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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the number of women murdered as a result of domestic violence.

Karen Bradley

Tackling domestic violence is a key priority for this Government. We put Domestic Homicide Reviews on a statutory footing in 2011 so that local areas and agencies identify lessons learned to help to prevent future homicides and violence. We have commenced a new domestic abuse offence to tackle controlling and coercive behaviour, and have rolled out Domestic Violence Protection Orders and the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme across the country. We have already committed £40 million between 2016 and 2020 to support domestic abuse victims, and provided £2 million to Safelives and Women’s Aid to support early intervention. We will shortly publish a refreshed cross-Government Violence Against Women and Girls strategy setting out how we will do more still to secure long-term funding for domestic violence services and support for all victims.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of the potential link between social media and self-harm among young people.

Alistair Burt

We recognise the potential influence of online platforms, including social media, on both promoting self-harm and supporting people who have or may be at risk of self-harm.

There is a link between bullying including cyberbullying and self-harm and the Department for Education produced guidance in October 2014, advising schools about preventing bullying. This guidance refers to new powers under the Education Act 2011 for teachers to search pupils, to confiscate IT equipment including mobile phones and to destroy offensive or inappropriate images.

The Government continues to provide financial support for the Multi-Centre Study of Self-Harm in England, which monitors trends in self-harm and recognises the potential influence of online platforms on self-harming in young people.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport expects social media companies to have robust processes in place to address inappropriate and abusive content on their sites. This includes having clear reporting channels, acting promptly to assess reports, and removing content which does not comply with their acceptable use policies or terms and conditions. Social media can also help signpost vulnerable users to helpful sources of information and support.

Recently, Ofcom led a social media working group on behalf of UK Council for Child Internet Safety to develop best practice guidance to encourage responsible practice from industry, and ensure children using their services are able to do so in a safe and protected way. This guidance was delivered on 22 December 2015 and can be found at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/uk-council-for-child-internet-safety-ukccis

The Department of Health’s National Institute for Health Research has also funded ongoing research by the Samaritans and Bristol University into the influence on online platforms on suicidal behaviour.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal College of Nursing on whether there may be a connection between passive smoking and the menopause.

Jane Ellison

The Department’s Tobacco Control team has not held any discussions with the Royal College of Nursing on the connection between passive smoking and the menopause.

The Department does, however, regularly review the impacts of smoking as part of its tobacco control strategy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed with Bell’s Palsy in each of the last five years; and how many such people were (a) women and (b) men aged (i) under 18, (ii) between 18 and 45, (iii) between 45 and 65 and (iv) over 65.

Jane Ellison

This information is not collected. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence Clinical Knowledge Summary (CKS) for Bell’s palsy estimates that the annual incidence of the condition in the United Kingdom is one in 5,000 people and that it most commonly occurs in people aged between 15 and 60 years. The CKS, which is an online resource, can be viewed at the following link:

http://cks.nice.org.uk/bells-palsy#!topicsummary

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to reduce levels of obesity.

Jane Ellison

Tackling obesity, particularly in children, is one of our major priorities. Progress has been made in recent years, but we know we have much further to go. We will be launching our childhood obesity strategy shortly. It will look at everything that contributes to a child becoming overweight and obese. It will also set out what more can be done by all sides.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve end of life care and the account taken of the needs of patients with regard to (a) hydration and (b) respect and dignity.

Ben Gummer

The Government is committed to making improvements in the quality of care people experience at the end of life.

In 2014, we set out five priorities for care of the dying person which should underpin the care being delivered to all dying people. The priorities for care state that an individual plan of care, which includes food and drink, symptom control and psychological, social and spiritual support, is agreed, co-ordinated and delivered with compassion.

In December 2015, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence published guidance on the care of dying adults in the last days of life, including guidance on medical nutrition and hydration. Clinicians and commissioners should have regard to this guidance when making decisions about care for people at the end of life.

The priorities also set out the critical importance of compassion, respect and dignity in delivering care to dying people and the implications, for staff, commissioners and providers, when making decisions about how end of life care services will meet the needs of local people. The new approach to care, based on these fundamental principles, is being used by clinicians across the country.

In the coming months, we will be setting out the Department’s plans for building on this progress and achieving further quality improvements in end of life care throughout this Parliament.