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Lord Clement-Jones asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will make additional funding available to primary care trusts for practising general practitioners and nurses to attend further training courses on the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancers and skin lesions. [HL4025]
Lord Warner: The Government are increasing the level of investment in primary care services by £1.8 billion over the period April 2003 and March 2006 in support of the new primary care contracting arrangements. These new arrangements provide resources to primary care trusts for protected development time and give opportunities for general practitioners and nurses to take on more advanced and specialised roles, which may include the diagnosis and treatment of skin cancers and skin lesions.
General Practitioner Training
Lord Clement-Jones asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any regular national assessment of general practitioner competency is made to inform national priorities for further training. [HL4026]
Lord Warner: While in training, assessment of a general practitioner's (GP) registrar's competence is carried out through a series of assessments managed by the GP director in the relevant postgraduate deanery. The assessment tools are quality assured to United Kingdom wide standards by the independent competent authority, the Joint Committee on
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Postgraduate Training for General Practice, who also determine the curriculum and ensure that priority areas are reflected in it.
For qualified GPs, assessment of continuing competence is done on an individual basis through clinical governance and clinical audit by local primary care trusts (PCTs). Any areas for development identified during the annual appraisal process, which is a requirement for all GPs, will be included in the doctor's yearly personal development plan agreed between the doctor and the appraiser appointed by the PCT. The outcomes of the appraisal process will be fed up into PCT business plans where training and development needs will be addressed.
Postgraduate Medical Training
Lord Clement-Jones asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they hold regular discussions with the appropriate professional bodies regarding priority areas for postgraduate medical training. [HL4027]
Lord Warner: There is regular contact between the Department of Health and the United Kingdom independent bodies with responsibility for postgraduate medical training—the Specialist Training Authority, the Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice and the General Medical Council. This is principally to discuss aspects of the reform of postgraduate medical training. Part of our initiative, Modernising Medical Careers, is the review of postgraduate curricula for specialist and general practice training.
Lord Clement-Jones asked Her Majesty's Government:
What discussions they have had with the Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice on the level of general practitioner competency in the diagnosis of skin cancers and skin lesions. [HL4028]
Lord Warner: This subject has not been raised with the Joint Committee on Postgraduate Training for General Practice.
Draft Animal Welfare Bill
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will allow for pre-legislative scrutiny of the proposed Animal Welfare Bill due to be introduced in November. [HL3567]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty): The draft Animal Welfare Bill, which was published on 14 July 2004, will be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny.
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Bovine TB
Lord Marlesford asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many cattle were slaughtered under the tuberculosis testing and surveillance scheme in each of the most recent 12 three-month periods; and how much compensation was paid by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to farmers in each period in respect of cattle slaughtered under the scheme. [HL3677]
Lord Whitty: The number of cattle slaughtered under TB control measures, and compensation paid in Great Britain in the time periods requested are detailed in the table below.
Notes:
1 In 2001, the TB testing and control programme was largely suspended due to the foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak. Since testing resumed in 2002, resources have been concentrated on herds with overdue TB tests which would have had a longer period in which to contract the disease. Also the proportion of high risk herds being tested post-FMD is greater than that prior to the outbreak. As a result, the number of TB reactors identified and slaughtered in these years is not comparable to those identified and slaughtered in subsequent years.
2 Data downloaded from State Veterinary Service database on 13 July 2004.
3 Provisional data extracted from National Statistics published on 23 June 2004. Subject to change as more data become available.
Hazardous Waste Disposal
Lord Rotherwick asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have examined the possibility of disposing of hazardous waste from public bodies by using their own land to create one or more hazardous waste sites. [HL3782]
Lord Whitty: Waste management, including the operation of landfill sites, is a private sector industry in the UK and the Government see no reason to change this approach.
Badger and Deer Carcasses
Lord Rotherwick asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many badger carcasses have been collected by, or handed in to, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' Wildlife Units in (a) Cornwall; (b) Devon; (c) Dorset;
- (d) Gloucestershire; (e) Herefordshire; (f) Worcestershire; and (g) Shropshire; and [HL3834]
How many of the badger carcasses that have been collected, by or handed in to, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' Wildlife Units in (a) Cornwall; (b) Devon; (c) Dorset; (d) Gloucestershire; (e) Herefordshire; (f) Worcestershire; and (g) Shropshire have been tested for tuberculosis; and what were the results. [HL3835]
Lord Whitty: The table below shows the number of badger carcasses collected, and post-mortemed, by county as part of the Road Traffic Accident survey, up to 22 July 2004.
The Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB advises that the results of the post-mortem should not be disclosed at present to avoid either encouraging illegal action against badgers or deterring participation in the badger culling trial.
Lord Rotherwick asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many carcasses have been collected in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' survey of badger and deer carcasses in the Furness peninsular, Cumbria; and what was the result of the tuberculosis testing on these carcasses. [HL3836]
Lord Whitty: Between 1 January and 5 July 2004, 17 badger carcasses and one deer carcass have been collected for the Furness Peninsular Road Traffic Accident survey.
The deer carcass and nine badger carcasses were negative for Mycobacterium bovis (the causative organism for bovine tuberculosis). One badger carcass was unsuitable for testing, and we await results for the other seven.
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