The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-05-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the prevalence of ticks in deer; and what steps he is taking to tackle ticks in deer.
George Eustice
Defra has not made an assessment of the prevalence of ticks in deer but I am aware that they are widespread. The Deer Initiative, which is part funded by Defra, provides advice on ticks on its website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate his Department has made of the number of people in the UK with a diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder in each of the last five years.
Norman Lamb
The Department does not hold data on an annual basis of the numbers of people with a diagnosis of obsessive compulsive disorder. The Department has commissioned the National Centre for Social Research and the University of Leicester to undertake the 2014 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey.
The Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey in 2007 found that 1.3% of people aged 16-64 living in England reported that they had obsessive compulsive disorder.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) rural festivals and (b) country sports events have been held in the UK in each of the last five years.
Dan Rogerson
Defra does not hold this information.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that hospitals do not discourage whistleblowing by staff; and if he will take steps to issue a UK NHS-wide policy on that matter.
Dr Daniel Poulter
We have been absolutely clear that National Health Service staff who speak out in the interests of patient safety must be protected and listened to and that we expect all NHS organisations to have whistleblowing policies in place that are compliant with the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998. On 5 March this year, my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State wrote to Chairs in NHS trusts and foundation trusts in England to express his strong views on this matter and to reiterate the vital importance of fostering a culture of openness and transparency in the NHS.
In addition, the Department recently commissioned the Whistleblowing Helpline to update whistleblowing guidance for the NHS. This revised guidance “Raising Concerns at Work – Whistleblowing Guidance for workers and employers in Health and Social Care” was published on 17 March 2014. This guidance transparently sets out the policies and processes for staff and employers in a single document and is available via their website or as a hard copy. This guidance can be found on their website.
www.wbhelpline.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Raising-Concerns-at-Work.pdf
Employment law and policy (of which whistleblowing law and policy is a part), and health law and policy, are devolved matters in Northern Ireland. In Scotland and Wales employment law is not devolved, but health law is. Decisions about implementation of whistleblowing policy in the NHS in each part of the United Kingdom are therefore a matter for each of those areas.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-17.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to extend pilot treatments for motor neurone disease; and what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the devolved adminstrations on those pilots.
Norman Lamb
The Department is not managing any pilot treatments for motor neurone disease (MND) and no recent discussions have taken place between the Department’s Ministers and the devolved administrations about pilots for MND.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-04-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with the Ethiopian government on her Department’s aid funding; and what recent reports she has received of the violent expulsion of Ethiopian farmers from their land.
Lynne Featherstone
DFID ministers and senior officials continue to engage with the Government of Ethiopia on resettlement, including meetings with the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Hailemariam Desalegn, in May 2013, November 2013 and December 2013. These discussions have included encouraging the Government of Ethiopia to follow international good practice on resettlement, implementation of a Grievance Response Mechanism, and monitoring and investigation of and action in relation to allegations of abuse.
A summary of the findings and recommendations of multi-donor visits, including DFID, to monitor resettlement in Ethiopia will be made available in due course on the Development Assistance Group’s website at:www.dagethiopia.org
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage businesses in the construction sector to build houses in the Falkland Islands.
Mr Hugo Swire
The Honourable Member will be aware that the primary responsibility for the promotion of business and trade opportunities in the Falkland Islands, including in the construction sector, lies with the Falkland Islands Government (FIG). FIG itself would be the best source of further information on construction in the Islands as it has responsibility for all infrastructure development.
As noted in the Overseas Territories White Paper of 2012, the UK is strongly committed to supporting British companies who wish to do business in the Territories. The investment opportunities in the Overseas Territories were highlighted in November last year as part of the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC), with a half day Investment Forum at which over 150 businesses attended. A similar event is planned as part of the JMC programme for this year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-05-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to control mink.
George Eustice
The Government is not undertaking any nationwide action to control mink. However, landowners are free to control mink on their land as long as they do so humanely and within the law. Advice on controlling mink can be obtained from Natural England. As a non-native species, it is an offence to release mink into the wild and I would encourage landowners to control them wherever practical.
The Environment Agency is not directly involved in any mink control programmes in England. It does, however, contribute a small amount of annual funding to the Wildlife Trusts and some other local organisations towards the cost of local water vole conservation projects. Some of these projects may involve an element of mink control. The Environment Agency is one of a number of contributors to these projects.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects that artifical pancreases for treatment of diabetes will be available through the NHS.
Norman Lamb
There are a number of artificial pancreas device systems and technologies for integrated continuous glucose monitoring in development which could be made available through the National Health Service once they have gone through the appropriate regulatory process to demonstrate safety and efficacy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department gives to landowners to enable regeneration of land through the burning of heather and moorland.
George Eustice
The Department does not support landowners in England to regenerate land through the burning of heather and moorland. However, various agri-environment schemes provide financial support for the positive environmental management of the uplands, including moorland.