Tag: Jim Shannon

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2015-11-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the effectiveness of Government’s response to the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone.

James Duddridge

The UK intervention in Sierra Leone was instrumental in containing the Ebola epidemic and preventing the dire predictions from global health bodies materialising. Now that Sierra Leone has been declared Ebola transmission-free, our focus is to help the Government to develop a new approach to the delivery of services that will improve resilience and enable the country to handle future crises independently, whether they be health-related or caused by other factors.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department issues on teaching of transgender issues to (a) four year olds and (b) other school children.

Edward Timpson

Whilst schools have the autonomy to teach about gender at KS1-4 as part of their personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education, transgender is not prescribed in lessons for pupils age 4 (KS0).

Gender is an important aspect of identity and developing a positive sense of one’s identity is a significant part of growing up. Schools can help to develop pupils’ understanding and respect, through the age-appropriate teaching of transgender issues. Schools can also provide any pupils who are questioning their gender with a nurturing and supportive environment.

Schools in England can teach about transgender issues in their PSHE lessons, drawing on the guidance and resources available. The PSHE Association has produced a suggested programme of study as guidance for teachers, which includes teaching about gender and gender identity at key stages 2, 3 and 4. The programme of study is available on-line at: https://www.pshe-association.org.uk/content.aspx?CategoryID=1004

The education of four year olds in England is covered by the Early Years FoundationStage (EYFS) Statutory Framework which sets the standards that all early years providers must meet to ensure that children learn and develop and are kept healthy and safe. It promotes teaching and learning and gives children the broad range of knowledge and skills that provide the right foundation for future progress.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people were diagnosed with hepatitis C in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison

Public Health England only receives laboratory reports of hepatitis C cases from England and Wales.

Laboratory reports of hepatitis C, England and Wales, 2010 to 2014

Year	2010 (i)	2011 (ii)	2012 (iii)	2013 (iv)	2014 (v)
Total	8,147	1,0382	11,353	11,692	11,997

Across the United Kingdom, more individuals are being tested for hepatitis C and over the last five years particular improvements have been seen in primary care where surveillance indicates that testing has risen by 21% in England (vi).

Citations

(i) Health Protection Report Vol 5. No. 29 22 July 2011

(ii) Health Protection Report Vol 6. No. 30 27 July 2012

(iii) Health Protection Report Vol.7 No. 30 26 July 2013

(iv) Health Protection Report Vol 98 No. 29 25 July 2014

(v) Health Protection Report Vol 9 No. 26 24 July 2015

(vi) Hepatitis C in the UK; 2015 report. Public Health England

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what incentives her Department provides to farmers to increase bee habitats.

George Eustice

This is a devolved matter, so I can only answer for England. Defra has made £900 million available for the new Countryside Stewardship scheme, launched in July 2015. For the first time ever this includes a dedicated Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife package. We are pleased that over half of mid–tier applications for agreements contain this package of options. The package has been developed by Natural England working in close partnership with wildlife organisations, the farming community and national pollinator scientists. This ensures it is based upon the best available evidence.

Countryside Stewardship plays a key role in supporting the National Pollinator Strategy, which demonstrates the Government’s commitment to improving the status of the country’s 1,500 or so pollinating insect species. This is a programme of collaborative action and cooperation that contains a wide range of specific actions to supporthabitats for bees on farmland. In November 2015 Defra published the implementation plan for the strategy, which highlights the progress made to date, including guidance and training to farmers on supporting pollinators from the Campaign for the Farmed Environment.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent online identity theft.

Mike Penning

Cyber Streetwise is a cross Government campaign designed to improve the online safety knowledge, behaviour and confidence of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and individuals; driving down crime, saving victims’ money and reinforcing perceptions of the UK as a safe place to do business. Since its launch in January 2014, approximately 2 million adults have adopted safer online behaviours that will better protect them. Our 2015/16 strategic approach aims to drive measurable shifts in three key behaviours: using strong passwords made up of three random words; installing security software on all devices; and regularly downloading software updates which experts agree will provide SMEs and individuals with the most protection against cyber-crime.

The City of London Police and Action Fraud have also brought together advice from a range of sources through the ‘Not With My Name’ campaign, to help people protect their identity, including online. The campaign is supported by the Metropolitan Police Service, Experian, Cifas, Financial Fraud Action UK, Get Safe Online and Cyber Streetwise.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with (a) the Countryside Alliance, (b) landowners and (c) BASE on introduction of the lynx into the countryside.

Rory Stewart

Defra has had no discussions with landowners or representatives of Countryside Alliance and BASC about the reintroduction of lynx.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what processes are in place to ensure that all finances of both parties are disclosed when divorce proceedings are commenced.

Caroline Dinenage

In England and Wales, the division of property on divorce is governed by the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973. A court will not make a financial order in a divorce case unless it is satisfied that each party has made a full and frank disclosure of their financial circumstances. Each party in a divorce is under a legal duty to make full and frank disclosure of all material facts to the other party and to the court and must sign a Statement of Truth to that effect.

If the court is of the view that one party has deliberately failed or refused to make full and frank disclosure and has concealed his or her true financial circumstances from the other party, it can impose a costs penalty on the dishonest party. In more serious cases, individuals who fail to disclose the full extent of their assets could find themselves in contempt of court and be at risk of imprisonment. If, following a judgment, it is discovered that assets have not been properly disclosed and the judgment would have been different if there had been full disclosure it is possible to apply to the court to have the judgment set aside to be reconsidered.

We recently reviewed Form E in light of an error being identified in the automatic calculations and we have amended the function of the form to ensure the calculation facility is now correct. The Ministry of Justice and the HM Courts and Tribunals Service have published advice regarding Form E at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/divorce-form-information

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what discussions she has had with the Irish Government since the attacks in Paris in November 2015 on ensuring that the two governments share intelligence effectively on all potential terrorist threats.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

The Home Office is the UK Government Department responsible for dealing with the threat from international terrorism and regularly engages with international partners.

I also regularly meet Ministers from the Irish Government, including with Frances Fitzgerald, the Justice and Equality Minister, to discuss a range of issues. There continues to be strong co-operation on security between the United Kingdom Government and the Irish Government.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to reduce fat levels in food to address levels of diabetes.

Jane Ellison

Measures by industry to reduce calories, including from fat, are important components in any approach to reduce obesity. Some parts of industry have already taken a range of actions to help people eat a healthier diet, but the challenge to make further substantial progress remains.

Building on the National Diabetes Prevention Programme, the Department is developing plans to improve the outcomes for those with and at risk of Type 2 diabetes. We will announce these in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people there were with epilepsy in each of the last five years.

Jane Ellison

Information concerning the number of people diagnosed with epilepsy on an annual basis is not collected. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence estimates that epilepsy affects between 362,000 and 415,000 people in England.