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PDVN
Mr. Barnes: To ask the Chairman of the Information Committee what was the cost of the Parliamentary Data and Video Network in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [51021]
Mr. Allan: The Capital and Revenue cost of providing the PDVN, in the financial year 1997-98, including expenditure on upgrade and improvement projects, but excluding expenditure on IT from the Office Cost Allowance and money spent by Departments of the House in providing information services on the PDVN (such as POLIS) was £2,207,000. Associated staff costs over the same period were an additional £647,000. It is estimated that some £750,000 was spent by the House of Commons on PDVN cabling in 1997-98.
HEALTH
Medicines (Children)
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will investigate the newly established system for licensing medicines for the treatment of children in the United States of America and the advantages and disadvantages of such a system for the United Kingdom. [43821]
Ms Jowell [holding answer 1 June 1998]: There is a newly established system for licensing medicines for the treatment of children in the United States of America. There have been recent amendments and proposed amendments to the already existing legislation which applies to the licensing of medicinal products for the treatment of all age groups.
In December 1994 the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published the Final Rule on paediatric labelling. The Final Rule required applicants to examine their existing data for already approved drugs to determine whether there was enough information to permit a paediatric indication. If appropriate, applicants were to apply for the addition to their licence by April 1997. This rule has not been very successful in adding paediatric age groups to existing licences as the available data were generally inadequate.
In November 1997 the FDA Modernisation Act of 1997 was signed into law. Section 111 deals with paediatric studies of drugs. Where appropriate, studies are encouraged in children for all newly authorised drugs so that new medicines will be available for use in children. For certain already approved drugs (list published in May 1998) applicants will be required to carry out studies in paediatric age groups with the aim of obtaining a licence for use in children. The Act allows 6 extra months of market exclusivity for pharmaceutical manufacturers who conduct acceptable studies in children of drugs identified by the FDA for which paediatric information would be beneficial.
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There is also a proposed rule, published in August 1997, which would require manufacturers to conduct studies in children if requested to do so by the FDA. If the incentives in the Modernisation Act are successful this additional regulation may be unnecessary.
The spirit of these amendments is reflected in new European guidance on licensing medicines in children which came into operation in September 1997 1 . The United Kingdom played a major role in developing this new guidance which strongly encourages the pharmaceutical industry to develop medicines for use in children. It states that clinical trials in children should be submitted to the regulatory authorities as soon as possible if a product is likely to be of benefit to children or widely used in that age group.
In the European Union there is no legal requirement to conduct studies in children although a change to the Directives may be considered if companies do not respond to the new guideline. There is no extra market exclusivity in the EU for applicants who conduct studies in children.
Mr. Llwyd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the initiatives undertaken by his Department since 1 May 1997 which have involved the establishment of (a) action zones and (b) pilot schemes limited to particular geographical areas, indicating the name of the programme and the action zone or pilot scheme areas covered in each instance. [47060]
Mr. Milburn:
The information requested has been placed in the Library.
Mr. McWalter:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies he has commissioned into the role of pharmacists in the National Health Service. [48231]
Mr. Milburn
[holding answer 1 July 1998]: A number of pilot projects have been funded by the Department to appraise the value to the National Health Service of community pharmacists providing a wider range of services. There were 17 pilots on prescribing advice during 1995-96 and there are currently six pilot projects on repeat and instalment dispensing (whereby patients receive certain medicines dispensed in instalments) and a further six pilot projects evaluating services to help various patient groups to obtain best outcomes from their medicines. In addition, the Department has commissioned specific pieces of research relevant to the role of community pharmacists from university departments. The results will inform decisions on which if any of these services proceed to implementation.
We propose to publish a document in the autumn setting out proposals for the future role of community pharmacy within the NHS.
Mrs. Brinton:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list, by health authority, the number of nurses waiting for a place on the ENB family planning course; [48966]
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Mr. Milburn:
The information requested for the number of nurses waiting for a place on the English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting family planning course is not collected centrally in the format requested.
1 CPMP/EWP/462/95: Note for Guidance on clinical investigation of medicinal products in children.
(2) if he will list, by health authority, the number of places available for nurses to take the ENB family planning course. [48967]
| Region | Number |
|---|---|
| Anglia and Oxford | 407 |
| Northern and Yorkshire | 550 |
| North Thames | 715 |
| South Thames | 607 |
| North West | 330 |
| South and West | 428 |
| Trent | 560 |
| West Midlands | 355 |
Source:
English National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting
Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust
Mr. Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many formal complaints were made to the Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [48950]
Mr. Milburn: The information requested is in the table:
| Year | Essex Rivers Healthcare NHS Trust |
|---|---|
| 1992-93 | 388 |
| 1993-94 | 609 |
| 1994-95 | 563 |
| 1995-96 | 431 |
| 1996-97(3) | 492 |
(3) Department of Health publication, Handling complaints: monitoring the NHS complaints procedure, England 1996-97
Source:
Department of Health publications, Written complaints by, or on behalf of, patients, England, 1992-93 to 1995-96.
Social Service Provision (London)
Ms Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what additional costs are incurred within London in the social service provision of adult care (a) in residential establishments and (b) in the community; and what allowance is made for this in the funding of London local government; [49441]
- (2) what additional costs he estimates are incurred within London in the social service provision of children's care; and what allowance he makes for this in his Department's funding of such provision. [49419]
Ms Jowell:
The Government's estimates of the costs of providing social services are reflected in local authorities' standard spending assessment (SSAs). SSAs for 1998-99,
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per head of population of the relevant age-group, for London authorities, non-London authorities, and all English authorities, are shown in the table.
| £ per head | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| London | England outside London | England | |
| Residential services for the elderly | 485 | 343 | 361 |
| Non-residential services for the elderly | 270 | 206 | 213 |
| Services for adults aged 18 and 64 years | 80 | 46 | 51 |
| Children's services | 346 | 162 | 132 |
Chiropody
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each relevant NHS trust (a) the number of patient contacts with the chiropody service, (b) the number of chiropody staff employed and (c) total expenditure on community chiropody services in each of the last three years. [49551]
Mr. Milburn [holding answer 9 July 1998]: Information about the number of patient contacts with their chiropody services for each National Health Service trust is contained in the Department of Health publication "Chiropody services, summary information, England". Copies of the summary information for 1994-95, 1995-96 and 1996-97, the latest year available, are available in the Library.
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