Tag: Jim Shannon

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has had made of the effect of the introduction of the HPV vaccination on reducing the incidence of head and neck cancer among men who have sex with men.

Nicola Blackwood

In November 2015 the Joint Committee for Vaccination and Immunisation advised that a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme should be introduced for men who have sex with men (MSM) attending genito-urinary medicine clinics. In preparing this advice, the Committee took into account mathematical models that considered the likely effect of the vaccination programme on anal, penile and oropharyngeal (including tonsillar) cancers. The models suggested that introduction of HPV vaccination for MSM is likely to decrease the incidence of oropharyngeal cancers in the long term.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research her Department has conducted or assessed on the effect of wood-burning stoves on air pollution.

Dr Thérèse Coffey

Defra has commissioned its independent Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG) to assess the potential air quality impacts of biomass combustion, including from domestic wood burning stoves. The report reviews the current evidence base and provides recommendations for further assessment. The report will be published in due course.

Air quality is monitored and assessed on an ongoing basis. The National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory is updated annually and compiles data on total UK air pollutant emissions from a broad range of sources. This includes estimates of emissions from domestic combustion.

Defra undertakes air quality modelling to assess the impact emissions have on concentrations of air pollutants in the UK. This is carried out on an annual basis.

Defra also commissioned research aimed at testing different measurement techniques on stoves to inform analysis on the impacts of the Eco-design Directive, which will provide new Particulate Matter emission limits for domestic stoves and boilers. This research will be published in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many British citizens in each of the last five years travelled from the UK to China for organ transplant operations.

Nicola Blackwood

This information is not collected centrally. NHS Blood and Transplant co-ordinates the matching, allocation and retrieval of organs for transplantation carried out in the United Kingdom only.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis aged (a) 0-10, (b) 11-20, (c) 21-40, (d) 41-60, and (e) 61+ years old in each of the last five years.

David Mowat

This information is not collected. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence estimates that multiple sclerosis affects approximately 100,000 people in the United Kingdom.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Iraqi government on devolution of powers to the Kurdistan regional government.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The autonomy of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq remains enshrined in the 2003 Iraqi Constitution. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Boris Johnson), our Ambassador to Baghdad, our Consul General in Erbil and I emphasise regularly with both the Government of Iraq and Kurdistan Regional Government the UK’s aim to see a stable, democratic, prosperous and unified Iraq. We also work actively to ensure that both the Kurdistan Regional Government and Government of Iraq cooperate to resolve their differences. In that context we welcome the recent revenue sharing agreement over Kirkuk oil.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what proportion of Army Reserves successfully passed the annual mandatory training test in 2015.

Harriett Baldwin

Military Annual Training Tests (MATTs) are a series of 10 tests which members of the Army undertake to ensure that individuals remain competent and proficient in basic military skills and attitudes. The number of MATTs individual members of the Army are required to take varies depending on the role or specialism they are in, whether Reserve or Regular. For example those working in HQ or specialist/professional roles are not required to undertake all MATTs. Those Reserves failing to pass the MATTs they are required to take risk not qualifying for their annual training bounty.

The information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with key health stakeholders on providing guidance for GPs on extending the length of appointment slots and increasing the number of appointments bookable for each GP each day.

David Mowat

General practitioners (GPs) are required to provide essential services to meet the reasonable needs of their patients within core hours. Length of appointment slots and number of bookable appointments is determined by individual GP practices. The Department has not had discussions with key health stakeholders on providing guidance for GPs on these matters.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-10-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department has made an estimate of the average time taken by NICE to evaluate new orphan and ultra-orphan therapies in the last three years; and what the average time taken from approval is to access those therapies for patients living with rare and ultra-rare conditions.

Nicola Blackwood

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has advised that the average time it has taken to evaluate new orphan and ultra-orphan therapies under the highly specialised technologies (HST) programme to date has been 12-14 months. NICE published draft guidance (on average) 6-8 months into the process. NHS England has ensured access to treatments recommended by NICE through the HST programme is available to patients within three months of final guidance. NICE has also advised that its intention is to publish guidance within 4-6 months from marketing authorisation in the future.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people have been convicted of animal cruelty offences in each of the last five years.

George Eustice

Details of convictions for animal cruelty cases for 2010 to 2015 can be found on the Government’s official website relating to Criminal Justice System Statistics in the document “Outcomes by Offence”. A link to the document can be found below. The data for animal cruelty is under the category “108 Cruelty to Animal”.

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-december-2015

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the fisheries Minister in the Northern Ireland Executive on the level of cod stocks in the Irish Sea.

George Eustice

Defra holds regular discussions on a wide range of fisheries issues, including cod stocks, with counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive. We are currently working together to prepare for the annual European fisheries negotiations that will take place in Brussels on 14-15 December 2015.