§ Ms. WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many children received hospital treatment following road accidents who had been(a) wearing and (b) not wearing seat belts, in each of the last 10 years;
(2) what are the assessed costs to the national health service for treating children injured by (a) accidents in the home, (b) as the result of motor vehicle accidents where they were passengers and (c) suffered as the result of road traffic accidents where they were pedestrians.
§ Mr. SackvilleThis information is not held centrally. In the "Health of the Nation" White Paper we indicate that the development of information systems in accident and emergency departments is a key measure in our strategy for reducing accidents. From this April a new minimum data set will be introduced in A and E departments which will record both the cause and the nature of patients' treatment, thus enabling such costs to be assessed. In further developing this data set we will consider whether seat belt usage in road accidents should also be recorded.
§ Ms. WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people are employed by the health education authority to promote(a) the installation and wearing of child seat belts and restraints and (b) child safety in the home.
§ Dr. MawhinneySeveral staff are employed by the Health Education Authority on child accident prevention, but none exclusively. The authority produces information for parents and the public, and support for health professionals in their role in accident prevention. This includes information on the installation and wearing of child seat belt restraints.