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7 Nov 2006 : Column 1287W—continued
Medical Research and Development
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the combined budget was for medical research and research and development within the NHS in (a) 2004-05 and (b) 2005-06; and what the budget will be in (i) 2006-07 and (ii) 2007-08. [99584]
Andy Burnham: The information requested is shown in the following table.
| £ million | ||
| Medical Research Council( 1) (MRC) | NHS research and development | |
| (1 )The MRC is the main agency through which the Government support biomedical research. The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Innovation. | ||
The Department’s research and development budget for 2007-08 has not yet been set.
Medicine Re-packaging
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her policy is on the re-packaging of medicines for parallel trade; and what assessmentshe has made of the effect of re-packaging on the (a) quality and (b) integrity of the product. [90099]
Andy Burnham: The majority of parallel imported medicines are marketed in the original packaging which has been over-labelled in accordance with the Medicines Labelling Regulations. In the cases where re-packaging occurs, the primary packaging which is in contact with the drug product and which is primarily responsible for maintaining the quality and integrity of the drug product, is not modified in any way, thus the original quality and integrity of the product are maintained. Any re-packaging and re-labelling proposed by a parallel importer must be assessed as satisfactory by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for a parallel import licence to be granted. Each batch of product must be released by a qualified person. The MHRA has systems in place to receive and investigate reports of packaging and labelling problems with medicines, including parallel traded products.
Mental Health
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the role of social enterprise models in the provision of mental health care and services; and what discussions the Department has had with the King’s Fund on social enterprise. [94108]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The White Paper “Our Health, Our Care, Our Say” set out our aims for more responsive, patient and user-focused care; and identified that social enterprises have a potential role to play in delivering this.
To date, we have not made any specific assessment of the role of social enterprise models in the provision of mental health care. However, we will be identifying pathfinder social enterprises in early 2007. The learning from pathfinders will inform best practice, and will help to assess the role social enterprises can play in delivering a range of different health and social care services.
The social enterprise unit in the Department has had informal discussions with the King’s Fund on social enterprise.
Mr. Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to support mental health services in Hertfordshire; and if she will make a statement. [98081]
Ms Rosie Winterton: It is for primary care trusts in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services, including mental health.
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations she has received from the Humber mental health teaching NHS trust on the proposed closure of Rivers Ward mental health in-patient unit in Goole. [98235]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: No representations have been received from the Humber mental health teaching national health service trust on the proposed closure of Rivers Ward.
Mr. Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent on the Avon and Wiltshire mental health partnership’s Moving On Arts project; and what funding has been made available to the project by NHS Estates. [97523]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Moving On Arts project is being undertaken by the Avon and Wiltshire mental health partnership national health service trust as part of the modernisation of mental health services. £629,200 has been committed from a variety of sources, including private finance initiative site partners and charitable funds, to create the best possible healthcare environment as well as providing opportunities for services users to take part in creative activity as part of their therapy.
There is a wealth of research evidence to show the positive impact that the environment can have on health and healing. Taking part in the creative process itself is therapeutic in itself, particularly for patients with mental health needs, as it provides a non-verbal means of expressing feelings, aiding relaxation and building self-confidence. Schools, artists and other members of the local community have designed and created some of the artwork and this has fostered a better understanding and knowledge of mental health issues. The resulting artwork plays an important part in creating a healing and comforting environment, which will help mental health users.
Evaluation is a key part in determining the effectiveness and value for money of any good project and a research project is therefore being undertaken to evaluate the impact of arts on the health, well-being
and the morale of mental health service users and staff and provide examples of good practice to the remainder of the NHS. This evaluation project is being funded by the former NHS Estates Agency, which is now part of the Department, with the University of the West of England over two years at a cost of £107,709.
Mesothelioma
Mr. Nicholas Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what most recent advice she has received from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on the prescribing of Alimta pemetrexed for mesothelioma patients. [98312]
Andy Burnham: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has not yet issued guidance to the national health service on the clinical and cost effectiveness of pemetrexed disodium (Alimta) for mesothelioma. The Department of Health received NICE’s final appraisal determination (FAD) on 26 June 2006 along with other registered stakeholders. I understand that NICE expects to publish its final guidance later this year, subject to the outcome of ongoing appeals against the FAD.
Mr. Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of mesothelioma have been diagnosed in each strategic health authority area in England in each of the last 10 years. [98859]
John Healey: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 7 November 2006:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many cases of mesothelioma have been diagnosed in each strategic health authority area in England in each of the last 10 years. (98859)
The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of cancer (incidence) are for the year 2004. Numbers of cases of mesothelioma for the years 1995 to 2004 by strategic health authority (SHA) are given in the attached table.
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