Tag: Jim Shannon

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal Colleges on research into the use of aspirin to improve fertility.

George Freeman

The Department has had no such discussions. The Department’s National Institute for Health Research welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including the use of aspirin or other treatments to improve fertility. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services, value for money and scientific quality.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent discussions he has had with his Russian counterpart on the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport.

Tracey Crouch

Both my Department and UK Anti-Doping engage regularly with international counterparts to discuss a range of sporting matters, including tackling doping in sport.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-30.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Saudi Arabian counterpart on trafficking of Yesidi girls from IS-controlled territories.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We continue to condemn in the strongest terms the atrocities committed by Daesh against all communities throughout the areas under its control. We are working closely with our international coalition partners to assist and protect civilians wherever we can.

The human rights situation for many living in areas under Daesh control is gravely concerning, including for Yezidi women. We have received reports of the ordeal faced by these women and others abducted by Daesh including rape, sexual abuse, forced marriage, forced conversion and women being sold as slaves. Through the Department for International Development we are funding activities to protect vulnerable civilians including through legal assistance and support groups for women.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-03.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the government of Romania on improving media freedom and media pluralism in that country.

Mr David Lidington

The British Embassy in Bucharest follows the issue of media freedom in Romania closely, given its impact on the quality of democracy and on the rule of law. As part of the Co-operation and Verification Mechanism (CVM), to which Romania has been subject since its EU accession, the European Commission has called on Romania to “review existing standards to safeguard a free and pluralist media”. We have worked closely with the European Commission and the Romanian government in encouraging full implementation of CVM recommendations including on the relationship between the media and state institutions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what account his Department takes of the human rights situation and reports of persecution on the basis of religious belief in Iran in setting its policy on changes to sanctions imposed on that country.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We continue to urge Iran to abide by its international commitments to ensure all Iranians enjoy the rights and freedoms they are entitled to. There has been no real improvement in the human rights situation, and in some cases, the situation appears to have worsened. As such, we have designated over 80 Iranians responsible for human rights violations under EU sanctions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with representatives of the shipping industry on the proposed referendum on membership of the EU.

Mr David Lidington

The Government is focused on delivering a successful renegotiation of the UK’s EU membership. We have been keeping Parliament informed of our progress and engaging with a range of stakeholders, including business. We are not aware of any approaches made directly from shipping industry representatives.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many illegal firearms were seized in each of the last five years; and how many of those were (a) pistols, (b) rifles, (c) shotguns and (d) machine guns.

Mike Penning

The Home Office does not maintain records of firearms seized by police forces in England and Wales.The National Ballistics Intelligence Service regularly assesses the volume and type of illegal firearms in use in the UK. The information is operationally sensitive and is not suitable for release.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce and treat irregular heartbeats in infants that can lead to premature death.

Ben Gummer

Sudden loss of life can occur through diagnosed and previously undiagnosed heart conditions in children of any age. This is a devastating event to the families involved and there is no simple solution to prevent every case.

A large part of the review of congenital heart services that reported in July 2015 focused on producing gold standards for the care of children and infants with heart problems. These standards have now been agreed and will be implemented in April 2016.

One of the key workstreams arising from the review is improvement in detection of heart disease early in life and there are increasing numbers of specialists involved in this area of cardiology. Research and development strives to improve identification of high risk cases and refine screening programs to aid in reducing these shocking events.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of tickets for the Thiepval Memorial event on 1 July 2016 have been allocated to applicants from (a) England, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Tracey Crouch

Tickets to the Commemorative Event at the Thiepval Memorial were allocated in pairs to residents of the UK via a random ballot, which gave no weighting to residents of a particular area of the UK.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-05.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on (a) tackling isolation of women living in rural areas and (b) providing more opportunities for women to participate in political and public life.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

I have had no discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on tackling isolation of women living in rural areas.

I have general discussions with Ministers in the Executive on a range of issues and this has included providing more opportunities for women to participate in political and public life. During the recent cross party talks, I also highlighted the importance of engaging women in community initiatives to combat the influence of paramilitary groupings. This is reflected in the Fresh Start Agreement.

The Government recognises the lack of female representation in politics and public life and further recognises the positive outcomes that result in tackling this inequality. As the 2015 Conservative Manifesto said: “We also want to increase the proportion of public appointments going to women in the next Parliament, as well as the number of female MPs.”

I have attended a number of events meeting women’s groups from across Northern Ireland and discussed the role of women in civic society and politics. This includes speaking at the Women’s Engagement Roadshow event in Belfast which highlighted the work Government is doing to improve the lives of women, and also provided women with a forum to voice their concerns about the issues that are important to them.

I welcome the fact that on 11 January Arlene Foster became Northern Ireland’s first woman First Minister.