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14 Oct 2005 : Column 652W—continued
Cardiomyopathy
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assistance is provided to cardiomyopathy sufferers in Northern Ireland. [18043]
Mr. Woodward: Patients with cardiomyopathy are usually referred to a consultant cardiologist, a number of whom have a specialist interest in cardiomyopathy.
In addition, a consultant cardiologist at the Royal Group of Hospitals, who has a special expertise in the management of patients with genetically inherited heart disease, including cardiomyopathy, provides subspecialist service in this area. This service is provided in conjunction with consultants in clinical genetics at the Regional Genetics Centre, Belfast City Hospital. In addition to clinical tests and treatment, counselling, advice, information and psychological support services are provided for children and adults who suffer from familial cardiomyopathy.
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the number of cardiomyopathy sufferers in Northern Ireland. [18044]
Mr. Woodward: An estimate of the number of cardiomyopathy sufferers in Northern Ireland is not available. Information is available on the number of cardiomyopathy sufferers admitted as in-patients to hospitals in Northern Ireland. The number of admissions to hospital with a primary or secondary diagnosis of cardiomyopathy is detailed in the table for each of the last five years available. It should be noted that any individual could have been admitted to hospital more than once over the course of a year or over a number of years and would therefore be counted more than once in the table.
| Admissions for cardiomyopathy | |
|---|---|
| 2004–05 | 593 |
| 2003–04 | 628 |
| 2002–03 | 561 |
| 2001–02 | 552 |
| 2000–01 | 501 |
Source:
Hospital Inpatients System DHSS&PS
Consultant Contracts
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the funding of the new consultant contract in Northern Ireland. [17131]
Mr. Woodward: In 2004–05 my Department invested an additional £21 million in the consultant work force through implementation of the new consultant contract in Northern Ireland. This investment has been increased to £23 million in the current year.
Family/Childcare Services
Mr. Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the funding arrangements for family and childcare services in Northern Ireland are. [18096]
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Mr. Woodward: Funding for family and childcare services is the responsibility of the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety and the Department of Employment and Learning.
DHSSPS provides monies for various services including SureStart, Children with Complex Needs, Maternity Services, Children's Residential Care, Foster Care, Children Leaving Care, Child Protection and Family Support Services.
The Department for Employment and Learning does not fund directly Family and Childcare services. However, DEL administered PEACE II funding allocated to Training for Women Network and Playboard to support projects giving parents the opportunity to seek or remain in employment. Recently a PEACE II extension was announced and will continue to 2008 the funding has yet to be split between TWN and Playboard. In addition eligible participants on the new deal, jobskills and training for work programmes may avail of assistance with childcare costs, as may students attending further and higher education establishments.
Hepatitis
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many cases of hepatitis have been reported in Northern Ireland in each month of each of the last three years. [17118]
Mr. Woodward: The number of laboratory reports of hepatitis (A, B and C) in Northern Ireland in each month of each of the last three years is presented in the following table:
(3) Hepatitis C is reported quarterly. Data for July, August and September 2005 are not yet available.
(4) Not yet available.
Notes:
1. Laboratory reporting is the mainstay of surveillance of hepatitis A, B and C in Northern Ireland. This is a voluntary process.
2. Laboratory reports of hepatitis A, B and C contain both acute and chronic infections.
3. Hepatitis A infection occurs predominantly in children. It is usually asymptomatic and so will not be tested for.
Source:
Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre NI
ILEX Company
Mr. Gregory Campbell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total amounts payable from the public purse to the ILEX Company in Londonderry have been since its inception, broken
14 Oct 2005 : Column 654W
down by (a) salaries, (b) expenses, (c) office accommodation and (d) any other expenditure in excess of £1,000. [18095]
Mr. Hanson: The information is as follows:
Note:
There is a deficit for the period of £112, recoverable in the next period
Laser Eye Surgery
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are taken (a) to monitor and (b) to regulate laser eye surgery in the Province. [17538]
Mr. Woodward: It is assumed this question relates to laser eye surgery for the correction of conditions such as short and long-sightedness. As Health and Social Service Boards do not commission laser eye surgery for this purpose, no monitoring takes place within the HPSS.
Laser eye surgery providers in the independent sector are required to be registered with the Health and Personal Social Services Regulation and Improvement Authority and are subject to inspection under the Independent Health Care Regulations (NI) 2005.
Northern Ireland Police Fund
Mr. Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what disciplinary action has been taken against the two senior officials suspended by the Northern Ireland Police Fund; and if he will make a statement. [17676]
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Mr. Woodward: I have been informed by the Northern Ireland Police Fund that it completed a disciplinary investigation in respect of one official of the Fund and at a subsequent hearing, dismissed the employee for gross misconduct. The second employee has resigned from the Fund.
Particulate Matter (Deaths)
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland in how many deaths in the Province particulate matter (PM10) was (a) a cause and (b) a contributory factor in each of the last five years. [17536]
Angela E. Smith: It is difficult to separate the effects of individual pollutants. Particulate matter is thought to worsen the condition of those who are already ill rather than being an absolute cause of death. Therefore deaths caused by particulate matter alone cannot be solely calculated. The Committee of Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) have however developed a methodology based on a dose response relationship that allows estimates to be made of deaths brought forward affected by particulate matter PM10 and the calculations for Northern Ireland would suggest that deaths brought forward due to particulate matter PM10 were: 177 in 2001, 157 in 2002, 180 in 2003, and 147 in 2004. Calculations carried out by the Government consultants for 2005 have not yet been completed.
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