| Previous Section | Index | Home Page |
General Practitioners
Mr. Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the arrangements for the accountability of general practitioners; and to whom they are accountable. [99275]
Mr. Denham: General practitioners provide medical services to patients under statutory arrangements with a health authority. They are accountable to the health authority for the proper discharge of their obligations under their National Health Service terms of service set out in the National Health Service (General Medical Services) Regulations 1992. General practitioners, like all other doctors, are also accountable to the General Medical Council.
We have recently published for consultation "Supporting Doctors, Protecting Patients". This contains proposals for preventing, identifying and dealing with
25 Nov 1999 : Column: 189W
poor performance of doctors. Copies of the consultation paper have been placed in the Library. In addition, the General Medical Council is working towards the introduction of revalidation, to ensure that the continued inclusion of a doctor's name on the Medical Register represents an assurance that the doctor has kept up to date in his or her chosen field of practice and remains fit to practice.
Mr. Garnier:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health when a Minister in his Department will answer the letter of the hon. and learned Member for Harborough dated 29 September addressed to the right hon. Member for Dulwich and West Norwood (Ms Jowell) dealing with certain inquiries from a constituent, Mrs. Constance Foreman of Leicester. [99461]
Yvette Cooper:
I replied to the hon. and learned Member on 22 November.
Mrs. Gilroy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects of fuel poverty and cold-related illnesses on (a) overall NHS spending, (b) winter admission rates, (c) public health and (d) death rates. [99111]
Yvette Cooper
[holding answer 22 November 1999]: Fuel poverty and cold homes can exacerbate a number of illnesses such as asthma in children and respiratory and cardiovascular diseases in older people. However, poor health can be influenced by a large number of causes other than cold housing. Poverty, unemployment and unhealthy life styles are examples of interacting factors that can have at least as great an effect. Therefore, while we clearly recognise that fuel poverty and cold homes undoubtedly contribute to ill health, it is not possible accurately to assess the direct impact on winter admissions, public health, death rates or the level of National Health Service expenditure incurred.
Mr. Swayne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what payment is made by the Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust and the Southampton Community Hospitals NHS Trust to undertakers for the removal of bodies out of hours under the existing contractual arrangements; and if he will make a statement. [99103]
Ms Stuart:
Southampton University Hospitals National Health Service Trust is forecasting payment of between £20,000 to £23,000 and Southampton Community Health Service NHS Trust an estimated £10,000 this year as part of their contracts with local undertakers.
Mr. Livsey:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what concentrations of uranium have been measured in the tracheo-bronchial lymph nodes of people in (a) West Cumbria and (b) other regions of England in each of the last three years. [99284]
Yvette Cooper:
No measurements of concentrations of uranium in tracheo-bronchial lymph nodes have been undertaken in the last three years.
25 Nov 1999 : Column: 190W
Mr. Ian Stewart:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what date the Food and Drink Federation has told him that it expects to complete its review of the purpose and usage of sodium; and what timetable the Government have set for the food and drink industries to achieve a considerable reduction in the salt content of processed food. [99460]
Yvette Cooper:
We understand that the Food and Drink Federation is expected to complete its review by the end of the year. Once the report is available, we propose to explore with the FDF the scope for reducing the levels of salt in processed foods.
Mr. Waterson:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many copies of the consultation document, "Fit for the Future?", have been (a) printed, (b) applied for, and (c) distributed; [99303]
Mr. Hutton:
On 8 September the Department published the consultation document "Fit for the Future?". 5,000 copies were printed. The document was also placed on the Department's website on the internet where people can access it immediately.
1,500 copies of "Fit for the Future?" were distributed to a wide range of representative organisations and individuals for consultation nationally. The circular which accompanied the distribution clearly stated that the consultation document could be freely reproduced by all to whom it was addressed.
An additional 3,500 copies were sent to the Department's distributors to send to people who requested a printed copy of the consultation document.
The high demand for printed copies of "Fit for the Future?" led to stocks being exhausted in mid November leaving a backlog of orders, currently approximately 1,000, with more being received.
In the circumstances, an additional 5,000 copies of "Fit for the Future?" have been printed and these are now being issued. A letter is being sent with these copies giving recipients until 21 January 2000 to comment on the consultation document.
Mr. Dalyell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to combat tuberculosis. [99425]
Yvette Cooper
[holding answer 23 November 1999]: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Pendle (Mr. Prentice) on 19 October 1999, Official Report, columns 468-69W.
Mr. Amess:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria were used to appoint members of the expert advisory group on human cloning. [99754]
25 Nov 1999 : Column: 191W
Yvette Cooper:
Individuals were invited to serve on the expert group in the light of their personal expertise in appropriate areas of science and medicine, including genetics, cell biology, reproductive biology, veterinary medicine, haematology, surgery and molecular biology. Three additional members were appointed for their expertise in ethics and law.
Dr. Harris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the supply of anaesthetists and theatre staff in cardiac surgery. [99328]
Mr. Denham:
We do not plan centrally the numbers of anaesthetists in cardiac surgery nor the numbers of theatre staff generally. It is for individual National Health Service trusts and health authorities, who are accountable for the quality of the services they provide, to determine the number, grade and mix of staff they will require to deliver quality services in their area.
Currently, there are enough specialists training in anaesthetics for there to be around 1,280 extra qualifying for consultant posts by 2005. At national level, numbers of higher specialist trainees in anaesthetics have been reviewed recently and we are satisfied there are sufficient to meet NHS demands for consultants over the next few years.
The National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease will be published shortly. This will reinforce the priority we attach to tackling coronary heart disease and set the service context within which health authorities and trusts will plan their staffing needs.
Dr. Lynne Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what motor mileage allowance rates his Department offers to (a) Ministers and (b) civil servants using their own vehicles for official business; and what has been the cost of each in each of the last five years. [98693]
Mr. Hain:
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office pays motor mileage allowance at three main rates in the United Kingdom.
Details of expenditure on mileage allowances are not held centrally and it would involve disproportionate cost to obtain this information.
25 Nov 1999 : Column: 192W
(2) if he will extend the period for consultation on the document, "Fit for the Future?". [99302]
Public Transport rate of 24.8 pence per mile.
Standard rate (paid when official or public transport is not readily available):
up to 4,000 miles a year at 39.5 pence per mile.
over 4,000 miles a year at 22.0 pence per mile.
Ministers, when travelling on official business, may use a private car instead of an official car, and claim mileage allowance in the same circumstances and on the same terms as officials.
| Next Section | Index | Home Page |