Tag: Jim Shannon

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, if he will take steps to increase the proportion of men going to university.

Joseph Johnson

The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone with the potential has the opportunity to benefit from higher education, irrespective of their background or gender.

In the last academic year we saw record numbers of applicants and entrants to higher education, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

In our recent guidance to the Director of Fair Access, we asked him to include among his areas of focus support for white working class boys who are among the groups with the lowest participation rates. Universities expect to spend more than £745 million through access agreements agreed with the Director of Fair Access on measures to improve access and success for students from disadvantaged backgrounds – up significantly from £404 million in 2009.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-05-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what research his Department is conducting on the use of biosimilars in healthcare.

George Freeman

The Department is not conducting and has not commissioned specific research on the use of biosimilars in healthcare.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of replacing traditional lattice pylons with the T-pylon in environmentally sensitive areas.

Andrea Leadsom

The T-Pylon is an innovative design that won a competition held in 2011 by the Royal British Institute of Architects, DECC and National Grid. The first scheme in which the use of the T-pylon has been proposed is for some sections of the Hinkley Point C Electric Line connection that was granted development consent by the Secretary of State on 19 January 2016. The decision to grant consent was made on the merits of the scheme based on a report and recommendation from the Planning Inspectorate. The Planning Inspectorate’s report and the Secretary of State’s decision can be found at:

http://infrastructure.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/projects/south-west/hinkley-point-c-connection/.

“

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of UN Secretary-General’s report on Children and Armed Conflict and its Annex, published in April 2016, in which the Saudi-led Coalition is listed as committing grave violations against children in Yemen.

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 Saudi Arabia 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 2016-06-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing on the NHS laser-guided shoes to people with Parkinson’s disease.

Jane Ellison

No assessment has been made of the potential merits of providing laser-guided shoes to people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) on the National Health Service. We understand this new innovation, whilst promising, remains at a relatively early stage in terms of development and testing. Good quality evidence from clinical trials would be needed before clinicians and commissioners could make appropriate assessments about the clinical and cost effectiveness of the shoes and consider their suitability for patients with PD.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive on steps to support first-time buyers.

Brandon Lewis

The Secretary of State has had no formal meetings with his counterpart in the Northern Ireland Executive.

However, the Department is actively involved with the British Irish Council, who meet frequently to discuss cross-cutting housing issues and share expertise.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the government of Bahrain on the protection of the rights of the Shia population in that country to manifest their religion through teaching, worship and observance.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

We follow the political situation closely in Bahrain, including Shia interests. We regularly discuss freedom of religion and belief with the Government of Bahrain, including at the highest levels, 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, and the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) did so most recently with his Bahraini counterpart, Sheikh Khalid Bin Ahmad Al Khalifa on 14 June 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-07-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will commission an international and independent review of organ harvesting in China.

Mr Hugo Swire

We currently have no plans to commission a review of organ harvesting in China.

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

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

David Mowat

The information is not held in the format requested.

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 minimise bureaucracy for farmers.

George Eustice

During the previous Parliament Defra made significant progress in reducing regulatory burdens on all businesses. These were listed in my Written Ministerial Statement of 25 March 2015. Defra continues to take forward reforms to deliver our policy outcomes more efficiently for farmers. The Farm Visits programme was established in July 2015 to reduce the number of farm visits by 20,000 by 2020, reduce the regulatory burden on farmers and improve customer service. The programme has implemented a single helpline for farmers, started to combine inspections where it is beneficial to the farmer, and, in June established the farm visits coordination unit. I also announced in April changes to the arrangements for reporting livestock movements that will significantly reduce burdens for keepers. A Cutting Red Tape review of farm information reporting requirements is also under way whose recommendations will be published in due course.