§ Mr. BurstowTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pest infestations he estimates there were in NHS hospitals in each year since 1996 in(a) England and (b) each strategic health authority.[158542]
§ Mr. HuttonThe information requested is not collected centrally. It is for individual national health service hospitals to make their own arrangements to deal with, or otherwise ensure the prevention of, pest infestations.
The NHS has recently been reminded of the need to ensure that proper control procedures are in place. Action Area Three (Reducing Reservoirs of Infection) of "Winning Ways", the Chief Medical Officer's Report on measures to tackle healthcare associated infections, requires that
all healthcare settings should aim to eradicate pests such as rats, mice, ants, cockroaches pigeons and flies".