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6 Feb 2006 : Column 993W—continued

Private Finance Initiative

Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list all hospitals with a private finance initiative contract, broken down by constituency; what the value is of each contract; and what the repayment costs are on each contract. [42668]

Mr. Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 12 July 2005, Official Report, columns 988–89W and on 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 1885W, which stated that detailed unitary payment (we have interpreted repayment costs to mean the unitary charges) for schemes which have reached financial close had been placed in the Library. This list has now been updated to reflect constituencies and the four private finance initiative hospital schemes which have reached financial close since then and which are over £20 million in capital value.

Purified Protein Derivative

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects Mantoux-strength purified protein derivative to receive a product licence from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. [39325]

Jane Kennedy: A marketing authorisation for any medicinal product, including Mantoux purified protein derivative, will be issued by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency if the data submitted in support of that application are considered satisfactory against the standard criteria of safety, quality and efficacy for the intended use.

Respiratory Diseases

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 January 2006, Official Report, column 1864W, on respiratory diseases, what assessment she has made of the European Community respiratory health survey; and if she will make a statement. [47163]

Mr. Byrne: The European Community respiratory health survey is specifically designed to estimate variations in the prevalence of asthma; to estimate variations in exposures to known or suspected risk factors for asthma, and assess to what extent these variations explain the variations in the prevalence of disease; and to estimate differences in the use of medication for asthma.

The results of this survey will prove valuable for health professionals working to identify the causes, and most effective treatments, for asthma.

Rickets

Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the incidence was of rickets in the UK in each of the last five years. [37133]

Caroline Flint: The incidence of rickets is shown in the table. The information provided is for England only.
 
6 Feb 2006 : Column 994W
 

All diagnosis count of finished consultant episodes for rickets⁽⁴⁷⁾ national service hospitals, England 2000–01 to 2004–05

	All diagnosis count of finished consultant episodes
2000–01	229
2001–02	297
2002–03	283
2003–04	329
2004–05	306

⁽⁴⁷⁾ Rickets defined as:
Rickets, active recorded as primary or secondary diagnosis.
Excludes—rickets: coeliac, crohn's, inactive, renal, vitamin D resistant.
Source:
Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre.

School Sanitary Provision

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what penalties are imposed on schools failing to adhere to the Education (School Premises) Regulations 1999, with regard to the number of toilets and washbasins provided for pupils. [47233]

Jacqui Smith: I have been asked to reply.

Responsibility for applying the requirements of these regulations rests with local education authorities. There are no penalties for failure to meet these requirements, but the Secretary of State for Education and Skills has the power to direct schools and LEAs to meet the Regulations.

Special Advisers

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the special advisers in post in her Department, broken down by pay band; and what the total budgeted cost to her Department of special advisers is for 2005–06. [29409]

Jane Kennedy: Since 2003, the Government have published on an annual basis the names and overall cost of special advisers and the number in each pay band. For the most recent information, I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister on 21 July 2005, Official Report, columns 158–62WS.

Information on the numbers of special advisers prior to 2003 was provided at regular intervals and this information will be available in the Library.

Information relating to costs for 2005–06 will be published after the end of the current financial year.

Strategic Health Authorities (Board Members)

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will list the board members of each strategic health authority who have left their position in each of the last three years. [46265]

Mr. Byrne [holding answer 30 January 2006]: Information about board members who have left the boards of strategic health authorities is not available centrally.
 
6 Feb 2006 : Column 995W
 

The NHS Appointments Commission does hold information about the appointment of non-executive board members since 2001 when it was established.

The NHS Appointments Commission have been asked to write to the hon. Member regarding this matter.

Thyroid Function Testing

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will introduce routine testing for thyroid function. [47239]

Mr. Byrne: Routine testing for thyroid function is currently available at the clinical judgement of health care professionals.

Trainee Medical Staff (Financial Support)

Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes have been made to financial support available to trainee NHS (a) nurses, (b) doctors, (c) midwives and (d) managers since 1997. [45884]

Mr. Byrne: We developed the NHS bursary scheme for trainee nurses and midwives in its present form in 1998. Since 1999, there have been a number of additional allowances provided by the NHS bursary scheme that include re-imbursement for clinical placements, travel and accommodation costs, a childcare allowance and we have recently extended provision for maternity leave.

Since 2002, the national health service has paid the tuition fees for students on years five and six of their pre-registration medical education programmes and years two until four of the post-graduate programme. These students may also be eligible for a means-tested NHS bursary.

There has been no significant change to the financial support available to trainees on the national graduate management training scheme.

Velcade

Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will issue guidelines to primary care trusts on the prescribing of Velcade to apply until such time as the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has issued its guidelines; and if she will make a statement. [48367]

Jane Kennedy: In 1999, the Department issued Health Service Circular 1999/176, which asks national health service bodies to continue with local arrangements for the managed introduction of new technologies where guidance from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has not yet been issued. These arrangements should include an assessment of the available evidence.

Worcestershire Acute Hospital Trust

Miss Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average length of stay is for patients in Worcestershire Acute Hospital Trust in the last year for which figures are available. [46894]

 
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Ms Rosie Winterton: The average length of stay for patients in Worcestershire Acute Hospitals National Health Service Trust during 2004–05 was 4.9 days.

Notes:

Finished provider spell A finished provider spell is defined as a period of in-patient care within one health care provider that commences with the patient's admission and ends on the date of discharge. It may comprise one or more finished consultant episodes (FCEs). Length of stay (duration of spell) Length of stay is calculated as the difference in days between the admission date and the discharge date, where both are given. Length of stay is based on hospital spells and only applies to ordinary admissions, that is, day cases are excluded, unless otherwise stated. Information relating to Length of stay figures, including discharge method/destination, diagnoses and any operative procedures, is based only on the final episode of the spell. Ungrossed data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data, that is, the data is ungrossed.

Source:

Hospital Episode Statistics, NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre

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