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Departmental Expenditure

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many widescreen televisions have been purchased by her Department for use in London headquarters in each of the last five years; and what the cost was in each year. [39151]

Mr. Byrne: The Department has not purchased any widescreen televisions for use in London headquarters within the last five years.

Departmental Finance

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her Department's target is for paying invoices to contractors; and what percentage of bills were paid on time in the last period for which figures are available. [60575]

Mr. Byrne: I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial statement given on 8 November 2005, Official Report, columns 14–15WS by the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

Depression

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the average waiting time is for a patient waiting for assessment and treatment in primary care for depression; [60043]
 
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(2) what the average waiting time is for a patient waiting for assessment and treatment in secondary care for depression. [60044]

Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not centrally available. The Department collects waiting times according to consultant specialties and not individual diagnoses.

Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations she has received on action that may be taken to improve services for patients with depression; [60045]

(2) what plans she has to recruit more psychological therapists to the NHS to tackle depression. [60042]

Ms Rosie Winterton: We recognise that for many people with depression, waiting times for psychological therapies have been too long. Furthermore, clinical guidelines on the management of depression in primary and secondary care were issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in 2004. The guidelines recommend effective psychological treatments for people with depression and anxiety, and can be found on NICE'S website at www.nice.org.uk

Therefore, and in line with our manifesto commitment and the White Paper, Our Health, Our Care, Our Say", we are embarking on a new programme—'Improving Access to Psychological Therapies'—for people with mild to moderate psychological needs. This will extend the availability of psychological therapies of proven effectiveness, such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and connect interventions currently or potentially available in the workplace, in primary care and other community resources.

Since 1997, the capacity of the mental health work force has increased: there are now 75 per cent. more clinical psychologists, 125 per cent. more qualified psychotherapists, 50 per cent. more consultant psychiatrists, 20 per cent. more mental health nurses, and 23 per cent. more art/music/drama therapists. We have also created the new role of graduate primary care mental health worker (graduate workers), trained in brief therapy techniques, to help general practitioners provide mental health interventions in a range of primary care settings. At the end of March 2005, there were 648 graduate workers employed in the national health service, and this number will increase further when current trainees qualify. All of these professions can provide CBT.

Diabetes

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of people identified as having diabetes in England were offered screening for the early detection of diabetic retinopathy in (a) each year since 2003–04 and (b) the most recent period for which figures are available. [60400]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Performance data show that in 2003–04, 835,900 (52.7 per cent.) of people with diabetes were screened for retinopathy and 1,076,400 (61.3 per cent.) in 2004–05. The most recent data (at December
 
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2005) show that 1,111,773 (59.6 per cent.) of people with diabetes have received screening for diabetic retinopathy in the preceding 12 months.

DNA Vaccine

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire of 15 December 2005, Official Report, columns 2216–7W, on influenza vaccine, what assessment she has made of the particular benefits of developing a DNA vaccine; and for what reasons it may be some years before one is available. [62370]

Caroline Flint: Departmental officials have considered the potential benefits Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) vaccine may offer and have met a company developing a DNA vaccine to discuss progress in development.

DNA vaccine manufacture is at an early stage of development and clinical trials must be conducted to demonstrate the safety and quality of these novel vaccines, and the level of protection they may offer. Such trials usually take several years to complete. It takes further time for regulatory authorities to fully evaluate the data generated from these trials, and thus it will be several years before such vaccines are likely to be licensed for use.

In addition to technical issues relating to safety and efficacy, the means of administering DNA vaccines will require a great deal of development work for widespread population use.

Electroconvulsive Therapy

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what information leaflets for members of the public are produced by her Department on the use of electroconvulsive therapy; and if she will make a statement. [57584]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department has not produced any information leaflets on the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for members of the public. The Mental Health Act Commission published a leaflet for detained patients about consent to ECT, which is available at www.mhac.org.uk.

The guidance on the use of ECT published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in 2003 included additional information for service users, their advocates and carers, and the public. This is available on NICE'S website at www.nice.org.uk.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the (a) risks and (b) potential benefits to the individual associated with the use of electroconvulsive therapy; and if she will make a statement. [57585]

Ms Rosie Winterton: No such assessment has been made by the Department. However, as part of its appraisal of the use of electroconvulsive therapy for depressive illness, schizophrenia, catatonia and mania published in 2003, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence assessed the available evidence on its clinical and cost effectiveness.
 
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Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on electroconvulsive therapy was last reviewed; what conclusions were reached; and if she will make a statement. [57586]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published its technology appraisal guidance on electroconvulsive therapy in April 2003. A copy of the conclusions are available in the Library. NICE is currently considering whether a review of the guidance is necessary at this time.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has undertaken in each of the last 20 years into the longer-term (a) benefits and (b) risks of electroconvulsive therapy; if she will place the research in the Library; and if she will make a statement. [57587]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The main agency through which the Government supports medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Technology.

The MRC supports a large portfolio of research related to mental health disorders, parts of which may be relevant to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). One project specifically concerned with ECT has been funded since 1995. This is a trial grant given to Professor K. Ebmeier of the University of Edinburgh to fund research aimed at reducing adverse ECT effects on memory by magnetic stimulation. Earlier information is not available.

The Department funds research programmes that support policy and provide the evidence needed to underpin quality improvement and service development in the NHS.

Among these, the health technology assessment programme has, since its formation in 1993, supported two projects concerned with schizophrenia:

Clinical and cost-effectiveness of electroconvulsive therapy for depressive illness, schizophrenia, catatonia and mania; systematic reviews and economic modelling studies (Greenhalgh)

and

Clinical effectiveness and cost of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation versus ECT in severe depression: a multi-centre randomised controlled trial and economic analysis (Project not yet published)

The policy research programme has supported one relevant project:

Systematic review of the efficacy and safety of electroconvulsive therapy (UK ECT Review Group).

Copies of the published project reports are available in the Library.

Over 75 per cent. of the Department's total expenditure on health research is devolved to and managed by NHS organisations. Details of individual projects begun during the course of the last eight years, including some concerned with ECT, are
 
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available on the national research register on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/research. Earlier information is not available.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated cost has been of a treatment session of electroconvulsive therapy in each year since 1996. [57595]

Ms Rosie Winterton: As part of its appraisal of the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for depressive illness, schizophrenia, catatonia and mania published in 2003, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) estimated the cost of six treatment sessions of ECT at £2,475. This does not include inpatient costs, which NICE estimated as £171 per day.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions her Department has had with (a) hon. Members, (b) Members of the House of Lords, (c) the British Medical Association, (d) members of the public and (e) the Royal College of Surgeons about the administration of electroconvulsive therapy in hospitals; and if she will make a statement. [57598]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Departmental officials have nothad any recent discussions with hon. Members,Members of the House of Lords, the British Medical Association, members of the public or the Royal College of Surgeons about the administration of electroconvulsive therapy in hospitals.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of whether electroconvulsive therapy is used on pregnant women; and if she will make a statement. [59357]

Ms Rosie Winterton: No such assessment has been made by the Department. The guidance on the use of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) in 2003 recommends clinicians to be particularly cautious when considering ECT treatment for women who are pregnant because they may be at higher risk of complications with ECT. Clinicians are expected to take full account of NICE guidance.

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