Tag: Jim Shannon

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will take steps to encourage businesses to train and employ people with learning difficulties to give them equal opportunities.

Justin Tomlinson

Employment for people with learning disabilities is a Government priority.

Through our Disability Confident campaign we are encouraging employers to attract, recruit and retain disabled people, including those with Learning Disabilities, who are eager to work and have the skills, talents and abilities that employers are looking for.

In 2014/15 Access to Work supported 2,010 awards for people with learning disabilities; the highest ever number of learning disabled people supported since the start of our records in 2007.

The Department is an active member of the National Learning Disability Programme Board, chaired by Department of Health. This is a cross-government group, working co-productively with disabled people and disability organisations to positively shape future policy to improve services and increase work opportunities for people with Learning Disabilities. The Department is supporting the development of a joint Learning Disability Strategy to drive this agenda forward.

We have also set up a taskforce to look at improving accessibility of apprenticeships for people with Learning Disabilities. Individuals invited to sit on the taskforce represent a range of organisations and specialisms, from employers and training providers to charities and educational experts. Organisations representing disabled people and those with learning disabilities (for example Scope and MENCAP) are also taking part.

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 take steps to improve the training and support caseworkers receive on asylum claims in the UK on grounds of religious persecution.

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 2016-06-28.

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) prosecutions and (b) convictions there have been for insurance fraud in each of the last five years.

Mike Penning

This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department has conducted on potential links between rates of stillbirth and exposure to high levels of air pollution.

George Freeman

The Department has not conducted or commissioned specific research on this topic.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of people being diagnosed with enlarged prostates.

David Mowat

In the majority of men, the prostate grows larger with age, and patients usually present to a general practitioner with symptoms of an enlarged prostate after the age of 50. Symptoms can include: weak urine flow; needing to urinate more often, especially at night; a feeling that your bladder has not emptied properly; and, difficulty starting to urinate. Some men find their symptoms are manageable and cause few problems, other find their symptoms worsening, which can impact on wellbeing and quality of life.

For patients who need treatment, there are a number of approaches available including lifestyle and dietary adjustments, medicines and surgery.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that dairy farmers receive a greater proportion of the profits of their produce compared to other elements of the supply chain.

George Eustice

The voluntary Code of Practice on contractual relationships has been extremely important for improving relationships across the dairy industry through greater transparency and predictability in milk pricing arrangements. It is for the industry to review it and check that it is working. The Code was last independently reviewed in 2014 which showed that it has been effective, but the review made some recommendations which its signatories (Dairy UK, NFU Scotland and the NFU) are taking forward.

The Groceries Code Adjudicator also has an important role to play in changing behaviours and the overall culture of the sector. A review of the Grocery Code Adjudicator is due this year and we will look at how this can help the farming industry.

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board has established a Volatility Forum which brings together government, the farming industry and wider supply chain to catalyse knowledge exchange and long-term engagement with new risk management tools. It is exploring options such as forward contracts and use of futures markets, which could give farmers more certainty over price and share risk throughout the supply chain.

Retailers have also shown their support for the British dairy industry. For example, Tesco has pledged that all own-brand yoghurt will now be made with British milk, Morrisons has launched the ‘Milk for Farmers’ brand that allows customers to pay more if they want to support British farmers and Arla has launched ‘Arla Farmers Milk’ where an additional 25p of the retail price of a four pint carton is paid to its farmers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what plans his Department has to make electrical stimulation treatment for sight loss available through the NHS.

David Mowat

Clinical commissioning groups are responsible for commissioning health care services to meet the needs of their local populations.

There is no National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance on the use of electrical stimulation for the treatment for sight loss. Where NICE guidance does not exist on a particular treatment, it is for local National Health Service commissioners to make funding decisions based on an assessment of the available evidence and on the basis of an individual patient’s clinical circumstances.

NHS commissioners are required to have in place clear and transparent arrangements for local decision-making on the funding of treatments and for considering exceptional funding requests.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what discussions he has had with the Royal Colleges on the use of simple home-cooked food to reduce diabetes.

Nicola Blackwood

There have been no discussions with the royal colleges on the use of simple, home cooked food to reduce diabetes.

Current dietary advice to people who have diabetes is the same as for the general population – that they should enjoy a healthy, balanced diet based on theeat well plate, the national healthy eating guide.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-12.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to promote private sector investment in Kurdistan.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

In recognition of the potential investment opportunities in Iraq as a whole, the Department for International Trade has recently finalised an ambitious five-year Business Plan. That plan seeks to underpin the promotion of British trade across Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), to deliver maximum export opportunities for UK companies and ensure that we take advantage of the opportunities that the KRI market offers.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-09-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Army Reserves who did not pass the annual mandatory training test in 2015 were deployed on operation.

Harriett Baldwin

There are 10 Military Annual Training Tests (MATTs) ranging from map reading and navigation through to Chemical, Biological, Radiation, Nuclear (CBRN) training. In 2015, 32 Army Reservists who had either not completed or failed an aspect of their MATTs were mobilised for deployment. The decision to deploy is made by the Chain of Command only on the basis that the gap in MATTs would not prevent them from safely and responsibly fulfilling their deployed role. In addition to MATTs, all deployed personnel receive an intensive programme of training specific to the operation.

In addition, 2 Medical brigade mobilised and deployed 122 medical Reserve personnel to Sierra Leone in a non-combat role in 2015, as part of the fight against Ebola. As part of its preparation the unit conducted its own MATTs for which pass and fail records are not held centrally and cannot readily be provided.