Tag: Jim Shannon

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what steps his Department has taken to enforce prompt payments to small and medium-sized enterprises by large companies.

Matthew Hancock

The Government is taking forward a suite of measures to tackle prompt payment.

Through the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Bill, currently before Parliament, we will introduce measures to improve transparency on payment practices and policies. Increased transparency, through a tough and transparent new reporting requirement on the UK’s largest companies, will help take significant steps to addressing the current imbalance in economic power between small and large contracting parties. Our consultation on draft secondary regulations to underpin these measures closed on 2 February. We will publish a summary of responses shortly.

The Government is currently seeking views on how to best give representative bodies wider powers to be able to challenge grossly unfair payment practices on behalf of members. The discussion paper is available online and is open until 9 March.

The Government is also working to strengthen the impact of the Prompt Payment Code. We are currently considering proposals, including introducing a maximum payment term for Code signatories, more rigorous monitoring of signatory behaviour, and the enforcement of tougher sanctions on bad payers. We will announce our proposals in Spring.

These measures will drive forward a shift in payment culture that will make it unacceptable for large companies in positions of extreme bargaining imbalances to exploit smaller suppliers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy that the operation to remove fibroids by MR Guided Focused Ultrasound Surgery (MRgFUS) be available on the NHS.

Jane Ellison

Clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) are responsible for determining clinical commissioning policy (including the availability of, or eligibility for, NHS funded treatment) on fibroid treatments. Local CCGs decide on how to best use funding allocated to them, underpinned by clinical insight and knowledge of local healthcare needs.

The Department is aware that in November 2011, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published Interventional Procedures Guidance [IPG413]: Magnetic resonance image-guided transcutaneous focused ultrasound for uterine fibroids.

The Department expects CCGs to consider any relevant NICE guidance as they design services to meet the needs of patients.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will take steps to encourage universities in the UK to enter into partnerships and twinning arrangements with the British University in Egypt.

Mr David Willetts

I am keen that UK universities broaden their engagement with their Egyptian counterparts in recognition of the country’s growing research strengths. The newly created UK – Egypt Newton – Mosharafa Fund presents a real opportunity to take UK – Egypt institutional engagement to another level, by investing £20 million over five years in a bilateral partnership focussed on science, research, innovation and education.

The British University Egypt will be eligible to apply for calls once the fund is launched.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-02-10.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what advice his Department provides to pensioners on how to invest their money.

Andrea Leadsom

At Budget 2014, the Chancellor announced a number of measures to give people more choice about how they use and manage their money in retirement.

The Chancellor announced that from April 2015, anyone 55 and over will be able to access their defined contribution pension savings and use the savings as they choose.

A new service, Pension Wise, will provide guidance online, face-to-face and on the phone, and will be up and running in time for April 2015.

The website, in pilot form, is already available.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many women in each age group had hysterectomies in the UK in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison

This information is not available in the format requested.

The attached table shows information concerning the number of finished consultant episodes for the years 2008-09 to 2012-13.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he plans for the next Government trade delegation to visit Egypt; and if he will include in that delegation construction companies from the UK.

Michael Fallon

I am planning to visit Egypt from 12-15 October 2014 with a business delegation. Our Embassy in Cairo intends that the visit should focus on the following four sectors: Energy, Education, Retail and Construction.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what information his Department holds on how many people have experienced adverse health effects as a result of using the drug ruxolitinib.

George Freeman

Reports of suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are collected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Commission for Human Medicines through the spontaneous reporting scheme, the Yellow Card Scheme. The Yellow Card Scheme collects information relating to suspected adverse drug reactions, which include both serious and non-serious effects which a health care professional or patient suspect may have been due to a medicine.

The MHRA has received a total of 74 United Kingdom spontaneous suspected ADR reports in association with ruxolitinib up to and including 10 February 2015. This number includes reports received directly from healthcare professionals, patients and indirectly through pharmaceutical companies which have a legal obligation to report suspected ADRs.

The inclusion of a particular ADR in a report does not necessarily mean it has been caused by the drug, only that the reporter had a suspicion it may have, or it had a close temporal relationship to the administration of the suspect drug. The fact that symptoms occur after a treatment does not necessarily mean that they have been caused by the drug itself, as underlying illnesses and other conditions may be responsible.

In 2013, the product information for ruxolitinib was updated to warn healthcare professionals that cases of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) have been reported with ruxolitinib and to recommend that patients are monitored at regular intervals for any new or worsening neurological symptoms or signs. The Market Authorisation Holder is currently conducting studies to investigate the risk of PML further. The benefits of ruxolitinib to adult patients with myelofibrosis who have an enlarged spleen or symptoms related to the disease are considered to outweigh the risks.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-07-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make it his policy that internal defibrillators be available on the NHS.

Jane Ellison

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators – internal defibrillators – are already available on the National Health Service.

The decision about whether to implant a defibrillator into a patient is a clinical one which we would expect to take account of any relevant guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with his Egyptian counterpart on training and capacity building in the Egyptian army.

Dr Andrew Murrison

The Secretary of State for Defence has not had any discussions with his Egyptian counterpart on training and capacity building in the Egyptian army.

As part of wider UK defence engagement Ministry of Defence officials regularly discuss the potential for further engagement with a number of countries and may from time to time provide training as required and in accordance with wider Government policy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to increase the sentences available in cases of the cyber-bullying of students.

Mike Penning

The sending of abusive messages or material online can cause misery for victims and is an issue the Government takes extremely seriously.

That is why we are changing the law through the Criminal Justice and Courts Act to increase the maximum sentence to two years in prison for the offence of sending abusive or offensive material online with intent to cause distress or anxiety.

We are also changing the law to enable prosecutions to take place three years after the alleged offence, rather than six months.

There are a number of other serious penalties available in cases of cyber bullying of students.

Under the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, the offences of harassment causing alarm or distress or putting people in fear of violence carry a maximum of six months and five years imprisonment respectively.

There is also an offence under the Malicious Communications Act 1988 of sending material which is indecent, grossly offensive, obscene or menacing. It carries a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment.

In addition, guidelines issued by the independent Sentencing Council stipulate that it is an aggravating factor if an offence is committed against a vulnerable victim or involves abuse of a position of power. Sentencing guidelines can be found on the Sentencing Council’s website, and courts are obliged to follow the guidelines unless it is not in the interests of justice to do so.