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26 Nov 2007 : Column 261W—continued
Thrombosis: Medical Treatments
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to assess therapies for venous thromboembolism which are being developed. [166380]
Dawn Primarolo: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is developing a clinical guideline on the prevention of venous thromboembolism in all hospital patients. NICE expects to publish this guidance in 2009.
In June 2007, the Secretary of State made a ‘minded’ technology appraisal referral to NICE of the drug dabigatran etexilate for the prevention of venous thromboembolism following elective hip or knee replacement surgery in adults. NICE has undertaken a consultation on the remit and scope of this appraisal and a final decision on its referral to NICE will be taken shortly.
Tobacco
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department has provided towards national tobacco strategies in each of the last five years. [166697] [Official Report, 25 January 2008; Vol. 470, c. 18MC.]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department has provided the following funding to support the Government’s national tobacco strategies set out as follows:
The following table shows advertising expenditure on the dangers of smoking from 2003-04 to date.
| Expenditure on education campaigns financial year | Tobacco control (£ million) |
The Department awarded a grant of £2,670,000 to Cancer Research UK (CRUK) under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 to fund the charity’s Light and Mild campaign in 2003-04. A further grant of £300,000 grant was made in 2006-07 for CRUK’s media campaign on the harmful constituents of secondhand smoke.
The Department awarded a grant of £5,000,000 to British Heart Foundation (BHF) under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 to fund the charity’s media campaign in 2004-05 on heart disease caused by smoking. A further grant of £4,000,000 was made in 2005-06 to BHF for a media campaign highlighting the dangers of smoking and heart disease.
In each year since 2003, £2 million has been funding allocated to the nationwide system of local tobacco alliances and the Regional Tobacco Policy Managers.
| Financial year | Financial allocations to the national health service for stop smoking services (£ million) |
The Department’s grants to Action on Smoking Health (ASH) under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 are set out in the following table.
| Financial year | Grants (£) |
The Department’s grants to the No Smoking Day (NSD) organisation are set out in the following table.
| Financial year | Grants (£) |
The Department’s grants to QUIT (an organisation that provides support to smokers who want to quit smoking) under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 are set out in the following table.
| Financial year | Grants (£) |
Tuberculosis
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many cases of atypical tuberculosis were recorded in each of the last five years; which species of mycobacteria was responsible for each infection; and where these infections occurred; [164597]
(2) what definition his Department uses of (a) typical and (b) atypical tuberculosis. [165970]
Dawn Primarolo: The terms typical tuberculosis and atypical tuberculosis are not formally recognised and are therefore not defined.
We have interpreted typical tuberculosis to mean “tuberculosis”—a clinical disease that is defined by either:
confirmation by laboratory culture of a sputum or other sample of infection, due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (including M. tuberculosis, M. bovis and M. africanum).
or
in the clinician’s judgment in the absence of culture confirmation, clinical and/or radiological signs and/or symptoms compatible with tuberculosis, which are treated with a full course of anti-tuberculosis treatment.
We have interpreted “atypical tuberculosis” to mean disease caused by “atypical mycobacteria”, or non-tuberculous mycobacteria. It refers to infections caused
by all other organisms of the family Mycobacteria excluding tuberculosis (caused by M. tuberculosis complex) and leprosy (caused by Mycobacterium leprae). Most of these organisms are ubiquitous in the environment and do not usually cause disease in humans except in individuals whose immune system is compromised. There are over 125 known “non-tuberculous mycobacteria” (the preferred term to describe these organisms).
Disease or infection due to non-tuberculosis mycobacteria is not currently notifiable and therefore there are no reliable data on the number of cases in the last five years.
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis there have been in each year since 1997, broken down by strategic health authority area. [166449]
Dawn Primarolo: The number of cases of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) by strategic health authority are shown in the following table, with data from 1998-2006.
The Enhanced Tuberculosis Surveillance system (ETS) started in 1999. Prior to this, National TB Surveys were carried out every five years and this provided data for 1998.
| SHA | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
| Source: ETS, Health Protection Agency, as at 16 November 2007. | |||||||||
Working Parties
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many working parties there are under the direction of his Department. [166373]
Mr. Bradshaw: In a survey carried out in autumn 2006, the Department identified over 200 working parties, including task forces and steering groups, which engaged stakeholders in working with the Department on policy, strategy and delivery. Such working parties, are set up by the Department’s policy sections as needed and disbanded when no longer required.
Written Answers to Questions
Monday 26 November 2007
Children, Schools and Families
Adoption: Standards
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families what steps his Department is taking to support efforts designed to meet the National Adoption Target; and if he will make a statement. [164704]
Kevin Brennan: There is no national adoption target currently. This target ended in March 2006.
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