Tag: Jim Shannon

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on what date his Department met Professor Walton to discuss the findings of his interim report on the insolvency litigation landscape, published on 10 December 2015.

Dominic Raab

Ministry of Justice officials met Professor Walton and others on 12 October last year to discuss his report, but the Ministry of Justice did not agree with his conclusions. Our changes to no win no fee deals have tackled the increasing costs of litigation. We delayed bringing the law in for insolvency proceedings to allow the industry time to prepare. The no win no fee reforms in Part 2 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 will come into force for insolvency proceedings on 6 April this year.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-20.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his US and Japanese counterparts about nuclear tests by North Korea.

Mr Hugo Swire

I raised this issue with US colleagues in Washington last week. The UK condemns the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) continued development of its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. We have regular contact with key partners on this issue, including the US and Japan. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) discussed the issue with his counterparts at the G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Hiroshima on 11 April. The G7 issued a joint communiqué [http://www.mofa.go.jp/files/000147440.pdf] which strongly condemned the DPRK’s nuclear tests and called upon the international community to enforce the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions to respond to the clear and continuing threat to international peace and security that is posed by the DPRK’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Assembly on increasing connectivity with Northern Ireland through expansion of Heathrow.

Mr Robert Goodwill

There have been no recent discussions with the Northern Ireland Assembly on increasing connectivity with Northern Ireland through expansion of Heathrow.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people have been referred to the NHS for remedial treatments for scarring and pain after laser hair treatment in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison

This information is not held centrally.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-05-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information he holds on the number of Christians in Aleppo.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

There is a lack of reliable information on the number of Christians in Aleppo. At a press conference at the UN in Geneva in March 2016 the Chaldean Bishop of Aleppo, Antoine Audo (also President of Caritas Syria), estimated that the population of Christians in Aleppo had fallen from 160,000 pre-conflict to only 40,000 in 2016. My noble friend, the Rt Hon. Baroness Anelay of St Johns recently met with Armenian Church leaders, including one from Aleppo, who stated his congregation had fallen by 50%.

Overall, prior to the conflict, Christians numbered about 2.2 million — 10% of Syria’s population. 40% of the Christian population have now left Syria. Many of the Christians left because of the widespread perception they supported the regime. Those remaining vehemently reject the claim.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-05-23.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions his Department has had with medical organisations on treatment of chronic bronchitis through the freezing of lungs.

Jane Ellison

There have been no such discussions.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to UN Security Council Resolution 1460, on child soldiers, if he will encourage Saudi Arabia and other states in the Coalition to develop and implement a time-bound action plan to end and prevent violations against children.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We are aware of the UN Secretary General’s annual report on Children in Armed Conflict which was published on 2 June, which includes a section outlining the impact of the conflict in Yemen on children. The conflict in Yemen has had a significant impact on children, in terms of the numbers of child casualties, the recruitment of children as soldiers, and attacks on hospitals and schools. We consider all these reports very carefully. We note the announcement by the UN Secretary General on 6 June that removed the listing of the Saudi Arabian-led Coalition from the report’s annex, pending the conclusion of a joint review by the UN and the Coalition on the cases and numbers cited in the text. We welcome co-operation between the UN and Saudi Arabia to look in to this matter.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what expertise on Russia is required of members of the 77th Brigade; what the operational deployment standards are of that brigade; and how many members of that brigade were recruited from the Reserves.

Penny Mordaunt

Russia is just one of a wide range of different nations that elements of 77th Brigade are studying in order to develop a deep understanding of their approach to operations. The focus is on specific aspects of these countries’ operational concepts and doctrine including information warfare and the use of non-military means.

As is normal for operational deployments overseas, personnel will only deploy once they have met standards laid down for each theatre by the Joint Commander.

There are currently 141 reserve personnel serving with 77th Brigade.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-15.

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment her Department has made of the merits of the Investment Case prepared by the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in preparation for its replenishment conference on 16 September 2016.

Mr Nick Hurd

The investment case projects that a successful replenishment will enable the Global Fund to save 8 million lives and avert up to 300 million new infections over the replenishment period 2017-2019. The UK wishes to see a successful replenishment, both the investment case and the conclusions of the Multilateral Aid Review and Bilateral Aid Review will be important in determining the Government’s contribution to the fifth replenishment.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with her Northern Ireland counterparts on assistance for dairy farmers in Northern Ireland; and what assistance her Department is giving such farmers.

George Eustice

The Secretary of State is writing to the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland to outline the steps we are taking to help our hard-pressed dairy farmers. These include: securing a £26.2 million aid package from the European Commission, introducing a new system of extended tax averaging, and working with the Treasury to assess whether improved access to risk management tools can contribute to the resilience of the dairy industry.

I regularly meet representatives of the dairy industry from across the UK, including from Northern Ireland, to discuss issues of mutual interest and Defra officials maintain regular contact with their counterparts in the devolved administrations on a range of dairy issues.