John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what his estimate is of the cost to the NHS of treating patients with osteoporotic fractures of the (a) hip, (b) wrist and (c) vertebrae in the last 12 months for which figures are available; (2) whether alternative treatments are available on the NHS to patients at risk of osteoporotic fracture who do not respond to the first line treatment...
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the time taken by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to develop guidance on treatments to prevent osteoporotic fractures in post-menopausal women.
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the impact of strategic health authority mergers on (a) access to and (b) use of, the £3 million capital allocation to purchase dual X-ray absorptiometry scans from the private sector; and if she will make a statement.
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much of the additional money earmarked for dual X-ray absorptiometry scans has been allocated to health authorities; and how much has been spent on additional scanning capacity.
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will review the Government's policy in relation to the British Indian Ocean Territory in the light of the recent Appeal Court decision concerning the Chagos islanders; and if she will make a statement.
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects to decide on the proposed Thames Gateway Bridge; what progress he has made towards determining a tolling regime; and if he will make a statement.
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he plans to introduce the Commencement Order to bring into effect the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006; and if he will make a statement.
John Austin: I thank the hon. Member for Bromley and Chislehurst (Robert Neill) for allowing me to speak in his debate. I share his view that it is important that we have the widest possible consultation and debate on the implications of what has happened. As the hon. Gentleman said, the southern portal of the tunnel is in Greenwich, but my right hon. Friend the Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Mr....
John Austin: I wonder what the Opposition would be saying if Transport for London had not heeded the police advice and a head-on collision had occurred in the tunnel. The hon. Gentleman talks of near misses, but the consequences of a head-on collision would be horrendous. The evidence suggests that the emergency services would not be able to get to the scene, and there could be damage to the tunnel, which...
John Austin: The Leader of the House will know of my enthusiastic support for the introduction of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. I still believe that it is vital to ensuring the availability of effective treatment and value for money in the NHS. Nevertheless, he will be aware of growing disquiet both among Labour Members and throughout the House about delays in the assessment...
John Austin: I know that the Minister shares my view of the importance of a grasp of the English language to both social inclusion and community cohesion. I had many concerns about his original proposals, but I am extremely grateful for the concessions and changes that he announced recently, which will go a long way towards allaying my concerns and those of colleagues. Nevertheless, there remains real...
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice she has received from the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition regarding the compulsory fortification of flour with folic acid; and if she will make a statement.
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the potential health benefits of compulsory fortification of flour with folic acid, with particular reference to spina bifida and other neural tube defects; and if she will make a statement.
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will review his assessment of the potential benefits of the Thames Gateway bridge following the publication of the Stern review report on the economics of climate change.
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had on tolling (a) the A102 Blackwall Tunnel approach road and (b) the Blackwall Tunnel; and if he will make a statement.
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 21 November 2006, Official Report, column 37-8W, on the Dartford Crossing, what further modelling and analysis has been carried out on projected usage of the Dartford Crossing and the proposed Thames Gateway Bridge (a) since the evidence which was presented to the Thames Gateway Bridge Inquiry and (b) since the...
John Austin: I am sorry to disagree with my neighbour and right hon. Friend the Member for Greenwich and Woolwich (Mr. Raynsford), but I cannot think of any function that is more strategic than that of waste management in London. Is my hon. Friend aware of the failure of the western London boroughs to achieve their recycling targets? In my part of London, they have taken the easy option of going for mass...
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on incineration in the Government's waste management strategy.
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the numbers of displaced Palestinians in (a) Iraq and (b) at temporary refugee camps at (i) Ruwayshid in Jordan, (ii) El Hol in Syria and (iii) Al Tanf on the Iraq-Syria border; and what assistance is provided to them by (A) the UN High Commission for Refugees and (B) other international bodies.
John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the numbers of displaced Palestinians in Baghad; and what assessment he has made of their situation and humanitarian needs.