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26 Apr 2006 : Column 1218W—continued
Primary Care Trusts (Non-local Services)
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much was spent in 2005–06 on the commissioning of non-local services by primary care trusts in strategic health authorities (a) where authorities have been instructed that the sub-regional health economy must balance its budget for 2005–06 and (b) where authorities have not been so instructed; [57102]
(2) what research her Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effect of making regional health economies balance their budgets on commissioning of non-local services by primary care trusts. [57103]
Mr. Byrne: The Department does not hold this information centrally nor has it commissioned research on the commissioning of non-local services. This is a matter for primary care trusts.
Public Appointments
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 December 2005, Official Report, column 2726W, on public appointments, when she now expects that details of those who have been appointed by the NHS Appointments Commission will be made public. [61558]
Mr. Byrne: The NHS Appointments Commission has given a commitment to publish details of the public appointments it makes on behalf of Secretary of State. This information is now available on the NHS Appointments Commission's website at:
School Nurses
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much her Department spent producing the 2006 edition of the School Nurse: Practice Development Resource Pack"; which organisations her Department consulted prior to publication; and if she will make a statement; [62880]
(2) if she will list the main changes between the 2001 and 2006 editions of the School Nurse: Practice Development Resource Pack"; and if she will make a statement; [62881]
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(3) to whom copies of the 2006 edition of the School Nurse: Practice Development Resource Pack" were sent; at what cost; and if she will make a statement. [62882]
Mr. Byrne: The Department spent £14,679 producing the School Nurse: Practice Development Resource Pack". The pack was prepared in consultation with the Royal College of Nursing, Community Practitioner and Health Visitor Association, National Children's Bureau, Nursing and Midwifery Council, Sheffield University and the Department for Education and Skills.
The original School Nurse: Practice Development Resource Pack" was published in 2001. It has been updated to reflect the changing policy and health context in which school nurses are now working. It is one product of the work led by the Chief Nursing Officer to promote a modern role for school nurses and to increase the number of school nurses as announced in Choosing Health". The main changes include an update on Government policy including Choosing Health, Every Child Matters", the national service framework for children, young people and maternity and healthy schools. It also contains additional information on today's health priorities, such as obesity, smoking and mental health.
There has been no distribution of this pack. Copies are available from the Department's website at:
A copy is available in the Library.
Sunsmart Campaign
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what resources have been made available to the SunSmart campaign for 2006–07; and what assessment she has made of the merits of increasing funding to the campaign. [65084]
Caroline Flint: SunSmart, the national skin cancer and sun protection campaign run by Cancer Research UK is funded by the United Kingdom health Departments. The Department will be writing in the near future to confirm its contribution to the overall amount. All such campaigns are kept under regular review and are assessed in the light of their merits and the overall funding position of the Department.
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what issues the SunSmart campaign will be focusing resources during the summer of 2006. [65085]
Caroline Flint: Cancer Research UK runs SunSmart, the national skin cancer prevention campaign, on behalf of the United Kingdom health departments. It advises people about how to enjoy the sun safely, to avoid sunburn by using protective screening methods and about the risks of using sun beds for cosmetic purposes.
In 2006, SunSmart is targeting men and outdoor workers as malignant melanoma rates have quadrupled in men in the last 30 years and outdoor workers are exposed to three to four times more ultraviolet rays than indoor workers.
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Tanning Salons
Mrs. James: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what discussions her Department has had with the coin-operated tanning salon industry regarding (a) skin cancer awareness and (b) access to such equipment by under 16-year-olds; [65081]
(2) if she will assess the implications for the incidence of skin cancer of trends in the number of unstaffed coin-operated tanning salons in England; and if she will make a statement; [65082]
(3) whether the Sunsmart campaign has undertaken work to raise awareness of coin-operated tanning equipment use. [65083]
Caroline Flint: Excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation, both natural and artificial, is the most important modifiable risk factor regarding skin cancer. Recent decades have seen significant increases in the number of people in the United Kingdom being diagnosed with this condition which kills around 2,000 people each year.
The Government are therefore concerned about the apparent increased use of sunbeds for cosmetic purposes, especially by children, including that which takes place in coin operated salons. On our behalf, Cancer Research UK is in discussions with the sun bed industry to review industry practices and the scope for self-regulation. These discussions have covered restrictions on the use of sunbeds by under 16s, the displaying of information about the use of sunbeds, their risks to health especially to children, and specific concerns about unsupervised tanning devices.
Cancer Research UK also runs SunSmart, the national skin cancer prevention campaign, on behalf of the UK health Departments. It advises people about how to enjoy the sun safely, to avoid sunburn by using protective screening methods and about the risks of using sunbeds for cosmetic purposes. The SunSmart campaign has focused on the dangers of sunbeds generally and the SunSmart website has a dedicated section on this, which includes a recommendation for under 16s never to use sunbeds for cosmetic purposes.
Television Sets
Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many television sets are in operation in the Department (a) in total, (b) in Minister's private offices and (c) in each office building in the Department; and how many television licences are held by the Department. [62793]
Mr. Byrne: The Department of Health has a total of 126 television (TV) sets. The number of TV sets in Ministers' Private Offices is 16. The number in each office building is:
The Department does not hold any TV licences.
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Tuberculosis
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many incidences of tuberculosis were identified in each primary care trust in London in (a) 2002–03, (b) 2003–04, (c) 2004–05 and (d) 2005–06; and if she will make a statement. [64403]
Jane Kennedy: The data for the calendar years 2002, 2003 and 2004 are shown in the table.
Notes:
1. Since case numbers in some primary care trusts (PCTs) are small, numbers may fluctuate from year-to-year, and thus any apparent 'trends' in the data should be interpreted with caution.
2. Population estimates for PCTs are only available from 2001 onwards. Data on tuberculosis rates for the years 2001 to 2004 can only be provided.
3. Data as at 12 April 2006.
Source:
Health Protection Agency enhanced tuberculosis surveillance system.
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the enhanced tuberculosis surveillance TB incidence rates were for Wandsworth primary care trust for each year since 1998 (a) by rate per 100,000 population and (b) as a mean average over the period; and if she will make a statement. [64404]
Jane Kennedy: The data for the calendar years 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 are shown in the table.
| Cases | Rate (per 100,000) | Average rate (2001–04) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 51 | 18.8 | |
| 2002 | 93 | 34.0 | 30.7 |
| 2003 | 96 | 35.0 | |
| 2004 | 96 | 34.7 |
Notes:
1. The numbers of tuberculosis cases in some primary care trusts (PCTs) across London are small. In view of this, numbers may fluctuate from year to year, and thus any apparent trends in the data should be interpreted with caution. Any apparent trend or comparison between Wandsworth PCT and other PCTs in London has little validity.
2. Population estimates for PCTs are only available from 2001 onwards. The Health Protection Agency enhanced tuberculosis surveillance (ETS) system started collecting information on the PCT of residence of reported cases during 2003. Population estimates (Office of National Statistics) by PCT are only available from 2001. Wandsworth PCT rates for 2001 and 2002 have been derived retrospectively based on ONS population estimates.
Source:
Health Protection Agency ETS system. Data as at 12 April 2006
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