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29 Nov 2005 : Column 393W—continued
Teachers
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many teaching vacancies there are in each education and library board in Northern Ireland. [31282]
Angela E. Smith: Since vacancies are identified by Boards of Governors in accordance with the staffing complement they determine under LMS, the information is not held by the Department of Education nor by the relevant employing authorities, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. I have, however, asked the Department to consider the routine collection of such information in order to inform future decisions about teacher demand.
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) primary and (b) secondary school teachers in Northern Ireland will have reached retirement age in each of the next five years. [32127]
Angela E. Smith: The number of teachers in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools who will reach retirement age in the next five years is detailed as follows:
| Teachers who will have attained age 65 years at 31 August each year: | Primary schools | Secondary schools | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 9 | 6 | 15 |
| 2007 | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| 2008 | 11 | 6 | 17 |
| 2009 | 22 | 15 | 37 |
| 2010 | 34 | 22 | 56 |
| Total | 82 | 52 | 134 |
Tourism
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to establish an interpretation centre for foreign visitors at the site of the River Bann massacre in Portadown. [31279]
Angela E. Smith: The Northern Ireland Tourist Board has received no correspondence and has no plans in relation to this venture.
The board has focused its resources on delivery of the five Signature Projects in the Strategic Framework for Action 2004–07.
Valuation and Lands Agency
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library the internal guidance (a) manual and (b) methodology to be used for the forthcoming domestic rates revaluation in Northern Ireland. [29714]
Angela E. Smith:
The majority of capital valuations are produced using the computer-assisted mass appraisal approach. Copies of the current internal working documents and guidance being used for the valuation of the remaining properties have been placed in the Library.
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Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will place in the Library the instructions and advice documents prepared by the Valuation and Lands Agency for the Northern Ireland domestic rates revaluation and introduction of discrete capital values. [30707]
Angela E. Smith: I will arrange for copies of the guidance and instructions to be placed in the Library when they are available in April 2006.
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Valuation and Lands Agency plans to use contractors for the domestic rates revaluation in Northern Ireland. [30708]
Angela E. Smith: At present the Agency are considering the limited use of private sector contract staff to assist with the review of computer generated values in a small number of areas around Belfast.
Women Executives
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of women in senior board positions in businesses in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years. [32234]
Mr. Hanson: It is not possible to provide information on the number of women in senior board positions in businesses in NI. However, estimates of the number of females in employment classified as 'Managers and Senior Officials' are available from the NI Labour Force Survey. The following table shows the estimated number of female 'Managers and Senior Officials' in each summer (June-August) quarter since 1996.
(36) The estimates up to and including summer 2000 were based on a previous occupational coding and refer to female 'Managers and Administrators'.
Source:
NI Labour Force Survey
Work Force
David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total estimated work force was in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years. [32233]
Mr. Hanson:
Estimates of the number of work force jobs at June each year in Northern Ireland for the period 1996 to 2005 can be found in the following table.
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| June of each year | Number |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 692,300 |
| 1997 | 712,500 |
| 1998 | 720,300 |
| 1999 | 731,100 |
| 2000 | 749,400 |
| 2001 | 763,100 |
| 2002 | 771,100 |
| 2003 | 790,100 |
| 2004 | 794,900 |
| 2005 | 808,600 |
(37) This includes employee jobs, self-employment jobs and Government-supported trainees.
(38) Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
Source:
DETI
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HEALTH
Alzheimer's Disease
Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions she has had with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence about drug treatment for Alzheimer's disease; and if she will make a statement. [29783]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 21 November 2005]: I received an update on the progress of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE's) appraisal of drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease during a meeting with the NICE'S chair and chief executive on 9 June 2005.
Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what opportunity cost analysis she has evaluated comparing the daily cost of proven drugs for Alzheimer sufferers with the cost of full-time caring if the drugs are unavailable. [30611]
Jane Kennedy: No such analysis has been undertaken by the Department. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently reviewing its guidance on the clinical and cost effectiveness of drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence regarding the (a) clinical effectiveness and (b) cost effectiveness of treatments for Alzheimer's; when meetings were held; what conclusions were drawn (i) from and (ii) following the discussions; and if she will make a statement. [27222]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 10 November 2005]: Ministers received an update on the progress of the National Institute for Health Clinical Excellence's (NICE'S) work to review its appraisal of drugs for Alzheimer's disease during the course of routine discussions on 2 March 2005, with the NICE chief executive, and 9 June 2005, with the NICE chairman and chief executive.
The Department responded on 22 March 2005 to NICE'S appraisal consultation document, 'Donepezil, Rivastigmine, Glanatamine and Memantine for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease'. A copy of that response was published on and is still available from the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk. A copy is available in the Library.
Breast Cancer
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects Herceptin will be available to patients in England for the treatment of each stage of breast cancer. [19861]
Jane Kennedy:
Herceptin is already licensed throughout the European Community for the treatment of certain categories of advanced or late-stage breast cancer. In accordance with the press release made by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) on the 22 September 2005, we anticipate that the company will be applying for an extended licence for the treatment of early-stage breast cancer and that this new use may then
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be approved throughout the European Community by July 2006, assuming that data in support of the quality, safety and efficacy for the intended use are satisfactory.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects the use of Herceptin will be approved for the treatment of early stage breast cancer. [19867]
Jane Kennedy: In accordance with the press release made on the 22 September 2005 by the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) and if the Roche company are able to make their formal application to the EMEA together with their new clinical trial data by early next year then, assuming the scientific experts issue a positive opinion, it could be licensed for treatment of early-stage breast cancer throughout the Community by July 2006.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how long she expects the European Medicines Evaluation Agency will take to approve Herceptin for the early stage treatment of breast cancer. [19909]
Jane Kennedy: In accordance with the press release made on 22 September 2005, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) anticipated that Roche planned to submit an application for Herceptin in the beginning of 2006. The statement further indicated that similar types of submissions in important oncology indications in the past have been dealt with by the EMEA in an expedited review within two to three months.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date Herceptin was submitted to the European Medicines Evaluation Agency for formal market authorisation to treat early stage breast cancer. [19910]
Jane Kennedy: A formal application and new clinical data for Herceptin in the treatment of early stage breast cancer has not yet been submitted to the European Medicines Evaluation Agency for authorisation. We anticipate that the formal application will be early next year when the company have completed their analysis of all of the new clinical trial data.
Mr. Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure the rapid approval of Herceptin for early stage breast cancer. [19929]
Jane Kennedy: I have asked the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency to do everything possible to ensure that formal applications from the company are evaluated and determined as rapidly and efficiently as possible while ensuring appropriate standards of safety, quality and efficacy are maintained by the European Medicines Evaluation Agency, the scientific experts and the European Commission.
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make additional funding immediately available to primary care trusts to fund the prescription of Herceptin for advanced stage breast cancer sufferers who have already been diagnosed as likely to benefit from the drug. [18609]
Jane Kennedy
[holding answer 17 October 2005]: Herceptin for the treatment of advanced breast cancer was approved by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in March 2002 and should already be available to all women who might benefit from it.
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Funding to meet recommendations of NICE has been included in the allocations made to primary care trusts (PCTs) for the period 2003–04 to 2005–06. This funding is not separately identified. The total of PCT allocations is £45 billion for 2003–04, £49.3 billion for 2004–05 and £53.9 billion for 2005–06. This represents an increase of £12.7 billion or an average of 30.8 percent., over the three years 2003–04 to 2005–06.
Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the availability of Herceptin on prescription throughout the NHS. [30642]
Jane Kennedy: Data on the availability of Herceptin on prescription throughout the national health service is not collected centrally. However, in 2004 Professor Mike Richards, the National Cancer Director, published a report which examined the usage of certain cancer drugs across the country, including Herceptin. An update of Professor Richard's report will be published next year and will provide a picture of Herceptin prescribing in the first half of 2005.
Herceptin is already licensed and available on the NHS for woman diagnosed with advanced breast cancer. It is not yet licensed for women with early breast cancer but, as with other unlicensed drugs, can be used in some cases.
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