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3 Dec 2007 : Column 990W—continued
Written Answers to Questions
Monday 3 December 2007
Health
AIDS: Medical Treatments
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding was committed for the treatment of (a) HIV and (b) AIDS in each health authority in England in each of the last five years. [169998]
Dawn Primarolo:
Funding for HIV/AIDS treatment and HIV prevention was included in main national
health service allocations from April 2002, and is therefore not separately identified.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost was of treatment for (a) HIV and (b) AIDS in each health authority in England in each of the last five years. [169999]
Dawn Primarolo: This information is not collected centrally.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients received treatment for (a) HIV and (b) AIDS in each health authority in England in each of the last five years. [170000]
Dawn Primarolo: The information, by strategic health authority (SHA) is in the following tables.
| Number of HIV-infected persons reported to be receiving antiretroviral therapy (total number of HIV-infected persons accessing NHS care | |||||
| SHA | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
| Note: There are small numbers in each SHA in each of the last five years where it was not reported whether or not the patient was receiving antiretroviral therapy. | |||||
| Number of HIV-infected persons receiving antiretroviral therapy who have ever previously had an AIDS-defining illness (total number of HIV-infected persons accessing NHS care) | |||||
| SHA | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 |
| Note: There are small numbers in each strategic health authority in each of the last five years where it was not reported whether or not the patient was receiving antiretroviral therapy or whether the patient had ever previously developed an AIDS-defining illness. Source: Health Protection Agency: Annual survey of HIV-infected persons accessing care | |||||
Alcoholic Drinks: Newcastle upon Tyne
Mr. Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on tackling misuse of alcohol in the Newcastle-upon-Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust area since the introduction of the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England. [168301]
Dawn Primarolo: The Renewed Alcohol Strategy, “Safe, Sensible, Social-Next Steps in the National Alcohol Strategy”, was published on 5 June 2007. The strategy aims to:
focus future action on reducing the types of harm that are of most concern to the public;
reduce the crime and ill health caused by alcohol; and
increase the public’s awareness of the risks associated with excessive consumption, and how to get help.
The North East Regional Alcohol Advisory Group is responsible for bringing together agencies and individuals from across the region with an interest in the alcohol agenda. It has so far examined the potentially harmful impact of alcohol misuse upon local communities and is taking steps to tackle key issues around the treatment, prevention and control of alcohol-related problems.
The “North East Alcohol Misuse Statement of Priorities”, which was published in February 2007, will support and complement initiatives carried out at a local level and add value, and influence events, at a regional level.
Alcoholic Drinks: Young People
James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people under the age of 18 years experienced serious injury as a consequence of excessive alcohol consumption in the latest period for which figures are available. [167987]
Dawn Primarolo: The information requested is not held centrally.
Autism: Health Services
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will draw up national guidelines on the provision of services for people with autism. [169830]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: “Better services for people with an autistic spectrum disorder: A note clarifying current Government policy and describing good practice” was published on 16 November 2006. It clarifies the nature and intent of existing Government policy as it relates to adults with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). A copy is available in the Library.
It is for local authorities to manage their priorities and decide how resources should be attributed, taking into consideration locally identified needs and assessments of individuals.
Autism: Job Centre Plus
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he issues to local authorities to work with their local Job Centre Plus in order to meet the needs of adults with an autism spectrum disorder. [170768]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: “Better services for people with an autistic spectrum disorder: A note clarifying current Government policy and describing good practice” was published on 16 November 2006. It clarifies the nature and intent of existing Government policy as it relates to adults with an autistic spectrum disorder, and refers to community integration and employment support.
A copy of this is available in the Library.
Bone Diseases: Medical Treatments
Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects anti-TNF treatments to be available to patients with ankylosing spondylitis. [170145]
Ann Keen: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) are currently producing a technology appraisal on the use of adalimumab, etanercept and infliximab for the treatment of ankylosing spondylitis. This appraisal is expected to be published in December 2007. Primary care trusts have a legal obligation to provide funding for treatments recommended by NICE within three months of the guidance being issued.
Funding for licensed treatments should not be withheld because of lack of guidance from NICE. In December 2006, we issued good practice guidance which asks national health service bodies to continue with local arrangements for the managed introduction of new technologies where guidance from NICE is not available at the time the treatment or technology first became available.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ask the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to review its guidance on the (a) clinical assessment, (b) diagnosis and (c) management of myalgic encephalopathy, chronic fatigue syndrome. [170260]
Dawn Primarolo: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published its clinical guideline on the treatment of chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis in August 2007. We have no plans to ask NICE to review that guidance at this time.
Community Hospitals: Contracts
Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the announcement on the second round of bidders for the Community Hospitals Fund will be made. [170288]
Mr. Bradshaw: We announced a second wave of community hospitals and services on 11 April 2007. We are currently considering a third round of schemes and announcements will be made in due course.
Connecting for Health Programme: Finance
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cash value of changes in the timetable for the delivery of the Connecting for Health programme in each financial year to date has been, broken down into (a) resource and (b) capital spending. [165707]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department’s NHS Connecting for Health Agency is responsible both for ensuring delivery of the IT systems for the National Programme for Information Technology and for maintaining the critical business systems previously provided to the national health service by the former NHS Information Authority. Budgets and outturn expenditure for all the agency’s responsibilities are in the following table.
| £ million | |||
| 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | |
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