§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what is the latest estimate of the number of women who die premature deaths each year from cervical cancer.
§ Mr. HayhoeActual figures for 1985 are given in the following table:
Number of deaths with underlying cause of malignant neoplasm of cervi uteri (ICD(9) 180) in England and Wales, by age group, 1985 Age group 1985 All ages 1,957 15–34 114 35–54 481 55–74 932 75 and over 430
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services in which (a) social group and (b) age group cervical cancer is most prevalent.
§ Mr. HayhoeStatistics from the registration of newly diagnosed cases of cancer are the nearest available data on the prevalence of cancer. In England and Wales for 1982 (the latest available year), the age-group with the highest registration rate per 100,000 women for malignant neoplasm of cervi uteri (1CD(9) 180) is 60–64 years. The 71W social group with the largest age-standardised proportional registration ratio is social class V. However, great care is required in interpreting these PRRs, and full details of the methodology are given in "Cancer statistics: registrations 1982 series MB1 No. 14", a copy of which is in the Library.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services which identifiable groups of women fail to make full use of cervical cancer screening services; and what steps he is taking to seek to persuade them to do so.
§ Mr. HayhoeThe principal group of women not making full use of cervical cancer screening is the over-35 age group. Priority is given to the screening of women over 35. I believe that the most effective way of persuading these women to attend for a smear is a personal approach by their general medical practitioners. The computerised call and recall systems now being introduced will help identify women due for screening so that they can be sent a personal invitation. The Government are supporting research into the reasons why women do not attend for screening, and into ways of encouraging women to attend.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what estimate he has made of the potential reduction in mortality that could result if all women between 20 and 65 years of age were screened at intervals of (a) five, (b) three and (c) one year.
§ Mr. HayhoeI am advised that no estimate with a worthwhile degree of accuracy has yet been made on the effects of different screening intervals.
Any estimate depends critically upon the assumptions made on such matters as the incidence of the disease in the absence of screening; the natural history of the disease, and on the effectiveness of screening. All of these are difficult to quantify.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what new steps he has taken to make women more aware of the facts of cervical cancer.
§ Mr. HayhoeMy Department has given the Womens' National Cancer Control Campaign grants for producing health education literature and a video film on cervical smear tests, which are now available, and to carry out pilot projects to see how local health education campaigns can increase attendance for cervical cancer screening. The Health Education Council has been asked to consider further ways of informing women about the value of regular smear tests, in addition to leaflets they already provide.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he has any evidence connecting sexual transmission of a virus by men working in certain industries and cervical cancer.
§ Mr. HayhoeI am aware of no such evidence.
TABLE 2 Total current expenditure on the employment of non-NHS (agency, etc.) staff 1983–84 1984–85 Region Nursing staff All other staff Total Nursing staff All other staff Total £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 £'000 Northern 29 483 512 20 555 575 Yorkshire 69 1,302 1,371 277 1,647 1,924