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24 Jun 2008 : Column 194W—continued
Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) whether he plans to liberalise the law relating to abortion in England and Wales; [213779]
(2) if he will bring forward legislation to amend the Abortion Act 1967; [213780]
(3) what recent representations he has received (a) supporting and (b) opposing the liberalisation of legislation relating to abortion. [213781]
Dawn Primarolo: It is accepted parliamentary practice that proposals for changes in the law on abortion come from Back-Bench Members and that decisions are made on the basis of free votes. The Government have no plans to change the law on abortion.
During 2008, we have received 200 letters on issues relating to abortion and around 1,650 letters about the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, some of which have mentioned abortion. Records are not kept on how many of these support or oppose liberalising the law on abortion.
Alcoholic Drinks: Greater London
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many hospital admissions for conditions related to (a) alcohol abuse and (b) drug abuse there were in each London primary care trust in each of the last five years. [210267]
Dawn Primarolo: Information on hospital admissions for conditions related to alcohol abuse and drug abuse is not collected centrally.
Bone Cancer
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on research into bone cancer in each of the last five years. [213665]
Dawn Primarolo: Over the last 10 years, the main part of the Department's research and development budget has been allocated to and managed by national health service organisations. Those organisations have accounted for their use of the allocations they have received from the Department in an annual research and development report. The reports identify total, aggregated expenditure on national priority areas, including cancer. They do not provide details of research into particular cancer sites.
The National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI), a United Kingdom-wide partnership between Government, charities and industry, makes cancer research information available online via the International Cancer Research Portfolio database at:
Details of current departmental and Medical Research Council site-specific cancer research can be found through this database.
The NCRI's 2004 strategic analysis of the directly funded cancer research supported by Government and charities showed that 62 per cent. of total funding was dedicated to supporting research that could be applicable to all cancers.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on raising awareness of bone cancer symptoms among (a) general practitioners and other medical professionals and (b) the general public in each of the last three years. [213666]
Ann Keen: In December 2007, the Cancer Reform Strategy (copies of the strategy are available in the Library) established the National Awareness and Early Detection Initiative, led by the National Cancer Director. In order to co-ordinate a programme of activity to support local interventions to increase cancer symptom awareness, the initiative is bringing together and collaborating with representatives of local authorities, the Department, the National Cancer Research Institute, cancer charities such as Cancer 52 (a charity representing rarer cancers, including primary bone cancer), and patient representatives. The initiative will co-ordinate a programme of activity to support local interventions to increase cancer symptom awareness.
This initiative is in the early stages of development, and appropriate funding will be made available as necessary.
Bone Cancer: Young People
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on treating bone cancer in young people (a) in Lancashire and (b) nationally in each of the last five years; and with what rate of success in each case. [213667]
Ann Keen: In 2006-07, the national health service spent approximately £4.35 billion on cancer services. Expenditure on bone cancer cannot be separately identified from this figure.
The relative five-year survival rates for patients aged 15 to 49 in England and Wales diagnosed with bone cancer between 1996 and 1999, and followed up to 2001, were 53 per cent. for men and 60 per cent. for women. For those aged 15 to 99, the survival rates were 44.1 per cent. for men and 54.2 per cent. for women.
The relative five-year survival rates for children in England and Wales diagnosed with osteosarcoma between 1986 and 1990, and followed up to 1995, were 47 per cent. for boys and 56 per cent. for girls. For the north and north-west region, the rate was 55 per cent. for all children.
Survival rates figures for England and, more specifically, Lancashire, are not available.
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average time taken to diagnose bone cancer in young people (a) in Lancashire and (b) nationally was in each of the last five years. [213668]
Ann Keen: This information is not held centrally.
British Association for Immediate Care: Doctors
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance his Department has issued to hospitals on (a) BASIC doctors attending at the scene of an incident and (b) provisions to be made to care for their patients during such absences from the hospital. [213610]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department has not published any specific guidance to BASIC doctors. However, in the “NHS Emergency Planning Guidance 2005”, generic advice on pre-hospital care is provided, copies of the guidance are available in the Library. Those BASIC doctors that work full time for the national health service, can only respond to out-of-hospital incidents when they are not on NHS duty.
Carers: Finance
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will break down by budget heading the cost of carrying out the National Carers Review. [212129]
Mr. Ivan Lewis [holding answer 18 June 2008]: We undertook an extensive consultation across Government and with stakeholders in carrying out National carers review. The cost of carrying this out was £665,999 exclusive of VAT.
This figure can be broken down as follows:
£99,693—cost of nine regional events;
£114,897—cost of four deliberative events, (including one specifically for young carers); and
£451,409—cost of the web consultation and research. This figure can be broken down as follows:
£32,525—developing and design of the online consultation;
£26,112—design and production of Ideas Tree toolkit and PDF;
£6,530—input, coding and analysis of the first 1,000 paper responses;
£336,342—research element of the nine regional events and two deliberative events; and
£49,900—inclusion of members of the public in deliberative events.
Chilvers McRae
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what contracts the NHS has with Chilvers McRae. [212206]
Mr. Bradshaw: The Department does not hold information on local contracts between primary care trusts and their primary care providers.
Continuing Care: Fees and Charges
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether consequential deductions from state pensions are made in respect of those pensioners receiving NHS continuing care. [212201]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: I have been asked to reply.
No. In April 2006, we abolished reductions in state pension entitlement for people in NHS hospitals.
Cord Blood
Mr. Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS maternity units he estimates will apply for the new cord blood collection licence announced by the Human Tissue Authority on 30th April 2008. [210828]
Dawn Primarolo: It is not possible to determine at this stage what proportion of those applying for a licence will be national health service maternity units. The Human Tissue Authority estimates that there are between 50 and 200 procurement organisations. Up to half of these are thought to be related to umbilical cord blood. Some are already licensed and others will be able to work under valid third party agreements which mean that they will not themselves require a licence.
Departmental Public Expenditure
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 May 2008, Official Report, columns 1672-3W, on departmental public expenditure, what centrally determined investment priorities are funded under the programme capital scheme. [209181]
Mr. Bradshaw:
The centrally determined investment priorities that will receive some funding under the programme capital arrangements are listed as follows.
National Health Service organisations will receive information shortly on the amounts available for these investment priorities.
Coronary heart disease completing last of major 'Heart Centres' schemes announced in late 2001-02
Connecting for Health Central Funding for local implementation
Genetics—modernisation of services
Psychiatric Intensive Care Units and 'places of safety'
High Security Services
Workforce—Medical school expansion
Workforce—Dental school expansion
Workforce—Radiological academies and radiotherapy training
Decontamination—completion of programme
Great Ormond Street 'Phase 2'
Funds for publicly funded enabling schemes for PFI schemes in procurement Occupational Health Outreach pilot sites
Funds to support improved energy efficiency in NHS Buildings
Radiotherapy training
Hazardous Area Response teams and Emergency vehicles and equipment
Research and Development Strategy
NHS Direct
End of Life Care, grants to be allocated in conjunction with Kings Fund
Community Hospitals Programme
Fluoridation
Learning Disability Grants to permit transfer of service users from NHS facilities to tenanted facilities in community
Drugs misuse treatment strategy—schemes to increase residential drug treatment capacity
Pilot Healthy living centre for offenders
Pulmonary Rehab Equipment
Capital Resource Cover for Wave 1 Independent Sector treatment Centre schemes
Dietary Supplements: Folic Acid
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what limits the Food Standards Agency plans to apply to the level of folic acid in food supplements imported from (a) Guernsey and (b) Jersey. [211435]
Dawn Primarolo: The Food Standards Agency has no current plans to apply a limit to the level of folic acid which may be present in food supplements imported from Guernsey or Jersey.
However, commercial imports of food supplements into the UK (including those consigned from Guernsey and Jersey) must comply with relevant food law including the EC Food Supplements Directive. This legislation includes an obligation to set maximum levels for vitamins and minerals (including folic acid) in food supplements on the basis of scientific risk assessment. Levels have not yet been set and work is currently under way with proposals from the European Commission expected in January 2009.
Emergency Services
Mr. Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued on major incidents to enable deployment of mobile emergency response incidence teams. [213609]
Dawn Primarolo: The “NHS Emergency Planning Guidance 2005” describes the arrangements for the organisation of immediate medical care at the scene of a major incident. Copies of the guidance are available in the Library.
The Department has been working with key stakeholders to develop more detailed guidance on medical response incidents teams. It is hoped that this guidance will be published in autumn this year.
The guidance will describe the make-up of the team, the training requirements and the categories of incidences the teams will be required to respond to.
Environmental Health
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on how many occasions environmental health officers closed premises for public health reasons in each region of England in each year since 1997. [213495]
Dawn Primarolo: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) holds information on the numbers of food establishments closed by environmental health officers (by emergency prohibition notices/orders or closure on a voluntary basis) because of their imminent risk to food safety. We can supply this information on an England only basis as we do not collate the information regionally. Non-food establishments may be subject to closure for public health reasons, but data on this would not be collected by the FSA.
Local authority environmental health officers have powers under food safety regulations to close food premises through either an emergency prohibition notice (or order), or a voluntary closure. In a small number of cases, an emergency notice may be served prohibiting the use of a specified piece of equipment; however, the food business may continue to operate. This information is shown in the following table.
| Number of food establishments in England subject to: | 2006-07 | 2005-06 | 2004-05 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 |
| Note: Data were collected on a financial year basis from 2004-05 but on a calendar year basis prior to this. | ||||||||||
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