Deep Vein Thrombosis and Air Travel (Hansard, 24 June 2002)

§ Baroness Wilcox
asked Her Majesty's Government:
In view of the priority they give to drawing up authoritative advice on measures to minimise airline passengers' risk of deep vein thrombosis, whether they give similar priority to ensuring that this important advice is understood by those passengers.

§ Lord McIntosh of Haringey
My Lords, the Government's first priority, as recommended by the noble Baroness's committee, is for research to investigate possible links between air travel and deep vein thrombosis. We have made £1.2 million available to ensure that the World Health Organisation's project goes ahead. We are the only country to have provided funding.
The noble Baroness has raised a legitimate point about passengers' understanding of advice. The Department of Transport will discuss the matter with the airlines and the travel industry.

§ Baroness Wilcox
My Lords, I thank the Minister for that Answer. Will he confirm that that welcome change of heart will also cover the extent to which intending passengers, particularly those in vulnerable groups, get clear information in time to seek 1059 potentially life-saving advice before they travel? Does he agree that in-flight advice is too late for that unfortunate few?

§ Lord McIntosh of Haringey
My Lords, the existing advice, which was started in November 2001, is available via airlines, and presumably from the travel industry. It is also available from health practitioners and from NHS Direct, as well as through the Internet. It can reach intending passengers as well as actual passengers. The Department of Health produces health advice for travellers, which is available to anybody. The noble Baroness's point is well taken, but it is being addressed.

§ Baroness Scott of Needham Market
My Lords, is the Minister aware that the NHS does not, as a matter of routine, collect information regarding the travel patterns of people with thromboembolic disease? Does he agree that if we are to understand the potential links between DVT and air travel, this information should be collected?

§ Lord McIntosh of Haringey
My Lords, I agree entirely. That is exactly why we are putting all that money into the World Health Organisation project. Some £1.8 million is being put in, most of it from this country and the rest from the European Commission. In the first instance, it will provide large-scale epidemiological research into the relationship between DVT and long-haul air travel—exactly the point raised by the noble Baroness, Lady Scott.

§ Lord Graham of Edmonton
My Lords, I declare an interest, having suffered from DVT some years ago. I felt a real clot at the time! The committee chaired by the noble Baroness, Lady Wilcox, did a seminal job in drawing the attention of the public to this danger. To what extent do GPs and others in the medical profession make information for travellers available in their surgeries? Has the Minister found any resistance among the airlines to drawing the issue to the attention of passengers, not when they get on the plane, but when they buy their tickets? In my experience, preparation for the journey will do the trick.

§ Lord McIntosh of Haringey
My Lords, I thought that the noble Baroness, Lady Wilcox, addressed that important issue very well in her supplementary question. The airlines make such advice available. My understanding is that they are all co-operating in making it available as they sell tickets or prepare to sell tickets, not just when people board planes. I confirm that health practitioners have information to give to their patients. The information is also available from NHS Direct.

§ Viscount Astor
My Lords, can the Minister confirm that the minimum distance between seats on aeroplanes is set by the CAA, based on safety recommendations for evacuation of aeroplanes? Has the CAA looked into those minimum distances in the 1060 light of the medical evidence now available and in view of the report produced by the noble Baroness, Lady Wilcox, and her committee?

§ Lord McIntosh of Haringey
My Lords, the issue of seat pitch has been a matter of great controversy recently, as the noble Viscount knows. The issue of whether seat pitch—in other words, being confined and unnecessarily immobilized—is the principal or only link with deep vein thrombosis has still to be proved. That is why the World Health Organisation research is so important.

§ Lord Rogan
My Lords, does the Minister agree that while the research is being undertaken, one possible means of reducing the potential risk of DVT would be for airlines to be required to reduce the number of rows of seats on flights lasting four hours or more, thus increasing the seat pitch?

§ Lord McIntosh of Haringey
My Lords, there are serious issues there as well. There are other possible causes of deep vein thrombosis. It could be caused not just by seat pitch, but also by the nature of the atmosphere, what passengers eat or drink — particularly whether they drink water—or whether they take advice about moving around the cabin or what exercises to take. All those issues are important. Seat pitch is clearly one that the airlines will have to take seriously as part of that range of issues.