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BSE
Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his Department's responsibility for BSE compensation. [57341]
Ms Jowell: The responsibility for compensation in relating to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy rests with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
On the question of the payment of compensation for people who die from new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease the policy of successive Governments has been that questions of negligence are best decided by the Courts and that, other than in cases where negligence is proven, a compensation scheme would not be appropriate.
Nursing Agencies
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent with nursing agencies in 1997 or the latest year for which figures are available. [58028]
Mr. Milburn: The latest available figures show that in 1996-97 the total national cost for employing agency nurses was £191.3 million.
Health Visitors
Mr. Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the role for (a) health visitors and (b) school nurses in delivering the objectives set out in the White Paper "The new NHS: Modern, Dependable". [58258]
Mr. Milburn: The White Paper's objectives provide for improved public health through an integrated system of care based on partnership and driven by performance. Health visitors and school nurses will play an important role in both developing primary and community health care and in delivering these objectives.
Crohn's Disease
Mr. Wareing: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action Her Majesty's Government are taking to fund research into the possible connection between the consumption of milk and Crohn's Disease; and if he will make a statement. [57671]
Ms Jowell: The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is funding a study of the microbiological quality of raw and pasteurised cows' milk. This study will include examination of samples for the presence of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis which has been suggested as a possible factor in the aetiology of Crohn's disease. The Medical Research Council recently agreed to set up an expert sub-group to steer and monitor the Council's research into various aspects of inflammatory bowel diseases, including Crohn's disease.
Mr. Wareing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of Crohn's Disease have been registered during each of the past five years, indicating the age distribution of such cases. [57672]
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Ms Jowell:
There are no national figures on the incidence of Crohn's disease in the United Kingdom; however, data obtained for 20 centres throughout Europe in 1991-1993 indicate that the incidence of Crohn's disease (the rate at which people are diagnosed annually) is approximately 5 per 100,000 of population.
The number affected at any one time in the UK is about 50 per 100,000 (British Society of Gastroenterology, September 1996).
Crohn's disease occurs in all age groups although most commonly in young adults.
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Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the impact on community care services of including Special Transitional Grant in the revenue support grant settlement. [57776]
Mr. Hutton
[holding answer 3 November 1998]: In every year since 1996, the amount of the previous year's special transitional grant has been fully taken into account in the calculation of the revenue support grant settlement. The impact of the settlement on community care services depends on spending decisions by local councils.
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