Tag: Andrew Smith

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.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-02-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support his Department is providing to research into the treatment of Crohn’s disease.

Jane Ellison

The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds a range of research relating to treatment of Crohn’s disease.

The NIHR has awarded nearly £1.5 million over five years to August 2018 for a research professorship at the University of Oxford. This is focussed on re-defining Crohn’s disease at a molecular level to identify new biomarkers and therapies.

The NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme is seeking to commission a systematic review looking at whether patients can be identified who may need early intensive treatment in Crohn’s disease.

The NIHR Clinical Research Network is currently recruiting patients to six studies relating to treatment of Crohn’s disease.

The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including Crohn’s disease. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-02-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his policy is on the provision of counselling and support to those with Crohn’s disease.

Norman Lamb

The Department has made no assessment of the incidence of Crohn’s disease. However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) 2012 guideline Crohn’s Disease Management in Adults, Children and Young People, states that there are currently at least 115,000 people in the United Kingdom with Crohn’s disease.

The NICE guideline sets out best practice on the diagnosis, treatment, care and support of people with Crohn’s disease. This includes, ‘Minimising psychological concerns and possible side effects of treatment are fundamental to best practice for all people with Crohn’s disease, whatever their age’, which could include access to psychological support, if appropriate. The guideline also recommends that clinicians give patients with Crohn’s disease contact details for relevant support groups. The full guideline can be found at the following link: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg152.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-02-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the incidence of Crohn’s disease.

Norman Lamb

The Department has made no assessment of the incidence of Crohn’s disease. However, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) 2012 guideline Crohn’s Disease Management in Adults, Children and Young People, states that there are currently at least 115,000 people in the United Kingdom with Crohn’s disease.

The NICE guideline sets out best practice on the diagnosis, treatment, care and support of people with Crohn’s disease. This includes, ‘Minimising psychological concerns and possible side effects of treatment are fundamental to best practice for all people with Crohn’s disease, whatever their age’, which could include access to psychological support, if appropriate. The guideline also recommends that clinicians give patients with Crohn’s disease contact details for relevant support groups. The full guideline can be found at the following link: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg152.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2015-09-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the national living wage on social care providers.

Alistair Burt

The impact of the new National Living Wage on local authority finances will be considered during the Spending Review as part of an overall assessment of spending pressures on local authorities.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-06-24.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much in tax accrued to the Exchequer in fuel duty on diesel in 2013; and what quantity of diesel this figure represents.

Nicky Morgan

This information can be found at the UK Trade Info website at https://www.uktradeinfo.com/Statistics/Pages/TaxAndDutybulletins.aspx

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on the introduction of further low emission zones outside London to reduce the levels of nitrogen dioxide air pollution in ambient air.

Dan Rogerson

The Government has funded a number of local authorities outside London to investigate the feasibility of low emission zones (LEZs) within their areas, through the annual Air Quality Grant Scheme targeted at reducing levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and accelerating compliance with EU limit values.

This ongoing support is focused on addressing barriers and looking for practical options for putting in place NO₂-related LEZs and similar measures.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which local authorities have been sent letters indicating that they may have to pay part or all of the fines arising from infraction proceedings following the European Court of Justice’s finding against the UK for breach of nitrogen dioxide limit values under the EU Air Quality Directive.

Dan Rogerson

In March this year, Defra sent letters to all local authorities in England to inform them of the Commission’s decision to commence infraction procedures against the UK for non-compliance with NO₂ limit values, what it means and the next steps that should be taken by the Government in response. As part of this, local authorities were reminded of the discretionary power in Part 2 of the Localism Act under which the Government could require responsible authorities to pay all or part of an infraction fine.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many of the masterplans funded by her Department in Area C of the Occupied Palestinian Territory have received full approval by the Israeli government; and how long the approval process took in each case.

Mr Alan Duncan

Only two of the 32 UK-funded masterplans have received full approval so far. The process to gain approval took approximately 27 months for each. We are urging the Government of Israel to accelerate the approval of the other plans in order to allow the development of Palestinian communities in Area C without the risk of demolition.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Andrew Smith on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much of Area C of the Occupied Palestinian Territory is covered by approved masterplans.

Mr Alan Duncan

Palestinian masterplans developed by the International Peace and Cooperation Centre (IPCC) cover approximately 0.4% of Area C. To date, only two of these have been approved.