be completed in 2008 and (c) the Active England programme by 2009. An interim report for LEAP will also be produced in May 2005 and interim reports for the other two programmes will be produced on a regular basis up until the final evaluation.

External Management Consultants

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on the employment of external management consultants in each of the last five years, broken down by type of project. [224251]

Mr. Hutton: Information on the costs of employing external management consultants and the type of project is not collected centrally.

Dr. Evan Harris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information he collects on the (a) roles and (b) extent of use of external management consultants in the NHS; and in what year this information was first collected. [224252]

Mr. Hutton: This information is not collected centrally. The use of external management consultants is a decision for each national health service trust.

Free Personal Care

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria are used to determine which medical conditions qualify a patient for free personal care. [224006]

Dr. Ladyman: A patient who is assessed as needing national health service fully-funded continuing health care services will receive all those care services, including any personal care, free of change. Eligibility criteria for continuing health care services are currently set by strategic health authorities and are based on the need for care, not diagnosis.

General Medical Services Contracts

Jane Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will introduce (a) inflammatory arthritis and (b) psoriatic arthritis into the quality and outcome frameworks of general practitioners' general medical services contracts. [223626]

Mr. Hutton: The national quality and outcomes framework (QOF) is under review. The review will include an independent expert group advising on the clinical evidence to support any changes to the current scheme. As part of that review, the Department will be submitting evidence to the expert group to ensure that the Government's priorities for improving the care delivered to patients by primary care practitioners is secured.

The expert group will then give advice to the national health service employers, who negotiate changes to the general practitioner contract on behalf of the Department and the British Medical Association about changes that may be made to the QOF for implementation from April 2006.

Head Lice

Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on progress in dealing
 
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with the prevention and treatment of head lice; and whether there is evidence that the problem is being contained. [223865]

Dr. Ladyman: Information on the incidence of head louse infestation is not collected centrally. The Department has no evidence that the problem is not being contained. Advice on tackling head louse infestation has been issued by the Department. Assistance is also available from the primary health care team, which includes health visitors, school nurses, general practitioners and community pharmacists. The Department also funds a voluntary group, Community Hygiene Concern, which promotes the Bug Busting" approach to controlling infestation.

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what records he keeps of the incidence of head lice infestation; what steps he is taking to reduce infestation; and what change there has been in the last five years in (a) the level of infestations, (b) the immunity of lice to treatment and (c) effectiveness of treatments for head lice. [224030]

Dr. Ladyman: Information on the incidence, changing levels of head louse infestation or acquired immunity to insecticides in lice is not collected centrally. Advice on tackling infestation, and thereby reducing incidence, has been issued by the Department. Further assistance is available from the primary health care team, which includes health visitors, school nurses, general practitioners and community pharmacists.

A number of lotions are licensed for the safe and effective treatment of head lice. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency keeps the safety and efficacy of treatments under review and will cancel or restrict the licence of products which fail in terms of safety and/or efficacy. The Department also funds a voluntary group, Community Hygiene Concern, which promotes the Bug Busting approach to controlling infestation, which does not rely on lotions.

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