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18 Jun 2007 : Column 1559W—continued
Dietary Supplements: EC Law
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment the Food Standards Agency has made of the impact of the implementation of the Food Supplements Directive on (a) the specialist manufacturing sector and (b) the specialist health food retail sector; [141948]
(2) what conclusions the Food Standards Agency has reached in relation to the implications for consumer choice following their recent consultation on the Draft Regulatory Impact Assessment of the Food Supplements Directive; [141949]
(3) what her Department’s objectives are with regard to the promotion of the interests of the specialist natural health product manufacturing and exporting sectors; what (a) meetings have been held and (b) other steps taken by officials and Ministers in her Department in relation to the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and foods under Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive; and if she will make a statement. [142115]
Caroline Flint: A regulatory impact assessment (RIA) was carried out in 2002 on the implementation of the Food Supplements Directive, and this included input from the specialist manufacturing sector and the specialist health food retail sector.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has recently carried out an informal consultation on an initial RIA that sets out the current position in the United Kingdom with respect to food supplements and seeks information from stakeholders to measure the potential impact in advance of future European Commission (EC) proposals for setting daily dosage levels of vitamins and minerals in food supplements. The information will be used to inform the draft RIA, which will then be subject to a formal consultation process. Conclusions will not be available until the end of the formal consultation process.
The Government’s objectives with regard to promotion of the interests of the specialist natural health product manufacturing and exporting sectors are to ensure that consumer choice and protection are maintained.
I met with the specialist manufacturing and health food retail sectors in March 2007, and have written to and met with the director of DG SANCO at the EC in relation to the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals under Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive. Officials have previously held meetings with their European counterparts, including a meeting with German officials in March.
Disabled: Funding
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Government plan to provide public funding for local access groups which provide advice services in relation to accessibility for people with limited mobility. [142485]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Section 64 General Scheme of Grants to Voluntary Organisations is the Department's main funding source to voluntary organisations. Although this year's round has now closed, if local access groups are considering making an application in the future they can obtain information about the scheme from
The 2008-09 applications window has not yet opened. It is likely that we will now place the funding priorities on the Department's website in the week commencing 18 June, with a view to opening the scheme to applications on 2 July. This should provide organisations with the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the 2008-09 funding priorities before we open for applications.
Local access groups may also wish to approach the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and the Institute of Fundraising, who may be able to offer advice on other possible sources of funding.
Drugs: Counterfeit Manufacturing
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library a copy of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency’s anti-counterfeiting strategy aimed at disrupting those enterprises engaged in the importation, wholesale, distribution and supply of counterfeit medicines. [141980]
Caroline Flint: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is currently developing a comprehensive anti-counterfeiting strategy which will take into account developments in the trade in counterfeit medicines. A copy will be placed in the Library when the strategy is published.
East Riding of Yorkshire Primary Care Trust: Management Consultants
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the East Riding of Yorkshire Primary Care Trust has spent on management consultants since its inception; and if she will make a statement. [142141]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information requested is not held by the Department.
Fit for Future Programme
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much had been spent up to 4 June 2007 on the Fit for Future programme; and how much has been paid to McKinsey and Company for work undertaken as part of the Fit for Future programme. [141768]
Caroline Flint: The information requested is not held centrally. Any proposals for major service change are a matter for the national health service locally.
Genetically Modified Organisms: Rice
Alan Simpson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the plans are for the Food Standards Agency’s review of its handling of the GM rice
(LL601) contamination incident following the judicial review of the Food Standards Agency by Friends of the Earth; when the review will take place; whether the input of external stakeholders will be sought; and who will lead the review. [142092]
Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency will be carrying out a review of its handling of the genetically modified rice contamination incident. It will seek input from key external stakeholders. Details of the review are currently being finalised.
Headaches: Medical Treatments
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what provision is available on the NHS for occipital nerve stimulation for cluster headaches; and whether the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has been consulted on the provision of the treatment. [141423]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Recent trials involving the use of occipital nerve stimulation for the treatment of cluster headaches have shown some promise. It is the responsibility of health professionals to consider whether this treatment should be made available to those patients where existing drug treatments prove ineffective.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has not been consulted on the provision of this treatment.
Health Services: East Riding
Mr. Graham Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 May 2007, Official Report, column 1603W, on health services: East Riding, what her Department's definition is of emergency treatment; whether a visit to a general practitioner is classed as emergency treatment; and if she will make a statement. [137340]
Andy Burnham: The Department does not define emergency treatment precisely as this is a decision for clinicians. However, the Department would expect that emergency treatment is treatment which cannot be delayed without risking serious harm to a patient, arising out of a sudden or unexpected change in their condition.
Under their contracts, general practices are required to treat anyone, regardless of whether they are registered with the practice, if they require emergency or immediately necessary treatment.
Regulation 15 paragraph 6 of the NHS (General Medical Services Contracts) Regulations 2004 (2004/291) states that:
“A contractor must provide primary medical services required in core hours for the immediately necessary treatment of any person to whom the contractor has been requested to provide treatment owing to an accident and emergency at any place in its practice area.”
“In paragraph (6), 'emergency' includes any medical emergency whether or not related to services provided under the contract”.
Health Services: Sex
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on training for sexual health and pregnancy advisory services on effective multi-agency working and disclosure to protect children and young people from abuse in 2006-07. [141003]
Caroline Flint: Effective joint working and information sharing between agencies and professionals are cornerstones of the Government’s policy to ensure that children and young people are effectively safeguarded from abuse. Where there is evidence or a reasonable cause to believe that children and young people are suffering from or at risk of suffering from significant harm then action must be taken. Revised guidance, ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ produced in April 2006, provides detailed guidance about responding to child welfare concerns involving alleged crimes, including where there is under-age sexual activity. Information on how much money is spent locally on training staff is not collected centrally.
Health: Ports
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions her Department has had with (a) the Health Protection Agency and (b) the Board of Airline Representatives on (i) agreeing a system for routine data systems to be established and (ii) where data on travellers can be made readily available in response to a public health incident or risk as recommended in the Port Health and Medical Inspection Review Report published by the Health Protection Agency in March 2006. [142059]
Caroline Flint: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is leading on this operational matter. The HPA has held discussions with airline representatives, through the Department for Transport’s Facilitation Stakeholders Forum, on the sharing of information in relation to public health incidents. Airlines have responded, on an international basis, that they consider routine collection of further information to be not feasible but have accepted the principle of using World Health Organisation passenger locator cards in the event that information is required in response to a public health incident.
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has (a) prepared and (b) implemented a national financial framework for expenditure in port health as recommended in the Port Health and Medical Inspection Review Report published by the Health Protection Agency in March 2006. [142060]
Caroline Flint: The Health Protection Agency, as the operational lead in this area, has been working actively in collaboration with primary care trusts and local authorities to establish the financial framework for these services as part of its port health quality and governance arrangements. This work will continue within the agency’s overall business planning system.
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which international travel terminals have (a) implemented and (b) evaluated and amended their port health risk assessments as recommended in the Port Health and Medical Inspection Review Report published by the Health Protection Agency in March 2006 over the last 12 months; [142061]
(2) what steps her Department has taken to ensure the Port Health risk assessment is published and made available to those within the Health Protection Agency responsible for port health as recommended in the Port Health and Medical Inspection Review Report published by the Health Protection Agency in March 2006. [142062]
Caroline Flint: The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has developed a draft risk assessment for ports and is currently consulting on this with the Association of Port Health Authorities and with ports and carriers via the Department for Transport. Following the consultation the HPA plans to publish these risk assessments once they have been completed, subject to agreement with stakeholders.
Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many entrants at ports of entry into the UK were referred to NHS facilities in the last five years for which figures are available. [142066]
Caroline Flint: The Department does not hold this information.
Heart Diseases: Young People
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funds have been allocated within the NHS to research (a) the cause of and (b) treatment for cardiac risk in the young. [140683]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Over the last 10 years, the main part of the Department's total expenditure on health research has been devolved to and managed by national health service organisations. These organisations have reported spending from this funding in support of coronary heart disease as follows:
| £ million | |
The Department does not collect specific expenditure data. Details of individual projects supported in the NHS can be found on the national research register at:
Implementation of the Department's research strategy ‘Best Research for Best Health’ will result in an expansion of our research programmes and in significant new funding opportunities for health research. In particular, the University College London Hospitals (UCLH) Biomedical Research Centre and the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, formed this year, plan to undertake work on sudden cardiac death. The centrally funded budget for the cardiovascular
disease research theme at UCLH is £5.1 million over five years and for the heart research theme at Oxford is £3.1 million over five years.
Homeopathy
Dr. Cable: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if she will list the primary care trusts which have stopped all funding for homeopathic treatment; and if she will make a statement; [142268]
(2) what cost-benefit analysis has been carried out on NHS homeopathic treatments; and if she will make a statement. [142269]
Caroline Flint: The Government consider that decision-making on individual clinical interventions, whether conventional, or complementary/alternative treatments, has to be a matter for local national health service providers and practitioners as they are best placed to know their community’s needs. In making such decisions, they have to take into account evidence for the safety, clinical and cost-effectiveness of any treatments, the availability of suitably qualified practitioners, and the needs of the individual patient. Clinical responsibility rests with the NHS professional who makes the decision to refer and who must therefore be able to justify any treatment they recommend. If they are unconvinced about the suitability of a particular treatment, they cannot be made to refer.
The Department recognises that the health needs of a community can differ from area to area and primary care trusts (PCTs) would reflect these needs in developing these policies. We would expect the PCTs to carry out their own cost-benefit analysis of any treatment or service they were considering commissioning.
Hospital Wards: East Sussex
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of NHS beds in (a) Eastbourne and (b) East Sussex were in mixed wards in each year since 1997. [141892]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.
Maternity Services: Royal Shrewsbury Hospital
Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will take steps to prevent adverse changes to the level of services provided for neo-natal care at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. [135188]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Decisions about the size and locations of neonatal networks, including the number of hospitals and the levels of care provided, are for local decision and should reflect local need and geography.
NHS West Midlands reports that the proposed changes to neonatal services provided by hospitals in the Staffordshire, Shropshire and Black Country Neonatal Network will be subject to a public consultation. The Network will be publishing the process for consultation shortly.
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