HC Deb 15 October 2002 vol 390 cc824-6W
Mr. Wray

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will provide financial assistance to people who cannot afford asthma medication. [73660]

Mr. Lammy

People with asthma are entitled to free National Health Service prescriptions if they are under 16 (or under 19 if in full-time education); aged 60 or over; hold a maternity or medical exemption certificate; receive income support or income based jobseekers allowance, are named on a tax credit NHS exemption certificate; or hold an NHS low income scheme exemption certificate for full help.

Patients who need frequent prescriptions may benefit from purchasing a prescription prepayment certificate.

Mr. Wray

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children have been diagnosed with asthma in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [73658]

Jacqui Smith

The information requested is not collected centrally. However tables showing the number of hospital episodes by age where the primary diagnosis is asthma have been placed in the Library. The International Classification of Disease 10 codes J45–J46 have been used. The data is for 1996–97 to 2000–01.

Mr. Wray

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding has gone into research into the causes of asthma; and how much has been allocated to financing drug treatment in each of the last five years. [73659]

Jacqui Smith

The main Government agency for research into the cause and treatments of disease is the Medical Research Council (MRC) which receives its funding via the Department of Trade and Industry. Asthma is a priority area for the MRC. It supports a wide range of research projects looking at asthma ranging from basic research to applied clinical studies. The MRC spend in the area in 2000–01 was approximately £3 million.

The Department funds research to support policy and the delivery of effective practice in the National Health Service. The Department of Health also provides NHS support funding for research commissioned by the research councils and charities that takes place in the NHS. The Department spend on directly commissioned research projects on asthma since 1997 is an estimated £7.24 million.

Health authorities (HAs) and primary care trusts (PCTs) receive funding to spend each financial year but the Department does not specify how much of that should be spent on the drugs bill, nor how much should be spent on individual drugs such as for asthma. However, guidance is set and sent out to all HAs and PCTs advising what monies should be set aside for prescribing budgets, what level of growth should be assumed, and what factors should influence their budget setting process.

Mr. Wray

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assistance the Government have given to the National Asthma Campaign in raising awareness of the effects of asthma. [73657]

Jacqui Smith

The Department has recently provided the National Asthma Campaign (NAC) with a section 64 grant to assist the funding of a telephone help-line. This enabled the NAC to both help asthma sufferers and their families as well as raising awareness of the condition.

The Department is currently arranging a series of discussions between the NAC, the British Thoracic Society and the British Lung Foundation with various sections of the Department and the Modernisation Agency to help shape initiatives in progress within the Department.