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HEALTH
Multiple Sclerosis
Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to issue a new health service circular in respect of multiple sclerosis. [89850]
Mr. Denham: In April we sent advance copies of a draft health service circular on beta-interferon to the MS Society and drug manufacturers. The draft circular was withdrawn as soon as it became clear that the circular had not been interpreted as we had intended. We plan to consult the MS Society, the pharmaceutical industry, the medical profession and health authorities on a revised draft circular. The revised draft circular will make it clear that it relates to the use of beta-interferon for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis, and that existing guidance on the use of beta-interferon for relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis [EL(95)97] continues to apply.
Nursing and Midwifery Admissions Service
Mr. Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 7 July 1999, Official Report, column 566, how many students the Nursing and Midwifery Admissions Service placed onto courses in (a) 1997-98 and (b) 1998-99. [90964]
Mr. Denham: The Nursing and Midwifery Admissions Service does not place students onto courses. It provides a centralised service processing all applications from individuals seeking entry to pre-registration nursing and midwifery diploma programmes. Applications that meet the entry requirements are passed to higher education institutions. Each institution decides whether or not to accept students in accordance with their own recruitment processes.
| 1997-98 | 1998-99 | |
|---|---|---|
| Applicants | 18,296 | 31,577 |
| Applications | 45,414 | 85,535 |
Source:
The Nursing and Midwifery Admissions Service
20 Jul 1999 : Column: 477
Dentistry
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that dental students on qualification are offered incentives to set up practices in areas of greatest dental need. [90779]
Mr. Denham: Dental graduates who wish to become principals in general dental practice have to undergo a period of vocational training comprising placement at an approved practice and attendance at a locally organised training course. The Committee on Vocational Training collaborates with health authorities on the organisation and funding of the courses and seeks to ensure that they are accessible from most parts of the country. We will explore with the Committee whether greater priority should be given to areas with shortages of NHS dentists.
Incontinence Services
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Bury, North (Mr. Chaytor), 20 May 1999, Official Report, column 427, concerning continence services, what assessment he has made of the extent of compliance with guidance HSG (92) 50 and HSG (95) 8. [91947]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 19 July 1999]: Since Health Service Guidance (95)8 was issued in February 1995 National Health Service Executive Regional Offices have regularly monitored the implementation of local policies and eligibility criteria for continuing care. The most recent progress report was issued in 1997 (Executive Letter (97/62/CI97(24)). This report suggested that there should be three main areas where health and local authorities should target activity--the development of joint investment plans, the development of recuperation and rehabilitation services and multi-disciplinary assessment.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimates he has made of the level of expenditure by the NHS on incontinence services in each of the last five years. [91944]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 19 July 1999]: Information on continence services is not collected centrally and no such estimates have been made. Local health authorities are responsible for commissioning continence services to meet the needs of their local population. The National Health Service Executive is reviewing continence service policy and plans to issue updated guidance shortly.
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to issue updated guidance on continence services. [91945]
Mr. Hutton [holding answer 19 July 1999]: Updated guidance is being developed in the light of the current review of continence policy services. We hope to issue this shortly.
Beta-interferon
Mr. Burstow:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the clinical guidelines on the use of beta-interferon recently published by the Association of British Neurologists. [91851]
20 Jul 1999 : Column: 478
Mr. Denham
[holding answer 19 July 1999]: The Association of British Neurologists (ABN) acknowledge the evidence that the efficacy of beta-interferon is only partial, moderate and not curative, and that their guidelines do not address issues of cost effectiveness.
The Department is likely to ask the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) for advice on the place of beta-interferon among the range of interventions and services available for multiple sclerosis sufferers. NICE would be expected to look at all relevant sources of evidence, which would naturally include the ABN guidelines.
Lake District Traffic
Miss Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what measures he is taking to reduce traffic in the Lake District. [90375]
Ms Glenda Jackson: The Government are funding the Lake District transport package to promote the use of public transport. Cumbria County Council was allocated £957,384 for 1998-99 in Rural Bus Services Grant. It has also been allocated the same amount for 1999-2000. It is important for the local economy that sustainable tourism is encouraged. The Government believe that integrated transport, with attractive public transport options, is the key to managing unacceptable car growth.
Great Leighs Bypass
Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions if he will list the criteria used to reject the Essex County Council local highway authority's 1999-2000 bid for capital funding for the Great Leighs bypass; and if he will make a statement. [90542]
Ms Glenda Jackson [holding answer 12 July 1999]: In the 1999-2000 local transport capital settlement, this Department was able to accept only five local transport major schemes. These included innovative public transport schemes where early acceptance was needed to lever in substantial financial contributions from other sources, the urgent replacement of a bridge on a vital route, and a regeneration scheme linked to a coalfields area.
Home Building
Mr. Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many new homes were built (a) on brownfield, (b) greenfield sites and (c) in total in the United Kingdom in 1998. [91319]
Mr. Raynsford:
It is provisionally estimated from data provided by local authorities and the National House-Building Council that 179,000 dwellings were completed in the UK during 1998. Information on the numbers of houses built on "brownfield" and "greenfield" sites is not available from this source.
20 Jul 1999 : Column: 479
Information on the proportion of new homes built on previously developed land in England is available from the Department's Land Use Change Statistics. The latest figures show that, in 1996, 56 per cent. of new dwellings were built on previously developed land (including new dwellings provided from the conversion of existing buildings, which account for 3 percentage points), and 44 per cent. were built on land that was not previously developed.
Figures for Scotland and Wales are matters for the respective Assemblies.
Mr. Evans:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions how many new houses were built on (a) greenfield sites and (b) brownfield sites in Lancashire in 1998. [91399]
Mr. Raynsford:
Information on numbers of houses built on "brownfield" and "greenfield" sites is not available. Information on the proportion of new homes built on previously developed land is available for Government Office Regions, but not for counties. Latest figures from the Department's Land Use Change Statistics show that, in 1994, 57 per cent. of new dwellings were built on previously developed land in the North West, and 43 per cent. were built on land that was not previously developed. These figures exclude new dwellings provided from conversion of existing buildings, for which reliable information is not available below national level.
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