Tag: Margaret Ritchie

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2015-02-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of trends in the rates of people being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

Norman Lamb

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance Multiple sclerosis: management of multiple sclerosis in primary and secondary care, updated in October 2014, states that around 100,000 people in the United Kingdom have multiple sclerosis (MS). Estimates from studies on annual incidence are more uncertain, and vary between 2,500 and 6,000 newly diagnosed cases each year. About 85 out of 100 people with MS have relapsing–remitting MS (RRMS) where periods of stability (remission) are followed by episodes when there are exacerbations of symptoms (relapses). About 10 to 15 out of 100 people with MS have primary progressive MS where symptoms gradually develop and worsen over time from the start, without ever experiencing relapses and remissions.

The guidance sets out a range of initial assessments a clinician should make including testing of vision and blood tests before referral to a consultant neurologist who can confirm or exclude a diagnosis of MS, subject to investigation. The guidance makes a range of recommendations on the pharmacological and non-pharmacological management of MS. NICE has recommended a number of drugs for the treatment of MS and is currently appraising Nerventra (laquinimod) for RRMS and ilenya (fingolimod) for primary-progressive MS. In addition over 18,000 patients have benefitted from disease-modifying treatments through the MS risk sharing scheme, established by the Department in 2002.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2014-05-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when he last met the Chair of the College of Emergency Medicine; what subjects were discussed at that meeting; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Ellison

The last meeting between my Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health and the Chair of the College of Emergency Medicine was held on 2 April 2014. At that meeting, their views on the health system, and emergency medicine in particular, were discussed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2014-05-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2014, Official Report, columns 712-3W, on floods: Cumbria, when the results of his public consultation will be published; and whether plans are in place for moving the nuclear waste stored at the Drigg Low-Level Waste Repository if the site is deemed at risk.

Michael Fallon

The Environment Agency carried out a public consultation exercise between November 2013 and February 2014 on LLW Repository Ltd’s variation application to dispose of further radioactive waste at the Low Level Waste Repository. Submissions received as part of this exercise are available on the Environment Agency’s Public Register. Responses will be published by the Environment Agency before the end of 2014, as part of a second consultation on a draft decision on the variation application. It is then anticipated that a final decision will be published in the spring of 2015.

As part of the Environmental Safety Case for the repository, LLW Repository Ltd were required to consider the need to move some or all of the radioactive waste disposed of at the facility given the best current understanding of likely coastal erosion timescales and all relevant technical factors. This work has demonstrated that the risks presented by leaving the radioactive waste in place are consistent with relevant legislation, standards and guidance. The most appropriate option for the environment and people, now and into the future, is not to recover and move the radioactive waste and therefore no plans have been put in place for this.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2014-05-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with the Minister for Health in Northern Ireland on the establishment of a cancer drugs fund; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Lamb

We have had no such discussions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2014-05-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Goods Vehicle Levy in Northern Ireland.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The levy is supported by a majority of hauliers in Northern Ireland, all of whom pay it alongside their Vehicle Excise Duty. Hauliers from Ireland must also pay before they use roads in Northern Ireland. A typical large HGV from Ireland visiting Northern Ireland twice a day, as would be the case for a round trip, would effectively pay only £1.28 per visit if they had purchased an annual levy. Smaller vehicles pay less, and those under 12 tonnes pay nothing. These represent small amounts compared to the running cost of a UK HGV of £80,000 to £100,000 per year, and much less than the tolls a typical Northern Ireland HGV would face doing a round trip to Dublin at around £8. Parliament has already debated the exempting of some border roads in Northern Ireland, totalling around 7 miles. These exemptions are a practical measure meaning that vehicles entering Northern Ireland for a short distance do not have to pay the levy, and exempting them simplifies enforcement.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2014-05-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when he last met the Minister for Justice in Northern Ireland; and what subjects were discussed at this meeting.

Damian Green

The Secretary of State for Justice had a meeting with David Ford, the Northern Ireland Justice Minister on 6 February 2013 in Belfast at which they discussed matters of mutual interest in relation to justice policy.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what his policy is on allowing internet service providers to restructure charging arrangements for faster network access.

Mr Edward Vaizey

The Government supports an open internet, and believes that self-regulation is the best approach to achieve this. We expect ISPs to be transparent with their customers regarding their terms and conditions at the point of sale, including any traffic management practices, in order to allow consumers to make an informed choice and consider any alternative providers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ritchie on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans he has to meet the Chair of the College of Emergency Medicine.

Jane Ellison

My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health is planning to meet with the Chair in the near future, to discuss the health system and emergency medicine. The Chair also met with my noble friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Earl Howe) last week to discuss operational resilience plans for the remainder of this year.