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18 Feb 2008 : Column 279W—continued
Waste Disposal: Fees and Charges
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs over what period he plans to allocate central funding for the pilot schemes for charges for the collection of household waste. [183280]
Joan Ruddock: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr. Pickles) on 14 January 2008, Official Report, column 869W.
Whales: Japan
Mr. Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps his Department is taking to establish the legal status under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) of Japan's killing of CITES Appendix I listed whales in the Southern Ocean and North Pacific; and if he will make a statement. [182157]
Joan Ruddock: Following the recent announcement that Japan intended to take 50 humpback whales in the Southern Ocean as part of its JARPA II whaling programme, the UK Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Management Authority wrote to the CITES Secretariat asking for clarification on the legal position. In their response, the CITES Secretariat stated that they were not in a position to issue a statement to the effect that the introduction from the sea of humpback specimens violates article III of the convention. We have drawn the contents of their reply to the attention of the EU CITES Management Committee that will consider it at its next meeting in April.
Whales: Nature Conservation
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will host a meeting of anti-whaling nations before the next meeting of the International Whaling Commission; and if he will make a statement. [186012]
Jonathan Shaw: The UK will host a meeting of like-minded anti-whaling countries prior to the inter-sessional meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) due to be held on 6-8 March 2008 in Heathrow, London.
Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he last discussed whaling with his foreign counterparts; and if he will make a statement. [186013]
Jonathan Shaw: I have raised the issue of whaling at every appropriate opportunity with members of the International Whaling Commission (IWC).
The UK will continue to make clear our objections to those countries that support whaling, both before and during the forthcoming inter-sessional meeting of the IWC in March, and the next annual meeting in Chile in June.
In addition, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has written to 18 countries, encouraging them to join the IWC for the greater protection of whales.
Wild Boar
Mr. Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) why the publication of the Government's strategy on the management of wild boar has been delayed; and if he will make a statement; [184678]
(2) when he will publish the Government's strategy on the management of wild boar. [184679]
Joan Ruddock [holding answer 5 February 2008]: It is unfortunate that the strategy has taken longer to produce than we had initially hoped. My Department has had other unexpected priorities to resolve such as outbreaks of avian influenza, bluetongue and foot and mouth disease. We also had to resolve some issues with regard to the delivery of the action plan. However, I am now able to announce that DEFRA's wild boar strategy will be published on 19 February.
Health
Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government took to prepare the National Health Service for the effects of the level of binge drinking in the Christmas season. [176078]
Dawn Primarolo: The national health service routinely plan for changes in demand. It is a local service matter as to what arrangements they decide to put in place to deal with any potential fluctuations in activity of services.
Breast Cancer: Essex
Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many diagnoses of breast cancer there were in Essex in each of the last five years. [185314]
Angela Eagle: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 18 February 2008:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many diagnoses of breast cancer there were in Essex in each of the last five years. (185314)
The most recent available figures for newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer registered in Essex are for the year 2005. Figures for the years 2001 to 2005 are in the table below.
| Registrations of newly diagnosed cases of breast cancer( 1) , females, Essex, 2001-05 | |
| Number | |
| (1) Breast cancer is coded to C50 in the international Classification of Diseases Tenth Revision (ICD-10). Source: Office for National Statistics | |
Burton Independent Sector Treatment Centre
Charlotte Atkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) which medical procedures the Burton Independent Sector Treatment Centre offers to patients; [186046]
(2) which medical procedures the Burton Independent Sector Treatment Centre offered to patients when it opened; [186047]
(3) when the cost effectiveness of the Burton Independent Sector Treatment Centre was last assessed; and what the outcome of that assessment was; [186063]
(4) for what reasons the management arrangements at the Burton Independent Sector Treatment Centre have been changed in the last 12 months; and who is responsible for implementing the new management arrangements. [186064]
(5) what powers the relevant primary care trusts have to renegotiate the contract with the Burton Independent Sector Treatment Centre; [186067]
(6) when the contract between the North Staffordshire Primary Care Trust and the Burton Independent Sector Treatment Centre ends. [186068]
Mr. Bradshaw:
The Burton Independent Sector Treatment Centre (ISTC) commenced service delivery in July 2006 offering national health service patients a range of procedures including general surgery, orthopaedics, ophthalmology, ear nose and throat, thoracic procedures, nervous system, digestive system, urology and gynaecology. The Department works with sponsors and providers to ensure optimum utilisation of the contracts. This includes changing the case mix where necessary to respond to local need and working
with providers and primary care trusts (PCTs) to recover previous under-utilised activity where possible. Since December 2007 pain management outpatient appointments have been available at Burton ISTC in addition to the above services and a review of the case mix is ongoing.
A formal assessment of cost effectiveness of the Burton ISTC took place as part of the procurement of wave 1 of the ISTC programme in 2004, the subsequent outcome of which was the appointment of Nations Healthcare as the independent sector provider. The procurement of wave 1 was conducted in compliance with European Union procurement law.
In June 2007, in terms of management changes at the ISTC, Circle Health acquired Nations Health. The internal management arrangements for the Burton ISTC are the responsibility of Nations Health, in line with contractual obligations.
The North Staffordshire PCT contract for services at the Burton ISTC is due to cease in the financial year 2011-12. There is an option for the contract to be extended or re-negotiated at the end of the contract term, in line with the local needs of NHS patients.
Cancer
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the projected costs of the (a) national cancer survivorship initiative, (b) national survey awareness of cancer, (c) national cancer equality initiative and (d) national cancer intelligence network in each of the next three years. [185050]
Ann Keen [holding answer 7 February 2008]: The projected costs for the next three years for the national cancer survivorship initiative, national survey awareness of cancer and national cancer intelligence network are set out as follows. Projected costs for the national cancer equality initiative have not been separated from the overall projected costs for awareness and early detection, and it is these costs that are given instead.
| £ million | |||
| 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | |
Cancer: Cheshire
Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken to improve outcomes in cancer (a) screening and (b) treatment in (i) Warrington and (ii) Cheshire in the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [185586]
Ann Keen [holding answer 7 February 2008]: Major progress has been made on cancer over the past 10 years and especially since the publication of the “National Health Service Cancer Plan”, which set out the first ever comprehensive strategy to tackle cancer and was the first time any Government had drawn up a major programme of action linking prevention, diagnosis, treatment, care and research. Significant achievements include:
extending breast screening to women aged 50-70 years. The number of new cancers diagnosed through breast screening has increased by over 60 per cent.;
roll-out of the bowel cancer screening programme, the first programme to target both men and women;
major reductions in waiting times for patients with suspected cancer referred urgently by their general practitioners (99 per cent. seen within 14 days, up from 63 per cent. in 1997);
over 99 per cent. of patients receiving their first cancer treatment within one month of diagnosis (the 31-day target);
over 97 per cent. of urgently referred patients being treated within two months of referral (the 62-day target);
expansion of the cancer work force; and
provision of unprecedented numbers of new equipment.
Cancer: Health Services
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) mean and (b) median waiting time was from diagnosis of cancer to treatment for each type of cancer in (i) 2004-05, (ii) 2005-06 and (iii) 2006-07. [186002]
Ann Keen: Statistics on average waiting times for cancer patients and average waiting times for specific cancer conditions are not collected centrally. The cancer waiting time standard of a maximum wait of 31 days from diagnosis to first cancer treatment was introduced for breast cancer patients from December 2001 and all patients from December 2005. Statistics are published on a quarterly basis on the Department's website at:
Performance against the standard for all cancers for the last quarter (January, February and March) for each of the years was:
2004-05: 91.1 per cent. of cancer patients treated within 31 days of diagnosis;
2005-06: 98.9 per cent; and
2006-07: 99.6 per cent.
Cancer: Medical Treatments
David Tredinnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the availability of treatment for (a) bone metastases caused by prostate cancer in men and (b) bone metastases caused by breast cancer in women; what biophosphonate drugs are available in the Leicester cancer care area for the treatment of bone metastases caused by (i) prostate cancer and (ii) breast cancer; and if he will make a statement. [185497]
Ann Keen
[holding answer 7 February 2008]: From the information collected on bone metastases, it is not possible to identify which have been caused by either
prostate or breast cancer, therefore no assessment has been carried out on bone metastases caused by either prostate or breast cancer.
University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust does not routinely use bisphosphonate drugs to treat prostate cancer as there is inconclusive evidence as to the drugs efficacy and cost-effectiveness. However, pamidronate and ibndronate are routinely used for breast cancer as there is National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance and evidence of effectiveness.
In 2002, NICE published guidance on “Improving Outcomes in Urological Cancer”. The guidance makes recommendations on the management of bone metastases in patients with metastatic prostate cancer.
In the same year, NICE also published “Improving Outcomes in Breast Cancer”. The guidance makes recommendations on the management of bone metastases in patients with metastatic breast cancer.
NICE is also preparing clinical guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer and of breast cancer. Both sets of guidance will address bone metastases. The guideline on prostate cancer is due to be published later this month. Publication of the guideline on breast cancer is expected in early 2009.
Cancer: Waiting Lists
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 November 2007, Official Report, column 58W, on cancer: waiting lists, whether his Department's press release of 9 October 2007 was approved by a Minister before it was issued. [177897]
Mr. Bradshaw: Yes. The Department's press release of 9 October 2007 on the comprehensive spending review was approved by a Minister before it was issued.
Christmas
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department's agencies spent on (a) Christmas cards and (b) postage of Christmas cards in each year since 1997. [182444]
Mr. Bradshaw: Information about what Department's agencies spend on Christmas cards and the amount they spend on the postage of Christmas cards, is not held centrally.
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