HL Deb 11 October 1999 vol 605 cc31-2WA
The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many deaths from new variant CJD in the past decade are known to result from eating beef. [HL4026]

Service for each of the past five years in all specialities. [HL4056]

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

Information on the number of consultant appointments in the National Health Service in all specialties is not collected centrally. Information on the total numbers of consultants in the National Health Service for each of the past five years is shown in the table.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

Although there is convincing scientific evidence that the agent which causes variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in humans is the same as that which causes Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle, research so far has been unable to confirm how those who have died of vCJD contracted the disease. The department publishes, on a monthly basis, figures for the number of deaths of definite and probable cases of CJD of all types in the United Kingdom.

The first deaths from vCJD occurred in 1995, and the total number of deaths of definite and probable cases of vCJD in the UK is now 42. One case has also been confirmed in France.