Tag: Mark Durkan

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the time taken for Anguilla to respond to his Department’s consultation on a public register of beneficial ownership; and what assessment he has made of the legitimacy of the reasons for the time that was taken.

James Duddridge

I refer the Honourable Gentleman to the answer given by my Rt Hon Friend, the Member for East Devon (Hugo Swire MP) Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to the answer of 10 November 2015 (PQ 15153), and to the answers given by my Hon Friend, the Member for South West Hertfordshire (David Gauke MP), the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 16 October 2015, to (PQ10437, PQ10438 and PQ10448).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with NHS England and NICE on the cancer drugs fund consultation.

George Freeman

NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) consultation on draft proposals on the future of the Cancer Drugs Fund closed on 11 February 2016 and they are currently considering the feedback received. A consultation report will be published on NHS England’s website in due course.

The Department has regular discussions with both NHS England and NICE on a wide range of issues including the future direction of the Fund.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will increase its political and economic support for the UN Human Rights Office in Bogota to increase the capacity of that office to observe the human rights situation in that country; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Hugo Swire

The UK is one of the top ten donors to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) giving £2.5m annually in global un-earmarked funding, in addition to our assessed voluntary contributions. We will also give another £1m in earmarked funding towards Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) and conflict prevention related work globally in 2016/17. I announced a contribution of £4.2m to the UN Post Conflict Trust Fund for Colombia and £1.1 for an EU Trust Fund. Both will be an important part of the multilateral effort once the peace deal is signed.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the time taken for NICE appraisal processes for the provision of Nivolumab on the treatment of NHS patients with non-small cell lung cancer; and if he will make a statement.

George Freeman

No such assessment has been made.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently carrying out technology appraisals of nivolumab for two lung cancer indications:

(i) Previously treated locally advanced or metastatic non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer. The expected publication date for this final guidance is September 2016.

(ii) Previously treated locally advanced or metastatic squamous non-small-cell lung cancer after prior chemotherapy in adults. The publication date for this final guidance is to be confirmed.

Commissioners are legally required to fund drugs and treatments recommended in NICE technology appraisal guidance within three months of its final guidance being issued. In the absence of guidance from NICE, it is for commissioners to make decisions on whether to fund new medicines based on an assessment of the available evidence.

From July 2016, the new arrangements for the Cancer Drugs Fund will ensure that the most promising and innovative medicines get to patients as quickly as possible. In particular, NICE will issue draft guidance on new cancer drugs or significant new licence indications before they have received marketing approval in the United Kingdom. Any drug that receives a positive draft recommendation would then be funded from the point of licence.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has received representations from Northern Ireland authorities on potential human rights, reputational implications and other concerns for the Northern Ireland Co-operation Overseas Ltd undertaking a contract to work for the Bahraini prison system.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

The UK Government continues to assist Bahrain in their reform agenda including by working with the Northern Ireland Co-operation Overseas programme whose aims are to assist the Government of Bahrain to bring its justice system into compliance with international standards. We enjoy a close relationship with the Devolved Administrations and would certainly work with the Northern Ireland authorities on any issue.

The UK Government continues to have frank discussions with the Government of Bahrain at all levels about our concerns on some cases brought against political opposition members and human rights activists.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2015-11-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what his estimate is of the number of human rights activists and community leaders killed in Colombia during the first eight months of 2015.

Mr Hugo Swire

The latest report from the NGO coalition ‘Somos Defensores’ recorded 51 murders of human rights defenders in the first nine months of 2015, compared to 55 for the whole of 2014 which indicates a worrying upward trend. Despite recent significant developments on the peace process we remain concerned by this increase in violence and threats against human rights defenders there. I again raised the issue of human rights with the Colombian Deputy Foreign Minister, Patti Londono, on 29 September. Officials in London met British NGOs on 9 November, to understand their concerns in greater detail.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with (a) NICE and (b) NHS England on the availability of Erbitux for metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

George Freeman

The Department has regular discussions with both NHS England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) on a wide range of issues including the availability of cancer drugs.

NICE is currently updating its technology appraisal guidance on the use of Erbitux (cetuximab) for colorectal cancer along with guidance on another drug Vectibix (panitumumab) (TA240) for previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer. The anticipated publication date for NICE’s final updated guidance is April 2016.

NHS England is responsible for the operational management of the Cancer Drugs Fund. Erbitux is available in England through the Fund for the first line treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer subject to certain criteria including those indications not approved under TA176.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Colombian counterpart on the number of human rights defenders and community leaders who have been killed in the last 30 days.

Mr Hugo Swire

I raised the issue of Human Rights Defenders (HRDs) on 29 September 2015 when I met Deputy Foreign Minister Holguin of Colombia during the UN General Assembly, and in March when I met the Colombian Ambassador in London. We take every opportunity to raise our concerns with contacts in Colombia. Our Embassy officials raised our concerns with the Colombian Interior Minister and with the Presidential Advisor for Human Rights in February. The Minister of State, my noble Friend the Rt Hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns, raised her concerns about the situation of HRDs in Colombia with the Interior Minister and Deputy Foreign Minister during her visit there last month. On 1 April, our Ambassador to Colombia accompanied the Minister of Interior to a regional Human Rights roundtable, where the role of local authorities in taking effective action on HRD cases was discussed. The UK was the only member of the international community invited to this event.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-07-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps he is taking to ensure that people recently displaced by violence in South Sudan receive humanitarian protection.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We are working with humanitarian partners, including the International Committee of the Red Cross and United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (who both receive Department for International Development funding) to assess the situation and mobilise responses where possible, including the provision of water, food and health services for internally displaced persons. However, at present, continued insecurity is a significant barrier to humanitarian operations in some areas. We are pressing for action at the UN Security Council to ensure that United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan has the equipment and unrestricted access it needs to fulfil its mandated task of providing a secure environment for the delivery of humanitarian assistance.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Mark Durkan on 2016-10-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the Reprieve report, entitled Belfast to Bahrain: the Torture Trail and its findings of work carried out by Northern Ireland Co-operation Overseas Ltd in Bahrain.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

​The UK Government continues to assist Bahrain in their reform agenda including by working with the Northern Ireland Co-operation Overseas (NICO) programme. Our and NICO’s aims are to assist the Government of Bahrain to bring its justice system into compliance with international standards. All of NICO’s work in Bahrain is regularly monitored and reviewed and continues to comply with rigorous UK human rights standards, which are in line with international human rights law. The impact of their work has been and continues to be positive.