Tag: Jim Shannon

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce deaths of premature babies.

Ben Gummer

We are committed making sure every baby receives consistently high quality care, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In November 2015, the Government announced a national ambition to halve by 2030 the rates of stillbirths, neonatal and maternal deaths and brain injuries occurring during or soon after birth.

To support the National Health Service in achieving this ambition we also announced:

― a £2.24 million capital fund for equipment to improve safety;

― over £1 million to roll out training programmes to make sure staff have the skills and confidence they need to deliver world-leading safe care; and

― £500,000 to develop a new system that can be used consistently across the NHS to enable staff to review and learn from every stillbirth and neonatal death.

The announcement also committed to publishing an annual report to update the public, health professionals, providers and commissioners on the progress we are making towards achieving the ambition.

The National Maternity Review, chaired by Baroness Cumberlege, will include proposals for the future shape of modern, high quality and sustainable maternity services across England. We anticipate that its report will have an important role in shaping the system to achieve our ambition.

For those babies who are born sick or premature, NHS England commissions Neonatal Care from 165 neonatal units. These units are organised and supported by 13 Operational Delivery Networks. The organisation of networks has brought tangible benefits in the delivery of babies in the right place to receive specialist care when it is needed.

NHS England’s Neonatal Critical Care Service Specification states that providers should ensure that expert and experienced staff treat sufficient numbers of cases to maintain a safe high quality service and move towards national standards.

It is for local hospital trusts and specialised commissioners to decide how best to use the guidance and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence quality standard for specialist neonatal care to improve babies’ chances of survival and minimise mortality associated with being born either premature or unwell. We know that that there is still more to do to ensure these services are consistent across the country and that is why the Neonatal Clinical Reference Group at NHS England has committed to review the findings of the Bliss report, (published in October 2015 which can be found here http://www.bliss.org.uk/babyreport), and will work with all of its key partners to make recommendations for further improvement.

Unless we invest in research we cannot understand how to best improve services for mothers and their babies. Significant sums have been invested over recent years in support of research looking at important questions regarding premature birth. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) funds a range of research relating to causes, risk factors and prevention of stillbirth and neonatal death. The NIHR Health Technology Assessment is funding a £6.0 million trial of an intelligent system to support decision making in the management of labour using the cardiotocogram – due to report in 2017. The NIHR is also funding a £1.2 million study on preventing adverse pregnancy outcome in women at increased risk of stillbirth by detecting placental dysfunction– due to report in 2019.

To help achieve the best outcomes, women are also offered a comprehensive programme of scans, screening tests and development examinations during pregnancy and following birth babies will receive the checks in the NHS newborn and infant physical examination screening programme and the NHS newborn blood spot screening programme .

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-08.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with small and medium-sized enterprises on the proposed change to the dividend tax.

Mr David Gauke

Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.

Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available on Gov.uk.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the government of Romania about the activities of (a) Central Media Enterprise, (b) Adrian Sârbu and (c) Ronald Lauder in (i) 1995 to 1999, (ii) 2000 to 2010 and (iii) 2011 to 2015.

Mr David Lidington

I refer the hon. Member to my previous answers of 14 December 2015 (PQ 18601) and 17 December 2015 (PQ 19436). The information requested in the years prior to 2011 is not held centrally and can be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what agreement has been reached with the government of Cyprus on repatriation of refugees that have recently arrived at Akrotiri Sovereign Base Area.

Penny Mordaunt

No agreement exists with the Government of the Republic of Cyprus on repatriation of 115 refugees who arrived at RAF Akrotiri in the Sovereign Base Area (SBA) in October 2015. Since 2003, under a Memorandum of Understanding agreed with the Republic of Cyprus, those seeking asylum will have their claim processed by Republic of Cyprus asylum specialists on behalf of the SBA Administration. All migrants who are not eligible for asylum or do not apply for asylum are liable under SBA law for removal and repatriation to their country of origin, residency or embarkation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-01.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government has given to the Jordanian government to assist with the refugee situation in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK has contributed £330 million to support stability in Jordan since the start of the Syria crisis, £193 million of which has gone towards support for refugees and host communities. We are committed to continuing our support. On 4 February the UK co-hosted the ‘Supporting Syria and the Region 2016’ conference which secured over $11billion in pledges from the international community for Syria’s neighbours. Jordan agreed a Compact at the conference which will see them receiving new funding, concessional finance, and support to increase investment in return for providing refugees with access to work and education. The UK will be at the forefront of work to deliver this plan.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with bus companies on priority wheelchair spaces on buses.

Andrew Jones

The Public Service Vehicles Accessibility Regulations (PSVAR) 2000 require all affected vehicles to incorporate a designated space suitable for a reference wheelchair.

The use of the wheelchair space is currently the subject of a case at the Supreme Court however. As such Ministers are unable to discuss it with bus operators.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-16.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many men were diagnosed with breast cancer in each of the last five years.

Mr Rob Wilson

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will update national and planning policies to (a) account for shale operations and (b) introduce buffer zones between shale developments and local communities.

James Wharton

The National Planning Policy Framework and supporting guidance sets out a comprehensive approach to planning for shale gas extraction in England. Planning guidance includes the use of buffer zones in the determination of planning applications for hydrocarbon extraction, including from shale. This states that above ground separation distances are acceptable in specific circumstances where it is clear that, based on site specific assessments and other forms of mitigation measures (such as working scheme design and landscaping), a certain distance is required between the boundary of the minerals site and the adjacent development.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that the post-treatment recovery package is adapted to meet the specific needs of blood cancer patients.

Jane Ellison

The independent Cancer Taskforce published its report, Achieving World Class Cancer Outcomes: A Strategy for England 2015-2020, in July 2015, and recognised the need to improve care and support for people living with and beyond all types of cancer, including blood cancers. In September 2015, we announced that by 2020, the 280,000 people diagnosed with cancer every year will benefit from a tailored recovery package. The packages will be individually designed to help each person, including those with blood cancer, live well beyond cancer. In April 2016, we also published guidance for commissioners on commissioning and implementing the recovery package effectively. Support for patients living with and beyond cancer should be tailored specifically to the needs of every patient.

In addition the strategy called for every person with cancer to have access to a clinical nurse specialist or other key worker from diagnosis onwards. NHS England is currently working with partners across the health system to determine how best to take forward the recommendations of the Cancer Taskforce, and has appointed Cally Palmer CBE as National Cancer Director. A National Cancer Transformation Board is overseeing the implementation of the strategy, and an implementation plan will be published shortly. An independent Cancer Advisory Group, chaired by Sir Harpal Kumar, the Chief Executive of Cancer Research UK and Chair of the independent Cancer Taskforce, is advising and scrutinising the work of the Transformation Board.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-05-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to encourage Nigeria to tackle Fulani militia attacks on non-Muslim villagers in the central Nigeria states of Plateau, Kaduna, Bauchi, Taraba and Benue; and whether the Government has offered any assistance to people displaced by ongoing violence in Agatu in the state of Benue.

James Duddridge

We are concerned by reports of recurrent clashes involving pastoralists and local farmers over land, farming rights, grazing routes and access to water in Nigeria, in particular in the centre of the country. We continue to call on all parties to find a peaceful solution to the underlying causes of these incidents, and welcome President Buhari’s commitment to prioritise ending these attacks.

The Department for International Development’s £39 million Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme (NSRP) supports a range of initiatives across Nigeria to reduce conflicts and build bridges between communities. These include programmes that bring cattle herder and farming communities together to reduce conflict and agree rules for land and water use.