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Primary Care Trusts: Funding
Lord Smith of Leigh asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they intend to accelerate the pace of change in health funding so that primary care trusts in the most deprived communities receive their proper share.
Lord Warner: The Department of Health is committed to moving all primary care trusts (PCTs) to their target allocations as soon as is practicable, and aims to accelerate the pace of change for the most under-target PCTs.
Stem Cell Treatment
Lord Jacobs asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether there are any plans to send National Health Service patients with severe heart disease to Germany for treatment by the injection of stem cells following successful operations in that country; and
Whether any National Health Service funding will be made available to treat patients with severe heart disease in the United Kingdom by injecting stem cells; whether the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has considered this procedure; and, if not, whether it is planning to do so; and
Whether there are any plans to send National Health Service patients with Parkinson's disease to Sweden for treatment by the injection of stem cells to enable them to cease to take dopamine inducing drugs; and
Whether any National Health Service funding will be made available to treat patients with Parkinson's disease in the United Kingdom by injecting adult stem cells; whether the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has considered this procedure; and, if not, whether it is planning to do so.
Lord Warner: In the future, stems cells may well provide treatments for a wide range of currently incurable illnesses, such as heart disease and Parkinson's disease. Some early clinical results, both in the United Kingdom and abroad, look extremely promising. However, much more research is needed before the therapeutic potential of stem cells can be fully realised. That is why the Government have committed £40 million to support stem cell research in 2004–06.
It is not government policy to send National Health Service patients abroad to participate in clinical trials. Likewise, there is nothing in the current National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) work programme on stem cells and, at the moment, NICE has no plans to look at stem cell treatment.
Diabetes
Lord Jacobs asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether there are any plans to send National Health Service patients with severe diabetes to Canada for treatment to enable them to cease to need insulin.
Lord Warner: There are no central plans for the National Health Service to send patients with severe diabetes to Canada for treatment to enable them to cease to need insulin. Nevertheless, primary care trusts can authorise overseas treatment for patients outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) but must take account of the following: the condition involved is of a serious nature; suitable treament is not available within the United Kingdom or EEA; the treatment abroad is well established, not merely experimental; there is a probability of significant benefit to the patient.
Scrapie: Consultation on EU Regulation1915/2003
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Which key industry representatives were consulted on European Union regulation 1915/2003.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty): The key industry representatives consulted on the EU proposals for scrapie control measures (subsequently adopted and included in EU
Regulation 1915/2003) were the National Sheep Association, the National Farmer's Union, farmers' unions in Wales and Scotland, and the British Veterinary Association. Other organisations such as the Rare Breeds Survival Trust, the Meat and Livestock Commission and a number of agricultural colleges and institutions were also consulted.Pesticides: Disposal
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many local authorities offer no facilities for the disposal of withdrawn pesticide products.
Lord Whitty: We do not know exactly how many local authorities offer no facilities for the disposal of withdrawn pesticide products. However, I understand that a survey in 2003 of county councils throughout Great Britain by the Pesticides Action Network indicated that about 58 per cent provided facilities at civic amenity sites for these products or offered collection facilities.
Where pesticides are discarded by households they are classified as household waste. Section 45 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 places a statutory duty on local authorities to collect household waste and Section 51 of the 1990 Act requires waste disposal authorities to provide readily accessible places (usually known as civic amenity sites) where householders can bring items of household waste for disposal.
Defra will be writing shortly to all local authorities in England to remind them of their statutory obligations.
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