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Thiomersal
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether any combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine manufactured by either GlaxoSmithKline or Aventis or any of their predecessor companies, and used in the United Kingdom, has contained the mercury-based thimerosal.[HL1973]
Lord Warner: No combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine used in the United Kingdom has contained thiomersal.
Simvastatin
Lord Clement-Jones asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What clinical evidence exists concerning the efficacy of statins for those at lower risk of cardiovascular disease in a self-treating population; and[HL2025]
How the impact on cholesterol levels of simvastatin provided in a pharmacy setting would be monitored; and[HL2026]
Whether provision of simvastatin in a pharmacy setting would increase the potential for adverse interaction with other medicines prescribed by a patient's general practitioner.[HL2027]
Lord Warner: The Government have consulted publicly on a proposal to make simvastatin 10mg available over the counter in pharmacies, to reduce the risk of a first major coronary event in people who are likely to be at a moderate risk of coronary heart disease. The Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) will advise Ministers on the proposals in the light of the responses to consultation.
Although there have been no direct studies carried out with simvastatin 10mg in the proposed population, there is a very substantial body of evidence that supports the efficacy of statins in reducing cardiovascular risk. CSM was satisfied that simvastatin 10mg was effective in the proposed population.
Current evidence suggests that, for adults in Western societies, it can be beneficial to reduce cholesterol levels whatever the starting point and on this basis, the measurement of cholesterol is not a prerequisite for a decision on the potential benefit of taking a statin. The intention is that pharmacists will be able to offer cholesterol testing to people who want it—including follow-up testing at defined intervals.
Pharmacists will be trained to ask the right questions to make sure that they only sell statins to people who will benefit from them—in the same way as they manage the sale of all other pharmacy-only drugs. Pharmacists will be trained to ask patients about their previous medical history and any other medicines that they may be taking. The potential for drug interactions will also be addressed in the patient information leaflet and patients will be encouraged to inform their general practitioner of their use of a statin.
The MHRA/CSM operates the Yellow Card Scheme by which doctors and pharmacists report suspected adverse drug relations to medicines. This system applies to both prescription and non-prescription medicines and will enable the continued monitoring of the safety of the medicine in pharmacy use.
Abortion
Baroness Masham of Ilton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What were the abortion rates per 1,000 women aged 15–44 for (a) England and Wales and (b) Scotland for each of the past three years for which figures are available.[HL2072]
Lord Warner: The information requested is provided in the table.
| Year | Abortion rates per 1,000 women aged 15–44 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 |
| England and Wales(1) | 17.0 | 17.1 | 16.9 |
| Scotland(2) | 11.1 | 11.3 | 10.8 |
(1)Source,
The Department of Health.
(2)Source,
The Information and Statistics Division of the Common Services Agency to the NHS in Scotland.
Baroness Greengross asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Warner: The Department of Health takes the lead on work to tackle obesity. However, the department cannot tackle obesity alone. Cross-governmental working is essential. The Government launched their major consultation on public health this month. The public health White Paper will provide the overarching framework to improve public health and will present real opportunities to progress work on the prevention and management of overweight and obesity.
The consultation will enable a wide range of stakeholders to contribute to the debate on obesity. This will build on the work already started through the Food and Health Action Plan and the Activity Co-ordination Team. The Government will draw up their White Paper in the light of the consultation.
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty): Currently mink trapping is carried out in river catchments, supported by combinations of the Environment Agency (the lead organisation for the water vole Biodiversity Action Plan), English Nature
The current water vole projects involving mink control are not working to a strict and formal plan, in the true sense of the word, but they are all following guidance and criteria produced by the UK Water Vole Biodiversity Action Plan Steering Group and they are part of an informal plan for seeking catchment-scale control of mink in various priority regions of the country.
There is no central recording of controlled mink numbers, but each water vole project which involves mink control keeps a record of the mink killed.
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will consider establishing a nutrition council to co-ordinate initiatives across government designed to tackle obesity.[HL2088]
Whether the effort to suppress mink numbers by the Environment Agency, English Nature and conservation organisations is being conducted according to a plan; and whether the outcomes in terms of number and location of mink killed are being collected and held centrally.[HL1851]
Whether they consider that the Animal By-Products Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/646) correctly transposed Article 15 of Council Directive
29 Mar 2004 : Column WA144
- 80/217/EEC on the consigning of swill from premises approved for the processing and feeding of swill to other holdings.[HL1939]
Lord Whitty: Yes. Council Directive 80/217 permitted the treatment of swill in specialised establishments under official control and provided that such swill could be consigned from those establishments to approved premises. The directive says "Member States may authorise the treatment of swill in specialised establishments equipped for the purpose, on which there are no animals and which are under official control. In this case, by way of a derogation from paragraph 2, the swill may, after heat-treatment, also be used for the feeding of pigs other than fattened pigs, provided that its distribution and use are controlled so as to avoid any risk of the swine fever virus spreading".
Our legislation fully implemented the provisions of the Council directive. The consigning of properly processed swill from approved premises to approved swill feeders was at that time a legitimate activity and was permitted under the directive.
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