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19 Oct 2006 : Column 1442W—continued
Smoking and Pregnancy
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the evidential basis was for the recent statement made by the Minister of State that pregnant teenagers smoke to try to reduce the size of their babies, and make delivery less painful; what steps she (a) has taken and (b) plans to take to warn pregnant teenagers of the risks of smoking to (i) themselves and (ii) their unborn babies; and if she will make a statement. [93363]
Caroline Flint: I made the observation, after having heard this issue anecdotally from both health professionals and young women, that some young pregnant women may take the message that smoking leads to low birth weight babies and that low birth weight or smaller babies may make childbirth less painful. It is important that we understand what stops young women making healthy choices and tailor our messages accordingly. In this case childbirth is no less painful if your baby is low weight.
The Department’s advice remains that women should not smoke during pregnancy. Women who smoke are less likely to carry their babies to full term and there is a 26 per cent. increased risk that they will miscarry or experience a stillbirth. Babies of smoking mothers are an average 200 g lighter at birth.
Strategic Health Authorities
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance has been issued to strategic health authorities (SHAs) to assist them in evaluating whether services should be retained at those hospitals currently being reviewed by the SHAs. [94741]
Andy Burnham: It is for strategic health authorities (SHAs) to determine which schemes should be reviewed and the Department has not issued any specific guidance to SHAs on evaluating services that should be retained. However, the Department has recently begun a piece of work with SHAs to understand which services might be subject to review and how the Department can support SHAs in this task.
Mr. Vara: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which hospitals are the subject of review by strategic health authorities into the level of services they provide; [94742]
(2) how many reviews are being conducted by strategic health authorities (SHAs) into the level of services provided at hospitals in England and Wales; and which SHAs are conducting them. [94743]
Andy Burnham: It is for strategic health authorities (SHAs) to determine which schemes should be reviewed and the Department does not currently hold validated information. The Department has recently begun a piece of work with SHAs to understand which services might be subject to review and how the Department can support SHAs in this task.
Stroud Maternity Unit
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the future management of Stroud maternity unit. [93083]
Caroline Flint: The NHS south west has advised that at a meeting on 21 September 2006, the Cotswold and Vale, Cheltenham and Tewkesbury and West Gloucestershire Primary Care Trusts (PCT) Boards decided not to close Stroud maternity unit. The new Gloucestershire PCT will be considering the future of services at Stroud, and across the county in due course.
Temozolomide
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received on the use of Temozolomide for the treatment of brain tumours in advance of the ratification of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance on the issue. [92957]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department has received a number of letters in recent months about the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's appraisal of Temozolomide for newly diagnosed and high-grade brain cancer.
NICE has yet to finalise its guidance to the national health service on this treatment.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance she provides to primary care trusts making decisions about the use of Temozolomide. [92958]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence published guidance on the use of Temozolomide for recurrent malignant glioma (brain cancer) in April 2001. NICE is also developing guidance for the national health service on the use of Temozolomide for the treatment of newly diagnosed and high-grade brain cancer. Final guidance has not yet been issued.
Electoral Commission Committee
Electoral Commission Expenditure
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission what the total expenditure was of the Electoral Commission in each year of its operation; and what its budget is for (a) 2006-07 and (b) 2007-08. [94792]
Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission’s Resource Accounts for 2005-06, which were laid before the House on 20 July as HC 1565, report that its net resource expenditure in 2005-06 was £21.916 million. The corresponding figures for earlier years are given in the commission’s annual report and accounts for the years concerned; these have been laid before the House and are available in the Library. The Appropriation (No. 2) Act 2006 authorises net resources of £26.180 million for use by the Electoral Commission in 2006-07. The commission’s Corporate Plan 2006-07 to 2010-11, which was laid before the House in April 2006 as HC 987, forecasts a net resource requirement for the commission in 2007-08 of £25.945 million.
Party Political Financing
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker’s Committee on the Electoral Commission (1) how much has been allocated for the Electoral Commission’s conference on the regulation of political party financing; [94790]
(2) who has been invited to attend the Electoral Commission’s conference on the regulation of political party financing. [94791]
Peter Viggers: I assume that my hon. Friend is referring to the conference on the regulation of party finances held by the Electoral Commission in September for representatives of overseas regulatory organisations and academic specialists in this field.
The commission informs me that the cost of the conference, which was attended by more than 60 delegates from 15 countries, was £45,000. The commission also incurred travel and subsistence costs of £14,000 in relation to the attendance of certain key speakers.
I have asked the chief executive of the commission to write to my hon. Friend with details of those who were invited, and to place a copy of his letter in the Library.
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