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22 Jan 2008 : Column 1934W—continued
| Percentage treated in under 6 months— HES | |
| Financial year | Percentage of patients treated in under 6 months |
| Note: All HES figures are provider based. Source: Department of Health, QF01, KH07 returns HES, Information Centre for health and social care | |
Incinerators: Health Hazards
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research (a) his Department and (b) the Health Protection Agency has undertaken on the health effects of the burning of household waste inside the curtilage of domestic dwellings. [176375]
Dawn Primarolo: Neither the Department nor the Health Protection Agency has undertaken specific research into burning of household waste inside the curtilage of domestic dwellings.
The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) have policy lead in this area and has carried out research into emissions of dioxins from the burning of domestic waste in 2006.
Further work in estimating dioxin emissions from domestic burning is currently being undertaken by DEFRA. Results from the ongoing work will be due some time this year.
Influenza
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the evidential basis is for his statement on page 33 of his Department’s National Framework for responding to an influenza pandemic, that near-normal service levels are expected in the food and supplies industries in the event of an influenza pandemic. [175036]
Jonathan Shaw: I have been asked to reply.
DEFRA meets the food industry sector regularly to promote business continuity management, including how best to deal with the possibility of an influenza pandemic. The sector has robust and resilient business continuity plans to deal with any threat of disruption. Plans were tested earlier this year in a cross-Government pandemic flu exercise, in which the food industry participated.
Influenza: Vaccination
Mr. Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which region in England experienced the (a) highest and (b) lowest number of influenza vaccinations administered in each winter since 1999-2000. [179497]
Dawn Primarolo: The data on influenza vaccination uptake has been provided by region since 2000, to date, for those aged 65 years and over. Data for those aged 65 years in clinical risk groups has only been collected since 2005-06 and is also provided. This information is shown in the following tables.
| Under 65 years and at risk( 1) | |||
| Vaccine uptake (Percentage) | |||
| Survey year | SHA | Low | High |
| (1) Data for individuals aged under 65 years and in a risk group has only been collated since the 2005-06 season and therefore unavailable in previous years. Note: Uptake figures based on GP practices returning data to the survey and reflect vaccine uptake for individuals vaccinated at these premises. Source: Health Protection Informatics web-based reporting site Influenza Immunisation Uptake Monitoring Programme Health Protection Agency/Department of Health. | |||
King's Fund: Finance
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was provided to the King’s Fund from (a) his Department’s budget and (b) the NHS budget in the last financial year. [179119]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department of Health’s central funding provided £297,000 to the King’s Fund in the last financial year. Information on the national health service budget is not held centrally.
Macugen
Mr. MacDougall: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when Macugen will become available on the NHS as a treatment for macular degeneration. [180148]
Dawn Primarolo: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published a second appraisal consultation document (ACD) on Lucentis (ranibizumab) and Macugen (pegaptanib) for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration. Stakeholders had until 14 January 2008 to provide comments on the ACD and these comments will be considered by NICE’S Appraisal Committee before the guidance is finalised. NICE expects to publish its final guidance later in 2008. Further detailed information on this appraisal is available on NICE'S website at:
Funding for licensed treatments should not be withheld just because guidance from NICE is unavailable. In December 2006, we issued refreshed 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 becomes available.
Magnetic Resonance Imagers: Eastern Region
Mr. Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many MRI scanners were in use in each NHS trust in the Eastern Region in each year since 2001; and if he will make a statement. [180859]
Ann Keen [holding answer 21 January 2008]: The Health Protection Agency hold the data on the number and locations for MRI scanners provided to national health service organisations, and has advised that in the East of England strategic health authority area 31 MRI scanners have been installed. Information as to which scanners are in use at any given time is not available as machines may be taken out of service for maintenance or research purposes as required. The figure quoted also does not take into account any scanners which may have been purchased by individual trust or that may have been donated.
Maternity Services: Barnet
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve maternity services for Barnet residents; and if he will make a statement. [177984]
Mr. Bradshaw: The provision of maternity services is a matter for the local national health service. However, I am informed that as part of the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Clinical Strategy, which aims to improve local health services, the boards of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey primary care trusts (PCTs), agreed on 11 December to move Obstetrician-led maternity services from Chase Farm hospital to Barnet and North Middlesex hospitals.
This decision was taken on condition that changes to maternity services will only take place once the PCTs are satisfied that there is sufficient capacity at Barnet hospital and North Middlesex University hospital.
Medicine: Research
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding was allocated to medical research in each of the last five years. [179602]
Dawn Primarolo: Government funding for medical research is provided through the Department’s national health service research and development budget and the Medical Research Council (MRC). The amounts allocated in each of the last five years are shown in the table.
| £ million | ||
| MRC( 1) | NHS Research and Development | |
| (1 )The MRC is an independent body that receives its grant-in-aid from the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills. | ||
NHS: Conditions of Employment
Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken to make work more family-friendly for NHS staff in the (a) Barnet Chase Farm hospital, (b) Royal Free hospital and (c) Barnet primary care trust; and if he will make a statement. [177895]
Mr. Bradshaw: This is a matter for the local national health service.
However, we have been informed that Barnet and Chase Farm hospitals NHS trust, the Royal Free Hampstead NHS trust and Barnet primary care trust (PCT) have a range of initiatives in place to help staff achieve a healthy work life balance. For example, Barnet and Chase Farm hospitals national health service trust and Barnet PCT provide crèches for their staff, with Barnet PCT also having a flexible working policy in place. At the Royal Free Hampstead NHS trust there is a 72-place staff day nursery for children aged six months to four years, and a working families advisor whose role is to help parents and other staff who have carer responsibilities to access services and organise their work patterns to cope.
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