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Dept of Health

Answer

Dr. Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what estimate his Department has made of the cost (a) per person and (b) in England of screening people in induction centres for (i) TB and (ii) HIV in each year since 1997; [178280] (2) what proportion of immigrants (a) in induction centres where screening is offered and (b) in England have taken up the offer of screening for (i) TB and (ii) HIV in each year since 1997; [178281] (3) if he will list the UK induction centres which (a) offer and (b) do not offer asylum seekers (i) voluntary and (ii) routine screening for (A) TB and (B) HIV. [178282] Miss Melanie Johnson: Tuberculosis screening has been incorporated into the general health assessment which is offered on a voluntary basis to all asylum seekers in the Kent (Dover) and Yorkshire and Humberside induction centres since June 2002 and July 2003 respectively. A check for HIV is not done routinely in the centres, unless it is requested by an individual or a specific need is identified by healthcare staff. The costs of the service vary from site to site and case to case and it is therefore not possible to provide a breakdown. The Department does not collect information on the numbers of immigrants in England who are tested for TB or HIV. However, locally collected information for the last six months from the Kent (Dover) induction centre suggests that 99 per cent., or 2,378 out of 2,406, of asylum seekers took up the offer of a general health assessment, including TB screening.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

423 c805-6W; 178280;178281;178282

Session

2003-04

Subjects

Asylum HIV/AIDS Migrants Medical examinations Screening Tuberculosis

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk