Tag: Jim Shannon

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment his Department has made of whether eating butter puts people at greater risk of heart disease.

Nicola Blackwood

Butter is high in saturated fat. Evidence shows that average population intakes of saturated fat exceed United Kingdom government advice which is to limit saturated fat intake to no more than 11% of total food energy to protect against heart disease.

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition is currently reviewing the evidence on saturated fat and health; it aims to publish a draft report at the end of 2017.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to ensure that self-employed tutors are subject to criminal records checks.

Sarah Newton

Those wishing to engage a tutor to work with children may ask the tutor to show them an enhanced criminal record certificate obtained from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). A self-employed tutor can apply for such a certificate through an agency, which will process the application and confirm that the activity provides eligibility for the check. Alternatively, any individual can apply directly for a criminal conviction certificate which is available from Disclosure Scotland and which contains details of unspent convictions and cautions.

Where parents or others do not want to take on a tutor without the reassurance of a DBS check, they are free to limit their selection process to people who can show them a certificate from the DBS. Ultimately, it is for those engaging a tutor to decide who is a suitable person to fill that role, taking into account all the information which is available to them.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding her Department provides for medical support for internally displaced people in Kurdistan.

Rory Stewart

Since June 2014, the UK has committed £129.5 million in humanitarian assistance to the crisis in Iraq. This includes the UK’s contribution to the UN Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund. The Pooled Fund, and other DFID funded projects, have provided access to emergency life-saving health services, emergency vaccines for vulnerable children, and expansion of maternity and child health care – including to internally displaced people in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Our cash programming, focussed in the north of the country, helps the most vulnerable people in Iraq to buy medicines and access the medical treatment that they urgently need.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on the introduction of a graduated licence system for young drivers.

Andrew Jones

None. It is important that we strike the right balance between the safety and the freedom of young drivers. Many rely on their cars to get to work and education; so licensing restrictions could affect their ability to access these opportunities.

We’re focussing our efforts on encouraging learner drivers to be better prepared for the wonderful freedoms a driving licence offers, but without compromising on safety, which is at the heart of what we do.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-10-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to enable more radiologists to be trained and approved to carry out breast cancer mammogram imagery.

Mr Philip Dunne

Training and recruitment of the workforce needed to deliver care is a matter for the health department in each of the devolved administrations.

In England, Health Education England (HEE) is conducting work to recruit more trainees into Radiology. As part of the investment planning process, Clinical Radiologists have been prioritised with plans to increase training posts by 32 to 1,144 for 2016-17 recruitment. Clinical Radiology has also been one of the five large specialty reviews undertaken by the HEE planning team this year.

Recent trends in Clinical Radiology Consultants in the National Health Service:

As at 31 March	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	Growth 2010-15
Whole Time Equivalents	2,247	2,326	2,390	2,472	2,531	2,653	406 (18.1%)

Source: NHS Digital’s NHS Workforce Statistics – October 2015, Provisional statistics

The content and standard of medical training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC), which is an independent statutory body. The GMC has the general function of promoting high standards of education and co-ordinating all stages of education to ensure that medical students and newly qualified doctors are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes essential for professional practice.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions his Department has had with Hilary Meredith Solicitors Ltd.

Mike Penning

Ministry of Defence officials have met Ms Meredith and other solicitors from her company from time to time to discuss a variety of legal and other issues of mutual concern, most recently on 13 October 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that national security issues relating to Hinkley Point C and Bradfield in Essex remain a priority in decision-making over those sites.

Jesse Norman

Government takes the security of existing and proposed nuclear facilities very seriously.

The UK civil nuclear sector is subject to a thorough safety and security regulatory regime, overseen by the independent Office for Nuclear Regulation.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the effect on small and medium-sized businesses of the recent ruling of the European Court of Justice on time spent travelling to work.

Nick Boles

This Government wants to ensure that the Working Time Directive promotes long-term, sustainable growth and labour market flexibility, and does not impose significant burdens on business. The recent ruling of the European Court of Justice means that journeys made by workers without a fixed or habitual place of work between their homes and the first and last customer of the day constitute working time under the Working Time Directive.

All employers, regardless of size, of workers without a fixed or habitual place of work need to ensure that this time is taken into account for the calculation of working hours. The ruling has no general consequences for pay.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that people receive sufficient vitamin D each day.

Jane Ellison

NHS Choices and the Start4Life website contain information on good sources of vitamin D foods and set out, for those at risk of vitamin D deficiency, the benefits of vitamin D supplementation. This is particularly important for pregnant and breastfeeding women, for babies and children up to the age of five, for those over 65 and people who are not exposed to much sunlight.

For those at risk of Vitamin D deficiency, the UK Chief Medical Officers have also provided advice on vitamin D supplements which is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/213703/dh_132508.pdf

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance stating that awareness of vitamin D supplementation should be provided to at-risk groups by local public health teams, health and social care practitioners and voluntary and community groups.

The Healthy Start Scheme is a statutory scheme which aims to improve the nutritional health of pregnant women and children under the age of four in low income families by providing vouchers that can be exchanged for free Healthy Start vitamins containing vitamin D.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with clinical bodies on the use of oestrogen to prevent brittle bones.

Jane Ellison

There have been no such discussions.