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Table 2: Total number of sight tests paid for by NHS, by SHA and PCT, in London( 1) between 1 April and 31 March in the specified years
Thousand
	2003-04	2004-05	2005-06	2006-07
London( 1)	1,218	1,245	1,263	1,296
North West London SHA( 2)	283	287	296	304
Brent Teaching PCT	40	42	43	44
Ealing PCT	43	45	46	48
Hammersmith and Fulham PCT	17	18	18	19
Harrow PCT	46	48	48	48
Hillingdon PCT	48	48	52	53
Hounslow PCT	37	38	37	40
Kensington and Chelsea PCT	15	17	17	18
Westminster PCT	37	32	33	35
North Central London SHA( 2)	209	214	214	224
Barnet PCT	67	67	69	70
Camden PCT	33	33	32	36
Enfield PCT	44	45	47	49
Haringey PCT	43	44	42	45
Islington PCT	22	24	24	24
North East London SHA( 2)	283	293	296	305
Barking and Dagenham PCT	27	28	27	27
City and Hackney Teaching PCT	40	42	39	41
Havering PCT	49	52	53	54
Newham PCT	47	51	50	54
Redbridge PCT	49	51	54	54
Tower Hamlets PCT	27	27	29	31
Waltham Forest PCT	44	43	44	43
South East London SHA2	241	244	248	254
Bexley Care Trust	46	47	47	48
Bromley PCT	62	63	64	66
Greenwich Teaching PCT	35	35	36	38
Lambeth PCT	33	34	32	32
Lewisham PCT	32	32	32	33
Southwark PCT	33	34	37	38
South West London SHA( 2)	203	207	210	209
Croydon PCT	58	60	61	59
Kingston PCT	29	30	30	33
Richmond and Twickenham PCT	24	24	24	22
Sutton and Merton PCT	53	55	57	57
Wandsworth PCT	39	37	38	38
(1 )London is a sum of the five London SHAs. (2 )The SHA totals are a sum of the relevant PCTs. Note: Totals may not equal the sum of component parts due to rounding. Source: The Information Centre for health and social care

Family Practitioner Services

Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what circumstances trusts may grant GPs the status of closed practice lists; and if he will make a statement. [177298]

Mr. Bradshaw: A general practitioner practice can apply to their primary care trust (PCT) to have its list of patients closed. The PCT will consider the reasons
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for closure put forward by the practice and are required to discuss all such applications with the practice. Both the PCT and the practice are required to use reasonable endeavours to keep the practice list open but if this is not possible the PCT may agree to the practice list being closed.

Food: Safety

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria are used by the Food Standards Agency when determining whether to issue a food alert; and if he will make a statement. [177851]

Dawn Primarolo: The Food Safety Act 1990 places a statutory responsibility on the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to inform stakeholders of issues relating to food safety and food standards.

The FSA provides such information to stakeholders in number of ways including webstories, press releases, letters and food alerts. Food alerts, in particular, are the FSA’s formal method of communication with local authorities, who have responsibility for enforcing food law, on food safety issues that are of particular relevance to them. In determining the need for a food alert the agency takes into account the food safety requirements as specified in Regulation (EC) 178/2002 Article 14 of General Food Law, information already placed in the public domain, for example by a food business operator and the need to provide relevant additional information to local authorities.

Food alerts either provide local authorities with additional information or outline what action they should take in response to a particular food safety issue.

In line with the agency’s policy of openness these alerts are also published on the agency’s website bringing them to the attention of other stakeholders. This information can be accessed on the FSA’s website at:

www.food.gov.uk/enforcement/alerts

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what food alerts have been issued by the Food Standards Agency since April 2005; and what the date and reason for each was. [177852]

Dawn Primarolo: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) issued 230 food alerts between April 2005 and December 2007. No food alerts have been issued, as yet, in 2008.

All food alerts are published on the FSA’s website. Information on the subject of each alert and its date of issue can be accessed on the FSA’s website at:

www.food.gov.uk/enforcement/alerts/2005/

www.food.gov.uk/enforcement/alerts/2006/

www.food.gov.uk/enforcement/alerts/2007/

Information has also been placed in the Library.

Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what monitoring of food and foodstuffs for the presence of Sudan 1 food colorant has been undertaken by (a) the Food Standards Agency and (b) other public bodies since April 2007; and if he will make a statement. [177853]

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Dawn Primarolo: Under European Commission Decision 2005/402/EC imports of chilli, chilli products, curcuma and palm oil must be accompanied by an analytical report demonstrating that the product does not contain Sudan 1. Member states are also required to undertake random sampling of imports as well as those foodstuffs already on the market.

Random sampling is carried out by port health authorities and local authorities across the United Kingdom. The results are collated on behalf of the Food Standards Agency (FSA), who then report these to the European Commission. The FSA is also part of an European Union (EU) wide rapid alert system that informs member states of any positive samples being found of Sudan 1 in food within the EU.

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