Chamber and committees

There were 22.8 whole-time equivalent (WTE) rheumatology consultants employed in NHS Scotland as at 30 September 2001. The Scotland mid-year population estimate is 5,064,200 as at 30 June 2001. This equates to one WTE consultant per 222,114 population, or 0.45 WTE consultants per 100,000 head of population.Number of WTE Consultant Rheumatologists Per 100,000 of Population in Scotland

	WTE/100,000 population
Actual data from Medical and Dental Manpower Census	0.45
Recommended by Department of Health	0.67
Recommended by British Society for Rheumatology	1.18
Recommended by Royal College of Physicians	0.67
Recommended by World Health Organisation	0.67

Source: Medical and Dental Census and General Register Office for Scotland.

I welcome the report by Alzheimer Scotland, which arose from a three-year project, funded by the Executive, into the support needs of carers of people with dementia. We are working hard to support all carers, particularly those with heavy caring responsibilities. We have increased the resources available to local authorities to support carers from £5 million a year in 1999 to £21 million a year in 2003-04. As part of that we have provided authorities with significant new resources to create an additional 22,000 weeks of short breaks each year by 2003-04, benefiting many carers, including carers of people with dementia. Our continued commitment to improve mental health services and to create more integrated and effective health and social care services will also help to improve the support systems available to carers of people with dementia and the people they care for.

We have no such plans. The Executive provided £20 million in 2002-03 for local authority and NHS partnerships to implement Local Joint Action Plans to meet specific targets for reducing delayed discharge. Latest figures for delayed discharge are the lowest since counting began. Our emphasis is on joint responsibility and partnership between the NHS and local authorities, and for whole systems approaches to ensuring the right range of services is in place locally to support older people. Our national range and capacity review of community care services for older people will include a strategic review of the care home sector, and we expect this work to support the activities of partnerships locally.

National definitions are provided by the Information and Statistics Division (ISD) in the Definitions and Codes for the NHS Scotland (6th Update April 2002) Manual. The manual is available at:www.show.scot.nhs.uk/isd/isd_services/NHSiS_services/National_data_standards/defsmanual.htm.

An interim report of the expert panel on school meals, Hungry for Success was published in November 2002. In setting nutrient standards for school lunches, the interim report explains that a diet based on bread, cereals and other starchy foods, fruits and vegetables, and low amounts of fat, sugar, and salty foods is an underlying consideration in catering provision. The interim report advocated a whole-school approach to nutrition and health. Following a consultation exercise, the final report of the expert panel is due for publication next month, and ministers' responses to the final report will be published at that time.

The negotiating timetable for the new general medical services (GMS) contract was extended to 21 February to allow sufficient time for negotiations to take place. Ministers in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are fully committed to the new GMS contract negotiations process and to the implementation of a new contract as soon as is practicable, assuming agreement can be reached.We will continue to support the NHS Confederation and General Practitioner Committee in seeking to reach agreement and are making every effort to that end. We have no wish whatsoever to delay an agreement being reached but it is important to get matters right rather than just do them quickly.As was stated in the framework document for the new contract published in April 2002, we are committed to phased implementation of the new contract taking place from April 2003.

The Committee on Safety of Medicines has advised that, with the exception of hypersensitivity reactions that typically include skin rashes or soft tissue swelling at the site of injection, there is no evidence of harm from the levels of thiomersal (which contains ethylmercury) contained in vaccines. Further studies have supported this finding. The benefits of immunisation with thiomersal-containing vaccines outweigh any potential risks of vaccination. With the exception of hypersensitivity reactions, there is no evidence that exposure to the low levels of thiomersal contained in influenza vaccines causes harm to adults or children.Manufacturers are being encouraged to phase out the use of thiomersal in vaccines as a precautionary measure.

Manufacturers are being encouraged to phase out the use of thiomersal in vaccines, as a purely precautionary measure. It is anticipated that thiomersal-free vaccines will be considered for provision in the routine childhood immunisation programme after they have been licensed for use in the UK and have demonstrated that they are as effective in protecting children against the real risk presented by vaccine-preventable diseases as the vaccines that are currently used.

The regulation and safety of medicines is reserved and is the responsibility of the Medicines Control Agency (MCA).The MCA has advised that as with any effective medicine or vaccine, influenza vaccine is not without side effects in some recipients. The risks and side effects associated with immunisation with influenza vaccine are stated in the product information for the vaccine. The recommendation of the Department of Health, outlined in its publication Immunisation Against Infectious Disease (1996), is that the vaccine should not be given during pregnancy unless there is a specific indication. It is the responsibility of the prescribing physician to weigh the possible risks of vaccination against the possible risks of clinical infection with influenza virus during pregnancy.Not all influenza vaccines used in the UK contain thiomersal (also referred to as thimerosal) in the final product. With the exception of hypersensitivity reactions, there is no evidence that exposure to levels of thiomersal contained in influenza vaccine causes harm to adults or children. Similarly, with regard to vaccination of pregnant women, there is no evidence that the thiomersal content of influenza vaccine causes harm to the developing foetus.

I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-33180 today. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament's website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/search_wa.