Health Bill

I accept that. I probably did not hear exactly what the hon. Gentleman said and I thought at first that he had claimed that 5,000 deaths were caused by MRSA. I would be horrified if that were the case. The figure of 5,000 is often cited but it applies to an American study, which is quite old. It is extrapolated from data that are based on the United States. We are working hard to get the best information possible into the public domain. I stress to the hon. Member for Mid-Bedfordshire (Mrs. Dorries) that we should not make such claims as deaths have doubled since 1997. I am resisting my natural inclination, which is to dive in with both feet and say, ““Hang on a minute, let’s go further back.”” However, I hope that she accepts that we began the collection of the data and the surveillance of MRSA and other infections.