Tag: Jim Shannon

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy for the NHS to screen all people over the age of 55 for hearing loss.

Alistair Burt

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the NHS in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy.

In 2009-10 the UK NSC recommended that routine screening for adult hearing loss should not be offered because of the lack of evidence to warrant a screening programme. In particular:

– it is not clear what the test should be;

– there is no agreed time or schedule for carrying out the testing;

– the acceptability of the test and in particular the treatment (hearing aids) is unclear; and

– there had been no randomised trials of screening.

As part of its routine evidence review process the UK NSC has just reviewed its recommendation on screening adults for hearing loss again. Ministers expect to receive a recommendation from the UK NSC shortly.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to incentivise the development of new drugs to treat TB.

Mr Nick Hurd

DFID has supported the development of new drug combinations to treat TB since 2005. Funding is provided to the TB Alliance, a product development partnership (PDP). PDPs bring together partners from the public, private and philanthropic sectors to develop new products in a way that de-links the cost of development from the final cost of product. The TB Alliance is currently testing a number of new drugs combinations to simplify and shorten TB treatment times and provide new treatment options for drug resistant TB.

In addition we committed in our manifesto to lead a major new global programme to accelerate the development of vaccines and drugs to eliminate the world’s deadliest infectious diseases. In November the Chancellor announced the new £1 billion Ross Fund which will deliver on this commitment. The Ross Fund will target infectious diseases including malaria and tuberculosis, supporting work to develop, test and deliver a range of new products (including vaccines, drugs and diagnostics) to help combat these diseases in developing countries.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department takes to promote take-up of travel insurance by UK citizens travelling abroad.

James Duddridge

Encouraging British nationals intending to travel overseas to take out adequate insurance for their trip remains a crucial part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s ‘Know Before You Go’ communications campaign. We continue to run specific campaigns on this issue and to disseminate insurance messaging in our broader travel safety activity. We launched an insurance campaign as recently as 7 January, ahead of ‘Sunshine Saturday’ on 9 January, a travel industry initiative during which millions of people were expected to book a holiday abroad in 2016. Last year we issued proactive messaging on insurance in May, July and August, making use of social, print, online and other online media as well as our network of partners from, and with an interest in, the travel industry. Harnessing the influence of these partner organisations will continue to help us reach travellers with insurance messaging, which is why I urged our ‘Know Before You Go’ partners to continue working with us on this issue during an event I hosted at the FCO in December 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the (a) Afghan and (b) Pakistani government on reducing the influence of the Taliban in that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) held a trilateral meeting with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in December 2015, where they discussed reducing the influence of the Taleban on Afghanistan. The Prime Minister also spoke to President Ghani and Prime Minister Sharif individually on the topic. Both President Ghani and Prime Minister Sharif reiterated their commitment to an Afghan owned and led peace process as the only route to a stable and secure Afghanistan.

In September, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) met with the Afghan Chief Executive Officer Dr Abdullah Abdullah and discussed the situation in Afghanistan. Since August 2015, the Foreign Secretary has spoken with a number of senior Pakistani figures including: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar; former National Security Advisor Sartaj Aziz; and Chief Minister of Punjab Shahbaz Sharif.

I discussed the Taleban influence in Afghanistan and Pakistan with a number of senior interlocutors, including President Ghani, during my visit to Pakistan in September 2015 and my visit to Afghanistan in December 2015.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-13.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to encourage people to submit their tax returns before the January deadline.

Mr David Gauke

The vast majority of Self Assessment customers complete their returns on time (92% last year).

This year, HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is sending millions of targeted emails and texts to remind customers to submit their return by 31 January, for instance to customers who missed the deadline last year or those who are new to Self Assessment. Alongside this, HMRC is running a national marketing campaign to remind customers of the 31 January deadline. Support is available to those who need it as HMRC is putting hundreds of extra people on its helplines during this very busy period, and has introduced new support channels like webchat and online video guidance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-12.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with credit card companies on supporting people on low incomes with credit card debts.

Harriett Baldwin

Treasury Ministers and officials meet with a wide range of companies and organisations to discuss relevant issues.

Details of ministerial meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many (a) heart, (b) lungs, (c) liver, (d) kidney and (e) cornea transplant donations there have been in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison

The information requested is in the following tables.

Data extracted from the UK Transplant Registry as at January 2016 on all United Kingdom deceased organ donors in each of the last five financial years.

	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15	Total
Number of deceased organ donors	1,010	1,088	1,212	1,320	1,282	5,912
Number of organs donated:
Hearts	126	136	144	204	175	785
Lungs	362	366	413	450	391	1,982
Livers	712	783	825	932	924	4,176
Kidneys	1,889	2,032	2,265	2,469	2,387	11,042
Corneas	340	359	378	461	401	1,939

Source: NHS Blood and Transplant

Data extracted from the UK Transplant Registry as at January 2016 on all UK living organ donors in each of the last five financial years*.

Living Donors	2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15	Total
Kidney	1,021	1,006	1,067	1,114	1,049	5,257
Liver	21	38	31	28	38	156

Source: NHS Blood and Transplant

*Not including those transplants where the recipient receives an organ (s) from a donor, but is able to donate one of their organs to another.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether his Department has made an assessment of the impact of its policies on the automotive sector on the competitiveness of that sector.

Anna Soubry

The Government works closely with the automotive industry, in particular through the Automotive Council, on competitiveness issues affecting the sector. In November 2015, the Automotive Council published an assessment of the UK’s international competitiveness on their website. UK automotive sector productivity is the highest in Europe compared to other major European producers. Car production reached a 10-year high in 2015 at 1.59 million vehicles, with almost 80% of these exported to over 100 countries. In addition, the value of UK sourced components by vehicle manufacturers has increased from 36% in 2011 to 41% in 2015. The sector is at the forefront in the design and use of high quality Apprenticeships to ensure the skilled workforce required to support future growth.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what protections exist for British veterans of the Iraq War who are subject to prosecutions for alleged crimes committed while undertaking their service.

Penny Mordaunt

The Government has consistently maintained that the vast majority of Service personnel deployed on operations overseas act in accordance with the law and their training. However, there remains a legal duty to investigate credible allegations of criminal offences, and to prosecute where appropriate. The Director of Service Prosecutions applies the same test as his civilian counterpart, and Courts Martial, like civilian courts, will convict only where the case is proved beyond reasonable doubt. The Iraq Historic Allegations Team has referred two cases to the Director of Service Prosecutions to date; in both cases he has declined to prosecute.

Police investigations and other proceedings can impose a strain on the Service personnel and veterans affected, and we take very seriously our duty of care to them. Anyone who is interviewed as a suspect is entitled to free legal advice; this continues in the event that the case proceeds to prosecution. We also seek to provide pastoral support to Service personnel and veterans who are under investigation, or who are called upon to give evidence to inquests and inquiries. The Department funds independent legal advice wherever necessary in such cases.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to work with charities and campaigners on raising awareness and improving prevention of prostate cancer.

Jane Ellison

Public Health England (PHE) ran a local pilot campaign in October – November 2014, specifically targeting prostate cancer within Black African-Caribbean men, because of their significantly increased risk of developing prostate cancer. The campaign was delivered in partnership with Prostate Cancer UK and was designed to support their awareness raising activity.

The campaign ran in six London boroughs – Hackney, Haringey, Newham, Southwark, Lambeth and Lewisham – and was delivered mainly through face to face activity, supported by posters in key outdoor locations and in salons and a programme of targeted public relations.

PHE will also shortly be re-running the national campaign on “Blood in Pee. Although primarily aimed at bladder and kidney cancer, blood in the urine can also be a sign of prostate cancer.