Tag: Jim Shannon

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-03-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to introduce innovative measures to tackle Daesh propaganda.

Mr John Hayes

This Government takes very seriously the need to protect vulnerable individuals from damaging propaganda disseminated by groups such as Daesh. The scale and speed with which this material can be spread online remains a challenge and a fundamental shift in the scale and nature of our response to Daesh propaganda is required.

Government, the internet industry and civil society all have a role to play in combatting extremism online. Our unique model involves a close partnership with the public and industry to equip mainstream voices with the confidence and skills they need to effectively challenge extremism. We are helping to build the capacity of civil society groups to confront and challenge the ideology of extremism and terrorism. By bringing civil society groups together with communications professionals and industry experts, they are being provided with advice and support, production capabilities, public relations expertise and social media training. This work allows groups to share their alternative message more widely, and is specifically aimed at undermining Daesh propaganda.

Close working with responsible social media providers has disrupted online Daesh propaganda. Since 2010 over 150,000 pieces of terrorist-related material have been removed by industry from various online platforms at the request of the dedicated police Counter-Terrorism Internet Referral Unit (CTIRU). Removal requests are now at over 1,000 a week and approximately 70% of CTIRU’s caseload is Daesh related.

The Counter Extremism Strategy, published in October 2015, also sets out further work to uplift efforts to outmatch the scale and pace of terrorist and extremist use of the internet. As part of this we are pressing industry to take a lead in tackling the abuse of their services by terrorist and extremist groups.

We are working closely with international partners to share learning and expertise in the support of positive alternative messages, and disruption of poisonous Daesh propaganda on a global scale.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prevent the emotional abuse of women.

Karen Bradley

The Government has introduced a new offence of coercive or controlling behaviour in an intimate or family relationship which came into force on 29 December 2015. The offence carries a maximum of 5 years imprisonment. Guidance for professionals on the new offence was issued on 5 December 2015.

The new offence will mean victims who experience coercive and controlling behaviour that stops short of serious physical violence, but amounts to extreme psychological and emotional abuse, can see their perpetrators brought to justice. Criminalising domestic abuse demonstrates this Government’s commitment to tackling all forms of abuse and improving the protection available to victims.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-04-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to counter Russian disinformation against western countries and NATO.

Mr David Lidington

The UK is working with allies to support initiatives that promote a plural and balanced Russian-language media environment; enhance the strategic communications capabilities of NATO and the EU; and build resilience in the region to the impact of information warfare, including in Ukraine and Georgia.

We are also investing in soft power by supporting the work of the British Council and the BBC. The BBC’s global reputation and editorial independence is crucial. In keeping with its long-standing aim to “provide independent, impartial and accurate news across the world”, it is developing plans to enhance its BBC Russian digital service, for example by providing extended news bulletins to partner stations.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-05-09.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of public health nurses to delivering the prevention agenda in the NHS England Five Year Forward View.

Ben Gummer

Improving population health is the responsibility of every nurse and each has a role in working with individuals, communities and/or the population to prevent illness, protect health and promote wellbeing. The National Health Service Five Year Forward View (FYFV) sets out the need to close the health and wellbeing gap and radically upgrade prevention. The new framework for nurses, midwives and care staff in England, Leading Change, Adding Value, scheduled for publication later this month, sets out how these professionals will support delivery of the FYFV. There are 10 commitments in the framework, of which three are specifically related to population health and prevention.

To support all health care professionals including nurses to provide evidence based preventative interventions and measure their impact, Public Health England will be launching a resource called All Our Health later this month.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many people in the UK in each age group were diagnosed with ADHD in each of the last five years.

Alistair Burt

The information requested is not collected centrally.

There are no plans to collect this data. This may be because it can be difficult to diagnose attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It is very common for the core problems of ADHD in children to present together with other developmental impairments and/or mental health problems. There are many rather non-specific problems that are very common in ADHD, and can even be used, incorrectly, as grounds for the diagnosis. The problems associated with ADHD appear in different ways at different ages.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what facilities are available in the Falkland Islands for the repair of (a) helicopters, (b) ships and (c) aircraft; and on how many occasions military vehicles of each such type have been returned to the UK for repairs which were not capable of being undertaken on those Islands.

Penny Mordaunt

Technical equipment and personnel are available in the Falkland Islands to conduct routine maintenance on helicopters, ships and aircraft. On-island records extend only to the last 18 months and in that time no helicopters or ships have been returned to the UK for repairs. Aircraft are rotated on occasion between the Falkland Islands and other MOD locations in order to best utilise the fleet and to conduct complex maintenance.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the number of incidents of drunkenness on aeroplanes in each of the last five years.

Mr Robert Goodwill

The Government does not collect specific data on the frequency of incidents involving drunk passengers on aircraft. As such, no estimates have been made.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Canadian counterpart on steps to secure the release of foreign hostages held by Muslim extremists in the Philippines.

Mr Hugo Swire

We maintain a close dialogue with our international partners on terrorism and kidnapping, both on a bilateral basis and through international fora. G7 leaders have recently reaffirmed their commitment not to pay ransoms to terrorists, to protect the lives of our nationals, including by reducing terrorist groups access to funding. We do not comment on individual cases.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to implement the recommendations of the report by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom of Religion or Belief, entitled Fleeing Prosecution: Asylum claims in the UK on Religious Freedom Grounds.

James Brokenshire

The Home Office carefully considers all asylum claims on their individual merits, including claims based on religious persecution. We grant protection to those who genuinely need it in accordance with our international obligations under the Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Published guidance on the interviewing and consideration of asylum claims is regularly reviewed and takes into consideration the views of stakeholders, including religious groups. The current training and support available for asylum caseworkers includes a UNHCR endorsed Foundation Training Programme. This, and follow-on courses, covers all aspects of the asylum interview and decision making process, including the assessment of credibility and country information in religious based claims. Real-life case studies and role-play are used throughout the training programme to reinforce knowledge and understanding of the issues.

We are currently carefully considering the APPG report and its recommendations and will provide a response in due course.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-06-27.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to engage the Bahraini monarchy to ensure that freedom of religion and belief is promoted and upheld.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We regularly discuss freedom of religion and belief with the highest levels of the Government of Bahrain. I did so most recently on 2 June when I met with the Bahraini Foreign Minister at the biannual UK-Bahrain Joint Working Group meeting.