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7 Apr 2005 : Column 1712W—continued
Tea Tree Oil
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has identified potential risks to human health from the use of products containing tea tree oil; and if he will make a statement on EU proposals to stop the sale of such products. [224138]
Miss Melanie Johnson
[holding answer 4 April 2005]: The major risk identified from the use of consumer products containing tea tree oil comes from the sensitising potential of concentrated (greater than 2 per cent.) solutions, particularly if the product has been exposed to oxygen, sunlight or higher temperatures. However, the European Scientific Committee on
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consumer products has advised that the data available are currently insufficient to assess the potential risk of a range of toxic effects.
The Committee requested that a complete package of data be provided in order for them to give an opinion on the potential risks. The conclusions will then be used to amend the cosmetics directive in order to make any restrictions on the use of tea tree oil in cosmetic products legally enforceable. In the meantime, industry has advised that tea tree oil should only be used in cosmetic products at concentrations at or below 1 per cent., and should be formulated and packaged in a way to minimise degradation.
15 medicinal products containing tea tree oil, licensed under medicines legislation, are available in the United Kingdom. There may be other medicines that contain tea tree oil, which currently reach the market as unlicensed herbal remedies. These will potentially qualify to be registered under Directive 2004/24/EC when it is implemented on 30 October this year. To qualify for registration, products will have to demonstrate that they comply with the required evidence of traditional usage and that they meet the required standards of safety and quality.
As with all medicines, the safety of medicinal products containing tea tree oil is closely monitored by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. There are no safety concerns specific to the medicinal use of tea tree oil but all effective treatments may cause unwanted side effects in some patients, which may be the result of individual sensitivity to the medicine concerned.
University Hospital, North Durham
Mr. Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of a scan undertaken by the University Hospital North Durham was in 2004–05. [224213]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Information on the average costs of scans at individual trusts is not held centrally.
The national average cost of an magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan in direct access, where a general practitioner refers a patient directly to a trust for treatment, for the 2003–04 financial year was £309.63.
Vulnerable Adults
Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place to monitor the effectiveness of procedures that ensure that all appropriate information about vulnerable adults, including information relating to risk, is made known when these adults move from English to Welsh counties. [224948]
Dr. Ladyman:
Councils locally determine the procedures that ensure information about vulnerable adults, including information relating to risk, is appropriately managed. It is for councils to decide how information, identified through a needs assessment, is to be collected, stored and shared, with due regard to the
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requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998. The effectiveness of these measures is not monitored centrally.
Waiting Times (Leeds)
Mr. Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting times for (a) inpatient and (b) outpatient treatment in hospitals in Leeds were in (i)1993, (ii) 1995, (iii) 1997 and (iv)the latest year for which figures are available, broken down by specialty. [223761]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
CABINET OFFICE
Sikh Community
Rob Marris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what guidance the Cabinet Office has issued to Government Departments on separately (a) recognising and (b) monitoring service provision to British Sikhs in relation to race relations legislation. [224495]
Fiona Mactaggart: I have been asked to reply.
It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.
DEFENCE
Agency Budgets
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for financial years (a) 2001–02, (b) 2000–01, (c) 1999–2000, (d) 1998–99 and (e) 1997–98 the (i)Warship Support Agency, (ii) Veterans Agency and (iii) UK Hydrographic Office spent in Scotland in (A)monetary terms and (B) as a percentage of the total personnel budget for that year; how many personnel were employed in Scotland; and if he will make a statement. [218260]
Mr. Caplin: Both civilian and Service personnel data by agency are collated annually at 1 April and presented in Table 2.6 of UK Defence Statistics, a copy of which is held in the Library of the House. Further information on personnel figures is available on the DASA website at http://www.dasa.mod.uk
The number of Service personnel employed by agency and location is not collated centrally, although the UK Hydrographic Office have confirmed from locally held records that no Service personnel have been employed in Scotland.
A table showing numbers of civilian personnel by MOD agency, for the agency as a total and those employed in Scotland specifically, for the period 1 April 1997 to 1 January 2005, is available on the Defence Analytical Services Agency website, http://www.dasa.mod.uk, and is also lodged in the Library of the House.
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Information relating to the total personnel costs of each of these agencies is available from their respective Annual Report and Accounts, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
In the case of the Veterans Agency, the relevant publications relate to the War Pensions Agency, which was transferred to the MOD in April 2002 and subsequently took the name Veterans Agency.
Before 1 April 2001, the Warship Support Agency was split between two organisations, the Ships Support Agency and the Naval Bases and Supply Agency.
More detailed analysis of personnel costs by region could be supplied only at disproportionate costs, as the information is not held centrally.
Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for financial years (a) 2001–02, (b) 2000–01, (c) 1999–2000, (d) 1998–99 and (e) 1997–98 the (i) Queen Victoria School, (ii) Pay and Personnel Agency and (iii) Naval Recruiting and Training Agency spent in Scotland in (A) monetary terms and (B) as a percentage of the total personnel budget for that year; how many personnel were employed in Scotland in these years; and if he will make a statement. [218315]
Mr. Caplin: Total staff costs are published in the agencies' annual report and accounts for the relevant financial years, copies of which are available in the House and from the following agency websites at http://www.qvs.org.uk/and http://www.ppa.mod.uk/.
Agency personnel costs on a regional basis are not recorded centrally or by the agency. However, the Queen Victoria school is based solely in Scotland, whereas the pay and personnel agency has confirmed from locally held records that it has attracted no staff costs in Scotland since its formation in 1996.
Both civilian and Service personnel data by agency are collated annually at 1 April and presented in Table 2.6 of UK Defence Statistics, a copy of which is held in
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the Library of the House. Further information on personnel figures is available on the DASA website at http://www.dasa.mod.uk
The number of Service personnel employed by agency and location is not collated centrally. In the case of the pay and personnel agency, locally held records confirm that no Service personnel have been employed in Scotland since the agency formation in 1996.
A table showing numbers of civilian personnel by MOD agency, for the agency as a total and those employed in Scotland specifically, for the period 1 April 1997 to 1 January 2005, is available on the Defence Analytical Services Agency website, http://www.dasa.mod.uk, and is also lodged in the Library of the House.
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