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  • Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the (a) prevalence and (b) effect of the sale of the unlicensed drug Melanotan (i) online and (ii) in shops.

    Dr Daniel Poulter

    There are strict legal controls governing the sale and supply of medicinal products in the United Kingdom.

    The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) considers Melanotan products to be medicinal products within the meaning of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 and as such, the manufacture, sale and supply are subject to UK regulatory control. No Melanotan product holds a marketing authorisation (product licence) for use in the UK and consequently advertising and sale or supply would be in breach of regulatory requirements.

    The MHRA is aware that Melanotan is being sold through some outlets such as gyms and beauty salons and is available more widely on the Internet through certain websites.

    During the past 12 months, the MHRA has worked with Internet Service Providers in the UK and abroad to suspend more than 100 websites illegally trading in Melanotan.

    The MHRA issues regular warnings to the public about the dangers involved in the use of unlicensed medicines, including Melanotan and officials have participated in Press campaigns and specific media coverage of the problem.

    As of 12 June 2014, the MHRA has received a total of 22 reports of Adverse Drug Reactions associated with the use of Melanotan (product names Melanotan I, Melanotan II and Ubertan), describing a total of 93 adverse reactions. However, it is important to note that the reporting of a suspected adverse reaction does not necessarily mean it is related to the drug.

  • Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether the forthcoming National Institute for Health and Care Excellence quality standard on fertility will be considered for a CCG Outcome Indicator.

    Jane Ellison

    The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has not yet published its final quality standard on fertility. NICE’s Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicator Set (CCGOIS) Advisory Committee makes recommendations on potential indicators derived from its published guidance and quality standards for inclusion in the CCGOIS which are then considered by NHS England.

  • Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Luciana Berger – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Luciana Berger on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, for what reasons the policy of NHS England on the number of cycles of IVF it provides to armed forces personnel is to provide fewer than the number recommended by National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England has a number of interim policies in place, including the policy for the provision of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) for Armed Forces personnel.

    A review of the interim policy in relation to the provision of IVF for Armed Forces personnel has recently been undertaken. Following detailed costing of a move to the levels recommended in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline, it was agreed in May 2014 to increase the number of cycles of IVF to three if clinically appropriate and if eligibility criteria are met.

  • Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Stephen Timms – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Stephen Timms on 2014-06-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the (a) mean and (b) median age was of people who were registered as self-employed in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011, (iii) 2012 and (iv) 2013.

    Mr David Gauke

    The average age of self-employed individuals in the UK is 46 years old. This median age is also 46 years old and these figures are consistent across the three years from 2009-10 to 2011-12.

    These estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) for the years concerned. The SPI for 2012-13 will be available later in the year.

  • Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he expects his Department’s review of unpublished datasets to be completed.

    Stephen Hammond

    The Department of Transport completed a comprehensive review of datasets held in August 2013 and this was made available via www.data.gov.uk on 2nd September 2013. This included details of 470 datasets including full metadata for all unpublished datasets.

    “

  • Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether applicants to the Royal Navy who meet an initial body mass index requirement of 28 face a different check at any other stage of the process.

    Anna Soubry

    The recommended Body Mass Index (BMI) guidelines for entry into service in the Royal Navy are attached.

    Further assessment is by measurement of waist circumference: males with a BMI over 28 may join if their waist circumference is less than 94cm; females may join if their waist circumference is less than 80 cm.

    The standards do not change during the application process but BMI is measured as part of the medical assessment, and results may differ from a candidates’ individual declaration and/or the outcome of the initial BMI check.

  • Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    Richard Burden – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Richard Burden on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the acceptable body mass index requirement is for an applicant to the Royal Navy.

    Anna Soubry

    The recommended Body Mass Index (BMI) guidelines for entry into service in the Royal Navy are attached.

    Further assessment is by measurement of waist circumference: males with a BMI over 28 may join if their waist circumference is less than 94cm; females may join if their waist circumference is less than 80 cm.

    The standards do not change during the application process but BMI is measured as part of the medical assessment, and results may differ from a candidates’ individual declaration and/or the outcome of the initial BMI check.

  • Wayne David – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Wayne David – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wayne David on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much the recently employed additional staff in passport offices are estimated to cost.

    James Brokenshire

    Her Majesty’s Passport Office have been training and redeploying staff from
    other duties within the Agency, from other parts of the wider Home Office, and
    in the case of one individual another Government department, to meet the
    exceptional levels of passport demand. There will be some additional costs
    relating to staff where they will be temporarily working away from their normal
    workplace and where overtime is worked by staff from other parts of the
    Department. At this time it is not possible to put a reliable estimate on
    these additional costs.

  • Wayne David – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    Wayne David – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Home Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Wayne David on 2014-06-11.

    To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much her Department saved for the Exchequer by closing the Passport Office in Newport.

    James Brokenshire

    Her Majesty’s Passport Office has not closed its office in Newport. There is
    an office in Newport providing counter fast track and premium services,
    interviews for first time adult applicants and the Customer Contact Centre.

    During 2011-12 as part of a wider operations restructuring, postal passport
    application processing ceased in Newport and the office was relocated. It is
    estimated that this reduced operational costs by around £2.6 million per year.

  • Frank Dobson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Frank Dobson – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Frank Dobson on 2014-06-11.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the contribution to economic growth of payment protection insurance repayments.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is responsible for producing independent economic and fiscal forecasts. The effects of payment protection insurance repayments were taken into account in their latest forecast of the economy, published in the March 2014 Economic and Fiscal Outlook.