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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether the Government has reached an agreement with the US government on the placement of US border guards in UK airports.

James Brokenshire

The US operates border pre-clearance facilities at a number of international airports to allow passengers on flights to the US to clear US customs and immigration controls before they arrive in the US. The US Government seeks to negotiate such arrangements with the relevant UK airports, as any interested airport would need to adapt its operations accordingly. However the introduction of pre-clearance operations would also require approval by the UK Government. We continue to discuss pre-clearance with the US but no formal agreement has yet been reached.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prevent extortion cases.

Mr John Hayes

We are clear that the police and other law enforcement agencies where appropriate, should take reports of extortion seriously and investigate them appropriately. Those who commit offences involving extortion should be taken through the courts and met with tough sentences.

The Anti-Kidnap and Extortion Unit in the National Crime Agency undertakes awareness raising to assist law enforcement agencies’ understanding of the threat.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many children have registered as transgender in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire

Children born in England or Wales are registered in the birth register as being either male or female. Transgender is not a term used to describe the sex of a child at birth registration.

The Gender Recognition Act 2004 enables transgender people aged 18 or over to apply to the Gender Recognition Panel to obtain a gender recognition certificate – legal recognition of their acquired gender. That certificate is used to create an entry in the Gender Recognition Register, maintained by the Registrar General, from which a new birth certificate can be issued. There are, therefore, no records of children (under the age of 18) in this register.

Gender Recognition Registers are also held in respect of births in Northern Ireland and Scotland by the relevant Registrars General.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to support people suffering from acute stress.

Alistair Burt

Support for people experiencing acute stress is available through the improving access to psychological therapies programme which aims to help adults with common mental health conditions to recover. The programme uses a stepped care approach in which patients with higher need are referred for more intensive treatment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to ensure weight-loss surgery is available to reduce the occurrence of (a) diabetes, (b) heart problems and (c) high blood pressure.

Jane Ellison

The commissioning responsibility for severe and complex obesity services will transfer from NHS England to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) on 1 April 2016.Transferring commissioning to CCGs will offer more coherent commissioning of the whole obesity pathway and patients will continue to be able to access surgical services for this condition.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what support his Department offers to women who decide to have a baby later in life.

Ben Gummer

Women, regardless of their age, should receive personalised maternity care that focuses on the best outcomes for them and their babies.

Early access to antenatal care, especially for women over 35, helps to ensure they receive the right care. As soon as they know they are pregnant, women are encouraged to contact their maternity service for a full assessment of their health, risk factors and choices so that a personalised approach to their care can be taken.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal College of Nursing on a connection between worry and dementia.

Jane Ellison

My Rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has had and continues to have discussions with a range of organisations about dementia including its signs and symptoms.

Reducing the incidence of dementia, improving the treatment and care of people with dementia and improving dementia research, is a key priority for the Government. That is why in February 2015, the Prime Minister launched his Challenge on Dementia 2020 as a successor to the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia 2012-2015.

Under the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia 2020, we set an ambition for:

– Improved public awareness and understanding of the factors, which increase the risk of developing dementia and how people can reduce their risk by living more healthily. This should include a new healthy ageing campaign and access to tools such as a personalised risk assessment calculator as part of the NHS Health Check.

– Increased identification of effective ways in which people can reduce their personal risk of developing dementia, including cardio-vascular and cognitive strategies, and ways of encouraging these approaches to improve public health and wellbeing.