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3 Dec 2007 : Column 999W—continued
| Imported malaria cases in East of England SHA and Suffolk PCT, by place of birth 2002-06 | ||||||
| Place of birth | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | |
| Note: Where fewer than five cases were reported for an area, the table indicates the number of cases is reported as <5 rather than the actual number in order to reduce the risk of deductive disclosure—this is standard HPA policy. Source: HPA | ||||||
| Laboratory confirmed cases of acute hepatitis B, East of England SHA, 1999-2003 | |
| Number of cases | |
| Notes: 1. In 2004, there was a substantial deterioration in the quality of acute hepatitis B reporting and data have not been available after 2003. The HPA is working to improve the quality of information on acute hepatitis B reporting and provisional data should be available in 2008. 2. Data by country of birth are not available for hepatitis B. Source: HPA | |
Doctors: Housing
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS trusts have a statutory responsibility to provide accommodation for rent to junior doctors. [164579]
Ann Keen: No, the requirement for a junior doctor to reside in “accommodation supplied by the hospital approved for his general clinical training” came to an end from August 2007.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of removing free hospital-owned accommodation for junior doctors on meeting the requirements of the EU working time directive. [164580]
Ann Keen: We have no information to indicate that removing free hospital-owned accommodation for doctors in training affects meeting the European working time directive (EWTD) requirements. Modern working patterns no longer require doctors in training to be resident on-call.
Local national health service trusts are responsible for assessing the impact of the EWTD as part of their health and safety obligations. The Department of Health in England continues to work with the NHS and health professions to support local EWTD implementation, including sharing learning from pilot projects.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to NHS trusts on (a) contractual and (b) other obligations on junior doctors renting hospital-owned accommodation. [164581]
Ann Keen: NHS Employers communicated on “Accommodation for first year foundation trainees” in their NHS Workforce Bulletin issued to the NHS on 30 July 2007. This advised that maintenance of existing accommodation arrangements for Foundation House Officer Year 1 Doctors can continue until 1 August 2008 given that most will already have made a contractual commitment to that effect. This information has also been on NHS Employers' website since July at: www.nhsemployers.org/pay-conditions/pay-conditions-357.cfm.
It was not considered necessary to issue further guidance for doctors already covered by existing contractual provisions as the change to the Medical Act did not alter their situation in respect of tax or rental charges.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the level of rent charged by NHS trusts to junior doctors for hospital-owned accommodation. [164584]
Ann Keen: Accommodation charges are a matter for local determination and details of such are not collected or held centrally.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS trusts provide accommodation (a) free of charge and (b) on a rental basis for junior doctors. [164586]
Ann Keen: The Department does not collect this information. Most trusts will have some accommodation stock for which they will charge, and it is unlikely that they will provide it at no cost to the doctor unless there is a contractual, statutory or service need. In such cases, arrangements to provide free accommodation will inevitably be subject to scrutiny to assess any tax liability on the benefit.
Genetically Modified Food
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what controls the Government have put in place to prevent genetically modified food from entering the food chain through the use of animal feed that has been GM derived; and if he will make a statement; [169227]
(2) if he will take steps to investigate supermarkets' food labelling claims to ensure that GM-derived food is not marketed as GM free. [169228]
Dawn Primarolo: We are advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that genetically modified (GM) crops may be used in animal feed in the European Union provided they have been authorised and that a safety assessment forms a key part of the authorisation process. GM food is subject to a similar, rigorous, safety assessment before being permitted to enter the food chain.
The labelling requirements for GM food are set out in the directly applicable Regulations (EC) Nos. 1829/2003 (GM Food and Feed) and 1830/2003 (Traceability and Labelling of GM Organisms), the intention of which is to facilitate consumer choice. There is no requirement for food produced from animals fed on GM feed to be labelled as such, nor is there any provision for ‘non-GM’ and ‘GM free’ labelling. We are advised by the FSA that such labelling may, however, be used on a voluntary basis, as appropriate to the product concerned. The FSA has expressed the view that the use of the terms ‘non-GM’ and ‘GM free’ should mean that food labelled in this way is completely free from the use of GM technology.
Local authorities are responsible for enforcement of the legislation at retail level and checks for the presence of GM material in foods on the basis of sampling form part of their enforcement activities. Local authorities also carry out checks on documentation to ensure that the traceability requirements are being met. These enforcement activities play an important role in consumer protection.
Health Centres: Finance
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been allocated to provide health centres which open seven days a week in each year between 2007-08 and 2010-11; and what the proposed locations of these centres are. [165715]
Mr. Bradshaw: On 10 October, the Secretary of State (Alan Johnson) announced a £250 million access fund to deliver 100 new general practitioner (GP) practices in the 25 per cent. of primary care trusts (PCT) with poorest provision and 150 GP-led health centres across the country. The Department is now working with the national health service to determine the distribution of funds to support delivery of these new services. As set out in the “Our NHS, Our Future” Next Stage Review interim report we expect the health centres to be easily accessible to all members of the local population, though the precise locations will be determined by PCTs based on their local needs assessment.
Health Education: Expenditure
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was allocated to public health awareness campaigns in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement. [164034]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 13 November 2007]: The grid below outlines cost of departmental public health awareness campaign advertising in each year since 1997.
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