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16 Jun 2005 : Column 638W—continued
British Nutrition Foundation
David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Healthwhat role the British Nutrition Foundation has in advising her Department on food and nutrition policy. [2797]
Caroline Flint: The British Nutrition Foundation (BNF) are members of the nutrition forum which was set up in 2002 to bring key stakeholders in nutrition together. The forum aimed to allow ah exchange of views, build stakeholder relationships and assist the Food Standards Agency and United Kingdom health Departments in the development and implementation of nutrition policies.
The Government obtains its scientific advice on nutrition and health from an independent expert advisory committee, the scientific advisory committee on nutrition.
Cardiac Care
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many specialist nurses there are in Gloucestershire who deal with (a) coronary heart disease and (b) arrhythmia in young people. [4344]
Mr. Byrne: Information on numbers of specialist nurses dealing with coronary heart disease and arrhythmia for young people is not collected.
Childhood Obesity
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children in England were obese (a) in 1997 and (b) in the latest period for which figures are available. [1737]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 6 June 2005]: The available information is shown in the following table. Although figures are requested for the United Kingdom, the Department only holds figures for England. These are taken from the results of the Health Survey for England for 1997 and 2003, the latest year for which figures are available.
Note:
UK national BMI percentile classification used to classify obesity in children. Population figures used are 2001 census based resident population estimates. As figures are derived from a random sample of less than 3,000 children in each of 1997 and 2003, they may be subject to some sampling error and should therefore be treated with caution.
Source:
Health Survey for England 2003.
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Chronic Liver Disease
Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the success rate in recent trials of using patients' own stem cells to treat chronic liver disease. [3389]
Jane Kennedy: The Department awaits the results of these research trials using patients' own stem cells to treat chronic liver disease with interest. As with all research, until the experimental analysis is completed, subjected to peer review and replicated by other researchers, it would be wrong to speculate on the potential clinical implications for patients.
Civil Servants
Mr. Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many civil servants in the Department received faith awareness training in 2004. [3808]
Jane Kennedy: The Department has produced guidance notes for managers and staff on religious add cultural awareness and a brief guide to world religions following the introduction of the Employment Equality (Religion and Belief) Regulations. These notes will be supplemented by further training later this year, when the Department's new diversity package is launched. This package will include a specific module on faith and belief.
Community Hospitals
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what facilities are planned to be provided by (a) new and (b) existing community hospitals; [3403]
(2) whether newly-built community hospitals will provide inpatient facilities; [3404]
(3) whether she plans that existing community hospitals should continue to provide inpatient beds. [3405]
Mr. Byrne: We are currently considering the range of services that could be offered by the new generation of community hospitals promised in the Labour manifesto. Decisions on exactly which services will be provided by each new community hospital will be made, in full consultation with the public and health professionals locally.
Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what her Department's plans are for the expansion of community hospitals over the next five years; [4401]
(2) what funding has been allocated centrally for the expansion of community hospitals over the next five years. [4403]
Mr. Byrne: The Department is in the early stages of planning for the expansion of community hospitals and the exact amount of central funding to be made available will be determined at a later stage.
Continuing Care (Coventry)
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Coventry South are receiving NHS fully-funded continuing care. [3802]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
This information is not held centrally.
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Correspondence
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the requirements are for NHS health trusts and hospitals to include both a telephone number and an email address on all communications. [1861]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 14 June 2005]:The NHS identity guidance, is available on the nhs.uk website at www.nhsidentity.nhs.uk, published in 2000, gives examples of stationery layouts which explicitly include telephone numbers and email addresses. Reinforcing this, the toolkit for producing patient information (2003), also to be found on the identity website, includes in its checklists a reminder that contact information should be considered.
It is for national health service organisations to decide how contact information should be presented, within the bounds of the identity guidance, depending on the needs of their patients or service users and the circumstances of the particular communication.
Direct Payments (Disabled People)
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people with disabilities use direct payments. [4642]
Mr. Byrne: The information requested is shown in the table.
| Direct payments | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| All ages | 18 to 64 | 65 and over | |
| Physical disability, frailty and sensory impairment | 14,000 | 8,900 | 5,400 |
| Learning disability | 1,900 | 1,800 | — |
Note:
These figures are estimates based on the figures from 144 of the 150 councils. Figures do not sum due to rounding.
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding has been made available for research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy in each year since 1997 from (a) the Medical Research Council, (b) the Department of Health's research and development budget and (c) other sources; what research funding she plans to provide for research into Duchenne muscular dystrophy in the coming years; and if she will make a statement. [3449]
Mr. Byrne: Medical Research Council (MRC) spend on research relevant to Duchenne muscular dystrophy since 1997 is shown in the following table.
| Spend | |
|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 0.5 |
| 1998–99 | 0.53 |
| 1999–2000 | 0.59 |
| 2000–01 | 1.13 |
| 2001–02 | 2 |
| 2002–03 | 1.8 |
| 2003–04 | 2.4 |
16 Jun 2005 : Column 641W
Much of the muscular dystrophy research supported by the MRC is on-going.
The main part of the Department's expenditure on health research is allocated to and managed by national health service organisations. Details of individual projects supported in the NHS, including a number concerned with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, can be found on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research.
In 2004, the Department announced £1.6 million funding, from the Genetics White Paper, for a four year project which aims to address the cause of muscular dystrophy.
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