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  • Mark Durkan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mark Durkan – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will place in the Library the protocols, memorandum of understanding and any other documents relating to the UK-Colombia defence relationship.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the former Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence, my hon. Friend the Member for South West Wiltshire (Dr Murrison) to the Member for Stoke-on-Trent South (Mr Flello) on 4 February 2014, Official Report, column 168W.

    Pursuant to this, the Memorandum of Understanding to promote cooperation between the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Colombian Ministry of Defence was placed in the House of Commons Library on 4 February 2014 by the Ministry of Defence.

  • Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, want his policy is on promoting the demilitarisation of Gaza.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    The organisations involved in the process of clearing home-owners’ applications to the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM) are the UN agencies doing the damage assessment, the Palestinian Authority Ministry of Public Works and Housing and Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Government of Israel.

    No individuals have been rejected to date, but a number of the assessments submitted require review ahead of further processing. These were mostly caused by repetition of names of individuals or where the assessments were recorded under the names of owners who are deceased for example. The GRM does not allow for the disqualification of individuals assessed for shelter repair on grounds of political association or geographic location in Gaza.

    The Government of Israel, like all participants in the mechanism, is able to object to individuals participating in the GRM.

  • Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Ian Austin – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Ian Austin on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of progress in the demilitarisation of Gaza.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    We have not made a formal assessment of demilitarisation of Gaza.

    We have been clear that we believe that a durable ceasefire agreement should ensure that: Hamas and other militant groups permanently end rocket fire and other attacks against Israel and that all terrorist groups in Gaza should disarm.

  • Mark Williams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Mark Williams – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Williams on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has received an invitation to the Crans Montana Forum in Dakhla, occupied Western Sahara; whether he plans to send a representative to that forum; and what reports he has received on the African Union’s call for that forum to be cancelled.

    Mr Tobias Ellwood

    I have not received an invitation to this forum and I do not plan to send a representative. I am aware of reports that the African Union has called for the forum to be cancelled.

  • Kerry McCarthy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Kerry McCarthy – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on ratification of the EU-Central America Association Agreement; when he expects the UK to ratify the agreement; and when the two remaining pillars will be applied.

    Mr Hugo Swire

    We strongly support the EU-Central American Association Agreement, which was signed in 2012. The Agreement supports our policy objectives for Central America via three important pillars of political dialogue, development cooperation and trade. We believe that these are the right tools to support economic growth, democracy and political stability in Central America and the UK has supported the Agreement’s progress through its negotiation, signature and conclusion stages.

    The trade pillar of the Association Agreement has been provisionally applied since 2013. The two remaining pillars will be applied as soon as the remaining EU Member States ratify. I have not had any recent discussions with my EU counterparts on this issue. However, I have recently discussed the Agreement with a number of Ambassadors to the UK from Central American countries and have had the occasion to discuss it while visiting the region – most recently on my visits to Guatemala, Costa Rica and Panama last year. The preparatory work prior to ratification is ongoing. The next stage will be to seek parliamentary approval for a draft Order in Council that will specify the Association Agreement as an EU treaty. I expect a draft Order to be laid early in the next Parliament.

  • Andrew Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Andrew Smith – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to his Department’s report, Hepatitis C in the UK, published in July 2014, what steps he is taking to approve for use new treatments for people with hepatitis C-related liver damage.

    George Freeman

    The Government is committed to ensuring that patients have access to clinically and cost effective treatments, including those for hepatitis C.

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is the independent body responsible for providing advice to the National Health Service on the clinical and cost-effectiveness of health technologies.

    NICE is currently appraising a number of new drugs for use in the treatment of hepatitis C under its technology appraisal process. These are shown in the following table.

    Drug/indication

    Expected date of final guidance

    sofosbuvir (Sovaldi) for treating chronic hepatitis C

    February 2015

    simeprevir (Olysio) for treating genotype 1 or 4 chronic hepatitis C

    February 2015

    ledipasvir-sofosbuvir (Harvoni) for treating chronic hepatitis C

    June 2015

    daclatasvir (Daklinza) for treating chronic hepatitis C

    August 2015

    ombitasvir/paritaprevir/ritonavir (Viekirax) with or without dasabuvir (Exviera) for treating chronic hepatitis C

    September 2015

    More generally, we have launched an Innovative Medicines and Medical Technology Review of the pathways for the development, assessment, and adoption of innovative medicines and medical technology. This review will consider how to speed up access for NHS patients to cost-effective new diagnostics, medicines and devices.

    The review will examine the pathway from ‘first in human’ trials, through licensing and health technology appraisal, to commissioning and clinical practice. It will set out both short and long-term options for action by Government and relevant bodies, including NICE, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and NHS England, and mark a major contribution to the policy debate.

  • Alison McGovern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Alison McGovern – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Alison McGovern on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what proportion of fresh produce supplied to the NHS through NHS supply chain contracts in (a) 2013 and (b) 2014 was produced in the UK.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    NHS Supply Chain estimate that the proportion of fresh produce supplied to the National Health Service through NHS Supply Chain contracts in both 2013 and 2014 that was United Kingdom country of origin was 73%.

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children and young people were diagnosed with a mental health problem in A&E in each year since 2009-10.

    Norman Lamb

    The information is in the table:

    Year

    2009-10

    2010-11

    2011-12

    2012-13

    2013-14

    A&E Attendances

    8,358

    9,328

    11,614

    13,655

    17,278

    FAEs

    11,909

    12,417

    12,361

    11,994

    12,126

    The table shows both the number of attendances in accident and emergency (A&E) in which the A&E diagnosis was ‘psychiatric conditions’ and the number of Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) in which the primary diagnosis was ‘mental and behavioural disorders’.

  • Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many children and young people were admitted to hospital due to mental health problems in each year since 2009-10.

    Norman Lamb

    The information is in the table:

    Year

    2009-10

    2010-11

    2011-12

    2012-13

    2013-14

    A&E Attendances

    8,358

    9,328

    11,614

    13,655

    17,278

    FAEs

    11,909

    12,417

    12,361

    11,994

    12,126

    The table shows both the number of attendances in accident and emergency (A&E) in which the A&E diagnosis was ‘psychiatric conditions’ and the number of Finished Admission Episodes (FAEs) in which the primary diagnosis was ‘mental and behavioural disorders’.

  • Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Douglas Carswell – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Douglas Carswell on 2015-02-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the long-run sustainability of the maternity unit at Clacton Hospital.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    Between May 2010 and November 2014, the number of midwives in England rose by 2,231 or 11.1% and the number of midwives in the East of England area rose by 380 or 20.5%.

    The provision of local health services is a matter for local National Health Service organisations. NHS North East Essex Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), in collaboration with Colchester Hospital University NHS Foundation Trust, undertook a public consultation on the provision of maternity services locally, including the maternity unit at Clacton Hospital, from 15 October to 10 December 2014.

    The purpose of the consultation, called Right Start, is to improve upon the good care already provided and deliver services that are safe, clinically effective and provide a good patient experience. An independently chaired panel will meet on 27 February 2015 to receive the consultation analysis report and make a recommendation to the CCG and Trust boards. Whatever outcome is reached, the CCG and Trust aim to ensure women have a choice of where to have their babies.

    All NHS service changes should be led by clinicians and be in the best interests of patients, not driven from the top down. The Government has set out strengthened criteria that we expect any significant changes to NHS services to meet. Proposals should demonstrate support from clinical commissioners, strengthened public and patient engagement, clarity on the clinical evidence base and support for patient choice.