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1 May 2008 : Column 604W—continued
Speed Limits: Cameras
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of commercially available speed camera detection systems. [203232]
Jim Fitzpatrick:
The Department has not assessed the effectiveness of commercially available speed camera detection systems. However, the Road Safety
Act 2006 gives the Secretary of State the power to prohibit by regulations a vehicle being fitted with, or a person using a vehicle carrying speed assessment equipment detection devices. The Government have always made clear that they do not intend to prohibit the use of purely GPS-based devices which identify the location of cameras through publicly available information. They do however wish to prevent the carriage and use of devices which detect or interfere with the operation of speed measuring equipment through other means. The actual devices to be covered by the ban will be the subject of full public consultation before the associated secondary legislation is laid before Parliament.
Transport: North West
Mark Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the per capita spending was from the public purse on (a) roads, (b) buses, (c) railways, (d) cycling, (e) walking and (e) air travel in each parliamentary constituency in the north-west in each year since 1997. [202730]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 30 April 2008]: These data are not available centrally.
Spending for transport is financed by both central and local government. Information is not available at parliamentary constituency level. Spending by local authorities is collected by Communities and Local Government and relevant data can be found at:
Some figures on central Government spending (including grant to local authorities) are available for Government office regional level from the Country and
Regional Analysis of the Public Expenditure Statistical Analysis carried out by the HM Treasury and can be found at:
Wheelchairs: Accidents
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many people were (a) killed, (b) seriously injured and (c) slightly injured in accidents involving powered wheelchairs and mobility scooters in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [202123]
Ms Rosie Winterton [holding answer 28 April 2008]: The Department for Transport does not currently collect national data on the number of accidents involving powered wheelchairs and mobility scooters.
In 2006, the Department published research into the use of Class 2 and Class 3 mobility scooters and powered wheelchairs. The research concluded that mobility scooters do not have a significant impact upon safety. However, as mobility scooter usage is likely to increase in the future, the Department is monitoring policy in this area.
Health
Continuing Care: Suffolk
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people received continuing care in Suffolk in each of the last five years. [201498]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: Information on the number of people who received continuing care in the Suffolk Primary Care Trust (PCT) area in each of the last five years can be found in the following table.
| Organisation | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 |
| n/a = Not applicable Notes: 1. In 2002-03 not all PCTs submitted data. These organisations have been marked as ‘no data’. 2. The data are from a snapshot carried out in quarter 4 each year. 3. The data relate to organisations as they existed at the time of the collection. Suffolk Coastal PCT, Ipswich PCT, Central Suffolk PCT and Suffolk West PCT merged to form Suffolk PCT on 1 October 2006. Source: Department of Health form: local delivery plan return commissioner | |||||
Dental Services
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists have been issued with negative schedule letters as a result of negative schedule audits in (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2006-07; how much dentists were required to pay to the NHS Business Services Authority’s Dental Practice Division in each year; and if he will make a statement. [202098]
Ann Keen: Only dental providers hold contracts with the national health service. Many dentists are not contract holders themselves but work under contract to lead providers. Information on the number of dental providers who have individually received a letter in 2006-07 and 2007-08 is available but could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Data Protection
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 26 March 2008, Official Report, column 200W, on departmental data protection, if he will include information assurance data on data loss incidents in previous years in his Department’s next annual report. [199176]
Mr. Bradshaw: I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister on 21 November 2007, Official Report, column 1179 and the written ministerial statement made by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Edward Miliband) on 17 December 2007, Official Report, column 98WS. The review by the Cabinet Secretary and security experts is looking at procedures within Departments and agencies for storage and use of data.
The interim report of 17 December 2007 committed to put in place a programme to examine and improve data handling procedures. An update on this commitment will be included in the final report, expected spring 2008, and this report will detail the information to be included by Departments on data loss in their annual reports.
Departmental Written Questions
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many days it took on average to answer written parliamentary questions tabled by each hon. Member for answer by him in the last six months. [201760]
Mr. Bradshaw: The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Dietary Supplements: EU Law
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects of the Food Supplements Directive on the availability of high potency supplements in the UK. [202131]
Dawn Primarolo: The Food Supplements Directive includes provisions for setting maximum levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements. Proposals from the European Commission for setting levels are not expected until early 2009. No assessment has been made of the effects of the Food Supplements Directive on the availability of high potency supplements in the United Kingdom. However, the Food Standards Agency is currently developing an initial impact assessment with input from the UK food supplements industry to assess the effects of future proposals for setting maximum levels of vitamins and minerals in food supplements, including high potency supplements, under the Food Supplements Directive 2002/46/EC.
Electronic Government
Mr. Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether mechanisms are in place to monitor the extent to which his Department’s (a) internal and (b) external (i) correspondence and (ii) distribution of publications is carried out electronically. [199189]
Mr. Bradshaw: It is the policy of the Department to provide all publications in electronic format at www.dh.gov.uk, or in the case of internal publications, the departmental intranet, Delphi. The only exception to this is the all-staff magazine, LINK, which is distributed monthly in hard copy via internal post.
For correspondence from members of the public, the answer is given electronically if received electronically and likewise given in hard copy if received that way. Currently, where hon. Members write to Ministers, even if electronically, the Department always responds with a hard copy.
Fluoxetine: Suffolk
Mr. Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients in Suffolk have been prescribed fluoxetine in each of the last five years. [201495]
Dawn Primarolo: Information is not collected centrally about the number of patients who are prescribed particular drugs. The following table shows the number of prescriptions dispensed for fluoxetine for the primary care trusts (PCTs) that cover Suffolk from 2003-04 to 2007-08.
| Number of prescriptions dispensed for fluoxetine in Suffolk | |
| Financial year | Number of items dispensed |
| Notes: 1. For the years 2003-04 to 2005-06, the figure for Suffolk is a combination of the figures for Central Suffolk PCT, Ipswich PCT, Suffolk Coastal PCT, Suffolk West PCT and Waveney PCT. For the year 2006-07, where PCTs were reorganised in October 2006, the figure for Suffolk is a combination of the figures for the old PCTs listed above and the new Suffolk PCT. For the financial year 2007-08, the figure is for the new Suffolk PCT alone. 2. The figure for 2006-07 does not include prescribing in the area of the former Waveney PCT after October 2006, when the PCT joined the former Great Yarmouth Teaching PCT to become Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT. 3. The figure for 2007-08 includes prescribing for 11 months only (April 2007 to February 2008). Data for the remaining month are not yet available. This figure also excludes prescribing from the former Waveney PCT area, which now forms part of Great Yarmouth and Waveney PCT. 4. The PACT system covers prescriptions by general practitioners, nurses, pharmacists and others in England and dispensed in the community in the UK. For data at PCT level, prescriptions written by a prescriber located in a particular PCT but dispensed outside that PCT will be included in the PCT in which the prescriber is based. Prescriptions written in England but dispensed outside England are included. Prescriptions written in hospitals/clinics that are dispensed in the community, prescriptions dispensed in hospitals and private prescriptions are not included in PACT data. It is important to note this as some British National Formulary (BNF) sections have a high proportion of prescriptions written in hospitals that are dispensed in the community. For example, BNF chapter 4, “Central Nervous System”, has a proportion of items written in mental health clinics that are dispensed in the community—these prescriptions are not included in PACT data. Source: Information Centre for health and social care—Prescribing Analysis and CosT tool (PACT) | |
Folic Acid: Flour
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has received representations from low-volume millers on the application of mandatory fortification with folic acid of bread and flour; and if he will make a statement. [202431]
Dawn Primarolo: Prior to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) Board's recommendation for mandatory fortification of flour or bread with folic acid in 2007, a full public consultation was held, enabling a broad range of views to be taken into account. Low volume millers responded to the consultation directly and were also represented via trade associations such as the National Association of British and Irish Millers (NABIM).
Before and following the consultation, FSA officials held regular meetings with NABIM to collect information and inform industry about latest developments in this area.
Food Standards Agency: Edelman
Greg Clark:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what payments the Food Standards Agency made to
(a) Edelman and (b) Strategem in each of the last five years; and on what date and for what purpose the payment was made in each case. [202292]
Dawn Primarolo: The payments to ‘Strategem’ during the last five years are listed as follows:
| Financial year | Total for year (£) | Breakdown by Invoice (£) | Payment date | Description |
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