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26 Feb 2008 : Column 1456W—continued
Chemotherapy
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health further to the publication of the Cancer Reform Strategy, what the timetable is for asking all chemotherapy service providers to return an agreed dataset on all patients receiving chemotherapy. [183990]
Ann Keen: The chemotherapy dataset is currently being defined by the National Chemotherapy Advisory Group. Work on the dataset should be completed by October 2008 and reporting is due to begin from October 2009.
Mr. Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health further to the publication of the Cancer Reform Strategy, when he expects primary care trusts (a) to undertake a review of cancer chemotherapy and (b) to develop a strategic framework for chemotherapy services. [183991]
Ann Keen: As set out in the Cancer Reform Strategy, a National Chemotherapy Advisory Group (NCAG) has been established and is considering all aspects of chemotherapy.
Publication of the NCAG report is expected in the spring and will recommend next steps for chemotherapy services. The Department and the cancer action team will then work with cancer networks and primary care trusts to take forward NCAG’s recommendations where appropriate.
Childbirth
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to improve the (a) prediction and (b) prevention of premature births. [171939]
Ann Keen: We are funding research linked to premature births from the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit. Some parts of this research, for example, big trials, have received additional funding from agencies such as the Medical Research Council. In general terms, keeping healthy and maintaining good nutrition during pregnancy is important for the wellbeing of both the mother and baby.
Childbirth: Social Security
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will take steps to ensure that parents whose child is premature and is in neo-natal care are made aware of all financial and other support schemes available to them; and if he will make a statement; [185559]
(2) if he will improve existing financial and other support schemes available to parents whose child is premature and is in neo-natal care; and if he will make a statement. [185560]
Ann Keen: The “Pregnancy Book” (given to all first time mothers by their midwife at an early appointment after they become pregnant) and “Birth to Five” both give detailed information on the financial and other sources of help and advice available to parents of a newborn child. The financial help available includes the sure start maternity grant, statutory maternity pay and the maternity allowance. We understand there are no plans to increase this financial help at this time.
This help will be supplemented from 2009 by the health in pregnancy grant (HiPG). The HiPG will be a one-off payment of £190 available to all expectant mothers ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, which can be claimed from the 25th week of pregnancy. The grant will provide flexible financial help to support the general health and well-being of women in the later stages of pregnancy, which will contribute to the health of the baby, and to help meet wider costs in the run up to birth.
Departmental Carbon Emissions
Mr. Kemp: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to reduce his Department’s carbon dioxide emissions in 2008-09. [181811]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department reduced its overall carbon emissions by 15.4 per cent. between 1999-2000 and 2005-06. This exceeds the target set for departments in 2006, to reduce carbon emissions by 12.5 per cent. by 2010-11. We continue our activities to reduce our emissions further.
All the electricity purchased for our London administrative estate comes from renewable sources. We have been working with the Carbon Trust over the last 18 months to identify energy saving measures, and we have recently appointed a consultant to work with
us to implement a Carbon Management Programme throughout our core estate and in our arm’s length bodies.
We continue to expand provision of video conferencing, which helps to reduce the emissions associated with business travel. Over the past 12 months we have introduced a new managed print service where existing printers, photocopiers and fax machines have been replaced by multi-function devices. This has reduced the number of print devices by three-quarters. The ratio of staff to printers has reduced from 3:1 to an average of 10:1.
Departmental Security
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the (a) special advisers and (b) ministerial appointees in possession of a security pass enabling access to his Department’s main building in the month prior to the Prorogation of Parliament for the 2005 general election. [182194]
Mr. Bradshaw: It is established practice not to provide details on pass access to Government buildings for security reasons.
Eyesight: Children
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects of reducing the upper age limit for children's free eye examinations. [186126]
Ann Keen: Children aged under 16 and those aged 16, 17 and 18 in full-time education have been entitled to free sight tests since 1948. No changes to the age limits for children have been made in this time.
Fluoride: Drinking Water
Mr. Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations his Department has received on the long-term health effects of adding fluoride to drinking water; and if he will make a statement. [188254]
Ann Keen [holding answer 25 February 2008]: Fluoride offers the best prospect for reducing inequalities in oral health. The benefits to oral health from the fluoridation of water have been welcomed, but we have received representations from people concerned that there may be harmful side effects. The Department monitors relevant research and also commissions its own research and the Department is pleased to say there is no evidence of any risk to people's general health from the fluoridation of water at the 1 part per million level used in fluoridation schemes in the United Kingdom.
Food Poisoning
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were treated for food poisoning in the last year for which figures are available. [188578]
Dawn Primarolo: The estimated number of people that were treated for indigenous food-borne disease in England and Wales in 2006 is given in the following table:
| 2006 | |
| Number | |
| Note: Estimates have been rounded to the nearest 1,000 for all cases. Source: Figures were estimated by the Health Protection Agency using the methodology described in Adak G K, Long S M, O'Brien S J. Gut 2002; 51: 832-41. This methodology uses available surveillance data, special survey data, and hospital episode statistics to estimate the burden of indigenous food-borne disease in England and Wales. | |
Food: Labelling
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps his Department (a) has taken in each of the last two years and (b) plans to take in each of the next two years with food manufacturers to improve the labelling of food; what recent representations he has received about this issue; and if he will make a statement; [186398]
(2) which organisations and individuals the Food Standards Authority Agency (a) consulted in each of the last six months and (b) plans to consult in the next six months about improving food labelling information; and if he will make a statement; [186400]
(3) what (a) primary and (b) delegated legislation regulates the labelling of food; what changes have been made to each since enactment; what further amendments are planned; and if he will make a statement. [186404]
Dawn Primarolo: Food labelling, including nutrition labelling, is the responsibility of the Food Standards Agency, which reports to Parliament through Health Ministers.
Food labelling rules are largely harmonised at European Union level and implemented in the United Kingdom by the Food Labelling Regulations 1996 (as amended) (the FLR). The FLRs were made under the Food Safety Act 1990 and have been amended 32 times since inception.
The agency actively and regularly engages with a wide range of stakeholders and a range of food labelling issues including the Government favoured traffic light system, as required in the development of UK policy. This includes the formal and informal consultation of over 1,100 individuals on the agency’s interested parties list, consumer groups, manufacturers, retailers, enforcement and other Government Departments. The agency has carried out four formal consultations using this database over the last six months. Further consultations will take place on the European Commission’s (EC) proposal during the next six months. We have also been working with the retail sector to carry out an independent evaluation of front of pack signpost labels.
The agency has also recently consulted on and issued best practice guidance on country of origin labelling; clear labelling; use of marketing terms; allergen labelling and fish and meat labelling.
Health Services: Rossendale
Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with the North West Strategic Health Authority on the bid from the East Lancashire Primary Care Trust for funding for a health hub in Rossendale. [185028]
Ann Keen: The Department is aware of the plans by the East Lancashire Teaching Primary Care Trust for the development of a specialist health hub in Rossendale. However, no formal discussions have taken place on funding and no plans have yet been submitted to the Department for consideration.
Health: Climate Change
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research the Government have (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the effects of climate change on public health in the last five years. [188904]
Dawn Primarolo [holding answer 25 February 2008]: At the request of the Department, an expert panel on climate change and health in the United Kingdom was formed, which included experts from a range of relevant fields, to advise and report from a wide range of available evidence, on the likely impact of climate change on health, and implications for the national health service.
Their resulting report Health Effects of Climate Change in the UK was published in 2002.
More recently, the Department commissioned another panel of independent scientific experts to focus on areas that had changed since the original report, based on the latest information and predictions about climate change. Their resulting update report was published jointly by the Department and the Health Protection Agency on 12 February 2008.
Both reports are available on the Department's website at:
Copies of the first report are available in the Library and copies of the update report have been placed in the Library.
Health: Telephone Services
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to develop Payment by Results into the area of telephone consultations. [189594]
Mr. Bradshaw: The “Options for the Future of Payment by Results: 2008-09 to 2010-11” consultation document put forward proposals for developing a tariff for non-face-to-face consultations by 2010-11. We are putting in place the ‘building blocks’ that would enable this type of tariff to be introduced. No decision has yet been made for the date of its implementation.
Hospital Wards: Gender
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which new hospitals opened in each of the last five financial years; and what proportion of beds in each were in single rooms. [180856]
Mr. Bradshaw: Information for hospital build schemes with a capital value over £25 million is in the table.
Information is not held centrally for schemes below this threshold and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.
Since 2001, the Department’s guidance is that the proportion of single rooms in new hospital developments should aim to be 50 per cent., but should not fall below 20 per cent. and must be higher than the facilities they are replacing. Each trust makes an informed choice regarding the appropriate percentage of single bed provision based on practical considerations such as site restrictions and affordability as well as clinical and operational restrictions. The policy and design guidance for the provision of single rooms in mental health accommodation is 100 per cent.
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