The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2015 to Question 8118, what the Atlantic coverage is of the Sentry airbourne warning MK1 aircraft.
Mr Philip Dunne
The E-3D Sentry has a range of some 5,000 nautical miles with a mission endurance of some 11 hours. Both can be extended by air-to-air refuelling.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2015 to Question 8120, what the range is of the RAF Sea King helicopter resource in its coverage of Atlantic waters.
Mr Philip Dunne
The operational range of RAF Sea King helicopters is some 210-240 nautical miles.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Tim Loughton on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 7 September 2015 to Question 8120, what the sensor capability is of the C-130 Hercules; and what the full extent is of its search and rescue resources.
Mr Philip Dunne
The Hercules C-130 aircraft is fitted with radar which can be used to locate vessels in the water. Night vision goggles allow aircrew to conduct visual searches at night. The aircraft is able to provide situational awareness of shipping in the area by interrogating maritime transponder transmissions.
The Hercules C-130 is also able to drop air sea rescue apparatus containing life-rafts and survival equipment.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of suicides by men aged 18 to 45.
Alistair Burt
We know that men are three times more likely to die by suicide than women. The highest United Kingdom suicide rate in 2013 by broad age group was among men aged 45 to 59. We also know that suicide is the leading cause of death in England and Wales for men aged between 20 and 34 years of age.
In September 2012, the Department launched ‘Preventing Suicide in England: a cross-government outcomes strategy to save lives’. This strategy aims to reduce the suicide rate and improve support for those affected by suicide and was informed by an earlier consultation on preventing suicide in England. The strategy outlines six areas for action including, reducing the risk of suicide in key high-risk groups, including men aged under 50, reducing access to the means of suicide and supporting research, data collection and monitoring.
We provide financial support for the National Suicide Prevention Alliance and work with a range of experts and partner organisations to deliver suicide prevention activities across all age groups. I will be meeting experts again shortly to advance the strategy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure that people receive sufficient vitamin D each day.
Jane Ellison
NHS Choices and the Start4Life website contain information on good sources of vitamin D foods and set out, for those at risk of vitamin D deficiency, the benefits of vitamin D supplementation. This is particularly important for pregnant and breastfeeding women, for babies and children up to the age of five, for those over 65 and people who are not exposed to much sunlight.
For those at risk of Vitamin D deficiency, the UK Chief Medical Officers have also provided advice on vitamin D supplements which is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/213703/dh_132508.pdf
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced guidance stating that awareness of vitamin D supplementation should be provided to at-risk groups by local public health teams, health and social care practitioners and voluntary and community groups.
The Healthy Start Scheme is a statutory scheme which aims to improve the nutritional health of pregnant women and children under the age of four in low income families by providing vouchers that can be exchanged for free Healthy Start vitamins containing vitamin D.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Kenyan counterpart on steps to control terrorism in the last 12 months.
James Duddridge
Co-operation on security and counter-terrorism is an important part of our bilateral relationship with Kenya. The Prime Minister discussed the subject with President Kenyatta during their meeting in the margins of the UN General Assembly in New York on 28 September. The Foreign Secretary also discussed the issue with the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs Amina Mohamed in the margins of the same event, where they signed a bilateral Security Compact aimed at enhancing our security cooperation. We continue to work closely with the Kenyan security agencies to counter the shared threat of terrorism. This includes working with Kenya to strengthen its borders, as well as in providing assistance on investigating and prosecuting terrorists in line with international human rights standards.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions the Government had with the Chinese government during the state visit to London in October 2015 on reducing restrictions on the Christian minority in China.
Mr Hugo Swire
Religious freedom was not raised during the recent State Visit. However, the Prime Minister my Right Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) was very clear during his wide-ranging discussions with President Xi Jinping of the importance that the UK attaches to human rights as part of our wider relationship with China.
We believe that freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental human right. I therefore remain concerned by the restrictions placed on Christianity in China. We are aware of reports of the closure or demolition of churches, the removal of crosses from buildings, and that individuals are being harassed or detained for their beliefs.
We raise the range of our human rights concerns directly with China. We do so during the annual UK-China Human Rights Dialogue, most recently in April 2015. We also highlight them publicly in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy (www.hrdreport.fco.gov.uk). We will continue to pursue our concerns both privately and in public fora.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Indian government on its steps to hold to account and prosecute state officials and other people who violate the safeguard for religious freedom in that country’s constitution.
Mr Hugo Swire
The Constitution of India guarantees freedom of conscience and the right to freely profess, practice and propagate religion. The Indian government has a range of policies and programmes to support religious minorities.
I welcome Prime Minister Modi’s commitment to be the "servant of all Indians". He has clearly reaffirmed his commitment to the Constitution and “the undeniable right to retain or adopt the religion of his or her choice without coercion or undue influence”. Should any individual break the law in India, it is a matter for the Indian law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute.
The High Commission in New Delhi also maintains regular contact with the union and state government, civil society organisations and senior faith leaders working on religious freedom across India.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Egypt.
Mr Tobias Ellwood
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office published its annual Human Rights and Democracy Report on 12 March 2015, which provides an assessment of the situation in Egypt, and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/case-studies/country-case-study-egypt
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-04.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the fisheries Minister in the Northern Ireland Executive on the level of cod stocks in the Irish Sea.
George Eustice
Defra holds regular discussions on a wide range of fisheries issues, including cod stocks, with counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive. We are currently working together to prepare for the annual European fisheries negotiations that will take place in Brussels on 14-15 December 2015.