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18 May 2007 : Column 1008W—continued


Clostridium: Bexley

Mr. Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in the London borough of Bexley were diagnosed with Clostridium difficile in each of the last three years. [135460]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information is not available in the format requested.


18 May 2007 : Column 1009W

However, the following table shows figures for Queen Mary's Sidcup National Health Service Trust in the years 2004-06.

Number of reported Clostridium difficile cases for Queen Mary’s Sidcup NHS Trust
Cases

January to December 2004

160

January to December 2005

251

January to December 2006

188

Source:
Health Protection Agency

Dental Services

Chris Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS dentists there were per 100,000 population in (a) rural and (b) urban areas in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [136133]


18 May 2007 : Column 1010W

Ms Rosie Winterton: Data are available on the number of National Health Service dentists in rural and urban primary care trusts (PCTs), according to the classifications by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). The data are constructed from PCT-level results. As an NHS dentist may have a contract in more than one PCT, the rural and urban totals will include duplication. Duplicates have been removed from the England results.

The following table shows the number of NHS dentists per 100,000 population, by the PCT types, as at 31 March 2001 to 2006. To provide data prior to 2001 would be at disproportionate cost.

Information at 31 March 2006 is the latest available as rural and urban PCT classifications are not yet available by the new PCT boundaries (as at 1 October 2006).

General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS): Numbers of NHS dentists per 100,000 population, in England, as at 31 March each year
PCT type( 1) 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006

England

37

38

38

38

40

42

Major urban

48

49

48

48

50

54

Large urban

43

44

44

45

47

50

Other urban

44

46

46

48

50

54

Significant rural

42

43

43

43

45

49

Rural-50

39

40

40

41

43

46

Rural-80

39

38

40

41

42

45

Notes:
DEFRA classification of PCTs developed by the Rural Evidence Research Centre at Birkbeck College, September 2005. Information has been assigned at PCT level. The Birkbeck College classification are as follows:
Major Urban: districts with either 100,000 people or 50 per cent., of their population in urban areas with a population of more than 750,000.
Large Urban: districts with either 50,000 people or 50 per cent., of their population in one of 17 urban areas with a population between 250,000 and 750,000.
Other Urban: districts with fewer than 37,000 people or less than 26 per cent., of their population in rural settlements and larger market towns.
Significant Rural: districts with more than 37,000 people or more than 26 per cent., of their population in rural settlements and larger market towns.
Rural-50: districts with at least 50 per cent., but less than 80 per cent., of their population in rural settlements and larger market towns.
Rural-80: districts with at least 80 per cent. of their population in rural settlements and larger market towns.
Sources:
The Information Centre for health and social care NHS Business Services Authority (BSA) Office for National Statistics (ONS) Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Information has been taken from PCT results to obtain the split for each classification group. Some dentists may have an open general or personal dental services contract in more than one PCT and will therefore have been counted more than once. The England totals exclude duplication.

The postcode of the dental practice was used to allocate dentists to PCTs. Under the former GDS arrangements (up to 31 March 2006), a dentist could provide as much or as little NHS treatment as he or she chose. In some cases an NHS dentist may be listed to carry out NHS work but may not do so for a given period.

Information is based on Office for National Statistics mid-year 2004 population figures.

Departmental Surveys

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what opinion polls have been undertaken by her Department since May 2005; and what the (a) cost and (b) purpose was of each. [118162]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Department does not collect this information centrally. However, information on opinion research commissioned by the Department’s Communications Directorate since May 2005 is available as follows. This should be regarded as an indicative guide on spend only.

Since May 2005, the Communications Directorate has spent £308,115 on the following opinion polling:


18 May 2007 : Column 1011W

Departments: Energy

Mr. Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) instructions are issued to staff in her Department and (b) technical procedures are in place to shut down computers at night. [136097]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: All members of staff are instructed to shut down their computers at the end of their working day. The shutdown process automatically switches off the power to the computer and puts the monitor into a low power sleep mode. Staff have been encouraged also to switch off their monitors at the end of their working day as part of an internal sustainable development awareness programme.

There are no technical facilities or procedures in place to enforce a complete shutdown of computers and monitors at night. However, if staff neglect to shut down their computers at the end of the day, the equipment automatically enters a low power sleep mode within 30 minutes of inactivity.

Departments: Paper

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of paper used (a) for photocopying and (b) in printed publications by her Department was from recycled sources in each of the last three years. [134043]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The percentage of paper used by the Department from recycled sources for the last three years has been:

Departments: Sexual Harassment

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many complaints of sexual harassment have been investigated in her Department in the last 12 months; and how many complaints have been upheld. [135373]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: There have been no complaints of sexual harassment investigated by the Department in the last 12 months.

Diamorphine

Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the availability of diamorphine relative to demand in the NHS; and which suppliers provide diamorphine to the NHS. [137751]


18 May 2007 : Column 1012W

Caroline Flint: There are two suppliers of diamorphine to the United Kingdom market, Novartis and Wockhardt. Both are working to their full available capacity, but are currently unable to produce enough to meet historic demand, although that demand may have changed owing to changes in prescribing practice. The supply position improved during 2006 and the trend is expected to be maintained during 2007. However, the improvements vary by product strength, reflecting manufacturing capacity issues. Some strengths remain in relatively poor supply, while the position for others is satisfactory. We believe that through careful prescribing and use of available stocks, as advised in the guidance the Department issued to prescribers and healthcare professionals in December 2004, patient care is not being compromised.

Doctors: Training

Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what percentage of the period since 22 January when doctors used the system to apply for training posts the Medical Training Application Service system experienced technical difficulties; and if she will list the technical difficulties. [135862]

Ms Rosie Winterton: The Medical Training Application Service system has been fully available for doctors to apply for training posts since it went live in October 2006. Until 25 April, the system was available for use for 99.7 per cent. of the time. On two occasions since 22 January the system was heavily loaded and ran slowly, causing some users to have intermittent difficulties accessing the service until load balancing adjustments had been made. The application period was extended to allow for this.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pieces of correspondence (a) she and (b) her Department received raising concern about the Modernising Medical Careers programme in (i) January, (ii) February, (iii) March and (iv) April 2007. [135946]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The following table shows the number of pieces of correspondence the Department has received concerning the Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) programme.

MMC correspondence received in 2007

January

70

February

86

March

758

April

344

Total

1,258


Unfortunately, owing to the way that correspondence is recorded, we cannot state the amount of these that were addressed to the Secretary of State for Health without disproportionate cost.

Ephedrine

Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what consultations her Department has carried out with individual GP practices on the likely impact of
18 May 2007 : Column 1013W
making prescribable over-the-counter medicines containing ephedrine and pseudoephedrine on their work load and the services they provide to patients. [134667]

Caroline Flint: On 7 March 2007, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) started a public consultation exercise on proposals to restrict the availability of medicines containing pseudoephedrine and ephedrine by a change to legal status from pharmacy to prescription only, together with a restriction in pack size. This followed advice from the Commission on Human Medicines (CHM).

The MHRA welcomes views on the merits and impact of the consultation proposals from all stakeholders including individual general practitioners, and the responses received will be given full consideration by the CHM, the MHRA and health Ministers before a decision is made.

In the light of external interest and questions, the MHRA is making available more information in relation to the consultation exercise. In order to give interested parties time to consider this additional information the deadline for comments will be extended by a month until the end of June.

Folic Acid

Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what factors she will take into account in making a decision on recommendations made by the Board of the Food Standards Agency on folic acid fortification; and if she will make a statement. [138158]

Caroline Flint: This is an important issue which will need very careful consideration. The decision will need to take account of the potential benefits and risks to different population groups, the impact on consumer choice and the practical implications for the industry. The independent Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition, which advises both health departments and the Food Standards Agency (FSA), has already published advice and the FSA is expected to provide advice following its board meeting on 17 May.


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