Tag: Jim Shannon

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assistance the Government is providing to Israel to help prevent knife attacks by Palestinians on Israeli citizens.

Mr Tobias Ellwood

Since the start of the current violence we have spoken regularly to both the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority on the urgent need to de-escalate the tensions. I discussed the recent violence with the Israeli Charge D’Affaires and officials from the Israeli Ministry of Defence on 24 November. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have also discussed the issue of the current violence with the Israeli Head of the Civil Department of the Office for the Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories on 24 November. However the Government is not providing any assistance to Israel specifically to help prevent knife attacks.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many nationals of other countries living in the UK have been convicted of a crime since 30 September 2014; and how many such people came from each country.

Andrew Selous

The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database does not hold the nationality of offenders convicted or sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. Obtaining this information would incur disproportionate cost.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to encourage British Muslims to join the armed forces to tackle ISIL.

Penny Mordaunt

The Ministry of Defence is working up plans to meet the Government’s commitment to increase the number of black, Asian, ethnic minority (BAME) recruits into the Armed Forces to 10% by 2020, and have allocated additional resources for this purpose.

Diversity and inclusion is a Defence Board priority and we recognise that there are challenges we need to address and we are engaging with all communities that are under-represented in the Armed Forces to consider ways and means of doing so.

Some examples of actions we have taken that are aimed at increasing BAME, including Muslim, recruitment are:

Highlighting the benefits of a career in the Armed Forces including the ability to develop a trade or gain professional skills; as well as being a force for good, for example through conducting humanitarian operations.

Trying to build mutual understanding between the Armed Forces and local communities including highlighting the role that Muslims have played in operations from World War One to the present day.

Tackling the perception that there are no role models for Muslims in the Armed Forces.

The Armed Forces have recently (October 2015) won two of the seven awards being presented at the Race for Opportunity Awards. The Armed Forces Muslim Association, of which the Chief of Defence Staff is patron, won the Public Sector Employee Network Award and the Royal Air Force won the Future Workforce Award for their STEM/Employability Skills programme.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the implications for NHS diagnosis and treatment services of the findings of research indicating that women who have severe pre-menstrual tension are significantly more likely to develop high blood pressure.

Jane Ellison

This research was published on 25 November by the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Contributions to the evidence base are welcomed, but any recommendations for NHS clinical practice will be made on the basis of consideration of the research by clinical advisory bodies.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-06.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to improve police responses to sexual assaults and rapes at universities.

Karen Bradley

Rape and sexual violence are devastating crimes which we remain committed to tackling. We expect every report of rape to be treated seriously from the point of disclosure, every victim to be treated with dignity, and every investigation and every prosecution to be conducted thoroughly and professionally.

We continue to work with the police to look at ways to improve their response to rape and sexual assault. We have supported the publication of data on rape for every police force in the country as a basis for improving recording and investigations of this crime. The Rape Action Plan, led by the Crown Prosecution Service and the National Policing lead for rape, ensures that investigators and prosecutors have both the right tools for handling these cases, and referrals from the police to prosecutors are improved to increase successful prosecutions.

We want victims to have the confidence to report these crimes to the police, knowing they will get the support they need and that everything will be done to bring offenders to justice, no matter where the offence takes place. Police recorded rape increased by 43% (to 31,621 offences) in the year ending June 2015 compared with the previous year. We do not hold figures on the number of rapes in England and Wales that took place in universities. This significant rise in the reporting of rape is the result of a renewed focus on the quality of crime recording and a greater willingness of victims to come forward. These can only be positive developments in our fight to end abuse.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prevent people in other EU countries who have been convicted for murder, violent assault or rape from travelling to the UK.

James Brokenshire

The UK has always and will continue to operate our borders securely and enforce our immigration laws. This includes carrying out full checks on all arriving passengers in order to identify any criminal, security and immigration concerns. All passengers are checked against police, security and immigration watchlists and where we are aware of individuals who pose a risk, Border Force officers can, and do refuse them entry. However, that requires other countries to inform us of individual’s criminal histories.

This Government has also introduced a new power to enable the UK to require entry clearance applicants to provide an overseas criminal record certificate, helping to reduce overseas offenders gaining visas to enter the UK. From 1 September 2015, Tier 1 Investor and Tier 1 Entrepreneur entry clearance applicants and their adult dependents are now required to provide a criminal record certificate from the country/countries in which they have been living for the past ten years. This will be rolled out to other categories at a later stage on a phased basis.

The UK is leading calls in Europe to improve the sharing of criminal records information between Member States, allowing us better to identify criminals before they try and enter the UK. This includes accelerating work to develop a more comprehensive system for sharing information on non-EU nationals who receive criminal convictions within the EU. In the light of the unprecedented migratory flows into Europe, the UK is leading calls for systematic and complete identification, registration and fingerprinting of those entering the EU as well as greater sharing of information about those who pose a risk. The Home Office is also leading work to progress recommendations from a project to tackle serious offending by mobile EU criminals (SOMEC Project). This project examines the threat from offenders crossing internal EU borders who pose a risk.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the effect of the negative interim NICE Appraisal Committee Decision on nivolumab for squamous non-small cell lung cancer on patients.

George Freeman

No such assessment has been made. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently appraising nivolumab (Opdivo) for squamous non-small cell lung cancer and has not yet issued its final guidance.

In developing its technology appraisal guidance, NICE works closely with stakeholders, including manufacturers. NICE’s consultation on its draft guidance closed on 19 January 2016.

In the absence of NICE guidance, it is for commissioners to make funding decisions based on the available evidence.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what steps her Department is taking to help review and improve sea defences in Northern Ireland.

Mrs Theresa Villiers

Sea defences are a devolved matter in Northern Ireland.

On 9 December 2015, the Chancellor announced an additional £51 million to support households and businesses affected by floods, which includes an allocation of £1.3 million to Northern Ireland. It is up to the Executive how this money is spent.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to ensure that harbours can accommodate any new vessels built for use by the Royal Navy.

Mr Philip Dunne

It is recognised that harbours in the UK and around the world vary in size, and that not all are able to accommodate all classes of ships due to constraints such as navigation channels, water depth, tidal movements, tug and pilotage arrangements, and berthing facilities. There are, however, a sufficient number of harbours and ports both at home and overseas that our ships can access, or could anchor in the vicinity of, to receive the necessary support.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Shannon on 2016-01-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to prevent extortion cases.

Mr John Hayes

We are clear that the police and other law enforcement agencies where appropriate, should take reports of extortion seriously and investigate them appropriately. Those who commit offences involving extortion should be taken through the courts and met with tough sentences.

The Anti-Kidnap and Extortion Unit in the National Crime Agency undertakes awareness raising to assist law enforcement agencies’ understanding of the threat.