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Treatment Costs
Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the current cost to the NHS of prescription of drug treatments for cancer, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease and depression[HL521]
The Minister of State, Department of Health (Baroness Jay of Paddington): The available information is shown in the table. The information does not include drugs prescribed and dispensed in hospitals, so does not represent the total cost of prescribing these drugs. It is not possible to identify the indication for which medicines are prescribed, so some medicines included in the cost data may have been used to treat other conditions. The information is for the year 1996.
| £ thousands | |
| Cancer(2) | 76,473.1 |
| Schizophrenia(3) | 28,462.6 |
| Alzheimer's disease(4) | -- |
| Depression(5) | 191,242.8 |
Notes:
(2)1. Drugs used for the treatment of cancer are those described in the British National Formulary section 8.1, "Cytotoxic drugs", 8.2.4. "Interferons", 8.2.5 "aldesleukin" and 8.3 "Sex hormones and hormone antagonists in malignant disease". Other drugs will also be used to treat cancer patients. It is not possible to separate these for those used for the treatment of cancer only.
(3)2. Drugs used for the treatment of schizophrenia are those indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia in British National Formulary section 4.2, "Drugs used in psychoses and related disorders". Some of these drugs may be used for other conditions.
(4)3. Drugs used for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease are those described in the British National Formulary section 4.11, "Drugs for dementia". None of the drugs was dispensed in England in 1996. The net ingredient cost of drugs used in Alzheimer's disease between April 1997 and September 1997 was £346.4 thousand.
(5)4. Drugs used for the treatment of depression are those described in the British National Formulary section 4.3, "Antidepressant drugs".
6. The date cover all prescriptions dispensed by the community pharmacists and appliance contractors, dispensing doctors, and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered.
7. The net ingredient cost refers to the cost of the drug before discounts and does not include any dispensing costs or fees.
8. The therapeutic classifications are based on British National Formulary, Number 30 (September 1995) except for the classification in note 3, which is based on British National Formulary Number 32 (September 1996).
Lord Braine of Wheatley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Jay of Paddington: In 1997-98, the Government are funding a Health Education
The Government are also currently considering other ways in which to help people give up smoking, including the role of nicotine replacement therapies, as part of their strategy to reduce tobacco consumption.
Our conclusions will form part of the Tobacco Control White Paper, which will be published later this year.
Lord Braine of Wheatley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Jay of Paddington: On Wednesday 18 January 1967, the then Minister of State at the Home Office, made the following statement to Standing Committee F on the Government's position on the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Bill:
Lord Braine of Wheatley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Jay of Paddington: The Government do not fund any organisation to campaign for or against abortion. We provide funding to a number of organisations involved in the provision of services, advice and information on family planning, reproductive health and services for pregnant women. In the United Kingdom, these include:
What steps they are taking to encourage women to give up smoking and whether any medicines designed to assist those wishing to give up smoking are available on prescription.[HL526]
What assistance was provided by the then Government to the proponents of the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Bill, 1966-67; and whether Parliamentary Counsel provided assistance.[HL470]
"The Government's collective view on the Bill is one of neutrality, as it was on Second Reading. We believe as a Government that it is for the Committee to determine what shall be the form of the Bill when it emerges from Committee. We have in mind that the Second Reading was passed by an overwhelming vote in the House and, because of that, the Government have given, and will continue to give, all possible drafting assistance to the promoter of the Bill.
"The Under-Secretary of State at the Scottish Office, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Health and myself are here to help the Committee in every possible way and to advise about the practicability and feasibility of the Amendments proposed. But we are here as individual members of the Committee, and we have our individual rights as members of the Committee, so that when it comes to voting on Amendments we shall exercise that individual right and vote according to our individual views".
Whether they provide funds to any organisations which campaign against abortion.[HL502]
Family Planning Association
16 Feb 1998 : Column WA7
Brook Advisory Centres
Catholic Marriage Care
Scottish Family Planning Association
Natural Family Planning Association
Society for Information and Counselling on Miscarriage
Welsh Family Planning Association
LIFE (Northern Ireland)
Family Planning Association (Northern Ireland)
SATFA (Support Around Termination for Fetal Abnormality)
CHILD (National Infertility Support Network)
ISSUE (The National Fertility Association)
The views of organisations on abortion related issues are not sought as part of the funding process.
European Structural Funds: Reform
Lord Dormand of Easington asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What proposals they have made for the reform of the European structural funds and the criteria for their allocation.[HL463]
The Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Simon of Highbury): Following the publication of the Commission's communication Agenda 2000 in July, the Government are discussing the reform of the European Structural and Cohesion Funds with the Commission and other member states, with the aim of securing a package which is fair to all member states--especially to the United Kingdom and its regions--affordable and durable, and simpler and more efficient. In these discussions, we have suggested that GDP per capita should be a factor taken into account in the allocation of the funds.
Northern Ireland: Analysis of GCSE and A-Level Results
Baroness Blatch asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will publish data for Northern Ireland showing for comprehensive schools, modern schools, grammar schools, state schools, independent schools and all schools separately, the percentage of all 16-year-old pupils in each of the years 1994 to 1997 passing GCSE examinations with grades A* to C in the following subjects: mathematics, English, English literature, sciences (showing separately percentages for single award science, double award science, physics, chemistry and biology), French, history and geography, showing separately for each type of state school the percentages for local education authority schools, voluntary schools (including together voluntary controlled, voluntary aided, and special agreement schools), grant-maintained schools and, where appropriate, City Technology Colleges (CTCs),
- and including for each category of school, the number of schools and the number of 16-year-old pupils; and[HL450]
Whether they will publish data for Northern Ireland showing for comprehensive schools, modern schools, grammar schools, state schools, independent schools and all schools separately, the percentage of all 16 year-old pupils in each of the years 1994 to 1997 passing GCSE examinations with grades A* to C in the following combinations of subjects: mathematics and English; mathematics, English and one science, mathematics, English, one science, French and either history or geography, showing data for each combination of subjects for boys, girls and all pupils and showing separately for each type of state school the percentages for local education authority schools, voluntary schools (including together voluntary controlled, voluntary aided, and special agreement schools) grant-maintained schools and, where appropriate CTCs; and[HL451]
Whether they will publish for Northern Ireland for comprehensive schools, grammar schools, modern schools, independent schools, FEFC schools and colleges and for all institutions in each of the years 1994 to 1997 giving the number of pupils in each of the subjects: mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, English literature, history, geography, French and economics; entering for A-level, passing A-level and obtaining grade A at A-level, together with, for each kind of institution. the average A-level points obtained per pupil.[HL455]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Northern Ireland Office (Lord Dubs): I refer the noble Lady to the Answer I gave her on 11 February 1998, Official Report, columns 205-206.
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