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7 Feb 2008 : Column 1478W—continued
Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Hospitals Trust: Infectious Diseases
Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of (a) MRSA and (b) extended-spectrum beta-lactamases and (c) vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus were reported at the Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Hospitals Trust in 2007. [181905]
Ann Keen: The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals NHS Trust had 20 methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus blood stream infection reports between January and June 2007.
The information requested for extended-spectrum beta-lactamases is not available centrally and no cases of vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus have been reported in the United Kingdom to date.
Smoking: Young People
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his strategy is for reducing the number of young people who smoke. [184061]
Dawn Primarolo: Reducing smoking among young people is a top priority for the Government.
In October 2007, the Government raised the age of sale of tobacco products from 16 to 18 years. The age increase was an effective way of communicating the serious health risks associated with tobacco and a step towards de-normalising smoking among young people.
Legislation is currently before Parliament to increase sanctions available against retailers who are found to repeatedly sell tobacco to people under the age of 18. The provisions will help enforce restrictions on the age of sale and further prevent access to tobacco by young people.
The ‘Cancer Reform Strategy’, published in December 2007, announced that the Department will consult on the ‘next steps’ in tobacco control, including options for further regulation of tobacco products. This consultation will take place in spring this year and will seek views from stakeholders on what further can be done to tackle smoking among young people.
The Department is continuing to communicate the serious health risks associated with smoking to young people. Hard hitting picture warnings highlighting the health consequences of smoking are required to be displayed on all tobacco products produced after 1 October 2008.
On 1 July 2007, all enclosed parts of work and public places in England became smokefree. This measure will provide health benefits to the whole population, for future generations.
A comprehensive advertising ban on tobacco products has been in place since February 2003. The ban was extended in 2006 to include major restrictions on point of sale advertising and a ban on tobacco advertising on the internet from sites that originate in the United Kingdom or European Union. The advertising restrictions virtually eliminate young people’s exposure to tobacco marketing.
Local stop smoking services are able to provide a range of support options to anyone wanting to quit smoking, including young people. Resources are also available that can be accessed by .smokers direct on smoking cessation, these include the NHS 'gosmokefree' website and from the general NHS Smoking Helpline (0800 169 0 169).
Defence
Afghanistan: Peacekeeping Operations
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which journalists were embedded in those UK units which provided support to Afghan forces during the recent Musa Qaleh campaign; and what media organisations they were from. [184253]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The two journalists were Rupert Hamer of the Sunday Mirror and Stephen Grey, reporting for the Sunday Times.
Armed Forces: Absence Without Leave
Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel went absent without leave in each of the last 10 years, broken down by service. [184313]
Derek Twigg: The following table shows absence without leave statistics by calendar year for each service since 1998.
| RN | Army | RAF | |
| Notes: 1. Both the Navy and the Army record AWOL statistics by the number of incidences of AWOL rather than the number of people who have gone AWOL, so there may be a number of people who are represented more than once in these figures. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 and are as at 4 February 2008. | |||
Armed Forces: Manpower
Dr. Fox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) manning levels and (b) average tour intervals are for each manning pinch point in (i) the Army, (ii) the Navy and (iii) RAF. [162635]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: Details of the manning levels for pinch point trades are provided in the following table. The figures are those reported for financial year 2007-08 Quarter 3 returns.
It is not possible to determine tour intervals for manning pinch point trades. Tour intervals apply to units which consist of personnel from a number of trades in the armed forces.
Dr. Fox:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) required and (b) actual complement is of each regiment in the (i) Household Cavalry, (ii) Royal
Armoured Corps and (iii) Royal Logistics Corps. [182332]
Derek Twigg: For the purposes of answering this question, required complement is recorded as liability and actual complement is listed as held strength. All data refer to regular army officer and soldier strength as at 24 January 2008 other than where annotated, and reflects all personnel, regardless of cap badge who are part of a regiment. It should be noted that held strength may change on a daily basis for a number of reasons including personnel being posted in or out of a regiment.
The following table shows the liability and held strength for each regiment of the Royal Armoured Corps including the Household Cavalry:
| Unit | Liability | Held strength |
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