Asked by: Cathy Jamieson (Labour (Co-op) - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential link between water pollution and cancers of the colon and brain.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Water quality is well regulated; the Drinking Water Inspectorate is responsible for regulating public drinking water and the Environment Agency is responsible for regulating water in the environment. Public Health England provides health risk advice to both these organisations and other public bodies (e.g. local authorities) on water pollution or water contamination incidents. In 2008, the United Kingdom expert committee on carcinogenicity of chemicals in food, consumer products and the environment (COC) considered the potential cancer risk from chlorination disinfection by-products including colon and brain cancer. The COC concluded that the evidence for a causal association between cancer and exposure to chlorination disinfection by-products is limited and any such association is unlikely to be strong.
Asked by: Cathy Jamieson (Labour (Co-op) - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding he has made available for the treatment of neurofibromatosis type 1 in the last five years.
Answered by Norman Lamb
NHS England does not allocate funding to specific services; information broken down to this level is not collected.
There are currently no plans for awareness raising activity in relation to neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), which is an inherited condition. Information for the public on the diagnosis and treatment of NF1 can be found on the NHS Choices website, which sets out the key signs and symptoms of the condition, including: coffee colored patches on the skin, two or more neurofibromas (bumps on or under the skin); bone defects, such as bowing of the lower leg; and, a family history of NF1. The NF1 webpages can be viewed at the following link:
www.nhs.uk/conditions/Neurofibromatosis/Pages/Introduction.aspx
Further information can be found on the Neuro Foundation web site www.nfauk.org, or for general practitioners and other health professionals, on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence website:
Asked by: Cathy Jamieson (Labour (Co-op) - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what funding he has made available for research into neurofibromatosis type 1 in the last five years.
Answered by George Freeman
Expenditure by the Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) on neurofibromatosis type 1 research through research programmes, research centres and units, and research fellowships is shown in the following table.
£ million
2009-10 | 2010-11 | 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 |
0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.1 |
The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including neurofibromatosis type 1. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.
Asked by: Cathy Jamieson (Labour (Co-op) - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to raise awareness of the effect of neurofibromatosis type 1.
Answered by Norman Lamb
NHS England does not allocate funding to specific services; information broken down to this level is not collected.
There are currently no plans for awareness raising activity in relation to neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), which is an inherited condition. Information for the public on the diagnosis and treatment of NF1 can be found on the NHS Choices website, which sets out the key signs and symptoms of the condition, including: coffee colored patches on the skin, two or more neurofibromas (bumps on or under the skin); bone defects, such as bowing of the lower leg; and, a family history of NF1. The NF1 webpages can be viewed at the following link:
www.nhs.uk/conditions/Neurofibromatosis/Pages/Introduction.aspx
Further information can be found on the Neuro Foundation web site www.nfauk.org, or for general practitioners and other health professionals, on the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence website:
Asked by: Cathy Jamieson (Labour (Co-op) - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 15 December 2014 to Question 217880, if he will estimate the number of patients with bladder cancer who have had treatment delayed due to a shortage of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin drugs, including OncoTICE.
Answered by George Freeman
The Department does not hold centrally information on the number of patients whose treatment for bladder cancer will be affected, or whether patients currently receiving Bacillus Calmette-Guérin treatment for bladder cancer have had their treatment suspended because of a shortage of vaccine supplies.
We are working closely with the suppliers to help ensure that supplies are available for United Kingdom patients. We are also in close contact with the British Association of Urological Surgeons who have issued advice for clinicians.
Asked by: Cathy Jamieson (Labour (Co-op) - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that OncoTICE is readily available to treat patients who have cancer of the bladder.
Answered by George Freeman
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Liverpool Wavertree (Luciana Berger) on 1 December 2014 to Questions 216172, 216173 and 216174 concerning shortages of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin bladder instillations, one of which is OncoTICE.
Asked by: Cathy Jamieson (Labour (Co-op) - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many patients have had delays in treatment for cancer of the bladder as a result of shortages of the drug OncoTICE in each of the last two years.
Answered by George Freeman
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Liverpool Wavertree (Luciana Berger) on 1 December 2014 to Questions 216172, 216173 and 216174 concerning shortages of Bacillus Calmette-Guérin bladder instillations, one of which is OncoTICE.
Asked by: Cathy Jamieson (Labour (Co-op) - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on financial support for victims of thalidomide.
Answered by Norman Lamb
Departmental officials have regular, ongoing discussions with colleagues in the devolved administrations on the issue of Thalidomide. Following a meeting with the Thalidomide Trust on 23 June 2014, I wrote to Manuela Schwesig, Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, on behalf of all four UK Governments, asking if she would meet with the Trust.
Asked by: Cathy Jamieson (Labour (Co-op) - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, on what dates since July 2014 he has discussed with NHS England the use of off-patent drugs for new indications; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by George Freeman
Departmental officials have had a number of discussions with NHS England which have included this issue, as well as discussions with other stakeholders. We are committed to supporting clinicians in incorporating the most up to date and robust evidence into patient care.