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15 May 2006 : Column 740W—continued
Cannabis-based Medicine
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions she has had with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency on the granting of product approval of cannabis-based medicine. [64764]
Andy Burnham: My right hon. Friend, the then Minister of State (Jane Kennedy) had some contact with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) on the issue of approval of cannabis-based medicinal products from time to time. The MHRA also provided periodic briefing documents on the progress of one marketing authorisation application as background information in support of a variety of parliamentary questions related to cannabis- based medicinal products.
Chernobyl
Mr. Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment has been made of the possible health effects in England of radioactive fallout from Chernobyl in respect of incidences of (a) thyroid cancer, (b) other solid cancers, (c) leukaemia, (d) non-cancer diseases and (e) genetic diseases. [68112]
Caroline Flint: Following the Chernobyl reactor accident in 1986 preliminary assessments of the radiation doses were carried out by the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB, now part of the Health Protection Agency (HPA)). In particular, NRPB carried out a study for the European Commission (EUR 11523—a preliminary assessment of the radiological impact of the Chernobyl reactor accident on the population of the European Community) which was published in 1988. This included estimates of the risks of radiation-induced thyroid cancers and total fatal cancers in the population of the European Commission.
The Chernobyl accident was also included in the NRPB study (NRPB-R276) which considered the risks of leukaemia and other cancers in Seascale from all sources of ionising radiation exposure, published in 1995. Since this time, NRPB has not carried out any further assessments of possible health effects from the Chernobyl accident. However, the NRPB has commented on other papers in the public domain, for example in the response to the “Report of the Committee Examining Radiation Risks of Internal Emitters” which is available on the HPA's website at: www.hpa.org.uk/radiation/publications/misc_ publications/nrpb_response_to_cerrie_report.htm.
A paper by Dolk et al in 1999 considered the impact of Chernobyl on the prevalence of congenital abnormalities in 16 regions in Europe (Int J Epidemiol 28: 941-8) and found no detectable impact in Western Europe. The effect of the Chernobyl accident on thyroid cancers was also considered in a paper and editorial in volume 37 of the European Journal of Cancer in 1991.
Class A Drugs
Mr. Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures she is taking to increase the number of residential rehabilitation places available for those addicted to class A drugs. [70208]
Caroline Flint: The Government recognise that residential rehabilitation has a key role to play in ensuring that we have a comprehensive range of treatment services available to meet the needs of drug misusers.
The National Treatment Agency's treatment effectiveness strategy, launched last year, identifies residential rehabilitation as one of the most effective ways of meeting the needs of drug misusers with complex needs.
I hope to be able, in the near future, to announce what resources will be available to commissioners and partners to support the improvements in both quality and capacity we are committed to ensuring.
Correspondence
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she will reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Vale of York of 30 March and 18 April on breast screening; and if she will make a statement on the status of breast screening at St. Margaret's hospital, Epping. [68631]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Replies were sent to the hon. Members on 4 May.
It is for the primary care trust to commission services to meet the needs of those communities that they serve.
Dentistry
Greg Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there is a local resolution procedure available to dentists in dispute with primary care trusts over the new dental contract. [69841]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Primary care trusts (PCTs) and dental contractors have a duty to try and resolve any dispute locally before it is referred to the National Health Service Litigation Authority. This duty is set out in Schedule 3, Part 7, of The National Health Service (General Dental Services Contracts) Regulations 2005 (SI 2005/3361) and in Schedule 3, Part 7 of The National Health Service (Personal Dental Services Agreements) Regulations 2005 (SI2005/3373). It is good practice for PCTs to have established a local disputes procedure to deal with such matters.
Mr. Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists were available to NHS patients in the Chichester district on 1 April, or the latest date for which figures are available. [65271]
Ms Rosie Winterton: As at 31 December 2005, there were 58 NHS dentists with a general dental services (GDS) or personal dental services (PDS) contract within Chichester parliamentary constituency. A dentist with a GDS or PDS contract may provide as little or as much NHS treatment as he or she chooses and has agreed with their primary care trust. Information concerning the amount of time dedicated to NHS work by individual GDS or PDS dentists is not centrally available.
Information on the number of dentists who have signed the new contract is not available centrally. We do however have some provisional information that covers contracts. A contract may be for more than one dentist so cannot be broken down further to individual dentist level.
Provisional management estimates show that in Western Sussex primary care trust (PCT):
| Number | Approximate UDA( 1) value | Percentage UDAs | Number signed without dispute | Number signed in dispute | Percentage disputes | |
| (1 )Units of dental activity. Notes: 1. Data include all notifications of dentists joining or leaving the GDS or PDS, received by the NHS Business Services Authority, up to 23 March 2006. Figures for the numbers of dentists at specified dates may vary depending upon the notification period, e.g. data with a later notification period will include more recent notifications of dentists joining or leaving the GDS or PDS. 2. Dentists consist of principals, assistants and trainees. Prison contracts have been excluded. 3. The postcode of the dental practice was used to allocate dentists to specific geographic areas. Constituency areas have been defined using the Office for National Statistics all fields postcode directory. 4. Data on the number of dentists working only in private practice are not held centrally. |
PCTs are working with dentists to resolve as many disputes as possible locally.
Ms Diana R. Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding her Department has provided to (a) East Hull and West Hull primary care trust and (b) the NHS for dental services in each year since 1997. [65466]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information is not available in the format requested. The table shows ringfenced funding provided to primary care trusts (PCTs) which is guaranteed for three years.
| PCT | 2003-04 gross costs (2006-07 prices) (£) | 2006-07 gross budget (£) | Increase (percentage) |
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) dentists and (b) dental practices in the Eastbourne Downs Primary Care Trust area have (i) signed and (ii) not signed the new NHS contract. [65499]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of dentists who have signed the new contract is not available centrally. We do however have some provisional information that covers contracts. A contract may be for more than one dentist so cannot be broken down further to individual dentist level.
Provisional management estimates show that in Eastbourne Downs Primary Care Trust (PCT):
| Estimates | |
| Note: The information provided is not validated. It represents a snapshot of the position in early April. |
A contract may be for either a practice or an individual dentist.
PCTs are working with dentists to resolve as many disputes as possible locally.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Portsmouth (a) were registered with dentists who have not signed and (b) are registered with dentists who have signed the new NHS contract for dentistry. [66433]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of dentists who have signed the new contract is not available centrally. We do however have some provisional information that covers contracts, contract may be for more than one dentist so cannot be broken down further to individual dentist level.
Provisional management estimates show that in Portsmouth City Primary Care Trust (PCT):
| Estimates | |
| Note: The information provided is not validated. It represents a snapshot of the position in early April. |
PCTs are working with dentists to resolve as many disputes as possible locally.
The figures show that the majority of national health service dentists in Portsmouth have accepted the new NHS contract and as a consequence the loss is relatively minimal. The PCT will use the funding available to purchase additional UDAs from other interested dentists in the short term to seek to maintain levels of dentistry.
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists who have signed the new NHS dental contract have given notice that they intend to resign from that contact. [66712]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.
Under the new dental contract, as under the old arrangements, dentists are required to give three months' notice of giving up a national health service contract.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the targets are for units of dental activity for 2006-07, broken down by primary care trust. [64982]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department has not set targets for primary care trusts for units of dental activity.
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists in North West Cambridgeshire have (a) signed and (b) not signed the new contract for NHS dentists. [66927]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of dentists who have signed the new contract is not available centrally. We do however have some provisional information that covers contacts. A contract may be for more than one dentist and so cannot be broken down further to individual dentist level.
The table shows the number of contracts for national health service dentists that have been signed in the North West Cambridgeshire area.
| Primary care trust (PCT) | Contracts signed | Contracts rejected |
| Source: Data collected from strategic health authorities. |
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