Asked by: Guto Bebb (Independent - Aberconwy)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to increase awareness of prostate cancer.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. In 2010, the UK NSC recommended against a screening programme for prostate cancer as there was no clear evidence that the benefit to screen for prostate cancer outweighed the harms. The UK NSC re-affirmed this decision in 2012 and is in the process of reviewing this policy currently.
The School of Health and Related Research at the University of Sheffield performed an option appraisal for the UK NSC based on the latest trial evidence for screening for prostate cancer in 2013. A number of screening strategies were considered including annual screening in men aged 50 to 74 years. The overall survival benefit with all strategies was small and outweighed by the harms of over diagnosis and the adverse effects of over treatment.
Public Health England (PHE) ran a local pilot campaign for six weeks in 2014, specifically targeting prostate cancer within Black African-Caribbean men, because of their significantly increased risk of developing prostate cancer. The campaign ran in six London boroughs. In addition, PHE will be running a national campaign on “Blood in Pee” in early 2016. This is primarily aimed at bladder and kidney cancer but blood in the urine can also be a sign of prostate cancer.
Asked by: Guto Bebb (Independent - Aberconwy)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of an annual screening programme on early detection of prostate cancer.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. In 2010, the UK NSC recommended against a screening programme for prostate cancer as there was no clear evidence that the benefit to screen for prostate cancer outweighed the harms. The UK NSC re-affirmed this decision in 2012 and is in the process of reviewing this policy currently.
The School of Health and Related Research at the University of Sheffield performed an option appraisal for the UK NSC based on the latest trial evidence for screening for prostate cancer in 2013. A number of screening strategies were considered including annual screening in men aged 50 to 74 years. The overall survival benefit with all strategies was small and outweighed by the harms of over diagnosis and the adverse effects of over treatment.
Public Health England (PHE) ran a local pilot campaign for six weeks in 2014, specifically targeting prostate cancer within Black African-Caribbean men, because of their significantly increased risk of developing prostate cancer. The campaign ran in six London boroughs. In addition, PHE will be running a national campaign on “Blood in Pee” in early 2016. This is primarily aimed at bladder and kidney cancer but blood in the urine can also be a sign of prostate cancer.
Asked by: Guto Bebb (Independent - Aberconwy)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department has taken to support prostate cancer awareness campaigns and screening programmes.
Answered by Jane Ellison
The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. In 2010, the UK NSC recommended against a screening programme for prostate cancer as there was no clear evidence that the benefit to screen for prostate cancer outweighed the harms. The UK NSC re-affirmed this decision in 2012 and is in the process of reviewing this policy currently.
The School of Health and Related Research at the University of Sheffield performed an option appraisal for the UK NSC based on the latest trial evidence for screening for prostate cancer in 2013. A number of screening strategies were considered including annual screening in men aged 50 to 74 years. The overall survival benefit with all strategies was small and outweighed by the harms of over diagnosis and the adverse effects of over treatment.
Public Health England (PHE) ran a local pilot campaign for six weeks in 2014, specifically targeting prostate cancer within Black African-Caribbean men, because of their significantly increased risk of developing prostate cancer. The campaign ran in six London boroughs. In addition, PHE will be running a national campaign on “Blood in Pee” in early 2016. This is primarily aimed at bladder and kidney cancer but blood in the urine can also be a sign of prostate cancer.
Asked by: Guto Bebb (Independent - Aberconwy)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when he plans to respond to the recommendations of the Treasury Committee's report, Conduct and competition in SME lending, published on 16 March 2015.
Answered by Harriett Baldwin
The Parliament, and its then Treasury Select Committee, dissolved shortly after this report was published and HM Treasury was not able to prepare a response before dissolution.
HM Treasury is considering the Committee’s recommendations and will be responding to the new Committee in due course.
Asked by: Guto Bebb (Independent - Aberconwy)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what reports he has received on the involvement of Palestinian terror groups in the recent violence in Israel and the West Bank.
Answered by Tobias Ellwood
While it appears that the majority of the attacks seen in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories in recent weeks have been carried out by individuals, without direct organisation from political or terrorist groups, we have seen media reports of Palestinian terrorist groups claiming responsibility for some recent attacks, praising attacks, and appearing to incite further violence. We condemn all the terrorist attacks, as I made clear in the House on 20 October, and in my statement on 13 October.
Asked by: Guto Bebb (Independent - Aberconwy)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on SMEs of a move from the flat rate scheme for VAT to the general rate.
Answered by David Gauke
HMRC estimates that, on average, businesses moving from the flat rate scheme to standard VAT accounting incur extra administrative costs of £45 per year.
Asked by: Guto Bebb (Independent - Aberconwy)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential benefits of increasing the turnover threshold at which it becomes necessary to adopt the general rate for VAT for the tourism industry.
Answered by David Gauke
No such assessment has been made. The Government has chosen to maintain the highest VAT registration threshold in the EU. EU law allows us to increase the threshold in line with inflation, and it has therefore increased to £82,000 with effect from 1 April 2015.
Asked by: Guto Bebb (Independent - Aberconwy)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to the Answer of 14 September 2015 to Question 8491, whether interim commissioning arrangements are being considered for nivolumab lung cancer.
Answered by George Freeman
NHS England is aware that the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is reviewing the use of nivolumab in lung cancer, and is likely to report shortly. NHS England has therefore advised that it intends to await the NICE recommendation rather than develop interim arrangements.
Asked by: Guto Bebb (Independent - Aberconwy)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what estimate he has made of the number of lung cancer patients who would benefit from the immunotherapy nivolumab; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by George Freeman
NHS England has advised that it is not currently possible to estimate the numbers of patients in England who will be suitable for treatment, as the licence for nivolumab has been split into two distinct sub-groups (squamous and non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer) and the latter has yet to receive a marketing authorisation.
Asked by: Guto Bebb (Independent - Aberconwy)
Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the increase of the minimum wage on small businesses which as a result of that increase will begin to operate above the VAT threshold.
Answered by Nick Boles
The Department has not made an assessment of the interaction between VAT thresholds and the minimum wage.
Businesses are only required to register for VAT when the total value of their taxable supplies of goods and services in the preceding 12 months exceeds the current VAT registration threshold, which was increased to £82,000 with effect from 1 April 2015.