The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent discussions his Department has had with NATO on progress with NATO’s Force Integration Units.
Mr Julian Brazier
The Ministry of Defence is fully involved in the development of NATO’s Force Integration Units (NFIU) and we will contribute personnel to the NFIUs in the Baltic States, Poland, Bulgaria, and Romania.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-27.
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to counter Russian propaganda directed at the UK or at NATO.
Mr David Lidington
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is leading a cross-government and international approach to counter Russian misinformation and provide positive, alternative narratives. The UK Government is employing a range of measures to do this, including: strengthening the BBC’s Russian service; setting up and co-ordinating a “Friends of Ukraine” communication hub; leading successful lobbying to create an EU Strategic Communication team in Brussels that is focussed on Eastern Europe; leading the charge to set up the NATO Centre of Excellence for Communication in Riga; helping set-up a NATO trust fund to ensure impactful strategic communication interventions by NATO; and training EU and NATO teams to increase their capacity to rebut Russian misinformation.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on assistance to elderly people to help them with increases in energy prices.
Andrea Leadsom
Providing direct help to vulnerable consumers, including the elderly to keep their energy bills down is a priority for the Department. For example, direct help is given to vulnerable consumers through energy efficiency schemes such as the Energy Company Obligation and through the Warm Home Discount scheme, where 2 million low income and vulnerable households per year receive rebates off their electricity bills. DECC officials regularly meet with other government departments to discuss helping vulnerable consumers.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-02.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with clinical bodies on the link between diabetes and heart disease.
Jane Ellison
There have been no such recent discussions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-02.
To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of personal debt and household borrowing.
Harriett Baldwin
In Q3 2015 household debt fell to 142 per cent of household income, down from its peak of 168 per cent in Q1 2008. The Government’s plan for a higher wage, lower welfare society makes it easier for families and working people to save, and includes the new National Living Wage which will mean a pay boost for 1.7 million workers this year.
Nonetheless, the Government recognises that there are those who face problem levels of debt. The Money Advice Service (MAS) is responsible for the coordination of publically funded free to client debt advice and is financed by a levy on the financial services industry. MAS is currently consulting on its business plan; it has proposed levying for a constant debt advice budget for 2016/17 providing around £45 million.
The Government is currently reviewing how the public provision of free-to-client, impartial financial guidance, including consumer debt advice services, should be structured. The Public Financial Guidance consultation closed in December 2015 and the Government will report back by budget.
Additionally, we have created the independent Financial Policy Committee within the Bank of England, to ensure emerging risks and vulnerabilities across the financial system as a whole, including in relation to household debt, are identified, monitored and effectively addressed.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what the cost to the public purse of EU health tourism has been in each of the last three years.
Alistair Burt
Since its inception in 2013, the Department’s Visitor and Migrant NHS Cost Recovery Programme has been working to design and implement key improvements to ensure that those people who should pay for National Health Service care are identified and charged.
Achievements include:
– The launch of the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) reporting incentive on 1 October 2014. All EHIC activity correctly reported by NHS secondary providers, so that the UK is able to make appropriate reimbursement claims from other member states, allows them to access an additional 25% funding;
– The revision of the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations which came into force on 6 April 2015, reducing the number of exemption from charge categories and realigning the Regulations to the principle that the NHS is a residency-based healthcare system; and
– Support and engagement with NHS providers through meetings with senior trust employees and the launch of a cost recovery support team to provide bespoke assistance to trusts to improve their processes for identifying chargeable patients and recovering funds owed, including those from Europe.
The Department is currently consulting on the extension of charging overseas visitors and migrants using the NHS in England. Part of the consultation proposes to amend the residence definition for EEA nationals, by which they qualify for free NHS treatment in England. The consultation is due to conclude on 7 March 2016.
The Department does not hold information on the cost to the public purse of EU health tourism.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-09.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Reaper drones have been used in operations in Syria.
Penny Mordaunt
I am withholding operational information on the number of RAF Reaper aircraft deployed as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-02-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal College of Nursing on the effect of sugary drinks on obesity.
Jane Ellison
There have been no such recent discussions.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what training his Department has given to the Cyprus National Guard in each of the last five years.
Penny Mordaunt
Details of training provided to the Cyprus National Guard personnel by British Forces Cyprus or wider UK Defence capabilities, incorporating joint training activities, are as follows:
May 2012 – Crisis response and joint Search and Rescue (SAR) training on Exercise ARGONAUT
May 2013 – Crisis response and joint SAR training on Exercise ARGONAUT
October 2013 – Public Order training with Sovereign Base Areas Police
May 2014 – Crisis response and joint SAR training on Exercise ARGONAUT
June 2014 – Joint SAR training with 84 Squadron RAF and the Republic of Cyprus SAR Squadron
October 2014 – Range administrative training
February 2015 – Small arms firing and range administrative training
May 2015 – Crisis response training and joint SAR training on Exercise ARGONAUT
July 2015 – Joint SAR training with 84 Sqn RAF and the Republic of Cyprus
November 2015 – Joint medical (clinical study) training
February 2016 – Joint Counter-Terrorism (CT) training on Exercise CHAMELEON
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-01.
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she is taking to reduce carbon emissions from wood stoves.
Andrea Leadsom
Directive 2009/125/EC established a framework for the setting of ecodesign requirements for energy-related products. In April 2015 Commission Regulation 2015/1185 was published, which provides minimum standards for efficiencies of wood burning stoves placed on the European market from 2022 that will reduce their carbon emissions.
Wood burning stoves that have a back boiler attached are supported through the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI). The scheme applies only to Great Britain.
Wood burning stoves are treated as having zero emissions for most inventory purposes, given that the biomass combustion releases the carbon captured during the trees’ lifetime; and that this loss of carbon from the forest is already recorded in the forestry section of the emissions inventory.
Different carbon emissions figures are used for lifecycle analysis of biomass – but these often relate to the transportation of the fuel and fuel preparation. Evidence to date suggests the fuel used in wood burning stoves, such as logs, is frequently sourced very locally with minimal preparation, and therefore has a relatively small footprint.
A tool is also available from Ofgem for calculating carbon emissions from biomass. It can be found on the Ofgem website at https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications-and-updates/uk-solid-and-gaseous-biomass-carbon-calculator .
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