Tag: Jim Shannon

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps her Department is taking to promote Northern Ireland’s natural beauty to boost its tourism.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

Northern Ireland is one of the most beautiful parts of the United Kingdom and the televising around the world of the G8 summit in Fermanagh last year and the recent Giro d’Italia Grande Partenza will doubtless result in new tourist visits.

The promotion of tourism is a devolved matter, however I take every opportunity to invite those whom I meet to come and visit and enjoy Northern Ireland for themselves.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of China on the persecution of Christians in (a) Zhejiang Province and (b) elsewhere in eastern China.

Mr Hugo Swire

We have concerns about restrictions on freedom of religion and belief in China, and I raise them regularly with my Chinese counterparts. We are aware of particular recent cases, such as the demolition of Sanjiang church in Zhejiang Province and the arrest of Pastor Zhang in Henan Province, and we raise them publicly through our Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy.

As the Honourable Member will recall, on 1 May, in a debate on the floor of the house on freedom of thought, conscience and religion, I also expressed my concern about violations of the right to freedom of belief in China, in particular the closure of house churches and the treatment of Falun Gong. We also plan to raise our wide range of concerns directly with Chinese officials during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-04.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will take steps to encourage insurance companies to set travel insurance premiums for the elderly based on their state of health rather than their age.

Andrea Leadsom

Insurers take into account a range of different factors when considering risk and decisions concerning the pricing of insurance products are a commercial matter for individual insurers. The Government does not seek to intervene in these decisions.

The insurance industry recognises that older people can face difficulties finding appropriate travel insurance and in 2012 signed an agreement, endorsed by the Government, to re-direct older customers to an alternative insurer or to a specialist insurance broker where they cannot provide insurance themselves.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-04.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he or officials of his Department have had on the effects of digestion of sycamore tree seeds on horses; and what estimate he has made of the number of horses that have died as a result of ingesting such seeds.

George Eustice

Digestion of sycamore seeds can cause equine atypical myopathy. However, like many other equine illnesses, such as strangles and equine influenza, this is not a notifiable disease so there has been no need for active government intervention.

Defra works closely with the Animal Health Trust (AHT) and the British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) in identifying cases of this emerging condition in the British equine population. This includes monitoring scientific developments and inclusion of data in the joint Defra/AHT/BEVA Equine Quarterly Disease Surveillance Report published on the AHT’s website.

This type of surveillance and communication enables private veterinarians to advise horse keepers to avoid pasture containing sycamore trees during high risk periods and to provide additional forage on fields where grazing is poor. This should be sufficient to mitigate against this illness. We will continue to monitor the situation and keep in touch with the equine veterinary profession to be aware of developments.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-17.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what support his Department has provided to companies facing bankruptcy in each of the last three years.

Jenny Willott

The Department has a suite of business support packages available to companies whether or not they are facing an insolvency event.

In exceptional circumstances the Department can work with companies in difficulty to help find solutions to their needs. Any such support is commercially sensitive and is normally a matter between the Department and the company.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-04-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the number of black-backed gulls.

George Eustice

Defra is not taking action to reduce the number of lesser or great black-backed gulls. Like all wild birds, gulls are protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Under this Act it is an offence to kill or injure any wild bird; to take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while that nest is in use or being built; and take or destroy an egg of any wild bird.

However, Natural England has issued general licences for gulls which allow users to kill or take lesser black-backed gulls, to take, damage or destroy their nests or take or destroy their eggs, for a range of purposes. These include protection against damage to livestock or crops, or where the gulls are posing a risk to public health and safety. General licences need not be applied for by users, as long as they meet the conditions of the licence.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2014-06-04.

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people having difficulty making mortgage repayments have requested help from the Financial Ombudsman Service in each of the last three years.

Andrea Leadsom

The Government does not collect data on the number of cases referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FOS routinely collects and publishes statistics about the complaints referred to them, which they make publicly available on their website.