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4 Jun 2007 : Column 276W—continued
Alzheimer’s Disease: Drugs
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease were dispensed in the community in each year since 1997; and at what net ingredient cost. [135893]
Caroline Flint: The number of prescription items and net ingredient cost of drugs for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (Donepezil, Galantamine, Memantine and Rivastigmine(1)) dispensed in the community in England is in the following table.
(1) Rivastigmine is also licensed for dementia associated with Parkinson's disease and some of the data may relate to prescriptions dispensed for that condition.
| Prescription items ( Thousand) | Net ingredient cost (£ million ) | |
| Source: Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system. | ||
Ambulance Services: Paramedical Staff
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether all ambulances carry paramedics. [139000]
Andy Burnham: There is no regular collection of data on this subject. However national health service ambulance trusts have indicated that there is a paramedic on the majority of ambulance vehicles in England.
The number of paramedics in England has increased by over 30 per cent. during the last decade(1). Work force plans developed by NHS ambulance trusts in England indicate that the number of paramedics will increase further over the next five years.
Copies of the latest census are available at www.ic.nhs.uk.
( 1)( ) Source:
The Information Centre for health and social care Non-Medical Workforce Census.
Ambulance Services: Standards
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of changes in performance of ambulance trusts since trusts were merged in 2006. [133827]
Andy Burnham: Annual national health service ambulance trust performance data for 2006-07 are due to be published this summer, which will provide validated data for ambulance trusts post-merger.
Arthritis: Drugs
Mrs. Dean: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the cost effectiveness models used by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence take into account potential savings in work-related benefits of treatments which enable people with rheumatoid arthritis to remain in or return to work. [136380]
Caroline Flint: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) published “Guide to the Methods of Technology Appraisal”, states that, among other things, an appraisal committee may consider:
“significant resource costs imposed outside the NHS...[including] direct costs on patients or carers (for example, travel costs) or costs to other public sector organisations, but will not normally include productivity costs”.
NICE does not model the impact of its assessments on direct benefit payments, but the methodology NICE uses for assessing health-related quality of life incorporates the benefits to individuals of being able to work.
Aspartame
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will take steps to ban the use of aspartame in drink and food marketed for consumption by children; and if she will make a statement; [137866]
(2) if she will make it a requirement for manufacturers of drink and food containing aspartame to include in the labelling a warning of possible side effects; and if she will make a statement. [137867]
Caroline Flint: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that it has no plans to propose a ban on aspartame in foods for consumption by children. Legislation on sweeteners and other food additives is harmonised throughout the European Union and all additives permitted for use such as aspartame have been regularly assessed for safety by the independent scientific committees that advise the European Commission and the United Kingdom Government.
In 2001, at the request of the FSA, the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Food undertook a comprehensive review of the safety of aspartame. A further review of aspartame was carried out in 2006 by the European Food Safety Authority. Both reviews concluded that there was no evidence to suggest a need to revise their previous risk assessment of the sweetener, which concluded that aspartame is safe for use in food.
Foods that contain aspartame must be labelled ‘contains a source of phenylalanine’ as a warning to the small group of people with the inherited disorder phenylketonuria who cannot metabolise the amino acid phenylalanine effectively.
Avian Influenza
Chris Huhne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many members of staff from (a) her Department, (b) her Department's non-departmental public bodies and (c) the Food Standards Agency have visited Hungary in relation to the inquiry into the
outbreak of avian influenza at Holton; what plans she has to send further staff to Hungary; and if she will make a statement. [136134]
Caroline Flint: Staff from the Department, its non-departmental bodies, or the Food Standards Agency have not made any visits to Hungary in relation to the inquiry into the outbreak of avian influenza in poultry at Holton and there are no plans so to visit.
Inquiries into the source of the outbreak in poultry at Holton are a matter for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Blood: Donors
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much her Department spent on increasing blood donations at regional transfusion centres in (a) 1980, (b) 1981, (c) 1982, (d) 1983 and (e) 1984; and if she will make a statement; [136629]
(2) how much her Department spent on the production of blood products in the UK for use by haemophiliacs in the UK in (a) 1985, (b) 1986, (c) 1987, (d) 1988 and (e) 1989; and if she will make a statement. [136619]
Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 May 2007, Official Report, column 572W.
Blood: Imports
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how much her Department spent on imported blood products from the United States in (a) 1980, (b) 1981, (c) 1982, (d) 1983 and (e) 1984; and if she will make a statement; [136620]
(2) how much and what proportion of blood products given to haemophiliacs in (a) 1985, (b) 1986, (c) 1987, (d) 1988 and (e) 1989 were sourced from UK donors; and if she will make a statement; [136621]
(3) how much and what proportion of blood products given to haemophiliacs in (a) 1980, (b) 1981, (c) 1982, (d) 1983 and (e) 1984 were sourced from US donors; and if she will make a statement; [136622]
(4) what volume of factor VIII blood products was imported from the United States into the UK in (a) 1980, (b) 1981, (c) 1982, (d) 1983 and (e) 1984; and if she will make a statement; [136623]
(5) what volume of cryoprecipitate was available for use under the NHS in (a) 1977, (b) 1978, (c) 1979, (d) 1985, (e) 1986, (f) 1987, (g) 1988 and (h) 1989; and if she will make a statement; [136624]
(6) what volume of UK-sourced blood was fractionated to develop blood products for use by haemophiliacs in (a) 1977, (b) 1978, (c) 1979, (d) 1985, (e) 1986, (f) 1987, (g) 1988 and (h) 1989; and if she will make a statement; [136627]
(7) how much and what proportion of blood products given to haemophiliacs in (a) 1977, (b) 1978 and (c) 1979 were sourced from UK donors; and if she will make a statement. [136634]
Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 May 2007, Official Report, columns 572-73W.
Blood: USA
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice her Department received from the World Health Organisation on the safety of imported blood from the United States between 1977 and 1979; and if she will make a statement. [137236]
Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 15 May 2007, Official Report, column 717W.
BPL Elstree
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much her Department spent on BPL Elstree in (a) 1980, (b) 1981, (c) 1982, (d) 1983, (e) 1984, (f) 1985, (g) 1986, (h) 1987 and (i) 1988; and if she will make a statement. [136630]
Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 14 May 2007, Official Report, column 571W.
Breast Cancer: Screening
Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to provide breast cancer screening for women over the age of 70. [139776]
Ms Rosie Winterton: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 27 April 2007, Official Report, columns 1347-48W.
Cancer: Drugs
Mr. Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health under what circumstances clinicians may prescribe Erlotinib; and if she will make a statement. [135988]
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will make the drug Tarceva (Erlotinib) available to lung cancer sufferers in England; and if she will make a statement. [136694]
Caroline Flint: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is currently undertaking an appraisal of Erlotinib (Tarceva) for the treatment of locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. Erlotinib is licensed for this indication and there are currently no national restrictions on the prescribing of this drug.
Catheters
John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has for the home provision of catheters; what the outcome was of the recent consultation on catheter provision; and if she will make a statement. [139032]
Caroline Flint [holding answer 24 May 2007]: The review of the arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliances—and related services—to primary care is still ongoing. This includes catheters. No decisions have been made.
As outlined in the written statement of 23 May 2007, Official Report, columns 78-79WS, the volume and
complexity of the responses received following the latest consultations are such that the Department has decided that it needs more time to analyse the information provided. This analysis needs to take account of comments made about the Department's proposals regarding reimbursement for items and on the proposed levels of remuneration for particular services—such as home delivery.
Consequently, no changes will be implemented in July 2007 as previously proposed—and it is not expected that the review will be completed before the end of the year.
In conducting this review, a key objective has been to maintain and improve the quality of patient care.
Chief Medical Officer
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to alter the (a) role and (b) functions of her Department's Chief Medical Officer. [137395]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: There are no plans to alter the role and functions of the Chief Medical Officer. The Department is to appoint a medical director for the national health service who will champion clinical engagement in the NHS and lead work on standards and quality and clinical programmes. The postholder will also be a Deputy Chief Medical Officer, and the Chief Medical Officer will maintain professional oversight of the functions for which the medical director will be accountable.
Chips
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice she has received on the quality and quantity of the fat content of (a) oven-baked chips and (b) deep fried chips. [138377]
Caroline Flint: Data on the fat content of foods shows that oven chips contain less fat than deep fried chips. The latest data was published in McCance and Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods series in 2002, and is set out in the following table.
| Food description | Total fat (g/100g) | Saturated fat (g/100g) |
| (1) The fat content of chips will be variable and dependent on a number of factors related to their preparation, including how thick they are cut and their shape i.e. crinkle as opposed to straight cut. Note: Data from Food Standards Agency (2002) McCance and Widdowson’s The Composition of Foods, Sixth summary edition. Cambridge: Royal Society of Chemistry. | ||
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