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Farmers
Mr. Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to public funds of allowing a one-off facility for UK farmers to average their profits for income tax purposes over the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [57947]
Dawn Primarolo:
Currently farmers whose profits fluctuate by more than 25 per cent. can average their farming profits of two consecutive years and attribute half the total to each year. The resulting average profits can themselves be subject to averaging with later years.
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Together with the various provisions allowing any trading losses to be set against the profits of earlier or later years, this already gives farmers scope to smooth their profits over several years. The additional cost of allowing a one-off averaging over the last five years is difficult to estimate.
It would be extremely complicated for farmers to prepare, and the Inland Revenue to administer, five year claims, and it would not be possible to focus such a relief on particular sectors of farming.
The Government are very aware of the difficulties which farmers are facing as a result of the sharp decline in farm incomes. This is why the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food is in close touch with leaders of the farming industry to discuss what can be done to help the industry through this difficult time.
Mr. Gordon Prentice:
To ask the Minister of State, Lord Chancellor's Department how many judgments are outstanding in cases heard before Judge Michael Kershaw (a) 18 months, (b) 12 months and (c) nine months ago. [57288]
Mr. Hoon:
None.
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Mr. Llew Smith:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the plans by the World Health Organisation to conduct a study of the health and environmental effects of the use of depleted uranium projectiles in Iraq during the Gulf War; and what assistance it has requested from Her Majesty's Government. [57106]
Ms Jowell:
We understand the World Health Organisation is considering, with the Iraqi Ministry of Health, deploying a small team to carry out preliminary studies into the incidence rather than the cause of cancer in Iraq and to advise on further action. We have not carried out an assessment of these plans, nor have we been asked to provide assistance.
Mr. Fearn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is the Government's policy on European Union funding for campaigns to discourage smoking. [57181]
Ms Jowell:
The Health Council has called for co-ordinated action to be taken by the Member States and at Community level to encourage the reduction of smoking. It has welcomed and is monitoring progress by the Commission in taking forward action proposed in its Communication of December 1996 on tobacco control. The Council and the European Parliament adopted in 1996 a five year action programme against cancer which includes specific actions to disseminate the best methods of overcoming addiction to smoking. We wholeheartedly support these activities.
Mrs. Ewing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the findings contained in the paper by Robert E. Weibel and others published in Paediatrics March 1998 on the links between acute encephalopathy associated with attenuated measles vaccines. [56968]
Ms Jowell
[holding answer 29 October 1998]: The paper by Weibel et al describes a group of children with neurological events following measles vaccines. All those cases included were selected through earlier application to the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Programme in the United States. We are advised by the Joint Committees on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) that the information in the paper is not evidence that the vaccines caused the claimed outcomes, and is simply a descriptive study without appropriate control populations or avoidance of bias implicit in the case selection process. The JCVI is an independent expert committee which advises the United Kingdom health departments on matters concerning immunisation.
Mrs. Ewing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health in what quantities (a) myelin basic protein and (b) aluminium occurred in pre-1992 measles and MMR vaccine. [56963]
Ms Jowell
[holding answer 29 October 1998]: The Department has been advised by the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control that the techniques involved in the manufacture of measles, mumps and
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rubella (MMR) vaccine have been specifically designed to prevent myelin basic protein from entering at the start of the manufacture and, if there were any, then such presence would subsequently be removed during the manufacture. No aluminium is involved in the manufacture of measles or MMR vaccines.
Mrs. Ewing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what brands of MMR vaccine were withdrawn from use in September 1992; and what notice was given to other manufacturers about this withdrawal. [56964]
Ms Jowell
[holding answer 29 October 1998]: The supply of Pluserix and Immravax measles, mumps and rubella vaccines, two vaccines which contained Urabe strain mumps vaccines, was discontinued in September 1992. As soon as the Department had clear evidence that there was a significant problem with Urabe mumps vaccines, not occurring with the remaining brand, MMR II which contained Jeryl Lynn mumps vaccine, the Department moved quickly to discontinue purchase of the two Urabe strain vaccines. The manufacturers of the MMR II vaccine were advised in September 1992 of the Department's requirements for more vaccine to prevent disruption to the childhood programme.
Mrs. Ewing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health which medical officer approved the Pluserix and Immuruvax brands of MMR vaccine. [56966]
Ms Jowell
[holding answer 29 October 1998]: The decision to grant a licence for any medicinal product is taken by the licensing authority in the light of reports prepared by professional medical, pharmaceutical and scientific staff at the Medicines Control Agency, together with advice from the Committee on Safety of Medicines where appropriate.
Mrs. Ewing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list each of the years since 1969 in which vaccinations or revised vaccinations were introduced for mumps, measles or rubella. [56973]
Ms Jowell
[holding answer 29 October 1998]: Measles immunisation was introduced in 1968; rubella immunisation was introduced in 1970 for girls aged 11-14 years; mumps was introduced as part of the Measles Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine in 1988 and a second dose of MMR was introduced in 1996.
Mrs. Ewing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if Priorix contains the same ingredients, and in the same quantities, as MMR vaccine. [56977]
Ms Jowell
[holding answer 29 October 1998]: Priorix is a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The Summary of Product Characteristics contains details of the contents of Priorix, copies of which are in the Library.
Mrs. Ewing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doses were in standard batches of (a) attenuated measles vaccine and (b) MMR in the period 1986 to 1989. [56978]
Ms Jowell
[holding answer 29 October 1998]: Batches of vaccine vary in the number of doses they contain. Specific information on the number of doses per batch is held by the vaccine manufacturers.
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Mrs. Ewing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will assess the findings contained in the paper by Gina Delgiudice-Asch MD and Eric Hollander MD published in CNS Spectrums May 1997 on a review of clinical observations with respect to the possible auto-immune basis of autism, a copy of which has been sent to him. [56970]
Ms Jowell
[holding answer 29 October 1998]: The Department is not aware of the status of the publication CNS Spectrums, or of how the articles are peer reviewed before publication.
Delgiudice-Asch and Hollander describe a number of immunological theories about autism, many of which, as the authors report, are either inconclusive or contradictory.
Mrs. Ewing:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the members of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation in the years (a) 1987, (b) 1988 and (c) 1989. [56965]
Ms Jowell
[holding answer 29 October 1998]: The membership of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation is given each year in the Health and Social Services Yearbook, copies of which are in the Library.
Mr. Nigel Jones:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what initiatives his Department is currently supporting to reduce the level of alcohol consumption by those aged under 16 years. [57886]
Ms Jowell:
The Health Education Authority published "A Parent's Guide to Drugs and Alcohol" in June this year. It includes guidance on talking about drugs and alcohol with children of various ages and life stages from primary school age to young people over 16. It also includes basic facts about a range of illegal drugs, gases, glues, aerosols and alcohol.
The Healthy Schools Initiative, a key component of the public health strategy outlined in the Green Paper "Our Healthier Nation", was launched on 14 May this year. The Initiative aims to build on the concept of the healthy school not just to promote excellence in educational achievement but to foster emotional wellbeing and enable young people to improve their quality of life and that of the wide community.
Under the initiative, we are funding eight "Health Education Partnerships" pilot schemes. These will include the development of an informed approach to substance misuse including alcohol and smoking.
A Ministerial Group on Alcopops has been set up to tackle under-age alcohol misuse, its short and long term effects on health, and unacceptable behaviour of our young people in a co-ordinated and effective manner. The Department and other Government departments are represented on the group.
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Immunisation
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