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3 Dec 2009 : Column 942W—continued
Leukaemia: Drugs
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what discussions he has had with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on the prescribing of (a) dasatinib and (b) nilotinib for the treatment of imatinib-resistant and imatinib-intolerant chronic myeloid leukaemia; and if he will make a statement; [303870]
(2) what discussions he has had with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on the use of (a) dasatinib and (b) nilotinib for the treatment of imatinib-resistant and imatinib-intolerant chronic myeloid leukaemia; and if he will make a statement. [303871]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: We have had no such discussions. Following the referral of topics to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) work programme, NICE develops its guidance independently based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and in consultation with stakeholders.
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost of the likely total cost to the NHS of prescribing (a) dasatinib and (b) nilotinib for the treatment of imatinib-resistant and imatinib-intolerant chronic myeloid leukaemia; and if he will make a statement. [303872]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: We have made no such assessment. Primary care trust (PCT) allocations take account of expected growth in drugs spending including the impact of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal guidance, but the Department of Health does not routinely estimate the likely total cost of individual drugs.
NICE is currently developing technology appraisal guidance on the use of dasatinib and nilotinib for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia. Following
publication of its final guidance, NICE will publish a costing report that estimates the likely cost to the national health service of its recommendations.
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has issued guidance to primary care trusts on the prescribing of (a) dasatinib and (b) nilotinib for the treatment of imatinib-resistant and imatinib-intolerant chronic myeloid leukaemia; and if he will make a statement. [303873]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: We have issued no such guidance. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently developing technology appraisal guidance on the use of dasatinib and nilotinib for the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia. NICE currently expects to issue final guidance in spring 2010.
Mental Health Services
Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many mental health coordinators there are in England; [304459]
(2) what the cost of the mental health coordinator network was in the last 12 months. [304460]
Phil Hope: The information requested is not collected.
NHS: Internet
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what the cost to the public purse of the NHS Comms Link was at the latest date for which figures are available; [302899]
(2) how many registered users of the NHS Comms Link there are; [302900]
(3) what his most recent estimate is of the average number of people who use the NHS Comms Link each (a) day and (b) month; [302901]
(4) how many registered users of the NHS Comms Link (a) did not use that system in November 2009 and (b) have not used that system in 2009 to date; [302902]
(5) how many administrators of the NHS Comms Link there are. [302903]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: There are currently 3,658 registered users on NHS Comms Link. The total cost to date for NHS Comms Link is £768,542. The average number of people (unique users, i.e. individuals) who use NHS Comms Link each day is 190. The average number of people (unique users) who use NHS Comms Link each month is 2,055.
The figures for November 2009 are not yet available. The latest data available show that in October 2009, 1,265 users did not log into their account. The latest data available show that in the period January 2009 to October 2009, 1,189 users did not log into their account. There is one administrator post attached to Comms Link.
NHS: Road Salting and Gritting
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many primary care trusts have provided funding to local highway authorities to grit local roads in 2009-10; [303583]
(2) what estimate he has made of the amount of funding provided by primary care trusts to local authorities to grit roads in 2009-10. [303584]
Mr. Mike O'Brien: The Department does not collect this information.
Obesity: Children
Dr. Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has made any assessment of the effect of fitness-based video games on the level of (a) fitness, (b) obesity and (c) activity of children. [303034]
Gillian Merron: There are a number of studies under way which are exploring the health benefits of playing fitness-based video games. In addition, as part of our obesity strategy we have established an Expert Working Group to look at the impact of sedentary behaviour, including screen time on children's physical health and activity levels.
Swine Flu
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his most recent estimate is of the number of new cases of swine influenza diagnosed in each of the last six months. [302815]
Gillian Merron: We do not have estimated cases for all of the months requested but information on the number of cases is available on the Health Protection Agency (HPA) website at:
During the initial containment phase of the response to swine flu cases of suspected swine flu were confirmed by laboratory test. This information was published daily. Since 2 July, when we moved to the treatment phase of the response, we have been relying on clinical diagnosis instead of laboratory confirmation to identify cases of swine flu. The estimated total number of cases of swine flu is mathematically modelled for England each week using the available surveillance information and is published weekly. These daily and weekly reports are available on the HPA website.
Teenage Pregnancy: Education
Mr. Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of mothers in the 16 to 19 years old age group were in education, employment or training at the latest date for which figures are available. [302323]
Mr. Iain Wright: I have been asked to reply.
I am replying as the Minister responsible for young people's participation in education, employment or training. The proportion of mothers aged between 16 and 19 years in education, employment or training in England increased from 22.2 per cent. in 1997-99 to 32.9 per cent. in 2007-09(1), an increase of almost 50 per cent. Data are averaged over three years because of small sample sizes.
( 1) Source:
Labour Force Survey sample, 2009
Tuberculosis
Mr. Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the electronic tuberculosis surveillance systems in operation in (a) London and (b) elsewhere in England differ; and whether he plans to amalgamate the two systems. [302850]
Gillian Merron: The national Enhanced Tuberculosis Surveillance (ETS) system started in 1999 as a paper-based reporting system. In 2002 following consultation across London, led by the then Regional Health Authority, an electronic web-based system was launched in London (the London tuberculosis Register (LTBR)).
LTBR team and the national ETS team are working together towards having only one system. It is anticipated that in 2010 the national system will replace the LTBR in London.
Tuberculosis: Health Services
Mr. Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Care Quality Commission assesses tuberculosis services routinely; and if he will instruct the Commission to conduct a specific review of the effectiveness of such services. [302845]
Gillian Merron: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) assessed the overall quality of national health service organisations for 2008-09. Individual services are not assessed or rated separately as part of this overall assessment, so no routine assessments of tuberculosis services were made. In the future the Department will make available a range of information on NHS performance including the extent to which providers of care meet new registration requirements, and information on performance of certain services.
A consultation on topics for special review in 2010-11 will be published shortly. This document entitled "Assessment of Quality for 2010-11" is expected to be published on the CQC website during the week commencing 21 December and will be made available in the House Library thereafter.
Tuberculosis: Immigrants
Mr. Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what measures are in place to screen for tuberculosis migrants who enter the UK other than through Gatwick or Heathrow airports; [302846]
(2) whether the (a) Heathrow and (b) Gatwick airports health control units screen for tuberculosis 24 hours a day. [302847]
Gillian Merron: At some airports, for example, Manchester and Birmingham, contact details of entrants from countries with high burden of tuberculosis (TB) are collected by the UK Border Agency and sent on to Consultants in Communicable Disease Control in the local Health Protection Units. The details are recorded in a Port 102 form-which notifies the local unit of an arrival but indicates that the entrant has not been examined. At other airports there is no such provision because there are very few flights from high risk countries.
Currently both Heathrow and Gatwick units screen for TB 24 hours a day seven days a week. At Heathrow this takes place in Terminals 3, 4 and 5. At Gatwick,
this takes place in the South and North Terminals. All terminals have just received upgrades from old analogue equipment to new digital systems.
Tuberculosis: Medical Treatments
Mr. Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects his Department's evaluation of the TB Find and Treat Project to be complete. [302848]
Gillian Merron: The Department is currently in the process of recruiting an evaluation team for the Tuberculosis Find and Treat Project. The intention is to provide a preliminary assessment of findings in mid-2010, to present to London commissioners in time for the commissioning round for national health service services for 2011-12.
It is anticipated that a finalised report would be available to the Department in early 2011, and available as a peer reviewed journal publication soon after that.
Tuberculosis: Vaccination
Mr. Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the administration of BCG vaccinations for children and adolescents in London living in low tuberculosis-incidence areas but attending schools in high incidence areas. [302851]
Gillian Merron: The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination programme against tuberculosis (TB) is targeted to protect individuals at highest risk of exposure to TB. BCG vaccine is offered to infants aged 0 to 12 months living in areas where the annual incidence of TB is 40/100,000 or greater. The vaccine is not offered to school-age children according to the location of their school.
The at risk groups for BCG vaccination are listed in a statement made in 2007 by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) which is available at:
The JCVI reaffirmed its advice that the current policy is the most effective use of the vaccine in the United Kingdom.
In April 2009 the London TB Commissioning Board, on behalf of London's primary care trusts, ratified a visioning and commissioning strategy for TB in London with the aims of producing a needs assessment and developing and implementing a world class TB control programme by 2012.
Mr. Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will modify his Department's policy in respect of vaccination against tuberculosis to classify all of inner London as high risk. [303796]
Gillian Merron: The Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccination programme against tuberculosis (TB) is targeted to protect individuals at highest risk of exposure to TB. This programme was introduced in 2005 on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI). The JCVI reaffirmed its advice in 2007 that this policy is the most effective use of the vaccine in the United Kingdom.
There are no current plans to review the BCG vaccination policy.
Treasury
Capita
Mr. Touhig: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) whether any contracts between Capita Group plc and his Department have been cancelled before completion since 1997; and whether Capita Group plc has been liable for any penalties arising from failings in the administration of contracts since 1997; [303092]
(2) on how many occasions Capita Group plc tendered for contracts let by his Department in each of the last five years; how many such tenders were successful; how much his Department paid to Capita Group plc for the execution of contracts in each such year; how many contracts which terminate after 2010 Capita Group plc hold with his Department; and what the monetary value is of all outstanding contracts between his Department and Capita Group plc. [303159]
Sarah McCarthy-Fry: Details on the total number of tenders submitted by Capita Group plc are not held centrally and would incur disproportionate cost to identify all such tenders.
The following table shows contracts with Capita Group plc held by HM Treasury since 2005, and the amounts paid for the execution of those contracts:
| Contract | Amount paid (£000) |
| (1) The total amount spent in 2009-10 is not yet available. | |
The Treasury has no contracts with Capita Group plc that terminate after 2010. No contracts between The Treasury and Capita Group plc have been cancelled before completion and Capita has not been liable for any penalties arising from failings in the administration of contracts since 2005.
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