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26 Mar 2009 : Column 687W—continued
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) bone marrow and (b) tissue transplants were undertaken on persons resident outside the UK in each transplant facility in each year since 1997; and what the scale of payments for such transplants in each year was. [266220]
Ann Keen: The following table shows ocular tissue transplants carried out in national health service hospitals on patients recorded as resident outside the UK(1), April 1998 to March 2008. Information is not collated centrally on numbers of transplants of bone marrow or other tissues into patients resident within or outside the UK. The scale of payments for such transplants is not held centrally. Participating hospitals in the UK report data on the outcome of bone marrow transplants to the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation which collects information on the outcome of transplants throughout Europe.
(1) Excluding Republic of Ireland
| Transplant unit | Cornea | Sclera | Total |
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much he has allocated for his Department's review of organ donations to people living outside the UK; and what plans he has to make allocations to hospitals in respect of the staff time involved in conducting the review. [266223]
Ann Keen: The Department has contracted with Elisabeth Buggins, former chair of the Organ Donation Taskforce, to undertake the review of organ allocation to non-UK European Union residents and to report her findings by June 2009. Cost implications for the national health service for involvement in the review are not expected to be significant other than that, any funding requirements will be considered during the course of the review.
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2009, Official Report, columns 259-60W, on transplant surgery: foreigners, how many of the organs used for transplants to overseas residents came from UK donors on the organ donation register; and at which units in private hospitals the transplants took place. [266225]
Ann Keen: The following table shows the organ donor register status of deceased donors whose organs were transplanted in national health service hospitals into patients recorded as resident outside the UK(1), April 1998 to March 2008. Information is not collated centrally at which units within private hospitals or NHS trusts transplants take place.
(1) Excluding Republic of Ireland
| Organ donor register status of deceased donors | |
| Number | |
Transplant Surgery: Payments
Mr. Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place to ensure that NHS patients receiving organs from (a) cadaveric and (b) live donation made (i) inside and (ii) outside the UK have not made payment for such organs. [266222]
Ann Keen: Section 32 of the Human Tissue Act 2004 makes it illegal to deal commercially in human material for transplantation. In effect this prohibits commercial dealing in all human material for transplants, subject to certain exceptions. Most importantly it makes trafficking in organ, tissue and cells for transplantation an offence and liable for a fine, imprisonment or both.
The Human Tissue Act does allow for the live donor to receive reimbursement of out of pocket expenses, such as travel costs and loss of earnings that are reasonably attributable to and directly a result of an organ donation.
All such payments must be made by a proper authority, for example, national health service commissioners or hospitals. Donors must not be reimbursed directly by the recipient nor by their family or friends. The Human Tissue Authority requires that checks are made to ensure that no other payment of any kind is made and that the donor does not make a profit from the donation.
Tunbridge Wells Homeopathic Hospital
Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he plans to close the Tunbridge Wells homeopathic hospital; and if he will make a statement. [265840]
Phil Hope [holding answer 23 March 2009]: Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust will no longer be providing homeopathic services for patients in West Kent from 1 April 2009. This follows a detailed clinical study by NHS West Kent in 2007 which concluded that it was not in the interests of overall patient care to continue to commission this service. It is the trust's understanding that the primary care trust will in future commission homeopathic services for patients on a case by case basis where each patient's clinical need is assessed.
Air Pollution
Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the changes in the incidence of (a) lung and (b) cardiovascular diseases in rural populations attributable to changes in levels of air pollution in each of the next 10 years if the Government's target of 39 TWh of renewable energy generation from biomass plant by 2020 is achieved. [264632]
Huw Irranca-Davies: I have been asked to reply.
DEFRA analysed six different scenarios. These assessed the impacts of the level of final uptake of biomass heat in 2020, the fuels likely to be replaced, and the locations in which biomass heat likely to be used. The analysis focused on the small industrial/commercial, public and domestic sectors. It should be noted that all large combustion plant (above 20MWth) and those burning waste material are already subject to strict emission limits and are therefore not likely to have a significant adverse impact on air quality. Replacement of coal for power generation may have a beneficial effect on air quality.
The six scenarios analysed were:
1. Final uptake in 2020 of 52TWh of heat, using high quality units (i.e. the best currently on the market in terms of emissions), with no bias for location or fuel replaced (i.e. uptake simply followed the current geographical patterns for heat demand);
2. Uptake of 52TWh, using medium quality units (i.e. average of units currently available on the market), no fuel or location bias;
3. Uptake of 50TWh, using high quality units and with a fuel and location bias (i.e. uptake tends to be away from Air Quality Management Areas—which are predominantly urban—and to replace coal and oil heating);
4. Uptake of 50TWh, using medium quality units and with a fuel and location bias;
5. Uptake of 38TWh, using high quality units and with a fuel and location bias;
6. Uptake of 38TWh, using medium quality units and with a fuel and location bias.
These scenarios were modelled on a national basis and compared with a ‘business as usual’ scenario, to assess the additional impact of biomass heat uptake. It was found that the impact on concentrations of nitrogen dioxide was negligible on a national basis. The impacts on concentrations of fine particles (PM10) were assessed for additional lengths of road exceeding the mandatory air quality limit values for PM10 and the costs to society of additional health impacts. The results of this analysis are presented in the following table.
DEFRA has made no direct assessment of the changes in incidence of lung and cardiovascular diseases. However, my Department has analysed the air quality impact of biomass heat uptake in accordance with the assumptions made in the Renewable Energy Strategy consultation document. These impacts have then been monetised, using advice from the Department of Health on the health effects of particles and economic methodologies agreed by the Interdepartmental Group on Costs and Benefits.
Women and Equality
Equal Pay
Julie Morgan: To ask the Minister for Women and Equality whether her Department has evaluated research on the effects the contingency fee funding mechanism used by lawyers for equal pay claims through the employment tribunal. [265693]
Bridget Prentice: I have been asked to reply.
The Ministry of Justice commissioned a scoping study in June 2008 into the use of ‘no win no fee’ covering conditional and contingency fees, in personal injury, employment and defamation cases. The objective was to advise on the feasibility of a fuller review. The scoping study has been completed and we expect to publish its report shortly.
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Anti-Semitism
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer of 11 March 2009, Official Report, column 545W, on higher education: anti-Semitism, what progress has been made in setting up the dedicated sub-group to the cross government working group against anti-Semitism; who the initial members of the sub-group will be; on what date the first meeting of the group is planned; and if he will make a statement. [266987]
Mr. Lammy: The following organisations have been invited to an initial meeting on Tuesday 7 April:
Union of Jewish Students
Community Security Trust
Board of Deputies of British Jews
Universities UK
GuildHE
Equality Challenge Unit
National Union of Students
University and College Union
Association of Managers of Student Services in Higher Education
Association for Managers in Student Unions
The Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education
Higher Education Funding Council for England
All Party Parliamentary Group Against Anti-Semitism
Communities and Local Government (observer status)
At this first meeting the group will agree its continuing membership and terms of reference. We see this group as playing an important role in helping to tackle anti-Semitism in higher education.
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