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17 Oct 2007 : Column 1173W—continued
Maternity Services: Sussex
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many babies were born while their mothers were in the process of travelling to (a) Brighton hospital and (b) Worthing hospital in the latest period for which figures are available. [157256]
Dawn Primarolo: This information is not collected centrally.
Medical Equipment
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 25 July 2007, Official Report, column 1226W, on medical equipment, when he plans to take a decision as to whether to procure and stockpile face masks centrally. [156750]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department is progressing work to ensure that the appropriate face masks are made available to health care and social care workers during a pandemic. An announcement will be made in relation to this issue as soon as it is possible to do so.
NHS: Reorganisation
Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what briefing Lord Darzi received on the proposals to downgrade Worthing and Chichester hospitals before his recent interview on GMTV. [157255]
Ann Keen: Lord Darzi is aware of the current consultation on the future of health services in West Sussex.
NHS: Repairs and Maintenance
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of backlog maintenance was in the NHS in each year from 1997-98 to 2006-07 (a) in total and (b) broken down by NHS organisation. [158472]
Mr. Bradshaw: The total backlog maintenance for England is provided in the following table.
| Total backlog maintenance (£ million) | |
Information for national health service organisations has been placed in the Library.
The data are as provided by the national health service and have not been amended centrally. Their accuracy and completeness is the responsibility of the provider organisation. Trusts that have not provided data or have provided a zero response have been omitted for brevity.
Investment to reduce backlog maintenance will be prioritised locally based on risk assessment, reconfiguration planning and available resources. The majority of the backlog maintenance relates to low priority work, which will be undertaken through ongoing maintenance programmes or replacement of facilities. Where higher risks are present, work will be undertaken as a priority.
Obesity: Fertility
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated by his Department on links between obesity and infertility; and if he will make a statement. [158308]
Dawn Primarolo: 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. Details of individual NHS supported research projects including a small number concerned with the relationship between obesity and fertility are available on the national research register at
The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support medical and clinical research. The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.
The MRC is not currently funding research specifically relating to the causal links between obesity and fertility. As part of a portfolio of more general research relating to the various causes of infertility however, the MRC has recently allocated £300,000 for the following research project on polycystic ovarian syndrome that links the symptoms of obesity and infertility:
Dr. W. C. Duncan, University of Edinburgh—Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome: modelling development, phenotype and progression using a developmental paradigm.
Obesity: Pupils
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the medical testing of school children for obesity is conducted on a parental opt-out basis; and if he will make a statement. [157253]
Dawn Primarolo: The National Child Measurement programme (NCMP) gathers population level surveillance data and informs local planning and service delivery, and allows for the analysis of trends in growth patterns and obesity.
The NCMP is conducted on an opt-out basis. Our guidance states clearly that:
the privacy and dignity of the child is safeguarded at all times and the measurement is done sensitively in a private setting
height and weight information should be gathered with minimal physical contact by health professionals (as defined in the Data Protection Act 1998).
parents receive a letter explaining the purpose of the programme, and provide them with the opportunity to withdraw their child from it.
Patients: Smoking
Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the percentage of hospital beds occupied by smokers. [156770]
Dawn Primarolo: The information is not collected centrally.
According to the latest data available, smoking kills an estimated 87,000 people a year in England, about one-fifth of all deaths, and leads to an extra 560,000 admissions to hospital.
Source:
Information Centre Statistics on Smoking 2006 and relates to 2004-05.
This bulletin is available at:
Primary Care Trusts: Elderly
Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list by primary care trust area the areas in England with the highest proportion of residents over the age of retirement per head of population for the latest year in which figures are available. [157012]
Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 October 2007:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your question regarding Primary Care Trust areas in England with the highest proportion of residents over the age of retirement per head of population for the latest year in which figures are available (157012).
The latest population estimates available by primary care trust are for mid-2005. Table 1 shows the percentage of the population over retirement age by Primary Care Organisation. These estimates will be revised shortly.
Estimates for mid-2006 and revised estimates for mid-2002 to mid-2005 will be published on 23 October 2007. These estimates
are being revised to include improved international migration estimates. ONS has made improvements this year to the methods used for distributing international migrants to local areas as part of its “Improving Migration and Population Statistics” work programme. Please note therefore that the mid-2005 estimates provided here are not comparable with the revised 2005 mid-year estimates by Local Authority.
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