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15 Jul 2004 : Column 1309W—continued
Food Supplements Directive
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library the Government's response to the invitation by the European Court of Justice to comment on the case against the Food Supplements Directive and the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 brought by the Health Food Manufacturers Association and the National Association of Health Stores; whether that response will explain the consequences to the specialist health food manufacturing and retailing sector, and its consumers, of the implementation of the Directive; what his objectives are in formulating the response; and if he will make a statement. [183801]
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Miss Melanie Johnson: It is the United Kingdom's practice not to disclose pleadings before the European Court of Justice (ECJ). Therefore, the Government does not intend to place in the Library, its observations in respect of this case.
In responding to the ECJ, the UK Government's aims are to maintain that Directive 2002/46/EC on food supplements is valid as a matter of European Commission law.
HIV (Lancashire)
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many reported cases of HIV infection there are in each Lancashire constituency. [180434]
Miss Melanie Johnson: The information requested is not collected on a constituency basis but by primary care trust. The table as follows shows the latest available information.
| Survey year | Cumbria and Lancashire |
|---|---|
| 1997 | 233 |
| 1998 | 242 |
| 1999 | 295 |
| 2000 | 331 |
| 2001 | 393 |
| 2002 | 479 |
| Survey year | ||
|---|---|---|
| PCT of residence | 2001 | 2002 |
| Blackburn with Darwen PCT | 17 | 30 |
| Burnley, Pendle and Rossendale PCT | 28 | 35 |
| Hyndburn and Ribble Valley PCT | 14 | 19 |
| Morecambe Bay PCT | (41)20 | 27 |
| Blackpool PCT | 134 | 156 |
| Fylde PCT | 21 | 20 |
| Preston PCT | 51 | 65 |
| Wyre PCT | 23 | 32 |
| Chorley and South Ribble PCT | 20 | 26 |
| West Lancashire PCT | 14 | 20 |
| Lancashire but PCT of residence not known | 5 | 1 |
| Total | 359 | 431 |
(41)2001 figure for Morecambe Bay excludes 12 individuals who could potentially reside in either Lancashire or Cumbria.
Notes:
Year relates to year an individual attended for HIV related care or treatment in England, Wales or Northern Ireland Data includes individuals of all ages 2002 is the most recent completed survey PCT of residence has only been applied to the 2001 and 2002 surveys
SOPHID is an annual cross sectional survey established in 1995 to measure the prevalence of diagnosed HIV infection in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (E, W and NI). It collects data on all individuals who attend health services for HIV care within a calendar year.
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Internet Drug Sales
Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with other Government departments with a view to preventing the advertising and selling of drugs via the internet that are only available in the UK with a general practitioner's prescription. [183493]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) replaced the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) on 1 April 2003.
The MHRA has run two special projects, which have sought to identify those websites offering to supply prescription only medicines (ROMs) to United Kingdom citizens.
In addition, the MCA (as was) has been involved with three initiatives involving the availability of medicines on the internet sponsored by other Government agencies and local authorities, such as the Office of Fair Trading, the Inland Revenue and trading standards departments. These initiatives identified websites which appeared to be in breach of medicines legislation. The MCA investigated the services offered by those websites and took appropriate action.
The MHRA is currently engaged in discussions with Her Majesty's Customs and Excise and the Office of Fair Trading to develop memoranda of understanding with a view to tackling the issues of advertising and
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supply of ROMs via the internet. In addition, the MHRA has met with the Home Office drugs branch, with whom discussions have taken place about ROMs which also fall within the Misuse of Drugs Act.
Low-Carbohydrate Sector
Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment the Chief Medical Officer has made of the low carbohydrate sector of the food and drink industry; whether advice will be given to the public on this matter; and if he will make a statement. [183291]
Miss Melanie Johnson: There is consensus among the scientific dietetic community that a diet rich in carbohydrates is beneficial to health. Current Government healthy eating advice recommends that a third of the food we eat should be starchy foods, such as bread, breakfast cereals, potatoes, pasta and rice. These foods are important sources of fibre and certain vitamins and minerals. Government advises against dietary regimes that exclude or limit whole food groups.
NHS Beds (Manchester)
Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS beds have been available in Manchester Central in each year since 1997. [182667]
Miss Melanie Johnson [holding answer 14 July 2004]: The information requested is shown in the following table.
| Name | Total available | Year total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002–03 | Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust | 1,172 | 1,172 |
| 2001–02 | Central Manchester & Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust | 1,050 | 1,050 |
| 2000–01 | Central Manchester Healthcare NHS Trust | 881 | 1,171 |
| 2000–01 | Manchester Children's Hospital NHS Trust | 290 | |
| 1999–2000 | Central Manchester Healthcare NHS | 843 | 1,158 |
| 1999–2000 | Trust Manchester Children's Hospital NHS Trust | 315 | |
| 1998–99 | Central Manchester Healthcare | 848 | 1,162 |
| 1998–99 | Manchester Children's Hospital NHS Trust | 314 | |
| 1997–98 | Central Manchester Healthcare | 913 | 1,234 |
| 1997–98 | Manchester Children's Hospital NHS Trust | 321 | |
| 1996–97 | Central Manchester Healthcare | 974 | 1,297 |
| 1996–97 | Manchester Children's Hospital NHS Trust | 323 |
Source:
Department of Health form KH03
NHS Continuing Care Criteria (Challenges)
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of individuals challenging NHS continuing care criteria have been supported by (a) community health councils and (b) the Independent Complaints Advocacy Service since February 2003. [182711]
Ms Rosie Winterton: We do not have statistics available on the number of Community Care cases supported by Community Health Councils.
The Independent Complaints Advocacy Service (ICAS) data collection is based on the complaints subject headings used by the national health service to report on family health services: this does not include a specific category for continuing care. The Department is in the process of reviewing the reporting requirements for the ICAS and a category will be introduced.
NHS Medical Staff
Mr. Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many medical staff are employed by each NHS trust in London. [182818]
Mr. Hutton:
The number of medical staff employed by each national health service trust in London is shown in the table.
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Source:
Department of Health medical and dental workforce census
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