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16 Dec 2008 : Column 676W—continued
Community Hospitals
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to build new community hospitals in (a) Northamptonshire and (b) England in the next five years. [243864]
Mr. Bradshaw [holding answer 15 December 2008]: Under the South Midlands Local Improvement Finance Trust project, Northamptonshire Teaching Primary Care Trust (PCT) is working up proposals for a new Corby community hospital, to replace the Willowbrook health complex. The PCT also has plans, at the early stage of development, for a new community hospital in Isebrook, Wellingborough. Specific dates have not been set, however it is in the financial plan within the next five years.
In the rest of England we have awarded up to £250 million capital from the community hospitals and services programme to 28 schemes. We are currently giving consideration to the Department's capital programme budgets and we will take into account additional schemes that might receive funding.
Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act had been held in police custody in the latest period for which figures are available. [241324]
Phil Hope: Comprehensive national information on the number of people detained under section 136 of the Mental Health Act 1983 is not available. Research by the Independent Complaints Commission estimated that a total of 11,517 people were detained in police stations in England and Wales under section 136 in 2005-06. In the same year, statistics published by the Information Centre for Health and Social Care record 5,495 detentions under section 136 in hospitals in England and statistics published by the National Assembly for Wales record a further 263 people detained in mental health facilities in Wales.
Contaminated Blood and Blood Products Inquiry
Jenny Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of the documents rediscovered by his Department in 2007 relating to the safety of blood products have been (a) publicly released and (b) released to the Archer inquiry; and if he will make a statement. [240430]
Dawn Primarolo: Some 4,500 documents were discovered in unregistered files. With the exception of a small number withheld under exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act, these documents were issued to Lord Archer’s inquiry between June-October 2007 and then placed on the Department’s website.
In total 18 documents were withheld entirely, and 17 documents partly withheld, under the following exemptions in the Freedom of Information Act:
| Exemption | Document withheld | Part of document withheld | Total documents wholly or partly withheld |
Dementia
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people with dementia were recorded on dementia registers by GPs as part of the dementia indicator quality outcome framework. [241056]
Phil Hope: For 2007-08 there were 220,246 people with dementia recorded on dementia registers by general practitioners as part of the dementia indicator in the quality outcomes framework.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the number of people with (a) dementia and (b) cancer in England; and how much his Department spent on medical research on (i) cancer and (ii) dementia in 2007-08. [241057]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department does not currently collect information on the number of people with dementia. However, the Dementia UK report, published in 2007 by the Alzheimer's Society, estimated that there were 683,997 people in the United Kingdom with dementia.
Information about prevalence of cancer was published for the first time in July 2008 by the National Cancer Intelligence Network (NCIN). This shows that there are currently approximately 1.6 million people in England who have been diagnosed with cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer.
The information requested in respect of research expenditure is shown in the following table.
| 2007-08 Expenditure | ||
| £ million | ||
| Department | Medical Research Council | |
| Notes: 1. National health service support for degenerative neurological disorder research and comparable expenditure from National Institute for Health Research funding streams (including the cost of the dementias and neurodegenerative diseases research network). 2. Includes spend on some projects not previously included in annual totals. | ||
Diabetes: Children
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to assist those with childhood diabetes to cope with the condition. [243080]
Ann Keen: Our document “Making Every Young Person with Diabetes Matter”, published in April 2007, drew attention to differences in the management of diabetes in children and young people—which is complex and significantly different from adult care. A copy of the document has already been placed in the Library.
It stated that all children and young people with diabetes should have access to a Children and Young Person Specialist Diabetes (CYPSD) team with appropriate training and competencies; routine care, continuing care and annual assessment; and access to routine and integrated psychological support.
A Children and Young People Diabetes Implementation Support Group has been set up to take forward work on the report's recommendations. The group is chaired by the National Clinical Director for Children, Dr Sheila Shribman, and includes representation from Diabetes UK, Royal Colleges, young people with diabetes, parents and representatives from organisations with an interest in this area, including the Healthcare Commission.
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many children of school age have been diagnosed with diabetes; [243011]
(2) what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Children, Schools and Families on improving the provision of healthcare in schools for children with diabetes. [243050]
Ann Keen:
Data for the number of children of school age diagnosed with diabetes are not available. However, estimates suggest there are an estimated 20,000 children with diabetes in England (the vast majority type 1
diabetes), and some experts suggest that there may be up to 1,000 children with type 2 diabetes in England.
In 2005, the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), in close liaison with the Department, issued guidance on Managing Medicines in Schools and Early Years Settings. This guidance explains the roles and responsibilities of employers, parents and carers, governing bodies, head teachers, teachers and other staff, and of local health services. This includes the effective management of long term conditions, like diabetes, while attending school.
We shall, of course, work closely with DCSF on any future revision of the guidance.
Drugs: Misuse
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of all drug misuse deaths in England occurred in London in the latest period for which figures are available. [240588]
Kevin Brennan: I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated December 2008:
As National Statistician. I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what proportion of all drug misuse deaths in England occurred in London in the latest period for which figures arc available. (240588)
The proportion of all deaths in England that were to residents of London government office region(1), for which the underlying cause was drug poisoning(2) where any drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 was mentioned on the death certificate, was 14 per cent in 2007(3) (the latest year available).
(1) Based on boundaries as of 2008.
(2) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10). Deaths were included where the underlying cause was due to drug poisoning (corresponding ICD-10 codes are shown in the following table) and where a drug controlled under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 was mentioned on the death certificate.
(3) Figures are for deaths registered in 2007.
Drugs: Prisons
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health in how many prisons the Integrated Drug Treatment System has been introduced. [240711]
Phil Hope: In November 2008, 50 of the 53 first and second waves of Integrated Drug Treatment System (IDTS) prisons were assessed as having an operational service providing all key elements of IDTS clinical services.
Of the 53 first and second waves of IDTS prisons 29 have received additional National Offender Management Service funding for enhanced Counselling, Assessment, Referral, Advice, Throughcare service (CARATs) resources and are considered ‘fully funded’ sites. All 29 of these prisons are providing an enhanced CARAT service.
A further 38 sites (‘the third wave’) have received Departmental funding in 2008-09 to implement clinical elements of IDTS.
Euthanasia
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many times his Department has consulted (a) formally and (b) informally on end-of-life decision-making since June 2008; which stakeholders have made representations to his Department on such matters during this period; if he will place in the Library a copy of each such representation; and if he will make a statement. [242688]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department has conducted no consultation on end of life decision making since June 2008 and has had 124 letters and emails from professionals, the public and organisations since June 2008 on end-of- life issues expressing a wide range of views and opinions.
Exercise: Health Education
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the “Let's Get Moving” resource pack has been provided to all GP surgeries in England. [240369]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department has developed a resource pack called ‘Let's Get Moving: Your complete guide to becoming more active’ to support the primary care physical activity care pathway intervention (PACP), which aims to get sedentary people more active. The “Let's Get Moving” resource has recently undergone intensive user testing with target groups and is being used in a London pilot of the PACP.
Primary care trusts throughout England will be encouraged to deliver the PACP from spring 2009, at which stage copies of the resource will be made available to participating general practitioner surgeries along with other measures to support the aims of the intervention.
Health Hazards: Genetically Modified Organisms
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reports he has received of research into the potential harmful effects associated with genetically modified maize and soya varieties approved for food and feeds use in the EU; and if he will support a tightening of the regulatory and approvals regime for such varieties. [242649]
Dawn Primarolo: New research is regularly published in the field of genetically modified organisms and we are aware of a number of recent studies concerning authorised genetically modified maize and soya varieties which could have a bearing on the safety of these products. These reports will be scrutinised by the Advisory Committee on Novel Foods and Processes, and or by the European Food Safety Authority, in order to assess their significance for the safe use of these genetically modified (GM) materials in food and feed.
The safety of new GM materials is rigorously assessed by the European Food Safety Authority before they are cleared for use in food or feed and the current system provides adequate assurances that authorised materials are as safe as their conventional counterparts.
Mr. Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide resources for reporting bodies and advising committees on genetically-modified organisms to sponsor independent feeding trials to establish the safety or otherwise of genetically modified (GM) food and feed varieties prior to the authorisation process; and if he will support measures to oblige GM seed growers to provide reference materials for such trials. [242651]
Dawn Primarolo: It is the responsibility of the applicants to provide all the information that is needed to support the assessment of their products. It would not be appropriate for public funds to be spent on research into individual genetically modified crops in order to allow the pre-market risk assessment to proceed.
Health Visitors: Children
Mrs. Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many home visits on average a child considered to be at (a) low risk and (b) high risk received from an allocated health visitor in the first two years following assessment in each region in each year between 1997 and 3 August 2007; and if he will make a statement; [241899]
(2) how many home visits on average a child considered to be at (a) low risk and (b) high risk received from an allocated health visitor in the first two years following assessment in each region between 9 September 2008 and the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement; [241900]
(3) what the average number of cases allocated to health visitors was in each region between 9 September 2008 and the latest date for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement; [241914]
(4) what the average number of cases allocated to health visitors in each region was in each year between 1997 and 3 August 2007; and if he will make a statement. [241915]
Ann Keen: The information requested is not collected centrally. While the updated Child Health Promotion Programme, launched on 17 March 2008, identifies health visitors as the lead practitioners in promoting the health of children below the age of five, it is for local national health service and local authority commissioners to commission children's services according to local needs.
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