The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-24.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that British expertise will be used in the building of the nuclear power station in Egypt.
Hugh Robertson
UKTI officials in Egypt are closely monitoring progress towards the building of new nuclear power stations in Egypt and will work to promote appropriate opportunities for British companies.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-07-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games for participation in clay pigeon shooting in each region of the UK.
Mrs Helen Grant
Sport England is investing £1.1 million in British Shooting for 2013-17 to get more people taking part in shooting regularly.
According the Active People Survey, 54,300 people take part in clay pigeon shooting in England at least once a month. This is an increase of 3,800 since 2012. It is the most popular shooting discipline in England.
Table 1 gives a regional breakdown of shooting (all disciplines) participation. Please note – a regional breakdown of figures for specific shooting disciplines is not available due to the relatively small size of the sport.
Table 1:
|
Region |
Monthly Participants (16+) – Oct 2011/12 |
Monthly Participants (16+) – Apr 2013/14 |
Change since 2011/12 |
|
East |
22,800 |
19,400 |
-3,400 |
|
East Midlands |
14,200 |
11,300 |
-2,900 |
|
London* |
– |
– |
– |
|
North East* |
– |
– |
– |
|
North West |
12,000 |
12,700 |
700 |
|
South East |
21,100 |
23,200 |
2,100 |
|
South West |
18,700 |
12,400 |
-6,300 |
|
West Midlands |
10,500 |
14,400 |
3,900 |
|
Yorkshire |
9,700 |
16,900 |
7,200 |
*Data not available for these regions due to the relatively small size of the sport
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-01-13.
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to ensure that shops secure the physical safety of their customers during future Black Friday promotions; and if he will make a statement.
Mr Mark Harper
Retailers are responsible for ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable, the safety of customers under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.
When organising special events such as Black Friday retailers must plan their activities to effectively control and manage risks. Regulation of retail activities sits with the relevant local authority.
The Health and Safety Executive is in discussion with both the retail industry trade associations and Local Authorities about the implications of initiatives such as Black Friday promotions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-07-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her most recent estimate is of the UK population of each species of bumble bee; and what steps she is taking to increase the numbers.
Dan Rogerson
It is not possible to estimate the number of each species of bumblebee in the UK. We have made an assessment of trends in bumblebee populations from occurrence or distribution data collected by volunteer groups. Of the 26 bumblebee species which have been recorded in the UK, two have been declared extinct in the last century. One new species has arrived and another is being re-introduced. Bumblebee diversity generally decreased in Great Britain between 1950 and 1989, although the rate of decline appears to be slowing in more recent decades.
Defra supports a number of initiatives that directly benefit bumblebees and other insect pollinators. Building on these initiatives, we are working with stakeholders to develop a National Pollinator Strategy. This will contain a series of policy actions to safeguard pollinators. We have also commissioned a two-year research project to develop and test a programme to monitor pollinators.
On 18 July we launched our pollinator call to action, ‘Bees’ Needs: Food and a Home’. This is a simple message for all land managers on the essential needs of pollinators and how to fulfil them. By making a few simple changes to our land management practices, we can make a positive difference for pollinators, including bumblebees.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-07-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the (a) British Association for Shooting and Conservation and (b) Countryside Alliance on Larsen traps for the control of corvids.
George Eustice
Defra Ministers have not discussed the use of Larsen traps for the control of corvids with either the British Association for Shooting and Conservation or the Countryside Alliance.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-07-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to encourage parents to prevent the consumption of alcohol by children; and what steps are being taken by schools to assist this prevention work.
Jane Ellison
The Government’s Alcohol Strategy set out several measures to support our commitment to reducing underage drinking. These include educating young people on the risks associated with alcohol and by addressing factors that can influence young people’s attitude to alcohol, such as parental drinking. We are ensuring that guidance is available for parents through a range of public and community organisations including; NHS Choices, Directgov, Family Lives, and NetMum, Mumsnet, Dad Talk and Contact a Family.
Following the Government’s review of Personal, Social, Health, and Economic Education in March 2013, the Department for Education launched an evidence-based alcohol and drugs information service for those working with young people, which provides practical advice and tools based on the best international evidence.
The speech made by Jim Shannon, the DUP MP for Strangford, in the House of Commons on 31 October 2022.
It is a pleasure to speak in this debate and to follow the hon. Member for Penrith and The Border (Dr Hudson). He brings much knowledge to the debate and I thank him for sharing that with us.
I welcome the Bill and I declare an interest, as I must, as a member of the Ulster Farmers Union and a farmer in Northern Ireland. The Bill will bring great benefits, not just to England but to the whole United Kingdom. In my earlier intervention, I mentioned the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, which I will touch on later. I welcome the Minister’s response.
I live among farmers, who are incredible people. They love their animals and the job they do. They are very efficient. Near me, they have high-quality dairy herds, beef cattle, lamb, pork and poultry. My farmers want the best, and that is what I want for Northern Ireland. It is no secret that Northern Ireland’s high-quality produce is some of the best in the world and is much envied. Northern Ireland leads the way, but we want to be part of the Bill. The Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, however, does not enable us to do the same as the farmers here.
As the Member for Strangford, a strong agricultural constituency, legislation to unlock new technologies to boost food production, support farmers and grow more productive crops is certainly of great interest to me and those I represent—my neighbours across Strangford and across Northern Ireland. As always, one of my first ports of call was to see what the farmers thought about it. They were clear and quickly explained to me that gene editing is different from GM and gives us an opportunity to be more efficient and farm better. It does not result in the introduction of DNA from other species and creates new varieties similar to those that could be produced more slowly by natural breeding processes. It will potentially provide a greater yield and better farming practices.
Crucially, precision breeding technologies will help to develop foods with direct benefits to the public, such as products of better quality, increased nutritional value and a longer shelf life. Those are things that we are all striving for and we should all try to make those ambitions happen, so the technology can only be a good thing as long as it is safe and has farmer buy-in. From my discussions with farmers, it clearly has that buy-in.
We must be realistic and say that farmers have been gene editing for generations but did not have a fancy name for it; they knew it as splicing. I am old enough to remember my grandmother splicing the peas and beans to make bigger and better varieties of peas and beans. That goes back to the ’60s—it was not yesterday—but even in those early days, perhaps my grandmother was a bit of a pioneer in doing such things. Today we do not call it splicing but genetic technology. That is a much fancier name, and much greater, because it is about more than that, which is why the Bill is important. Through trial and error, science has allowed us to go to the next level, yet we must be mindful of the difficulties that can come by decimating the wonderful structure of nature that God has put in place. I believe that the Bill provides safety and security, and a way forward to UK food security.
A fortnight ago, I had the opportunity to meet a constituent, Stephen Alexander, who keeps 130 Dexter cattle—an almost-unique herd across Northern Ireland. He takes 60 acres of land at Orlock in North Down, he has some land at home in Greyabbey, and he takes other land just down the road. He made a deal with the National Trust, which was that he would not use fertilisers or bring anything new on to the land—it all had to be natural; the grass was natural—which was quite unique. Along with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Minister Edwin Poots and others, I had a chance to see how that works. It does work: it is an organic farm in every sense of the word, yet all the cattle are exceptional.
That is another reason why it is essential to bring in the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill as a matter of urgency. As Edwin Poots outlined:
“The introduction of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill in England will not apply to Northern Ireland. The Protocol requires alignment to EU rules so gene-edited crops developed in England under the Bill”—
that we could take advantage of in Northern Ireland—
“would not be available for cultivation in Northern Ireland.”
We need parity of opportunity and of legislation. When the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill returns to this House from the other place, we need to see that we will have that opportunity.
The fact is that for any British gene-edited crops we would have to apply to the European Food Safety Authority for approval before they could be sent to Northern Ireland, which imports, among other things, grain for animal feed. Even then, the crops could still be banned by Dublin, and that is what this really is: the EU and Dublin, with their hand—their dead hand—upon us on many occasions. That would present a fresh headache in ensuring the affected plants did not cross that invisible Irish border.
It is clear that while this Bill is a stand-alone one, the fingerprints of European intransigence are all over it. I again make the point that it is not this Bill, but the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill, whenever it comes back, that will give us in Northern Ireland the same chance as the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Bill. I would ask the House and the Government to reinstate their support for us whenever the Bill, which I think is going through the other place tomorrow, comes back to us.
As someone who loves the land and always supports the farmers, I trust those who have farmed for generations when they say that this is an enhanced version of splicing and that there is a need to be open to all possibilities. I say the Bill is the right way to go to ensure that the facility is there and so suits the farmers and food producers, and allows Northern Ireland to play a crucial and important role to advance our markets across the world. It will also ensure that we can grow and provide more jobs and a stronger economy, and that we can determine this for ourselves, rather than have the unelected EU, with no Northern Ireland voices, dictating our food security and farming practices.
That is my bid for the Minister about what has been brought here tonight. I really do support this, and I think it is the right thing to do. I will say in advance that amendment 4—perhaps the Minister can clarify this for me at the end, if possible—while it has been put forward by the Labour Opposition, has I believe been done in the best possible sense. I understand that the Minister’s colleague, the hon. Member for Crawley (Henry Smith), was going to put forward something similar, and we were apt to support that. So if the Opposition move amendment 4, which would ensure that the Secretary of State takes into account animal welfare in relation to Northern Ireland, that is the one on which we will probably disagree with the Minister, unless clarification can be given to us. However, on everything else, I fully support the Minister and the Government as they bring this Bill forward.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-04-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many instances of Alabama Rot there have been in dogs in the UK.
George Eustice
Alabama Rot is the name commonly being given to the newly emerged condition in dogs, known by its clinical and pathological description as ‘Cutaneous and renal glomerular vasculopathy’. Whilst this new condition, which appears seasonally, seems very similar to Alabama Rot, we do not know that they have the same cause.
Investigation into this condition is being led by vets at a referral small animal veterinary practice and at the world renowned research organisation, the Animal Health Trust. These vets have expertise specifically in small animal medical cases. As such the veterinary practice, Anderson Moore, is best placed to update on the number of confirmed and suspect cases. The practice informed Animal Health Veterinary Laboratories Agency on the 27th March that 14 cases have been confirmed between December 2013 and March 2014. This is in addition to 14 cases confirmed between December 2012 and March 2013.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-04-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage businesses in the fishing sector to operate in the Falkland Islands.
Mr Hugo Swire
The Honourable Member will be aware that responsibility for the promotion of business and trade opportunities in the Falkland Islands, including in the fishing sector, lies with the Falkland Islands Government (FIG). FIG itself would be the best source of further information as it has responsibility for fishing policy, licence applications and most other maritime matters in the Islands.
As noted in the Overseas Territories White Paper of 2012, the UK is strongly committed to supporting British companies who wish to do business in the Territories. The investment opportunities in the Overseas Territories were highlighted in November last year as part of the Joint Ministerial Council (JMC), with a half day Investment Forum at which over 150 businesses attended. A similar event is planned as part of the JMC programme for this year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-05-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the prevalence of ticks in deer; and what steps he is taking to tackle ticks in deer.
George Eustice
Defra has not made an assessment of the prevalence of ticks in deer but I am aware that they are widespread. The Deer Initiative, which is part funded by Defra, provides advice on ticks on its website.