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10 Jan 2005 : Column WA12
NHS: Hospital Cleanliness
Lord Roberts of Conwy asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will consider providing hospital visitors with plastic overshoes to help maintain cleanliness on wards. [HL481]
Lord Warner: It is for individual National Health Service trusts to manage the provision of cleaning services locally and it would be open to them to introduce such a measure if it was felt it would contribute to maintaining standards of cleanliness.
Multiple Sclerosis: Aimspro
Lord Mackie of Benshie asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will give financial support to St George's Hospital, Tooting, to extend throughout the United Kingdom its trials on the drug to treat multiple sclerosis, Aimspro. [HL488]
Lord Warner: No. Pharmaceutical companies must meet the research and development costs of clinical trials of new medicinal products.
Vaccines: Measles, Mumps and Rubella
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether manufacturers of single measles, mumps and rubella vaccines have been instructed not to market their vaccines within the United Kingdom; whether they will have their licences withdrawn if they are found to have done so; and, if so, what were the reasons for the instruction. [HL493]
Lord Warner: Licences for single measles, mumps and rubella vaccines exist in the United Kingdom. These vaccines are not marketed in the UK because the licence holders voluntarily choose not to do so.
Some single vaccines that are unlicensed products have been imported from abroad on the basis of the clinical need of individual patients. Use of such unlicensed products, which have not been directly assessed for safety, quality or efficacy by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), is on the responsibility of the individual prescriber. The MHRA regulates such importation and will object to import if it has concerns about the safety or quality of a product. For example, the MHRA has blocked imports of mumps vaccines containing the Urabe strain because of the risk of vaccine-associated meningitis.
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there is any difference in the rates of seroconversion of measles vaccine if the vaccine is administered as a single dose or as a component of
- the triple measles, mumps and rubella vaccine; and, if so, what are the differences. [HL494]
Lord Warner: The level of effectiveness varies for the different components of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. Ninety to 95 per cent of individuals will be immune to measles after the first dose; 80 to 85 per cent of individuals will be immune to mumps after the first dose; and 97 to 99 per cent of individuals will be immune to rubella after the first dose.
Of those children who did not respond to a first dose of MMR vaccine, over 90 per cent will have a good response to a second dose. In addition children with low levels of antibodies after the first dose are boosted.
We do not have data on the efficacy of the single vaccines used in the United Kingdom, as they are unlicensed imports.
NHS Dentistry
Baroness Gardner of Parkes asked Her Majesty's Government:
Who, under the new National Health Service dental contract, will pay for premises, staff, equipment and materials for National Health Service dentists; and whether there will be a difference between those dentists working on the National Health Service base contract and those employed in the personal dental services. [HL503]
Lord Warner: Under general dental services contracts (including base contract) and personal dental services agreements providers will remain responsible for practice expenses. Under new Section 28Y of the NHS Act 1977, inserted by Section 180 of the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003, primary care trusts (PCTs) will have additional powers to provide assistance and support, including financial support, for providers and prospective providers of primary dental services. Salaried dentists employed by PCTs to perform primary dental services where the PCT is providing the service itself under new Section 16CA(2) will not be responsible for the expenses of the PCT.
Baroness Gardner of Parkes asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether each primary care trust will have its own contract terms and conditions for National Health Service dentists working in the personal dental services; or whether the terms will be uniform throughout England. [HL504]
Lord Warner: The General Dental Services Contract Regulations and Personal Dental Services Agreement Regulations will ensure consistent national standards for the provision of primary dental services, but allow local flexibility in the way primary care trusts (PCTs) work with their providers. The draft regulations, which will be published for consultation in 2005, will
10 Jan 2005 : Column WA14
allow the Secretary of State for Health to give directions to PCTs regarding certain payments to be made to providers under general dental services contracts or personal dental services agreements.
Baroness Gardner of Parkes asked Her Majesty's Government:
What will be the future role of the Dental Practice Board (formerly the Dental Estimates Board). [HL505]
Lord Warner: The Dental Practice Board will be dissolved before October 2005, as part of the Department of Health review of arm's length bodies.
The New Business Services Authority will absorb the functions previously carried out by the Dental Practice Board.
Baroness Gardner of Parkes asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Dental Reference Service, currently the watchdog of National Health Service dental services, will continue as a national body in England; and, if not, what new system is proposed. [HL506]
Lord Warner: We value highly the contribution that dentists working in the Dental Reference Service (DRS) make to the delivery of high quality general dental services under the National Health Service and wish to make continued use of their skills and experience under the new contractual arrangements to be introduced for NHS dentistry. Currently these dentists are employed by the Dental Practice Board (DPB). On 22 July we announced plans for reconfiguring the Department of Health's Arms Length Bodies which provide for the DPB to merge with the NHS Pensions Agency and Prescription Pricing Authority to create a new NHS Business Authority. We are reviewing the future organisation of DRS in connection with the establishment the new authority.
Enterprise Act 2002
Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the undertakings given to the Secretary of State by the British Medical Association on 21 September 1994 and referred to in Part II, paragraph 7, of the Enterprise Act 2002 (Enforcement Undertakings and Orders) Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/2181) still apply. [HL94]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville): These undertakings were transferred to the Competition Commission by the Enterprise Act 2002 (Enforcement Undertakings and Orders) Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/2181). I will therefore ask the chairman of the Competition Commission to reply to you.
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Spyware
The Earl of Northesk asked Her Majesty's Government:
Given that an estimated 67 per cent of all computers contain some form of spyware, and given the uses to which spyware can be put to facilitate identity theft and online fraud, what legislative sanctions exist to protect computers and their users from such programs. [HL253]
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The placing of software on a computer without authorisation is an offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1980. Provisions also exist in relation to cookies which are software packages placed on computers to improve the efficiency of the user's interaction with the web. Statutory controls on cookies were introduced under the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003. The rules require that cookies and similar internet tracking devices must be clearly indicated and internet users have the right to refuse them. Businesses are required to provide users with a privacy or cookies statement, which advise users how to switch off the cookies either through the content or service provider or by using the computer's browser settings. The exemption to this requirement is in cases where cookies are essential to the service provided by the website. The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has responsibility for the enforcement of these regulations and considers complaints about any breaches.
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