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HEALTH
Adverse Incident Centre
Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement about the Adverse Incident Centre. [23012]
Ms Jowell: The Adverse Incident Centre is managed by the Medical Devices Agency. It is the first point of contact for reporting adverse incidents involving medical devices used in the National Health Service.
All reports are analysed and those involving death or serious injury, or with the potential to cause it, are investigated fully. Where appropriate, the agency issues a Hazard or Safety Notice to the NHS advising of hazardous products or unsafe procedures and the actions that should be taken.
In many other cases, the manufacturer is asked to investigate the incident. The agency reviews the manufacturer's response and, where appropriate, notifies the reporter of the outcome.
The agency publishes an annual survey of reported incidents as part of its efforts to increase awareness of the importance of reporting them.
The Adverse Incident Centre database holds over 32,000 incident records, dating back to 1987. Over 5300 adverse incident reports were received in 1997.
Mrs. Dunwoody:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what cost benefit analysis has been conducted into the privatisation of travel vaccinations for infectious diseases. [22906]
Ms Jowell:
The non-availability or unreliability of data on travel vaccines given in the United Kingdom makes formal cost-benefit analysis difficult. We recognise that inconsistencies and ambiguities have arisen over the years in the arrangements for travel vaccines and the way they are interpreted and are seeking to resolve these anomalies as part of an ongoing, internal review.
Mr. Syms:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has given to health authorities to ensure a more consistent provision of infertility services across the country. [23913]
19 Jan 1998 : Column: 390
Ms Jowell:
The White Paper "The New National Health Service" outlines a number of steps which the Government will be taking to improve the consistency of service provision throughout the National Health Service. We will challenge and address variations which are not based on the health needs and wishes of local people. We will aim for maximum consistency while still allowing appropriate local and individual responsiveness. We are currently considering what further advice the NHS should be given on infertility service provision.
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the areas where his Department's report, Policy Research Programme: providing a knowledge base for health, public health and social care, has provided the basis for improvements in information to disabled people. [23357]
Ms Jowell:
The Department of Health has funded improvements to information databases on disability equipment maintained by the Disabled Living Foundation and the Royal National Institute for the Blind. This followed evaluations in the Policy Research Programme suggesting that the European Union's Handynet system was not meeting the needs of users in the United Kingdom.
A range of other research is commissioned which relates to policy on physical disability, sensory impairment, learning disability and the health of older people. It covers a broad spectrum of acute care and continuing health and social care including work of community nurses and therapy professions. The broad aim of the research programme is to provide information that will assist in the policy formulation on integrated services to meet the needs of elderly, disabled or vulnerable people and to enable them to live in the community where possible.
Mr. Baker:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his policy on the level of prescription charges and the availability of multiple prescriptions at discounted prices. [23395]
Mr. Milburn:
All aspects of prescription charges are being examined as part of the Comprehensive Spending Review which will report in the summer. The Review in the Department of Health is being undertaken in the context of our manifesto commitment:
"if you are ill or injured there will be a national health service there to help; and access to it will be based on need and need alone--not on your ability to pay, or on who your general practitioner happens to be or on where you live".
Mr. Flynn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is his estimate of the proportion of medicinal drugs that are prescribed in order to counteract the consequences of other medicinal drugs. [23389]
Mr. Milburn:
It is not possible to estimate the proportion of medicines prescribed to counteract the consequences of other medicinal drugs. However, medicinal drugs are often appropriately prescribed in combination, so that one drug may counteract the unwanted side-effects of another clinically necessary drug.
19 Jan 1998 : Column: 391
Mr. Keetch:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the method of licensing for people performing ear-piercing and body piercing; and what plans he has to review the licensing procedure. [23318]
Ms Jowell:
The current registration and licensing provisions for ear-piercing and cosmetic body piercing business provisions are described in "Regulation of Skin Piercing: a Consultation Paper" issued jointly by the Department of Health and the Welsh Office in October 1996. Copies are available in the Library.
This consultation paper reviewed the current legislation which gives local authorities powers to control skin piercing businesses.
We are considering our response to the consultation exercise.
Mr. Cohen:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if the delivery of Hawk Jets to Indonesia has been made; how much the Export Credits Guarantee Scheme has contributed to the sale; and, following the economic problems in Indonesia, what assessment he has made of the likelihood of full payment being received at the expected time. [23102]
Mrs. Roche:
16 of the 40 aircraft remain to be delivered.
ECGD has guaranteed two loans valued at US$530 million and £13.4 million for a contract for Hawk Aircraft made with the Indonesian Government in 1993 and one loan valued at £280 million in respect of a further contract made in 1996.
In view of the recent financial turbulence in Asia, ECGD is monitoring the situation closely. Payments under the above mentioned loans are up to date.
Mr. Colman:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will introduce legislation for a new Credit Act. [23331]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths:
While I have no immediate plans to introduce legislation for a new Credit Act, I shall shortly issue a consultative paper on proposals for simplifying and clarifying aspects of Consumer Credit legislation.
Mr. Cousins:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade if she will arrange for the Office of Fair Trading to place in the Library its evidence to the European Commission and the results of its survey of finance directors on the proposed merger of KPMG and Ernst and Young; and if she will make a statement. [23682]
Mr. Nigel Griffiths:
Member States have a formal role in EC competition investigations. During an EC investigation, publication by the UK of views submitted to the Commission, or of the results of any
19 Jan 1998 : Column: 392
surveys or work undertaken by the UK authorities, would compromise the effectiveness and integrity of that investigation. Such information could also be market sensitive.
Mr. Maude:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to ensure that on-line service and access providers, including telecommunications companies, take legal and administrative responsibility for ensuring that material which is transmitted or delivered by them does not infringe copyright or consumer protection legislation. [23575]
Mr. Ian McCartney:
The general principle is that the law applies on-line in the same way that it does off-line. Under United Kingdom copyright law, on-line service or access providers are legally responsible for copyright infringement if they themselves incorporate copyright material into transmissions without the consent of copyright owners. Existing consumer law covers electronic commerce in the same way as it covers face to face transactions and other forms of distance communications (e.g. mail order).
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade how many awards of over £50,000 were made by employment tribunals in cases of unfair dismissal in each of the last three years; and how many of these remain unpaid. [23462]
Mr. Ian McCartney:
Awards for unfair dismissal are made up of two elements: a basic award and a compensatory award. The current maximum basic award for unfair dismissal case is £6,300, based on the statutory maximum of £210 per week, together with a maximum of £11,300 for the compensatory element. Section 125 of the Employment Rights Act 1996 provides for special awards in cases of unfair dismissal for Trade Union activities and in cases where the employer has failed to comply with an order for reinstatement. There have been no awards of over £50,000 in unfair dismissal cases in the last three years.
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the President of the Board of Trade what plans she has to make the payment of employment tribunal awards compulsory. [23461]
Mr. Ian McCartney:
The payment of industrial tribunal awards is governed by similar procedures to other awards made by the civil courts. Employers who do not observe industrial tribunal monetary awards can be required to do so by court order.
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