Tag: Jim Shannon

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that equipment is properly tested before purchase or procurement.

Mr Philip Dunne

The Department uses Test and Evaluation to support decision making throughout the acquisition cycle to understand the performance of the equipment that we procure.

Test and Evaluation activities are used to demonstrate that equipment is fit for purpose, safe and compliant with contract requirements. The suitability of these activities is an integral part of our normal acquisition management processes and decision points.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will ensure that any assistance provided to Palestinians in camps in Lebanon is used to encourage reconciliation between Palestine and Israel to take steps towards peace.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The main objective of our support to Palestinians living in camps in Lebanon is to meet their basic human needs, especially food needs. We also support projects aimed at improving governance and life chances for youth and communities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether he has had discussions with his EU counterparts on the containment of the Zika virus.

Jane Ellison

My Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State regularly discusses matters across his portfolio with his European counterparts. He continues to monitor this outbreak of the Zika virus closely. In addition, Departmental officials continue to discuss the developing situation, including the measures that can be taken to contain the virus, with European colleagues through a number of channels, including at regular meetings of the European Health Security Committee.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have reported side-effects related to an organ transplant in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison

Post-transplant side-effects are monitored by the transplant centre, and all serious adverse events and reactions associated with organ donation and transplantation are required to be reported to the Human Tissue Authority (HTA), in accordance with the Quality and Safety of Organs Intended for Transplantation Regulations 2012.

Under these regulations, a serious adverse reaction is defined as an unintended response, including a communicable disease, in the living donor or in the transplant recipient that might be associated with any stage of the chain from donation to transplantation that is fatal, life-threatening, disabling, incapacitating, or which results in, or prolongs, hospitalisation or morbidity. The reporting of a reaction does not necessarily mean that someone involved has made a mistake. For example a donor may have an infection that was not known or indeed detectable at the time of donation.

The available information is shown in the following table:

Organ Donation and Transplant

Reported serious adverse reactions* in the United Kingdom, 2012 to 2016

	2012/2013** (Q3 and Q4)	2013/2014	2014/2015	2015/2016 (up to and including Q3)
Serious adverse reactions	5	12	10	10

Source: HTA

Notes:

* The data is not reflective of all side effects associated with transplantation, since they are limited only to serious adverse reactions associated with the quality and safety of the transplanted organs.

** the requirement for transplant centres to report Serious Adverse Reactions set out in Quality and Safety of Organs Intended for Transplantation Regulations 2012, commenced 27 August 2012.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for investigating the reports it receives from relevant clinical personnel, and reports to the HTA incidents which meet the definition under the 2012 Regulations. It also notifies the HTA of the steps being taken to manage the reported events or reactions and provides confirmation that all actions have been concluded. NHSBT then feeds back to the clinical community to share learning and promote best practice from incidents both in the UK and across Europe.

NHSBT also works with professional and patient organisations to ensure that all potential transplant recipients are given as much information as possible about the risks as well as the huge benefits of transplantation.

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

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to change the terms of tax conditions for UK multinational companies operating in Malawi.

Mr David Gauke

The taxation of UK companies operating in Malawi is governed by Malawian domestic tax law, where necessary modified by the terms of the UK/Malawi double taxation tax treaty. Negotiations between the two countries on a replacement treaty are substantially complete and the Malawian government has stated that it hopes to be in a position to sign the new treaty in the near future.

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 connections between hayfever, sleeping and allergy tablets and memory, cognitive and concentration difficulties.

Jane Ellison

No such discussions have taken place.

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 her policy is on the role of solar thermal technologies in meeting the UK’s renewable heat targets.

Andrea Leadsom

Under the 2009 Renewable Energy Directive the UK has a target to deliver 15% of its energy from renewable sources by 2020. The government recognises that solar thermal can contribute towards the attainment of the renewable energy target. In 2014, renewable heat provided 2730 tonnes of oil equivalent, around 20% of total renewable energy. Around 2% of renewable heat came from solar thermal.

Source:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/renewable-sources-of-energy-chapter-6-digest-of-united-kingdom-energy-statistics-dukes

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the total expenditure by the NHS on HIV drugs was in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison

The indicative spend for NHS England commissioned HIV services for 2014/15 is £539 million. This figure is for the total indicative spend on HIV not just drugs, as it is not possible to extract the spend on HIV drugs alone for 2014/15. Accurate data on spend on HIV drugs from previous years is not available.

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 protect freedom of religion or belief in Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Syria’s conflict has developed from peaceful protests against the government in 2011 to a violent insurgency that has complex international angles. Asad’s brutal actions have fuelled sectarian violence and the growth of Daesh. His regime is ultimately responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of civilians. We support the efforts of the UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan De Mistura, to seek agreement on a process of political transition in Syria. We are clear that there can be no military solution to the conflict. The UN led negotiations remain the best opportunity to end the conflict and achieve political transition away from Asad, leading to an inclusive government which can represent all Syrians.

The UK, as a core member of the International Syria Support Group has agreed that protecting the rights of all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religious denomination is fundamental. This means seeking to ensure that Syrian minorities are included and safeguarded as the political process progresses. We are supporting non-governmental efforts to promote dialogue between different ethnic and sectarian groups in Syria, as we seek further progress on a political settlement.

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 use of aspirin to prevent strokes.

George Freeman

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) clinical guideline on stroke and transient ischaemic attack in over 16s: diagnosis and initial management (CG68), published in July 2008, recommends that all people presenting with acute stroke who have had a diagnosis of primary intracerebral haemorrhage excluded by brain imaging should be given aspirin 300 mg as soon as possible but certainly within 24 hours.

Thereafter, aspirin 300 mg should be continued until two weeks after the onset of stroke symptoms, at which time definitive long-term antithrombotic treatment should be initiated.

This guidance is due to be reviewed by NICE in July 2016 to see whether it needs to be updated.