The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has provided support for the fish farming industry in Egypt.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Government does not provide support for the fish farming industry in Egypt.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will take steps to amend sentencing guidelines to reduce the amount of time that offenders spend in prison.
Andrew Selous
Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for the courts, who must follow guidelines unless it would not be in the interests of justice to do so. Sentencing guidelines are issued by the independent Sentencing Council to promote consistency and proportionality in sentencing. The guidelines are available on the Sentencing Council website.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been prescribed Viagra for medical purposes other than that for which it is usually prescribed in the last three years; and what those other purposes have been.
Alistair Burt
Information is not collected centrally on the number of people prescribed medicines or the medical condition being treated.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-16.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make Translarna available on the NHS to treat Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
George Freeman
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is evaluating Translarna (ataluren) for the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy through its highly specialised technology programme. NICE currently expects to publish its final guidance in February 2016.
The National Health Service in England is legally required to fund drugs and treatments recommended in NICE highly specialised technology guidance within three months of its final guidance being issued. In the absence of guidance from NICE, it is for commissioners to make decisions on whether to fund medicines based on an assessment of the available evidence.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-18.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government plans to take other than airstrikes to respond to the threat posed by ISIS.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
As the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (David Cameron) said last week, the UK has a full spectrum approach to defeating ISIL – covering military power, counter-terrorism expertise and defeating its poisonous narrative.
The UK is playing a leading role in the Global Coalition of 65 members, through which we are squeezing ISIL’s finances and the flow of fighters, challenging its ideology and stabilising liberated areas.
The UK leads the effort to undermine ISIL’s narrative, co-chairing the Coalitions’ Strategic Communications Working Group and hosting the Coalition Communications Cell.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal Colleges on the potential merits of making available on the NHS radioactive dye to diagnose cancer.
Jane Ellison
There have been no discussions with the Royal Colleges on this matter.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-25.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the effectiveness of Government’s response to the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone.
James Duddridge
The UK intervention in Sierra Leone was instrumental in containing the Ebola epidemic and preventing the dire predictions from global health bodies materialising. Now that Sierra Leone has been declared Ebola transmission-free, our focus is to help the Government to develop a new approach to the delivery of services that will improve resilience and enable the country to handle future crises independently, whether they be health-related or caused by other factors.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department issues on teaching of transgender issues to (a) four year olds and (b) other school children.
Edward Timpson
Whilst schools have the autonomy to teach about gender at KS1-4 as part of their personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, transgender is not prescribed in lessons for pupils age 4 (KS0).
Gender is an important aspect of identity and developing a positive sense of one’s identity is a significant part of growing up. Schools can help to develop pupils’ understanding and respect, through the age-appropriate teaching of transgender issues. Schools can also provide any pupils who are questioning their gender with a nurturing and supportive environment.
Schools in England can teach about transgender issues in their PSHE lessons, drawing on the guidance and resources available. The PSHE Association has produced a suggested programme of study as guidance for teachers, which includes teaching about gender and gender identity at key stages 2, 3 and 4. The programme of study is available on-line at: https://www.pshe-association.org.uk/content.aspx?CategoryID=1004
The education of four year olds in England is covered by the Early Years FoundationStage (EYFS) Statutory Framework which sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for future progress.
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were diagnosed with hepatitis C in each of the last five years.
Jane Ellison
Public Health England only receives laboratory reports of hepatitis C cases from England and Wales.
Laboratory reports of hepatitis C, England and Wales, 2010 to 2014
|
Year |
2010 (i) |
2011 (ii) |
2012 (iii) |
2013 (iv) |
2014 (v) |
|
Total |
8,147 |
1,0382 |
11,353 |
11,692 |
11,997 |
Across the United Kingdom, more individuals are being tested for hepatitis C and over the last five years particular improvements have been seen in primary care where surveillance indicates that testing has risen by 21% in England (vi).
Citations
(i) Health Protection Report Vol 5. No. 29 22 July 2011
(ii) Health Protection Report Vol 6. No. 30 27 July 2012
(iii) Health Protection Report Vol.7 No. 30 26 July 2013
(iv) Health Protection Report Vol 98 No. 29 25 July 2014
(v) Health Protection Report Vol 9 No. 26 24 July 2015
(vi) Hepatitis C in the UK; 2015 report. Public Health England
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what incentives her Department provides to farmers to increase bee habitats.
George Eustice
This is a devolved matter, so I can only answer for England. Defra has made £900 million available for the new Countryside Stewardship scheme, launched in July 2015. For the first time ever this includes a dedicated Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife package. We are pleased that over half of mid–tier applications for agreements contain this package of options. The package has been developed by Natural England working in close partnership with wildlife organisations, the farming community and national pollinator scientists. This ensures it is based upon the best available evidence.
Countryside Stewardship plays a key role in supporting the National Pollinator Strategy, which demonstrates the Government’s commitment to improving the status of the country’s 1,500 or so pollinating insect species. This is a programme of collaborative action and cooperation that contains a wide range of specific actions to supporthabitats for bees on farmland. In November 2015 Defra published the implementation plan for the strategy, which highlights the progress made to date, including guidance and training to farmers on supporting pollinators from the Campaign for the Farmed Environment.