The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent discussions he has had with the Royal Colleges on the treatment of kidney disease caused by diabetes.
Jane Ellison
There have been no recent discussions with the Royal Colleges on the treatment of kidney disease caused by diabetes.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-23.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential threat to national security of the involvement of Chinese government companies in the UK steel industry.
Anna Soubry
We scrutinise closely any deal that may have implications for national security.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to protect bird species which are red-listed on the endangered species list.
Rory Stewart
Defra has classified 85 sites as Special Protection Areas (SPAs) in England under the EU Birds Directive to protect rare and vulnerable wild birds and regularly occurring migratory species. The UK is currently undertaking a review of the terrestrial and coastal network of UK SPAs, which will inform the need for any further SPA provision. The UK is also making good progress in identifying a number of SPAs in the marine environment to complete our UK network.These will be in addition to the existing 108 SPAs with marine components currently in place in the UK, providing protection for just over 11,500km2 of seabird habitat.
Terrestrial SPAs are underpinned by Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs). SSSIs are the country’s very best wildlife and geological sites and many benefit birds. There are over 4,000 SSSIs in England covering around 8% of the country’s land area.Over 95% of our SSSIs are in favourable or recovering condition. Duties on public bodies in relation to wild bird habitat are also relevant, as set out in regulation 9A of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010.
In addition, Natural England is working with partner organisations through its Species Recovery Programme to secure the long term recovery of endangered birds and other species in England. Projects are in place for a range of birds on the red list including the turtle dove, corn bunting, curlew, corncrake, twite, willow tit, hawfinch and ring ouzel.
We are investing more than £3 billion in environmental outcomes as part of the Rural Development Programme for England (2014-2020). Biodiversity is one of the main objectives in our agri-environment schemes, such as the new Countryside Stewardship scheme, to be funded under the Programme. The Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package options within the new scheme will be of particular benefit for farmland birds in the wider countryside, providing winter feeding, nesting sites and food for chicks through appropriate management of farmland habitats. Our schemes also target specific red-listed species such as the corn bunting, black grouse and turtle dove.
The UK Government is a signatory to the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds, which aims to achieve coordinated conservation and management for migratory waterbirds. The UK, with other Parties, has developed action plans for endangered migratory waterbirds such as the curlew and long tailed duck.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-30.
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will establish an independent inquiry to consider the costs and benefits of frozen pensions.
Mr Robert Goodwill
Any independent inquiry to consider the costs and benefits of frozen pensions for the Civil Service Pension Scheme will be a matter for the Cabinet Office.
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 recent discussions he has had with the government of Turkey on its commitment to (a) improving the human rights situation in that country and (b) meeting the criteria for entry to the EU.
Mr David Lidington
We continue to monitor closely human rights developments in Turkey. British officials regularly raise human rights issues in their contacts with Turkish political leaders and officials at all levels. I discussed human rights and EU accession with my Turkish counterpart when he visited my constituency in August. We strongly encourage Turkey to continue work towards the full protection of fundamental rights, especially in the areas of women’s and minority rights, freedom of religion and freedom of expression. We welcome progress made thus far, and as the EU Commission highlights, further sustained work is needed to meet EU standards. The UK Government continues to support Turkey’s EU accession process and is working closely with Turkey, EU Member States, and European institutions on this. It is a positive sign that Turkey-EU relations have been reinvigorated following the successful Turkey-EU summit in Brussels on 29 November.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-08.
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people from Pakistan applied for asylum and requested certification under section (a) 94(1) and (b) 94(2) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 in each of the last three years.
James Brokenshire
The basis of an individual’s asylum claim is not recorded on Home Office systems. It is not therefore possible to differentiate Pakistani applicants claiming for reasons of religious persecution and discrimination from Pakistani applicants claiming for one or more other reasons in the Detained Fast Track (DFT) or the non-detained process.
Certification under section 94 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 is not requested by an applicant. It is applied by the Secretary of State in circumstances where the applicant’s claim is refused and considered to be so lacking in merit as to be clearly unfounded.
The number of initial certified refusals for Pakistan main asylum applicants, from year ending September 2013 to year ending September 2015, was 604. The Home Office publishes data on asylum applications and decisions on a quarterly and annual basis. The information supplied on certified refusals is based on initial decisions which do not necessarily relate to applications made in the same period.
No assessment has been made of any difference that might exist between grant rates in respect of Pakistani applicants in the DFT process when it operated, and cases entering the non-detained process at the same time. However, as the DFT process avoided claims involving particular complexity and/or vulnerability, and prioritised cases which appeared to be late or opportunistic, it is to be expected that the DFT would have fewer grants than the non-detained process.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-14.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department takes to ensure that people divorced from serving officers are not evicted from serviced housing before they have found alternative accommodation.
Mark Lancaster
The Ministry of Defence is as flexible as possible in allowing the maximum time to secure alternative accommodation.
However, only serving personnel are eligible to be housed. In the event of a marriage breakdown, entitlement for a non-serving partner to stay in the property is lost and it may become necessary to free up housing for entitled Service families.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-12-15.
To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what steps his Department is taking to increase the representation of Muslims on elected bodies.
Mr Marcus Jones
The Government believes that democratic institutions make the best decisions when they have a mix of people with different skills, backgrounds and experiences, from right across the country. The Government implemented section 106 of the Equality Act, which makes it possible to require registered political parties to publish anonymised data relating to the diversity of their candidate selection. This is a voluntary approach, which provides greater transparency over candidate selection. It is for political parties to ensure that they have a wide range of candidates to stand for elections.
We have supported and promoted mentoring schemes and internships at local and national Government level to open up political life to black, Asian and minority women and disabled people. Schemes such as the ‘Be a Councillor Campaign’ run by the Local Government Association encourage candidates from all walks of life to come forward and represent their local community.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-06.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many sexual assaults and rapes have taken place at UK universities in each of the last three years.
Joseph Johnson
This information is not held centrally by Government, although polices forces will record cases of sexual assault and rape. At the request of the Government, Universities UK has set up a task force that will bring together relevant stakeholders to explore what more can be done to support the higher education sector to prevent, and respond effectively, to incidents of violence and sexual harassment against women, hate crimes and other forms of harassment. The task force is considering a range of potential measures, and its work includes an analysis of the nature and scale of the problem.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-05.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people of each (a) gender and (b) age group were diagnosed with Crohn’s disease in each of the last five years.
Jane Ellison
This information is not collected. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence 2012 guideline Crohn’s Disease Management in Adults, Children and Young People, states that there are currently at least 115,000 people in the United Kingdom with Crohn’s disease. The full guideline can be found at the following link:
www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg152.
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