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14 May 2007 : Column 578W—continued
Cystic Fibrosis
Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made with consideration of the application made to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on 29 January 2003 by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust for a clinical guideline for the care of cystic fibrosis. [128461]
Caroline Flint: The proposal by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust for a clinical guideline for the care of cystic fibrosis was considered as part of the topic selection process for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence’s (NICE) 12th wave work programme. As a result of that consideration, Departmental Ministers, who make final decisions on the referral of clinical guideline topics to NICE, concluded that it was not appropriate to refer the topic to NICE at that time.
Dental Health: Children
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of children under five with tooth decay in England in each year between 1997 and 2005. [136389]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 8 May 2007]: The only comparative information available is from reports of the decennial Child Dental Health Surveys, which showed a decline in the percentage of children aged five with obvious dental decay from 43 per cent. in 1993 to 41 per cent. in 2003 England.
Dental Services
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of (a) adults and (b) children were registered with an NHS dentist in (i) City of York council area, (ii) North Yorkshire, (iii) Yorkshire and the Humber and (iv) England in (A) April 2007 and (B) at the same date in each of the last 10 years. [135480]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Numbers of patients registered, by adult and child, in England, at strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trust (PCT) level, as at 31 March 1997 to 2006 are available in annex A of “NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report, England: 31 March 2006”. Information is based on the old contractual arrangements.
This report has been placed in the Library. The report, published by the Information Centre for health and social care, is also available online at:
Information on patients registered as a proportion of the population is available in annex B of the above report. England information is available for 1997 to 2006. SHA and PCT information is only available for 2001 to 2006.
Under the new NHS dental contractual arrangements, patients no longer have to register with a practice to receive NHS dental services. Information is instead collected on the number of patients seen in the previous 24 months.
Numbers of patients seen, by adult and child, in the 24 months ending 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December 2006, at SHA and PCT level, are available in section F1 of annex 3 of “NHS Dental Statistics for England Q3: 31 December 2006”.
This report has been placed in the Library. The report, published by the Information Centre for health and social care, is also available online at:
Numbers of patients seen as a proportion of the population, by adult and child, in the 24 months ending 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December 2006 in England, by PCT and SHA, are available in section F2 of the above report.
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists (a) started and (b) stopped taking new NHS clients in (i) rural and (ii) urban areas in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [135530]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of dentists who have started or stopped taking new national health service patients since 1997 is not available.
Information is held on the total numbers of dentists providing NHS primary dental care in each year since 1997. This is given in the following table. The dental reforms introduced in April 2006 enable primary care trusts for the first time to agree the annual levels of patient care that local dental practices will provide and to develop services to reflect local needs and priorities.
| General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS): numbers of GDS and PDS dentists in England, as at 31 March each year | |
| Number | |
| Sources: The Information Centre for health and social care NHS Business Services Authority | |
Dental Services: Yorkshire and Humberside
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentist surgeries in East Yorkshire Primary Care Trust area have accepted new (a) NHS fee paying patients and (b) children aged 0 to 18 years for NHS treatment since 1 September 2006. [135491]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.
Departments: Consultants
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on management consultancy services by her Department in each year since 1997-98. [131909]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Departmental expenditure on external consultancy services is set out in the following table.
| Financial year | £000 |
| (1) The 2005-06 and 2006-07 spend is lower because the Department rectified some miscoding against the expenditure category codes to provide a more accurate figure of external consultancy spend. (2) Spend up to end of February 2007. | |
Departments: Managed Service Companies
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has made an estimate of the cost to (a) her Department and its executive agencies and (b) the NHS of the proposed changes in the Finance Bill 2007 for tackling the risk posed to the Exchequer of the operational practices of managed service companies. [135770]
Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 20 April 2007, Official Report, column 863W.
Departments: Public Expenditure
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the size is of each of the contingency funds described in paragraph 4.13 of her Department’s 2007-08 business plan, published on 30 March. [135869]
Andy Burnham: Details of the size of the contingency funds are shown in the table in chapter 4 of the Department’s 2007-08 business plan. The contingency for administration budgets is £3.5 million, and for the Department’s central programme budgets is £187.104 million.
Dietary Supplements: Channel Islands
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what powers she has to tackle the marketing in the UK by post from the Channel Islands of illegal food supplements and herbal remedies; and what steps she plans to take; [131744]
(2) when officials from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency last met with representatives of the UK food supplements and herbal remedies sector to discuss the marketing of illegal products and unsubstantiated health claims from the Channel Islands; and whether further meetings are scheduled; [131788]
(3) what procedures are followed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency in circumstances of complaints on the marketing of food supplements and herbal remedies from (a) Jersey and (b) Guernsey; [131789]
(4) if she will meet representatives of the UK food supplements and herbal remedies sector to discuss the marketing of illegal products and the use of illegal health claims from the Channel Islands. [131790]
Caroline Flint: There are no specific powers in the Postal Services Act (2000) or in the medicines legislation administered by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), an Executive agency of the Department to control direct mail advertising from the Channel Islands. The legislation administered by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency does not apply to the Channel Islands. Advertisements issued from within the Islands would be the responsibility of the relevant authorities within those Islands.
The MHRA’s medicines borderline section met representatives from relevant United Kingdom trade associations on 6 March 2007 for the quarterly code administrators meeting. Issues relating to the Channel Islands were discussed at that meeting. The next code administrators meeting is scheduled for 6 June 2007.
When looking at referrals the medicines borderline section firstly assesses it to see if there is any risk to public safety from the products. Cases where a risk is perceived are given a high priority. If a UK company or address is identified, action is taken to ensure compliance with legislation, this can be by way of dialogue or statutory process. If no UK company is involved any suspected illegal activity is referred to the relevant authority in the Channel Islands for investigation.
There are no plans for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, to meet with representatives of the UK food supplements and herbal remedies sector at this time.
Diphtheria: Vaccination
Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the diphtheria-tetanus vaccine was routinely available between 1982 and 1984. [134872]
Caroline Flint: Diphtheria Tetanus vaccine was routinely available between 1982 and 1984.
Disease Control
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of EU Regulations 852/2004 and 853/2004 and the hazard analysis critical control point regime in preventing the spread of (a) avian influenza and (b) other diseases; and if she will make a statement. [132525]
Caroline Flint: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that EU Regulation 852/2004 contains requirements which, if adhered to, contribute to reducing the risk of the spread of animal disease from food waste. The requirement to apply HACCP principles is designed to manage food safety hazards and is not an animal health control. The bulk of controls designed to reduce the spread of animal disease from animal waste and by-products is contained in EU Regulation 1774/2002 executed and enforced by the Animal By-Products Regulations 2005 and corresponding legislation in the devolved administrations.
Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the scope within Regulation 852/2004, Regulation 853/2004 and the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point regime for the use of the visual evidence given by inspectors to inform potential prosecutions for biosecurity lapses; and if she will make a statement. [132526]
Caroline Flint: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that EU Regulation 852/2004 requires adequate provision to be made for the storage and disposal of food waste, non-edible by-products and other refuse and for refuse stores to be designed and managed in such a way as to enable them to be kept clean and where necessary free of animals and pests. Guidance issued by the Agency to enforcement officers requires them to check for compliance with the requirements of Regulation 852/2004 during their periodic inspections of food businesses. Where enforcement officers find evidence, including visual evidence, of non- compliance by a food business operator, the enforcement measures that they may take range from informal oral advice to prosecution in the case of serious or repeated breaches.
Doctors: Training
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people visited the Medical Training Application Service website between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on (a) 23 April, (b) 24 April and (c) 25 April. [136004]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 8 May 2007]: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who have gained unauthorised access to the Medical Training Application Service website. [136005]
Ms Rosie Winterton
[holding answer 8 May 2007]: The Department has commissioned a report into the breach of security of Medical Training Application Service website, the findings of which we will publish. So far the security investigation has determined that 21 separate internet protocol (IP) addresses, mostly belonging to authorised Postgraduate Deaneries, accessed the Medical Training Application Service
website before the data were removed. Further analysis is ongoing to establish the extent of unauthorised access that took place.
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken by her Department to ensure that those doctors whose details were available on the Medical Training Application Service website do not become victims of identity theft and fraud. [136006]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 8 May 2007]: The Department is still working to ascertain the identity of any unauthorised people who accessed the information. As soon as this is determined, the Department will take the appropriate steps to prevent identity theft and fraud.
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken to ensure that doctors’ personal details which are available on the Medical Training Application Service website are no longer in the public domain through other websites or publications. [136008]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 8 May 2007]: All personal details were removed from the website by 5.15 pm on 25 April, the day of the security breach. The Department is taking steps to recover any information that might have been taken by those parties who gained unauthorised access.
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department instructed the Medical Training Application Service contractor Methods to password protect personal details of foundation programme applicants made available to the postgraduate deaneries on dedicated webpages prior to details being uploaded onto the relevant web page; and if she will make a statement. [136010]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 8 May 2007]: The Department has commissioned a report into the breach of security of the Medical Training Application Service website the findings of which we will publish.
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