Tag: Jim Shannon

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make available on the NHS cyber-knife technology to treat cancer and reduce time spent in hospital by cancer patients.

Jane Ellison

Cyber-knife technology is one of three treatment platforms that can be used to treat a number of cancers, together with some benign conditions. The treatment platforms deliver stereotactic radiotherapy, both to the body (stereotactic ablative body radiotherapy) which is commissioned for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, and to the head (stereotactic radiosurgery/radiotherapy) for a range of cancer indications covered by clinical commissioning policies which can be found at:

www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/group-d/d05/

It should be noted that NHS England commissions on the basis of clinical indication and not specifically for treatment platforms. The choice of treatment platform used is ultimately a decision made by trusts themselves.

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed with Lyme disease in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison

The total number of laboratory confirmed Lyme disease cases for each of the last five years is shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Total number of laboratory confirmed Lyme disease cases for each of the last five years:

Year	Total number of Lyme disease cases laboratory confirmed
2010	905
2011	959
2012	1,040
2013	878
2014	735

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the sale of meat and milk from cloned animals.

Jane Ellison

The sale in the European Union of meat and milk from cloned animals is subject to risk assessment under the EU Novel Foods Regulation. These Regulations are currently being revised and have been discussed at a European Council Working Group level, where the Food Standards Agency represents the United Kingdom. The European Parliament has now voted in favour of maintaining the risk assessment of products from cloned animals under the Novel Food Regulations, and the Council is expected to be asked for its formal view shortly.

The European Commission has put forward separate and more specific proposals on the cloning of farm animals and the food derived from them. The discussions on these proposals have yet to gain momentum.

There is currently no authorisation for any meat or milk from cloned animals to be in the UK food chain.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps he has taken to ensure data protection legislation is up to date; and what guidance he has issued to companies on compliance with such legislation.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Government takes the protection of personal data very seriously and is committed to making sure that the data protection legislation is up to date. The Government is currently negotiating a new EU data protection package and it is important that it meets the needs of both individuals and of business.

Compliance with the Data Protection Act is regulated and enforced by the Information Commissioner’s Office which maintains guidance relating to the Act. Guidance for companies on compliance with the Act can be found at the ICO’s website: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what criteria are applied for the use of intraoperative radiotherapy for treating cancer by the NHS.

Jane Ellison

NHS England does not currently commission intraoperative radiotherapy for the treatment of cancer. To date it has been undertaken in a small number of centres in England as part of a clinical trial.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to encourage people to consume less salt.

Jane Ellison

New voluntary salt reduction targets have been developed for 76 specific food groups that contribute most to people’s salt intakes and major retailers, manufacturers and caterers are working to meet these targets by December 2017.

Maximum per serving salt targets for the out of home sector (restaurants and caterers) have also been set, covering the 10 most popular dishes on menus and children’s meals, and these are being supported by further actions in this sector, including training chefs, reformulating dishes and procuring lower salt ingredients.

The Front of Pack nutrition labelling scheme makes it easier for consumers, at a glance, to understand what they are buying and supports them to make healthier choices including reducing their intake of salt.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent discussions she has had with shooting organisations on the cost of firearm licences.

Mike Penning

There have not been any recent Ministerial discussions with shooting organisations on the cost of firearm licences.

Following a public consultation on a proposal to increase firearms licensing fees, a new fee structure was introduced in Great Britain on 6 April 2015.

The Firearms Fees Working Group will be reconvened in the New Year to oversee the first annual review and representative members will be invited to attend.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what support he has received from the US Army in order to assist with the protection of Camp Bastion, Afghanistan.

Penny Mordaunt

The last UK troops left Camp Bastion in November 2014. Prior to that point, security arrangements for Camp Bastion, the adjacent Camp Leatherneck and the surrounding area were shared between the UK forces and the US Marine Corps. These arrangements were the subject of extensive investigation by the Defence Select Committee in their 2014-15 inquiry into the September 2012 attack on the Bastion-Leatherneck complex. Large areas of what was Camp Bastion now form part of Camp Shorabak, which is used by elements of the Afghan National Defence Security Forces.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been diagnosed with liver disease in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison

Information is not available in the format requested.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that young people exposed to unhealthily-thin models through advertisements are not subject to health problems relating to body image.

Alistair Burt

We want women, men, girls and boys to be confident and comfortable with their bodies and that means educating people and promoting a healthy, active lifestyle.

The Government recognises that poor body image is a common problem not only for young people but, according to the findings of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Body Image, more than half of the population. It is a factor in eating disorders and other mental health problems.

The Children and Young People’s Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (CYP IAPT) programme is already being expanded to cover additional areas of clinical practice, and extended so that by 2018 children and young people across all of England will have access to Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services which have been transformed by CYP IAPT and are providing evidence based psychotherapies coupled with session by session outcome monitoring. Additionally we are investing in community services for eating disorders in order for young people to receive more effective help faster and closer to home.

The Government has also worked with the Personal Social Health & Economic Association to produce guidance for teaching about body image using quality-assured resources, and with the National Citizen Service to produce resources on body image for young people aged 16-17 to develop their own active citizenship projects on this topic.