Tag: Jim Shannon

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 assistance his Department provides for (a) education, (b) youth services and (c) medical treatment in Palestinian camps in Lebanon.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

In 2015/16 we contributed £33.5 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency General Fund which ensures provision of education and medical treatment for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon. We are spending £1.15 million this financial year within the Palestinian camps to support Palestinian youth networks to bolster community stability and resilience to extremism. This includes supporting youth in the development of solutions to community-level problems, civic participation and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms, and the production of youth-led counter extremist narratives.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make the shingles vaccination available for people over 70 years old on the NHS.

Jane Ellison

A shingles vaccination programme was introduced in September 2013 for 70 year olds; with a progressive catch-up to ensure all those aged 71 – 79 years old could also benefit from the vaccine. A schedule indicating which age groups will be eligible for the shingles vaccine in 2015/16 and beyond is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/who-is-eligible-for-the-shingles-vaccine-beyond-2016

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government is providing to ensure the completion of new security infrastructure and measures along the border between Lebanon and Syria.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK has contributed £34 million to support the Lebanese Armed Forces’ (LAF) ability to defend the border and contain spillover from the Syria conflict. The UK funded Land Border Regiments are successfully protecting the integrity of the Lebanese border for the first time in the country’s history.

The UK is committed to continue its support to the LAF and bring the Lebanese borders under the authority of the state and has announced £6.7m additional support to the establishment of the 4th Land Border Regiment starting April 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will estimate the forecast level of creditor claims related to insolvency litigation in each of the next five financial years.

Andrew Selous

The Ministry of Justice does not hold this information.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-18.

To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to encourage big businesses to promote gender equality and provide models for small and medium-sized enterprises to follow.

Caroline Dinenage

The Government is committed to full gender equality in the workplace, and we are introducing mandatory gender pay gap reporting for larger employers from April 2017.

We will support all employers to do this with a £500,000 package including: UK wide conference events, free online software and targeted support for male-dominated sectors. Employers of any size can join the voluntary “Think, Act, Report” initiative which has around 300 members leading the way on gender equality.

The Women’s Business Council has an SME representative to ensure good practice is promulgated throughout the wider business community, including a toolkit for businesses to support older women in the workplace.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions his Department has had with Tourism NI on increasing the level of tourism from the UK mainland to Northern Ireland.

David Evennett

Tourism Ireland, a body established under the Good Friday Agreement, has responsibility for marketing Northern Ireland as a visitor destination in all markets outside of the island of Ireland, including in Great Britain.

We want more tourists to visit Northern Ireland, and experience all that it has to offer, from the Giant’s Causeway to the film set for Game of Thrones. My officials have regular discussions with their counterparts in each Devolved Administration on tourism.

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There are Memoranda of Understanding in place between VisitBritain, Tourism Ireland and the Tourism Northern Ireland, which set out their respective roles and responsibilities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what specialist support is provided by his Department to vulnerable adults without family support.

Alistair Burt

The Department does not provide any such support directly.

The Care Act 2014 places a duty on local authorities in England to meet the care and support needs of vulnerable people, carers and their families. Statutory guidance sets out the circumstances and services that a local authority, working with its local partner organisations, may arrange to meet people’s needs. Examples include information, advice and advocacy, care and support at home or in the community, counselling and other types of social work, goods and facilities, domiciliary care and accommodation in a care home or in suitable premises of some other type.

Where a person has substantial difficulty in being fully involved in their care planning or lacks capacity to agree and consent to the care plan and has no family or friends who are able to support their involvement, an independent advocate must be appointed.