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1 Dec 2005 : Column 726W—continued
Obesity
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 19 July 2005, Official Report, column 1677W, on obesity, if she will place in the Library her Department's assessment of local delivery plans. [18807]
Caroline Flint: The local development plans (LDPs) including financial plans, with all strategic health authorities (SHAs) were signed off and agreed in August. As the LDPs are owned by primary care trusts and SHAs, it is usual practice for them to publish their own LDP once agreed with the Department.
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effect of obesity on the number of visits patients make to general practitioners regarding (i)their weight and (ii) other health complaints. [30240]
Caroline Flint
[holding answer 22 November 2005]: No research has been commissioned on the effect of obesity on the number of visits patients make to general
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practitioners regarding their weight and other health complaints. However, the National Audit Office report, Tackling Obesity in England", published in 2001, estimated that there were over 500,000 consultations recorded in 1998 at a cost of £6.8 million. As part of its enquiry into obesity, the Health Select Committee estimated that this figure had risen to £12–15 million by 2002.
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1)what estimate she has made of the number of deaths where obesity was a contributory factor in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; [30242]
(2) if she will estimate the number of deaths where obesity is a contributory factor for the next 10 years. [30243]
Caroline Flint [holding answers 22 November 2005]: The National Audit Office, in their report Tackling Obesity in England", estimated there were about 31,100 deaths in England attributable to obesity in 1998. The Health Select Committee updated this estimate to 34,100 in their 2004 report on obesity.
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of NHS expenditure on treating conditions for which obesity is a contributory factor in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [30244]
Caroline Flint: [holding answer 22 November 2005]: Information on the amount spent by the national health service on treating conditions for which obesity is a contributory factor is not held centrally. However, the National Audit Office report, Tackling Obesity in England", published in 2001, estimated that the direct cost to the NHS of treating obesity and its consequences in 1998 was £480 million. As part of its inquiry into obesity, the Health Select Committee estimated that in 2002 the direct cost to the NHS was between £990 million and £1,225 million.
Organ Donation
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received on moving towards a presumption of consent for organ donation. [25842]
Ms Rosie Winterton: This issue was debated extensively during the passage of the Human Tissue Act 2004. The Government have looked at the evidence but believes a system of presumed consent to organ donation to be contrary to the fundamental premise of the 2004 Act, which is that consent must be the basis for the donation of human organs after death. Nor do they believe that it would be effective in increasing the number of organs available for transplantation.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action is being taken by her Department to improve organ donation rates. [25843]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
Action to improve donation rates includes providing more than £10 million since 2001 to UK Transplant to run hospital-based schemes such as live donor co-ordinators and non-heartbeating schemes, to increase the number of donors; and around £150,000 in section 64 funding each year to a number of charities to promote the organ donor register and to promote organ donation more widely. UK Transplant's
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recent year-long campaign to mark the 10th anniversary of the organ donor register resulted in one million additional registrations. Currently, almost 13 million people have registered, agreeing to help others after their death.
Patient and Public Involvement
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what are the terms of reference of the Department's strategic review of patient and public involvement in health; and when she expects it to be completed. [24264]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 3 November 2005]: A summary of the terms of reference is as follows:
We propose to carry out a strategic review of PPI to understand fully the need for PPI and accountability. The review being an umbrella title for a range of activities that will take place between now and the launch of the health and care outside hospitals (HCOH) White Paper, to draw together evidence on good practice in PPI and consideration of how it can be strengthened further. The review will draw evidence from desk research mapping the current configuration and interaction of various parts of the PPI structure, the HCOH deliberative consultation, and a targeted engagement exercise that will run alongside the consultation to check out and explore ideas and their implications for PPI as they emerge. 1 "
The review is taking place alongside the your health, your care, your say consultation and the work of the having my say policy taskforce, which will make wider recommendations on how national health service and social care services need to respond to the views and choices of its users. The work of the policy taskforce will help shape a new White Paper to be published at the turn of the year on improving community health and social care.
1 Project brief 1.0
Pesticides
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what division in her Department is responsible for health aspects of pesticide use; what research programmes have been undertaken in the last five years; and which personnel have been involved. [32285]
Caroline Flint: The Department works closely with other Government Departments and agencies on matters related to the health aspects of pesticides use. The Health Protection—toxicology and radiation branch has responsibility for advice to the Secretary of State on these health aspects. Various personnel in this branch have been involved in provision of this advice.
In the last five years, the Department has, in conjunction with Imperial College and the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Pesticides, initiated research using the hospital episode statistics database for England concerning admitted cases of pesticide poisoning. The Department is also undertaking an anonymised retrospective review of data held by the pesticides incident appraisal panel of likely and confirmed cases of irritancy.
Premature Babies
John Mann:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will assess the merits of introducing a preventative
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treatment programme for premature babies based on the revised recommendations from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. [30162]
Caroline Flint: The advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation on preventative treatment for respiratory syncytial virus is currently being considered by the Department.
Primary Care Trusts
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) deficit for the 2004–05 financial year and (b) projected deficit for the 2005–06 financial year was for (i) South Hams and West Devon primary care trust, (ii) Teignbridge primary care trust, (iii) Torbay primary care trust, (iv) South Devon Health Care NHS Trust, (v) Westcountry Ambulance Services NHS Trust, (vi)Devon Partnership NHS Trust and (vii) South West Peninsula strategic health authority. [32163]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 29 November 2005]: The audited year-end financial position for the organisations requested is provided in the table.
The Department does not currently publish unaudited information relating to the in-year financial position of NHS organisations.
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