Asked by: Lord Benyon (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to task NICE with publication of guidelines for heart valve disease.
Answered by George Freeman
From April 2013, NHS England is the lead commissioner for clinical guidelines for topics which have a principal focus on healthcare.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published a clinical guideline on chronic heart failure in 2010 that includes recommendations on the management of chronic heart failure caused by valve disease. Further information is available on NICE’s website at:
www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg108
NICE has reviewed the need to update this clinical guideline and concluded in January 2015 that an update will be scheduled into its work programme. Details of the update will be available on NICE’s guidelines in development webpage in due course.
Asked by: Lord Benyon (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to ensure earlier referral of heart valve patients from secondary to tertiary care; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jane Ellison
NHS England has no plans to publish a future cardiovascular disease strategy at this time.
Improvements in detection and management of valve disease will be achieved by encouraging practitioners and providers to follow clinical guidelines and by commissioning means. Surgery and transcatheter aortic valve replacement are commissioned by NHS England through specialised commissioning but investigations, initial diagnosis and medical management are commissioned by clinical commissioning groups.
Asked by: Lord Benyon (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how fishing in British waters off Ascension Island will be policed; and what steps his Department is taking to prevent over-fishing or illegal bycatch landings in those waters.
Answered by James Duddridge
Consideration is currently being given to all options for marine management around Ascension Island. Any decision will be based on scientific justification, financial viability, effective enforcement and monitoring. The type of enforcement will depend on the management option selected. HMG funded a pilot satellite surveillance project around Ascension Island. This data is being used to inform future management and enforcement of Ascension Island’s waters.Asked by: Lord Benyon (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether an environmental impact assessment has been undertaken of the proposed award of licences for industrial fishing in British waters off Ascension Island.
Answered by James Duddridge
Ascension Island Government contracted an independent consultant to review the management options for Ascension Island waters. This review examined various factors, including status of the tuna resources and bycatch. Between 2010-2013 when commercial fishing vessels operated around Ascension scientific data, including on bycatch, was collected by national observers on the vessels and is available through scientific papers presented at ICCAT.
Asked by: Lord Benyon (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, with reference to the report, Give peace a chance, by the Campaign to Protect Rural England, published in May 2015, if he will make it his policy to (a) agree a definition of and (b) produce detailed planning guidance on tranquility.
Answered by Lord Wharton of Yarm
The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that local planning policies should aim to identify areas of tranquillity which have remained relatively undisturbed by noise and are prized for their recreational and amenity value for this reason. Planning guidance supporting the Framework sets out factors that are likely to be relevant to identifying areas of tranquillity.
Asked by: Lord Benyon (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether surveys of fish populations have been undertaken in British waters off Ascension Island to ascertain the effects of industrial fishing.
Answered by James Duddridge
Commercial fish populations around Ascension island are highly migratory and are managed under ICCAT (The International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas) for the whole Atlantic. Between 2010-2013 when commercial fishing vessels operated around Ascension scientific data, including on bycatch, was collected by national observers on the vessels and is available through scientific papers presented at ICCAT.
Asked by: Lord Benyon (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps are being taken to investigate cases of orthostatic intolerance and Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome.
Answered by Norman Lamb
In 2010, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) published the guidance Transient loss of consciousness ('blackouts') management in adults. Orthostatic intolerance is characterised by the development of symptoms of dizziness, nausea and fainting when standing up, which are only resolved by lying down. The investigation of such symptoms is included in the NICE guidance, which can be found at the following link:
To support clinicians in the diagnosis, treatment, care and support of patients with chronic/complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has produced a best practice guideline on the condition, which was produced with a range of collaborators, including the British Pain Society. In addition, in 2013 NICE produced a guideline on the pharmacological management of neuropathic pain, including for CRPS. Both the RCP and the NICE guidance can be found at the following links:
www.rcplondon.ac.uk/sites/default/files/documents/complex-regional-pain-full-guideline.pdf
www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg173/resources/guidance-neuropathic-pain-pharmacological-management-pdf
Asked by: Lord Benyon (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many HPV vaccine damage claimants have been registered in each year since 2008.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
Information regarding claims in respect of a particular disease/vaccine is unavailable.
Asked by: Lord Benyon (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many licences have been granted by the Marine Management Organisation for the laying of cables on the seabed involving the SCAR plough system and other similar technologies; and to whom each of those licences has been granted.
Answered by George Eustice
The MMO grants marine licences for the laying of cables on the seabed following assessment of the proposed activity including installation method. It is up to the individual developer to propose which methodology they intend to employ for cable installation. To date, the MMO has not issued any marine licences where the applicant has stated that the SCAR system would be deployed although since 2011, 11 licences have been granted to wind farm developers, electricity and telecoms companies who have proposed to use plough, trenching and jetting installation methods.
The SCAR system has been used for boulder clearance at one project prior to cable laying activities commencing.
Asked by: Lord Benyon (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Marine Management Organisation has taken to safeguard the marine environment from damage by cable laying involving the SCAR plough system and similar technologies.
Answered by George Eustice
Should such activities require a marine licence from the MMO, a number of steps are taken to ensure the protection of the marine environment is adequately considered. The potential environmental impacts of any licensable activity are a material consideration under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. All decisions should be made in accordance with the UK Marine Policy Statement or relevant Marine Plan, and be in compliance with relevant legislation. Where mitigation is required to reduce potential impacts these can be secured through marine licence conditions.