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Future Offensive Air System
Lord Hardy of Wath asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether the United Kingdom is likely to be involved in the research into, and development of, unmanned aircraft being undertaken by Boeing.[HL1904]
Lord Bach: The United Kingdom has a requirement to replace, towards the end of the next decade, the strike capability currently provided by the Tornado GR4 strike aircraft. This programme is known as the Future Offensive Air System (FOAS). While no decisions have yet been taken, we are currently looking at a potential mix of platforms to deliver precision strike capability, including long range cruise missiles, unmanned and manned aircraft.
The FOAS programme is currently evaluating ways in which unmanned aircraft will contribute to the FOAS capability, and Ministry of Defence (MoD) officials have had discussions with a number of companies, including Boeing, and with other governments and agencies. However, the FOAS programme remains at an early stage and no decisions have been made about MoD involvement in developing specific unmanned aircraft.
Private Hospitals in London: NHS Occupancy
Lord Brightman asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many beds in private hospitals in the London area were occupied by National Health
- Service patients on the first day of each month, from 1 January to 1 October 2001; and approximately what percentage National Health Service occupancy represented on each such monthly date of the total private hospital capacity in the London area.[HL1678]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): The information requested is not collected by the Department of Health.
Autism
Baroness Blatch asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many research projects into autism and related conditions they have commissioned or funded in the last five years.[HL1725]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Medical Research Council (MRC), the main government agency that funds research into the causes of and treatments for disease, has funded 11 grants in the field of autism that have started in the last five years. In the same period the MRC has also funded 10 projects at the MRC Child Psychiatry Unit and 2 at the MRC Cognitive Development Unit. These units closed in July 2000 and September 1998 respectively but work following on from these units' programmes continues to be supported by some of the new grants mentioned above.
The Department of Health funds research to support policy and the delivery of effective practice in the National Health Service. The department's NHS Research and Development programme funded a project on auditory integration training for autism: effects on harmful and stigmatising behaviours that finished in 1999. The department also provides NHS support funding for research commissioned by the research councils and charities that take place in the NHS. There is a large volume of research on all aspects of autism. Details of projects can be found on the National Research Register (NRR) which is available on the Internet at: http://www.doh.gov.uk/research/nrr.htm. The NRR records show that there are currently 58 ongoing and 86 completed research projects on autism that started in the last five years.
The Department for Education and Skills has funded two projects in the last five years, one jointly with the Department of Health.
In March, the Department of Health commissioned the MRC to conduct a detailed review of the current state of knowledge about autism and to suggest possible areas for further research. The report, published today, provides a picture of what scientific research has revealed about the occurrence and causes of autism and other autism spectrum disorders, identifies gaps in knowledge and makes recommendations on future research strategy for the United Kingdom.
Breast Cancer
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What strategy they have in place to combat the expected rise by over 2 per cent per annum between now and 2023 in the breast cancer rate among women aged 45 to 59, which the recent report from Patrick Carroll of the Pension and Population Research Institute concludes will be largely due to the high rate of nulliparous abortions and the decline in the birth rate.[HL1893]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The suggested link with abortion is not proven.
The Government are already taking comprehensive action to detect breast cancer at an early stage and to ensure prompt, high quality treatment.
The National Health Service Breast Screening Programme routinely screens women aged 50 to 64 (currently being extended to women aged up to 70) every three years. In 1999–2000, over 8,000 cancers were detected by breast screening in England. Improvements are also being introduced to the way in which mammography images are taken.
Genetic factors may increase the risk of breast cancer for some women. The Department of Health is working, in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Relief, to improve cancer genetic risk assessment and counselling services in England. This will involve working with primary care teams to help them identify the level of risk for individual patients based on their family history.
Around 95 per cent of suspected breast cancer patients referred urgently are seen within two weeks. By December 2001, women with breast cancer will wait one month from diagnosis to treatment and by 2002 will wait a maximum of two months from urgent general practitioner referral to treatment for breast cancer.
Human Embryonic Stem Cells
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What information they hold concerning the import into the United Kingdom of human embryonic stem cells, particularly from the United States; and what information they collect on their use; and[HL1933]
What provision will be made to regulate the import and export of human embryonic stem cells; and what penalties will be imposed for their improper use.[HL1934]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: At present the Government have no plans to collect information on the importation and use of human embryonic stem cells.
All aspects of stem cell research are being examined currently by a Select Committee of the House of
Lords, and the Government will consider its recommendations carefully when they are published.
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Given the circumstances which prevailed prior to January 2001 when donor consent was provided for human embryos to be used for research purposes, whether they consider that such consent will remain valid for research envisaged under the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Research Purposes) Regulations 2001.[HL1936]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The consent provisions of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 are unaffected by the HFE (Research Purposes) Regulations 2001, and the 1990 Act continues to apply to all embryos created by fertilisation.
Consent to the use of an embryo must specify one or more of the purposes stated in schedule 3 to the 1990 Act, one of which is X(C) use for the purposes of any project of research", and may specify conditions subject to which the embryo may be so used. Embryo donors are offered the opportunity for counselling and will receive relevant information before giving consent. Additionally an embryo donor may withdraw their consent at any time by notice, provided that the embryo has not been used.
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What account has been taken by the Department of Health in framing legislation determining the status of human embryos of studies in animals showing that embryonic stem cells have successfully grown into adult mice and cows. [HL1947]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Department of Health continues to keep scientific developments in stem cell research under review.
The scientific papers that were referred to in the passage of the Human Reproductive Cloning Bill through the House of Lords do not, as was claimed, report the development of adult animals from embryonic stem cells.
The research quoted involved the development of animals from existing embryos which had been artificially fused with embryonic stem cells.
Geron Bio-med
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many times the Department of Health has consulted representatives of Geron Bio-med or Geron Corp in the last two years; and whom they have met. [HL1949]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: One specific meeting took place at the Department of Health with Mr Simon Best of Geron Bio-med in 2000.
In addition, the department regularly consults with a large number of companies, organisations and individuals but no central record is held of these.
Cannabis: Therapeutic Uses Report
Lord Gregson asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they intend to publish their response to the second report of the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology on the Therapeutic Uses of Cannabis.[HL2012]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government's response to the second report of the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology on the Therapeutic Uses of Cannabis has been published today and copies will be placed in the Library.
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