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Tag: Jim Shannon

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment his Department has made of advances in the treatment of melanoma.

    Jane Ellison

    NHS England has published a service specification for adult skin cancer services which sets out what the National Health Service must have in place to offer high quality skin cancer treatment, care and support. Embedded in this is the best practice guidance on skin cancer published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

    Improving Outcomes for People with Skin Tumours, including Melanoma published by NICE in 2006 and updated in 2010, sets out best practice for clinicians in the diagnosis, treatment care and support of patients with skin cancer, including melanoma.

    NICE is also planning to develop a skin cancer quality standard. Quality Standards are important in setting out to patients, the public, commissioners and providers what a high quality service should look like and they play a key role in helping to drive up standards of care.

    Making significant progress in ensuring people have access to the right treatment when they need it, including drugs and treatments recommended by NICE, is an objective for NHS England with regard to cancer under the mandate.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-17.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what support his Department has provided to companies facing bankruptcy in each of the last three years.

    Jenny Willott

    The Department has a suite of business support packages available to companies whether or not they are facing an insolvency event.

    In exceptional circumstances the Department can work with companies in difficulty to help find solutions to their needs. Any such support is commercially sensitive and is normally a matter between the Department and the company.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the value to the economy of venison production and sales in each of the last three years; and what steps he is taking to increase production and sale of venison.

    George Eustice

    The available data on the UK deer farming industry in each of the last three years is shown in the table below :-

    UK Farmed Deer Industry

    2011

    2012

    2013

    Value of output of deer (£ million)

    3.5

    3.5

    3.6

    Volume of venison produced (tonnes)

    2,400

    2,400

    2,500

    Farmed deer populations (thousand head)

    33

    31

    32

    Defra co-funded a research project in partnership with industry to determine the effects of packaging and slaughter conditions on venison meat quality, and gain an improved understanding of consumer perceptions of venison to help focus future venison marketing campaigns. More information can be found here:

    http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu&Module=More&Location=None&Completed=0&ProjectID=13973

    “

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of black-backed gulls.

    George Eustice

    Defra is not taking action to reduce the number of lesser or great black-backed gulls. Like all wild birds, gulls are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Under this Act it is an offence to kill or injure any wild bird; to take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while that nest is in use or being built; and take or destroy an egg of any wild bird.

    However, Natural England has issued general licences for gulls which allow users to kill or take lesser black-backed gulls, to take, damage or destroy their nests or take or destroy their eggs, for a range of purposes. These include protection against damage to livestock or crops, or where the gulls are posing a risk to public health and safety. General licences need not be applied for by users, as long as they meet the conditions of the licence.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-04.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people having difficulty making mortgage repayments have requested help from the Financial Ombudsman Service in each of the last three years.

    Andrea Leadsom

    The Government does not collect data on the number of cases referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FOS routinely collects and publishes statistics about the complaints referred to them, which they make publicly available on their website.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-04.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the value of (a) exports to and (b) imports from Egypt was in each of the last three years.

    Hugh Robertson

    According to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), UK imports from Egypt were worth £1.36 billion in 2010, 1.41 billion in 2011 and 1.21 billion in 2012. Over the same period, UK exports to Egypt were worth £1.77 billion in 2010, 1.70 billion in 2011 and 1.59 billion in 2012. ONS figures from 2013 will be published in October 2014.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department of Health

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-10.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many drug trials have taken place in the UK in each of the last three years.

    Norman Lamb

    The numbers of applications received by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s Clinical Trials Unit for clinical trials of medicinal products over the past three financial years is shown in the following table:

    Financial Year

    Total trials

    2011-12

    920

    2012-13

    935

    2013-14

    989
  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the HM Treasury

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-17.

    To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent steps the Government is taking with banks and credit card companies to ensure PPI repayments are made in full.

    Andrea Leadsom

    It is important that consumers get the redress which they are due. Ensuring that banks provide appropriate redress for their customers is a matter for the independent regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)

    The Government is supportive of action taken by the FCA to recompense customers for the mis-selling of payment protection insurance (PPI) and prevent cases of mis-selling in the future through regulatory action. The FCA has stated that it is keeping a close eye on how the industry handles all PPI complaints and will be quick to challenge anything it thinks is unfair.

    I have asked the FCA to write to the Member in more detail about action being taken in regard to PPI. A copy of the response will be placed in the Library of the House.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-04-08.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to protect each of the 26 species of bee that are under threat in the UK.

    Dan Rogerson

    Conservation of biodiversity is a devolved matter. Action in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved administrations.

    England’s biodiversity strategy, Biodiversity 2020, takes an integrated, large-scale approach to biodiversity conservation, exemplified by our Nature Improvement Areas initiative. This approach is designed to meet the habitat needs of many species, including threatened species of bee.

    The strategy recognises that there will also be a need to take targeted action for the recovery of certain priority species, including certain bee species, whose conservation is not delivered through wider, habitat-based measures. These species are catered for through Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme. The recent reintroduction of the short-haired bumblebee in the South East of England is one such example.

    Incentives for farmers and other land managers to conserve and enhance important wildlife habitats, including those for bees, are provided under Environmental Stewardship schemes. Following a review, new payments were introduced from 1 January 2013 to improve habitats and food for pollinators, including bees. These payments provide for the addition of wildflowers to buffer strips and field corners, and the provision of legume-rich and herb-rich swards.

    For the future, we are currently considering the scope for further enhancements for bees and other pollinators as part of wider environmental delivery through the reformed Common Agricultural Policy. Over £3.1 billion will be available up to 2020 to protect and enhance biodiversity under the New Environmental Land Management Scheme.

    Defra is also developing the National Pollinator Strategy for England to reflect the importance of bees and other insect pollinators to agriculture and biodiversity and in recognition that they face many pressures. A public consultation was launched in March 2014 and the final Strategy will be finalised in summer 2014.

  • Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    Jim Shannon – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

    The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-04-30.

    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Iraq on its proposal to legalise the marriage of girls from nine years of age.

    Hugh Robertson

    We have raised our concerns about the draft Personal Status law with the Iraqi Justice Minister. The law remains in draft, and has not been approved by Iraq’s parliament. We expect Iraq to uphold its international obligations under UN conventions to protect the rights of women and children.