| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
16 Apr 2007 : Column 387W—continued
Private Sector Treatment
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral answer of 6 February 2007, Official Report, column 703, on private sector treatment, what further assessment she has made of the ability of the Bodmin Private Treatment Centre to achieve the 100 per cent. capacity target of its contract throughout the financial year 2006-07; and what proportion of contracted procedures were completed at the (a) Bodmin and (b) Plymouth treatment centres in each quarter since the contract commenced, broken down by procedure. [130777]
Andy Burnham: The local national health service remains confident that the Bodmin NHS Treatment Centre will reach full utilisation in the near future.
The Department measures independent sector treatment centre contract performance on the basis of value rather than activity. This is to allow for the variations, which can occur through substitution of activity between procedures of varying value.
Public Health Observatories
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions public health observatories have been asked to support the development of health impact assessments since 16 November 2004; and in which cases. [130413]
Andy Burnham: The Department does not collect this data. However, our understanding from the Public Health Observatories (PHOs) is that they frequently input into local and regional health impact assessments (HIAs) as well as leading on them.
All PHOs are involved in HIA support and training activity to varying degrees.
PHOs utilise the HIA expertise that exists across their network in order to manage the provision of HIA training and support for local/regional colleagues. Through their network, PHOs are able to offer programmes around the country which contribute to educating colleagues about HIA at a variety of levels.
Quality Health Ltd.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what communications her Department has had with Quality Health Ltd. since March 2001. [130768]
Andy Burnham: The Department is not aware of any direct communications it has had with Quality Health Limited since 2001.
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total expenditure by (a) her Department and (b) NHS organisations was on the services provided by Quality Health Ltd. in each year since March 2001. [130767]
Andy Burnham: The Department has not paid anything to Quality Health Ltd. since 2001. The information requested in respect of the national health service is not held by the Department.
Russells Hall Hospital
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 2 March 2007 to the hon. Member for Ludlow (Mr. Dunne), Official Report, column 1586W, on Russells Hall Hospital, if she will list the private finance initiative projects where the increase in costs has been met by the Department increasing the revenue allocation for the trust and providing additional capital; and how much this amounted to in each such case. [129882]
Andy Burnham: The decision for the Department to meet the additional costs at Russells Hall Hospital arose out of a one off settlement of a contractual dispute between the trust and its private sector partner. To date the Department has not directly met cost increases at any other private finance initiative project.
Scottish Expenditure
Mr. Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total amount of expenditure by her Department in Scotland was in each of the last two years, broken down by constituency. [111238]
Andy Burnham: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Smoking: Licensed Premises
Mr. Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidance she has issued on specifications for (a) size, (b) content and (c) colour of no smoking signage in public houses and clubs; [130386]
(2) what guidance she has issued on specifications and design of smoking shelters in public houses and clubs; [130387]
(3) what plans there are to provide advisory material for publicans and landlords on implementation of the forthcoming smoking ban in public places; [130389]
(4) what guidance she has issued on the specifications and design of no smoking signs in public places. [130391]
Caroline Flint: The Department is providing a range of information and support to businesses to help them be ready for the implementation of smokefree legislation on 1 July 2007.
On 23 March 2007, the Department published the guide ‘Everything you need to prepare for the new smokefree law on 1 July 2007’ with comprehensive information on smokefree legislation for businesses. The guide will be included within a pack to be posted to all employing and trading businesses in England during April and is available to download on the Smokefree England website at:
The guidance includes full details of the minimum requirements for signage. The guidance packs that businesses will receive will also include no-smoking signs and other support materials.
Smokefree legislation will apply to premises that are enclosed and substantially enclosed, which is explained in the guidance. The Department cannot provide specific guidance on the design or construction of smoking shelters.
Businesses can also contact their local council for information and advice on getting ready for the implementation of smokefree legislation.
A copy of the guidance is available in the Library.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the likely effect on the numbers of smokers of banning the sale of tobacco in pubs and clubs. [130419]
Caroline Flint: The Government have not made an assessment of the likely effect on the numbers of people who smoke of banning the sale of tobacco in pubs and clubs.
Smoking: Public Places
Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received on the health effects of the smoking of shisha pipes in public places. [131756]
Caroline Flint: The Health Act 2006 will prohibit smoking in enclosed and substantially enclosed workplaces and public places. Within the Act, smoking refers to smoking tobacco or anything which contains tobacco, or smoking any other substance. The smokefree provisions within the Health Act will therefore apply to the use of waterpipes such as shisha and hookah.
Smoking of waterpipes was addressed in the regulatory impact assessment for smokefree legislation, the Department’s consultation on proposed smokefree regulations and was debated during the passage of the Health Bill through Parliament.
Representations on the health effects of smoking of waterpipes have referred to World Health Organisation (WHO) advice that using a waterpipe to smoke tobacco poses a serious potential health hazard to smokers and others exposed to the smoke emitted. The WHO advice states that second-hand smoke from waterpipes is a mixture of tobacco smoke in addition to smoke from the fuel, and therefore poses a serious health risk for non-smokers and recommends that waterpipes should be prohibited in public places consistent with bans on cigarette and other forms of tobacco smoking (World Health Organisation (2005) “Waterpipe Tobacco Smoke: Health effects, research needs and recommended actions by regulators.” WHO, Geneva).
In February 2007, the American Lung Association published advice titled “An emerging deadly trend: waterpipe tobacco use” which cited evidence that waterpipe use may increase exposure to carcinogens because smokers use a waterpipe over a much longer period of time, often 40 to 45 minutes, rather than the five to 10 minutes it takes to smoke a cigarette. Due to the longer, more sustained period of inhalation and exposure, a waterpipe smoker may inhale as much smoke as consuming 100 or more cigarettes during a single session. The American Lung Association report concluded that existing evidence on waterpipe smoking shows that it carries many of the same health risks and has been linked to many of the same diseases caused by cigarette smoking.
Copies of documents referred to are available in the Library.
Smoking: Television
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on (i) the prevalence of the depiction of smoking on television and in films and (ii) trends in such depiction over the last 10 years; and if she will make a statement. [131146]
Caroline Flint: The Department has not commissioned any surveys on this area. However, we are committed in the 2004 Choosing Health White Paper to pressing the responsible bodies to reduce the depiction of smoking in television and films. As a result, the British Board of Film Classification has revised its guidance to take account of portrayal of smoking in its classification of films. Following pressure from the Department, the Ofcom TV broadcasting guidelines have been tightened up to discourage the portrayal of smoking before the 9.00 pm watershed in a glamorous or positive way, unless editorially necessary. In line with the smokefree law coming into force in July 2007, no smoking will be allowed in this year's Big Brother house.
Soft Drinks
Mr. Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of litres of fizzy drinks that have been consumed per person in England over the last 12 months. [128381]
Barry Gardiner: I have been asked to reply.
The Government do not collect specific data on the consumption of fizzy drinks.
However, according to the Expenditure and Food Survey England, household residents purchased an average of 65 litres of ready-to-drink soft drinks per person in the year from April 2004 to March 2005. This figure includes still and fizzy soft drinks, including fruit juice drinks, but excludes pure fruit juices and smoothies.
Surgery: Eastbourne
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Eastbourne Downs NHS Primary Care Trust patients had their operation cancelled on the day of the operation in each of the last five years, broken down by type of operation. [130970]
Andy Burnham: The following table details the number of last minute operations cancelled for non-medical reasons at East Sussex Hospitals National Health Service Trust from 2002-03 to 2006-07.
| Number of last minute cancellations for non clinical reasons | |
| Note: Data for 2006-07 are for quarter 1 to quarter 3 only. Source: Department of Health dataset QMCO | |
Surgery: Eastern Region
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many operations were carried out by Hull and East Yorkshire hospitals in each of the last five years; and what the total cost was of these operations. [129698]
Andy Burnham: The following table shows the count of procedures for finished consultant episodes carried out in the Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals National Health Service Trust for 2001-02 to 2005-06. Total costs of operations performed by NHS trusts are not held centrally.
Three Rivers Primary Care Trust: Wheelchairs
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent (a) estimate she has made of waiting times for assessments for electrically-powered indoor/outdoor wheelchairs (EPIOC) and (b) assessment she has made of adequacy of funding for EPIOC in Watford and Three Rivers Primary Care Trust (PCT); and how many people over the age of 18 years in the area covered by the PCT were allocated an EPIOC in each of the last three years. [130467]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Department does not collect information on waiting times for assessments for electrically-powered wheelchairs.
Funding for all national health service wheelchair services comes out of revenue funding to primary care trusts (PCTs). This funding is not ring-fenced and it is for each PCT to assess local need and allocate funds accordingly.
Information about funding for the provision of electrically-powered wheelchairs and the number of people aged over 18 years in the area covered by the PCT who have been allocated an electrically-powered indoor/outdoor wheelchair, are not held centrally.
Transplant Surgery
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what regulations govern the transplanting of pig organs into human beings; and if she will make a statement; [130883]
(2) what regulations govern the use of combined human and pig (a) organs and (b) cells for research purposes; and if she will make a statement. [130884]
Caroline Flint: To date there have been no human transplant procedures in the United Kingdom using pig organs.
European Union (EU) legislation on medicinal products (Commission Directive 2003/63/EU) and the Clinical Trials Regulations (2004) make specific provision for such transplantation proposals. In December 2006, the Department issued guidance which covers all aspects of animal to human transplant procedures, which reflect international recommendations. The guidance is available in the Library and from the Departments website:
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |