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Health: Cardiology
Lord Campbell-Savours asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will approach those responsible for dealing with the European Society of Cardiology report on the use of statins to establish the reasons for (a) the switch of drugs during the period of research; (b) the difference in compliance between the two groups; and (c) whether the drugs used were comparable for the purposes of research. [HL5589]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): This report, presented at the European Society of Cardiologists, was an observational study conducted by Pfizer. The time period covered (1997-05) entirely pre-dates the current English national programme of supporting switching between therapeutically equivalent doses of statins. The reasons for switching in this study are not given and cannot be compared to switching from branded to generic statins according to defined national or local protocols.
Health: Childbirth
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the current levels of pre-term births in the United Kingdom; how these levels compare with the numbers for each of the past 40 years; and what assessment they are making of worldwide studies into the causes of pre-term births.[HL5634]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): In 2005-06, 7 per cent of deliveries were pre-term, ie occurred before 37 completed weeks of gestation. The majority of pre-term deliveries occurred after at least 32 weeks of gestation but 0.9 per cent of all deliveries were reported as occurring between 28 and 31 weeks and 0.4 per cent before 28 weeks of gestation. This pattern has remained stable since 1994-95. These data were not available before 1994-95.
As part of the implementation plan to reduce health inequalities in infant mortality, we are commissioning a series of systematic reviews of the research evidence to identify and promote key interventions to reduce health inequalities in infant mortality. Deaths due to immaturity-related conditions are one of the most common causes of infant mortality and the reviews will help to improve our understanding of the risk factors associated with pre-term births and survival.
Health: Diabetes
Earl Howe asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 16 October (WA 44), whether they will now directly contact the primary care trusts for areas in which specialist foot services for people with diabetes are no longer provided to explain why no such provision is made; and what action they will take to provide such services. [HL5702]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): It is for primary care trusts (PCTs) in partnership with local stakeholders to commission services in order to meet local needs. Strategic health authorities are responsible for ensuring that PCTs fulfil this duty.
Health: Drug Tariff Part IX
Earl Howe asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish the membership of the panels which carried out the review of product classification within Part IX of the Drug Tariff. [HL5704]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): Subject to their agreement, the department will publish the names of the specialist nurses who advised the department of the proposed classification of items.
Earl Howe asked Her Majesty's Government:
How the changes proposed to Part IX of the Drug Tariff will improve the quality of care received by patients. [HL5705]
Lord Darzi of Denham: The department's proposals relating to service provision and terms of service look to stipulate consistent services that should be offered to all users of stoma and incontinence appliances. This includes home delivery and the provision of complimentary wipes and disposal bags.
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Health: Incontinence Items
Earl Howe asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assessment has been made of the impact on British manufacturing jobs of the price reductions for incontinence and stoma appliances proposed by the Department of Health. [HL5706]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): The proposed levels of reimbursement to dispensing contractors for stoma and incontinence items is designed to ensure value for money for the National Health Service. There is no intent to reduce the availability of products. However, views as to the potential impact of this objective are sought by way of the consultation.
Health: Obesity
Lord Addington asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they monitor levels of obesity among National Health Service staff; and, if so, what are the relevant figures in this respect. [HL5663]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): The information requested is not held centrally.
Health: Religion and Conscience
Baroness Gould of Potternewton asked Her Majesty's Government:
What response they have made to (a) the General Medical Council's guidance personal beliefs and medical practice on the extension of the range of procedures from which doctors can opt out on grounds of religion or conscience; and (b) Muslim students who refuse to attend lectures relating to sexually transmitted diseases or diseases caused by alcohol abuse. [HL5560]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): The General Medical Council (GMC) is independent of government and issues guidance on a range of matters concerning medical education and practice. The Government have not responded to the recent GMC consultation document entitled Personal Beliefs and Medical Practice.
Issues arising from students failing to attend lectures are a matter for individual medical schools.
Immigration: English Language Courses
Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many places are being provided in the academic year 2007-08 on courses for qualifications in English for speakers of other languages and the requirements for citizenship and indefinite leave to
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (Lord Triesman): We are unable to state the number of places available in 2007-08 as the number of places available for ESOL is not a pre-determined figure. However, the number of enrolments in 2005-06 was 490,000, which we expect to be a comparable estimate of the numbers on ESOL courses in this academic year. Places on courses for English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) are funded through budgets which are allocated from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Funding is passed from the LSC to learning providers based on the provider's ability to deliver certain provision. The number of ESOL places on offer within each provider is dependent on a number of issues: the capacity of the provider and corresponding budget and learner demand. Learner data are collected by the LSC via the Individual Learner Record (ILR). It is currently too early in the academic year for ILR data to report the number of enrolments on to ESOL provision for 2007-08.
The requirements for citizenship or indefinite leave to remain are identical. The two methods by which applicants can demonstrate their knowledge of language and of life in the UK are:
for those already at or above English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) Entry 3, by taking a specially developed short test based on the handbook Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship; and for those below ESOL Entry 3, by successfully completing a language course with learning materials incorporating information about life in the UK. Courses are pitched at a level appropriate to the learners’ needs and success is measured by acquiring an “ESOL—Skills for Life” qualification from one of the recognised UK awarding bodies.Three thousand ESOL teachers have been trained to use the citizenship materials and that training is ongoing, managed by “lead trainers” in each local area. Five thousand hard copies of the citizenship materials which were developed by NIACE and LLU+ have been distributed and there have been many thousands of additional downloads of all or part of the materials from the NIACE website.
Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which bodies decide how many places in each area will be provided for qualifications in English for speakers of other languages and the requirements for citizenship and indefinite leave to remain; and how they are funded. [HL5687]
Lord Triesman: Places on courses for English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) are funded through budgets which are allocated from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills to the Learning
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The requirements for citizenship or indefinite leave to remain are identical. The two methods by which applicants can demonstrate their knowledge of language and of life in the UK are:
for those already at or above English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) Entry 3 level of English, by taking a specially developed short test based on the handbook Life in the United Kingdom: A Journey to Citizenship; and for those below ESOL Entry 3 level, by successfully completing a language course with learning materials incorporating information about life in the UK. Courses are pitched at a level appropriate to learners' needs and success is measured by acquiring an SOL—Skills for Life qualification from one of the recognised UK awarding bodies.Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether it is open to private companies and other bodies to provide courses on a profit-making basis for qualifications in English for speakers of other languages and the requirements for citizenship and indefinite leave to remain; and, if so, how such courses are accredited. [HL5688]
Lord Triesman: Private companies and other bodies are able to offer courses for English for speakers of other languages on a commercial basis. Centres of learning offering National Qualifications Framework (NQF) qualifications must be accredited by the appropriate awarding body. Each awarding body has its own rigorous accreditation process, which is used to approve providers and centres for delivery of their qualifications. Awarding bodies are regulated by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). This ensures consistency of quality and rigour. Guidance to applicants also recommends that if they wish to use a private college, they should ensure that it is accredited under the “English UK” scheme.
IRA
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many incidents in (a) 2006, and (b) 2007 to date, attended by the Police Service of Northern Ireland have been carried out by either the Real Irish Republican Army or the Continuity Irish Republican Army. [HL5633]
Lord Rooker: I am informed that the PSNI does not maintain statistics that attribute incidents to individual paramilitary groupings.
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Israel and Palestine: Reciprocal Releases
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they will make within the Middle East quartet framework to the Government of Israel on reciprocal releases of detainees in view of the Palestinian detainees held without due process in Israeli prisons. [HL5593]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): The Government are represented in the quartet through their membership of the EU. The other members are the US, Russia and the UN.
We continue to monitor the situation with regard to Palestinian prisoners. Most Palestinian prisoners have been tried by Israeli courts and have the right of appeal. We do have concerns about Palestinian prisoners who are being held in administrative detention.
Since June 2006, more than 40 Palestinian ministers and legislators have been arrested by Israel. We, alongside the EU and quartet, continue to call for them to be released or charged. Our ambassador in Tel Aviv raised our concerns with Israeli Foreign Minister Livni on 28 May and officials at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office raised this issue with the Israeli Embassy on 13 June.
All Palestinian prisoners should have access to a fair trial and we call on Israel to ensure that any actions are in accordance with international law. We will continue to raise our concerns with the Israeli authorities. On July 19, the quartet welcomed the resumption of bilateral talks between Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and Palestinian President Abbas, and expressed support for the Israeli Government's decision to release Palestinian prisoners. Since then more than 300 Palestinian prisoners have been released and other militants wanted by Israel were granted amnesty in exchange for laying down their arms.
We continue to call for the immediate and unconditional release of three kidnapped Israeli soldiers. Egypt has led international efforts to secure the release of Corporal Shalit. We have remained in close contact with the Egyptian authorities, as well as the Israel Government and Palestinian Authority, and continue to offer our support. The UK regrets Hezbollah's refusal to provide proof of life of kidnapped soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser. We support the UN's ongoing efforts to negotiate their return.
Israel and Palestine: Tony Blair
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether Tony Blair, as the representative of the quartet, has visited the Middle East; if so, how many times and where; and what input he is expected to have at the international conference to be held at Annapolis, United States, in November. [HL5567]
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The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): The right honourable Tony Blair has made three visits to the Middle East since being appointed quartet representative. These include 17 to 26 July: Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Oman, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates; 2 to 14 September: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Israel, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Jordan; and 8 to 12 October: Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
The US has not yet finalised the invitation list or date for the international meeting. But we expect a substantive meeting with concrete results.
Mental Health: Non-violent Patients
Lord Trefgarne asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many non-violent patients in National Health Service mental hospitals have been there for more than 50 years. [HL5667]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): These data are not held centrally in the form requested. Electronic record-keeping began only in the late 1980s and data predating the introduction of these systems cannot be not regarded as reliable.
Northern Bank Robbery
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people have been charged in connection with the raid on the Northern Bank headquarters in Belfast in 2004; and how much money has been recovered. [HL5505]
Lord Rooker: One person remains charged with offences connected to the Northern Bank robbery.
Approximately £3 million to £3.5 million has been seized or recovered by An Garda Siochana, with an additional £50,000 linked to the robbery recovered from Newforge Country Club in Belfast.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any understanding has been reached with Sinn Fein concerning investigations into the Northern Bank raid of 2004 or the murder of Robert McCartney in 2005; and, if so, what is that understanding. [HL5531]
Lord Rooker: No. The Northern Bank Raid of 2004 and the murder of Robert McCartney in 2005 remain under police investigation No individual or organisation in Northern Ireland is immune from investigation where criminal activity is suspected. The police will follow the evidence where it leads them. There is no power for the Government to direct the chief constable or to interfere in operational policing matters.
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