Tag: Jim Shannon

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal Colleges on potential links between drinking alcohol and smoking tobacco and Alzheimer’s disease.

Jane Ellison

Improving the treatment and care of people with dementia, reducing the incidence of dementia and improving dementia research, is a key priority for the Government.

My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular meetings with various stakeholders, including Royal Colleges, in which a wide range of topics are discussed. There have been no meetings to discuss the potential links between alcohol, tobacco and Alzheimer’s disease specifically.

Studies investigating whether alcohol consumption is linked to dementia risk have had mixed results and research is ongoing. However, very heavy drinking is known to cause alcohol-related dementia, also known as Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome.

Public Health England (PHE) has made dementia risk reduction one of their seven public health priorities for the next five years. In May 2014 PHE and the UK Health Forum published the Blackfriars Consensus, a statement calling for action on dementia risk reduction which was signed by 60 organisations and individuals working on dementia and other non-communicable diseases, as well as by the Secretary of State and the Health Ministers from the devolved administrations.

PHE is now working closely with the Alzheimer’s Society and a range of others partners to deliver concerted action to reduce people’s risk of dementia by supporting them to live healthier lives and manage pre-existing conditions that increase their risk of dementia. Their programme includes work to further develop the evidence base and improve modelling of incidence and prevalence, to embed dementia risk reduction messages into health improvement and secondary prevention activity, and to raise public and professional awareness and understanding of what can be done to reduce dementia risk.

On the latter PHE is engaging with the Royal College of General Practitioners as well as others such as Health Education England and the relevant sector skills councils.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with supermarkets to reduce or stop the sale of sugary drinks.

Jane Ellison

Departmental officials also have regular discussions with supermarkets on a range of healthy eating issues including the sale of sugary drinks.Although some supermarkets and manufacturers have made significant announcements with regard to reducing the sugar in drinks, which Ministers have welcomed, the challenge to industry to make further progress remains.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-12.

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people in each Office for National Statistics age group were diagnosed with melanoma 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 2015-10-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were diagnosed with primary biliary cirrhosis in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison

Information is not held in the format requested.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of when the iolAMD device for eye conditions will be available on the NHS.

Alistair Burt

There is no National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on the use of the ioIAMD lens. Where NICE guidance does not exist on a particular treatment, it is for local National Health Service commissioners to make funding decisions based on an assessment of the available evidence and on the basis of an individual patient’s clinical circumstances.

NHS commissioners are required to have in place clear and transparent arrangements for local decision-making on the funding of treatments and for considering exceptional funding requests.

If a patient’s local clinical commissioning group, decides, on the basis of rational, proper consideration of the evidence, that a treatment should not be provided which the patient and their doctor have requested, patients must be provided with the reasons for that decision in writing.

The Government has been clear that restricting access to services on the basis of cost alone is wrong and compromises patient care. Commissioning decisions should be made on the basis of the available evidence of clinical and cost effectiveness.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support is available for people with diabetes to ensure that they can continue to live independently.

Jane Ellison

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence quality standard for diabetes sets out that people with diabetes should receive a structured educational programme as this is key to ensuring that they are able to manage their condition as successfully as possible.

While there is still much room for improvement, the proportion of people with diabetes being offered structured education is rising. 16% of people newly diagnosed with diabetes were offered structured education in 2012/13 compared to just over 8% of those diagnosed in 2009. In the same period the number of people newly diagnosed with diabetes offered or attending structured education rose from 11% to over 18%.

Improving the outcomes of people with and at risk of diabetes is of great concern to this Government and we will put forward our plans in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of people who have had cataract operations due to exposure to sunlight in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt

It is not possible to identify the number of people who have developed a cataract as a result of exposure to sunlight.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, on how many occasions (a) illegal and (b) fake alcohol have been found by police in each of the last five years.

Mike Penning

The Home Office does not hold data centrally on the number of occasions when illegal and fake alcohol have been found by the police.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions the Government has had with the Afghan government on relieving poverty in Afghanistan.

Mr Desmond Swayne

The UK government played a leading role in the Senior Officials Meeting in Kabul in September 2015 at which a new Mutual Accountability Framework for development and poverty reduction was agreed between the Afghan government and the international community. Several UK Government Ministers have had conversations with their Afghan counterparts recently to discuss issues of mutual interest including poverty reduction.

The UK also holds quarterly development cooperation meetings with the Afghan government to discuss its bilateral aid programme, as well as regular thematic discussions with Afghan ministers and officials.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-10-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2015 to Question 7643, what estimate he has made of the number of single earner married couples where the earner is a basic rate taxpayer in each parliamentary constituency.

Priti Patel

The information requested is not available.