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4 Jun 2009 : Column 669W—continued
Lyme Disease
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research into lyme disease his Department plans for (a) 2009-10 and (b) 2010-11. [277817]
Dawn Primarolo: Neither the Department nor the Medical Research Council (MRC) is currently supporting research directly concerned with lyme disease, although the MRC funds a broader portfolio of basic underpinning research relating to bacterial infection and emerging diseases that may lead to further understanding of the condition.
Measles, Mumps and Rubella
Mr. Neil Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many reported cases of (a) mumps, (b) measles and (c) rubella there were in each year since 1997. [277107]
Dawn Primarolo: The information supplied by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) is shown in the following table.
| All laboratory confirmed cases of measles, mumps and rubella, England and Wales, 1997 to 2008 | |||
| Measles | Mumps | Rubella | |
| (1 )Provisional totals. Notes: 1. Measles and mumps includes those confirmed by testing serum and by oral fluid 2. Rubella includes serum confirmed from 1997, but since 1998 includes both serum and oral fluid. 3. From February 2005, the HPA recommended that, during the period of increased mumps incidence, oral fluid sample should not be taken from individuals with clinical mumps who are born between 1981 and 1986, and they should be managed as if they were confirmed cases. For the purpose of reporting, all notified cases of mumps in this 15 to 24-year-old age group are being counted as confirmed. | |||
NHS Appointments Service
Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what expenditure his Department incurred on the NHS Appointments Service in the last 12 months; and how many people were employed by the service at the latest date for which figures are available. [277782]
Ann Keen: In 2008-09, the Department provided the Appointments Commission with £4,228,000 (including capital funding), for which the Commission made 825 public appointments, provided an induction programme for appointees, ensured systems were in place to appraise the performance of public appointees, provided training and development opportunities and updated the Commission’s information and communication technology.
During the period 1 April 2008 to 31 March 2009, an average of 52 whole time equivalent staff were employed at the Appointments Commission.
NHS: Innovation
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what (a) terms of reference have and (b) timetable has been set for the review of innovation in the NHS led by Professor Kennedy. [277836]
Dawn Primarolo: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has commissioned Professor Sir Ian Kennedy to conduct an independent study on valuing innovation, looking specifically at:
what approach should be adopted by NICE to ensure that innovation is properly taken into account when establishing the value of new health technologies?
should particular forms of value be considered more important than others?
how should innovation in health technologies be defined?
what is the relationship between innovation and value?
We understand that Professor Kennedy’s report will be considered by NICE’s Board when it meets on 22 July 2009. Further information on this study is available on NICE’s website at:
NHS: Manpower
Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many specialist thoracic surgeons were employed by the NHS at the latest date for which figures are available. [277826]
Ann Keen: This information is not collected centrally.
Mr. Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many fully-trained (a) psychiatrists, (b) psychologists, (c) psychiatric nurses and (d) social workers there were in the NHS in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2008. [278084]
Ann Keen: The number of psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychiatric nurses employed by the national health service in England in the years requested is given in the following table.
The number of social workers is not collected centrally by the Department.
| Headcount | ||
| Staff | 1997 | 2008 |
| (1 )Excludes doctors in training and equivalents. | ||
Smoking
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect the prohibition on smoking in public places has had on the incidence of littering. [277810]
Dawn Primarolo: The Department has not conducted any specific research into the impact on litter since the implementation of the smokefree law in England in July 2007.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the use of branded generics in nicotine replacement therapy. [277830]
Dawn Primarolo: A significant body of research evidence exists around the use of nicotine replacement therapy in supporting smokers to quit.
The Department has not commissioned specific research on the use of branded generics in nicotine replacement therapy.
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what expenditure the NHS incurred on nicotine replacement therapy products in the most recent year for which figures are available. [277831]
Dawn Primarolo: In 2008, the net ingredient cost of prescriptions for nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) dispensed in England was £30,009,015. This figure does not include NRT provided without a prescription by national health service stop smoking services clinics whose figures for this activity are not collected centrally.
Tuberculosis: Vaccination
Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost per pupil immunised of BCG vaccination was in the period immediately before the universal vaccination programme was ended; and if he will make a statement. [277832]
Dawn Primarolo: A targeted at-risk vaccination programme replaced the school-based routine programme of Bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccination against tuberculosis in 2005. The school-based programme provided the Heaf test prior to BCG vaccination. The aggregate cost per pupil of the Heaf test and BCG vaccine was approximately £2 in 2005. Costs of administration are not included in this figure.
Welfare Food Scheme
Mr. Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) nurseries and (b) other day care facilities participate in his Department’s Welfare Food Scheme by offering free milk to children of less than five years of age. [277850]
Dawn Primarolo: A breakdown of the number of facilities participating in the Nursery Milk scheme in England, Wales and Scotland is provided in the following table.
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