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21 Jun 2006 : Column 1950W—continued
Table 2 presents prevalence among children aged 2-15 years.
| Table 2: Prevalence of obesity and overweight among children( 1) , by gender, 2004( 2) | |
| England | Percentage/number |
| (1) Children aged 2 to 15 (2) Data are weighted for non-response Source: Health Survey for England 2004. Updating of trend tables to include 2004 data. The Information Centre | |
Overseas Doctors
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will allow an extended time scale for the introduction of the new rules with regard to overseas doctors working in the UK; and if she will make a statement. [74162]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Transitional arrangements have been put in place. Those doctors who were offered a relevant training programme before the changes were announced will be given the opportunity to complete it.
International medical graduates will still be able to work and train in the United Kingdom. They will now need to meet the requirements of an employment category, such as the work permit requirements, in line with the immigration rules for other professions.
Palliative Care
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been allocated to palliative care in (a) England and (b) Yorkshire and Kirklees in each of the past 10 years. [76165]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department does not routinely collect data requested on national health service funding of palliative care.
Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible within the NHS for commissioning and funding services for their resident population, including palliative care. The NHS is currently receiving the largest sustained increase in funding in its history, growth money not identified for specific purposes. PCTs will be able to use these extra resources to deliver on both national and local priorities including palliative care.
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to support the provision of palliative care services. [76166]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible within the national health service for commissioning and funding services for their resident population, including palliative care.
We have set out in “Our health, our care, our say” a programme of action that will deliver increased choice to all patients at the end of life about where they are cared for and die. We will be working with key stakeholders in taking this forward.
Peripatetic Nurses
Mr. Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps her Department is taking to provide peripatetic nurses skilled in the care of terminally-ill patients to work in local communities; [76163]
(2) which primary care trusts provide peripatetic nurses to work in the local community. [76164]
Ms Rosie Winterton:
The information requested is not collected centrally. It is for local managers to determine skill mix within the nursing work force. The Government have supported the development of a
range of specialist roles within nursing, and trusts must deploy them as they think fit.
Physiotherapists
Mrs. Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many physiotherapists were employed within the NHS in (a) 2005 and (b) 2000. [77227]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The numbers of qualified physiotherapists employed in the national health service in England in 2000 and 2005 at 30 September in each year were 15,608 and 19,997 respectively.
Radon Gas
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research the Government have commissioned into the effects of radon gas. [77676]
Caroline Flint: The Government have contributed to research into the link between indoor radon and lung cancer in south-west England and also to animal studies of the risks of radon.
Following the announcement/publication of the results of the large European-wide study of radon and lung cancer risks the National Radiological Protection Board (now the radiation protection division of the Health Protection Agency), the Government’s adviser on health related radiation protection matters, asked its independent advisory group on ionising radiation to include this information, together with the findings from other relevant research, in the current review of the risks of radon exposure. The report of this review is expected to be published in about six months.
Respiratory Health
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many (a) nurses and (b) doctors specialising in respiratory problems there are in each (i) health authority and (ii) primary care trust in England; [76859]
(2) what steps her Department is taking to ensure that there are adequate respiratory nurses and doctors available for people with asthma; and if she will make a statement. [76860]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on doctors specialising in respiratory problems by strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trust (PCT) is shown in the table. Information on the number of specialist respiratory nurses is not held centrally.
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