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School Sport Alliance

Baroness Anelay of St Johns asked Her Majesty's Government:

The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Blackstone): The School Sport Alliance first met in November last year. The members are the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for Education and Skills, the Department of Health, the New Opportunities Fund, Sport England and the Youth Sport Trust. During 2001 it has met on five occasions, most recently on 29 November. The School Sport Alliance is a co-ordinating body which was established to take a strategic overview of developments in and around school sport and to foster synergies among programmes funded and managed by its member departments and organisations. The School Sport Alliance will hold annual open meetings to which representatives of organisations with an interest in school sport and physical education are invited. The first open meeting was held on 14 September at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The School Sport Alliance does not publish recommendations.

Social Fund Computer System

Earl Russell asked Her Majesty's Government:

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Baroness Hollis of Heigham): The words Xenhancement to existing computer functionality" refer to the fact that the quality and clarity of notification letters produced by the Social Fund computer system will be improved.

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Vaccine Damage: Disability Benefits

The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:

    What are the rules relating to claims for disability benefits arising from vaccine damage; and under what circumstances the rules restrict consideration of claims to damage from polio vaccine only.[HL1417]

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: People who have been disabled as a result of vaccine damage can claim disability benefits in the same way as any other disabled person, and will receive payment as long as they satisfy the conditions for payment of the relevant benefits.

In addition to disability benefits, the Vaccine Damage Payments Act 1979 provides for a single, tax-free payment of £100,000 for those whom the decision maker, on behalf of the Secretary of State, is satisfied are severely mentally and/or physically disabled as a result of vaccination against one of a group of specified diseases. For the purposes of the scheme a person is severely disabled if he or she suffers disablement to the extent of 80 per cent or more. Claimants are asked to give details of all the vaccinations they have been given, and on the basis of medical evidence it will be considered whether the person is severely disabled as a result of vaccination against any of the specified diseases. Except in the case of vaccination against poliomyelitis, meningitis C or rubella, the vaccination must have been carried out either at a time when the person to whom it was given was under the age of 18 or at the time of an outbreak of the disease against which the vaccination was given.

London Heart Hospital

Earl Howe asked Her Majesty's Government:

    What plans they have for the continued operation and use of the bi-plane angiography machine in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory of the London Heart Hospital; and[HL1307]

    What were the strategic reasons for the purchase of the London Heart Hospital; whether other options that might have enabled the National Health Service to use the facilities of this hospital, short of outright purchase, were considered; and if so, why those options were rejected; and[HL1308]

    Whether the specialised treatment facilities at the London Heart Hospital can be integrated as necessary with the facilities of the University College London Hospitals Trust in a manner that fully safeguards the care of patients; and[HL1309]

    Whether the terms of purchase of the London Heart Hospital included the collection of fine art located therein; and[HL1310]

    Whether the University College London Hospitals Trust prepared a business case prior to the agreement to acquire the London Heart Hospital; and if so, whether they will publish that business case.[HL1311]

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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): The London Heart Hospital was acquired by the National Health Service taking advantage of a short-term commercial opportunity which existed earlier in the year as the owners sought to dispose of the hospital, which was making significant financial losses.

An option to lease the hospital was initially explored. However, it was understood that the parent company was on the verge of placing the hospital into administration. A judgment was made that an outright purchase represented both the best value for the NHS and the only secure way to obtain the continuing use of the facilities as a hospital available to the NHS in the short time-frame apparent before administration.

Therefore, the opportunity was taken to significantly increase cardiac and cardiology capacity in London and the South East in a state of the art hospital which was rebuilt and equipped in 1998, and at a purchase price below the district valuer's valuation. Increasing capacity in this way provides further facilities to reduce waiting lists in the NHS. It also provides patient care in a modern hospital with outstanding patient facilities.

The hospital has been operational as a NHS facility since 1 October when services in the Middlesex Hospital moved to the Heart Hospital.

Sufficient evidence was gathered in the time available prior to purchase, consistent with the exceptional circumstances surrounding the opportunity for acquisition, which demonstrated the benefits of a speedy and cost-efficient purchase for the NHS.

As a multi-site trust, University College London Hospital is accustomed to making arrangements to ensure the safety of patients who require the care of more than one clinical speciality. The safety of patients who require the care of more than one clinical speciality. The safety of patients at all its sites is the trust's highest priority.

Prior to the transfer of cardiac services from the Middlesex Hospital site to the Heart Hospital site, revised protocols were developed to continue to provide non-cardiac patients with acccess to specialist cardiological care. A coronary care unit remains on the University College Hospital site and is attended daily by a consultant cardiologist.

Arrangements were also put in place for non-cardiac specialist clinical staff to contribute to the care of those patients at the Heart Hospital where necessary.

The critical care facility at the Heart Hospital is closely allied to the other critical care facilities in the trust and shares common clinical practices and rotates staff.

The NHS acquisition of the Heart Hospital included the entire asset register. This included a number of works of art. There were 183 items and they were collectively valued on the register at £76,826. All are still at the hospital. There are no plans to move them.

The Heart Hospital has three cardiac catheter laboratories—two monoplanes and one biplane. The

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biplane allows two views of the heart at right angles to be taken simultaneously, and is used for more complex diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. These procedures are commonly performed on congenital heart disease patients, but can also be advantageous for use in electrophysiology patients. Although the Heart Hospital, since its acquisition by the NHS, does not treat paediatric patients, it has a large congenital heart disease workload—which it is planned to extend—and also undertakes electrophysiology work. The biplane laboratory can also be used for undertaking routine cardiology procedures. The laboratory in which the biplane is situated will therefore be in constant use once the Heart Hospital is working to its full capacity.

NHS Hearing Aid Services

Earl Howe asked Her Majesty's Government:

    Whether they will shortly make an announcement about the specific funding available to the 20 National Health Service trusts currently providing digital hearing aids under the Modernising National Health Service Hearing Aid Services Project throughout the financial year 2002-03 so as to ensure that planning and staff recruitment can be successfully maintained at these sites.[HL1599]

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Funding decisions for 2002-03 will be made in time to allow sites to make plans for delivering services for that financial year. If the modernisation project is successful, we anticipate that by 2003-04 we will be investing up to an extra £25 million in National Health Service hearing aid services.

Haemophilia Patients

Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:

    What differences in provision for haemophilia patients now exist in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, taking into account differences in (a) entitlement according to age, (b) where the patient lives, and (c) any other relevant factors. [HL1329]

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: In England and Northern Ireland, the policy is to provide recombinant clotting factors for new haemophilia patients and children under 16. Scotland and Wales are committed to providing recombinant products for all haemophilia patients. The Government are actively considering extending the provision of recombinant clotting factors to all haemophilia patients in England when supplies allow.

Because of the current world shortage of recombinant clotting factors, some patients across the United Kingdom have been switched from recombinant to plasma-derived clotting factors as a temporary measure. The Department of Health is working with the United Kingdom Haemophilia Centre Doctors Organisation and with industry to manage available supplies.

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