Tag: Jim Shannon

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

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to stop the black market economy in aid allocations.

Mr Desmond Swayne

DFID’s work on the black market is primarily related to illicit markets and organised crime. We are building the evidence base on the linkages between organised crime, development and conflict, and exploring innovative integrated approaches to tackling organised crime in partnership with other government departments. Our work in this area is focused on building resilience and reducing vulnerabilities to organised crime, increasing transparency, and mitigating harm. Examples of our work related to organised crime include:

• The Work in Freedom programme, which helps prevent 100,000 women and girls from India, Bangladesh and Nepal from being trafficked;
• Tackling Corruption by Tackling Drug Trafficking in Ghana, which focuses on improving detection of drug smuggling by the Narcotic Control Board, and increasing criminal proceedings against those involved;
• The Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, managed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, supports projects that develop sustainable livelihoods for communities affected by illegal wildlife trade, strengthen law enforcement, and reduce demand for the products of the illegal wildlife trade;
• Working to tackle illicit finance in partnership with the Metropolitan and City of London Police, the National Crime Agency and the Crown Prosecution Service.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many organ transplants have not been successful in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison

The information on the number of successful and unsuccessful organ transplants performed in each of the last five years is shown in the following table. This includes single and multi-organ transplants containing kidney, pancreas, liver, heart, lung and/or intestinal from both deceased and living donors.

Although deceased donor rates were lower in 2014/15, data show that deceased donor rates for 2015/16 have exceeded 2014/15 rates. The official data are due to published in summer 2016.

Organ Transplants in the United Kingdom, 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2015

Financial year	Total number of organ transplants	Number of unsuccessful1 transplants	% unsuccessful
2010/2011	3,751	127	3.4%
2011/2012	3,971	131	3.3%
2012/2013	4,221	127	3.0%
2013/2014	4,656	143	3.1%
2014/2015	4,433	122	2.8%

Source: NHS Blood and Transplant

Notes:

¹Unsuccessful has been defined as failed within the first two weeks after transplantation. This figure is based on 98% of transplant recipients where the two week post-transplant outcome is known.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she has had with her counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive on applying lessons learned from statistics on low energy bill debts.

Andrea Leadsom

DECC officials have meetings with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive on a regular basis to discuss market issues.

I welcome the use of smart technology, such as the introduction of keypad electricity prepayment meters in North Ireland, to help consumers manage their bills and reduce energy debt. The rollout of smart meters across Great Britain has the potential to transform customers’ experience in a similar way.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal College of Nursing on the use of nirolumab and ipilimumab to treat skin cancer.

George Freeman

We have had no such discussions.

Nivolumab (Opdivo) in combination with ipilimumab (Yervoy) does not currently have a marketing authorisation in the United Kingdom for treating advanced or unresectable melanoma.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently appraising nivolumab in combination with ipilimumab for the treatment of advanced, unresectable melanoma. NICE currently expects to publish final guidance in September 2016.

In the absence of guidance from NICE, it is for commissioners to make decisions on whether to fund new medicines based on an assessment of the available evidence.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the potential of solar thermal hot water heating to tackle fuel poverty.

Andrea Leadsom

Any measure which reduces the energy costs faced by a fuel poor home will have a beneficial impact on tackling fuel poverty. However, in order to tackle fuel poverty most cost effectively, it is right to focus on measures that can yield the greatest reductions in energy needs at least cost.

For example, low cost insulation is typically more cost effective in improving the energy efficiency of fuel poor homes than other measures, including solar thermal.

That is why Government is committed to insulating 1m homes this Parliament, helping to tackle the root cause of fuel poverty through cost effective policy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many men have been diagnosed with psoriasis in England in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison

Information concerning the number of men diagnosed with psoriasis in each of the last five years is not collected. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence estimates that psoriasis affects around 2% of people in the United Kingdom.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-05-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to promote pluralism and religious freedom in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254, which we supported, urges all parties to the UN-facilitated political process to adhere to the principle identified by the International Syria Support Group (ISSG) to protect the rights of all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religious denomination. Through our membership of the ISSG we will focus all our efforts on ensuring that Syrian minorities are included and safeguarded as the political process progresses. In our contact with members of the Syrian opposition who have signed up to the Geneva Communiqué, we have maintained a strong line on our commitment to pluralism, and the need to ensure that Freedom of Religion or Belief is enshrined as a constitutional right. A proportion of the High Negotiations Council, including members of the negotiating team, are drawn from religious minority groups in Syria’s richly diverse population. We are also supporting non-governmental efforts to promote dialogue between different ethnic and sectarian groups and education on tolerance, integration and pluralism.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with medical organisations on the potential link between high blood pressure in people of 30 to 40 years of age and the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

Jane Ellison

The Department has had no such discussions.

Dementia is a key priority for this Government. That is why on 6 March 2016, we published the Implementation Plan to support the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia 2020. As part of the Plan, we will transform our approach to risk reduction, using the NHS Health Check programme to educate more people earlier about the risks of developing dementia – and the steps they could take to reduce those risks.

In March 2016, we announced that Public Health England, in collaboration with Alzheimer’s Society and Alzheimer’s Research UK, will pilot approaches to the dementia awareness and risk reduction component of the NHS Health Check, specifically with the younger age group, aged 40-64.

The Government has also signed up to the Blackfriars’ Consensus, which, made clear that individuals can reduce their risk of dementia by living healthier lives by not smoking, drinking less, keeping physically active and better managing diabetes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to reduce the number of older women having abortions.

Jane Ellison

The Government’s A Framework for Sexual Health Improvement in England sets out as one of its ambitions reducing unintended pregnancies among all women of fertile age. Evidence shows that increased access to provision of the full range of contraception, particularly long-acting reversible contraception, can reduce unintended pregnancies and abortions in all women including older women. Local authorities are mandated to provide comprehensive, open access contraception advice and services.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which languages to what level members of the 77th Brigade speak.

Penny Mordaunt

77th Brigade does not specifically select personnel for language capability. However, personnel within the brigade hold 59 ‘standard level profile’ (GCSE – to master’s degree level) qualifications in languages including Dari, Pashtu, Russian and Urdu. Some personnel hold more than one of these qualifications.