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In June 2005 the MHRA was alerted to concerns about the effect that an individual’s genetic makeup
may have on how they metabolise carisoprodol and that this may have implications for the likelihood of experiencing potential side effects associated with its use. Following a review of the available data, the Summary of Product Characteristics and the patient Information leaflet have been updated to reflect these new data and to add a warning that patients who are so called “poor metabolisers” for a specific enzyme, Cytochrome 2C19, involved in the metabolism of carisoprodol may be at an increased risk of certain side effects such as drowsiness.
In parallel with this action, the overall balance of risks and benefits of carisoprodol has been raised at a European level. The MHRA in conjunction with its European counterparts is currently re-evaluating the risk and benefits of carisoprodol and considering what implications this may have for its clinical use. As soon as the European review is completed the results will be made publicly available.
The use of carisoprodol in the UK is limited and the British National Formularly, a joint publication of the British Medical Association and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, advises doctors that carisoprodol may not be considered as a drug of first choice although its use may be justifiable in certain circumstances.
The length of time for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to re-evaluate a drug by completing of a risk: benefit review depends on the public health impact of the safety or efficacy concerns and is commensurate with the need for a thorough evaluation of the available data.
Cervical Cancer
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to introduce a vaccination programme against the human papilloma virus subtypes responsible for causing cervical cancer. [103203]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation is currently considering the evidence on human papilloma virus vaccines. It will provide advice to Ministers and once received, Ministers will consider the advice.
Child Health Interim Application
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the status of the Child Health Interim Application; whether it is still being supported by manual systems; and whether it is able to issue COVER reports. [102662]
Caroline Flint: The Child Health Interim Application (CHIA) is currently live in 10 primary care trusts (PCTs) in the London area. Supporting manual systems continue to operate for some aspects of the system's functionality, which remain under development. Software to enable PCTs to generate COVER reports from the live system is expected to be deployed into the live system in April 2007. Meanwhile, COVER reports for each PCT, using
live CHIA data, are being produced centrally on a quarterly basis in line with Health Protection Agency submission requirements. However, due to a backlog of data, which have not yet been loaded on to the CHIA system, some PCTs have requested their data are not published until local data quality queries have been addressed.
Successful deployments of child health systems by the national programme for information technology have already taken place in 48 PCTs across the programme's north-east and eastern cluster areas. The system enables production of the required statutory reports, and a robust data migration and checking procedure is in place, ensuring successful migrations of demographic and clinical data to the new system, which provides a fully integrated patient record across primary care. Experience has shown that the key variable around successful implementation and operation is the quality of local record keeping standards and processes.
Childhood Obesity
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will undertake research into the effect of the consumption of fruit juices on excess weight and obesity among schoolchildren. [110099]
Caroline Flint: The Department, which is co-ordinating action on obesity, has not commissioned nor has specific plans to commission research on the effects of consumption of different food products on weight gain, excess weight and obesity among schoolchildren.
The Food Standards Agency is developing a strategy to help consumers achieve energy balance.
Clinical Coding
Dr. Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expected cost is of the clinical coding audit programme in 2007-08. [109611]
Andy Burnham: The Audit Commission estimated the annual cost of their recommendations for a clinical coding audit programme at £6.7 million per year. This is detailed in “Payment by Results assurance framework: Pilot results and recommendations” published by the Audit Commission on 7 December 2006, which is available in the Library. The Department is still discussing the final details of the scheme and its scope in 2007-08 with the Audit Commission and it is likely that the final costs will be lower than those contained in the report.
Community Matron Scheme
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the community matron scheme. [105650]
Ms Rosie Winterton: A central assessment of the effectiveness of the community matron scheme has not been made. This is because monitoring the effectiveness
of programmes of this nature is best done locally, by NHS trusts, working with their partners and stakeholders. However, the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre, was funded to carry out an in-depth evaluation of the Evercare pilot, the precursor to the community matron service. This work enabled important lessons to be incorporated into the setting up of community matrons.
Community Services (Bexley)
Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received regarding proposed reductions in NHS community services in the London borough of Bexley. [108564]
Andy Burnham: Records show that the Department has received no representations regarding reductions in national health service community services in the London borough of Bexley.
Community Treatment Orders
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 5 December 2006, Official Report, columns 377-78W, on community treatment orders, what she has received so far; what is still awaited; and when she expects to receive the full report. [109798]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department has received updates on the research into international experiences of Community Treatment Orders. The research has not been completed yet. The Department is awaiting the report of the findings from the researcher and hopes that it will be submitted in the new year.
Compensation Payments
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was paid in compensation payments by her Department in 2005-06; and what the reason for the payment was in each case. [108211]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department has made no compensation payments in 2005-06.
Consultant Contracts
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been received as payments for fee paying services by consultants in each NHS hospital trust in each financial year since the implementation of the contract. [109881]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected by the Department. The inclusion of fee paying services in job plans and the payments for these is a matter for agreement between employers and consultants.
Continuing Care
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 11 December 2006, Official Report, column 856W, on NHS continuing care, how many people were in receipt of NHS continuing care
on 31 March 2006 in each primary care trust in England per (a) 10,000 weighted heads and (b) 10,000 unweighted heads. [109666]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information has been placed in the Library.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people who were awarded NHS continuing care funding ceased to receive continuing care following a first review. [112718]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Information on the number of people who ceased to receive continuing care following a first review is not held centrally.
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will provide direct payments to families to pay for care of relatives who are designated band 1 in the Continuing Health Care package. [109971]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: No. If a person is assessed as being entitled to national health service fully funded continuing care, the NHS will cover the full cost of the health and personal care package required. It is not possible for any individual to buy NHS care, whether they are using money of their own or money made available to them from the public purse.
Correspondence
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Chairman of the Appointments Commission will write to the hon. Member for Warley as requested on 7 November 2006, Official Report, column 1321W, on the West Midlands Ambulance Service. [110446]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I am advised that the Appointments Commission is in receipt of the hon. Members' original question and that a response will be sent as soon as possible.
Dacorum Primary Care Trust
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many district nurses were employed by Dacorum Primary Care Trust in each month since 1997. [105248]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The following table shows the number of community services nurses in the Dacorum PCT area from 2001 to 2005 which is the latest data available as at 30 September each year.
| Dacorum primary care trust area total | |
| Headcount | |
| Note: The data are provided by the PCT. It may be the case that the PCT may have recoded some staff during the specified period. Source: The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census |
David Southall
John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will take steps to prevent Dr. David Southall from working in NHS hospitals; [105417]
(2) what discussions her Department has had with the University Hospital of North Staffordshire on the employment of Dr. David Southall. [108099]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Ministers are not in a position to intervene in the employment of individual clinicians. Decisions on employment are a matter between the employing trust and the clinician.
It is for the General Medical Council to determine whether a particular doctor is fit to practise.
Dehydration
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has commissioned into the (a) prevalence, (b) effects and (c) causes of dehydration among (i) schoolchildren and (ii) adults. [109046]
Dementia
David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make a statement on the Government's plan to implement the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's guidelines on dementia. [109905]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: It is for health and social care to implement the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's guidelines on dementia.
The Department is committed to promoting improvements in services for people with dementia and their carers. The guideline will be very important in supporting improved standards of health and social care for people with dementia and their families. We will be taking a close interest in the development of these services.
David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what drug treatments are recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence for the treatment of dementia with Lewy body disease. [109906]
Andy Burnham: On 22 November 2006, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) issued a joint clinical guideline on the treatment and care of people with dementia. This made a number of recommendations on pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments for symptoms affecting mood and behaviour. It recommends that donepezil, galantamine and rivastigmine may be offered to a small number of patients with dementia with Lewy bodies if these symptoms are causing severe distress.
Departmental Commercial Director
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health who is on the appointments panel for the commercial director of the Department. [108664]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The panel will be chaired by Stella Pantelides, Civil Service Commissioner. The other member of the panel will be Hugh Taylor, Acting Permanent Secretary, David Nicholson, NHS Chief Executive, John Oughton, Chief Executive of the Office of Government Commerce, and one other member to be confirmed.
Departmental Equipment
Mr. Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many of her Department’s (a) computers and (b) laptops were stolen in each of the last nine years; and what the total value was of stolen computers and laptops in this period. [109208]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The number of computers and laptops which were stolen or lost and the cost in the period April 1997 to March 2006 is shown in the following table:
| Financial year | Computers | Cost (£) | Laptops | Cost (£) |
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