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20 Feb 2008 : Column 797W—continued
Terrorism
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Islamic scholars are employed by her Department to advise on the Prevent strand of Project Contest. [178898]
Jacqui Smith: The Home Office does not employ any Islamic scholars. Expert advice on Islam and other religions is obtained from independent experts as and when required.
Treaty establishing the European Communities
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which measures the UK has decided to participate in through the opt-in arrangements under Title IV of the Treaty establishing the European Communities. [180187]
Jacqui Smith: The measures the UK has decided to participate in through the opt-in arrangements under Title IV of the Treaty establishing the European Communities are in the table, a copy of which has been placed in the House Library.
Health
Abortion
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women more than 24 weeks pregnant received abortions in clinics overseas paid for in whole or in part from public funds in each of the last three years for which figures are available; how many such abortions took place in each such country; what recent representations he has received on public funding for abortions overseas; and if he will make a statement. [186243]
Dawn Primarolo: This information is not available.
The Department has received no representations on the public funding of abortions overseas.
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many women are known to have died within one month of operations for termination of pregnancy notified under the abortion regulations in each of the last 10 years, broken down by age group. [186397]
Dawn Primarolo: Maternal deaths associated with termination of pregnancy that were reported to the Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths for the period 1994 to 2005, are set out in the following table. The data for 2006 to 2007 are not yet available.
| Maternal deaths associated with termination of pregnancy; United Kingdom 1994-2005 | |
| Triennium | Number of deaths from termination of pregnancy |
| Notes: 1. There were around 500,000 abortions in the UK in each three year period and hence the number of deaths represent less than 0.0001 per cent. of all abortions carried out. 2. Direct deaths (occurring during pregnancy and up to and including 42 days inclusive after termination). 3. The numbers are too small to be broken down by age group. Source: Figures are from the reports of the Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths in the UK for the relevant triennium. | |
Abortion in Clinics Overseas
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the (i) number of and (ii) reasons for UK women over 24 weeks gestation receiving abortions in clinics overseas; when the last such evaluation took place; whether it drew upon research undertaken in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [186373]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department has neither commissioned nor evaluated research on the number or causes of United Kingdom women over 24 weeks gestation undergoing abortions in clinics overseas. Such data would be difficult or impossible to collect reliably.
Abortion: Private Sector
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) primary and (b) delegated legislation regulates advertising by private abortion clinics; what changes have been made to each since enactment; whether further revision is planned; and if he will make a statement. [186249]
Dawn Primarolo: There is no legislation on advertising by private abortion clinics specifically. However advertisements must comply with the law in general as well as the advertising codes.
Adverse Drug Reactions
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many adverse drug reaction reports were received through the yellow card reporting system for (a) all anti-psychotic drugs, (b) traditional anti-psychotic drugs and (c) atypical anti-psychotic drugs in each of the last five years; and how many prescriptions there were for each such type of drug in each year; [186015]
(2) how many people in each age cohort experienced an adverse drug reaction in (a) England, (b) each region, (c) each strategic health authority and (d) each primary care trust area in each year since 2003; and how many such reactions in each category were fatal; [186042]
(3) how many people aged between (a) 50 and 64-years-old, (b) 65 and 74-years-old and (c) over 75-years-old (i) died and (ii) were injured by adverse drug reactions in each year since 2003. [186043]
Dawn Primarolo: Reports of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are collected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Commission for Human Medicines through the spontaneous reporting scheme; the yellow card scheme.
Table 1 shows the number of suspected ADR reports received by the MHRA in the specified time periods where an anti-psychotic drug was listed by the reporter as being suspect. The total number of ADR reports for all antipsychotics is not equal to the sum of both atypical and traditional antipsychotics since an individual ADR report may provide more than one drug as suspect.
| Table 1: Number of suspected ADR reports received by the MHRA between 2003 and 2007 inclusive for antipsychotic drugs | |||
| All antipsychotics | Atypical antipsychotics | Traditional antipsychotics | |
The numbers of antipsychotic prescription items from the Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) database are shown in table 2.
| Table 2: Numbers of prescriptions showing numbers of antipsychotic prescription items( 1) (in thousands from the PCA database) between 2002 and 2006 | |||
| All antipsychotics | Atypical antipsychotics | Traditional antipsychotics | |
| (1 )Prescriptions items—prescriptions are written on a prescription form. Each single item written on the form is counted as a prescription item. | |||
Table 3 gives the numbers of suspected adverse reaction reports received for the three age cohorts each year since 2003. Reports of suspected ADRs do not always specify the original reporter’s address; therefore data on ADRs cannot be provided by region, strategic health authority or primary care trust area.
| Table 3: Number of suspected ADR reports received by the MHRA from all sources in each of the last 5 years broken down by three age groups | |||
| Age group | |||
| 50-64 | 65-74 | 75+ | |
The number of suspected adverse reaction reports associated with a fatal outcome each year for the last five years is shown in table 4. It is important to note that the submission of a suspected ADR report does not necessarily mean that it was caused by the drug. Many factors have to be taken into account in assessing causal relationships including the possible contribution of concomitant medication and the patient's underlying disease.
| Table 4: The number of fatal reports that have been received by the MHRA within the specified time periods broken down by three age groups | |||
| Age group | |||
| 50-64 | 65-74 | 75+ | |
Alcoholic Drinks: Rehabilitation
David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made on establishing (a) telephone helplines, (b) interactive websites and (c) support groups under the National Alcohol Strategy to assist people who want to drink less. [181681]
Dawn Primarolo: A number of resources are already in place:
Drinkline, which is funded by the Department, assists people who want to drink sensibly, providing them with advice over the phone and, if required, signposting them to the appropriate services. Advice is also available from NHS Direct.
Advice on alcohol consumption from several interactive websites:
the new Drinkaware website;
the Know Your Limits campaign site; and
from NHS Choices.
Many local providers have established support groups as one aspect of their broader alcohol harm reduction service.
The forthcoming campaign to raise awareness of units and encourage people to drink within the sensible drinking guidelines is due to launch in May and will strengthen the available support. It will include a website that will provide information designed to help people reduce their drinking and will signpost potentially harmful drinkers to telephone, web and paper-based materials as required.
The Department is conducting social marketing research to identify the best ways to help people to choose healthier lifestyles, including help lines, websites and support groups. New information and advice, targeted towards people who drink at harmful levels, their families and friends, will be available from the summer.
Ambulance Services: Cornwall
Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) ambulances and (b) rapid response vehicles there are in the north Cornwall area; and how many are on duty at any one time. [187256]
Mr. Bradshaw: This information requested is not held centrally.
The Department expects ambulance trusts to plan their resources to ensure that there is an appropriate provision of ambulance coverage for the communities they serve.
Therefore, this is a local matter for the South Western Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust, and the hon. Member may wish to approach the chief executive of the trust for this information.
Anabolic Steroids: Misuse
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department records the number of people treated by GPs for conditions caused by the abuse of anabolic steroids. [185328]
Dawn Primarolo: This information is not collected centrally.
Mr. Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department records the number of people admitted to hospital for conditions caused by the abuse of anabolic steroids. [185329]
Dawn Primarolo: Data on finished hospital admissions episodes are not recorded against a specific definition of conditions caused by the abuse of anabolic steroids.
However, data are collected on the number of finished hospital admissions episodes where there was a diagnosis, in any primary or secondary field of poisoning by androgens and anabolic congeners. This is recorded under the code T38.7.
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