The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps he has taken to reduce the incidence of death during armed forces training.
Penny Mordaunt
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 1 February 2016 to Question 24067 to the hon. Member for Romford (Mr Rosindell).
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people (a) applied for and (b) were granted divorce in each of the last five years.
Caroline Dinenage
Details of the number of applications for divorce and the number of decrees issued by the courts are published in Table 7 of the Family Court Statistics Quarterly and the December 2015 report is at the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/family-court-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2015
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he plans to make available on the NHS less invasive treatment for inflamed pancreas conditions.
Jane Ellison
Pancreatitis (an inflammation of the pancreas) may either be acute or chronic. Chronic pancreatitis is usually the result of repeated acute episodes of the condition. If a person has suspected acute pancreatitis, urgent admission to secondary care is required. Initial treatment may include pain relief, intravenous fluids and antibiotics for treatment of associated cholangitis (an infection of the biliary tract) or other acute infections.
The management of chronic pancreatitis is usually carried out in secondary care, although the primary care healthcare professional may have a role in the provision of adequate pain relief, screening for diabetes (a possible complication), providing general lifestyle advice and support and referring or admitting patients to secondary care if they develop complication.
Surgical intervention may be required in particularly severe cases of the condition. This may involve the removal of: inflamed sections of the pancreas; pancreatic tissue that has died as a result of infection; gallstones or the entire gallbladder; pseudocysts (sacs of fluid) which can develop on the pancreas; and, in particularly severe cases, the entire pancreas. Whilst some of these interventions may be minimally invasive, others will require more extensive surgical treatment.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published Clinical Knowledge Summaries on both acute and chronic pancreatitis. They are available at the following links:
cks.nice.org.uk/pancreatitis-chronic#!scenario
cks.nice.org.uk/pancreatitis-acute
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with clinical bodies on potential links between prostate cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.
Jane Ellison
There have been no such discussions.
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 is taking to ensure that Sovereign Base Areas in Cyprus develop an emergency strategy for the supply of power and water to those Areas.
Mark Lancaster
The Sovereign Base Areas have contingency plans in place for the supply of water and power. The strategy for power is based on emergency back-up generators which support key facilities across the Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) and the intention is to increase this capacity to other areas. The SBA Administration is also working with the Cypriot authorities develop a 20MW commercial photo-voltaic power plant in the Western SBA to be linked to the national grid. For water, the Ministry of Defence has its own dam in the Western SBA, providing three months’ water supply and in the Eastern SBA obtains sufficient water capacity from reservoirs, boreholes and desalination plants.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the number of people joining terrorist groups from the Palestinian camps in Lebanon in the last five years.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
We are aware of extremist elements within the camps, and that there have been reported links between some individuals within the camps and terrorist groups. As with many aspects of Lebanese stability, we monitor this issue closely through project work and our engagement with the Lebanese Government seeks to ensure that security is maintained and the influence of extremist and terrorist groups is diminished.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he expects the lung cancer drug Zykadia to be available on the NHS.
George Freeman
Zykadia (ceritinib) is licensed for use in the treatment of Zykadia (ceritinib) in the United Kingdom.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently appraising Zykadia for previously treated anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive non-small-cell lung cancer.
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 2016-03-16.
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people were diagnosed with blood cancer in each of the last five years.
Mr Rob Wilson
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-22.
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the report by Professor Walton, entitled The likely effect of the Jackson reforms on insolvency litigation – an empirical investigation, published in 2013, what his policy is on each of the conclusions of that report.
Dominic Raab
Ministry of Justice officials met Professor Walton and others on 12 October last year to discuss his report, but the Ministry of Justice did not agree with his conclusions. Our changes to no win no fee deals have tackled the increasing costs of litigation. We delayed bringing the law in for insolvency proceedings to allow the industry time to prepare. The no win no fee reforms in Part 2 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 will come into force for insolvency proceedings on 6 April this year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-18.
To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent discussions has the Government had with businesses on reducing discrimination and promoting equal opportunities.
Caroline Dinenage
The Government is committed to ensuring equal opportunities, so that everyone can reach their full potential and is working with business to achieve this. The Government has done so in a number of ways, including: The Hampton and Alexander review of women on boards and the chair of the Women’s Business Council, Baroness Ruby McGregor-Smith will lead a review of issues faced by businesses in developing black and minority ethnic (BAME) talent, and access to the labour market.
The Women’s Business Council, established in 2012, has produced a range of products to encourage older women to enter and stay on in the workplace. The Women’s Business Council has also been active in working with the finance sector to address some of the barriers facing some BAME women entrepreneurs. The Government has worked closely with employers to develop a range of measures that will help promote gender equality in workplaces and will require all companies with at least 250 employees to report their gender pay gaps. It is expected that employers will publish the required information from April 2017.
This builds upon actions already undertaken by the Government including a series of equality roadshows with the British Chambers of Commerce. These roadshows highlighted the benefits and challenges of diverse workforces for business whilst helping the Government shape guidance for business on older workers, women and disabled people in the workplace to tackle discrimination.