You are here: Parliament home page > Parliamentary business > Publications and Records > Hansard > Commons Debates > Commons Debates by date > Commons Debates - previous sessions > Bound Volume Hansard - Written Answers
Previous Section Index Home Page

19 Oct 2006 : Column 1433W—continued


Medication Data

Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospitals did not provide full information to (a) general practitioners and (b) patient carers on medication at discharge in the latest period in which performance data were collected. [93376]

Andy Burnham: This information is not collected centrally by the Department.

Information on medicines management in national health service acute and specialist trusts was published on 11 August 2006 by the Healthcare Commission. This information is available on the Commission’s website at:

Mental Health Bill

Kitty Ussher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health where the published responses to the public consultation on the draft Mental Health Bill may be found. [93033]

Ms Rosie Winterton: A draft Bill was published for consultation in 2002. Copies of the responses to that consultation are available in the Library. A draft Bill was published for pre-legislative scrutiny in 2004. The evidence submitted to the pre-legislative scrutiny committee is contained in the committee’s report, which is available on the Parliament website at www.publications. parliament.uk/pa/jt200405/jtselect/jt ment/79/7902. There was no public consultation to coincide with the pre-legislative scrutiny.

The publication of the 2004 draft Bill was accompanied by a report, Improving Mental Health Law, which set out the Government’s thinking on the issues raised by the 2002 consultation. This document is available in the Library on the Department’s website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/08/89/18/04088918. pdf.

In March 2006 we announced that, taking account of all the views expressed on the two draft Bills, we had decided to introduce a small number of changes to the Mental Health Act 1983. We plan to introduce an amending Bill as soon as parliamentary time allows.

New Testing Programmes

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what progress has been made with the introduction of human papilloma virus testing and liquid cytology testing; and what plans she has for future implementation; [93800]

(2) what funding was allocated to the implementation of liquid based cytology in the last three years; and what funds have been allocated for the next three years; [93802]


19 Oct 2006 : Column 1434W

(3) which hospitals (a) have introduced liquid based cytology and (b) are scheduled to introduce liquid based cytology over the next year; [93803]

(4) how many women in each strategic health authority have (a) taken up liquid cytology testing for cervical cancer and (b) enrolled on human papilloma virus testing; and if she will make a statement; [93804]

(5) what assessment she has made of the merits of liquid cytology testing for cervical cancer since the use of the technique commenced. [93805]

Ms Rosie Winterton: Good progress has been made with the implementation of liquid based cytology (LBC) across the national health service cervical screening programme. As at September 2006, of the 142 laboratories that process cervical screening samples 67 have fully implemented LBC and 35 are intending to implement LBC by March 2007.

Some £1.2 million was allocated to the implementation of LBC in 2003-04 and £6 million in 2004-05. From 2005-06 onwards, funding is in primary care trust baselines and cannot be disaggregated.

The following hospitals have fully implemented LBC:


19 Oct 2006 : Column 1435W

The following hospitals are due to have implemented LBC by 31 March 2007:


19 Oct 2006 : Column 1436W

It is not possible to say how many women have been screened using LBC techniques in each strategic health authority. Statistics on the programme are collected annually, and those programmes who converted to LBC would have done so at different times during the years of roll-out. As 72 per cent. of local screening programmes will have implemented LBC by 31 March 2007, we would expect nearly three million women to benefit from their cervical screening samples being processed with LBC techniques in 2007-08.

LBC techniques began being introduced into the programme following a National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal published in October 2003. NICE is currently considering whether to review the appraisal based on any new evidence, which would include evidence from the national roll-out. Strict quality assurance and data collection are operated within the programme, and we would expect to start seeing an effect of LBC on the rate of inadequate samples when the statistics for 2005-06 are published in December 2006.

Women are only offered human papilloma virus (HPV) testing in the NHS as part of clinical trials. As part of the pilot of LBC, which took place between 2001 and 2002, we also piloted the use of HPV testing as triage for women with mild or borderline test results. Following the receipt of the independent evaluation report of the HPV arm of the pilot in 2004, the advisory committee on cervical screening set up a dedicated working group to advise on how best to introduce HPV testing into the NHS cervical screening programme. A protocol for HPV testing sentinel sites has been developed, and the sites are expected to begin operations in 2007.

There is currently insufficient evidence to support the use of HPV testing as a primary screening tool. In addition to the pilot, the Government are funding two large studies looking into HPV testing as a primary screening tool:

NHS Finances

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department spent in each NHS trust on the (a) Medical and Dental Education Levy and (b) service increment for teaching in (i) 2004-05 and (ii) 2005-06; how much has been spent to date in 2006-07; and if she will make a statement. [94878]


19 Oct 2006 : Column 1437W

Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to her on 18 October 2006, Official Report, column 1329W.

NHS Offices

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money was spent on (a) relocation of NHS offices, (b) purchasing new NHS office premises and (c) refurbishment or upgrade of existing NHS office premises in each primary care trust in each of the last 10 years. [93025]

Andy Burnham: This information is not collected centrally. The responsibility for the relocation, purchasing and refurbishment or upgrade of office premises has been delegated to primary care trusts, and their predecessor bodies.

NHS Recruitment Costs

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent by the NHS on (a) agents’ fees for recruiting overseas nurses and (b) professional conversion courses for overseas nurses in each year since 1997. [95213]

Ms Rosie Winterton: This information is not collected centrally.

Next Section Index Home Page